Unit 12

WORKSHEET – UNIT 12

Task 1 – What are the two productive skills?

Speaking and writing

Task 2 – Give a brief description of the differences between accuracy and fluency activities:

Accuracy activities are usually integrated in the study phase. These are controlled or teacher-guided activities used to practice correct usage of grammar and language. Fluency activities, on the other hand, are usually done in the activate phase. They provide opportunities for students to experiment and be creative with the language

Task 3 – List 5 different speaking activities, giving an example activity of your own for each:

1.     Creative Communication – Describe and Draw

This activity is done in pairs, A and B. Each student has a different picture. Student A describes his/her picture first then Student B draws whatever Student A describes. After sometime, they exchange roles so B gets to describe and A gets to draw. They compare pictures after.

2.     Controlled Activities - Tongue Twisters

The teacher can use tongue twisters for drilling activities. Many of these tongue twisters are found online.

3.     Guided Activities – Dialogues

The teacher can provide a copy of a dialogue with some parts missing. It’s up to the students to add information to complete the dialogue.

4.     Creative Communication – Short Instructions (How to…)

Students pick a topic related to giving instructions like…how to fry an egg, how to operate a computer, how to go come to school from your home, etc.

5.     Creative Communication – Create a story based on a picture

Students are given a picture without text or description. They have to come up with a story about the picture, making sure that they say something about what happened before the scene in the picture and what will happen after.

Task 4 – Give examples of ways that the teacher can do to encourage students to speak and interact during a lesson:

1.     Be friendly and smile a lot to put the students at ease. If they’re comfortable, they are more likely to open up.

2.     Don’t force students to speak up if they don’t want to. Give easy questions to slow students so they can be able to answer and feel confident. Reserve more difficult questions for students who need to be challenged.

3.     Praise students for giving correct answers but don’t criticize students for their mistakes.

4.     Provide more opportunities for pair work and group work.

5.     Allocate time for more controlled and guided speaking activities.

6.     Give the students time to think and prepare their answers.

7.     Plan your lessons carefully.

8.     Speaking activities should have a purpose.

Task 5 – List five ways, with short explanations, that a teacher can generate interest in a topic. Come up with ideas of your own:

1.     Games – choose games that are suitable to the level of your students. It can be word games, TPR games, or traditional games as long as you incorporate some form of language into it. Games are fun and interesting ways to catch the attention of students and get them interested in the lesson.

2.     Jokes, humor, and anecdotes – Teachers can start a class by telling a joke or a funny anecdote that the students can relate to.

3.     Short outdoor trips – If your lesson is about food and ordering food, you can schedule a class at a local or international fast food chain (McDonald’s). This is a commonly done by ESL teachers here in China if they are teaching kids. Similarly, you can opt to have your adult class at a local coffee shop or go to Starbucks if your lesson is about coffee.

4.     Classroom Realia – Students get excited if they see things being brought to the classroom and they are given the chance to touch or feel these objects. I actually have a collection of bills and coins from different countries that I bring with me whenever I teach about money, banking, or countries. The students get excited every time.

5.     Songs and video clips – Another thing that can surely generate interest in a topic is the use of songs and videos. Choose material that is relevant and suitable to the students you are teaching.

Task 6 – Using the blank lesson plan that you should have received, plan an ESA lesson including at least one effective free-speaking activity. Please ensure all parts of the lesson plan are completed.

Task 7 – What additional issues does the teacher have to consider for a writing activity?

For a writing activity, there are some issues that need to be considered like handwriting, punctuation, spelling, and differences in spoken and written English. There are students who use a system of alphabet that is different from the English language so forming the English letters can be a problem. Handwriting can also be problematic if it impedes the reader from understanding the content. In this case, the teacher should encourage students to continually improve their handwriting. Another thing to consider is the use of punctuation. Written work can be a mess if the proper punctuations marks are not put in place. Spelling is another major issue. Students have to be made aware of the most common rules and complexities of spelling including silent letters and differences in British and American spelling. Students should be encouraged to read extensively to improve their spelling skills as well. Lastly, it’s also important to explain to the students the differences in spoken and written English. Examples of these are words like ‘can’t’, ‘I’d’, ‘gonna’ for spoken English and ‘cannot’, ‘I would’, and ‘going to’ for written English.

Task 8 – Think of five traditional games that could be adapted for the classroom and details of how you would use them (these games should not include any of those mentioned in the course unit):

1.     Taboo – can be used in the classroom the same way that it’s traditionally played. Students try to describe a word without using the accompanying taboo words.

2.     Alibi Game – this is a useful game when teaching past simple and past continuous. Teacher sets the scene of a crime (What? Where? When? Who?), have the student work in pairs and come up with an alibi as to why they couldn’t have committed the crime. Students interview the “suspects” individually and look for any inconsistencies in their answers. The pair with the most inconsistencies is most likely guilty.

3.     Guess Who – this game is also played the same way it’s normally played. It practices descriptions. The teacher can create multiple copies of a board with the faces of different people. There are also downloadable game boards available on the internet. Students take turns asking yes or no questions and by process of elimination, determine who the mystery person is. The first one who can do that is the winner. This is best played in pairs or small groups.

4.     Bingo – can be adapted for any vocabulary lesson.

5.     I spy – The teacher starts by saying….” I see (spy) something red (round, blue, big, orange, colorful, etc) “and the students ask questions like “ Is it a ____?” until they guess the correct object.  If they answer correctly, then they can be the game leader.