Tap huan PL

Reporter: Doan Minh Phuc Grammar questions  Grammar tests are designed to measure student proficiency in matters ranging from inflections (bottle-bottles, bake-baked) to syntax. Syntax involves the relationship of words in a sentence including manners such as word order, use of the negative, question forms, and connectives. Reasons:  Much English teaching has been based on grammar; and unlike various measures of communicative skills, there is general agreement on what to test. Grammar items, such as auxiliary verbs, are easy to identify, and errors in grammar can be quickly spotted and counted. As with vocabulary exams, either passive or active skills can be checked. Also, grammar can be tailored to beginners or advanced learners Multiple-choice completion  While multiple-choice completion is an efficient way to test grammar, teachers need to be cautioned about the temptation to use this bid of item for all of their testing needs.  Though multiple-choice tests can be used successfully in testing grammar, they don't seem to work as well in testing conversational ability. Steps to constructing an item (1) Choose the grammar points that you need to test; (2) prepare the right kind of sentence context (or stem) for the grammar structure; (3) select three logical distractors; and (4) prepare clear, simple instruction. Grammar Choice  What structures you have taught since the last test?  What to include and exclude?  How to give different "weight" to various grammar points?  E.g.: Let's say you spent three times longer on modal auxiliaries than on two-word verbs. You could prepare two or three times as many questions on the modals. Context Preparation  A good context is very important!  Assuming that you have decided what points to test, what multiple-choice type to use, and how many questions to prepare, you are now ready to start writing the items. First, choose a structure and then use it correctly in a sentence.  If one sentence does not seem to work, use two! Distractor Preparation  Avoid using too obvious items! E.g.: _______ the ones who know the answers. A. They are B. There C. They're D. Their  Avoid items that test divided usage, or items that only test different levels of formality. E.g.: You can get it from the lady _______ he sold it to. A. which B. who C. whom D. why  Avoid confusing or tiring your students by having them reread unnecessary material. E.g.: If I had a new fur coat, __________. A. I showed it to everyone. B. I'd show it to everyone. C. I've shown it to everyone. D. I'll show it to everyone. -> (revised) If I had a new fur coat, ______ it to everyone. A. I showed B. I'd show C. I've shown D. I'll show  Also, it is best not to mix categories like the following: E.g.: They just bought __________ furniture. A. a few B. several C. some D. with (revised) They just bought ___________. A. a few furnitures. B. several furnitures. C. some furniture. D. a furniture. [...]...Alternate Form of Multiple-Choice Completion  Error identification: E.g.: Rain is slight acidic even in unpolluted A* B air, because carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and other natural acid-forming gases dissolve C D in the water • Advantages of Multiple-Choice Completion 1 It is impossible for students to avoid the grammar point being evaluated... Advantages of Sentence Completion 1 These are generally easier to prepare than are multiplechoice items 2 These give the appearance of measuring productive skills because some items permit flexibility and original expression 3 There is no exposure to incorrect grammatical forms • Limitations of Sentence Completion 1 These are usually more time consuming to correct than are multiple-choice questions Not... "irrelevant" errors beyond those being tested 2 Occasionally students can unexpectedly avoid the structure being tested The Option Form * The easiest simple-completion items are like multiple-choice questions with only two options E.g.: Direction: Complete the following sentences with "do" or "make." 1 He _ a lot of money last year 2 I always _ my best * This option form can easily be adapted... The Free-Response Form • Sometimes a few simple terms can be used, if everybody in the class knows what they mean Here are some sentences from an English test: Example: Add a question tag to these sentences: 1) Hamlet was indecisive, ? 2) Polonius knew a lot of aphorisms, _? • It is good to use an example to make sure that no one is confused Example: Directions: Write in the missing part of... different verb and verb tense for each item Include the uninflected form Supply the answers (Example: She _ [drink] it this morning.) 4 Write four “free-response items Each one should test a different grammar point (One of these can be the conditional as in the example) Name the grammar points being tested Include two sample correct answers for each of the four items ... to avoid the grammar point being evaluated 2 Scoring is easy and reliable 3 This is a sensitive measure of achievement (and like other multiple-choice language tests, it allows teachers to diagnose specific problems of students) • Limitations of Multiple-Choice Completion 1 Preparing good items is not easy 2 It is easy for students to cheat (It is possible to create a second form of the test by rearranging... usual.'" “You would get better sooner if _” (Here the conditional is being tested.) • These take longer to correct than other completion types, and they also take more language skill to evaluate properly Consider a few acceptable ways that students could complete example: • "if you dressed warmer," "if you'd see a doctor," "if Mother were here," "if we had some medicine for you." Cloze  Cloze tests... WORK : DO THE TASKS I- MULTIPLE CHOICE COMPLETION 1 Each of the following item has some defect Indicate what the difficulty is, and then correct it by rewriting the question a “Eva nearly won that race!” I “Yes, .” A she ran well, did she?" B she ran well, wasn't she?" C she ran well, was she?" D she ran well, didn't she?" b While she _ the house, her children were playing outside A has been... good measure of the grammar subskill) 4 This can have a negative influence on class work if used exclusively (Students may see no need to practice writing if tests are objective.) Sentence Completion  Simple-completion items used for testing grammar consist of a sentence from which a grammatical element has been removed E.g.: "He went to chool." or "I would have gone if he had invited me”  Alternatively,... in length, from which words have been deleted The student relies on the context in order to supply the missing words  Very popular for test constructors  Easy to prepare and rather easy to score  A good measure of overall proficiency Preparing a Cloze Test  The steps in preparing a cloze test are simple: (1) Select an appropriate passage (e.g., from the reading material in your English class); . being tested. The Option Form * * The easiest simple-completion items are like multiple-choice The easiest simple-completion items are like multiple-choice questions with only two options. questions. Also, grammar can be tailored to beginners or advanced learners Multiple-choice completion  While multiple-choice completion is an efficient way to test grammar, teachers need to be cautioned. (Students may see no need to practice writing if tests are objective.) Sentence Completion  Simple-completion items used for testing grammar consist of a sentence from which a grammatical