1. Laboratorio di lingua inglese 3
Lesson 10
Modifying and creating teaching materials
Using English in the classroom
Planning for the English class

2. Teaching materials: modification, (re-)creation
Part 1
Teaching materials: modification, (re-)creation

3. Evaluating materials
When we use materials in class, we understand immediately if they “work” or not
Here are some common reasons for materials not working
The level was wrong
The target age-range was wrong
The instructions were not clear
The teacher could not explain the instructions
The children could not understand the instructions
The exercise was too long
The progression from presentation to production ...
Didn’t have enough practice, so was difficult/frustrating
Had too much practice and was repetitive/boring

4. Evaluating materials Evaluate your materials as you are using them.
Make notes on things that worked/didn’t work
Keep these notes with the materials so you remember next time you use them (e.g. next year)
Were the pupils able to follow the instructions? If not, what reasons can you give?
Was there enough time to complete the activity?
Was the age level appropriate?
Was the difficulty level appropriate?
Did the pupils enjoy the activity? How can you tell?
Did the pupils learn the things they were supposed to learn?
Did you enjoy teaching the activity?
What (if anything) did you have difficulty with?
What would you eliminate/ do differently next time you do this activity?

5. Evaluating materials
Sometimes it is an entire coursebook that you need to evaluate.
Sometimes the book doesn’t work
It is too “babyish”
The topics aren’t interesting or relevant
It doesn’t recycle vocabulary
There is no audio CD
The texts (written/spoken) are boring or stupid
So talk to your colleagues and compare your reactions
Show them your evaluation forms
Call the publishers’ reps and change the book

6. Modifying materials We modify materials when
The level is not right for our pupils
We don’t have enough time to do the whole activity
We have tried the activity and found things that didn’t work well
We want to build on the materials
The original materials are good, and we want to extend the topic/activity

7. Modifying materials: level
When the language level is too easy, we can add things to make it more difficult
Extra vocabulary/ phrases / structures
More speaking or writing activities to extend production, e.g.
Question-answer for comprehension
Shift the focus (Q-A moves from the exercise to the children’s experience)
This way you can build on the existing materials but make them more challenging

8. Modifying materials: level
When the language level is too high/low, you may have to simplify the exercise, or abandon it.
Select just a few parts of the exercise (e.g. games, warm-up activities, vocabulary revision)
Eliminate the production at the end – just focus on comprehension
Change it into a mother-tongue exercise (i.e. abandon it as an English exercise, but continue the work if the children seem interested in it)

9. Modifying materials: time
Sometimes the children need more time on an exercise
Because it is difficult
Because they are really enjoying it
Because the transition time from one part to another was a lot longer than you had planned
Because it took longer to explain or introduce the exercise than you had planned

10. Modifying materials: time
If you run out of time, you have to decide whether to
Cut one or more parts of the exercise
Continue the exercise instead of moving on to another subject
Continue the exercise as homework
Continue the exercise next lesson
If it’s difficult, cut some bits and/or continue next lesson
If it’s enjoyable, continue as homework
Don’t steal time from other subjects – it’s a bad habit to get into, because you will find that you spend less time on the subjects you don’t like.

11. Modifying materials: improving
Sometimes materials work but were too easy, boring, or irrelevant.
Try to work out what you liked about the activity, e.g.
The exercise type
The way that the language was presented
The general idea
The progression of exercises
The clarity of the instructions

12. Modifying materials: improving
To improve materials, you have to identify which part needs improving
If it is the text / picture / topic which needs to be changed, find alternatives in books or on internet sites
If the exercise types / progression needs to be changed, first see if you can eliminate something, then consider alternatives
If the instructions are not good, use similar instructions from other materials

13. Modifying materials: extending
Sometimes materials were successful but you want more
Because your pupils need extra practice
Because your pupils are interested and willing to learn more
Because the topic is related to other areas of the curriculum

14. Modifying materials: extending
The easy (and sensible) way to extend materials is...
Take the original activity and make ONE change, e.g.
Change the text or song
Change the characters in a story
Use a different picture
Use plasticine to make models instead of drawing pictures
Do the same exercises as before, but with the new medium, so
Children revise the language they have just learned
They extend their vocabulary
They develop their creative and cognitive abilities

15. Writing materials
Improving and extending materials are two ways of writing new materials.
You build on a successful base
You personalise the activities to suit your pupils
You adapt existing exercise types and sequences
Once you have been teaching for a few years, you will probably want to write some materials

16. Writing materials Whatever you do, always consider:
What am I teaching?
vocabulary, phrases, grammar
Why am I teaching it?
to revise, for comprehension, for production
Who am I teaching it to?
age, level
How long do I have to teach it?
how many minutes/ lessons?
How many exercise types can I use to teach it?
3-5 in a 1 hour lesson

17. Writing materials When you write materials, remember
You are writing them because they are not available
The aim is for your pupils to learn English more effectively
Production is the ultimate aim of learning foreign languages, so always include lots of speaking.

18. Writing materials
Use teachers’ websites, e.g. onestopenglish.com before you spend time and energy writing materials
Consider buying one or two good teachers’ resource books with plenty of ready-made exercises
Give instructions in English: copy them from other exercises
Use authentic texts: download them from reliable websites, e.g.
Use songs sung by native speakers: download clips from YouTube
If you need to edit audio (make it shorter, make it slower) use Audacity, which is free and easy to use

19. Part 2
Using english in class

20. Teaching foreign languages
Learning a new language is not just about learning facts and concepts; it is about communicating.
Teaching a new language to primary children is challenging
You are opening doors to other cultures and customs
You are passing on your own attitude and beliefs about the different people who use this new language.
You have to make the effort to use English with your children.
They learn to communicate in English because they have to communicate with you in English
They learn to express themselves in English because you ask them to express themselves in English and encourage them in their efforts
You have to keep studying!
But you will find that teaching English makes it easier to remember the things you already know, so you will improve over time

21. Teaching in English
Using English when you are teaching English is essential
Learners need to hear real people using the language – recorded voices do not have the same effect
You can help your pupils understand what you say in English by
Changing your tone of voice (especially in storytelling)
Using gestures and facial expressions, and making eye contact
Pointing at pictures, diagrams and real objects
using familiar contexts and topics, rephrasing what you say in as many ways as you can, occasional use of their mother tongue
But do not feel that you are failing if you use some Italian in class too
Just try to use English as much as possible

22. Responding to mother tongue talk
One of the most effective ways of using English to communicate to respond to all your pupils’ questions and comments in English.
In doing this, you are showing them
that you are listening
that you can do the same things in both languages
how to say in English what they said in their own language
that they should try and say more in English.

23. Recasting
Recasting ( to repeat what children say in their mother tongue in English) is a very important step in children’s language development.
It helps
children to know they are understood
children’s acquisition of English because they hear what they said repeated in English
to strengthen the idea that they can communicate in English as they do in their mother tongue.
You may
have to develop the habit of recasting
just start by recasting single words into English, then short phrases, and so on.

24. Recasting: some examples

25. Recasting: some examples

26. Responding to mother tongue talk
Look at the table. On the left is a list of questions and comments from pupils, and the answers the teachers gave in English are on the left. The teachers’ answers are mixed up. Can you match the questions and answers? .
i) Che cosa significa cooking?
a. Well, l didn’t hear you. Say it in a loud voice!
ii) Posso andare in bagno?
b. Yes, but in English - not in Italian!
iii) Posso farlo con Marta?
c. I don’t know ... Let’s see what happens...
iv) Guarda! Un uccello!
d. What do you want, Davide?
v) Maestra! Maestra!
e. OK, go to the toilet, but that’s the last one today!
vi) L’ho detto anch’io
f. Yes, you can do it together, but you have to be quiet.
vii) Posso dire la mia?
g. What does cooking mean? OK ... It’s ...
vii) Capiranno che è lui, no?
h. Yes, there's a bird.

27. Rephrasing Rephrasing is a type of correction
Changing a child’s English into better English without any negative comment is very supportive.
When you do this, you show:
That what they said was not perfect but that it’s OK
That what the child is communicating is valuable
That the child communicated successfully
You are also
Helping individual children improve
Helping the class learn (you are rephrasing for one child but other children are usually listening too.)

28. When and how to correct

29. When and how to correct cont.d
Later the teacher, Flaviana, asks Giacomo to take over.
In the next two slides, look at the transcript (the column on the left)
There are several places where Giacomo does not understand, and three where he says the wrong words.
Can you find them?
What do you think Giacomo misunderstood?
How would you correct him?

32. Resources for teaching English
A coursebook is one of the language resources you can use. Other important resources are:
YOU yourself and the way you use English, the stories you tell, etc.
story books
picture and word cards for various uses
a puppet
wall displays and posters
masks
real objects
photocopiable material
cassettes, video recorders, computers.

33. Planning for the english class
Part 3
Planning for the english class

34. Planning your English lessons
Think about long-term and short-term objectives.
Long-term: course preparation
How will you plan your teaching environment?
How will you introduce the idea of always using English during English lessons?
What topics are you going to teach and how do they relate to each other?
 Mid-term: general lesson preparation
What routines might be useful to establish for language practice?
What language will you need to use in nearly every lesson?
 Short-term: specific language planning for a lesson
What language will you need for the activities you want to do?
Which activities are core (essential), which are for reinforcement, and which are for extension (i.e. for the pupils who finish early)?

35. Planning your English lessons
Before the course
Before you start a new school year or term, consider how you arrange the classroom:
Set out the desks and chairs so that it is easy to move around
Reserve wall space for displaying children’s work
Create a space for displays that can be used for language practice
It should be at a height which is comfortable for children to point at
You should also think about these subject-related matters
How will you connect the topics you will be teaching?
e.g. from pets at home to zoo animals.
What will you give “quick” children when they finish an activity before the others?
e.g. small puzzles, picture-card games, a book to look at…
How can you create a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere
e.g. don’t use English to criticize or punish children – always do these in Italian

36. Planning your English lessons
General lesson preparation
Remember that you teach English by using English in your lessons
Remember what you know about how children acquire language
Use, re-use and then modify the language the pupils already understand
For new language, remember to use context and gesture to help children understand
Plan the content of the lesson
Build on what they know
Include a mixture of listening, speaking, reading and writing
Include class-, group-and pair-work
Include different kinds of activity (listen and do, look and speak, action games, etc.)
Plan the sequencing of activities in your lesson.
Revise what they know before you introduce anything new
Create some classroom routines because children feel secure with patterns they know
Try to have a quieter activity after a lively, energetic one.
Remember to prepare all the materials you need in advance.

37. Planning your English lessons
Specific language planning for a lesson
Prepare what you are going to say when you
greet your pupils
talk to your pupils as you start/finish your English lesson – different topics and routines
set up an activity - arrange the room - organize your pupils - say what you are going to do - and give instructions
speak to groups or pairs or individuals if you have the opportunity
want to say something positive to your pupils.
There are many ways of organizing lessons
Many teachers like to have a standard plan that they follow
This gives structure to the lessons, and is reassuring
Other teachers choose to vary their lessons
This keeps children paying attention
Always remember that you know your teaching situation best
Develop your own plan to suit your classes and circumstances.