Language Levels What do the terms beginner, intermediate, and advanced really mean? Unfortunately the definitions vary among institutions. The following guide for oral communication ability, though subjective, may be useful if your program does not have its own definitions of performance standards: The Canadian College of Business and Language has developed the following series of ESL level descriptors that encompass reading, writing, listening, and speaking. ESL Level Descriptors (Canadian College of Business and Language) Descriptions of seven ESL levels introductory through upper advanced. Your volunteer program may or may not have its own system for assessing student language levels. Sample Intake Test Sample interview test for oral communication ability from International Students Inc. at Colorado State University; used by permission.
Public Holidays 2014 * As Hari Raya Haji falls on Sunday 5 October 2014, the next day, Monday 6 October 2014, will be a public holiday. ** The Hindu Advisory Board (HAB) has confirmed that Deepavali will fall on 22 October 2014 (Wednesday) instead of 23 October 2014 (Thursday). Hence, 22 October 2014 (Wednesday) will be gazetted as a public holiday. Download the iCalendar file by right-clicking the calendar icon and selecting "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As...". Payment for work done on a public holiday The Ministry would like to remind all employers that under the Employment Act, an employee who is required to work on a public holiday is entitled to an extra day's salary at the basic rate of pay, in addition to the gross rate of pay for that holiday. For more information on the Public Holiday provisions under the Employment Act, click here.
Vision off – YouTube technique Vision off – YouTube technique Submitted by admin on 5 July, 2011 - 08:42 This YouTube activity really gets your students thinking creatively. A short film is played for the students, but they can’t see the scene, they can only hear it. Students guess what happens in the scene before they get to view it to check their deductions. Students are motivated and have lots of fun. Preparation Open the YouTube video Teeth ( Procedure Tell students that you are going to play a short film (just over 2 minutes long) but they will not see it. ExtensionStudents can read the screenplays or storyboards and vote which one should be made into a film. Related link Scriptwriting Lesson: By Nicola Crowley Printer-friendly version
Using DVD and video in ESL teaching Have you ever wondered how to use movies in your ESL classes, without just sitting your students down in front of the screen, hitting "Play" and sitting back to watch (which, let's face it, they could do at home)? Here are a few ideas to get you started, using very short extracts from movies to present and practise new language, and develop communicative skills... 1 No picture Choose a short video extract (2 or 3 minutes) with a lot of sound effects. Play it with the screen turned away from the students, or cover the screen. If two of the sound effects are birds singing and a baby crying, your linguistic focus (either as presentation or practice) could be: 2 No sound Show a short extract (again, 2 or 3 minutes is enough) with a lot going on, or where characters convey a lot of emotion in their expressions, without sound. They can describe what happened using narrative tenses; describe the scene; anticipate dialogue or reactions; arrange the cut up dialogue which you have given them.
Who does what? – YouTube technique Who does what? – YouTube technique Submitted by admin on 15 June, 2011 - 13:09 In this YouTube-based activity, students watch a scene from an animated film and observe the actions performed by characters. The activity is suitable for low level students (primary school) since the focus here is not on listening. The technique can be used to review present tenses and vocabulary for daily routine and adapted for other cartoons or films. Preparation Open the YouTube video Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers ( Procedure Put students in pairs and hand out the worksheets. Answers W: wakes up, gets up, gets dressed, reads the post, eats toastG: drinks tea, makes some toast, checks the calendar, collects the post, makes breakfast, reads the newspaper Extension Language focus You can draw students’ attention to the difference between wake up and get up by asking what happens first and how much time passes between the two. By Leo Selivan Printer-friendly version
Using DVD and video in your ESL class In part one of this article, we suggested some ideas using very short extracts from movies to present and practise new language, and develop communicative skills. Here are five more... 6 Vocabulary in context Choose an extract of about two or thee minutes which is rich in vocabulary (drama and documentary films work well for this). Make a sheet with ten to twenty words that are used in the extract. 7 Subtitles A big advantage of DVD over video is the subtitle feature. A good exercise for building confidence is to play an extract with subtitles in the students' own language. As reading practice for higher level students, use an extract with subtitles in English. 8 The news Record the TV news and choose an item with a lot of visual footage. 9 Cultural differences Here's an activity to fit in with a topic on cultures. 10 Voices in my head Choose a short extract with some interesting and expressive dialogue between two or more characters. This article © Eslbase Comments Share this page
The tenses and aspects of English Dr. Johanna RubbaEnglish Department (Linguistics)Cal Poly State University San Luis ObispoLast updated 2/8/05© 2003 Johanna Rubba Syntax: Terms and Concepts The tenses and aspects of English English verbal expressions (often called verb phrases in traditional grammar) can be thought of in additive fashion—take several basic components and add them up to produce the various possible verbal expressions of English. Table 1: Forms and names of English Verbal Constructions The next table presents the names of tense/aspects with example sentences, plus their functions/meanings, plus some sample adverbial modifiers that help verify the functions/meanings. Table 2: Forms and Functions of English Verbal Constructions This table does not exhaust the inventory of constructions used in English to express nuances of time and aspect. Table 3: Some Examples of Other English Verbal Constructions Return to main page
Lesson plan HELP? Anonymous: Hi everyone, I reallt don't understand what my eacher means with his comment. I thought I did really good. Can anyone check this for me please.. Prepare a plan for a 45-minute lesson on vocabulary of character traits. You have a class of 60 students of different levels. Please include the following information:Target language (list the words you will teach)Assumed knowledge (list vocabulary/structures you expect all your students to know)Anticipated problemsSolutionsPreparations and aidsA step-by-step plan of the entire lesson including the timing of each stage. LEVEL/AGE: Intermediate (60 students – 12-14yr old). LESSON LENGTH: 45 minutes OBJECTIVE: To teach vocabulary of character traits TARGET LANGUAGE: L1 - Busy, Friendly, Funny, Careful, Clever, Popular, Upset, Healthy, Jealous, LuckyL2 - Dangerous, Adventurous, Dishonest, Glamorous, Grumpy, Religious, Curious, Trustworthy, Mysterious, Frustrated (NOT moods/feelings!!!) Stage Activity I/A Timing Revision of last lesson. 4.
Activities for your first lesson Getting to know your class A tried and tested opener for learning everyone's name on day one is to get the class to stand in a circle, throw a small ball to one of your students and say your first name as you throw it. The person who catches it throws it to another person and says their first name. This continues until everyone has said their name a number of times. Start again but this time pick someone, throw them the ball and say their name. This now continues with people trying to remember each other's name. Name tags The sooner you - the teacher - learn everyone's name the better. Students take a piece of A4 paper and fold it length ways in the middle. On one side students should write their name and place it in front of them on the desk. As an extension activity students could add information to the name tag such as their favourite hobby or the thing they hate the most. Another variation is to have students fill in name tags for their partner. Guess who?
Teaching Large Classes Most teachers agree that teaching a small group of students is easier, more enjoyable, and less time consuming than teaching a large group. Unfortunately, due to budgets, space, or lack of teachers, many ESL schools only offer large classes. In some schools, large classes may consist of up to 50 or more students. While your […] Written by Tara Benwell for TEFL.net Most teachers agree that teaching a small group of students is easier, more enjoyable, and less time consuming than teaching a large group. Advantages of Teaching Large Classes High Energy: Classes with many students may be noisy, but they are also fun and exciting.Timing: Classes go by quickly in a large class, and you will rarely catch yourself looking at the clock. Challenges of Teaching Large Classes Intimacy: Remembering student’s names can take a while. Strategies for Coping with Large Classes Use a teacher’s notebook: Attach a small notebook and pen to your belt loop. Activities to use in Large Classes
Three ESL Activities for Large Classes Even the most well prepared lesson plan can fail with a class the size of a small army. While teaching a big class is not ideal, it's often reality, and when planning activities for class, it's necessary for teachers to consider effective activities for large groups. The following ideas will not always substitute a full lesson plan, but may act as filler activities that can supplement a base lesson or unit of study. Continue the Story ESL Activity for Big Classes Depending on the class, this activity can be freestyle or geared toward vocabulary being studied at the time. The teacher sets the mood for a story of which the class will write many versions. Each student copies the first sentence, then passes their paper to the next person who continues the story sentence by sentence. Chants and Songs for Large ESL Classes Chanting and singing allow all students in a large class to participate, and may even make shy students feel more comfortable with a group chorus covering individual voices.
Your strategies for large classes - Teaching ESL - eslHQ Hi Ralph, and thanks for your message!! Actually I wish I could have done more things, but there are not many alternatives in terms of place and different environment (the students can re-arrange the seats, but it takes a lot of time, and we still don’t have much room). I just tried this week a game that worked well with the class (the class is divided in 3 rows. The students in the first row read a sentence and have to whisper to the next student…and so on, the last student has to shout the sentence correctly), they went wild, you can’t imagine how I felt when I saw them so excited, for the first time !! But I’m just afraid this is a one-time situation. The college students are generally below standard. I’m aware that they’re not the only ones to blame, my teaching methods certainly need to be changed. Thanks again for your answer, Ralph!! Peach
Does anyone know some good activities for large classes? Hi, I teach very large classes as well, often with a massive range of levels, both in interest and ability. I find that most of the whispering or relay games work really well with large groups because the more teams you have the stronger the competition. 1) For low level students line them up in teams of 5 or 6. Give the last student in each row the same word, and have them whisper it up to the front. The first class to either write the word on the board or tell it to the teacher wins. For higher levels you can do a relay with a sentence. You can vary this game again by giving them a word to spell. 2) My favorite game of all though is the "Snap" game. Put the students in pairs and lay out a set of flashcards between them that represent the key concepts of that unit. Hope these help, and if you have any more ideas I would love to hear them.