I've got this class you see, well, I've got about 10 of them. In this class we've got a really wide range of abilities. The battle for me is finding activities that keep 25 students engaged and learning at the same time when they're all of such varying levels and, of course, concentration spans.
This week I've been working with my 5th and 6th grade classes (both studying for A2 level exams KET and FLyers in this case). The biggest issue I've found with both levels is their inability to form a question. It stems from the fact Spanish uses intonation to signal questions and there is no rewording involved.
In the second part of the speaking exam (for now at least) students need to form questions with prompts and their partner needs to answer. Up until the other day we'd simply been using exam sample. I decided that students should design their own club/class/shop and make a pamphlet for said activity. I modeled it, gave them and example and let their imaginations do the rest.
I told students they needed:
A name for the club/class/shop
An address
What can be learnt/bought
Opening times
A phone number
An email address
An age range
and a price.
I then posted my example on the board.
After students had seem my example I elicited questions out of them. Without the use of prompts with 6th grade, with prompts with 5th grade.
We came up with:
What's your class called? (called)
What do you do in the classes? (Do)
What do you do in the class start? (time/start)
When are the classes? (When)
What time does the class finish? (time/finish)
How much are the classes? or how much do the classes cost? (How much)
Where are the classes? (where)
How can I get more information? (more information)
Is it for teenagers? (teenagers)
What number should I call? (Phone number)
Is there an email address? (email)
When modeling I tried to encourage students to not only ask the questions but to respond to their partners answers.
A: What is the call called?
B: It's called Cool Down Dragon
A: Ahhh, that's a... cool name. haha. What time do the classes start?
B: They start at a quarter past seven, in the evening.
A: That's great, I'll have time for a snack first. How much do the classes cost?
and so on.
If you want a handy worksheet version just have a little look here: Create Your Own Club Question Formation Worksheet.
It gave students a personal investment in the activity, it got them thinking about what was going to be asked in the KET exam and it gave them ownership.
The students then spent 20 minutes goinjg round asking their partners what they had created and all about their classes.
The biggest winner for me in this was that my weakest students got to feel on a par with the strongest students as the language was very simple and they could use their creative side.
All in all a winner. Give it a shot.
Now even though the KET exam is changing next year this is a great way to work on question formation. SO don't throw it out just yet.
Have a lovely weekend one and all.
H
