A Love of Pronouns and Pronunciation

It’s time to start planning one or two Valentine’s Day activities. Do you already have one in mind? Feel free to share! I’d like to offer at least one idea before February14. Let’s start with a love song. I’m not a big country music fan, but there are some tunes that get into my head and never quite leave. Why Didn’t I Think of That by Doug Stone is a sweet tune with an easy-t0-understand story: Boy had girl. Boy lost girl. Boy wants girl back.

To study the common dropping of the initial “h” in pronouns in spoken English, consider this sequence:

1. Play the song once. (You can find a copy on My Space.) After the first hearing, ask students to explain the title Why Didn’t I Think of That.
2. Distribute a copy of the lyrics with all the h-pronouns (he, her, him) and pronoun-verb contractions (he’s, he’ll, etc.) omitted.  During the second listening, ask students to complete the text as best they can.
3. Correct the completed lyrics together and identify when the “h” is dropped. Explain how this kind of reduction happens in fast speech.
4. Play the song a final time (if possible, show a Doug Stone performance on video) and allow students to listen for the reduced h-words.
5. Use excerpts of Stacy Hagen’s 2-part video on the silent “h”. See 4:59 in Lesson 1a to practice the dropped “h” in both pronouns and helping verbs. The complete videos may be watched as independent study.

Phrasal Verbs: Round 3!

I decided to offer a complete set of activities on phrasal verbs this week. With the following activity, you now have the choice of focusing on intransitive, inseparable, and/or separable phrasal verbs. Of course, I do not recommend tackling all three activities in one week. 60 phrasal verbs would overwhelm most learners. I do think that advanced students who are already familiar with the structure and use of phrasal verbs could handle a robust review, though. If combined with other forms of practice (I’d suggest conversation and writing for self-expression), each of my activities would work well within a weekly lesson plan.

Phrasal Verb Dominoes 2: An activity for separable phrasal verbs.

See Separable phrasal verbs_handout.

Step 1 – Hand out Quiz 1. Have students complete the quiz solo. Then ask them to pair up to compare their answers. Finally, correct the quiz as a class. [Definitions based on the Longman Dictionary of American English.]

Step 2 – Copy enough sets of dominoes for students to play in groups of 4 (5 is also possible).  Cut horizontally to create 20 slips of paper. Hand each group a set. Shuffle the “dominoes” (slips of paper) and distribute evenly. Note: This game must be played around a flat surface (either a small table or a few desks pushed together to create a central area).

Step 3 – Playing the game: The student with the first birthday in a calendar year will start by placing any domino in the center of the table. Moving clockwise, each student will have a chance to make a match. Matches are made when a sentence opener (one right side of “domino”) can be placed alongside a particle (one left side of “domino”). Two dominoes can be placed to make a horizontal line or to create an L-shaped pattern. The player who makes a match must read the sentence aloud. If no match can be made, the next student takes his or her turn. If a match is made, the other players must confirm it’s correct by looking at Quiz 1 answers.

IMPORTANT: The first player to use all his or her dominoes wins, but the game must be played until all dominoes are used.

Step 4 – Suggestion: It’s ideal to play 2-3 rounds of dominoes so that students learn to make different matches and the model sentences are read aloud by the group more than once. After the game is over, have students take Quiz 2. Correct answers as a class.

Phrasal Verb Dominoes: An activity for intransitive phrasal verbs

Here’s a fun way to study 20 phrasal verbs in a meaningful context. Multiple encounters with the 20 key verbs found throughout the entire activity will help students retain the meaning and use of each verb.

View Intransitive phrasal verbs_handout.

Step 1 – Hand out Quiz 1. Have students complete the quiz solo. Then ask them to pair up to compare their answers. Finally, correct the quiz as a class. [Definitions based on the Longman Dictionary of American English.]

Step 2 – Copy enough sets of dominoes for students to play in groups of 4 (5 is also possible).  Cut horizontally to create 20 slips of paper. Hand each group a set. Shuffle the “dominoes” (slips of paper) and distribute evenly. Note: This game must be played around a flat surface (either a small table or a few desks pushed together to create a central area). 

Step 3 – Playing the game: The student with the first birthday in a calendar year will start by placing any domino in the center of the table. Moving clockwise, each student will have a chance to make a match. Matches are made when a sentence opener (one right side of “domino”) can be placed alongside a particle (one left side of “domino”). Two dominoes can be placed to make a horizontal line or to create an L-shaped pattern. The player who makes a match must read the sentence aloud. If no match can be made, the next student takes his or her turn. If a match is made, the other players must confirm it’s correct by looking at Quiz 1 answers.

IMPORTANT: The first player to use all his or her dominoes wins, but the game must be played until all dominoes are used.

Step 4 – Suggestion: It’s ideal to play 2-3 rounds of dominoes so that students learn to make different matches and the model sentences are read aloud by the group more than once. After the game is over, have students take Quiz 2. Correct answers as a class.

Outlining a Plan: Beyond the Basics

When describing a process or plan, it’s helpful to know basic sequence words, such as first, second (and all the other ordinal numbers), next, then, and finally. However, in everyday situations be they at school, work, or home, English speakers make use of a greater variety of sequence  and time markers. How can we present them to upper level students and what forms of practice can help students internalize these structures?

1) Identify words in context. 

It can be helpful for students to hear an actual plan or process being outlined. As they listen, challenge them to identify sequence markers. On video hosting sites, like YouTube, do a search for how-to videos. Examples:

How to Start a Clothing Line  - This is an interesting choice of videos. The woman, Miriam, is a non-native speaker, and she presents a solid model with a few different sequence and time markers: Once…, then you… / Before doing so, you need to… / To sum up,….

How to Trademark Your Logo – An informative video by the well-spoken Mash Bonigala. His speech rate is fast, and the video is long, but from 4:40 on he clearly outlines the process of applying for a trademark. Sequence and time markers include: Before you…, you need to…/ Secondly,… / Once…., then you… / After…, then…  / Then next question is…

The Jim and Jen Show - Stay tuned. Jim and I are working on Episode 7, which will highlight outlining a plan.

2) Watch and describe.

Another direction to go is finding a  how-to video that students watch and describe. Provide sequence and time markers as prompts, and ask students to write down the process after observing it. See the suggested video below.

Ben Tries New Things Episode 1: Ligthing a Fire with Sticks - A long, but humorous piece of work by Ben (Benedict Hudson). With minimal talking, he films his personal struggle to learn how to light a fire with sticks.

3)  Oral presentations.

When students have successfully identified a variety of sequence and time markers in context, they are ready to outline their own plan or process. You can invite them to suggest topics and write them on cards. Shuffle the cards and hand them out, one to each student. Allow them 5 minutes to work solo as they write their outline. Give another 5 minutes for students to rehearse in pairs. Partners should give feedback. Then come back together as a class and begin individual presentations. Have fun! Include topics such as how to wash a dog, how to get off a crowded bus, and how to ask someone on a date when they already turned you down once.

The Wonders of Workshops: The Electronic Village Online

I joined TESOL in 2003.  I didn’t learn about the Electronic Village Online (EVO) until 2009. I’m truly sorry it took me  that long to make this discovery, but thinking optimistically, I did make it and now I want to spread the word to others so that they can benefit professionally and personally as I have.

EVO is an ongoing project of TESOL’s CALL-IS (Computer Assisted Language Learning Interest Section). First off, educators in the field of ESL/EFL should know that TESOL membership isn’t required for participation in EVO. These academic sessions are free for all interested people (teachers still in training, maintream teachers working with ESL students, administrators, and more).

At the start of every year, EVO offers 5-week sessions that take the format of a workshop and/ or discussion. The length of the sessions contrasts with the shorter period of the annual TESOL convention.  EVO participants have the opportunity to explore topics in depth and engage in lengthy discussions.

Last year I was fortunate to be a co-moderator for My Video Classroom 2.0. I enjoyed volunteering my time from November through March, and by doing so I gained a new network of professionals, experience with new tools (from wikis to video group conferencing sites), and plenty of ideas for the use of video in language instruction.

This year I won’t be a moderator, but I am toying with the idea of being a participant. My schedule is already quite full, but it’s hard to resist choosing from the amazing list of topics EVO is offering in 2011: Digital Storytelling, Second Life for Language Learning and Community Building, Re-Playing Process Drama, and more.

Registration is this week. Don’t miss out. See the list of EVO 2011 Sessions and register today! Sesions run from January 10 to February 13.

A New Year’s Resolution: Let’s get savvy with online tools!

It’s that time again. Have you made any New Year’s resolutions? One promise I’ve made to myself is to learn more about online tools that can help me in teaching or materials writing. I’d like to discover at least three new tools and learn to apply them in 2011. I’m on my way to knocking that number down by one or even two.

A recent comment on my post about trusting dictionaries prompted me to give some attention to corpus research. Daniel, a reader of this blog, informed me that Google has a new tool called Books Ngram Viewer. The resource can help users understand trends in the usage of particular words or terms. The demo shows a graph for “Atlantis” and “El Dorado”. I plugged in words and phrases that I’ve been asked about in the past, for example, “toward” versus “towards” and “accepted to” and “accepted at”.  For fun, you can give it a try, too.

The tool is rather user-friendly. I like the ease of switching between American and British English as well as the simplicity of setting the years you want to focus on. I’m learning that a smoothing of “0″ isn’t too helpful. It gives raw data that’s not easy on the eyes. The default setting is a smoothing of 3 (the average of three years before and after plus the target year, if I’m not mistaken), and this setting makes trends more readily visible. Be sure to take the time to understand the differences among the corpora: English, English Fiction, and English One Million.

Because I began experimenting with Google Ngram, I decided I should also devote some playtime to another resource recommended by a reader. Phil Bird told me about the corpora offered by Brigham Young University. So far, I’ve only used the Corpus of Contemporary American English, but I began to see how this tool combined with Google Ngram and an online dictionary can truly help me answer questions about collocations. I did searches for “was/ got accepted to” and “was/ got accepted at”, and the results helped me understand the trends.

Got any other tools to recommend? I think if we periodically devote some online time to these kinds of experiments, we won’t be overwhelmed by all that’s available but only inclined to learn more.

On that note, I’ll end and wish you all a healthy, happy, productive year in 2011.  Thank you for visiting my blog today. Happy New Year!

Shop and Chop: Practice with fricatives and affricates

Need to offer upper level students some practice with troubling fricatives and affricates? Consider using this activity, which contextualizes the sounds in a fun and meaningful way.

Step 1 – Read the list of phrases in the box in Task A (see Shop and Chop_activity) and have students listen and repeat after you. Next, ask them to underline fricatives: “Which words have the sounds /ʃ/ and /ʒ/? These sounds create friction. The sounds are made because you are forcing air out a tight place in your mouth. Let’s underline these sounds.” Then ask them to circle affricates: “Which words have the sounds /dʒ/ and /tʃ/? These sounds stop air before letting it out. When it does come out, there’s friction. Let’s circle these sounds.” You may have them try identifying the sounds independently and then correct their work as a class.

                 

Step 2 – Ask students to complete Task A in pairs. They must sort the phrases under the headings “What we shop for” and “What we measure”.

Answers.

What we shop for: beige shoes, a box of tissues, bed sheets, a bag of sugar, desk chair, a set of dishes, a jar of jam

What we measure: our shoe size, 2 cups of sugar, the weight of a precious gem, a tablespoon of margarine, 20/20 vision                                 

Step 3 – After correcting students’ work in Task A, have them continue working in pairs. In Task B, they must list as many answers as possible in five minutes.

Optional: Turn Task B into a game. Award 1 point for each item and 2 points if the item listed contains one fricatives /ʃ/ or /ʒ/ or one affricate /dʒ/ and /tʃ/.

ESL/ EFL Site Forecast for 2011

I’m curious to see if anyone reading this will suggest a website we should all keep our eyes on in the future. Do you anticipate the growth of any particular resource or contributions of an individual content creator? Let me share a few sources that I predict will develop some good materials for ESL/ EFL teachers and students in 2011. If you can, please add to the list.

In no particular order, here they are.

1.  Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab.  This is already a well-known site in the ESL/ EFL community. However, I anticipate much growth in 2011. First off, Randall promises to make his materials accessible for use on portable devices, such as iPhones. Second, I appreciate his collection of Video Snapshots because they offer lessons on both language and culture. Yet another project I find interesting is Randall’s Multimedia Language Activities. It shows his willingness to experiment with other online tools, namely Voice Thread, to enage more of the learner.

2.  Voice of America. This is another big name, but perhaps not so many are aware of The Classroom, which offers a growing collection of multimedia lessons based on readings that range from American Life & Culture to Science & Technology. The activities that follow each article are consistent in format and pedagogically sound. Explore VOA’s virtual classroom and you’ll also find additional activities for all levels, from grammar practice to mini lessons on common idioms.

3. EnglishCafe. There are good reasons why I often collaborate with this site. I truly like the spirit of community and the willingness of all the teachers to support one another. Also, I have observed and participated in the site’s growth over the past couple of years. More and more talented teachers are joining, and that means more free resources are being developed for ESL/ EFL learners. Check out the blog posts and lessons published by Paul Meier, for example. When students ask if I have materials on a certain pronunciation topic and I don’t, I often look to see if Paul does. Then I recommend it. I do the same with the materials created by Kenneth Beare regarding grammar. When I receive requests for online lessons and I’m not available, I often steer students in the direction of fellow TESOL member, Smiling7 (aka Holly). In short, EnglishCafe is a growing community, and in 2011 I expect to see dozens of contributions to the already sizable collection of blog posts and interactive lessons created by qualified teachers around the world.

4. English with Jennifer. You didn’t think I’d miss the chance to put my own website on this list, did you? Of course, I’m excited about how it will develop in 2011! The site was launched in Februrary of this year, and over the past several months I’ve been able to consolidate my online work and make it easier for users to find resources they need. The site features projects I’ve created in response to popular demands for help with writing (Improve Your Writing), vocabulary (Word of the Day and Everday Vocabulary), listening and speaking skills (The Jim & Jen Show), and self-study (Study Tips). I hope to continue working on all these projects as time allows, and I suspect that new ideas will come about in response to other requests for online resources.

First and Last: A speaking activity

About a year ago, I posted a speaking activity called “Firsts” for upper level students. Allow me to offer another activity that could be used with both upper and lower level students. I call it “First and Last”. I find it timely for such activities as 2010 is drawing to a close, and we’ll soon be welcoming the first day of 2011.

Click here for printable First and Last_handout.

[Version A. For basic levels]

Directions for the teacher:

Step 1 – Use the activity to practice question and answer formation using the simple past. Write the following verb phrases on the board. You may add other phrases if you wish to target other irregular verbs. Be sure all words are understood.

bake a cake                                                                        ride a motorcycle dance a slow dance                                                      see a shark drink a cocktail                                                              speak to a large group go hiking                                                                             spend a lot of money make a big mistake                                                      watch a scary movie meet someone from another country         write a letter in English

Step 2 – Under the verb phrases write these prompts:

Question 1: When was the first time you ______________?

Question 2: When was the last time you ______________?

 

Answer 1: The first/ last time I ______________ was ______________. [At what age? What year? How many years ago?]

Answer 2: I never ______________.

 

Step 3 – Moving clockwise around the room, one student will ask another classmate about a first or last experience. If student A asks about a first time, then student B must ask student C about a last time. New verbs can be used in each exchange. If a student is able to recall the first or last time of a certain experience, the questioner must add one more question to learn one more detail.

Model:

Student A: When was the first time you watched a scary movie?

Student B: The first time I watched a scary movie was maybe in the seventh grade.

Student A: What film did you watch?

Student B: Aliens.

Student B: When was the last time you baked a cake?

Student C: I never baked a cake.

 

 [Version B. For intermediate and advanced levels]

Follow the same steps; however, the focus will be on pronunciation. Explain how old versus new information influence both sentence structure and sentence stress. Note how usually old information comes first and new information comes last when giving an answer. New information receives greater stress.

Before students begin the Q&A activity, share the model and underline the words that should be stressed.

Student A: When was the first time you watched a scary movie?

Student B: The first time I watched a scary movie was maybe in the seventh grade.

Student A: What film did you watch?

Student B:  I saw Aliens.

Student B: When was the last time you baked a cake?

Student C: I never baked a cake.

 Be sure students are using falling intonation for wh- questions and rising intonation for yes-no questions.

 

 

Celebrating New Year’s Eve: A whole language activity

Are you planning ahead for your last lesson of the month? Perhaps you’d like to use an activity with a New Year’s Eve theme. Here’s one for adult learners at the lower levels.  Enjoy!

Step 1 – Present the following vocabulary:

at midnight                         champagne                        make a toast                      celebrate                             dress up                               New Year’s Eve                                                                                                  tradition

 

 Step 2 – Ask them to complete the short text (Task A) on the New Year’s Eve Activity_handout.

Step 3 – Have students work in pairs to unscramble the survey questions (Task B). Then correct their work as a class. Discuss variations.

Step 4 – Have students work in small groups of 3 or 4 to discuss the questions from Task B.

Step 5 – OPTIONAL: Ask the small groups of students to create 1-2 additional questions about celebrating New Year’s Eve. Write the questions on the board and then ask each student to answer one of the questions (in a complete sentence).