Norm-Referenced and Criterion-Referenced Interpretation
Simulated Activities for Teaching Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing
1. DENMARK ALELUYA
Secondary Education-English Major III
Professor A. Manaligod
Teaching Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing
LISTENING ACTIVITIES
Completing the lyrics
This game takes practicing of listening skills in a very exciting manner. For this activity, the teacher
needs to prepare a song that the students are presumably familiar with. This can work as a motivation
activity stressing the use of prepositions (or any part of speech that the teacher wants to stress). First,
the teacher plays the song using a cassette player. The audio should be loud and clear for the students
to listen accurately to the lyrics. After playing the song, give the activity sheets containing the copy of
lyrics with all the preposition words missing. The teacher asks them to provide the missing words
without telling that those are prepositions. After 3 minutes, the teacher plays again the song and has
the students check their respective papers. After which, the teacher asks the students what the missing
words are and officially introduce the topic for the day.
Example:
My Love by Westlife
Pronoun
An empty street an empty house
___’m _____ inside ____ heart
___’m ______ alone the rooms are getting smaller
____ wonder how _____ wonder why
____ wonder where ______ are
The days ____ had the song ______ sang together..Oh yeah..
And Oh ____ love ___’m holding on forever
Reaching for the love that seems so far
So ___ say a little prayer
And hope _____ dreams would take ______ there
Where the skies are blue to see _____ once again, _______
love
2. Over seas and coast to coast to find the place ____ love the
most
Where the fields are green to see ______ once again ______
love
Guess me!
Guess me is a listening activity that enhances students’ ability to decipher answers by understanding
closely the clues presented by the teacher. It goes like a sort of a riddle/puzzle game where hints
defining the word are given. The topic or classification will guide the students what the clues are for and
the answer. It can be done individually or through groups.
PROCEDURES:
The teacher groups the students into 6 with 8 members each. Afterwards, she gives the instruction to
them. She reads the first classification and the clues afterwards. The students are only allowed to
answer after 3 seconds.
Example: Professions
I solve X and Y but I can also do grammar
I write and talk all day with patience and perseverance
I check papers and themes like a machine, you see
I talk about history and essay, poems and short stories
Answer : Teacher
Parts of Speech
They call me names
Margarita, Jona and Bruno
Someone tells that I’ve gone to Quaipo
And had myself adobo
My neighbor calls me Poochy-Poochy like a dog you should
beware of
It’s just the way I am just names you love to tell
Answer: Nouns
3. Voice Camera
Voice Camera is a listening activity that brings out how creative and imaginative students are in
picturing or representing the voice that they hear. The students listen to the audio and imagine how the
voice characterizes its physical appearance or psychological condition. It can be a springboard activity
for a lesson about tone, stress, pitch and volume.
PROCEDURES:
1. The teacher prepares voice clips downloaded from the internet portraying different tone,
stress, pace and emotion.
2. The teacher plays the audio twice and give students 3 seconds to imagine and picture how the
voice characterizes a personality
3. The teacher presents some pictures or words that may characterize the voice. The students
choose from them.
Example:
ROARING MAN: HAHAHAHA! At last! I finally had the crown
I now have the power and strength I need to
Let you all suffer under my tyrannical rule!!
Never a day shall you all keep your rests
Because you will all toil you bodies to satisfy
me!! HAHAHA!!
The choices may be:
PICTURES:
A. A big ordinary man
B. A smiling king or prince
C. A devilish-faced monarch
WORDS:
A. An insane man
B. A dictatorial leader
4. C. A powerful king
SPEAKING ACTIVITIES
Knotting your tongues
This activity enhances the speaking abilities of students particularly in pronunciation and exercise their
oral cavity. They are required to read the sentences as quickly but understandably with proper diction.
PROCEDURES:
1. The teacher prepares a number of tongue twisters and presents them in the class. (The teacher
can use sheets and distribute it in the class or have it written in a Manila paper.)
2. The teacher reads every tongue twister before asking any student to read.
3. The student is allowed to read it twice as quickly as possible.
Example: Peter Piper
Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled pepper
A pack of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked
If Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled pepper
Where’s the pack of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked?
Last Word Chain
This speaking activity enhances students’ ability to form questions, commands, requests and/or
statements in a short period of time.
PROCEDURE:
1. The teacher starts the game by giving a complete sentence.
2. The teacher calls someone to give a statement, a question, a request or a command using the
last word of the given sentence. Students can only answer in 10 seconds.
3. The student calls another student to give sentence using the last word she used.
4. The cycle goes on until a chain is formed.
Example:
5. Teacher: I lived in Davao City Do everything I want.
when I was 5
I want that teddy bear, can
Student: 5 students finished you please buy it?
the project.
It never stopped!
Is your project easy to do?
Class Debate
This speaking activity enhances students’ ability to express themselves freely by providing arguments
defending their own point-of-view. It also enhances higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) as students
thread arguments and find weak loopholes of the opposing team. Participation, camaraderie and
logical thinking are also enhanced.
Procedures:
1. The teacher prepares an interesting and debatable point after the class discussion. It can be of a
serious topic ranging from societal problems, issues and concerns to a subjective proposition
where the decisions of a certain character of a story are evaluated.
2. The teacher divides the class into two opposing parties, asks their main argument and writes it
on the board.
3. A toss coin is held to identify the starting group. Every speaker is given only 3-5 minutes to
explain his/her side.
4. The first round should present the reasons why they favor their respective arguments.
5. The next round should present their arguments against the other.
6. The last round should conclude their arguments and the consequences if their argument is not
followed or if the downsides if the opposing argument is followed.
7. A separate panel of judges will declare will present their observations and declares the winner.
EXAMPLE:
Hector and Andromache (The Fall of Troy)
What would be a greater responsibility, being a warrior to defend your own country or being a father to
your family?
Helen and Paris
If you were Helen, would you opt to go with Paris and leave Menelaus or stay with Menelaus and ignore
your feelings to Paris?
6. READING ACTIVITIES
About Point
About Point is an interactive way of responding to the text by getting the main idea and the salient
points that supports it. It enhances critical thinking skills of the students through reading
comprehension as they understand the text and get the gist and significant details of the text.
PROCEDURE:
1. The teacher prepares 8 sticky notes and short stories (or any reading material) appropriate to
the students’ level.
2. The teacher forms 8 groups with 5 members each.
3. The teacher gives the sticky notes, sheets and two selections to each group.
4. The teacher asks the students to get the main idea of each paragraph, write them on the sticky
notes and paste them in the paragraphs.
5. The teacher asks the students to fill in the needed information in the sheet.
Example: (The Cask of Amontillado for 9th Graders)
Focus: British and American Literature
Associative Hypothesis
This activity brings in the prior knowledge of the students regarding a certain topic for the day’s
discussion. It is particularly done in groups to prompt brainstorming, collaborative discussion and an
increased level of comprehension as they share own understanding among themselves.
PROCEDURE:
1. The teacher prepares a reading material appropriate to the level of the students
2. The teacher forms 8 groups with 5 members each.
7. 3. The teacher asks the class to jot down their understanding about a certain question (Addressed
by the teacher) or about the title of the selection.
4. The teacher hands each group 2 copies of the selection and asks them to read it.
5. Afterwards, the teacher asks the students to jot down the points presented by the author and
compare them to their own ideas.
Symbolic Representation
Symbolic representation is a reading activity that enhances students reading comprehension by
visualizing a certain abstract theme into a symbolic representation.
PROCEDURES:
1. The teacher prepares a reading material appropriate to the level of students
2. The teacher forms groups of 8 with 5 members each and hands them the reading material
3. After reading, the students draw an object or anything that will describe what they feel about
the text or the theme of the text.
4. Groups take turns on explaining what their drawn material is all about.
Figure me out!
The figure me out activity works similarly as that of the concept attainment strategy. This is particularly
effective when teaching a grammar lesson and the students are having difficulties understanding the
slight differences between two concepts. It also fosters cooperative learning as the students are
required to come up with an over-all understanding about the concept being studied.
PROCEDURES:
1. The teacher prepares examples about two different concepts on a sheet. The examples must be
accompanied by a definition to scaffold the students and get them on the right track.
2. The teacher introduces the grammar lesson and disseminates the sheets to the class. It can be
done individually but it feels more engaging and would sound easier to do if answering would
come in groups. The activity will run for 5 minutes.
3. Each group will state their explanations about their own observations and how they got with
their conclusions. A definition of the concept is provided afterwards.
8. Example: Figure me!
What’s the difference between an adjective and an adverb?
General Instruction: Closely examine the relationship of the underlined words with the others in the
sentence. You can write in the sheets to find points of differences.
9. Properties of Adjectives Properties of Adverbs
Examples:
The cruel witch is truly hateful. The cruel witch is truly hateful.
The Sistine Chapel is majestically expansive. The Sistine Chapel is majestically expansive.
Jamal made a bright guess. Jamal made a slightly bright guess.
Examples: _______ Degree of Adjective
Jamie is a tall fifteen-year old freshman. Janna definitely reviewed for the examinations.
Distinguished honors classes are intelligent. Elvis probably took nights off sleep to read his lectures.
His phone is slim. Tito meanly kicked Harold’s seat.
Examples: ________ Degree of Adjective
Examples: Adverb of _________
Janna made a better remark than he did.
Elvis had a higher score than Serena. Peter went to school yesterday.
Tito is the rowdiest among the Junior class. Lily gets ready for tomorrow.
Examples: ________ Degree of Adjective Examples: Adverb of ___________
Polly got the highest rank among the class. He slowly walks his feet to his bed.
Halley is the loveliest muse during the prom. She gently patted Rainier’s back.
Thriller movies are the most exciting films to watch.
Examples : Adverb of ___________
After the incident, Eva seldom goes to school.
Lloyd often goes to see her mom at the city.
The man always talks about freedom.
DEFINITION: DEFINITION:
WRITING ACTIVITIES
Word Generator!
10. This writing activity works like the usual writing drama everyone has presumably played. However, this
activity puts a higher bar as the students are required to generate word/s after word/s until the shortest
word/s is derived. It enhances students’ ability to formulate words under pressure.
Procedure:
1. The teacher forms 8 groups with 5 members each. He/She gives them sheets where they are to
write their answers.
2. The teacher reads the first word and asks the student to read it afterwards. He/She also gives its
definition. From this, the student gets a certain word corresponding to the number of letters
written beside the given word. Students answer for 3 minutes per level.
3. The teacher presents all the possible words fitted in the required number of letters. Each word
has numbers beside them corresponding to the number of letters that they need to fill in.
4. The procedure continues until the shortest word/s is/are derived.
Example:
MISUNDERSTANDING (1 thirteen-lettered word)
UNDERSTANDING (1 ten-lettered word)
UNDERSTAND (2 seven-lettered words)
ASUNDER (2 six-lettered words) – SANDER (8 five-lettered
words) – (READS) (DEARS) (DARES) (NEARS) (EARNS) (DEANS)
(NARES) (SNARE) – (9 four-lettered words) (READ) (EARS)
(DEAR) (SEAR) (EARN) (DARE) (NEAR) (DEAN) (SAND) – (3 eight-
lettered word) – (RED) (EAR) (AND) (SEA) (ARE) (END) (DEN)
(RAN)
SUNDER (1 five-lettered) UNDER – (8 four-lettered) (DUNE)
(NUDE) (RUNS) (SEND) (DENS) (URNS) (SURD) (ENDS) – (5 three-
lettered word) (RUN) (END) (RED) (DEN) (URN)
11. Write me a dialogue!
This writing activity enhances the students’ ability to creatively formulate conversations after reading a
selection. It can portray any particular scene in the story; the only important thing is the material made
for a classroom skit. The creative write-up would also show how good they understood the selection
and how effective they are to portray the scene.
Procedure:
1. The teacher forms group and asks members to choose
their leader.
2. Students choose a certain scene to portray and tell it
to the teacher.
3. Students write their dialogue and have their mini-practice
for 10 minutes.
4. Students are asked to pick their numbers.
5. Each group presents their skit for 5 minutes.
Journaling
This writing activity is one of the not-so new activities that a teacher can use to prompt metacognitive
thinking in the classroom. Yet, until now, this activity is not widely used. This is particularly effective tin
enhancing students’ writing skills and shows an understanding of the topic the class learned for the day.
Procedure:
1. After the class discussion, the teacher asks the
students to write a short journal about what they have
learned for the day.
2. The students are allowed to write for only 5 minutes.
3. The teacher calls for students to share their own write-
ups.