Smart.fm is a very useful free site for pre-teaching or for reviewing vocabulary. Users can create lists for online flashcard-type drills, short matching quizzes, productive quizzes, and dictation. There is a wealth of material already there for students to access. Most of my students have quickly found either TOEIC and TOEFL prep or more casual and idiomatic vocabulary such as slang or song lyrics.

The system works by spaced repetition and some of the content is rich enough to maintain interest over time. There is also a social aspect that allows users to follow and encourage each other.

I recently created a list of 40 key vocabulary words from units 9-12 of Let’s Talk 1 for my Level 2 Eigo IIA class, but the system is open and anyone can use the list. Please take a look and consider giving it a try with a class if you have time in the computer room. Each target word has one or more example sentences with high quality audio for some basic, brief listening input and dictation practice.

Eigo IIA: U-80: Step 1: Units 9-12

Site navigation is in Japanese or English and login is quite simple. If students already have a Mixi, Yahoo, or Google account, they can simply login in with that username and password.

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

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.

Purpose

Primarily, this song can be used through the semester at any level (although level 1 will need plenty of support) as a 15~20 minute activity to add variety to the class: three or four stanzas every week or two. It could also be used in the last class after feedback as a ‘fun’ activity.

• It can be used as a simple listening activity. Primarily, ~ing forms, unstressed syllables, prepositions are the focus of the listening.

• It can be used for pronunciation practice (the song has a powerful and simple rhythm).

• It can be used for performance. The song is full of actions and the people in it (four) can be played by students as the music plays (especially if you have Sobun students!).

• It can be used for comprehension practice.

• It can be a source of vocabulary (see Damian Fitzpatrick’s vocabulary self-assessment sheet) and to encourage out-of-class listening/practice.

• It can be used for anything!

filler activity pdf
Tom’s diner – mp3

Here is an additional worksheet for the listening in Passages Unit 2A on page 12.

The main aim is to give students a task to do whilst they listen to the CD again. Thus there is a purpose in playing the CD several times.

Copies of the worksheets are in the Level 3 binder.

Student’s worksheet.
Passages Unit 2A Listening student.doc

Teacher’s copy.
Passages Unit 2A Listening teacher copy.doc

This PowerPoint presentation is designed to support the Passages textbook Unit on Friends and Family pages 2, 3.

The teaching materials include:

1. A PowerPoint presentation
2. A Student worksheet
3. A Teacher’s notes sheet

You can use these materials in a number of ways, for example to introduce the topic or to review the topic. It is important though, that you go through the different slides first to familiarise yourself with the presentation.
The teacher’s notes sheet provides more information on how to use this material.

The presentations require a computer and projector. Since we are unsure how soon the classrooms will be equiped with a computer, you can borrow one of the ELP laptops.
These materials will also be available in the Level 3 binder.

The Teacher’s notes document.
Passages Unit 1A.doc

The Student worksheet.
Passages 1A worksheet .doc

The PowerPoint presentation.
Passages unit 1A.ppt

These are short dictation activities that you may want to use to change the pace of a class, support lower level students or to introduce variety.

There are four activities:
1. A basic dictation activity taken from the back of Totally True 1
2. Fill in the gaps – key vocabulary
3. Fill in the gaps – articles, prepositions, connectors, unstressed syllables etc
4. Find the mistakes

These are based on the dictation activities, but the same principle can be applied to the main reading section at the start of each unit.

You may want to ask your students, individually or in pairs, to attempt to fill in spaces or guess the mistakes before the listening.

Richard Hawkins & Damon Brewster
TT1 Dictation Activities Spring.doc