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    Conversations in the Classroom

    Conversations in the Classroom - 2

    www.headsupenglish.com

    Conversations in the Classroom

    by Chris Cotter

    Copyright 2010 Chris Cotter

    All rights reserved

    No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed without the prior

    permission of the publisher.

    Cover design: Chris Cotter

    Card design: Chris Cotter

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    Introduction .... 4

    What is Accuracy? . 5

    What is Fluency? ... 6

    Balancing Fluency and Accuracy .... 8

    Productive and Receptive Levels 9

    Activities 10

    List of Chatter Questions . 25

    List of Question Cards 28

    Card Instructions ..... 32

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    Hello and thank you for downloading Conversations in the Classroom. This

    resource guide accompanies two sets of question cards, Chatter Cards for

    lower-level students and Question Cards for upper-level students.

    I've written this ebook with the busy teacher in mind. In other words, you'll find this

    resource:

    1: Concise.

    2: Easy to use.

    3: Able to lend itself to quick, on-the-fly adaptations.

    Each point is necessary in different classrooms with different students. Each activity

    has been written or adapted for use with the cards. No other preparation is required.

    This means that you can scan the activities before or between classes, select the

    best one, and use it for nearly any part of the lesson that focuses on speaking.

    Because the activities herein, as well as the very nature of the accompanying cards,

    focus on speaking, the following ideas primarily work to improve students' fluency

    and accuracy. Much more will be said on accuracy and fluency, but here's a short

    explanation. Accuracy refers to producing the language with few to no errors. Fluency

    refers to the flow of the language, a skill many students find difficult. In many cases,students will excel at one and struggle with the other. One student may carefully

    consider each sentence before speaking, focusing on grammar and vocabulary and

    getting both perfect. Another student may speak and speak and speak, pay little

    attention to mistakes, and perhaps be unintelligible because of the mistakes. Both

    accuracy and fluency are needed for successful conversation then.

    Practice with these activities and accompanying cards does more. In addition to

    improved abilities to carry on conversations, students will also learn and/or improve totake turns in the conversation, interrupt, add information, ask for clarification, and

    more.

    Have great classes!

    Chris Cotter

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    Accuracy refers to the mechanics of the language. Students address and improve on

    the following ideas:

    1: Clear and articulate speaking or writing.

    2: Language free from grammar mistakes.

    3: Words spelled and/or pronounced correctly.

    4: Language appropriate to the situation and/or context.

    When a teacher, classroom, or student fails to consider accuracy in the class, then

    students may sound less fluent and capable with the language. This can quickly

    cause problems when students need to use the language for more than casual

    conversation.

    For example, let's say a businessperson uses English for email, as well as regularly

    attends teleconferences with the head office. Because English ability is so visible, it

    oftentimes easily gets confused with overall job ability or competence. The

    businessperson thus sounds less capable in the world of business, especially with

    peers and colleagues he doesn't regularly and directly work. It really isn't much

    different than a colleague who dresses in shorts and stained t-shirts. In most businessindustries, peers simply don't take him seriously or believe him to be fully competent.

    There are unsympathetic listeners to consider too. Most native English speakers in

    the real world outside of the classroom don't have the background or the patience to

    work through the mistakes of a non-native English speaker. Whether the mistakes

    come from the native tongue of the students, are pronunciation problems, grammar

    problems, or even cultural differences, breakdowns in communication occur. What

    had been intelligible in the classroom for the teacher and other students is suddenlyno longer intelligible outside the classroom.

    It must be noted here: Too much attention to accuracy results in students unable to

    use the language. They breakdown the sentences, translate them, and look at the

    sentences from different angles to minimize mistakes. This results in very slow

    response times. The language becomes less able to carry out its purpose, namely to

    effectively communicate ideas and information.

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    Fluency focuses on the flow of language. Sentences must be spoken smoothly and

    with few pauses. In addition, students respond to questions and information quickly.

    Lastly, it's important that students participate in a conversation, not simply react to it.

    There are a number of factors which affect fluency. To start, unfamiliar material results

    in less smooth, less quick language production. This is especially evident when the

    teacher first presents the target language (grammar or vocabulary). Students of all

    levels, when faced with new material, must process and practice it. A certain level of

    automaticity must be achieved before also gaining a level of fluency.

    And what is automaticity? The term refers to the recall time on the target language.

    Students work towards producing the new structures naturally and with less thought.

    When students practice a word, phrase, or sentence structure, then the new material

    becomes automatic. Students require less time to think about how to produce the

    language. Improved automaticity directly affects fluency.

    It's important to note that too much information presented and practiced at once

    hinders fluency. For example, if students must become familiar with new material,

    longer and richer sentences get in the way. In short, there's simply too much to juggleall at once.

    Of course the whole of the lesson shouldn't be restricted to short sentences that

    narrowly focus on the target grammar and/or vocabulary. However, restrictive practice

    at the start improves productive fluency later in the lesson. As the lesson progresses

    and students become comfortable and familiar with the target language, additional

    information for longer, richer sentences can be worked into the lesson plan.

    Response time also measures fluency. If someone asks a question, and the student

    takes several seconds before giving any answer, this can be considered poor fluency.

    Slow responses most often occur with lower-level students. However, even

    higher-level students may struggle with response times. In both cases, students may

    know the grammar or vocabulary, but must nevertheless process it when encountered.

    In short, it takes time to retrieve the needed information. This is especially true with

    higher-level students, who may have studied the language for years and years.

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    Lower-level students also tend to translate questions and answers from their native

    language to the target language, then back again. This further hinders fluency.

    Lastly, students need to be able to participate in a conversation. When students

    simply ask and answer questions, without adding detail, supporting information,

    tangents, or additional questions, then this is merely reacting to the conversation.

    Fluency should also be considered in terms of enriched grammar and vocabulary, all

    of which add to meaning, nuance, and so on.

    Let's look at the following exchange which serves as an example of reacting to a

    conversation:

    Student A: What are you going to do this Saturday?

    Student B: I'm going to see a movie.

    Student A: What are you going to do on Sunday?

    Student B: I'm going to study for the English test.

    Student A: What are you...

    Such conversations are common at the lower levels, but some detail can still be

    added if the teacher explicitly and repeatedly gives attention to this point. The teacher

    needs to set clear goals that the class works steadily towards, such as creating longer,richer conversations. Opportunities for discussion, as with question cards for example,

    help improve this point.

    At higher levels, the same reaction to a conversation may occur with difficult subject

    matter. Students may lack knowledge on the topic in their native language too, which

    results in a far less rich discussion in the target language. The teacher can assign

    preparatory homework, perhaps with the students receiving several question cards

    for essays or presentations.

    Fluency is thus a very important aspect of the language classroom. Students should

    be able to accomplish the following for fluent conversations:

    1: Acquire and use the needed grammar and vocabulary.

    2: Respond with few pauses, or quick access and activation of information.

    3: Participate in a conversation.

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    With a clearer definition of accuracy and fluency, let's now look at how to effectively

    balance the two. Although some ideas and information has been briefly mentioned

    above, it proves important to now discuss the balance as a separate entity.

    When the teacher develops a lesson, the early portions of the lesson generally get

    devoted to acquisition of the target language. Students need to learn the new material

    and produce it accurately. As a result, activities tend to be narrowly defined. This

    allows students to explicitly focus on one aspect of the target language. And as

    students become comfortable with the one aspect, then additional points and/or

    information can be added. Students don't need to juggle too much information.

    Of course, as the students practice, the teacher shouldn't expect zero mistakes. No

    matter how much practice occurs, mistakes continue to occur. In addition, the teacher

    shouldn't restrict the lesson to controlled and repetitive activities. For example, if

    students drilled and drilled and drilled the language for the majority of the class, then

    everyone would quickly become bored. There would be little challenge, little

    engagement, little interest. Both the students and the teacher wouldn't offer

    qualitative thought to the lesson contents.

    It should be noted that drills and controlled activities improve fluency too. Improved

    familiarity with the target language means an improved level of automaticity. This then

    translates to quicker and smoother response times.

    However, as was mentioned earlier, fluency consists of more than quick responses to

    questions. Students must also be able to access and activate the knowledge.

    Students must be able to add detail for richer responses. Students must be able to

    participate in a conversation. Hence the latter portion of the lesson gets devoted tothese other aspects for better fluency.

    With increasingly open-ended activities, such as provided in this resource guide,

    students must provide longer and more detailed answers. Students further mix

    grammar and vocabulary from past lessons. They also mix pre-existing knowledge

    gained from personal studies, interest, and exposure to English with the new material.

    All of this allows students to create more realistic and richer conversations, which

    they may also immediately apply outside the classroom.

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    Let's conclude with a brief word on productive and receptive levels, as both connect

    to accuracy and fluency. Productive and receptive levels can be defined as the

    following:

    Productive Level: This refers to language use, specifically speaking and writing.

    Receptive Level: This refers to listening and reading, or input and comprehension.

    For effective communication to occur, students must be able to produce and receive

    information. A poor productive level may mean that students have the information but

    can't speak quickly or correctly. On the other hand, students may try to dominate a

    conversation because of a poor receptive level. They speak and speak without

    actually participating in the conversation.

    Attention to productive and receptive levels ties directly to accuracy, fluency, and the

    activities in this resource book. A teacher may correctly assume that students

    understand the target language, and thus ignore additional opportunities to improve

    language production. In other words, the teacher ignores activities for better accuracy

    and fluency simply because students understand the new material. An apt analogywould be assuming someone a good driver after only a few sessions behind the

    wheel! Drills are needed to improve accuracy and response time.

    Conversely, the teacher may spend too much time on drills and short activities that

    don't allow opportunities for rich and detailed use of the language. This results in a

    poorer receptive level because students don't have the chance to meaningfully

    interact with one another.

    To conclude, the teacher must not only consider accuracy, fluency, and the balance of

    the two, but he must also consider both sides to language use. This resource guide

    has a mix of activities that focus on productive and receptive levels in connection with

    improved accuracy and fluency.

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    This activity encourages students to do more than just ask a

    question, answer it, and then move on to the next question or

    activity. Lower-level students are often guilty of this, but higher-level

    students may fall into a similar pattern in the classroom.Answer,

    Add, and Ask ensures students develop one question into a short

    conversation.

    Students get into pairs and receive from three to five cards.

    Student A turns over a card and asks the question to his/her partner.

    Student B answers the question, adds information, and asks a related question. For

    example:

    Student A: Have you ever eaten something really strange?

    Student B: Yes, I have. I ate a pickled pig's foot in J apan once. I didn't know what I

    ordered because I didn't speak the language. I tried it and it tasted terrible! How

    about you? Have you ever eaten something really strange?

    Student A: Yes. Once I ate...

    Students may repeat the process as they continue the conversation.

    As students add information to the initial answer, the conversations among each

    pair will become significantly richer and more interesting.

    The teacher gives students the same number of cards. However, atime limit of ten minutes is set for the activity. Students should try to speak as long

    as possible from one question, yet remain on topic. Once the conversation lags or

    wanders far from the initial question, a new card is drawn. The pairs who have

    drawn the least number of cards win.

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    If accuracy is the focus of the lesson, then the teacher should

    include this activity in the lesson plan. Although overly long pauses

    aren't okay as students still need to maintain the conversation, a

    slower speaking speed to get grammar, vocabulary, and any other

    language points correct isn't a problem.

    Students get into groups of three. They decide who will be student A,

    B, and C for the activity. Students A and B will speak together, and student C will

    monitor for mistakes.

    The teacher distributes three cards (or six cards, or nine cards) face

    down. Consider three cards as one round. As the teacher doesn't want to end the

    activity in the middle of a round, he should be aware of how long each round will

    take and how much time he wants to devote to the activity.

    Students read the first card. Students A and B begin the conversation,

    and student C listens for mistakes. Student C should not interrupt the conversation,but should instead take notes of mistakes to ensure accurate reporting. The

    conversation continues for a set time, as determined by the teacher. Three minutes

    works very well.

    The conversation ends, and student C reports any mistakes. Equally

    important, and if possible, he/she should correct the mistakes and provide an

    explanation. The information may be given in English or the native language of the

    students (assuming all class or group members speak the same mother tongue). Soif student B made several mistakes with the future tense, student C would point this

    out and explain/review: be going to + main verb.

    Students rotate roles and repeat.

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    Back to Back Discussions works as a great tool to improve

    listening. Without the benefit of nonverbal cues, students focus much

    more intently on listening to the conversation. In addition, when

    students miss a word here or there, they make intuitive leaps based

    on the context of the sentence/conversation, not on gestures, facial

    expressions, etc.

    Students get into pairs and arrange their chairs to sit back to back.

    The teacher distributes two question cards to each student. More

    questions may also be distributed, but the activity then requires more time. Students

    take several minutes to read through the questions for comprehension. The teacher

    monitors and offers help and clarification where needed.

    Students ask and answer the questions back to back. All but the

    weakest class of students should ask at least one follow-up question. Higher-level

    classes must ask follow-up questions and add information to the conversation.

    Continue through the questions, alternating roles from question to question.

    Optional. Students switch partners and repeat the activity. This

    improves fluency because students have the chance to engage in a new

    conversation yet reuse much of the material in the previous steps.

    Listening is integral for successful communication. In the

    classroom, students should be given opportunities to improve

    listening skills. Conversations and interactive activities are butone means. Monologues, dialogues, and other similar activities are other

    examples. Always consider listening as an active skill, even if students are

    sitting quietly. They are busy breaking down the language.

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    Students work on creativity, which can help with unanticipated

    answers. Sometimes students understand the grammar and

    vocabulary, but doubt their comprehension because the answer was

    unexpected. This activity builds some confidence in this regard.

    More importantly, it's just fun!

    The teacher pairs up students or places them in small groups.

    Anything smaller than four people together works well. Larger groups usually mean

    two students or more take a passive role and don't participate in the conversation.

    Up to ten cards are distributed per group, face down. More cards

    mean the activity takes longer, but it also then offers additional opportunities to

    meet the objective.

    The top card is turned over, and all students read the question.

    Everyone has one minute to think of the most fantastic and interesting answer

    possible.

    Each student gives his answer, as well as provides any additional

    information too. The tales continue around the table.

    So as to encourage all students to listen, understand, and think about

    each answer, students vote on the most fantastic answer. The student whose

    answer was deemed the most exciting receives a point. If two students receive an

    equal number of votes, then both receive a point.

    Pairs/groups continue to the next card, and repeat the process. At the

    end of the activity, tally the points to determine the winner with the most fantastic

    tales.

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    Guess the Question requires students to listen to an answer

    provided by their partner, assess the information, and guess the

    appropriate question. This activity helps students with question

    formation, as well as promotes active listening.

    Students each receive two question cards. More cards may be

    distributed by the teacher, but additional time is then required to complete the

    activity. Students should read the questions and think of appropriate answers. In

    addition, with lower-level students, the teacher should ensure that students fully

    understand and are able to answer the question cards.

    Students find a partner. Student A provides his answer. Lower-level

    students generally have little exposition, which is okay here. Higher-level students

    generally give more detailed answers, and so must consider how the information is

    presented. The answer should directly address the question, with subsequent

    information offering detail and support. Student B guesses the question.

    Students rotate roles and repeat. Student B now provides his answer.

    Student A guesses the question.

    After the students have gone through the cards, students can select

    one question from each partner for discussion. The teacher should allot roughly five

    minutes for this step, thus ensuring both students have the chance to talk.

    Preparation is often an important step for

    students, especially in lower-level classes. If

    students have the chance to read questions,

    think of possible answers, and work out any language

    problems before a conversation, the flow of the

    language improves.

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    In this activity, students want to speak and speak and speak. Neither

    the students nor the teacher should place much concern on

    accuracy with the language, unless the sentences come out

    completely unintelligible. Students will focus on fluency. They just get

    the words out and keep the conversation flowing. This activity works

    well as a warm up activity.

    The teacher pairs up students based on ability. Each pair should be of

    roughly equal speaking skill, else the stronger student will dominate the

    conversation. The weaker student won't get the much needed opportunity to

    practice.

    The teacher next places students in pairs or groups up to four.

    Student A reads the question aloud from his/her card, and then provides the two

    statements.

    One student from the pair turns over a card, and asks the question.

    The other student answers the question. However both students will need toprovide additional information, ask follow up questions, and sustain the

    conversation's flow for as long as possible. Any pause of ten seconds or greater

    signals the end of the conversation. Note: With lower level students, the students

    may pause for up to twenty seconds.

    After the conversation ends, the initial answerer draws a new card

    and asks the question. Again, the paired up students maintain the conversation for

    as long as possible. Repeat the process.

    After ten minutes, the teacher stops the activity. Pairs count how

    many cards remain. More cards are better than fewer cards, as this demonstrates

    the ability to maintain the flow of the conversation.

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    Students must answer questions quickly and creatively in this

    activity. They also need to mislead one another. The combination of

    the two makes One Lie and One Truth difficult, as slow responses

    could signal which of the two initial statements isn't true. Questions

    which focus on personal information work best.

    The teacher distributes one card to each student. He will answer the

    question twice. One answer is the truth and one answer is the lie. For example, the

    following question would generate two statements:

    Question: You have one supernatural ability. What is it?

    Answer (t ruth): I would want to fly.

    Answer (l ie): I would want to be invisible.

    The teacher allows students five minutes to prepare their answers. Equally

    important, the five minutes should be used to anticipate follow-up questions and

    imagine appropriate answers. Notes may be taken during this time.

    Students now get into pairs or groups up to four. Student A reads the

    question aloud from his/her card, and then provides the two statements.

    Other students have three to five minutes to ask follow-up questions

    in order to determine which statement was the lie. Here the previous preparation

    and note taking proves important, especially with the lower levels.

    After the allotted time, student A announces which of the two

    sentences was true and which was false. Based on interest in the real answer, the

    students in the group may spend a few minutes asking additional questions.

    Pairs/groups repeat the previous steps for student B, then student C,

    and so on.

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    Students work on listening skills in this activity, as they must assess

    what was heard. They next must accurately relay the information to a

    third student. A communicative element has further been added,

    because students answer the questions relayed. Pickle in the

    Middle works well with lower-level students, or as a Warm Up for

    some intermediate classes.

    The teacher selects three questions from the packet of cards for each

    group. These are asked and answered in the activity by the groups.

    Students are arranged into teams of three. Each person receives on

    question card. Student A quietly asks the first question to Student B, who is the

    pickle in the middle. Student B may not take notes and must remember the

    question. Student B then relays the question to Student C.

    Note: For classes with lower-level students, the teacher should pre-teach, "What

    did you say?"

    Student C answers the question. As in the previous step, he quietly

    relays the answer to Student B. Student B then relays the information to Student A.

    Students rotate roles. Student B asks his question to student C, who

    is now pickle in the middle. Student C then relays the question to Student A.

    Student A answers the question.

    Students once more rotate roles and repeat.

    Consider cool-down activities at the end of the

    lesson as an opportunity to review target

    language in the lesson. If students can

    effectively and quickly use the new material in short

    activities, it provides an effective marker of what has been

    accomplished in the lesson.

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    Students work toward improving response time, a skill especially

    useful for students who focus on accuracy and tend to slow down the

    conversation. In this activity, the teacher encourages students to go

    through the deck of questions as quickly as possible, paying less

    attention to lengthy answers and mistakes. Of course, students must

    still provide intelligible responses!

    The teacher places students in pairs and explain the activity. The

    purpose of the activity is also explained, namely to improve speaking speed.

    Distribute at least thirty cards per pair of students. Because each pair

    attempts to get through the deck in ten minutes, more cards are better. Ideally, no

    one should finish the activity in the allotted time. If more or less cards need to be

    distributed, the teacher should also consider student ability and the difficulty of the

    questions as a whole.

    Student A reads a question and student B answers it. If student A

    can't clearly understand an answer, then student B will need to clarify, explain, orrestate it. As students don't rotate rolls just yet, student A will continue to draw cards

    and ask questions. Move through the deck as quickly as possible. At the end of ten

    minutes, pairs count the question cards which were answered. The more cards the

    better.

    Each pair gathers both the cards they unanswered and the ones

    remaining. Shuffle and pass the cards to another pair of students. This ensures a

    new set of questions for student B to answer.

    Students now rotate roles and repeat the activity, with student B

    asking questions and student A answering them.

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    The teacher needs to allot at least thirty minutes to complete this

    activity, as students create and write a story based on the cards. The

    class may hand in the stories as an assignment, or they may read

    the stories aloud to classmates. If the latter is chosen, then

    additional time is needed for everyone to present their story.

    The teacher writes on the board the following:

    setting:

    characters:

    problem:

    He should next explain that every story usually addresses these three points. The

    class brainstorms together some settings, characters, and problems from

    well-known books and movies to highlight the idea.

    The class forms groups of three to five students. Several cards aredistributed to each group. Students receive a minute or two to read through and

    understand the questions on each card.

    Students write a story and include one of the questions from the

    cards. Because this can prove difficult, especially with students not especially

    creative, encourage students to first imagine the setting, characters, and problem.

    Once they have a general idea, it proves much easier to begin the story.

    Students must incorporate as many of the questions (or answers

    based on the questions) from the cards. Note that this is quite difficult, and should

    only be done with higher-level students.

    Students must begin the story with one character asking the

    question, and another character asking it.

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    This activity works well with current events topics because of the rich

    discussion which ensues. However, Talk and Trade works well

    whenever students need to focus on a combination of accuracy and

    fluency. The activity also improves structural clarity.

    One card is distributed to each person in the class. Each student also

    receives a few minutes to read the question and think of answers for discussion.

    Students pair up. Student A reads his question, then provides an

    answer. A discussion should ensue for up to three minutes. Although students may

    be able to speak longer, the teacher wants them to have several conversations.

    Student B reads his question and answers it. Again, the two students

    should have a discussion for several minutes.

    The teacher says stop. Students trade cards and find another partner.

    With the new partner, each student reads the question then answers

    it. Of course the conversations will differ, but some information from the previous

    conversations will get reused. This improves sentence patterns, key grammar, and

    vocabulary. With questions which focus on current events, students will better and

    more succinctly be able to support key ideas as they recycle and add to ideas.

    When the teacher reuses the same activitiesor offers only a slight variation, student talk

    time increases. Fluency and accuracy also

    improves because students use the same information

    again and again. Lastly, the teacher doesn't need to

    spend valuable class time explaining several different

    activities, which then reduces teacher talk time.

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    Talk and Walk requires student to hold a conversation while

    performing an unrelated but simple task. Students must talk and

    walk. The movement proves slightly distracting, particularly so for

    beginners, which means they must more intently concentrate on

    language production. In addition, lengthy answers must be given,

    which further adds to the difficulty of this activity.

    Students get into pairs. The teacher distributes two question cards to

    each pair. One question starts the conversation. The other question serves as the

    emergency back-up question should students get stuck and their conversation lags.

    The teacher establishes a start and end point for the walk. Students

    should be able to walk for at least two minutes, guaranteeing ample time for a real,

    albeit short, conversation. A hallway proves ideal, but any large, open space will

    work almost as well. The classroom can also be used, but desks may need to be

    moved to provide the needed space.

    One student asks his partner the first question from the board. Thepartner answers it, as well as provides additional information, follow-up questions,

    and so on. This is done as the two students are walking side by side. Conversations

    should continue until the pair of students reach the end point indicated by the

    teacher.

    The teacher wants to ensure enough space between pairs. Once the

    first pair of students gets ten or fifteen steps ahead, then the second pair of

    students begins to talk and walk. This continues until all students have talked andwalked.

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    The title of the activity says it all: Students speak for two minutes per

    card, thus having a ten-minute conversation when five cards are

    used. The activity works especially well as a warm up or a cool down

    in any language classroom.

    Students find a partner. Small groups of three may also be used.

    However, groups of four or larger aren't recommended, as the short nature of the

    activity limits individual talk time for each student. With four or more students per

    group, each person doesn't receive enough opportunities to speak.

    The teacher distributes an equal number of cards to each pair/group.

    The cards should be face down.

    Students turn the top card over, read the question, and talk for two

    minutes. There shouldn't be long periods of silence, and students should definitely

    not finish the conversation in less than two minutes. This means everyone will needto add information, ask additional questions, and so on.

    At the two-minute mark, the teacher says, "Change!" Students draw a

    new card and begin a new conversation for two minutes. Continue through the deck

    distributed to each pair/group.

    In warm up activities, the teacher shouldn't worry about

    mistakes by the students. They may not have spoken English

    for several days, a week, or even longer. As a result, even

    stronger students may make slips with well-known grammar and

    vocabulary. Give the class the chance to get the English wheels turning.

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    Students guess their partner's answer to a question in What Wil l

    Your Partner Say? This activity not only provides opportunities for

    improved accuracy and fluency, but it also serves as an activity that

    builds camaraderie. As such, it proves especially beneficial early in

    the course when students don't know one another.

    Students get into pairs and introduce themselves. The teacher should

    allot about five minutes for students to talk about their hobbies, interests, jobs, etc.

    With lower-level students, some direct questions may provide the guidance needed

    to successfully talk for several minutes.

    Note: If students already know one another, then this step may be ignored.

    The teacher distributes two question cards to each student. Students

    read the questions, understand the questions, and think of an answer that their

    partner will likely give. The teacher may allot two minutes here.

    Student A reads one question aloud. He also provides the answer he

    believes his partner will give.

    Student B now provides his answer to the question. The pairs can

    compare what was right and what was wrong with the initial guess. Intermediate

    and advanced students can also engage in a short discussion, thereby adding more

    information and detail to the conversation.

    Students switch roles and repeat through the cards.

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    This activity works well with topics that provide opportunities for rich,

    extended discussions. For example, because little conversation can

    ensue, a poor question would be: What's your name? A good

    question with a lot of follow-up opportunities would be: What do you

    want to do in the future? It's recommended that the teacher go

    through the deck of cards to select the best questions.

    The teacher places students in pairs or groups of three to four. The

    larger the group, the more time the activity requires because everyone must

    participate in the conversation.

    The teacher next distributes three cards to each pair/group. The

    cards should be face up, as the students will work at their own pace and focus only

    on the questions they find interesting. As a variation, the teacher may select three

    questions beforehand and write these on the board, in which case the whole class

    talks about the same topics. Ten minutes are allotted for the conversations.

    Students select which question to discuss first. They talk only as longas the conversation interests them and then move on to the next question. If a

    pair/group talks for ten minutes on one of the questions, that's great. If another

    pair/group has three different conversations based on the three cards, that's great

    too. The sole requirement of this activity should focus on how much speaking takes

    place. All pairs/groups must talk for the full ten minutes, with no pair/group finishing

    early.

    A class of weaker students may spend twenty or

    thirty seconds putting together a follow-up question.

    To limit these long pauses, first select a question and

    write it on the board. Elicit possible follow-up questions from

    students, either individually or in pairs. Write these on the

    board so students now have a few ideas when they get stuck.

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    The following is the complete list of questions from the Chatter Cards. The questions

    the follow work best with lower-level students.

    11:: Who is your best friend? Why?

    22:: How tall are you?

    33:: Is there anything special you like to do in the winter?

    44:: Do you make friends easily? Why/not?

    55:: Is there anything special you like to do in the summer?

    66:: What time do you usually leave your house in the morning?

    77:: What school subject do/did you like the least?

    88:: Can you say the alphabet backwards?

    99:: How many nieces, nephews, or cousins do you have?

    1100:: Which holiday do you like the most?

    1111:: Did you have any pets when you were younger? If yes, what were their names?

    1122:: Do you have any pets now? If yes, what kind of pets do you have?

    1133:: What kind of days do you like? What do you usually do on those days?

    1144:: What kind of days do you dislike? What do you usually do on those days?

    1155:: How often do you exercise? Is this too much or too little?

    1166:: Who do you look like more, your mom or your dad? Why do you think so?1177:: Who do you take after more, your mom or your dad? Why do you think so?

    1188:: Which weighs more, a kilogram of cotton or a kilogram of gold?

    1199:: What color are your socks?

    2200:: Are you a shy person? Please explain.

    2211:: Have you ever stayed up all night? If yes, when? Why?

    2222:: Have you ever lived overseas? If yes, when? Where?

    2233:: How many days are there in a year?

    2244:: What's today's date?2255:: Are you a boring person? Please explain.

    2266:: Do you like English? Why/not?

    2277:: Which do you like better, the morning, the afternoon, or the night? Why?

    2288:: What day is it today?

    2299:: What are the days of the week?

    3300:: What are the months of the year?

    3311:: What year is it?

    3322:: Have you ever stolen something? If yes, what did you steal?

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    3333:: What's your favorite ice-cream flavor?

    3344:: What's your favorite video game? Why?

    3355:: What dessert do you dislike? Why?

    3366:: What's your favorite food?

    3377:: How are you?

    3388:: Where are you from?

    3399:: Who is older, your mom or your dad? How old are they?

    4400:: Have you ever eaten something really strange? If yes, what did you eat?

    4411:: Is there an animal that you don't like very much? If yes, what is it?

    4422:: What color is your dad's car?

    4433:: What do you want to do in the future?

    4444:: Do you often wear make up? Why/not?

    4455:: Which do you like the least, the morning, the afternoon, or the night? Why?

    4466:: What do you usually do on your days off?

    4477:: What do you usually do on cold, rainy days?

    4488:: What time do you usually go to bed?

    4499:: What did you do the day before yesterday?

    5500:: What time is it now?

    5511:: Are you a heavy or a light sleeper?

    5522:: Do you usually remember your dreams?

    5533:: What is your favorite color?5544:: What is your favorite animal? Why do you like it?

    5555:: Which do you like more, beef, chicken, or fish?

    5566:: Which do you like more, pasta or hamburgers? Why?

    5577:: Which do you prefer, trains or buses? Why?

    5588:: How many brothers and sisters do you have? Tell a little about them.

    5599:: What month is it next month? Do you have any special plans?

    6600:: How many people are there in your family? Tell a little about each person.

    6611:: When was the last time you went to the doctor's office?6622:: When is your birthday?

    6633:: Which do you like more, Math, Science, or English? Why?

    6644:: Which do you like more, frogs, snakes, or lizards?

    6655:: What are your hobbies? Why do you like to do these things?

    6666:: What's your favorite sport? Why do you like it so much?

    6677:: What do you want to do after you retire?

    6688:: How old was your father when you were born? How about your mother?

    6699:: Have you ever swum in the ocean?

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    7700:: What school subject do/did you like the most?

    7711:: What time do you usually get home at night?

    7722:: Which do you prefer, spring or fall? Why?

    7733:: How much do you weigh?

    7744:: What was the last thing that you bought? Why did you buy it?

    7755:: Which do you prefer, summer or winter?

    7766:: Are you a messy person? Please explain.

    7777:: Please describe your hometown.

    7788:: Please describe the country you're from.

    7799:: Does your country have a special dish? If yes, what is it?

    8800:: What is the day after tomorrow? Do you have any plans?

    8811:: Have you ever climbed a mountain?

    8822:: Where do you want to go in the future?

    8833:: Which weighs more, ten pounds of salt or ten pounds of sugar?

    8844:: What time do you usually wake up?

    8855:: Do you like green peppers?

    8866:: How old are you?

    8877:: When was the last time you went to the dentist's office?

    8888:: When was the last time you went shopping for new clothes? What did you buy?

    8899:: When was the last time you made a big mistake? What happened?

    9900:: Do you like spicy food? Why/not?9911:: When was the last time you went to see a movie? What did you see?

    9922:: When was the last time you flew in a plane? Where did you go?

    9933:: Do you have a special dish that you can cook well? If yes, what is it?

    9944:: When was the last time you talked to your parents?

    9955:: Which do you prefer, dogs or cats? Why?

    9966:: Do you like raw fish? Why/not?

    9977:: What food do you hate the most? Why do you hate it?

    9988:: Which do you enjoy more, watching sports or playing sports? Is there a reason?9999:: Where do you want to live in the future? Why?

    110000:: Do you have a boy/girlfriend or husband/wife? If yes, how did you meet?

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    The following is the complete list of questions from the Question Cards. The

    questions are best used for upper-level students.

    11:: If you could play one musical instrument professionally, what instrument would

    you want to play? Why?

    22:: If you could call anyone in the world, who would you call? What would you talk

    about?

    33:: What adjective would you use to describe your first kiss?

    44:: What adjective would you use to describe a recurring dream?

    55:: What advice would you give to someone just starting to learn English?

    66:: You can "unknow" something that you now know. What is it?

    77:: You have one supernatural ability. What is it?

    88:: If you could rid your family of one thing, what would it be? Why?

    99:: You have the chance to make a new law. What is the law about? How does it

    affect people?

    1100:: Would you ever consider starting your own company one day? Why/not?

    1111:: Would you ever consider volunteering in a needy or impoverished country?

    Why/not?

    1122:: Would you ever donate $10,000 to a charity? Why/not?1133:: If you could change your birthday to a different month, when would you like to

    celebrate it? Why?

    1144:: If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why would you

    want to go there?

    1155:: You plan to repaint the outside of your house. What color do you decide to paint

    it, besides white? Why this color?

    1166:: Someone gives you a brick of gold. What do you do with it?

    1177:: What is the most beautiful place you have ever visited? Why was it so beautiful?1188:: If you had to be homeless for a year, in what country would you prefer to be

    homeless? Why?

    1199:: If you could have any animal for a pet, what animal would you choose? What

    would you name it?

    2200:: If you were suddenly to lose one of your five senses, which would make your life

    the most difficult? Why do you think so?

    2211:: If you could add a thirteenth month to the calendar, where would you put it?

    What would you call it?

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    2222:: In your life, what emotion would you like to get rid of? Why?

    2233:: Who's the smartest person you have ever met? Why was he/she so intelligent?

    2244:: Who's the most ignorant person you have ever met? Why was he/she so stupid?

    2255:: If you could have one wish, what would you wish for? Why?

    2266:: Who's the kindest person you have ever met? What made him/her so kind?

    2277:: What makes you the angriest? Please explain.

    2288:: What makes you the saddest? Please explain.

    2299:: If you could give your parents one gift, what would you give them? Why?

    3300:: You decide to get a tattoo. What design do you choose? Why?

    3311:: You have the chance to become a citizen of another country. What country do

    you choose? Why?

    3322:: Which season would you eliminate permanently? Why?

    3333:: Have you ever come close to dying? If yes, what happened?

    3344:: What is the best song ever written? Why do you think so?

    3355:: If you could arrest anyone and put them in jail for any reason, who would it be?

    Why?

    3366:: What advice would you give to a high school student about to graduate?

    3377:: What would the most difficult job in the world be for you? Why do you think so?

    3388:: If you could marry someone famous, whom would you choose?

    3399:: Could you marry for money rather than love? Why/not?

    4400:: You have the time and money to travel anywhere in the world. Where do yougo?

    4411:: What is the worst job in the world? Why do you think so?

    4422:: For two minutes, brainstorm as many words as possible about politicians.

    4433:: If you could spend the next fifty years relaxing at home, would you want to?

    Why/not?

    4444:: If you had the opportunity to rename your hometown, what would you call it?

    4455:: You just won the lottery! What is the first thing that you do?

    4466:: Would you want a spouse who was both smarter and more attractive than you?Why/not?

    4477:: If you sold your soul for something, what would it be for? Why?

    4488:: Is there such a thing as "a good death?" Why/not?

    4499:: If you could live forever, would you want to? Why/not?

    5500:: Tell about a time when a stranger helped you.

    5511:: If you could have any number of siblings, how many would you want to have? Of

    what gender?

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    5522:: If you had to eat one kind of food every day for the rest of your life, what food

    would be impossible to stomach?

    5533:: Would you want to be omniscient? Why/not?

    5544:: You have enough money to buy any building in the world. What building will you

    buy?

    5555:: How concerned are you about the environment? Why?

    5566:: How concerned are you about war? Why?

    5577:: For two minutes, brainstorm as many words as possible about friends.

    5588:: What is the best job in the world? Why do you think so?

    5599:: For two minutes, brainstorm as many words about education as possible.

    6600:: Which is more important, how you were raised (nurture) or who raised you

    (nature)? Why?

    6611:: Which is more important, intelligence or experience? Why?

    6622:: If you read one book per day for a year, would it be the equivalent of four years

    at a university? Why/not?

    6633:: Would you want to become an English teacher? Why/not?

    6644:: Some people amass millions of dollars in their lives. Would you consider them

    successful? Why/not?

    6655:: Who is the most disgusting person you have ever met? What made him/her so

    disgusting?

    6666:: Some people vagabond around the world for twenty years or more. Would youwant to do this? Why/not?

    6677:: If you could live in a different era, when would you want to live? Why?

    6688:: If you could travel in time, would you prefer to visit the past or the future? Why?

    6699:: Could you fall in love with someone you found physically repulsive? Why/not?

    7700:: Which is more important in a boy/girlfriend, physical appearance or personality?

    Why?

    7711:: Do you believe that opposites attract? Why/not?

    7722:: If you could change your first name, what would it be? Why did you choose thisname?

    7733:: If you could change your last name, what would it be? Why did you choose this

    name?

    7744:: How does a person's name influence his/her character or personality?

    7755:: What other language would you like to speak fluently? Why?

    7766:: If you could commit a crime and not get caught, what crime would you commit?

    Why?

    7777:: What color best describes your personality? Why do you think so?

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    These conversation cards have been designed with a front (the picture) and a back

    (the question). When preparing the materials, its recommended that each card be

    folded and taped. For long-term use, laminate the cards.

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    Heads Up English

    Who is yourbest friend? Why?

    How tall are you?

    Is there anythingspecial you like

    to do in the winter?

    Do you make friendseasily? Why/not?

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

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    Is there anythingspecial you like to

    do in the summer?

    What time do you

    usually leave yourhouse in themorning?

    What schoolsubject do/did

    you like the least?

    Can you say thealphabet backwards?

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

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    How many nieces,nephews, or cousins

    do you have?

    Which holidaydo you like the most?

    Do you have anypets now? If yes,

    what kind of pets doyou have?

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Did you have any petswhen you were

    younger? If yes, whatwere their names?

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    What kind of daysdo you like? What do

    you usually do on

    those days?

    What kind of days

    do you dislike? Whatdo you usually doon those days?

    How often do youexercise? Is this toomuch or too little?

    Who do you look likemore, your mom or

    your dad? Why do youthink so?

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

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    Who do you take aftermore, your mom or

    your dad? Why do you

    think so?

    Which weighs more, a

    kilogram of cotton or akilogram of gold?

    What color areyour socks?

    Are you a shy person?Please explain.

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

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    Have you ever stayedup all night? If yes,

    when? Why?

    Have you ever

    lived overseas?If yes, when? Where?

    How many daysare there in a year?

    What's today's date?

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

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    What are the daysof the week?

    What are the monthsof the year?

    What year is it?

    Have you ever stolensomething? If yes,what did you steal?

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

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    What's your favoriteice-cream flavor?

    What's your favoritevideo game? Why?

    What dessert doyou dislike? Why?

    What's yourfavorite food?

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

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    How are you?

    Where are you from?

    Who is older, yourmom or your dad?How old are they?

    Have you ever eatensomething really

    strange? If yes, whatdid you eat?

    Heads Up English

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    Is there an animalthat you don't likevery much? If yes,

    what is it?

    What color is yourdad's car?

    What do you want todo in the future?

    Do you often wearmake up? Why/not?

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    Which do you like theleast, the morning, the

    afternoon, or the

    night? Why?

    What do you usuallydo on your days off?

    What do you usuallydo on cold, rainy

    days?

    What time do youusually go to bed?

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    What month is it nextmonth? Do you haveany special plans?

    How many people arethere in your family?

    Tell a little about eachperson.

    How many brothers

    and sisters do youhave? Tell a little aboutthem.

    Which do you prefer,trains or buses? Why?

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    Which do you likemore, Math, Science,

    or English? Why?

    Which do you likemore, frogs, snakes, or

    lizards?

    When is your birthday?

    When was the lasttime you went to the

    doctors office?

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    What do you want todo after you retire?

    How old was yourfather when you wereborn? How about your

    mother?

    Whats your favorite

    sport? Why do you likeit so much?

    What are yourhobbies? Why do you

    like to do these things?

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    What time do youusually get home at

    night?

    Which do you prefer,spring or fall? Why?

    What school subject

    do/did you like themost? Why?

    Have you ever swumin the ocean?

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    Which do youprefer, summer or

    winter?

    Are you a messyperson? Please

    explain.

    What was the last

    thing that you bought?Why did you buy it?

    How much do youweigh?

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    Does your countryhave a special dish? If

    yes, what is it?

    What is the day aftertomorrow? Do youhave any plans?

    Please describe thecountry youre from.

    Please describe yourhometown.

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    Which weighs more,ten pounds of salt orten pounds of sugar?

    What time do youusually wake up?

    Where do you want togo in the future?

    Have you ever climbeda mountain?

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    When was the lasttime you went to the

    dentists office?

    When was the lasttime you went

    shopping for newclothes? What did you

    buy?

    How old are you?

    Do you like greenpeppers?

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    When was the lasttime you went to see amovie? What did you

    see?

    When was the lasttime you flew in a

    plane? Where did yougo?

    Do you like spicyfood? Why/not?

    When was the lasttime you made a big

    mistake? What

    happened?

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    Which do you prefer,dogs or cats? Why?

    Do you like raw fish?Why/not?

    When was the last

    time you talked withyour parents?

    Do you have a specialdish that you can cook

    well? If yes, what is it?

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    Which do you enjoy

    more, watching sportsor playing sports? Isthere a reason?

    What food do you hatethe most? Why do you

    hate it?

    Where do you want tolive in the future?

    Why?

    Do you have aboy/girlfriend or

    husband/wife? If yes,how did you meet?

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    If you could call anyone

    in the world, who wouldyou call? What wouldyou talk about?

    What adjective wouldyou use to describe your

    first kiss?

    What adjective wouldyou use to describe a

    recurring dream?

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    If you could play onemusical instrumentprofessionally, what

    instrument would youwant to play? Why?Heads Up English

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    What advice would yougive to someone just

    starting to learn English?

    You can "unknow"

    something you now know.What is it?

    You have onesupernatural ability.

    What is it?

    If you could rid yourfamily of one thing, what

    would it be? Why?

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    You have the chance tomake a new law. What is

    the law about? How

    does it affect people?

    Would you ever consider

    starting your owncompany one day?Why/not?

    Would you ever considervolunteering in a needy

    or impoverishedcountry? Why/not?

    Would you ever donate$10,000 to a charity?

    Why/not?

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    If you could change yourbirthday to a different

    month, when would you

    like to celebrate it? Why?

    If you could visitanywhere in the world,

    where would you go?Why would you want to

    go there?

    You plan to repaint the

    outside of your house.What color do youdecide to paint it,

    besides white? Why thiscolor?

    Someone gives you abrick of gold. What do

    you do with it?

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    What is the mostbeautiful place you haveever visited? Why was it

    so beautiful?

    If you had to behomeless for a year, in

    what country would youprefer to be homeless?

    Why?

    If you could have anyanimal for a pet, whatanimal would you

    choose? What would youname it?

    If you were suddenly tolose one of your fivesenses, which would

    make your life the mostdifficult? Why do you

    think so?Heads Up English

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    If you could add athirteenth month to thecalendar, where would

    you put it? What wouldyou call it?

    In your life, what emotion

    would you like to get ridof? Why?

    Who's the smartestperson you have ever

    met? Why was he/she sointelligent?

    Who's the most ignorantperson you have ever

    met? Why was he/she sostupid?

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    If you could have onewish, what would you

    wish for? Why?

    Who's the kindest

    person you have evermet? What madehim/her so kind?

    What makes you theangriest? Please explain.

    What makes you thesaddest? Please explain.

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    If you could give yourparents one gift, whatwould you give them?

    Why?

    You decide to get a

    tattoo. What design doyou choose? Why?

    You have the chance tobecome a citizen ofanother country. What

    country do you choose?Why?

    Which season would youeliminate permanently?

    Why?

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    Have you ever comeclose to dying? If yes,

    what happened?

    What is the best song

    ever written? Why doyou think so?

    If you could arrestanyone and put them injail for any reason, who

    would it be? Why?

    What advice would yougive to a high school

    student about tograduate?

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    What would the mostdifficult job in the worldbe for you? Why do you

    think so?

    If you could marry

    someone famous, whomwould you choose?Why?

    Could you ever marry formoney rather than love?

    Why/not?

    You have the time andmoney to travel

    anywhere in the world.Where do you go?

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    What is the worst job inthe world? Why do you

    think so?

    For two minutes,

    brainstorm as manywords as possible aboutpoliticians.

    If you could spend thenext fifty years relaxing

    at home, would you wantto? Why/not?

    If you had theopportunity to renameyour hometown, what

    would you call it?

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    You just won the lottery!What is the first thing

    you do?

    Would you want aspouse who was both

    smarter and moreattractive than you?

    Why/not?

    If you sold your soul forsomething, what would it

    be for? Why?

    Is there such a thing as a"good death?"

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    If you could live forever,would you want to?

    Why/not?

    Tell about a time astranger helped you.

    If you could have anynumber of siblings, howmany would you want tohave? Of what gender?

    If you had to eat onekind of food every dayfor the rest of your life,

    what food would be

    impossible to stomach?Heads Up English

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    Would you want to beomniscient? Why/not?

    You have enough money

    to buy any building in theworld. What building willyou buy?

    How concerned are youabout the environment?

    Why?

    How concerned are youabout war? Why?

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    For two minutes,brainstorm as many

    words as possible about

    friends.

    What is the best job in

    the world? Why do youthink so?

    For two minutes,brainstorm as many

    words about educationas possible.

    Which is more important,how you were raised

    (nurture) or who raisedyou (nature)? Why do

    you think so?Heads Up English

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    Which is more important,intelligence or

    experience? Why?

    If you read one book perday for a year, would it

    be the equivalent of fouryears at a university?

    Why/not?

    Would you want tobecome an Englishteacher? Why/not?

    Some people amassmillions of dollars in their

    lives. Would youconsider them

    successful? Why/not?Heads Up English

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    Who is the mostdisgusting person youhave ever met? What

    made him/her sodisgusting?

    Some people vagabondaround the world for

    twenty years or more.Would you want to do

    this? Why/not?

    If you could live in adifferent era, when would

    you want to live?

    If you could travel in time,would you prefer to visitthe past or the future?

    Why?

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    Could you fall in lovewith someone you found

    physically repulsive?

    Why/not?

    Which is more important

    in a boy/girlfriend,physical appearance orpersonality? Why?

    Do you believe thatopposites attract?

    Why/not?

    If you could change yourfirst name, what would itbe? Why did you choose

    this name?

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    If you could change yourlast name, what would itbe? Why did you choose

    this name?

    How does a person's

    name influence his/hercharacter or personality?Please explain.

    What other languagewould you like to speak

    fluently?

    If you could commit acrime and not get caught,

    what crime would youcommit? Why?

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    What color bestdescribes your

    personality? Why do you

    think so?

    Would you consider

    yourself a worrier? If yes,what do you generallyworry about?

    Would you consideryourself an optimist or a

    pessimist? Why?

    What is a mentor? Haveyou ever had a mentor?Could you ever mentor

    someone?

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    What kind of socialproblems does the world

    face today? What can

    you do to help?

    What goals do you havein life?

    Is it better to have triedsomething difficult and

    failed than to never havetried it? Why/not?

    Would you eat a wormfor $1000? Why/not?

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    What is the mostoutrageous thing youwould do for $1000?

    How about $10,000?How about $1,000,000?

    What would you do if

    God were proven toexist? Please explain.

    Would you consideryourself a well-mannered

    person? Why/not?

    What drives you up thewall?

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    If you could date acelebrity, who would you

    want to date? Please

    explain.

    If you could marry a

    celebrity, who would youwant to marry? Pleaseexplain.

    Who is the coolestperson you have ever

    met? Why was he/she socool?

    If you found $1,000,000in a suitcase in a park,

    what would you do?Please explain.

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    What would you do with$1,000,000? If you hadto spend all the money

    within twenty-four hours,

    how would you answerchange?

    Do you have any regretsin life so far? If yes, what

    are they? If no, is there aparticular reason you are

    free of regrets?

    What would you do ifyour boss asked you to

    take a 25% pay cut?Please explain.

    If you caught your bossstealing important

    documents from theoffice, what would you

    do? Please explain.Heads Up English

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    Could you ever considerblackmailing a person?

    Would you consider

    yourself a leader or afollower? Why?

    If you could have been

    responsible for oneinvention in the history ofhumankind, what would

    you have wanted toinvent? Why?

    Do you believe in

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English

    Heads Up English


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