Course book

English for Teaching 3

Module 1: Whats in a word?

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 English for Teaching 3
Module 1: Whats in a word? Course book

1 Language

1.1 What kind of book?

Do you like reading?
What kind of books do you like to read?

1.2 Gender and reading

Work in groups.
Look at these pictures of book covers.
Discuss:
Do you think that each one is more likely to be read by girls and women, boys and men,
or equally by both?

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1.3 Word work

Work in pairs.
The vocabulary below is from an article about reading.
Before you read the article, match the vocabulary in the column on the left with a definition from the column
on the right.

Vocabulary Definition

Chick lit To look through something, e.g. a book or a bookshop, without a particular purpose.

Celebrity Someone who writes a book for someone else.

Escapist A kind of literature particularly liked by girls and women.

Recession A time when the economy is very bad.

Affordable A famous person.

Browse Something which helps you escape from everyday life.

Ghostwriter A book lover.

Bibliophile Not expensive.

What do you think the article will be about?

1.4 Jigsaw reading

Work in groups.
Read the first and last paragraphs of the article on the next page.
Next, read the part of the article indicated by your trainer.
Complete the table below with information from your part of the article.
Mingle with the other groups; ask them questions and share your information to complete the table.

Genre Kind of book; features Examples

Fantasy

Chick lit

Crime

Celebrity
autobiographies

Discuss: What is the main message of the article?

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READING BETWEEN THE LINES by A. J. Dalton

In 1997, the Net Book Agreement in the UK ended. The agreement existed between UK bookshops and
publishers, and fixed minimum prices for all books. With the end of the agreement, books began to be
discounted, and now they are much more affordable for British people. There is no doubt that one of the
reasons why British libraries have fewer visitors is that books can now be so cheap to buy.
Sales of books in the UK are always relatively healthy. They even go up during a recession or credit
crunch, since people spend on books rather than going out to restaurants. And what do the British like to
read? Well, here are a few of the most popular genres

FANTASY
The UK has always been famous for its stories of magic and wizardry. There are strong cultural memories
of the druids who built Stonehenge and ruled the country before the arrival of the Romans or Christianity.
Shakespeare wrote some fantastical plays like The Tempest and A Midsummer Nights Dream. J. R. R.
Tolkien is credited with creating the modern genre of fantasy, with The Hobbit in 1937, but there was also
a lot of fantasy in the work of H. G. Wells, who published The Time Machine in 1895. And the tradition of
British fantasy is still alive and kicking. Everyones heard of J. K. Rowling and the humorous Terry Pratchett.
You might also have heard of Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials trilogy too, as the first book was made
into the film The Golden Compass, starring Nicole Kidman. In fact, the fantasy genre is so popular that new
sub-genres such as metaphysical fantasy and steampunk are now emerging.

CHICK LIT
Chick lit refers to books that are written about and for modern women. The most famous example is
probably Bridget Joness Diary, by the British author Helen Fielding. Titles in this genre are usually about
complicated love lives, modern working life and trying to remain healthy. These books usually always
contain humour or a feel-good factor. In many ways, they represent escapist fantasy, but are persuasive
because they deal with day-to-day topics.

CRIME
The UK is known for its detective fiction and murder mysteries. A couple of the most famous British
authors in this genre are, of course, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who started his series of Sherlock Holmes
stories in 1887, and Agatha Christie, who created the detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. These
characters are still popular on television and in film. In fact, the latest Sherlock Holmes film has just been
made starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, and directed by Guy Ritchie. Yet there are
contemporary British authors of crime fiction who are also popular, including P. D. James, Ian Rankin and
Colin Dexter.

CELEBRITY autobiographies
It seems that every minor celebrity has written a book these days. Theyre not really serious authors and
are simply cashing in on their 15 minutes of fame. Many of their books are kiss and tell, i.e. theyre of
interest to readers only because of the secrets they reveal about other famous people. A number of the
books are not even written by the celebrities themselves rather, they have been written by anonymous
ghostwriters. Even so, this genre is popular because celebrity culture is well developed in the UK. Is the
book dead?
As you can see from the above, the books alive and well, so dont call in Sherlock Holmes just yet. Are
bookshops dying out because of websites like Amazon? Not really. The British are bibliophiles and love to
browse in bookshops, particularly when there is a coffee bar within the store. So, are libraries completely
disappearing in the UK? Well, its true that 40 public libraries closed in England alone in 2007, but the
others are surviving because they now offer computer access and training as well as books for
borrowing. Finally, 62 per cent of British parents read their children bedtime stories and none of us can
see that tradition changing soon.
So long live the book!

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1.5 Task: survey of our reading tastes

In your group, choose a genre.
Prepare a questionnaire about the genre you have chosen.
Remember to include follow-up questions. (See the Useful language box below.)
Try the questionnaire out with your group to check that it works, and make any necessary changes.
Keep a note of your groups responses.
Now ask participants in the other groups your questions.

Useful language
Do you read (fantasy novels)?
(If yes) Which aspect of (fantasy novels) do you most enjoy?
(If no) Why not?
What is it about (romance novels) that you really like?

Survey results
Collate your results see the Useful language box below.
Design a poster illustrating your results.

Useful language
How do reading tastes vary?
Which genres are the most popular?
We found that
One interesting discovery was that

Present your posters to the other groups.

Ask and answer questions about each groups results.
Which genre was most/least popular?
What was surprising, predictable or unexpected?

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Language analysis

1.6 Comparing tenses

Work in groups.
What are the underlined tenses in these sentences from Reading between the lines?
Why is each tense used?

1. British libraries have been getting fewer and fewer visitors for the last 20 years.
2. In 1997, the Net Book Agreement in the UK ended.
3. The UK has always been famous for its stories of magic and wizardry.
4. The British are bibliophiles and love to browse in bookshops
5. In fact, the latest Sherlock Holmes film has just been made
6. It seems that every minor celebrity has written a book these days.
7. As you can see from the above, the books alive and well
8. Finally, 62 per cent of British parents read their children bedtime stories...

1.7 Simple or continuous?

Work in groups.
Both sentences below refer to an action in the past which up until now is unfinished.
They are different aspects of the same tense. What are they called?
What different information does each aspect convey?

1. My mum has been a teacher for years.

2. My mum has been teaching for years.

What is the context of each of the sentences below?

What differences in meaning are there between the simple and continuous aspects?

1. Hes been a writer for years. / Hes been writing for years.
2. Ive eaten a bag of crisps. / Ive been eating a bag of crisps.
3. Ive done my homework. / Ive been doing my homework.
4. Ive written three stories. / Ive been writing a story.

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1.8 Common mistakes: grammar quiz

Work in teams.
Choose a team leader.
Discuss the sentences below and choose the correct answer.

1. British readers a lot of crime fiction.

a) have always read b) have always been reading
2. I three books this month.
a) have read b) have been reading
3. I all morning.
a) have written b) have been writing
4. Im writing a story. I about half of it so far.
a) have written b) have been writing
5. My aunt a large number of books by Agatha Christie.
a) has collected b) has been collecting
6. She for about twenty years.
a) has collected b) has been collecting

Now do the quiz there are two points for each correct answer.
Did you get any wrong? Do you understand why?

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2 Methodology

2.1 Lexical chunks

In the box below write the clues dictated by your trainer. Dont worry if you miss anything.

Compare clues in your groups and make any changes which you think are necessary.
Discuss what the clues mean.
Now turn to Appendix 1 and check your clues with the original.

Match the clues to the lexical chunks from the article.

Lexical chunks

Kiss and tell

Alive and kicking

Cashing in on

Dying out

Working life

Bedtime stories

Detective fiction
Contemporary
British authors
Feel-good factor

Minimum prices

Credit crunch

Find the lexical chunks in the article and underline them.

What other contexts could you use them in?

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2.2 Teaching vocabulary through the lexical approach

Work in pairs.
Read this introduction to the lexical approach.
Discuss:
Why is learning language in chunks important?

Part one: Why draw attention to lexical chunks?

An adult native-speaker has hundreds of thousands of pre-constructed chunks at his or her disposal.
Learners need to be trained to record and learn chunks, rather than just individual words, to enhance
their fluency and help them produce more natural-sounding language.
If learners understand a chunk in context, they may not notice it. For example, most intermediate
students would understand the collocation move house from its constituent parts, but very few at this
level would produce it. By drawing learners attention to chunks, we can help them to use the words they
already know more accurately, and express a wider range of ideas. This can be just as useful as learning
new words, if not more so!

Now read Part two of this article, which suggests techniques for teaching or practising vocabulary using
the lexical approach. Choose two of the techniques.
Compare the techniques you have chosen with your groups choices.
Which ones were the most/least popular?
Are there any techniques you wouldnt use? Why?

Part two: Teaching/practising vocabulary using the lexical approach

Here are some ways of teaching or practising vocabulary lexically:
1. Prepare clues for lexical chunks in a text. Dictate the clues. Learners find the words in the text
(as in 2.1).
2. Find and list the semi-fixed and fixed expressions in a story or poem what other contexts
could they be used in?
3. Give a theme, e.g. summer. Brainstorm chunks for describing it.
4. Give a semi-fixed expression and ask them to find as many variations as they can.
5. Prepare a table which includes half or part of some of the multi-word items in a text.
Learners then scan the text to complete the table with the other half of the collocations.
6. Reading activities can also be used for consciousness raising. After answering comprehension
questions, learners are asked to put the original text away, and are given a new version
with some of the key collocations blanked out. Working in pairs, they have to reconstruct the
collocations, before checking with the original.
(Adapted from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk)

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3 In the classroom

3.1 Lexical approach techniques

Work in pairs.
Choose one of the lexical approach techniques from the previous activity.
Prepare a lexical approach activity: you can use the article Reading between the lines or something
from a textbook you use with your own learners.
Now micro-teach your activity to your group.

3.2 Reporting back

Discuss each activity in your group:
Did you enjoy the activity?
Which age groups could you use this with?
How could you adapt the activities to suit different age groups?

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4 Pronunciation

4.1 Word stress in set expressions and compound nouns

Work in pairs.
Find these phrases in the article Reading between the lines.
Underline the stressed word in each phrase.

1. kiss and tell

2. alive and kicking
3. coffee bar
4. dying out
5. chick lit
6. credit crunch
7. murder mystery

Your trainer will read out the phrases.

Listen and check have you underlined the correct words?
Can you work out the three rules from these examples?

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5 Magazine
5.1 First impressions
Before you read, discuss:
How do you review vocabulary in your classroom?
Do you pre-teach vocabulary before introducing a new topic in your course book? How do you do this?
Now read the article quickly.
What does the writer say the benefits of the activities are? Do you agree?
The Teacher
The magazine for teachers everywhere
THIS WEEKS HOT TOPIC
LEXICAL THREADS
This week we will explore two different activities
for dealing with vocabulary in the classroom
Lexical threads are easy
for teachers to plan and
they help learners to learn
and recall vocabulary.
Thread 1:
The verb dome
This activity originally
started out as a warmer.
One of my learners gave it
its name and it just stuck.
It is not linked to any
themes or part of the
course but it shows
learners how much they
know, in a fun way.
Preparation
You only need the board
and a pen and, most
importantly, your learners.
Module 1: Whats in a word? British Council 2012
Module 1: Whats in a word? Course book
Procedure
Split the class into two
teams. Ask one learner to
give you a letter from the
alphabet (make sure they
dont say X or Z though).
Then ask each team to
call out a verb beginning
with the letter chosen.
Write the verbs on the
board and continue in this
way each group taking
it in turns to call out.
When a team cant think of
any more verbs they lose.
It is highly motivating when
learners see how much
they know. It also gives
them an opportunity to
share knowledge. I find that
English for Teaching 3
if someone shouts out a
word the others dont know,
learners tell each other
what the word means. It
helps them recall words
they may have only seen
once or twice and it aids
memory.
In future classes, you can
choose another letter and
do the activity again, or ask
them to do this for
collocations. This time
learners call out the verb
and must complete it with
another word that
collocates naturally with it.
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Thread 2:
Pre-teaching slips
This activity is useful when
pre-teaching vocabulary.
Preparation
First, preview the new
language that you think
will be useful, or which
your learners may need
to complete the task.
Write the items
collocations or idioms
on one side of some slips
of paper, and their
definition on the other side.
Procedure
Distribute the phrases to
the learners. Ask them to
check that they understand
the definitions and also
the pronunciation.
Next, ask them to mingle
and teach their words to
Adapted from an article published on TeachingEnglish, British Council, BBC (www.teachingenglish.org.uk)
5.2 Reading and discussion
Read the article again more carefully.
Discuss:
At what point in a lesson would you use The verb dome and the pre-teaching slips?
What age groups are they suitable for?
Do the activities have any disadvantages?
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each other. They must
make sure that each
person pronounces their
information correctly.
Ask the learners to collect
the slips and sit down.
Now mix up the slips and
approach each learner
individually. Show them the
first slip of paper and ask
them to explain the
meaning. If they get it right,
show the slip to everyone
and put it away for the
next phase.
Go to the next learner and
do the same. If a learner
gets it wrong, move to the
next, until you receive the
correct answer. Again, put
the slip away.
When this exercise has
been successfully
English for Teaching 3
completed, do it again, this
time with the definition side
being shown, so the learners
have to say the word.
Finally, ask the learners to
write the vocabulary in
their notebooks (for teens,
I give them a prize if they
can note down correctly
all of the vocabulary
covered in the exercise).
Since this is a pre-teaching
task learners will see these
again and again throughout
the next few weeks of your
teaching. This will give them
a chance to notice their use
in context and, more
importantly, have
opportunities to use them.
Shaun Dowling,
Teacher trainer,
Cultura Inglesa, Brasilia
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6 Vocabulary

6.1 Classroom words and phrases

Work in groups.
Find classroom words or phrases in the magazine article which mean the same as the ones below.

A short activity at the

start of the class

To become fixed
or permanent

An enjoyable approach
to doing something

Divide

Assists

Small pieces of paper

Give out

A task to help learners

with the language they
need before starting
an activity

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7 Activity page
The page where you try out a classroom activity.

7.1 Collocation Pelmanism

Work in groups.
Your trainer will give you a set of cards.
Place all the cards face-down and spread them out on the table.
Taking it in turns, turn over two cards. If the two cards form a collocation, keep the pair. If the cards do
not collocate, turn them over again, leaving them in the same position on the table.
Continue until all the cards have been paired.
The player with the most pairs is the winner.

7.2 Reflecting on the activity

Discuss:
What are the advantages of the Pelmanism activity?
Are there any disadvantages?
How could you adapt it for your own learners?
What kinds of text could you use it with?
Are there any types of learners you would not use the activity with? Why?

You can find a full description of the activity and download a blank template and more sets of word cards at:
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/activities/collocation-pelmanism.

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8 Reflection

8.1 Reflection chunks

Reflect on what you have learnt from this module.
Write down five lexical chunks which express your learning.
Compare your chunks with your group.
Which lexical chunks are the best?
Make a poster display of your groups best lexical chunks.
Display your poster.
Look at the other groups posters are they similar to yours? Which are the most popular chunks?
Which are the most unusual?
Which ideas from the module will you try out in your lessons?

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Appendix 1

Clues
An economic situation where banks restrict the amount of money you can borrow.
Someone or something which is living, healthy and doing well.
The part of your life when you have a paid job.
A feeling that life is good and things are going well.
Novels where police characters solve crime mysteries.
British authors who are currently writing.
Taking advantage of a situation usually for financial benefit.
To reveal private or confidential details about people usually to do with romance or relationships.
To gradually disappear or stop existing.
Stories you read to children just before they go to sleep.

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 British Council 2012/C353b
The British Council is the United Kingdoms international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.