Learn strategies for making small talk about the weather
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THIS WEEK’S FEATURED POST
Week of June 22/26
This lesson plan focuses on Canada’s role in World War II. The lesson includes warm-up activities, vocabulary exercises, reading passages, a short video, and reflection questions to increase your students’ understanding of Canadian history.
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Lesson plan overview
| Task | To learn how to respond to some expected small talk questions about Canadian weather. |
| CLB level | CLB Stage I (CLB 1-3) |
| Delivery method | Online |
| Class size | 10-15 students (vary the number of activities according to your class size) |
| Estimated time | 2 hours (the length depends on class size and on how many weather scenarios you use). |
| CLB Skills and Competencies | Speaking: Interacting with others Sharing information Listening: Interacting with others Comprehending information Reading: Comprehending information |
| Language focus | Learn the vocabulary needed to understand this topic. Learn common small-talk phrases for four kinds of weather. Use the appropriate grammar structures and vocabulary to respond personally to the reflection questions. (Encourage students to respond in full sentences.) |
| Cultural focus | Students will discuss cultural differences in small talk about the weather (e.g., the need for small talk at all, topics, etc.) |
| Specific task learning objectives | Students learn basic vocabulary and phrases for making small talk on a common topic (the weather). Students practice small-talk dialogues for four weather scenarios. |
| ESL Directions original video (🎥) and audio (🔊) activities? | This lesson includes original video (🎥) and audio (🔊) activities. |
| Resource attribution | ESL Directions original resources are marked below with an asterisk (*). Feel free to use these, but please give credit to ESL Directions. |
Lesson plan
Warm-up: Introducing the topic and defining our terms
- Today, we’re going to practice small talk about four different kinds of weather.
- What is weather?
- What are some examples of different kinds of weather?
- What is small talk?
Part 1: Making small talk about a perfect summer day
- Open the box* 🔊 (Ask students to explain what each phrase means.)
- Audio, role play, and comprehension questions* 🔊
- Unjumble*
Part 2: Making small talk about a very hot day
- Open the box* 🔊 (Ask students to explain what each phrase means.)
- Audio, role play, and comprehension questions* 🔊
- Unjumble*
Part 3: Making small talk about a rainy day
- Open the box* 🔊 (Ask students to explain what each phrase means.)
- Audio, role play, and comprehension questions* 🔊
- Unjumble*
Part 4: Making small talk about a cold and rainy day
- Open the box* 🔊 (Ask students to explain what each phrase means.)
- Audio, role play, and comprehension questions* 🔊
- Unjumble*
Assessment/review tasks
FEATURED CONTENT
- Making small talk about the weather (Listen to a video using these phrases in all four weather scenarios.) 🎥
- Putting weather phrases into categories*
- Small talk about the weather board game*
- Speaking cards* (Explain each phrase and the kind of weather it applies to.)
Reflection questions
- What are three words or phrases that you learned today?
- Why do Canadians talk so much about the weather?
- Do people in your home country talk as much about the weather?
- Why do people make small talk?
- Have you made small talk about the weather in English? How did that go for you?
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Click on the small right arrow at the top of this video to play the videos or go to the YouTube Your Home and Community Playlist.
COMMUNITY AND NEIGHBOURS WORDWALL ACTIVITIES
Wordwall is a very useful interactive lesson-creation site. If you sign up for a free Wordwall account, you will be able to see our “Community and neighbours” folder, which includes ESL Directions activities that you can add to your lessons.
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Kathy Garnsworthy, the creator of ESL Directions, is an ESL teacher, movie buff, constant reader, and former editor and communications pro. Now a graduate of the Teaching English as a Second Language program at the University of Manitoba and an ESL teacher in Edmonton, Alberta, she specializes in teaching online classes of beginner ESL students.
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