Haggling at the market

Level

B1 / B2 (Intermediate / Upper-intermediate)

Age

Teenagers and adults

Time

40-60 mins

Procedure

Preparation

Read this plan, and familiarise yourself with the topic.

Make copies of worksheets.

Download the podcast to play on a phone/tablet (see the downloads section on the right) or listen to it online on the podcast page.

1. Introduction

Tell your students that they are going to listen to the first part of a podcast from the Premier Skills English website. Ask them to listen and try to identify the topic of the podcast.

Play the podcast from 00.00 > 2.36.

Here is the Premier Skills English Podcast: Talking about Money

The topic of the podcast is money and haggling.

2. Brainstorm

On the board write: to haggle. Explain to your students that to haggle means to discuss and argue about the price of something. Ask your students to work in groups. Ask them to think of three different places where they might haggle and ten different things that they might haggle over. Tell them that they have three minutes to come up with their ideas. 

3. Listen

Ask your students to listen again to the beginning of the podcast (0:00 - 1:00). Ask them to write down five words or phrases that they think are connected to money and haggling. If your students find this difficult, you can give them the transcript and they can try to circle five words as they listen. Answers could include: coin, spend, bargain, expensive, pay, how much, ripped off 

3. Worksheet 1

Show your students the vocabulary worksheet. Tell them to read the statements at the top which are from the part of the transcript that they have just listened to. Ask them to explain the sentences to a partner.

Tell them to complete the matching activity on the worksheet.

4. Podcast

Tell your students that they are going to listen to another part of the Premier Skills English Podcast. In this next section, Jack and Rich are talking about shopping in a market. Ask your students the following questions before you listen: Who likes haggling? Who doesn't like haggling?  Ask the following questions after you listen: Did Rich get ripped off the in the first roleplay? (yes) Did Rich get a bargain in the second roleplay? (yes)

Play the podcast from 4.28 > 8.48.

Students listen and discuss their answers/opinions. Ask your students: What did Rich do wrong in the first roleplay? What did he do right in the second roleplay?

Listen again. 

5. Language Focus

Tell your students they are going to listen to the second roleplay again. This time they are going to listen for specific words and phrases that Jack and Rich used to talk about money and buying things.

Play the podcast from 7.15 > 8.31. 

Hand out worksheet 2 and ask your students to work together to complete the gaps with appropriate words and phrases.

Play the section again and students can check and correct their own answers.

6. Worksheet 2

Ask students to work in pairs and practise the dialogue. When they have finished they should change roles.

When students have finished, ask one student to work without the worksheet and try to do the dialogue again. The student with the worksheet should encourage and help their partner with words and phrases.

Students then change roles again.

7. Roleplay 1

Look at the roleplay in Worksheet 3 - Rich and Worksheet 3 - Mick. Divide the class into two and tell them that one group is going to play Rich and the other is going to play Mick. Arrange the class into groups so that Micks are all in the same group and Richs are all in the same group. Distribute the worksheets and make sure that the students do not show each other their worksheets.

Ask your students to discuss the questions at the top of the worksheet and then their role in class. This is an opportunity for the students to share ideas about what they could say in the roleplay.  

8. Roleplay 2

Arrange the students so that all the Micks are sitting and the students playing Rich are able to find a Mick partner. In pairs, ask your students to roleplay the situation. Give your students five minutes to complete the roleplay. After the time is up, ask the students playing Rich to move and find another Mick. The students can then repeat the roleplay. If you want to focus on fluency, you could ask them to repeat the roleplay again, but this time only give them three minutes.

9. Feedback

What did they manage to buy? Did they get ripped off? Did they get a bargain?  Which Rich bought the most things? Did any of the customers get any change? Which stall holder made the most money?

10. Homework

Students write a shop dialogue including the words and phrases from Worksheets 1 & 2. Alternatively, they write about the best bargain they've ever found. This writing can be done as homework for you or as a comment on the Premier Skills English Podcast page: Talking about Money.