Entries from September 2006 ↓

As the Level 2 writing teachers will know, there are more weeks than there are units in the Totally True 3 coursebook. Therefore, for some weeks, there is the opportunity to use some of your own materials. I’ve attached some materials that I put together for a non-coursebook week. The materials essentially revolve around a gap-fill reading exercise. I adapted the text from something from a textbook. The materials are a work in progress, so any feedback or upgrading would be welcome!

Reading Exercise: Sarah Chang Violinist
Reading Exercise: Sarah Chang Violinist - Teachers’ Notes

This activity is for students to review key words in a fun way.
Do you remember these words?

This activity is for students to test their knowledge of the contents of this listening in a fun way.
Test your memory!

This activity is for students to review key words in a fun way.
Do you remember these words?

This activity is for students to review key words in a fun way.
Do you remember these words?

This activity is for students to test their knowledge of the contents of this listening in a fun way.
Test your memory!

This activity is for students to test their knowledge of the contents of this listening in a fun way.
Test your memory!

Level 3 Vocabulary and Reading Quizzes
There are three quizzes to be completed.

Please inform your students in advance when the quizzes will be given to them and that the vocabulary list as well as some self-study materials are available on elpweb.

The answer keys are available for teachers.

Level 3 � ReadingQuiz_Unit7.doc

Level 3 ReadingQuiz_Unit8.doc

Level 3 ReadingQuiz_Unit11.doc

ANSWER KEY
Level 3 VR quizzes Answer Key (Autumn).doc

Here’s the Passages vocab list useful for the vocabulary and reading quizzes as well as small group discussions (and group presentation!)

Passages Vocabulary List (Autumn).doc

I saw Richard H’s transcriptions of the Totally True Units and thought I’d do the same for the dictations in the back of the book. I’ve noticed that even these shorter versions are quite challenging, and I have a number of low level students. I have included three types of gap-fill focusing on key vocabulary, unstressed words, and identifying errors. If you make any other materials with these pass them over ;)

So far I have only done units 10~13

TT1 Dictations

Cheers,

Damon

High school and university after almost one year at Obirin

Prompt:
Which is more important to you, high school or university? Choose one and explain why using examples. The word important is intentionally open to interpretation–encourage students to come up with their own criteria such as better, more fun, interesting, friendships, experiences, useful, valuable, and so on. A group mind map or list of important things at school might be a good start.

Task:
This task is a 4 paragraph comparison essay. Advanced classes or students may write a 5 paragraph essay. If your students had difficulty producing a 4 paragraph essay last semester, they may need more support in the form of a template or guide to follow. There is a suggested outline/brief writing worksheet.

One very specific way to write a comparison essay is outlined in these materials. The introduction begins with a statement opposite to the opinion of the writer and ends with a simple thesis statement. Each body paragraph groups together one area in which high school and university differ. The conclusion is a simple restatement. This may seem rigid and simple, but a single structure is less confusing for students.

All of these materials are on Shared Files and in the fancy new blue binders on the materials shelves in PFC and Machida. Or, get the materials for your self here. These are ready to use pdf files for easy printing:
Instructor Notes
Student Notes
Pros and Cons Worksheets
High School Profile Worksheet
School Attitude Survey
Broken Sentences
Sentence Editing
Used to… Worksheet
Sample Essay 1
Sample Essay 2
Checklist
Rubric

Or, download a .zip archive for Level 2 Writing Task 2 - All Files. And, I do mean all files. There are Word, Pages, pdf, and even some Keynote or PowerPoint versions of everything here.

The Task:
There are 6 possible conversation topics that students should practice prior to the testing day. Feel free to limit the number of topics or add new ones to meet the needs of your class. Each topic is related to a unit in the textbook, so reviewing necessary parts in the textbook could be helpful for students. It is encouraged to choose the conversation pairs on the testing day to enforce more natural conversation. On the day of the test, either you or the pair of students could choose a few topics to talk about out of the 6. There are worksheets and a DVD to prepare students for the task.

Topics:
1. Talk about important things in making your life healthier. (9A)
2. Talk about your sleep habits. Do you usually remember your dreams? (9B)
3. Talk about a childhood memory. (10B)
4. Talk about your hometown. What can you do there? (11B)
5. Talk about your favorite holiday or festival in Japan. (12A)
6. Talk about a Japanese custom. Give advice to a visitor from another country. (12B)

Contents:
1. Teacher Notes
2. Student Notes
3. Rubric
4. Worksheet A (Lifestyle conversation A)
5. Worksheet B (Lifestyle conversation B)

word versions
Level 2 L/S Task 1 Aut Ts Notes.doc
Level 2 L/S Task 1 Aut Ss Notes.doc
Level 2 L/S Task 1 Aut Rubric.doc
Level 2 L/S Task 1 Aut Wkst A.doc
Level 2 L/S Task 1 Aut wkst B.doc

pdf versions
Level 2 L/S Task 1 Aut Ts Notes.pdf
Level 2 L/S Task 1 Aut Ss Notes.pdf
Level 2 L/S Task 1 Aut Rubric.pdf
Level 2 L/S task 1 Aut Wkst A.pdf
Level 2 L/S Task 1 Aut Wkst B.pdf

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noted that Level 2 Reading teachers are due to give a minimum of five quizzes this semester. Of course, there’s the usual publisher quizzes available, but I’ve made a few alternative quizzes. They are some modifications from last semester’s alternative quizzes, but essentially try to build on the success we had getting students to study vocab. Here are some things about them:

1) In response to feedback last semester, about half of the questions involve a cloze passage. So, there is a little more reading for the students. The passages are pretty similar to the textbook texts, so hopefully as well as students learning the vocab, they will also bother to reread the passages from the previous week. This all should reward and encourage the development of vocab depth.
2) To aid the acquisition of vocab, spaced recyling is very important. So, half of the questions on each quiz are from previous second semester units. To do well on the quizzes, students will have to continue reviewing the vocab from previous weeks. It’s important to tell students this (regardless of whether you use these quizzes or not)
3) The tests will fit very well with the mid and fnal test (see another posting). That is, the questions mostly tap the same receptive understanding of vocabulary, so the two go well together.
4) The first 4 questions are spelling questions, see the teachers’ sheet for the words to read out.
5) I’ve only made quizzes for the first few weeks, your feedback will influence how the later versions look.

Let me know if you have any questions, problems, or feedback!

Level 2 Reading Quiz with answers- Unit 18.pdf
Level 2 Reading Quiz with answers- Unit 18.doc
Level 2 Reading Quiz with answers- Unit 17.pdf
Level 2 Reading Quiz with answers- Unit 17.doc
Level 2 Reading Quiz with answers- Unit 16.pdf
Level 2 Reading Quiz with answers- Unit 16.doc
Level 2 Reading Quiz with answers - Unit 15.pdf
Level 2 Reading Quiz with answers - Unit 15.doc
Level 2 Reading Quiz - Unit 14
Level 2 Reading Quiz with answers - Unit 14.doc
level-2-reading-quiz-unit-13.doc
Level 2 Reading Quiz with answers - Unit 12.doc
level-2-reading-quiz-with-answers-unit-10.doc
level-2-reading-quiz-with-answers-unit-10.pdf
reading-quiz-with-answers-unit-11.pdf
reading-quiz-with-answers-unit-11.doc

This task requires students to write a 4 paragraph ‘recount’ or narrative of a summer (or recent) holiday.

There are a number of materials to support this task. Activities #2 and #6 are from textbooks and can be found in the supplementary binders. You can download the rest by clicking here: My Summer Holiday

The activities are:

1. Teacher Notes
2. Speaking and Listening Activity (CD with the audio is on the level 2 shelf) from Topic Talk 2nd edition, David Martin, EFL Press, Topic 12 VACATION. pp. 23~24)
3. Grammar Focus (Past tense Verb Forms + Sentence Writing). You can find copies of these pages in the supplementary binders
4. Model Essay + Info Gap Activity
5. Mind Map for outlining essay
6. Reading, Vocab, Grammar and Writing Activities
There are 2 units of work on Describing Past Events from the books Composition Practice, Book 1 and Book 2, Linda Lonon Blanton, Thomson Heinle Press.

The easier unit is from Book 1, Unit 10, pp, 85~92.
The higher level unit is Book 2, Unit 7, pp, 77~90.

You can find copies of these pages in the supplementary binders

7. Rubrics
There are 2 rubrics supplied (a simple version and a detailed version). Choose the one you like, or use your own!

This task is a 4-paragraph paper on the future. Students should be encouraged to write about the kind of future that they would like to have, however they could write about the future of Japan, the world, or of mankind in general. As this is the final writing project of the year, this paper should be of a higher quality than preceding efforts.

Language Skills

• Conjunctions (and, but, so)
• Time order words (first, next, after that, etc.)
• Future tense (will, going to, etc.)
• Organization (parts of a paper, thesis statement, topic sentences, etc.)

Contents

• Communicative activity
• Time line• Mind map
• And, but and so activity sheets (4)
• Time order words activity sheet
• Future tense activity sheet
• How to organize your paper
• Sample first draft
• Sample final draft

Level 2 Writing Task 3 Folder

Earlier this summer I picked up a Mac Mini for under my TV set at home, so I’ve been downloading tons of video podcasts. In between episodes of Rocketboom, Tiki Bar TV, and Cult of UHF, I also found a videopodcast about a how to use Excel.

Wait! I know you must be thinking just how exciting that is, but really, it isn’t so bad. Each podcast is about 2 minutes long, so no matter how short your attention span may have become after summer vacation it won’t stress your brain cells. It is a videopodcast, so you can actually watch what the tutor is doing on the screen while his talking head down in the corner explains. Each podcast covers one-and-only-one skill in an easy to digest bite-sized format.

Want to know about Page Breaks? Episode 334. Need to make a report only one page wide? That’s Episode 336. Somebody hide your columns and you need to unide them? Right here. This one about finding all of the unique values in a list (like student numbers, for example) would have saved me tons of time last semester.

Anyway, you get the idea. It is a podcast, but you don’t have to subscribe. You can always just search for a tutorial on the website and watch it on your computer right next to whichever Excel file is giving you fits.

Sorry, I can’t do anything about the cheezy music on the videos.

In order to help students read their books on regular basis, I created a log sheet which I’m intending to have them fill out every week. Please feel free to modify it as you see fit.

reading log(2007).xls