Lesson
Plan--Final
Circumlocution
Teacher: Catherine Eslinger
Proficiency Level of Learners: Intermediate
Age of Learners: High School Age and Above
Objectives:
- Students will be
able to describe unfamiliar objects and situations
without knowing exact vocabulary. Instead, they
will use their existing vocabulary and circumlocution
techniques.
- Students will
practice circumlocution by avoiding words they already
know, then move on to use it to describe things for which
they do not know the words.
Materials:
- Pictures of people
showing various personal characteristics (recent
vocabulary)
- Audio recording of
the song "The Marvelous Toy"
- Handouts of lyrics
to chorus and part of one verse
- "Password"
cards
- Uncommon household
items, such as a vareniye (small Russian pie) maker,
pasta drainer, oil filter wrench
Warm-up/Review:
Review vocabulary
introduced and studied the previous day. Use pictures to
remind students of these words.
Introduction:
Tell students that we
will be learning how to talk about things for which we don't
already know the words. Point out how important this is by
explaining how it will expand their oral proficiency and fluency
without a lot of new vocabulary.
Presentation:
- Play "The
Marvelous Toy," directing students' attention to the
chorus, pointing out that the song describes the toy
without ever giving it a name.
Contingency Plan:
If I cannot get the audio equipment to work, I will sing
the chorus only of the song for the students.
- Ask students what
phrases were used to introduce circumlocution. Then
ask them if they can think of other phrases that they
might use to describe objects or situations for which
they did not have a name. Model the use of each of
these phrases.
Practice:
- Model the use of
these phrases in context using a variation on the game
"I Spy." Choose an object in the
classroom and tell the students you will describe it
until they correctly guess what it is. Make use of
several of the phrases mentioned by they students in the
presentation section of the lesson. When they have
guessed correctly, ask two other students to choose an
object and describe it to the class.
- Pass out a total of
six Password cards with three words on each to each pair.
Each student should have three cards, and his or her
partner should not be able to see the words on each one.
Model the game procedure to the whole class by showing
them an extra card and using circumlocution techniques to
express the idea to them. Have each student try
communicate his or her list of words to a partner by
circumlocution. The partner will guess what the
word is based on clues and description. When one
student gets through all the words on his or her first
card, the next student tries the same techniques.
Students alternate cards until they have gone through all
six between them or until time for the activity runs out.
Evaluation:
Have one pair at a time
come to the front of the room. Ask one to describe and
request one of several strange or unfamiliar household items from
the other to see if they can successfully make this negotiation.
Application:
Require the students to
talk to two native speakers of English, making sure to use
circumlocution to describe what they wish to communicate, instead
of avoiding certain subjects altogether. Ask them to bring
in a record of those two conversations, describing what the
subject was and what they communicated using circumlocution.
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1997 © Dr. Lynn E. Henrichsen
Department
of Linguistics
Brigham Young University
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 22, 1997