polonsky

Speaking for matura

Roman Ociepa, Karolina Ostrowska-Wawryniuk

Wypowiedź ustna na poziomie podstawowym i rozszerzonympodręcznik i materiały do kopiowania

PolonskyIwona Polońska-Ociepaal. Armii Krajowej 141 m. 2A43-300 Bielsko-BiałaPolandtel. (+48) 502 586 930

Copyright © 2016 by Polonsky

First published 2016

ISBN 978-83-63630-07-2

Polonsky for Matura format devised by Roman Ociepa.

Cover & layout designed by Agata Korzeńska / IDEE.PL

Illustrated by Karolina Ostrowska / www.graphinery.com

CopyrightAll rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the Publisher.

PhotocopyingThe publisher grants permission for photocopying of those pages marked ‘photocopiable’ according to the following conditions. Individual purchasers may make copies for their own use or for use by classes they teach. School purchasers may make copies for use by their staff and students, but this permission does not extend to additional school or branches. Under no circumstances may any part of this book be photocopied for resale.

Section 1 – Introductory Questions

Section 2 – Part 1 – Conversation with role-play

Section 3 – Part 2 – Describing the picture

Section 4 – Part 2 – Question 1 – Commenting on the picture

Section 5 – Part 2 – Question 2 – Talking about your present preferences and habits

Section 6 – Part 2 – Question 3 – Narrating a past event

Section 7 – Part 3 – Choosing an option based on visual prompts

Section 8 – Part 3 – Questions 1 & 2 – General questions

Polonsky Speaking for Matura is a bank of 40 activities designed for teachers working with Matura candidates. The purpose of the book is to familiarise students with the format of the oral examination, as well as provide enough opportunity for speaking practice. Each section of the book focuses on one aspect of the examination and contains five tasks of varied difficulty.The book includes:• description of the examination format• detailed teacher’s notes with comments on the exam and alternative lesson plans• material for photocopying• lists of useful language• five sets of Matura Cards (candidate’s and examiner’s versions)

polonsky

Speaking for matura

Contents

Key to activity types

work together

pair work

pair vs pair / group vs group

whole class activity

polonsky

Speaking for matura

Teacher's notes

6 Describing the picture3

3In this part of the exam, the candidate has the opportunity to speak without interruption for around 1 minute, describing one colour photograph. The description is expected to be simple; candidates should describe the people and activities in the photographs as fully as possible. They should also comment on the setting (e.g. place, time of day, weather, etc.). The candidate is not expected to speculate about the context or talk about any wider issues raised by the scenes depicted.

Key structures• be e.g. It is sunny. They are tired.• Present Continuous e.g. It is snowing. The boy is wearing a blue jacket.• There is / There are e.g. There are mountains in the background. There is a house on the left.

TASK 3.1 Parts of the pictureIntroductory noteWhen we describe a person, object, plant or animal in a photograph, we should indicate clearly where it is located. We might point with our finger at the part of the picture about which we are talking in order to focus the examiners’ attention.

Procedure1. Copy the student card on page 12 – one copy for each pair or group of students.2. Divide the class into pairs or groups of three.3. Tell the students that first they have to fill in the missing words in the captions. Give students a minute

or two to read through the captions.4. Ask individual students to read the captions.5. Tell the students that now they have to label each part of the picture with a correct caption.6. Go through the picture, asking individual students to give the correct caption for each part of the

picture. Ask students what they can see there.

Follow-up1. Ask students to describe the picture to each other. One of the students keeps the card so that the other

student cannot see it. The other student describes the picture.2. Monitor the activity; make sure that students use There is/are for location and Present Simple for

actions.3. Ask students to switch roles; now the student who has described the picture has the card and the other

student has to describe it.4. If you want your students to practise describing the picture, there is the original version on page 13.

Extension1. If you have time, ask students the following questions about the picture. Explain that they may expect

questions like that in Part 2 of the Matura examination.2. Depending on the level of your students, you might ask questions to individual students or you might

put them on the board and ask students to go through them in pairs.3. With more advanced students, you might ask them to make a list of Matura-style questions.

a. Do you think the people in the picture are enjoying their excursion?b. Why do you think the people in the picture decided to go hiking?c. Why are the people in the picture carrying bags and backpacks?d. Are the people in the picture tourists or locals? Why do you think so?e. How do you think the people in the picture are feeling?f. What do you think the relationship is between the people in the picture?g. Where do you think the people in the picture are going?

To revise/learn talking about parts of the pictureTo practise talking about parts of the pictureTo practise describing a picture

page 12

Describing the picturepart 2

7Describing the picture 3

Students with limited English1. If your students are not fluent in English, it may be a good idea to revise There is/are before describing

the picture.2. Explain that we use There is a... / There is an... for singular nouns and There are some... for plural nouns.

Remind the students that we put the location at the end of the sentence.3. Ask students to give you 3–4 sentences about the picture with There is/are and put them on the board

as examples.

Answer keyTask 3.1.1

a. at the bottomb. at the topc. in the backgroundd. in the bottom left-hand cornere. in the bottom right-hand cornerf. in the distanceg. in the foregroundh. in the middlei. in the top left-hand cornerj. in the top right-hand cornerk. on the leftl. on the right

Task 3.1.2A. in the top left-hand cornerB. at the topC. in the distanceD. in the top right-hand cornerE. in the backgroundF. on the rightG. in the middleH. in the bottom right-hand cornerI. at the bottomJ. in the foregroundK. in the bottom left-hand cornerL. on the left

8 Narrating a past event6

6 Narrating a past eventpart 2

In this part of the exam, the candidate has to answer the examiner’s question about a past event. The examiner may ask a direct question about the candidate’s personal experiences or the question may contain the phrase ‘or somebody you know’, giving the candidate the option of describing somebody else’s experiences. The candidate has to speak without interruption for around 40-50 seconds, presenting a personal story or anecdote.

Key structures• Past Simple e.g. It was Monday morning. I was at home.• Past Continuous e.g. It was raining when I got up. My brother was cooking while I was reading a book.• Past Perfect e.g. My aunt had already left when I arrived, so we didn’t get a chance to talk.• used to e.g. We used to live in the country for several years. I used to do karate when I was in primary school.• would e.g. My grandfather would visit us on Sundays. My grandmother would take a short nap after lunch.

TASK 6.1 What was it and who did it?Introductory noteThis task focuses on the last item of Part 2 of the Oral Matura examination, i.e. narrating a past event. When we describe such events, we use mainly Past Simple and Past Perfect. More advanced students might use structures such as would for past habits or conditionals.

Procedure1. Copy the worksheets on pages 14 and 15, so that you have 6 cards for each pair. Cut up the cards.2. Explain to students that in the exam the question is usually formulated like this: Tell me about a sports

event in which you or your friends took part. The question might also be more direct, e.g. What was your first English lesson like?

3. Explain to students that they have to think quickly in the exam and build a story. This plan will be helpful: Introduction -> Background -> Action -> Wrapping up. Put these headings on the board.

4. Elicit from students as many questions about past events as possible. Ask them to tell you which heading they should be assigned to.

IntroductionWhat was the situation?What kind of event was it?BackgroundWho was the main person involved? You or somebody else?When did the event take place?What time of day or night was it?Where did the event take place? What was the setting?Why were you in this place? Why did you go to this place?How were you dressed?What did you have with you?Who else was involved? What was his or her name?ActionWhat happened first?What happened next?What happened finally?Wrapping upWhat was other people’s reaction?What were the consequences of the event? Were they positive or negative?How did you (or the main character) feel afterwards?

To familiarize students with Part 2, Question 3To practise asking and answering questions in Past SimpleTo practise building an anecdote about a past event

pages 14–15

9Narrating a past event 6

5. Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair 6 cards. Students have to shuffle them and put them on the desk, blank side up.

6. Each student draws 3 cards and places them so that their partner can’t see them.7. Tell the students that each of them has to take one card, read the prompt with situation and prepare

answers to the questions below.8. Then Student A tells only the answers to their partner who has to guess the situation. Students must

not use words from the instructions, particularly those printed like this. The partner may guess three times. If they guess immediately, they score 3 points. If their second or third answer is correct, they score 2 or 1 points respectively.

9. Then Student B reads their answers and Student A has to guess. Ask students to keep the score.10. Monitor the activity, making sure that students are using full sentences.

Follow-up1. You might use instructions from the cards (Tell me about ..., Describe ...) and ask a couple of students to

tell you their stories without using any prompts.

Extension1. If you have time, you might increase the number of cards in each deck. Bear in mind that this activity

might become repetitive if carried on for too long.2. With larger groups, you might divide your students into pairs, so that they can play the game two against

two. Then it is better to give students some time to prepare their answers. When the students are ready, ask them to move to another pair (this will reduce the chances of eavesdropping on the opponents).

Students with limited English1. If your students are not fluent in English, it may be a good idea to revise Past Simple before playing the

game.2. Remind your students the rules of using regular and irregular verbs in positive sentences. Remind your

students how the verb be is used in Past Simple.3. Ask students to give you as many time expressions as possible (e.g. last Monday, last summer, when

I was a child, when I was seven). Put them on the board so that students have a bank of time expressions to use.

4. Alternatively, you might go through the list of questions (Procedure 4) with your students and put sample answers on the board.

polonsky

Speaking for matura

Material for photocopying

12 photocopiable From Polonsky Speaking for Matura by Roman Ociepa & Karolina Ostrowska-Wawryniuk (c) 2016 Polonsky3

TASK 3.1 Parts of the picture

1. Read the following expressions and provide the missing words.

2. Now use the expressions and label the parts of the picture.

a. _ _ the bottomb. at the _ _ _c. _ _ the backgroundd. in the _ _ _ _ _ _ left-hand cornere. in the bottom right-hand _ _ _ _ _ _f. in the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

g. in _ _ _ foregroundh. in the _ _ _ _ _ _i. _ _ the top left-hand cornerj. in the top _ _ _ _ _-hand cornerk. _ _ the leftl. on the _ _ _ _ _

A B

C D

E

F

G

HIJ

K

L

13 photocopiable From Polonsky Speaking for Matura by Roman Ociepa & Karolina Ostrowska-Wawryniuk (c) 2016 Polonsky 3

TASK 3.1 Parts of the picture

14 photocopiable From Polonsky Speaking for Matura by Roman Ociepa & Karolina Ostrowska-Wawryniuk (c) 2016 Polonsky6

Task 6.1 What was it and who did it?

Set 1Tell me about a situation when you or somebody you know had an accident at school.1. Who was involved? You or somebody else?2. When did the accident take place?3. Where did the accident take place?4. What happened exactly?5. What was other people’s reaction?6. What were the consequences of the accident?

Set 2Tell me about a situation when you or somebody you know got lost on holiday.1. Who was involved? You or somebody else?2. When did the event take place? What time of day or night

was it?3. Where did the event take place?4. What happened exactly?5. What were the consequences of the event?6. How did the lost person feel afterwards?

Set 3Tell me about a situation when you or somebody you know moved house.1. Who was the main person involved? You or somebody else?2. When did this person move house?3. Why did this person move house?4. Who else was involved? What was his or her name?5. How did this person organize moving house?6. What were the consequences of moving house?

Set 4Tell me about a situation when you or somebody you know helped a stranger.1. Who helped a stanger? You or somebody else?2. When did the event take place? What time of day or night

was it?3. Where did the event take place?4. Why did the stranger require help?5. What was the stranger’s reaction?6. What were the consequences of helping the stranger?

Set 5Tell me about a situation when you or somebody you know found a new job.1. Who was the main person involved? You or somebody else?2. Where did this person look for a job?3. What kind of job was this person interested in?4. When did this person get a job?5. Why did the employer decide to hire this person?6. What were the consequences of the new job?

Set 6Tell me about a situation when you or somebody you know presented a lesson at school.1. Who was the main person involved? You or somebody else?2. When did this person present a lesson?3. Why did this person present a lesson?4. What and how did this person present?5. What was other people’s reaction?6. How did the person feel afterwards?

Set 7Tell me about a situation when you or somebody you know had to help a family member with a vehicle.1. Who was the main person involved? You or somebody else?2. Who was the family member?3. Why did the family member require help?4. What kind of vehicle did the family member require help

with?5. When and where did the situation take place?6. What were the consequences of the situation?

Set 8Tell me about a situation when you or somebody you know organized a family celebration.1. Who organized the family celebration? You or somebody

else?2. Why was the family celebration organized?3. Where and when was the family celebration organized?4. How were the guests dressed?5. What happened during the family celebration?6. What were the consequences of the family celebration?

15 photocopiable From Polonsky Speaking for Matura by Roman Ociepa & Karolina Ostrowska-Wawryniuk (c) 2016 Polonsky 6

Set 9Tell me about the most disappointing concert you have ever seen.1. Who performed in the concert?2. When and where did the concert take place?3. Why did you want to see this concert?4. Who else was with you? What were their names?5. What was other people’s reaction to the concert?6. How did you feel after the concert?

Set 10Tell me about the most expensive thing you have ever bought.1. What was this thing?2. When did you buy this thing?3. Where did you buy this thing?4. How much did this thing cost?5. Why did you buy this thing?6. What were the consequences of buying this thing?

Set 11Tell me about the most dangerous animal you have ever seen.1. What animal was it?2. What made the animal dangerous?3. When did you see the animal?4. Where did you see the animal?5. What was your reaction to the animal?6. How did you feel afterwards?

Set 12Tell me about the most interesting documentary you have ever seen.1. What was the documentary about?2. When did you see the documentary?3. Did you watch the documentary alone or with somebody

else?4. Why did you watch this documentary?5. What was the length of this documentary?6. How did the documentary inspire you?

Set 13Tell me about a political event you remember best.1. What was the purpose of this event?2. When did the event take place?3. Where did the event take place?4. Why were you interested in this event?5. How did you participate in this event?6. What were the consequences of the event?

Set 14Tell me about a meal you remember best.1. When did you eat this meal? What time of day was it?2. Where did you eat this meal? Why were you in this place?3. What did the meal consist of?4. What did you have with you?5. Who else was involved? What were their names?6. How did you feel after the meal?

Set 15Describe your most memorable sport achievement.1. What kind of sport did you practise?2. When did the achievement take place? How old were you?3. Where did the achievement take place?4. How many people saw your achievement?5. What was the spectators’ reaction to your achievement?6. What were the consequences of your achievement?

Set 16Describe an event in your life in which a mobile phone played an important role.1. When did the event take place? How old were you?2. Where did the event take place?3. Why were you in this place?4. What kind of mobile phone did you have with you?5. Who was involved in this event?6. What were the consequences of the event? How did you

feel afterwards?