Introductory Lesson #2

Goal: To practise the attributes of a good speaker and a good listener.

Materials

• criteria charts for good listeners and speakers
• 1 paper plate for each student
• plasticine of various colours cut into small chunks

Before

• Post the criteria charts where they can be seen by all students.
• Call the students' attention to the charts. Review the criteria together.
• Explain that today everyone will be practising their listening and speaking skills.

During

Step 1


• Distribute the paper plates (their names were put on them in lesson #1)
• Remind the students of the plasticine rules: It stays in your hand or on the plate.
• Have the students squish up the snail and warm up the plasticine.
• Have the students make each of the shapes they learned in Lesson #1: sphere, pancake, snake, cylinder and raindrop.
• Have the students roll the plasticine back into a sphere shape.
• Demonstrate joining two pieces of plasticine together to make the body of a ladybug (rough up the two joining surfaces, join them, smooth plasticine around the join). Join the legs and antennae in the same way.
• Have the students practise the joining process by making a ladybug.
• Have the students roll up the ladybug into a sphere.
• Set the students this new task: Create an imaginary insect. It must have at least 3 body parts, 2 eyes, and 6 legs. Think of a name for the insect. Think of some interesting facts about it (food, habitat, enemies, defence mechanisms,etc.)
• Give the class some time to complete the task.

Step 2


• When the insects are finished they should be set firmly on the plates.
• Invite a student volunteer to join you at the front of the classroom to help you model structured partner talk to the rest of the class.
• Sit facing the student (toes facing toes, knees facing knees, shoulders facing shoulders).
• Begin modeling good speaking skills by describing the details of the insect you have manufactured, to the volunteer. Point out certain features of the creature on the model. The volunteer demonstrates good listening skills as this is happening.
• Thank the volunteer and ask for 3 positive comments from the class to highlight the good listening and speaking skills they had just observed.
• Reverse the roles. While the student volunteer is speaking you can encourage by nodding, smiling, prompting with a question if the student hesitates, etc. Thank the student when s/he is finished and again invite 3 positive comments from the class.

Step 3


• Ask class to sit (toe to toe, knee to knee, shoulder to shoulder) with their predetermined partner.
• Ask the partner on the left to talk to their partner about their insect. Reverse the roles when the first speaker is finished.

After

• Ask the students to reflect on their listening and speaking roles.
• Have some students share with the larger group something that their partner had done really well during the practise.