Small Talk

Hello and welcome! This is a speaking-focused lesson with the topic giving directions. Happy learning!

Source: pxhere

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

Create appropriate follow-up questions for small talk according to the topic
Produce a dialogue of small talk using a variety of language expressions correctly
Pronounce language expressions of small talk accurately through a role-play between a guest and a hotelier

GLOSSARY

Note: You can click certain words on the English explanation to see their meaning. You will be directed to the Cambridge Dictionary page!

Breathtaking

ENG: extremely exciting, beautiful, or surprising

IND: menakbjubkan, indah

Craft

ENG: a job, an activity, or something produced that needs skill and experience

IND: kerajinan tangan

Hands-on

ENG: relating to or providing experience of something

IND: pengalaman / praktik langsung

Instructors

ENG: a person whose job is to teach people a practical skill

IND: orang yang bertugas mengajarkan sesuatu dan sekaligus memberikan latihan dan bimbingannya

Scenic

ENG: having or allowing you to see beautiful natural features

IND: indah (pemandangan)

Showcase

ENG: to show the best qualities or parts of something

IND: menampilkan, menunjukkan

Variety

ENG: many different types of things or people

IND: bentuk (rupa) yang lain; yang berbeda bentuk (rupa)

Vibrant

ENG: energetic, exciting, and full of enthusiasm

IND: bersemangat

Source: Cambridge Dictionary & KBBI Daring

PRE - ACTIVITY

Before we start the lesson, let's play a game! The game is called Tounge Twisters. There is only one instruction for this game. Every student should take turns reading the phrases below with correct pronunciation. If every student can read that phrase perfectly, you can continue to the next phrase. Happy playing! 😆

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.
A platter of perfectly prepared pancakes.
How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
Four furious friends fought for the phone.
Thirty-three thieves threw the toad that Thursday.
Whisking the risky whiskey river with quivering whiskers.
Betty bought a bit of butter. But the butter Betty bought was bitter.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

MAIN ACTIVITY

Let's do a relay! First, everyone should gather and stand in one vertical line. The teacher will give a topic spontaneously. The student in front has to come up with a question related to that topic immediately. For example, if the topic is 'Food', then I would ask, 'What kind of cuisine do you enjoy the most?'. Try to make the most unique and exciting questions!

After the previous activity, you might notice that developing follow-up questions is challenging. Therefore, let's practice making follow-up questions! Pair up with your friend and choose one topic below. Discuss with your friend and develop as many follow-up questions as possible. Then, please share it with the class. Write the questions down on the Padlet. Everyone is allowed to add more questions and other topics too!

Let's have another practice! This time, stand in line again but divide into two lines. Face each other; the person in front of you will be your partner for the small talk practice. The teacher will set up a timer (2–3 minutes), and you will have to talk with your partner spontaneously; it can be about any topic. Use the follow-up questions that were included in the previous activity! Once you finish, move to the end of the line, allowing the next student to begin the role-play. Happy practicing!

Finally, let's compose your small talk dialogue! The dialogue should be at least 2 minutes long and can be about any topic. You can also reflect on your past experiences of having small talk with guests and make it better in this dialogue! Then, act it out in front of the class! The other students will review your performance and give feedback. These are guiding questions that can help you in giving feedback:

How was the performance?
Was the talk interesting? Or was it too short?
What is missing from the talk?
What other questions can be asked in the talk?
Is there a better response to the talk?

This is the scoring rubric for the speaking assessment. Pay attention to what aspects are being evaluated. Good luck!

POST ACTIVITY

For the last practice, let's practice how to build a conversation. In this activity, each student will take turns adding a response or a question to continue the small talk. For example, the first student said, 'The weather is very nice today,' and the next student should give a response, 'Exactly! The perfect weather to go on a swim!'. Continue the talk to the next student; for example, 'Is swimming your hobby? and so on.

And by that, you have reached the end of the module. Good job! Hopefully, these lessons can help boost your performance. You can return to this module and review it whenever you need it. Thank you, and good luck! 🥳👋

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