Communicative Activities as Supplementary Materials for the Teaching of English at the Elementary Level Jennifer C. Dy This study sought to supplement the structural instructional materials with communicative activities in teaching English to Grade III in all 16 public schools in Tagbilaran City, Bohol. General Objective: To design communicative activities for specific topics in Grade III English in which the teachers reported a need for supplementary materials. Specific Objectives: 1. Identify the topics in which teachers need supplementary materials; 2. Develop communicative supplementary materials for Grade III pupils; 3. Conduct expert evaluation and try out the activities with Grade III pupils; and 4. Revise materials based on experts’ evaluation and tryout results. Significance of the Study This study seeks to benefit the following groups of people: Pupils. These varied and stimulating classroom activities will turn pupils’ passivity and boredom into active involvement and genuine interest, thus developing the pupils’ communicative ability. English language teachers. This study helps the teachers provide exercises that promote language use in real communicative settings. The extent of use of these activities will give them ideas that would help them teach pupils how to communicate more effectively. Other educators. The communicative activities and the corresponding materials designed by this researcher will serve as a prototype that may be adapted to the grade level handled. Administrators. This study could motivate administrators to induce teachers’ use of communicative activities in teaching English. Materials writers and other researchers. This study provides a prototype for materials writers and other researchers who might want to venture in communicative materials development. Research Paradigm Stages in Communicative Activities Development: Survey the teachers’ profile Write the materials Prepare guidelines for writing the materials Decide on format Have target clientele try out materials Have experts review the materials Survey existing materials Revise materials based on experts’ evaluation and tryout results Survey topics in Grade III English where teachers need supplementary materials Observe Grade III English teaching methodology Survey the pupils’ profile PLANNING WRITING EVALUATING REVISING Appendix A Activity # _____ ___________________________________________ (Heading) Focus : ___________________________________________________ Objective : ___________________________________________________ Description: ___________________________________________________ Time : ___________________________________________________ Materials : ___________________________________________________ Procedure: 1. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ 4. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ 5. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ (Illustration) ________________________________________ Appendix B Guidelines for designing/conceptualizing the communicative instructional material: The activity should: 1. Provide opportunity to develop the four macro skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) 2. Allow information sharing and negotiation of meaning 3. Occur in realistic communicative context 4. Use appropriate heading 5. Have a clear focus and objective 6. Use understandable and clearly worded statements 7. Be appropriate to the learners’ age and proficiency 8. Relate to learners’ interests and personal lives 9. Enable learners to imagine themselves in such situation 10. Allow opportunities for choice (what and how to say) Appendix C Questionnaire Listed below are attributes of a good communicative instructional material. Please circle the most appropriate number of each statement which corresponds most closely to your desired response. Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree The instructional material: 1. Provides opportunity to develop the four macro skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) 4 3 2 1 2. Allows information sharing and negotiation of meaning 4 3 2 1 3. Occurs in realistic communicative context 4 3 2 1 4. Uses appropriate heading 4 3 2 1 5. Has a clear focus and objective 4 3 2 1 6. Uses understandable and clearly worded statements 4 3 2 1 7. Is appropriate to the learners’ age and proficiency 4 3 2 1 8. Relates to learners’ interests and personal lives 4 3 2 1 9. Enables learners to imagine themselves in such situation 4 3 2 1 10. Allows opportunities for choice (what and how to say) 4 3 2 1 . Supplementary Materials for the Teaching of English at the Elementary Level Jennifer C. Dy This study sought to supplement the structural instructional materials with communicative activities. Revise materials based on experts’ evaluation and tryout results. Significance of the Study This study seeks to benefit the following groups of people: Pupils. These varied and stimulating. Administrators. This study could motivate administrators to induce teachers’ use of communicative activities in teaching English. Materials writers and other researchers. This study provides a prototype