Using Strategic Interaction inCore English
An Update

Taylor Meizlish - PD 2022

Warm-up Discussion• Have you used any SI scenarios in Core English or other classes?
• If you have, please share what you used and how it went.
• If you haven’t,• Would you consider using them in the future?
• Do you have any concerns that cause you to hesitate from using it?

What is Strategic Interaction (SI)• A role-play with “dramatic tension”• Roles• Student plays “themself” within the role. Embody themotivations of the role.

• Scenario• Roles have di ering agendas which require interaction
to accomplish, although not told what to do.*(or are)• Suggested language - functions and themes• functions - request, explain, convince, suggest, etc.
• themes - relationships, natural disasters, environment,

ffetc.

Why to use SI in Core
• Contextualized communication practice• Fun and less pressurized than the timed conversation recording because the students are taking on arole and not necessarily representing themselves.

• Prepares students to discuss the Unit Topic• Generates ideas for students to write in their Imaginary Dialogue• Chance to practice in realistic situations related to the Unit topic.
• Helps students imagine when they might need to use the Unit vocabulary and conversation strategies inreal situations.

• You might meet your true love and need to discuss getting married with their parents• You might need to discuss the dangers of natural disasters and make a decision about travel plans• Easy to include pragmatics instruction • Power & Distance between speakers requires different degree of polite or casual language.
• Degree of Imposition of the request/suggestion/etc. requires different degrees of polite or casuallanguage.

• Speech Acts such as suggest, request, invite

How to use SI in Core
• Introduction to the Unit. (Mina)• Stations• Practice vocabulary from the reading. (Lanh, role-play cards in the CE SI drive)• After the checking the vocabulary in a reading, students perform a scenario• Practice for timed conversation recording, especially conversation strategies.
• Can be modeled after the listening activity• As a consolidation activity at the end of unit to practice using unit vocabulary andconversation strategies.

• Specifically refer students to the conversation strategies and vocabulary page at the endof the unit

How to use SI scenarios• Class owStages
1. Preparation/Rehearsal
Review the scenario with students. Brainstorm functions and language points.

2. PerformanceStudents perform the scenario
Other students may observe or not

3. Debrief
Students share what they said, what their partner said, what resolution they came to(or didn’t)

flStudents can get/give advice on how to better perform their role from other students or teacher.

How to use SI scenarios

1. Preparation/Rehearsal 10-25minutes
1. Introduce the stages of the activity to students
2. Handout the scenario worksheet to pairs who
are the same role.
3. Explain the scenario, eld questions
4. (optional) Introduce helpful language
5. Students brainstorm with a partner who are
the same role and write language they can usefi

6. Teacher walks around and observes what thestudents are writing, comments, advises

How to use SI scenarios
2. Performance: ~5 minutes

1. Pair up di erent roles either groups of 2or 4
2. If a pair of four (2 A’s & 2B’s), janken
which A and which B will perform rst.
3. Set a timer for 5 minutes.

fiff

4. Performance

How to use SI scenarios
3. Debrief• Students regroup with their brainstorming partner who has the same role
• Prompt students to discuss:• What language did they use? What language did they lack?
• What solution did they come to? How did they come to it?
• What did the other role say? What strategies did they use?
• Brainstorm together for a better performance next time
• Repeat performance stage with a di erent partner after consultation with theirffbrainstorming partner and record

How to use SI scenarios• Use the pre-made scenarios in the drive• Adapt them
• Write your own

Principles for adapting or writing your own• Roughly equal motivation for each role so neither is advantaged or switch roles• For lower level or less motivated classes, give the students speci c goals toaccomplish. Conversely, simply state the scenario and agenda and let students choose
what goal to pursue• Spell out the reasons each role can use more explicitly for lower level or less-motivatedclasses. Conversely, Less explicitly spell out the reasons to increase di culty, force
students to use their imagination more.

• Visuals can help get the students interested and invested

ffifi• More preparation time generally helps• Less explicitly spell out the reasons to increase di culty, force students to use theirimagination more.

Unit 6

Role A: You are a parent.

Role A: You are a Japanese parent.

You’re meeting your child’s partner for lunch. They’ve been dating for 6

Your child plans to introduce you to their new partner, who is a foreigner. As you aremonths. You’ve met them twice before. You got married young withdriving home you notice a person on a motorbike, driving quickly and dangerously,children. You eventually got divorced after your children moved out.

with a passenger on their bike. They are also rude to another motorist, giving them

Having children young, you made lots of sacrifices for your family while
your friends had fun. You often wish you had experienced life anddeveloped a career before getting married and having kids.

the middle finger. When you return to your house, the same motorbike arrives at yourhouse. You realize it is your child and their new partner is the driver. The new partner
smiles and shakes your hand, but their handshake is very strong and it hurts yourhand. You are also surprised that they have lots of tattoos on their arms. You are notsure if these tattoos mean they are a gang member. You have a short meal together, but

Role B: You are a romantic partner.
You’re meeting your partner’s parent for lunch. Even though you’ve onlybeen dating for 6 months, you want to ask permission to get married. Yourparents had children late, were older than average, and were very busy

the partner leaves the meal halfway to answer an important phone call.

Role B: You have a foreign partner, who you think is amazing!
They are rich, good looking, talented and have some designer tattoos on their arms.
Choose a NAME and COUNTRY and JOB for them. You have known them for 2
months, but you already plan to get married! In the future, you will probably move withwith their high-level careers. You love your partner very much andthem to a foreign country. You must explain to your parent that you will leave yourwant to start a family while you are still young. Although you’re still afamily home very soon and move into a new apartment with the fiancé.

university student (about to graduate), you want to join a new generation offfi

young parents fighting the declining birth rate having children early.

ROLE PLAY
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!

•A: You are a Japanese mother/father. Your son/daughter plans
to introduce you to their newboyfriend/girlfriend, who is aforeigner.

•As you are driving home you
notice a person on a motorbike,driving quickly and dangerously,with a passenger on their bike.
They are also rude to anothermotorist, giving them themiddle finger.
•When you return to your house,the motorbike also arrives atyour house. You realize it is yourson/daughter and their newpartner!

• B: You have a foreign boyfriend /girlfriend, who you think is amazing!
•Choose a NAME and COUNTRY andJOB for them. Decide if they are rich /good looking / talented. Draw apicture if you want to!
•You have known them for 2 months,
but you already plan to get married!
•In the future, you will move in withthem. And you may move to a foreigncountry. You must explain to yourmother/father that you will leave yourfamily home and move into a newapartment

Role A: You are a German exchange student
living in Japan and you are returning toGermany in two days.
• You and your roommate(B) are planning tovisit Kagoshima tomorrow.
• You want to go to Kagoshima to get asouvenir for your parents who traveled therewhen they were University students.
• Your parents paid for your study abroad
tuition in Japan, so you want to pay them backsomehow.
• You’ve also never visited a beach in Japan, so
you want to see nice beaches before you leaveJapan.
• You know you roommate is worried about thetyphoon that might be coming but Germany
usually has fair weather so you are notworried and you really want to go.

• Convince you roommate to go.

Unit 5: Natural Disasters
Role B: You are a Japanese University student inJapan.
• Your roommate(A) is from Germany and you
have lived together for almost year.
• You are planning to take a trip together toKagoshima tomorrow.
• However, you just checked the weather and astrong typhoon appears to be coming to Japantomorrow.
• You are worried about visiting Kagoshima
because the beach could be dangerous and thetrains could stop.
• Your roommate could miss his/her flight back toGermany.
• You know your roommate wants to visit
Kagoshima very much but at the same time, it
could be very dangerous.
• Convince your roommate not to go.

speech acts limited to basic formulations
Can weUnit Vocabulary use:
once in six recordings
Conversation strategy use:none in six recordings

Unit 6: Marriages and Relationships

Role A: You are a parent.

• You’re meeting your child’s partner for lunch.
They’ve been dating for 6 months.

• You’ve met them twice before.
• You got married young with children.
• You eventually got divorced after yourchildren moved out.

• Having children young, you made lots ofsacrifices for your family while your friends
had fun.

Role B: You are a romantic partner.

• You’re meeting your partner’s parent for lunch.
Even though you’ve only been dating for 6
months, you want to ask permission to getmarried.

• Your parents had children late, were older than
average, and were very busy with their highlevel careers. You love your partner very muchand want to start a family while you are still
young.

• Although you’re still a university student (about• You often wish you had experienced life andto graduate), you want to join a new generation

developed a career before getting married andof young parents fighting the declining birth rate

having kids.

having children early.

▪Suggest▪Explain▪Why don’t you…

▪One reason is…

▪You should…

▪What I mean is…

▪You could…

▪Let me put it this▪Have youway…
▪Because…

considered…?

Becky

Becky,too

Unit Vocabulary:
Accommodate, alternative, burst, certificate, chore, de facto, definition, developed, discrimination, expectation, financially, fire, insecurity, legal, obtain, open, oppose, perception, right, roommate, significant,stranger, trend, union, value visible
Conversation strategies
Why do you think so?
How do you feel about that?
Don’t you agree?
Don’t you think?
I want to know what you think about all of this.
No problem
Don’t mention it

3 conversation strategies in one dialogue!

Grounder: Provides reasons, explanations or justifications.
I will go back to Germany so I want to visit Kagoshima and get souvenirs
A: Hello.
B: Hello. I want to get married with your daughter.
A: … um.. You are still, you only dated for 6 months so I think you should take more longer.
B: I think, I think 6 months is so early to get married, but… but I think I have merit… many merit um for early get married. For example, if I will give birth early, we can stay with our children for a long time.
A; Ah… I see.
B: Don’t you think?
A: Um, I think that’s a good reason, because if I marry late, I can’t be healthy for a long time, so the idea is good. (laugh) But um, you are still university student, so I think you don’t have enough money, andyou can’t financially support your family. How do you think about that?
B: Hmm… recently I found a new job so I will start this next spring. So I don’t… (pause) so we… if I will start a new job, I can give money for our family. So you shouldn’t worry about financial situation.
A: Oh… Are you, what are you going to do as a job?
B: As a job? Hmm…
A: What job are you going to do?
B: What job?
A: What job?
B: Hmmm…
A: Ah, is it a job that you can do for a long time?
B: Ah yes.
A: So you can support your family..
B: Yes.
A: Ah oh, ah when I get married, I had a children early, and many friends playing and I saw instagram story and I felt sad. How do you feel about that?
B: Hm? Hmmm… (pause) Instagram…?
A: Um, if I get married and get children early, we can’t play easily with friends… so… I regret that I married early.
B: But, but I think … hmm children (----- children) want to play with their family, so… so it is good for children to play young parent.

“It was very interesting! I felt the students were moreengaged and some of them used a lot of conversationstrategies. Also, their conversations were mostintense.”
Nana Takagi