metables often have short codes for speci?c meanings. Ask students ?rst toguess what these mean, then look them up, then invent ?ve funny new codesfor things that might happen on journeys e.g. DDCT ?Delay while Driver has Cup of Tea!.
Pair discussion : ?!anning a ;ourney “and out a bus # train timetable to each pair. $repare a set of di%erent planning tasks on cards e.g. &ou want to spend a day shopping in ‘erlin and then meet your friend whose plane lands at the airport at (.)*. $lan the journeys. +et one task to each pair. ?hen pairs have ?nished they meet up with another pair and describe their plan- the listeners try to raise problems or di?culties.
Tense ?ractice ?hen students have planned a journey they can use present progressive for future to describe what they intend to do e.g. /?e0re arriving at ).1( and then we0re going straight to the theatre./ Phone ca!! ro!e ?!ays $airs 2 one student is the customer, one is an information assistant. 3nly the assistant has a copy of the timetable. +et students some problem role plays e.g. en4uiring about when trains go to Delhi, booking a ticket for tomorrow, en4uiring about cancellations because of a strike etc. ?ord ‘rainstorming Ask students to study a train timetable and think of every noun that could be used in connection with talking about the journeys ?e.g.
train, platform, ticket,station etc!. 5epeat this for verbs that go with the nouns ?e.g. catch, miss, arrive, change, board, buy etc!. ?hen students have a good list they can use this to prepare a story, 1nternet research set a task such as6 $lan a journey from here to 7os Angeles stopping at ?ve interesting tourist places on the way. +tudents will need to research plane and train timetables as well as ?nding out some interesting locations to visit. &ou could make the task more challenging by restricting them to a ma8imum of two plane 9ights
