Pronunciation with a twist of Dogme

     For my conversation class last month, only two students showed up - an upper-intermediate and an advanced student. I had planned an elaborate series of grammar-focused communicative "gamey" activities, but when the students came in, I had the feeling that they wanted to do something else. So, I asked them if they had anything in particular they wanted to do. Usually when I ask this question (which I try to do as often as possible) the students don't have anything specific in mind. But this time, the student said, "Pronunciation. I'm having trouble with the difference between "ee" (as in "tree") and "i" (as in "fish")."

This is a very common area of difficulty for Spanish speakers, as the "i" ("fish") phoneme doesn't exist in Spanish. That combined with the fact that unlike Spanish, English pronunciation is not consistent with its spelling and different combinations of vowels can produce different sounds, so it's no wonder that Spanish people are baffled by the popularity of spelling bees.

So, I did a lesson on the go to practice the difference between three vowel sounds. It went surprisingly well, but I don’t think it had to do so much with what I did but with the fact that we did something they suggested and practiced something they needed (which is the best motivation, I think).

Pronunciation lesson plan (without a book)

Level: B2 +

1. Draw three columns on the board with the following vowel phonemes and an example for each. Drill the students in pronouncing each sound. (I like saying that for the middle sound, try not to move your lips and make a sound between /ei/ ("a") and /i:/ ("e")).

/iː/	/ɪ/	[aɪ]
tree	fish	bike

2. Ask the students to work in pairs to write as many words as they can in 4 minutes for each column. Here are some examples:

/iː/	/ɪ/	[aɪ]
bee, queen, see, sea, tea, read, key, sheep	fish, publish, trick, ship, win, king, live, wish	life, try, time, rhyme, wine, bike might, high

3. Go through all the words, writing the students’ words up on the board into the columns. Drill the words, making sure everyone is pronouncing them correctly.

4. Tell the students that they are going to write a story that’s probably not going to make a lot of sense. Their goal is to write three sentences that incorporate as many of the words in the chart as possible. Set a time limit.

e.g. “The queen bee lives in the sea with the fish and the king. In her life, she tries to trick the sheep whose lives might seem high….etc.”

5. While the students are working, write out an example story. When they are finished, demonstrate with your story and tell the students to write down all the words they hear from the table. Then, the students read their stories in turn while the class writes down the words. (Having the students write the words strengthens the connection between the auditory input and the visual representation on the paper. It also encourages the speakers to focus on correct pronunciation).

This lesson can be used for any set of vowel sounds or consonants and in my experience is more motivating for the students to provide their own words and create their own sentences rather than mindlessly repeating sentences in a course book.

Pronunciation can be a tricky area and according to some, the key to unlocking a language’s difficulties. I saw a language specialist called Robin Walker talk at a conference this spring at the Andalucía IH Conference in Seville and he emphasized the crucial role that pronunciation plays in all areas of language learning, including auditory input and speaking. For more about the role of pronunciation in language learning, see his blog.

Note: the pronunciation is RP (received pronunciation) British English, not American

First day of (summer) school!

Yesterday, I listened to an interesting radiolab podcast about numbers. It talked about a mathematician who used to get so bothered upon delivering a complex lecture and then being asked "What's your favorite number?" that he finally spit the question back at the asker and got the answer, "Why 8 of course, because it's the month when I was born." He was so surprised that people attached emotional explanations to something he considered so rational (his daily tools) that he conducted a study and found that the most popular number all around the world is 7.

Why 7? Well, it's the only number between 1 and 10 that cannot be divided by or multiplied by a number in the same range to output a number between 1 and 10. It's also the only number from 1-10 that has two syllables and it sounds nice to say in any language (go ahead and say it out loud in Spanish). There are 7 days of the week, 7 visible celestial objects (aka planets) in the night sky, 7 colors in the rainbow, 7 is the most common sum when playing dice, and the average person can visualize 7 objects, digits, etc. but not 8 (which is perhaps why the U.S. phone system is based on 7 numbers?).

I realized that I actually don't have a favorite number either but I, too, am fascinated by the ways in which people justify their answers. So today, on the first day of summer school, I decided to ask every one of my students if they had a favorite number and why. Surprisingly, more than half of them said it was 7 and had a different reason for why. One of them said that she liked writing it the most compared to other numbers. Another student said her favorite number was 3 because 3 is the number of points necessary to compose a perfect triangle. Another student said she liked even numbers because they represent the female and odd numbers represent the masculine.

Here is a picture of some numbers.

        I've taught "the first day of class" so many times that I finally decided to type up a template to save myself the trouble. It might not be the most intelligible, but I hope it can be of use to someone out there.

Level: B1 and above
Objective: For students to get to know each other through icebreaker activities and games, for students to be introduced to communicative and learner-centered teaching
approaches, for the teacher to gather information about individual learning style/preference, error sets, strengths, and personality.
 

Stage	Aim/procedure	Interaction pattern	Time
Intros/ icebreakers	Star of David or cloud - The teacher gives examples of things related to him/her and elicits open questions to find the answers. Students do their own and share with partner. “2 truths, 1 lie” - the teacher demonstrates with 3 sentences as an example. Hand out list of random questions, ‘speed dating’ ‘Find someone who’ (material provided by teacher) Design your own logo – elicit common ‘get-to-know-you’ questions or look at well-known logos.	s-s	30”
Review what to bring to class	Elicit what should students bring to class? Give students time to brainstorm together. Pen/pencil, eraser, notebook, coursebook, dictionary or smartphone app, an active mind	s-s t-s	2-3”
Curriculum overview	(If exam class, exam overview or introduction. If not, a brief description of the course and its aims.)	t-s-s	10”
Discussion – needs analysis	What are your strengths/weaknesses? What skills do you find easier/more difficult? Why? What advice would you give to someone who is preparing for an English exam? (Study outside of class, watch series/movies, listen to podcasts/the radio, read books/newspapers/blogs, language exchange or practice speaking/writing with a penpal/friend)	t-s s-s	5-10”
Error Correction	Write sentences that students have said during the class on the board, both with and without errors. Can be played as a game with bets and in pairs, or as a straightforward exercise. Students discuss which sentences they think have errors and how to correct them. Group feedback	t-s s-s	5-8”
Needs analysis	Fill out forms (in class or at home) Share feedback with each other and explain answers about learning style, types of intelligence, speed, personal goals, etc. Discuss how to measure progress and what students should do to improve on their own (see above)	t-s s-s	10-15”
End games/start course material	Taboo (Teacher or students prepare word cards) Pictionary (Teacher or students prepare word cards) Sherades (with words, language chunks, or sentences) Tic-tac-toe (with words, language chunks, students make sentences with the words to win a square. Can also be played with a balled-up piece of paper thrown at the board.) Toss ball, say word with last letter of previous word (e.g. “tiger” , “rat” , “tortoise”) ‘Guess who?’ Power point or cards (famous people/places, students stand with backs to board. OR elicit well-known people and other students asked closed questions to the student with the card) Tongue twisters (teacher provides material) Jokes – matching/telling (teacher provides material) “20 questions” – elicit famous people, characters from films, etc., OR hand them out on slips. Can be things or people. “Logo taboo” - Logo cards provided by teacher. The students draw a card and the other students in the group ask closed questions ('yes/no' answers) to guess the logo. For lower levels, the student with the card can give descriptions without saying the logo.	s-s	15-20”

Sources for videos to teach Business English

This blog has experienced a four month haitus because I've been doing an online course with International House for teaching business English. I'm almost at the finish line, writing the final essay, and now I'll be able to spend more time updating with ideas that I've only had the time to jot down in between work and the course.

 I'd like to share some videos that are ripe for business English lesson adaptation and fit right into the skills and subskills of the business English world (meetings, negotiations, interviews, etc.). I haven't adapted any lessons to these yet, but at least they have a place to hang out until I do.

Sources:

TED talks - TED is my go-to source when I want to use video to spice things up. Often (and especially if I notice that the students could use a little change), I give a "Find a TED talk" homework assignment. I show them the 'browse video' page, how to search by various parameters (topic, length, popularity, etc.) and then tell them to find a video, watch it (with or without English subtitles), write down any vocabulary that they don't know, look up the words, and give a summary of the video to the class the next day. It's great how involved they get and how their choice of video allows them to share their personal interests with the class.

Film English: Kieran Donaghy, the creator of this site, finds interesting videos across the web and designs entire lesson plans based either on topic (lexis sets), or grammar. They're detailed, clear, interesting, and he even has a glossary of film terminology and concepts that range from ´cinematography´ to a breakdown of all different kinds of shots (aerial, birds-eye view, long, etc.), each with their own embedded example from films throughout the history of cinema. Preeetty preeetty good.

Videos to teach skills and subskills of business English:

Here are some videos I've found that can be incorporated into business English lessons. I'll list them by topic and by skill, whichever is the most relevant.

                                           Sales/Promotion, Marketing:

The first clip is an example of business failures from comedy central's Nathan For You. Students could rate the ideas from best to worst, discuss why the ideas failed, whether they've experienced something similar with their companies, and this could lead into a lesson on Sales/Promotion or Marketing lexis.

Fake Promo for a lawyer from Breaking Bad.

Meetings/Conference Calls/Technology 

A humorous skit which shows all the problems with conference calling, but in real life.

 Again, a ranking activity seems best.

Presentations, Graphs

Life After Death by PowerPoint by Don McMillan -

 a great way to start a discussion about do’s and don’ts when presenting. 

Negotiations

Mad men - Peggy negotiates her own office.

Miscellaneous
 Michael Scott from The Office being a classy boss. Not sure where to categorize this, but maybe on the topic of company structure/hierarchy or human resources (bad practices?).

Thanks for reading and hope it's useful!

Lesson Plan: "Imagine Finding Me" - Chino Otsuka

Chino Otsuka

Chino Otsuka - Imagine Finding Me 

Lesson Plan: Imagine Finding Me, Chino Otsuka

Level: B1+

   Language aim: Physical descriptions/clothes, comparative structures, ‘Used to’.

1. Ask students if they have a photo album where they keep family photos or photos of themselves when they were young. “When was the last time you looked at them?”
2. Tell the students that they’re going to look at some photos by a woman called Chino Otsuka who has had quite a lot of success with her work.
3. Show the first photo (if a student recognises them, ask him/her to not tell the information): Ask the following questions.
1. Where do you think this is? (There is English and Spanish text in the window, so be open to answers) When was this photo taken and how do you know? (From now to the last 40 years based on clothes, architecture…)
2. What is the relationship between the two people and why do you think so? ( Mother –daughter, aunt – niece, Big sister, Cousins, etc.)
3.  How old are they? (elicit, “about…”, “in her mid/early/late….”)
4. Go to the next photo. Ask:
1. Where and when was this photo taken? (Japan, based on the characters, though be open to the correct pronunciation of “China”). “When” can also elicit time of year (going on holiday or a day trip)
2. Are these the same people as in the previous photograph?
3. Who do you think took the picture?
5. Next photo:
1. How do you think these people are feeling? Why? (Physical distance between them could imply annoyance, irritation, etc.)
2.  What could have happened before the moment the photo was taken? (elicit may/might/could + have + participle)
6. Next photo:
1. Where was this photo taken (Europe, Asia…)?
2.  What are they doing? (elicit “having a break/snack”, “sightseeing”)
3. Do you think these are the same people? How old do they look? (It should be obvious that either the younger girl has grown or that it might be a different girl)
7. Ask the students why they think these photographs have been so successful. Is there anything special about them? The composition, the content…etc.? Then tell them that the photographer photoshopped/superimposed recent images of herself as an adult onto old images of herself as a child.
8. Go to the next slide and elicit comparisons:
1. How has she changed physically?
2. What do you think she used to like doing as a child? Does she feel the same as an adult?
9. Discussion Questions on next slide:

·      •Why do you think the photographer made these photos? What is she trying to say?

·      •Think about photos or videos you have of yourself as a child. Tell your partner about the photos (where, when, what was happening, etc.) What do you remember from those moments? Can you remember things that you used to like doing that you don’t anymore?

·      •If your childhood self traveled in time to the present day and found you, what do you think he/she would say or ask you? What would you say to him/her?

·      •Do you have any memories that you would have liked to have captured in a photograph or video? Why?

·      •Do you think that people will continue to print and make photo albums in the future? Or, will we keep our images in digital formats , e.g. on facebook, instagram, our computers?

·      •Media, images, and even books are now disappearing in physical format and moving to digital spaces. Talk about the advantages and disadvantages of printed material versus digital files. 

10. Optional follow-up: students bring childhood photos to class the next day and share with the class. They can describe the photo, what they used to be like, what they would do, what was difficult to get used to when they grew up, etc.

Chino Otuska

Chino Otsuka

Chino Otsuka

Carnival

      Having delved into photography and Visual Studies at university, I've nurtured an interest in visual information, how it's promulgated, how it communicates and is interpreted, how it interacts with text, where/how we see it, etc. So, it's no surprise that I'm interested in its use in the classroom and particularly, its potential within language learning.

      Inspired by this post by Ceri Jones, I made a lesson plan revolving around the Carnival in Cádiz, a huge event for the city and the people. I had two objectives: the first was to work with a topic that was relevant to my students' lives and needs. The second was to hone my "question-asking" skills in regards to encouraging the students to hypothesize narratives or additional imaginary information. My experience with image-use so far has led me to realize the importance of asking the 'right' questions (the 'obvious' ones get obvious answers), and choosing the 'right' images. (i.e. even though I think awkward family photos is amazing doesn't mean my students will). The lesson plan is specific to Cádiz but can be adapted to any local/national festival.

Lesson Plan: Carnival 

Level: B1 +

1. Tell the students that since Carnival is coming soon, you've found some images and you want to ask them some questions to get a better idea for yourself. But first, a few questions:

      a. What are some popular costumes? For women? For men? Children?

      b. How long does Carnival last?

© 2011 Andrea Mitchell

Men in Drag:

1. Where do you think this is? City/neighborhood? 
2. When do you think this is? Year? Day (of carnival)?
3. What is his/her costume? Explain/Describe. (This is what women in the Holy Week parades usually wear in the processions.)
4. Why are all the other people wearing the same costume? Is it normal for groups of people to wear the same costume?
5. What is he wearing around his neck? (It's a kazoo. This should elicit that they are in a "chirogota", or group of singers that perform unofficially, or "illegally", in the streets.)

© 2011 Andrea Mitchell

Float ladies:
1. Where are these women? What are they standing on?  
2. When does this event usually happen? (The first Sunday of Carnival)
3. They're wearing the same costume - does this mean they're in a singing group? (No, they've probably volunteered to work on the floats).
4. How much money do they get paid for their work? (As volunteers, they often pay up to 150 euros for the costume, i.e. to participate). Why do they volunteer?
5. Who do you think they're talking to? What might they be saying? Is this before, during, or after the parade? How do you know?

© 2011 Andrea Mitchell

Balloon Lady:
1. Where is this woman? What is she doing? (resting, waiting for somebody?)
2. What time of day is it? (This should lead into the deduction that this depicts a moment before the parade has started, as she has all her balloons and there's no trash in the streets.)

       In my lesson with B2/C1 students, I used more images, including one of a parade in Murcia (to talk about the different ways of celebration in different parts of Spain/the world), but this is the general gist.

       At the end, I told the students that I'd lied just a little, because I myself took the photos in last year's carnival. 

       At this point, the lesson can branch off in a number of ways. Because the lesson is based on students explaining the tradition of carnival to an "ignorant" foreigner, I thought it was most logical to continue in that line of thought.

     I asked my students to imagine that they were members of the city council and to create the text of a brochure (or information for the Cádiz website, e.g.) directed to outside visitors. I showed them the questions below in case they needed extra ideas. 

       Students can also talk in groups about their favorite costumes, years, experiences, etc. Or how they typically celebrate and with whom. One student brought up the idea that Carnaval has been changing since she was a child in terms of costume design/choice, the best nights to go out, the historical meaning, etc. If this thread had developed, I could have asked the students to write an essay about these changes (if this lesson was a segue from a writing lesson), prepare interview questions for famous public figures of Carnaval and have students act as the public figure and answer the questions, translate lines of songs from 'Chirigotas' into English, design costumes, etc.

      Because the students have a lifetime of experiences and memories associated with Carnaval, this was a rich topic and prompted a lot of conversation in my class. Also, the format can be easily applied to other festivals/practices. I find using material that prompts the students to share their own knowledge helps them feel empowered as language learners and hopefully, is a more effective means for memory retention in the long run.

Green Eggs and Ham

Lesson Plan

Level: Elementary to Pre-intermediate (A2)

Language aim: Listening, prepositions (in, on, with)

Topic: children's stories/morals

1. Ask the students: "Have you ever eaten food that was a different color than what you had expected? E.g. Green ketchup? Clear coca cola? Century Eggs? Black pasta? Did it taste differently than the ''normal-colored" food?

2.  Tell the students that they're going to watch a video of an English author (Neil Gaiman of novels and comic books, including "The Sandman" and "Coraline") read a short book called "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss. The students listen/watch the video and fill-in the gaps of the sentences below. (You may have to explain that "SAM-I-AM" is the name of the character...)

Complete the following:

Where does "SAM-I-AM" suggest eating green eggs and ham?

Part I:

1. Would you like them here or there?

2. Would you like them _____ ___ ____________?

3. Would you like them  _____ ___ ____________?

4. Would you eat them  _____ ___ ____________?

5. Would you eat them  _____ ___ ____________?

6. Would you, could you  _____ ___ ____________?

7. You may like them  _____ ___ ____________.

8. Could you, would you,  _____ ___ ____________?

9. Would you, could you, _____ ___ ____________?

10. Would you, could you,  _____ ___ ____________?

11. Could you, would you,  _____ ___ ____________? 

12. Would you, could you,  _____ ___ ____________?

Part II:

What do you think the moral of the story is?  

a. If you are persistent, you can convince anyone to do what you want.

b. Food tastes better if you eat it in different places and in the company of small mammals.

c. You should try things before judging them.

answers:

1. Would you like them here or there?

2. Would you like them in a house?

3. Would you like them with a mouse?

4. Would you eat them in a box?

5. Would you eat them with a fox?

6. Would you, could you in a car?

7. You may like them in a tree.

8. Could you, would you, on a train?

9. Would you, could you, in the dark?

10. Would you, could you, in the rain?

11. Could you, would you, with a goat? 

12. Would you, could you, on a boat?

The gist question is obviously open to debate, but the generally-accepted conclusion is that the answer is "C".

Post-task (depending on level): 

In groups of 2-3, the students write a short children's book. First, elicit one-syllable words. (Or write on the board: life, one, eye, cat, air, king, ate, end, near, love, day, it, at, see, go.) This lesson can either branch off into a pronunciation lesson, focusing on rhyming vowel phonemes and writing poems, or it can become a group creative writing assignment to write a short children's' book with a moral. Elicit common lessons that young children usually learn and/or provide a list if necessary. (I found a list of morals to aesop's fables HERE.)

• "Appearances are often deceiving." - The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
• "Slow and steady wins the race." - The Hare and the Tortoise
• "Little friends may become great friends." - Aesop's fables: Lion and the Mouse

If the level of the class is elementary, I would suggest focusing on pronunciation and/or poetry, rather than writing a full children's story. Another option is to eliminate the moral and allow the students more liberty in the creation period. 

Of course, there are many more alternatives - feel free to adapt as fit!