W1A-011 ELT texts-1.txt
Pilot written exam - Sue Mullins

Task 2

All three texts apparently come from the same source yet vary in difficulty. The reason for this is mainly lexical and topical as the grammatical structures of imperatives for giving strong advice and the first conditional is dominant throughout texts A, B and C.

Both texts A and B are of a more general nature in that they contain a lot of information that may seem to be common sense to the students. Consequentially, the students can rely heavily on their background knowledge along with the pictures for guessing any unknown words, for example, 'garden shed, tools' etc. in Extract A. However, as the majority of my students would not be car owners they may find the vocabulary in Extract C not only lexically dense (e.g ignition, log book, immobiliser, quarter lights, etc.) but also not very useful for everyday life.

Text A contains a series of very short texts (1-2 sentences per picture) and this combined with the visual aid would make it the easiest in terms of lexical density and readability. I would use this with Intermediate level or above. Extract B goes into more detail and so the students would come across a higher percentage of unknown words, for example, phrases such as 'chat about, overhear, pay in advance, sling holdall, saddlebag,' etc. and the pictures would not necessarily provide the clues to help them guess successfully. I would use this with Upper-Intermediate - Advanced. Text C contains so many 'unuseful' vocabulary items due to its specific nature that I would be reluctant to use it at all. However, I would also class this as Upper-Intermediate - Advanced.

Task 3

I would use Extract A for an integrated skills lesson with an intermediate general English class that I have been teaching for three months now. The class consists of 6 students of mixed nationalities - 2 Japanese, 1 HK, 1 Taiwanese, 1 Spanish and 1 Columbian. They are all very hard-working and often stay after class to consolidate what they have learnt that day. They integrate well together as a class and in smaller units and the stronger members of the group (Spanish and HK) are very willing to help the others.

Lead-In 1 -

I would initially get students interested in the topic by asking them to compare measures of household security that are typical in their country and ask them to recount any stories they may have of break-ins, etc. This stage will activate their schemata and hopefully produce some the vocabulary needed for the text.
Lead-In 2 -
I would then ask them to examine the title 'How householders help house-breakers' and predict the content.
Listening -
Next the students would be given a set of jumbled pictures and listen to a recording of the text in order to number the pictures as they hear them to improve their listening for gist and so that they do not concentrate on every word of the text as they are prone to do.

Reading for detail and Vocabulary -

Then I would provide them with the pictures and text and ask the students to read in detail whilst underlining any words they do not know. They would then have to guess the meaning before checking their dictionary. We could then discuss their strategies of what they guessed correctly and how.

Grammar -

Next I would ask the students to list the constructions involved in giving strong advice, e.g. 'Never leave, make sure, see they 're fitted, don't leave, it's best to...' etc. I would then set some controlled grammar practice activities possibly involving a similar gapped text where students must fill in an appropriate verb phrase and adverb of frequency.

Writing -

I would then set a similar writing task, e.g. 'Dangers of Travelling' and ask the students to gather ideas in group about advice for travellers. They should then start writing their advice in pairs and edit each others work.

Homework -

The students must make a poster including pictures to accompany the text to be put on the TEFL Centre wall.
