These are the steps to follow in planning a lesson using the communicative or natural approach to second-language teaching:
1. Presentation of a situation or context through a brief dialogue or several mini-dialogues, preceded by a motivational activity relating the dialogue to learners’ experiences and interest. This includes a discussion of the function and situation: People, roles, setting, topic and the level of formality or informality the function and situation demand.2. Brainstorming or discussion to establish the vocabulary and expressions to be used to accomplish the communicative intent. Includes a framework or means of structuring a conversation or exchange to achieve the purpose of the speakers.
3. Questions and answers based on the dialogue topic and situation: Inverted, wh- questions, yes/no, either/or and open-ended questions.
4. Study of the basic communicative expressions in the dialogue or one of the structures that exemplifies the function, using pictures, real objects, or dramatization to clarify the meaning.
5. Learner discovery of generalizations or rules underlying the functional expression or structure, with model examples on the chalkboard, underlining the important features, using arrows or referents where feasible.
6. Oral recognition and interpretative activities including oral production proceeding from guided to freer communication activities.
7. Reading and/or copying of the dialogues with variations for reading/writing practice.
8. Oral evaluation of learning with guided use of language and questions/answers, e.g. "How would you ask your friend to ________________? And how would you ask me to _______________?"
9. Homework and extension activities such as learners’ creation of new dialogues around the same situation.
10. To complete the lesson cycle, provide opportunities to apply the language learned the day before in novel situations for the same or a related purpose.
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This page was last updated on 07/26/02