Speaking Unit 1

 

Unit 1: Digital Literacies and My Identities

Theme: Digital Safety 

Topic: Digital Literacies for Youth’s Identity Construction

Skill Focus: Speaking

Sub-topic: Using Expressions for Stating Opinions, Agreeing, and Disagreeing.

Learning Objective:

• By the end of this lesson, you are able to use suitable expressions for stating opinions, agreeing, and disagreeing in a spoken transactional conversation with your peers.

Warm-up & Review

Hello, students! In our last lesson, we listened to a conversation and identified how people share their thoughts on digital safety. We learned to recognize expressions for stating opinions, agreeing, and disagreeing.

Today, it's our turn to use these expressions. Let's quickly review them.

Stating an Opinion	Agreeing	Disagreeing (Politely)
• In my opinion...	• I agree. / I totally agree.	• I'm not so sure about that.
• I think... / I believe...	• You're right. / You're absolutely right.	• I see your point, but...
• From my perspective...	• That's a good point. / That's true.	• I have to disagree.

Pronunciation Focus: Remember the stress on these words: o-pin-ion, per-spec-tive, a-gree, dis-a-gree.

Core Activity: Differentiated Speaking Practice

Now, you will work in pairs to practice using these expressions. Each group will get a different task based on your readiness level. The goal for everyone is to have a successful conversation.

Group A: Structured Role-Play

• Objective: To use target expressions correctly within a guided conversation.

• Process: Students will complete and act out a dialogue with provided sentence starters. This helps focus on correct usage and pronunciation.

• Instructions for Students: "Work with a partner. Choose one of the scenarios below. Read the dialogue and fill in the blanks using the expressions from the table. Then, practice acting it out."

Scenario: Deciding on a new profile picture for a class social media account.

• Student A: Look at this photo. In my opinion, this one is the best for our new profile picture.

• Student B: [Choose an expression to disagree politely], I think we look too serious in that one.

• Student A: Hmm, [Choose an expression to agree partly]. What about this other photo where we are all smiling?

• Student B: Oh, yes! [Choose an expression to agree strongly]. That one is perfect. Everyone looks happy.

• Student A: Great! So we'll use that one.

Group B: Guided Role-Play

• Objective: To build a short, logical conversation using the target expressions.

• Process: Students receive a scenario and roles. They must create their own dialogue based on the prompts.

• Instructions for Students: "Work with a partner. Choose a role-play card and create a short conversation. Make sure you use at least four expressions from the table (opinions, agreeing, and disagreeing)."

Role-Play Card:

• Situation: Your class wants to create a TikTok video about "A Day at Our School". You are discussing what content to include.

• Student A: You want to include a funny blooper reel of students making mistakes in class. You think it will be popular and get many views.

• Student B: You are worried that showing students' mistakes, even if funny, might be embarrassing for some. You think the video should only show positive and successful moments.

• Task: Discuss your different ideas and try to come to an agreement.

Group C: Problem-Solving Discussion

• Objective: To use a wide range of expressions to negotiate a solution to a more complex problem.

• Process: Students are given a nuanced scenario that requires not just stating opinions, but also justifying them and working towards a compromise.

• Instructions for Students: "Work with a partner. Read the scenario below. Your task is to have a detailed discussion to solve the problem. You must:

  1. Clearly state and justify your different perspectives.

  2. Use a variety of expressions for agreeing and disagreeing.

  3. Work together to find a compromise or a solution that respects both viewpoints."

Scenario:

A friend in your group chat posted a screenshot of a private conversation you had with them. The screenshot isn't necessarily bad, but you feel it's a violation of your privacy. Your friend thinks it's harmless and funny.

• Student A (You): You need to express why you are uncomfortable and why you believe posting private chats is wrong, even among friends.

• Student B (Your Friend): You need to explain why you thought it was okay (e.g., "I thought it was funny," "I didn't think you'd mind"). You initially disagree that it's a big deal.

• Goal: Reach an understanding. Student B should understand Student A's perspective, and you should both agree on rules for sharing content within your group chat in the future.

Teacher's Observation Guide

While students are practicing, observe for the following:

• Expression Usage: Are students using the target expressions correctly in context?

• Fluency & Turn-taking: Is the conversation flowing naturally between partners?

• Politeness: Are students using polite forms for disagreement?

• Task Completion: Are students fulfilling the requirements of their specific task (e.g., reaching a compromise for Group C)?

Reflection and Follow-up (Closing)

• Reflection (For all students): "Which expression did you find most useful today? When in your real life, online or offline, could you use it?"

• Follow-up (Suggestion): As a next step, students could engage in a small group debate on a digital safety topic, such as "Should students be allowed to bring phones to school?" This would require them to use the expressions in a more dynamic, multi-person conversation.