Copy of Language-Activities-for-Teenagers-67

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Preparation
Photocopy your story so that the first and second halves are on different
sheets (or different sides of the same sheet) and make a class set of each half.
Procedure
1 Form pairs and hand out the story sheets so that the students in each pair
get different halves of the story. Give everyone time to read the story and
ask questions about pronunciation, vocabulary and so on.
2 Explain that in each pair the person with the first part of the story should
read not only the story but also the questions that are embedded in the
text. Add that the other person in the pair puts down his or her part of the
story, listens and answers any questions the teller asks. Stress that
listeners must use their imagination. Start them off.
Variations
• If you have an odd number of students, form a threesome. Fold their
sheets so that they each see a different third.
• Between Steps 1 and 2, put students who have read the same (half) story
together in groups of three or four. Each group should include at least one
relatively proficient learner. Give each group some comprehension
questions to look at. They try to agree on the answers. Mingle and help
out. Next, still in their groups, students rehearse reading their part of the
story.
• At Step 2, add facetiously that there is no point in them torturing each
other. How can they avoid doing this? They must read out their parts of
the stories as interestingly as they can. Elicit things storytellers do in
order to tell a story in an interesting way. (5.7, ‘Reading aloud’, could be
done before this activity; if so, remind your class of what they learned in
doing it.)
Language Activities for Teenagers
120
Example story (Intermediate–Advanced)
The appointment
Once upon a time, about a thousand years ago, there was a powerful caliph in
Baghdad. He had a great many servants in his palace. [WHAT KINDS OF JOBS DID
HIS SERVANTS DO, FOR EXAMPLE?] Among these servants was a man named
Abdul. He was the caliph’s favourite servant. [WHY WAS HE THE CALIPH’S 
(continued)
Mainly reading
121
FAVOURITE?] He helped the caliph to get dressed and also made his coffee. And
then he always tasted it before giving it to the caliph. [WHY DID HE TASTE THE
CALIPH’S COFFEE BEFORE THE CALIPH DRANK IT?] [ALSO, WHAT OTHER JOBS
DO YOU THINK HE DID FOR THE CALIPH?]
One morning, the caliph wanted some fruit, so he asked Abdul to go to the
central market and get several different kinds of really fresh, ripe fruit. [WHAT
KINDS, FOR EXAMPLE?] Abdul got a basket from the kitchen and set out for the
market. It was still early morning but Abdul could see that it was going to be a
really hot day. [WHAT MADE HIM THINK SO?] 
He walked through the narrow streets of the old part of the city. Soon, he was
in the market. [WHAT DID HE SEE ON HIS WAY?] [WHAT DID HE HEAR?] The market
was already thronged with shoppers. [WHAT DO YOU THINK THRONGED MEANS?
(ANSWER: ‘CROWDED’)] [WHAT WERE THE SHOPPERS WEARING?] 
Abdul walked past piles of shoes, past chickens, past ducks, past bags of rice,
past pots, past chairs until, finally, he got to the part of the market where they sold
what he was looking for. [DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR?] 
Carefully, he looked over every piece of fruit. [WHY?] If he saw some fruit that
looked good, he felt it to see if it was hard or soft. He looked at it especially carefully
to see if there were any rotten, brown bits. He also smelled each fruit. [WHY DID HE
SMELL EACH FRUIT?] He bought some golden yellow melons and some fragrant
green ones. He bought some oranges and fresh figs. Soon, his basket was almost
full. [HE DECIDED TO GET ONE MORE KIND OF FRUIT . . . WHAT WAS IT, DO YOU
THINK?]
Suddenly, he felt like someone was watching him from behind. He turned
around. About five metres away was a tall man dressed completely in black. The
man’s eyes were hidden inside a large black hood. Abdul could see only one part
of his face. [WHICH PART WAS THAT?] Suddenly, Abdul was very, very afraid.
Abdul could not see the man’s eyes, but he felt the man staring at him. [HOW
WOULD YOU FEEL IN THIS SITUATION?]
‘What do you want?’ Abdul asked. The man in black did not answer.
‘Who are you? What do you want?’ shouted Abdul. [WHY DID HE SHOUT?]
After a long silence . . . the tall man in black said . . . v e r y slowly . . . in a deep
voice, ‘If you must ask . . . I . . . am . . . Death! . . . Your death!’ 
This answer shocked Abdul. He dropped his basket and ran back to the palace
as fast as he could. He ran into the caliph’s meeting room and threw himself on
the floor at the caliph’s feet. [WHAT DO YOU THINK HE IS GOING TO SAY?]
(continued)