English for adults

English for Adults For: “Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages” (TESOL) ATA TESOL College 60-Hour Elective Certificate Course Available Online or by Correspondence

2
2006 Australasian Training Academy Pty Ltd. English for Adults V03/0112/MA

3
TESOL English for Adults
A Certification Course for TESOL, TESL, and TEFL Teachers ATA TESOL College Published, produced, and licensed by ATA TESOL College 2006. Course contents, course structure, manuals, handouts, brochures, certificates, transcripts, institute logo, website, and all intellectual property associated to all courses and products offered by and ATA TESOL College are strictly protected under international copyright laws. Any party, corporate or private, infringing on the copyright law pertaining to the materials and intellectual properties stated will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. All rights reserved. No part of this publication, or any of the materials associated to the ATA TESOL College program for which this manual is designed (including the information package, brochures, handouts, certificates, transcript, and logo) may be reproduced by any means, mechanical or otherwise, in whole or in part, without expressed written consent from: Postal address: ATA TESOL College P O Box 2149 TOOWONG QLD 4066 Office address: 406 Milton Road AUCHENFLOWER QLD 4066 Phone: 1300 723 928 Phone: 07 3371 2888 (Head Office) Fax: 07 3371 2922
Website: www.ataonline.edu.au
General Office Email: office@ataonline.edu.au
Management: marie@ataonline.edu.au

4
This document is formatted for two-sided printing. Occasional blank pages through the document in online form correspond with the backs of removable pages in printed form.

5
Table of Contents
ATA: Requirements for Completing Assignments ................................................... 7
Essential Information for Completing this Course ................................................... 8
Chapter 1 .................................................................................................................. 9
ATA: Why English is the Global Language ............................................................. 11
English as a global language .................................................................................. 13
ATA TESOL Teaching and the Communicative Approach ................................. 15
Principles of the Communicative Approach to ESL ............................................. 18
ATA: What is English for Specific Purposes? (ESP) ................................................. 18
ATA: What is English for Academic Purposes? (EAP) ........................................... 20
Chapter 2 ................................................................................................................ 21
ATA TESOL Lesson Presentation ............................................................................... 23
ATA: Practice & Production ..................................................................................... 23
ATA TESOL Lesson Planning for the Adult Classroom ........................................... 24
ATA Sample TESOL Adult Lesson Plan ..................................................................... 25
TESOL Resources for the Adult Classroom ............................................................ 26
TESOL Resources for the Adult Classroom ............................................................. 27
ATA TESOL the Listening Skill in the Adult Classroom ............................................ 28
ATA TESOL the Speaking Skill in the Adult Classroom ........................................... 29
ATA TESOL the Reading Skill in the Adult Classroom ............................................ 30
ATA TESOL the Writing Skill in the Adult Classroom ............................................... 31
Chapter 3 ................................................................................................................ 33
Charades .................................................................................................................... 35
Vocabulary brainstorm ............................................................................................. 37
Exercise – now talk about yourself like the example below ............................... 37
Conversation Questions: .......................................................................................... 38
Writing a Topic Sentence ......................................................................................... 87
Chapter 4 .............................................................................................................. 102
Assignments for the Adult class ............................................................................. 104
ATA TESOL Teaching Aids and Materials for the Adult Classroom .................. 105
Problem solving in the TESOL Adult Classroom ................................................... 107
RESOURCE MATERIALS .......................................................................................... 108
Chapter One ............................................................................................................ 110
Chapter Two ............................................................................................................. 118
Chapter Three .......................................................................................................... 122
Chapter Four ............................................................................................................ 126
Chapter Five ............................................................................................................. 131
Chapter Six ............................................................................................................... 136
Chapter Seven ......................................................................................................... 141
Chapter Eight ........................................................................................................... 146
Chapter Nine ........................................................................................................... 151
Chapter Ten ............................................................................................................. 156
Chapter Eleven ........................................................................................................ 161
Chapter Twelve ....................................................................................................... 167
Chapter Thirteen ...................................................................................................... 172
Chapter Fourteen .................................................................................................... 178

6
Chapter Fifteen ........................................................................................................ 183
Chapter Sixteen ....................................................................................................... 188
Chapter Seventeen ................................................................................................ 191
Chapter Eighteen .................................................................................................... 196
Bibliography ......................................................................................................... 201

7
ATA Course Requirements
Course Description: This informative Elective covers the limitless options, teaching concepts and activities that can make teaching Adults a learning process for the TESOL teacher and students. Full of activities, resources and templates this Elective comprehensively covers teaching of General English in the Adult world. Materials: English for Adults Manual Online or Correspondence:
 English for Adults is approximately 60 hours of study, and assignments
 The required assignments are listed in this section
 This course is self-paced. You can work on it at your own convenience however all assignments must be completed before being submitted for marking
Let‟s Begin:
 Carefully check instructions
 Answer all assignment questions fully
 Complete all activities and lesson plans accurately with full detail using the Lesson plan template. You must list all resources to be used in the lesson but need not include the actual resources unless stated
Contact Information It is important for your questions and enquiries to be directed to the right person. Please use the following contact points:
Website: www.ataonline.edu.au
General Office Email/ Job Support: office@ataonline.edu.au
Marking/ Online Support: marking@ataonline.edu.au
Accounts: accounts@ataonline.edu.au
Marketing and Sales: marketing@ataonline.edu.au
Web site log-in problems: seek@ataonline.edu.au
Management and complaints: marie@ataonline.edu.au

8
Essential Information for Completing this Course
1. This course is „available online‟ for downloading purposes only.
2. This course is a „PDF‟ file [Read only] answers cannot be submitted/typed into the file.
3. All answers must be typed using a „WORD‟ document.
4. Some assignment questions require personal research, this can be done using the Internet or related books [from library]
5. Complete all questions/tasks for each assignment.
6. Once all assignments/tasks have been completed, send together with your „Cover page‟. And email to marking@ataonline.edu.au.
7. If you require assistance with any assignment questions/tasks please email the Elective name, assignment number and question/task number with your query to marking@ataonline.edu.au
8. Enjoy the course and above all have fun!!!

9
Chapter 1
A General Overview of ESL/EFL

10
Chapter one A general overview of ESL/EFL Learning objectives for this chapter: Overview ESL/EFL: Why is English the „Global Language‟? The Communicative Approach: Why use the Communicative Approach? English Acronyms: What is ESP? What is EAP? How do I teach both?

11
ATA: Why English is the Global Language
English is well on its way to becoming the dominant global language in the fields of communication, science, medicine and business. According the Wikipedia dictionary:
English is a West Germanic language which is the dominant language in the United Kingdom, the United States, many Commonwealth nations including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and other former British colonies. It is also an important or official language in many countries formerly under British or American rule such as India, Nigeria and the Philippines.
English is currently one of the most widely spoken and written languages worldwide with some 380 million native speakers. Only Chinese and Hindi have more native speakers while Spanish is similar in number. English is also the dominant member of the Germanic languages. It has lingua franca status in many parts of the world due to the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the early 20th century to the present.
Through the global influence of native English speakers in cinema, music, broadcasting, science, and the Internet in recent decades English is now the most widely learned second language in the world. Because a working knowledge of English is required in many fields and occupations, education ministries around the world mandate the teaching of English to at least a basic level.
English is the third or fourth most widely spoken as first language in the world today after Mandarin, Hindi, and probably Spanish (see the ranking). A total of 600-700 million people use the various dialects of English regularly. About 377 million people use one of the versions of English as their mother tongue and an equal number of people use them as their second or foreign language. English is used widely in either the public or private sphere in more than 100 countries all over the world. n addition, the language has occupied a primary place in international academic and business communities. The current status of the English language at the start of the new millennium compares with that of Latin in the past. English is also the most widely used language for young backpackers who travel across continents regardless of whether it is their mother tongue or a secondary language.
English is the primary language in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia (Australian English), the Bahamas, Barbados (Caribbean English), Bermuda, Belize, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Virgin Islands, Canada (Canadian English), the Cayman Islands, Dominica, the Falkland Islands,

12
Gibraltar, Grenada, Guernsey, Guyana, Isle of Man, Jamaica (Jamaican English), Jersey, Montserrat, New Zealand (New Zealand English), Ireland (Hiberno-English), Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the United Kingdom (various forms of British English), the U.S. Virgin Islands and the United States (American English)
English is also an important minority language of South Africa (South African English), and in several other former colonies and current dependent territories of the United Kingdom and the United States, for example Singapore and Mauritius.
In Asia, former British colonies like Singapore and Malaysia use English as their official language, and is taught in all private and public schools as a mandatory subject. There is a considerable amount of native English speakers in urban areas in both countries. In Hong Kong, English is co- official with Chinese and is widely used in business activities. It is taught from infant school and kindergarten and is the medium of instruction for a few primary schools, many secondary schools and all universities. Substantial numbers of students acquire native-speaker level. It is so widely used that it is inadequate to say that it is merely a second or foreign language though there is still a huge percentage of people in Hong Kong with poor or no command of English at all.
The majority of English native speakers (67 to 70 per cent) live in the United States (Crystal, 1997). Although the U.S. federal government has no official languages English has been given official status by 27 of the 50 state governments most of which have declared English their sole official language. Hawaii, Louisiana, and New Mexico have also designated Hawaiian, French, and Spanish, respectively as official languages in conjunction with English.
In many other countries, where English is not a major first language, it is an official language; these countries include Cameroon, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Ghana, Gambia, India, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Malta, the Marshall Islands, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Rwanda, the Solomon Islands, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. English is the most widely learned and used foreign language in the world and, as such, some linguists believe that it is no longer the exclusive cultural emblem of 'native English speakers' but rather a language that is absorbing aspects of cultures world-wide as it grows in use. Others believe that there are limits to how far English can go in suiting everyone for communication purposes.

13
English is the language most often studied as a foreign language in the European Union (by 89% of schoolchildren) followed by French (32%), German (18%), and Spanish (8%).[1] It is also the most studied in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. English is also compulsory for most secondary school students in China and Taiwan. See English as an additional language.
English as a global language
Because English is so widely spoken it has been referred to as a "global language". While English is not an official language in many countries it is the language most often taught as a second language around the world. It is also, by international treaty, the official language for aircraft/airport communication. Its widespread acceptance as a first or second language is the main indication of its worldwide status.
There are numerous arguments for and against English as a global language. On one hand, having a global language aids in communication and in pooling information (for example, in the scientific community). On the other hand, it leaves out those who, for one reason or another, are not fluent in the global language. It can also marginalise populations whose first language is not the global language and lead to a cultural hegemony of the populations speaking the global language as a first language.
Most of these arguments hold for any candidate for a global language though the last two counter-arguments do not hold for languages not belonging to any ethnic group (like Esperanto).
A secondary concern with respect to the spread of global languages (including major languages other than English such as Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, etc) is the resulting disappearance of minority languages often along with the cultures and religions that are primarily transmitted in those languages. English has been implicated in a number of historical and ongoing so-called 'language deaths' and 'linguicides' around the world many of which have also led to the loss of cultural heritage. Language death caused by English has been particularly pronounced in areas such as Australia and North America where speakers of indigenous languages have been displaced or absorbed by speakers of English in the process of colonisation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language

14
English is much more likely to be translated: For straightforward economic reasons only works that enjoy exceptionally large sales have any notable prospect of translation. Heavy sales in the original language represent an essential criterion of selection for translation though not the only one. As a result translations will be concentrated in original creations in the major languages. Since English is the predominant language in the publishing industry authors writing in English have a much better chance of translation than those writing in other tongues. English dominance of translations has increased: The dominance of English in translations has actually gone up over the last 30 years despite a general decline in the market share of English in the world publishing market. When English represented about a quarter of the world publishing market in the early 1960‟s the percentage of English in translations was already 40%. With the general advance of literacy and standards of living in the world the share of English in world publishing fell to around 17% in the late 1980‟s. Yet the language's share in translations rose to surpass 50% during this time.

15
ATA TESOL Teaching and the Communicative Approach
As we discussed in the foundation course the Communicative Approach is a very popular approach to the teaching of ESL to adults. It is not a highly structured method of teaching. Rather a broad assembly of ideas from a range of sources which have come to be accepted as 'good practice' by many contemporary teachers. Origins of the Communicative Approach In the 1960's and 70's English language learning was widely extended across the world. This resulted in the teaching of English to adults who previously would not have studied a foreign language. This in turn created pressure for a change in teaching methods and curriculum to suit the needs of non-traditional groups of learners. English teachers recognized the inadequacy of traditional grammar/translation methods and also of 'structural' methods with emphasis on meaningless pattern drills and repetition. New syllabuses took into account the needs of different pupils. Traditional academic syllabuses had assumed learner's goal was in-depth mastery of target language. But for the less academic pupil a more immediate 'pay- off' was necessary in terms of usefulness for practical purposes. Communicative Method
 Focuses on language as a medium of communication. Recognises that all communication has a social purpose – that is the learner has something to say or find out
 Communication embraces a whole spectrum of functions (e.g. seeking information, apologising, expressing likes and dislikes, etc) and notions (e.g. apologising for being late, asking for the location of the nearest post office)
Classroom activities maximise opportunities for learners to use target language in a communicative way for meaningful activities. Emphasis on meaning (messages they are creating or task they are completing) rather than form (correctness of language and language structure) - as in first language acquisition.
 Use of target language as normal medium for classroom management and instruction - reflects naturalistic language acquisition

16
 Communicative approach is much more pupil-orientated because it is dictated by the pupil‟s needs and interests
 Accent is on functional and/or usable language. Learners should be able to go to foreign country prepared for any reality they encounter there. Need to be able to cope and survive in a variety of everyday situations
 Classroom should provide opportunities for rehearsal of real-life situations and provide opportunity for real communication. Emphasis should be placed on creative role-plays, simulations, surveys, projects and playlets - all produce spontaneity and improvisation - not just repetition and drills
 More emphasis should be placed on active modes of learning including pairwork and group-work - often not exploited enough by teachers fearful of noisy class
 Errors are a natural part of learning language. Learners trying their best to use the language creatively and spontaneously are bound to make errors. Constant correction is unnecessary and even counter- productive. Correction should be discreet or noted by teacher - let them talk and express themselves - form of language becomes secondary
 Communicative approach is not just limited to oral skills. Reading and writing skills need to be developed to promote pupils' confidence in all four skill areas. By using elements encountered in variety of ways (reading, summarizing, translating, discussion, debates) - makes language more fluid and pupil‟s manipulation of language more fluent
 Grammar can still be taught but less systematically; in traditional ways alongside more innovative approaches. Recognised that communication depends on grammar. Disregard of grammatical form will virtually guarantee breakdown in communication
 Language analysis and grammar explanation may help some learners but extensive experience of target language helps everyone. Pupils need to hear plenty said about the topic in the foreign language at regular and recurrent intervals so they are exposed to the topic and can assimilate it (not mere passive acquisition of certain lexical items)
 Communicative approach seeks to personalise and localise language and adapt it to interests of pupils. Meaningful language is always more easily retained by learners
 Use of idiomatic and everyday language (even slang words). This is kind of language used in communication between people - not a 'medium', grammatical, exam-orientated, formal language!

17
 Makes use of topical items with which pupils are already familiar in their own language - motivates pupils arouses their interest and leads to more active participation
 Avoid age-old texts - materials must relate to pupils' own lives, must be fresh and real (texts developing language but not communicative language!) Changing texts and materials regularly keeps teacher on toes and pupils interested
 Language need not be laboriously monotonous and 'medium' orientated. Can be structured but also spontaneous and incidental. Language is never static. Life isn't like that - we are caught unawares, unprepared, 'pounced upon!' Pupils need to practise improvising, ad- libbing and talking off the cuff in an unrehearsed but natural manner
 Spontaneous and improvised practice helps to make minds more flexible and inspire confidence in coping with unforeseen, unanticipated situations. Need to 'go off at tangents', use different registers and develop alternative ways of saying things
 Communicative approach seeks to use authentic resources. More interesting and motivating. In English language classroom authentic texts serve as partial substitute for community of native speaker. Newspaper and magazine articles, poems, manuals, recipes, telephone directories, videos, news bulletins, discussion programmes - all can be exploited in variety of ways
 Important not to be restricted to textbook. Never feel that the textbook must be used from cover to cover. It is only a tool, a starting- point. With a little inspiration and imagination the text-book can be manipulated and rendered more communicative. A teacher must free himself from it, rely more on his own command of language and his professional expertise as to what linguistic items, idioms, phrases and words need to be drilled, exploited and extended
 Use of visual aids – OHP, flashcards, etc – is important to provoke practical communicative language. (3 stages: presentation; assimilation; and, reproducing language in creative and spontaneous way)

18
Principles of the Communicative Approach to ESL
Principle
Application
Authentic materials are used
Teacher uses newspaper columns, job advertisements, weather reports, menus, catalogues…
One function can have many different forms
Students can communicate for a specific purpose in many ways
Students need to learn cohesion and coherence
Teacher uses activities such as scrambled sentences
Students should be given the opportunity to express their opinions
Games are useful as are activities where students must communicate and receive feedback (did the listener/reader understand?)
Errors are tolerated to a certain extent
Other students and teacher ignore errors
Encourage cooperative relationships among students; opportunity to negotiate meaning
Teacher uses strip stories; students work together to predict next picture
The social context of the communicative is essential
Teacher uses role-plays
Learning to use language forms appropriately is important
Teacher reminds student of the role they are playing or the particular situation they are in and how that impacts on the communication; teacher encourages students to develop independent learning skills
Teacher acts as advisor/facilitator
Teacher moves from group to group, offering advice and answering questions; teacher collaborates with students to select goals, content and processes
Speakers have choices in communication of what to say and how to say it
Students and teacher suggest alternative forms that could be used
Students should be given opportunities to develop strategies for interpreting language as it is actually used by native speakers
For homework, students are asked to listen to a debate on the radio or watch one on television
TTT: Teacher talk time and STT: Student talk time
TTT should be kept to a minimum ideally 20% and STT should be kept to a maximum ideally 80% to encourage student usage of the listening and speaking skills in communication. This can be done by using pair and group work.
Student levels: Beginner, upper beginner, intermediate, upper intermediate and advanced
Care should be taken to ensure that lessons are level appropriate.
ATA: What is English for Specific Purposes? (ESP)
“English for Specific Purposes” is the goal or reason a specific L2 student or group of students‟ are studying the English language. Goals can be as

19
individual as travel, friendship, immigration and business. It is very important to establish early what specific goals your student have and develop your lessons around those. The best way to do this is to do a comprehensive learner needs assessment through a series of activities such as biography exchanges, questionnaires and interviews. Once information has been gathered then complete criteria for your students needs must be written up, researched and lesson planned.

20
ATA: What is English for Academic Purposes? (EAP)
EAP is the study of “English for Academic Purposes”. Students will already have a specific academic goal for their English studies and you should make it your business to know what their specific purpose is. The most common reason to study EAP is to sit the TOEFL or IELTS examinations in order to study or work overseas. Once you have established the academic reason for your student‟s English study you will be able tailor your lessons to work towards that academic goal. When teaching EAP particular attention is given to the reading skill as this skill is vital for understanding academic material. There are two phases: a pre-reading phase to build background knowledge of the text; and, a comprehension phase to check for complete or key understanding of the material.

21
Chapter 2
The Adult TESOL Classroom

22
Chapter two The Adult TESOL Classroom Learning objectives for this chapter: TESOL lesson presentation in the Adult classroom: What should I remember when teaching adults? What is Practice and Production? Lesson Planning: How should I prepare an Adult lesson plan? What resources should I use? Examples of resources Four language skills: How do I teach listening, speaking, reading and writing in the adult TESOL classroom?

23
ATA TESOL Lesson Presentation
When presenting your lesson it is important to remember the four language skills and the order of acquisition. The listening skill is the first skill to focus on, followed by speaking, then reading and writing. In everyday life language acquisition usually follows this order. Additionally, you need to clearly demonstrate to your students the way in which the new language is used by native English speakers. An example of how this can be done is to show a video of the language being used in context i.e. ordering in a restaurant. Then hand out dialogue sheets and have students practice in pairs. It is important when teaching adults to teach language in a context that they can use immediately in everyday situations. Remember when demonstrating the new language to use plenty of body language and to speak slowly and clearly.
ATA: Practice & Production
When teaching grammar as a TESOL teacher you should focus on incorporating meaningful practice into your lessons so that the students can reproduce conversations for specific situations (eg. booking into a hotel). Students should be given opportunities to practice what they are learning in „real life‟ situations such as dialogues, role-plays and questionnaires as much as possible.
Booking into a hotel Include dialogue [future tense]
Visiting the dentist Include dialogue [present tense]
Ordering in a restaurant Include dialogue [present continuous tense]
Complaining Include dialogue [past tense]

24
ATA TESOL Lesson Planning for the Adult Classroom
When planning your lessons for the adult classroom there are a few important points to keep in mind:
 Use activities/tasks that bring the „real world‟ into the classroom
 Give plenty of opportunity for discussion
 Give clear and complete criteria
 Demonstrate all new concepts/tasks
 Use props and visual aids
 Adults are able to concentrate more than children and teenagers so give them tasks in which they can get involved
 Do not switch activities as frequently as with children
Lesson specific goals: Lesson goals should be considered at the planning stage of the lesson before activities are considered. The goals should reflect what the students needs are and why they are studying the English language. Some examples of specific goals may include booking into a hotel, conducting a job interview or ordering in a restaurant. Once you have decided the lesson goal then research appropriate resources and activities. Language skills: It is also important to consider and develop lessons which utilise all four language skills particularly the listening and speaking skills. Include plenty of communicative tasks and follow-ups so that your students can practice each language skill. When writing your Lesson Plan:
 Follow the lesson plan template in the Foundation Manual
 Incorporate „realia‟ in your resources as much as possible
 Have a maximum of 3 teaching/tasks for your lesson
 Design plenty of pair and group work tasks
 Use discussion in your tasks

25
ATA Sample TESOL Adult Lesson Plan
Theme: Planning a business trip overseas Level/Age addressed: Adult/intermediate Length: 45 minutes Specific Language Skills: LIstening, speaking and reading Language Goals: Students to plan a business trip Required Methodology: Eclectic approach, macrologue Specific Resources: Video clip Pre-task: Show 2 minute video clip of a man planning and leaving on a business trip Teaching 1: Initiate a class discussion „who has gone on a business trip‟ encourage all students to briefly tell about their experience, when, where, why Task 1: Students discuss their past business trips Teaching 2: Briefly demonstrate a macrologue on a business or travel related topic. Then initiate class macrologue on „Planning a business trip‟ Task 2: Students participate in macrologue Teaching 3: Instruct students to prepare a specific business trip macrologue in pairs Task 3: Students complete marcrologues in pairs
Follow-up: Each pair demonstrates their individual macrologue to class

26
Macrologue „Business Trip‟ Documents to take
Items to pack Immunizations
Business Trip

27
TESOL Resources for the Adult Classroom
ATA TESOL Activity Have your students demonstrate these words in a game of charades where they can use the speaking skill and drama in English.
1. dancing
2. rich
3. swimming
4. similar
5. getting married
6. cooking
7. sour
8. beside
9. hungry
10. stressed
11. booking something

28
ATA TESOL the Listening Skill in the Adult Classroom
In order to hone your student‟s listening ability in an ESL classroom it is necessary to source a variety of materials to which the students can listen. Of course your own voice is the most important resource you have at hand. Therefore, be sure to use clear enunciation and good voice stress. Speak reasonably slowly and gauge your students‟ ability to understand and respond. When teaching the Listening Skill keep the following points in mind:
 Pre-teach new or difficult vocabulary
 Always have a pre-task
 Give students clear criteria as to what they are listening for
 Prepare other activities to re-enforce the listening task

29
ATA TESOL the Speaking Skill in the Adult Classroom
Most students learn a language so that they can speak it. When teaching English to adults you must find ways to incorporate the speaking skill in your lessons. The speaking skill comes hand in hand with the listening skill. Be sure to use pair and group work as much as possible and have students prepare talks and questions which they can ask and answer in class. There are many interesting activities that utilize the speaking skill and many stimulating ways it can be incorporated into lessons. Some possibilities are:
 Interviews
 Student biography exchanges
 Debates
 Discussions
 Information gap activities
 Speeches
 Dialogues
 Role-plays

30
ATA TESOL the Reading Skill in the Adult Classroom
The reading skill is primarily used for a support to the listening and speaking skills in the adult TESOL classroom. Students use the reading skill to enact role-plays, dialogues and other useful, real-life based communicative tasks. Generally most adult learners will be able to decode phonetically and read simple English. Use this ability to your advantage in the classroom when teaching new vocabulary. Be sure your students get to see the new words in print soon after they hear them for the first time as this will help eliminate fossilized errors. Incorporate varied reading materials but be sure they are relevant to your students‟ goals for studying English. Some types of reading materials for the adult class could include:
 Novels
 Advertisements
 Dictionaries
 Magazines
 The newspaper
 Booking forms
 Brochures

31
ATA TESOL the Writing Skill in the Adult Classroom
The writing skill is usually only focused on by adult learners studying for academic purposes. If this is the case with your students be sure to give very specific writing goals and objectives in your lesson. Remember that reading and writing go hand in hand and are often best taught in tandem. As students become proficient readers they also become better writers having been exposed to formal written English. When teaching the writing skill marking is very important. It is used to correct your student‟s work but in most cases you correct only one grammar point per lesson. You should, also, prior to assigning written work give clear and precise criteria with regard to your expectations. When teaching English to adults the writing skill is usually not focused on as, in general, the student‟s goal is to speak English and most of your students will already have studied the reading and writing skills for a number of years during their formal schooling. Writing activities should therefore be used as follow-ups, homework tasks or incorporated into communicative tasks. Suggestions for activities incorporating the writing skill:
 Filling out questionnaires
 Completing student biography exchanges
 Editing
 Filling in forms
 Writing dialogue
 Preparing speeches

32

33
Chapter 3
Activities for the TESOL Adult Classroom

34
Chapter three Activities for the Adult TESOL Classroom Learning objectives for this chapter: Activities: What kinds of activities are appropriate? Samples of activities for the Adult classroom Reading comprehension: How do I use reading the newspaper in my lessons? Writing skill: What kinds of activities can I use to teach the writing skill?

35
Charades
Purpose: To guess the movie, song or occupation Procedure: This game can be played in groups of three or four Have lists of each category and give one person from each group the word or title they must demonstrate for their team to guess What activities did you do on your holiday and where did you go? Interview 5 other students and then report back to the class. Make sure the questions and answers are all done in English. Your teacher will assist you in writing the questions you need to ask to get this information and will ask some students to report back to the class at the end of your interviews. Example
Name Family Hometown Where What
Lisa Mum, sister London Majorca dancing
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

36
Speaking and listening exercise Talk about what to do when you have a health problem. Students go into pairs and ask each other as follows.
1. Doctor: What can I do for you today?
Patient: I have a terrible toothache. Doctor: You should visit a dentist!
2. Doctor:
Patient: Doctor:
3. Doctor:
Patient: Doctor:
4. Doctor:
Patient: Doctor:

37
Vocabulary brainstorm
With your teacher make a list of activities people do to improve their health With you teacher make a list of the different food that people eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
Exercise – now talk about yourself like the example below
1. I walk to school every morning.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

38
Conversation Questions
Dating and Relationships
What qualities are most important to you in a partner? For example, intelligence, sense of humor, money.
Would you like to have a boyfriend or girlfriend who was a lot more attractive than you? What about a husband or wife?
If you cheated on your partner, would you tell him or her? Why or why not?
Would you move to a place far from your family and friends to be with the person you loved? Why or why not?
Describe a perfect romantic evening.
Is it common for couples to live together before marriage in your country? Would you want to live with someone before marriage? Why or why not?
How old were you when you went on your first date? Who was it with? Where did you go and what did you do?
Would you continue to date someone you really liked if your parents did not like this person? Why or why not?
Would you ever consider using the personals to find a date? Why or why not?
Do you know anyone who has had an arranged marriage? Do you think marriages based on love are more successful than those that are arranged?
Have you or anyone you've known ever met someone over the Internet? Do you think that these types of relationships can be successful? Why or why not?
(TO A GIRL) Would you ask a man out? Why or why not? (TO A GUY) Would you like it if a woman asked you out? Why or why not?
Do women usually work after getting married in your country? Why or why not?
More than half of American marriages end in divorce. What do you think are some of the reasons for this?
THE SENTENCE AUCTION (For All Levels)
For this game you need to prepare a list of about twenty sentences. Make roughly half the sentences grammatical, and the rest

39
ungrammatical. Give the students a few minutes to read and discuss which sentences are correct. It is good to assign partners to discuss which sentences are grammatical. They can then bid on the sentences that they think are good. You get to play the auctioneer. Students love it if you play the role to the hilt and do not forget to slam the gavel! Sentences can be draw from student writings, common errors, etc… This game forces students to use dollar amounts and to focus on the fine points of grammar.
STOP (For All Levels)
This is a simple vocabulary game that can be played with two levels of difficulty depending on the level of your students. In the easy version draw five columns on a chalk board. Assign each column a letter from the alphabet and shout “Go!” The first student to fill in all the columns with a word that begins with the letter of each column shouts, “STOP!” My high school students like to accumulate extra exam points with this game. You can go through the whole alphabet like this and also use common two letter word beginnings like ex, sh, sp, ch, etc. In the more difficult version assign each of the five columns a general category like food, clothing, emotions, office items, things in the house, etc… You then call out a letter from the alphabet. Students have to fill each column with a vocabulary word that begins with the letter and pertains to the category.

40
Synonym Antonym Purpose: To develop vocabulary Procedure: Divide the class into two teams. Write on the board two lists of words. Each team must come up with a synonym and an antonym for each word. First team correctly finished wins.
Guess the Idiom Purpose: To help students understand idioms from a context Procedure: Provide an example for the students Students can either work in pairs or teams Have a list of idioms that you write onto the board one at a time. The first pair or team to explain the correct meaning gets a point. Team or pair with the most points wins.

41
List of idioms

A Absent Without Leave A Doubting Thomas A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand A Leopard Can't Change His Spots All Your Base Are Belong To Us America A Picture Paints a Thousand Words Apple of My Eye
B Back Seat Driver Back To Basics Back To Square One Baker's Dozen Bad Hair Day Ball and Chain Balls to the Wall Beeswax Big Apple Blackmail Blind leading the blind Blue Moon Blue Sky Break A Leg Brass Monkey Brownie Points Buckaroo Bullpen
C Catch-22 Caught With Your Pants Down Charley Horse Chip on his Shoulder Chow Down Clear Blue Water Close but no Cigar Cold War Cock and bull story Copasetic Crackerjack Cut to the Chase Cute as a Bug's Ear Cup Of Joe Cyber
D Deadline Dead Ringer Devil's Advocate Diamond in the Rough Dirt Poor Dog Days Don't look a Gift Horse in the Mouth Don't try to teach your Grandma to suck eggs Doozy Dope Double Whammy Doughboy Drag Race Dropping like flies Drink like a fish Dry Run
E Eighty Six Eat Drink and Be Merry Elvis has left the building End of story Ethnic Cleansing Eureka Excuse my French
F Face the Music Feeding Frenzy Field Day Finger lickin' good Flea Market Flesh and Blood Flip The Bird Fly on the wall Foam at the Mouth Fools Gold French Kiss Full Monty Funny Farm
G Get out of the wrong side of bed Gilding the Maria Good Samaritan Go out on a limb Go The Extra Mile Got my mojo working Graveyard Shift Green Room Gung Ho
H Hat Trick Handwriting on the wall Have an axe to grind Heavy Metal Hell in a Handbasket High Five High on the hog Hit the Hay Hold your horses

43
Honeymoon Hocus Pocus Houston we have a problem
I I'll Have His Head On A Platter In Like Flynn In the bag In the buff In your face It came like a bolt from the blue Ivy League I Wash My Hands Of It
J Jaywalk Jinx Joshing Me
K Keep body and soul together Keep your chin up Kilroy was here Kick The Bucket Kitty-corner Live By The Sword, Die By The Sword Knee jerk reaction Knock on wood Know the ropes Know which way the wind blows Ku-Klux Klan
L Like a chicken with its head cut off Level playing field Last but not least Loose Cannon Lose your rag Lollygag Lynch
M Mad As A Hatter Make no bones about Mayday Mayhem Mexican Wave Money is the Root of All Evil Muck and Brass Murphy's Law Mumbo Jumbo Mum's the word My Brother's Keeper
N Nerd Nest Egg New kid on the block New York Minute No Dice No Room to Swing a Cat Nothing is certain but death and taxes Not Playing With a Full Deck
O OK Off The Cuff Off the Record On the Fritz On a wing and a prayer One for the road One over the eight On the dole Over the Top
P P's and Q's Paddle Your Own Canoe Pedal to the metal Peeping Tom Pick up your ears Pie in the Sky Pin Money Pipe Down Play by ear Posh Pull the plug Pull the Wool Over His Eyes Pull out all the stops Push the Envelope Put a sock in it Put on your thinking cap Put your best foot forward
Q Quiz Quality Time Queer Street Queer the pitch
R Rain Cats and Dogs Raincheck Raise Cain Redhanded Red Herring Redneck Ring Fencing

44
Rise and Shine Run out of steam Rule of thumb
S Sabotage Sacred Cow Safe Sex Saved by the bell Scapegoat Shake a leg Shot in the dark Sitting in a Catbird Seat Skid Row Skin of your teeth Sleep Tight Sour Grapes Southpaw Spare The Rod, Spoil the Child Spitting Image Straight From The Horse's Mouth Strike a deal Stumped Son of a gun
T Thats all Folks! Third World Third times a charm Tie the knot To Everything There Is A Season Tongue In Cheek There's more than one way to skin a cat The Truth Will Set You Free The Wave Three strikes and you are out Til the cows come home Top Notch Turn A Blind Eye Twenty three skidoo
U Uncle Sam Under the Weather Up a blind alley Up the Apples and Pears
V Vampire Van Gogh's ear for music
W Wag the Dog Wearing the pants Well Heeled Where there's muck there's brass White Bread Whole nine yards Windy City Wild and Woolly Wolf In Sheep's Clothing Word for Word Word in your shell-like
X X marks the spot
Y You are what you eat You Can't Take it With You Your name is mud Yankee
Z Zero Tolerance Zigger Zigger

45
Guess the object Purpose: To describe an object Procedure: Place an object in a bag and have one student feel the object and describe it the class. The rest of the class calls out what they think the item is. Psychological Couch Purpose: To practice vocabulary and check comprehension Procedure: Prepare a list of the vocabulary and have one student at a time come to the front of the class and sit facing the class. When you say a word on the list the student must call out words he/she thinks means the same. If the student is correct their team gets a point. Divide the class into teams Set a time limit

46
Write the name of… 1. . . . a cola beverage? 2. . . . a fruit-flavoured gelatin dessert? 3. . . . an adhesive bandage for small cuts and scrapes? 4. . . . a whirlpool bath? 5 . . . big metal outdoor container for dumping garbage? 6 . . . an absorbent material used in a cat's toilet box? 7. . . . disposable material for blowing your nose on? 8. . . . music used in advertisements? 9. . . . clear plastic tape to stick paper together with on a roll? 10. . . . machine used to make a copy of paper materials?

47
Homophones Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelt differently and have different meanings e.g. to, too and two.
Activity 1 Match the words below to the correct picture. Write the answers in your exercise book. Write down which words are homophones of each other.
knight
flower
hair
bare
hare
bear
night
flour
Activity 2 Choose the correct homophone to complete this sentence: (a) The boy put shampoo on his (hare/hair). (b) Mum put some (flower/flour) in the cake mix. (c) James didn't have a very good (nights/knights) sleep. (d) A rabbit is a bit like a (hare/hair). (e) Tony got chased by a large (bare/bear).

48
Activity 3 The words below have homophones. Write down what they are, e.g. sun/son.
plane
right
see
there
which
where
be
for
here
knew
no
so
Activity 4 Choose the correct homophone to complete the sentences: (a) Lucy couldn't wait to (meet/meat) her friend. (b) Andrew (missed/mist) the bus. (c) The mouse got his (tale/tail) caught. (d) Glen has a long (wait/weight) for the bus. (e) The cat hurt its (pour/poor/paw). (f) The old man had no money, he was (pour/poor/paw). (g) "Could you (pour/poor/paw) the orange juice, please?" (h) Mark got a letter in the (mail/male).

49
Activity 5 Explain the differences between these words.
(a) or and oar
(b) sail and sale
(c) saw and sore
(d) maid and made
(e) main and mane
Challenge Try and find homophones for some of these words.
allowed
ball
base
beach
boy
check
days
die
due
faint
fur
great
in
key
lane
leek
war
waste
might
week
packed
pale
place
rain
read
profit
seen
road
sight

50
Nationalities Match the nationality: 1. Henry is from Paris he is? a] German b] Australian c] French 2. Maria is from Rome, she is? A] Greek B] Japanese C] Italian 3. Joshua is from Brisbane, he is? A] Korean B] Chinese C] Australian 4. Kim Jong Hyun is from Seoul, he is? A] Chinese B] Korean C] Greek 5. Katya is from Moscow, she is? A] Canadian B] Russian C] German

51
Occupations what‟s my job?
1. I work in an office. I type letters and answer the phone.
2. I go to court and defend people‟s rights
3. I work in a hospital and take care of sick people.
4. I work in a school and help people learn.
5. You pay me when you buy something at the store.
6. I take care of sick animals
7. I put out fires.
8. I wear a uniform and a badge. I help keep your neighborhood safe.
9. I help keep your teeth clean.
10. I deliver letters and packages to your home. Bottom of Form

52
Dialogues Greetings Objectives: To be able to greet people, introduce yourself, introduce others, ask for information, and give information. Rueben: Hello, my name's Ruebeno. Maria: (I'm) glad to meet you. My name's Maria. This is my neighbor, Roshelle. Rueben: (I'm) glad to meet you, Roshelle. Where are you from? Roshelle: (I'm) from Mexico.
Practice 1
Hello, my name is __________. (I'm)
glad to meet you.
happy
pleased
Practice 2
This is my
neighbor, __________. (I'm) pleased to meet you.
classmate
friend
brother
sister
mother
father
Practice 3
His name is __________. Her Your

53
Practice 4
(I'm) from
San Antonio.
He's from Texas.
Los Angeles
She's
Mexico
You're
Practice 5
Where
are you from?
is he
is she
am I
Practice 6: Dictation
A. Hello my __________ Rueben. B. Glad to meet __________ . __________ name's Roshelle. C. This is my __________ , Maria. D. Pleased to __________ you, Maria. Where are you __________? E. (I'm) from Thailand.
Practice 7: Role Play
A. __________ , this is __________ . B. Glad to meet you. Where are you from? A. (I'm) from __________ .

54
Dictation Purpose: A dictation exercise can have many purposes. It is an excellent listening exercise and can by used to sharpen the skills of listening and comprehending. It also helps to develop reading and writing skills by exposing the student to the written form of the language as he listens to the spoken form. Students begin to recognize sight words and to make associations of sounds with letters.
Preparation:
Step 1: Get a copy of the dictation exercise for each student. Have the students write directly in the blanks or if the materials are not consumable, you can have the students number the blanks and write the answer on a separate sheet. Step 2: (Optional) Tape-record the dictation exercise at normal speed with a brief pause after each sentence. The advantage of tape recording the exercise is that students will not ask to slow it down or to repeat a word as readily. Step 3: (Optional) Make an overhead transparency of the dictation exercise with the blanks filled in.
Teaching:
Step 1: Hand out the dictation sheet. Tell the students that you are going to play (or read) a passage and that you want them to listen, read along on their sheets, and write in the missing words. Step 2: Play the tape or read the passage at normal speed with a pause after each sentence allowing the students to write in the missing words. Do not repeat the sentence. Step 3: Present the overhead transparency or write the correct answers for each blank on the chalkboard. Let the students check their work.

55
Time and Sequencing Objectives: To be able to ask for and tell time and events in sequence. To be able to use common expressions associated with going out to eat. Dialog: A. What time is it? B. It's 11:30. I'm getting hungry. A. Me too. Let's go eat. B. Do you know of a good place to eat? A. Yes, the Hungry Jacks is just down the street. B. Do they have Mexican food? A. Yes, I think they do. B. Let's go.
Practice 1: Vocabulary Expansion
It's
11:00 (eleven o'clock)
It's
11:00 (eleven ten)
1:00 (one o'clock)
11:15 (eleven fifteen)
5:00 (five o'clock)
11:30 (eleven thirty)

56
Practice 2: Command-Response
Stand up. Go to the chalkboard. Take the clock in your hands. Set the clock for __________. Put the clock down. Write the time on the chalkboard. Tell the class what time it says.
Practice 3: Question-Answer
What time is it? It's __________.
Practice 4: Vocabulary Expansion
Let's go
eat.
I'm getting
hungry
get a drink.
thirsty.
to bed.
sleepy.
play.
bored.
sit down.
tired.
Practice 5: Rejoinder
I'm getting
hungry. Me too. Let's go
eat.
sleepy.
to bed.
bored.
play basketball.
tired.
sit down.
thirsty.
get a drink.

57
Practice 6: Question-Response T. Do you know of a good place to eat? S. Yes, Hungry Jack's. T. Do you know of a good place to buy clothes? (food?) (shoes?) S. Yes, __________.
Practice 7: Question-Response
At McDonald's do they have
Mexican food?
S. No, they don't.
hamburgers?
S. Yes, they do.
sea food?
Chinese food?
sandwiches?
milkshakes?
Practice 8: Dictation
A. What time is __________? B. It __________. I'm __________ hungry. A. Me __________. __________ go eat. B. __________ you know __________ a good place to eat? A. Yes, the Hungry Jacks __________ just down the street. B. Do __________ have Mexican food? A. Yes, I think they __________.
B. __________ go.

58
Practice 9: Role Play What time is it? It's __________. I'm getting __________. Me too. Let's go __________. Directions Objectives: To be able to ask for and understand directions. Dialog: A. Is there a grocery store near here? B. Yes, there's one over on State Street. A. Where is State Street? B. Go down this street for two more blocks. Turn right and go a block. ABC Supermarket is on your left. A. Thanks.
Practice 1: Command-Response
Stand up. Turn right. Turn left. Go straight ahead. Stop. Turn right and go four steps. Turn left and go two steps. Sit down.

59
Practice 2: Vocabulary Development
Is there a
grocery store
near here?
school
on State Street?
shoe store
on King Street?
bakery
movie theater
bank
Yes. There is a
hotel
on State Street.
bakery
on First Avenue.
cafe
on Second street.
drug store
on First Avenue.
Is there a
bakery on
First Avenue?
Yes, there is.
hotel
State Street?
No, there isn't.
school
King Street?
bank
Second street?

60
Where is
State Street?
J.C. Penny's?
Sears?
the post office?
the police station?
the railroad station?
Where is
the post office?
It is on
State Street.
the police station?
First Avenue.
the railroad station?
Station Road.
the bus station?
Fourth street.
Sears?
Hemmingway Street.
Practice 7: Following Directions
1. You are on Hemmingway Street and Fifth street. Go straight ahead on Hemmingway Street for three blocks, turn right and go one block. Turn left and go one half a block. What is on your left?
2. You are at the railroad station. Go along Station Road to the first stop light. Turn left and go three blocks. Turn right and go two blocks. What is on your right?
3. You are at the Greyhound Bus Station Road on State Street. Go up State Street to Center Street. Turn right and go two blocks. Turn left and go four blocks. What is on your left?
4. You are at the stop light on Station Road and Fourth Avenue. Go down Station road to Center Street. Turn right and go three blocks. Turn right and go two blocks. What is on your right?

61
Practice 8: Giving Directions
1. I am on Station Road and Fifth street. How can I get to the Post office?
2. I am on Fourth Street and Hemmingway Street. Is there a drugstore near here?
3. I am at the Elementary School on Hemmingway Street. How can I get to the fire station?
4. I am at the stop light on Station Road and Fourth Avenue. Where is a hotel from here?

62
Dear Abbey? Objectives: To be able to listen to and comprehend colloquial English. To be able to recognize the formal English equivalent of reduced colloquial speech. Newspaper Item: Dear Abby, My problem is (problem's) my brother, his wife and (wife'n) their three children, ages six, five and (five'n) three. They live 1,000 (a thousand) miles away but they have (they've) announced they are going to (gonna) visit us this summer. We do not want them to ('em to) come. Their children are not disciplined. They do anything they want to (wanna) do. They have no respect for authority or property. They run wild, climb onto furniture with dirty shoes, get into everything, leave the table during mealtime and (mealtime'n) chase each other all over the house. We have two children (ages seven and ten) who are never a problem. We have a nice home that we have worked hard to furnish nicely and I am afraid these kids will (kids'll) do real damage. I hate to be rude but we do not want these people to come. What should we do?
Activity 1: Discussion
Discuss alternatives and students recommendations before reading the answer given. Discuss the answer if there is disagreement.
Activity 2: Discuss Abby's Response
Answer: Why don't you meet them somewhere else? If that is not possible you should be totally open and honest with them. It might hurt family relations but, if their children are wild and undisciplined, they would not be surprised that you do not want them to come.

63
Activity 3: Comprehension Questions
Ask comprehension questions such as those below regarding the dictation exercise.
1. How many children does the brother have?
2. When does the brother's family want to visit?
3. What are the brother's children like?
4. What do the children do during mealtime?
Activity 4: Cloze Procedure
First read the story. Have students answer questions. Then give students a copy of the story with words missing. Read the story with reductions. The students fill in the complete missing words Dear Abby, My __________ my brother, his __________ their three children, ages six, __________ three. They live __________ miles away, but they have __________ announced they are __________ visit us this summer. We do not want __________ come. __________ children are not disciplined. They do anything they __________ do. They have no respect __________ or property. They run wild, climb __________ with dirty shoes, get __________ everything, leave the table during __________ chase each other __________ house. We have two children (ages __________) who are never a problem. We __________ nice home that we have worked __________ furnish nicely and I am afraid these __________ do real damage. I __________ be rude, but we do not want these people __________. What should we do?

64
Sit or stand Purpose: A fun way to develop and practice listening skills using the question/answer form. Procedure: This game can be played individually or in small groups. The teacher prepares a list of true and false statements. Each student or group must listen to the statement and determine whether it is indeed true or false. If the students think the statement is true, they sit on their chair. If they think it is false they remain standing. The teacher then tells the students whether the statement was true or false. Those who got the answer right can remain sitting and are free those who got it wrong must remain standing until they get an answer correct.

65
Guessing Game Purpose: To develop listening and deduction skills. Procedure: Provide some example definitions and present them to the class. After the students understand these definitions have them prepare some of their own examples and present them to each other or to the group. Examples: 1. It‟s brown. You can drink it. You can put sugar in it. It isn‟t tea. What is it? 2. It‟s orange. It‟s long and thin. Sometimes you cook it, sometimes you don‟t. What is it? 3. It‟s white. It‟s sweet. You can put it in coffee or tea. You often put it in cakes. What is it? 3. It‟s white. It‟s not sweet. You can put it on meat or vegetables. You don‟t put it in coffee. What is it? 4. It‟s white or brown. You can make sandwiches with it. You can put butter on it. You can eat it alone. What is it? 5. It can be red, green, or yellow. It comes from a tree. You can eat it anytime. It makes good pies. What is it? 6. It‟s white. You must cook it. You can put butter on it. You can eat it with meat or vegetables. What is it? 7. It‟s a building. It‟s for children. Some adults go there too. The children are studying. The adults are teaching. What is it? 8. It‟s in a building. There are lots of tables. Some people are eating. Some people are cooking. Some people are bringing food to the tables. What is it? 9. It‟s not a building. It has trees and sometimes flowers. Children like to play there. Dogs like to run there. People like to sit there. What is it?
10. It‟s outside in the yard. It‟s small. It has a door, but no windows. Something lives in there.
What is it?

66
A to Z tongue twisters: A If I assist a sister-assistant, will the sister's sister-assistant assist me? "What ails Alex?" asks Alice. Alice asks for axes.
B Once upon a barren moor There dwelt a bear, also a boar, The bear could not bear the boar, The bear thought the boar was a bore. At last the bear could bear no more That boar that bored him on the moor. And so one morn he bored the boar- That boar will bore no more! A big bug bit a bold bald bear and the bold bald bear bled blood badly. Bad black bran bread. Big ben blew big blue bubbles. Betty Botter bought a bit of butter. "But," said she, "this butter's bitter. If I put it in my batter, It will make my batter bitter. But a bit of better butter- That would make my batter better." So Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter (better than her bitter butter) And she put it in her bitter batter And made her bitter batter a bit better. The fuzzy bee buzzed the buzzy busy beehive. Blue bugs blood. I bought a box of biscuits,

67
a box of mixed biscuits, and a biscuit mixer. Bill had a billboard. Bill also had a board bill. The board bill bored Bill, So Bill sold his billboard And paid his board bill. Then the board bill No longer bored Bill, But though he had no board bill, Neither did he have his billboard! C Catch a can canner canning a can as he does the cancan, amd you've caught a can-canning can-canning can canner! Clean clams crammed in clean cans. How much can a cannibal nibble, if a cannibal can nibble can? Top chopstick shops stock top chopsticks. Cuthbert's cufflinks. A cupcake cook in a cupcake cook's cap cooks cupcakes. Crisp crust crackles. Chocolate chip cookies in a copper coffee cup. Ape Cakes, Grape Cakes. Cinnamon aluminum linoleum. If you must cross a course cross cow across a crowded cow crossing, cross the cross coarse cow across the crowded cow crossing carefully. Cheap sheep soup. A cup of proper coffee in a copper coffee cup.

68
D When a doctor gets sick and another doctor doctors him, does the doctor doing the doctoring have to doctor the doctor the way the doctor being doctored wants to be doctored, or does the doctor doing the doctoring of the doctor doctor the doctor as he wants to do the doctoring? A dozen dim ding-dongs. How much dew would a dew drop drop, if a dew drop did drop dew? E Esau Wood would saw Wood. Oh, the wood that Wood would saw! One day Esau Wood saw a saw saw wood as no other wood-saw Wood ever saw would saw wood. Of all the wood-saws Wood ever saw saw wood, Wood never saw a wood-saw that would saw like the wood-saw Wood saw would. Now Esau saws wood with that wood-saw he saw saw wood. Ere her ear hears her err, here ears err here. I saw Esau kissing Kate. Fact is, we all three saw. I saw Esau, he saw me, And she saw I saw Esau. F Freckle-faced Freddie fidgets. The fickle finger of fate flips fat frogs flat. Try fat flat flounders. Fran feeds fish fresh fish food. Few free fruit flies fly from flames. I'm not a fig plucker nor a fig plucker's son,

69
but I'll pluck your fig's 'til the fig plucker comes. False Frank fled Flo Friday. Four free-flow pipes flow freely. A fat-free fruit float. A flea and a fly in a flue Were imprisoned, so what could they do? Said the flea "Let us fly!" Said the fly "Let us flee!!" So they flew through a flaw in the flue. Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair. Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he? One smart fellow, he felt smart. Two smart fellows, they felt smart. Three smart fellows, they felt smart. Four smart fellows, they felt smart. Five smart fellows, they felt smart. Six smart fellows, they felt smart. Seven smart fellows,they felt smart. Eight smart fellows, they felt smart. Nine smart fellows, they felt smart. Ten smart fellows, they felt smart! G Greek grapes. Gus goes by Blue Goose bus. Cows graze in droves on grass that grows on grooves in groves. Gale's great glass globe glows green. H Higgledy-Piggedly! The hare's ear heard ere the hare heeded.

70
Hiccup teacup! A haddock! A haddock! A black-spotted haddock! A black spot On the black back Of a black-spotted haddock! I I see Isis's icy eyes. Ike ships ice chips in ice chips ships. Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie? J Jack the jailbird jacked a jeep. Our Joe wants to know if your Joe will lend our Joe you Joe's banjo. If your Joe won't lend our Joe your Joe's banjo our Joe won't lend your Joe our Joe's banjo when our Joe has a banjo! A gentle judge judges justly. June sheep sleep soundly. Judicial system. K Kinky kite kits. A knapsack strap. Keenly cleaning copper kettles. Come kick six sticks quick.

71
Kiss her quick, kiss her quicker, kiss her quickest! L Lonely lowland llamas are ladylike. Lisa laughed listlessly. Larry sent the latter a letter later. Literally literary. Red leather! Yellow leather! Lesser leather never weathered lesser wetter weather. Yellow lorry, blue lorry. If you stick a stock of liquor in your locker, it is slick to put a lock upon your stock. For some joker who is quicker will rob you of your liquor if you fail to lock your liquor with a lock. M Miss Smith lisps as she talks and lists as she walks. I miss my Swiss Miss. My Swiss Miss misses me. A missing mixture measure. Much mashed mushrooms. Moses supposes his toeses are roses. But Moses supposes erroneously. For Moses, he knowses his toeses aren't roses. As Moses supposes his toeses to be. Why may we melee, when we may waylay?

72
N Nick knits Nixon's knickers. Nine nimble noblemen nibbled nuts A noisy noise annoys an oyster. Norse myths. Nine nice night nymphs. O Awful old Ollie oils oily autos. "Under the mother otter," muttered the other otter. The owner of the Inside Inn Was outside his Instde Inn With his inside outside his Inside Inn. P If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick? Peter poked a poker at the piper, so the piper poked pepper at Peter. 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? Paul, please pause for proper applause. A pack of pesky pixies. Preshrunk shirts. Peggy Bobcock's mummy. A proper cup of coffee is a proper coffee cup. A proper crop of poppies is a proper poppy-crop.

73
Is a pleasant peasant's pheasant present? Pooped purple pelicans. I'm the son of a pheasant plucker, A pheasant plucker am I. I'm only plucking pheasants Till the pheasant plucker comes. (in Filipino) Pitongpu't pitong puting pating (77 white sharks) (in Chavacano, slang spanish) Tiene un pono de papaya na punta del pantalan. Na pono del papaya, tiene puerco priñada. Ya mira el pulis, ya pita su pito, pit pit pit. (There's a papaya tree at the end of the port. Below the papaya tree, there's a pregnant pig. The police saw her, he blew his whistle, pit pit pit.) Q The quack quit asking quick questions. The queen coined quick clipped quips. Quick kiss. Quicker kiss. Quickest kiss. R A lump of red lead, A red lead lump. Round and round the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran. Rex wrecks wet rocks. Rubber baby-buggy bumpers. Raise Ruth's red roof.

74
Roland road in a Rolls Royce. Rush the washing, Russel! Ruth's red roof. S Sherman shops at cheap chop suey shops. Selfish sharks sell shut shellfish. Seth's sharp spacesuit shrank. Sexist sixties. She sells Swiss sweets. She sells sea shells by the seashore. Sally sells sea shells by the seashore. Six crisp snacks. Stagecoach stops. Strange strategic statistics. No shipshape ships shop stocks shop-soiled shirts. No shark shares swordfish steak. Short folder. Sister Susie sewing shirts for soldiers. Six sick sheep. Six shy shavers sheared six shy sheep. The sixth sheik's sixth sheep's sick. A woman to her son did utter, "Go my son, and shut the shutter."

75
"The shutter's shut," the son did utter, "I cannot shut it any shutter." Spark plug car park. Such a shapeless sash! Sinful Caesar sipped his snifter, seized his knees and sneezed. T I shot three shy thrushes. There goes one tough top cop! Do thick tinkers think? Ten tame tadpoles tucked tightly together in a thin tall tin. (in Peruvian) De un plato de trigo, comieron tres tristes tigres trigo. (From a plate of wheat, three sad tigers ate wheat.) Theopholus Thistle, the successful thistle sifter, successfully sifted some thistles. Truly rural. Three free throws. Thelma sings the theme song. Toy boat. Tacky tractor trailer trucks. Twice we tripped toys. A tutor who tooted the flute Tried to tutor two tooters to toot. Said the two to the tutor, "Is it harder to toot, or to tutor two tooters to toot?"

76
Twelve standard stainless steel twin screw cruisers. U An undertaker undertook to under take an undertaking. The undertaking that the undertaker undertook was the hardest undertaking the undertaker ever undertook to undertake. Unique New York. The U.S. twin-screw cruiser. V What veteran ventriloquist whistles. Valuble valley villas. W Which rich wicked witch wished the wicked wish? Which wristwatch is a Swiss wristwatch? Which witch watched which watch? Irish wrist-watch. Real wristwatch straps. If two witches were watching two watches, which witch would watch which watch? Wetter weather never weathered wetter weather better. Wally Winkle wriggles his white, wrinkled wig. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

77
X X-Mas wrecks perplex and vex. X-ray checks clear chests. Ex-disk jockey. The ex-egg examiner. Y Yanking yellow yo-yos. Yellow leather, yellow feather, yellow lemon. Local yokel jokes. Z This is a zither. Is this a zither? Zizzi's zippy zipper zips. Zithers slither slowly south.

78
Trivial Pursuit Purpose: A fun way to get students to speak and answer questions Procedure: Divide the class into two teams Prepare some quiz questions for them to answer Have teams flip a coin to see who goes first Ask one team a question that they must answer if they get it wrong they loose a point. First team to collect 20 points wins. Student Biography Exchange Purpose: To have students find out more about each other Procedure: Prepare a biography exchange with questions of a biographical nature for the whole class to interview each other. Share results. Scanning Purpose: To work on scanning skills Procedure: Give students an article or story and have them scan for specific information. Set time limit Skim Purpose: To have students skim for the main idea in a story or article Procedure: Give students a short article or story and give them a time limit to skim for the main idea.

79
Reading Comprehension Purpose: To have students read an article or story and answer specific comprehension questions to test for complete understanding. Procedure: Give students an article or story to read and a time limit in which to complete reading. Students then answer detailed comprehension questions. The Classified Ads Purpose: For students to develop scanning skills using real-life materials Procedure: Have students scan the classified ads and answer the questions as quickly as possible.

80
Reading Comprehension for Lower Intermediate Level Learners and Classes - Applying for a Job Read the following job advertisements:
1. Needed: Full time secretary position available. Applicants should have at least 2 years experience and be able to type 60 words a minute. No computer skills required. Apply in person at United Business Ltd., 17 Browning Street
2. Are you looking for a part time job? We require 3 part time shop assistants to work during the evening. No experience required, applicants should between 18 and 26. Call 366 - 76564 for more information.
3. Computer trained secretaries: Do you have experience working with computers? Would you like a full time position working in an exciting new company? If your answer is yes, give us a call at 457- 896754
4. Teacher Needed: Tommy's Kindergarten needs 2 teacher/trainers to help with classes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Applicants should have appropriate licenses. For more information visit Tommy's Kindergarten in Leicester Square No. 56
5. Part Time work available: We are looking for retired adults who would like to work part time at the weekend. Responsibilities include answering the telephone and giving customer's information. For more information contact us by calling 345-674132
6. University positions open: The University of Cumberland is looking for 4 teaching assistants to help with homework correction. Applicants should have a degree in one of the following: Political Science, Religion, Economics or History. Please contact the University of Cumberland for more information.

81
Comprehension Questions Which position is best for these people? Choose ONLY ONE position for each person.
A. Jane Madison. Jane recently retired and is looking for a part time position. She would like to work with people and enjoys public relation work. The best job for Jane is?
B. Jack Anderson. Jack graduated from the University of Trent with a degree in Economics two years ago. He would like an academic position.
The best job for Jack is?
C. Margaret Lillian. Margaret is 21 years old and would like a part time position to help her pay her university expenses. She can only work in the evenings.
The best job for Margaret is?
D. Alice Fingelhamm. Alice was trained as a secretary and has six years of experience. She is an excellent typist but does not know how to use a computer. She is looking for a full time position.
The best job for Alice is?
E. Peter Florian. Peter went to business school and studied computer and secretarial skills. He is looking for his first job and would like a full time position.
The best job for Peter is?
F. Vincent san George. Vincent loves working with children and has an education license from the city of Birmingham. He would like to work with young children.
The best job for Vincent is?

82
Read the Label
Purpose: For students to develop reading comprehension while reading
food labels.
Procedure: Pre-teach new vocabulary. Have students read the food label
and answer the questions.
Nutritional Information per Serving:
Serving Size ................................ 6 oz
Servings per container .................. 2
Calories ......................................... 40
Carbohydrates ................... 9 grams
Protein ...................................1 gram
Fat ........................................ 0 grams
Percentage of Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA):
Protein .......................................... 2%
Niacin ........................................... 8%
Vitamin A ................................... 25%
Calcium............................................*
Vitamin C ................................... 15%
Iron ................................................ 6%
Thiamin ......................................... 4%
Phosphorus .................................. 4%
Riboflavin ..................................... 2%
Magnesium .................................. 4%
*Contains less than 2% of the RDA of this nutrient.
Ingredients: tomatoes, salt, dehydrated onions, dehydrated
garlic and natural flavours.

83
Answer questions about the Food Label:
1. How many calories are there in one serving?
2. How many servings are there in this container?
3. What is the main ingredient of this product?
4. How many grams of protein are there in total?
5. What is RDA?
6. Does this product have more vitamin A or C?
7. How much fat is there in this product?
8. How much calcium is there in this product?
9. How many calories are there in the total product?
10. What do you think the product is?

84
Following Directions
Purpose: To practice skills for following general and specific directions
Procedure: Give students instruction leaflets on how to do or make
something. Have them read the information carefully before
answering specific questions.

85
Reading Test
Purpose: To show students the importance of reading ALL the directions
first before answering the questions.
Procedure: Copy enough „tests‟ for all the students in your class
Tell them to read all the questions before beginning

86
Reading Test Read ALL the questions before starting.
1. Write your name here.
2. Write today‟s date here.
3. Do you like to read?
4. Write down three things that you like to read.
5. Write down how many books you read in one year.
6. Write down what you read every day.
7. What is your favourite book?
8. Write your telephone number here.
9. When is your birthday?
10. Do not answer questions 2–10. Answer question 1 only.

87
Writing a Topic Sentence
Purpose: To have students identify what the paragraph is about by writing a topic sentence. Procedure: Students must decide what each of the following paragraphs are about and write a topic sentence. After the students have finished take up the various answers and discuss the differences. Writing a Topic Sentence
 It is always sunny and warm. The beaches are gorgeous with soft, white sand and clear, blue water. There are many fine restaurants in the Miami area and most of the big hotels offer terrific entertainment nightly.
 He has collected stamps and coins ever since he was a child. He is very proud of his valuable collection. He also enjoys painting and drawing. Recently he has become interested in gardening. Out of all his hobbies Paul‟s favourite one is reading. He tries to read at least one book every week.
 First of all, the plumbing doesn‟t work properly and the landlord refuses to fix it. I also have noisy neighbours who keep me up every night. Furthermore, there are so many bugs in my apartment that I could start an insect collection.
 Some people hijack planes for political reasons. Others do it for financial reasons. Still others hijack planes because they want to be famous.
 To me, books are the most wonderful thing in the world. I can pick up a book and be in another place or another time without leaving my room. I could spend my whole life reading books.
 I can‟t wait to come home from school to eat the delicious meals she has prepared. She is always experimenting with different ingredients and recipes. No one in the world can cook the way my mother does.

88
 First of all, work is very interesting. I learn new things every day and I get to travel a lot. Secondly, my boss is very nice. He is always willing to help me when I have a problem. I have also made many new friends at my job. And last, but not least, the salary is fantastic.
 My plane was six hours late. The hotel was horrible. On the third day my wallet was stolen so I lost all my credit cards. It rained every day I was gone except for one day and on that day I got terrible sunburn.

89
Editor Purpose: To develop of students‟ written correction skills Procedure: Have the students read a letter or article with specific errors and then ask them to correct all the errors. Set a time limit. Using the Newspaper Reading Exercises
1. Select one news article and read the lead paragraph. Write the who, what, where, when, why and how.
2. Select a news photograph. Then, without reading the caption or accompanying article, describe in as much detail as possible what is happening in the photograph.
3. Go through the newspaper and list the names of all the states that are mentioned. Variations on this activity could include: list all of the countries, state capitals, cities in the state, heads of state, types of transportation.
4. Read a paragraph in the newspaper and then list three of each of the following: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions and conjunctions.
5. Select an advertisement from the newspaper. How do specific words or phrases influence the reader's thinking about the product? Use these words or phrases to create an ad selling something you own.
6. Read an article or advertisement about a well-known product. Write a letter to an alien in another galaxy explaining the use of the product. If you like include illustrations in your letter.
7. Read an editorial. Divide a sheet of paper into two columns. Label one column “Fact” and the other “Opinion”. List the statements in the editorial under the appropriate column.

90
8. Select a person in the news or a comic strip character that interests you. Read anything you can about that personality. After studying the selected person for a while list all the character traits that describe your selection. From the list write a character sketch of your personality.
9. Skim through the newspaper to find advertisements you especially like. What do you like most about the ad: the words, illustration, or item being advertised?
10. Choose four headlines in today's newspaper to rewrite using synonyms. Are the new versions as effective as the originals?
11. A fact is something true and accurate which has real, demonstrative existence. An opinion is a personal belief with or without positive knowledge or proof. A fantasy is a product of the imagination with no basis in fact or reality. Find which sections in the newspaper seem to deal primarily with fact, with opinion and with fantasy.
12. Create an ad to sell something that you really don't want or like (an old bicycle, a case of the flu, homework, etc.). Do not let your true feelings show. Use one or two propaganda techniques and indicate in the margins of the paper which ones you used.

91
Vocabulary of Newspaper Terms
 Advertisement - a message printed in the newspaper in space paid for by the advertiser.
 Banner - a headline in large type running across the entire width of the page.
 Box - a small article or headline enclosed by lines to give it visual emphasis.
 Byline - the name of the writer of the article, usually appearing above the news or feature story.
 Caption - title or explanatory note above a picture.
 Credit Line - acknowledging the source of a picture.
 Cutline - information below a picture which describes it.
 Dateline - line that tells where the story originated.
 Ears - space at the top of the front page on each side of the newspaper's nameplate. Usually boxed in with weather news, index to pages or an announcement of special features.
 Edition - in a single day, a newspaper may publish several editions, each one going to a different part of its circulation area.
 Editorial - an article stating an opinion of a newspaper editorial board, usually written in essay form.
 Editorial Cartoon - cartoon which expresses opinions; appears on the editorial page.
 Feature - a story in which the interest lies in some factor other than news value.
 Filler - copy with little news value; used to fill space.
 Flag - a stylized signature of a newspaper which appears at the top of page one.

92
 Headline - display type placed over a story summarizing the story for the reader.
 Index - table of contents of each paper, usually placed on page one.
 Issue - All the editions of a newspaper published for a single day.
 Journalism - process of collection, writing, editing, and publishing news.
 Jump - the continuation of an article from one page to another.
 Kicker - a short, catchy word or phrase over a major headline.
 Lead - the first few sentences of opening paragraphs of a news story containing the answers to who, what, where, when, why and how.
 Mass media - any of various methods of transmitting news to a large number of people (e.g. radio, television, newspaper).
 Masthead - the matter printed in every issue of a newspaper stating the title, ownership, management, rates, etc.
 Newsprint - a grade of paper made of wood pulp used for printing newspapers.
 News Services - news gathering agencies such as Associated Press (AP). They gather and distribute news to subscribing newspapers.
 Obit - an obituary; a story of a deceased person's life.
 Review - an account of an artistic event such as a play or concert which offers a critical evaluation by the writer.
 Sidebar - a short story related to a major story and run nearby.
 Typo - short for typographical error.

93
Match ups Match the newspaper headlines on the left to the newspaper section on the right.
Dow breaks 10,000
SF club scene emerges from underground
Great rail journeys
Twins big rally halts Indians' streak
A mortgage that helps with those credit problems
Sun to introduce new network product
Networking as a job search tool
911 tapes offer vivid glimpse into shooting's first minutes
Evidence of new solar system found
Trial by fire for NATO rookies: Poles, Czechs, Hungarians having second thoughts

94
My feelings
Purpose: To have students think about their feelings and describe them
in writing.
Procedure: Give students scenarios and tell them to write how they
would feel in that situation. Set a time limit.

95
Letter writing
Purpose: To practice letter writing for a specific situation.
Procedure: Give your students specific situations and tell them they must
write and respond accordingly i.e. a letter of complaint for
bad service, a letter of reference.

96
Describing a Place Purpose: To work on and test accurate writing skills Procedure: Have students choose one of the following places to write about: - Your favourite room in your home. - Your favourite place to study. - Your office or classroom. Have them draw a diagram of the room. Make sure they make a list of the details they will need in order to describe the room, such as furniture, windows, etc. Students should then write a paragraph describing the room in as much detail as possible. Have each student proofread his or her paragraph. Make sure they check that they have used the correct prepositions and that their details are logically organized. Have students rewrite the corrected paragraph and transfer it onto another piece of paper. Divide students into pairs and give them each a blank piece of paper. Student A will read his or her paragraph to Student B. Student B will draw the room that Student A is describing. After they are finished, they switch. When both students are finished have them compare the diagrams to their paragraphs. Ask them if there are many differences between the drawing and the paragraph. Could they think of any other possibilities to make the paragraph clearer? Discuss. Have students rewrite their paragraph with the changes they have discussed with their partner.

97
Punctuation – Using Quotations Purpose: To encourage students to see mistakes and correct them. Procedure: Students must rewrite the following sentences using quotation marks, capital letters, commas, periods, and question marks where necessary.
1. mr. Daniels said the office opens at 9:00
2. the saleswoman asked do you want to buy this
3. the teacher said study the first two chapters
4. dr looke said take these pills three times a day
5. the nurse asked do you feel better today
6. the foreign student asked where is the library
7. marie asked how did you enjoy the play
8. jan said i love to travel
9. sedwick said running is good for your health

98
Reporting a Personal Experience Purpose: Students will practice their reporting skills while illustrating their understanding of idioms. Reporting a personal experience can be an effective way of supporting an idea. Procedure: Discuss these sayings with the class. Have the students choose one of the sayings and write a paragraph about it. Get them to use an experience from their own life to prove or disprove the saying.
 Don‟t count your chickens before they hatch
 Money is the root of all evil
 Two heads are better than one
 Variety is the spice of life
 Haste makes waste
Opinionative writing Purpose: To express an opinion in writing Procedure: Give students a situation or topic to write their personal feelings about. Set a time limit.

English for adults

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Tendances

Tendances (20)

En vedette

En vedette (12)

Similaire à English for adults

Similaire à English for adults (20)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

English for adults