TRY TO AGREE ABOUT WHO IS THE HAPPIEST.STUDENT ANAME PIERREAGE 45JO...

3. Try to agree about who is the happiest.

Student A

Name PierreAge 45Job Computer software designer in Central Paris - very well-paidAccommodation Large house in the suburbs 1 hour from central Paris by trainFamily Married with 3 young children Wife works full-timeHobbies Horse riding Flying small planesOpinion "I need a safe and steady job to be happy and to support a family."

Student B

Name Maria Age 35Job Teacher in a Primary School - tiring job.Accommodation Large house in Madrid 10 minutes from school by carFamily Married - 2 young childrenHobbies Tennis if she has time Opinion " I am very tired sometimes, but I prefer to work hard to be independent and to help to support my small family"

Student C

Name Paul Age 27Job Self-employed gardener Not very well paidAccommodation Small house with large garden in the countrysideFamily Single. Lives with his girlfriend (She has a well-paid job in London)Hobbies Repairing old carsOpinion "I prefer a job I enjoy to earning a lot of money. I don’t want to have children, or at least not yet."

Student D

Name AhmedAge 40Job Self-employed business man (sells carpets, vases and other valuable items)Accommodation Large villa near the Mediterranean port of Alexandria Married with seven children. His family often meet their relatives. His wife looks after the family, but they have a Familyhousemaid and a gardenerHobbies He enjoys his business and his family life, but has no special hobbiesOpinion "Family life is very important to me. We all help each other. Mybrother’s children are like my own children."

Follow-up Activity

Repeat performances of similar tasks are recommended to reinforce the interactive skills targeted in the first exercise. Students complete a blank worksheet for homework, effectively designing their own materials for the final conversation. The aim is to portray a "Happy Person" persuasively for a repeat group conversation in the following lesson. Once this activity has been firmly established, it is possible to replicate it at regular intervals withdifferent topics during a course. A Happy Person Complete your own table describing a real or imaginary HAPPY person. Be ready to defend your opinion in a small-group conversation. NameAgeJobAccommodationFamilyHobbiesOpinion

Conclusion

The skill of teaching group work depends on finding ways of intervening to improve performance without impinging on practice in the independent structuring of a conversation. Students should not feel they have no support, but should also take responsibility for keeping their own conversation going. The final speaking task is intendedto be accomplished without the intervention of the teacher, who is nonetheless available to advise/motivate groups who have problems. In the final activities, students are developing their ability to survive in English and to keep a conversation going, so any intervention defeats these aims. However, demonstration of the task in whole-class sessions by the teacher and selected students, allows the teacher to intervene and forestall problems. Prediction and practice of useful language can also be attempted in the preparatory activities. Practice in turn-exchanging, checking comprehension, asking for clarification, agreeing/disagreeing, expressing opinions can all be practised independently of the tasks inthe demonstration stages. In large classes, observation by the teacher and active classroom circulation is also recommended, to further prevent students developing a limited group-code through which they can communicate among themselves, but with no one else. Some situations may require the teacher to interrupt the task to demonstrate or troubleshoot, but the main objective of this set of exercises is to lead students in stages to a fully independentsmall-group conversation in English.