This is a description of the first Speaking Task for Level 1 Eigo II A.

Level 1 Eigo IIA Speaking Task 1 Overview + Worksheets

There are many ways to approach Task 1 - both in terms of exactly what you want your students to do, and how you want them to prepare for it. In the Level 1 L&S binder there is a set of worksheets to help your students prepare for the task - which may well fit in exactly with your plans. However, just in case you want to approach the prep in a slightly different way, here is an alternative set of worksheets.

They focus strongly on the concept of one ‘big’ event, and two ’small’ events. There are no Teacher’s Notes, but the worksheets themselves should prove self-explanatory, especially if you have already seen the example interview on the DVD. You may want to use them very early in the semester - in fact I plan to start work on them in my first class.

Download the worksheets (3 worksheets, in one PDF file): Alternative Task 1 student prep worksheets

Speaking task 1 is a pair interview in which students talk about what they did during the summer vacation. An example conversation (performed by 2 ELP teachers) can be found on the Level 1 DVD, and on the Resources web site. This worksheet can be used with the video, and may be useful in preparing your students for the task.

Worksheet (includes Teacher’s Notes): Task 1 DVD Worksheet

The second speaking task is a presentation.

Task
Students have to prepare a short presentation of around 3 minutes, in which they teach the class the dos and don’ts of a particular topic using the target structures from UNit 11 (modals of advice). Students will often choose a topic that others already know about, but the emphasis should be on how to do it better, or tips that people may not know.

The zip file below contains a folder with an overview of the task, five worksheets, a listening activity for the DVD exemplar, and a vocabulary list.

The worksheets can be used individually or as a set.
Speaking Task 2 - Overview and Worksheets

This is a listening activity using a slide show on the internet. The slide show has a narration by my six year old daughter. Students have a worksheet with some basic comprehension questions to work on while / after listening.

As the Level 1 students have to do their first speaking task on their summer news this activity introduces the topic and also practices the past tense. It is, however, mainly a warmer or a ‘fun’ introduction activity for the first or second class.

Use the link below to go to the slideshow.
http://voicethread.com/view.php?b=7390

And download the Worksheet.
Slide Show Worksheet

This can be used with the supplentary activities 10~18 to give students a record of their scores and an opportunity to practice more outside class with the textbook CD.

Download the zip file below.

Totally True Supplementary Activities: Units 10~18

These are some short listening activities that can be used to introduce each unit or to provide extra practice. There are three types: gap-fill, correction, and re-ordering. There are also a variety of shorter, follow-up tasks, such as scrambled words, choose a summary, and complete the sentence.

There is also a Student Record Sheet. This can be used if you intend to use most or all of the supplementary activities. Students can keep a record of their score and are encouraged to try again at home using the CD in the textbook.

Thank you to Deborah for TT16 and 17

Download the zip file below.

Totally True Supplementary Activities: Units 10~18

Past Tense. From words to a story

This activities make use of the u12 Vocabulary Map (in the back of the text book).

Two different ways of using the vocabulary listed in the unit 12 Vocabulary Map as prompts for writing/telling a story.

File is basically Teacher’s Notes, and also includes a set of vocab cards which would need cutting-up.

Download file: Unit 12. Vocabulary Map. PDF.

Past Tense: Predicting / Listening / Drawing / Writing

This activity could be done at any time (and by any level), not just to supplement unit 12.

Stage 1: Students look at 6 pictures which illustrate a true story, and predict the correct order of the pictures, and the story itself. They then listen to the story and check their predictions.

Stage 2: Students then illustrate their own true ‘interesting’ story, and pass it to another student. The other student predicts the story.

Sounds complicated, but it’s not really! Extensive instructions, and transcript, are included in the PDF.

Download file: Unit 12. Picture Story. PDF.

 Download audio MP3 file: Unit 12. Picture Story. MP3.

Past Tense. Chain writing a story: Replacement ‘Ensemble’ activity.

This is a substitute for the Ensemble activity ~ which has poor picture prompts in the text book. This activity may be quite demanding!

Students write the first half of a short story, based on a picture prompt. They then pass their story to other students, who finish the story.

Brief Teacher’s Notes are included, but the rubrics on the worksheet itself should be clear enough.

Download file: Unit 12. Our own story. PDF

Modals. Pair Work Activity: What do the signs mean?

The pair work activity in the text book is lame. You might prefer to do this instead!

Students look at images taken from real (old..) Japanese street signs, and write down what they think the sings mean. They then hand their sentences (not the pictures) to another student, who then draws what he/she thinks the original sign looked like.

Your students should be reasonably familiar with the target modals before attempting this task. It does require a considerable amount of imagination, so please keep this in mind when deciding if it will be suitable for your class.

Teacher’s Notes are included in the PDF.

Download file: Unit 11. Signs Pair Work. PDF.

Modals. Language covered:

Card game played in small groups. Instructions are included in the PDF. There are no Teacher’s Notes.

Download file: Unit 11. Card Game. PDF.

Superlatives

Board game, played in groups. Land on a square & talk about the topic for 30 seconds, followed by Q+A from other students in the group.

Materials needed: one worksheet per group // one ¥10 per group

No teacher’s notes, as it should be clear how the game is played. You may want to blow-up the worksheet to A3 size.

Download: u8 Talk about Game

Superlatives Class Survey

Students write survey questions in order to find the ‘Most ….’, or ‘… est’ person in the class.

Teacher’s Notes (These instructions are included in the pdf)

The student worksheet has been kept as clean and simple as possible, to leave more space for writing ~ & to reduce confusion!

Suggested lesson plan

1 Ask three students these questions (Also ask follow-up questions to get a little more information.):

How often do you laugh?
Do you like to watch comedy shows on TV?
Are you worried about anything?
Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
How many friends do you have?

Write short, memo notes summarising their answers on a grid on the board.

2 Look at the answers for a short time, and decide who is the ‘happiest’ of the three students. On the board, write ‘(name)……….. is the ____est student.’
Elicit ‘happiest’.

3 Tell the students that they are going to write questions to find the ‘most ….’, or ‘… est’ student in the class. Put students into pairs, then go round to each pair and tell them the theme of their survey (Make sure other students can’t hear!).

Suggested themes (Obviously substitute with your own ideas, if you like.): laziest most serious craziest fittest

coolest most healthy most unhealthy cleanest etc etc …

4 Pair works together to write 5 questions. Explain that the theme of the survey shouldn’t be 100% obvious from the questions.

5 Divide the class in half ~ one student from the pair in each half. Students then talk to 5 students, writing short memo notes on the worksheet. Encourage follow-up questions. Explain that the theme of their survey is secret, so they shouldn’t tell anyone!

6 Students get back into original pairs, and compare the results of their surveys. They then talk together to decide who is the winner. (Each pair chooses one winner.)

7 Awards ceremony. Organise the announcing of winners in any way you consider appropriate.

Download File: u8 Class survey

Comparatives & Superlatives

Running dictation quiz, which reviews the facts and structures in unit 8. Best done as a review activity, after most of the unit has been covered.

Teacher’s notes are included in the pdf.

Download file: Unit 8. Running Quiz. PDF

For anyone who has been wondering, the notes for students and for instructors have been finished. There are very few changes in the curriculum from the autumn semester last year, but please make sure you take a good look at these notes before your classes begin.

Of course the big changes from the spring continues into the autumn semester: Foundation English is split into IIA (Listening and Speaking) and IIB (Reading and Writing). Also, Repeaters will be mixed into the regular classes the same as last term. Expect a few new faces to appear in some classes during the first two weeks as a result.

All of the notes are packed together in this convenient .zip archive for one-click download.

Or, you can download individual files below:
Level 1 Student Notes
Level 1 Instructor Notes
Level 2 Student Notes
Level 2 Instructor Notes
Level 3 Student Notes
Level 3 Instructor Notes

If you have any questions, please ask one of the Full-time team members listed in the notes for each level, or ask any full-time ELP staff.

Thanks!

This is one way to launch unit 4 of the text book. It is a quiz, in which groups of students write definitions of places in a town (eg, bank, bus stop) - followed by a class quiz.

The file

Places in a town (cut into strips, and give each group 4 places to define)

Possible lesson plan

1 Use ‘bank’ as an example of how to write a definition (either of the 2 structures is OK)

2 Put students into groups. Students work together and write definitions.

3 Class quiz: There are many ways to do this!

Follow-up

~ Collect strips after quiz. Copy them, and hand out to all students in the next class.

~ Use the definitions to make a crossword puzzle - to use as a warmer or filler in the next class.

This is a PowerPoint quiz that might be fun to do while your students are preparing for Speaking Task 1. It consists of 15 examples of statements / questions, each containing a common grammatical mistake. Suggested use is as a fun warmer, prior to a practice session.

There are 2 versions of the quiz:

• With inline answers (Question ~ Answer // Question ~ Answer, etc)
• With all answers at the end (Question / Question // Answer / Answer, etc)

Suggested lesson plans

Inline answer version (Fast pace)

1. Put students into groups.
2. Show question #1.
3. Students discuss, and call out corrected sentence.
4. Award a point, and go on to next question.
5. After quiz, distribute handout showing all corrected sentences.

All answers at the end version (Slower pace, may take a long time)

1. Put students into groups.
2. Distribute one answer sheet per group.
3. Show question #1.
4. Students discuss and write corrected sentence.
5. Show next question.
6. At end of quiz, groups exchange answer papers.
7. Show answer slides.
8. Groups check another group’s answers.
9. After quiz, distribute handout showing all corrected sentences.

Files

PowerPoint.zip

Keynote.zip (Keynote (Mac) versions of same slideshow.)

Answer sheet (PDF)

Handout showing all corrected sentences. (PDF)

An activity - spot the mistakes - to use at the start of class based on the main reading.

Start with a general question about the benefits/drawbacks of car journeys, followed by a specific question: How could car travel be improved?

Then, give out copies of the activity which has the following elements: pre-listening, listening, post-listening.

TT_1_Unit 3_Activity.pdf

This activity encourages students to learn/use the words they have written down in their vocabulary notebooks.

This is a modified version of something that a colleague, Dexter Da Silva, previously passed onto me and it can be adapted to suit any level and can be carried out as often as you wish.

The materials include the interview sheet and some instructions for the teacher.

Vocabulary: self-assessment sheet

Vocabulary: self-assessment sheet (teachers’ notes)