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Building Language Through Shopping

    As teachers, it is important to encourage the development of 21st-century skills. Smartphones can be seen as a distraction, but I believe that there is a place for smartphones in our language classrooms. We need to let our students use their devices in class and see the smartphone as a tool to engage the students and also enhance their 21st-century skills. Smartphones are an essential part of our students’ lives, students do almost everything on their devices, and if they ever go to an English speaking country, they will probably use their devices to solve problems. Why not embrace this behaviour and utilise it in the classroom? Most English textbooks have a shopping chapter, and the vast majority of my students enjoy internet shopping, so why not put the two together? Teach the students how to navigate an English shopping site and teach essential vocabulary and throw a little conversation practise into the mix. I couldn’t think of a reason why not, so I created an activity-based around internet shopping.

Materials

  • Shopping worksheet.
  • Smartphones (students).
  • Classroom computer.
Objectives
  • By the end of the lesson, students will be able to find an outfit from an English retailer.
  • Students will have practised talking about their outfits.
  • Students will have a wider understanding of essential vocabulary related to shopping and clothes.
The Lesson

    This lesson is aimed at university students, but I believe it can be modified to suit all levels of English learners. The premise is straightforward: the students have to buy an outfit from an English online retailer for a special occasion. I start the lesson by reviewing some of the key vocabulary words we have studied in class.
    I explain to the students that they have to find an outfit for a special occasion. Students can choose one of my special occasions, or they can think of their own. We brainstorm what type of clothes would be suitable for each occasion. Students also decide their budget. Once students have decided on the event and their budget, they complete the relevant questions on their worksheet. Using the information from the brainstorming session, students create a shopping list of what they will buy. During this stage, I usually find it helpful to walk around the class and offer help to the students. Once the students have completed the first three questions, they visit the H&M home page on their smartphones. You can use the classroom computer to guide students to the correct location. I use the United Kingdom store. Students can browse the website, looking for bargains and finding clothes that suit their style. I engage the students on the clothes they are thinking of buying. This helps to foster a good relationship between the teacher and the students. I also find that students are happy to discuss their fashion choices in a brief one on one informal chat with the teacher, and they use a wide range of language they may not use in front of their peers. The teacher should explain to students that they need to write down the clothes they will buy in the “Describe your outfit” section of the worksheet. Students should include information such as the colour and design of the clothes. Finally, the students write down the total cost of their outfits. 
    Once the students have completed their shopping trip, they now have some genuine information to use in a conversation. The teacher elicits questions from students, and the students complete the question section of the worksheet. Students are then free to talk to their classmates about their outfits.

Next Level

How can we take this activity to the next level? 
    • If you feel the shopping section of the lesson takes up too much lesson time, you could set that task as homework. This will free up more lesson time for conversation practice.
    • Another suggestion is to have students create a Pinterest page with clothes they would like to buy. This could be used as a basis for conversation practice or a presentation on their fashion style.
I hope this activity will be helpful to you. Please modify it to suit your students’ needs, and if you use it, please let me know how it works. Thanks.




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