Simple Writing Activities (Oxford Basics)

basics

Jill Hadfield CharlesHadfield

Oxfordhasics

SimpleWriting Activities ITLL H A D F I E L D C H A R LE S HA DF I E L D

OXJ.ORD IJNIVERSITY

PRESS

Contents Foreword AL AN

M AL EY

Introductlon L

Actlvities Greetingsand introductions

2

The alphabet

3

Numbers

4

Tellingthe time

5

Personalinformation

6

Countries

7

Nationalities

8

Locatingobjects

9

Feelings

10

Families

tL

Colours

L2

Shapes

13

Partsof the body

L4

Describingpeople

15

Clothes

16

Rooms

L7

Furniture

18

In town

19

Directions

20

In the market

27.

Shopping

22

Foodand drink

23

Leisureactivities

24

Daily routines

25 26

lobs Housework

27

Abilities

28

Rules

29

Describingactions1

30

Describingactions2

Foreword There is a formidable range of materials published worldwide for teachersof Englishas a ForeignLanguage.However,many of thesematerials,especiallythosepublishedin English-speaking countries,assumethat teachersusing them will be working with smallish classesand have abundant resourcesavailableto them. Also many, if not most, of thesematerials make implicit culturally-biasedassumptionsabout the beliefsand valuesof the teachersand learners. This situation is ironic in view of the fact that the vast majority of Englishas a ForeignLanguageclassroomsdo not correspondat all are large,resourcesare to theseconditions.Tlpically, classes limited, and teachershavevery few opportunitiesfor training and professionaldevelopment.Also, the cultural assumptionsof teachersand learnersin many parts of the world may vary quite significantlyfrom thoseof materialswriters and publishers. This book is an attempt to addressthis situation.The authors presentthirty lessonsat elementarylevel,eachwith the same methodological framework. The lessonsare explained in clear, accessible language,and none of them require sophisticated resources.Instead,they call on the basichuman resourceswhich all teachersand learnersbring with them to class.The language points coveredare onesfound in a typical elementarycourse,and the topics are those which form part of everybody'sdaily lives,for example,families,homes,and leisureactivities. Most importantly, however,the book offers a framework for teacherswho lack training and support.The hope and the expectationis that such teacherswill begin by following each step will of a lessonquite closely,but, astheir confidenceincreases, presented responding to the here, adapt and add to the techniques particular needsand abilitiesof their learners. This is an important book: one of the few attempts to addressthe problemsof the'silent majority' of teachersworldwide who have little or no training, and few resourcesto work with. AL AN

M AL EY

Assumption University Bangkok,Thailand

lntroduction Englishis taught all over the world, by all sorts of teachersto all sortsof learners.Schoolsand classroomsvary enormouslyin their wealth and their provision of equipment.Learnersarevery different from placeto place.But, whateverthe conditionsin which you are working, there is one resourcewhich is universal and unlimited: the human mind and imagination.This is probablythe singlemost valuableteachingand learningresource we have.Nothing can replaceit. In eventhe most'hi-tech' environment,a lack of imagination and humanity will make the most up-to-dateand sophisticatedresourcesseemdull; conversely, the most simple resourcescan be the most exciting and useful. We havebeen fortunate to spendquite a lot of our time working not only in hi-tech environmentswith computersand video,but alsoin classroomswhere there is little more than blackboardand chalk and someout-of-datecoursebooks.Someof our most interestinglearningand teachingexperiences(asConfuciussaid,a teacheris'alwaysreadyto teach;alwaysreadyto learn') havebeen not in the comfortablewell-resourcedsmall classroomsof a privatelanguageschool,but in classroomswhere only the minimum of equipmenthasbeen available.Equally,someof our most memorableteachingexperiences in'hi-tech' classroomshave beenwhen we haveabandonedthe cassetteor video or glossy coursebookand got to work with that most preciousresourceof all, the learners'ownexperienceand imagination. Teachersoften haveto usematerialswhich are out of date,or contain subject-matterirrelevantto their particular group of learners.For example,we havehad greatdifficulty explainingthe conceptsof the fridge -freezerand microwave oven to Tibetans.In the sameway,learnerswho havespentall their livesin northern countries might have difficulty with an exercisefrom an African textbook which asksif they preferyam or cassava. So over the last few yearswe havebeen trying to designmaterialswhich can be usedin aswide a rangeof teachingsituationsaspossible. The activitieswe suggestare asflexible asthe human imagination is creative;they are'teacherresourcematerial'which teacherswill be ableto adjust to suit their particular environment.In thinking about universallyapplicable,'lo-techmaterialswe havecome up with a list of criteria that needto be met. The materialswill needto: be usablein largeclasses aswell as small. be suitablefor adult learnersaswell as secondarylearners,and if possibleeasilyadaptableto a primary context. be centredon the universalsof human experience. cover the main languageskills and have a useful baseof grammar and topic vocabulary.

Introduction

be traditional enoughto be recognizableto all teachers,and thus give them a senseof security,while providing communicative activitiesfor learners. be non-threateningin the demandsthey make on learners. material'rather than books for learners. be teacher-based'resource assumethat no technicaland reprographicresourcesare available, and be basedon the human resourcerather than the technical. be culturally neutral,not context-bound,and thus flexibleand easilyadaptableby the teachersto their own culture and teaching context. be flexibleenoughto complementa standardsyllabusor coursebook.

SimpleWriting Activities This book containsthirty activities,designedaccordingto the criteria above,for developing the writing skill at elementarylevel. Eachactivity has three main stages: Lead-in-This introducesthe learnersto the topic, and focuses their attention. Organizingtexts-This stageprovidescontrolledwriting practice in preparationfor a freer writing task. Creating texts-This stagegivesthe learnersthe opportunity to usethe knowledgethey haveacquiredin the previoustwo stagesin producing their own text. The teacherprovidesa contextand a reasonfor writing.

Lead-in

aaaaaaaoaaaa*aaoaaaar aaa

Organizingtexts

Writing is easierif the learnersare preparedfor the task,and if their imaginationsare stimulatedbeforehand.The purposeof the lead-in is to'warm up'the learners,in other words,to start them thinking about the topic and practisingsomeof the languagethat will be neededwhen they actuallycome to write. aaaaaaaaaa

The aim of this stageis to give the learnerscontrolledwriting practicebeforethey attempt a freer writing task.This is important becausethe languageof writing is different from that of speech.In speech,utterancestend to be short or incomplete,and the languageusedis often colloquial,and may break grammatical rules.However,most written languageis more formal and elaborate,and follows certain conventions. The text organizationtechniquesusedin this book are as follows:

Introduction

Completion-The learnersfill in the blanks in a text or a crosswordpuzzlewith an appropriateword or phrase.This techniquecan give learnerspracticein a particular languagepoint, for example,placeprepositions. Describinga picture-The learnerswrite a descriptionof a picture.They may then discussthe best order in which to describe the different elementswhich go to make up the picture. This gives them practicein organizinga spatialdescription. using a linking word, foining-Learners join words or sentences such as'and'or'but'. This techniquehelpslearnersto developthe skill of linking ideaslogically and writing more fluently. Matching-The learnershave to match the two separatehalvesof sentences which are written in the form of two lists.This technique helpslearnersto understandhow sentences are constructedand which words can go with other words. Reordering-Sentencesor textsare givento the learnersin muddled order and they haveto rearrangethem in the correct order.Reorderingsentences is usefulfor teachingword order,while reorderingtextshelpslearnerspractisechoosinga logical sequence for sentences. Substitution-In this techniquea basicsentenceframework is written on the board. The learnercan vary this by choosing differentwords or phrasesat certainpointb.This showslearners how a basicsentenceform may be usedwith slight variationsto expressa number of different meanings. Writing from notes-The learnersare given notes to expand into text. This givesthem practicein arrangingtheir ideascoherently.

Greatingtexts

It is difficult to write when you don't know who you are writing to, or why. In real life we alwayshave a reasonfor writing: for example,to answera letter,preparea shoppinglist, or make notes for a talk. In the classroomthere is often no apparentreasonfor writing beyond'The teachersaid do this for homework'.If, however,you provide the learnerswith a context for creating a written text, you can make the task much more concreteand interesting.There is a wide variety of techniqueswhich you can use.The oneswe haveusedin this book are as follows: .

Writing from a picture-The learnersusea picture as a startingoff point for creatinga text. :i: Responding to a text-The learnersare given a text to read before they write, for examplea poem or a letter.The text actsas a source of inspiration,and usefulwords and phraseswhich they can usein their own writing. Alternatively, they may be askedto use their

lntroduction

own textsfrom the'Creating texts'part of the lesson. Surveyand report-In this techniquethe writing task is preceded by a speakingtask in which the learnershaveto gatherinformation from eachother and useit to write a report. This givesthem somethingconcreteto write about, and a definitepurposein writing. Visualization-The learnersclosetheir eyesand visualizea scene which you describeto them. They then write about the scenethey have imagined. They may sharewhat they havewritten with anotherlearner. Learnerscan alsoact as eachother'saudience.This is the most immediateand direct way of providing the writer with a reader. There arevarious techniqueswhich can be used: Write and do-The learnerswrite texts,for example,a letter,a seriesof instructions,or a descriptionof a scene.Other learners read them and respondin an appropriateway,for exampleby creatinga tableauof the scene. Write and draw-The learnersdraw a picture and write a descriptionof it. They either passtheir descriptionto another learnerwho has to draw a picture of it, or the picturesand descriptionsare put up in the classroomand the learnersmatch them. Write and guess-The learnerswrite a descriptionor riddle for othersto read and guessthe personor object being described. Teachersoften setwriting for homework,and someof the activitiesin this book may be given for homework if time is short. However,they are really designedto be done in class,so that you can circulatewhile the learnersareworking, supply any vocabularlthey need,and corrector explainany mistakesas they arise.It is also an advantagefor learnersto receiveimmediate feedbackfrom one another on their writing.

Materials

A wide variety of text typesis usedin this book. Theseinclude descriptions,narratives,reports,instructions,lists,poems,and letters.This helpsto provide interestand equipsthe learnersto deal more effectivelywith different kinds of writing. Many activitiessuggestthe useof a poster.This is simply a text written out in largeletters,or a picture,on a big sheetof paper.If you preparepostersbeforethe lesson,it meansthat you do not havethe time-consumingtask of writing or drawing on the board while the lessonis in progress.This is a particular advantageif you are not very confident about your drawing skills.It also meansthat

Introduction

you will not haveto write out the text, or draw the picture, again the next time you want to useit. Ifyou decideto useposters,try to find a cheapsourceof sheetsof paper.In Madagascar,for example,the teacherswe worked with found the sheetsof paper usedfor wrapping vegetablesin the market were ideal for making posters.A good way to fix postersto the board is to pin a length of string along the top of the board like a clothes-line.You can then useclothes-pegsto pin your postersto the string! An alternativeto drawingson postersis drawingson smallerpieces of card (but still largeenoughfor all the learnersto see).Theseare usuallyknown as'flashcards'. They are usedin 1l 'Colours' and 24 'Daily routines'.

Gorrection

After someof the activitiesyou will want to correctthe learners' work in order to give them feedbackabout their progress.It can be very discouragingfor learnersif their work comesback coveredin red ink, and this can have a destructive effect on their creativity, enthusiasm,and confidence.In addition, if everymistakeis correctedby the teacher,this robs the learnerof a valuablelearning experience-how to spot and correcttheir own mistakes.You can reducethe'big red pen' effect,and help learnersto self-correctby using the following strategies: Working with learnersas they are writing, supplying vocabulary and pointing out mistakes. Getting learnersto work togetheror read eachother'swork and help eachother with mistakes. When you correctlearners'work,usesymbolsin the margin to indicatethat there is a mistakein that line rather than correcting the mistakeyourself.It is then up to the learnerto work out what waswrong, and what the correctversionshouldbe. Usefulsymbols are: well done

o

organization

Sp spelling T

tense

Pr preposition WO word order

lntroduction

A

article

Ag

agreement(singular/plural,etc.)

P

punctuation

V

vocabulary

Gr

other grammar mistake

You may not want to correcteverymistakein a learner'swork, but preferto concentrateon one specificareaat a time, for example, tenses,spelling,or prepositions.If you adopt this systemyou will need to givelearnersa little time after you hand back their writing tasksto work out what was wrong, write in the correct version, and askyou for help if they still do not understand.If most of the classmade the sameor similar mistakes,you may want to devotea lessonor part of a lessonto remedialwork on this area.

Buildinga lesson There are four companion books to this one,PresentingNew Language,SimpleListeningActivities,SimpleSpeakingActivities, and SimpleReadingActivities.AII of thesealso contain thirty activities,and in all five books the topics and the language presentedand practisedcorrespond.So,for example,activity I in all five books is about'Greetingsand introductions' and activity 30 is about'Describingactions'.The activitiesin eachbook are graded,following a basicstructural syllabus.This meansthat you can designyour own lessonor sequenceof lessonsusing material from any,or all, of the books,dependingon your learners'needs and the time available.

Activities

Greetingsand introductions L ANGUAGE

Organizingtexts:completion. Creating texts: writing from a picture.

T E C HNIQUES

The dialoguebelow; the picturesbelow,on postersor on the board.

MAT ERIAL S

Preparethe posterif you are using one.

P R E PARAT ION TIME

Hello. My name's What's your name? Nice to meet you.

GUIDE

Lead-in

30 minutes.

Walk around the classintroducing yourself to the learners.Use 'Hello. My name's What'syour name?' Put up thesepictures.

Hello. Mg namos Be"ur. Mq noru"ts Kak . " Niceto neefgort. \itr."tb3our yron€,?

Ni."to \ \- +ooY

l- mecl- uorr

Tell the learnersto repeatthe dialogue.Then cover,or rub out, the names,and get the learnersto repeatthe dialogueagain,using their own names.

Organizingtexts: completion

3

Write this gappeddialogueon the board: FEN Hello. KATE My name'e FEN

Lo -you

Oen.-your Nice-

? meeN-.

Loo.

Ask the learnersto copy the dialogueand fill in the gaps.

Greetingsand introductions

Cleatlng texts: writing fiom a picture

a aa aa aa ao ea aaaaa

Gomment

4

When everyonehas finished, write in the missing words on the board and get the learnersto checktheir work.

5

Put up thesepictures.Getthe learnersto copythem and to write in the dialogue.

6

Ask one or two pairs of learnersto read out their sentencesinthe correct order, one taking Ben'spart and the other Kate's(get them to usetheir own namesif they prefer).

aaaaa a t a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a o t a a a a t a

If appropriate, changethe namesto more familiar local names.

LANG UAGE TECHNI QUES

MATERIALS

P REPARATION TIM E GUIDE

raa aaat aaaaaaa

Organizingtexts:reordering. Creatingtexts:writing from a picture.

Thejumbledwordsbelow;the picturesbelow,on a posteror on the board. Prepare theposterifyou areusingone. 40 minutes. aaaaaaaaaaaaa

aaaaaa t a a a o o n a a a a

Lead-in

Thelettersof the alphabet.

7- Spellout this dialogue(i.e.pronounceeachletterseparately): H-e-l-l-

n

W-h -a -l'-s

M-y

M- y

n-a-m-e' -

y-o-u-r

n-a-m-e'-e

D-e-n.

n-a-m-e? K-a-t,-e. y-o-u.

N- i- c -

Tellthe learners to put up theirhandandtell the classwhenthey guessa woro. aa aaaaaeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat a a

texts: Organizing

aaaaaaaaaaaaaonaao

2

leoldeling

Write theseiumbledwordson theboard: LOLHE

CEIN

NEF

TEME

N/EAN'9 OT

YM

OYU

AMNE

TEKA

YM UYOR g'THWA E9'MNA

3

10

Dividethe learnersinto pairs,A andB.AskA to look at the iumbledwordsin the first columnandto sort themout. B shoulc do the samefor the secondcolumn.

Thealphabet

Creatingtexts: wdting fiom a pictule

4

When they have finished, askA to dictate his or her words to B, who should write them down. Then get B to do the samefor A. Tell them to make a dialogue from the words.

5

Put up thesepictures:

6

Tell the learnersto copy the pictures and write the dialogue in the sPaces. Get learnersto compare their dialogueswith others in the class.

Gomment

Learnerscan write their own dialoguesusing different names,and dictate them to one another.

l1

Numbers L ANGUAGE

Numbers. Organizingtexts:completion. Creatingtexts:respondingto a text.

T ECHNIQUES

M AT ERIAL S

PREPARAT ION

TI M E G UI DE

The crosswordbelow a blank versionwith cluesand a versionwith answers,on two posters;the poem below,on a posteror on the board; examplesof the objectsin the poem. Adapt the poem if necessary. Make the crosswordposters,and the poem posterif you are usingone. Collect examplesof the objectsin the poem. 50 minutes.

Lead-in

1,

Give the learnerssomesimple'mental arithmetic'with numbers up to 20. For example,ask them to add 6 and 4, and t8 and 2. You could make this into a competition betweentwo teamsif you like.

Organizingtexts: completion

2

Put up the blank versionof the crossword.Make surethat the learnersunderstandhow to fill in a crossword.

3

Tell the learnersto copy the grid, but not the clues.

4

Ask them to completethe crosswordon their own, and then comparetheir answersin pairs.

Across 1 6x2 4 b+11 5 1+2 7 b-7 O 3x5 I 3x3 12 20-3 15 6x3 16 7x2

Down 1 16-3 2 1O+1 3 3+4 5 5x2 6 3+2 10 4xZ 11 1Ox2 12 12-6 15 BxZ 14 7-5 16 2x2

Put up the versionwith answers.

T2

Numbers

aaaaaoaaaa

a a a ta a a a a a a a a a aaaaaaaaaaaaaaoa

Creatingtexts: respondingto a text

6

Put up this poem. (If necessary, changesomeof the objectsto thoseyour learnersare more likely to havein their schoolbags.) ln 1am's echoolbag ONEEnqliehbook, MO woodenrulers, THREEclaee nolebooke, FOUKblackpene, FIVEchocolaLebiscuits, 1lX paVerhankiee, 9EVENpoVcaoeettee, EIGHTcoloured?encile, NINEbus tickeL6, TEN oiicky sweels, Show the classan exampleof eachobject in the poem, and askthe learnersto identifr it. Tell them they may use their own languageif they don't know the word in English.

7

Readthe poem, holding up an exampleof eachobject asyou read eachline.

I

Get the classto read the poem in chorus.Then ask for a volunteer to come out and hold up eachobject asthe rest of the classread the poem.

9

Ask the learnersto tell you about other things they have in their schoolbags.Tell them they may usetheir own languageif they don't know the word in English.Translatetheir suggestionsinto English and write them on the board.

10

Ask the learnersto write a poem like'In Sam'sschoolbag',called'In my schoolbag'.

l3

Tetting thetime

4

LANGUAGE What time is it? It's -

o'clock.

Numbers. rECHNreuEs

Organizingtexts:completion. Creating texts: responding to a text.

MATERIALS Notes and clock faces,on postersor on the board; diary pages,on a posteror on the board. pREIARArroN

Ifnecessary,adapt the notesto suit your learners'agesand cultures. Preparethe postersif you are using them.

TrMEGUrDE 40 minutes.

Lead-in

L

Revisetimes by drawing a clock face on the board, drawing in the hands at different times, and asking the learnersto tell you what time it is. Use: What time is it? It's -

Organizingtexts: completion

2

o'clock.

Put up thesenotesand clock faces: )ue, seeyou afuer schoolaN-.

Tom

Helen,meeNyou allhe cinemaaf,-. Tom,meetrme lor lunchaN

. Helen

ie atr-. Jamee,the meeNinq

)ue

James

6

T4

Telling the time

i6t (If necessaryteach'see','school','meet','cinema','lunch', and 'meeting'.) Tell the learnersto match the notes and the clock faces. 3

Get the learnersto copy the notes and write in the times in words.

4

Check the answerswith the whole class.

5

Put up thesenotes: 1am, Tom,-you )ue, Helen,Lhe

Creatingtexts: respondlngto a text

youatthe -

at eiqhNo'clock.Tom.

afLer me for

aNfour o'clock.)ue. at lwelvefitleen. Helen.

ie al ten lhirty. Mark.

6

Ask the learnersto copy the notes and fill in the gapswith appropriate vocabulary items from the first set of notes.

7

Check the answerswith the whole class.

I

Put up thesediarypages: Meet 1am. TeaaeueCinema.Film-b.l5. Meelina-3.2O. TellTom. Dinnerwilh James.HuanaShan reslauranN -7.30. Arranqelo 6ee 7ue after work-6.OO CasablancaCafe. Tell the learnersto write notes to Sam,Tom, Iames,and Sue making thesearrangements. Ask some learnersto read out their notes to the whole class. 15

tlA

Personalinformation

J

LANGUAGE My nameis -. Iam-. Iama I am from I live at My hobbies are TEcHNreuEs

and -.

Organizingtexts:reordering. Creating texts: responding to a text.

MATERTALS Jumbledsentences; letter,on a posteror on the board. IREIARATToN Preparethe posterif you are using one. TrME GUIDE 40 minutes.

Lead-in

L

Ask the learnersif they have,or haveeverhad, a penpal.Ask some questionsabout their penpals,for example: What is his or her name? Where is he or shefrom? aaaaaaa t a a

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoaaaaaaaa

Organizing texts: reoldering

2

Write thesejumbled sentences on the board: namemy Johnie. liveI aN79 AbbeyKoad )eneqalfrom I am learnera l'm 15l am hobbies are my dancinqowimminq and Tell the learnersto write them out correctly.Remind them that eachsentenceshould begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop.When they havefrnished,get them to comparetheir answers in pairs.

3

16

Ask individual learnersto read out their answersto the whole class.

Personal information

aa a aa aa taa aa aa aaaaaaaaaaaalaat aoaaaat aaaa a a a o a

Gleating texts:

4

Put up thisletter:

respondingto a text DearVenpal, LeLme inf,roduce myoelf. l'm 2l yearoold. My name'e1anjayJhabvala. I'mfrom lndia. l'm a poolman, I liveaN25 City Koad,Delh| My hobbieeare cyclin4and football. Wrile and tell me all aboul youreelfl

Ask the learnersto rewrite the letter, putting the sentencesin a better order (name,age,country,address,job, hobbies).Draw the letter layout below on the board and tell them to follow it.

When the learnershave rewritten the lettet ask them to write a reply, telling the penpal all about themselves. T7

^ r\-/t Gountries

LANGUAGE 'Countries'(for example,India, Greece,fapan) and'food' (for example,curry, pizza, hamburgers) vocabulary areas. - is/ are from -. rEcHNreuEs

Organizingtexts:substitution Creating texts: responding to a text.

MATERTALS Substitutiontable,on a posteror on the board; menu, on a poster or on the board. pREpARArroN Preparethe postersif you are using them. TrME GUrDE 40 minutes.

Lead{n

1,

Ask the learnersif they have ever tried any of the fbllorving: curry, pizza,hamburgers,sushi,or chop suey.Ask them if thev know which countriesthesekinds of food come from.

Olganizing texts:

2

Put up this substitutiontable.

substitution

Tizza

ta

Chopeuey

are

from

lndia. Greece.

Voueeaka

Ja?an.

Goulaeh

Italy,

lamburqero

China.

Curry

Hunqary.

Suehi

the U)A.

3

Tell the learnersto match the countries rvith the kinds of food, and then write sevencorrect sentences.

4

Check the answerswith the whole class.

6;;;il;;'i;i;;'''''''''''';'';;; ;; ili,;;;,, respondlng to a text

TNTERNATTO\,A,, G

6

Tell the learnersto use them to write sentenceswith the same patterns as those they havejust completed.

7

Ask the learnersto write a letter to a penpal in another country, telling him or her about the kinds of food they eat. They should say which kinds of food they like and don't like, using the sentence patterns they have practised.

5l

23

Leisure activities

L ANGUAGE

'Leisure activities' vocabulary area (for example,swimming, sewing, football). Organizing texts: substitution. Creatingtexts:surveyand report.

T ECHNIQUES

Substitutiontable,on the board; charts.

M AT ERIAL S

Choosesomeleisureactivitiesthat are familiar to your learners. Make the charts.

PREPARAT ION

T IM E

GUIDE

Lead-in

Organizing texts: substitution

50 minutes.

Ask the learnersto tell you the namesof activitiesthey enjoy doing in their free time. Tianslate for them if they can't think of the word in English.Write the activitiesin a list on the right-hand sideof tne board.

1-

Changethe list into a substitutiontablelike this: I likellikee (liet of aclivitiee) Vy VarLner don'l mindldoeen'Imind halel hatee Divide the learnersinto pairs.Tell them to usethe table to write sentences that are true (and correct!)for themselvesand their partners. Ask somelearnersto report back to the rest of the class.They should tell you one thing about their partner and one about themselves.

Creatingtexts: surveyand report

Changethe substitutiontable back into a list by rubbing out the two left-hand columns. Tell the learnersto copy the list and make a chart like this (demonstrateon the board):

(liot,of activiliee)

52

Leisure activities23 6

Divide the classinto groups of six to eight learners,and write the following prompts on the board:

Do you like-inq?

I

lika

-in6

don'l mind

Tell the learnersto find out what the other members of their group feel about eachleisure activity listed on their charts.They should note the number of peoplewho like, don't mind, or hate each activity, for example: likes

doesn'Nmind

ewimminq

.+

Z

eewinq

1

z

dancinq

6

1

hale6

2 1

8

Ask each group to report back to the rest of the classwhich was the most popular and which wasthe leastpopular activity in their group.

9

Write this framework on the board: ln a ourveyof leisureaclivities in our qroupwefoundthat ie ihe f avouriteacliviNy.Thenexl moet poVularactivity is -. Leeopopularactivilieeare -, Theleast, and -. are popularacbivities and -. Tell the learnersto write reports of their surveysusing their charts and the framework.

53

Daity routines

24

LANGUAGE 'Everydayactivities'vocabulary area (for example,get up, wash, have breakfast). Telling the time. TEcHNreuEs

Organizingtexts:completion. Creating texts: writing from a picture.

MATERIALs Text frameworks,on postersor on the board; flashcardsof animals. IREnARATToN Make the postersif you are using them; make the flashcards. rrME GUIDE 50 minutes.

lead-in

1,

Write a selectionof everydayactions on the board, for example: watrch'N read cook do houeework do homework Tell the learnersyou are going to do a quick survey to find out what they do in the evenings.

2

aa aaaaaae

aaa

Organlzingtexts: completion

Readout eachaction. Ask the learnersto put up their hands if they do it regularly in the evenings.Count the hands and write the total by each action. What do most learnersdo?

ataaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

3

Putup thistextframework: Everyday I Firetl al andLhenl Then| -. Afler lhat | -Lo school. at, and I qo homeat ln lhe eveningI Iand Lhen| -. tro bedat _ Tell the learnersto copy and complete it for a typical day in their lives.If you have a classthat needsmore support, you can give suggestionsfor filling in some of the gaps,for example: brush mv teeth qo naveeu??er qet u? havelunch waen havebreakfaet

54

24 Dailyroutines 4

Put up this text framework and ask the learners to describewhat they do after school: I qel homefrom echoolal -. Firstl andthen I -. Next land -. After lhal I somelimee I ao to bed at

Gleating texts: writing fiom a picture

5

or -,

Showthe learnersflashcardsof four or five differentkinds of animal,for example:

Chooseanimals that are familiar to your learners. Ask the learnersto chooseone and to write a descriptionof a typical day from that animal's point of view They can use the framework for the description of their own day to help them. When they have finished, put the learners in pairs to read their descriptions to each other and to guesswhich animal's day is being described.

55

,^r l-

ZC

Jobs

LANGUAGE '|obs'vocabularyarea(for example,farmer, doctor, waiter). rEcHNreuEs

Organizingtexts:substitution. Creating texts:write and guess.

MATERTALs Model text on a poster. PREPARATToNMake the poster. TrMEGUIDE 50 minutes. ao aoaaaaaoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a

Lead-ln

Organizlngtexts: substltutlon

1, Put the learnersin groupsof threeor four.Tellthe groupsthat they must think of asmanyjobs asthey canin threeminutes.One learnerin eachgroupshouldwrite down the jobs. 2

Writethejobsthe learnershavethoughtof on the board.The groupwhichhasthoughtof the mostjobsis thewinner.

3

Putup this modeldescription: My

falher mother brobher eioler

Ne 5he

iea

a uniform. a euiL. overalle. caeualclobhee. an a?ron. a white coat.

He 5he

gete uV I veryearly, doesn'lqet u? |

He

comeehomeat,about,

o'clock.

a 11o

Chc

He the

lik e s t h ie I doeon'llike I her I

booe.

earno 1 a lo| of money. doesn'tr earn I

Ask the learnersto write about a member of their family, or a friend, using the model.

56

robs28 Creatingtexts: rrite and guess

4

Ask the learnersto chooseone of the jobs on the board, and to write a description of a day in the life of a person who doesthat job. Tell them not to mention the name of the job in their descriptions.Tell them that they can use sentencepatterns from the model text. When they have finished writing, put the learnersin groups of three or four, and tell them to swap their descriptions. They should read the descriptions they havebeen given, and guess which job is being described.

a

a aaaoaaaaar aaaaaaaaaaaaa

Comment

oaaaaaraaa

You can choosejobs that your learners are familiar with, and that are culturally appropriate.

57

Housework

26 L ANGUAGE

'Housework'vocabulary area (for example,wash the dishes,make the beds, do the shopping. To hate (doing something). Organizingtexts:describinga picture, and completion. Creating texts: write and draw.

T ECHNIQUES

Posterof a'kitchen robot'.

M AT ERIAL S

Make the poster.

PREPARAT ION T IM E

Leadln

GUIDE

50 minutes.

7- Write a selectionof household taskson the board, for example: washthe dishes makelhe bede do the ehoppin7 Tell the learnersyou are going to do a quick survey to find out which household task they hate the most.

Organlzingtexts: descilbinga picture, and completion

58

2

Readout eachtask.Ask the learners'Whohates most?'Tell them to put up their hands.Write the total by eachtask.What do the largestnumber of learnershate doing?

3

Put up this picture and text:

26 Housework lntroducinqRobocook, the amazingkitchenroboN.Doyou haf,e cookinq?Doyou loabhewaohingup? Doyou eomelimeelonqfor helV?Don't,deepairlHelpie herelKobo'aarme helVwilh all those borinqkilchenIaske.Arm A Arm C

whileArm b -, and AfLer Lhe meal Arm D and Arm E -.

Kobocookie alwayereadylo helplHe is neverliredl he never qrumbleolDuy oneNodayl Tell the learnersto look at the picture and write out the text, filling in the gaps.If necessary, help them by writing the tasksRobocook is doing on the board: layinqthe t able waehinq Ihe diehee eweepinq Nhefroor puttin4lhe dieheeaway cookinqLhedinner

Creating texts:

4

Get the learnersto check their answersin pairs.

5

Go through the answerswith the whole class.

6

write and draw

Tellthe learnersto inventa machineto help them with a household task they hate doing. Ask them to draw their machine and to write a short paragraphdescribingit.

7

Put the learnersin pairs and tell them to show their pictures and read their descriptions to each other.

59

27

Abitities

LANGUAGE Abilities'(for example,drive, sing, cook) and'jobs'(for example, bus driver, secretary,doctor) vocabulary areas. Can. Organizing texts: reordering. Creatingtexts:write and do.

T ECHNIQUES

Iob advertsposter;letter of applicationposter;piecesof paper with the namesof jobs for all the learners.

M AT ERIAL S

Make the posters.

PREPARAT ION T IM E

Lead-in

GUIDE

1,

60 minutes.

Write a list of jobs on the board, for example: buedriver oecretary

Organizingtexts: reordering

doclor larmer

businessman/ woman hairdresser

leacher

2

Divide the classinto two teams and give a clue to one of the jobs using'can',for example:'Shecan cure people'(doctor);'Shecan type' (secretary).The first team to give the correct answergets a point.

3

The team with the most points at the end is the winner.

4

Put up this posterofjob adverts:

WArure o:

1 4 O T HE R FOR CIIIIDREN

SPONSIgILTTY

ro nttGERs WANTE D:

WAWTED: LORRYDRIVER E N6 L I S H EAC HER

FOR

DtSrAt{cE TRIPS

60

FOR CLASS ONE

I/yANTED: ASTRoNAuT FoRFxPEDtTfoN

r o M ARS

27 Abilities Thenput up this letter: Dear)ir, I can drive,einq,cookdelicioue meals,waehcloLheeand dishee,eew,knitr,and Nellgood oLoriee.I hopeyou willconeider my application.I can worklwenf,y-fourhourea day,oeven daye a week.I wouldlikelo applyfor Nhejob of -. I have five paire of arme for hu1qinq,five Vaireof eyeefor wahchinq, five paire of ears lor liotenin1,and fivemouthsfor einqinq eonq6and Lellin7oloriee. Youro faithfully,

5

Explain any unfamiliar vocabulary,and then ask the learnerswhich job the writer is applying for (mother).

6

Ask them to write out the letter, putting the sentencesin a better order. Checkthe order of the sentences with the whole class(4, l, 5,3,2, or possibly4, 3, I, 5, 2).

;;;ii;;'i;.[;" write and do

" " " " ";"

Ail;hj"u*;' a pieceor paperwiththenameor oneof the otherjobson it.

9

Tell them to write a letter of application for the job on their piece of paper. They should use the letter they have copied as a model. Go round and help them while they are writing, supplying any vocabulary they need.

10

Collect up the letters in sets,i.e. all the zoo keeperapplications, all the clown applications, and so on.

L1,

Divide the classinto groups.Thesegroups are'assessment boards' for eachof the jobs. Give eachboard their set of applications.Tell the groups to read all their applications and to decidewho getsthe job.

6I

28 Rules:'must'and 'mustn't' LANGUAGE Must,mustn't. rEcHNreuEs

Constructingtexts:matching. Creatingtexts:write and guess.

MATERTALs Listsof places. pREpARArroN Prepareenoughlistsof placesfor the sub-groups. TrMEGUIDE 50 minutes.

Lead-in

Constructing texts:

L

Ask the learners'Whatare the rules at home?What do your parents tell you you mustdo?What do they tell you you mustn'tdo?' (If your learnersare adults,askthem to remembertheir childhood.)

2

Put them in groups of three or four to talk about this. Then askthe groupsto report back to the rest of the class.

3

Writethesehalf sentences on theboard:

matching

Greating texts: wlite and guess

62

Youmusl ehout YoumusNn'N run in lhe corridors eatrin claee be laLe be polite do your homework climbout,of f,hewindowe wrif,eon Lhe texlbooks 4

Ask for volunteersto make completesentences. Ask them what the sentences might be called('Schoolrules').

5

Get the learnersto write out eight completesentences. They should givetheir sentences the title'School rules'.

6

Checkthe answerswith the whole class.

7

Divide the classinto groupsof four or five.Then divide eachgroup into two pairs,or a pair and a group of three (A and B).

I

GiveAs in eachgroup this list of places:aeroplane,hospital,shop, zoo. Give Bs in eachgroup this list of places:prison, bank, park, boat.

9

Ask the learnersto write a set of rules for eachplace.Give them an example,in a library the rules might look like this:

Rules:' must' and' m ustn' t'

28

L I BR A R Y Younrustt"tk yietlg. eff or driYrk' Youmustvr'f Yo" nrustnhruYl. Yourrrustreturn books ontiweGo round and help, supplying any necessaryvocabulary. Ask As to read their rules for eachplace to Bs,without sayingthe namesof the places.Bs must guesswhat the placesare.Then Bs should read their rules to As.

il;;;i..'ooo''""''""''''i;;:;;p.r,',n.,.rroolrulesonthewallsaroundtheclassroom.

63

29

Describing actions 1

L ANGUAGE

Presentcontinuous. Organizingtexts:describinga picture. Creatingtexts:write and do.

T ECHNIQUE

Picture of a living-room on a poster.

M AT ERIAL S

Make the poster.

PREPARAT ION T IM E

GUIDE

60 minutes.

aaaaaoaaaaaa

Lead-in

Organizingtexts: describinga picture

64

7.

Ask the learnersto closetheir eyesand imagine a room. Ask them to decidewhat furniture it contains.Then tell them that four peopleare in the room. Ask them'Who are they?What are they doing?'Givethem a little time to imagine,then tell them to open their eyes.

2

Put the learnersin pairs and get them to tell their partners what they'saw'.

3

Put up this picture:

Describing actions1

pffi

Point to eachpersonin the picture and ask the learnerswhat he or sheis doing. Supplyany necessary vocabulary. 4

Tell the learnersthat they are going to write a descriptionof the picture.Write the beginningof the descriptionon the board: Mrs ToNNer ie eleeVinq in front of the television. Dul whileeheie eleeVinq, terrible Nhinqo are happeninq all aroundher. Veacefully Encouragethem to connectsentences with'and'or'while'.

Creatingtexts: wilte and do

Put the learnersin groupsof about eight.Ask eachgroup to imagine that they are all members of the samefamily. Tell them to decidewho is who, for example,grandmother, grandfather,aunt, uncle,mother, father,son,daughter. Ask the groupsto imaginea kitchen or living-room scene.Each personshould imaginewhat they are doing. When you havegiven them a little time, ask the groups in turn to get up and form a tableau(they form a'picture'by standingin their position in the room as if they are doing their action). When all the groupshaveformed their tableaux,get them to preparea descriptionof the room and what everyoneis doing in it. Eachgroup should appoint a'secretary'to write down the description. Collectthe descriptionsand redistributethem so that eachgroup now has another group'sdescription.Eachgroup should read the descriptionit hasbeen given,and form a tableaufrom it. Ask the groupsin turn to get up and form their tableau.The other groupsshould call out when they recognizetheir descriptionsfrom thesenew tableaux.

65

Describing action s2

30 L ANGUAGE

Presentcontinuous. In the background; in the foreground. On the left; on the right. Behind; in front of; near. Organizingtexts:describinga picture. Creating texts: write and draw.

T ECHNIQUES

M AT ERIAL S PREPARAT ION T IM E

GUIDE

Posterof a park scene;two piecesof paper for eachlearner. Make the poster. 50 minutes.

a taa aaaaat aaaaaaoaaaaaat aaaaaa t a a a a t t a a a a o a a a a

lead-in

1- Ask the learnersto imagine the street outside the school.What are people doing there?Collect suggestionsfrom the class.

Organizingtexts: describinga picture

2

Putup thispicture:

r\l/,r\l/ Ask for volunteersto tell you some of the things that are happening in the picture. 66

Describing actions2

3#

Divide the classinto three groups,asnear the samesizeaspossible. Ask the first group to write a descriptionof the scene,startingon the left and describing it from left to right. Ask the secondgroup to write a description,startingwith the foregroundand moving backwards.Ask the third group to write a description,startingwith the backgroundand moving forwards.Eachgroup should appoint a'secretary'to write their description.

4

Write someusefulexpressions on the board: in lhe back4round in lhe fore4round on the lefL on lhe ri4ht behind in fronLof near Ask for a volunteerfrom eachof the three groupsto read out their descriptionsto the rest of the class.Ask the class'Which was the bestway of organizingthe description?'(In this picture,it is bestto begin with the backgroundto setthe scene,and then to move forwards, finishing with the main event-the balloon race in the foreground.)

aaaaaaa ta aa a

Creatingtexts: write and draw

a a *{a a a a a a a $ *a *i a a a a t *

6

Ask the learnersto closetheir eyesand imagine a busy street.Then askthem to open their eyesand draw the picture they imagined. Then askthem to write descriptionsof the picturesthey have drawn on a separatepieceof paper. Chooseeight of the learners'descriptionsand pictures.Separate the descriptionsfrom the pictures.Labelthe descriptionsA, B, C, etc.and label the pictures 1,2,3, etc.Takecarethat matching picturesand descriptionsare not givencorrespondinglettersand numbers (for example,makeA somenumber other than 1, and C somenumber other than 3). Keepa list of the matchinglettersand numbers for yourself. Put up the descriptionsand picturesaround the classroom,and ask the learnersto read the descriptionsand try to find the matching pictures.

67

basics allof them level, at elementary Thisbookcontains thirtyactivities dailylives,for dealingwithtopicswhichformpartof everybody's materials theteacher only andleisure activities.The example,families are instructions andpens.The andclassneedarethe board,paper, clearandeasyto follow,andthe authorshaveprovidedadditional supportin a shortIntroduction. methodological

to language andtopics ldeasfor lead-ins for writing Real-life contexts startthinking Simplepictureandtextpromptsto helplearners abouttheirwriting learners'work Tipson correcting

OXFORDENGLISH tsBN0-19-442170-8

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