Happy meals

Today I will be sharing with teachers how we go through stages of core language learning to enable children to independently and effectively use language in a transactional situation-hence the name "Happy Meals ".
We will be considering how we can develop a simple effective unit of learning over a sequence of 5 or 6 lessons.

So if you are with me for the CPD today - here are the stages and activities ...as I am certain to talk far too fast whilst we have a go at the activities in the CPD !

I will be sharing with the teachers the resources and stages of learning below to move the children over a sequence of lessons from  being able to , to being able to ask and answer a  question, to being able to ask and answer a series of questions , through to being able to prepare a simple independent conversation and being able to perform the language generally from memory in the order and style they decide to!

We are focussing in food and drink in a snack bar because this will be part of our cafe culture unit of work with Y6 after the dreaded May and exams have passed .

Stage One   (Say single words and phrases)

I am sure we can all think of  think of simple games and activities to introduce, practise and revisit single words and phrases we might want to teach 
Once the children have the words in their heads ,I love playing Alphabetical menus - the next person can't order an item if it's not the next item in the alphabet on the menu the class has created ! Can be quite challenging at times especially when several words begin with the same first letter  

Stage Two    (able to ask and answer a  question)

This is about us practising two key phrases a question - what would you like? and an answer "I would like...."
Try playing my Waiters in a Whizz game. Simply organise your class into an inner and outer circle. Inner circle ask a question and outer circle answer the question - waiters and customers . They have 30 seconds to complete a transaction and then the meal wheel turns - which means that the waiter moves onto the next person standing in the outer circle and asks a question of the next person . We change "shifts" after 5 questions and answers have taken place . Inner circle swaps places with the outer circle and the customers become the waiters and vice versa . Calling it Waiters in a whizz , refering to the inner circle as waiters and the outer circle as customers and then changing shifts - makes it all seem so real for Y6 !    

Stage Three   able to ask and answer a series of questions 

The intention here is that we will have used games such as Waiters in a whizz" to isolate and practise individual questions and answers .Each lesson we can play a waiters in a whizz game with a different question and answer and continue to build up our learners knowledge of single words and phrases.

To develop asking and answering questions I introduce activities using a slide sorter and picture prompt cards . The activity is called "Say what you See!" 
In my opinion it allows the activity to be inclusive as it gives children thinking time and time to focus on the question or response they must say , rather than worrying about what comes next .
Here are my resources and how I use them to deliver the activity .

Each child needs to make a slide sorter like the one below. The window they cut out from the card  needs   to be the size of the prompt card they wish to view through it  : 

Slide sorter template 

The children need to now fold the template in half and glue the bottom and tip edge so that it is a sealed flat tube through which we can pass our picture card prompts 

Now the children need their  picture card prompts- one for the waiter and one for the customer . I model and let the children practise with a specific waiter prompt card and customer prompt card before I ask the children to create their own prompt cards for a waiter and a customer . for some children this is a really useful way to take them through the stages of transactional role play -(as they need to consider :what happens first , what comes next , what's the next question etc ....   .)

Here's a waiter's picture prompt card example made by a child

Here's a customer response card to the same transactional role play

Now the children can complete the task - asking and answering questions , step by step , saying what they can see .

Stage Four (able to prepare a simple independent conversation )

This stage the children absolutely love . They will have seen the "Happy Meals" made by previous year groups and will have admired all the extras put in the happy meal boxes! 

One year we had a lilo made of red quilted material , another year we had a papiermache World Cup as the gift in the Happy Meal box!  

What happens at this stage is that the children practise the key language to be able to make choices - flavours, types of , foods from France , Germany , Spain , a healthy option recalling prior learning etc 

Practise for examples ice cream flavours ( we will introduce these in Y4 and revisit them on our "at the beach unit"  in Summer Y5 .

Now make memory games and challenges and picture prompt lists to remember - who can remember the whole shopping list .

Here are two starter shopping list examples - one for ice creams and one for drinks . The symbols and recognition of the symbols  are important when we get to the happy meal conversation.I would cut these into strips of three flavours of ice creams , represented by  the small symbols to the right of each ice cream cone .

and here is our drinks shopping list.....

Each child gets a drinks and ice cream flavour shopping list and must work through a simple transactional questions and answers activity with a partner to acquire each of the items . Their partner ticks off the items as they ask accurately for them.How many did they manage to ask for accurately and how many do they need to practise again?

 Here's an example ice creams and drinks shopping list:

It's almost time to create our Happy Meals 

First let's check our knowledge of a French /German /Spanish menu and maybe do some food tasting with Y6 . Can we add any new items we taste to the snack food bar menu  e.g un croque monsieur  / Quark / patatas bravas etc?

Here's our basic French snack bar menu to which the children can add sketches of new foods we have tried in your food tasting. 

The task the children are now set is to create their own Happy Meal with both foods from the country that they have tasted , plus snack bar foods and two or three healthy options from prior learning in Y5 , when we went shopping to markets for fruit and  vegetables etc 

Here's the Happy Meal template which they need to cut out . Generally I blow this up to A3 size but here is an A4 version just for the camera !

Now let the children create their boxes and add their items

And now it's time for them to take their boxes and working in pairs create conversations with a partner where the items in each Happy Meal determine the conversation . Do they need to use a slide sorter Say what you see to help them ? Do they want to add additional conversation that they will have used throughout their language learning e.g how someone is feeling / what fruits they like etc

Stage Five  (a performance from memory )

The Class Snack Bar Happy Meal Winner Competition!

Each pair should decide which of their two conversations and which of their two happy meals is their best chance to enter the class competition and perhaps to become the Class Snack Bar Happy Meal Winner!

They must take and load photos of their selected Happy Meal on to the school VLE and share as slides on the IWB if possible .(They can just physically show and tell of course!)

They must practise their conversation and make it into an entertaining spoken performance from memory . (Prompts can be the items in the happy meal box)

Each partnership must then deliver their performance to the class and the class should vote on delivery , entertainment value , pronunciation , and the quality of the Happy Meal .

Every time I have delivered this sequence of lessons I have really enjoyed the children's work and the outcomes ! Happy Meals  and performances whizz by in my mind as I write this !!