Conversation Cards - Let's talk - ASK AWAY!

For many pupils, structuring questions is quite a challenge. We are coming to help!

• 48 cards
• 48 common situations (at the doctor, on the plane, in the bank, etc.)
• 5 questions to be completed from scattered words
• 5 additional tasks to complete once the questions have been answered
• Two levels -  A2/B1 and  B1+/B2+

How to use “Ask Away!”:

The set “Ask Away!” contains 48 cards that can be used to practise question formation in various situations and places that students might find themselves in when visiting or moving to a foreign country, or when being in a context that requires using English.

The set is divided into two parts: the first one is suitable for students at A2/B1 level (cards 1-24) and the other for those at B1+/B2+ (cards 25-48). If you would like to use the first part with students over B1, you might want to ask the students to rewrite the questions using more advanced language. It might also be an interesting challenge for such students to simplify the questions on the cards for their level.

Each card has a photo relating to a situation or place. The students could start by covering the bottom half of the card and  brainstorming what kind of questions might be asked and heard there.

Under the photo, there are five questions in which all the words have been scrambled. The students need to rearrange the words so that they make up correctly formed questions.

Under the questions, there are five tasks to choose from. Your students might do one or more, depending on what you think they would benefit from most, or what they personally decide if you leave it up to them. A lot will also depend on how much time you have in class. Some of the tasks might be set as homework.

The five tasks are the same for all the cards in the set. Cards 1-24 have the tasks and instructions formulated in a simpler language than those on cards 25-48.

The first task asks the students to decide who is asking the questions featured on the cards.

The second task tells them to answer the questions.

In the third one, the students write dialogues with as many of the questions as they can.

In the fourth task, they brainstorm topical vocabulary useful when being in a situation featured on a particular card.

Finally, the last task asks the students to add three additional questions, incorporating the brainstormed vocabulary and grammatical structures recently practised in class.

Author: Ewa Torebko