4. Follow-Up Conversation Skills
In this lesson, students will learn how to prompt more questioning. The topics are straightforward to increase familiarity and confidence, but keeping the conversation flowing is challenging.
Objectives:
Understand and use correct question structures.
Know when and how to ask follow-up questions.
Things to Do:
Select a topic from the Resources section.
Write six related keywords to use for comprehension.
Obtain blank dice to write 5W and H (who, what, where, why, when, and how). Alternatively, have packs of six small cards for each group.
4.1 Develop More Questions
1. Warm-up:
Explain to students about follow-up questions and how to use them.
Introduce the primary lesson theme from the To-do section.
Review the 5W and H list (who, what, where, why, when, and how).
Mention the lesson's end aim: for students to expand their vocabulary and apply the correct question structures.
2. Learn:
Evaluate students' understanding of the six words by asking for examples, such as "Who are you? What did you eat for breakfast today?"
Pose an expanding query on a well-known subject, such as students' daily schedules.
Expand on any responses.
Also, refer to the answer as a question to other students to keep the conversation flowing.
3. Instruct:
Create more questions with help from the students' first replies, such as "What was the most recent movie/film you watched?"
Ask students about the movie/film and which performance they appreciated the most.
Encourage students to speak freely but try to keep the dialogue from becoming too random.
4. Exercise:
Write the keywords on the board and correct mistakes as students speak.
Have the students be expressive and think out of the box.
Evaluate students' comprehension levels before conducting the activity.
5. Assess:
Be prepared to get the conversation back on track if it deviates too far from the first subject.
Ask students again after the warm-up discussion to elicit more responses.
Create a new list of words on the board to help students expand their vocabulary.
Have students create sentences using the terms to change the pace of the lesson toward the conclusion.
Bonus - Asking Questions Challenge:
Roll the dice or shuffle the cards between students and have them create questions based on the word.
Each student finishes their question and hands the dice to someone else who rolls it for their turn.
Continue passing the dice/cards until all students have had a chance to try or the questions have proven they understand.
4.2 Question Resources
This list includes simple questions grouped by topic for easy reference.
Cause and Effect Questions:
Why did the car crash into the tree?
What caused the plant to die?
Why did the boy get a bad grade?
Why did the team lose the game?
What effect did the rain have on the picnic?
What impact did the fire have on the forest?
Why did the boy's dog run away?
What effect did the earthquake have on the city?
Classification Questions:
What are the types of animals in the zoo?
What are the four seasons of the year?
What are the different kinds of food groups?
What are the different types of vehicles?
What are the different types of musical instruments?
What are the different kinds of sports?
What are the different types of clothing?
What are the different kinds of weather conditions?
Comparison Questions:
How is a cat different from a dog?
Who is better at playing soccer, boys or girls?
When is summer different from winter?
What is the difference between city and rural life?
What is the difference between a bicycle and a car?
How is a movie different from a book?
Why is swimming different from running?
What is the difference between a cake and a pie?
Description Questions:
What colour/color is the sky?
How does a butterfly move?
Who is your favourite/favorite character?
Where is the nearest store?
When is sunset?
Why is the sea blue?
How tall is a giraffe?
What sound does a dog make?
Explanation Questions:
Why does the sun rise in the morning?
How does a computer work?
What happens to food in your body?
Who discovered electricity?
Where do clouds come from?
When do leaves fall from the trees?
What causes the seasons to change?
How does a plant grow?
Hypothetical Questions:
What would happen if we had no electricity?
Which character from a book would you like to be?
Where would you like to travel in the world?
Where would you live if you could choose?
Why would you want to be a superhero?
When would you like to travel in time?
What would happen if it rained every day?
Whom would you invite to a dinner party?
Opinion Questions:
What is your favourite/favorite food?
Who is your favourite/favorite singer?
When is your favourite/favorite time of day?
Where is your favourite/favorite place to visit?
Why do you like playing sports?
How do you feel about reading books?
What is your opinion about homework?
Who is your favourite/favorite teacher?
Process Questions:
How do you make a sandwich?
How do you solve a math problem?
How do you write a paragraph?
How do you create a PowerPoint presentation?
How do you study for a test?
How do you do your laundry?
How do you draw a simple picture?
How do you make a bed?
