Question Formation KET

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

PET writing Part 3. The Fun Bit. Part 2

After the not quite borefest but let's be honest not exactly enthralling, yet incredibly useful, opening to this class I provided you with on Tuesday. Today's blog is going to get your students to practice what they've learnt and get it to stick in their memory.

So after you've made Frankenstein's letter and the students have the options available to them to create their own master piece I present the students a chance to really play with it.

Step 1:   Do a secret Santa style phone number swap.

Step 2: Students to find out who their partner is by sending a hello message on whatsapp. From now on the class must remain silent. Only speaking through whatsapp.

Step 3: Get students to decide who will be person a and who will be person b.

Step 4: Person A sends the greeting to person B.

Step 5: Student B sends the first line of the informal letter to student B. In doing so they should use as much of the text talk vocabulary and as many emojis as they can. eg:

  S'up? Thnx 4 the letter,             I was over the  when it arrived.

Step 6: Partner B must then complete the first paragraph with the reason for not writing sooner.

I'm sry I didn't  b4, I've been really busy with work.


Step 7: Students to work their way through the letter until they've finished their correspondence. When they're done I get them to sit together and decode their messages onto the PET writing part 3 template. 

Step 8:  Finally, ask your students to take their completed templates and write their final, perfect, informal letter.

NB for the final step I like to get my students to write up their final letter on a piece of paper wrapped in tin foil. It is that extra bit of writing outside the box which will really stick what they have done in class in their memories. It will also have them writing the final letter once more and not even complaining about it because it's going to look shiny and lovely. They can then be put up around the classroom of a constant reminder of what a great teacher you are and how much fun they have in your classes.

Well, I really hope your students enjoy this class. I've found it's really worked well with mine and it makes them really happy to leave the books aside for a day and focus on developing their writing in a slightly different way.


FULL LESSON PRINTABLE LESSON PLAN HERE

'til next time

PET Writing Part 3. Informal Letter. Part 1.

What's the big deal with mobile phones? Why is there so much debate about having them in class or not? I personally have no idea. I love it when my students use their phone in class. To me it is a huge waste of a glorious tool if they don't use it. Getting a teenager to actively want to use their phone to study English is a huge step towards autonomous learning.

So there are hundreds of activities you can do with mobile phones. This lesson plan was designed around using their mobile devices to write the informal letter in part 2 of the PET exam. It's a full 60-80 minute class depending on numbers. It may seem complex at first but it's a simple 6 step class that will leave your students prepared to write in the correct tone, using paragraphs and most of all, remembering some important vocabulary and structures to help them when they reach the exam.  Most importantly though it will stick in their minds long beyond the exam. While I realize this doesn't leave a huge amount of room for flair, but the sad fact is when trying to pass the PET exam formulaic writing tends to win out. This letter will provide students with a formula with a dash of added flair.

In this first blog I'm going to describe Part 1, 2 and 3 which can be used apart as a separate activity. In Thursdays blog I'll be describing how it can used in conjunction with the other parts and lead students to becoming more engaged and end up drilling exactly what they need to the exam.

After you've warmed you class up the first step to this class is getting them in the writing zone. always start with a few questions about PET writing part 3.

1) Text talk warmer <- - -  click there(10-15 minutes max)
Cut up the "text talk" and get students to work in pairs matching it to the correct description. I give one students the cut up "test talk" and the other the board of answers and try and get them to figure out the answers without looking.

CUl8er = see you later
S'up = what's up
GTG = I've got to go
NE1 = Anyone

and so on. Each pair will then keep hold of their completed, checked work.

After you've warmed you class up the first step to this class is getting them in the writing zone. always start with a few questions about PET writing part 3. 

2) Ask students to describe part 3. Elicit which part is easier, the letter or the story.
The letter.

3) Next go on to ask students the basic conventions to a letter and elicit a few suggestions for each part. This will usually take about 20 - 25 minutes. It's the whole skeleton to the class

i) The Greeting

• Hey Jane, (COMMA)
• Hi Jane, (COMMA)
• Hello Jane, (COMMA)

Students often forget to use a comma.

ii) Opening Paragraph

Elicit that this paragraph is used to ask a)how your friend is, b)thank them for their letter and, words permitting c) apologise for not responding sooner. This paragraph doesn't depend on the question. This paragraph never needs to change. This is a chance to use a number of different tenses and an idiom or two. Elicit ideas for each sentence.

Here are some from my PET class.

a)

•  How're you? (stress the fact contractions are a part of informal writing)
• How's life? 
• What's up?
• What's happening?
• What's new?
• How have you been lately?

b)

• Thanks for your letter. I was very happy to read it.
• Cheers for your letter, I was over the moon when it arrived.
• Thank you so much for your letter, it was great to hear from you after so long.

c)

• I'm sorry I haven't written for so long, I've been really busy. 
• I'm sorry it's taken me so long to reply. I've been up to my eyeballs in revision.
• Sorry I didn't write back sooner. I am very busy with work at the moment.

iii) Paragraph two

Elicit that this paragraph is used to answer the question asked by your "English speaking penfriend" this is when I give my students the question.

This is part of a letter you receive from your penfriend James.

In your next letter, please tell me about the music you like. 
What’s your favourite kind of music? Do you play an instrument?

I now get students to fill in the gaps of a model paragraph two. I stress to them that being honest is in no way important and grammatically correct lies are perfectly sufficient.

You asked me what_____________________________.  I'm really keen on___________ because it's really_____________ not to mention _________________. You also asked me if I_____________________. Well, I've been_______the _________ for _______ years now. It isn't _______but I love it. 

iv) Paragraph 3

Elicit that this is a sign off and is again unrelated to the questions. In this paragraph you should a) say you hope you've answered your friends questions, b) say you have to go and give a reason for leaving and c) ask your friend to write back/suggest meeting

a)

• I hope I've answered you questions.
• Did my answers help you?

b) 

• I've got to go now. I've got an exam tomorrow and these books won't study them selves. 
• I have to go.The bus is arrives in 2 minutes and I'll be late for school if I miss it. 
• Sorry, I have to stop writing now. My mum needs a hand with the shopping. 

c) 

• Write back soon.
• Maybe we could meet up this weekend.
• We should meet up soon, it's been too long. 
• Don't be a stranger. 

v) The sign off

Emphasise that without this part they will lose points for organisation and it's as important as the greeting. 

• Love
• Lots of love
• All my love
• See you later 

                             NAME

In the end they'll have a sample letter that looks something like this. 

Hey James,

              What’s up? Cheers for your letter, I was over the moon when it arrived. I'm sorry it's taken me ages to reply. I've been up to my eyeballs in revision.

You asked me what music I like.  I'm keen on rock music because it's really exciting and fun to listen to. You also asked me if I play an instrument. Well, I've been playing the triangle for seven years. It isn't very glamorous but I love it. 

I hope I've answered you questions. I have to go. The bus arrives soon and I'll be late if I miss it. We should meet up soon.

See you later

Harry

 In Thursday's blog I'll go on to explain the more interactive and exciting part of the class. The endlessly engaging aspect of having students take out their phones and use them in class. 

Unfill and Fill it yourself

Something all teachers understand is how much work goes into the preperation of classes. With a little bit of experience planning time is reduced massively but when it comes to prep we`re all accutley aware of how much time it takes. That's why we all love the internet so much. Ideas can be shared, used, reused abused adapeted and so on. For those quick ideas I love the internet.

One thing I love even more, however, is learner autonomy. Students taking charge of their own learning. I, like a great number of you out there, also like to take this one step further. Rather than the students simply being in charge of their own learning why not let them take charge of their fellow students learning. The best source of information, support and materials is obviously the students themselves.

A week or so ago I posted a blog with a questionnaire about my students so I could tailor the class to their needs, likes and desires. I've used this in my classes to get my students more involved in class.

Added to this I've always been keen on students taking control of the class and teachers sitting back and shutting up. The esl classroom is a place for students to learn and use the language they're learnt. Not a place for teachers to fulfil their unacheived ambitions of becoming an actor and hogging the entire class.

The first small step towards this, as I've found, is asking students to create their own gap fill exercises. First for a song they like (as you can see here.) Then for a part of the Use of English exam from an article they have read.

Here is a very basic lesson plan for this kind of actvity.

1. After using the questionnaire here to find out some of the things your students are interested in, suggest a few different websites or blogs they could read to improve their English. A number of my students love football, I tell them to read BBC sport or I trawl back through the archives of the joy of six from The Guardian news paper. Here's a great one about Hipsters' favourite football clubs.

2. Next I ask students to read their text.
If they're making a part 1 reading activity I then ask them to write 5 or six multiple choice activities for the text.

3. For reading part two simply take out a few seperate sentences and invent a few new ones.

4. If they're making a Use of English part one I ask them to select two paragraphs and remove words they can then find synonyms for. Particularly those which are parts of phrasal verbs or have a strong collocation or a dependent preposition.

5. If they are making a Use of English Part 2, again just two paragraphs this time removing the function words like prepositions, pronouns, relative pronouns and so on.

6. The final exam part I usually ask students to do is the UOE part three where they remove words from the text and place a root word as a hint. The word formation activity. I try and make sure they find at least one negative within their text.

You can do this next part in a couple of different ways.

7. I tend to use these examparts as a quick review in class and i get the students who has prepared it to correct the work and then explain to the group why each answer is what it is.

An alternative option here is to get all of your students to do one part then in the class do each others work, then mark them together. I find this good as a fun way to do it but far less productive than the other option. With option one there is real ownership of the work and you're provided with a wider variety of exam practice.

This activity can take a little while to get into production but once it gets going you'll see some remarkable results and the constant search for past exam papers can slowly come to an end.

It also takes the fear away from the exams as they see just how easy it can be when you know what you're doing.

Shoehorn ˈʃuːhɔːn

This is an activity I use with students of all ages and a wide range of abilities.
I saw it on Jimmy Fallon and thought it would be a marvelous idea for the ESL classroom.
Shoehorn is a game whereby you have to make words you have in your hand somehow fit into the conversation you are having. Each time you use one you get rid of it. when you're done with your cards you win.
As the levels advance the difficulty of the vocabulary increases. Each word does also have to fit the patterne of the conversation. I had one student who got would just say "and then I saw a........"


I tend to use vocabulary that cropped up in previous classes to see if they have retained the new vocab and also to recycle it. I have also been using words from the three readings I have recently posted.

You can use any words. I like to make a nice big mix.

For example partner A might have their six words to the tune of:

Elephant  /'elɪfənt/
Breeze   /'bri:z/
Reputation /ˌrepjʊ'teɪʃən/
Umbrella /ʌm'brelə/
Slow-dance /'sləʊ'dɑ:ns/
Reserved /rɪ'zɜ:vd/

While B would have the words below printed and individually cut:

Operation
Desktop
Unreliable
Dilly-dally
Employable
Back-stabber

I give each student their cards face down. I then get another student to elect what the topic of the conversation is. Then the students go at it for a minute or until their cards have run out.
I also put another student in with the pairs to ensure there is no improper use of the words and to settle any disputes. Then the winning student takes on the judge with a new set of words. The topic of conversation changes and we continue. The students level dictates to me as to whether I should use phonemes instead of words. In all but one of my classes classic script wins out.

If you don't want to prepare, cut, think about and laminate your words then just get your students to write down six words at the end of the class. Then use this activity as a warmer. I've found my students have become much more spontanious and they now really look forward to playing this game.

Get Toned

After my last post I felt like I was hit by some kind of mega evil throat infectiony train that whacked me on my back for a couple of days. thankfully that's done and dusted and I can stop acting like a typical man and acting as if the world uis about to end because my throat was a bit fatter than usual.

So last week I talked a bit about tone and how it can be adapted to convey some very different meanings. This post is going along very similar line but with a slightly different twist. It'll keep your students focussed on the importance of tone but not bore them with repartition. Yet again, it's a quicky. A wee five minute filler just to keep pronunciation at least at the back of your students minds.

Again it uses the premise of using the same sentence (last week it was a word) and presenting it to a partner in a different tone of voice.

Before setting the students off I tell them the three tones they are going to use.

Happy and Excited
Sad and upset
Nervous and worried.

i then tell them to think about different situations when they have felt those range of mixed emotions and quickly tell their partner about them.

Then I give students the sentence. "I've got something to tell you." Next I set the Ss to task with telling their partner the sentence for one of their previous situations. They then have to guess which one it was and switch. The winners are obviously the team who gets the most situattions correct. A always giving students a good model is absolutely vital.

For the powerpoint with all of these pronunciation ideas and a handout to go with it please take a look across at the more materials link. It's all there and free for anyone to do with as they please.

that's all for now peeps.

What's that sound?

Good day one and all. A blog post with some new content, how strange I hear you cry from the rooftops.
Here's a little activity I love to do with all ages and levels. It's on of the more interactive, tactile, jumpy around activities we talked about at the conference on Saturday.
I like to choose my two sounds from the minimal pairs list. (Check the slides on the STRIP PowerPoint #jazzhands)Next I stick them on either side of the room and elicit what each sound is and draw students attention to their mouth shape when using the words.

The next step for my is to run through the words I am about to use in the activity. I usually do this with a simple slide and some coloured board markers. I get students to work in pairs and decide which colour is which sound. With the slide pìctures you can see two examples.

When the students are up to scratch with the words, their sounds and meanings I split the class into two or three groups.  There is a team leader who picks the words (which have been cut up and put in a cup) then they say the word to the next memeber of the team. Player two attaches a piece of blue tac to the word and passes it to player three. Again repeating the word. Player three then must say the word and stick it under the relevant phoneme stuck on the wall without looking at it.

When the time is up students sit down and check each others answers. The winning team is the one with the most correct answers. to push the students a little further I give them three minutes to then write a sentence or paragraph using as many of the words freom the previous activity. After three minutes each group has to read their sentnnces aloud.

I've found this last bit of drilling, in context, really helps improve the use of the sounds in question and since i've implemented this final part I've seen far fewer mistakes in the pron. Especially with the 3: sound. No longer do students talk about their beerday and their birthday is something we can all talk about together.

right that's all for today. It's great to be back blogging again. With some real content. I hope you find it of some use.

til the next tim