Involving families in plans - conversations

Tomorrow in class, we are going to do a task on student's communicating their plans to their homestay parents. These are simple plans that the students probably decide to do on the spur of the moment, but I think that the students need to understand that it is considerate to communicate their plans, so that they don't interfere with family arrangements. I would like to teach the process of how plans need to be thought through, so that everybody understands what is going to happen, when, where, and who with.

Stage 1
I plan to introduce the topic of "planning" by writing it on the board and then write up one example, such as, "you want to go to town." I will then pass the markers to the students and get them to elicit some of their own personal topics. If there are not many topics forthcoming then I'll add a few from the list below. I will then choose one of the topics and get the students to sub-topic what they should do in order to make their plan succeed. For example, if the topic was "you want to go to town," then the sub-topics would be: arrange the time - there and back, check the bus timetable for there and back, make sure that you tell your host family.

Stage 2
Complications arise if the time that the students arrange falls over dinner time, or some other time which disturbs some set family routine or plan for that day. Therefore, more sub-topics need to be organised for the plan to succeed. Obviously, if the student's arrangements are over dinner time, then the students need to have a further sub-topic (or routine) to explain to their host families what they plan to do. For example, a sub-topic might be added to the above list, like, "explain to host family that I plan to have dinner in town," "decide what restaurant to eat at," "check that I have enough money," etc.

Stage 3
Students now need to be taught the language associated with stages one through three.I will do this by getting students to elicit what they think they should say. One student will write this up on the board with the class's assistance.

Stage 4
Role plays can now be written individually by the students using the above topics, sub-topics and language expressions.

Stage 5
Role plays will be checked by me and then practised by the students.

Stage 6
I plan to video record the students doing the role plays for listening practise and use it as a class discussion/evaluation/class check later.

Topics to plan
You want to go to town.

You want to go to the movies.

You want to buy a pack of cards.

You want to go to your friend's house.

You have been invited to stay the night at your friend's house.

You have been invited for dinner at your friend's house.