ESL B1 - Talking About Problems

Snakes and ladders

Roll the dice!

Instructions

ROLE PLAY

You planned a vacation three months ago. You are leaving tomorrow morning. I just called you to tell you that I cannot look after your dog while you are away. I now have an emergency I must resolve. You must find a dogsitter before you leave for vacation. This is a major problem. Discuss it.

I'm sorry to hear that... could I take you to the store? could I help pick up your groceries?

I wasn't expecting that!

I hope you're ok... why don't you take a taxi?

I think I sprained my ankle!

Have any of these happened to you? Did someone help you?

You stumbled in the street / You forgot your wallet somewhere / You locked your keys in the house or car

What would you say? Offer your assistance.

Your friend says "My taxi hasn't arrived, and my plane leaves in two hours."

I'm sorry to hear that. I know how you feel. I hope you're ok. Oh man! / Oh no! That's too bad.

I'm going to be late for my appointment!

(Help your friend / family)

Really? Can you call the office to change the time? Can you reschedule? Is there anything I can do to help?

I've locked myself out the house!

(Help your friend / family)

My car has broken down and I have a meeting at 6pm...

I hope you're OK...

What would you say? Offer your assistance.

Your coworker says "I'm sick today and an important client is coming to the office at 2p, but I think we should reschedule this meeting."

Box 55

Would you like me to drive you to the airport?

Can you call an uber?

Thanks for letting me know. Should I talk to the boss and make sure everything is in order?

Why don't I call and reschedule the meeting? You can do it another day.

Can you call the locksmith? Do you want me to call the locksmith?

Do you normally manage problems by yourself or ask for help?

What can you say when something happens that you were not expecting?

My car has broken down and I have to go grocery shopping for dinner tonight...

I'm sorry to hear that...

Expressing Empathy

What do you normally say to a person who is experiencing problems or challenges? How can you show empathy?

Ladders

SNAKES

INSTRUCTIONS

Players start with a token - which represents each of them - in the initial square and take turns rolling the die. The tokens move according to the numbering on the board, in ascending order. If, at the end of a move, a player lands on a square where a ladder begins, they move up it to the square where it ends. If, on the other hand, they land on a square where a snake's tail begins, they move down it to the square where its head ends. If a player rolls a 6, they can move twice in a single turn. If a player rolls three consecutive 6's, they must return to the initial square and cannot move their token until they roll a 6 again. The player who reaches the final square is the winner. There is a variation where, if a player is six or fewer squares away from the end, they must roll precisely the number needed to reach it. If the number rolled exceeds the number of remaining squares, the player cannot move.

If the player falls on the bottom of a ladder, they move up to the top square where the ladder ends.

Ladders

If the player lands on a square where the tail of a snake starts, they go down to a lower square where the headis located.

SNAKES