Basics simple writing activities

basics Jill Hadfield CharlesHadfield Oxfordhasics SimpleWriting Activities ITLL H A D F I E L D C H A R LE S HA DF I E L D OXJ.ORD IJNIVERSITY PRESS Contents Foreword AL AN M AL EY Introductlon L Actlvities Greetingsand introductions The alphabet Numbers Tellingthe time Personalinformation Countries Nationalities Locatingobjects Feelings 10 Families tL Colours L2 Shapes 13 Partsof the body L4 Describingpeople 15 Clothes 16 Rooms L7 Furniture 18 In town 19 Directions 20 In the market 27 Shopping 22 Foodand drink 23 Leisureactivities 24 Daily routines 25 26 lobs Housework 27 Abilities 28 Rules 29 Describingactions1 30 Describingactions2 Foreword There is a formidable range of materials published worldwide for teachersof Englishas a ForeignLanguage.However,many of thesematerials,especiallythosepublishedin English-speaking countries,assumethat teachersusing them will be working with smallish classesand have abundant resourcesavailableto them Also many, if not most, of thesematerials make implicit culturally-biasedassumptionsabout the beliefsand valuesof the teachersand learners This situation is ironic in view of the fact that the vast majority of Englishas a ForeignLanguageclassroomsdo not correspondat all are large,resourcesare to theseconditions.Tlpically, classes limited, and teachershavevery few opportunitiesfor training and professionaldevelopment.Also, the cultural assumptionsof teachersand learnersin many parts of the world may vary quite significantlyfrom thoseof materialswriters and publishers This book is an attempt to addressthis situation.The authors presentthirty lessonsat elementarylevel,eachwith the same methodological framework The lessonsare explained in clear, accessible language,and none of them require sophisticated resources.Instead,they call on the basichuman resourceswhich all teachersand learnersbring with them to class.The language points coveredare onesfound in a typical elementarycourse,and the topics are those which form part of everybody'sdaily lives,for example,families,homes,and leisureactivities Most importantly, however,the book offers a framework for teacherswho lack training and support.The hope and the expectationis that such teacherswill begin by following each step will of a lessonquite closely,but, astheir confidenceincreases, presented responding to the here, adapt and add to the techniques particular needsand abilitiesof their learners This is an important book: one of the few attempts to addressthe problemsof the'silent majority' of teachersworldwide who have little or no training, and few resourcesto work with AL AN M AL EY Assumption University Bangkok,Thailand lntroduction Englishis taught all over the world, by all sorts of teachersto all sortsof learners.Schoolsand classroomsvary enormouslyin their wealth and their provision of equipment.Learnersarevery different from placeto place.But, whateverthe conditionsin which you are working, there is one resourcewhich is universal and unlimited: the human mind and imagination.This is probablythe singlemost valuableteachingand learningresource we have.Nothing can replaceit In eventhe most'hi-tech' environment,a lack of imagination and humanity will make the most up-to-dateand sophisticatedresourcesseemdull; conversely, the most simple resourcescan be the most exciting and useful We havebeen fortunate to spendquite a lot of our time working not only in hi-tech environmentswith computersand video,but alsoin classroomswhere there is little more than blackboardand chalk and someout-of-datecoursebooks.Someof our most interestinglearningand teachingexperiences(asConfuciussaid,a teacheris'alwaysreadyto teach;alwaysreadyto learn') havebeen not in the comfortablewell-resourcedsmall classroomsof a privatelanguageschool,but in classroomswhere only the minimum of equipmenthasbeen available.Equally,someof our most memorableteachingexperiences in'hi-tech' classroomshave beenwhen 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 greatdifficulty explainingthe conceptsof the fridge -freezerand microwave oven to Tibetans.In the sameway,learnerswho havespentall their livesin northern countries might have difficulty with an exercisefrom an African textbook which asksif they preferyam or cassava So over the last few yearswe havebeen trying to designmaterialswhich can be usedin aswide a rangeof teachingsituationsaspossible The activitieswe suggestare asflexible asthe human imagination is creative;they are'teacherresourcematerial'which teacherswill be ableto adjust to suit their particular environment.In thinking about universallyapplicable,'lo-techmaterialswe havecome up with a list of criteria that needto be met The materialswill needto: be usablein largeclasses aswell as small be suitablefor adult learnersaswell as secondarylearners,and if possibleeasilyadaptableto a primary context be centredon the universalsof human experience cover the main languageskills and have a useful baseof grammar and topic vocabulary Introduction be traditional enoughto be recognizableto all teachers,and thus give them a senseof 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 flexibleand easilyadaptableby the teachersto their own culture and teaching context be flexibleenoughto complementa standardsyllabusor coursebook SimpleWriting Activities This book containsthirty activities,designedaccordingto the criteria above,for developing the writing skill at elementarylevel Eachactivity has three main stages: Lead-in-This introducesthe learnersto the topic, and focuses their attention Organizingtexts-This stageprovidescontrolledwriting practice in preparationfor a freer writing task Creating texts-This stagegivesthe learnersthe opportunity to usethe knowledgethey haveacquiredin the previoustwo stagesin producing their own text The teacherprovidesa contextand a reasonfor writing Lead-in aaaaaaaoaaaa*aaoaaaar aaa Organizingtexts Writing is easierif the learnersare preparedfor the task,and if their imaginationsare stimulatedbeforehand.The purposeof the lead-in is to'warm up'the learners,in other words,to start them thinking about the topic and practisingsomeof the languagethat will be neededwhen they actuallycome to write aaaaaaaaaa The aim of this stageis to give the learnerscontrolledwriting practicebeforethey attempt a freer writing task.This is important becausethe languageof writing is different from that of speech.In speech,utterancestend to be short or incomplete,and the languageusedis often colloquial,and may break grammatical rules.However,most written languageis more formal and elaborate,and follows certain conventions The text organizationtechniquesusedin this book are as follows: Introduction Completion-The learnersfill in the blanks in a text or a crosswordpuzzlewith an appropriateword or phrase.This techniquecan give learnerspracticein a particular languagepoint, for example,placeprepositions Describinga picture-The learnerswrite a descriptionof a picture.They may then discussthe best order in which to describe the different elementswhich go to make up the picture This gives them practicein organizinga spatialdescription using a linking word, foining-Learners join words or sentences such as'and'or'but' This techniquehelpslearnersto developthe skill of linking ideaslogically and writing more fluently Matching-The learnershave to match the two separatehalvesof sentences which are written in the form of two lists.This technique helpslearnersto understandhow sentences are constructedand which words can go with other words Reordering-Sentencesor textsare givento the learnersin muddled order and they haveto rearrangethem in the correct order.Reorderingsentences is usefulfor teachingword order,while reorderingtextshelpslearnerspractisechoosinga logical sequence for sentences Substitution-In this techniquea basicsentenceframework is written on the board The learnercan vary this by choosing differentwords or phrasesat certainpointb.This showslearners how a basicsentenceform may be usedwith slight variationsto expressa number of different meanings Writing from notes-The learnersare given notes to expand into text This givesthem practicein arrangingtheir ideascoherently Greatingtexts It is difficult to write when you don't know who you are writing to, or why In real life we alwayshave a reasonfor writing: for example,to answera letter,preparea shoppinglist, or make notes for a talk In the classroomthere is often no apparentreasonfor writing beyond'The teachersaid this for homework'.If, however,you provide the learnerswith a context for creating a written text, you can make the task much more concreteand interesting.There is a wide variety of techniqueswhich you can use.The oneswe haveusedin this book are as follows: Writing from a picture-The learnersusea picture as a startingoff point for creatinga text :i: Responding to a text-The learnersare given a text to read before they write, for examplea poem or a letter.The text actsas a source of inspiration,and usefulwords and phraseswhich they can usein their own writing Alternatively, they may be askedto use their lntroduction own textsfrom the'Creating texts'part of the lesson Surveyand report-In this techniquethe writing task is preceded by a speakingtask in which the learnershaveto gatherinformation from eachother and useit to write a report This givesthem somethingconcreteto write about, and a definitepurposein writing Visualization-The learnersclosetheir eyesand visualizea scene which you describeto them They then write about the scenethey have imagined They may sharewhat they havewritten with anotherlearner Learnerscan alsoact as eachother'saudience.This is the most immediateand direct way of providing the writer with a reader There arevarious techniqueswhich can be used: Write and do-The learnerswrite texts,for example,a letter,a seriesof instructions,or a descriptionof a scene.Other learners read them and respondin an appropriateway,for exampleby creatinga tableauof the scene Write and draw-The learnersdraw a picture and write a descriptionof it They either passtheir descriptionto another learnerwho has to draw a picture of it, or the picturesand descriptionsare put up in the classroomand the learnersmatch them Write and guess-The learnerswrite a descriptionor riddle for othersto read and guessthe personor object being described Teachersoften setwriting for homework,and someof the activitiesin this book may be given for homework if time is short However,they are really designedto be done in class,so that you can circulatewhile the learnersareworking, supply any vocabularlthey need,and corrector explainany mistakesas they arise.It is also an advantagefor learnersto receiveimmediate feedbackfrom one another on their writing Materials A wide variety of text typesis usedin this book Theseinclude descriptions,narratives,reports,instructions,lists,poems,and letters.This helpsto provide interestand equipsthe learnersto deal more effectivelywith different kinds of writing Many activitiessuggestthe useof a poster.This is simply a text written out in largeletters,or a picture,on a big sheetof paper.If you preparepostersbeforethe lesson,it meansthat you not havethe time-consumingtask of writing or drawing on the board while the lessonis in progress.This is a particular advantageif you are not very confident about your drawing skills.It also meansthat Introduction you will not haveto write out the text, or draw the picture, again the next time you want to useit Ifyou decideto useposters,try to find a cheapsourceof sheetsof paper.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 postersto the board is to pin a length of string along the top of the board like a clothes-line.You can then useclothes-pegsto pin your postersto the string! An alternativeto drawingson postersis drawingson smallerpieces of card (but still largeenoughfor all the learnersto see).Theseare usuallyknown as'flashcards' They are usedin 1l 'Colours' and 24 'Daily routines' Gorrection After someof the activitiesyou will want to correctthe learners' work in order to give them feedbackabout their progress.It can be very discouragingfor learnersif their work comesback coveredin red ink, and this can have a destructive effect on their creativity, enthusiasm,and confidence.In addition, if everymistakeis correctedby the teacher,this robs the learnerof a valuablelearning experience-how to spot and correcttheir own mistakes.You can reducethe'big red pen' effect,and help learnersto self-correctby using the following strategies: Working with learnersas they are writing, supplying vocabulary and pointing out mistakes Getting learnersto work togetheror read eachother'swork and help eachother with mistakes When you correctlearners'work,usesymbolsin the margin to indicatethat there is a mistakein that line rather than correcting the mistakeyourself.It is then up to the learnerto work out what waswrong, and what the correctversionshouldbe Usefulsymbols are: well done o organization Sp spelling T tense Pr preposition WO word order lntroduction A article Ag agreement(singular/plural,etc.) P punctuation V vocabulary Gr other grammar mistake You may not want to correcteverymistakein a learner'swork, but preferto concentrateon one specificareaat a time, for example, tenses,spelling,or prepositions.If you adopt this systemyou will need to givelearnersa little time after you hand back their writing tasksto work out what was wrong, write in the correct version, and askyou for help if they still not understand.If most of the classmade the sameor similar mistakes,you may want to devotea lessonor part of a lessonto remedialwork on this area Buildinga lesson There are four companion books to this one,PresentingNew Language,SimpleListeningActivities,SimpleSpeakingActivities, and SimpleReadingActivities.AII of thesealso contain thirty activities,and in all five books the topics and the language presentedand practisedcorrespond.So,for example,activity I in all five books is about'Greetingsand introductions' and activity 30 is about'Describingactions'.The activitiesin eachbook are graded,following a basicstructural syllabus.This meansthat you can designyour own lessonor sequenceof lessonsusing material from any,or all, of the books,dependingon your learners'needs and the time available Daity routines 24 LANGUAGE 'Everydayactivities'vocabulary area (for example,get up, wash, have breakfast) Telling the time TEcHNreuEs Organizingtexts:completion Creating texts: writing from a picture MATERIALs Text frameworks,on postersor on the board; flashcardsof animals IREnARATToN Make the postersif you are using them; make the flashcards rrME GUIDE 50 minutes lead-in 1, Write a selectionof everydayactions on the board, for example: watrch'N read cook houeework homework Tell the learnersyou are going to a quick survey to find out what they in the evenings aa aaaaaae aaa Organlzingtexts: completion Readout eachaction Ask the learnersto put up their hands if they it regularly in the evenings.Count the hands and write the total by each action What most learnersdo? ataaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Putup thistextframework: Everyday I Firetl al andLhenl Then| - Afler lhat | -Lo school at, and I qo homeat ln lhe eveningI Iand Lhen| - tro bedat _ Tell the learnersto copy and complete it for a typical day in their lives.If you have a classthat needsmore support, you can give suggestionsfor filling in some of the gaps,for example: brush mv teeth qo naveeu??er qet u? havelunch waen havebreakfaet 54 24 Dailyroutines Put up this text framework and ask the learners to describewhat they after school: I qel homefrom echoolal - Firstl andthen I - Next land - After lhal I somelimee I ao to bed at Gleating texts: writing fiom a picture or -, Showthe learnersflashcardsof four or five differentkinds of animal,for example: Chooseanimals that are familiar to your learners Ask the learnersto chooseone and to write a descriptionof a typical day from that animal's point of view They can use the framework for the description of their own day to help them When they have finished, put the learners in pairs to read their descriptions to each other and to guesswhich animal's day is being described 55 ,^r l- ZC Jobs LANGUAGE '|obs'vocabularyarea(for example,farmer, doctor, waiter) rEcHNreuEs Organizingtexts:substitution Creating texts:write and guess MATERTALs Model text on a poster PREPARATToNMake the poster TrMEGUIDE 50 minutes ao aoaaaaaoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Lead-ln Organizlngtexts: substltutlon 1, Put the learnersin groupsof threeor four.Tellthe groupsthat they must think of asmanyjobs asthey canin threeminutes.One learnerin eachgroupshouldwrite down the jobs Writethejobsthe learnershavethoughtof on the board.The groupwhichhasthoughtof the mostjobsis thewinner Putup this modeldescription: My falher mother brobher eioler Ne 5he iea a uniform a euiL overalle caeualclobhee an a?ron a white coat He 5he gete uV I veryearly, doesn'lqet u? | He comeehomeat,about, o'clock a 11o Chc He the lik e s t h ie I doeon'llike I her I booe earno a lo| of money doesn'tr earn I Ask the learnersto write about a member of their family, or a friend, using the model 56 robs28 Creatingtexts: rrite and guess Ask the learnersto chooseone of the jobs on the board, and to write a description of a day in the life of a person who doesthat job Tell them not to mention the name of the job in their descriptions.Tell them that they can use sentencepatterns from the model text When they have finished writing, put the learnersin groups of three or four, and tell them to swap their descriptions They should read the descriptions they havebeen given, and guess which job is being described a a aaaoaaaaar aaaaaaaaaaaaa Comment oaaaaaraaa You can choosejobs that your learners are familiar with, and that are culturally appropriate 57 Housework 26 L ANGUAGE 'Housework'vocabulary area (for example,wash the dishes,make the beds, the shopping To hate (doing something) Organizingtexts:describinga picture, and completion Creating texts: write and draw T ECHNIQUES Posterof a'kitchen robot' M AT ERIAL S Make the poster PREPARAT ION T IM E Leadln GUIDE 50 minutes 7- Write a selectionof household taskson the board, for example: washthe dishes makelhe bede the ehoppin7 Tell the learnersyou are going to a quick survey to find out which household task they hate the most Organlzingtexts: descilbinga picture, and completion 58 Readout eachtask.Ask the learners'Whohates most?'Tell them to put up their hands.Write the total by eachtask.What the largestnumber of learnershate doing? Put up this picture and text: 26 Housework lntroducinqRobocook, the amazingkitchenroboN.Doyou haf,e cookinq?Doyou loabhewaohingup? Doyou eomelimeelonqfor helV?Don't,deepairlHelpie herelKobo'aarme helVwilh all those borinqkilchenIaske.Arm A Arm C whileArm b -, and AfLer Lhe meal Arm D and Arm E - Kobocookie alwayereadylo helplHe is neverliredl he never qrumbleolDuy oneNodayl Tell the learnersto look at the picture and write out the text, filling in the gaps.If necessary, help them by writing the tasksRobocook is doing on the board: layinqthe t able waehinq Ihe diehee eweepinq Nhefroor puttin4lhe dieheeaway cookinqLhedinner Creating texts: Get the learnersto check their answersin pairs Go through the answerswith the whole class write and draw Tellthe learnersto inventa machineto help them with a household task they hate doing Ask them to draw their machine and to write a short paragraphdescribingit Put the learnersin pairs and tell them to show their pictures and read their descriptions to each other 59 27 Abitities LANGUAGE Abilities'(for example,drive, sing, cook) and'jobs'(for example, bus driver, secretary,doctor) vocabulary areas Can Organizing texts: reordering Creatingtexts:write and T ECHNIQUES Iob advertsposter;letter of applicationposter;piecesof paper with the namesof jobs for all the learners M AT ERIAL S Make the posters PREPARAT ION T IM E Lead-in GUIDE 1, 60 minutes Write a list of jobs on the board, for example: buedriver oecretary Organizingtexts: reordering doclor larmer businessman/ woman hairdresser leacher Divide the classinto two teams and give a clue to one of the jobs using'can',for example:'Shecan cure people'(doctor);'Shecan type' (secretary).The first team to give the correct answergets a point The team with the most points at the end is the winner Put up this posterofjob adverts: WArure o: O T HE R FOR CIIIIDREN SPONSIgILTTY ro nttGERs WANTE D: WAWTED: LORRYDRIVER E N6 L I S H EAC HER FOR DtSrAt{cE TRIPS 60 FOR CLASS ONE I/yANTED: ASTRoNAuT FoRFxPEDtTfoN r o M ARS 27 Abilities Thenput up this letter: Dear)ir, I can drive,einq,cookdelicioue meals,waehcloLheeand dishee,eew,knitr,and Nellgood oLoriee.I hopeyou willconeider my application.I can worklwenf,y-fourhourea day,oeven daye a week.I wouldlikelo applyfor Nhejob of - I have five paire of arme for hu1qinq,five Vaireof eyeefor wahchinq, five paire of ears lor liotenin1,and fivemouthsfor einqinq eonq6and Lellin7oloriee Youro faithfully, Explain any unfamiliar vocabulary,and then ask the learnerswhich job the writer is applying for (mother) Ask them to write out the letter, putting the sentencesin a better order Checkthe order of the sentences with the whole class(4, l, 5,3,2, or possibly4, 3, I, 5, 2) ;;;ii;;'i;.[;" write and " " " " ";" Ail;hj"u*;' a pieceor paperwiththenameor oneof the otherjobson it Tell them to write a letter of application for the job on their piece of paper They should use the letter they have copied as a model Go round and help them while they are writing, supplying any vocabulary they need 10 Collect up the letters in sets,i.e all the zoo keeperapplications, all the clown applications, and so on L1, Divide the classinto groups.Thesegroups are'assessment boards' for eachof the jobs Give eachboard their set of applications.Tell the groups to read all their applications and to decidewho getsthe job 6I 28 Rules:'must'and 'mustn't' LANGUAGE Must,mustn't rEcHNreuEs Constructingtexts:matching Creatingtexts:write and guess MATERTALs Listsof places pREpARArroN Prepareenoughlistsof placesfor the sub-groups TrMEGUIDE 50 minutes Lead-in Constructing texts: L Ask the learners'Whatare the rules at home?What your parents tell you you mustdo?What they tell you you mustn'tdo?' (If your learnersare adults,askthem to remembertheir childhood.) Put them in groups of three or four to talk about this Then askthe groupsto report back to the rest of the class Writethesehalf sentences on theboard: matching Greating texts: wlite and guess 62 Youmusl ehout YoumusNn'N run in lhe corridors eatrin claee be laLe be polite your homework climbout,of f,hewindowe wrif,eon Lhe texlbooks Ask for volunteersto make completesentences Ask them what the sentences might be called('Schoolrules') Get the learnersto write out eight completesentences They should givetheir sentences the title'School rules' Checkthe answerswith the whole class Divide the classinto groupsof four or five.Then divide eachgroup into two pairs,or a pair and a group of three (A and B) I GiveAs in eachgroup this list of places:aeroplane,hospital,shop, zoo Give Bs in eachgroup this list of places:prison, bank, park, boat Ask the learnersto write a set of rules for eachplace.Give them an example,in a library the rules might look like this: Rules:' must' and' m ustn' t' 28 L I BR A R Y Younrustt"tk yietlg eff or driYrk' Youmustvr'f Yo" nrustnhruYl Yourrrustreturn books ontiweGo round and help, supplying any necessaryvocabulary Ask As to read their rules for eachplace to Bs,without sayingthe namesof the places.Bs must guesswhat the placesare.Then Bs should read their rules to As il;;;i 'ooo''""''""''''i;;:;;p.r,',n.,.rroolrulesonthewallsaroundtheclassroom 63 29 Describing actions L ANGUAGE Presentcontinuous Organizingtexts:describinga picture Creatingtexts:write and T ECHNIQUE Picture of a living-room on a poster M AT ERIAL S Make the poster PREPARAT ION T IM E GUIDE 60 minutes aaaaaoaaaaaa Lead-in Organizingtexts: describinga picture 64 Ask the learnersto closetheir eyesand imagine a room Ask them to decidewhat furniture it contains.Then tell them that four peopleare in the room Ask them'Who are they?What are they doing?'Givethem a little time to imagine,then tell them to open their eyes Put the learnersin pairs and get them to tell their partners what they'saw' Put up this picture: Describing actions1 pffi Point to eachpersonin the picture and ask the learnerswhat he or sheis doing Supplyany necessary vocabulary Tell the learnersthat they are going to write a descriptionof the picture.Write the beginningof the descriptionon the board: Mrs ToNNer ie eleeVinq in front of the television Dul whileeheie eleeVinq, terrible Nhinqo are happeninq all aroundher Veacefully Encouragethem to connectsentences with'and'or'while' Creatingtexts: wilte and Put the learnersin groupsof about eight.Ask eachgroup to imagine that they are all members of the samefamily Tell them to decidewho is who, for example,grandmother, grandfather,aunt, uncle,mother, father,son,daughter Ask the groupsto imaginea kitchen or living-room scene.Each personshould imaginewhat they are doing When you havegiven them a little time, ask the groups in turn to get up and form a tableau(they form a'picture'by standingin their position in the room as if they are doing their action) When all the groupshaveformed their tableaux,get them to preparea descriptionof the room and what everyoneis doing in it Eachgroup should appoint a'secretary'to write down the description Collectthe descriptionsand redistributethem so that eachgroup now has another group'sdescription.Eachgroup should read the descriptionit hasbeen given,and form a tableaufrom it Ask the groupsin turn to get up and form their tableau.The other groupsshould call out when they recognizetheir descriptionsfrom thesenew tableaux 65 Describing action s2 30 L ANGUAGE Presentcontinuous In the background; in the foreground On the left; on the right Behind; in front of; near Organizingtexts:describinga picture Creating texts: write and draw T ECHNIQUES M AT ERIAL S PREPARAT ION T IM E GUIDE Posterof a park scene;two piecesof paper for eachlearner Make the poster 50 minutes a taa aaaaat aaaaaaoaaaaaat aaaaaa t a a a a t t a a a a o a a a a lead-in 1- Ask the learnersto imagine the street outside the school.What are people doing there?Collect suggestionsfrom the class Organizingtexts: describinga picture Putup thispicture: r\l/,r\l/ Ask for volunteersto tell you some of the things that are happening in the picture 66 Describing actions2 3# Divide the classinto three groups,asnear the samesizeaspossible Ask the first group to write a descriptionof the scene,startingon the left and describing it from left to right Ask the secondgroup to write a description,startingwith the foregroundand moving backwards.Ask the third group to write a description,startingwith the backgroundand moving forwards.Eachgroup should appoint a'secretary'to write their description Write someusefulexpressions on the board: in lhe back4round in lhe fore4round on the lefL on lhe ri4ht behind in fronLof near Ask for a volunteerfrom eachof the three groupsto read out their descriptionsto the rest of the class.Ask the class'Which was the bestway of organizingthe description?'(In this picture,it is bestto begin with the backgroundto setthe scene,and then to move forwards, finishing with the main event-the balloon race in the foreground.) aaaaaaa ta aa a Creatingtexts: write and draw a a *{a a a a a a a $ *a *i a a a a t * Ask the learnersto closetheir eyesand imagine a busy street.Then askthem to open their eyesand draw the picture they imagined Then askthem to write descriptionsof the picturesthey have drawn on a separatepieceof paper Chooseeight of the learners'descriptionsand pictures.Separate the descriptionsfrom the pictures.Labelthe descriptionsA, B, C, etc.and label the pictures 1,2,3, etc.Takecarethat matching picturesand descriptionsare not givencorrespondinglettersand numbers (for example,makeA somenumber other than 1, and C somenumber other than 3) Keepa list of the matchinglettersand numbers for yourself Put up the descriptionsand picturesaround the classroom,and ask the learnersto read the descriptionsand try to find the matching pictures 67 basics allof them level, at elementary Thisbookcontains thirtyactivities dailylives,for dealingwithtopicswhichformpartof everybody's materials theteacher only andleisure activities.The example,families are instructions andpens.The andclassneedarethe board,paper, clearandeasyto follow,andthe authorshaveprovidedadditional supportin a shortIntroduction methodological to language andtopics ldeasfor lead-ins for writing Real-life contexts startthinking Simplepictureandtextpromptsto helplearners abouttheirwriting learners'work Tipson correcting OXFORDENGLISH tsBN0-19-442170-8 ,ilililll