ENGLISH CONVERSATION STARTERS BUNDLE #1

ADVANCED BEGINNER ENGLISH INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH ADVANCED ENGLISH CONVERSATION STARTERS 200 ENGLISH CONVERSATION STARTERS two sets of 100 English conversation starters @ $5.00 each in the bundle

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Set 1 English Conversation starters features 100 starters in question format, suitable for advanced beginner English to intermediate English students.

Set 2 English Conversation starters also features 100 starters in question format, suitable for intermediate English to advanced English students.

Speaking is a language skill that learners tend to find very challenging, regardless of level, and increased engagement with language that requires them to both reproduce accurately language they are already familiar with, and to be creative with that language in order to produce new language is integral to successful language learning.

In Set 1, the questions focus largely on the present tense, with some examples of the present perfect tense. I include tenses we may not have formally covered, as the activity is not solely about practicing language, but also about actively learning it. I encourage students to look for cues and clues in the questions themselves, and this certainly enables them to engage with new or unknown language successfully, and to progress in their learning.

In Set 2, the questions feature a range of tenses and moods, such as the present tense, present subjunctive, perfect, imperfect, and conditional perfect. There are several questions focusing on if + subjunctive + conditional clauses. There is a significant amount of implicit input on a range of grammatical concepts, particularly the use of tenses.

I try to include as broad a range of language as I can in the questions, regardless of student learning level, as the activity is not solely about practicing language, but also about actively learning it. I encourage students to look for cues and clues in the questions themselves, and this certainly enables them to engage with new or unknown language successfully, and to progress in their learning, which is just as important for more advanced learners.

Questions formats are varied, to ensure maximum opportunity to work with the different ways to ask questions in English. Some questions seek to elicit very similar information, but are asked in different language: this avoids learners simply parroting learned responses to fixed prompts.

Each card has an image: some of these are specific visual prompts to help students infer meaning; some are more generic images. I do use images as much as possible with this kind of activity, not only to provide the prompt, but also to add to the visual appeal of it, which is a real motivator for learning.

I remind students that it is not necessary to tell the truth - the purpose is to create and produce accurate and realistic language. Students can prepare their responses in as much detail as possible on the accompanying planning sheet, remembering that these are conversation starters, so that once they have responded, they should then say something to continue the conversation going.

Frequent and regular engagement with the activity brings the best results: with the planning sheet, students can create and prepare increasingly detailed and more complex responses, reflecting their learning progress. I definitely find it useful to read through the questions together as a whole-group, with students offering initial suggested responses. This ensures everyone can actually access the language, and they also benefit a lot from each others’ ideas.

As a whole-group activity, distribute the cards amongst your students, one or several. Ideally, they should walk around the classroom, asking questions, and swapping cards. For pair or small-group work, students can work in a designated area. This really helps them focus closely on the language, and helps learners who are slightly less confident working with a larger group.

The starters in Set 1 broadly address the following themes:

personal information : family & routines at home : hobbies & free time : likes & dislikes :
local environment : food & drink : school & studies : sport & healthy living : countries & languages : weather & seasons

The starters in Set 2 broadly address the following themes:

music, film & television : literature & culture : personal life, information & preferences :
leisure & free time : health & well-being : history & society : recent & current events :
travel, tourism & holidays : technology & social media : likes & dislikes : local environment : environmental & social issues : education & studies

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