Linguistics 577 - Lesson Plans: Speaking

Speaking Lesson Plan

"Beauty and the Beast" (and other fairy tales)

Teacher: Allison McMurtrey
Date: October 24, 1996
Time: One or two full class periods however long they may be
Intended Age and Level: Adolesents - Adults; Intermediate-Advanced Students must be made aware that this assignment is not just a silly children's fairy tale but an important part of the culture that adults can enjoy as much as children.

Objective:

Give the students opportunities to practice speaking in a meaningful context.

Materials Needed:

Beauty and the Beastly Children by Michael O. Tunnell

Warm-Up:

Relate the generic version of the story of Beauty and the Beast. Preferrably have one of the students relate the story if possible with correcting as needed.
Read Beauty and the Beastly Children as a group. Each student should take a turn reading a portion of the story aloud. Discuss the plot as a class so all students understand.

Activity:

Split them pairs or groups of three. Assign them to create the next chapter to the story as Tunnell had done. (If you want to, allow them to choose any fairy tale they wish to add to.) They must discuss their ideas and the whole group must agree on their new plot; one member should not be allowed to dominate the discussion or the lesson objectives will fail. This activity can be written or completely oral.

Alternate Activity:

Rather than writing the next chapter of the story, allow them to rewrite the ending. (i.e. Cinderella marries the footman rather than Prince Charming.) The stories can be silly, serious, cute whatever the group decides. The teacher should circulate and help the groups as needed, keeping them on- task, providing vocabulary, etc.

Have a representative from each group tell their version of what happened next. If they have chosen another story, make sure the spokesman gives enough background on their choice that the story makes sense to the rest of the class.

Alternate Activity:

If the enthusiasm of the class and/or teacher is sufficient and there is enough time, the students can act out their versions in mini-dramas rather than just reading them to give more class members the opportunities to speak. If you have the class go over one period, you can allow them to bring in props, etc.

Review:

Ask for opinions on how they liked the stories. Have them comment on the problems they encountered while doing the group discussion and how they solved those problems.

Self-Evaluation:

I think this lesson would go very well. Everyone else in my group seemed fairly interested, and I have used this type of activity in classes before (not this one), and it worked well. I got virtually no feedback on the plan beyond "That sounds interesting," but what I got is reflected in the final draft I handed in. Its crux is that the students must realize that it is not only children's material; if that point fails to sink in, the whole activity may fail. That could lead to some trouble but only if the set-up is done wrong. This is very definitely an intermediate to advanced lesson, and so it does not focus on any particular pronunciation or syllabic point. I do not believe that is necessary in all speaking classes, just like not all speaking classes should be devoted to pure original creation. I like the fact that this activity focuses on speech production with a reasonable goal to achieve. However, since I have never actually taught this in front of a class, I cannot know for certain if it would succeed.

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