Lesson overview:
This lesson helps students make everyday conversations sound less formal and more natural. They explore filler words, backchanneling, and common informal responses through short videos, dialogues, and plenty of pair work. Students practise buying time, showing they are listening, softening what they say, and reacting naturally in common situations.
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
- use common filler words to gain thinking time and soften responses;
- react naturally to what another person says;
- use informal everyday expressions to keep conversations flowing.
Lead-in:
Students watch a short conversation about gardening and predict how the listener responds. They then compare their ideas with the video and discuss what expressions such as Nice, Lovely, Oh yes, and Yeah add to the interaction, introducing the idea of backchanneling and active listening.
Teaching Tips
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