Activity: buying a train ticket
Imagine that you are a student when you are perfoming the activity.
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Your are spending a month in Montpellier, doing a language course there. You would like to go on a weekend trip and explore the surroundings. You decide to go by train.
Choose a destination and buy a return ticket.
1. In pairs, work together on one computer.
Each of you chooses a destination.
Your time limit: 10 minutes.
Perpignan (map)
Arles (map)
Avignon (map)
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Tip: You do not need to understand the text on the websites, get inspired by the images and have a look at the maps to make your choice.
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2. In pairs, work together on one computer.
Go to the SNCF website.
Find trains that suit your budget and time and make a reservation for a return ticket. >>
Careful: You are not actually going to buy the ticket. You will get all the information you need without ordering and buying a ticket.
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Tip: Just in case you do not remember or understand some words you can use the following aids to find out their meaning:
your knowledge about how train websites are structured
dates, numbers, prices, images that are related to the words
words that are similar to other languages you know, this may be foreign languages or your mother tongue
the following online-dictionaries:
http://www.ultralingua.net
http://wordreference.com
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3. Prepare yourselves for the dialogue:
Do the worksheet to revise the phrases you need to exchange information.
Results are compared in class. -->
4. Perform the dialogue.
Only the "clerk" has access to the information on the website. The "tourist" does not see the screen.
Careful:
polite (everyday) phrases (greeting) must be included.
a dialogue in everyday-life is usually not constructed according to the pattern A asks, B answers, A asks, B answers. It is common for the same person e.g. to respond to a question and ask another question in the same turn.
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Tip:
You do not need to write anything down because:
the “clerk” can guide the dialogue, looking at the screen and using the information from the train reservation website.
you can use the words and structures that you have already learned
you can have a look at your worksheet
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The suggested activity fits into the topic planning a trip or going by train. It is supposed that learners have already read and/or listened to similar dialogues and that they are already familiar with the necessary vocabulary.
Similar activities can be designed using other dynamic websites that replace human interaction for providing goods and services. Some examples are websites for: real-estate agencies, booking holiday accommodation, employment. |
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