Speaking Activities for the Classroom
What Talents Do We Have in Our Group?
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apeaking activities
- Bu sahifa navigatsiya:
- Guessing Your Friends’ Thoughts
- Alone on a Desert Island
- Word Games
- Thinking of Related-Words
- Find Someone Who...
- Chapter Two : Words, Phrases and Sentences
- Naming the Tasks
- Obeying the Law
- Noises
- More Noises
- More and More Noises
- Similar and Related Words
What Talents Do We Have in Our Group? Sit in a circle and ask each student tell one talent that he/he has, for example :
Pon can sing very well. Lek has studied Thai dancing.
Porn is an actor. Da is good at Microsoft Excel.
Aye can play the guitar. Kwan learned to play the piano.
Ann is a very fast typist. Lynn can translate from Chinese into Thai.
Som can write songs. Dang can cook Italian food.
Pen can sing Italian opera. Stang can program computers.
Tan is good at creating web sites. Pel can read French.
Tong knows how to cook Japanese food. Ad can teach the violin to children.
Muay is able to prepare flower designs. Tim can dance the Tango all night.
Tai is good at setting-up Power Point presentations. 57
Wouldn’t it be nice to be a mind-reader and be able to read other people’s thoughts? Wouldn’t it be curious, for example, if you knew in advance what your friend was going to answer before he she was even asked a question? You can test yourself by putting one of your friends at the front of the classroom and guessing how he/she would answer questions like the ones below :
Here’s an example of how to proceed: first, you ask your friend a question, such as, “What is your favorite food?” and the he/she must write the answer on a piece of paper so no one else can see it: for example, “fried rice.” Then all the people in the class begin to guess: “Is it fried fish?” “Is it chicken with noodles?” At the end of the questions, he/she shows what is written on the paper. With any luck, one of her close friends will already know the answer.
Question Answer Where would you like to go on your honeymoon?
What Hollywood star would you like to date? Who is your role model?
Who is your favorite female vocalist? What kind of person do you want to marry?
What would your dream job be? What is your deepest secret wish?
What words would you like to hear your lover say? Where would you like to live?
What would you do if you couldn’t get a job? With whom would you like to be lost on a desert island?
Is there any kind of animal that you do not like? What is your favorite song?
In the empty spaces, write a few more questions that you can ask your friend. 58
Imagine that you have to stay alone on a desert island for a whole year, and that you can only take twenty items with you. What items would they be? Get everyone in the class to use the form below and fill in the things they would most miss or need if they were in a situation like that. Then, after everyone is finished writing, get one student to read his/her list, while the others listen. Then, go around to the other students and ask each on to tell the two items that they would need or wish to have the most. Write down all the things they say in the blank spaces that are provided :
When you are finished, for conversation’s sake, you can ask certain people why they think that certain items would be so important to them.
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The teacher tells each participant an adjective, one-by-one, going around in a circle. Within one second, the student must say a noun to go with the adjective. Then, the student must think up and say a full sentence using both the adjective and noun together. This is an oral exercise and should go fast. See the following example :
Expensive /expensive present / I bought my wife an expensive present. Easy test
We are hoping for an easy test. Difficult questions We don’t want to have any difficult questions. Interesting
Boring Sweet
Sour
Bitter
Angry
Awful
Wonderful
Happy
Lovely
Slow
Fast
High
Low
Short
Tall
Hard
Soft
Yellow
Bright
Dull
Painful
Relaxing Stressful
Heavy
light
If the students enjoy this activity, get them to make up their own list of new adjectives and do the whole thing together on their own. 60
Divide the class into four groups and give each group a word, for which they must write out a list of related-words. The group that can write-down and read- out the most words wins. An example might be :
Write a list below of things you can do with your hands, for example : Hold
Grasp Stir
Stroke Clap, etc
Write a list below of things that you can do with your head, for example : Butt
Shake Nod
Think Imagine, etc
Write a list below of things you can do with your eyes, for example : Flutter
Squint Wink
Cross See, etc
Write a list below of things you can do with your feet, for example : Shuffle
Stamp Dance
Hike Pirouette, etc
There are lots of ways you can vary such word games, depending upon the linguistic purpose. You could as well, for example, get the students to choose common nouns and see how many adjectives they can find as modifiers. 61
This game is so popular with the students that you can keep coming back to it, periodically, because you know it’s going to succeed. You can also vary the formula in many ways. In the following, for example, students can interview classmates regarding their preferences and asking why they prefer one thing to another :
Going to the movies/watching videos at home Jane prefers watching videos at home because it is more relaxing.
Driving a car/ going by taxi. Tan prefers going by taxi because it not quite so stressful. The Bangkok Post/The Nation Lat prefers The Bangkok Post to The Nation because she finds the language easier.
It would be best if the students to made up their own survey questions, based on the interests of the group, but here are some examples to use as models:
Pizza Hut/The pizza Noodles /Rice
Coke/Pepsi Thai pops/English hits
Action/romantic films Taking a bus/motorcycle
Burger King/McDonalds Japanese/Chinese food
KFC/Chester’s Chicken Mangoes/papaya
French Fries/baked potatoes 62
In the tasks in this chapter, which are a little more difficult than the first chapter, students will be asked to search to find or remember and express or look up vocabulary and formulate concepts and ideas in words, phrases and sentences on their own or in groups, in a student-centered, non-teacher- controlled learning environment.
To avoid running the class in a totally-dictatorial-teacher-centered-manner, the teacher may give the students sheets and let them work independently on the assigned task, and only report to the teacher later, when they have finished or their time has run out.
The teacher should work as a helper rather than be the dictator of everything that happens in the classroom. It is better for the students to learn by doing rather than to learn by simply listening while the teacher drones on a and on, while the class has trouble concentrating/paying attention.
If they are asked to do their own thinking and looking-up and researching and discussing and exchanging of ideas and helping of one another, they will be better-able to pay attention, because they will feel themselves to be at the center of the action.
While the students are working on their task, the teacher can get up from his/her desk leaving his/her position of authority at the front of the room and mingle within the class, approaching closer, moving from student-to-student or from group-to-group, whilst looking helpful and friendly, and giving assistance as required. After students, become accustomed to the teacher being nearby, they will feel less-afraid to ask questions and to request help and assistance.
Oftentimes, a student is too shy or too timid to ask a question in a totally teacher-centered situation, because, then everyone’s attention would, then, be focused on that one student. Especially in a case where the student does not know something and finds it necessary to ask a question, it will be a lot more comfortable for the class participant, if the teacher is standing nearby. For this reason, the teacher should continually cultivate individual contact and rapport. The teacher should become more-and-more accustomed to mixing in with the class and actually sitting-down with the students, and interacting in a way that will gradually make the students less-afraid to speak up, because they are talking one-on-one or asking within a group of friends where they do not feel so threatened. 63
Get the group to sit in four groups of five and try to think of as many handyman jobs that a person can do around the house and see who can think of the most. For example, look at the first five and add another ten tasks.
Changing a light bulb Painting the wall Drilling a hole in the wall Hanging a picture Fixing a water faucet, etc.
Think of all the tasks that can be performed when cooking dinner. For example,
Washing the vegetables Chopping the onions Boiling the rice Crushing the garlic Slicing meat, etc.
Think of all the tasks that must be done in the garden. For example, Cutting the grass Weeding the lawn Watering the flowers Cutting the bushes Spraying to prevent pests, etc.
Think of all the tasks that need to be done when building. For example, Digging a hole Laying the bricks Sawing the boards Pouring cement Hammering a nail
This is the kind of game that can go on forever. For example, Give a list of jobs a secretary can do. What do soldiers do in the army? Just keep changing the types or categories of tasks.
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Get the students to tell you a list of laws that everyone should follow in order to good citizens for the good of society and for the good of the nation. Put them standing-up in a circle, and anyone who fails to think of a new law must sit down and be disqualified. The last one standing wins.
Stop at red lights. Don’t jay-walk. Use the footbridge. Don’t drive too fast on the highway. Don’t drive the wrong way on a one way street. Keep your car in safe running order. Make sure your brake lights are working. Get you car inspected every year. Don’t drive without a license. File your income tax form. Pay your taxes. Don’t tell lies that can hurt another person’s reputation. Do not take things that are not yours. Don’t break into your neighbor’s house. Don’t light your neighbor’s house on fire. Don’t try to steal your neighbor’s wife. Don’t try to seduce his underage daughter. Do not abuse children in any way. Don’t beat your wife. Don’t start fights. Do not pollute the water or the air. Don’t run a business without a VAT card. Don’t forget to submit the VAT to the revenue department on time. Do not breach the terms of a contract. Notify the government of your change of address. Renew you ID card on time. Don’t deceive the customer about the quality of your goods. Don’t make false promises that you don’t intend to fulfill. Do not take or pay bribes and avoid being involved in corruption. Don’t sell your vote. Don’t litter or spit on the street. Don’t cause noise pollution. Be sure your buildings follow safety and fire regulations, etc. Give to others less-fortunate than yourself.
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Write some words to describe or modify the words in the boxes. traffic Animals construction machines nature
Write some words used to describe nurses teachers mothers
politicians monks
lawyers accountants policemen doctors soldiers
Thailand Europe Africa America Asia
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What noises do you associate with the following animals or insects? In certain cases, there are two or three ways that we can describe the noise made by an insect or animal. Add some other insect/ animal sounds to the list.
bird tweet chirp sing dog bark howl growl cat meow hiss purr donkey hee-haw
horse whiney
snake hiss wolf howl
chicken clucks turkey gobbles
roster/cock crow Cock-a-doodle-do lion roar
tiger growl snarl cow moo
bull bellow
buffalo bellow pig oink
lamb bleat sheep Bah-bah
elephant trumpets
fly buzz bee buzz
crickets chirp locusts hum
cicadas sing
mosquito buzz hum
mouse squeaks
when necessary and insert them into the appropriate boxes. 67
Fold the paper in two, and then try to think up words to describe the nouns that you see in the left hand margin. Water trickles Water fall roars
Water tap drips
Window rattles Door
bangs, squeaks, creaks Motor hums Brakes squeak Tires squeal Ice cubes tinkle,
Leaves rustle Tree branches groan Beams groan Computer mouse clicks
Mobile phone Rings, beeps, hums Pager beeps Microphone screeches Chalk squeaks
Fingers scratch Feet
tap Ears ring Lips smack Teeth click, grind Knees knock Nose sniffs
Paper Shuffles, rustles, rips, tears Satin rustles Axe hacks Small scissors snip
Nail Clippers clip
Hair clippers clip
Pen scratches Finger and thumb snap Fire crackles Clock ticks Stomach grumbles There are lots of noises that relate to things. Try to think of a few more.
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Get four groups to write lists of words that are small, big or loud, etc. And see which group can read out the most related words to the class for each category. The group with the most words wins. If it’s too difficult, let them use their dictionaries. Use vocabulary appropriate to class needs. For example, the teacher may use the following examples as a key or guideline : Small Big Loud Kind Unkind Minute Large Bang Warm Violent Ant Huge
Boom Loving
Vicious Speck Gigantic Crash Generous Cruelty
Germ Vast
Bash Giving
Heartless Sperm Infinite clang Helpful Voracious Atom Cosmic Blare Thoughtful Unfeeling Molecule Giant Reverberation Considerate Thoughtless Tiny Colossal Bellow
Sympathetic Inconsiderate Bit Titanic Bash
Empathetic Hateful
Fleck Humongous Resound
Gracious Aggressive Microscopic Massive Echo
Tender Dangerous Little Sweeping Din Understand Selfish Point Looming Drone Goodness Cold
Dot Endless Dun Compassion Cool Spot Boundless Explosion Feeling
Distant Electron Grand Scream Supportive Destructive Mite Innumerable Shatter Charitable Evil
Now, write some words that have the same or a similar meaning: Boss Helper Opponent Ambition Fault Chief Assistant Adversary Goal Weakness Chairman Aide Foe
Aim Mistake
Head Supporter Opponent Wish Error Leader Follower Competitor Dream Typo Supervisor Co-worker Contestant Hope Oversight Foreman Subordinate Rival
Achievement Lack
The teacher can keep using this game by choosing new and different words that are appropriate to the students’ level or to the field of study or endeavor.
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