learn English

Learn English Extensive Reading Intro

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Extensive Reading

 

This is the introduction to an Extensive Reading program for the teacher training program. The overall goal is to help the teachers improve reading fluency and, by extension, language learning through sustained reading and related activities.

Week 1 Activities

Explain purpose and structure of Extensive Reading.

  • it’s a fun, enjoyable experience
  • it’s not studying
  • it’s not difficult – students understand 95% of the words, no need for a dictionary
  • choose a graded reader – genre, author, title, etc – that looks interesting to you

EPER – Reading Level Test

Implement the Edinburgh Project on Extensive Reading test. With this baseline score, students will have a good understanding of their English reading level and will be able to focus on level appropriate readers.

Explain to teachers how to translate EPER score into publisher gradings. This sheet explains how to make publisher comparisons.

Quick Book Genre Activity

This quick read and listen activity provides trainees with an easy review of different book genres.

SSR – Sustained Silent Reading

Introduce concept of sustained reading. Establish target of 30 pages per week. Demonstrate tracking sheets.

 

 

Learn English Conversation: Week 1

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Learn English conversation.

 

Here is the plan for this week’s English conversation.

  1. Let’s begin by looking at the conversation class syllabus.
  2. Look at the textbook.
  3. Simple past tense review exercises.
  4. Which one is different speaking and thinking exercise.
  5. Imagination speaking exercise.

 SPEAKING ACTIVITY 1

Here is an ESL speaking activity that requires you to speak and think.

  1. Each partner gets one worksheet.
  2. Read four words on one line.
  3. Your partner has to listen and then explain why one word is different.
  4. Listen. is that answer logical?
  5. Do you have a different answer?

SPEAKING AND IMAGINATION

This ESL speaking activity and worksheet  requires you to use your imagination. Your brain power. And sentences that start with “It looks like …. ”

  1. Work with a partner.
  2. Look at a picture.
  3. Ask your partner, “What does that look like?
  4. Partner answers (for example) “It looks like an eye. here is the white part of an eye and here is the black part.”
  5. Ask your partner to explain more.
  6. Then say your idea.

THINKING, SPEAKING REVISING

This is a pair work jigsaw speaking activity that asks you to make a story, tell the story, make it better and tell it again.

  1. With a partner, look at the picture with a man and a boat.
  2. Put the pictures in order and make a story. Use one or two sentences per picture. Write the sentence down in your notebook.
  3. Change partners. Tell your story. Your new partner will listen. Then your partner will speak to you.
  4. Your job is to listen to your new partner’s story and copy words or phrases that make your story better. Rewrite your story.
  5. Come back to your original partner. Tell him/her your new story. Try to say it faster than the first time.

 

 

Basic English Writing Class: Week 1

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Welcome to the writing class. It hope you enjoy this class and I hope your English writing skills will improve.

This week we have many things to do:

  1. introduce course
  2. look at syllabus
  3. review a few basic writing tools
  4. practice error correction
  5. learn new vocabulary
  6. watch a video and write a summary
  7. write a story about a place

Syllabus

Here is the course syllabus: writing class syllabus.

Writing about a Place

This worksheet has one short paragraph. It describes a person’s experience on the subway. The writing gives the reader a good picture of the what we can hear, see and smell in a subway. Read the story. Look closely at the verbs the writer uses to help us understand the place. It is a good example of an old writing rule: don’t tell me about the subway, show me the subway with words. BTW, what are the five  human senses?

Now it’s your turn to write. You will write a one paragraph story.

  1. Choose a place which has many different senses.
  2. Brainstorm a list of verbs, nouns and adjectives.
  3. Start writing one paragraph.
  4. Read, edit and rewrite.

Good luck.