Getting to know you: interviews with follow-up questions
A first-week lesson for older learners. Students fix question word order, learn how follow-up questions keep a conversation going, interview a partner and write their profile.
At a glance
- From
- Level 3, Bridge English: Week 1, Getting to know you
- Grammar
- present simple and continuous; question forms
- Key language
- Where do you live? What are you reading at the moment? How long have you...? / Follow-ups: Really? Why? What's it like? How often do you...? Who with?
- Children make
- A five-minute interview and a 60-word profile of a partner.
- Class size
- Works with 10 to 50 children; pair and group steps say how to scale.
Objective
Students form present simple and continuous questions accurately and use follow-up questions to extend a conversation.
Success criteria for children
- I can make questions with the right word order.
- I can ask at least two follow-up questions.
- I can write a short profile using what my partner told me.
Timing: 60 minutes
| Minutes | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 6 | Warm-up: ask me anything | Students ask the teacher questions; teacher only answers correct ones. |
| 6 to 16 | Question word order | QASI: question word, auxiliary, subject, infinitive / -ing. |
| 16 to 26 | Reading: a model interview | Read the interview; find the follow-up questions. |
| 26 to 32 | Prepare questions | Students write five main questions and plan follow-ups. |
| 32 to 46 | Interviews | Pairs interview each other for five minutes each and take notes. |
| 46 to 55 | Feedback and writing | Board feedback; write the partner profile. |
| 55 to 60 | Exit ticket | Write one main question and two follow-ups. |
Materials
- Worksheet, pens
- A timer (a phone is fine)
- Present simple (free, linked from Week 1)
- Talking about your family (A2) (free, linked from Week 1)
- A2 Key for Schools preparation (free, linked from Week 1)
Step by step, with teacher talk
0 to 6 minWarm-up: ask me anything
- Students ask you any (polite) question. You only answer if the grammar is right; otherwise smile and wait until someone fixes it.
- Write two corrected questions on the board.
"I'll answer any question, but only if it's correct English. Try me."
6 to 16 minQuestion word order
- Draw a four-column table: Question word / Auxiliary / Subject / Main verb. Fit in "Where do you live?" and "What are you reading?"
- Students do task 1 on the worksheet (reorder the words) and check in pairs.
- "What you are doing?" What's missing or wrong? (The order: What are you doing?)
- Present simple or continuous for "at the moment"? (Continuous.)
16 to 26 minReading: a model interview
- Two students read the dialogue aloud. Ask: "What do we learn about Nadia?"
- Pairs highlight the follow-up questions and answer the questions below the text.
- Point out short follow-ups that cost nothing: Really? Why? Who with? What's it like?
26 to 32 minPrepare questions
- Students write five main questions in task 2 on topics they choose (home, school, hobbies, music, plans). They add one possible follow-up to each.
32 to 46 minInterviews
- Set a timer for five minutes. A interviews B and takes short notes; then swap.
- Rule: after every answer, ask at least one follow-up before your next main question.
- Monitor and collect two good follow-ups and two errors to discuss.
- Do you write full sentences while you listen? (No, short notes.)
46 to 55 minFeedback and writing
- Share the good follow-ups and correct the errors together without names.
- Students write a 60-word profile of their partner in task 3, then show it to the partner to check the facts.
55 to 60 minExit ticket
- See below.
Differentiation
Support
- Give a list of ten ready-made questions to choose from.
- Give a profile frame: "___ lives in ___. At the moment she's ___. In her free time..."
Stretch
- Add present perfect questions: "How long have you lived here?"
- Use reported speech in the profile: "She told me that..."
- Ask "What would you change about...?" as a deeper follow-up.
Dialogue
Ravi: So, where do you live?
Nadia: Near the river, about ten minutes from here.
Ravi: Oh, nice. Do you walk to school?
Nadia: Usually, yes. Sometimes my mum drives me when it's raining.
Ravi: What do you do in your free time?
Nadia: I play basketball. I'm in a team.
Ravi: Really? How often do you train?
Nadia: Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Ravi: Is your team any good?
Nadia: We're getting better! We're practising for a tournament at the moment.
Ravi: When is it?
Nadia: Next month. What about you? What are you into?
Ravi: I'm learning the guitar. I'm terrible, but I love it.
Questions
- Where does Nadia live?
- How does she get to school when it rains?
- Find two follow-up questions Ravi asks.
- Why does Nadia say "We're practising" and not "We practise"?
- How does Nadia keep the conversation fair at the end?
Printable worksheet
Prints on its own A4 page. Use Print the worksheet above, or print the whole plan and the worksheet starts on a new page. One copy per child, or one per pair to save paper.
Getting to know you
1. Put the words in order to make questions.
- live / where / you / do / ?
- reading / at / you / are / what / the moment / ?
- do / how often / you / play / sport / ?
- your / is / like / what / school / ?
- you / learning / anything / are / new / ?
2. My interview questions. Add a follow-up for each.
| Main question | Follow-up |
|---|---|
3. Write a profile of your partner (about 60 words).
Answer key
Dialogue questions
- Near the river, about ten minutes from school.
- Her mum sometimes drives her.
- Any two of: Do you walk to school? How often do you train? Is your team any good? When is it?
- Because it is happening around now, for a special event, not a permanent habit.
- She asks Ravi a question back: "What about you?"
Worksheet
- 1: Where do you live? / What are you reading at the moment? / How often do you play sport? / What is your school like? / Are you learning anything new?
- 2 and 3: answers will vary. Check auxiliary before subject, and third person -s in the profile (She lives...).
Exit ticket
Write a main question you did not ask today and two follow-ups for it. Hand it in; use the best ones as next lesson's warm-up.
Homework
Interview someone at home in English (or translate the questions for them and write their answers in English). Write a 60-word profile.
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- Level 3, Week 1: Getting to know you (the curriculum week this plan comes from)
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