Often tickets are used for very practical activities in classrooms like role-plays etc… which is great. However, after seeing a ticket on Sandy Millin’s wonderful infinite ideas website a few creative ideas were sparked in my head. I’ve posted there as well but really like the Teaching Unplugged framework. After reading Mike’s excellent post, where he also used that framework very effectively, I felt inspired to have a go. Do check out both blogs and obviously the book. I've already used Mike's travel recommendations lesson with great success :-)
Anyway, here's my lesson. Not sure if it fully qualifies as unplugged but it's certainly materials light and myself and several colleagues have had really fun lessons with it.
Think about it
Tickets open doors. Think back over your life experiences. A magical afternoon at the zoo, the concert of a lifetime, a trip through snowy and unfamiliar landscapes on the way to your first job in a foreign land. These are just a few examples of experiences made possible by a ticket. If you’re doing a topic like transport, journeys or events why not take a bit of time to find out what your learners’ experiences have been. Do they have any stories to tell? Or can they imagine some?
Get it ready
Bring in a bus ticket, football match ticket, plane ticket etc… Also different shapes and sizes of coloured paper cut into the shapes of various kinds of tickets.
Set it up
Pass your chosen ticket round the class. Ask learners to imagine what the story of that ticket might be. What happened to the person who bought it, what did they experience whilst they were using it? Allow time for discussion. Ask the learners if they have ever had an interesting experience whilst using a ticket? What kind of ticket was it? Discuss the different purposes of tickets.
Let it run
- Pass out the slips of paper. In pairs or small groups, ask the learners to create their own ticket. It can be any kind of ticket.
- Ask everyone in the class to exchange their tickets with the group sitting next to them.
- With their new ticket the groups decide on the story of that ticket and write a short narrative.
Round it off
Each group shows the class their ticket, reads out the story and answers any questions. Tutor feeds back on emergent language as appropriate.
Follow up
Learners discuss where they would go/what they would do if they had a magic ticket to anywhere. Possibly creating a WEG style table .
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Type of ticket? |
Where to ? |
Why? |
Salma |
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Darius |
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Akram |
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Jabeen |
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Thanks to Sandy, Mike and the authors of Teaching Unplugged for the inspiration :-)
Hi Anna,
Thanks very much for linking to the blog. Yours is the first lesson that I know about which has been inspired by it, so you've made my day :) It's great to see how you link together all of the ideas that you've got from so many different places. A pleasure to read!
Sandy
PS I'm going to post a link to this lesson on the Infinite ELT Ideas page
Posted by: Sandymillin | 05/24/2011 at 07:01 AM
Hi Sandy
Very welcome... thanks for linking back ;-p I think your blog is such a good idea! I would never have come up with the lesson if I hadn't spent a few minutes looking at that ticket image on your blog. It's my favourite thing when an idea sparks like that and your blog provides the perfect stimulus :-)
Thanks for your lovely comment.
Anna
Posted by: Anna Rose | 05/24/2011 at 06:23 PM
Anna,
Once again I find myself reading your posts several times, "studying" them. I'm really impressed by this lesson and appreciative, as always, of the helpful links you include!
Following your blog is really a learning experience for me!
Thank you!
Posted by: Naomishema | 05/25/2011 at 09:45 PM
Hey Naomi,
Once again I find myself reading your comments and being impressed by just how original and refreshing your encouragement always is :-)
It makes such a difference!
:-)))
Anna
Posted by: Anna Rose | 05/26/2011 at 09:29 AM
Very nice! Story-telling with a prop.
Posted by: DavidWarr | 05/30/2011 at 11:01 AM
Thanks David :-) I love hearing the stories learners come up with. Especially ones that think they have no imagination. For example one group produced a ticket that gave them free access to their exams - it ended well - they all passed :-p
Posted by: Anna Rose | 05/30/2011 at 12:19 PM