Today our topic of discussion is – Role Playing
Role Playing
Role playing is a way of bringing situations from real life for the language practice. When we do role-playing we are to “imagine” ourselves in different personalities and roles. By role playing you can develop your communications skills in different situations.
Objectives:
After completing this lesson you will be able to: tell what role playing is and why it is important organize controlled role playing based on a dialogue or text organize free role playing activities. In this lesson we will focus on role playing techniques that can either be used with a large class or with an individual we will also show how role-playing can be based on topics and situations in the textbook..
The key points of role playing are:
i) Role playing is a way of bringing situations from real life into the language practice situaions. When we do role playing we are to “imagine” ourselves in different personalities and roles.
We may imagine :
a “role” (we pretend to be a different person other than ourselves) a “situation” (we pretend to be doing something different) both a role and a situation.
ii) In role playing, we “improvise”. The situation is fixed, but we make up the exact words to say as we go along. Here we must remember that, reading a dialogue aloud is “not” the same as role playing.
Lets now look at some examples:
a) 
b) 
c) 
You already know that in role-playing, You have to imagine. In situation (a) you have to imagine a role, (eg. a farmer) In situation (b) you have to imagine a situation (e.g. holiday). In situation (c) you have to imagine both a role and a situation (e.g. a police officer asking about a lost bag). The situation you use for role-playing should as far as possible be within the experience of your daily life. For suitable roles:
You may imagine yourself to be a person familiar to you in everyday life. e.g. parents, brothers, sisters, teachers, shopkeepers etc. You may take characters from the textbook and from other books or from television and practice role-playing accordingly.
You may take situations which you see or take part in everyday life. e.g. shopping, holidays, asking the way to places etc. You may take ‘Fantasy’ situations from stories youread, or from the
textbook.
Situation: Returning items to the shopkeeper
List of Vocabulary and Language Points:
pair of shoes, shirt, pullover, sweater, return, doesn’t work, customer, shop keeper, receipt, gift, colour, size, remote control,
You have a pair of shoes, a sweater and a shirt, which you want to return to the shop-keeper. You tell him the reasons why you want to return them. The shopkeeper asks for the receipt of each item.
Dialogue:
Shopkeeper: May I help you?
You: Yes, I would like to return these items.
Shopkeeper: Why are you returning those?
You: Because, first, the shoes. It’s not the right size and also I don’t like the color.
Shopkeeper: What about the sweater?
You: Well, it is too expensive.
Shopkeeper: And, the shirt?
You: It is not the right size.
Shopkeeper: Well, may I have the receipths for each item and also please fill in this return form.
You: Here you are.
Review Questions: Answer the following questions.
1. Where are you now?
2. Why have you come here?
3. What are the items you want to return?
4. What does the shop-keeper ask for?
Review Questions : Do the following questions.
On the left is a list of items you can buy at a store. On the right are possible reasons for returning them. Match the items on the left with the reasons on the right. (There may be more than one reason for each item). When you’ve finished doing the task below, speak up the reasons aloud.
Review Questions: Answer the following questions.
Now, imagine that you are talking to the shopkeeper about returning those items. Choose a partner and play the role of the shopkeeper and the customer. Fill in the blanks below using clues form sections B and D.
Shopkeeper: May I?…..
You: Yes, I would…
Shopkeeper: Why are you?…..
You: Because, first, the shoes. It’s not the
I don’t like the….
Shopkeeper: What about the……
You: Well, it is too……
Shopkeeper: And, the …..
You: It is not the……
Shopkeeper: Well, may I have the….. return form.
You: Here you are….
Review Questions : Answer the following questions below orally.
1. What does the shop-keeper ask you at the beginning?
2. What are your reasons for returning those items?
3.What does the shopkeeper ask from you now?
Situation : At the Post Office
As a student everyone has different textbooks. Role- playing can often be based on a dialogue or text from the textbook. Used in this way, role- playing gives you a chance to use the language that you have practiced in a more creative way. This works nicely both individually or in a class room. You can also select a text from your book to practice role -playing. You can also imagine characters and play the role accordingly.
Now read out the dialogue below and then plan a similar role -playing based on a dialogue or text in your text book.
Dialogue:
Rupam: Good morning. I want to send a letter to Bangkok.
Clerk: Do you want to send it by airmail or ordinary mail?
Rupam: I think I’ll send it by airmail. How much does it cost?
Clerk: To Bangkok? That will be Tk. 15, please.
Rupam: (Gives the clerk a 20 Taka note). Here you are.
Clerk: your stamp, and here’s your 5 taka change.
Rupam: Where’s the post box, please?
Clerk: You want the air-mail box. It’s over there, by the door.
Review Questions : Answer the following questions.
1. Where is Rupam now?
2. Why has he come here?
3. What does the clerk want to know?
4. Will Rupam send an ordinary mail?
5. How much is an airmail to Bangkok?
6. What does the clerk give to Rupam?
7. Where is the post-box?