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Date Posted: 14:58:48 07/30/03 Wed
Author: Thiago Rodrigues Costa
Subject: TASK 13

Create a good communication activity and describe it to your classmates. Say which type it is, according to Littlewood.

In this activity, students can work in pairs or groups of three or four. It was developed for intermediate learners and would not be appropriate to beginners or children, since it is a very complex activity. I am describing the activity here as if it was being presented in a textbook (addressing it directly to the learners).

DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY
You are supposed to work together in pairs or groups of three or four students.
Imagine that you have lived together for three years in a nice apartment with one extra-room. You are good friends but you also have other friends in common. However, your expenses with the apartment have increased considerably in the last four months. You have decided that you should not move because of the good advantages found in living in this apartment: it is near the university campus; it is a good place for parties and gatherings; and when you need more privacy to study or date you have, because your rooms are totally independent from one another. Your best alternative is to find another person to occupy the extra-room and help you in the expenses with the apartment. You have decided to invite one of your friends to be your new mate in the apartment. Now, you have to analyze the individual profile of each one of your friends and decide together which one would be the most suitable person to occupy the room according to your own preferences and needs.

Your friends in common are:

Amanda - She is a serious but very friendly girl. She is also a very organized person who likes to clean everything. She likes to cook and she prepares delicious and sophisticated dishes. She has a three years relationship with Bob, whom you do not like very much, but it is possible that they get married next year and move to London. Amanda works as Public Relations in a fashion design company and studies journalism. She loves her cat Tina and would not give her away for love or money.

Luiggi - He is the funniest person you’ve ever met. He is lovely and very talented. He plays the guitar and loves to tell jokes about everything. He does not cook sophisticated dishes but he is an expert in Italian food. He is an intelligent boy who knows different things about different subjects. He always helps his friends with their research and papers. He does not have a serious relationship. Actually, each night he has a different date and he always takes his date to his place. He studies English Literature. He is not working in a company now, but he teaches guitar to children and his earnings always depend on the number of classes he gives in a month. He does not have pets because he has not chosen one yet.

Marcos - This Mexican boy is a charming person. He always helps his friends with whatever they need. He likes sports, especially soccer. He hates bullfighting because he is against any harm to animals. He is a Veterinary Medicine student. He does not work but his father sends him a great amount of money every month from Mexico. He has been dating a classmate of his for five months. Marcos does not cook and is an untidy person. On Sundays he usually stays at home studying, watching the TV and playing with his dog Marlon Brando.

Roberta - She is in the last year of Biology. She loves plants and animals. She also prepares delicious dishes but she is not a well-organized person. She puts things in the wrong place and usually forgets where she has put them. She is a funny person who loves music and movies. Her boyfriend, Aaron, is a nice guy who likes Roberta’s friends very much. She likes parties but she is always creating embarrassing situations in the places she goes because of her awkward way. Her family is very rich, but her parents only send her money when they remember. She does not work and always counts on her parents’ money to live. Her exotic pet, Samantha, a two years snake is totally harmless but is, of course, very frightening and always surprises people hiding in the most unusual places.

CLASSIFICATION OF THE ACTIVITY
According to Littlewood (1981: 36-37) this activity could be classified as “Processing Information” activity, since all the learners involved have access to the necessary information to solve together the proposed problem. In this type of activity, learners are “invited” to discuss about the problem and find a solution for it, justifying why they made that specific decision. Processing information activities are usually connected with real problems learners could face outside the classroom.

Source:
Littlewood, W. Communicative language teaching.Cambridge: Cambridge Univeristy Press, 1981.

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