I have created several listening handouts for students to examine how people make requests. The idea behind this activity is for students to start realizing that people don’t speak like the textbook and people make choices in their pragmatic requests. It also builds students sense of discovery. Original idea adapted from Scott Phillabaum. First step: Ask students how people make requests or ask for things. Second step: teach them ways to make requests. Third step: […]
Category: Advanced
Tournament Style Peer Review
Adapted from Patrick Hoggan at American River College, I created a peer review that is completely anonymous and competitive. In this peer review students will write the best essay possible and compete with other students. I usually include prizes for the winners (top 3). This can be done with paragraphs, essays, or any type of writing. Directions: Have students write an essay then type that essay (I usually do an in-class essay that I will […]
Blind Peer Review
This is a peer review I adapted from Megan Riedel (English) at Yuba College. This peer review is completely anonymous and allows the students to receive multiple sources of feedback. It may take an entire class period depending on the amount of students (performed with a class of 20 or more). Directions: Have the students write an essay (I usually do an in-class then examine it return it with a grade. I withhold the feedback). […]
Class Observation Assignment, Rubric, and Letter
This assignment is for higher level students about to transition to mainstream courses. I created this assignment to encourage students that they could actually attend classes and be successful. The assignment is assign towards the beginning of the semester (multiple reasons for this: scheduling observations, vocabulary [usually the classes are more advanced as the semester rolls out], and reflection). Before doing this assignment, I present lectures from real classes for them to practice the skills […]
The Cultural Iceberg
This always seems to make it into my intermediate/advanced classes at some point! It is helpful for students to have a little understanding of cross-cultural communication since they are studying another language/culture. I will add this activity into a unit that covers food, festivals or fashion. It has been most successful with my advanced classes. The idea is that what is visible in a culture (food, fashion, festivals, games, and music) has deeper roots to […]
Grammar Fun with Poetry/Songs
When we are in a “dull” grammar lesson, I try to add some excitement though the arts, poetry, or music. I usually start the lesson off very slowly, then introduce a song or poem. I find that this prompts the students to be more engaged (as they know the alternative is a grammar worksheet). This is a format for a poem that I have used in my intermediate/advanced classes. I have students write their own […]