Five-Minute Conversations and Mock Exams

Final exams are just around the corner, and most of our students have just six more class periods in which to prepare for the big day. In these last few classes, they should be in high-gear - drilling their speaking abilities non-stop. Here are a couple of ways to help students feel prepared:

Five-Minute Conversations:
Remind students that the most important thing in the oral exam is to be able to express their ideas in the target language without resorting to English. If they can chat about the topics covered throughout the semester in the language of study, they'll do well on the oral exam. One way to help them fell prepared is to do a quick brain-storm of the topics covered (introductions, classes, family, vacation and weekend plans, giving directions, weather expressions, etc.), and then having students pair-up. Put five minutes on a timer, and then have the pairs of students talk about anything they want in the target language - without any English. Don't let them look-up words or ask you for vocabulary- they won't be able to on the test. Don't stop them or correct their mistakes during the five minutes of conversation, but do take notes. When the five minutes are over, point out some things that you heard that were good, and the most common mistakes. Then have students find a new partner, and have another five-minute timed conversation. You can do this drill a couple of times each class period from now until test time, keeping the drills fun and fast-paced. Encourage students to do these practices together outside of class as well.


Mock Exams:
Sometimes it helps students feel calm on test day if they have a good sense of what will happen. Particularly for our 1001 students, the final exam can seem a bit daunting, and it helps to know exactly where to go and what the procedure will be when they get there. One way to reassure students is to set-up mock exams. You can reserve the Language Lab for your class period. Then, give students a written assignment to do at the desks, like writing a pair of paragraphs or working on their study guide if the examiner has provided one. One by one, have the students come meet with you for a conversation in the language of study. Have them introduce themselves, and then talk with them in the target language about the topics studied. If they've studied giving directions, for example, ask students to tell you how to get to different places around campus. If they've studied family expressions, have them describe their family to you. Do not try to tell students what grade they should expect on the exam, even if they ask. Also, make sure they know that the content of the written practice and questions you ask are not the same as the exam. Remind them that the point of the practice is just to give them a sense of what to expect on exam day - where to go and what to do. This should help them to feel less nervous when test day rolls around.

Do you have any other ways to help your students feel confident and prepared? If so, leave them in the comments.