Every semester for intermediate and advanced (listening/speaking or Integrated skills) classes I have the students create a powerpoint and present on how to do something. I created my example and plan to post a student example or two here on the website. I usually have students work on timing, volume, transitions, and presenting. This would be the second or third presentation of the class (I like to start with an introduction). >>>Glenn’s Example Presentation<<< […]
Tag: speaking/listening
Food for Thought
When teaching the names of common foods I like to bring in the actual items. To make it a hands-on learning process I hand, for example, a carrot to a student as I pronounce the name. He or she hands the vegetable back to me and says the word “carrot” while doing so. After running through a dozen or so items / words I will check for understanding by holding up an item and having […]
Comparatives and Superlatives
This is a great lesson plan as a prelude to a compare/contrast project. I like teaching superlatives and comparatives because they are a somewhat “simple” grammar concept for students to grasp onto. There are only a few “exceptions” to the rule – like fun! I teach how to use fun as a comparative and tell students that if they listen, they will hear native speakers use funner all the time and this is their opportunity […]
Oral Presentation Telling a Story
This is an in-front-of-the class presentation. Students will tell a personal story from their past using the simple past (and at least one past continuous). It can be about a happy experience, a sad day, or something funny that happened in their life. Handout: » Oral Presentation Telling a Story in the Past Tense « More details and all instructions are included on the handout, as well as a simple feedback form I give […]
Interviewing An American # 1
»INTERVIEWING AN AMERICAN # 1 « (click on this for the handout) This homework will make students get out into the community to interview two Americans about their favorite vacation spot. They have to take notes, and write down the information on a form, which they will turn in. They are also graded on their participation in groups when they share the information on one of their interviews. Finally, each group picks the student with […]
World Village
This is an intermediate /advanced listening & discussion activity that has students imagine the world as a village of 100 people. What would this world look like? All the activities and instructions are on the two page handout. The first page is the handout for the students and the second has instructions and follow up assignments for the teacher. Here are links to the 2 page handout: » WORLD VILLAGE « and the […]
Listening – Gerunds
This is a listening exercise – fill in the blanks with the gerunds you hear. The exercise uses the song “That’s Important to Me” by Joey and Rory who sing about the values and related norms important to them. This activity follows a reading entitled “The Influence of Culture” in Chapter 2, The Power of the Group in Academic Encounters 3, Reading/Writing 2nd ed. by Jessica Williams, Kristine Brown and Susan Hood. It extends the […]
Listening for Requests/Noticing Language AKA Eavesdropping
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: […]
Infinitive of Purpose
>>WCC INFINITIVE OF PURPOSE VISUALS<< (edit as necessary, the pictures moved a little in posting this!) >>WCC INFINITIVE OF PURPOSE<< This is an activity I use to introduce the Infinitive of Purpose, i.e. “I went to the ocean to relax“. The first attachment is visual, with pictures to elicit a story about a WCC student who is taking ESL classes to improve her English. She also wants to take a computer class […]
Speaking Exam
Trying to give an authentic exam to test speaking skills can be difficult. I have enjoyed this exam and have used it as an additional section to a written exam. The only con is that the other students need to be busy doing something else while I am testing some of them (or have a few students stay after class alternating days). It is quick and I usually will record the students response so I […]