Filed under: Classroom Tips, Conversation, Listening, Writing | Tags: English With Jennifer, Jennifer Lebedev, JenniferESL, online photos, photoblogging, photos in the language classroom, visual aids
As a continuation of my previous posting, here are two more whole language activities centered around online news photos:
2. Photoblogging. Some of the same sites that post weekly albums offer community interaction through photoblogging. Share one of the editor’s picks of the week with the class. Read the caption aloud and explain the meaning of any unfamiliar vocabulary or grammar. In pairs students can discuss their reactions to the photo. Prompts can be given, for example:
- Have you seen anything similar to this before?
- Does this photo help you learn anything new?
- What do you feel when you look at this photo?
- If you had to title this photo yourself, what title would you choose?
This brief oral exchange should serve as preparation for a writing activity. Have students write a personal reaction to the photo in 4-5 sentences. Once they submit it to you and receive feedback, they can be encouraged to post their comments online.
TIP 1: A selected photo can be the springboard for classroom discussion. On the MSNBC site, the editor includes a thought-provoking question that nicely suits this purpose.
TIP 2: Choose a photo with a caption that contextualizes vocabulary or grammar recently learned.
3. Audio commentaries. This is a variation of the previous activity and would have to be done in a language lab. Have students view 6-8 of the editor’s picks. Allow them time to select one photo and write 4-5 sentences about their personal reaction to it. Have them submit their writings to you for review. While you are providing corrections and feedback, students can work in pairs to come up with original titles for all the photos. Come back together as a class, view the photos again, and have volunteers call out suggested titles. Next, using their corrected writings, students must record their comments and send the audio files to you. As a class, you can playback these short recordings. The author will remain silent while the others guess which photo he or she is talking about.
TIP: Listen to the audio recordings once more after class and provide one-on-one feedback regarding each student’s pronunciation.
Filed under: Classroom Tips, Conversation | Tags: communicative activity, English With Jennifer, Jennifer Lebedev, JenniferESL, teaching with photos, using photos in the language classroom, visual aids, whole language activity
I love finding new uses for common teaching tools. Photos have always been one of my favorite visual aids because images evoke both emotion and thought. It’s unusual for someone not to have anything to say about an image. At the very least, a photo can be described objectively. What or who is shown? Describe what you see. However, if we bring a photo into language learning, the goal is to get the most and not the least use out of it.
Photos can stimulate writing, prompt group discussion, and put into practice newly learned language items and structures. In previous postings, I’ve shared ways to use photos in a pronunciation lesson on intonation and a grammar lesson on the passive voice. I also suggested using photos as a means to engage students at the start of a lesson. Today let’s begin to explore whole language activities based on photos. I’ll share one activity in this posting and two more in the next posting.
A number of sites offer albums titled This Week in Photos. Among them are:
Online news photos are coupled with captions, so students will automatically be faced with two forms of information: image and text. I give preference to MSNBC for two reasons: one, the editors note graphic content before actually displaying a photo and, two, the size of one collection is not overwhelming (approximately a dozen photos in each weekly album). Using recently taken photos can facilitate the following activity:
- Categorizing with a partner. Students can work in pairs or small groups and select one or two photos for each category:
- Having Importance Politically
- Having Importance Economically
- Having Importance Socially
- Most Powerful Image
If in a language lab, partners can discuss choices at their assigned computer. If in a classroom, the teacher could print out 10-12 photos from one album and post them around the room for viewing. Choices can be compared as a whole class, with each small group being asked to explain one of their choices. (Example: Which photo did you think had the most importance politically and why?) An optional writing assignment can be to express one’s personal reaction to a selected photo (perhaps the one that was voted Most Power Image by the majority).
TIP: Let some of the top choices in other categories lead into a current events discussion.
(To Be Continued)
Filed under: Classroom Tips, Vocabulary | Tags: English With Jennifer, first aid kits, Jennifer Lebedev, JenniferESL, medical vocabulary, pratical skills, real life skills
Is there anyone for whom it’s not beneficial to know how to administer first aid? For the following activity, borrow your school’s first aid kit or purchase one yourself (since it’s not a bad idea to keep one on hand). The main goal is to increase students’ practical language skills, not issue them first aid certificates. Clarify this and the fact that you are not a medical authority. (You should also be aware of any school policy restricting the medical assistance you can give to a student.)
Level: Intermediate to advanced
Objective: To learn the names of objects in a first aid kit and explain their uses.
Skills targeted: Practical medical vocabulary, expressing purpose.
STEP 1 – Show the first aid kit to the class and discuss reasons for having such a kit on hand. What is this? Why do people keep first aid kits in their homes or cars? Where else do people have or take first aid kits? As students volunteer reasons, note injuries/ ailments on the board, e.g., cut, burn, headache, etc. This list should form one column on the left.
STEP 2 – Pull out items from the first aid kit, ask students to identify the items by name (assist them as needed), and match the items to the words on the board. If an item has no match, add one to the list of injuries/ ailments. Example: “You can use antibiotic ointment on a cut.” = Write antibiotic ointment on the right-side of the board, draw a line that matches it to cut.
STEP 3 – Put all the items from the first aid kit in a bag or box. Have students take turns pulling out items. As they do, they must state the purpose of the given object, using either [for + gerund] or an infinitive of purpose. Example: These are tweezers. You can use them to pull out splinters.
STEP 4 – Collect the items in the bag once again. This time have students work in pairs or small groups. Have one person from each group pull out an object. The group must write instructions for using the object. Encourage use of sequence markers (first, next…) and appropriate modals for giving advice (should, ought to…). Example: (tweezers) You can use tweezers to pull out a splinter. First, you should make sure the tweezers are clean. You can use an alcohol wipe to clean them. Then you use the tweezers to squeeze the end of the splinter and pull it out of the skin. If there’s bleeding, you should use antibiotic ointment and a band-aid. Groups can write more than one set of instructions if additional objects are left in the bag.
STEP 5 – Students’ instructions can be read aloud to the class. Questions or clarifications can be voiced by those listening.
HELPFUL LINKS:
- The Red Cross lists the contents of a Family First Aid Kit and includes suggested uses.
- If you don’t have a first aid kit, you could fall back on photographs. The Blowing Rock Rescue Squad offers a good image with about a dozen objects, all labeled.
- You can work in listening practice by watching videos on how to administer first aid. WonderHowTo.com offers some first aid tutorials, and so does the British Red Cross on YouTube.
Filed under: Classroom Tips, Grammar | Tags: EFL textbooks, English With Jennifer, ESL textbooks, Jennifer Lebedev, JenniferESL
A controlled exercise in a textbook might target what you want but not exactly in the way your students need. Sometimes an exercise seems too short or too long. Here are some quick fixes which beginning teachers might have yet to learn and which more experienced teachers have yet to try out.
- Too few items in the exercise.
It’s a great exercise, but there are only half a dozen items in it. You know it won’t offer more than 5 minutes of practice, and you predict that won’t be enough.
Do students need more practice?
1. Lengthen the exercise by creating new items yourself.
2. Lengthen the exercise by having students create new items for their classmates. Completing the ready-made items prepare them for the challenge of composing their own. This three-step process translates into controlled practice (students do the items in the textbook exercise) > free practice (students create their own items) > controlled practice (students do the items created by their classmates).
Do you need more opportunity to observe students’ performance?
3. Mix up the format. Don’t do the entire exercise as a whole class. If an exercise has only 5 items and there are 12 students in your class, having volunteers complete the 5 items won’t help you evaluate the other 7 students’ understanding. You can create additional items so everyone has a turn giving an answer, or you can make this short exercise a solo or paired activity. As students work independently, you’ll have enough time to make your rounds and judge who may be having difficulty. You can mix it up even more by having students first work solo, then compare work with a partner, and then correct all items as a class.
- Too many items in the exercise.
It’s a well-constructed exercise, but 25 items seems too much.
Is half enough?
4. If students demonstrate accuracy and confidence halfway through the controlled exercise, it’s not necessary to finish it in class. Assign the remaining items for homework. Move on to the challenge of free practice.
Is it too monotonous?
5. Students may benefit from doing all the items in a lengthy exercise, but you may need to break it up to help them stay on task until the last item is completed. What can you do?
(a) Vary the format, as in #3 above. If an exercise has 25 items, do the first few as a class on the board. Do a second, longer set in pairs. Correct their work as a class. Finally, ask them to work solo and tackle the remaining items. If some students finish that last set more quickly than others, have them start putting their answers on the board as preparation for the final correction.
(b) Get creative. Intersperse the controlled items with free practice. For example, in Azar’s Understanding and Using English Grammar (3rd edition), there’s useful exercise on gerunds vs. infinitives. (Ch. 14, Exercise 19, pp.316-7) 22 items might test students’ concentration if the exercise is done straight through as a whole class. You can pause after every 7-8 items and pose questions for students to answer (call on students who didn’t just provide answers to the exercise or write the questions on the board for students to discuss with a partner). Your questions need to focus on the language targeted by the set of items you just covered.
Model (as written in the book):
- Keep (talk) ____. I’m listening to you.
- The children promised (play) ____ more quietly. They promised (make, not) ___ so much noise.
- Linda offered (look after) ___ my cat while I was out of town.
- You shouldn’t put off (pay) ___ your bills.
- Alex’s dog love (chase) ___ sticks.
- Mark mentioned (go) to the market later today. I wonder if he’s still planning (go) ___.
- Igor suggested (go) ___ (ski) ___ in the mountains this weekend. How does that sound to you?
PAUSE. POSE QUESTIONS (created by you):
- What do you do when someone interrupts you? Do you keep talking?
- Do you always do what you promise to do?
- Do you ever offer to help your neighbors?
- Do you put off doing things you don’t like, such as housework?
- What do you love to do in your free time?
CONTINUE WITH NEXT 7-8 items.
Filed under: Classroom Tips | Tags: English With Jennifer, Halloween, Halloween activities, holidays, Jennifer Lebedev, JenniferESL, using fims, using poetry, using rhymes
As follow-up to my previous posting on reasons to bring this holiday into your ESL or EFL classroom, I’d like to offer a selection of ideas for you to consider. Feel free to suggest others.
- Informational texts to develop reading skills. Compose questions to check students’ general comprehension, detailed comprehension, and their ability to make inferences. Time magazine has a special site for children. The reading level of the text The Haunted History of Halloween would be appropriate for high intermediate and advanced ESL students. It’s nicely broken into six short sections, each headed by a key question.
- Informational videos to develop listening skills. Compose questions to check students’ general comprehension, detailed comprehension, and their ability to make inferences. The History Channel site dedicates a whole section to Halloween. The History of Halloween is a free video with a convenient length of 3:20.
- Works of fiction to stimulate oral expression. Short stories can be summarized and/ or retold. Themes can be discussed. If stopped at key points in the plot, predictions can be made by the class. ManyThings.org offers a good amount of material for ESL students, including Washington Irvin’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. (You can choose to use the text and/ or the audio recording.)
- Poetry to develop writing skills. Students can discuss the themes of a poem and then in writing (a short paragraph) share their personal interpretation of the work. Advanced students could tackle Edgar Allan Poe (his short stories, too, for that matter). One site, PoeStories.com, bears in mind the challenges of the vocabulary Poe used, and offers glossed words. The definitions are a real aid. They’re to the point and accessible (just right-click on a highlighted word). The Haunted Palace is short enough to read and discuss in one class period.
- Halloween vocabulary and rhymes to develop pronunciation skills. A collection of holiday words can target various skills. For example, you can devote a class to consonant blends and clusters with goblins, spooky, monster, witch, and the like. Practice single words, phrases, and sentences. If you want to focus on suprasegmentals, try rhymes, which are available online. Most are merely cute and shouldn’t be upsetting or spooky. I like Five Little Pumpkins. Challenge the students to compose their own sentences, their own rhymes, or even a short story. Their compositions can be read aloud.
- Films to develop listening, speaking, and writing skills. Authentic material from the mystery-horror genre might take you and some of your students outside your personal comfort zones. You’d have to be careful not to choose scenes that are violent or otherwise upsetting. Horror-suspense films would be better than the very gory ones. A film like Hitchcock’s The Birds could work. (A very in-depth analysis of the film’s themes and symbols is offered by the AMC filmsite.) One or two scenes of a film should be enough to build a lesson on. Focus on listening comprehension and discussion in class. A writing task could be assigned as homework. Try to make it possible for students to view the film in its entirety on a voluntary basis.
Filed under: Classroom Tips | Tags: adjective clauses, comparatives, English With Jennifer, equatives, general vocabulary, Jennifer Lebedev, JenniferESL, phrasal verbs, superlatives, using TV guides
The listings in a TV guide provide a wealth of material for the ESL classroom. The authentic source places common grammar structures and high frequency vocabulary in an entertaining context. Here are just a few ideas for putting this material to use to facilitate your instruction.
- Adjective clauses.
Plot summaries of films and TV show premises often contain adjective clauses as well as reduced adjective clauses and appositives. You can present one listing at a time and challenge students to identify the adjective clause(s) used.
Example from The Week. September 25, 2009, p.34.
Movies on TV
Dances with Wolves
Seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Director, went to Kevin Costner’s epic Western about a cavalry officer who joins the Sioux. (1990)
- Comparatives, superlatives, and equatives.
Films are usually listed with critics’ ratings. Presenting two or three movie listings would allow students to answer questions such as: Which has the higher/ highest rating? Which movie is rated as high as ____? Looking at film dates, students can answer: Which films are the most recent? Which film is the oldest? To test their comprehension of the plot summary, you can ask: Which movie is least/ most appropriate for children? Which movie seems the most interesting to you?
- Idiomatic, general, and academic vocabulary.
A single TV listing can be turned into a vocabulary exercise with the help of a dictionary. Simply copy the listing and prepare questions that require students to find synonymous words/ phrases for the definitions you provide. [Find the word or phrase that means ___.]
Example from The Week. September 25, 2009, p.34.
Show of the Week
Brick City
…[T]his five-night documentary series follows young Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker from public meetings to schools to midnight basketball games as he struggles with the city’s high rates of gang-related crime and violence. It also introduces us to Newark’s police director and community leaders, including a former gang member who has turned her life around – but who in Episode 1 must turn herself in to authorities on a 4-year-old parole violation.
- Find two phrasal verbs. Which one means to change in an important way, especially for the better? [turn around] Which one means to give someone or something to the police? [turn in]
- Find the word that refers to the police. [authorities]
- Find the word that means fight (against). [struggle (with)]
- Find the word that means was before, but no longer is. [former]
- What is the adjective we use to describe something that is four years old? [four-year-old]
- What is the adjective we use to describe something that lasts for five nights? [five-night]
- Conversation starters.
The premise of a TV show itself can be a conversation theme. Students don’t necessarily have to have seen the show to form an opinion about it. For example, the merits and dangers of reality shows and TV competitions (e.g., Dancing with the Stars, The Biggest Loser, etc.) are an appropriate topic for upper level students. Also, footage from actual shows can stimulate great discussion. American TV episodes are available online. One source is TV Guide.com. Full episodes are downloadable for a small fee, but short clips (approx. 2 min.) are free. From sitcoms to dramas, the choices abound. Prepare a few stimulating questions based on one clip, and you’ll have 15-20 minutes of discussion. Couple it with a focus on language used (grammar, vocabulary, or pronunciation), and you’ll have a complete lesson.
Filed under: Classroom Tips | Tags: English With Jennifer, ESL textbooks, Jennifer Lebedev, JenniferESL, teacher's guide, teacher's manual
No. That’s the short and simple answer, but did I ask the right question? Maybe the question should be can a teacher’s manual help you teach? To this question I’d answer affirmatively. Would you? May I pose a more direct question? Do you use the teacher’s manual for any textbook you use in the classroom? I’d bet a good number of teachers would answer no.
In my own classroom experience, sometimes the teacher’s manual simply wasn’t made available. Schools where I taught supplied me with a copy of the student’s book, but didn’t always provide a teacher’s manual. Of course, some textbooks are published without a teacher’s version or a teacher’s manual, but if such an aide is in print, it would certainly be appropriate to ask a school administrator to purchase them for staff use.
How exactly can a teacher’s manual help us? Often this resource includes an answer key to unit exercises and supplies unit tests and final exams. This is a common reason for taking the copy off the shelf in the staff room. As we know, creating our own tests is a time-consuming process. Also, it’s sometimes necessary to double check an answer to a tricky item in an exercise rather than assume we’re right. But surely there must be other reasons for cracking open a teacher’s manual. What are they? I think these teaching aides occasionally get a bad rap. Seasoned teachers might feel that using a teacher’s manual somehow diminishes their expertise.
I’d like to encourage teachers with both limited and vast years of experience to give teacher’s manuals a chance to help them. A couple of minutes spent glossing over an author’s suggestions for a particular unit might lead to ideas that improve a lesson plan or add a new alternative to an exercise which you’ve done a half dozen times in the past.
Other treasures a teacher’s manual may contain:
- Transcripts of listening exercises.
- Suggestions for varying the format of an exercise and/or the manner in which unit exercises can be corrected. (I like the one suggestion I found in a manual for the Focus on Grammar series. It suggests having those who complete exercises quickly put their answers on the board. Then when everyone is done, the class can question and correct any answers written on the board.)
- Alternative activities.
- Ideas for your presentation/ explanation at the board.
- Cultural notes or additional language notes.
Filed under: Classroom Tips, Writing | Tags: English With Jennifer, handwriting, Jennifer Lebedev, JenniferESL, penmanship, touch typing, typing skills, writing skills
In and out of the school setting, the use of keyboards has gradually been diminishing the need for pen and paper. Some bemoan the loss of handwriting skills. Others welcome the convenience of tapping on keys and prefer it to pushing a pencil through time-consuming strokes. Most likely, there are more people in the latter group. However, we need to recognize that although our daily lives put keyboards in front of us at work, home, and school, technology has yet to completely eradicate the need for pens and pencils. We must still handwrite notes to our housemates, sign in at the doctor’s office, and fill out paper forms our employers give to us. (Personally, I still handwrite my grocery list and keep it posted on the fridge until my next visit to the store.)
I think it’s important for our English language learners to have practice producing both forms of written text. Society requires typing and handwriting, so our classroom activities and take-home assignments should not give preference to one form and exclude the other. Students who plan to enter an English-speaking university or workplace will feel more prepared if they are confident of these basic skills in the target language. For instance, a rigorous academic or professional environment doesn’t allow one the luxury of typing out reports or e-mails at a snail’s pace.
Here are some interesting resources to develop both handwriting and typing skills.
HANDWRITING:
- Born Thinker. Great for those who need to see a visual demonstration of the strokes made for each letter of the alphabet. The program teaches printed letters, upper and lower case.
- Handwriting Worksheets. This site allows you to print out custom-made worksheets. You can write sets of words or whole sentences. It’s good for printed letters.
- Handwriting for Kids. Worksheets are appropriate for younger and older students. The site provides nice options for cursive writing (word level v. sentence level). They even have the classic exercise: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Check out the option for “Make Your Own Page” under the heading Manuscript.
TOUCH TYPING:
- Kid’s Typing Skills. Online tutorial that teaches touch typing. Adult-appropriate. Free download.
- Typing Games. A set of ten free games to practice touch typing. (I found “TypeDown” very addictive! I only got to Level 8.)
- List of Typing Tutorials. Take your pick. I selected two above, but you may find others more to your liking.
Filed under: Classroom Tips, Conversation | Tags: back-to-school activity, class web, class-created web, classroom web, English With Jennifer, first week of school, get-to-know you activity, ice breaker, Jennifer Lebedev, JenniferESL, new school year
This is the second of the two promised activities for the first week back to school. As I explained, each one was originally intended for elementary and middle school children. They have been modified and expanded for the adult ESL classroom.
Activity: Classroom web (Original submitted by Melissa Walker of Graham, NC)
Object: To weave a web of yarn as a class to symbolize the interaction and the unity needed in the classroom.
STEP 1: Bring a large ball of yarn to class and ask everyone to stand in a circle.
STEP 2: Model what you want the students to say to introduce themselves. How much information shared will depend on the students’ language level. Suggestions:
- Name
- Home country
- One thing you like – OR – one interesting fact
- One language goal – OR – how long you’ve been studying English
STEP 3: After you make your own introduction, hold on to one end of the yarn and throw it to a student across from you. That student will introduce himself or herself in a similar manner, hold on to the string that connects him/her to you, and then throw the ball of yarn to another student. The game continues, and as it does, a web is formed.
Model:
“My name is Jennifer. I’m from the U.S. I like to cook new dishes I see on TV. I’ve been teaching English since 1996.” [Throw]
[Catch] “My name is Alex. I’m from China. I like sports. I’ve been studying English for about four years.” [Throw]
STEP 4: When the game is over, ask the students what the yarn reminds them of. If they don’t know the word “web,” teach it. Explain the importance of everyone’s participation and the need to respect both the group and the individuals in the classroom. Ask them to remember this activity as they begin to study together as a class.
SUGGESTIONS:
- Step 4 could lead into a short discussion of classroom rules. E.g., no interrupting and always come prepared to participate.)
- You could do both this activity and the previous one, the class-create puzzles. You might use the puzzles more as an ice breaker and then use the web to focus on language goals and classroom rules.
Filed under: Classroom Tips | Tags: back-to-school activity, English With Jennifer, first-week activity, ice breaker, Jennifer Lebedev, JenniferESL, team building
Sometimes I find that activities originally intended for elementary or middle school students can be easily adapted for adult ELLs. Such activities often include strong visual aids or interesting use of physical movement, which is appropriate for students who have limited proficiency in English.
I came across two classroom activities submitted by elementary and middle school teachers that would work well in the first week of school to help students get to know one another and establish a positive, supportive learning atmosphere. I’ll share one today and another later in the week. Each one has been modified and expanded for the ESL classroom.
Activity: Class-created puzzles (Originally submitted by Ellaine Barthelemy of Apple Valley, MN)
Object: To have each student contribute a piece of a puzzle that will symbolize the importance of every individual in the classroom. Each piece will display personal information about the student. This is especially effective if you wish to stress that yours is not a teacher-centered classroom and that you expect participation and support from everyone.
VARIATION 1: Whole group (15 or less, all levels)
You can use a large poster board and cut it into puzzle-like shapes so that there is one piece for each student and yourself. The idea is for everyone to write something on his/ her piece and then assemble it as a class. Model the writing by completing your piece first. During the assembly phase, let the students do most of the work so as to encourage interaction among them.
What you write on each puzzle piece can vary according to the students’ level. Suggestions:
- Beginners: First names only. If students are true beginners and have yet to learn the alphabet, you can ask each student his/ her name and write the names on the pieces. As you do this, spell out loud and show each piece to the class as you complete it. After the puzzle is assembled, point to and read each name aloud again. You can ask, “Where is ___? Let’s say hello to ___. Hello, ___.”
- Intermediate students: Name, home country, and one or two interesting facts. (Jennifer, U.S.A., mother, piano) As each student contributes his/ her piece to the puzzle, s/he must share the information written: “My name is Jennifer. I’m from the United States. I’m a mother. I play the piano…not very well, but I can play.”
- Advanced students: Name, home country, and one language goal.
If you cut the pieces in advance, be sure to make enough. It’s better to have too many pieces than too few. You can use the extra pieces to write key words, such as the school name, or short phrases that motivate and support, for instance, Learn together or Ask questions.
VARIATION 2: Small groups (12+, Levels: intermediate to advanced]
You can use small poster boards to make smaller puzzles, one for each group. Groups should have 4-5 people. You can cut out the puzzle pieces in advance. Cut each board into six pieces. Keep each set in a plastic storage bag. The idea is for each group to build the small puzzle together. There will be 1-2 extra pieces. On those pieces, the groups can write common language goals or something they want to find in the classroom (support, answers, help, success, confidence, etc.) Have them tape together their puzzles. Then join all the puzzles together on the wall to symbolize the unity of the class.
