Activities,+Ideas+and+Suggestions+for+teaching

**Introduction** Reported speech is a very rich grammar area to teach because:
 * It can involve considerable manipulation of form
 * It’s a very easy piece of grammar to locate and exploit with texts.

Below are suggestions, ideas and activities of ways of exploiting texts and analysis.

//**Activity: basic substitution** // At it’s most basic, you can simply read out a sentence and ask the students to rephrase it beginning with “He said…” “She said…”

For example: Teacher: I don’t like it. Students: He said he didn’t like it. Teacher: I think its great work. Students: He said its great work.

This can be made a little more interesting in the following ways:

//**Activity: chain reports** // **Version 1** The following activity is a variation of the well-known 'broken telephone'. Whisper a sentence in English to a student. That student then whispers it to another and so on until the last student has to say out loud what was said originally.

**Version 2** If the above seems too easy, ask students to alternate reported speech/direct speech. If they hear it in reported speech they put it back to direct speech and vice versa. For example: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">T: I like it. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">S1: He said he liked it. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">S2: I like it. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">S3…

//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">**Activity: I didn’t get that, what did she say?** // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">This is a quick question drill. Ask a student a question. After they answer, ask another student what was said. For example: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">T: Tom, how did you get to class today? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Tom: I came by car. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">T: Sorry, I didn’t get that. Fred, what did Tom say? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Fred: He said he had come by car. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">T: Thanks.

//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">**Activity: mingle** // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Prepare a series of cards/slips of paper, each with a different sentence. Here are some examples: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">I’m sorry I’m late. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">These sandwiches are delicious. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">What time is it? I don’t have a watch. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Excuse me, I’m looking for my mum. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Do we know each other? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Remember me? We met last year at soccer.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Create enough cards so that each student has one. You can repeat the same sentences on other cards.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Explain that you want the students to role-play the following situation. Everybody must circulate and talk to each other. The trick is they must say what is on their card and as little else as possible. If you have a CD player or cassette player in the classroom, you could play some quiet music in the background during the mingle.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">After five minutes (or however long it takes for most students to have spoken to each other) tell everyone to sit down again. Ask people to report back on what other people told them, using reported speech.

//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">**Texts: clarifications** // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">This is another teacher led-activity that also focuses on listening skills. It uses an oral text generated by the teacher. For this activity you need to prepare the following: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">a short anecdote (2 minutes long) that you can tell – hopefully related to the topic that you are already doing in class (e.g. if you are doing holidays, make it about holidays) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">four or five sentences that contradict things in your anecdote.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Write the sentences on the board. Read them out to the students. Now explain that you are going to tell a story, but that some of the facts in the story are different. The students must listen carefully. When they hear a fact that is different from those on the board, someone must interrupt you and seek clarification, using the following structure: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Excuse me, but didn’t you say that…? (and include what you had said earlier, the facts that are on the board). <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Here is an example: Teacher writes on the board: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">I live in a big house. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">I’m married. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">I don’t have any children.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">The teacher reads out the sentences and then she gives the instructions for the activity. She begins the story: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">T: Well, the other day I was in my flat. It’s a small flat in the city centre… <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">S: Excuse me, didn’t you say you lived in a big house? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">T: Ah yes, I did say that. So, it was in my big house. My boyfriend was at work… <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">S: Excuse me, didn’t you say you were married? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">T: Of course. I’m married, I meant to say my husband was at work and the baby was crying… <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">S: Excuse me, didn’t you say you didn’t have any children? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">T: That’s right. It isn’t my baby, it’s my sister’s baby.

//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">**Texts: reporting back – famous interview** // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">In this activity, students create the interview themselves. Divide students into groups. Tell the groups that they must do the following:
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Decide on a famous person (living or dead) who they would like to interview.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Nominate ONE person in that group to be the famous person.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Once groups have nominated their famous people ask those people to come up to the front and form a new group.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Explain that the famous people are all on a panel to be interviewed by the class, who are journalists.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Give the journalists some time to think of questions. During this time the famous people can talk about what they are going to say.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">When the journalists are ready, begin moderating the interview by asking for questions.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Once all the famous people have answered the questions send them back to their original seats.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Now ask everybody to write a report with at least two things they remember from the interview. They should include examples of reported speech in their report. Ask students to compare their reports in pairs.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Circulate and help. At the end, ask different pairs to read out their reports.

//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">**Analysis: what I think and don't think** // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">This activity is a dictation activity. Prepare some sentences that are opinions on a certain topic that you’ve covered recently in class. There should be a mixture of affirmative and negative sentences.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Here are some examples on the topic of ART for an intermediate class (some of these are stronger opinions – you may want to change them to reflect your own opinion).
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">A lot of modern art isn’t very good.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Art galleries are great places for conversation..
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">There aren’t many famous painters from my country.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Graffiti isn’t art.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Art shouldn’t be only for rich people.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Some art is worth far too much money.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Explain that you are going to dictate these sentences, but that the students must write down a report of each one beginning with //The teacher thinks//… or //The teacher doesn’t think…// <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">The above sentences would give the following: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">The teacher doesn’t think a lot of modern art is very good. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">The teacher thinks art galleries are great places for conversation.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Ask students to compare their answers in pairs, and then decide if they agree or disagree with you. Ask different groups to report back and have a short open class discussion.

//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">**Analysis: reacting to the news** // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Prepare a series of slips of paper each with a sentence beginning You’ve been asked to… or You’ve been told to… Prepare a mixture of good and bad things. For example:
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">You’ve been asked to work next Saturday morning.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">You’ve been told to not drink any more water.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">You’ve been asked to present an award at an assembly.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">You’ve been told to go the principal’s office.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">You’ve been asked to participate in a television show.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">You’ve been told to stay in bed for three weeks.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Pre-teach common social expressions for reacting to good or bad news, for example: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">That’s great! <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Congratulations! <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">That’s good news <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">That’s too bad. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Oh dear. Oh no. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">That’s terrible!

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Distribute the slips of paper to the students and ask them to read them silently. Then tell them to move around the class and 1) tell other students what they’ve been asked or told to do. 2) react to what other students tell them.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">As a follow-up you could ask them to work in groups and transcribe what they think was probably originally said.

//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">**Analysis: drill sergeant** // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">This is another simple activity for reporting orders. Explain that you are going to be a drill sergeant: you are going to give four different students orders and then ask someone to report back what was said. Give short simple orders to different students in a brisk, sergeant-like voice. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">For example: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Put down your pen! <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Listen to me! <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Pick up your bag! <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Answer your phone!

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">The students must carry out the orders. Once you’ve given orders to four students, ask a fifth: What did I just say? The fifth student must report the orders (e.g. You told Emma to put down her pen, you told George to listen to you…). If they can do it correctly, they become the drill sergeant.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">**Note** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">This is a drill but with a role play element (that of being the sergeant) – to make the role even more effective you could use a prop, like a ruler or some kind of stick to wave around. You then give the prop to the next drill sergeant. Make sure nobody gets hit with the prop though!

//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">**Analysis: things I was asked/told to do** // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">To provide more practice in reporting structures with ask/tell, ask students to make a list of things they were asked or told to do in different situations. For example: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">when they were a child <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">when they first started learning English <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">in their first job <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">on their first day at school/university <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Tell students to compare with each other once they have written their lists. Then ask different students to report back.

//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">**Analysis: survivors mingle** // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">This is a group role play, where students imagine that they have survived a plane accident and are stranded on a desert island. Prepare a series of cards/slips of paper, each with a different suggestion for the situation. Here are some examples: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">We should just wait for someone to come and find us. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Why don’t we explore the island? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Let’s get wood for a fire. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">We should all stay together. There are dangerous animals around here. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">I think you and I should try to escape together. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Let’s build a boat. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">We should try and fix the plane. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">(you can make your own. Begin with Why don’t we… Let’s …. We should…) Create enough cards so that each student has one. You can repeat the same sentences on other cards. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Explain that you want the students to role play the situation described above (to make it more 'real' you could elaborate on the story of how they got there). Everybody must circulate and talk to each other. They must say what is on their card and as little else as possible. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">After five minutes (or however long it takes for most students to have spoken to each other) tell everyone to sit down again. Ask people to report back on what other people told them, using one of the following reporting verbs: suggest, advise or recommend. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">**Variation** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Here is a variation which lets the students choose more of the language. Set up the scene, then give the students the sentence stems: Why don’t we… Let’s …. We should… and ask them to write a suggestion. Give them one of the above as an example. Then continue the activity.

//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">**Analysis: election pledges** // <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">To practice the structures following verbs like promise and offer, you can ask students to imagine they are speechwriters for a candidate for President or Prime Minister of their country. They must prepare a very short speech. You could give them the following outline to help: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">I know that… <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">So I promise to…. and to… <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">If we are elected, my government pledges* to… <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">My opponent has promised to… <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">But we all know that… <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Together we can… <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">* pre teach pledge – it has the same reporting structure as promise, or offer <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Students can write this in groups. Then have different students read out their election speeches. Who is the most convincing?

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Reference: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">http://www.onestopenglish.com/grammar/grammar-reference/verbs-and-tenses/reported-speech-tips-and-activities/152843.article#Introduction