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'Timeline' - an info gap task for intermediate level

Image: pixabay.com

I love a nice information gap task. Recall that these are designed to give students a reason to communicate while using language in a more or less structured way. Each student has different information which must be shared to complete the task. The less proficient the learner, the more structured the task needs to be. Students get to do a lot of listening and speaking, as well as, in many cases, some rteading and writing. A meaningful, multi-skill task which is often quite fun.

The one below, Timeline, can be used at internediate and advanced level. I have peviously posted an example of an advanced one focused on the events of World War Two. The one below would suit a GCSE class (CEFR A2) or even a very good Year 9 class (two to three years of learning). The example is from my site. Feel free to copy and use or adapt.


Instructions – scroll down for the student sheets.

Students work in pairs. Each partner has a list of six things Astrid did during a week on holiday in La Rochelle. The times and dates are mixed up. Between them, the pair must establish the correct timeline of all 12 times, dates and activities.  They might begin: “Quelle est ta première date ? Ta première heure ? Qu’est-ce qu’il s’est passé ?” The students take notes as they go along.

In grammatical terms, the perfect tense in the third person (elle) will be used. Once the timeline has been established, students could then recount the week from Astrid’s point of view. Students could do a write-up in the first or third person.

Because the students see a series of nouns, they need to do some work to come up with the verb form, so this is not for Foundation Tier students (for example 'départ' needs to become 'Elle est partie'.  You could simplify the task by giving completed verb forms instead of nouns (see the examples below*).

The correct order of events is:

Here is a list in French of 12 things Astrid did during her week on holiday in La Rochelle, using note form and including times and dates :

 

1. lundi 7 août, 9h00 : Arrivée à La Rochelle. (*Easier form - elle est arrivée)

2. lundi 7 août, 15h00 : Visite du Vieux-Port.

3. mardi 8 août, 10h30 : Promenade en bateau autour des îles.

4. mardi 8 août, 14h00 : Déjeuner dans un restaurant de fruits de mer.

5. mercredi 9 août, 11h00 : Visite de l'Aquarium de La Rochelle.

6. mercredi 9 août, 18h00 : Cours de cuisine locale.

7. jeudi 10 août, 9h30 : Tour à vélo sur l'île de Ré.

8. jeudi 10 août, 16h00 : Bain de soleil sur la plage des Minimes.

9. vendredi 11 août, 11h00 : Visite du Musée Maritime.

10. vendredi 11 août, 20h00 : Dîner au bord de la mer.

11. samedi 12 août, 14h00 : Shopping dans le centre-ville.

12. dimanche 13 août, 10h00 : Départ de La Rochelle.

Once partners have completed the task, you can read aloud the correct sequence. After the task is done, you could recycle the language in other ways, e.g. through dictation, a written task where students make up their own timeline or a grammar-focused activity to reinforce the perfect tense verb forms. You could adapt the task to use a different tense, probably near future or future.

Below are the sheets students A and B see.

Partenaire A

lundi 7 août, 9h00 : Arrivée à La Rochelle (*Easier form - elle est arrivée)

samedi 12 août, 14h00 : Shopping dans le centre-ville. (*easier form - elle a fait du shopping)

mercredi 9 août, 11h00 : Visite de l'Aquarium de La Rochelle.

mardi 8 août, 10h30 : Promenade en bateau autour des îles.

jeudi 10 août, 9h30 : Tour à vélo sur l'île de Ré.

vendredi 11 août, 11h00 : Visite du Musée Maritime.

 …………………………………………………………………………………………….

Partenaire B

jeudi 10 août, 16h00 : Bain de soleil sur la plage des Minimes.

mardi 8 août, 14h00 : Déjeuner dans un restaurant de fruits de mer.

dimanche 13 août, 10h00 : Départ de La Rochelle.

mercredi 9 août, 18h00 : Cours de cuisine locale.

vendredi 11 août, 20h00 : Dîner au bord de la mer.

lundi 7 août, 15h00 : Visite du Vieux-Port.

 

 

 


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