1. Ideas and rationales for drawing and speaking Alan Marsh
Imagine That!
Ideas and rationales for drawing and speaking
Alan Marsh

2. Imagine an object, place, animal (not a person)… that is dear to you in some way ……
…… and draw it!

3. Show and tell A (lower levels) Say what it is where you got it
why you like it anything else.
B (middle and higher levels)
Say what it is
where and how you got it
how long you’ve had it
what it’s made of (if an inanimate object)
why you like it
an anecdote/incident related to it
any future plans for it
anything else

5. Getting your head around the present perfect
1 I’ve been to Spain v I went to Spain 2 I’ve lost my wallet! v I lost my wallet 3 I’ve been here since Saturday v I’m here since Saturday 4 I’ve done a lot today v I did a lot today

6. Conceptualisations The present perfect The past connected to NOW
A: I’ve seen the Northern Lights
B: Really?
A: Yes, on a visit to Norway. My husband and I have travelled / travelled right up to the Arctic Circle.
B Wow!

7. What does the present perfect look like?
Is it an image from life? If so, what is the image or scene?
Or is it an abstract? Are there any shapes?
Is it black and white? Or colour? Or both?
Draw the present perfect as you ‘see’ it.
Show it to your partner and explain your drawing.
PS No time lines, please

8. Conceptualisations

10. Over to you: think of something / someone/ somewhere …
interesting / surprising you’ve ….
Done …
Seen …
Eaten…
Been
Met…
Experienced…
???

11. My Wow! experience

13. The road not taken
If I’d ……, I’d have …
Third conditional

14. So why ask learners to draw their understandings of concepts?
Grammatical concepts are sometimes difficult for learners to get their heads around. When they do grasp them, different learners will often perceive and conceptualise them in different ways.
As learners reflect, draw and discuss their different interpretations, they’re actually engaged in critical thinking: ‘Does this make sense? ‘Is this a clearer way than mine?’ ‘Why don’t we combine these two ideas?’
It’s this process of exploration and evaluation which helps deeper roots to be put down – and learning becomes more memorable.
Adapted from Jade Blue ELT: generated-visuals/

15. Other grammatical concepts to draw and discuss
Present perfect continuous
Present perfect simple v present perfect continuous
A v the: article use for general v specific
Countability
Past continuous
Past simple v past continuous
Future tenses!
???????????

16. My typical Sunday: please interrupt with questions – What. Why. Where
My typical Sunday: please interrupt with questions – What? Why? Where? When? Who with? Do..?

17. Now you do the same! Five minutes to draw

18. A true-ish story
A bad hair day

19. A bad hair day: a backwards story

20. A bad hair day: from the beginning

21. Over to you
Please get into groups of four. Each group will have a letter.
Divide your paper into four quadrants. Number the quadrants.
Think of the ending of a story – decide together.
In quadrant four, each of you in your group should draw a sketch of the end of the story: two minutes!
Pass your pictures to your ‘opposite number’ in the next group of four.
Now, think about what happened before the ending – what led up to it. It can be serious, silly, romantic, exciting – but it should be coherent (more or less!). Discuss and then draw – three minutes. Ps everybody in the group should draw a picture.
Pass your pictures to your ‘opposite number’ in the next group of four. Now think what happened in picture 2. And so on.
Finally, when you’ve decided what happens in Picture 1 and have drawn it, rehearse your whole story together, from beginning to end.
Now make new groups of four, show your quadrant of pictures to your new groupmates and tell them your group’s story.

22. Pass your paper on.. and receive another one
A1 to B1 A2 to B A3 to B A4 to B4
B1 to C1 B2 to C2 B3 to C3 B4 to C4
C1 to D1 C2 to D C3 to D3 C4 to D4
D1 to E1 D2 to E2 D3 to D4 C4 to D4
E1 to F1 E2 to F2 E3 to F3 E4 to F4
F1 to G1 F2 to G2 F3 to G3 F4 to G4
G1 to H1 G2 to H2 G3 to H3 G4 to H4
H1 to A1 H2 to A2 H3 to A3 H4 to A4

23. Tell the whole story to a new partner
A1 – B1 A2 - B2 A3 - B3 A4 - B4
C1 – D1 C2 – D2 C3 – D3 C4 – D4
E1 – F1 E2 – F2 E3 – F3 E4 – F4
G1 - H1 G2 – H2 G3 – H3 G4 – H4

24. Final thoughts
So let’s encourage our learners to create their own, personalised, visual representations of ideas, concepts, events, feelings and emotions.
Visual representations – drawing, for example - can be a powerful way to explore and evaluate language.
Creating an image is different from just looking at someone else’s image(s). It takes longer .. But it transforms passive looking into active engagement and results in deeper processing and evaluation.
Drawing can intensify interest and motivation through the use of personalisation and/or imagination.
It can also aid comprehension and retention.
‘Concepts can never be presented to me merely, they must be knitted into the structure of my being, and this can only be done through my own activity’. Follett, M. (1924) Creative Experience. Eastford: Martino Fine Books.
Adapted from Jade Blue ELT visuals/ retrieved

25. Thank you and get drawing!
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