Activity 2 Phrases and expressions: Make suggestion; agree and disagree

Step 1. Look at the incomplete script of the conversation. Fill in the blank and check with
your partners.
Kathy: Im tired of studying. ____________ take a break.
Norman: Okay, __________________?
Kathy: ______________ a movie?
Norman: _____________. Whats _____________?
Kathy: Lets google. It says that theyre showing The Age of Adaline at AMC at 7:00 tonight.
Norman: ______, ______________ romance. Its boring.
Kathy: Okay, theyre also showing Rocky at the Ruby at midnight. And, its only $5.00 to get in!
Norman: _________________ but Ive seen it already. Whats __________ at State?
Kathy: They're showing Furious 7 at State. It starts at 7:30.
Norman: ________________. How much does it cost to get in?
Kathy: Its not cheap. It costs $15.00.
Norman: Thats too expensive for me. Anyway, ___________ see Home Alone. They're showing it
at the Cathay. It starts at 7:00.
Kathy: _________________. How much does it cost to get in?
Norman: Only $8.00.
Kathy: Okay, ______ go see Home Alone. Lets text Lisa to see if she wants to go with us.

Step 2. Listen to the conversation again and check your answers.

Step 3. Work with your partners and classify the phrases or expressions you fill in the
blank of the script into three groups.
Making suggestion

Agreeing

Disagreeing

Work with your partners and add more expressions or phrases to the boxes.
Step 4. Exercise: You are planning events with your friends. Make suggestion and show
agreement or disagreement to your friends suggestion.
Example: A: Lets hang out on Saturday. B: Good idea, what should we do?
Janes birthday
The week after finals
Spring break
Friday night

Grading task/task complexity

First, the input includes written and oral mediums, and the vocabulary and phrases are
high frequency. The input is well structured and students are familiar with the
information since they have done the listening in the previous activity. Second, students
need to interact and work with their partners to figure out the missing words dialogically.
Third, the activity is broken down to multiple steps, which allow students to process
information and learn. Lastly, the outcomes are written, oral and closed. Therefore, the
task complexity is well balanced, based on students proficiency level and the criteria
(Ellis, 2003; Robinson, 2003).
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to comprehend the phrases and expressions to make a plan and
use them to make a plan.
How/where learning happens
Learning happens when students pay attention to the missing words in the script and
pay extra attention to them when they listen to the conversation again. Learning also
happens when comprehend the functions of the phrases and classify them. Finally,
learning happens when students practice using them.
Research support
This activity is primarily based on Nation and Chung (2009)s review on teaching
vocabulary. The listening of the previous activity provides meaning-focused input
through listening. Given the incomplete script to fill in first, students need to recall what
they hear earlier; repetition promote memory retention (Rott et al., 2003). The purpose of
the activity is to provide students with linguistic support to conduct their final task, and
the main focus is teach students multi-word unit phrases or expressions rather than
individual vocabulary to improve their fluency (Lewis, 1993, 1997; Bowers et al, 2006).
Output is essential for students to learn new vocabulary so there is an exercise for
students to practice vocabulary in meaningful ways (Joe, 1998).