I know this thread is ancient, but we are still using this text in my school. My school is pretty strict about sticking to the text but I sneak in outside stuff when I can.
I have not tried this out yet, but this is for Listening & Speaking portion of the lesson.
1. This worksheet attached provides various sentences/phrases that may be used in a phone dialogue.
**For lower levels, I would eliminate the amount of phrase options to choose from on the handout, as too many can get confusing.**
2. I will play the telephone game with my class as a warmer, and then go over some phone vocabulary together.
3. Next, we will go through this handout with a corresponding PPT to show how the conversation would go back and forth (PPT forthcoming).
4. Finally, I will have the students all choose a role out of a hat (i.e., Harry Potter, President Obama, a person who's lost, a police officer, etc.), and write a phone dialogue with a partner using the roles they've chosen and the handout as a guide.
I know this is teaching writing and I really don't teach that, but it should help with the speaking part somewhat.
Another idea but I am working out the logistics:
Have students practice leaving each other messages. First, try to gather as many recording devices as you can: MP3 players, digital recorders, laptops with microphones, tablets, etc.
Since most students won't have their phones, may have to use your own cellphone and/or laptop and this might take awhile. There are free Android recording apps for your phone if you don't have one yet. Perhaps ask your co-teacher to use his/her phone too.
If you have a large class, groups will share a device. Have students record their outgoing messages during Part A of the lesson, then students take turns leaving messages for their classmates during Part B. This works best if you give each student a specific reason for calling.
You can then play back the messages for comprehension checks or build worksheets around the recordings if you wish. Might be good for some laughs!
-Kaycee
