CELTA Language Task Essays

CELTA Language Task Essays CELTA Language Task Essay CELTA Language Task Essay I have chosen an authentic article, for it gives students taste of real language in use, and provides them with valid linguistic data for their unconscious acquisition (Swan 1 985, p. 85). Furthermore, an authentic text provides learners with opportunities to experience language as it is used beyond the classroom (Nana 1999, p. 80) as opposed to scripted texts. Thus, an authentic text proves to be more essential to LET for it should engage and challenge students at this level. Believe there are no words that are crucial to an overall understanding of the article. Ere with Harmer (2001 , p. 272) with reference to pre-teaching: by giving them some or all those words, we deny them a chance to practice tackling authentic texts. Nonetheless, I would elicit some lexis to make sure the students have understood the text and managed to guess the meaning from the context. This however would be done ATA later stage of the lesson. Lead in/prediction: At the beginning of a typical English languag e lesson it is good to lead-in by activating the students schema, which is their pre-existent knowledge of the world (Cook, 69, 1989). By encouraging students to use what they already now, the opportunity for language learning is maximized. I would begin by displaying the main picture and the heading of the article, then ask the class to work in pairs. The students would be asked to predict what the topic of the newspaper article is (Appendix 1. 0). This is a very student centered activity which creates interest in the content of the text and activates schemata. Once the discussions quiet down, class feedback would be gathered. To ensure the students read for gist in the next activity, would only flag up three predictions on the board for the students to verify. This stage will leave the dents with a good reason to read (Harmer, p. 288). Skimming (Reading for gist): would ask the students to skim read the article (Appendix 2. 0) and ask them to discuss in pairs whether the predictions they made earlier were correct or not before doing a class discussion. However, to ensure that students gist read only I would give learners 3 minutes, so that they do not read the article intensively. This task is used to develop the students sub-skill Of reading for gist, or skimming (Scrivener, p. 185). Also to make students better readers, it is important to raise awareness that its not always essential to understand very word, as this could cause students to use their dictionaries and pause from reading (Scrivener, p. 153). Reading for further detail (Intensive reading In order to develop the sub skill of reading for further detail, set a series of true/false questions (Appendix 3. 0). The activity will test whether the student! Gained maximum information from the text (Harmer, p. 70). The true and false activities can fall both into reading for specific information and reading for detail, therefore it is very important to formulate appropriate questions, which will require the learner to read to find further detail as opposed to pacific piece of information. In order to have the students focus, they would work on their own, underlining the excerpts of text where they found an swers. Once done with reading and answering true/false statements, the students peer check and discuss their answers among themselves, referring to the highlighted text. Bellyacher quoted in (Alison, peg. 102) states that if there is a climate of trust and support in the classroom, then the students ARP more likely to contribute. One way of developing this is to allow pair checking of answers before open-class checking answers, the students will then be ore likely to contribute during the open class discussion. This promotes communicative language teaching. Furthermore, this would give me an opportunity to monitor student discussions. Once the conversation naturally quiets down I would gather whole class feedback. Nominating a student and also asking them to expand on their reasoning, as well as asking further questions or even getting their personal views. This is an important stage of the lesson, as Scrivener points out a lesson without feedback is teaching dhal proceeds forward without reference to what impact this is having on the g. 73). This is to show their engagement with the text, as opposed to simply answering true/false statements. This could be done with some follow up questions, as Harmer (2007, peg. 75) says, we should always ask the students where in the text they have found the answer, as it provoke a detailed study of the text. Post-reading free discussion The last activity is a free discussion, which would allow me to monitor further for any errors in meaning, form or pronunciation (MAP) while the students discuss their own opinions on these inventions in groups of four. Would first vie an example in the form of my own opinion to present the language in context and encourage students to express their thoughts on the topic. The purpose of the post reading task is to allow the students to utilize the studied vocabulary. I would then gather feedback from the class, nominating group members to summaries what their team has discussed, whether they agree with the creators or not. Having the chance to monitor two major discussion in the class, should at this stage have gathered some errors that the students have made, either with meaning, form or pronunciation. I have left his to the end, as interrupting student discussions to correct an error could be embarrassing, and would disrupt the flow of the lesson. Whereas, towards the end of the lesson it is easy to grab class attention and go through some of the errors together, eliciting the correct MAP from the students, in order to give them a chance to correct their mistakes and fossil the correct form. Reading like listening are receptive language skills and developing these skill: is key to increasing student comprehension and appreciation of the English language. Thus, a well-structured lesson which follows the SEA (Engage, stucco ND activate) stages is essential to the learners development.