TESTING SPEAKING

LIMITED RESPONSE

(Picture Cues)

“Look at the picture below and tell me…”

1) Where are they?

2) What is happening on the right bottom of the picture?

3) What is the lifeguard doing?

4) What do you think is going to happen now?

5) What is strange in the picture?

GUIDED TECHNIQUES

(Paraphrase)

“Listen as I read a short paragraph to you about a sunken ship. When I finish, I would like you to tell some things in your own words.”

(Students Hear)

Naval architects never claim that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely should have never have happened. It was well designed and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It had been thoroughly inspected the day of its fatal voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so quickly that most of those on board, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, had no chance to save themselves: Of those who managed to scramble overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of hypothermia before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea. The final death toll amounted to 912 souls. However, there were lots of questions about why the Estonia sank and why so many survivors were men in the prime of life, while most of the dead were women, children and the elderly.

(Students Say)

When the Estonia sank, there were enough lifeboats for the number of people on board. Most victims were trapped inside the boat as they were in their cabins. The survivors of the accident were mostly young men but women, children and the elderly stood little chance.

(Guided Role Play)

“Role-play the following situation with your partner. One of you will play the part of the 911 operator and the other the caller.”

Caller:

Along your way home, you see a house on fire. A woman runs from the house screaming that her two-year-old son is still inside. Several people have suffered minor burns while escaping from fire.

911 Operator:

You receive an emergency call from someone reporting a fire. Ask questions about the location of the fire, its cause if known, number of injuries, etc.