Role play cards

Looking through my past years' materials I often recover something I actually forgot I'd created. This is the case with the role play cards I'm adding to this post. I was working with the fisrt-year students using "Total English Upper-Intermediate" coursebook when I developed these cards to have students practice active vocabulary related to the topic of the unit. One of the issues we were discussing was comparison of urban and rural living. This topic is quite common in the curriculum and can be found in a number of English coursebooks.





                                     ROLE PLAY CARDS
                 (COMPARING URBAN AND RURAL LIVING)


Situation 1

Student A You live in the country. One day you travel to a nearby city and come across your old friend who lives there. Speak to him/her about the advantages of rural life and try to convince him/her that it is better than life in the city.

Student B You live in a city. One day you meet a friend of yours who lives in a village. Explain to him/her that rural life is full of disadvantages. Try to convince him/her that city life is better.

Situation 2

Student A You live in a big city. You lead a very hectic lifestyle that is becoming tiring for you. You’re thinking of moving to the countryside. You decide to talk to a friend of yours, who lives in a village, to find out about advantages and disadvantages of rural life. Explain to him your problem and ask for advice.

Student B You live in the countryside. Generally, you’re satisfied with the pace of life although you see some drawbacks in rural lifestyle as well. Your friend from a city calls to find out about pros and cons of life in the country. Tell him/her what you think and give him her some advice.

Situation 3

Student A You live in a village but dream of life in a big city. One day you decide to leave rural life and move to a nearby city. You talk to a friend about your decision and reasons why you made it. Try to convince him/her that you made a right decision.

Student B You live in a village. Your friend tells you that he/she wants to move to a city. You’re concerned about your friend and try to find out all the details of his decision. Try to make sure that he/she weighed all pros and cons before changing his/her lifestyle.

Situation 4

Student A You’re a student in a small town. Your course ends in a year and you’re thinking about moving to a big city. You talk to a friend about all the great possibilities that you may find there. Try to list all the advantages of finding job in a big city.

Student B You were a student in a small town. Now you work in a big city but you find it hard to adjust to a hectic lifestyle. Your friend tells you about his/her decision to move to the city after his/her course ends. Explain to her that life in a big city isn’t so bright as he/she thinks. List the disadvantages.

Situation 5

Student A You live in a big city. One day you decide to spend a weekend in the countryside. You feel very skeptical about rural lifestyle and think that it only has disadvantages. As you arrive in the village, your relative shows you around and your attitude changes. Express your impressions and feelings as your opinion changes.

Student B You live in the countryside and enjoy your lifestyle. You relative from a city arrives one day for a weekend. He/She is very skeptical about the advantages of rural life. Describe her the peculiarities and advantages of your lifestyle in order to change his/her attitude.