By the end of the unit, students should be better able to…
- start conversations in ways that give the other person something to respond to.
- listen closely, respond naturally, and build from what another person says.
- recognize when a conversation is ending and respond appropriately.
- end a conversation naturally and warmly, adjusting language to the relationship and situation.
- handle disagreement, boundaries, and difficult-news moments while protecting the relationship.
Independent Discovery Project (IDP)
Munch & Mingle
Prepare your character, not your conversation.
Students read a book or watch a movie in English, choose a strong character, and attend as that character. They circulate, meet other characters, and use Unit 1 conversation skills as the interaction naturally requires them.
Communication focus: natural, conversational English. Students speak in first person, listen and respond to what other people actually say, and avoid memorized dialogue or a checklist-style performance.
Unit 1 Schedule & Lesson Materials
Class Cancelled
Thursday, Aug 20
1.1:
Dead Ends & Door Openers
What: Starting conversations with more ease: avoiding dead-end questions, using open-ended door openers, sharing specific details that give another person something to respond to, and using simple response phrases to keep the interaction moving.
Dead Ends & Door Openers
- Communication Goal
- Introduce yourself and start a conversation in a way that gives the other person something easy and meaningful to respond to.
- CEFR
- B1 · SI5 — Conversation: enter into unprepared conversation on familiar, personally relevant, or everyday topics; express and respond to feelings such as interest and surprise.
- Domain(s)
- D1 · Personal Identity & Self-Expression — self-introduction and communicating aspects of identity; D2 · Relationships & Social Life — making conversation and small talk.
- Functional Language / Vocabulary
- Question-word door openers; specific personal details; sentence frames for interests, abilities, aspirations, character, and habits; response phrases for reacting, relating, buying time, and shifting smoothly. Key frames include I’ve always been fascinated by…, I’m pretty good at…, …is on my bucket list, I tend to…, That reminds me…, and Speaking of which….
- Grammar
- Simple present for habits, preferences, routines, and things generally true; present progressive for activities or situations in progress around the present. The distinction is tied to meaning in self-description.
- Pronunciation / Natural Speech
- Warm, confident conversational intonation while asking questions, responding, and sharing personal details.
- Recycling
- The “open door” idea, specific details, simple present/present progressive, and response phrases return in Lesson 1.2 and are used again in Munch & Mingle.
- Materials
Tuesday, Aug 25
1.2:
Tell Me More
What: Keeping a conversation going through genuine curiosity: listening for what matters in another person’s turn, reacting or commenting naturally, asking useful follow-up questions, connecting briefly from your own experience, and returning to something interesting said earlier.
Tell Me More
- Communication Goal
- Keep a conversation going through genuine curiosity: listen for what matters in another person’s turn, respond to it, and contribute something of your own without taking over the conversation.
- CEFR
- B1 · SI5 — Conversation: enter into unprepared conversation on familiar, personally relevant, or everyday topics and express/respond to feelings; B2 · CS4 — Taking the Floor: use discourse-management strategies to initiate and maintain interaction and take turns appropriately.
- Domain(s)
- D2 · Relationships & Social Life — making conversation and small talk; asking questions that show genuine interest.
- Functional Language / Vocabulary
- Be interested: react, comment, ask, and go back to something said earlier. Be interesting: connect and share. Useful language includes Really?, That’s interesting., What was that like?, What made you decide to…?, I’ve had a similar experience., That reminds me of…, and You mentioned…. Students practice “connect—then step aside.”
- Grammar
- -ed adjectives often describe someone’s experience, feeling, or state; -ing adjectives describe the person, thing, event, or situation that creates or has that effect. The lesson explicitly avoids the inaccurate shortcut “-ed = people; -ing = things.”
- Pronunciation / Natural Speech
- No separate pronunciation target was formally developed in the lesson. Ann supports natural conversational delivery and response timing as students use the target phrases.
- Recycling
- Retrieves Lesson 1.1’s open doors and specific details, then extends them into listening and follow-up. These skills return in Lesson 1.3 and in Munch & Mingle.
- Practice
- Secret Conversation Road Trip, Roll & Respond, and increasingly independent real conversation with reduced support.
- Materials
Baby Shower Celebration
What: Celebration for Sasha, Manuel, and baby Florence.
Class Cancelled
FISD — No School
Tuesday, Sep 15
1.3:
I Should Let You Go / Know Your Audience
What: Two connected interpersonal skills: recognizing when another person is ready to end a conversation and responding appropriately; and signaling clearly, choosing relationship-appropriate wording, and ending a conversation naturally and warmly when you need to leave.
I Should Let You Go / Know Your Audience
- Communication Goal
- Recognize when another person is ready to end a conversation and respond appropriately; when you need to leave, signal clearly and end the conversation naturally and warmly using language that fits the relationship and situation.
- CEFR
- B2 · SI6 — Conversation: initiate discourse, take turns when appropriate, and end conversation when needed; B2 · SL2 — Sociolinguistic Appropriateness: express ideas clearly and politely in formal and informal registers appropriate to the situation and participants and adjust language accordingly.
- Domain(s)
- D2 · Relationships & Social Life — conversation, social conventions, and everyday interpersonal interaction.
- Functional Language / Vocabulary
- Closing signals (Well, I should probably get going., I’d better get going., I’ll let you get back to it.); listener responses (Of course., Absolutely. I’ll let you go.); warm connection phrases (It was really nice talking to you., It was great catching up.); final closings (Take care., Talk to you soon.); and firmer second signals when the first signal does not work. Register labels are treated as guides rather than rigid rules.
- Grammar
- No separate grammar target. The lesson focuses on pragmatic and sociolinguistic choice: recognizing conversational purpose, selecting appropriate closing language, and adjusting register/directness to the relationship and situation.
- Pronunciation / Natural Speech
- Recognizing how closing signals sound in real speech: Well… as a transition into a closing, casual gotta, natural rhythm, phrasing, tone, and the contrast between delivery that keeps a conversation open and delivery that begins to close it.
- Recycling
- Reuses Lessons 1.1 and 1.2 conversation skills—listen closely, respond naturally, and ask follow-up questions—while adding the ability to notice when the conversational purpose changes. All three lessons feed directly into Munch & Mingle.
- Practice
- Recognize closing signals inside real conversation; build natural endings; choose language for a close friend, casual acquaintance, or someone just met; receive feedback and retry.
- Materials
Tuesday, Sep 22
1.4:
Agreeing to Disagree / Finding the Right Words
What: Declining requests and setting boundaries; expressing disagreement while protecting the relationship; adjusting directness to the person and situation; and responding appropriately when someone shares difficult news.
Agreeing to Disagree / Finding the Right Words
- Grammar
- Language
- Pronunciation
- Materials
Munch & Mingle
What: Students become a character from an English-language book or movie and spend the morning meeting other characters, talking, listening, reacting, asking questions, and following the conversation wherever it goes.