This is a Level 2 topic at Lake Shore High School, Michigan

ACTFL Standards for Intermediate-Low speaking: https://www.actfl.org/publications/guidelines-and-manuals/actfl-proficiency-guidelines-2012/english/speaking

中级初等水平的讲话者可以在简单的社交情境下用语言进行创作，从而成功地应对有限数量的和不复杂的交流任务。谈话局限于几类在目的语文化中生存所必需的具体的交谈以及可预见的话题。

这些话题与基本的个人信息相关，以及一些即时需求，例如点餐和简单购物。中级初等的讲话者主要是在回答直接问题或信息咨询时作出反应并竭力应对。他们还能询问一些恰当的问题。

Speakers at the Intermediate Low sublevel are able to handle successfully a limited number of uncomplicated communicative tasks by creating with the language in straightforward social situations. Conversation is restricted to some of the concrete exchanges and predictable topics necessary for survival in the target-language culture. These topics relate to basic personal information; for example, self and family, some daily activities and personal preferences, and some immediate needs, such as ordering food and making simple purchases. At the Intermediate Low sublevel, speakers are primarily reactive and struggle to answer direct questions or requests for information. They are also able to ask a few appropriate questions. Intermediate Low speakers manage to sustain the functions of the Intermediate level, although just barely.

Intermediate Low speakers express personal meaning by combining and recombining what they know and what they hear from their interlocutors into short statements and discrete sentences. Their responses are often filled with hesitancy and inaccuracies as they search for appropriate linguistic forms and vocabulary while attempting to give form to the message. Their speech is characterized by frequent pauses, ineffective reformulations and self-corrections. Their pronunciation, vocabulary and syntax are strongly influenced by their first language. In spite of frequent misunderstandings that may require repetition or rephrasing, Intermediate Low speakers can generally be understood by sympathetic interlocutors, particularly by those accustomed to dealing with non-natives.

Theme or Topic: Talking about Prices and Making Bargains

Words: dollar块/元, dime 毛/角, cent分, 便宜，贵，打折，多少钱，合算

Grammatical structure(s): 这是什么？你要买什么？多少钱？便宜一点卖不卖？

Cultural perspectives: Make bargains

Performance-based Objectives：As a result of this lesson/unit, students will be able to:

1. Recognize the price characters
2. Talk about prices using: dollar块, dime 毛/角，and cent分
3. Talk about prices and make bargains

Vocabulary sheet, white board, dry eraser, marker, a piece of fabric or eraser, pre-cut vocabulary flashcards, blue pens and red pens, Chinese currency prints, bargaining song sheet, quizlet vocabulary

Activity 2

(10 min)

Vocabulary practice using white board

Get familiar with the vocabulary

After the students practice for 5 minutes, the teacher starts to test the students’ short term memory: the teacher says each vocabulary word while the students do the second task.

1. Every student has a whiteboard, dry eraser marker and a piece of fabric/eraser to practice how to write the vocabularies (Depending on students’ level, either in characters or pin yin).
2. The students show what they write to the teacher one at a time, then erase it and get ready for the next word until all the words are practiced.

Activity 4:

(10m)

Pop the balloon

Assess the students

1. The teacher points to the characters with numbers in each balloon and the students say the characters as a whole class.
2. Pair up the students in groups of two after the practice; the teacher gives each group a piece of paper with the same content, a red pen and a blue pen.
3. The teacher starts to say the words one by one in a random order.

Activity 6:

(10m)

Practice saying the price in Chinese.

1. The teacher gets the YouTube video ready “How Much Does it Cost?” and play the video to the class.
2. Google the flyer online and change the dollar signs to Chinese currency signs.
3. Check students while they are practicing.

1. The students watch the video first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-sBcpp1LBw
2. The students pair with a partner to practice the price on the flyer.

Activity 8:

(10m)

1. The teacher prepares the online quizlet vocabulary beforehand.
2. Use “Go Guardian” to monitor the students’ practice

Students log in the quizlet using their Chrome Book. They will review the online flashcards, and do the electronic vocabulary words match game.

The whole class is supposed to do the quizlet match game if the time is permitted.

https://quizlet.com/126709124/match

1. Do the online quizlet vocabulary test: https://quizlet.com/126709124/test (5 Multiple choice questions, 5 Matching questions and 4 True/False questions)
2. Design a five-step back and forth conversation between customer and salesperson (insert 2x5 grids) the conversation is required to include greetings, asking about prices, making bargains, the final result (buy or not buy …)

Questions the teacher needs to consider before, during and after lesson planning

• What did the teacher learn?
• What did the students learn?
• How will the teacher improve the lesson next time?

• Backwards Design, Comprehensible Input, Multiple Intelligences, 5C’s Three Modes of Communication
• Audio, video, music, hands on activities, electronic practices, and activities are employed. The majority of the class activities are total participation activities. This enable the whole class, not just one or two students at a time, to engage in practice.
• Lesson objectives are achieved by varied activities and materials in highly visualized contexts to target the students’ learning styles. The teacher gradually becomes a facilitator and makes the students the active participants. The whole process allows the teacher to have a better understanding of TBLT.
• Activity seven combines the previous activities. Make sure the students can speak conversationally in addition to signing.

Suggestions for users

Level 2 high school students learning the topic “shopping” by using the applied task based language teaching method (TBLT). There are three stages of teaching TBLT: before task, during task and after task. The process consists of seven days of teaching and learning activities. It is highly recommended to follow the whole process rather than to have a one day activity.

Before task

the 1st day: using manipulative, picture flashcards, Powerpoint to learn food and beverage words

the 2nd day: measurement words and sentence patterns

the 3rd day: talking about prices and making bargains

the 4th day: design play money and flyer, prepare flash cards for stations (Each of the five stations have five sets of identical vocabulary cards separated into five, color-coded groups)

the 5th day: pair up students to take turns practicing what they need to say and what to do as a sales clerk/customers. Review the vocabulary and sentence patterns at stations.

During task:

the 6th day: the simulation market

After task:

the 7th day: follow-up and comment

Strengths and limitations

The TBLT application for “shopping” topic not only gives students a reason for needing and wanting to stay on task, but also provides them with an authentic purpose to demonstrate what they learn in class in a meaningful way. As a result, the seven-day learning “puzzle pieces” are combined naturally into a complete learning experience.