EFT3 Coursebook Module 1

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Course book

English for Teaching 3Module 1: Whats in a word?

English for Teaching 3Module 1: Whats in a word? Course book

1Module 1: Whats in a word? British Council 2012

1 Language

1.1 What kind of book?

Do you like reading?

What kind of books do you like to read?

1.2 Gender and reading

Work in groups.

Look at these pictures of book covers.

Discuss:

Do you think that each one is more likely to be read by girls and women, boys and men, or equally by both?

2 Module 1: Whats in a word? British Council 2012


1.3 Word work

Work in pairs.

The vocabulary below is from an article about reading.

Before you read the article, match the vocabulary in the column on the left with a definition from the column on the right.

Vocabulary Definition

Chick lit To look through something, e.g. a book or a bookshop, without a particular purpose.

Celebrity Someone who writes a book for someone else.

Escapist A kind of literature particularly liked by girls and women.

Recession A time when the economy is very bad.

Affordable A famous person.

Browse Something which helps you escape from everyday life.

Ghostwriter A book lover.

Bibliophile Not expensive.

What do you think the article will be about?

1.4 Jigsaw reading

Work in groups.

Read the first and last paragraphs of the article on the next page.

Next, read the part of the article indicated by your trainer.

Complete the table below with information from your part of the article.

Mingle with the other groups; ask them questions and share your information to complete the table.

Genre Kind of book; features Examples

Fantasy

Chick lit

Crime

Celebrity autobiographies

Discuss: What is the main message of the article?



READING BETWEEN THE LINES by A. J. Dalton

In 1997, the Net Book Agreement in the UK ended. The agreement existed between UK bookshops and publishers, and fixed minimum prices for all books. With the end of the agreement, books began to be discounted, and now they are much more affordable for British people. There is no doubt that one of the reasons why British libraries have fewer visitors is that books can now be so cheap to buy.

Sales of books in the UK are always relatively healthy. They even go up during a recession or credit crunch, since people spend on books rather than going out to restaurants. And what do the British like to read? Well, here are a few of the most popular genres

FANTASY

The UK has always been famous for its stories of magic and wizardry. There are strong cultural memories of the druids who built Stonehenge and ruled the country before the arrival of the Romans or Christianity. Shakespeare wrote some fantastical plays like The Tempest and A Midsummer Nights Dream. J. R. R. Tolkien is credited with creating the modern genre of fantasy, with The Hobbit in 1937, but there was also a lot of fantasy in the work of H. G. Wells, who published The Time Machine in 1895. And the tradition of British fantasy is still alive and kicking. Everyones heard of J. K. Rowling and the humorous Terry Pratchett. You might also have heard of Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials trilogy too, as the first book was made into the film The Golden Compass, starring Nicole Kidman. In fact, the fantasy genre is so popular that new sub-genres such as metaphysical fantasy and steampunk are now emerging.

CHICK LIT

Chick lit refers to books that are written about and for modern women. The most famous example is probably Bridget Joness Diary, by the British author Helen Fielding. Titles in this genre are usually about complicated love lives, modern working life and trying to remain healthy. These books usually always contain humour or a feel-good factor. In many ways, they represent escapist fantasy, but are persuasive because they deal with day-to-day topics.

CRIME

The UK is known for its detective fiction and murder mysteries. A couple of the most famous British authors in this genre are, of course, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who started his series of Sherlock Holmes stories in 1887, and Agatha Christie, who created the detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. These characters are still popular on television and in film. In fact, the latest Sherlock Holmes film has just been made starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, and directed by Guy Ritchie. Yet there are contemporary British authors of crime fiction who are also popular, including P. D. James, Ian Rankin and Colin Dexter.

CELEBRITY AuToBIoGRApHIES

It seems that every minor celebrity has written a book these days. Theyre not really serious authors and are simply cashing in on their 15 minutes of fame. Many of their books are kiss and tell, i.e. theyre of interest to readers only because of the secrets they reveal about other famous people. A number of the books are not even written by the celebrities themselves rather, they have been written by anonymous ghostwriters. Even so, this genre is popular because celebrity culture is well developed in the UK. Is the book dead?

As you can see from the above, the books alive and well, so dont call in Sherlock Holmes just yet. Are bookshops dying out because of websites like Amazon? Not really. The British are bibliophiles and love to browse in bookshops, particularly when there is a coffee bar within the store. So, are libraries completely disappearing in the UK? Well, its true that 40 public libraries closed in England alone in 2007, but the others are surviving because they now offer computer access and training as well as books for borrowing. Finally, 62 per cent of British parents read their children bedtime stories and none of us can see that tradition changing soon.

So long live the book!



1.5 Task: survey of our reading tastes

In your group, choose a genre.

Prepare a questionnaire about the genre you have chosen.

Remember to include follow-up questions. (See the Useful language box below.)

Try the questionnaire out with your group to check that it works, and make any necessary changes.

Keep a note of your groups responses.

Now ask participants in the other groups your questions.

useful language

Do you read (fantasy novels)?

(If yes) Which aspect of (fantasy novels) do you most enjoy?

(If no) Why not?

What is it about (romance novels) that you really like?

Survey results Collate your results see the Useful language box below.

Design a poster illustrating your results.

useful language

How do reading tastes vary?

Which genres are the most popular?

We found that

One interesting discovery was that

Present your posters to the other groups.

Ask and answer questions about each groups results.

Which genre was most/least popular?

What was surprising, predictable or unexpected?



Language analysis

1.6 Comparing tenses

Work in groups.

What are the underlined tenses in these sentences from Reading between the lines?

Why is each tense used?

1. British libraries have been getting fewer and fewer visitors for the last 20 years.

2. In 1997, the Net Book Agreement in the UK ended.

3. The UK has always been famous for its stories of magic and wizardry.

4. The British are bibliophiles and love to browse in bookshops

5. In fact, the latest Sherlock Holmes film has just been made

6. It seems that every minor celebrity has written a book these days.

7. As you can see from the above, the books alive and well

8. Finally, 62 per cent of British parents read their children bedtime stories...

1.7 Simple or continuous?

Work in groups.

Both sentences below refer to an action in the past which up until now is unfinished. They are different aspects of the same tense. What are they called?

What different information does each aspect convey?

1. My mum has been a teacher for years.

2. My mum has been teaching for years.

What is the context of each of the sentences below?

What differences in meaning are there between the simple and continuous aspects?

1. Hes been a writer for years. / Hes been writing for years.

2. Ive eaten a bag of crisps. / Ive been eating a bag of crisps.

3. Ive done my homework. / Ive been doing my homework.

4. Ive written three stories. / Ive been writing a story.



1.8 Common mistakes: grammar quiz

Work in teams.

Choose a team leader.

Discuss the sentences below and choose the correct answer.

1. British readers a lot of crime fiction. a) have always read b) have always been reading

2. I three books this month. a) have read b) have been reading

3. I all morning. a) have written b) have been writing

4. Im writing a story. I about half of it so far. a) have written b) have been writing

5. My aunt a large number of books by Agatha Christie. a) has collected b) has been collecting

6. She for about twenty years. a) has collected b) has been collecting

Now do the quiz there are two points for each correct answer.

Did you get any wrong? Do you understand why?



2 Methodology

2.1 Lexical chunks

In the box below write the clues dictated by your trainer. Dont worry if you miss anything.

Compare clues in your groups and make any changes which you think are necessary.

Discuss what the clues mean.

Now turn to Appendix 1 and check your clues with the original.

Match the clues to the lexical chunks from the article.

Lexical chunks

Kiss and tell

Alive and kicking

Cashing in on

Dying out

Working life

Bedtime stories

Detective fiction

Contemporary British authors

Feel-good factor

Minimum prices

Credit crunch

Find the lexical chunks in the article and underline them.

What other contexts could you use them in?



2.2 Teaching vocabulary through the lexical approach

Work in pairs.

Read this introduction to the lexical approach.

Discuss:

Why is learning language in chunks important?

part one: Why draw attention to lexical chunks?

An adult native-speaker has hundreds of thousands of pre-constructed chunks at his or her disposal. Learners need to be trained to record and learn chunks, rather than just individual words, to enhance their fluency and help them produce more natural-sounding language.

If learners understand a chunk in context, they may not notice it. For example, most intermediate students would understand the collocation move house from its constituent parts, but very few at this level would produce it. By drawing learners attention to chunks, we can help them to use the words they already know more accurately, and express a wider range of ideas. This can be just as useful as learning new words, if not more so!

Now read part two of this article, which suggests techniques for teaching or practising vocabulary using the lexical approach. Choose two of the techniques.

Compare the techniques you have chosen with your groups choices.

Which ones were the most/least popular?

Are there any techniques you wouldnt use? Why?

part two: Teaching/practising vocabulary using the lexical approach

Here are some ways of teaching or practising vocabulary lexically:

1. Prepare clues for lexical chunks in a text. Dictate the clues. Learners find the words in the text (as in 2.1).

2. Find and list the semi-fixed and fixed expressions in a story or poem what other contexts could they be used in?

3. Give a theme, e.g. summer. Brainstorm chunks for describing it.

4. Give a semi-fixed expression and ask them to find as many variations as they can.

5. Prepare a table which includes half or part of some of the multi-word items in a text. Learners then scan the text to complete the table with the other half of the collocations.

6. Reading activities can also be used for consciousness raising. After answering comprehension questions, learners are asked to put the original text away, and are given a new version with some of the key collocations blanked out. Working in pairs, they have to reconstruct the collocations, before checking with the original.

(Adapted from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk)



3 In the classroom

3.1 Lexical approach techniques

Work in pairs.

Choose one of the lexical approach techniques from the previous activity.

Prepare a lexical approach activity: you can use the article Reading between the lines or something from a textbook you use with your own learners.

Now micro-teach your activity to your group.

3.2 Reporting back

Discuss each activity in your group:

Did you enjoy the activity?

Which age groups could you use this with?

How could you adapt the activities to suit different age groups?



4 Pronunciation

4.1 Word stress in set expressions and compound nouns

Work in pairs.

Find these phrases in the article Reading between the lines.

Underline the stressed word in each phrase.

1. kiss and tell

2. alive and kicking

3. coffee bar

4. dying out

5. chick lit

6. credit crunch

7. murder mystery

Your trainer will read out the phrases.

Listen and check have you underlined the correct words?

Can you work out the three rules from these examples?



5 Magazine

5.1 First impressions

Before you read, discuss:

How do you review vocabulary in your classroom?

Do you pre-teach vocabulary before introducing a new topic in your course book? How do you do this?

Now read the article quickly.

What does the writer say the benefits of the activities are? Do you agree?

The Teacher The magazine for teachers everywhere

Lexical threads are easy for teachers to plan and they help learners to learn and recall vocabulary.

Thread 1: The verb dome

This activity originally started out as a warmer. One of my learners gave it its name and it just stuck. It is not linked to any themes or part of the course but it shows learners how much they know, in a fun way.

preparation

You only need the board and a pen and, most importantly, your learners.

procedure

Split the class into two teams. Ask one learner to give you a letter from the alphabet (make sure they dont say X or Z though).

Then ask each team to call out a verb beginning with the letter chosen. Write the verbs on the board and continue in this way each group taking it in turns to call out. When a team cant think of any more verbs they lose.

It is highly motivating when learners see how much they know. It also gives them an opportunity to share knowledge. I find that

if someone shouts out a word the others dont know, learners tell each other what the word means. It helps them recall words they may have only seen once or twice and it aids memory.

In future classes, you can choose another letter and do the activity again, or ask them to do this for collocations. This time learners call out the verb and must complete it with another word that collocates naturally with it.

LEXICAL THREADSThis week we will explore two different activities for dealing with vocabulary in the classroom

THIS WEEKS HOT TOPIC



Thread 2: pre-teaching slips

This activity is useful when pre-teaching vocabulary.

preparation

First, preview the new language that you think will be useful, or which your learners may need to complete the task. Write the items collocations or idioms on one side of some slips of paper, and their definition on the other side.

procedure

Distribute the phrases to the learners. Ask them to check that they understand the definitions and also the pronunciation.

Next, ask them to mingle and teach their words to

each other. They must make sure that each person pronounces their information correctly.

Ask the learners to collect the slips and sit down.

Now mix up the slips and approach each learner individually. Show them the first slip of paper and ask them to explain the meaning. If they get it right, show the slip to everyone and put it away for the next phase.

Go to the next learner and do the same. If a learner gets it wrong, move to the next, until you receive the correct answer. Again, put the slip away.

When this exercise has been successfully

completed, do it again, this time with the definition side being shown, so the learners have to say the word.

Finally, ask the learners to write the vocabulary in their notebooks (for teens, I give them a prize if they can note down correctly all of the vocabulary covered in the exercise).

Since this is a pre-teaching task learners will see these again and again throughout the next few weeks of your teaching. This will give them a chance to notice their use in context and, more importantly, have opportunities to use them.

Shaun Dowling, Teacher trainer, Cultura Inglesa, Brasilia

Adapted from an article published on TeachingEnglish, British Council, BBC (www.teachingenglish.org.uk)

5.2 Reading and discussion

Read the article again more carefully.

Discuss:

At what point in a lesson would you use The verb dome and the pre-teaching slips?

What age groups are they suitable for?

Do the activities have any disadvantages?



6 Vocabulary

6.1 Classroom words and phrases

Work in groups.

Find classroom words or phrases in the magazine article which mean the same as the ones below.

A short activity at the start of the class

To become fixed or permanent

An enjoyable approach to doing something

Divide

Assists

Small pieces of paper

Give out

A task to help learners with the language they need before starting an activity



7 Activity page

The page where you try out a classroom activity.

7.1 Collocation pelmanism

Work in groups.

Your trainer will give you a set of cards.

Place all the cards face-down and spread them out on the table.

Taking it in turns, turn over two cards. If the two cards form a collocation, keep the pair. If the cards do not collocate, turn them over again, leaving them in the same position on the table.

Continue until all the cards have been paired.

The player with the most pairs is the winner.

7.2 Reflecting on the activity

Discuss:

What are the advantages of the Pelmanism activity?

Are there any disadvantages?

How could you adapt it for your own learners?

What kinds of text could you use it with?

Are there any types of learners you would not use the activity with? Why?

You can find a full description of the activity and download a blank template and more sets of word cards at: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/activities/collocation-pelmanism.



8 Reflection

8.1 Reflection chunks

Reflect on what you have learnt from this module.

Write down five lexical chunks which express your learning.

Compare your chunks with your group.

Which lexical chunks are the best?

Make a poster display of your groups best lexical chunks.

Display your poster.

Look at the other groups posters are they similar to yours? Which are the most popular chunks? Which are the most unusual?

Which ideas from the module will you try out in your lessons?



Appendix 1

Clues

An economic situation where banks restrict the amount of money you can borrow.

Someone or something which is living, healthy and doing well.

The part of your life when you have a paid job.

A feeling that life is good and things are going well.

Novels where police characters solve crime mysteries.

British authors who are currently writing.

Taking advantage of a situation usually for financial benefit.

To reveal private or confidential details about people usually to do with romance or relationships.

To gradually disappear or stop existing.

Stories you read to children just before they go to sleep.

British Council 2012 / C353b The British Council is the United Kingdoms international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.

EFT3 Coursebook Module 1

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