E-05.06 At High-Beginning Levels, Improve Listening & Speaking Fluency While Getting Done What’s Necessary

English in Everyday Life: The Community

WorkLife English: Competency-Based Listening/Speaking, Book 2 Chapter 6.  

Tapescript 

11 + 3 = 14 pp

Who It’s For: (Teachers & Helpers of) Learners Moving Above Beginning Levels Likely to Converse About What They & Others Have to / Are Going to (Go Out &) Do (Today) 

Why It’s Useful: It’s almost stereotypical talk among (young) working people today: they need to get so many necessary things done that they can’t slow down to relax or interact (physically) with others.  With competency-based purposes related to Places in the Community—and the Grammar of Infinitives after main verbs, here’s the usual flow of Audio to comprehend & react to, Pronunciation segments with which to contrast sounds and experience “Contractions & Words in Fast Speech, “ Exchanges to use as models, and dyad / group Activities in which to demonstrate Communicative Competence.

What You’ll Do: 

[1] The Chapter 6 Opener informs text users that they’re about to “Get to Know About Community Services,” “(Try to) Arrange Meetings,” “Tell Plans,” “Ask for Things or Info,” “Express Needs & Wants.” To do so, they’ll be using verb phrasing that expresses “the Future” with be going to or will / won’t—+ time expressions—especially with versatile verbs like have, take, get, do, make.  Vocabulary relates typical things to do in the Community with Places to accomplish them.  

[2] If you listen to Part One Audio, you’ll hear two friends relate their plans for the immediate future while trying to “fit each other in.” Part Two / Pronunciation practice gives everyone a chance to articulate the initial consonants / b p v f w(h) / in sentences that “reduce” verb phrases with forms like wanna, hafta, gonna.  Part Three / Skills Exercises include Contractions with will in short Conversations that typically take place in banks, courts, libraries, and public offices. Part Four / Communication elicits learner participation in related exchanges.

[3] As usual, text users can refer to highlighted sections in attached AudioScript pages to compare “what they understand” to “what was (really) said.”  In case they’re of interest, you / they can a get a four-page Answer Key for Text Exercises in Download E-05.11—and/or an 11-page collection of Pronunciation Supplements in E-05.12.