Taking a class out of the room and into the day to day world

My AR! conversation did two classes on food and shopping.  One student works in the prepared foods department at Whole Foods Market in Arlington.  Another two students had several questions about how to shop in an American grocery store, so agreed to meet at WFM in Arlington for and intro to one type of food store, what & where things were, and how to locate items, ask questions of staff (do you have?  where can I find?  and, most importantly, May I have a sample of that, please? - this one was a big hit).

Ever trying to slip a reading/writing component into the class, I asked them to prepare a shopping list of items they needed to purchase or that they had questions about.  I also prepared a pretty standard shopping list - giving items and quantities - with spaces for them to add info, questions, notes, etc.

Our WFM student had to work that day, but it proved to be a benefit:  she took some time  to come out of the kitchen and give a 'tour' of the prepared foods case (and got to point out which items she had made), and the other students got to ask questions, ask for samples from the counterman, and make notes about the food on their sheets.

It was a great conversation class ... but I found that I could give a short answer to a question about a product, and then, depending on student level and product container prose, let them read the product label or info card.  They made notes on their lists, and could ask questions about words they did not understand, or things they were not familiar with (organic cat food was high on that list, as were the prices on some items).  WFM also has an array of brochures and recipe cards available for customers, and placed by the entrance for easy reach.  These materials provided provided more on the spot reading exercises, and, since many of WFM's customers appear to be neophyte cooks, these materials are written in simple phrases with a rather limited vocabulary.  That makes them easy for ESL learners to understand.

The other unexpected benefits were the array of free samples (go Fridays, about 10-11 am, when they are fresh and plentiful!), and the opportunity to ask counterpeople for tastes, but another unexpected benefit was interaction with other customers.  One student wanted to know why everyone was saying "Excuse me!" and wanted to know why they were saying it.  We got to have a great discussion about how intonation could change meaning - from "I'm sorry if I bumped into you with my cart." and "I am squeezing through here." to  "Would you get out of my way?"

Though this is a conversation class, I asked the students to write their thoughts about the store, the customers, and their shopping experience.  I did find out on Saturday that one student had gone back to WFM with their own shopping list, and bought things for dinner.

I am thinking that a hardware store, or drugstore, or maybe Walmart might be a good choice for a next visit.  I was also pleased to find ways to incorporate reading and writing into the lesson.