Functional Language Dice Game
A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS
Students roll a dice to decide what to communicate about, how to communicate and what to do during the communication, then take part in speaking and writing communicative roleplays, including the most common functions.
Lesson Plan Content:
Telephone, email or face to face functional language dice game
Roll a dice three times to decide the function, the situation/ topic and the means of communication from the table below, then roleplay that situation with your partner(s) (saying what you would write if you have to communicate by email or SMS).
|
Number on the dice
|
First throw – Function |
Second throw – Situation/ Topic |
Third throw – Means of communication |
|
1
|
Complaint
|
Dinner |
Email or SMS
|
|
2
|
Arrangement/ Invitation
|
Hotel |
Email or SMS |
|
3
|
Giving instructions/ Giving directions
|
Work |
Telephone (including leaving messages) |
|
4
|
Asking for information
|
Studies |
Telephone (including leaving messages) |
|
5
|
Changing/ Cancelling/ Giving bad news |
Product/ Service
|
Face to face |
|
6
|
Ordering/ Booking/ Applying for
|
Transport/ Journey |
Face to face |
If you are successful in doing the thing above (successfully ordering something, etc), play passes to your partner. If you are unsuccessful, try again with a different form of communication (your own choice this time).
When your teacher tells you to, switch to only rolling the dice once to decide the means of communication, then choosing your own function and situation/ topic to roleplay.
Possible functions:
- Apologising
- Asking for advice/ Asking for feedback on something
- Asking for permission
- Asking to put in contact with someone
- Chasing something up/ Checking the progress of something
- Correcting wrong information
- Giving advice/ Giving feedback/ Recommending/ Suggesting
- Giving information
- Introducing yourself
- Negotiating
- Offering a product or service
- Offering help
- Passing on someone else’s opinion
- Quitting something
- Requesting (= Asking for something or asking for help)
- Thanking
- Warning
Report back to the class about which roleplay and means of communication was easiest and most difficult.
Homework
Choose three situations and write an email exchange for one of those situations, a telephone exchange for one, and a face-to-face conversation for the other.
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