ENJOY YOUR ENGLISH - HANDY SAMPLER

ENJOY YOUR ENGLISH - SAMPLER
The full range of activities for communication using English can be found at http://educationmatters-jpc.blogspot.com

ACTIVITIES & TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE READING

1. You are listening to an individual pupil read. He reads the text quietly, you help out when he gets stuck on a word. Good technique? Afraid not. In fact, you are probably hindering his reading development because you are asking him to sub-vocalise every word. Sub-vocalisation reduces reading speed considerably. What should you do?

He reads silently, his finger following beneath the text as he reads it. He taps twice when he reaches a word that give him difficulty. You say it quietly, he repeats the word, then moves on as before. Check comprehension with a few questions here and there.

Ask him, if you want, to read a few paragraphs out loud after he has been through the text as described above. Now he will be practising read aloud.

2. Choral reading is a technique we abandon too readily when pupils reach secondary school. However, it remains valuable for the weaker readers. The class, including the teacher, read aloud the same text together. In this way, the rhythm and intonation of the text is dictated by the teacher. Here are some variations:

Teacher reads, class may chorus only the final word of each sentence.
Teacher reads, class may chorus only the final phrase of each sentence.
Teacher reads, class may chorus only the words with Capital letters.
Teacher reads, class may chorus everything after the word and.

3. Most learners enjoy guessing games. Do not let them see the text you are about to read. Read them five words from the first paragraph. Ask them to guess what the paragraph says, in gist. Go through each paragraph in this way. Neither affirm or deny their interpretations. When you have completed the text, allow them to read through it in silence for themselves. Then discuss, paragraph by paragraph, which guesses were most accurate, and which clues led to the correct interpretation.

4. Turn your pupils into 'nonsense' detectives. Read to them the text you are about to study; they should not have seen it before; and it is better if you have read it in advance. As you read it to them, substitute words - one at a time - for some of the words that appear in the text. Try to think of words which sound like the words you are replacing, or use obviously silly substitutes. The student can stop you at any time and say: “That’s a nonsense word. I think it should be…”

5. Pupils get so used to answering questions that they can lose the ability to ask them. In class, regularly reverse roles and invite pupils to question you about the text. Be especially daring and do it with your book closed and their books open. Revenge is sweet.


6. If you are studying a text which is followed by a series of printed questions, get your pupils to cover up the text and try to answer the questions (orally). It does not matter if they are wrong; they are focusing on the essentials of the text through their own intelligence and imagination.

An alternative is to make up the questions yourself. The questions should lead the pupil/pupils through the text. You can read then read the text together to see how accurate or inaccurate the students have been in their responses.

7. Pupils need to work in pairs. One person reads the first sentence, the second person reads the next sentence, then back to the first person, and so on. Pupils are compelled to follow the sentence they are listening to, in order to be ready to read their own sentences. Generally, pupils become supportive of each other.

8. Poor readers often approach text in fear. They have become conditioned to wading through a text, word for word, in what seems an interminable process. Teach skimming and scanning early. Inculcate the idea that not everything needs to be read word for word slowly and carefully. Getting the gist is often enough.

9. Books open. Tell pupil you will give him only a short time to read this chapter. But you only want the answer to a few questions you will ask him in advance. This encourages speed and skimming and scanning.

10. Skimming is an ideal introduction to different kinds of texts. For example, in Home Economics, the class is being introduced to a recipe they have not seen before. In pairs, they are given a copy of the recipe. Quick fire, closed questions are asked: how many eggs? oven gas mark? kind of flour?; weight of raisins? They will not only be looking for the information but building up an overall picture of what the recipe is likely to involve.

11. Pupil's book closed. Tell pupil four or five key words in each sentence. Ask pupil to reconstruct sentence. After each paragraph, pupil opens book and reads the paragraph.

12. Pupil's book closed. Read passage to pupil. But pupil must guess every fourth or fifth word (variable). If the guess is correct, confirm by repeating word; if not, continue with chapter and oral cloze procedure. At end of passage pupil opens book and reads passage to helper as before.

13. Remind or pre-teach these punctuation marks:
. full stop ? question mark ! exclamation mark

Pupil's book closed.
Read to pupil. Stop at the end of each sentence.
Pupil has to say what punctuation mark ends each sentence.
Open book. Pupil reads paragraph to helper.

14. Pupil's book closed. Read each sentence backwards twice.
Pupil must reconstruct original sentence.
After each paragraph, pupil opens book and reads paragraph to helper.

15. Books open. Pupil reads text silently to himself. BUT he must hum quietly but audibly as he reads. The aim is to prevent the pupil saying the words silently to himself as he reads. Sub-vocalisation reduces reading speed considerably. Regular practice in humming while reading reduces sub-vocalisation. Eventually the humming is not required. It is quicker to read by sight than by sound.

16. Books open. Pupil reads chapter to helper. BUT pupil must read each and every sentence three times. Insist on this. When this is done, invite pupil to read chapter to you as fast as he can. He should be pleasantly surprised by his own speed and fluency.

17. Book open. Pupil must cover all of the text except the part he/she is being asked to read to the helper. After pupil has read a section, invite him/her to describe how he would like the story to continue. Pupil then reveals the next section of the story and reads it to see if it actually does go on as he would like it to. Continue procedure until a reasonable amount of reading has been achieved.

18 An A to Z of Way to Explore a Text

a) Look at the apostrophes in ‘this’ sentence.
Write down any word that has an apostrophe. Explain why it is there.
b) Find the common nouns in this sentence.
c) Find the proper nouns in this sentence if there are any.
d) Find the adjectives in this sentence.
Name an alternative adjective for each adjective you find.
e) Find the adverbs in this sentence.
Name an alternative adverb for each adverb you find.
f) Find any words you do not know the meaning of. Find out what it means.
Use it in a sentence to show you can use it appropriately.
g) Name a synonym for these words.
h) Name an antonym for these words.
i) Explain any facts you can find in this paragraph.
j) Explain any opinions you can find in this paragraph.
k) What in your opinion are the three most powerful words in this paragraph?
l) What words are used to create the atmosphere of the story.
m) How does the story hook you from the beginning?
n) Name one or two of the characters in the story.
o) Which character in the story would you most like to be? Why?
p) Which character in the story would you least like to be? Why not?
q) Write a diary entry for one of the characters in the story.
r) What questions would you like to ask the character? Ask them!
s) Write a text message to one of the characters in the story.
t) Does this story remind you of any of your memories or experiences?
u) In your opinion, what are the key moments in the story?
v) Invent an alternative ending to the story.
w) Complete the sentence... One thing I really like about this story is......
x) Complete the sentence... It would be better in this story if......
y) Write a short letter to the author of this story explaining what you think
about the story and the way that he/she has told it.
z) Make up some questions you would ask to check if someone has read the story
carefully and understood the story.



ACTIVITIES & TECHNIQUES TO ENJOY WRITING

1. DIY (Do It Yourself) Story Telling.
Texts are often followed by a series of questions. Invite your students to answer these questions before they see the text, They can then compare their versions with the original. This can be used with almost any kind of text. If no questions are provided, write your own.

2. CHANGE THE FACTS and make any other necessary changes
Select a text that matches the abilities and interests of your students. Underline some of the information in the text. Read through the text and invite students to suggest alternatives to the underlined information. Students then rewrite the text with the freedom to make as many changes as they can while still making sense. You may also invite them to extend the information in the text.

3. BEHIND THE HEADLINES
Select a number of short articles from newspapers and magazines appropriate to the age and interests of the group. Cut the headlines from the articles and have them ready for the activity. Pass out headlines to pairs or small groups of students. They must write an article to accompany the headline. Set limits to the number of words they may use. When ready, compare the students’ articles with the original articles.

4. DEAR EVERYBODY
This is best used with a new group. After you have been with your group a couple of weeks, write them a letter beginning, Dear Everybody... Tell your students something about yourself, your interests, and your hopes for them. Invite students to write their own individual letters back to you. Tell them you will respond personally to each student who writes to you. This may take you a bit of time, but it is well worth doing for a number of reasons, including establishing positive relations and discovering the writing abilities of each member in your group.

5. BE MY SECRETARY
Essentially this activity involves pairing students in the group. Then each student will take it in turn to act as the other’s secretary, and not only write notes as they are dictated but then deliver them to other members of the group. Limit the notes to around 30-50 words. The activity usually becomes fast and furious, so 15-20 minutes is enough!

6. MY PHOTO ALBUM
Give each student a blank sheet of A4 paper and tell them to fold it in half. On each of the four pages they should draw a rectangle which will serve as the frames for their ‘photographs’ Students are then instructed to draw a picture in each of the rectangle of their ‘photo album’. The photos should be about almost anything, but they should be personal, e.g. my family, my house, my best friend, my best holiday place, my hobby, a place I’d like to visit.... When ready, students can show their albums and explain the pictures. They must then write 30-50 words about each photo in their album.

7. EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS
If possible, seat whole group in a circle though this is not really necessary, You start off the ‘story’ by giving the first word. Everyone, including you, writes down the word. A student adds the next word, and everyone writes it down. If the student offers a ‘challenging’ word, you should spell it for them. The next student offers a word, and everyone writes it down to continue to the story. This continues until you feel the class has created a worthwhile story, Of course, this activity is not restricted to narrative texts. As a follow-up, you may invite the students to take the story and individually see if they can write the story and improve it in as many ways as they can.


8. WHO AND HOW OFTEN?
Display these frequency adverbs and phrases where students can easily see them: usually –sometimes – never – hardly ever – often – regularly – frequently - rarely – seldom – occasionally – from time to time – normally - now and then – once in a blue moon.

Invite students to write one sentence of each of these which they describe how often the named individual does whatever it is they do. There should be a different person for each sentence. The people named should be known to the student who uses their name... family, friends, teachers, etc. You may get some surprises, such as ‘Mr. Smith hardly ever marks our homework.’



9. CHANGE THE LYRICS
Find a song that is popular with your students. Write down the lyrics. Give the students in pairs or small groups the lyrics. Play the song several times. As you do, invite students to rewrite the lyrics and, of course, they must fit the original tune. Choose songs that are popular with the students, not necessarily with you. You can find almost anything on youtube. The Beatles, of course, wrote a great number of songs such as Yesterday that are particularly easy to rewrite, but Beethoven’s Ode To Joy can be great fun even when your students don’t understand a single word of German.


10. THE ONE-WEEK DIARY
Invite your students to keep a diary of one week. But this diary will be unusual because instead of writing about the past, the diary encourages them to write about topics that help create a happier future. Each entry should take from a few moments to a few minutes. The diary is for the individual student; it is not for the teacher. Announce one topic each day. The topics are: Monday: A Big Thank You - Tuesday: A Terrific Time - Wednesday: My Fabulous Future - Thursday: Dear... (to someone important in their lives) - Friday: The Weekly Review (students to review the past week and describe two or three things that went really well for them). Remember this is their personal diary which they can share if they choose to do so. AND while they are writing their entries, why don’t you write yours?!



ACTIVITIES & TECHNIQUES TO ENCOURAGE SPEAKING & LISTENING

Oracy is not a subject - it is a condition
of learning in all subjects.

In everyday life we are constantly using speaking and listening to acquire, explore, develop and express knowledge and understanding through discussion with others. The skills of active listening, negotiation, building on the ideas of others to solve problems and develop new initiatives are increasingly valued in the workplace - and therefore should be equally valued in any programme of language development. No true literacy can occur without true oracy.

1. TALKING POINTS
This activity is useful once you have gained the confidence of the group. It helps engage and energise students at the start of a learning session. Ask a student to select a letter from the alphabet. Write the letter large on the whiteboard. Students must now talk about any topic beginning with this letter for precisely 1 minute. Students can then be invited to report what their conversation was about. This can also be used to explore any topic. For example, in teaching Science, invite students to suggest topics. Write each topic one at a time on the whiteboard. Students now have precisely 1 minute to discuss the topic, then report back to the group.


2. BEHIND THE HEADLINES
Collect some short newspaper and magazine articles. Cut off and keep the headlines. Show the headlines, one at a time, to the class. In pairs or in small groups, students try to guess in as much detail as possible what the article contains. Give 3 minutes per headline. Then read the original article to the class. Award points for each detail guessed correctly. Extended this, by inviting students to suggest an article entirely different from the original that the headline would suit.

3. ME – MYSELF – I
This activity offers an original way to introduce yourself to the class but it can also be used later on, but not after they have got to know you very well. Some preparation is advance is needed but usually proves well worth the effort. Select about 10 interesting facts about yourself: where you were born, hometown, favourite subjects in school, family, sports and hobbies, where you’ve travelled, etc. For each of these, prepare a single word, a date, an illustration, a symbol, a flag; in fact, anything you associate with these items. Invite your students to explore what each one stands for and its significance for you. This encourages your students to do most of the ‘work’ in getting to know you.

4. DIY (Do It Yourself) to encourage discussion
Texts, particularly those used in school and other places of education, are often followed by a series of questions that systematically test the knowledge of students studying the topic. Now and again, let your students see and discuss the questions before they study the information in the text. You can do this with almost any text, e.g. Science, History, Geography, Law, EFL, and narrative texts. It is often more fun and productive if the students know very little about the information in the text, e.g. when you’re introducing a new topic in History. If your text has no prepared questions, write a series of questions that explore the text yourself.

5. BACK TO BACK LISTENING
This activity can be used in a variety of ways to encourage students to listen actively to each other. Students in pairs are given some pieces of blank A4 people. Students then sit back to back. Student A is then given the task of describing something. As Student A is giving a description, Student B must draw what is being described as accurately as he/she can. Tasks may include: my living room, my bedroom, my dog, my cat, my little sister, my bicycle – in fact, anything that can be reasonably described and drawn. Student A then checks the accuracy of the drawing. Roles are then reversed.

6. SOUND MAPS
Students work individually. Without speaking to each other, for a period of 3 or 4 minutes, students are encouraged to listen carefully to the sounds around them. These may include ticking clocks; birds or other animals; the wind and its effect on trees, doors or windows; traffic; people talking or moving outside the room.

As they hear each sound, students locate the direction of the sound and either write it or draw it onto their paper, placing it in the appropriate position to show where the sound came from.

At the end of the listening time, students are encouraged to talk as a group about the sounds they heard, what might have made those sounds and where they were.

7. WHAT IF…..?
This activity aims to encourage students to use their imagination and to express their ideas to others. It is essential the teacher provides topics in which students may have a genuine interest. If the activity is merely mechanical, the activity will fail. Learners work in small groups (threes or fours). The leader reminds the learners that they have a limited amount of time (2-3 minutes) for this activity. The leader provides learners with a prompt idea (see examples below) which learners are encouraged to develop - however extreme or bizarre their ideas may be.The learner conducts a brief plenary session (again, only a few minutes) during which each group explains their most extreme ideas. Suggested topics: What if… you could take over this school? What if you woke up as a boy/girl tomorrow morning? What if you became President/Prime Minister of your country? What if you could make one wish that would come true?


8. INVITE STUDENTS TO DISCUSS THEIR OWN LEARNING
Your students and you should regularly review the learning that is taking place in their learning. What do they find interesting? What do they find challenging? What do they think of the balance between reading, writing, speaking and listening in your teaching? In what ways could the learning process be improved? Of course there are dangers in opening up yourself to criticism, some of which may be negative. Your feelings as a teacher may be hurt but if you don’t open yourself up to fair, friendly evaluation, you will miss the opportunity to improve yourself as a teacher and to truly engage your students. Passive learners are poor learners.


9. THE COGNITIVE INTERVIEW

The Cognitive Interview is often used by the police to help witnesses reconstruct accurate memories of what they have witnessed. You can use the Cognitive Interview to help your students memorise and recall information. In the traditional interview we start at the beginning, work step by step to the middle and then on towards the end. This method often hinders recall because the interviewee is not only being asked to remember the information but to sequence it in the ‘correct’ order. In a cognitive interview get your students to start by outlining anything they remember that occurs around the middle of the information they have been studying. They should elaborate on any points of interest they recall. They should also be encouraged to move backwards and forwards from any point they reach; for example, “What happened before…?” and “What happened after….?” rather than what happened next.

You could perhaps start by showing your students a short video (grab one from youtube). Then ask them to reconstruct what they saw and heard in as much detail as possible. Use the Cognitive Interview method. You should be amazed by how much discussion it generates.

10. THE SPEAKING & LISTENING MIND SET
This is not an activity; this is a mind set. Encourage your students to talk about practically anything and everything. Ignore mistakes students make when they are speaking. Such intervention breaks the communicative flow and discourages the student from speaking, and eventually, if students don’t speak, they will stop listening to you.