About this activity
Twelve simulated school situations: ask the teacher a question in front of the class; read a paragraph aloud to the group; order lunch in the cafeteria line; answer roll call; give a thirty-second book report; ask a classmate to borrow a pencil; answer the phone with front office, may I help you; introduce yourself to a new student. These are the moments where fluency work either shows up or does not.
How to use it in a session
Rehearse in the room and then arrange the real thing. A simulated cafeteria line is a rehearsal; the actual cafeteria is the transfer, and the board is only worth using if the second follows. Rank the twelve with the student first — roll call and borrowing a pencil are usually easy, presenting and the phone are usually hard — and work up. Fifteen minutes rehearsing two or three, then a real attempt before the next session.
What to listen for
Watch which situations get avoided in real life rather than which get failed in the room. A student who rehearses asking a question fluently and never asks one has a situation problem, not a speech one, and that is the thing to work on. Notice time pressure as a factor — the cafeteria line and roll call are timed by other people, which is a different demand from a question the student chooses when to ask.
Carrying it home
Real rungs exist at home. Answering the phone, ordering in a restaurant, or asking a shop assistant a question are all on this list in another form, and they can happen this week.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Third through eighth, for students working on transfer rather than technique acquisition.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all twelve scenarios play free.
- How do I know if transfer is happening?
- By what the student reports doing outside the room, not by how the rehearsal goes. A fluent rehearsal that is never attempted for real has not transferred.