Identifying and giving directions

Unidad de Apoyo para el Aprendizaje

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Presentation / Objective


In this topic you will study how to identify and give directions to get to different places in the city as well as some useful expressions to carry out this task. This module will contribute to your learning of A1-level contents, based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The activities were designed to be developed in a communicative basis. You will practice reading and listening comprehension, as well as writing and speaking, so that you can effectively communicate in the English language.




By the end of this topic, you will:
Identify and give directions to get to different places in the city as well as some useful expressions to carry out this task.

When you visit a new city or a tourist arrives in your city, we ask and give directions to know how to get to the interesting and touristic places in the city. To achieve that we are going to do some activities.

First, we are going to learn some prepositions of movement, transition words, questions, and expressions to be able to follow and give directions in the city. Let’s get started!


Prepositions of movement


Study the following instructions to give directions. Look and listen carefully.





Study the following instructions to give directions. Look and listen carefully.



Go through

Go up

Go down



Go straight

Go past

Go over



Cross

Go round

Turn right



Turn left

Take the first on the right

Take the second on the right



Take the first on the left

Take the second on the left

Study the following phrases and its pronunciation.

Then...,

Next...,

When you get to...,



After that...,

Finally...,

Study the following directions. Pay attention to the questions and the expressions used to give directions. Clic and listen carefully.

Wallusy. Conversacion. 2019. Taken from: https://pixabay.com/es/vectors/gente-hablando-gesticulando-4498458/

- Excuse me, how do I get to the History Museum, please?



- Excuse me, where is the bank?



-Excuse me, can you tell me the way to the gold camp?



-Excuse me, is the post office near here?



- Excuse me, can you tell me the way to the school?





In the following table there are three columns that will be useful when giving and receiving directions. In the first column, there are different ways to ask for directions. In the second, there are some questions to ask when the address is not very clear, and you have doubts about how to get there. Finally, in the third column, there are some expressions of courtesy and thanks.

Pay attention to the following chart:

QUESTIONS CLARIFYING EXPRESSIONS POLITE EXPRESSIONS
Excuse me, how do I get to…? Can you repeat that, please? - Thank you!
- No problem.
Excuse me, can you tell me the way to…, please? Near the bank? - Thanks a lot.
- It’s Ok
Excuse me, where is the…? Sorry, I’m not from around here.
I’m sorry, I don’t know.

Reading
Activity 1

Find your restaurant

Do you like international food? What’s your favorite international restaurant? Can you give the direction to your favorite international restaurant?

Antonytrivet. 2021. Restaurant. Photography. Taken from: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/cocinero-platos-restaurante-comida-5993951/


Reading
Activity 2

Gastronomic Festival activity 2


Listening
Activity 3

Is there a supermarket near here?

When we go on vacation, we don’t know the location of public places. We solve this problem by getting a local map or asking directions to local people.

Tumisu.2014. Mapa. Illustration. Taken from: https://pixabay.com/es/illustrations/mapa-localizaci%c3%b3n-navegaci%c3%b3n-525349/


Writing
Activity 4

My favorite restaurant

Now it is your turn to tell us about your favorite restaurant and the food you love eating there. To get ready you can answer some questions about that restaurant.

  1. What’s the name of the restaurant?
  2. What kind of food do they prepare? Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Brazilian food, etc.
  3. What meals do you love eating there? and why?
  4. How do you get there from your house or any other nearby place?

Don’t forget to check grammar (imperatives to give instructions, prepositions of place and movement), spelling and punctuation and check the rubric and the example to assess your work.


Speaking
Activity 5

Inviting my Friends

Stock, S. Amigos. 2017. Taken from: https://pixabay.com/es/photos/gente-ni%c3%b1os-mochila-playa-arena-2616695/

Think of an event and the place where it is going to take place to record a 1 or 2 minutes invitation.

Include the following aspects in your speaking task and start answering these questions:


  • What do you celebrate? or Why do you want to meet your friends? Your birthday, the weekend, best friend day, have students meeting, to study, etc.
  • Where is the event taking place? in a restaurant, mall, cinema, park, museum, library, etc.
  • What activities do you and your friends do? eat fast food, see a movie, play sports games, walk around, study, etc.
  • Where is the place of the event? downtown, in the suburbs, just outside the city, near Tacuba subway station.
  • What’s the starting point? Your house, a bus stop, a subway station, etc.
  • How to get to the event place from the starting point? Go straight ahead on Molino Street. Turn left into… etc. (Use imperatives, prepositions of movement, and transition words to give the instructions).

Use the answers to plan your speech and record your speaking task. When doing the speaking, take into consideration accuracy in grammar, and pronunciation. Check the example and the rubric to assess your work.

Example:



Self-assessment

Quiz 1- Completing the dialogues

Now that you have learned to give directions, let’s see how much you remember.

Quiz 1- Order the dialogue - Palace of Fine Arts

Now help a tourist to find the way to the Palace of Fine Arts by ordering the dialogue.

References

Main

Latham-Koening, C., & Oxenden, C. (2013). American English File 1 Student Book. Oxford: OUP.

Saslow, J. and Ascher, A. (2015). Top Notch Fundamentals. Student’s Book. Third edition. NY: Pearson.

Swan, M., & Walter, C. (2011) Oxford English Grammar Course Basic. Oxford: OUP.

Additional references


British Council (2019). Cómo dar indicaciones en inglés para llegar a un sitio. Retrieved from https://www.britishcouncil.es/blog/como-dar-direcciones-en-ingles


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