Activity Name: How much does this cost?
Class Description: This activity is designed for a beginner English class
Time: 10-15 minutes
Objectives
By the end of the activity, students will be able to:
- Ask about an item’s costs
- Speak confidently about money-related terms
- Speak about different kinds of items one may see in ads
Materials & Rationale
What authentic materials are being used?
A Walmart Black Friday ad found on the internet.
How does this activity replicate language students will use outside the ESL classroom?
Students need to be able to ask questions relating to shopping so that they can ask these questions when they are shopping for themselves. They also need to know about the costs of items and the different money-related terms in order to shop more confidently and effectively.
Tasks
- T asks the students to pull up the website on their phones. T will then explain to the students that they will be purchasing three items from the ad: a TV, a watch, and a toy. T will challenge the students to see who can come up with the cheapest purchase. T will quickly review and answer any questions the Ss may have regarding money and items.
- S will find a partner, and with their partner they will begin looking through the ad, discussing with one another about the costs of the items they will be purchasing.
- T will walk around and listen to each group, helping/correcting the Ss if necessary.
- T will ask each group to see who came up with the cheapest “transaction,” correcting/helping them if necessary and providing any additional feedback to the class. The group(s) with the cheapest prices wins a prize.
Appendix
https://blackfriday.com/ads/black-friday/walmart
Authentic activities are an important part of the language learning process. Not only do the students get to learn new terms/phrases, they also get to utilize them in activities that mimic what they would experience in real life. Rather than using an activity in the textbook, they are given items that they may see outside the classroom. In this instance, they are looking at a Black Friday ad, which were everywhere before the Thanksgiving season. As Black Friday is a huge deal in the United States, it is not unusual for a shopping ad to be used as an example of how Americans spend money and where. It also represents our shopping culture and the craze around Black Friday. Using authentic materials in activities is also a better way for the students to have an easier time memorizing certain aspects of the language, as an ad that was part of a fun activity would surely stick to mind more than an activity in a textbook.