Information collection & exchange

Example 1. Weights and Measures Conver
D

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Worksheet
A Visitor's Guide to U.S. Weights and Measures 
1. 
Length: 
2. 
Length: 
3. 
Weight: 
4. 
Weight: 
5. 
Liquid: 
6. 
Liquid: 
7. 
Distance: 
8. 
Temperature: 
Sc
ript
Many countries of the world use the metric system of weights and measurements. 
However, the United States uses quite a different system of weights and 
measurements. Visitors to the U.S. often are confused by the new system they
find. The following eight items are the ones that are used the most. The 
conversion guide for these eight items is:
In LENGTH: (1) one yard in U.S. measurement is equal to .91 meters, and (2) one 
inch in U.S. measurement is equal to 2.54 centimeters. 
In WEIGHT: (3) one ounce in U.S. measurement is equal to 28.35 grams, and (4) 
one pound in U.S. measurement is equal to .45 kilograms. 
In LIQUID: (5) one quart in U.S. measurement is equal to .96 liters, and (6) one 
gallon in U.S. measurement is equal to 3.78 liters. 
ne mile
In DISTANCE: (7) o
in U.S. measurement is equal to 1.6 kilometers. 
Finally, in the measurement of TEMPERATURE: (8) the freezing point-32 degrees 
entigrade. 
in the Fahrenheit measurement used in the U.S.-is equal to zero degrees 
C
[Joan 
Morley. 
Listening and Language Learning in ESL. Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1984. 
ermission of Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.] 
Reprinted by p
 Characteristics and examples of good listening exercises 
Good listening exercises: 
• p
in
s 
• communicate real meaning 
• re
Most of the exercises in this section involve more t
exercises you are trying to 
cre
teraction. Two people in a conversation 
take turns in listening and speaking. In the same way you will see that while the main focus is on listening, at 
a certain point in most of the following exercises your students are expected to respond by interacting in 
some way with whoever is speaking. 
 
Pr
ming up with a correct answer to that question tests 
our awareness of your students and 
nderstand their values. One thing you c
tter where you are, people take a great 
stories from their daily 
lives to catch their attention fo
rovide interesting content 
•
•
clude listening preparation 
offer visual support 
• encourage whole-message listening 
• encourage listening for specific detail
quire listener response 
han just listening. In your 
ate "real life" situations, and in real life, listening is part of an in
 
ovide interesting content 
The question here is, what interests your students? Co
y
measures how far you have been able to enter their world and 
an be sure of, though, no ma
u
deal of interest in the affairs of others. You may have featured in stories circulating in the village where you 
live. This interest in the affairs of others seems to be particularly true of places that do not have television or 
much radio, where the news is passed by word of mouth and where oral traditions and story telling are still 
admired skills. If you know what's going on in your students' community, you can use
r a listening comprehension exercise. 

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Fo example, if you hear about an incident where a cow is struck by lightning, or travelers get stranded 
be
"Pi
. Prepare by drawing a simple strip cartoon version of the story, using about 10 pictures, each picture 
be
2. Divide your class into groups and give each group a complete set of the 10 pictures. 
3. Tell your story of the cow and the lightening to the group. Ask them to listen to the story and then, as a 
gro
You c
s to use the 
picture cards as prompts and to give a dramatized telling of the story to the rest of the class. 
If y
mo
to 
s using mathematics-
based language to stimulate English language acquisition. Lessons can be built around specific language 
skills 
how 
this can work. 
1. Set up a market stall in the front of the class with as many items as possible, each with a price marked 
on it. 
2. Develop questions that refer to these marked items using terms such as "more than," "less than," "as 
mu
reater than," 
dd,'' "subtract." Sample questions based on the market situation will include the following:
re, three tomatoes or three piles of rice? 
Is it true that one orange costs twice as much as an eggplant? 
Yo
3. 
h 7) to each team 
ember.
one of your questions and then call out "Number 2."
5. Student number 2 from each team then has to run up to the stall, calculate the answer, and shout it 
it on a piece of paper and give it to you. The first student to give a correct 
answer wins a point for her team. 
e most accurate guess scores a point.
3. Repeat this activity until the guesses of all the groups become more accurate. 
r 
cause a bridge is washed out, you can use these incidents in your class as is shown in this exercise, 
ctures in Order." 
1
ing on a separate piece of paper or card. Work on developing a dramatized version of your story. 
up, to put the pictures in the right order. 
an develop variations, too. For example, after telling the story, you could ask the group
our students are receiving very few hours of English, you will want to pay special attention to raising their 
tivation by using materials which will interest them. You may be able to tap into your students' motivation 
learn science or math. For example, you could develop problem-solving activitie
such as practicing special mathematics vocabulary. The following "Shopping" exercise illustrates 
ch as," "most," "equal to," "as many as," "altogether," "twice as much as," "fewer than," "g
"a
Name one item that costs more than $0.25 each. 
How many mangoes can you buy with $0.35? 
What costs mo
u should develop at least three questions per student. 
Divide your class into teams of approximately seven and give a number (1 throug
m
4. Read
out, or if you prefer, write
6. Keep the tally and continue the exercise until you have asked all the questions. 
[Adapted from "Integrating Language and Math" in JoAnn Crandall (Ed.). ESL Through Content - Area 
Instruction. Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1987.] 
Another exercise involving simple mathematical language is "Guess the Distance." 
1. Divide your class into groups. Give each group some kind of equipment for measuring distances. 
Indicate any two objects in the room and ask each group to guess how far apart the objects are. Write 
down the groups' guesses on the board. 
2. Ask a representative from each group to measure the distance between the two objects. Compare the 
guesses with the actual distance. The group with th

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The minilectures referred to earlier are also a useful technique for classes with limited hours of English,