Using partners talks as a kind of homework to perform communicative tasks for 10 graders

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
TITLE:

USING PARTNER'S TALK AS A KIND OF HOMEWORK
TO PERFORM COMMUNICATIVE TASKS
FOR 10 GRADERS

SUBJECT: ENGLISH

March, 2021


NGHE AN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
TAN KY 3 HIGH SCHOOL

=====  =====

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
TITLE:

USING PARTNER'S TALK AS A KIND OF HOMEWORK
TO PERFORM COMMUNICATIVE TASKS
FOR 10 GRADERS

Teacher

:

Nguyễn Thị Huệ

Group

:

English

School year:

2020 - 2021

Tel

:

0915042700

Email

:



March, 2021


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
PART I: INTRODUCTION 4
1. Reasons for the study 4
2. Aims of the study 5
3. Methods of the study 5

4. Scope of the study 5
5. Significance of the study 5
PART II: CONTENT 5
1. Theoretical and practical background 5
1.1. Theoretical background 5
1.1.1. Definition of homework 5
1.1.2. The role of homework in teaching and learning. 6
1.1.3. Characteristics of communicative activities 6
1.1.4. Benefits of partner talk 7
2. Solution 8
2.1. Some ways to choose parners for students. 8
2.2. Guided activities: 9
2.2.1 Picture discription 9
Teacher can use picture discription in design activities for homework
because it can help increase students’ imagination and improve their
communicative skills. 10
2.2.2. Interview method. 11
2.2.3. Role play method. 16
2.2.4. Discussion method 22
2.2.5 Partner talks for improving writing and grammar skills: Writing
reports 27
2.3. Free activities 29
Dramatization method: 29
In this activity, teacher prepares a script of a part of the film or drama
for students in advance and students are given enough time to rehearse.


This method helps students to experience and practice what they are
learning. A good amount of caution is needed when organizing it. 29
Dramatization provides students with some merits: 29

- It develops in students the ability to set up the scenario rules, roles,
procedures. 29
- It enables students to take on and maintain their role as they interact
with the other in the drama. 29
- It helps students to explore relationships between fictional and real
worlds. 29
Suggested activity: Titanic 30
Homework for Unit 13: Films and cinema 30
After lesson D. Writing 30
3. Findings and evaluation 30
PART C: CONCLUSION 32
1. Conclusion 32
2. Suggestions for teachers: 32
PART IV: REFERENCES 33
APPENDIX 34
STUDENTS' OPINION SURVEY QUESTIONAIRE 34

PART I: INTRODUCTION
1. Reasons for the study
In the modern world today, English plays an important part in every field of
our life. Having good English may bring us good opportunities not only in being
chosen in good high schools and universities, studying in abroad career but also in
getting a high - paid job after graduation. Therefore, every family uses a lot of
ways to encourage their children to study English at the early age: using free
English programmes on Internet, English apps , going to English centers, or even
buying expensive courses for children to study after school.
In all levels of education in the recent years, teachers all over the country
have made efforts to find out and apply a lot of new methods in teaching, hoping to
contribute to students’ success. In teaching English subject, realizing that
communication is really vital, teachers create a lot of communicative activities in

class lessons to promote students’ activeness, language using skills in
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communication and this brings certain results. However, they hardly take notice of
designing outside activities such as homework for students.
10 graders are new comers at high schools. Most of them come from
different parts and find strange with new teachers and new friends in a new school.
It takes them a lot of time to get used to everything new in here.Therefore, creating
study invironment in which students can not only study, make new friends but also
understand a new place of study is essential.
For the reasons above, I would like to conduct the Teaching Experience for
10 graders namely: “Using partner's talks as a kind of homework to perform
communicative tasks for 10 graders.”
th

2. Aims of the study
To discuss and work out the communicative activities to perform communicative
tasks.
3. Methods of the study
Reading reference books, doing a survey, discussing with other teachers,
applying in teaching and getting experience from my own teaching.
4. Scope of the study
The study was going to be investigated at Tan Ky 3 High School for 10
grader students.
5. Significance of the study
This study is carried out to aim at contributing to improving students’
attitude toward homework, helping develop communication skills and their mutual
understanding.
PART II: CONTENT

1. Theoretical and practical background
1.1. Theoretical background
1.1.1. Definition of homework
+ According to Wikipedia: “Homework, or a homework assignment, is a set
of tasks assigned to students by their teachers to be completed outside the class.
Common homework assignments may include required reading, a writing or
typing project, mathematical exercises to be completed, information to be reviewed
before a test, or other skills to be practiced.”
+ “Homework is what teacher assigned and teacher monitored learning
experiences that take place outside the classroom. Homework is a planned part of
the education process designed to enhance students’ learning”.
5


1.1.2. The role of homework in teaching and learning.
In some newspapers, a few people concentrate on negative sides of giving
homework and say that homework has no academic benefits as it stops students
from joining useful activities and makes children hate school. This may be true
with small children at primary schools but untrue with high school students. With a
little time in the class, students can not cover every aspect of the lessons. Thefore,
completing assignments helps students understand their subjects deeper. It puts the
responsibility for learning on them and teaches basic organizational skills that they
will carry and refine throughout their life.
Doing homework has a lot of advantages such as:
+ Help build responsibility.
+ Help them get more knowledge and prepare them for higher education.
+ Improve time management.
+ Build students confidence.
+ Enhance self-esteem.
+ Improve study habit.

+ Offer valuable feedback.
+ Get parents more involved in a child’s education.
+ Get the link between homework and standardized test achievement.
+ Equip students for their lifelong learning.
1.1.3. Characteristics of communicative activities
Communication is the foremost skill that causes students a lot of difficulties.
The problems are lack of participation, inablility to express opinion, low
motivation to speak.
Harmer (2007) said that high school students are teenagers who are in
physical and mental transition from children to adults, so they have great capacity
for thinking and studying. Creating a language communicating environment for
them in this period may do they good.
One of the main characteristics of communicative language teaching is the
focus on communicative tasks that enhance language learning. These activities use
real life situations to trigger communication. They stimulate and require a learner
to speak with and listen to other learners. Communicative activities have real
purposes such as finding and exchanging information, breaking down barriers,
talking about oneself, and learning about culture...
- The role of the teachers is to give clear and to the point instructions and
provide the appropriate environment for learners to interact and exchange information.
- Communicative activities are motivating. Learners should be at ease and
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have fun while doing the communicative tasks.
- Communicative tasks are realistic. Real communication situations should
be the focus instead of isolated structures with no real-life reference.
- Communicative activities are meaningful: they are carried out to fulfil
specific purposes such as booking a plane, hotel ticket, inviting somebody to a
party, answering an invitation letter, shopping….

- Performance in communicative tests reflects an underlying competence
that is linguistic, sociolinguistic, pragmatic, strategic… Communicative activities
should consider this multi-dimensional nature of language.
1.1.4. Benefits of partner talk
As we know, the primary purpose of teaching and learning English is that
students can communicate English with others sucessfully. There are many
effective techniques that can be used to encourage and promote students to engage
in and one of them is partner talk.
The benefits of the partner talk:
+ Children are encouraged to discuss their learning and become more
actively involved.
+ It gives children time to formulate their opinions and find an answer they
are confident with.
+ Children are more comfortable discussing their ideas with a partner than
with a teacher.
2. Practical background
Tan Ky 3 High school is located in a western area of Nghe An province. Its
students are from six communes, many of whom belongs to ethnic minority such
as Thanh, Tho. The new and strange feelings in the new school often make them
feel shy and lack self-confidence.
Another problem is that students live far from school so they have to rent
rooms near the school to study. Almost all students are provided with new smart
phones. After school, they have a lot of free time. However, they spend their time
playing games, chatting with their roomates, using facebooks or even watching
films in cell phones. Some of them go to Internet shop to play high speed online
games. Although free time is available, they sometimes go to school without
preparing new lessons and doing homework.
When discussing about homework with my students, I realise that most
students do not like being given homework. They complained that when they
studied at lower secondary school, in English subject, their homework was about

writing new words or phrases or learning by heart related grammar or vocabulary,
and then in the next lesson, they were called to go to the board to write down what
7


they had practised and remembered. Doing the same things day by day made them
bored and unmotivated. Sometimes, they were required to do homework in books
or exercise books with too many tasks with the similar things. They did them
reluctantly and boredly, sometimes, many students completed them by using key
books or coppied other friends’ results to please their teachers, which did not bring
in expected results.
On being asked about communicative tasks as homework, they said that they
had never been given when they studied at secondary school. Most of homework
was written ones. They also added that they were really scared of speaking English
in front of people due to little practice.
There are 6 teachers of English in my school, who are young and
enthusiatic. They are making their efforts to adapt teaching methods, apply new
techniques in the class. However, they have faced a lot of difficulties in designing
interesting activities for homework.
2. Solution
To help students complete their communicative tasks in Tieng Anh 10, I
have applied two kinds of activites:
- Guided activities:
- Picture discription
- Interview method
- Role play method
- Discussion method
- Partner talk for improving writing skills and grammar usage: Writing
reports
- Free activities.

2.1. Some ways to choose parners for students.
In order to choose a partner interestingly and unpredictably and students can
have opportunities to work with different partners in different topics, teacher
should not always let students choose their partners by themselves because some
students tend to choose partners from their closest friends and some others feel sad
because noone wants to choose them. Therefore, teacher should be creative so that
students can have a lot of fun and it makes them feel surprised by creating a
number of interesting ways to assign partners as the following:
+ Make different kinds of lottery:
8


- Teacher prepares a box and pieces of paper.
- Teacher divides class in two groups with equal number of students.
- A group will write their names on piece of papers, put them in a box. The
students from the other group will take turn to pull out the name to know who he /
she will work with.

Students in class 10 A2 are choosing a piece of paper to find out their partners
- An other way is that half of the class will have a piece of paper containing
English words, meanwhile the other half will have equivalent Vietnamese words.
Students will go around to choose their partners.

The happiness and surprise that students have when having found out their
partners.
2.2. Guided activities:
2.2.1 Picture discription
9

Teacher can use picture discription in design activities for homework
because it can help increase students’ imagination and improve their
communicative skills.
Procedure:
Step 1: Teacher prepares pictures relating the topics of the lessons.
Step 2: Class members are divided into pairs.
Step 3: Teacher explains carefully about the task.
Step 4: Teacher sends pictures via messenger or Zalo.
Step 5: Teacher provides students with the time to complete and hand in the
outcomes.
Step 6: Teacher collects the videos.
Step 7: Teacher spends time watching and giving comments.
Example: Unit 9: Undersea world
After lesson B. Speaking
Aims: Raise students’ awareness of students’ undersea world protection.
Suggested activity: Students take turn to describe their own pictures and
then discuss about the reasons for the problems of partner A and then talk about
solutions.
Pictures:
Partner A:

Partner B:

10


2.2.2. Interview method.
As we know, interview skills play a crucial role in both study and real life.
Through interview, participants can get a lot of things such as: developing
relationship, increasing knowledge about the topic, mutual understanding, knowing

more about the interview skill that may help them in the future career,… In my
teaching, interview is widely used both in the class and homework to motivate
students to partcipate in circumstances like real life.
Procedure:
Step 1: Class members are required to choose a partner in the same class or
in the different class to work with.
Step 2: Teacher gives students the task.
Step 3: Teacher explains carefully about the task.
Step 4: Teacher provides students with the time to complete and hand in the
outcomes.
Step 5: Teacher collects the videos.
Step 6: After having their outcomes, teacher spends time watching and
giving feedbacks. If they are good, teacher writes notes to consider giving better
marks to them on the following tests.
Example 1: Unit 1: A day in the life of…
Communicative homework after lesson A. Reading.
Aim: Help students have chance to improve communicative skills and
understand more about a typical day in the life of a partner’s parents.
Preparation: Teacher prepares a list of questions for the students to carry
out an interview.
Procedure:
- Teacher decides pairs for students.
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- Teacher assigns the task and explains the way to do it.
- Teacher sets the deadline to collect the products.
- Teacher evaluates their product and gives feedbacks.
The list of questions for the interview:
1.

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

What do your parents do?
Do they usually get up early?
What do they often do in the morning?
What do they often do in the afternoon?
How do they work?
What do they usually do in the everning?
Are they satisfied with their lives or not? Why? Why not?

Model: An interview between Bao Cuong and Ngoc Tu class 10A1:

The image taken from the clip
Ngoc Tu: Hi! Cuong.
Bao Cuong: Hi! Ngoc Tu.
Ngoc Tu: Our homework today is finding out something about our family
more. I’d like to know about a typical day of your parents. Are you ready for it?
Bao Cuong: Yes.
Ngoc Tu: Can you tell me about their jobs?
Bao Cuong: My dad is a carpenter and my mom is a worker.
Ngoc Tu: Do they have to get up early?
Bao Cuong: My mom does. She has to prepare our breakfast so that we can
go to school on time. And then she goes to work in the factory.
Ngoc Tu: Yeah. What do they often do in the morning?
12

Bao Cuong: In the afternoon, she continues her work in the factory
until 4 p.m
Ngoc Tu: How about their afternoon?
Bao Cuong: My dad still works there and my mom continues to work on the
factory. After that she comes back home and plays volleyball with neighbours. She
cooks dinner.
Ngoc Tu: What do they do in the everning?
Bao Cuong: In the everning, we have dinner, watch TV, chat with their
neighbours until 10 p.m. We go to bed then.
And my dad, he always goes to work every day except Sunday.
Ngoc Tu: Do you think they are happy with their lives?
Bao Cuong: Yes, of course. Although they work very hard on the day, they
feel very happy because of so many things around them.
Ngoc Tu: That sounds interesting. I believe that your parents will be the
good foundation for your future. Thanks very much for your share today.
Bao Cuong: You’re welcome.
Example 2: Unit 2: SCHOOL TALK
Homework for lesson A. Reading
Aims: Help students have chance to speak English outside class with a
partner.
Preparation: Teacher prepares some suggested information for students to
do the task easily.
Suggested topic: Interview a partner to get about the following information.
Suggested information:
-

His (her) feelings about his (her) school, teachers and new friends.
Favourite subjects .

What he (she) likes/ dislikes doing at school.
What he (she) worries about at school.

Procedures:
- Teacher asks students to choose a parner themselves. They can choose
partners from new friends at their schools or their old friends, who are studying at
other schools.
- Teacher gives and explains the task clearly.
- Teacher sets the deadline to collect the products.
13


- Teacher evaluates their products and gives feedbacks.
Model: a pair between Duyen (10 A2) and her friend, Quynh Anh, her upper
secondary classmate (studying at Tan Ky 1 School).

The image taken from the clip
Duyen: Hey, Quynh Anh.
Quynh Anh: Hi, An.
Duyen: Long time no see. I feel good to see you here.
Quynh Anh: I’m very happy, too. How have you been recently?
Duyen: I’m fine. And you?
Quynh Anh: Pretty well. Thanks.
Duyen: How do you feel about your new school?
Quynh Anh: My school is great.
Duyen: Can you tell me about it?
Quynh Anh: Of course. My school is big. The classrooms are beautiful and
clean. In addition to the regular class, it also organize extra-activities, sport.
Duyen: What about teachers and friends?
Quynh Anh: They are very sociable.

Duyen: It’s fun that you have chosen a school like that.
Quynh Anh: I’m so happy about that. How is your school?
Duyen: The school has also changed a lot. School is filled with many
beautiful trees and flowers. Facilities are renovated.
Quynh Anh: Awesome! I will have rearrange time to visit your school one day.
Duyen: I look forward to it.
Quynh Anh: Oh my mom is calling. I’ve got to go home now. See you later.
Duyen: See you soon.
Example 3: Unit 3: PEOPLE’S BACKGROUND
14


Homework for lesson B. Speaking.
Aim: Provide students with an opportunity to improve communicative skills
and understand more the way to interview a partner to have information about the
background of her/ his parents.
Activity: Interview: interview a partner, get information about his / her
mother/ father’s background.
Procedure:
- Teacher prepares a list of questions to get some information about his or
her partner’s mother or father.
- In order to change partner, teacher should let students play some games to
choose whom he / she will work with.
- Teacher assigns the task and explains how to do it.
- Teacher sets the deadline to collect the products.
- Teacher evaluates their products and gives feedbacks.
The list of questions for the interview:
1. What’s your mother (father)’s name?
2. When and where was she /he born?
3. What primary school did she/he go to?

4. What secondary school did she/he go to?
5. What upper secondary school did she/he go to?
6. What were her /his favourite subjects then?
7. Did she/he love her/his schooldays?
Model: An interview between Quynh Chi and Nhan class 10A1:

The image taken from the clip
Quynh Chi: Hi! How’s everything?
Nhan : Good. And you?
Quynh Chi: Not bad. Nhan. I must to complete the task that teacher gave me
15


this morning. I would be grateful if you can help me do it. Are you free now?
Nhan : Of course. Let’s do it.
Quynh Chi: I’m really curious about the time when your mom was a
student. As I heard, she studied well and looked active.
Nhan : Definitely. Moreover, she can play volleyball very well.
Quynh Chi: What’s your mother’s name?
Nhan : She is Thanh.
Quynh Chi: When and where was she born?
Nhan : She was born in 1979 in Anh Son – Nghe An.
Quynh Chi: It’s quite far from where we’re living, right?
Nhan : Yes.
Quynh Chi: What school did she go to?
Nhan : She went to Tan An Primary and Secondary School, Tan Ky I High School.
Quynh Chi: What was her favorite subject then?
Nhan : Let me see...I guess Literature. I accidentally saw my mother’s
notebook and she virtually got good marks. That’s the reason why she has become
a literature teacher.

Quynh Chi: Awesome! Did she say that she loved her schooldays?
Nhan : Certainly. She oftens tells me about her schooldays with her much
pride. She said that her schooldays were the best days of her life and she always
remembered the memories after graduation. Although she and her friends don’t
have much time to study like us now, spending every morning at school and having
afternoons to help family with a lot of work, most of them felt very lucky when they
can go to school everyday, even studying well and despite more than 20 years, they
still keep in touch together.
Quynh Chi: That’s fun. Without you I don’t know how I would manage it.
Thank you for being here.
Nhan: You’re welcome.
2.2.3. Role play method.
Role plays are good ways of having students practise their English. It is also
a wonderful opportunity for students to simulate real stuations that they may have
in real life.
Objectives: After doing this activity, students will be able to:
- Apply the knowledge that they have learnt in the class in a new circumstance.
16


- Work effectively with other students.
- Create good English speaking environment outside class.
- Develop communication skills.
- Enhance problem-solving skills.
Procedure:
Step 1: Teacher divides the pairs for all the members
Step 2: Teacher gives introduction and explains how to do.
Step 3: Teacher checks the understanding and gets feedback from the students.
Step 4: Teacher provides students the time to complete and hand in the
products.

Step 5: Teacher and students choose an optional period to feedback.
Step 6: After having their outcomes, teacher spends time watching and
giving feedbacks. If they are good, teacher writes notes to consider giving better
marks to them on the following tests.
Example 1: Unit 2: SCHOOL TALKS
Homework for lesson B. Speaking
Aim: Help students have chance to carry out a stuation through a role play
and communicate each other in English.
Suggested roleplay: Situation: Two students, Lan and Nam, meets each
other at the school gate. Nam invites Lan to go to a shop to buy a birthday present
for his mother. One will be Lan and one will be Nam, acting the role. It must
include starting and closing a conversation.
Preparation: Teacher prepares some small situations about daily life on
small handouts.
Procedure:
-

After the lesson, teacher divides the class into pairs .
Teacher lets students choose handouts containing the topics.
Teacher instructs students how to do the task.
Teacher sets the deadline for the whole class.

Model: An roleplay between Dat and Mai Anh class 10A1:
( At the school gate)
Dat: Hey, Mai Anh!
Mai Anh: Hi!
Dat: Where are you going now?
17

Mai Anh: I’m going home.
Dat: Tomorrow is my mom’s birthday. I want to buy a present for her but I
don’t know what I should choose. Can you help me with this?
Mai Anh: Yeah, what present do you want to give to her?
Dat: Uhmm. She really likes hand bags.
Mai Anh: Ah, I know a shop which has just been opened. It has many kinds
of new hand bags.
Dat: Wonderful! Let’s go!
Example 2: Unit 4: SPECIAL EDUCATION
Homework for lesson A. READING
Aim: Help students have chance to improve their imaginary skills and
communicate each other in English.
Suggested roleplay: Talk show: Two students, one will be Ms Phuong, an
MC of talk show programe and one will be Ms Thuy, a teacher of special class,
who will share a lot of things about herself and her job.
Preparation: Teacher prepares questions about teacher Thuy (students have
just studied in lesson A).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Where she is from.
When she started teaching her special class.
The number of members in her class.
How hard her job is.
Some special things about her job.
Her wish in the future.

Procedure:
- After the lesson, teacher divides the class into pairs.
- Teacher instructs students how to do the task.
- Teacher sets the deadline for the pairs.
- Teacher evaluates their products and gives feedbacks.
Model: The interview between Hoai and Phuong Thao class 10 A4
MC: On the occasion of teacher’s coming, in our programe today, we are
honored to welcome teacher Thuy, a special teacher of a special class. Teacher
Thuy, are you willing to share something about yourself?
Teacher Thuy: Hi everyone. My name’s Thuy. I’m a teacher of Xa Dan
Secondary School for Deaf and Mute Children in Ha Noi.
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MC: When did you start teaching your special classes?
Teacher Thuy: I started teaching 18 years ago when my school was set up.
MC: Can you tell us about your class?
Teacher Thuy: My class has 20 disabled students. They are mute, deaf or
mentally retarded.
MC: At the beginning, did you have any difficulties?
Teacher Thuy: So many. Not only did we lack facility but also received a lot
of opposition from their parents. They thought that their chilren couldn’t study any
more.
MC: How long did it take them to believe in your school and their children?
Teacher Thuy: It took some months. When they realized that their children
made progress day by day, they began believing in us.
MC: I know that teaching a disabled kid isn’t easy. Can you share us?
Teacher Thuy: Our students are lovely and hard-working although teaching
them needs a lot of time and patience, especially in Maths lessons. When they

know something new, they really show how excited they are. They are very proud
of themselves too.
MC: That’s wonderful. You know, Teacher’s day is coming. We hope that you
have good health, happiness. Wish you make more contribution to many
generations of disabled children.
Teacher Thuy: Thank you.
Example 3: Unit 6: AN EXCURSION
Homework for lesson B: Speaking
Aim: Help students have chance to improve their imaginary skills and
communicate each other in English.
Suggested roleplay: One will be a customer and the other will be a hotel
receptionist of Muong Thanh hotel.

19


Images taken from the clip.
Nhi: Good morning! B&B Hotel is hearing. May I help you?
Giang: Hello. We are planning to go on an excursion to Pu Mat National
Park to study its biodiversity, so we want to book a room. I’d like to book one from
10 th to the 12th of November.
Nhi: Yes. What kind of room would you like?
Giang: I’d like a triple room with internet access and a balcony.
Nhi: Yes. Let me repeat your reservation.
Giang: Is the room well equipped?
Nhi: Yes. Our rooms are well equipped.
Giang: What’s the room rate?
Nhi: Six hundred thousand a day with free breakfast. Could I take your
name? And how we contact you?
Giang: Ok. My name is Giang. Well, my phone number is 0756987134.

Nhi: Yes. Welcome to B&B Hotel.
Giang: Thanks. Goodbye!
Example 4: Unit 8: THE STORY OF MY VILLAGE
Homework for lesson B. Speaking
Aim: Help students find out and understand some plans of their own
villages and make their homework interesting through a small play.
Suggested roleplays: One will be a journalist and the other will be a leader
of a village, ask and answer about the work they are carrying out and expected
results in the village.
Suggested situations:
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- Plans of improving a village and possible results.
- Covid -19: Problems and solutions for the village.
- Changes in the villages in recent years.
Procedure:
- After the lesson, teacher divides the class into pairs by .
- Teacher explains the requirements to them and instructs them how to do
the task.
- Teacher sets the deadline to collect the videos.
Model: An roleplay between Thao Nhi (a journalist) and Cam Tu (commune
leader) from class 10A1:

The image taken from the clip
Journalist: Good morning.
Leader: Good morning.
Journalist: I’m a journalist of Nghe An newspaper. I hear that you are doing
well in preventing Covid -19 in your commune, so I’m very grateful if you could
share something about that.

Leader: That’s ok.
Journalist: As you know, the disease problem is extremely serious now. So
what measures are you doing to prevent it , especially on Tet holiday coming? As
far as I know,our commune has a lot of people who come back from many
epidemic zones.
Leader: First of all, for people who come back from from the areas, they
must go to the nearest medical center to notify. Next, we’ll help improve the
understanding of Covid-19 epidemic such as cleaning homes, roads, spraying
disinfesctant at schools, markets, make them wear facemasks in public areas...
Journalist: Covid-19 is still progressing complicately. What else
will you do?
Leader: It is becoming more and more complex, so we’ll continue
21


propagandizing everyone, every family to carry out measures to prevent pandemic.
In addition, we will contribute to the country to repel and conquer it.
Journalist: That’s fascinating. I hope our country will be able to win it.
Thank you very much for your talk today.
Leader: You’re welcome.
2.2.4. Discussion method
Discussion is also a good way to be used in assigning homework for partner
talk. Through discussion, students can get others’s opinions and also express their
own point of view to others. It helps to develop students with various skills and
abilities. E.g. skills and abilities such as critical and logical thinking.
Some ways to ask for opinions
- Could you tell me….?
- What do you think about/of….?
- What’s your opinion about…?
- Do you think/feel….?

- How do you feel about….?
- May I ask you….?
Some ways to give your opinion
- In my opinion/view….
- As far as I can see/I’m concerned….
- It seems to me that…
- I have the/a feeling that …
- I think/feel/reckon/believe….
- If you want my opinion….
- The way/As I see it Everyone knows….
- Sorry to interrupt you, but….
- I’m absolutely convinced that…
Some ways to agree with an opinion
 I (quite) agree.
 I agree completely/entirely.
 I couldn’t agree (with you) more.
 I entirely/completely agree with you on that.
 That’s true/right.
Objective: Help students have opportunities to express their ideas about one
topic related to the lesson that they have learnt in the class.
Advantages of discussion in learning English:
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+ Students overcomes their shyness and partcipate actively in speaking English.
+ Their true personality is revealed through discussion.
+ It encourages thinking among students.
Procedure:
Step 1: The teacher lets students play the game to decide the pairs for all the
members.

Step 2: The teacher gives the topic and explains how to do.
Step 3: The teacher checks the understanding and gets feedback from the
students.
Step 4: The teacher provides students the time to complete and hand in the
products.
Step 5: Teacher and students choose an optional period to feedback.
Step 6: After having their outcomes, teacher spends time evaluating and
giving feedbacks. If they are good, teacher writes notes to consider giving better
marks to them on the following tests.
Example 1: Unit 5: TECHNOLOGY AND YOU
After lesson B: Speaking
Aims: Help students raise their awareness of the impact of using mobile
devices at school.
Suggested activity: Discuss the topic: “Using cellphones at school should
be prohibited. Do you agree or disagree?”
Procedure:
After studying lesson B. Speaking, teacher spends 3 last minutes to assign
homework.
- Teacher divides students into pairs by a game.
- Teacher explains the task to them and instructs them how to do it.
- Teacher sets the deadline to collect the videos.
Teacher choose an optional period or five minutes of the next period to show
some typical clips, other students.
Useful languages:
+ Ask about other’s opinions:
Do you think that…?
What do you think about…?
Suggested deas:
For:
- help students better in study because it is an effective learning tool to have

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in school.
- be useful when connected with their family in emergency.
- look attractive.
Against:
- lead to the distraction for both students and their peers.
- cause increased problems .
- make less- in person connections
- cheat in the tests and exams.
- make teacher difficult to control the class.
A model:

The image taken from the clip
Tai: Hey, Dat.
Dat: Hey, long time no see. How are you?
Tai: Fine, thanks. How is everything at your school?
Dat: Good.
Tai: How about students?
Dat: Hmm. Most of them are very intelligent, kind and friendly.
Tai: Wow. That’s great.
Dat: However, some students are not good. They usually use smart phones
in the class. They play games, chat, use facebook and cheat in tests or exam.
Tai: Does your school prohibit it?
Dat: Yes. What do you think about school’s decision?
Tai: In my opinion, that’s a good decision.
Dat: Why do you think so?
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Tai: When you use smart phones in the class, it will be difficult for you to
focus on what the teacher says.
Dat: What if I get teacher’s permission to solve that problem?
Tai: I think you should use it in your free time.
Dat: Thanks for your share. I aslo see that some students use cell phones to
cheat in exams
Tai: That’s terrible. They are easy to do it with a cell phone.
Dat: OMG, my mom is waiting for me to go shopping. See you later.
Tai: Goodbye.
Example 2: Unit 7: THE MASS MEDIA
After lesson B: Speaking
Aim: Help increase students’ awareness about benefits and drawbacks of the
Internet.
Suggested activity: Discussion: Give opinions to the topic: “Internet
provides both advantages and disadvantages for users. What’s your opinion”
Procedure:
- After the lesson, teacher divides the class into pairs.
- Teacher explains the requirements to them and instructs them how to do the
task.
- Teacher provides some suggestions for them to do the task.
- Teacher sets the deadline to collect the videos.
Useful languages:
Benefits of Internet:
- Help study with a wide range of available and convenient programs.
- Help relax by a lot of ways: sports, films, music, …
- Up-to date information happening around the world.
- Help widen knowledge with various fields.
Disadvantages of Internet:
- Be addicted to some bad programmes as online games, violent films.

- Ignore face to face conversation.
- Ruin eyes.
- Prevent people from taking part in outdoor activities.
- Be made use of by high – tech crime.
Model: Huyen and Tra My, students of class 10A4 (Because they live far
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