Oxford basics simple listening activities

www.frenglish.ru basics Jill Hadfield CharlesHadfield www.frenglish.ru SimpleListening Activities JillHadfield Hadfield Charles OXTORD I I NI VERSI TY PRES S www.frenglish.ru Contents Foreword AL AN M AL BY lntroductlon L Actlvltles Greetingsand introductions The alphabet Numbers T.lliog the time Personalinformation Countries Nationalities Locatingobjects Feelings 10 Families U Colours L2 Shapes 13 Partsof the body L4 Describingpeople 15 Clothes 16 Roomsin a flat L7 Furniture 18 In town 19 Directions 20 In the market 2L Shopping 22 Foodand drink 23 Leisureactivities 24 Daily routines 25 26 Jobs Housework 27 Abilities 28 Rules:'must'and'mustn't' 29 DescribingactionsI 30 Describingactions2 ' www.frenglish.ru Foreword There is a formidable rangeof materialspublishedworldwide for teachersof English as a Foreign Language.However,many of thesematerials, especially thosepublishedin English-speakingcountries,assumethat the teachers using them will be working with smallish classesand have abundant resourcesavailableto them AIso many, if not most, of thesematerials make implicit culturally-biased assumptionsabout the beliefs and valuesof the teachersand learners This situation is ironic in view of the fact that the vast majority of English as a ForeignLanguageclassroomsdo not correspondat all to theseconditions Typically, classesare large, resourcesare limited, and teachershavevery few opportunities for training and professionaldevelopment.AIso,the cultural assumptionsof teachersand learnersin many parts of the world may vary quite significantly from those of materials writers and publishers This book is an attempt to addressthis situation.The authorspresent 30 lessonsat elementarylevel,eachwith the samemethodological language,and none framework.The lessonsare explainedin cleat accessible of them require sophisticatedresources.Instead,they call on the basic human resourceswhich all teachersand learnersbring with them to class The languagepoints coveredare onesfound in a typical elementarycourse, and the topics are thosewhich form part of everybody'sdaily lives,for examplefamilies,homes,and leisureactivities Most importantly, however,the book offersa framework for teacherswho lack training and support The hope and the expectationis that such teachers will begin by following eachstepof a lessonquite closelybut, astheir will adapt and add to the techniquespresentedhere, confidenceincreases, respondingto the particular needsand abilitiesof their learners This is an important book one of the few attempts to addressthe problems of the'silent majority' of teachersworldwide who havelittle or no training, and few resourcesto work with AL AN M AL EY Assumption University Bangkok, Thailand www.frenglish.ru Introduction English is taught all over the world, by all sorts of teachersto all sorts of learners.Schoolsand classroomsvary enormouslyin their wealth and their provision of equipment.Learnersarevery different from place to place.But, whatever the conditions in which you are working, there is one resourcewhich is universal and unlimited: the human mind and imagination.This is probablythe one singlemost valuableteachingand learning resourcewe have Nothing can replaceit In eventhe most'hi-tech'environment,a lack of imagination and humanity will make the most up-to-date and sophisticatedresourcesseemdull; conversely, the most simple resourcescan be the most excitingand useful We havebeen fortunate to spend quite a lot of our time working not only in'hi-tech'environments with computersand video,but also in classroomswhere there is little more than blackboard and chalk and someout-of-datecoursebooks.Someof our most interestinglearning and teachingexperiences(asConfuciussaid,a teacheris'always ready to teach; alwaysready to learn') havebeen not in the comfortablewell-resourcedsmall classroomsof a private languageschool,but in classroomswhere only the minimum of equipmenthasbeen available.Equally,someof our most memorableteachingexperiences in'hi-tech' classroomshavebeen when we haveabandonedthe cassetteor video or glossy coursebookand got to work with that most preciousresourceof all, the learners'ownexperienceand imagination Teachersoften haveto usematerialswhich are out of date,or contain subject-matterirrelevantto their particular group of learners.For example,we havehad great difficulty explaining the conceptsof the fridge -freezerand microwave oven to Tibetans.In the sameway, learnerswho havespent all their lives in northern countries might have difficulty with an exercisefrom an African textbook which asksif they prefer yam or cassava.So over the last few yearswe havebeen trying to design materials which can be usedin aswide a rangeof teachingsituationsaspossible The activities we suggestare as flexible as the human imagination is creative;they are'teacherresourcematerial'which teacherswill be able to adjust to suit their particular environment In thinking about universallyapplicable,'lo-tech'materialswe havecome up with a list of criteria that needto be met The materialswill need to: be usablein large classesaswell as small be suitable for adult learnersas well as secondarylearners,and if possibleeasilyadaptableto a primary context be centeredon the universalsof human experience www.frenglish.ru Introduction cover the main languageskills and have a useful baseof grammar and topic vocabulary be traditional enoughto be recognizableby all teachers,and thus give them a sensegf security,while providing communicative activitiesfor learners be non-threateningin the demandsthey make on learners material'rather than books for learners be teacher-based'resource assumethat no technicaland reprographicresourcesare available and be basedon the human resourcerather than the technical be culturally neutral,not context-bound,and thus be flexible,easily adaptableby the teachersto their own culture and teaching context be flexibleenoughto complementa standardsyllabusor coursebook Simple ListeningActivities This book containsthirty activities,designedaccordingto the criteria above,for developingthe listeningskill at elementarylevel Eachactivity has three main stages: Warm-up-This introducesthe learnersto the topic and focuses their attention Listen and respond-This is the main part of the activity The learnerslisten to a text and respondto what they hear in a variety of ways Follow-up-This stagegivesthe learnersthe opportunity to practisewhat they havelearnedusing the other languageskills aaa" " Warm-up Before the learnerslisten to a text, it is very important to prepare them by doing a'warm-up'activity This meansgiving them some idea of what the text is going to be about, either by telling them or askingthem to guess Beforeyou begin the activity,you may alsowant to pre-teach difficult new vocabulary.But don't pre-teachall the new vocabulary.Guessingnew words is an important listeningskill and it is a good idea to give the learnerssomepracticein this Prepare the text beforethe lessonand decidewhich words would be easy for your learnersto guessand which would be difficult Pre-teach only thosewords which would be difficult or impossibleto guess from the context, but which are essentialfor understanding the text Leavethe othersand try to get the learnersto guesswhat they mean-don't all the work for them!You can explain diffrcult later on in the lesson words or expressions www.frenglish.ru Introduction Warm-up activities should be very short-they should take not more than about five minutes All you are aiming to is to get the learnersinterestedin the topic and familiarize them with some vocabulary Listen and respond Mary learners find it diffrcult to develop the listening skill Why is this?One reasonis that learnersmay not often hear-or at least needto understand-spoken Englishoutsidethe classroom.The best way to improve their confidenceis to provide them with regular listening practice It may be that you are worried about your own English,that it is not of 'nativespeaker'standard But it is much more important that your learnersshould havepracticein listeningthan that they should alwayslisten to a so-called'perfect' model After all, it is likely that they will often need to understand non-native speakerswhen they use English in the outside world If possible,though, it is good for them to havepractisein listeningto a variety of voicesspeakingEnglish In a few activities which include dialogues,for example5'Personalinformation' and 21 'Shopping',we have suggestedthat you invite a colleagueto act out the dialoguewith you Another reasonis that learnerstry to understand every word and get completelylost, becauseduring the time they havespent worrying about one phrase or word, the speakerhas said three or four more sentences Alwaysaskyoursel('What is the main messageof this text?What are the main points?' Concentratefirst of all on helping the learnersto understandthosemain points Only then, if necessarSshould you focus on detailsof the language There are many different techniqueswhich can be usedto encouragelearnersto listen for the main points For example: * Listen and complefs-lsa1ng1s listen and use the information given to complete a picture, map, diagram, table, or chart w Listen and correct-Learners listen to a text which contains a number of factual mistakes.They identify and then correct the mistakes rt!t; Listen and do-Learners listen to a seriesof instructions or actions,and tlrem as they hear them :s Listen and draw-Learners listen to a description of a person, place,or object and draw it asthey listen r; Listen and guess-Learnerslisten to a descriptionof a person, place,or object and guesswhat it is & Listen and match-Learners listen to a description and match it to, for example,pictures,people,objects,or places www.frenglish.ru Introduction Listen and reorder-Learners listen to someinformation and useit to put somepicturesor sentences in the correctorder There are examplesof all thesetechniquesin this book Materials A listeningtext is provided in most of the activities.This may be in the form of sentences, a descriptivetext, or a dialogue.In some cases,it is a good idea to adapt the text to suit your teaching situation and the learnersyou areworking with For examplein 20 'In the market',the lessonwill be more interestingfor the lg31ng15-3ndthey will learn more-if you describethe kinds of food that they seeand eat every day In the caseof some texts, especiallythosewhereyou are describingyour own experiences and preferences, for example22'Food and drink'it is better if you talk from notesrather than readingout a text Practiseon your own, usingjust the notesto help you speak,until you feel confident.Evenif you need to follow a text closely,it is important to becomefamiliar with it beforethe lesson In severalof the activities,we haveprovided pictures,plans,or chartsfor you to copy.Thesemay be drawn on the board, on large piecesof paper ('posters'),or on piecesof card ('flashcards').In the caseof largepicturesand plans,postershaveobvious advantages over drawingson the board: you can preparethem in advanceand they can be storedand usedagain.Try to find a cheapsourceof largesheetsof paper for posters.In Madagascar, for example,the teacherswe worked with found the sheetsof paper usedfor wrapping vegetablesin the market were ideal for making posters.A good way to fix postersor flashcardsto the board is to pin a length of string along the top of the board like a clothes-line.You can then useclothes-pegsto peg your postersto the string! Realobjectsor'realia' can be usedas an alternativeto drawings,for examplein 12'Shapes'and 20'In the market' Procedure During this stageof the activity the learnersare first encouragedto listen for the main points in a text, and only after they havedone this to listen in detail.The procedurestagehas five basicsteps: Explain clearlywhat you want the learnersto and checkthat they haveunderstoodbeforegoing on When you are sure that the learnershave understood what to do, read the text or act out the dialoguewithout stopping.Tiy to speak as naturally as possible-as if you were telling a story or talking on the telephone-rather than just readingout loud The first time you presentthe text, the learnersshould just listen www.frenglish.ru Introduction The secondtime you presentthe text, get the learnersto the task while they listen You may need to read, or act it out, more than once for the learnersto complete the task successfully.Again, remembernot to stop Get the learnersto checktheir answersin pairs.Then checkthe answersyourself with the whole class Only now is it time for the learnersto listen to the text -or parts of it-in detail and for you to help them with the words and expressionsthat they found hardestto understand.Sometimesyou can predict what thesewill be and have explanationsready,but sometimesyou will not know what gavethem most difficulty until they tell you (Alternatively,they might even have found it so easy that you have little explaining to do!) This stageof the lesson involvesa lot of interaction betweenyou and the classas you find out what gavethem trouble and help them with it Here are some things you can at this stage: Check the answersand write them on the board as the learnersgive them to you Then go over the text again, re-reading the relevant phrasesand explaining anything the learnersstill don't understand Choosesomeparts of the text to work on in detail,for examplea sentencethat seemedparticularly difficult Put a seriesof blankson the board, one for eachword in the sentence: (If you want to make this easier,you can write some words in.) Readthat part of the text again,asking the learnersto fill in as many words as they can Build up the sentencewith the classuntil all the gapshavebeen filled When the meaning of a word can be guessedfrom the context, repeat the phrase or sentencein which it occurs and ask the learnersto guesswhat the word means,or to suggestother words that could replaceit Selectsome useful phrasesor expressionsfrom the listening, write them on the board, and ask the learnersif they know the meaning If not, explainit to them Give the learnerScopiesof the listening text or write it on the board Let them read and listen at the sametime This is a useful technique becauseit helps them to relatethe spoken and the written word However,don't use it too often, or the learnerswill put lesseffort into understanding the text earlier in the activity www.frenglish.ru Introduction Follow'up If there is time after you have completed the listening activity, you can follow it up with an activity from another skill area,for example speakingor writing This givesthe learnersthe opportunity to practise what they have learned and helps them establishrelationships between the different languageskills Buildinga lesson There are two companion books to this one,PresentingNew Languageand SimpleSpeakingActivities.Each of thesealso contains thirty activities, and in all three books the topics and the language presentedand practised correspond.So, for example,activity I in all three books is about'Greetings and introductions' and activity 30 is about'Describingactions'.The activitiesin eachbook are graded,following a basic structural syllabus.This meansthat you can designyour own lessonor sequenceof lessonsusing material from one, two, or all three books, depending on your learners' needsand the time available www.frenglish.ru 23 Leisure activities Draw this chart on the board and tell the learnersto copy it: love Iike dont like badminton chess 6ewn4 ewimminq table tannis Tell the classthat you are going to talk about the things you in your sparetime again.This time they should tick the appropriate boxesin their charts Stop and check after the first activity that you mention to seethat they understand Ask for volunteers to come to the board and tick the appropriate boxes aaaaaa aa aa aa aa aa aa aaaaaaaaalaaaaaaaaaaeaaoa a Fllow-up Get learnersto think of one activity they love, one they like, one they don't like, and one they hate Tbke a vote to find out which are the most and which are the leastpopular activities in the class 53 www.frenglish.ru 24 Daity routines LANGUAGE 'Everydayactions'vocabularyarea(for example,get up, have supper,go to sleep) TECHNTeUEListenand correct MATERTALSA story about a daily routine containingmistakes,like the one below: the correctversion pREpARArroN Write a story,or usethe one below.If you write your own story, rememberto preparea correctversion TrMEGUrDE 30 minutes Warm-up L'i;i; ;il';;;;;;i' t ' ' ' ' ' ";' ' Put the title'Peter'sday' on the board.Ask the learnersto tell you what they think he or she does every day Prompt them with questions,for example'WhatdoesPeterdo first everyday?letc ri;;;; il;; ';;,y ora mixed-up dayto therearners, ro.exar|pre, Every day I get up at midday First I go to the cinema and then I have supper.Then I go to sleep.After that I fly to school I have lunch at seveno'clock and I go home at one o'clock.In the morning, I cook breakfastand then brush my teeth I wake up at ten thirty Tell them that you are going to read the story again.This time, tell them to put up their hand everytime they hear a mistakeand to correctit with more suitablewords Write the story on the board with gapsfor the mistakes,for example: Everyday I get up at - Firat I and then I - AfLerthat I -to echool.I havelunchat and I 4o homeat o'clock.In the -, I cookthen -, Iat ten thirty ThenI o'clock and Ask for volunteers to come up and write in suitable words The 'correct'versionmight look like this: Everyday I qet up at eix thirLy Firat I waah and then I have breakfaet.ThenI bruah my teeth AfDerthat I walkto school.I havelunchat one o'clockand I qo homeat fiveo'clock.ln the evenin4,I cook eupperand then waf,chTV I qo to bed at ten thirty 54 www.frenglish.ru 24 Dairy routines Preparea simple story of the daily routine of someonethe learners all knoq or who hasa familiar job suchasa postmanor a doctor It shouldcontain no more than five or six sentences W'ritethe sentences in random order on the board and getthe learnersto put them in the right order 55 J www.frenglish.ru 'A t- t ,/-^ Z-\r, Jobs LANGUAGE '|obs'vocabulary area (for example,postman, dentist, waiter) TEcHNreuE Listenand guess MATERTALSThe short descriptionsof jobs below pREpARArroN You might want to adapt,or add to, the descriptions TrMEGUrDE 30 minutes Warm-up Write up the following words on the board: delivers uniform apron ecissora drives makes cap needle uoe6 coat Ask the learnersto divide them into thesethree groups: things we things we use things we wear Llsten and guess l Explain any unfamiliar words Then ask the classwhat they think the listening text will be about Tell the learnersto write the numbers I to Tell them you are going to describesix jobs without mentioning the namesof the jobs They must guessthe jobs you are describing Readthe six descriptions.Tell the learnersjust to listen and not to write anything for the moment Number one He wears a uniform and drives a van or rides a birycle He getsup very early in the morning to deliver letters to people'shouses Number two You go and seethis person when you have toothache.He or she wearsa white coat and usesa drill Number three This person brings you food and drink when you are in a restaurant Number four Shewearsa uniform and works in a hospital She caresfor people when they are ill Number five He makes clothesfor men He has a shop where he sellsthe clothes Number six He wearsa white coat and sometimesa white hat He makesbread and cakesand sellsthem in a shop 56 www.frenglish.ru 25 robs ffiil;' Readthe descriptions again.This time, the learnersshould write down the namesof the jobs Repeatthe descriptions once more Tell the learnersto check their answersin pairs Ask for volunteersto come and write the answerson the board (1 postman;2 dentist;3 waiter/waitress;4nurse;5 tailor; baker) " " '" maketheirowndescriptions of jobs.Putthese a;;il;;;;; substitution tableson the board to help them: He worka the He indoore, outdoora weare the omart clothea a uniform a white coat He mende )he makea eelle 0rowo looks afLer They should think of a job and choosewords from the framework to describeit Ask individual learnersto read out their descriptions and get other learnersto guessthe job 57 www.frenglish.ru 26 Housework Write up a timetablefor the weekon the board Mon tu e Wed Thur rn 5at 9un Tellthe learnersto copyit Tell the learnersthat you aregoingto repeatthe story.As they listenagainthey shouldtry to write in the uncle'scrazyhousework timetable.When they havefinishedit shouldlook like this: Mon I Ue cook iron beda ffoor Wed Thur Fri 9at 9un ary feed lieten to polieh make ehoppinq clothee windowa furniture walk watch book Tellthe learnersto imaginethat they arehis nephewsor nieces Theyshouldcorrecthis timetableand makea moresensible one for him Ask for volunteersto cometo the board to makethe corrections a aaaaaaaa ata aa aa aa aa aaat aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaao Follow-up Get the learnersto write their own (sensible)timetables 59 www.frenglish.ru 27 Abitities LANGUAGE Verbs for common actions Can, can't TEcHNreuE Listen and guess MATERTALS The riddles below pREpARArroN You might like to think of more riddles and add them to the ones below TIME GUrDE 30 minutes Warm-up L Introduce the topic of riddles.Ask the learnersthe Sphinx'sriddle: 'What moves on four legsin the morning, two legs in the day,and three legsin the evening?'(Answer:a man going from being a baby crawling to a man walking, and then becoming an old man who walks with a stick.) Ask the classif they know any riddles in their l own language Listen and guess Tell the learnersto write the numbers to Sayyou are going to tell them five riddles They must try and think of the person, animal, or thing you are describing Number one I can't talk or walk I can't eat but I can drink I can smile and cry Who am I? Number two I've got four legsbut I can't walk What am I? Number three I can go out for a walk, but I can't leavemy house.I can only walk very slowly.What am I? Number four.I've got feathersbut I can't fly.I can keepyou warm at night, though What am I? Number five I've got hands,but I can't lift anything I've got a facebut I can't see,hear,or speak.I can tell you the time though What am I? 60 Readthe riddles a couple of times, leaving time for the learnersto write down the answers Readthe riddles for a third time, pausingaftereachone to allow the whole classto call out the answer ( I a baby; a table; a tortoise,or a snail;4 a duveu a clock,or a watch) www.frenglish.ru 27 Abirities Follow-up Get learnersto work in pairs, making up their own riddles using 'can'and'can't1 Suggestsome subjectsthey could make riddles about and help them with English vocabulary,for example: a needle it has an'eye' a saw it has'teeth' a nail it has a'head' a chair it has'legs',a'back',and sometimes'arms' 61 www.frenglish.ru 28 Rules:''must'and 'mustn't' LANGUAGE T E CHNIQUE MATERIALS PREPARATION T I M E GUIDE '|obs'vocabularyarea(for example,teacher,doctor, policeman) Must mustn't Listen and match The extractsfrom ionversations below None 30 minutes Warm-up L Introduce the topic of schoolrules.Ask the learnersfor examples of things they must and mustn't at school.Help them translate their ideasinto Englishif necessary Listen and match Write the following words on the board in two lists, A and B, like this: l AB teacher driver doctor Pasaen4er policeman patient librarian pupil ticket collector etudent Explain any unfamiliar words Choosesome examplesfrom list B, for example'patient'and'driver'.Ask what kinds of things these peoplemust and mustn't Get the learnersto copy the two lists,sideby side Tell them they are going to hear five short extractsfrom conversations.In eachextract, someonefrom list A is talking to someonefrom list B They must decidewho is talking, and who they are talking to Readthe extracts.Try and'act'them asmuch aspossible,using appropriateintonation and gestures Number one.You're late again!You must try to get to school on time Number two You mustn't park in this street.Look at the notice up there! I'm afraid you must pay a fine of twenty pounds, and you must pay it before next Friday 62 www.frenglish.ru Rules:'must'and 'mustn't' 28 Number three You must stop smoking, and you mustn't eat so many sweets And you really must try to take more exercise Number four Shhh!You must be quiet And you mustn't bring any food or drink in here Number five No sir You must have a ticket before starting your journey No, I'm sorry You must get off the train at the next station Readthe extractsagain.This time, tell the learnersto draw a line betweenwho is talking and who they are talking to a a a a a a a a a a aaaaaaaa Follow-up Readthe extractsfor a third time so the learnerscan check their answers Ask for a volunteerto come to the board and draw the lines betweenthe two lists (1 teacher- pupil; policeman - driver; doctor - patient; librarian - student; ticket collector passenger) aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Tell the learnersto work in pairs.Ask eachpair to chooseone of the five extractsabove.Get them to make up three more'rules'for that situation in that extract (for example,teacher- pupil) using 'must'and/or'mustn't1 Eachpair should read out their rule and the rest of the classshould guessthe situation 63 www.frenglish.ru Describing actions 29 Presentcontinuous LANGUAGE Listenand guess T ECHNIQUE The short descriptions of placesbelow MATERIALS You may want to adapt, or add to, the descriptionsbelow PREPARATION 30 minutes T IM E GUIDE Warm-up Ask the learnersto guesswhat place it is you are describing Describethe classroomsceneas it is now for example: 7" A man/woman is standing in a large room There are a lot of people in front of him/her They are all sitting down Someoneis etc lDescribewhat a few Someoneelseis -ing, -ing learnersare actuallydoing.l Continue with your descriptionuntil the learnersguess.Don't make it too easyfor them! Listen and guess ' t liiililr".tr ,tt" you are going to describefi.vescenesto them Tell them to listen and, for each scene,decide either'What is happening?'or'Where is it?' Number one My garden is full of people My little sisteris crying My father is bringing a ladder and everyoneis looking up into a tree.What is happening? Number two The room is full of people There is loud music playrng.Somepeopleare eatingand somepeopleare drinking A lot of peopleare dancing.What is happening? Number three My friend is lying in bed in a long room A lot of other peopleare lying in bed too Someof them are listeningto the radio Someof them are talking to friends One is talking to a man in a white coat.And a lot of people are sleeping.Where is my friend? Number four I'm in a big building A lot of people are sitting behind a long counter Other people are queuing at the counter and writing on piecesof paper.Someof them are collectinga lot of money!Wheream I? Number five I'm in a big building A lot of people are sitting behind a long counter Other people are queuing at the counter with letters and parcels.They are buying small, brightly coloured piecesofpaper and stickingthem on the lettersand parcels Where am I? 64 www.frenglish.ru Describingactionsl 2g Follow-up Ask the learnersto write the numbers I to Readthe descriptions of the scenesagain,this time leaving pausesbetween each description so the learnerscan write down the answers Readthe descriptions a once more This time, get the learnersto checktheir answerswith their neighbour Check the answerswith the class(l my little brother is stuck up a tree;2 at aparty;3 in a hospital;4 in a bank; in a post office) Write the following sentenceframes on the board: fm ina 5ome peopleare _inq Other peopleare _inq Oneman/womania _in4 Tell the learnersto work in pairs Ask them to imagine that they are at a place in town Tell them write a description of this place by copying the sentenceframes and filling the blanks Then ask each pair to read out their description.The rest of the classshould guess the place they are describing 65 www.frenglish.ru Describing action s2 30 LANGUAGE 'Town'vocabularyarea(for example,shop,cafe,bank) Presentcontinuous T ECHNIQUE MATERIALS PREPARATION T IM E GUIDE ii,;il;; 1, Procedure Listenand The descriptionof a streetscenebelow You may want to adapt the description below 40 minutes Tell the learnersto think of the main street in your town or village Ask them what kinds of building they can find there Write the Englishwords on the board Createa'street'at the front of the classby arrangingchairsand desksto standfor a shop,a cafe,a bank, and a bus stop.Desckibeit to the learners,for example: This is the main street.This is the butcher'sshop here.And here, next to the butcher's,there'sa cafe.There are tablesand chairs outsidethe cafe.On the other sideof the cafe,there'sa bank And here'sthe bus stop,by the bank Describethe following scene.Ask the learnersto imaginethe events taking placeon the'street'in front of them I'm looking out of my window There'sa busy streetoutside Oppositeme a man and two boys are standingat the bus stop The man is readinga newspaper.The two boys are eatingsweets out of a bag.A woman is coming out of the butcher'sshop.She's carrying a very heavybasket.A man is sitting at the cafe next to the butcher's,drinking coffeeand writing in a notebook.There are two girls sitting at the table next to him One is eating spaghettiand the other is eatingice-cream.A young woman is walking down the streetwith a small dog on a lead I can seetwo men coming out of the bank They are carrying a big, heavybag I wonder what is inside? Ask ten learnersto come to the front of the class.Positionthem in your street,three at the bus stop,one coming out of the butcher's shop,three sitting outsidethe cafe,and so on Tell them that when you readthe descriptionagain,you want them to form a tableau (i.e a three-dimensionalpicture) of the scene Describethe sceneagain.The ten learnersshould form the tableau asyou read 66 F' www.frenglish.ru 30 Describingactions2 Fllow-up Tell the ten learnersto return to their places.Seehow many details the classcan remember and repeat to you in English Get the learnersto write sevensentencesto form a description of the scene.Can they remember what all the people were doing?If they need help, you can remind them bywriting theseprompts on the board: Aman,., Twoboyo Awoman Aman Twoqirlo A younq woman Twoman 67 www.frenglish.ru basics Thisbookcontainsthirty activitiesat elementarylevel,allof them dailylives,for dealingwith topicswhichform partof everybody's materials theteacher families and leisure activities.The only example instructions are andpens.The andclassneedarethe board,paper, clearandeasyto follow,and the authorshaveprovidedadditional methodological supportin a shortIntroduction ldeasfor writtenboardwork Pictures teacherscancopy for adaptingactivities Suggestions canuse illustrating thewayin whichteachers Shortdialogues instructions andcorrection English for classroom IS B N0-19-112168-6 ,tluilli