IT WORKS IN PRACTICE

More tested lessons, suggestions, tips and techniques which have all worked for ETp
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A literal music video Video story writing

This lesson focuses primarily on speaking. The idea is to make a ‘literal music This is a great way to motivate teens to
video’ using Windows Moviemaker, and the activity exploits the fact that music write well. Telling students that they
videos rarely represent the actual lyrics of a song. The students choose a are going to make a video based on
descriptive music video from YouTube and re-write the lyrics so that they match their writing engages and motivates
what is actually happening in the video. them to do a good job. I use an online
video creator, www.photopeach.com,
They have to think fast and be creative in order to produce the video
but any video-creating application,
successfully, then record the new lyrics onto the film and add subtitles.
online or offline, can be used.
Procedure Here is a lesson that works well for
● Choose a video. ● Add the video and subtitles to writing stories with pre-intermediate
Show an example ‘literal video’ to Windows Moviemaker. teens and young adults:
introduce the idea to the class. Then The students work together to
● First, review past tenses and linking
show the original version of a video transfer the video clip onto Windows
words.
which you want the students to work Moviemaker. Once this has been
with. While watching the clip, the done, they add the subtitles to each ● Put the students into groups to
students need to take note of any vivid frame with their ‘literal’ lyrics. decide on their story and write their
draft on paper.
imagery that they find particularly ● Record the lyrics.
memorable. They should compare their Do any editing that is necessary. ● After checking it, they write each
ideas and collate their favourite The students then record themselves individual sentence on card/paper or
images and ideas. They should then on a mini-whiteboard.
singing the lyrics onto the movie –
come up with a ‘literal version’ of the and finalise the project. ● They use mobile phones to take
video or some part of it. photos of the individual sentences.
● Review the project.
● Analyse the entire clip and write The completed version is emailed to ● You can either get the students to
ideas. each student to watch at home and put it together or do it yourself. I
The students then watch the clip again they write a review of it for show my students how to use
without the lyrics. They stop it after homework. The reviews can be www.photopeach.com because it is
each frame which originally had lyrics, analysed in class to compare ideas, quick and easy and they can choose
to write and compare their ideas. and feedback from the students can their own music from YouTube. They
● Check the new lyrics with the tune be collated to highlight the just need to upload the photos, put
of the song. differences in their writing and them in order, then add a music
Once the students have completed ideas before and after doing the video.
their new lyrics, they replay the clip project. ● You can follow up with a ‘video
with only the melody of the song, For more ideas, check out my blog: carnival’ where the students
checking that their words fit the http://teachingenglishandtechnology. comment, either by speaking or
music. While they watch and listen to blogspot.com/ writing, on each other’s stories.
the instrumental clip, they sing the Fiona Mulcahy Helen Collins
new lyrics. Seville, Spain Seville, Spain

34 • Issue 80 May 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

 Welcome to London
I believe that using visuals to teach English is very
important, especially with primary-level students. And if
you combine visuals with roleplay, you can get awesome
results. The pictures show models of some of the best-
known symbols of Britain, such as Big Ben, a double-
decker bus, a black cab and a red telephone box, which
a colleague in the technology and design department
made for me. I use these models for roleplays. So, for
example, we use the Big Ben clock tower after I have
taught the students how to ask and answer questions
about time. One student in a pair plays the role of a
Londoner and the other is a tourist asking the time.
The Londoner looks at the model of Big Ben and gives
their answer. They use the double-decker bus to
practise buying a ticket or to ask where the bus stop is
– and some even pretend to be on the bus having a
conversation with the person next to them.
One talented group used the black cab to create a
short play, which they then performed in front of their
classmates. One student played the part of a drunken
cab driver, the others were two teenagers who were
late for school. We all had great fun!
We also use all the models together to create a London
setting in which the students play tourists, asking the
way to various tourist attractions.
I find that as a result of using the models, the students
learn better and remember key words and expressions
for longer. Now, instead of sitting at their desks and
reading what the book asks them to read, they are
motivated to devise their own dialogues.
Safa Komuscu
Eskisehir, Turkey

What’s the story?

This is a scaffolded creative writing activity for Procedure
intermediate students and above that takes 1 Put the students into groups and 4 Ask the students to say how close
around 25–30 minutes, plus preparation time. give each group one sheet. their story was to the original,
It helps to expand the students’ imaginations. using a scale from 1 to 6, with
The students work together in small groups to 2 Tell the students that the words
1 being completely different and
create a sensational story. (You should make and the picture(s) are taken from
6 almost a duplicate copy in terms
sure before you begin that your students are a sensational story. Ask them to
of description and details.
familiar with this type of story.) work together to try to compose a
possible story that could reflect 5 Ask each group to read out their
Preparation
the original. Encourage them to story and then get the class to vote
You will need paper, glue and a sensational
include as much descriptive for the story closest to the original
story from a newspaper or magazine that
writing as they can. and the one they enjoyed most.
includes at least one interesting illustration.
Cut out the picture or pictures and about eight 3 When they have finished, give 6 You can display the winners on a
keywords from the text. Glue the words and each group a copy of the original ‘Best work of the week’ wall.
picture(s) onto a sheet of paper and make story to compare with theirs. Mohammed Arroub
enough copies for each group to have one. Homs, Syria

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 80 May 2012 • 35

B USINESS E NGLISH professional

CBI
information, rather than as an end in itself’  Use the internet and digital sources
and it ‘better reflects learners’ needs for for research and reading and listening
learning a second language’. They point to input. Ask the students to create a class
the positive benefits of the naturalness of wiki as the course progresses – with
learning the L2 in a similar way to the notes, PowerPoint and reflective
L1 and of language learning being an discussion sections as well as extra
essential part of the content. resources found by the students.
Phil Wade examines the CBI encourages the use of authentic  Let any language work evolve
materials and a natural blending of naturally within the topic and function
rationale behind content-based
skills, with a reading activity linked to a as a part of the task.
instruction. speaking and perhaps a writing activity.  Plan lessons around students’ interests
and consult them when choosing topics.
n recent years, the needs of students CBI types
I of business and academic English
have shifted from general English to
more specific subject areas. As a result,
Stephen Davies identifies three basic
types of CBI: sheltered, adjunct and
theme-based. The first often involves a
 Try a one-lesson-a-week content class
which could be led by a group of students
who are knowledgeable in the area.
 Give out demanding readings for
content-based instruction (CBI) has homework with language help.
subject specialist giving content lessons,
been adopted for courses in numerous  Encourage the students to form study
backed up by language lessons given by
institutions, from language schools to groups to discuss or prepare for class
an ELT teacher. The adjunct type is
universities. Because of their specific topics.
similar to EAP for university
subject objectives, these courses are  Unless you are an expert in the area,
preparation classes, which concentrates
often taught by subject specialists. approach the class with a collaborative
on language and skills. Theme-based
There is strong theoretical support mindset where everyone can contribute
CBI focuses on a topic of interest to
for CBI. Stephen Krashen’s ‘monitor to understanding the content.
students/teachers and subdivides it into
model’ emphasises the importance of  Avoid lengthy lectures. Instead,
sections or subtopics.
comprehensible input, something which encourage activities which lead the
There are also other variations which
CBI courses frequently deliver via levelled students to discover and work with
adopt activities from other approaches,
reading. The Acquisition/Learning information. ETp
such as task-based or project-based
dimension is also apparent in that students
instruction.
taught by CBI are not lectured on or Anderson, J R and Reder, L M ‘An
about language, they learn it through elaborative processing explanation of
CBI topics
input or use in small integrated activities. depth of processing’ In Cermak, L S and
The Affective Filter is generally I can personally attest to the popularity of Craik, F I M (Eds) Levels of Processing in
lower in CBI classes as students don’t CBI among students, having seen a wide Human Memory Erlbaum 1979
regard them as traditional English range of classes on business, drama, Brinton, D, Snow, M A and Wesche, M B
computing, maths, film studies and even Content-based Second Language
classes, and they are frequently highly
art theory. What is sometimes surprising Instruction Heinle & Heinle 1989
motivated to study the topic.
is the range of levels of the students Davies, S ‘Content-based instruction in
Richard Anderson’s ‘depth of
registering for these courses: some degree EFL contexts (TESL/TEFL)’ The Internet
processing model’ argues that higher- TESL Journal IX (2) 2003
level thinking and processing equals of differentiation is needed to enable
Richards J C and Rodgers, T S
better learning. Therefore, a CBI comprehensible input for all. My own
Approaches and Methods in Language
sociology class could be said to be more recent research on a CBI-designed Teaching CUP 2001
cognitively demanding and, therefore, debating course in China demonstrated Useful websites
more productive than a class on the significant positive student and teacher www.carla.umn.edu/cobaltt/CBI.html (lots
present perfect. responses about the course as a method on CBI, lessons and templates)
Donna Brinton states that proponents of learning English. In fact, most students www.britishcouncil.org/colombia-english-
of CBI ‘view the target language largely didn’t actually consider it to be an English eltconference-2009-kathleen-corrales-cesar-
language course, but did greatly improve maloof.pdf (good introductory slideshow)
as the vehicle through which subject
matter content is learned rather than as their lexical, grammatical and fluency
the immediate object of study’. This skills whilst taking it. In essence, almost Phil Wade has a Business
any topic could be taught using CBI, but degree, a PGCE, the
clearly sets it apart from traditional CELTA, MA TESOL and
language-centred methods as it focuses it is better if it is academic and teachable DELTA Module 3. He has
in a classroom environment. managed an MA business
on teaching a subject. In addition, CBI English course and has
is an approach rather than a method taught corporate,
and, as such, has no rigid procedures. Practical ideas for using CBI foundation, undergraduate
and pre-MBA courses. He
According to Jack Richards and  Use varied authentic reading and is a Cambridge examiner,
materials writer,
Theodore Rodgers, the rationale behind listening input, but ensure they are contributor to BESIG and
it is that ‘people learn a second language comprehensible by helping with language member of the TESOL
and ensuring that any reading tasks France editorial team.
more successfully when they use the
encapsulate the essence of the content. [email protected]
language as a means of acquiring

36 • Issue 80 May 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •