CiC3-TB

HOW DO I TEACH “VARY YOUR QUESTIONS?”

What is “Vary your questions?” The Vary your questions activity is a continuation of the Model Sentences . It allows students to learn alternate versions, either “open” or “closed,” of every question presented. Open questions begin with Wh~ words and usually result in a variety of different answers. They can be long or short replies. Closed questions , on the other hand, often begin with auxiliary verbs such as do , are , and have . Answers tend to be short Yes-No replies. What is the point? • Learning the open and closed forms of each question helps students speak more naturally. Students who use more than one form during conversation will sound a lot better than if they constantly repeat the same one every time. • The Vary your questions activity promotes flexibility and awareness of conversational flow. For example, one form can be used to introduce a new topic while the other can be used as a follow-up: A: What kind of movies do you like?

How do I teach this activity? There are several ways of going about it. Experiment with the various options below and see which ones work best for you: Option 1: Dictation practice This approach provides a bit of listening and spelling practice. 1. Dictate the open or closed form; students write the questions in their books. 2. Put the answer(s) up on the board and give a moment for students to check their spelling. 3. (optional) Dictate some additional versions, if any. Option 2: Copy from the board This approach is useful with lower-level students or if you are running short on time. 1. Write the open or closed form on the board; students copy it to their books. If there are other possible answers, you could put those up on the board as well. 2. Practice a bit of pronunciation by having the students repeat after you.

B: Oh, I really like action films. A: Cool. Do you like comedies? B: Yes, of course. I’m a big Jim Carrey fan.

How do I teach the ~ ? 8