SESSION 4 OF 21 · PLACES

You answer,
I ask

Four ways to talk about one place. Nobody writes anything. I name you, I give you a time, you answer.

16 students · three blocks of 45 minutes · no writing, no recording, no test

the whole morning

Three blocks, three jobs

135 min
BlockMinutesWhat happens
1 · Teach0–45Four shapes and the words for them, every one answered aloud
2 · Fire45–90Three sets of twelve questions, ten to twenty seconds each
3 · Perform90–135Full answers to the room, one decision to make, three answers in front of everyone
Every answer goes to the room. Nobody writes. Nobody works in pairs.

0–45

Block one

Teach

Four shapes and the words that fill them. Every example comes from someone in this room.

0–3 · before anything else

One question, cold

3 min
The questionWhere do you go to relax, and why there?

Two answers, no thinking time. Three words from each go on the board, and you decide which answer was longer.

We come back to this question at the end of the morning

3–9 · the content, out loud

Two places, four facts

6 min

Two people tell me where they actually go every week, and their answers go on the board in these four slots.

1How far — minutes on foot, or stops
2What you do there — one verb, one habit
3What it costs you — time, money, a route, a fixed point in the week
4What changed about it — before, now, and the one cause
Two places, four facts each. We use them for the rest of the morning

9–13 · function one

Describe: a fact, a behaviour, an effect

4 min
FactA place anchor: how far in minutes, how big, what it is next to.
BehaviourWhat you actually do there, in a verb. "I sit by the window and read."
EffectWhat it does to your week. "It's where I switch off before the commute."

A place name is not a description. Ten minutes on foot is.

Three answers, same place, twenty seconds each

13–16 · the words

The words that carry a place

3 min
Anchors
  • a ten-minute walk · two stops on the metro
  • round the corner from · across from · backs onto
  • within walking distance · a bit out of the way
Behaviour verbs
  • I head there · I drop by · I end up · I tend to · I meet up with
Openers
  • It's about a ten-minute walk from…
  • I live on the edge of…, which means…
  • It's the kind of place where…
  • What I actually do there is…
Effect
  • it's where I switch off · it gives me a reason to walk
"It's very nice" ends an answer. Take a phrase and use it in one sentence

16–19 · function two

Opinion: view, evidence, limit

3 min
ViewOne sentence with your position in it. No "it depends".
EvidenceWhat you have seen or done, not what people say.
LimitThe exception. "I wouldn't call it quiet exactly, but nobody's out after ten."

The limit is the function. An opinion nobody could disagree with is not an opinion.

Three opinions, one place. Every one needs its limit

19–22 · the words

The words for an opinion

3 min
Openers
  • Personally I'd say…
  • The way I see it…
  • To be honest…
  • I'm not sure it's for everyone, but…
Limits and verbs
  • I wouldn't call it quiet exactly, but…
  • It's not somewhere I'd go every week, though…
  • I'd say · I find it · it works for me · it doesn't appeal to me
"Very good" with no evidence is not an opinion. It is a pause

22–27 · function three

Compare: two places, one dimension, verdict

5 min
Dimensioncloser · cheaper · quieter · busier · greener · more convenient · less crowded
Degreeslightly · a bit · far · nowhere near as … as · by a long way
Verdict"It's quieter than the other one, and that is the whole reason I go."
Four comparisons of these two places. One dimension each, no repeats

27–32 · function four

Change: before, now, one cause

5 min
Beforeused to be · was · we used to go
Nowit's become · they've turned it into · it's no longer · they've done it up
Causeone, with because or since. "Since the metro opened, nobody parks here."
Three answers on these places, then one on your own hometown

32–38 · the one pronunciation block

Stress the word that carries the fact

6 min
Loud, then quick"It's a TEN-minute WALK." The fact word is loud, everything else is fast and flat.
Move it"I go there on WEDnesdays" is not "I GO there on Wednesdays."
Ends of wordsplaceS · walkED · neighbourhooD. The last sound carries the grammar and it is the one that goes.
Say it together once, then four people alone. One correction each

38–42 · the last drill of the block

Eight questions, twenty seconds each

4 min
QuestionNeeds
Where do you go to relax?Describe
What would you change about your home?Opinion
Is it quiet or busy where you live?Describe
Do you prefer the bus or the underground?Compare
Has your neighbourhood changed?Change
What is missing from your area?Opinion
Which room do you use most?Describe
Is your hometown a good place for young people?Opinion
Twenty seconds an answer. Eight people, eight questions, no preparation

42–45 · the model

One student, all four functions

3 min
Describethe anchor, then what you actually do there
Opinionyour view, then the limit that makes it yours
Compareagainst the place you could have gone instead
Changewhat it used to be, and the one thing that changed it
One answer, four functions. The room counts the seconds out loud

45–90

Block two

Fire

Three sets of twelve. A name, a clock, an answer. Nothing is discussed.

0–3 · before the sets

When you have no fact

3 min
BorrowA place from your ordinary week. "I don't go anywhere special, but the supermarket near me…"
Use this oneThe room you are in. "This building. The corridor outside is where everyone eats lunch."
Go laterSomewhere you want to go. "Not yet, but there's a park by the river I mean to visit."
Three seconds to choose, then two sentences. "I don't know" is not an answer today

3–18 · set A

Set A: twelve questions, ten seconds

15 min
Do you live in a house or an apartment?Which room do you use most?
What can you see from your window?How long have you lived there?
What is there to do near your home?Is it quiet or busy where you live?
How do you get to the city centre?Where do you go to relax?
How often do you go there?What do you do when you are there?
What is your hometown like?What do visitors do there?
Ten seconds an answer. No thinking time

18–32 · set B

Set B: twenty seconds, then I push

14 min
Is your neighbourhood a good place to live?What would you change about it?
Do you prefer a quiet home or a busy one?What does your family prefer?
Do you prefer the bus or the underground?Which is worse at rush hour?
Would you like to move somewhere else?What keeps you where you are?
What is missing from your area?Who should fix it?
Would you recommend where you relax?To whom, and who not?
Twenty seconds, then one follow-up. The follow-up is where the second sentence lives

32–45 · set C

Set C: one question, four possible shapes

13 min
QuestionThe shape you must use
Is your neighbourhood a good place to live?Describe · Opinion · Compare · Change
Where do you go to relax?Describe · Opinion · Compare · Change
Tell me about your hometown.Describe · Opinion · Compare · Change
How do you travel around your city?Describe · Opinion · Compare · Change
Same question, four times. The shape changes after you hear it

90–135

Block three

Perform

Full answers to the room, one decision the class has to make, three spotlight answers.

0–10 · perform one

Three students, all four functions

10 min

Three students in a row, one board place each, the whole shape: describe, opinion, compare, change. The room counts the seconds out loud.

After each answerThe room names
Which function came thirdCompare, or they lost the order
Which function was thinnestUsually the limit, sometimes the cause
Every answer gets one fix. The room decides what was missing

10–24 · the decision

One Saturday, one visitor

14 min

A friend from another city has one Saturday here. Decide where to take them.

RoundWhat happens
ProposeThree students each describe a place, twenty seconds
ArgueTwo students compare two proposals, one dimension each
ChallengeOne student says what has changed about the winning place
DecideEvery student adds one reason in ten seconds, then the room votes
Nobody writes. Everyone speaks once, then the room votes

24–34 · spotlight

Three answers in front of the room

10 min
  1. The room names which functions were there.
  2. Full answer, standing, no notes, no help.
  3. One fix each, and the fix is a shape, not a grammar point.
No score, no criteria, nobody ranked. One of the three should struggle

34–40 · the close of the loop

Same question, second time

6 min
Ask it again, two new studentsWhere do you go to relax, and why there?

Then the class compares against the three words on the board from minute nought. Which function appeared this time that did not appear then?

Which function appeared this time that was not there at the start?

40–45 · close

Nothing written, one place in your head

5 min
The askBring one place you can talk about for twenty seconds, ready before you sit down next time.
Not the askNo notebook, no worksheet, no recording. Nothing is collected, ever.
Next sessionSame four functions, new topic, and the first thing I do is name three of you cold.
The only homework: one place in your head

no clock

Ten more, each with its shape

no clock
Is your home close to where you work or study?Describe
Would you like to live there in ten years?Opinion
What kind of people live in your area?Describe
What is your hometown famous for?Describe
Has it changed since you were a child?Change
Is traffic a problem where you live?Opinion
What is the worst time of day to travel?Describe
Would you like to cycle more?Opinion
Is there a place you would like to visit?Describe
Has transport in your city got better or worse?Change
Do you go to that place alone or with people?Describe
Same rule as every set: no thinking time
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