A Grammatical terms

CLF

classifier

MM

modifier marker

QP

question particle

PRT

utterance final particle

B Transcription keys

[word]

simultaneous or overlapping speech

=

(equal sign) latch or continuing speech with no break in between

hh

(series of h’s) aspiration or laughter

(.)

(period in parentheses) micro-pause: 0.2 second or less

(0.4)

(number in parentheses) length of a silence in tenths of a second

::

(colon(s)) prolonging of sound

C Transcripts and activities

Conversation transcript (1): meeting a new friend

Step II: Comprehension

Activity 1: Listen to Conversation (1) & (2) and respond to the comprehension questions.

Teacher’s note:

1. Provide students the following worksheet. This task is completed as homework. The two conversation clips are in http://clicresearch.rice.edu/caslar-authentic-spoken-language/#response.

2. In class, ask students questions to check their overall comprehension of the conversations.

3. For answers, check the complete transcripts at the beginning of Appendix C.

(Worksheet for students)

Activity 1

认识新朋友

Watch and listen to two short conversation clips.

In the video clips, you will see two Chinese friends who just met and started a conversation. Watch and listen to both video clips and answer the following 5 questions in Chinese.

1. 她们姓什么？ 叫什么名字？

2. 她们大几？

3. 谁的专业是 Math？谁的专业是 Mechanical Engineering?

4. 她们是哪里人？

5. 谁的宿舍是Sid？谁的宿舍是 Brown？

Activity 2: Notice the use of RTs in a fill-in-the-blank exercise.

Teacher’s note:

1. Give each student the worksheet below. It is a fill-in-the-blank exercise. Students need to fill the key words (which are the RTs focused in this unit.)

2. Play the two video clips again. Have students watch/listen and fill in the keywords.

3. Teacher checks the correctness of their works as a whole class.

4. For answers, check the complete transcripts at the beginning of Appendix C.

(worksheet for students)

Activity 2

Conversation (1): Meeting a new friend

Step III: Raising awareness

Activity 3 Compare natural conversation with textbook dialogues

Teacher’s note:

1. Divide students in pairs and give each pair the following form.

2. Have them read the terms one by one in the form, such as 对话方式 duìhuà fāngshì “interactional features,” 课本对话kèběn duìhuà “textbook dialogue,” 日常对话 rìcháng duìhuà “natural conversation,” 重复 chóngfù “repetition”, and etc.

3. Ask students to use simple sentences with the verb 有yǒu “have” to identify the differences, such as 日常对话有重复 rìcháng duìhuà yǒu chóngfù “Daily conversation has repetition,” 课本对话没有重复 kèběn duìhuà méiyǒu chóngfù “The textbook does not have repetition.”

(Worksheet for students)

Activity 3

Task: discuss with your partner and identify the differences and similarities between natural speech in Conversation (1)&(2) and the dialogue in Lesson 2 in your textbook. Check √ the features that are shown in the textbook dialogue and natural conversation.

Answer Keys for Activity 3

Activity 4 RTs in English conversation

Teacher’s note:

1. Divide students in pairs. Give each pair the three conversation excerpts and the “action” form. See below.

2. Students in each pair read the three conversation excerpts in English and discuss the action displayed by sayingokay, yeahandgreatin each conversation.

3. In this activity, students use English to discuss. Use the following form to guide their discussion. For instance, students read Excerpt 1, and check whatyeahdoes in line 3, which is the action #4 in form “to indicate the other speaker to continue his/her talk.” Teacher confirms students’ hypotheses of the actions, and concludes that expressions likeyeah, okayandgreatcan be used to display active listenership in conversation, showing interest and attention to the prior talk.

(Worksheet for students)

Activity 4

Task: Read the following three conversation excerpts. Discuss with your partner what action is done by using okay, yeah and great in the interaction.

The following form includes two columns. The left column “Action” is a list of actions. The right column “Word used” is for you to fill the word okay, yeah or great that displays the action described in the left column.

(The three excerpts are from Wong and Waring 2010, pp. 90–91).

Excerpt 1

01 M:  So- the next day I was out playing tennis and oh my

02  gosh we were out in the clu:b eating?

03 E: → Yeah.

04 M:  And I about hh (0.2) threw up all over the table

05  because:::

Excerpt 2

01 Don:  I’ll go get some more water. ((leaves with pitcher))

02 John: → Okay.

Excerpt 3

01 Don:  I:s this ai:med accurate enou:gh?

02  (0.5)

03 John:  Yes it’s aimed at the table.

04 Don: →  Grea:t.

(answer keys for activity 4)

Step IV Analysis of Conversation

Activity 5 Naturally occurring conversation between L1 speakers

Teacher’s note:

1. Divide students in pairs.

2. Give each pair the following worksheet.

3. The task is to read the conversation line by line and answer two questions: 1) What is the action displayed in each line? 2) How is the action achieved?

4. Guide students to answer the two questions from line 1–5.

5. Have students in pairs to complete the rest lines, line 6–12.

6. The answer keys for the analysis of Conversation (1) are provided below.

7. Assign the analysis of Conversation (2) as homework.

(Worksheet for students)

Activity 5

Task: Your teacher has demonstrated how to analyze the Conversation (1) line 1–5 by providing answers to the two questions for each line. Work with your partner to read the rest interaction between the two college students, and answer the two questions for each line.

Activity 6 Conversation between learners

Conversation between learners and L1 speakers

Teacher’s note:

1. The goal of this activity is to guide students to use RTs to avoid silence or long pauses in conversation.

2. Show the video tape of conversation excerpt (1) between a learner and a L1 speaker. Have students point out the place where the conversation breakdowns.

3. Divide students in pairs, and provide each pair the following worksheet with the dialogue transcript.

4. Students work in pair to improve the conversation by adding appropriate RTs or providing other suggestions.

5. Check students’ revision.

6. Repeat the same process for the excerpt (2) which is a conversation between two learners.

(Worksheet for students)

Activity 6

Excerpt (1)

Task: The following dialogue is between Ben (L1 speakers) and Xin (learners), talking about their family, that you just viewed. Work with your partner. Read the dialogue and improve it by adding appropriate RTs or providing other suggestions.

Excerpt (2)

Task: The following transcript is the dialogue between two learners that you just reviewed. Work with your partner. Read the dialogue and improve it by adding appropriate RTs or providing other suggestions.

Answer keys for Activity 6

Activity 6

Excerpt (1)

Excerpt (2)

Step V Practice and Production

Activity 7A Listen to the conversation “Meeting on campus”

Teacher’s note:

1. The goal of this activity is to provide students the opportunity to listen to another natural conversation and have them identify the use of RTs.

2. Play the recording of the conversation “meeting on campus,” and check students’ overall comprehension of the dialogue. The recording is in the weblink: http://clicresearch.rice.edu/caslar-authentic-spoken-language/#response.

3. Provide the following worksheet.

4. Play the conversation again. Students fill in the blanks with the missing expressions based on what they hear.

5. Provide the complete transcript of “meeting on campus” (shown in Activity 7B) to check their answers.

(Worksheet for students)

Activity 7 Listen to “Meeting on Campus”

Task: Listen to the conversation and fill in the blanks of what you hear.

Activity 7B Analysis of the Conversation 3 “meeting on campus”

Teacher’s note:

1. Students will demonstrate what they have learned about RTs in this activity.

2. Provide the following worksheet which includes transcript of the conversation 3 “meeting on campus.”

3. Remind students of the analysis activity did in Step IV Activity 5. Ask them to follow the same process to complete the worksheet with a partner.

(Worksheet for students)

Activity 7B Analyze “Meeting on Campus”

Task: Work with your partner to read the interaction between the two college students, and answer the two questions for each line.

Answer keys (Activity 7B)

Activity 8 Improve the pre-instruction dialogues (speaking activity)

Teacher’s note:

1. 1. Ask students to view their videotaped conversation completed before the instruction.

2. Have students work in pairs to improve the conversation by adding RTs and other interactional features that are appropriate.

3. Each pair performs their conversations, and teacher provides feedback.

Activity 9 Written Assessment

Teacher’s note:

Give each student a short quiz as follows at the end of this unit.

Activity 9 Written Assessment

Task: Complete the following conversation by filling one of the words/phrases in the list. Each item can be only used once.

太好了，对，嗯，二十一岁，是吗，哦

Key answers (Activity 9)

太好了，对，嗯，二十一，是吗，哦

Activity 10 Speaking Assessment

Teacher’s note:

1. Divide students in pairs. Give each pair a prompt: You two are acquaintances and run into each other at a musical festival. Find out from each other about the music and activities that you can do at the festival.

2. Ask students do the following: 1) Engage in a conversation in impromptu based on the prompt without writing a script; 2) Students videotape their conversations and upload the conversations to an online course management (decided by the teacher), so conversation can be evaluated and given feedback.

3. Teachers can use the rubric in the following to evaluate their conversation.

Summative assessment (2 conversations with native speakers)

Teacher’s note:

1. The summative assessment evaluates all the interactional features highlighted in the curriculum, not limited to RTs.

2. Each student is required to engage in two 5- to 7-minute conversation with an L1 speaker from Taiwan or China, one in the mid-semester and one at the end.

3. Remind students that they do not bring any notes or prepare for the conversation.

4. The prompts for each encounter are: Conversation 1: You meet a new friend who is from China or Taiwan. Get to know each other!Conversation 2:

You meet your Chinese friend again. You have some catching up to do.

1. Inform students regarding the summative assessment at the beginning of the semester, so they have time to find a partner.

2. Show students the rubrics, provided below, as how the conversations are graded before assigning the tasks.

3. Have students videotape the conversations and upload them to an online course management system.

4. Ask students to write a reflection after each conversation. The reflection guideline is provided below.

Rubrics for conversations with L1 speakers.

Reflection guidelines