While students at this advanced level will no doubt be spending most of their time studying for the TOEFL Exams in more traditional ways, these fun and spontaneous exercises will still develop the skills necessary for the test, while allowing them to have fun in the process.
It is key that the students have no time to prepare, that they receive their roles right before being performing their improvisations before the class. The idea is for them to generate and react situationally in English on the spot. The less details given to the students, the better. This will encourage them to use their own imaginations and create richer dialogues.
If, on occasion, an improvisation does not work, it’s not the end of the world, just end it and move on or let the students try out a new scenario.
It is helpful to give students conflicting objectives to ensure a more challenging resolution and to keep each respective student unaware of their partner’s exact motives.
Instructions:
Print out and separate each character pair for each scenario then give each student their role right before they perform their improvisation.
Scenarios:
(1) Veterinarian.
You are a veterinarian who is afraid to admit you don’t know the slightest thing about cats.
You are bringing your sick cat to the vet and don’t know what is wrong with it. You love your cat more than anything in the world.
(2) Pet Store.
You are a vendor at a pet store that has over 1000 varieties of bird feed.
You are picking up bird feed for your new pet bird, but aren’t sure what kind to get.
(3) Horseback Riding.
You are an experienced horse rider giving someone their first lesson.
You have never seen a live horse before and are about to get your first lesson in horseback riding.
(4) Beach Cleanup.
You come across a part of a beach clean-up crew and are curious about what they’re doing.
You are part of a beach cleanup crew answering questions to curious people passing by.
(5) Custom Clothes
You are a famous clothing designer.
You want a custom coat made for your pet greyhound for the winter months.
(6) Interview: The Environmentalist
You are a journalist interviewing a famous environmentalist.
You are an environmentalist famous for protecting some plant or animal species from extinction.
(7) Interview: The Inventor
You are a journalist interviewing a famous inventor.
Your latest invention has revolutionized home pet care.
(8) The Interview: Therapy Animal
You are a journalist interviewing someone who trains therapy animals.
You train therapy animals and want to introduce the world to the first certified therapy cow.
(9) Alien, 1
You are an alien, who looks human, and encounter a person taking a dog for a walk. You are very curious.
You are out for a walk with your dog when you encounter a very curious person.
(10) Alien, 2
You are an alien, who looks human, and are reporting back to your home planet about Earth’s animals.
You are an alien on your home planet taking a report about Earth’s wildlife from a colleague.
(11) News Report, 1
You are a journalist in the field interviewing an expert about a huge environmental disaster taking place.
You are an expert on mass whale beachings and are being interviewed for the news.
(12) News Report, 2 [requires 3 people]
You are a nightly news anchor cutting over to a journalist in the field for breaking news.
You are a news anchor who is live on television at a pet store interviewing someone.
You are about to purchase your first pet ever when you are asked to be interviewed for the evening news.