International Journal of English Language Teaching

Vol.3, No.2, pp.23-37, April 2015

Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org)
EFFECTS OF TASK-BASED INSTRUCTION ON READING COMPREHENSION OF
TURKISH EFL LEARNERS

DILAN ÖKCÜ
Teaching Language Skills
ELT5020

Assist. Prof. Yeşim Keşli DOLLAR

ABSTRACT: This action research paper aims to investigate the effects of task based instruction on
reading comprehension and new vocabulary learning in Turkish EFL setting. Participants of the study
are preparatory school students in one of the private universities in İstanbul, Turkey. They were
placed into classes according to results of English proficiency exam that they took at the beginning
of the semester. Among already assigned 55 beginner classes, two beginner groups whose quizzes and
midterm results are quite similar were chosen and they became experimental and control group for
this study. In the first step, mean scores of reading part of the ELAT exam, which is a kind of final
exam and administered twice in a semester, were taken. This was accepted as a pre-test. In the second
step, in a 2-hour reading lesson, experimental group received task-based instruction while control
group went on their traditional reading lesson. After the lessons, both groups were given
comprehension and vocabulary questions. After 2-week interval, both groups received a recall-test to
check the long term effect of task-based instruction on new words that were learned in the lesson.The
findings of the study revealed that both groups showed an improvement with instruction however
there is a significant difference between the mean scores of experimental group and control group in
post-test in terms of comprehension. Experimental group was more successful in post-test. Moreover,
results of recall test showed that task-based instruction has a positive effect on vocabulary learning,
as well.

KEYWORDS: Task-Based Teaching, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary Knowledge

INTRODUCTION

Reading as a receptive skill is maybe one of the most important skills that should be developed for
being better at the target language. Throughout the years, main focus of many teaching approaches
has been mainly on reading and it is accepted as the core of many classroom activities. Because
reading lessons enable teachers to employ a variety of activities, they contribute a lot to a learner’s
language development in both short and long term process. As a receptive skill, reading is like a
treasure in second language learning because grammar, punctuation, vocabulary or paragraph
construction and more can be taught over reading activities. Even a simple reading text can be a model
for many writing activities, starting point for many discussions or a source of motivation. However,
in previous years, reading lessons was not so popular and the functions of reading were just limited
with teaching grammar and translation. In the last few decades, new approaches that attribute different
meanings to it have started to come out. Different approaches that emerged after 1980s such as Natural
approach, Communicative Language Teaching, Content-based or Task-Based approach changed the
perception and the role of reading in second language learning. The aim has shifted from teaching a
structured language to a meaningful one. It is somehow true that students learn what they find
meaningful and task-based approach is one of the approaches that put students into meaningful
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Vol.3, No.2, pp.23-37, April 2015
Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org)
contexts and make them produce as much English as they can.

Statement of the Problem

Throughout the years, many prominent linguists such as Ellis (2003), Nunan (2004) or Willis (2007)
have discussed the effects and importance of a lesson which is constructed by a task-based approach
in second language learning. They have all stressed that the language which is found meaningful by
students and includes interaction promotes language learning. Working on an issue, trying to solve a
problem with others and having an aim to accomplish a task, for instance, make this process more
meaningful. As one the countries of Asia, Turkey is a very rich country which includes many different
cultures and languages in itself. Although English is not spoken in the country, it is the language that
is required most in many situations such as job applications or university entrance exams and schools
and some language courses are the only places where this language can be learned. Because students
are not exposed any English outside of the classroom, the quality of the education given in the schools
is significant. In Turkey education system, teachers are generally middle-aged or old and they usually
apply traditional techniques while teaching because of either busy working hours or course books
which are not qualified enough. Classrooms are still teacher-centered and meaningful interaction in
the target language is limited with just some chunks or drills provided by the teacher. Student-centered
classrooms and natural classroom instruction in the target language are essential in this process.
Because students don’t actively take part in classroom activities, reading comprehension especially
becomes a big problem for them. Therefore, task-based approach which supports active participation
of students in activities might be an alternative to traditional instruction in teaching language.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Definition of Task
Before focusing on the characteristics of Task-based approach, the word “task” and its role in
language learning should be defined clearly. The definition of task is made by many different
linguists, and each linguist defines task according to their own views by touching on important aspects
of language learning process. While Ellis (2003) stresses that a task enables students to use the
language to reach an outcome, Richards (1986) also defines task as an activity in which students
process and understand the language. In addition to these definitions, Nunnan (2004) touches on
another aspect of task and expresses that when tasks are transformed from the real world to the
classroom, they become pedagogical in nature. According to his definition, a task should be a
pedagogical task which involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting
in the target language while their attention is on expressing meaning. So new language is learned
unconsciously and students almost construct their own knowledge. Drawing attention to meaning is
also the other important aspect of a pedagogical task. According to Skehan (1996), tasks should have
a focus in which students obtain feedback and develop their interlanguage. Because of that reason it
is also important to prepare focused tasks that can improve students’ language knowledge. In his
article, Second language acquisition and task based instruction; Skehan (1996) draws attention
especially to meaningful interaction. During the tasks students should have the chance of getting the
pieces together, learning by experiencing, in other words, they must find themselves in a meaningful
interaction. In this regard, he sees instruction which is given through tasks more beneficial than
traditional Presentation, Practice and Production (PPP) approach.

Principles of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT)

Task-based approach is actually a communicative approach which provides students with meaningful
tasks including problems, questions or puzzles and makes them communicate to find out a solution.
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This makes the class a student-centered class in which students are encouraged to use all language
they know and get prepared for many occasions that may happen outside of the classroom like
canceling a reservation in a restaurant. Task-based approach has some significant characteristics and
steps that should be followed for an effective teaching. In general, Nunan (2004) defines 7 main
principles of this approach as the following:

1. Scaffolding: There should be a framework which will make the process easier for students.
Students should not be expected to use the language that they are not explicitly taught.
2. Task Chains: Each task must come after each other and all previous tasks must be ground for
coming task.
3. Recycling: Recycling provides opportunities to practice more for learners.
4. Active Learning: When students are active in the learning process, they learn better.
5. Integration: Learners should be taught the connections between the functions, semantic
meanings and grammatical features.
6. Reproduction to Creation: Students are asked to reproduce the language model which was
shown by their teacher. Tasks must be designed as creative tasks which will allow students to work
on meaning, grammar, function and vocabulary.
7. Reflection: Learners reflect what they have learned and how well their performance
The role of students in the classroom is also different when it is compared with some other teaching
approaches like grammar-translation. Teacher is just the source of the task and creates an environment
in which students work, explore, and learn with their team mates. Tasks prepared by the teacher
include a problem-solving element and students gain opportunity to use language in different ways
with each task. Although teacher is a kind of facilitator during the task, he or she plays an important
role in integration part. He/she helps students make connections between the meaning and a grammar
form, or between a word and its function. Students explore all these things while doing the task.
As Jing and Mingjun (2013) state, TBLT is obviously an effective way of teaching a language since
it provides a purpose for using and learning a language other than presenting language items simply.

Basic Task-Based Model Lesson

Unlike PPP approach, task-based approach does not expect teacher to present the language that
students will study. The focus of the lesson is the task that students have to complete. Students can
use any form of target language they want. A basic task-based lesson includes following stages:
Pre-task: This is the stage in which students are given the task that they are exposed to do. Basquille
(N.D) states that this stage serves as an introduction to the topic and task and it may involve
brainstorming. He stresses that new structures should not be pre-taught in this stage.
Task: In this stage, students work on their tasks. They use any language they know. They try to reach
an aim or a result. Therefore, the type of the task should be determined very carefully. A filling-gaps
activity is not accepted as a task in TBLA. There must be a goal and students should try to accomplish
it. Willis, (1996), defines 6 different types of task which can be used for this purpose: Listing,
Ordering and sorting, Comparing, Problem solving, Sharing personal experiences and Creative tasks.
While students are doing one of these tasks, teacher just helps them when they need help, he or she
does not interrupt or correct their mistakes. Another important thing is that students focus on the
meaning to solve the problem, they do not concentrate on grammar or punctuation.
Report: In this stage students are supposed to prepare a report about what they have done during the
task. Students are still free to use any language they know, however they have to be more careful
about organization of their reports. If they need help while writing, teacher should be ready to help
as a facilitator. Students are asked to tell their classmates what they have written on their report, so
this part also includes preparation for presentation
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Vol.3, No.2, pp.23-37, April 2015
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Presentation: after students finish writing their reports, they present it orally to share their findings
with their classmates. Teacher or classmates of the group may make some comments about their
report. If teacher detects any grammar mistakes, he or she may repeat that phrase or sentence in a
correct way. If there are more than one group that work on the same tasks, they can compare and
contrast their results or findings.
Analysis: This stage is the awareness stage for students. Teacher draws students' attention to some
parts to analyze or students are asked to find some important features. They may work on some
language features, as well.
Practice: Teacher notices what goes well and wrong in his/her class, and finds the parts that students
need to practice more. He/she creates other opportunities to recycle the things that students have
difficulty in doing.

Effects of Designing Reading Class according to TBLT

Most of students have difficulty in understanding while reading a text or passage in the target
language. The problems they have sometimes set a block and hinder the comprehension. The first
step to be able to overcome this situation is to determine the problems students suffer from. 3 years
ago, Mao (2012) prepares a questionnaire for students to find out the problems they have in reading
lessons. He defines that some students have difficulty in comprehending because of unknown words
in the reading text while some students can not figure out the meaning of a word in a sentence because
it has more than one meaning. Answers of the test also reveals that some students want to read faster,
however when they read faster they are not able to understand the text. They comprehend better if
they read the text slowly. Moreover, Mao (2012) stresses that some students can not overcome the
long sentences that include some complex structures, without help of a teacher. In this regard, TBLT
provides teachers with quite active learners who learn by working on a task actively to reach an aim.
Students explore language patterns on their own and this process makes the learning more meaningful
for students. There is also another question that should be asked. What is the effect of TBLT on
students' reading comprehension? Studies show that instead of simply reading a text, having tasks or
activities that make students read the text to find out some information to reach an aim may increase
the comprehension of the students, because of the fact that they will concentrate more on the written
text to reach their goal.

In 2013, three researchers, Kolaeil, Yarahmadi and Maghsoudi, conduct a research in Iran context.
The aim of researchers is to find out effects of task-based instruction on reading comprehension
ability of Iranian EFL students. As an experimental research, it includes both pre-test and post-tense
to see the difference between the mean scores of experimental and control group. Students receive
pre-test at the beginning of the course. To see the development of students over time, post-test is given
at the end of the course. Results of this long-term research show that reading comprehension of both
groups improved significantly. There is no significant difference between two groups. Without
treatment, control group also did quite well in the post-test. However, the effects of task-based
instruction in short-term process can not be underestimated. In 2011, a similar research conducted by
Iranmehr, Erfani and Davari (2011) to find out the effects of task based approach on Iranian students’
reading comprehension when compared to grammar translation method reveals important information
for teachers. The researchers conduct their research on an experimental and control group that are
quite similar. While experimental group receives tasks within task-based framework in reading
lesson, control group just reads the same text and answer reading comprehension questions. The
results of the research show that task-based instruction has a significant effect on reading
comprehension.
In terms of perception of students about reading, Pi-Ching Chen and Chien-Ying Chen (2005) conduct
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Vol.3, No.2, pp.23-37, April 2015
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a research to see whether TBLT affects students' attitudes towards reading and writing. The subjects
of the research were 37 high school students who study in Taiwan. After instruction and a
questionnaire survey, it is seen that EFL learners express positive attitude toward the collaborative
task-based reading-to-writing English instruction because it creates more engaging classroom
environment.

Başaran and Tilfarlıoğlu (2004) conduct a similar research in Turkish context. They use task-based
writing activities as tasks and try to find out whether or not these activities have a positive effect upon
reading comprehension in English as a foreign language. In their research they also expect an
improvement in control group because they also received traditional instruction; however there is not
a significant difference between pre and post-test in this group. On the other hand, research reveals
that when students are given such tasks they comprehend the passage better.

As the research of Mao (2012) shows, unknown words are the biggest obstacles for EFL learners to
comprehend a text properly. Besides, vocabulary learning is a harder process when compared with
grammar and this process make most of students unmotivated towards target language. Being
motivated to learn new words is a significant factor in vocabulary knowledge development. Two
researchers from Vietnam, Thanh and Huan (2012) investigate the effectiveness of the use of text-
based tasks to enhance students’ vocabulary while investigating the effects of TBLT on students'
motivation in Vocabulary learning, as well. They collect data from a questionnaire and vocabulary
tests and arrange interviews with students to examine their attitudes. Results of the study show that
students' both motivation in vocabulary learning and vocabulary knowledge improved significantly.

METHODOLOGY

Research Design
The researcher employs a quasi-experimental design in the research. Sampling process of the research
lacks randomization. Researcher used intact classes. However, subjects were chosen among the
classes whose quiz and mid-term results were quite similar. These classrooms became the
experimental and control group of the study. In the second step, in a 2-hour reading lesson,
experimental group received task-based instruction while control group went on their traditional
reading lesson. After the lessons, both groups were given comprehension and vocabulary questions.
After 2-week interval, both groups received a recall-test to check the long term effect of task-based
instruction on new words that were learned in the lesson. The independent variable of the research is
task-based instruction while dependent variable is students' performance in reading comprehension.

Setting
The research was conducted in one of the 47 private universities located in Istanbul, Turkey. The
university chosen for this study is also one of the most preferred universities because of its affordable
prices and scholarships. Subjects of this study have been studying in preparatory school in this
university for 4 months because they couldn’t be successful enough in English proficiency exam
which is held online at the beginning of the semester. There are 3 elementary, 2 intermediate and 55
beginner classes. There are 28 hours courses in a week. Each semester consists of 2 tracks. Each track
includes 2 pop quizzes, 1 mid-term and a Final exam. In addition, students are provided with a library,
regular remedial classes in case they miss any lesson, a speaking club which is carried out by native
instructors and an English theatre club during whole year.

Subjects
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Participants are 50 EFL Turkish students who study in the prep school. Nearly half of them are
scholarship students. Their age ranges from 18 to 21. Each class has students from 3 different
departments. The classes chosen for the study include mostly students who will study in the
departments of computer, software and industrial engineering. Number of boys is quite higher than
girls, because these professions are generally preferred by males in Turkey. Their English level is
measured by an online proficiency test which has 100 multiple-choice questions. Subjects of this
study are beginners because they couldn’t solve more than 25 questions in this test.

Data collection Instruments

English proficiency exam

The exam is held online at the beginning of the semester. Students take the exam in the computer labs
of the university. The exam includes 100 multiple-choice questions which are mostly reading,
grammar and vocabulary questions. Students who can answer more than 75 questions pass the exam
and start to study in his or her department. Proficiency exam was accepted as an data collection
instrument in the study because it is the instrument that enables the researcher to choose beginner
level students.

Quizzes and Midterms

Quizzes are held as pop-quizzes. They include the questions from certain units that they have studied
in the lessons. They have 4 pop quizzes in a semester. Mid-terms include whole units that students
have studied by that time. There are 2 reading passages, a cloze-test for vocabulary, a function part,
listening comprehension questions and a writing part. Students have 2 mid-terms in a semester. The
average of mid-term and quiz results of the target groups are as the following:

Mean Score of Pop Quizzes: Mean Score of Midterm Exam:

Class A: 72 62
Class B: 74 61
Table 1

Reading scores of ELAT Exam:

Group A: 12 /20

Group B: 12 /20
Table 2

Open-Ended Comprehension Questions

Based on the reading that students read in the class, 10 open-ended questions were written by the
researcher. To measure reading ability properly, it is very important to prepare variety types of
questions. As the main data collection instrument, the instrument includes questions measuring the
ability of getting the meaning of certain words, ability to summarize text, ability to infer information
from the text, and the ability to reach conclusions. Grammar mistakes weren’t taken into consideration
while analyzing results. Each question was 2 points.

Vocabulary test
Vocabulary test was the second main data collection instrument in the study. Students were given 7
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vocabulary questions in the test. Questions were presented in the sentences to measure both
vocabulary and comprehension knowledge. They were asked to put the words into the correct
sentences. Same test was applied after 2 weeks interval to see the long term effect of task based
instruction on vocabulary learning.

PROCEDURE

Treatment Procedure
To measure the effects of task-based approach, a task-based reading lesson plan which was prepared
by Jane and Dave Willis and based on comparative grammar structure was used to teach experimental
group by making some adjustments on it like adding or omitting,. After reading passage was chosen
and activities were arranged according to task-based approach, the researcher prepared 10
comprehension and 7 vocabulary questions for each group. During the experiment, the researcher
became the instructor for both groups. While task-based instruction was being used in experimental
group, traditional instruction was used in the control group. Because the aim of the research is to find
out the effects of task-based activities on reading comprehension, control group didn’t receive any
task-based instruction. In control group, teacher made students read the text, touched on unknown
words. They studied text by translating some sentences and afterwards they were given reading
comprehension questions. In experimental group, the lesson started with a task and students worked
on this task to reach an aim. Then, they were given the same reading text given to control group to
see how well they did. They had a purpose to read the text. After conscious rising activities, this
group was also given same comprehension and vocabulary questions.

Data Collection Procedure

In this research, average scores of reading parts of the ELAT exam were accepted as pretest. Reading
part of this exam includes 5 multiple-choice comprehension questions about a reading passage. Each
of the questions equals 4 points. Among 55 pre-intermediate classes, 2 classes whose average scores
were same were chosen for the study.Comprehension questions and vocabulary test were accepted as
post-test. The results of these instruments were compared with students’ reading scores of ELAT exam
and their improvement was measured. Then results of 2 groups were compared and effect of task
based instruction was measured by looking at the difference between the mean scores. After 2 weeks
interval, students were given a vocabulary test which was similar but not same with previous one to
measure the effects of task based activities in long term process. Students had their exams in their
own classrooms. While comprehension test lasted 20 minutes, students were given 15 minutes for
vocabulary test.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

As the table 2 shows, students were able to answer 3 questions out of 5 in average in reading part of
ELAT (Each question is 4 points, 3x4= 12). While some students get all questions correct, some of
them get none of them correct and lose many points and this is the situation which both demotivates
them and changes their attitude towards reading. With treatment, researcher aims to overcome this
case and see how well long term knowledge can be provided by task-based instruction.
After the treatment session, both groups were given the test which includes 17 questions in total. The
results of these post-test is as the following:
Average Scores of Average Scores of
Comprehension Vocabulary Questions Total Score
Questions
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Experimental group 18/20 6/7 24/27

Control Group 14/20 4/7 17/27
Table 3
It is seen that, there is an improvement in both groups when the results of post-test is compared with
pre-test's. Even control group shows improvement because they studied the text with the help of their
teacher and many ambiguous part of the reading text were clarified by the instructor. Experimental
group, on the other hand, did quite well in post-test and showed a significant improvement. It clear
from the results that there is a significant difference between the mean scores of experimental group
and control group in terms of comprehension. This shows that, task-based approach in which students
are more active and learn by doing is more effective for students to comprehend a reading passage
better.

The next table shows the mean scores of vocabulary test. Experimental group which did many tasks
with these words in the treatment session is well ahead of control group that learned words with
translation and filling in the blanks exercises. Vocabulary learning process is also affected highly in
a positive way with task based activities. It is seen that students were sometimes unaware about what
they learn actually, they just tried to do their best to finish the task and learned many words
subconsciously.

To see the long-term effect of task based instruction on vocabulary knowledge, a recall test was given
to both groups after 2 weeks interval. In this recall test, similar but a parallel test was used to eliminate
the memory effect. Words that are measured were same; however sentences were different from the
previous one. The results of this recall test were as the following:

Average Scores of Vocabulary Questions

Experimental group 5/7
Control Group 2/7
Table 4.
As it is clearly seen, the words that are learned by task-based activities are easier to remember even
after 2 weeks than the ones learned by translation or some drill exercises. While there is a decrease
in both group's results, this decrease rate is higher in control group.

Reliability and Validity Issues

It is very important to have equal subjects in terms of English proficiency level to be sure that all
students understand all questions properly. Therefore, subjects were chosen among the students
whose proficiency exam results are almost equal and study in the same class. To choose most
appropriate testing items, all questions and instructions were evaluated with 2 native and 2 nonnative
English teachers who are experienced ones and know the problems well that second language learners
have. Taking their opinions into consideration, 20 open ended questions were selected to use both in
post-test and recall- test. A pilot study was also conducted to be sure about whether all instructions
and questions are clear for the subjects who are beginners. For pilot testing, another beginner prep
class of the same university was chosen. According to their comments about the tests, items that need
changes were changed and made clearer. Not having an ambiguous question or instruction for subjects
enhanced the creditability of the research. Then, these questions were divided into two; half of them
was used in post-test while the rest was used in recall- test. different but parallel questions were used
to subjects to eliminate the memory effect. Otherwise the memory factor might have a negative effect
on the reliability of the research results. Moreover, different instructors might have affected the test
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performance of the students, therefore the researcher became the instructor for both classes.

CONCLUSION

The aim of this study to find out the effects of task-based activities on reading comprehension of
Turkish EFL learners who are students in prep school. Results of the data collection instruments reveal
that there is a significant difference between the control and experimental group. Secondly, it is seen
that, task-based activities have a positive effect on vocabulary learning, as well. It is also inferred
from the classroom atmosphere that students develop a positive attitude towards reading lessons. The
source of this motivation comes from the ambitious they have to finish the task. It is obvious that
students like activitie s

REFERENCES
Basquille, A. (N.D). Task Based Learning
Başaran, S. & Tilfarlıoğlu, F. (2004) An Experimental Study of Task-Based Writing Activities
in Foreign Language Learning.
Chen, P. & Chen, C. (2005). Bridging Reading and Writing: A Collaborative Task-Based
English Instruction. Interdisciplinary Journal 49, 349-366
Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based Language Learning and Teaching. The Methodology of Task-Based
Teaching Oxford: Oxford University Press
Iranmehr, A., Erfani, S. & Davari, H. (2011). Integrating Task-based Instruction as an
Alternative Approach in Teaching Reading Comprehension in English for Special
Purposes, ISSN 1799-2591 Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp.
142-148
Jing, W., & Mingjun, L. (2013). Task-based Approach in Chinese EFL Teaching. Harbin
Institute of Technology
Kolaeil, N., Yrahmadi, M. & Maghsoudi, M. (2013). The Effects of Task-Based Approach on
Iranian EFL Learner's Reading Comprehension Ability. Vol. 3 (3), pp.404-416
Nunnan, D. (2004). Task-based Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press
Mao, Z. (2012) The Application of Task-based Language Teaching to English Reading
Classroom. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 2, No. 11, pp. 2430-2438
Richards, J., Platt, J. & Webber, H. (1986). A Dictionary of Applied Linguistics. London:
Longman.
Skehan, P. 1996. A framework for the implementation of task-based instruction. Applied
Linguistics 17: 38‒62.
Skehan, P. (1996b). Second language acquisition research and task-based instruction. Oxford:
Heinemann
Thanh, L. & Huan, N. (2012) Task-Based Language Learning and Student Motivation in
Vocabulary Acquisition, Can Tho University
Willis, D & Willis, J (2007) Doing Task-based Teaching. Oxford University Press

APPENDIX 1

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TASK-BASED LESSON PLAN

NORTH POLE, SOUTH POLE

1 Introduction

Basically the lesson starts with a discussion. The question for discussion is:

WHICH IS COLDER: THE NORTH POLE OR THE SOUTH POLE?

2 Discussion of relevant questions

Teacher puts learners into groups to discuss these statements and decide if they are true or false:

1 There is no land at the Antarctic – only an ice-cap.

2 The polar regions get very little sunshine compared with other latitudes.
3 The ice is several metres thick in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.
4 For six months in the year there is no sunshine in the Arctic.
5 Water keeps in the heat of the sun better than dry land.
6 The Antarctic is by far the highest of the five continents, rising to more than two
thousand metres above sea level.

Teacher begins by looking at the questionnaire with the class as a whole and making sure they
understand the questions. He/she helps with unknown words. Then he/she lets them discuss the
questions in groups.

In order to maintain interest in the coming discussion, teacher leaves these questions
unanswered for the time being. He/she listens to what students say and leds discussion without
confirming or denying what they say.

3 Discussion

Teacher puts learners into groups and asks them to reach a decision. Teacher appoints one
member of the group to act as spokesperson and speak for the group after the discussion and
asks one learner to act as group secretary, taking notes but not taking part in the discussion.
Once the discussion begins, teacher leaves learners to get on with it by themselves as far as
possible. They may ask teacher for help with vocabulary, but in general they should express
things for themselves. They will probably not be too concerned with grammatical accuracy at
this stage. They will be involved in the discussion and trying hard to make their opinions heard.
This means they will be speaking spontaneously and in these circumstances grammatical
accuracy is a secondary consideration. The communicative situation is spontaneous and
informal, so they will not be giving careful consideration to the form of what they are saying.

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Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org)

4 Preparation

Teacher tells the groups that in five minutes their spokesperson may be asked to report the group
discussion to the class as a whole. They have five minutes to help the spokesperson prepare for
this.

During this preparation phase they will be more concerned with grammatical accuracy. The
spokespersons are going to speak to the class as a whole as a representative of the group. They
have had time to consider what they are going to say. In these circumstances they will be
expected to speak formally, and part of this is grammatical accuracy. Because of this they may
ask teacher for help with formulating their message and teacher should be prepared to help.

5 Report

Teacher asks one or two of the spokespersons to present the views of their group. What was
their decision? Was it unanimous? What were the reasons for their decision? After each report
teacher can summarize what has been said.

6 Decision making

Teacher takes a final vote on the question. He/she asks one or two people if they have changed
their minds, and if so, why?

7 Reading

Teacher gives learners this text to read:

WHICH IS COLDER: THE NORTH POLE OR THE SOUTH POLE?

The North and South poles are both very cold because they get very little sunshine
compared with the rest of the earth. The sun never rises more than 23.5 degrees above the
horizon, and for six months of the year the poles get no sunshine at all. Also most of the
sunlight is reflected back by the bright white surface. So both poles are very cold, but the
South Pole is much colder than the North Pole because it sits on top of a very thick ice
sheet, which itself sits on dry land, on the continent of Antarctica. The top of the ice sheet
near the South Pole is more than 3,000 metres above sea level – more than a mile and a
half high, so Antarctica is by far the highest continent on earth. In comparison the North
Pole rests in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, where the surface of the ice is only about a
foot above the sea. Water keeps in more heat than dry land so the Arctic Ocean retains the
heat, making it less cold in winter and warmer in the summer.

They will be reading with a real purpose – to find out whether they are right or wrong in their
conclusion and their arguments.

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ISSN 2055-0820(Print), ISSN 2055-0839(Online)
 International Journal of English Language Teaching
Vol.3, No.2, pp.23-37, April 2015
Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org)
8 Review

Ask learners to put away their texts and summarize the passage orally. You could ask them to
prepare this in groups.
9 Language Study

9.1 Consciousness raising- Vocabulary

9.1.1 Labelling:
Teacher asks students to write the words which has missing letters according to the given
definitions.

 S_ _f_ _e: The outer or the topmost boundary of an object.

 _ _n_ in_ _t: One of the principal land masses of the earth, usually regarded as including
Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.
 _e_ _o_: A portion of the earth's surface distinguished from others by some
characteristic:

9.1.2 True-false:
Students Read the statements and write true or false in this part.
_____land: such a piece of furniture specifically used for serving food to those seated at it
_____horizon: the line or circle that forms the apparent boundary between earth and sky.
_____mile: a unit of distance on land in English-speaking countries equal to 1.609
kilometres

9.2 Consciousness raising- Grammar

Teacher asks learners to go through the text underlining all the expressions to do with
comparison. Go through and hear their contributions. In general they will identify phrases with
a comparative or superlative adjective, but there are also a couple of useful phrases: compared
with and in comparison. Here is a list of the expressions that I identified:

1. Which is colder: the North Pole or the South Pole?

2. They get very little sunshine compared with the rest of the earth.
3. The sun never rises more than 23.5 degrees above the horizon.
4. The South Pole is much colder than the North Pole.
5. The top of the ice-sheet is more than 3,000 metres above sea-level, more than
a mile and a half high.
6. Antarctica is by far the highest continent on earth.
7. In comparison the North Pole rests in the middle of the Arctic Ocean….
8. Water keeps in more heat than dry land.
9. The ocean retains the heat, making it less cold in winter and warmer in the
summer.

Teacher then removes the italicized words and sees if they can recall them.

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ISSN 2055-0820(Print), ISSN 2055-0839(Online)
 International Journal of English Language Teaching
Vol.3, No.2, pp.23-37, April 2015
Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org)
9.3 Recycling Vocabulary (optional)

9.4 Original story:

Students write a story about anything, using all the given words.

Bright, sunshine, ice, cold, warm, heat, surface

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
________________

APPENDIX 2

WHICH IS COLDER: THE NORTH POLE OR THE SOUTH POLE?

The North and South poles are both very cold because they get very little sunshine compared
with the rest of the earth. The sun never rises more than 23.5 degrees above the horizon, and
for six months of the year the poles get no sunshine at all. Also most of the sunlight is reflected
back by the bright white surface. So both poles are very cold, but the South Pole is much colder
than the North Pole because it sits on top of a very thick ice sheet, which itself sits on dry land,
on the continent of Antarctica. The top of the ice sheet near the South Pole is more than 3,000
metres above sea level – more than a mile and a half high, so Antarctica is by far the highest
continent on earth. In comparison the North Pole rests in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, where
the surface of the ice is only about a foot above the sea. Water keeps in more heat than dry land
so the Arctic Ocean retains the heat, making it less cold in winter and warmer in the summer.

Answer the following questions according to the passage?

What is the passage is about?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………
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ISSN 2055-0820(Print), ISSN 2055-0839(Online)
 International Journal of English Language Teaching
Vol.3, No.2, pp.23-37, April 2015
Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org)
……………………………………………………………………………………………

Why both The North and South poles are not hot?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

How many months of the year do poles get sunshine?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Why South Pole is much colder than North Pole?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

A mile and half equals to...?

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Which pole is higher above the sea-level?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

What is the effect of sea water on North Pole?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

What is special with Antarctica?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………

Is it true that they get much sunshine when compared with the rest of the earth?
……………………………………………………………………………………………
APPENDIX 3

VOCABULARY

Put the words into correct sentences

Sunshine horizon bright surface continent heat land

1. The weather was ___________ and sunny

2. In this lesson, students will identify characteristics of the physical geography of

each ______________ of the world.

3. Ice needs _________ to melt

4. Nearly 10 percent of the Earth's ___________ is covered by ice

36
ISSN 2055-0820(Print), ISSN 2055-0839(Online)
 International Journal of English Language Teaching
Vol.3, No.2, pp.23-37, April 2015
Published by European Centre for Research Training and Development UK (www.eajournals.org)
5. The closer the sun is to the __________, the more of the circle we see.

6. After 21 days at sea, we saw___________.

7. With water and __________, it can grow tall and strong.

Appendix 4
VOCABULARY
Put the words into correct sentences

Sunshine horizon bright surface continent heat land

1. We had three days of spring __________.

2. The ___________ of Asia and Africa are quite big when compared with restaurant
3. We could see a ship on the ____________.
4. How many __________ does a cube have?
5. It was a ____________ autumn day
6. When the milk comes to the boil, turn off the __________.
7. The crocodile lives both in the sea and on____________.

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