Aim: Listen for a purpose – listen for important pieces of information rather than attempt to understand each and every single word. Practice comprehension of adjectives and prepositions.
Description: This activity is a variation of Picture Dictation. In this case, however, the student is provided with some visual cues and must complete a picture already started.
Procedure: Provide each student with a sheet containing several blank squares representing cages in a zoo. Then read the following dialogue (preferably with an AET) and have the students label the boxes accordingly.
Dialogue:
A: Please tell me where the animals are in your zoo.
B: Well, tell me what animals you want to see.
A: I love lions.
B: That’s easy. The lions are in the biggest cage, the first one you see in front of you as you come in. Behind it is another big cage. The hippos are in that –they have a pool to swim in.
A: What animals are in the smallest cages?
B: Well, near the hippos in the corner is a small cage with a pool –can you see it?
A: Yes.
B: The dolphins live in that. And next to them is the fox.
A: Only one fox?
B: Yes. Then there are the pelicans; they live between the monkeys and the fox. The monkeys have a bigger cage, they need room to climb.
A: I see. The pelicans have the fox on one side and the monkeys on the other. What about the cages near the entrance?
B: Well, on one side of the entrance are three cages and on the other side – two. Right?
A: Right.
B: Well, in the two cages are giraffes and zebras.
A: Which is which?
B: The giraffes are nearer to the entrance. On the other side of the entrance are the pandas. Then there’s an empty cage, then the camels.
A: The empty cage is between the pandas and the camels?
B: That’s right.
A: There are three more cages you haven’t told me about.
B: Oh yes, well, the big cage near the camels has llamas in it. And behind them is a smaller cage with a tiger. The very smallest cage in the corner is empty at the moment.
Note: This activity was originally written for the 1989 edition of Communicative English: A Practical Guide.