فتون الحربي
20-03-2009, 12:26 AM
:girl face (107):
:smile (35):
Classroom language for starting lessons
Coming into the room
The teacher coming into a room full of students
"Can someone take this CD player and plug it in? Thanks."
"Can someone hold the door open for me?"
"Hi everyone. Just let me put my things down here and we'll get started."
"Morning. Not many people here yet? / Where is everyone?"
"Is this the right room? Mrs Andersen's class?/ Top set English?/ English club?"
"Hello again. Mr Smithers is still sick"/ "Yes, (it's) me again!"
The students coming in
"Okay everyone, file in quietly and take a seat please"
"Upper Intermediate 1? Yes, this is the right class. Come (on) in."
"Hi. Come in. Take a seat/ Sit anywhere you like/ Can you sit somewhere different from last week?/ "Can you sit near the front?"
"Please put your homework into the tray as you come in"/ "Homework in the tray, everyone"
"Please put your bags on your pegs/ in your desks/ on the back of your chairs/ on the stage/ in a pile by the door/ in your lockers"
"We're going to do pairwork, so you need to sit closer to each other"
"Sit in your usual teams/ the same teams as last lesson"
"Boys on the right and girls on the left"
"Sit on the floor/ on the mats/ on the rug/ in the story corner"
"Take a flashcard as you come in, they are for the first game"
"Line up in order of age/ height/ the date of your birthday/ in alphabetical order"
"Can the last person in close the door?"
"As you come in, ask the next person their name and say 'Come in please' and 'Thank you'"
"Knock on the door and say 'Can I come in?'"
"Entrance drill! Today's question is 'What colour is your bag?'"
"Line up against the wall and then you can come in"
Greetings
"Okay everyone, stand up please. Jimmy, that means you too. Right. Good morning everyone/ Good morning class/ Good morning boys and girls/ Good morning children... Okay, just 'good morning' is right too, but I want you to say 'Good morning class. Good morning teacher.' like we practiced last week. Can you do that? Okay, one, two, three. Much better, but remember that the 'or' in 'morning' is a long sound, oooooooooor" "Oooooor... Good. Moooooorning.... Okay, (that was) maybe a little too long, ha ha! Morning... Great. So, let's do the whole thing one more time from the start. Good morning class... Much much better. Okay, sit down please"
"(Good) morning/ afternoon/ evening"/ "Hello/ Hi"
"Merry Christmas"
"Happy New Year"
Introductions
"My name is Mr/Mrs/Ms Kim. I'm your new English teacher/ I'm your English teacher this year/ this term/ today. (Can you ask me some questions, e.g. where I'm from and my free time?)"
"I'll just introduce myself first"
"I've got five lessons with you each week."
"I'm covering for your usual teacher (today/ this week). He/ she has a cold"
"I'm new to this school, so please be nice to me, ha ha!"
"Your last teacher told me you are the best class, so I hope that is true!"
"Can you all introduce yourselves to me?"
"Can you tell me and the rest of the class two or three things about the person sitting next to you?"
"Let's introduce ourselves, shall we?"
"This is my name at the top of the board, it's pronounced..."
Taking the register (= roll call)
"Who is absent today? / Who isn't here today?"
"Oh, John's away. Does anyone know why? Is he ill?"/ "What's the matter with Stefano today? / What's wrong with Jim today?"/ "Where's Tony? He didn't look very well yesterday, so maybe he's sick./ In this weather, maybe he's gone to the beach." / "Does anyone know where Hyo Young is?/ Any idea why Hyo Young is absent?"
"So everyone is here except..."
"So, only two people away."
"Let's take the register."/ "Let's check to see who is here."
"Remember to answer 'I'm here'"
"Is everybody here?"/ "Is anyone away?"/ "No one absent today?"
"So, Su Young isn't back yet. Does anyone know when she'll be back/ what has happened to her/ if she's dropped out of the class?"
"There are a few empty chairs. Who is missing?"
"Not many people here today. Is there a bug going round?"
"Oh yes, Juanes said he was going to miss this lesson, didn't he? Can any remember where he said he was going?"
"Let's see if everyone is here"
"Listen while I call your names"
"Shout out 'present'/ 'here' if you are here"
"No? Is he/ she absent today?"
"Let's all count to see if everyone is here - girls first, then boys."
"Who's the class monitor this week? Rocky? Rocky, can you count how many people are here please?"
Initial chitchat
"How are we all today?"/ "How are you (today)?" / "How are things?" / "How's life?"
"Did you have any trouble getting here? I heard there were problems on the Central Line"
"You all look freezing. Is it still snowing outside?/ How's the weather outside now?"
"(Did you have a) busy day at work?"
"I see we have a few new faces. Can you briefly introduce yourselves to the class?"
"Long time no see, Julietta. How was your holiday?/ Does anyone have any questions for Julietta about her holiday?"
"(Did you have a) good weekend? Did anyone do anything different/ interesting/ exciting?/ John, you said you were going to.... How was it?"
"Did you enjoy your holiday?"
"Did anyone notice my haircut/ tan/ sunburn/ broken arm/ new suit? Any questions (about my evening/ weekend)?"
"Vlad, you wanted to ask me a question. Can you ask it now?/ Can you ask that question to everyone in the class?"
"You (all) look tired/ hot/ cold"
"Is it hot/ cold/ humid/ snowing/ raining outside (at the moment)?"
"Are you (all) feeling better today?"
"(Have you )had a haircut?"
"(We are all) dressed up smart today, aren't we? (Is there) any special reason?"
"I was sorry to hear about..."
"Did you hear about...?"
"Are you looking forward to...?"
"I can hear quite a lot of sniffing/ sniffling. Is there a cold going round/ does everyone have a cold?"
Waiting to start
"I'm waiting for you to be quiet/ to settle down/ We won't start until everyone is quiet."
"Please stop talking and be quiet" / "(Can everyone please) settle down so we can start."
"(Everyone be) quiet please!"
"Okay, I'm glad you're excited, but let's calm down a little, shall we?"
"Yes, okay, we'll play the Stations game, but you have to sit down quiet and then doing the normal greetings first."
"I'm still hearing some noise at the back"/ "What's going on back there?"
"We have the same thing every week. What am I waiting for?... For you to be quiet, that's right."
"They'll be plenty of time for speaking/ games once the class has started."
"... or would you prefer to start by checking your homework instead?"
Getting started/ getting down to business
"So, let's get started, shall we?"
"I could talk about that all day, but I think we should study some English, shouldn't we?"
"Are you ready (to start/ to learn English)?"
"English time! (No more Korean!)"
"Is everybody ready to start?"
"I hope you are all ready for your English lesson."
"I think we can start now."
"Let's begin!"/ "Let's start!"/ "Let's rock and roll!"
"Now that everybody is here..."
"I was going to start the class by..., but it's too hot/ you all look too tired/ there aren't enough people/ the equipment isn't working. So, let's move straight onto..."
"I don't think we need a warm up game today, do we?"
"Can anyone remember what we did last week/ in the last lesson/ this morning?
"I told you to prepare something for the beginning of this lesson, didn't I? It looks like some people have completely forgotten about it. Oh well, your loss. The people who did do it will find the next part really easy"
"Whose turn is it to choose the starting game/ song/ the language point for the ball game?"
Unusual starting tactics
"Catch!"
"Is no one going to ask me what I'm doing?"
"The first person to the front of the room gets a sweet/ doesn't have to do any homework tonight"
"What's this?"
"One point to Sebastian for being quiet"
"Who wants a sweet?"
Stating your aims[/COLOR
]"Now I'd like you to continue asking and answering questions about your weekend/ your hobbies, but using the structure on the board/ but as a game"
"I'd like to start the lesson by revising what we did last lesson/ seeing how much you remember from last week"
"I'd like to start the lesson with a pop quiz/ a warmer/ some revision/ some pairwork speaking"
"The aims of today's lesson are.../ are at the top of the board"
"Today, we are going to..."
"As I explained last week, today is the day for the final test/ presentations/ course feedback questionnaires"
"Today, we're going to do something a bit different/ unusual/ strange. This is to.../ Why we are doing it will become clear later on." /"This may seem a little unusual, but it's all part of the plan!"
"Today/ In this lesson/ This week we'll learn how to ... / we will study.../ we will practice ... (from last week)"
"The aim of this class is (to) ..."
"I know we don't usually start by checking the homework/ by doing a song, but we are going to move onto..."
Lateness
"Where have you been?"
"We started ten minutes ago. What have you been doing?"
"What time does the class start?... And what time is it now?"
"Sorry, we are in the middle of a listening exercise. Can you wait outside for two minutes until we finish?"
"Did you miss your bus?"/ "Are there still problems with the underground?"/ "Did you get stuck in traffic?"/ "Did you have problems getting a taxi (in the rain)?"
"Did you oversleep?"/ "(Is your) alarm clock broken (again)?"
"Don't let it happen again."
"It's okay, but come in quickly/ quietly so we can get on with class"
"Don't worry, but try to be on time next time"
"You missed the progress test, so you'll need to do that another time"
"You can do the part you missed for homework"
"Can someone explain what we are doing to Jose Maria?"
"Where were we?"/ "Right, let's get back to/ get on with..."
Tests
"Today is the test, remember. So, I want you to come in without speaking and take out just one pencil and one eraser. No books and no pieces of paper. Got it? How many books are you allowed?... No, Sabrina, not a hundred. Yes, okay, a thousand, very funny. Seriously. How many books?... Yup, zero, none, nowt. When you've got your pencil and eraser out of your bag, put your bags at the back of the classroom. Ready? Quietly, come in one at a time."
"Any questions before the test starts?"
"Today's the test, but we'll do something else for 10 or 15 minutes to give other people a chance to get here"
Things to think about/ Discussion questions for teachers
• What stages above wouldn't you bother doing in your classes, e.g. initial chitchat in a large class, low level class or very young class?
• What order do you usually do the stages that you do? Could you do them in a different order?
• Which of the phrases in each of the stages you do use above is the right language level for your students? Is each one also suitable for their age, polite enough etc? If not, how could you change it?
• Pick at least 5 sentences above that are totally unsuitable for your classes. Why are they unsuitable? What kinds of classes and situations might they be suitable for? What could you say instead in your classes?
• How could you make each of those phrases easier to understand, e.g. what gestures could you use and what language could you add to your syllabus?
• Once your students get used to that phrase, how can you make it more complicated in order to boost their level but still making sure they understand?
• Is there any way of getting students to use the same phrases with each other?
• Do you do any of the stages above in L1 rather than English? What do you think students' reactions to you switching to English would be? How could you make that transition easier?
• Many of the sentences above have natural conversational grammar rather than traditional written grammar, e.g. "Alarm clock broken?", which a native speaker is probably more likely to say rather than "Is your alarm clock broken?" What do you think about using these kinds of sentences?
• There are also some examples of more difficult and idiomatic words and phrases like "nowt" and "How are things?" that students would probably still understand from the context. How do you feel about using these in your classes?
• If you use natural sentences at natural speed students will hopefully learn to guess the meaning from context, to accept not understanding every word, and to remember language in longer stretches rather than word by word. They might, however, never understand what the individual words are and might never be able to tie it in with the language on the syllabus. Which of these are more important for your students, do you think?
• Some people like to start English class in exactly the same way as the other classes so that students take it seriously, and other teachers like to start it in a more relaxed and friendly way to set the atmosphere that they need for an interactive, communicative classroom. Which thing is more important to you? Is there any way of combining the two things?
Useful classroom language for teachers for doing listenings
[color="#CC0000"]Useful vocabulary for/ about doing listenings
Parts of the equipment
Play (button)
Fast forward (button)
Rewind (button)
Tone control
Speed control
Volume (control)
Counter
Speakers
Speaker cables
Lead
The original
A copy
Cassette/ tape
Cassette box
(Student/ class/ workbook) CD
CD box
Track listing
Things you can do with a CD/ cassette/ audio file
Press play/ fast forward etc
Start the CD/ cassette/ track/ recording
Skip (to the next track)
Reset (the counter)
Read the counter
Change/ adjust the volume/ Turn the volume up/ turn the volume down
Cue the tape/ Find your place on the tape
Pause
Stop
Insert the CD/ cassette/ the CD ROM
Eject/ Take out the CD etc
Change the CD/ cassette
Open Windows Media Player/ Real Player
Click on the MP3/ audio track
Plug the CD player/ cassette recorder in
Turn it on/ Push the power button
Chew up the cassette
Scratch the CD
Clean the CD
Label the cassette/ CD
Make a back up copy
Reasons for not understanding
Abbreviations
Elision
Weak forms
Homophones
False friends
Minimal pairs
Contractions
Names of different question types
Multiple choice
True/ false
True/ false/ not stated
Gap fill
Sentence completion
Matching
Different kinds of listening texts
Monologues
Guided tours
Stories
Poems
Lectures
Speeches (e.g. political speeches)
Anecdotes
Public announcements
Dialogues
Debates
Chat shows
Situational dialogues (shopping etc)
Conversations
Business meetings
Interviews
Others
Songs
Radio plays
Other useful vocabulary
Tapescript
Answer key
Hissing/ noise
Buzzing/ interference
Background noise
Useful gestures to use when doing listenings
Cupping your hand around your ear ("Listen")
Cupping your hand around your ear and leaning in more towards the speaker ("Listen more carefully")
Cupping your hand around your ear whilst looking quizzical or a little annoyed ("I can't hear the tape because other people are making noise"/ "I can hear something I shouldn't be hearing")
Putting your right index finger vertically in front of your sealed lips ("Shh"/ "Be quiet so other people can hear the tape")
Putting the tip of your right thumb and right index finger together, touching the left corner of your mouth with them, and then pulling them across your tightly closed lips ("Shut up!"/ "Zip it!")
Put your right index finger out in front of you parallel to your chest and turn it to make a circle at right angles to your body in the air with the tip of your finger ("One more time"/ "I'm going to play it one more time"/ "Do you want me to play it one more time?")
Pointing at the speakers/ CD player/ cassette recorder/ computer ("We are going to list to a recording")
Useful classroom language for the teacher to use at different stages of doing a listening
Getting the equipment set up
"Does anyone know where I can plug this in?"/ "Where is the socket in this room?"/ "Can someone plug this in for me?"/ "Whose turn is it to get the cassette recorder set up this week?"
"Where's the on switch, I wonder?"
"Does anyone know what this flashing light means?"
Lead in
"What do you think the two people in the photo are saying to each other?... We are going to listen to the real conversation. The first time you listen, just check if they say anything that we predicted"
"Match the questions and answers in your book, and then we'll listen and check."
"Which statements (about the Coliseum) do you think are true? Let's listen to a university lecture on Italian history and check our answers"
Explaining the task before you start
"Don't write anything the first time you listen"
"You don't need to write full sentences, just take notes"
"Put the sentences/ paragraphs/ photos in order"
"We'll do the first question together, then I'll play the rest through without stopping"
"I won't stop the tape, but we will hear it two or three times"
"The questions are in the same order as the text"
"It's a real (IELTS/ TOEIC/ etc) exam task, so it will play once/ twice, with a pause (between and) at the end"
"Listen and colour in the clothes with the colour that is says on the tape"
"Listen and draw a line between the person and his or her favourite food"
"You'll need to change some of the words from the listening to make sure they fit in the gaps (grammatically)"
Listening for general understanding tasks
"Listen to the whole text and just answer this one question- does the person speaking like Birmingham or not?"
"Just listen for what kind of conversation they are having, from the list at the top of the page. Is it an argument, negotiation, invitation or job interview?"
Prediction tasks
"What do you think happens next (in the story)?... Let's listen and check"
"What do you think the numbers represent?... Let's listen to what the person on the tape has to say"
"Which graph do you think shows the real unemployment rate in China over the last 50 years?... We are going to listen to an expert discussing each of the graphs. He doesn't think any of them are completely true, but listen for which one he says is most accurate."
"Match the photos/ descriptions/ charts to the different countries, then we will listen and check"
Listening for detailed comprehension tasks
"Listen for the differences between the sentences/ text here and what they say on the CD"
Listening for specific information tasks
"Write the name of the person who says each thing/ has each opinion next to sentences as you listen"
During the first time you listen
"(As I said), we'll go through the first answer together (to check you understand) first. So, listen just for question one...Did anyone get that part? I'll play just that bit one more time. Everyone got it? He says 12 cows, so the number is..? 12, good. So you draw a circle around...? 12 cows. Okay, go ahead. Let's see how you've done. You all seem to have the right idea. So, you understand what you have to do, right? Good. Here we go with the other questions. Remember, I won't stop again, so listen and draw the circles as soon as you understand"
After the first time you hear it
"Do you need to hear it again?"/ "One more time?"
"How was that?"
"(Did you get) anything at all?"
"Let me have a look at (some of) your answers. Not bad, you've got about 50% right."
"I'll play it one more time (but stopping after each answer/ section)"
"I'll play it a little bit slower" [if you have speed control on the computer or cassette player]
"After you compare your answers, I'll play it one more time"
Giving listening tips/ helping them towards the right answer
"He has a British accent, so remember that when he says 'can' and 'can't' the vowel sound will be different"
"If you aren't sure which option is correct, cross out the ones you are sure are wrong and then choose from the ones that are left"
"You should be able to guess this question/ some of the answers without even listening"
"Think about the grammar of the sentence"
"What verbs usually go together with 'story'?... And which one fits in with the topic of the conversation?"
"It's a trick question/ a typical TOEIC question"
"You should be able to judge quite a lot just from his tone of voice"
"Think about what he is referring to"
"It's a phrasal verb, but I think you can guess the meaning from the verb and preposition"
"While you are waiting for the recording to start, try to predict what you will hear"
"Just because you hear a word written in the question doesn't mean it has the same meaning. In fact, it's usually the sign of a trick question"
After the second time you hear it
"(Was that) a bit better/ easier?"
"(Are we) nearly there/ getting there?"
"Do you need to hear it a third time, or was that okay?"
"We'll go through the answers you've got so far, and that should help you understand the whole thing better next time you hear it"
"We are going to do another task anyway, and that might help you answer these questions too"
Checking and correcting their answers
"What did you get for question one?"
"Does everyone agree?"
"Put your hand up if you thought it was A. And B? And C? Most people didn't put their hand up at all, so let's try again! A? ..."
"The right word has exactly/ almost the same pronunciation, but a different spelling/ meaning"
"It did sound like that, but that doesn't make sense in this sentence"
"Let's listen to just that one sentence one more time"
"This time I'll pause it right after the word we are having problems with"
"Let me write that sentence up (with a gap)"
"Look at the tapescript on page 23/ at the back of your books. Check your own answers and ask me if you have any questions"
"The two words are linked together, so the /d/ is the last letter of the previous word"
Feedback on prediction tasks
"I must admit, I thought number two was true as well until I listened to this text before the lesson"
"Did anyone predict all the right answers? (Me neither!)"
Feedback on listening
"I think listening is a bit more difficult than speaking or writing for this class. Would you like to spend more time on it?/ Would you like some ideas on how you can practice listening outside class?"
"That was quite a difficult task/ a real exam task/ the most difficult task we have tried yet/ someone speaking at natural speed/ quite a difficult accent, so I think you did very well (considering)"
"Remember that you don't have to understand every word. If you can answer the questions, you have understood"
"You only need 75% for an A, so don't worry if you can't answer every question."
"Why did you find it difficult? Was it because he was speaking fast/ you didn't know some of the words/ the questions were tricky?"
"Even some native speakers might have problems remembering all the information until the end of the text, but at least everyone passed!"
"Do you think the work we did on linked speech after the last listening helped you understand this one better?"
Problems
"Sorry, there doesn't seem to be any sound coming out. I wonder what could be wrong"
"Sorry, I forgot to plug it in"
"Sorry. The tape is totally chewed up/ I can't find the place/ I can't get the equipment to work, I'll have to read from the tapescript instead"
"Let me clean the CD/ restart the computer/ take the cassette out and bang it a few times, and see if that works"
"It seems this CD player doesn't play copies. Is there another one anywhere?/ I'll just run to the teacher's room and get the original"
"Does anyone know how to turn this on?"/ "Are there any computer experts in this class?"
"Did that wake you up? Sorry, I'll turn it down and start again."
"Sorry, it's a bit noisy outside/ next door/ upstairs, isn't it? Let's wait a second and try again/ Can someone go over there and ask them to keep it down just a little?"
"Sorry about the awful music"
"The volume doesn't go any higher. Let's try turning the air conditioning off/ closing the window/ moving closer to the CD player/ bringing the speakers closer to the class"
"Is that better now?" / "Can you hear now?"
"Maybe there's something wrong with this socket. I'll try another one"
"It looks like this could take some time (to sort out). Can you all get your homework out and compare answers in pairs while I have another look at this/ go and get someone else to sort it out?"
"Okay, I give up. Let's just go onto the next part of the lesson, shall we?"
"Got it! As I was saying, you have to listen and..."
"Maybe I've put the tape/ the CD in the wrong way round"
"Well, it was working this morning/ in the last lesson/ in the other classroom..."
"We might have to change classrooms if we can't sort it out"
"Whoops, I had the volume down to zero. Let's try again, shall we?"
Post listening exercises
"With your partner, discuss if you agree with each things that the person on the tape said. If you don't agree, work together to change the sentence and make it true. Let's do one example as a class. Does anyone agree with statement A? I didn't think so! So, how can we make it true? Good idea! Just add 'not'. That's a nice easy one, nothing wrong with that! So, where can we put 'not' in this sentence? ..."
"With the tapescript/ from what you have written down in your books/ from what you remember, have the same (kind of) conversation in pairs"
"Test each other on what you remember about the listening in pairs. The person asking the questions can have their book open, but the person who is answering has to have their books closed. Okay? So, can you two work together? Two, two, two, two. The person on my left. No, not your left, my left- I'm the teacher, so I decide! Ha ha! As I was saying, the person on my left asks the questions. Question, answer, question, answer. So, people on the right, books closed. Maria, you too please. Ready? Ah, I forgot to say. You don't have to start on question one, any question is okay. Maybe pick a difficult one, ha ha ha! Ready now? Okay, questions go!"
"Discuss the different listening tactics we used with your partner and together decide on which one will be most useful in the exam"
"Replace words in the dialogue to make it more interesting/ true for you"
"Write a continuation of the dialogue with your partner and then practice it so you can perform it for the class"
Moving on
"We are going to look at some of that difficult vocabulary in the next part of the lesson/ in the next exercise/ in the next lesson"
"Let's have a look at these sentences from the listening in more detail"
"I'm going to give you a similar listening exercise/ a reading on the same topic/ a pronunciation exercise on linked speech for your homework. Turn to page 73 (in your textbook/ in your workbook)"
Classroom language used in games with listening texts
Game 1 - Jigsaw listening
"So we are going to do a listening" [pointing at speakers, CD player etc] "... Yes, I know, groan! But this one is much more fun! Half of you" [showing with two arms out in front of you which half of the class you mean] "are going to go out of the room. And then go home, hooray! Ha ha ha, only joking. In the next classroom/ the hallway, there is another cassette player/ CD player. The people next to that one are going to listen to a girl talking about her brother. The people still in this room are going to listen to this cassette" [pointing] "and are going to listen to her brother talking about her. Then you will come back together and compare your answers and see what they say that is different. If it's anything like me and my sister, very different I think! Okay, understand? Wait, I didn't tell you to leave yet, you're not really going home! As I can't play two cassettes at the same time" [mime trying to stretch your arms really far as if you are trying to press play on a cassette recorder outside the room] "I'll need a volunteer to control each cassette recorder. Any volunteers?" [mime sticking your hand up and look hopefully around the class while bobbing up and down] "Good, Jose. And one from this side of the class. Santiago, you haven't volunteered for anything recently. So, you'll be wanting to know which questions you have to answer then? The questions are the same for both groups, but the answers will be different. The questions are on page 67. Ah, sorry, I mean your skills books, not your exam practice books. Everyone on the right page? After you've read through the questions, we'll be ready to go. Finished? Any questions so far? Last chance, because I can't be in both rooms at the same time. No? Okay, so when I say go, Santiago up here to control this tape recorder and this half of the class in room 5A next door to listen to the other one. Okay, go!"
Game 2- Shadow reading (post listening game)
"As it was difficult to understand them speaking at natural speed, we are going to practice talking at the same time as the tape so we can understand a similar text next time. So, I'm going to play the tape" [circular gesture pointing towards the tape recorder with right index finger to show the tape going round] "and you are going to speak at the same time." [circular gesture with index finger of left hand from mouth meant to show you are talking continuously at the same time as the tape] "Wow! I know, a bit tricky, ha ha ha! So, I'm going to let you listen to it one more time before we start speaking. This time, read the tapescript" [mime holding open book and moving eyes along lines of text] "and listen to the text, concentrating on the rhythm of the speech, da dum da dum da dum da dum" [gesture with you hand to show regular rhythm, e.g. chopping one open hand down on the other] "Ready? Listen very carefully" [face screwed up in concentration] "... Okay, ready now? Not really? Don't worry, we'll do it at least three times... Okay, not bad for a first attempt. This middle sentence was most difficult, so let's look at it in more detail. Which words are stressed? Nearly right. Listen to me saying it/ Listen to the tape one more time. So, it's 'wanted', 'go' and 'circus'. Let's just practice saying those words with the right rhythm, '...wanted...go...circus'. Much better. So, the other words have to be quieter and squashed up. For example, if we say /tu:/ that's usually T,W,O or T,O,O- T,O when it's unstressed has the /er/ sound that we practiced last week. Good, /ter/. Relax your mouths completely, /ter/. Much better. So, just one more problem to sort out! /t/ and /d/ are really similar sounds, so the /d/ at the end of 'wanted' is really quiet or silent. 'Wante(d) ter'. Got it! So the whole sentence is...? Perfect! So, let's try the whole thing one more time with the tape. Ready?..." etc.
Game 3- Stations
"First I want you to push all your chairs and desks to the sides of the room" [mime dividing them up and pushing them back with your arms] "Right back please. A little further. That's it. Now, here on the whiteboard I'm going to put this piece of paper which says...? Come on, we've been studying this all week! C, A, N spells...? 'Can', good! So, now I'll walk up here to the opposite wall and put up my other piece of paper. Can anyone guess what this one is going to say? What's the opposite of "can"? Good, but with a long sound. Right, 'can't'. Whoops, where's my sellotape gone? Thanks, Laurent. So, when you hear me say" [mime cupping hand around ear] "a positive sentence with 'can' in it, you have to run along the room and touch the piece of paper that says 'can'. Which one? This one? No? Oh, the other one. Okay, so run run run run, slap! But if I say 'No, I can't' or 'I can't ride a bike'? Good guess. Run run run run slap. The slowest person" [mime running very slowly and standing in the middle of the room looking confused] "has to sit down." [mime sitting down] "The last person standing" [point to chest and hold up index finger to illustrate 'one'] "is the winner/ the champion." [mime holding up your hands in victory]
___________
Classroom language when using the board
Useful classroom language for teachers while using the boardWhen you are using the board is a critical time to make sure you use lots of interesting and relevant language, as the students are often passive while the teacher is writing on the board and the teacher has their back to the class and so can't make eye contact with the students to get their attention and check that they are understanding. The fact you are doing something and speaking about it also means that students can understand what you are saying from the context and so should learn the language you are using by watching and listening.
Useful vocabulary connected to the whiteboard or blackboard(A box of/ a piece of) chalk
Board marker/ board pen
Permanent marker (= the kind you mustn't use on the board!)
Blu tack/ sellotape
Reflection
Chalk dust
Board eraser/ board rubber
To erase/ to rub off/ to wipe off/ clean the board
Leave something on/ up
To run out
To wash off
Pen cap
Magnets
OHP (= overhead projector)
Projector
A/ one/ this/ that section/ part/ bit/ side
Top left corner/ bottom right corner (of the board)
The centre/ middle (of the board)
The top half/ bottom half (of the board)
The right hand side/ left hand side (of the board)
The right hand column/ left hand column/ middle column/ second column (from the left)
Before you start writing
"Okay, I'll write the answers for exercise B on the board (as we check them)"
"Shout out any adjectives you can think of, and I'll write them on the board"
"I'm only going to write the words I think are difficult, so please ask me if you have any other questions"
Explaining what you are writing"
The red pen is the meaning of the tense, the part written in black is the name of the tense, and the blue part is the typical mistake/ [If you always use the same colour code] What does the red part (always) mean? And the black part? Good!"
"The right hand column is the object, the middle column is the verb, and the column on the left is the subject"
"This symbol means 'not equal' and this symbol means 'opposite'"
"'Adj' stands for adjective"
"This upside down 'e' letter is called 'schwa'. It's the last sound in 'computer'"
"The part of the sentence in brackets is optional"
"The part in capital letters/ italics is the part of the sentence that needs to be corrected"
"The underlined part is the part that usually stays the same"
Eliciting things onto the board
"What's the next word?"
"Can anyone give me an example sentence?"
"What's this sound? Where is it on the phonemic chart poster?"
While you are at the board
"While I'm cleaning the board/ writing this up, can someone/ everyone take out your books/ move the tables back/ pass out these worksheets?"
Checking
"Can everyone read that? What about the people at the back?"
"Is my writing big enough?"
"Don't be shy. I know my handwriting is awful, so tell me if you can't read anything"
"Is that colour okay?"
"Please tell me if the reflection on the board is a problem"
"Do you know what this word means?"
"Can I wipe that off now?"
"Has everyone finished copying it down?"
"Have you finished with this part? Can I erase just this section?"
Adding extra information
"Let me give you an extra example."
"I'll write the phonemic symbols on to help you"
"Let me mark every syllable as well as the main stress. That should help"
Asking students to copy things down
"Can you copy (just) the table into your notebooks?"
"You don't have to copy everything down, just whatever you really think is important"
"The parts I have underlined/ circled will probably be in the exam, so I suggest you write those bits down"
"No translations! Copy the English explanations and examples from the board!"
"There's no need to copy this down, it's all in your books. (We'll have a look at it later)"
"I'll give you time to copy it all down later"
Referring to the board later
"We don't say 'He do', do we? Have a look at the examples on the board."
"You will probably have noticed that the answers to the first two questions are already on the board"
"The example sentences from earlier all refer to the pictures in your book. Match the pictures there with the sentences on the board"
"You can use the information on the board to fill in the table in your books/ to correct the sentences on the worksheet"
Dealing with people who can't see
"Can you see the board better when I turn this light off?"
"Do you think closing the blinds/ curtains might help?"
"Maybe if you sat nearer the front..."
"Is it better if I use a black pen instead of a red one?"
"Okay, I'll try to write bigger."
Drawing their attention to things you have written up when they weren't looking
"The answers to that exercise are written up on the board mixed up to help you."
"I've written the rules of the game up on the board"
"This bit up here is the instructions for the listening task. Please do this, and not the task in your books"
"Here are some useful phrases you can use while you are playing the game"
Dealing with other problems
"Whoops, (I) dropped my pen!"
"Oh dear, (I) didn't mean to erase that part!"
"Sorry, I've mixed up the two meanings of 'will'. This one is a prediction and this one is a spontaneous intention. Can you change that in your books?"
"I'll just check the spelling of that word in my dictionary."
"You're right! I always have problems spelling that word"
"Can someone go to the staffroom and get me some more pens/ chalk?"
"I've lost the board rubber/ pen cap. Did anyone see where I put it?"
"There doesn't seem to be a board eraser. Does anyone have any tissue I can borrow?"
"Some idiot has used permanent marker on the board. Sorry about his, but we'll just have to use the right hand side for today"
If students are using the board
"Don't worry; this kind of pen will wash right off"
"You've got pen on your fingers. Do you want to go to the bathroom and wash it off?"
"You've got chalk dust on the back of your skirt. There's just a little bit left. Can someone help her brush it off?"
"Sorry, can you write a little bit bigger? Some people at the back can't see."
"Can anyone help Janet spell that word?"
"Can you pass the pen to the next person?"
"A little bit higher/ lower/further to the right"
Classroom language to explain games that use the board
Game 1- Board Race
• "From here" [cutting between two people with two arms out straight in front of you and your palms together] "to here" [sweeping your right arm over the heads of the people to your right] "is team A. From here" [chopping in the same place] "to here" [sweeping your left arm over the heads of the people to your left] "is team B."
• [Draw a line down the centre of the board]. "I want team A to stand in a line in front of this half of the board" [standing facing team A in front of the half of the board on their left in the spot where you want the first person to stand, move both arms out in front of you to indicate the direction of the line they will stand in]. Okay? Understand? Right, stand up. Go! A bit more straight at the back. Good. Can the person at the front go a bit further forward? Great"
• "Now here" [standing in front of the half of the board on their left, facing team B] "I want...? That's right, team B, to stand in... Yes, a straight line. Got it? Okay, let's go."
• "So, this side of the board is... Good, team A" [write 'Team A' at the top of their half of the board] "And so this half must be...? You got it!" [write 'Team B' on the other half]
• "The blue pen is for team A" [give the board pen to the person at the front of the line] "and the green pen is for team B"
• "The first person writes one word at the top of the board" [pretend you are writing something there with their pen] "then passes the pen back" [mime actually passing the pen back over your shoulder to the next person in the line] "and then runs to the back of the line" [mime doing that] "Then the next person...? Good. The next person writes a word. And then? And then they pass. The word is 'pass'. Good. Pass the pen to the next person, and then? That's right. Run to the... What's the opposite of front? Behind? Good, that's also the opposite of front, but I need another word. What's this part of your body? That's right, back. So, the person runs to the... good, back of the line. And so on. Are you with me so far?"
• "So, can one person write many words?" [mime covering the whole board with writing] "That's right. No, they can't." [gesture for no, e.g. wagging finger or making cross sign with your arms] "How many words can they write? Good, one. The other people in the team can help you, for example by shouting out" [gesture for shouting, hands around wide open mouth]
• "Right. So the words I want you to write today are irregular simple past verbs. Can anyone give me an example? For example, give, mmmmmm, given. Gave! Good. Any more examples like that. Needed? Almost. That is the past, but because it's just plus ed we call it "regular simple past". Do you remember, we studied that last week? Yes, is it coming back to you now? Okay, so, give gave, see...? Saw, good. Any more? No, not wanted, that's regular. Went, perfect. Right, so I think you are ready. Have you got your pens? Ready, steady. Ah, wait for it! Go!"
Game 2- Blindfold joining on the board
On the whiteboard or blackboard the teacher has written some things that need to be joined up by lines, e.g. adjectives on the left and their opposites on the right or sentence beginning on the left and sentence endings on the right.
• "Can anyone tell me which one this word joins up with?" [hold the pen or chalk on the right of one of the words on the left] "Freezing? Here?" [start drawing a line that is going towards completely the wrong word] "No? Which direction? Up?" [move up, but too much in that direction] "No? Okay, what is this direction? Up, good. And what's the opposite of up, this way? Not quite, under in the opposite of on. What's the opposite of upstairs?" [mime your fingers walking up and down some stairs "Yup, downstairs. So, the opposite of up is...? Got it, down! So what's this way? This way? This way? This way?" [make a gesture for stop, e.g. open palm towards the students] "Stop! Good, so we've got up, down and stop so far. What about this way? Right, that's right! Right, that's right, ha ha! And the opposite is...? Good, left, but remember the difference between l and r that we studied before. What's the first letter of 'left'? L, good. So, flap your tongue. And the other word is, right, right! So, keep your tongue still. What's this?" [pointing at the light] "Light. L l l l l l light. And this direction? Rrrrrrrright. Like a dog growling. Great. So the four directions we learnt are up, down, left and ...? Right, that's right! Okay, I know, not funny. Sorry!"
• "Okay, any volunteers to join some of these words on the board together? No, okay. I'll close my eyes and spin round and the person who my finger is pointing at has to start. And that person is... Tomoko! Okay, Tomoko, stand up and come up here. Don't worry, everyone is going to help you. Okay, here's the pen. Do you want to start on this one here? Good. Make the pen touch the board next to that word and then just stop. Okay everyone, tell Tomoko which way to go to join that word to the correct one on the right. Left? No! Okay, shout out which way she should go. Right, right, I can't hear you! Good, good, got it! Let's give Tomoko a round of applause, clap clap clap clap."
• "Good, let's have a boy next. Alfonso? So, Alonso, I want you to do the same thing, but this time wearing... this!" [reveal one of those blindfolds that someone wears in a plane when they want to sleep, or anything else they can cover their eyes with such as a scarf] "Aha! Right, have you got it on properly? No looking! Good, take the pen."
• "Okay, everyone, what one do you want him to start with? This one. No? This one? Everyone agree? So, tell him how to get there. Up, up..."
• Etc.
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Classroom language for starting lessons
Coming into the room
The teacher coming into a room full of students
"Can someone take this CD player and plug it in? Thanks."
"Can someone hold the door open for me?"
"Hi everyone. Just let me put my things down here and we'll get started."
"Morning. Not many people here yet? / Where is everyone?"
"Is this the right room? Mrs Andersen's class?/ Top set English?/ English club?"
"Hello again. Mr Smithers is still sick"/ "Yes, (it's) me again!"
The students coming in
"Okay everyone, file in quietly and take a seat please"
"Upper Intermediate 1? Yes, this is the right class. Come (on) in."
"Hi. Come in. Take a seat/ Sit anywhere you like/ Can you sit somewhere different from last week?/ "Can you sit near the front?"
"Please put your homework into the tray as you come in"/ "Homework in the tray, everyone"
"Please put your bags on your pegs/ in your desks/ on the back of your chairs/ on the stage/ in a pile by the door/ in your lockers"
"We're going to do pairwork, so you need to sit closer to each other"
"Sit in your usual teams/ the same teams as last lesson"
"Boys on the right and girls on the left"
"Sit on the floor/ on the mats/ on the rug/ in the story corner"
"Take a flashcard as you come in, they are for the first game"
"Line up in order of age/ height/ the date of your birthday/ in alphabetical order"
"Can the last person in close the door?"
"As you come in, ask the next person their name and say 'Come in please' and 'Thank you'"
"Knock on the door and say 'Can I come in?'"
"Entrance drill! Today's question is 'What colour is your bag?'"
"Line up against the wall and then you can come in"
Greetings
"Okay everyone, stand up please. Jimmy, that means you too. Right. Good morning everyone/ Good morning class/ Good morning boys and girls/ Good morning children... Okay, just 'good morning' is right too, but I want you to say 'Good morning class. Good morning teacher.' like we practiced last week. Can you do that? Okay, one, two, three. Much better, but remember that the 'or' in 'morning' is a long sound, oooooooooor" "Oooooor... Good. Moooooorning.... Okay, (that was) maybe a little too long, ha ha! Morning... Great. So, let's do the whole thing one more time from the start. Good morning class... Much much better. Okay, sit down please"
"(Good) morning/ afternoon/ evening"/ "Hello/ Hi"
"Merry Christmas"
"Happy New Year"
Introductions
"My name is Mr/Mrs/Ms Kim. I'm your new English teacher/ I'm your English teacher this year/ this term/ today. (Can you ask me some questions, e.g. where I'm from and my free time?)"
"I'll just introduce myself first"
"I've got five lessons with you each week."
"I'm covering for your usual teacher (today/ this week). He/ she has a cold"
"I'm new to this school, so please be nice to me, ha ha!"
"Your last teacher told me you are the best class, so I hope that is true!"
"Can you all introduce yourselves to me?"
"Can you tell me and the rest of the class two or three things about the person sitting next to you?"
"Let's introduce ourselves, shall we?"
"This is my name at the top of the board, it's pronounced..."
Taking the register (= roll call)
"Who is absent today? / Who isn't here today?"
"Oh, John's away. Does anyone know why? Is he ill?"/ "What's the matter with Stefano today? / What's wrong with Jim today?"/ "Where's Tony? He didn't look very well yesterday, so maybe he's sick./ In this weather, maybe he's gone to the beach." / "Does anyone know where Hyo Young is?/ Any idea why Hyo Young is absent?"
"So everyone is here except..."
"So, only two people away."
"Let's take the register."/ "Let's check to see who is here."
"Remember to answer 'I'm here'"
"Is everybody here?"/ "Is anyone away?"/ "No one absent today?"
"So, Su Young isn't back yet. Does anyone know when she'll be back/ what has happened to her/ if she's dropped out of the class?"
"There are a few empty chairs. Who is missing?"
"Not many people here today. Is there a bug going round?"
"Oh yes, Juanes said he was going to miss this lesson, didn't he? Can any remember where he said he was going?"
"Let's see if everyone is here"
"Listen while I call your names"
"Shout out 'present'/ 'here' if you are here"
"No? Is he/ she absent today?"
"Let's all count to see if everyone is here - girls first, then boys."
"Who's the class monitor this week? Rocky? Rocky, can you count how many people are here please?"
Initial chitchat
"How are we all today?"/ "How are you (today)?" / "How are things?" / "How's life?"
"Did you have any trouble getting here? I heard there were problems on the Central Line"
"You all look freezing. Is it still snowing outside?/ How's the weather outside now?"
"(Did you have a) busy day at work?"
"I see we have a few new faces. Can you briefly introduce yourselves to the class?"
"Long time no see, Julietta. How was your holiday?/ Does anyone have any questions for Julietta about her holiday?"
"(Did you have a) good weekend? Did anyone do anything different/ interesting/ exciting?/ John, you said you were going to.... How was it?"
"Did you enjoy your holiday?"
"Did anyone notice my haircut/ tan/ sunburn/ broken arm/ new suit? Any questions (about my evening/ weekend)?"
"Vlad, you wanted to ask me a question. Can you ask it now?/ Can you ask that question to everyone in the class?"
"You (all) look tired/ hot/ cold"
"Is it hot/ cold/ humid/ snowing/ raining outside (at the moment)?"
"Are you (all) feeling better today?"
"(Have you )had a haircut?"
"(We are all) dressed up smart today, aren't we? (Is there) any special reason?"
"I was sorry to hear about..."
"Did you hear about...?"
"Are you looking forward to...?"
"I can hear quite a lot of sniffing/ sniffling. Is there a cold going round/ does everyone have a cold?"
Waiting to start
"I'm waiting for you to be quiet/ to settle down/ We won't start until everyone is quiet."
"Please stop talking and be quiet" / "(Can everyone please) settle down so we can start."
"(Everyone be) quiet please!"
"Okay, I'm glad you're excited, but let's calm down a little, shall we?"
"Yes, okay, we'll play the Stations game, but you have to sit down quiet and then doing the normal greetings first."
"I'm still hearing some noise at the back"/ "What's going on back there?"
"We have the same thing every week. What am I waiting for?... For you to be quiet, that's right."
"They'll be plenty of time for speaking/ games once the class has started."
"... or would you prefer to start by checking your homework instead?"
Getting started/ getting down to business
"So, let's get started, shall we?"
"I could talk about that all day, but I think we should study some English, shouldn't we?"
"Are you ready (to start/ to learn English)?"
"English time! (No more Korean!)"
"Is everybody ready to start?"
"I hope you are all ready for your English lesson."
"I think we can start now."
"Let's begin!"/ "Let's start!"/ "Let's rock and roll!"
"Now that everybody is here..."
"I was going to start the class by..., but it's too hot/ you all look too tired/ there aren't enough people/ the equipment isn't working. So, let's move straight onto..."
"I don't think we need a warm up game today, do we?"
"Can anyone remember what we did last week/ in the last lesson/ this morning?
"I told you to prepare something for the beginning of this lesson, didn't I? It looks like some people have completely forgotten about it. Oh well, your loss. The people who did do it will find the next part really easy"
"Whose turn is it to choose the starting game/ song/ the language point for the ball game?"
Unusual starting tactics
"Catch!"
"Is no one going to ask me what I'm doing?"
"The first person to the front of the room gets a sweet/ doesn't have to do any homework tonight"
"What's this?"
"One point to Sebastian for being quiet"
"Who wants a sweet?"
Stating your aims[/COLOR
]"Now I'd like you to continue asking and answering questions about your weekend/ your hobbies, but using the structure on the board/ but as a game"
"I'd like to start the lesson by revising what we did last lesson/ seeing how much you remember from last week"
"I'd like to start the lesson with a pop quiz/ a warmer/ some revision/ some pairwork speaking"
"The aims of today's lesson are.../ are at the top of the board"
"Today, we are going to..."
"As I explained last week, today is the day for the final test/ presentations/ course feedback questionnaires"
"Today, we're going to do something a bit different/ unusual/ strange. This is to.../ Why we are doing it will become clear later on." /"This may seem a little unusual, but it's all part of the plan!"
"Today/ In this lesson/ This week we'll learn how to ... / we will study.../ we will practice ... (from last week)"
"The aim of this class is (to) ..."
"I know we don't usually start by checking the homework/ by doing a song, but we are going to move onto..."
Lateness
"Where have you been?"
"We started ten minutes ago. What have you been doing?"
"What time does the class start?... And what time is it now?"
"Sorry, we are in the middle of a listening exercise. Can you wait outside for two minutes until we finish?"
"Did you miss your bus?"/ "Are there still problems with the underground?"/ "Did you get stuck in traffic?"/ "Did you have problems getting a taxi (in the rain)?"
"Did you oversleep?"/ "(Is your) alarm clock broken (again)?"
"Don't let it happen again."
"It's okay, but come in quickly/ quietly so we can get on with class"
"Don't worry, but try to be on time next time"
"You missed the progress test, so you'll need to do that another time"
"You can do the part you missed for homework"
"Can someone explain what we are doing to Jose Maria?"
"Where were we?"/ "Right, let's get back to/ get on with..."
Tests
"Today is the test, remember. So, I want you to come in without speaking and take out just one pencil and one eraser. No books and no pieces of paper. Got it? How many books are you allowed?... No, Sabrina, not a hundred. Yes, okay, a thousand, very funny. Seriously. How many books?... Yup, zero, none, nowt. When you've got your pencil and eraser out of your bag, put your bags at the back of the classroom. Ready? Quietly, come in one at a time."
"Any questions before the test starts?"
"Today's the test, but we'll do something else for 10 or 15 minutes to give other people a chance to get here"
Things to think about/ Discussion questions for teachers
• What stages above wouldn't you bother doing in your classes, e.g. initial chitchat in a large class, low level class or very young class?
• What order do you usually do the stages that you do? Could you do them in a different order?
• Which of the phrases in each of the stages you do use above is the right language level for your students? Is each one also suitable for their age, polite enough etc? If not, how could you change it?
• Pick at least 5 sentences above that are totally unsuitable for your classes. Why are they unsuitable? What kinds of classes and situations might they be suitable for? What could you say instead in your classes?
• How could you make each of those phrases easier to understand, e.g. what gestures could you use and what language could you add to your syllabus?
• Once your students get used to that phrase, how can you make it more complicated in order to boost their level but still making sure they understand?
• Is there any way of getting students to use the same phrases with each other?
• Do you do any of the stages above in L1 rather than English? What do you think students' reactions to you switching to English would be? How could you make that transition easier?
• Many of the sentences above have natural conversational grammar rather than traditional written grammar, e.g. "Alarm clock broken?", which a native speaker is probably more likely to say rather than "Is your alarm clock broken?" What do you think about using these kinds of sentences?
• There are also some examples of more difficult and idiomatic words and phrases like "nowt" and "How are things?" that students would probably still understand from the context. How do you feel about using these in your classes?
• If you use natural sentences at natural speed students will hopefully learn to guess the meaning from context, to accept not understanding every word, and to remember language in longer stretches rather than word by word. They might, however, never understand what the individual words are and might never be able to tie it in with the language on the syllabus. Which of these are more important for your students, do you think?
• Some people like to start English class in exactly the same way as the other classes so that students take it seriously, and other teachers like to start it in a more relaxed and friendly way to set the atmosphere that they need for an interactive, communicative classroom. Which thing is more important to you? Is there any way of combining the two things?
Useful classroom language for teachers for doing listenings
[color="#CC0000"]Useful vocabulary for/ about doing listenings
Parts of the equipment
Play (button)
Fast forward (button)
Rewind (button)
Tone control
Speed control
Volume (control)
Counter
Speakers
Speaker cables
Lead
The original
A copy
Cassette/ tape
Cassette box
(Student/ class/ workbook) CD
CD box
Track listing
Things you can do with a CD/ cassette/ audio file
Press play/ fast forward etc
Start the CD/ cassette/ track/ recording
Skip (to the next track)
Reset (the counter)
Read the counter
Change/ adjust the volume/ Turn the volume up/ turn the volume down
Cue the tape/ Find your place on the tape
Pause
Stop
Insert the CD/ cassette/ the CD ROM
Eject/ Take out the CD etc
Change the CD/ cassette
Open Windows Media Player/ Real Player
Click on the MP3/ audio track
Plug the CD player/ cassette recorder in
Turn it on/ Push the power button
Chew up the cassette
Scratch the CD
Clean the CD
Label the cassette/ CD
Make a back up copy
Reasons for not understanding
Abbreviations
Elision
Weak forms
Homophones
False friends
Minimal pairs
Contractions
Names of different question types
Multiple choice
True/ false
True/ false/ not stated
Gap fill
Sentence completion
Matching
Different kinds of listening texts
Monologues
Guided tours
Stories
Poems
Lectures
Speeches (e.g. political speeches)
Anecdotes
Public announcements
Dialogues
Debates
Chat shows
Situational dialogues (shopping etc)
Conversations
Business meetings
Interviews
Others
Songs
Radio plays
Other useful vocabulary
Tapescript
Answer key
Hissing/ noise
Buzzing/ interference
Background noise
Useful gestures to use when doing listenings
Cupping your hand around your ear ("Listen")
Cupping your hand around your ear and leaning in more towards the speaker ("Listen more carefully")
Cupping your hand around your ear whilst looking quizzical or a little annoyed ("I can't hear the tape because other people are making noise"/ "I can hear something I shouldn't be hearing")
Putting your right index finger vertically in front of your sealed lips ("Shh"/ "Be quiet so other people can hear the tape")
Putting the tip of your right thumb and right index finger together, touching the left corner of your mouth with them, and then pulling them across your tightly closed lips ("Shut up!"/ "Zip it!")
Put your right index finger out in front of you parallel to your chest and turn it to make a circle at right angles to your body in the air with the tip of your finger ("One more time"/ "I'm going to play it one more time"/ "Do you want me to play it one more time?")
Pointing at the speakers/ CD player/ cassette recorder/ computer ("We are going to list to a recording")
Useful classroom language for the teacher to use at different stages of doing a listening
Getting the equipment set up
"Does anyone know where I can plug this in?"/ "Where is the socket in this room?"/ "Can someone plug this in for me?"/ "Whose turn is it to get the cassette recorder set up this week?"
"Where's the on switch, I wonder?"
"Does anyone know what this flashing light means?"
Lead in
"What do you think the two people in the photo are saying to each other?... We are going to listen to the real conversation. The first time you listen, just check if they say anything that we predicted"
"Match the questions and answers in your book, and then we'll listen and check."
"Which statements (about the Coliseum) do you think are true? Let's listen to a university lecture on Italian history and check our answers"
Explaining the task before you start
"Don't write anything the first time you listen"
"You don't need to write full sentences, just take notes"
"Put the sentences/ paragraphs/ photos in order"
"We'll do the first question together, then I'll play the rest through without stopping"
"I won't stop the tape, but we will hear it two or three times"
"The questions are in the same order as the text"
"It's a real (IELTS/ TOEIC/ etc) exam task, so it will play once/ twice, with a pause (between and) at the end"
"Listen and colour in the clothes with the colour that is says on the tape"
"Listen and draw a line between the person and his or her favourite food"
"You'll need to change some of the words from the listening to make sure they fit in the gaps (grammatically)"
Listening for general understanding tasks
"Listen to the whole text and just answer this one question- does the person speaking like Birmingham or not?"
"Just listen for what kind of conversation they are having, from the list at the top of the page. Is it an argument, negotiation, invitation or job interview?"
Prediction tasks
"What do you think happens next (in the story)?... Let's listen and check"
"What do you think the numbers represent?... Let's listen to what the person on the tape has to say"
"Which graph do you think shows the real unemployment rate in China over the last 50 years?... We are going to listen to an expert discussing each of the graphs. He doesn't think any of them are completely true, but listen for which one he says is most accurate."
"Match the photos/ descriptions/ charts to the different countries, then we will listen and check"
Listening for detailed comprehension tasks
"Listen for the differences between the sentences/ text here and what they say on the CD"
Listening for specific information tasks
"Write the name of the person who says each thing/ has each opinion next to sentences as you listen"
During the first time you listen
"(As I said), we'll go through the first answer together (to check you understand) first. So, listen just for question one...Did anyone get that part? I'll play just that bit one more time. Everyone got it? He says 12 cows, so the number is..? 12, good. So you draw a circle around...? 12 cows. Okay, go ahead. Let's see how you've done. You all seem to have the right idea. So, you understand what you have to do, right? Good. Here we go with the other questions. Remember, I won't stop again, so listen and draw the circles as soon as you understand"
After the first time you hear it
"Do you need to hear it again?"/ "One more time?"
"How was that?"
"(Did you get) anything at all?"
"Let me have a look at (some of) your answers. Not bad, you've got about 50% right."
"I'll play it one more time (but stopping after each answer/ section)"
"I'll play it a little bit slower" [if you have speed control on the computer or cassette player]
"After you compare your answers, I'll play it one more time"
Giving listening tips/ helping them towards the right answer
"He has a British accent, so remember that when he says 'can' and 'can't' the vowel sound will be different"
"If you aren't sure which option is correct, cross out the ones you are sure are wrong and then choose from the ones that are left"
"You should be able to guess this question/ some of the answers without even listening"
"Think about the grammar of the sentence"
"What verbs usually go together with 'story'?... And which one fits in with the topic of the conversation?"
"It's a trick question/ a typical TOEIC question"
"You should be able to judge quite a lot just from his tone of voice"
"Think about what he is referring to"
"It's a phrasal verb, but I think you can guess the meaning from the verb and preposition"
"While you are waiting for the recording to start, try to predict what you will hear"
"Just because you hear a word written in the question doesn't mean it has the same meaning. In fact, it's usually the sign of a trick question"
After the second time you hear it
"(Was that) a bit better/ easier?"
"(Are we) nearly there/ getting there?"
"Do you need to hear it a third time, or was that okay?"
"We'll go through the answers you've got so far, and that should help you understand the whole thing better next time you hear it"
"We are going to do another task anyway, and that might help you answer these questions too"
Checking and correcting their answers
"What did you get for question one?"
"Does everyone agree?"
"Put your hand up if you thought it was A. And B? And C? Most people didn't put their hand up at all, so let's try again! A? ..."
"The right word has exactly/ almost the same pronunciation, but a different spelling/ meaning"
"It did sound like that, but that doesn't make sense in this sentence"
"Let's listen to just that one sentence one more time"
"This time I'll pause it right after the word we are having problems with"
"Let me write that sentence up (with a gap)"
"Look at the tapescript on page 23/ at the back of your books. Check your own answers and ask me if you have any questions"
"The two words are linked together, so the /d/ is the last letter of the previous word"
Feedback on prediction tasks
"I must admit, I thought number two was true as well until I listened to this text before the lesson"
"Did anyone predict all the right answers? (Me neither!)"
Feedback on listening
"I think listening is a bit more difficult than speaking or writing for this class. Would you like to spend more time on it?/ Would you like some ideas on how you can practice listening outside class?"
"That was quite a difficult task/ a real exam task/ the most difficult task we have tried yet/ someone speaking at natural speed/ quite a difficult accent, so I think you did very well (considering)"
"Remember that you don't have to understand every word. If you can answer the questions, you have understood"
"You only need 75% for an A, so don't worry if you can't answer every question."
"Why did you find it difficult? Was it because he was speaking fast/ you didn't know some of the words/ the questions were tricky?"
"Even some native speakers might have problems remembering all the information until the end of the text, but at least everyone passed!"
"Do you think the work we did on linked speech after the last listening helped you understand this one better?"
Problems
"Sorry, there doesn't seem to be any sound coming out. I wonder what could be wrong"
"Sorry, I forgot to plug it in"
"Sorry. The tape is totally chewed up/ I can't find the place/ I can't get the equipment to work, I'll have to read from the tapescript instead"
"Let me clean the CD/ restart the computer/ take the cassette out and bang it a few times, and see if that works"
"It seems this CD player doesn't play copies. Is there another one anywhere?/ I'll just run to the teacher's room and get the original"
"Does anyone know how to turn this on?"/ "Are there any computer experts in this class?"
"Did that wake you up? Sorry, I'll turn it down and start again."
"Sorry, it's a bit noisy outside/ next door/ upstairs, isn't it? Let's wait a second and try again/ Can someone go over there and ask them to keep it down just a little?"
"Sorry about the awful music"
"The volume doesn't go any higher. Let's try turning the air conditioning off/ closing the window/ moving closer to the CD player/ bringing the speakers closer to the class"
"Is that better now?" / "Can you hear now?"
"Maybe there's something wrong with this socket. I'll try another one"
"It looks like this could take some time (to sort out). Can you all get your homework out and compare answers in pairs while I have another look at this/ go and get someone else to sort it out?"
"Okay, I give up. Let's just go onto the next part of the lesson, shall we?"
"Got it! As I was saying, you have to listen and..."
"Maybe I've put the tape/ the CD in the wrong way round"
"Well, it was working this morning/ in the last lesson/ in the other classroom..."
"We might have to change classrooms if we can't sort it out"
"Whoops, I had the volume down to zero. Let's try again, shall we?"
Post listening exercises
"With your partner, discuss if you agree with each things that the person on the tape said. If you don't agree, work together to change the sentence and make it true. Let's do one example as a class. Does anyone agree with statement A? I didn't think so! So, how can we make it true? Good idea! Just add 'not'. That's a nice easy one, nothing wrong with that! So, where can we put 'not' in this sentence? ..."
"With the tapescript/ from what you have written down in your books/ from what you remember, have the same (kind of) conversation in pairs"
"Test each other on what you remember about the listening in pairs. The person asking the questions can have their book open, but the person who is answering has to have their books closed. Okay? So, can you two work together? Two, two, two, two. The person on my left. No, not your left, my left- I'm the teacher, so I decide! Ha ha! As I was saying, the person on my left asks the questions. Question, answer, question, answer. So, people on the right, books closed. Maria, you too please. Ready? Ah, I forgot to say. You don't have to start on question one, any question is okay. Maybe pick a difficult one, ha ha ha! Ready now? Okay, questions go!"
"Discuss the different listening tactics we used with your partner and together decide on which one will be most useful in the exam"
"Replace words in the dialogue to make it more interesting/ true for you"
"Write a continuation of the dialogue with your partner and then practice it so you can perform it for the class"
Moving on
"We are going to look at some of that difficult vocabulary in the next part of the lesson/ in the next exercise/ in the next lesson"
"Let's have a look at these sentences from the listening in more detail"
"I'm going to give you a similar listening exercise/ a reading on the same topic/ a pronunciation exercise on linked speech for your homework. Turn to page 73 (in your textbook/ in your workbook)"
Classroom language used in games with listening texts
Game 1 - Jigsaw listening
"So we are going to do a listening" [pointing at speakers, CD player etc] "... Yes, I know, groan! But this one is much more fun! Half of you" [showing with two arms out in front of you which half of the class you mean] "are going to go out of the room. And then go home, hooray! Ha ha ha, only joking. In the next classroom/ the hallway, there is another cassette player/ CD player. The people next to that one are going to listen to a girl talking about her brother. The people still in this room are going to listen to this cassette" [pointing] "and are going to listen to her brother talking about her. Then you will come back together and compare your answers and see what they say that is different. If it's anything like me and my sister, very different I think! Okay, understand? Wait, I didn't tell you to leave yet, you're not really going home! As I can't play two cassettes at the same time" [mime trying to stretch your arms really far as if you are trying to press play on a cassette recorder outside the room] "I'll need a volunteer to control each cassette recorder. Any volunteers?" [mime sticking your hand up and look hopefully around the class while bobbing up and down] "Good, Jose. And one from this side of the class. Santiago, you haven't volunteered for anything recently. So, you'll be wanting to know which questions you have to answer then? The questions are the same for both groups, but the answers will be different. The questions are on page 67. Ah, sorry, I mean your skills books, not your exam practice books. Everyone on the right page? After you've read through the questions, we'll be ready to go. Finished? Any questions so far? Last chance, because I can't be in both rooms at the same time. No? Okay, so when I say go, Santiago up here to control this tape recorder and this half of the class in room 5A next door to listen to the other one. Okay, go!"
Game 2- Shadow reading (post listening game)
"As it was difficult to understand them speaking at natural speed, we are going to practice talking at the same time as the tape so we can understand a similar text next time. So, I'm going to play the tape" [circular gesture pointing towards the tape recorder with right index finger to show the tape going round] "and you are going to speak at the same time." [circular gesture with index finger of left hand from mouth meant to show you are talking continuously at the same time as the tape] "Wow! I know, a bit tricky, ha ha ha! So, I'm going to let you listen to it one more time before we start speaking. This time, read the tapescript" [mime holding open book and moving eyes along lines of text] "and listen to the text, concentrating on the rhythm of the speech, da dum da dum da dum da dum" [gesture with you hand to show regular rhythm, e.g. chopping one open hand down on the other] "Ready? Listen very carefully" [face screwed up in concentration] "... Okay, ready now? Not really? Don't worry, we'll do it at least three times... Okay, not bad for a first attempt. This middle sentence was most difficult, so let's look at it in more detail. Which words are stressed? Nearly right. Listen to me saying it/ Listen to the tape one more time. So, it's 'wanted', 'go' and 'circus'. Let's just practice saying those words with the right rhythm, '...wanted...go...circus'. Much better. So, the other words have to be quieter and squashed up. For example, if we say /tu:/ that's usually T,W,O or T,O,O- T,O when it's unstressed has the /er/ sound that we practiced last week. Good, /ter/. Relax your mouths completely, /ter/. Much better. So, just one more problem to sort out! /t/ and /d/ are really similar sounds, so the /d/ at the end of 'wanted' is really quiet or silent. 'Wante(d) ter'. Got it! So the whole sentence is...? Perfect! So, let's try the whole thing one more time with the tape. Ready?..." etc.
Game 3- Stations
"First I want you to push all your chairs and desks to the sides of the room" [mime dividing them up and pushing them back with your arms] "Right back please. A little further. That's it. Now, here on the whiteboard I'm going to put this piece of paper which says...? Come on, we've been studying this all week! C, A, N spells...? 'Can', good! So, now I'll walk up here to the opposite wall and put up my other piece of paper. Can anyone guess what this one is going to say? What's the opposite of "can"? Good, but with a long sound. Right, 'can't'. Whoops, where's my sellotape gone? Thanks, Laurent. So, when you hear me say" [mime cupping hand around ear] "a positive sentence with 'can' in it, you have to run along the room and touch the piece of paper that says 'can'. Which one? This one? No? Oh, the other one. Okay, so run run run run, slap! But if I say 'No, I can't' or 'I can't ride a bike'? Good guess. Run run run run slap. The slowest person" [mime running very slowly and standing in the middle of the room looking confused] "has to sit down." [mime sitting down] "The last person standing" [point to chest and hold up index finger to illustrate 'one'] "is the winner/ the champion." [mime holding up your hands in victory]
___________
Classroom language when using the board
Useful classroom language for teachers while using the boardWhen you are using the board is a critical time to make sure you use lots of interesting and relevant language, as the students are often passive while the teacher is writing on the board and the teacher has their back to the class and so can't make eye contact with the students to get their attention and check that they are understanding. The fact you are doing something and speaking about it also means that students can understand what you are saying from the context and so should learn the language you are using by watching and listening.
Useful vocabulary connected to the whiteboard or blackboard(A box of/ a piece of) chalk
Board marker/ board pen
Permanent marker (= the kind you mustn't use on the board!)
Blu tack/ sellotape
Reflection
Chalk dust
Board eraser/ board rubber
To erase/ to rub off/ to wipe off/ clean the board
Leave something on/ up
To run out
To wash off
Pen cap
Magnets
OHP (= overhead projector)
Projector
A/ one/ this/ that section/ part/ bit/ side
Top left corner/ bottom right corner (of the board)
The centre/ middle (of the board)
The top half/ bottom half (of the board)
The right hand side/ left hand side (of the board)
The right hand column/ left hand column/ middle column/ second column (from the left)
Before you start writing
"Okay, I'll write the answers for exercise B on the board (as we check them)"
"Shout out any adjectives you can think of, and I'll write them on the board"
"I'm only going to write the words I think are difficult, so please ask me if you have any other questions"
Explaining what you are writing"
The red pen is the meaning of the tense, the part written in black is the name of the tense, and the blue part is the typical mistake/ [If you always use the same colour code] What does the red part (always) mean? And the black part? Good!"
"The right hand column is the object, the middle column is the verb, and the column on the left is the subject"
"This symbol means 'not equal' and this symbol means 'opposite'"
"'Adj' stands for adjective"
"This upside down 'e' letter is called 'schwa'. It's the last sound in 'computer'"
"The part of the sentence in brackets is optional"
"The part in capital letters/ italics is the part of the sentence that needs to be corrected"
"The underlined part is the part that usually stays the same"
Eliciting things onto the board
"What's the next word?"
"Can anyone give me an example sentence?"
"What's this sound? Where is it on the phonemic chart poster?"
While you are at the board
"While I'm cleaning the board/ writing this up, can someone/ everyone take out your books/ move the tables back/ pass out these worksheets?"
Checking
"Can everyone read that? What about the people at the back?"
"Is my writing big enough?"
"Don't be shy. I know my handwriting is awful, so tell me if you can't read anything"
"Is that colour okay?"
"Please tell me if the reflection on the board is a problem"
"Do you know what this word means?"
"Can I wipe that off now?"
"Has everyone finished copying it down?"
"Have you finished with this part? Can I erase just this section?"
Adding extra information
"Let me give you an extra example."
"I'll write the phonemic symbols on to help you"
"Let me mark every syllable as well as the main stress. That should help"
Asking students to copy things down
"Can you copy (just) the table into your notebooks?"
"You don't have to copy everything down, just whatever you really think is important"
"The parts I have underlined/ circled will probably be in the exam, so I suggest you write those bits down"
"No translations! Copy the English explanations and examples from the board!"
"There's no need to copy this down, it's all in your books. (We'll have a look at it later)"
"I'll give you time to copy it all down later"
Referring to the board later
"We don't say 'He do', do we? Have a look at the examples on the board."
"You will probably have noticed that the answers to the first two questions are already on the board"
"The example sentences from earlier all refer to the pictures in your book. Match the pictures there with the sentences on the board"
"You can use the information on the board to fill in the table in your books/ to correct the sentences on the worksheet"
Dealing with people who can't see
"Can you see the board better when I turn this light off?"
"Do you think closing the blinds/ curtains might help?"
"Maybe if you sat nearer the front..."
"Is it better if I use a black pen instead of a red one?"
"Okay, I'll try to write bigger."
Drawing their attention to things you have written up when they weren't looking
"The answers to that exercise are written up on the board mixed up to help you."
"I've written the rules of the game up on the board"
"This bit up here is the instructions for the listening task. Please do this, and not the task in your books"
"Here are some useful phrases you can use while you are playing the game"
Dealing with other problems
"Whoops, (I) dropped my pen!"
"Oh dear, (I) didn't mean to erase that part!"
"Sorry, I've mixed up the two meanings of 'will'. This one is a prediction and this one is a spontaneous intention. Can you change that in your books?"
"I'll just check the spelling of that word in my dictionary."
"You're right! I always have problems spelling that word"
"Can someone go to the staffroom and get me some more pens/ chalk?"
"I've lost the board rubber/ pen cap. Did anyone see where I put it?"
"There doesn't seem to be a board eraser. Does anyone have any tissue I can borrow?"
"Some idiot has used permanent marker on the board. Sorry about his, but we'll just have to use the right hand side for today"
If students are using the board
"Don't worry; this kind of pen will wash right off"
"You've got pen on your fingers. Do you want to go to the bathroom and wash it off?"
"You've got chalk dust on the back of your skirt. There's just a little bit left. Can someone help her brush it off?"
"Sorry, can you write a little bit bigger? Some people at the back can't see."
"Can anyone help Janet spell that word?"
"Can you pass the pen to the next person?"
"A little bit higher/ lower/further to the right"
Classroom language to explain games that use the board
Game 1- Board Race
• "From here" [cutting between two people with two arms out straight in front of you and your palms together] "to here" [sweeping your right arm over the heads of the people to your right] "is team A. From here" [chopping in the same place] "to here" [sweeping your left arm over the heads of the people to your left] "is team B."
• [Draw a line down the centre of the board]. "I want team A to stand in a line in front of this half of the board" [standing facing team A in front of the half of the board on their left in the spot where you want the first person to stand, move both arms out in front of you to indicate the direction of the line they will stand in]. Okay? Understand? Right, stand up. Go! A bit more straight at the back. Good. Can the person at the front go a bit further forward? Great"
• "Now here" [standing in front of the half of the board on their left, facing team B] "I want...? That's right, team B, to stand in... Yes, a straight line. Got it? Okay, let's go."
• "So, this side of the board is... Good, team A" [write 'Team A' at the top of their half of the board] "And so this half must be...? You got it!" [write 'Team B' on the other half]
• "The blue pen is for team A" [give the board pen to the person at the front of the line] "and the green pen is for team B"
• "The first person writes one word at the top of the board" [pretend you are writing something there with their pen] "then passes the pen back" [mime actually passing the pen back over your shoulder to the next person in the line] "and then runs to the back of the line" [mime doing that] "Then the next person...? Good. The next person writes a word. And then? And then they pass. The word is 'pass'. Good. Pass the pen to the next person, and then? That's right. Run to the... What's the opposite of front? Behind? Good, that's also the opposite of front, but I need another word. What's this part of your body? That's right, back. So, the person runs to the... good, back of the line. And so on. Are you with me so far?"
• "So, can one person write many words?" [mime covering the whole board with writing] "That's right. No, they can't." [gesture for no, e.g. wagging finger or making cross sign with your arms] "How many words can they write? Good, one. The other people in the team can help you, for example by shouting out" [gesture for shouting, hands around wide open mouth]
• "Right. So the words I want you to write today are irregular simple past verbs. Can anyone give me an example? For example, give, mmmmmm, given. Gave! Good. Any more examples like that. Needed? Almost. That is the past, but because it's just plus ed we call it "regular simple past". Do you remember, we studied that last week? Yes, is it coming back to you now? Okay, so, give gave, see...? Saw, good. Any more? No, not wanted, that's regular. Went, perfect. Right, so I think you are ready. Have you got your pens? Ready, steady. Ah, wait for it! Go!"
Game 2- Blindfold joining on the board
On the whiteboard or blackboard the teacher has written some things that need to be joined up by lines, e.g. adjectives on the left and their opposites on the right or sentence beginning on the left and sentence endings on the right.
• "Can anyone tell me which one this word joins up with?" [hold the pen or chalk on the right of one of the words on the left] "Freezing? Here?" [start drawing a line that is going towards completely the wrong word] "No? Which direction? Up?" [move up, but too much in that direction] "No? Okay, what is this direction? Up, good. And what's the opposite of up, this way? Not quite, under in the opposite of on. What's the opposite of upstairs?" [mime your fingers walking up and down some stairs "Yup, downstairs. So, the opposite of up is...? Got it, down! So what's this way? This way? This way? This way?" [make a gesture for stop, e.g. open palm towards the students] "Stop! Good, so we've got up, down and stop so far. What about this way? Right, that's right! Right, that's right, ha ha! And the opposite is...? Good, left, but remember the difference between l and r that we studied before. What's the first letter of 'left'? L, good. So, flap your tongue. And the other word is, right, right! So, keep your tongue still. What's this?" [pointing at the light] "Light. L l l l l l light. And this direction? Rrrrrrrright. Like a dog growling. Great. So the four directions we learnt are up, down, left and ...? Right, that's right! Okay, I know, not funny. Sorry!"
• "Okay, any volunteers to join some of these words on the board together? No, okay. I'll close my eyes and spin round and the person who my finger is pointing at has to start. And that person is... Tomoko! Okay, Tomoko, stand up and come up here. Don't worry, everyone is going to help you. Okay, here's the pen. Do you want to start on this one here? Good. Make the pen touch the board next to that word and then just stop. Okay everyone, tell Tomoko which way to go to join that word to the correct one on the right. Left? No! Okay, shout out which way she should go. Right, right, I can't hear you! Good, good, got it! Let's give Tomoko a round of applause, clap clap clap clap."
• "Good, let's have a boy next. Alfonso? So, Alonso, I want you to do the same thing, but this time wearing... this!" [reveal one of those blindfolds that someone wears in a plane when they want to sleep, or anything else they can cover their eyes with such as a scarf] "Aha! Right, have you got it on properly? No looking! Good, take the pen."
• "Okay, everyone, what one do you want him to start with? This one. No? This one? Everyone agree? So, tell him how to get there. Up, up..."
• Etc.
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