What is it? It's a...

(TESOL Ideas and Worksheets Subdivisions)

* LINK: Baamboozle Games for "What is it?"

* LINK: What is it? Song

* LINK: Wordwall Game: What is it?

* LINK: What is it?  It's a (color) (noun) Flippity Matching Game

* What is it? It's a.... Lesson

[Notes: Anyone have any ideas about what to classify these materials as?  I'm thinking I'll put it as Functional Language, but I'm not sure.]

The Balloon Debate

(TESOL Ideas--Communicative Follow Up, Time Killers and Time Fillers, Speaking)

Sample: docs, pub

"The Balloon Debate" is a classic ESL activity.  I've mentioned it once before (in this post here), and for a detailed description of how to run this activity in class, you can see this post: The Balloon Debate: An Integrated ESL Classic in 6 Easy Steps.  It's often used in ESL classrooms as just a generic speaking activity (i.e. just a way to get students to practice their speaking fluency).  In this capacity, it can also be used as a Time Filler if you find yourself with 30 minutes at the end of a lesson that you don't know what to do with.

The classic premise is that there is a hot air balloon with a number of people on it that is sinking because it is too heavy.  One person needs to sacrifice themselves by jumping out of the air balloon (and falling to their deaths) in order to save the others.  

There are profiles created of each person.  The students read the profiles, and decide which person in the group they would decide to sacrifice (e.g. who is more valuable?  The politician or the literature teacher? The old doctor or the young student?, etc)

This can be done as a role play in which the students are each assigned a role, and must argue for their survival.  Or it can be done as outside observers, in which the students are all examining the same profiles, and arriving at a decision together (with no one profile being represented by any individual student.)

There are any number of variations that can be done on the situation.  One classic example is a deserted island scenario.  Possibly the individuals are on a lifeboat that is heading towards a deserted island, and need to sacrifice someone to keep the lifeboat afloat.  In this case, when evaluating which member of the group must go, the students need to think not about the member's value to society generally, but about their specific value in helping the group to survive on the island.  

Or, as in the example I linked to above, the concept could be adapted to deciding which person will be fired from a company.  (In this scenario, the company needs to cut costs by letting someone go, but hasn't yet decided who will get the boot.)

As I mentioned in a previous post, Balloon Debates are often great for Communicate Follow Ups.  This activity could be directly adapted to a reading or listening text using the characters from the reading or listening.  Or, it could be loosely adapted as just a "choose which one is out" activity.  (e.g. again, sticking with the theme of travel, a follow up to a reading and listening text on travel could be: you are going on a camping trip.  Here are six items.  You can only bring 5.  With your partner, decide which item you are going to leave behind.)

Below is an example of using a Balloon Debate for a Communicative Follow Up.  This is from Reflect Listening & Speaking 5, Unit 4, Listening 2: Effective Leadership Skills p.64-68.  It is based on the Semco Company which is featured in that listening text.  The students are put into groups of six, and are each assigned a role as one of the Semco Employees.  They must discuss their value to the company, and at the end, vote to decide who will get fired.

Cut up and give to students.  These are all workers in one group at Semco.  They need to fire someone to save money.  The group decides who will get fired.

IT Support You are responsible for making sure that all the computers and company databases keep working.	Sales You are responsible for selling the product to the customer.
Product Development You are responsible for thinking of the next product, and then making the product.	Customer Care Your job is to keep in touch with the current customers to make sure they're happy with the product.
Accounting Your job is to keep track of all the money going in and out and make sure the books are balanced.	Property Management You are responsible for everything to do with the office building--keeping it clean, keeping the water and electricity on, repairing anything that gets broken, etc.

Giving Advice in the Present and Past

(TESOL Ideas and Worksheets Subdivisions)

* Modal Verb Guessing Game

* Modal Verb Story 

* Should Slideshow

* Naruto PowerPoint Game--Modals for making suggestions and giving advice about present and past actions

* Using Beauty and the Beast to Teach Giving Advice in the Present and Past

Successful Productive Activities and their Important Features

(TESOL Ideas--Speaking, Writing)

Youtube Video HERE

Padlet HERE

Many of these activities I've previously mentioned on this blog. See the links below:

* Get to Know Your Group

* Role Play

* Collaborative Story Writing Activity

* Taboo

* Present Simple Conversation Prompts

* Present Simple Versus Present Continuous Walk Around the Room Questions

* Speed Dating: Present Simple Habits and Routines

* Find the Person Who is Most Similar/Different to You: Freer Practice Activity

* Telling Your Stories

* Write the End of the Story

* Fortunately by Remy Charlip (Writing Activity)

Speaking Groups Worksheet

(TESOL Worksheets--Speaking)
Google: docs, pub
[This was developed for online lessons, but could also be used for classroom.  It was created to make some accountability for a speaking class in which students were reluctant to speak in the online class.  It's a template that is copied over and edited it time with the names of the students (who are then also given editing access so that they can make the notes).  It's for groups of 5 ideally, but can be increased to more by just adding extra columns for participants.]

Role	Description	Write student name in this column
Leader	Ask the question to the participants.  Make sure you ask questions to each of the participants.  Make sure each of the participants does some talking.  You do not need to ask questions to the reporter or the recorder.   You do not need to answer the questions yourself.
Participants	Answer the questions that the leader asks you. You do not need to write anything.  Just talk.
Reporter	Listen to the conversation.  You don’t need to talk during the conversation, just listen. You don’t need to write anything.   At the end, you will summarize the conversation and report it back to the teacher.  You don’t need to tell the teacher everything that everyone said, just summarize the main ideas.
Recorder	Listen to the conversation.  You don’t need to say anything.  Write down what each person says in answer to each question.  You don’t need to write down everything they say, and you don’t need to write down their exact words. Just summarize their main ideas.

Recorder’s notes

	Participant 1	Participant 2
Question 1
Question 2

Error Correction Preferences Survey

(TESOL Worksheets--Classroom Management, Speaking, Needs Analysis)
Google: docs, pub
[Note: Students fill this out on the first day of class.  I make a chart with everyone's names and feedback preferences, and then use that chart to guide me when giving feedback throughout the rest of the term.]

Full name: __________________________________ (Nickname:_______________________)

Error Correction Preferences

How do you want the teacher to respond to any language errors that you make in the class?

1. Immediate Error Correction--Stop me and correct me immediately during a speaking activity

2. Delayed Error Correction--Don’t stop me during the speaking activity, but write down my error and at the end of the speaking activity, correct my error anonymously

3. No Error Correction--Don’t correct my mistakes.  I want to focus on fluency, and will worry about accuracy later.

Presentation Feedback Preferences

How do you want the teacher to respond to your speaking in a presentation

1. Immediate Feedback--Give me my feedback immediately after my group finishes our presentation (in front of the class)

2. Delayed Feedback--Don’t give me my feedback in front of the class.  Instead, email me with my feedback after class finishes.

3. No Feedback--Don’t give me feedback on my presentation.

Pronunciation self-study links

(TESOL Materials--Pronunciation, Self-Study)

Google: docs, pub

[I've recently started working at a school that has an assessment program in which I watch videos of student speeches, give feedback to the students about features of their pronunciation, and then students are expected to improve on these features of pronunciation for subsequent videos.

I have struggled with this, because I felt like I wasn't able to give sufficient feedback to students to improve.  I could say, "Your intonation is flat.  Go practice intonation" or "you don't have any rhythm.  Go practice rhythm."  But I wasn't able to give students any sort of study plan.

I expressed this frustration to another teacher in the staff-room, and he told me that he has a list of self-study resources that he gives students as feedback.  They are mostly links to Youtube videos or other Internet websites.  For example, if the student has problems with sentence stress, he gives them a list of videos to watch for sentence stress.  If a student has problems with linking sounds, he has a list of videos on linking sounds.

He was kind enough to share his list with me.  I am taking the liberty of posting his list on this blog because:

1) I want to bookmark it for myself for future use.

2) It may be of use to other teachers out there.

I personally am ambivalent about whether certain features of English pronunciation can be acquired through conscious study (see Krashen, etc).  But at the same time, since I am required by the school curriculum to give students pronunciation feedback, and the students are required to improve on my feedback points, I feel like I have to at least go through the motions of giving them resources.  Any other teacher teacher in a similar position may find this list useful.

I've edited this list very slightly (deleting dead links, some adjustment on formatting), but it's not my list, and I can't take credit for it.

I also have to admit that I haven't actually watched all the videos it links to, so I can't vouch for everything on here. Caveat lector.]

Linking

Vowel to vowel (V-V) linking:

1. Stop Saying... : Vowel to vowel linking 

2. English Pronunciation - Linking: Vowel to Vowel -- American Accent 

Consonant to consonant (C-C) linking - disappearing or changing sounds:

1. Linking Consonant to Consonant -- American English Pronunciation 

Consonant to vowel (C-V) linking:

1. Pronunciation: Consonant - vowel linking 

2. English Pronunciation - Linking: Consonant to Vowel -- American Accent 

Individual sounds:

1. A large range of instructional videos on individual sounds: Rachel's English Playlists 

2. Same as above:

The Sounds of English from BBC Learning English 

3. English Language Club Youtube Channel 

4. IMPORTANT - how sounds work: Phonemic Chart for TEFL

5. Download this app for further pronunciation help of individual phonemes (sounds): Sounds of Speech

→ Making sounds & using your mouth muscles:

English Pronunciation Practice: Daily Pronunciation 1 (2019) 

Consonant clusters:

1. English Pronunciation Practice: CONSONANT CLUSTERS 

2. Consonant Clusters: British Pronunciation Lesson 

3. Learn English Tongue Twisters.Consonant Clusters.FR, BR, BL Sounds 

4. Master Spoken English - Rhythm Patterns and Consonant Clusters - bl pl br pr - DVD4.5.2 

5. How to Pronounce the TR Consonant Cluster - American English 

6. How to Pronounce CH, TR, J, DR in CHAIN, TRAIN, JANE, DRAIN - American English Pronunciation Lesson 

Sentence stress:

1. Sentence Stress in English Pronunciation 

2. Sentence Stress: English Club 

Rhythm and chunking/thought groups:

1. Speak English more naturally: Using rhyme for word stress and intonation 

2. Stress Timing and Rhythm in Sentences: Learn English with Simple English Videos - ESL 

3. How To Use English Rhythm & Intonation: Chunking Part 1 (very good video!!)

4. Linking and Thought Groups – Spoken English 

5. Thought Groups 

6. Pausing within Sentences | English Pronunciation Lesson (very easy to follow)

Connected speech - general:

1. 5 Features of Connected Speech:  ESL Base 

2.  5 Connected Speech Secrets For Fast, Native English Pronunciation 

3. How To Sound Like A Native English Speaker: Connected Speech 

4. Connected Speech Practice | English Pronunciation Lesson 

Paraphrasing

(TESOL Worksheets--Speaking, Writing, English for Academic Purposes)
Google Drive Folder HERE
Slideshow: slides, pub
Worksheet: docs, pub
[Notes: This lesson makes use of the Youtube video: How To Paraphrase.  I also make use of the content from the video British Council IELTS tips #6: Top five paraphrasing techniques, but I don't play that video in the class because the music is loud and annoying.  Instead I've just taken some of the example sentences form that video, and integrated it into the lesson. Some of the other examples in the lesson come from Q: Skills for Success 5 pages 194-195.  The slideshow accompanying this lesson is mostly for my own reference, and I didn't actually use it in class when I taught the lesson.
Procedure: Hand out the questions from the first page of the worksheet.  Play the video "How to Paraphrase".  Students answer the questions.  Class feedback.
Hand out worksheet page 2.  In pairs, students analyze the worksheet, and talk together about how the sentences are paraphrased.
Hand out worksheet page 3.  Students match the description of paraphrasing to the sample sentences on worksheet 2.  
Next, hand out worksheet page 4.  (This is a paragraph taken from the Wikipedia page on Vietnam.  I used this because I was teaching in Vietnam, and the content was familiar to my students.  Teachers in different countries may want to change the subject.)
In pairs, students work to complete the table and paraphrase each sentence.  (Note: in my morning class I gave them the table.  In the afternoon class, they had no table.  The afternoon class did more paraphrasing by combining ideas from sentences because they did not have the sentence-by-sentence table.  So it's possible the table may hurt students more than help them.)  Then, I give my sample answers (worksheet page 5).  Students compare my sample answers to their answers.
Next, students are put into 4 groups.  Each group is given another paragraph from the Wikipedia page on Vietnam.  In groups, students must paraphrase the paragraph. After they prepare in groups, we then switch the groups. students are put into new groups with new partners, and have to present their paraphrase to the new groups.
The final activity makes use of pages 8-11 of the worksheet, which contain famous quotes.  These famous quotes are taken from this website here.  Each student is given a strip of paper with a famous quote on it.  Then there's a mingle activity, where they have to find a partner, and paraphrase that quote to their partner.  (Without showing their partner the original quote.)  The partner then gives them a paraphrase of their own quote.  Then, they take the quote that their partner has said, and find a new partner to say their new quote to, but they must paraphrase what their partner has said. 
Each time they meet a new partner, they trade quotes, but each time, they must paraphrase what their partner has said.
At the end of the activity, in open class feedback students tell the paraphrased quote that they ended up with, and the class tries to find out who had the original quote it was based on.

Video Questions:

1. What does “paraphrasing” mean?

2. What do you start with?

3. What is a bad way to paraphrase?  Why?

4. What is an okay way to paraphrase?

5. What is the best way to paraphrase?

6. What are some phrases that you can use to make the author an active part of your sentence?

Video Questions:

1. What does “paraphrasing” mean?

2. What do you start with?

3. What is a bad way to paraphrase?  Why?

4. What is an okay way to paraphrase?

5. What is the best way to paraphrase?

6. What are some phrases that you can use to make the author an active part of your sentence?

What techniques are being used to paraphrase here?

A	The diagram below shows the process by which bricks are manufactured for the building industry.	The diagram below illustrates the way by which bricks are made for the building industry.
B	The line graph below shows the consumption of four kinds of meat in a European country from 1979 to 2004.	The line graph below shows how one European country consumed four kinds of meat from 1979 to 2004.
C	The real estate developers invested over 40 million USD into the development of a new senior living community.	40 million USD was invested in the development of a new senior living community.
D	The line graph below shows the consumption of four kinds of meat in a European country from 1979 to 2004.	The line graph below shows how four different kinds of meat were consumed over a 25-year period in one European country.
E	The discovery of the nomadic group surprised them.	The discovery of the nomads was not expected.
F	We were at least listened to.  I’m encouraged by this.	She said she felt encouraged because at least the government listened to them.
G	Mongolia’s geography, a boundless wilderness with soil that can’t sustain agriculture, forces people to embrace the nomadic life.	The narrator explains that Mongolia has vast lands, but it is impossible to grow food there.  As a result, a nomadic life is necessary.

Match the letter to the paraphrasing technique:

____ Change positive to negative forms

____  Break a long sentence into two sentences.

____ Use synonyms

____ change the word order

____ change from active to passive

____ Use a different word form

____ Combine sentences and ideas

Match the letter to the paraphrasing technique:

____ Change positive to negative forms

____  Break a long sentence into two sentences.

____ Use synonyms

____ change the word order

____ change from active to passive

____ Use a different word form

____ Combine sentences and ideas

source: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam

Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia. The long-form name of the country is the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The neighboring countries of Vietnam are China, Laos and Cambodia. Vietnam is one of five remaining countries that believe in communism. The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi. The biggest city is Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). There are about 94,444,200 people living in Vietnam.

How could you paraphrase these sentences?

Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia.
The long-form name of the country is the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
The neighboring countries of Vietnam are China, Laos and Cambodia.
Vietnam is one of five remaining countries that believe in communism.
The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi.
The biggest city is Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).
There are about 94,444,200 people living in Vietnam.

What techniques are used to paraphrase these sentences?

Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia.	One of the nations in Southeast Asia is called Vietnam.
The long-form name of the country is the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.	Vietnam can also be called by a longer name, which is the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
The neighboring countries of Vietnam are China, Laos and Cambodia.	Vietnam is bordered by Cambodia, China and Laos.
Vietnam is one of five remaining countries that believe in communism.	There are only five countries left in the world that are still officially communist, and Vietnam is one of those five.
The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi.	The government of Vietnam is located in the city of Hanoi.
The biggest city is Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).	Saigon (which is now known as Ho Chi Minh City) is the largest city in Vietnam.
There are about 94,444,200 people living in Vietnam.	Vietnam has approximately 94 million people.

How To Paraphrase

British Council IELTS tips #6: Top five paraphrasing techniques