While you are walking around, look at the outside of places where people live, as well as the public areas inside apartment buildings. What can you see?
Beginning Learners:
Do you know the names for all the parts of a house or an apartment building? Use the Look and Listen and Do technique to learn the names for different sorts of residences and things you can see from the outside or from public areas.
Possible vocabulary
| Apartment building | Entrance | Mailbox | Door |
| Window | Roof | Elevator | Floor |
| Doorman | Balcony | Stairs | Laundry Room |
| Curtain | Window shade | Courtyard | Clothesline |
| Yard or garden | Carport or garage | Driveway | Story (as in two-story building) |
Intermediate Learners:
Ask a local friend to tell you about where most people live – do they live in apartment buildings or houses? Record your friend talking about this and ask about any words you don’t understand. Listen to your recordings and then go and ask another person about the same topic. You could say something like “This is what someone told me about this topic. Do you agree?” Sometimes you will get a very different point of view. Record that person as well.
You could also ask a LH to write a short paragraph on the same topic, and use this for reading practice.
You can also ask about how well people know their neighbors and perhaps practice a simple dialogue exchange you might hear between neighbors. Use Role Play techniques to practice the dialogue.
