Filed under: Classroom Tips, Methodology | Tags: affective factors in the classroom, English With Jennifer, Jennifer Lebedev, JenniferESL, learner's self-esteem, pop quizzes, setting goals, student tutors, ways to give language learners confidence
In no particular order, here are some recommended practices for boosting your students’ confidence:
- Place them in the role of language tutors. We may be inclined to think of student tutors as assistants who are hand-picked for being strong academically and being at the highest level within a language program. I’d argue that even a solid intermediate student could help others at the same level or at a lower one. In fact, it’s that intermediate level that seems to stretch endlessly on, so students at this level could really benefit from an experience that reveals how much they’ve already mastered. Students can tutor others as part of a classroom activity in which you ask one to assist the other in completing a task. Students can also tutor others outside of class at your request. Student tutors can be a good solution for all parties involved, especially since your own time is limited.
- Have them set realistic goals. I’ve written about learning goals in the past. They certainly aren’t just for the start of a semester. You can set daily goals as a class. Make sure everyone knows what the lesson topic is and what they’ll be expected to do. Set a minimum standard that is attainable for everyone. When goals are met, congratulate the students.
- Have them share their written work. A great way to showcase student compositions is through a student newspaper or literary magazine. But if that’s not an option, let them share their work in the classroom. Remember how Mom used to put your artwork and spelling tests up on the fridge? Well, the equivalent of the kitchen fridge is your classroom wall. Some compositions are appropriate for a wall display, and by posting them you encourage your students to take pride in their writing. Did they recently compose a poem or essay for an upcoming holiday? Create an appropriate wall banner and below it post their work for others to enjoy. Of course, you’ll need to ask students’ permission to do this because some may not feel comfortable with such a public display. An alternative is to have them read corrected and revised compositions to a friend or family member who has also studied English.
- Let them know you’ve made mistakes as a language learner. Whether you yourself have studied English as a second language or spent time learning another language, you very likely remember the difficulties you had as a student. Funny anecdotes about your own confusion as a language learner can inspire students and remind them that making mistakes is part of the learning process. I love the story my American colleague told me about how she wanted to ask her Russian friend to break a large bill, but mistakenly invited him to hug her because the Russian verbs for exchange and embrace are quite similar.
- Revive and reform the infamous pop quiz. I never liked pop quizzes as a student, and I’ve avoided them as a teacher, but after some consideration, I see a benefit from giving them. The quizzes don’t have to count towards a final grade. They can serve as a review. You are making sure that information was retained, and students can gain satisfaction from performing well on the spot. The quizzes can be very short. They can be taken on paper, or they can be done orally. For quizzes on paper, students can work individually and a “passing grade” can earn them fun rewards like stickers or fortune cookies. If done orally, the quiz can be taken as a class. When a student falters, allow another to assist. You have 15 students. You posed 15 questions. Did they get at least 11 right? Congratulate them.
Filed under: Classroom Tips | Tags: English With Jennifer, JenniferESL, Jennifer Lebedev, use of film in the English classroom, authentic materials, recycling language activities
Creative activities and authentic material strengthen a language lesson, but preparing the activities and finding the material can be time-consuming. Here are two suggestions for conserving time and energy:
- A creative activity can remain fresh by changing the subject matter. You don’t have to feel pressured to come up with new activities every week. In fact, it helps the students become better learners if they have the chance to gain familiarity with the tasks required by one particular activity. Recycle a few of your favorite activities throughout the school year. I’d argue that by doing the same activity more than once (without overkill) students have the chance to develop their own strategies for completing that specific set of tasks. For example, the first time they must write a plot description for a movie sequel, they may need more time to organize their thoughts. The second time they do this activity (with a different film or by targeting a different grammar structure) they may have a strategy in place: First, come up with a title. Second, decide who will be in the sequel. Third, write a few sentences about what each person is going to do in the sequel. Fourth, go back and see if the targeted language structure was used and used correctly.
- Authentic material can be reused. When you hunt for authentic material, it can take time to find something interesting and appropriate. This is especially true when you use film. First, you have to narrow your choice down to one film that you know, has subject matter with broad appeal, and provides the speech models you feel are suitable. Then you have to select the scene(s) that is most compatible with your lesson. (You may also lose time like I do getting lost in a movie and forgetting that I need to watch as a language teacher!) So after all the work of finding a scene and possibly spending further time locating the script online, why let all that effort go to waste by using the material only one time? You can use a selected scene for more than one lesson. This not only saves you time and energy, but the students also have the chance to strengthen their comprehension of that scene. For example, I recently recommended a clip from Dead Poet’s Society to practice modals. The emotional conversation between a father and a son provides enough content to illustrate and practice how modals can be used to express necessity. For another lesson, the same scene offers a few phrasal verbs in context: talk back, get away with it, let me down, count on me, and others. In a third lesson, you could also combine online materials. I have a video on expressions related to bulls as well as a follow-up exercise. You could use the same scene from Dead Poet’s Society to stimulate students’ original use of the targeted expressions, which include bullheaded and take the bull by the horns.
Filed under: Classroom Tips | Tags: English With Jennifer, JenniferESL, Jennifer Lebedev, using junk mail in the classroom, authentic material
With an open mind and some creativity, we can view junk mail as free material for language instruction. The bonus is that it’s all authentic. My recycling box at home fills up with various forms of advertisements every week, from the cable company’s latest promotion to the services of a neighborhood baby-sitter. If you’re not in the U.S., you might be able to ask an American friend to set aside a few days’ worth of junk mail and send it to you. Another possibility is to use the email in your spam box. (Of course, then you’ll need to print out the mail.)
What can be done with junk mail? There are endless possibilities. Let me offer a few ideas:
- READING & WRITING CONTACT INFO. For a group of beginners, collect magazine renewal postcards. Give one card to each student. Have them take turns reading the magazine titles and return addresses aloud. Next, have them practice writing their names and addresses on the appropriate lines.
- SCANNING FOR NUMBERS. For an intermediate group, collect letters offering a service. (Black out any private info of yours that may be listed.) Phone and cable TV companies regularly send such letters. Have students practice their reading skills by scanning for points expressed with numbers. Challenge them to find and circle a cardinal number, an ordinal number, a percentage, and a price. Then test their ability to read for details. Ask them to write a sentence about the significance of each number. Example: A letter from Direct TV lists the service fee at $29.99 for 12 months. The student circles the numbers (as a price and a cardinal) and then in his notebook writes: Direct TV costs $29.99 for 12 months. Students can share their information with their classmates.
- WRITING CONDITIONALS. For an intermediate or advanced group, collect coupons or certificates. Have them create one or two conditional statements based on the information printed. Example: (using a coupon from the Jos. A Bank retail store) “Use this Note to Save an Extra $25 OFF any purchase of $100 or more.” = If you use this coupon, you get $25 off your purchase. You have to spend $100 or more if you want to use this coupon.
- USING PARALLEL STRUCTURE. For an advanced group, find ads with bulleted lists. Ask them to identify parallel structure. Then challenge them to rewrite the information using different grammatical forms as a new illustration of parallel structure. Example: (from a company offering Internet service)
Switch and you can
- Save an additional $120
- Get unlimited High-Speed Internet access
- Do online banking
The student may write:
By switching, you’ll be
- Saving an additional $120
- Getting unlimited High Speed Internet access
- Doing online banking
Filed under: Grammar, Student Stumpers | Tags: JenniferESL, Jennifer Lebedev, EnglishwithJennifer, reported speech, indirect speech. modals, modals verbs, modals in reported speech
QUESTION: How does may change in reported speech?
ANSWER: As a colleague of mine said, I opened the proverbial can of worms by taking on reported speech recently on my YouTube channel. The number of rules concerning changes to verbs is especially high, and some of the rules I dared to challenge.
If grammar sources address modal verbs in reported speech, the list of changes is often limited to a half dozen or so. One modal that is often included is may, but the only rule stated is that may changes to might. Is it as simple as that?
Example 1a:
“The meeting may end early,” Pete said.
Pete said that the meeting might end early.
This makes sense, though I’d note that the general rules for verb tense changes still apply. If we are immediately reporting Pete’s words, then it’s not really necessary to change may.
Example 2a:
“No one may leave the meeting before the vote is taken,” said the director.
The director said that no one __?__ leave the meeting before the vote was taken.
Is it necessary and logical to change may to might in this reported statement? Wouldn’t it sound more natural to use could? I’d argue yes. For statements expressing permission (or lack of it, i.e., prohibition), may changes to could:
The director said that no one could leave the meeting before the vote was taken.
And here’s an example with the negative:
Example 2b:
“You may not abstain from voting,” the director said.
The director said that we couldn’t abstain from voting.
Does that mean may changes to could only when we’re expressing permission? No. Let’s go back to Example 1 and test out could:
Example 1b:
“The meeting may end early,” Pete said.
Pete said that the meeting could end early.
Isn’t could an acceptable alternative that expresses the possibility of the meeting ending early? If so, then let’s see what happens in negative statements that express possibility:
Example 3:
“You may not make the 5:15 train home,” Sally said.
Sally said that I __?__ not make the 5:15 train home.
I think only might is possible in this statement. Could no longer expresses the unlikelihood that may did in the original statement. The reported statement must be:
Sally said that I might not make the 5:15 train home.
Summary
Quoted speech > reported speech
MAY > might - or - could = to express possibility
MAY NOT > might not = to express unlikelihood
MAY > could = to express permission
MAY NOT > could not = to express prohibition
Filed under: Grammar, Student Stumpers | Tags: conditional statements, conditionals, English With Jennifer, indirect speech, Jennifer Lebedev, JenniferESL, modals, perfect modals, reported speech
QUESTION: The book says we never change should and could in reported speech. Is that true?
ANSWER: As I was preparing a lesson on modals and conditionals in reported speech, I came across an old online thread about changing what most grammar sources claim is unchangeable. An English language learner reasoned that in reported speech modals like should and could need to shift to perfect modals (should/ could have + past participle) if a past possibility is in question.
For example, the student wrote: My doctor told me I should have eaten more vegetables until I got better. This statement on its own seems fine, but what were the original words?
- Situation A: “Why did you stop eating vegetables?” asked the doctor. “Your body needed the extra vitamins to fight off the illness. Now your condition has worsened. You should have eaten more vegetables until you got better.” This corresponds to the reported statement.
- Situation B: “You are sick and your body needs extra vitamins to fight off the illness,” the doctor told me. “Don’t risk getting sicker. You should eat more vegetables until you get better.” This does not correspond to the reported statement. I would report the final sentence as follows: My doctor said I should eat more vegetables until I get better. Verbs referring to future events that have yet to occur don’t require a shift in verb tense.
I decided to form additional examples to test my logic as well as my instincts.
Example 1:
My supervisor told me I should turn in weekly reports.
(present situation) = It’s expected that I submit the reports.
Original statement: “You should turn in weekly reports.”
Example 2:
My supervisor has told me repeatedly that I should turn in weekly reports.
(present situation) = I’ve been reminded often to turn in reports, but I don’t.
Original statement: “You should turn in weekly reports.”
Example 3:
My supervisor told me repeatedly that I should turn in weekly reports.
(past situation) = I was reminded often to turn in reports, but I never did.
Original statement: “You should turn in weekly reports.”
Example 4:
My supervisor told me I should have turned in weekly reports.
(past situation) = It was expected that I submit the reports, but I didn’t. I can’t change the past.
Original statement: “You should have turned in weekly reports.”
Do you agree so far? Note also, that we could avoid the use of modals entirely and report the statement as a command:
- My supervisor told me to submit weekly reports. (present or past situation)
- My supervisor had told me to submit weekly reports. (only a past situation)
The same thread went on to pose a list of conditional statements to consider. Again, the student argued there was a need to change all modals to their past forms in reported statements. Before I could firmly disagree, I composed my own set of statements to test my reasoning:
Example 1:
“If you turn in reports, you won’t get in trouble.”
> My co-worker said that if I turned in reports, I wouldn’t get in trouble.
(real situation in the present and future – verb tenses change)
Example 2:
“If you turned in reports, you wouldn’t get in trouble.”
> My co-worker said that if I turned in reports, I wouldn’t get in trouble.
(hypothetical situation in the present and future – no tense changes)
Example 3:
“If you had turned in reports, you wouldn’t have gotten in trouble.”
> My co-worker said that if I had turned in reports, I wouldn’t have gotten in trouble.
(hypothetical situation in the past – no tense changes)
Example 4:
“If you had turned in reports, you wouldn’t be in trouble.”
> My co-worker said that if I had turned in reports, I wouldn’t be in trouble (now).
(hypothetical situation in the past and present – no tense changes)
If you are in agreement with my logic, the conclusion is that perfect modals always retain their form in reported speech and modals referring to the present or future may change (e.g., can to could), but they don’t change to perfect forms.
Filed under: Grammar | Tags: English verb tenses, English With Jennifer, grammar activity, Jennifer Lebedev, JenniferESL
Students reach a milestone in their language learning when they finally cover all the verb tenses. The real hurdle, however, is figuring out when to use each of them. As new verb tenses are presented, students should have opportunities to compare and contrast them with the tenses they already know. At the upper levels, we should still provide exercises to check and strengthen their understanding of all the verb tenses.
Consider the following activity to help your students master verb tenses:
Level: Intermediate to advanced
Objective: To write a plot description for a prequel and/or sequel after reading the plot summary of the current movie.
STEP 1 – Go online to find a plot summary of a movie. Prepare the text for classroom use. Provide a copy to each student. Read it as a class. Identify the time frame(s) and the verb tense(s). Discuss any unfamiliar vocabulary.
Example adapted from Netflix.com:
THE THING CALLED LOVE (1993)
Aspiring country singer Miranda Presley (Samantha Mathis) follows her dream to Nashville, Tennessee, and finds herself falling for two very different men whom she meets at an audition. James Wright (River Phoenix) is an exciting and talented singer, while Kyle Davidson (Dermot Mulroney) is quiet and gentle. Miranda makes a rash decision that turns her life upside down. She will have to figure out how to get her musical — and personal — life back on track. Sandra Bullock co-stars.
STEP 2 – Break the students into twos or threes. If time allows, they will write plots for both a prequel and a sequel. If time is limited, some groups can write plots for a prequel, and other groups can write plots for a sequel. (You can also have all groups work on a prequel or a sequel, depending on which verb tenses you want to target.) Provide examples:
PREQUEL: GROWING UP COUNTRY
Before Miranda Presley (Samantha Mathis) moved to Nashville, Tennessee, she had a life in New York. She grew up in the city, and she was surrounded by rock-n-roll. Friends and family thought her love for country music was strange…
SEQUEL: CRAZY IN LOVE
Miranda Presley (Samantha Mathis) is now married to James Wright (River Phoenix). Both have had some success as country singers, but now their careers are going in different directions. Who will make a sacrifice to help the other? Miranda will have to choose between two loves: music and marriage…
STEP 3 – Groups will read their plot descriptions to the class. Feedback from the class and the teacher is given.
STEP 4 – Groups should have the opportunity to make changes before submitting the final draft to the teacher.
VARIATION 1: You can certainly adapt the activity for lower levels. Prequels can limit the focus to the simple past and perhaps also the past progressive. Sequels can limit the focus to the future with will and perhaps also be going to. The online plot descriptions can be adapted. Example:
THE THING CALLED LOVE (1993)
Miranda Presley (Samantha Mathis) has a dream. She wants to be a country singer. She goes to Nashville, Tennessee, and meets two very different men. They also want to be singers. James Wright (River Phoenix) is an exciting and talented singer. Kyle Davidson (Dermot Mulroney) is quiet and kind. Miranda tries to have a happy and successful musical — and personal — life. Sandra Bullock co-stars.
OTHER SUGGESTED FILMS:
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
On Golden Pond (1981)
Seems Like Old Times (1980)
Filed under: Methodology, Writing | Tags: consumer reports, English With Jennifer, expressing contrasts, expressing similarities, Jennifer Lebedev, JenniferESL, real life skills in the ESL classroom, venn diagrams
It’s wonderful to use authentic material in the classroom. The connection between a language lesson and the language used out there is strengthened. There are times when adapted material serves our purposes better, but when there’s a choice to fabricate or take what’s real, I think it’s best to integrate that piece of real life into our lesson plan.
In professional, academic, and everyday situations, our students may be asked to compare and contrast. Do they have an organized approach for gathering information? Do they have the language needed to express similarities and differences? One fun way to teach graphic organizers and structures for comparisons and contrasts is to ask students to write consumer reports.
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Objective: To present a consumer report to one’s classmates.
Skills targeted: Reading for details, using graphic organizers, writing comparisons and contrasts, making oral presentations from notes.
STEP 1 – Students must have information on two products or two services. If possible, ask them to collect this information in advance. This allows them to choose something they are genuinely interested in. If, however, this kind of preparation time is not possible, you can collect sets of information yourself. In this case, you may have to ask students to work in twos or threes, depending on how much information you are able to collect yourself.
SUGGESTIONS: (1) At a local mall, get brochures from sales reps. Cell phone sales reps, for example, are always willing to hand out information. (2) Amazon.com is also great for this activity. Just type in the product you want (steam iron, dog raincoat, hair dryer, etc.), and select the two most appealing from the list. View the product details as well as customer reviews.
STEP 2 – Model the use of one or two graphic organizers. A Venn diagram and/or a traditional chart would be appropriate. You can find printable online Venn diagrams for classroom use.
STEP 3 – Have the students fill in the information on their graphic organizers. Remind them that at this point, complete sentences aren’t necessary.
STEP 4 – Review the targeted structures for comparisons and contrasts. Suggestions: (not) as…as; unlike; compared to; while; similarly, in contrast with, both, more…than. Provide models for the structures you want the students to use:
Both steam irons have stainless steel bottoms.
The Black & Decker iron is not as heavy as the Panasonic.
Unlike the Panasonic, the B&D model can do vertical steaming.
Etc.
STEP 5 – Have students write a short consumer report using information from their graphic organizers and the targeted structures. Provide a model:
Panasonic has steam iron for $36.98. It’s a little over five pounds. It also has an automatic retractable cord reel. Black & Decker makes a similar steam iron. Both have stainless steel bottoms. Compared to the Panasonic, the B&D is more sophisticated. It’s not as heavy as the Panasonic, but it’s more expensive. The B&D steam iron costs $46.29. Unlike the Panasonic, the B&D model can do vertical steaming. That means you can steam clothes while they’re on hangers. Also, in contrast with the Panasonic iron, the B&D model has an automatic shut-off. For ten dollars more, I think the B&D model is worth buying.
STEP 6 – Allow for students to share their reports with classmates. You may choose to do presentations to the whole class, in a small group, or as an exchange between partners.
Filed under: professional development | Tags: English With Jennifer, Jennifer Lebedev, JenniferESL, professional development, teacher observations, teacher training
Classroom observations are very useful not only during teacher training, but also for the professional development of veteran teachers. Of course, not many teachers will readily volunteer to be observed by their peers. With colleagues or supervisors in the classroom, we can feel self-conscious and begin to second-guess our instincts. Even so, I’d encourage this practice because peer support and peer feedback has the potential to make us better at what we do.
Is there an alternative? Yes. In fact, I’d argue there are at least two. The first involves observing strangers teach. YouTube makes this possible. Some ESL teachers have videotaped segments of their lessons in a traditional classroom. Others teach to the camera, but teach in a traditional manner with use of only a whiteboard. All these videos make it possible to identify elements of good teaching. You can do evaluations on your own, but you’d gain more by making this a group activity. At a staff meeting, you and your colleagues can watch one or two of these online videos and discuss the merits as well as provide suggestions for improvement.
Want to make it more interesting? Watch people teach something other than English as a foreign language. YouTube makes it possible to watch lessons on Hindi, Dutch, Mandarin, and more. Choose a language that is unfamiliar to you and your colleagues. For the more adventurous or for the veteran teachers who could really benefit from something fresh and unexpected, there are language lessons on Pig Latin and Gibberish (U.S. and U.K.) There are some great discussion questions based on these online tutorials:
- How does Jessica begin her lesson on Gibberish? How dos Jonathan begin his lesson? Which way is more effective?
- The woman who posts under the name MyIvyRoad tells some very questionable information about the origins of Pig Latin. What responsibility does a teacher have as an authority on the language she or he teaches?
- The young girl posting under the name Jorjastege offers a quick tutorial on Pig Latin. Is her visual explanation effective? Are her examples clear?
Also, you may choose to invite volunteers from the staff to stand up at the board and offer mini lessons of their own on Pig Latin or Gibberish. As silly as the idea may first appear, there truly is a point: their teaching skills are put into use for observation. The variation of subject matter allows for a fresh perspective. I did something similar once when leading a workshop on how to teach vocabulary to beginners. Knowing that none of my staff knew Russian, I asked them to let me teach a short lesson on basic Russian words. They were forced into the roles of language learners, and they were able to evaluate my teaching approach. It was fun and effective.
I’ve had the fortune of being able to experiment with film in traditional and virtual classrooms. I’ve learned how to select the right length and target the right skills to fit each occasion.
- One session, one viewing.
In the past I had opportunities to gather students for movie sessions in which we watched currently released Hollywood films from beginning to end. In those sessions, we focused on general understanding and vocabulary. The time generously allotted allowed me to pause briefly at key points to check how much was understood, note useful expressions, and sometimes invite predictions. After the film ended, we had some time for discussion. Also, I assigned a writing topic (summary, character description, etc.) with requirements tailored for the different levels present. The writing assignment encouraged use of the vocabulary I highlighted in class.
- Multiple sessions with film segments.
I also recall watching a couple of films almost in their entirety over the course of several classes with groups of advanced students. Using downloaded scripts from sites like Drew’s Script-O-Rama, we focused on pronunciation features at the discourse level. Breaks between scenes were followed by reenactments of what they students had just seen. Students were encouraged to watch the film again on their own. Romantic comedies such as While You Were Sleeping were received well and presented clear speech models.
- Selected segments for one class.
Conversation classes are, of course, devoted to developing students’ speaking skills. However, I’ve often argued that it’s well worth taking five or ten minutes to read a stimulating passage or watch a thought-provoking scene that will generate thirty to fifty minutes of great conversation. Sometimes all that’s needed to develop a satisfying conversation class is a well-illustrated concept and some key vocabulary. A short clip or series of clips from a film provides both. I once used two scenes from Stephen King’s Langoliers as the basis for a 50-minute conversation class. The scene in which the main characters face a crisis aboard a plane prompted a discussion about different human reactions to an emergency situation. A subsequent scene turned our discussion in the direction of leadership and the qualities one needs to organize action. Of course, we then took time to speculate what would happen later in the film. Students were encouraged to watch the film on their own.
- One selected segment, one student, multiple skills.
More recently, I decided to use one five-minute clip from Dead Poet’s Society to teach a private student. The scene provided the opportunity to practice several skills this intermediate student was having difficulty with: question formation, modal verbs, and verb tenses. Instead of me writing and asking the usual comprehension questions, the student was charged with this task. I had provided a short plot description, so between this text and what the student understood from watching the scene, a dozen questions were written (and then answered) by the student. Some of those questions included the use of modals. I added additional discussion questions with modals for further practice. Finally, an oral summary of the scene followed by predictions allowed some practice with verb tenses.
