Interviews

Objectives: To engage students in a Reading exercise; to improve speaking

Steps:

1. This activity works with Reading exercises about individuals. After going over such an exercise, tell your students that they will pretend to be journalists working for a well-known newspaper or TV program.
2. Ask the students to think about what kind of newspaper or TV program they want to do the interview for. Ask them to choose a person profiled in the Reading and then prepare to interview him or her. Help your students think of some questions or topics.
3. Students work in pairs. They prepare the interview together. They should feel free to invent information to make the interview interesting.
4. Have the students act out their interviews. If possible, you may even record the interviews.

Example: The following example is for New Interchange 2, Unit 12: "It's Been a Long Time!" The Reading exercise appears on p. 77 of the Student's Book.

Example of an interview with Sarah Chang: Interviewer: Hi, Sarah, welcome to our program, News and Views! Sarah: Thank you. It's a real pleasure to be here. Interviewer: So, Sarah, tell us about your experiences as a world-famous violinist. Has it been difficult for you at all? Sarah: Not really. But sometimes when I travel to other countries, I get a bit lonely and I miss my friends. Interviewer: Which countries have you visited, Sarah? Sarah: Oh, I've been almost everywhere! Interviewer: What's it like to stand up in front of hundreds of people you don't know and play the violin? Do you ever get nervous? Sarah: . . .

Variation: You could write the beginning of the interview and have students continue it. Another way to help students get started would be to write the questions, leaving the students to complete the answers.