English learning module

Doug: Hi, Tim. Answer How are you?

Tim: Not bad. Answer How was your Christmas?

Doug: Fantastic.

Tim: Oh! Answer What did you do?

Doug: I went home for Christmas.

Tim: Answer Where is home?

Doug: Australia.

Tim: Answer How long did you go for?

Doug: I spent three wonderful weeks there.

Tim: Answer When did you leave?

Doug: I left on December 15th.

Tim: Answer What did you do in Australia?

Doug: I saw my family and friends and visited all my favorite places.

Tim: Answer How far is it to Australia?

Doug: It's eight and a half hours by plane.

Tim: Answer Which airline did you take?

Doug: I took Singapore Airlines.

Tim: Answer Why didn't you take Australia - Asia Airline?

Doug: Because they were booked out.

Tim: Answer When did you get back?

Doug: I got back yesterday.

Tim: Answer Who met you at the airport?

Doug: My brother met me.

Tim: Answer What did you do on Christmas Day?

Doug: We had a big party at my parents' house.

Tim: Answer Who attended the party?

Doug: My whole family came. Everybody was there except for my sister. She couldn't come.

Tim: Answer Why not? Answer Where was she?

Doug: She was in another city.

Tim: Answer Which city was she in?

Doug: She was here, in Chai Yi. She had come to spend Christmas with me

Students often think that the ability to speak a language is the product of language learning, but speaking is also a crucial part of the language learning process. Effective instructors teach students speaking strategies -- using minimal responses, recognizing scripts, and using language to talk about language -- that they can use to help themselves expand their knowledge of the language and their confidence in using it. These instructors help students learn to speak so that the students can use speaking to learn.

1. Using minimal responses

Language learners who lack confidence in their ability to participate successfully in oral interaction often listen in silence while others do the talking. One way to encourage such learners to begin to participate is to help them build up a stock of minimal responses that they can use in different types of exchanges. Such responses can be especially useful for beginners.

Minimal responses are predictable, often idiomatic phrases that conversation participants use to indicate understanding, agreement, doubt, and other responses to what another speaker is saying. Having a stock of such responses enables a learner to focus on what the other participant is saying, without having to simultaneously plan a response.

2. Recognizing scripts

Some communication situations are associated with a predictable set of spoken exchanges -- a script. Greetings, apologies, compliments, invitations, and other functions that are influenced by social and cultural norms often follow patterns or scripts. So do the transactional exchanges involved in activities such as obtaining information and making a purchase. In these scripts, the relationship between a speaker's turn and the one that follows it can often be anticipated.

Instructors can help students develop speaking ability by making them aware of the scripts for different situations so that they can predict what they will hear and what they will need to say in response. Through interactive activities, instructors can give students practice in managing and varying the language that different scripts contain.

3. Using language to talk about language

Language learners are often too embarrassed or shy to say anything when they do not understand another speaker or when they realize that a conversation partner has not understood them. Instructors can help students overcome this reticence by assuring them that misunderstanding and the need for clarification can occur in any type of interaction, whatever the participants' language skill levels. Instructors can also give students strategies and phrases to use for clarification and comprehension check.

By encouraging students to use clarification phrases in class when misunderstanding occurs, and by responding positively when they do, instructors can create an authentic practice environment within the classroom itself. As they develop control of various clarification strategies, students will gain confidence in their ability to manage the various communication situations that they may encounter outside the classroom

Sources : Discovery education

Listening and speaking strategies

Objectives

Students will

• Learn how to be a good listener.
• Learn how to be a good speaker.
• Practice listening and speaking skills with classmates.

Materials

• Pencils and erasers
• "Have You Ever..." search paper, 1 copy per student (see Procedures below)
• Computer with Internet access (optional)

Procedures

1. Before beginning the lesson, create a "Have You Ever?" search paper by dividing a piece of white paper into 16 equal squares: Draw four columns down and four rows across the sheet of paper. At the bottom of each square write something that at least one student in the class may have experienced or a quality at least one student may have, such as "broken a bone," "loves pizza," "speaks two languages," "has been on an airplane," or "good dancer." Photocopy one copy of the search paper for each student.
2. To being, play a few rounds of telephone with the class to demonstrate the importance of having good speaking and listening skills. Then have students watch Speaking and Listening Strategies to further explore good skills.
3. After watching the program, talk about experiences when students have had to ask questions or follow directions. Ask them: Why is important to give clear directions? What kinds of situations have you been in when you have had to listen very carefully to someone talking? Why is it important to develop good speaking and listening skills? Have students describe situations when they have not used good speaking or listening skills. What were the results?
4. Explain to students that they will play a scavenger hunt-type game with their classmates. Hand out copies of "Have You Ever?" and tell students that the object of the game is to be the first person in the class to complete the squares. To do so, they must match a classmate's name to the criteria written in a square. Each square must represent a different person, so a winning "Have You Ever?" sheet cannot have one student's name on it in more than one square.
5. Tell students that they will walk around the classroom and ask their classmates questions to fill in the squares on their sheet, such as "Have you ever broken a bone?" If a classmate has broken a bone, they meet the criterion, and the student should write the classmate's name in that square. If not, the student can choose to ask the person a different question or move to a different classmate until they have found one who has broken a bone. Explain to students that they will also answer questions. For example, if Mary is asking John a question, she cannot leave him when he has answered her question. She should wait until John asks his question and they are both ready to move to new classmates.
6. Remind students that everyone in the classroom will be working on their scavenger hunt at the same time, so it is important that students use indoor voices, listen to what their classmates are saying very carefully, and not to run. The first person to fill in all of their squares without repeating a name wins. Tell students to raise their paper and call out if they think they have won.
7. Give students time to complete their scavenger hunt. Walk around the classroom while students are engaged to make sure everyone is playing fairly and nobody is running. Call time when a student has announced they have finished and have students quietly freeze where they are standing while you check the possible winning sheet. If the student is mistaken, have the class resume the activity. If not, ask students to return to their seats.
8. Discuss the scavenger hunt with students. Who learned something new about their classmates? What did they learn? Why was it important to use good listening skills during the scavenger hunt? Why was it important to use good speaking skills?
9. If time allows, students can practice their reading and listening skills online with interactive stories at this Web site http://www.alfy.com/Storyville

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Evaluation

Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work during this lesson.

• Three points: Students were highly engaged in class and group discussions; enthusiastically participated in the scavenger hunt; followed the rules of the scavenger hunt without needing teacher guidance or supervision; and demonstrated a clear understanding of the importance of having good speaking and listening skills.
• Two points: Students generally engaged in class and group discussions; participated in the scavenger hunt; followed the rules of the scavenger hunt with little teacher supervision or guidance; and demonstrated a basic understanding of the importance of having good speaking and listening skills.
• One point: Students participated minimally in class and group discussions; were unable to participate in the scavenger hunt without constant teacher supervision or refused to participate in the scavenger hunt; and were unable to demonstrate a basic understanding of the importance of having good speaking and listening skills.

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Vocabulary

directions
Definition: An instruction, indication, or order given with authority
Context: It is important to give directions that are easy to follow and in the right order.

discussion
Definition: An earnest conversation
Context: A group discussion is a great place to share new information.

listen
Definition: To pay attention or make an effort to hear something
Context: Listen to how Kat and Kenny take turns speaking.

question
Definition: An expression of inquiry that invites or calls for a reply
Context: Asking a question is one way to learn more about a topic.

speak
Definition: To talk or express oneself
Context: It is important to take turns when you speak with friends.

Language learning depends on listening. Listening provides the aural input that serves as the basis for language acquisition and enables learners to interact in spoken communication.

Effective language instructors show students how they can adjust their listening behavior to deal with a variety of situations, types of input, and listening purposes. They help students develop a set of listening strategies and match appropriate strategies to each listening situation.

Listening Strategies

Listening strategies are techniques or activities that contribute directly to the comprehension and recall of listening input. Listening strategies can be classified by how the listener processes the input.

Top-down strategies are listener based; the listener taps into background knowledge of the topic, the situation or context, the type of text, and the language. This background knowledge activates a set of expectations that help the listener to interpret what is heard and anticipate what will come next. Top-down strategies include

• listening for the main idea
• predicting
• drawing inferences
• summarizing

Bottom-up strategies are text based; the listener relies on the language in the message, that is, the combination of sounds, words, and grammar that creates meaning. Bottom-up strategies include

• listening for specific details
• recognizing cognates
• recognizing word-order patterns

Strategic listeners also use metacognitive strategies to plan, monitor, and evaluate their listening.

• They plan by deciding which listening strategies will serve best in a particular situation.
• They monitor their comprehension and the effectiveness of the selected strategies.
• They evaluate by determining whether they have achieved their listening comprehension goals and whether the combination of listening strategies selected was an effective one.

Listening for Meaning

To extract meaning from a listening text, students need to follow four basic steps:

• Figure out the purpose for listening. Activate background knowledge of the topic in order to predict or anticipate content and identify appropriate listening strategies.
• Attend to the parts of the listening input that are relevant to the identified purpose and ignore the rest. This selectivity enables students to focus on specific items in the input and reduces the amount of information they have to hold in short-term memory in order to recognize it.
• Select top-down and bottom-up strategies that are appropriate to the listening task and use them flexibly and interactively. Students' comprehension improves and their confidence increases when they use top-down and bottom-up strategies simultaneously to construct meaning.
• Check comprehension while listening and when the listening task is over. Monitoring comprehension helps students detect inconsistencies and comprehension failures, directing them to use alternate strategies.

Sources : NCLRC

Using Reading Strategies

Language instructors are often frustrated by the fact that students do not automatically transfer the strategies they use when reading in their native language to reading in a language they are learning. Instead, they seem to think reading means starting at the beginning and going word by word, stopping to look up every unknown vocabulary item, until they reach the end. When they do this, students are relying exclusively on their linguistic knowledge, a bottom-up strategy. One of the most important functions of the language instructor, then, is to help students move past this idea and use top-down strategies as they do in their native language.

Effective language instructors show students how they can adjust their reading behavior to deal with a variety of situations, types of input, and reading purposes. They help students develop a set of reading strategies and match appropriate strategies to each reading situation.

Strategies that can help students read more quickly and effectively include

• Previewing: reviewing titles, section headings, and photo captions to get a sense of the structure and content of a reading selection
• Predicting: using knowledge of the subject matter to make predictions about content and vocabulary and check comprehension; using knowledge of the text type and purpose to make predictions about discourse structure; using knowledge about the author to make predictions about writing style, vocabulary, and content
• Skimming and scanning: using a quick survey of the text to get the main idea, identify text structure, confirm or question predictions
• Guessing from context: using prior knowledge of the subject and the ideas in the text as clues to the meanings of unknown words, instead of stopping to look them up
• Paraphrasing: stopping at the end of a section to check comprehension by restating the
• information and ideas in the text

Instructors can help students learn when and how to use reading strategies in several ways.

• By modeling the strategies aloud, talking through the processes of previewing, predicting, skimming and scanning, and paraphrasing. This shows students how the strategies work and how much they can know about a text before they begin to read word by word.
• By allowing time in class for group and individual previewing and predicting activities as preparation for in-class or out-of-class reading. Allocating class time to these activities indicates their importance and value.
• By using cloze (fill in the blank) exercises to review vocabulary items. This helps students learn to guess meaning from context.
• By encouraging students to talk about what strategies they think will help them approach a reading assignment, and then talking after reading about what strategies they actually used. This helps students develop flexibility in their choice of strategies.

When language learners use reading strategies, they find that they can control the reading experience, and they gain confidence in their ability to read the language.

Reading to Learn

Reading is an essential part of language instruction at every level because it supports learning in

multiple ways.

• Reading to learn the language: Reading material is language input. By giving students a variety of materials to read, instructors provide multiple opportunities for students to absorb vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, and discourse structure as they occur in authentic contexts. Students thus gain a more complete picture of the ways in which the elements of the language work together to convey meaning.
• Reading for content information: Students' purpose for reading in their native language is often to obtain information about a subject they are studying, and this purpose can be useful in the language learning classroom as well. Reading for content information in the language classroom gives students both authentic reading material and an authentic purpose for reading.
• Reading for cultural knowledge and awareness: Reading everyday materials that are designed for native speakers can give students insight into the lifestyles and worldviews of the people whose language they are studying. When students have access to newspapers, magazines, and Web sites, they are exposed to culture in all its variety, and monolithic cultural stereotypes begin to break down.

When reading to learn, students need to follow four basic steps:

1. Figure out the purpose for reading. Activate background knowledge of the topic in order to predict or anticipate content and identify appropriate reading strategies.

2. Attend to the parts of the text that are relevant to the identified purpose and ignore the rest. This selectivity enables students to focus on specific items in the input and reduces the amount of information they have to hold in short-term memory.

3. Select strategies that are appropriate to the reading task and use them flexibly and interactively. Students' comprehension improves and their confidence increases when they use top-down and bottom-up skills simultaneously to construct meaning.

4. Check comprehension while reading and when the reading task is completed. Monitoring comprehension helps students detect inconsistencies and comprehension failures, helping them learn to use alternate strategies.

Effective reading teachers use direct instructional methods that teach kids the strategies they need for comprehension. Direct instruction is structured with familiar daily routines. Teachers introduce and explain reading strategies and model the correct procedures for using them. Teachers then guide the class in whole and small group lessons in which the students practice what they've learned. The goal of this type of instruction is to help kids know how to apply strategies when reading independently. Effective reading instruction begins with phonics and progresses along a continuum that includes vocabulary and fluency. Proficiency in these areas are essential for achieving comprehension

Phonics

o Reading instruction begins with phonics and phonological awareness, which is emphasized in Kindergarten and first grade. Teachers focus on letter-naming, sound recognition and production, and decoding or sounding out words. Children learn these skills in whole and small-group activities. Kids are often grouped by ability so teachers can target students according to their instructional level. Phonics instruction is usually embedded in teacher-led activities such as read-alouds and guided reading lessons. Students can begin reading simple texts before they have complete phonological knowledge, but mastery of letter sounds and names is essential for fluency and comprehension.

Fluency

o Fluency is the ability to read accurately, with expression, and at a rate of speed appropriate for comprehension. Fluency instruction begins before kids actually begin to read. Teachers model fluent reading practices when they read aloud to the class. Once kids are reading, fluency is reinforced through practice. Children need to read often in a variety of settings. Paired and group reading as well as choral and echo reading help kids improve fluency.Teachers should provide children with many reading opportunities by maintaining a literacy-rich environment throughout the day. Fluency should be implemented across the curriculum so children can apply their skills to non-fiction texts in other subjects.

Comprehension

o Students learn comprehension skills by applying specific strategies before, during and after reading. Teachers introduce and demonstrate these strategies and help kids learn how to determine the appropriate skill for the reading situation. Predicting, questioning, inferring and summarizing are among the most common strategies students learn. Teachers model each strategy while reading aloud to the class. The teacher stops after reading a few pages and shows the class how to apply the strategy by "thinking aloud". In this process, the teacher predicts, infers or asks questions about the passage they just read by talking to herself. Comments include, "I wonder what I would do if this happened to me?" or "I understand why the girl is sad because my best friend moved away too." This allows kids to "hear" the kind of thinking that should occur while they read.

Read more: Effective Strategies for Teaching Reading |http://www.ehow.com/list_6128077_effective-strategies-teaching-reading.html#ixzz1yCou7ll2

Don't be afraid of grammar

• Grammar is for communication
  Sometimes students get obsessed with grammar. This is especially true for students who grew up with strict grammar schooling. Remember that you only study grammar in order to communicate. Practise with a few exercises, then write an essay or have a conversation and try to use your new tools.
• Isolate your weak points
  Don't waste time on grammar exercises that you already understand just because they are easier for you. Concentrate on grammar that is difficult for you. If you are unsure of where your problems are, write a few short essays or paragraphs and ask a teacher to circle repeated errors. Then you can look up your problem and practise it.
• Teach grammar points to a friend
  Find a friend who studies at a lower level than you. Teaching will force you to remember the rules and to understand them properly. Try preparing a worksheet for your friend.
  
  Useful Grammar links:
  EnglishClub.com English Grammar
  Gramar is your friend
  Grammar Safari

Improve your homework skills

• Stay organized. Keep separate notebooks for exercises, writing, and vocabulary.
• Use a pen that you love.
• Study in short, regular periods.
• Allow a short amount of time for review.
• Study in a place where you feel happy and comfortable.
• Don't allow distractions. Consider email, TV, and the telephone (unless in English) off limits while you are studying.
• Have a drink and snack handy so that you don't have to get up.
• If you study in pairs or groups, make an English-only rule.

Visit an English-Speaking Country

• Take a language holiday.
• Stay with a homestay family.
• Learn from native English teachers.
• Gain access to English culture.
• Get a part-time job.
• Volunteer.
• Make native English friends.
• Make friends with people from other countries.
• Become more confident.
• Hire a tutor.
• Offer language lessons/swap in your own native tongue.
• Useful links:
  Language Holidays
  Homestay
  English Schools Guide

Prepare for a standardized test such as TOEIC or TOEFL

• Qualify for a better job in your country (TOEIC).
• Get accepted to an American college or university (TOEFL).
• Use guided-study text books.
• Study a broad range of whole language.
• Track your improvement easily (test scores).
• Learn idiomatic language.
• Learn business English (TOEIC).
• Improve your vocabulary quickly.
• Take classes and get access to many listening exercises.
• Challenge yourself to improve your score.
• Learn and practise proper essay format (TWE/NEW TOEFL).
• Become a grammar expert.
• Improve your general knowledge.
• Useful links:
  ESL Exams
  TOEFL Tips and Practice
  TOEIC Tips and Practice
  Official Cambridge site
  Official TOEFL site
  Official TOEIC site

Fun with English Ideas

• Have an English-only evening once a week. Cook in English (rewrite your recipe in English) or watch English movies.
• Write an English love letter. (If your loved one doesn't understand English that's even better!)
• Write English limericks. (These are excellent and simple for writing, pronunciation and rhythm practice.)
• Rewrite fairytales, jokes or instructions in English.
• Go out and pretend you don't understand your native language (try to get by in only English).
• Go online and find the lyrics to your favourite English songs and sing along to them (use a search engine).
• Learn the words to English national anthems. Sing along when you hear them on TV (sporting events).
• Invent an English character for yourself (with job, family, etc). Write this person's biography.
• Buy an English board game (like Monopoly or Scrabble).
• Play cards in English.
• Start up or join an English reading or conversation club.
• Talk to yourself in English while you clean or do the dishes.
• Go around the house and try to name everything in English (furniture, clothes etc). Look up words you don't know.

• Keep a diary/journal
  Don't always pay attention to grammar. Free-writing can be very useful. It can show you that writing is fun. Have fun with the language.
• Write emails in English
  Stay in contact with teachers or other students.
• Rewrite your local news in English
  This is another exercise that can be done on a daily basis. Remember that regular activities are the best ones.
• Learn important spelling rules
  Remember, you won't always have a dictionary or a spell-checker handy, especially when you are writing a test. Even native English speakers need to review the spelling rules from time to time.
• Learn commonly misspelled words
• Learn common English errors
• Get an ESL penpal
• Useful Writing links:
  EnglishClub.com English Writing
  More writing tips