Speaking and Listening

Listening Lesson Plan

 

Level: Beginner at a private English school in Iran

Listening focus: It is important to know how to create past tense questions not only in class, but also in the community

Time: 2 hours

Strategies:  

●       Peer feedback

●       Open conversation class

Objective: Students will:

●      Learn how to create simple-past tense questions with correct intonation

●      Learn how to use signposts in a conversation

Lesson Sequence

Listen to a conversation about driving test

Listening

Pre-listening:

●      Ask students to share their experience in getting a driver’s license

●      Ask questions about getting a driver’s license like: How many times did they have to do the test or what did they do to pass it?

●      Write down new vocabulary and explain them to the students

●      Explain past tense questions and intonation

●      Ask them to try to make some past tense questions and their intonation

While-listening:

●      Start the recording, and then check for main ideas

·         Play the whole recording and ask them to write past tense questions

·         Play it again and ask them to write signposts and new vocabulary

·         Have students to compare the words they have written down with a partner

·         Discuss differences as a class and offer corrective feedback

Post listening:

●       Ask general questions about the recording

●       Ask students if they recognized the questions’ intonation

●       Pair students and ask them to share their notes with each other and have each group to read them to the class

●       Pass the script of the recording that they were listening to and listen again

●       Ask to highlight the past tense questions and sign posts while listening

●       Read the script’s questions to the students and ask them to repeat it with the correct intonation

●       While they are in groups ask them to read the script’s questions to each other and provide feedback

Feedback

●       Mention common mistakes to the class

●       If a student had a mistake give her/him a corrective feedback at the right moment (do not distract or confuse the student) or after the student has done her/his conversation

●       Peer feedback

Assessment

●       Pair students

●       Give the students a subject:

○        Imagine you are at the bus stop waiting for your bus, and you see one of your classmates there. Ask your classmate about the assigned homework and what your classmate did to complete the assignment. Create a conversation with the past tense questions.

●       Ask students to create a dialogue

●        Provide students’ rubric for peer assessment, so that they can mark and give feedback to each other

●       Have them perform the dialogue that they have created to the class and provide them feedback

Students’ Rubric:

Correct Verb Tenses	Yes	No
Pronunciation	Yes	No
Intonation	Yes	No

Comments:

Teacher’s Rubric:

Correct Verb Tenses	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9
Pronunciation	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9
Intonation	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9
Vocabulary	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9

Comments:

At the end of the class, introduce some helpful resources to the students so that they can practice listening. You can also send an email with resources’ links to the students. Ask students to find some online listening practice and share them with their classmates.

Provided link:

 Voice of America News (n.d), Let's Learn English, https://learningenglish.voanews.com/p/5610.html

Resources:

British Council. (n.d). A framework for planning a listening skills lesson. Retrieved https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/a-framework-planning-a-listening-skills-lesson

Voice of America News (September 08, 2016), Let's Learn English Lesson 28: I passed it!, Retrieved from https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/3499400.html

ABC Education (July 11, 2016). Study English - Series 3, Episode 15: Listening for Signpost Words, [video file], Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or1Tzn3UqV0

Wilson, J. J. (2008). How to teach listening. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Ltd.

Tongue Twisters

Applicable for all levels
Length: 15 minutes

The aim is to improve pronunciation, rhythm and stress, to take away the fear of making mistakes
while speaking and to have some fun while learning.
The Tongue Twister’s difficulty depends on students' level. It does not have to be meaningful. Many Tongue
Twisters are just a challenging grouping of words based on their pronunciation not their meaning. I find it helpful
to have easily accessible in class pronunciation activities so students can look at the position of instructor's mouth.
When you use tongue twisters in class to work on pronunciation with your students, take some time to point out
where your mouth is when you produce the target sounds and make sure your students have their mouths in the
same positions. In Tina’s case (speaking sample 3), this is a good activity to practice words that have the same syllables except for a single sound (like ship/sheep, wish/wash).

Create a purposeful Tongue Twister. Find the criteria that your students need to practice and create Tongue Twister
(e.g /sh/, /θ/ or/ð/ sounds).

Write down the twister on board, read it out load and ask students to repeat it two or three times.

• Sean shows his shiny shoes to Shane. 
• He thought, she thinks those things are tiny.
• Big fat cat sat on the rat.
• Sit on your seat.

Then, ask students to read it as fast as they can without making a mistake. Erase some of the words you have written
and have students say it again, filling in the blanks, until they remember and pronounce the Tongue Twister correctly.
After that, divide students into groups give each group a word (e.g. which) and ask them to create a Tongue Twister with
similar syllables words.  Ask them to read it and try to say it as fast as they can. This is a fun interactive speaking practice
that would help students to practice and remember words' sounds, rhythm and stress.

Here is another example for Tongue Twisters:

Betty Botter bought some butter,

"But," she said, "this butter's bitter.

If I bake this bitter butter,

It will make my batter bitter.

But a bit of better butter -

That would make my batter better."

So she bought a bit of butter,

Better than her bitter butter,

And she baked it in her batter,

And the batter was not bitter.

So 'twas better Betty Botter

Bought a bit of better butter.

Now, erase some of the words and have students say it again, filling in the blanks.

Betty Botter bought some _____,

"But," she said, "this butter's _____.

If I ____ this bitter butter,

It will make my _____ bitter.

But a bit of ____ butter -

That would make my ____ better."

So she _____ a bit of butter,

Better than her _____ butter,

And she _____ it in her batter,

And the _____ was not bitter.

So 'twas better Betty _____

Bought a bit of better _____.

Refrences:

IELTS Essentials from IDP (2014), Band 5 – IELTS Speaking test sample – Part 2 (Tina)
[video], retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0n_1VEXLK4

Rachel's English (2017), English Tongue Twisters,  American Accent, [video], retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McJ6JI_2JQo

TESL 0100 -Who Will I Teach?- Unit 2 Reflections

In this Unit, I found that how different personas would affect teachers' learning plans. Each persona has a particular background based on the origin, education and family which will affect their learning process.

On the other hand, in my opinion the most important part of this unite was needs assessment. As Grant and Shank (1993) mentioned, the assessment of literacy needs from the learners come to adult English as a Second Language programs for diverse reasons. Although they may say they just want to "learn English", they frequently have very specific learning goals and needs; for example, to be able to read to their children, speak with their children's teachers, get a job , or become a citizen. If their needs are not met, they are more likely to drop out than to voice their dissatisfaction. Therefore, using informal, self-assessment tools to gauge learners needs and goals is important (p.15). Any instructor would be able to design a need assessment based on the level of the class and students ans also after collecting the assessments, ask the students for more information.

References:

Grant,S., & Shank, C. (1993). Discovering and responding to learner needs: Module for ESL teacher training. Arlington, AV: Arlington County Public Schools.