LCTL: Task page

Restaurant

THEME:	Restaurant
TOPIC:	Asking for food in a restaurant

LANGUAGE:	Portuguese

Time Frame:

Two 50-minute class period

Materials Needed:

pictures of food, restaurants, people (VPA)
audio or video recordings of restaurant dialogs (VAVA)
addresses for on-line food sites (available on our web-page)
To be completed

Description of Task:

Learning Objective:

This exercise will enable students to communicate in a restaurant when ordering food.

Setting:

This exercise can be used in a computer classroom that allows students to work independently. Students will also need to work in pairs or groups in order to role play.

Description:

Prior to activities the instructor will introduce the theme and then explain how the class is going to work. First students will work in groups and then individually. Finally they will role play in groups or present the findings to the class.

Prelistening

Students see a menu and the way it is organized, identify parts and write down dishes for each category. Go to the exercise

Before listening to a conversation in a restaurant between a waitress and a client, students focus on words they are going to listen in the targeted language. For example, when asking for food, words that are used are: what, how, which...etc. Go to the exercise

Listening

Now students will listen a dialog which contain a conversation between a waitress and a client in a restaurant. Activities for the dialogs are set up in the way that students listen to the dialogs at least twice. During the listening students focus on identification of important facts about it, the participants, the situation, the general topic.
Listen to the dialog
Go to the exercise

Students listen to the dialog again and this time they focus on listening to sentences. In this exercise students will be asked to fill up the missing words in sentences from the conversation.
Listen to the dialog

Go to the exercise

Reading Task:

Students are given two descriptions of two pictures and they need to decide which one is the correct description for the picture presented

Go to the exercise

Writing Task:

Prior to this task students are given sentences of a dialogue and they are asked to put them in the correct order.
Go to the exercise
Now students are asked to write a dialog between a waiter/waitress and a client in a restaurant.
Go to the exercise

Evaluation of Tasks

Students are asked to role play the situation in a restaurant .

Web resources:

This is a list of possible links which could be used in the unit.

Cultural extensions:

The teacher guides students through discussion about differences on eating habits between the Portuguese culture and the american culture

Search on the web for information related to restaurants, food products and recepies in Portuguese and report findings to the class.

What are the differences and similarities between Portuguese and American Menus?

Level:
Intermediate

Purpose:
To communicate in a restaurant

Communicative Function(s):
Interpersonal: Asking for food

Language Structure(s):
Present tense, Future tense and politness expressions

Cultural Aspects:
Traditions, customs, social events

Modalities:
Writing, Speaking, Listening, Reading

We are interested in hearing from teachers who have used these activities with their classes. Please contact us with a discription and comments. With your permission we will post these on a LCTL-activities bulletin board, in order to share ideas and stimulate discussions. Thank you.