16 Role-Play Assignment

• General Information

The goal of the Role-Play Assignment is for students to improve their ability to make and utilize language choices that are appropriate for a specific situation. By understanding how to modify their language choices, students will become more successful English speakers. This presentation has 4 parts: 1) form a group with 2 or 3 other students, 2) select the setting and focus of your conversation, 3) create a role-play skit which utilizes language that is appropriate for the setting and characters, 4) introduce, perform, and analyze the role-play skit in class.

The presentation is worth 20% of the final grade.

• Topic

Students are going to participate in a role-play about startup business owners promoting an innovative product or service to investors. First, as a group, students should think of an innovative product or service. Two students will act as of business partners promoting this innovative product or service. One or two students will act as investors deciding whether or not to invest money in the startup business. Students must demonstrate language choices that are appropriate for a professional setting, and they should try to utilize vocabulary words from this unit.

The presentation should begin with an introduction which introduces enough background information for the audience to understand the setting, who the characters are, and what their relationship is with each other. The presentation should end with an analysis of the language choices which were made to “create” each character.

• Presentation Requirements

Students must prepare a PowerPoint presentation to accompany their spoken presentation. The presentation must be submitted to Canvas before class when presentation is scheduled. The PowerPoint should be professional looking and utilize appropriate fonts, colors, and visuals. Presenters should all speak an equal amount of time.

• Presentation Outline Guide
  • Introduction
    • Introduce the setting and characters
    • Explain the relationship between the characters
    • Introduce the topic being discussed
  • Role-Play Skit **
    • Perform the skit (presenters should speak approximately equal amounts)
  • Language Choice Analysis
    • Explain the language choices which were made to portray character A
    • Explain the language choices which were made to portray character
    • Explain the language choices which were made to portray character C
  •  Conclusion
    • Explain what was difficult and easy about doing the role-play
    • Explain if doing the role-play has made you think about your language choices more carefully
    • Conclusion Sentence—End the presentation strongly

**Please note that most of the presentation time should be spent doing the role-play skit.

The introduction only needs to be long enough to set up the situation, and the language

choice analysis and conclusion should also only take a few minutes.

Time Break Up Example: A 12 minute presentation

Introduction – 1 minute

Role-Play Skit – 7 minutes

Language Choice Analysis – 3 minutes

Conclusion – 1 minutes