aiMOOC

E8 M - Negotiate a solution

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Einleitung

E8 M - Negotiate a solution trains you to solve a disagreement in English. You work with a fictional team, ask for clarification, make suggestions, give reasons and reach a compromise.

E8-M mode: English first → context → try → ask → hint → short German help if needed. No full translation. Aim for clear communication, not a perfect accent.

Media starter – Look, think, speak: What could the people be negotiating? Give two possible problems and one possible solution. Compare your ideas with a partner.

First viewing: Watch the British Council video once without stopping. Note one phrase for agreement and one phrase for disagreement. Second viewing: Watch again with captions if needed. Notice how speakers give reasons instead of only saying yes or no.

I-can-Ziele

After this aiMOOC, you can say:

I can disagree politely and give a reason.
I can ask for clarification when I do not understand.
I can make, accept, change and reject suggestions.
I can negotiate for about 5–6 minutes with two or three speakers.
I can reach and present a compromise.
I can use the passive and reported speech in a useful negotiation context.

Vorwissen aktivieren

Try first. Complete the four moves orally.

Disagreement: I see your point, but ... Clarification: Could you explain what you mean by ...? Suggestion: How about ...? Compromise: What if we ... and ...?

If you get stuck, ask a partner first. Then use the hint box.

Function	Hint
disagree politely	I see your point, but ...
ask for clarification	Do you mean ...?
make a suggestion	Why don't we ...?
compromise	Could we meet halfway and ...?

Kurzhilfe Deutsch: Du musst nicht jedes Wort verstehen. Konzentriere Dich auf Gesprächsfunktion, Grund und Lösung.

Context: The planning problem

You are on the planning team at fictional Riverside School. Maya, Leo and Sam are fictional Year 8 students. Their class has one afternoon and a limited budget for a school activity.

Problem: Maya wants more money for food. Leo wants better posters. Sam wants a game area. The team cannot pay for everything.

Your goal: Find a solution that all three can accept. Nobody has to get everything they want.

Listening and Viewing

Before viewing: Predict three suggestion phrases.

While viewing: Listen for a suggestion, a positive response and a practical next step.

After viewing: Change one phrase so it fits the Riverside School problem.

For extra clarification practice:

Listening strategy: Listen for meaning first. Do not replay every sentence. In E8-M, one focused replay with captions or a partner check is usually enough.

Reading: A short meeting note

Read this fictional meeting note.

Meeting note

The hall has been booked for Friday afternoon. A small budget has been provided. Maya suggested spending more on snacks because students may stay longer. Leo disagreed and said the posters needed to be clearer. Sam asked whether some materials could be borrowed from the art room. The team was told to keep the plan simple.

Reading task: Find:

one passive form
one reported statement
one reported question
one reported command

Think: Which idea could reduce the conflict without simply choosing one person’s plan?

Kontextwortschatz

Word or phrase	Meaning in this task	Example
disagree	have a different opinion	I partly disagree because ...
clarify	make meaning clearer	Could you clarify that?
suggest	offer an idea	I suggest sharing the budget.
compromise	solution with concessions from different sides	A compromise could be ...
priority	something especially important	Our first priority is ...
afford	have enough money for something	We cannot afford both options.
fair	acceptable to the people involved	Is that fair to everyone?

Pronunciation and fluency

Clarity before accent. Use your voice to show whether you are questioning, disagreeing or proposing.

Try these aloud:

I see your point, but ... – stress the new reason.
Do you mean ...? – use a clear questioning tone.
What if we ...? – keep the phrase connected and natural.
Could we meet halfway? – slow down slightly on the key idea.

Fluency challenge: Speak for 30–40 seconds about one option without reading a full script. Notes with keywords are fine.

Speaking: Negotiate a solution

Work in groups of three if possible. Two speakers also work.

Roles

Maya: Snacks are important because students may stay for a long time. Leo: Posters matter because people need clear information. Sam: A game area would make the event more attractive.

Round 1 – 2 minutes: State your position and one reason. Round 2 – 2 minutes: Ask at least one clarification question and make at least one suggestion. Round 3 – 1–2 minutes: Negotiate a compromise and agree on one final plan.

Use at least one phrase from each box:

Move	Useful language
Disagreement	I see your point, but ... / I'm not convinced because ...
Clarification	Do you mean ...? / Could you explain what you mean by ...?
Suggestion	How about ...? / What if we ...?
Compromise	Could we meet halfway? / What if we do both, but on a smaller scale?

E8-M challenge: Do not read a complete dialogue. Use notes, react to the other speakers and keep the conversation moving.

Direct feedback

After the role-play, give one piece of feedback in English:

One thing that worked: Your reason was clear because ... One next step: Next time, try to ...

Then check:

Did the speaker react to another idea?
Was a reason given?
Was clarification used when needed?
Did the group actually reach a shared solution?

Fehleranalyse

Correct the communication problem, not just the grammar.

Problem	Better move
No. That's bad.	I see your point, but I think we need another option.
What?	Sorry, do you mean we should spend less on posters?
We do my idea.	What if we combine both ideas?
He say he need more money.	He said he needed more money.
The posters print tomorrow.	The posters will be printed tomorrow.

Self-correction routine: Notice → try again → ask → use a hint → check.

Functional grammar

Grammar supports the negotiation. It is not the main goal.

Passive: productive use

Use the passive when the action or result matters more than the person.

The budget is shared between the three areas. The posters will be printed at school. Some materials can be borrowed.

Try: Change one sentence from your solution into the passive.

Reported speech: backshift, questions and commands

Use reported speech when you summarise what another person said.

Statement: Maya said, “I need more money.” → Maya said she needed more money. Question: Sam asked, “Can we borrow materials?” → Sam asked whether they could borrow materials. Command: The teacher said, “Keep the plan simple.” → The teacher told them to keep the plan simple.

Try: Report one idea from your role-play after the discussion.

E8-M focus: Use the passive and reported speech actively. The past perfect progressive is not a target here.

Writing

Write a short follow-up message of about 90–120 words.

Include:

the disagreement
one clarification
the compromise
one next step
one passive sentence
one example of reported speech

Start like this if useful:

Subject: Our final plan

Thanks for the discussion. We agreed that ...

Mediation

Do not translate word for word. Pass on only the information your English-speaking team needs.

German info card: Die Aula ist bis 16 Uhr belegt. Die Gruppe darf ab 16:15 Uhr aufbauen. Es dürfen höchstens 60 Gäste gleichzeitig hinein.

Task: Explain the key information in two or three English sentences. Then say how it changes your plan.

Scaffolding: choose only what you need

Level 1 – independent: Negotiate with keywords only. Level 2 – phrase support: Use the four-function table. Level 3 – sentence starters: I see your point, but ... / Do you mean ...? / What if we ...? Level 4 – short German help: Formuliere zuerst Deinen Grund in einem einfachen englischen Satz. Füge dann eine passende Gesprächsphrase hinzu.

No full translation is needed.

Transfer

Choose a new fictional problem:

a class trip has two possible destinations
a project group has too many ideas
a school club must divide limited time
a team must choose between cost, quality and speed

Negotiate again with fewer notes than before. Keep the same four moves: disagreement → clarification → suggestion → compromise.

Can-do check

I can ...	Not yet	With help	Independently
disagree politely and give a reason	□	□	□
ask for clarification	□	□	□
make and respond to suggestions	□	□	□
negotiate for 5–6 minutes	□	□	□
present a compromise	□	□	□
use passive and reported speech in context	□	□	□

Follow-up course: E8 M - Present and justify a solution

Safe media and AI use

Recordings are voluntary and should stay private/local unless your teacher has arranged a safe school system and everyone involved agrees. Do not upload classmates’ voices, faces or names without permission.

Use only fictional profiles in this course. Do not use private social-media data.

If you use AI for practice, check language level, facts and feedback. AI may help you notice options or errors, but it should not replace your own speaking or writing. Do not send personal recordings or private data to external AI services without an approved school setup.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Which phrase is the best polite disagreement? (I see your point, but I think we need another option.) (!No. Your idea is bad.) (!You are wrong.) (!Stop talking about that.)

Which question asks for clarification? (Do you mean we should spend less on posters?) (!Why are you always wrong?) (!Can I leave now?) (!Who won the game?)

Which sentence makes a suggestion? (How about borrowing some materials?) (!The meeting finished yesterday.) (!The poster is blue.) (!I disagree with everything.)

What is a compromise? (A solution in which different sides accept some changes.) (!A solution where one person gets everything.) (!A repeated disagreement with no result.) (!A translation of every sentence.)

Which sentence uses the passive correctly? (The posters will be printed tomorrow.) (!The posters will print tomorrow by.) (!The posters printing tomorrow.) (!The posters will be print tomorrow.)

Which sentence reports a statement correctly? (Maya said she needed more money.) (!Maya said she needs yesterday more money.) (!Maya said she need more money yesterday now.) (!Maya say she needed more money.)

Which sentence reports a question correctly? (Sam asked whether they could borrow materials.) (!Sam asked can they borrow materials.) (!Sam asked whether can they borrow materials.) (!Sam asked whether they borrow can materials.)

Which sentence reports a command correctly? (The teacher told them to keep the plan simple.) (!The teacher told them keeped the plan simple.) (!The teacher asked that keep plan simple.) (!The teacher told to them kept the plan simple.)

What should you do first when you miss part of a discussion? (Try to understand the context and ask for clarification if needed.) (!Translate every word immediately.) (!Stop the discussion.) (!Pretend you understood everything.)

What is the main goal of the role-play? (Reach a shared solution through discussion.) (!Use the longest possible sentences.) (!Copy a complete script.) (!Speak with a perfect accent.)

Memory

disagreement	polite different opinion
clarification	making meaning clearer
suggestion	idea for possible action
compromise	shared solution with concessions
priority	something especially important
feedback	information for improvement

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Disagreement	I see your point, but ...
Clarification	Do you mean ...?
Suggestion	How about ...?
Compromise	Could we meet halfway?
Agreement	That works for me.

Kreuzworträtsel

compromise	What do you call a solution in which different sides accept changes?
clarify	Which verb means to make an idea easier to understand?
suggestion	What do you call an idea for possible action?
reason	What should you give to support your opinion?
passive	Which grammar form focuses on an action or result rather than the doer?
feedback	What helps you identify what worked and what to improve?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Polite disagreement: Record or perform three short disagreement phrases with a reason. A recording is optional and private.
Clarification cards: Create four small cards with useful clarification questions.
Suggestion swap: Write five suggestions for the Riverside School problem and exchange them with a partner.
Mini compromise: Choose two conflicting ideas and combine them into one fair solution.

Standard

Three-person role-play: Negotiate for 5–6 minutes using disagreement, clarification, suggestion and compromise.
Meeting report: Summarise three things your partners said using reported speech.
Solution plan: Write five action points and use the passive in at least two of them.
Mediation challenge: Explain a short German planning note in English without translating it sentence by sentence.

Schwer

Changing constraints: Repeat the negotiation after the teacher changes one condition, such as time or budget.
Feedback analysis: Compare two role-plays and explain which communication moves made agreement easier.
Solution pitch: Present the final compromise for 90 seconds and answer two follow-up questions.
New scenario: Design a new fictional school negotiation with three roles, conflicting priorities and a realistic compromise.

Lernkontrolle

Repair a discussion: Rewrite a short conflict in which speakers interrupt, give no reasons and never clarify. Explain why your version works better.
Compare two solutions: Compare two possible compromises and explain which needs each solution addresses. Do not simply choose one without reasons.
Report decisions: Turn direct statements, questions and commands from a fictional meeting into reported speech and explain what changes grammatically.
Focus and effect: Decide where passive forms make a final plan clearer than active forms and justify your choices.
Unexpected change: A planned activity suddenly has less time and less money. Adapt the compromise without restarting the whole discussion.
Communication reflection: Identify one fluency strength and one accuracy target from your role-play and set a concrete next step.

Lernnachweis

For a successful learning record, show that you can:

take part in a 5–6 minute negotiation with at least two speakers
use disagreement, clarification, suggestion and compromise appropriately
give reasons and react to other speakers
reach and present a shared solution
use at least one productive passive form
use reported speech with backshift and at least one reported question or command
write a clear 90–120 word follow-up message
reflect on one fluency strength and one accuracy goal
use support independently and reduce it when possible

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