INFORMATION GAP ACTIVITIES

PAGE 14INFORMATION GAP ACTIVITIES

Types of Activities

Problem-Solving

pages 4-8Finding Differences

pages 9-14Giving Directions

pages 15-18Missing Information

pages 19-25Jigsaw

pages 26-27Questioning

pages 28-33

Example 1

Meet the NeighboursFind the differencesUp, Down, Left, RightComplete the DrawingJigsaw ReadingFamous Artists

Variations

Ask questions in MT and answer in TLUse a particular verb tense in asking questionsUse a larger or smaller grid Use pictures of vocabulary being learned Omit the provided dialogue

Use objects instead of peopleEmphasize prepositionsUse pictures of objects being learnedDont include vocabularyUse culturally related artwork

Use questions instead of statementsUse statements instead of questionsUse words instead of picturesUse a more complex pictureUse music or film

Have some of the blanks already filled-inUse menus with different prices and itemsHave a 2nd set of pictures to reverse roles

Family TreeUse faces (ie Mr Potato Head)

Example 2

Solve a ProblemHaunted HouseTrace the RouteLost and FoundLine Dance JigsawWhat did John do?

Variations

Use different coloured sheetsStudents can invent their own routesPartners can alternate rolesWrite a songUse easy verbs for beginners

Different furniture in each houseCan use a local mapCampsite scenarioWrite a storyCultural events added

Can use a map of a TL cityRestaurant Scenario Use music representative of TL cultureUse students class schedules

Example 3

20 Questions

Variations

Simple questions for beginners

Students circulate with unknown word on their backs

Use verbs

Example 4

Survey

Variations

Intermediate students may use info to write a story

Teresa Bryanton, Jon Paul, Joanne Reschny

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

Visual / Spatial

Logical / MathematicalInterpersonalIntrapersonalAuditoryKinaestheticMusicLinguistic

Meet the Neighbours

Solve the Problem

Find the Differences

Haunted House

Up, Down, Left, Right

Trace the Route

Complete the Drawing

Lost and Found

Jigsaw Reading

Line Dance Jigsaw

Famous Artists

What did John do?

20 Questions

Survey

COMPREHENSION AND PRODUCTIONS GOALS LEVEL

ReadingWritingListeningSpeakingCultureBeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Meet the Neighbours

Solve the Problem

Find the Differences

Haunted House

Up, Down, Left, Right

Trace the Route

Complete the Drawing

Lost and Found

Jigsaw Reading

Line Dance Jigsaw

Famous Artists

What did John do?

20 Questions

Survey

INFORMATION GAP ACTIVITIES: OVERVIEW

An Information Gap is a lack of information between two or more people. In Information Gap Activities, not everyone knows the same things and people dont always have the same information in front of them, therefore communication is needed to complete the task.

Students work in groups of two or more. Each student has some, but not all, of the information needed for the activity. As partners to each other to fill in the gaps of missing information, they acquire communication skills in a way that is authentic and meaningful (Basturkmen, 1994). The pair creates questions and /or statements and each individual responds in turn (Annenberg Media, 2005). Since each partner knows something that the other does not they must communicate in order to attain complete understanding. These questions which seek unknown answers are known as referential questions, which contrast with display questions, that is, those which seek obvious answers. For example, rather than asking Do you sleep every day?, you could ask When do you sleep? (Annenberg Media, 2005).

Information gap activities: (Raptou, 2001)

Are not scripted or rehearsed

Involve spontaneous learning and dialogue

Involve unique responses which require careful thinking and use of sentence structure to communicate answers

Require more than regurgitated information

Involve the combination of information to merge ideas

Provide structure and guidelines for students to follow

Results in a more comfortable environment because communication is one-on-one, rather than individual to class.

Give students a chance to practice what theyve learned

Create a need for comprehensible speech in order to accomplish the task

Do not necessarily involve evaluation during the activity thus increasing motivation and participation without fear and pressure of marks

Help increase confidence in the language thus resulting in a greater likelihood of speaking in the target language

Information gap activities are successful when: (Ur, 1996, taken from Raptou, 2001)

The students talk a lot

Participation is even

Motivation is high

Language is of an acceptable level

Problem - Solving Activity: Meet the Neighbours (Reschny, 2004)

Materials: handout (see example)

Goal: To improve reading, listening, and speaking skills in students. Students must read and understand their own statements. Likewise, they must listen to the statements of others and ask appropriate questions if necessary to complete their own understanding. The students also get practice in establishing cognitive patterns that make sense in the target language; in other words, they learn to think in their second language.

Procedure:1. Put the students into pairs.

2. Each student is given a handout which includes a chart and a series of statements which are an incomplete set of statements used to fill in their chart. (use pencil!)3. Each student reads his or her own statements and fills in the applicable parts of their chart.

4. The students take turns reading their statements to each other and using each others information to fill in their charts.

Variations:

1. Ask questions in MT and answer in the TL to decrease level of difficulty.2. Use objects instead of people to make relevant to unit.

3. Ask questions instead of reading statements to increase level of difficulty.4. Have some of the blanks already filled-in to decrease level of difficulty. Time:

Variation Worksheet for Meet the Neighbors (ESLgold.com, 2002)

As Information:

Persons Name From Occupation Weekends Movies

1. Jill (female) doctor romance

2. professor go fishing

3. Jared (male) Cincinnati action

4. Cleveland banker play cards

5. Janet (female) Dayton

Bs Information:

Persons Name From Occupation Weekends Movies

1. Toledo relax at home

2. Jason (male) Columbus horror

3. mechanic play baseball

4. Jenny (female) drama

5. lawyer read novels comedy

Sample Questions:

What is the first persons name? How do you spell it? Where is he/she from? What is his/her occupation What does he/she do on weekends? What kind of movies does he/she like?

After completing the chart, discuss with your partner:

Which person would you like as a friend? Why?

Problem Solving Activity: Solve a Problem (Reschny, 2004)

Materials: handout (see example)

Goal: To improve communication skills (including clear pronunciation) and increase ability to think in the target language.

Procedure: 1. Put students into pairs (or they may work independently).

2. The students are given charts with certain logically exclusive possible facts about a set of characters, and an incomplete set of statements about those characters

3. The students must then communicate their statements with their partner to produce a complete set of statements, which allows them to solve the logic problem.

Variations: Time:

Finding Differences Activities: Finding the Differences (Reschny, 2004) Materials: handouts (see examples)

Goal: To ask and answer questions, and give information using the present continuous; thus improving listening and speaking skills, while increasing understanding of the target language culture. Students must communicate with each other to understand the differences between the pictures, and understanding the pictures requires understanding of the culture that generated them.

Procedure:1. Put the students into pairs.

2. Copy the handouts according to the number of students in your class. (Half of the class will get Student A handout, the other half Student B)

3. Divide the class into pairs A and B. Give each student a copy of the appropriate handout.

4. They sit facing each other, making sure that their handout is hidden from their partner.

5. Explain what is to be done and allow time for preparation. Everyone then starts at the same time.

6. Set a definite time limit and stop the students at the end of it, whether they have finished or not.

7. They now compare their drawings to see if they have found all the differences.

Variations:1. Emphasize a particular verb tense in asking questions2. Emphasize prepositions3. Use statements instead of questions4. Use menus with different prices and items (REEP, 2003)5. Family Trees students use their own family trees to ask and answer questions. (REEP, 2003). Time:

Materials: handout: Haunted House pictures A and B (see example)

Goal: to encourage unscripted communication between two students; to use location prepositions in a question and answer format.

Procedure:

1. Put students in groups of two.

2. One student has Picture A while the other has Picture B.

3. Student A identifies the whereabouts of a ghost in Picture A and asks Student B if the ghost is in the same place in Picture B.

a. e.g. Student A: In my picture, there is a ghost in front of the desk in the bedroom. Do you have the same?

4. Student B answers in a complete sentence, and then identifies a different ghost in Picture B asks Student A if the ghost is in the same place in Picture A.

a. e.g. Student B: No, in my picture the ghost is behind the desk in the bedroom. Also, in the bathroom there is a ghost in the bathtub. Do you have the same?

5. Students converse back and forth until they have identified the whereabouts of all the ghosts in the two pictures.

Variations:

1. If the objects on each of the two pictures were colored differently, the students dialogue could be more descriptive (emphasizes use of adjectives or color vocabulary).2. If the rooms had different furniture, the students could also compare furniture and its locations. Time: 10 minutes

Materials: handout (see example)

Goal: To give directions (involving both speaking and listening) which will improve their understanding of directional words and the use of the imperative verb form.

Procedure: 1. Put students into pairs.

2. Students are given a map, a starting point, and a destination. They must then describe a route that can be taken to get from the starting point to the destination.

3. The students must then describe their routes to others, and have them find the destination from the directions.

Variations:1. Students can invent their own routes

2. Can use a local map

3. Can use a map of a TL city

Time:

Giving Directions Activity: Up, Down, Left, Right (Reschny, 2004)

Materials: handout (see example)

Goal: To learn to give directions, practice numbers, and use prepositions. Procedure: 1. Put students into pairs.

2. Student A reads his statements to Student B. Student B follows these instructions and draws what his partner tells him to.

3. When all statements have been read on Student As sheet, Student B reads his instructions and Student A follows.

4. When Student B has read all his statements, the pair shows their completed chard and compares then with the answer on their partners chart.

Variations1. Use a larger or smaller grid (more or less squares).2. Use pictures of objects being learned (current vocabulary).3. Use words instead of pictures. Time

UP?

DOWN?

LEFT?

RIGHT??

Missing Information Activity: Complete the Drawing (Reschny, 2004) Materials: handout (see example)

Goal: To practice comprehensible communication, prepositions, adjectives and vocabulary. Procedure: 1. Put students into pairs.2. Student A describes what is in his picture to student B, including where to draw it. Student B follows Student As instructions.

3. When finished, the pair compares pictures to check for accuracy.

Variations:1. Use pictures of vocabulary being learned (ie. Shapes, clothes, etc)2. Dont include vocabulary3. Use a more complex picture.

4. Have a second set of pictures to reverse roles.

5. Use faces (ie. Mr. Potato Head)

Time:

Missing Information Activity: Lost and Found On cherche un ohjet perdu (Harris & Roselman, year unknown)

Materials: handouts: Preparation Sheet (12) 2 copies, Tourists sheet (A12), Officer sheet (B12) (see example) Goals: to encourage communication between students in a realistic activity.

Procedure:1. Put students into groups of two.

2. Both students get a copy of Sheet 12, but one student has Sheet A12 and one student has sheet B12.

3. The pair first goes over Sheet 12 in order to prepare for the main activity and to associate themselves with useful grammar, vocabulary and expressions.

4. For the main activity, one student is the tourist who has recently lost a personal item, and the other student is a police officer who runs the local Lost & Found.

5. The tourist tells the Officer what was lost and where it was lost, and then asks the officer if it has arrived.

6. The officer looks at the list on Sheet B12 which says what items have been found and where, and then answers the tourists question.

7. This process should be repeated until each item on the tourists list has been covered.

Variations:

1. Students could alternate between tourist and officer after each question, thus getting to ask and answer questions.2. Tourists arrive at a campsite and want to know whether they can stay according to site availability, cost per night, length of stay, size of tent or trailer; one student plays a tourist, the other the campsite manager. (see example)3. Restaurant Scenario with incomplete menu. Time: 15-20 minutes

SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT

Jigsaw Activity: Jigsaw ReadingOverview of Jigsaw Activities: Students will work on separate parts all related to a similar task and will then come together with these separate parts and share information in order to learn together. This can be a great way to learn since the students are actually learning themselves as they teach each other. The information is more likely to be internalized this way. When students teach each other it demonstrates they get it. It is also a method of improving communication and social skills. Students are also more likely to complete the assignments with the pressure of being responsible for contributing their unique part which is essential to the whole groups understanding.

Materials: depends on task students are to puzzle together.

Goal: to decrease overall work by each student doing a smaller part and bringing this portion to the larger group to share while collectively learning and teaching one another. Information will be remembered longer term as it is taught to others

Procedure 1. Put students into groups

2. Assign parts each student will be individually responsible for

3. State when students expected to come back to the larger group to teach and share their assigned portion

4. Students will work independently on task

5. Students will present their assigned information to the group as a whole (teacher may assign a special order to do so or leave it up to the group members to decide on their own)

6. Students will be expected to take notes and ask questions during each lesson taught by their peers

7. This information can then be summarized to the entire class if assigned tasks varied between groups Variations

Time needed will depend on task lengthExample: Each student is assigned a section of the readings and will join in a small group to share and teach the information read and learned to all other group members. The whole reading will be understood completely but each being responsible for smaller portions rather than the work in its entirety.

Jigsaw Activity: Line Dance Jigsaw (Janzen, 2005)

Materials: music (personal choice) Goals: to encourage spontaneous communication between students; to create a dance routine by breaking it up into small chunks and then combining the chunks together.

Procedure:

1. Select, as a larger group, a melody or song to play during the dance routine.

2. Identify its rhythm/beat to figure out the time count (for example, you may find that the music allows for actions done in fours).

3. Break up the classroom in 5-9 groups.

4. Each group is responsible for creating and arranging a series of dance moves; each individual must come up with at least one dance move.

5. When each member has figured out her/his move, s/he must teach that move to the entire group (this should be done verbally and with the actual dance moves; e.g. Clap your hands to the rhythm 4 times or Take 4 steps to the left).

6. The group must then decide how to arrange the moves into a sequence.

7. Each group performs its dance move sequence and teaches it to the other groups (again both verbally and physically).

8. The class then arranges the 5-9 sequences into a complete dance routine.

9. Turn up the stereo and have fun!

Variations:

1. Write a song or story based on a particular theme. 2. For the song, one group writes the chorus, another group writes the 1st verse, another the 2nd verse, and so on.3. For the story, provide the first and last sentences to the class and have each student write a sentence in an arranged order. 4. Use music representative of the languages culture. Time: Dance Jigsaw = 20-30 min; Song: 30 min; Story = 20-30 min.

Questioning Activity: Famous Artists (Boggle's World, 2002b)Overview of Questioning Activities: Gives students a chance to think critically and communicate responses to each other. This method creates dialogue which improves social skills in the target language. This technique will increases motivation and participation since all students are directly involved in the activity process and completion. Some guidance may be necessary but room for spontaneous dialogue as questions and answers vary. Confidence in the language will improve as students engage in this question- answer type model.

Materials: handouts: Famous Artists Sheets A and B (see example) Goals: to encourage communication between two students; to highlight famous artists and their work. Uses the past tense, active and passive voice.

Procedure:

1. Put students in groups of two.

2. One student has Sheet A while the other has Sheet B. (each worksheet has a dialogue to guide the students along in their conversation).

3. Both students have all the titles of the works of art, but are missing information about certain pieces. Student A has whatever information that Student B is missing, and vice versa.

4. Student A asks a question to Student B in order to gain information that Sheet A is missing.

e.g. Student A: Who sculpted The Thinker?

5. Student B answers in a complete sentence and then asks Student A for information that Sheet B is missing.

e.g. Student B: Rodin sculpted The Thinker. What was David sculpted from?

6. Students converse back and forth until their sheets are filled in.

Variations:

1. Handout Sheets A and B without the dialogue guide provided at the top so that the students must create their own sentences.2. Use artwork that is created by artists from a particular culture e.g. Spain / Lat. America Dal, Picasso, Rivera, Kahlo 3. Use a music or film theme instead of a painting/sculpture theme. Time: 10 minutesFamous Artists B Sheet

Use this dialogue to talk about famous works of art:

Who painted/sculpted _____?It was painted/sculpted by _____?

When was it painted/sculpted ____?It was painted sculpted in ______?

What was it painted with/sculpted from?It was painted with/sculpted from ________?

Let me get this straight: It was painted/sculpted by ____ in ______with/from _________.Thats right/correct.

Name: SunflowersArtist:

Date:

Materials:Name: The ThinkerArtist: Rodin

Date: 1882

Materials: BronzeName: The OxArtist:

Date:

Materials:

Name: The ScreamArtist: Munch

Date: 1893

Materials: Oil PaintsName: DavidArtist:

Date:

Materials:Name: Mona LisaArtist: Da Vinci

Date: 1503-1506

Materials: Oil

Name: GuernicaArtist:

Date:

Materials:Name: Mobius StripArtist: Escher

Date: 1963

Materials: Woodcut

Famous Artists A Sheet

Use this dialogue to talk about famous works of art:

Who painted/sculpted _____?It was painted/sculpted by _____?

When was it painted/sculpted ____?It was painted sculpted in ______?

What was it painted with/sculpted from?It was painted with/sculpted from ________?

Let me get this straight: It was painted by ________ in _________with/from _________.Thats right/correct.

Name: SunflowersArtist: Van Gogh

Date: 1889

Materials: Oil PaintsName: The ThinkerArtist:

Date:

Materials:Name: The OxArtist: Joong-sup Lee

Date: In the 1950s

Materials: Oil paints

Name: The ScreamArtist:

Date:

Materials:Name: DavidArtist: Michelangelo

Date: 1501-1504

Materials: MarbleName: Mona LisaArtist:

Date:

Materials:

Name: GuernicaArtist: Picasso

Date: 1937

Materials: Oil PaintsName: Mobius StripArtist:

Date:

Materials:

Questioning Activity: What did John Do?? (Mohamed, year unknown)

Materials: List of activities John did and on which days (daily schedule) Goal: to get students asking and answering questions in target language

Procedure1. Pair off students

2. Give one student Johns daily schedule for Mon, Wed, Fri

3. Give other student Johns schedule for Tues, Thurs, Sat, Sun

4. Get students to ask each other questions about Johns activities

(What did John do at 10am?)

5. Students will engage in this question answer exchange until time is up

Variations1. Use students class schedules.

2. Use cultural events.

3. Use easy verbs for beginners.

Time: depends on time available, may do as long as desired

MONDAYTUESDAYWEDNESDAYTHURSDAYFRIDAYSATURDAYSUNDAY

8:00Wake upWake upWake up

9:00BreakfastBreakfastBreakfast

10:00Go to schoolGo to schoolGo to school

11:00English ClassSocial Studies ClassEnglish Class

12:00LunchLunchLunch

13:00Math ClassBreak / SpareMath Class

14:00Break / SparePhys Ed ClassBreak / Spare

15:00Science ClassScience ClassSocial Studies Class

16:00Go homeVisit GrandmaBasketball Game

17:00Eat dinnerEat dinner at Grandma'sGoes for victory dinner with team

18:00Read a bookGo homeFriday Night Bowling Club

19:00Do homeworkDo homework

20:00Tai Chi ClassTai Chi ClassGoes to a friend's for a sleepover

21:00Go for a walkGo for tea

22:00MeditatingMeditating

23:00Go to bedGo to bedGo to bed

MONDAYTUESDAYWEDNESDAYTHURSDAYFRIDAYSATURDAYSUNDAY

8:00Wake upWake upSleepingSleeping

9:00Eat breakfastEat breakfastSleepingSleeping

10:00Go to SchoolGo to SchoolWakes upSleeping

11:00Art ClassPhys Ed ClassEats breakfastWakes up

12:00LunchLunchGoes to the farmers' marketEats brunch

13:00Home Economics ClassBtreak / SparePlays guitar

14:00Break / SpareFrench ClassHangs out with friendsBakes a pie for grandma

15:00French ClassEnglish ClassTakes pie to grandma's house

16:00Basketball PracticeBasketball PracticeEat dinnerEats dinner at Grandma's

17:00Go homeGo homeRead a bookGoes home

18:00Eat dinnerEat dinnerHas a napDo homework

19:00Do homeworkDo homeworkYoga practice

20:00Go swimmingYoga ClassGoes dancing with friends

21:00Read a bookRead a bookRead a book

22:00MeditateMeditateMeditate

23:00Go to bedGo to bedGoes to bedGoes to bed

Questioning Activity: 20 questions

Materials: Pictures or names of person, place or thing on cue cards

Goal: to get students thinking critically and interacting in the target language

Procedure1. Pair off students

2. Give students cue cards with pictures or words of people, places or things.3. Tell students what categories the pictures are from (as a clue).

4. One student asks and the other answers until the correct answer is given and then they switch roles

Variations1. Use yes/no questions only

2. Kinaesthetic: students circulate with unknown words on their backs and ask each other

questions.

3. Use verbs.

Time: depends on time availableQuestioning Activity: Survey (Bilash, 2006) Materials: list of questions prepared by teacher or students

Goal: to get students speaking and thinking in target language

Procedure1. Give students prepared questionnaire or get students to prepare their own

2. Students will walk around the room and ask one another their questions

3. Students may then be asked to present people interviewed to entire class or smaller group

Variations1. Intermediate students may use info to write a story TimeREFERENCES

Annenberg Media. (2005). Teaching Foreign Languages K-12. Taken from

http://www.learner.org/channel/libraries/tfl/key_terms.html January 10, 2006.

Basturkmen, H. (1994). Using Learners Writing for Oral Information-Gap Activities. Taken from

http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vols/vol32//no1/p50.htm January 10, 2006.

Bilash, O. (2006). In class discussion, January 10, 2006.

Boggles World. (2002a). ESL information gap exercises: Haunted house information gap.

Retrieved January 10, 2005 from http://bogglesworld.com/information_gap.htm.

Boggles World. (2002b). ESL information gap exercises: Famous artists. Retrieved January 10, 2005 from http://bogglesworld.com/information_gap.htm.

ESLgold.com. (2002). Information Gap. Retrieved January 10, 2006 from

www.eslgold.com/site.jsp?resource=pag_tea_speaking_lesson_info_gap.

Harris V., & Roselman L. (year unknown). Tu parles: Communicative activities in French. Waterloo: The Resource Centre.

Janzen, C. (2005). Correspondent at Queen Elizabeth High School (Edmonton, AB) during IPT

experience.

Mohamed, J. (year unknown). Jeff Mohameds TEFL Classroom Clinic: General Methodology &

Terminology; Information Gaps In English Teaching. Retrieved January 10, 2006 from www.geocities/bayinnaung/progexinfogap.html.

Raptou, V. (2001). Using Information Gap Activities in the Second Langauge Classroom.

Retrienved January 10, 2006 from www.caslt.org/Print/gapp.htm

REEP. (2003). Information Gap. Retrieved January 10, 2006 from

www.arlington.k12.va.us/instruct/ctae/adult_ed/REEP/reepcurriculum/informationgap.html.

Reschny, J. (2004). Repertoire of Second Language Monitor Program experience at Polyvalente de Black Lake, Thetford Mines, QC.