Ideas for elementary levels – Visual & Listening Presentation 1- Prepare a PowerPoint with picture + sound and picture + written word. Present to the students, first they see the picture and listen to the sound, repeat in chorus; then they see the same picture with the written word and repeat the picture’s name again. The PowerPoint presentation may be prepared normally to be shown online or in a pc if you have one in the classroom. 2- If you don’t have a pc in the classroom but have a DVD, prepare the PowerPoint with picture + picture and written word, save as image. So you’ll have a folder with all the images, open Moviemaker, import the pictures and insert the sound in the first pictures. 3- If you are not totally secure about your pronunciation or intonation to insert your own voice in the presentation, just sign in to http://forvo.com, it’s easy and free. After registering, search a word you want and you’ll find several pronunciations recorded for the word you want. Hear all and download the one that better fits your purpose. The files are in mp3 format that play in most DVD’s and sound players. 4- After choosing the sounds you want to insert, just introduce it in the first pictures in your presentation. 5- The same process may be used for PowerPoint presentations. Ideas for elementary levels – Flashcards 1- Prepare flashcards for the words you want to present. 2- You may have two kinds of flashcards: with and without the words. For the first presentation I recommend flashcards without words. 2- Present the flashcards and let the students realize what the picture represents asking questions: • do you have this in your house? • how often do you use this object? • where do you normally see it? • what do we use it for? • do you have one like this? • what color is it? • where do you keep yours? • or other questions you feel will help students realize the object name, its functions, objective, where it can be found, etc. 3- In the next step, show the picture with words and ask: • is this a …. (word they have already learned)? • is this a ….(word they have already learned) or a … (object real name)? • What do we use to…? (have the student say the new word – don’t correct pronunciation) • and other questions that lead the students to use the new word in different contexts. 4- Make students ask questions with the new word • Ask….(another student) if s/he uses a …(new word) very often. • Ask… (another student) if s/he has a …(new word) at home. • Ask… (another student) if a …(new word) is expensive. Take the chance to use words the students learned in previous lessons, like expensive, enough, later, against, etc. If the students learned Present Continuous in the previous lesson, lead them to use the Present Continuous in their questions and answers. 5- Ask students to complete your sentences: • when I’m at home and want to make a juice I use a …. (new word) • last week I went to the supermarket and bought a … (new word) • (gesture) I’m using a … (new word) • (gesture) I’m eating a … (new word) • and so on. 6- Give answers, the students have to ask questions that match, using the new word. • No, I don’t have any. • Yes, I need to buy one. • I bought it yesterday. • Yes, I’m using it right now. • No, I can’t lend you mine, sorry. pay attention if all the students are repeating the new words. play again if you are not completely satisfied with the results. you may want to present the pictures again without words or sound and ask the students to say their names. show each picture without sound (after the first presentation) and point a student to say its name aloud. show the pictures without sound (after the first presentation) and ask the students: how do you say this in English? don’t correct students’ pronunciation when presenting the words, they’ll have time to familiarize with the words and then you’ll correct their pronunciation. if you correct the students they may feel insecure and refuse saying the new words until they feel completely sure about its intonation and pronunciation. the most important thing at this step is make the students understand the pictures names and how to use them. ask many questions to show the students how to use the new words inserted in their routine. Important: to get all the students attention, first ask a question and then point a student to answer it. If the student doesn’t understand the question, choose another student to answer and then ask a similar question, returning to the previous student. If the student makes a grammar mistake, just say it correctly to give the student the chance to say it again correctly. After presenting the new words, the students will use them: • reading a text with comprehension questions or • with cartons without the text for them to fill with sentences using the new words or • watching a short video with the new words and answering some questions after watching it several times or • watching a video without sound (where the new words fit) and suggesting sentences to describe or to insert in it or • watching a video without sound and writing the dialogs in group or • reading a text and filling the gaps with the new words or • a game where they will use them in a context or • in a role playing. If you are teaching kitchen vocabulary, a role playing “in the kitchen”; if you are teaching ingredients, “let’s make a cake”; and so on. Intermediate & Low Advanced Levels Give a text with gap-filling and the new words definitions (in alphabetical order). The students have to read the text and to fill the gaps with the new words, according to the definitions they have. It’s better developed when students work in pairs. After this activity, you may want to check it. The students can read the text completed in loud voice (a paragraph for each student) and then you ask the other students if they agree, if they completed differently and they have to support their choices. Another way to correct this activity is playing the text sound so the students will correct it while listening. Play it several times, stopping after each paragraph, to give students the opportunity to correct their mistakes. After listening, students read the text to the entire class (each student reads a paragraph) to see if the other students agree with their choices and corrections. Sites to download texts and sound files in mp3 format: http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-centr al-listening-downloads-stories.htm (British accent) There are several texts with activities, you can copy the texts and download the files to play after they fill in the gaps. To download the files, just right-click on the title of the story and choose “save the link as”. If you have a lab classes at your school, your students can read and listen directly from the site. http://www.elllo.org/ (different accents) You have texts and mp3 files to download, each short dialog has people from different nationalities and accents, you can choose the ones you want to show. Lesson development 1- Find a text, video or story you want to teach; 2- Prepare flashcards or PowerPoint (basic levels) or gap-filling (intermediate and low advanced levels) with the new words or expressions; 3- Ask questions orally as described here; 4- Use games (board games, word searches, crosswords, etc) to practice the new vocabulary; 5- After the text or video, give comprehension questions. For advanced learners, promote debates, discussions and to write original stories. 6- Intermediate learners may write original stories, imagine hypothetical situations related to the text or prepare dialogs for a role playing. 7- You may print and cut the dialogs separated and give them to students to put them in the correct order. 8- Cut the text into sentences and the students reorder it while listening. Higher advanced 1- Prepare a gap-filling exercise with the text to be taught. 2- Give the students a new words list in alphabetical order with the words class. 3- Divide students into groups and ask them to look up the new words in an English to English dictionary. 4- Give them the text to complete using the new words. 5- Play the text sound for the students to correct their mistakes. 6- Ask students to read the text in paragraphs for the whole class. After each paragraph ask students whether they agree or completed differently. 7- Ask students to support orally their choices. 8- Ask comprehension questions about the text, focusing on the new words. 9- Ask students to write / say original sentences using the new words. 10- Give students some situations related to the text to discuss or to write a text about. 11- Ask students to find grammatical topics (verb tenses, modals, passive voice, etc.) and explain their use in the text. 12- If the grammar topic is new, ask students to do a research on it and explain next class. Abstract concepts 1- Prepare flashcards or PowerPoint if possible; 2- Gesture and act to demonstrate the new concept; 3- Tell a small story and insert the new word in the context; 4- Give students several magazines (in English) to cut pictures related to the new concept (basic and intermediate levels) 5- Ask students to write a short story with a situation in which they could use the new word (advanced). 6- Show a scene taken from a movie or a sentence in a popular song with the new word. . make the students understand the pictures names and how to use them. ask many questions to show the students how to use the new words inserted in their routine. Important: to get all the. There are several texts with activities, you can copy the texts and download the files to play after they fill in the gaps. To download the files, just right-click on the title of the story. dictionary. 4- Give them the text to complete using the new words. 5- Play the text sound for the students to correct their mistakes. 6- Ask students to read the text in paragraphs for the whole class.