The Language Experience Approach intrigued me the first time I read about it. I’ve always liked the idea of using student-generated content as the basis of language practice. The LEA was developed to build literacy in L1, but ESL teachers have successfully brought it into L2 classrooms. I suggested a spin on the original approach…
Tag: pronunciation activity
Getting the Most Out of Authentic Texts
If you’ve decided to bring in an authentic text to share with your students, what do you plan to do with it? You can use a text to meet a number of objectives, which include but are not limited to: Teaching text organization and comprehension of main ideas. Scramble the paragraphs of a short article…
Ideas, Solutions, and Suggestions: A pronunciation activity to practice intonation in a series
Level: intermediate to advanced Language focus: intonation in series of items STEP 1 – Model and practice intonation patterns for a series of items. Pattern 1: rising intonation is used for each item except the last, which is spoken with falling intonation. Pattern 2: level intonation is used for each item except the last,…
Reviving Show-and-Tell among Adult Language Learners
There needs to be a variety of speaking formats in the conversation classroom. Teachers should find an appropriate balance between open discussion and structured speaking activities. Also, students should be asked to speak for a variety of purposes: to inform, to argue, to entertain, etc. In my previous entry I offered an alternative to the…
Making Pronunciation Exercises Meaningful: Activity for Minimal Pairs
Vowel sounds can be troublesome for all language learners, beginner to advanced. The use of minimal pairs in classroom exercises helps develop recognition and production of vowel sounds. Some pronunciation textbooks offer exercises based on minimal pairs, but they are often limited to controlled practice. With the help of minimal pairs lists, such as the…
