1 dialogue – 10 ways

When you're teaching an A1 class, there's always that fear that you're going run out of material. But the answer might already be right under your nose – look again at the materials in your coursebook and try to get more use out of them.

An A1 dialogue is very short. You play the audio; you do a few comprehension questions; you ask the students to read it in pairs. That's the standard process, giving you three ways to use the dialogue.
Or - you can use it again … and again … and again ... It not only helps to fill your teaching hour, but it gives your students much needed practice at listening and speaking.
Here are 7 more ways to use the same little dialogue:

1. Play the audio with the text covered, before you play it again with the text uncovered.
2. Lead choral repetition of the dialogue, so everyone reads it out together.
3. More choral repetition: half the class reads character A, the other half reads character B.
4. You read it with exaggerated intonation and emphasise how the words run together. Read it again in the same way and ask the class to copy you, phrase by phrase.
5. You read the dialogue again, but change 3 of the words, e.g. single room > double room; Friday > Monday; shower > bath. Students should listen for the changes.
6. Ask the class to suggest more alternative words to swap into the dialogue. They read it again in pairs, using some of the alternatives.
7. Can they remember the whole dialogue without their books? Write a few key words on the board to support, if needed.