Topic V: Housing: Host family

UNIT FOCUS: In this unit, students learn essential housing language for new arrivals in a community who are living with a host country family. They learn to give their street address and to describe the location of their house in relation to other buildings 60 that they can give directions to their house to a host country national driving them home or coming to visit. They also learn how to ask directions of host family members inside a house to find essential rooms and essential items within the rooms. Then they practice asking directions about how to use unfamiliar household appliances or items or where to put items. And finally they learn to ask permission to we facilities/items in the house.

5.1 Locate Housing

Situation: with host country nationals

Presentation:

- Number Review: Students will have learned basic numbers in previous units when telling age, numbers of people in their family and in telling time. Review the basic numbers with games (see General Activities) Buzz is a fun game for number review. (see General Activities). Once students are comfortable using the numbers, write a street address on the board and point out how numbers are read in street addresses. (For example, in English, 1214 Main Street is read twelve fourteen Main Street and not one thousand two hundred and fourteen).

- Street Maps: Draw a map of a few streets in the city where you are studying. Write the names on the streets. Draw squares with roofs to symbolize houses. Put numbers (if appropriate in your city) on the houses. Present the following exchange (see General Activities, Dialogues).

A: What's your address?
B: (pointing to one of the houses) 15 Main Street.

Put students' names on houses and have students practice this exchange with the map and imaginary addresses. Then erase the map. Pointing outside ask individual students, "What's your address?" Students should be able to respond with their own addresses with a little help from you with pronunciation of street names.

- Public Places Map: (see General Activities). Draw a large map of a city and post it in front of the room or place it on a table or on the Floor where all students have access to it. Make paper buildings that can be moved around on the map.: include a food market, bank, clothing store, post office, school, bus station. Put a symbol (picture of food, $, clothes, letter/stamp, books, bus) on each building. Teach the names of the places by doing a TPR drill (see General Activities): For example: Pick up the (market), live me the (bus station). Put the (school) on the map. Have the students place the paper buildings wherever they want to on the map. Then show the students several paper houses. Pick up a paper house and place it near one of the buildings. Say: "I live near the (bank)." At this point, you can contrast 'scar' end 'far' by pointing to objects in the room that are near and far from you. Pick up another building, place it on the map and say: "I live near the (school). " Repeat this phrase several times while placing houses. Then give students paper houses. Have them place them on the map and say: "I live near the (place)."

Practice:

- Chain Drill (see General Activities): Have students ask each other "Where do you live?" and "What is your address?" while standing (or sitting) in a circle.

- Address Cards: As students say their addresses, the teacher writes them on index cards. Place all the cards on a table and ask students to find their own address card and then students read it aloud to the class.

- Place Names: Write the names of places (post office, bank, etc.) on large cards and put them around the classroom. Ask students to go to different locations: T: Go to the (bank). Students walk to the appropriate sign. Students then can practice giving directions to each other. Then ask students to stand near the sign that symbolizes the building that is closest to their homestay house. Ask: "Where do you live?" Students respond:"! live near the (place)."

- Form Filling Out: Give students a form with NAME: (FIRST, LAST), AGE:; NATIONALITY; ADDRESS; PASSPORT NUMBER (include any other personal information that students have studied that might be seen on government forms). Have students fill out the form.

NAME ______________________________________
(LAST) (FIRST)
ADDRESS __________________________________
NATIONALITY ________________________________
AGE ______________ DATE OF BIRTH ___________
PASSPORT NUMBER__________________________

Use:

- Field Trip: Town Map (see General Activities): (Note: Only do this activity if it is appropriate within your culture). In this activity students make a map of the downtown section of your city. Divide students in pairs or groups of three. Make an unlabeled street map of the downtown area. Assign each group a small section of the downtown. (perhaps one square block each). Have the small groups go outside and make a map of their section copying the names of the stores or noting the numbers on houses. Students don't need to include every building, but tell them to include at least 10- 15 buildings. When students return from the field trip, post a grid of the downtown area with only streets on it. Have students draw in and label the buildings in their section. Leave the map posted and use it throughout the course as appropriate For example: to locate the market in the Food unit; to give directions in any unit; to find the bus station in the Transportation unit. After students return from the field trip, discuss their experience (perhaps in English) finding out if they talked to people or what people's reactions were to their mapping the city.

- Student Maps: For homework, have students draw a map of their own neighborhood showing their house and any public buildings or landmarks. When they bring the maps to class, ask students if they need additional vocabulary to describe places on their maps (for example: a statue of a famous person, a park). Then have students work in pairs and describe where they live by using the structures: My address is ___________. I live near the ______________.

- Going Home: Encourage students to try out their new phrases the next time they ride home with a host country national who doesn't know where they live.

5.2 Locate Facilities/Rooms/Items Within Housing

Situation: with host family

Presentation:

- Rods: House Floor Plan: (see General Activities): Use cuisenaire rods to lay out the floor plan of a 'typical' house in the host country. Point out and name the rooms. Using TPR (see General Activities, Drills) have students point to different rooms. For example: "Show me the (living room)."

- Furniture in the House: After the students have learned the names of the rooms, place doll furniture (or pictures of furniture) in each room. Using TPR (see General Activities) have students practice with different furniture. For example:, Pick up the (bed)." Then have students give each other commands to "Put the (stove) in the (kitchen).

- Locations: Furniture: This is a good opportunity to teach words to describe where one object is in relation to another. After students have placed furniture in one room, present the spatial relationships by saying: "The stove is between the sink and the refrigerator. The table is in the middle of the room. The cabinets are over the sink. The rug is on the floor." etc. Give an object to each student and have them follow your Directions: "Put the (stove) next to the (sink)."

- Locations: People To teach spatial relationships, point out where students are sitting in relation to each other. For example: "John is next to Mary." Then ask students, "Where is Mary?"

- Wall Pictures Signs (see General Activities): In the classroom post signs (with pictures) that might be seen in apartment buildings or public buildings: ENTRANCE, EXIT, ELEVATOR, STAIRS, FIRE ESCAPE, etc. Standing near the sign, point to the picture and read the word aloud. Have students ask each other, "Where is the (elevator)?" The second student answers by pointing to the appropriate sign or by pointing and saying, "Over there." or "It's next to (the stairs)."

Practice:

- Where is the ____________? Have students take turns asking each other "Where is the (bathroom)?" Other students answer by pointing to the correct room on the floor plan and saying, "It's here." "It's over there." If students have practiced spatial relationships, they can also say, "It's next to the (bedroom)."

- Games: (see General Activities) Play Run and Touch, Concentration, Go Fish, Magic Cubes, Tic Tac Toe, Bingo to practice names of rooms, furnishings, and facilities, and words seen on signs in buildings.

- Where Do I Put the (Plates)?: Students may help their families at meals or after shopping by putting away items. They can practice appropriate phrases with the previously learned spatial relationship words. For example: A: Where do I put the (meat)? B: Put it in the (refrigerator). Put it next to the (eggs). Have students practice by giving commands to each other first in the classroom and then using the floor plan of the house and pictures of household items.

- Information Gap (see Listening Activities). Give students grids of a house. Student A has some rooms labeled on his map. Student B has different rooms on his map. Each student has a list of rooms they need to find. Students sit back to back and take turns giving directions to locate the missing rooms.

- Construction Engineer (see Listening Activities). Divide students into small groups. Give each group a floor plan of a house and small pictures of furniture that they can place in each room. Read a script such as the following and ask students to place the furniture according to your directions:

Put the bed in the bedroom.
Put the dresser near the left wall.
Put a small table next to the bed.
Put a lamp on the table.

After all the items are placed, ask students, "Where is the________ ?" Have student groups compare their arrangements. If the groups disagree, have them ask you for clarification. You can also allow students to interrupt you while you give the instructions and ask for clarification when they don't understand.

- Find the Mistake (see Listening Activities). Show students a picture of a room in a house. Describe the picture, but make some statements that are not true. Whenever you make a false statement, the students must raise their hand or signal in some way that you've made a false statement.

- Look Again Pictures (see General Activities): Show students two pictures of a room in a house. The pictures are almost identical but there are a few differences. Have students find the differences and describe them to each other.

- My House: Have students draw a floor plan of their host family's house and place furniture in the rooms. Students in pairs describe their homes to each other and ask each other questions about the location of rooms/items.

5.3. Ask about use of facilities

Situation with host family

Presentation/Practice:

- Action Sequence (see General Activities): Choose a household activity that is usually explained in steps, such as using a shower: In the U.S. the instructions would include:

Open the curtain.
Turn on the cold water.
Turn on the hot water.
Adjust the hot and cold water.
Take off your clothes.
Step inside.
Close the shower curtain.
Take a shower.
Turn off the water.

- Where do you (bathe)?: After students have learned the names of rooms and furnishing, they can be presented with typical host country uses of each room. Using dolls and doll house furniture, move the characters from room to room making statements: "We eat in the_______. We sleep in the_______. We entertain in the_______. " Note: Students will already know some of the action verbs from Topic III, Social Language in response to the question: What time do you (eat breakfast)? Teach any new vocabulary for actions with a TPR drill (see General Activities). Including activities that are common in both the host country and in the U.S. as well as those that are different. As students practice following and giving directions, encourage them to ask for clarification using language such as, "Can you show me again?"

Practice:

- Action Guessing Game (see General Activities): Have Student 1 perform an action while the other students guess what S 1 is doing.

- 20 Questions (see General Activities): Have students guess the name of a room in the house by asking questions about activities in the room. For example: "Do I eat in this room?"

- Teapot:: S1 thinks of an action. The other students guess what it is by asking Yes/No questions. In place of the verb, they use an imaginary word (in the U.S. this game is called "Teapot" because the word 'teapot' is used in place of the verb):

example:

Do you 'teapot' in the kitchen?
Do you 'teapot' in the morning?

- Simon Says: (see General Activities) The teacher or a student can be "Simon" and give directions that are daily activity commands. For example: Simon Says, "Sleep" and all students pretend to sleep.

Use:

- Cultural Exploration: Have students choose one room of their house in the U.S. and make a list of common actions that are done there. Then choose a similar room in a "typical" home in the host country and list activities done there. Ask students to make comparisons and explain differences (perhaps in English).

5.4: Ask permission to use facilities

Situation as a guest in a host country national's house

Presentation:

- Classroom Ritual (see General Activities): Whenever students want to leave the classroom, borrow something, open an window, etc. have them practice the phrase: "May I use the _____/leave the room/open the window?"

- Host Country Expectations: Guests in a home in the host country may need to ask permission to use certain things (for example: the telephone). Make a list of the most important ones in the host culture and have students practice the appropriate phrase to ask permission.