English Teachers' Resource Handbook

Home , Dictogloss, Total physical response, TPR Storytelling

Students never appreciate their teachers while they are learning. It is only later, when they know more of the world, that they understand how indebted they are to those who instructed them. Good teachers expect no praise or love from the young. They wait for it, and in time, it comes.. Darren Shan

English Teachers’ Resource Handbook Supplementary materials for advancing classroom teaching

This handbook was created with the purpose to help the school teachers to enhance their teaching methods and practices as well as to bring their instructional planning processes to the standards and requirements of the modern education system. This handbook introduces resources that teachers can utilize in their daily professional life.

Contents

Chapter 1: Language Learning and Teaching Methods...... 3 Chapter 2: Language Learning Styles...... 8 Chapter 3: Lesson Planning and Writing Learning Objectives...... 14 Chapter 4: How to Teach Four Skills: Speaking, Listening, Writing, Reading...... 19 Chapter 5: How to teach grammar...... 31 Chapter 6: Co-Teaching...... 35 Chapter 7: Working with Limited Resources...... 40 Chapter 8: Developing Critical Thinking Skills...... 50 Chapter 9: Classroom Management...... 57 Chapter 10: Non-formal Education...... 62 Chapter 11: Assessment and Evaluation...... 69

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 1 Page 2 English Teachers’ Resource Book Chapter 1: Language Learning and Teaching Methods

Around the world, many different teaching methods have been used and developed in the last century, including the grammar-translation method, the direct method, the audio-lingual method, the communicative approach, the silent way, total physical response, and the natural approach. Effective teaching happens when a teacher uses the mixture of different approaches, utilizing each method’s strengths to create lessons that address a range of students’ learning styles and interests. This chapter will offer you information on various language teaching approaches and methods, advantages and disadvantages of each along with the typical classroom activities pertinent to each method.

Grammar-Translation Method

As the name suggests, this method focuses mainly on students’ understanding of grammar and their ability to translate texts. In this method, grammar and vocabulary are taught out of context with little or no regard for being able to use the target language in everyday situations. Additionally, the classes are taught primarily in the mother tongue, not the target language. This method focuses on learning the language through memorizing dialogues and scripted responses. In this method, emphasis is placed on correct pronunciation and recognizing structural patterns rather than on learning usageof grammar forms and functions, and vocabulary. Tapes, language labs, and visual aids are used to introduce new dialogues and to aid in pronunciation and pattern recognition.

Some advantages of using this method: Some disadvantages of using this method:

33 Students do a lot of practice until the accuracy 33 Students get little or no practice in applying the is achieved. Automaticity is acquired through vocabulary or grammar structures they have conditioning memorized to everyday situations. 33 Students learn structures of the foreign 33 Students’ listening and speaking skills are language and compare them to the relevant not well-developed, so they have difficulty structures and forms in the native language. comprehending and contributing to 33 Teacher saves time on explanations by giving the conversations in the target language translation of the lexical items as opposed to 33 There is no room for pair work or group work providing definitions, illustrations and context to and interaction among students in the target explore the meaning and usage of words. language. 33 Students’ creativity and ability to generate original sentences and dialogues is not encouraged. Students learn language without knowing its meaning.

Tips on how to use GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION method effectively in the classroom: 33 Introduce and practice grammar in context. Use texts and dialogues rather than isolated sentences. 33 Manage the class time wisely, ensuring that the majority of class is taught in the target language, not the mother tongue. Make any grammar explanations in the mother tongue brief. 33 Give pair or group assignments with grammar worksheets, roles plays for practicing grammar structures, task-based assignments that integrate grammar structures.

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 3 33 Use such games as: Tic Tac Toe Jeopardy For more ideas, please download Grammar Games and Activities Kit from English Raven Education Re- sources (ERES)

Audio-Lingual Method

This method emphasizes the importance of mimicry, memorization of set phrases, and overlearning. There is great effort to get students to produce error-free utterances and great importance is attached to pronunciation. Structural patterns are taught using repetitive drills and there is little or no grammatical explanation. Grammar is taught by inductive analogy rather than deductive explanation. There is much use of tapes, language labs, and visual aids.

Some advantages of using this method: Some disadvantages of using this method:

33 Students do a lot of drilling and repetition, 33 Grammar is neglected which strengthens their pronunciation skills. 33 Students’ creativity and ability to generate 33 Students are exposed to native language original sentences and dialogues is not pronunciation through the use of CDs and encouraged language labs, which improves their listening 33 There is dependence on mimicry, memorization of skills. set phrases, and over learning. 33 Students do a lot of practice in the dialog form. 33 There is a tendency to focus on the accuracy and 33 Teacher uses additional resources such as CDs disregard content. and videos.

Tips on how to use AUDIO-LINGUAL method effectively in the classroom: 33 Use a short video clip or a song to introduce the language objectives of the lesson (new grammar rule, vocabulary, etc). 33 Use role plays for students to practice producing coherent conversations in different settings. 33 Teach students a song and have everyone sing it in order to teach correct pronunciation. Some simple songs for younger grades include: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”, “B-I-N-G-O”, “Old MacDonald had a farm” 33 Some simple songs that will help you integrate grammar-translation method with the audio-lingual approach for older grades include: Frank Sinatra “My Way” – Past Simple and Present Perfect The Beatles “Norwegian Wood” - Past Simple The Rolling Stones “Paint It Black” - Present Simple Rod Stewart “Sailing” - Present Continuous Doris Day “Que Sera Sera” – Future Elvis Presley “Return to Sender” – Past Simple For more examples, you can visit the website: http://www.esl-lounge.com/songstop.php 33 Have the students memorize tongue twisters and give prizes to the students who can say them the most quickly and accurately 33 The British Council’s website, Learn English Kids, includes many resources such as popular songs and tongue twisters for kids: http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/

Communicative approach

This method emphasizes the importance of being able to communicate effectively in the target language. In this method, all communication has a social purpose, something the speaker has to say or find out; therefore, the focus is on students acquiring functional or usable language skills from an early stage in their learning process. Classroom instruction

Page 4 English Teachers’ Resource Book and management is given primarily in the target language, and emphasis is placed on speaking and listening skills. Spontaneous and improvised use of the target language is encouraged.

Some advantages of using this method: Some disadvantages of using this method:

33 Students are taught using practical, meaningful 33 Slower learners might not have enough activities with the intent of enabling the vocabulary to communicate. students to survive in a variety of everyday 33 Use of authentic texts requires more learning situations time, as students need to comprehend the 33 Visual stimuli and resources outside of the textbook meaning and content of the text as well as the are used to emphasize creativity and spontaneity language forms used. 33 Material is presented in context 33 Teacher may find it difficult to give sufficient 33 Lessons are adapted to the students’ interests time to students to produce with the language. and learning styles

Tips on how to use COMMUNICATIVE method effectively in the classroom: 33 Use the target language to give instructions and maintain discipline 33 Do projects and activities which require pair work and group work 33 Teach reading and writing skills through a variety of ways—summarizing, translating, discussion, and debates 33 Use games and competitions to stimulate student learning 33 Use simulations and role plays to facilitate use of language in context 33 Use authentic resources that are relevant to the students’ lives such as newspaper articles, poems, manuals, recipes, news bulletins, and discussion programs. Here are a couple of websites with student-oriented articles on a wide variety of topics: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/ http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/ 33 For activity ideas to improve students’ speaking abilities refer to the Peace Corps TEFL Resource Book, Speaking section 33 For more speaking activities, visit the link: http://www.eslgold.com/speaking.html

Direct Method

The direct method emphasized the full immersion in language, only the target language is spoken from the first day of class and classroom instruction is conducted entirely in the target language. There is an inductive, discovery approach to grammar. An interaction or a text is presented and understood and then students are coached to identify the grammar rules and structures. Using the direct method, student learns concrete vocabulary through pictures and objects, while abstract vocabulary is taught through association of ideas.

Some advantages of using this method: Some disadvantages of using this method:

33 It makes the learning of English interesting and 33 There are many abstract words which cannot be lively interpreted directly in native language 33 Applicable from the lowest to the highest class 33 The method ignores systematic written work 33 Fluency of speech, good pronunciation and and reading activities power of expression are developed. 33 Since in this method, grammar is closely bound up with the reader, difficulty is experienced in providing readers of such kind. 33 This method may not hold well in higher classes where the Translation Method is found suitable. 33 Can’t properly be applied in larger classes as this method does not suit or satisfy the needs of individual students

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 5 Tips on how to use DIRECT method effectively in the classroom: 33 Use Question & Answer (Q & A): The teacher asks questions of any nature and the students answer. In preparation for this activity the teacher models, extensively, the use of complete answers to questions. The teacher expects full sentences as answers to each question. 33 Give students opportunities to ask the questions. 33 Ask students to engage in reading aloud the texts in turns. At the end of each student’s turn the teacher uses gestures, pictures, examples, or role play to help the students make meaning of the text. 33 Have students self-correct by offering them a choice between what they said and the proper pronunciation. For example if the student says, “I have tree apples,” the teacher should say, “Do you have tree apples or three apples?” 33 Use activities such as Dictogloss. Dictogloss is a three-phase classroom dictation activity where learners are required to reconstruct a short text by listening three times and noting down key words. For example Learners discuss the sea. The teacher then explains the task, and reads a short text on the sea to the class, who just listen. The teacher reads the text again, and the learners take notes. In groups, the learners then reconstruct the text. This is an activity where students are very engaged and focused, exposed to listening opportunity for more than once, practice grammar in context, practice grammar by listening, writing, speaking, engage in peer-to-peer learning, develop and use multiple skills, see observable achievement in a relatively quick time. Teachers break down task in small building blocks, teach grammar inductively, get students attention/engagement, ask for report back considering levels of students – slow learners asked first, stronger learners next to allow reconstructing text from word level notes of simple sentences to more extended sentence structures, move away from literal translation of texts, believe that students get the meaning of the text without literal translation of every word, see observable achievement in a relatively quick time, have product for assessment. For more ideas on how to use Dictogloss effectively visit Larry Ferlazzo’s website: http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2011/04/21/the-best-resources-for-learning-how-to- use-the-dictogloss-strategy-with-english-language-learners/

Total Physical Response

Total physical response emphasizes the importance of engaging the students’ senses, especially the motor skills in learning. TPR activities require listening and responding with actions, which facilitates quickly recognizing meaning in the language being learned, and a means of passively learning the structure of the language itself. The method was developed as a result of observing young children learning their first language. Interactions between parents and children often take the form of speech from the parent followed by a physical response from the child. Thus TPR method is based on the hypothesis that language is learned primarily by listening; that language learning must engage the motor skills; and that learning language should not involve any stress.

Some advantages of using this method: Some disadvantages of using this method:

33 Allows students to react and process language 33 Not all types of learners can engage easily, some w/o producing it. may feel reservations or shyness to participate 33 Helps kinesthetic learners who need more 33 Students may become noisier and have hard action or hands on activities time to refocus after TPR activity. 33 Helps students retain vocabulary in active memory. 33 Allows the teacher to break up textbook-based activities and bring energy to class.

Tips on how to use TPR method effectively in the classroom: 33 Use TPR to teach action vocabulary, imperatives, directions, prepositions. 33 Use activities such as Simon Says, Charades, Songs, A Stroll around the classroom; For detailed descriptions of activities please review TEFL Resource Book 2014.

Page 6 English Teachers’ Resource Book 33 Use miming Role Plays 33 For more ideas and resources on TPR activities, visit the following links: http://www.pinterest.com/shellyterrell/total-physical-response/ 33 TPR storytelling information and resources can be found at: http://www.tprstories.com/home-left https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=TPR+storytelling

In this chapter we have overviewed five most commonly used methods and approached in language learning. Please remember that no one method is sufficient on its own. Different learning styles of students have to be taken into account and mix of various methods shall be used. Consideration should be shown for how learners feel about themselves as language learners. Negative feelings about the learning process can block learning and enhancing a learner's self- confidence leads to successful learning. Working together as a group is a vital part of language learning. Group members support each other, and the interaction between them provides a real need for communication and an opportunity to practice the target language. Finally we offer you a sample lesson plan combining the communicative and audio-lingual methods. This lesson is based on the dialogue, “Did he say sorry,” from New Inspiration: Student’s Book 1, pg. 80

Title: How did that make you feel? Materials needed: Picture of faces showing different emotions. Slips of paper with an emotion word written on them—one slip per student. New Inspiration 1 Student’s Book and accompanying CD. A CD player. Lesson Objectives: By the end of the lesson, all students will be able to ask and answer at least 3 questions using the past tense. By the end of the lesson, all students will be able to talk about their emotions using the 7 vocabulary words listed on pg. 80 Warm Up/Motivation: Show the students the pictures of the faces, one at a time. Have the students describe the emotions shown. (Note: if the students don’t know the words, write the emotions on the board and have the students match the words to the faces) Presentation: Tell the students to look at the picture on pg. 80 and describe the three students’ emotions. Listen to the dialogue. Have three students read the dialogue, asking them pay careful attention to the pronunciation and -emo tions in the text. Review using ‘did’ to ask and answer past tense questions. Have the students find and read the ‘did’ questions and their answers from the dialogue. Practice: Divide the students into pairs, and have each student choose one of the slips of paper with an emotion written on it. Tell them that they are going to interview their partner about a time when they felt that emotion. They must ask each other at least 3 questions. Quickly brainstorm examples of possible questions and write them on the board. Give the students ten minutes—five minutes per student—to write down their interview. Presentation: Students present their interviews to the class. If time permits, allow the students to ask each other questions about their stories. Remind the students that all questions and answers should be given in the past tense. Assessment: For homework, tell the students to write a short paragraph about a time when they were very angry at someone. Have them underline all the verbs in their paragraph.

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 7 Chapter 2: Language Learning Styles

One of the most important goals in teaching languages is to ensure that the students learn a specified set of knowledge and skills. If we know how a student can best process and understand information, we can adapt our teaching methods to their learning styles, thus eliminating frustration and lack of understanding for the teacher and for the student. Studies of individual differences indicate that people have different styles of thinking and different methods of representing information. About 71 different theories/models of learning style were developed to explain the concept. These different models provide different perspectives for understanding and explaining a person's preferred or dominant thinking and learning style, and strengths. The most popular models are: Kolb’s learning styles model VAK/VARK model Gardner’s Multiple intelligences model According to Kolb (1984) "learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it." It is based on these two continuums that form the foundation for learning: Processing Continuum: Preferring to learn by doing or watching: Mechanism by which we grasp the experience. Perception Continuum: Preferring to learn by thinking or feeling: Mechanism by which transform the experience Fleming’s VARK model (sometimes VAK) is one of the most common and widely-used categorizations of the various types of learning styles. Fleming distinguishes visual learners, auditory learners and kinesthetic learners or tactile learners. Visual learners have a preference for seeing Auditory learners best learn through listening Tactile/kinesthetic learners prefer to learn via experience Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences model introduces eight styles of learning.

Let’s have a look what teaching techniques better meet needs of learners of different learning style

Page 8 English Teachers’ Resource Book Type of Learning Style Helpful techniques

Visual learners tend to: 33 Use graphics to reinforce learning 33 Learn through seeing 33 Color code to organize notes and possessions. 33 Think in pictures and need to create vivid mental 33 Use color to highlight important points in text. images to retain information 33 Take notes. 33 Enjoy looking at maps, charts, pictures, videos, 33 Illustrate ideas as a picture before writing them and movies down. 33 Ask for written directions. Have visual skills which are demonstrated in puzzle 33 Use flow charts and diagrams for note taking. building, reading, writing, understanding charts 33 Visualize spelling of words or facts to be and graphs, a good sense of direction, sketching, memorized. painting, creating visual metaphors and analogies (perhaps through the visual arts), manipulating images, constructing, fixing, designing practical objects, and interpreting visual images

Auditory learners tend to: 33 Read aloud 33 Learn through listening 33 Recite information to learn 33 Have highly developed auditory skills and are 33 Use tunes or rhymes as mnemonic devices generally good at speaking and presenting 33 Read aloud and tape test questions or directions 33 Think in words rather than pictures 33 Use verbal analogies and storytelling to 33 Learn best through verbal lectures, discussions, demonstrate their point talking things through and listening to what others have to say Have auditory skills demonstrated in listening, speaking, writing, storytelling, explaining, teaching, using humor, understanding the syntax and meaning of words, remembering information, arguing their point of view, and analyzing language usage

Tactile/kinesthetic learners tend to: 33 Make models or role play to physically 33 Learn through moving, doing and touching experience learning. 33 Express themselves through movement 33 Skim through reading material before reading it 33 Have good sense of balance and eye-hand in detail coordination 33 Annotate text and write questions while reading 33 Remember and process information through 33 Translate information into diagrams or other interacting with the space around them visual study tools 33 Find it hard to sit still for long periods and may 33 Recite a list of items by counting on fingers. become distracted by their need for activity and 33 Memorize or drill while moving e.g. when exploration walking 33 Have skills demonstrated in physical 33 Listen to music while studying coordination, athletic ability, hands on experimentation, using body language, crafts, acting, miming, using their hands to create or build, dancing, and expressing emotions through the body.

Learning styles in pedagogy prompts teachers to choose relevant teaching methods and techniques. Students can also use the model to identify their preferred learning style and maximize their educational experience by focusing on what benefits them the most.

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 9 Testing Learning Styles

It is difficult to diagnose a uniform language learning style for every person. Apart from the scoring method that this test uses, teachers and educators can use similar learning styles tests to develop a matrix of preferences for each student. For example, based on the student responses the matrix could look like this:

Name Visual Auditory Kinesthetic Student A 33 Taking notes 33 Reading aloud 33 Talking in person 33 Mind maps 33 Watching TV Student B 33 Descriptive passages in 33 Listening to music the book 33 Listening to lectures 33 Can easily catch information from listening Student C 33 Love moving around 33 Disorganized desk 33 Like exercise This kind of chart will help teachers balance class activities based on students’ preferences. A similar test can be administered using a list of activities, where students can directly choose the activities they enjoy doing and through which they learn best. Apart from the tests, teachers should generally observe student participation to have an understanding of how each student responds to the styles of presentation, practice and production tasks. Especially in a large classroom and at the beginning of the school year, one useful practice is to include activities for as many different learning styles as possible so you can present material in a way that is understandable to as many students as possible, and then observe what methods reach your students the best. Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory allows the teacher to teach to the broad range of talents and skills. By activating wide assortment of intelligences, teaching can facilitate a deeper understanding of the subject material for all learners. Below we offer you the overview of learning preferences of each type of intelligence and list of effective activities for each type of learner.

Linguistic Learner likes to: read, write and tell stories. is good at: memorizing names, places, dates and trivia. learns best by: saying, hearing and seeing words. Logical/Mathematical Learner likes to: do experiments, figure things out, work with numbers, ask questions and explore patterns and relationships. is good at: math, reasoning, logic and problem solving. learns best by: categorizing, classifying and working with abstract patterns/relationships. Spatial Learner likes to: draw, build, design and create things, daydream, look at pictures/slides, watch movies and play with machines. is good at: imagining things, sensing changes, mazes/puzzles and reading maps, charts. learns best by: visualizing, dreaming, using the mind's eye and working with colors/pictures. Musical Learner likes to: sing, hum tunes, listen to music, play an instrument and respond to music. is good at: picking up sounds, remembering melodies, noticing pitches/rhythms and keeping time. learns best by: rhythm, melody and music. Bodily/Kinesthetic Learner likes to: move around, touch and talk and use body language. is good at: physical activities (sports/dance/acting) and crafts. learns best by: touching, moving, interacting with space and processing knowledge through bodily sensations.

Page 10 English Teachers’ Resource Book Naturalistic Learner likes to: be outside, with animals, geography, and weather; interacting with the surroundings. is good at: categorizing, organizing a living area, planning a trip, preservation, and conservation. learns best by: studying natural phenomenon, in a natural setting, learning about how things work. Interpersonal Learner likes to: have lots of friends, talk to people and join groups. is good at: understanding people, leading others, organizing, communicating, manipulating and mediating conflicts. learns best by: sharing, comparing, relating, cooperating and interviewing. Intrapersonal Learner likes to: work alone and pursue own interests. is good at: understanding self, focusing inward on feelings/dreams, following instincts, pursuing interests/goals and being original. learns best by: working alone, individualized projects, self-paced instruction and having own space.

Language-learning activities for Multiple Intelligences

Linguistic Intelligence Teacher centered explanations / Lectures Presentations Small – and large-group discussions Storytelling Books/Reading selections Debates Worksheets/Gap-fill exercises Journal Keeping Word games Listening to audio Essays and written reports Book based grammar and language function explanations Logical/Mathematical Intelligence Logical-sequential presentation of subject matter Case studies Logic problems and puzzles Error recognition Grammar categorizing activities Mind-maps and vocabulary charts Grammar rules study and inductive explanations Spatial Intelligence Charts, maps, diagrams, graphs Visualization Videos, slides, movies Photography and paintings Art and other pictures Using mind maps Imaginative storytelling Pictionary or collages Graphic organizers Optical illusions Highlighting texts in different colors to indicate tense, or function Creating personal road maps / other visual aids to use during discourse Creating multimedia projects Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence Pantomime vocabulary activities Hands-on activities Cooking and other “mess” activities Mime, Movement games Role plays / drama Typing For classes with access to athletic facilities, explanation of sporting rules Musical Intelligence Playing recorded music Singing Playing live music (piano, guitar) Mood music Music appreciation Jazz Chants Learner-made instruments

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 11 Interpersonal Intelligence Cooperative groups Board games Peer teaching Pair work Group brainstorming Team competitions Small group work Role plays using dialogues Peer teaching Intrapersonal Intelligence Independent student work Reflective learning Individualized projects Journal keeping, logs, diaries Options for homework Interest centers Inventories and checklists Goal setting Personal journal keeping Self-teaching Understanding learner objectives Speaking about one's personal history with confidence Environmental Exploring outdoors but in English Shopping and other field trips Collecting plants to learn appropriate vocabulary

Finally we offer you a sample lesson plan that integrates multiple intelligences.

Creating a New Society Original lesson plan by Kenneth Beare, modifications by Teo Neparidze This classic conversation lesson is based on the idea of creating a new society. This lesson works well for students of different levels - except beginners - as the subject brings out many opinions. The questions and tasks are designed to meet multiple intelligences of learners. Aim: Building conversation skills, expressing opinions Activity: Pair or Group activity , where learners create a new country, with new rules, laws, landmarks, music, dance, sports, etc. Level: pre-intermediate to advanced Outline: Help activate vocabulary by asking students 33 Which laws, rights and obligations, they admire most and least in their own country - and why. 33 Which is their favorite sport, song, dance, landmark, leisure activity 33 What criticism they have to the governmental structure of their own country 33 What ecological issues they are aware of in their country or globally Divide students into pairs or groups of 4 - 6. Try to include as many different personalities as possible in each group (to provide for more stimulating discussion!) Explain the following situation to the class: A large area of your country has been set aside by the current government for the development of a new nation. This area will include an invited international community of 20,000 men and women. Imagine that your class has to create a new country by answering the questions. Distribute the worksheet and ask students to discuss the questions. Answer the worksheet as a class - ask the opinions of each group and leave ample time for discussion of differing opinions. Populate Ideal Land A large area of your country has been set aside by the current government for the development of a new nation. This area will include an invited international community of 20,000 men and women. Imagine that you as a group/in pairs have to create a new country by answering the following questions. Discuss the following questions (The questions match different multiple intelligences)

Page 12 English Teachers’ Resource Book 1. What will the official language(s) be? What will the main rules of the language be? 2. What will the anthem and symbols of the country be? 3. What will the constitution look like for the country? Write 5 rights and 5 responsibilities for citizens. 4. What industries will your country try to develop? 5. What will the main landmarks in the capital city be? Draw and label the map. 6. What will the national dance of the country be? Describe and act out 7. What will traditional sport in the country be? Write the rules and play out. 8. What will the governmental structure be? Create a chart. 9. What will the typical leisure activities for kids, youth or adults be? 10. What will the environment and ecology of the country look like?

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 13 Chapter 3: Lesson Planning and Writing Learning Objectives

Lesson plans are an important tool teachers can use in order to manage lesson time efficiently, ensure that students are learning and meeting the standards laid out in the National Curriculum, maintain classroom discipline, keep track of what works and doesn’t work for each class. There are a number of different lesson planning formats. Peace Corps Volunteers are taught the 4MAT and PPP models because these formats are simple and effective. Teachers of English in Georgian mostly use the PPP (also called 3P model). Both of these models follow the same general structure: Warm-up/Motivation/Review Presentation/Information Practice/Applying Production/Application Other components of the lesson plan are the lesson title, materials needed, learning objectives, and assessment. A typical lesson plan follows this format:

Lesson Title: Materials Needed: Lesson Objectives: 1. 2. Motivation: (Time: )

Presentation: (Time: )

Practice: (Time: )

Production: (Time: )

Assessment: (Time: ) In this chapter we will go over the first three components of lesson planning: The lesson title, materials needed, and learning objectives.

Page 14 English Teachers’ Resource Book The Lesson Title This is where you summarize the topic of the lesson. Choose something short and descriptive which will make the plan easier to relocate and reuse. Also it can be a topic from the National Curriculum.

Materials Needed This should include a list of all equipment, visual aids, handouts and other resources needed for the lesson.

Learning Objectives These objectives are critical to creating and implementing an effective lesson. The objectives are essentially: tools for planning to ultimately meet the national curriculum goals tools for the teachers to evaluate the lesson and student progress a system that allows sequential and logical planning of the lesson and proper selection of instructional methods Well-written learning objectives include the following four components: Learner, Performance, Standard, and Condition. 1. Learner (Performer) - Learners are your students. Objectives should always be student-centered and focused on what your students will be able to accomplish. 2. Performance - This is the skill or action that your students will demonstrate during the lesson. Use action verbs. Activate Demonstrate Organize Acquire Describe Prepare Analyze Discuss Produce Arrange Evaluate Recall Assess Explain Repeat Build Express Report Calculate Identify Select Categorize Illustrate Sequence Critique Interpret Simplify Compare Investigate Summarize Complete List Translate Debate Locate Write Define Name 3. Standard - This states how well your students have to perform in order to be considered competent. Standards should be specific and related to the lesson. Standards can answer the questions, “How often?” “How well?” “How many?” and “How much?” Some examples of standards: Answer 7 out of 10 questions correctly Make No more than 1 error Identify 10 leisure activities Conjugate 6 irregular verbs Write 5 sentences about their family Describe the picture using 10 different adjectives 4. Condition - This describes the conditions (if any) under which the performance is to occur. This combines the input that the teachers provide to the students such as reading text, drilling exercise, simulation, and time by when students are expected to achieve the standard. Some examples of common conditions: By the end of the lesson, After reading the text, “My Family,” After this unit, After the drilling exercise, During the simulation activity, Follow the three-step process below for creating learning objectives: 1. Choose a standard. What do you want the outcome or product of your lesson to be? 2. Create a condition such as, “After completing the lesson, the student will be able to…” 3. Choose an action verb to describe the performance. What will the student have to do to succeed? Here’s an example of a learning objective which contains these four components:

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 15 By the end of the lesson (Condition), all students (Performers) will be able to match (Performance) all 11 leisure activities with new vocabulary using pictures (Standard). More Examples of learning objectives: After completing the lesson (condition), students (performer) will be able to use (performance) 10 shape and color vocabulary words to describe a picture (standard). By the end of the lesson, students will be able to write about their leisure activities using at least 3 different verbs and the ‘ing’ form. After completing the lesson, students will be able to summarize the text, “Teenage Inventors” in 4-5 sentences. After completing the lesson, students will be able to use the direction vocabulary to give directions from their house to the school Peace Corps uses the SMART model for evaluating learning objectives. Review the learning objectives you’ve written and ask yourself, “Are they SMART?” S—Specific: Provide a clear outcome of performance. Expressed in action verbs. M—Measurable: Quantify and qualify your desired performance. A—Attainable: Ensure that learning is appropriately sized, limited in scope, and within your control. R—Results-Focused: Include expected outcomes and accomplishments. T—Time-Focused: Include a deadline or a time line indicating when the. performance will be demonstrated After the Title, Materials Needed, and Learning Objectives are completed, it’s time to write the remaining five core components of the lesson plan: Motivation, Presentation, Practice, Production/Performance, and Assessment. When deciding how much lesson time to spend on each component, shape your lessons like a pyramid:

Note: The examples for this next section are based on a lesson plan for teaching the seasons and weather to a 2nd grade class.

Motivation At this stage of the lesson, the teacher engages students in an activity to generate their interests and motivation into the topic of the lesson. This may be achieved by connecting the content to students’ experiences, sharing personal experience, asking a thought-provoking question, creating an information gap, or reviewing past material. Ex: Greet your students and tell them what the lesson is about (leisure activities in different seasons of the year). Review the grammar structure, (for example starting a sentence with “I like…”) by tossing a ball to your students. The student who catches the ball must say a sentence, “I like…” and then toss the ball back to you.

Presentation This is the part of the lesson where new material such as vocabulary or grammar is introduced. Be creative! Use visual resources (flashcards, posters, magazine pictures, etc) and/or technological resources (songs, internet articles, etc) to make this section as engaging as possible. Ex: Divide the board into four sections and draw a simple picture of a season of the year in each section. Use these drawing to explain the seasons. Use flashcards to introduce the weather vocabulary and have your students help you decide which weather goes with which season.

Practice This section allows students to practice using the new material in activities controlled/overseen by the teacher. That’s why sometimes it is called Controlled Practice where the accuracy is important and error correction takes place. Give your students clearly defined correct and incorrect answers with immediate feedback. You can use many different controlled activities such as: question and answer, read and repeat, worksheets, and games.

Page 16 English Teachers’ Resource Book Ex: Give each student a piece of paper with a word related to seasons or weather on it. Have the students come up to the board and tape the word by the correct picture of the season and pronounce this word or say it in a short sentence: eg. It’s winter.

Production This section encourages students to use the new material in new ways with as little help from you (the teacher) as possible. Provide students with opportunities for applying the skills in authentic situations, using: group and pair work, creating dialogues or role plays, creating stories, interviews, games, skits, and presentations. Ex: Tell your students to write the description of a season and what leisure activities they like to engage in each season. Write an example on the board. (ie. Summer is hot and sunny. I like swimming or hiking in summer) Once the students have finished the sentences, tell them to start drawing a picture of their favorite season. They can finish this picture at home for homework.

Assessment This section is an opportunity for you to evaluate your students, your lesson, and your teaching effectiveness: 1. How well were your students able to do what you taught them? You can assess using quizzes, homework assignments, projects, and tests. You can also use the observation during Production section of the lesson as an opportunity to assess your students’ progress. 2. What (if any) were the problems, and how will you address these issues in future lessons? Student confusion Classroom management Lesson content too advanced or too easy Activities that failed to meet your learning objectives 3. What was successful about your lesson? Activities that all your students enjoyed and were engaged in Resources that effectively introduced or demonstrated your lesson content Teaching methods that your students responded positively to An online resource for lesson planning: British Council: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/

Sample Lesson Plan One

Lesson Title: Aunt Jemima’s Earring, Part I Materials Needed: English World: Pupil’s Book 3, English World Unit 8 poster, English World CD, CD player Lesson Objectives: 1. After reading and listening to pg. 82, students will demonstrate their understanding of the text by answering 5 out of 6 comprehension questions correctly. 2. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to name 5 different shops in a mall and identify at least 3 items sold in each shop Motivation: (5 min) Greet the students. Ask questions about shopping: Do they like to shop? Why or why not? Where do they like to shop? What things do they like to buy? Presentation: (10 min) Use the Unit poster to introduce the mall and pre-load vocabulary. Tell the students they are now going to listen to the story. Ask students to guess based on the poster what the text may be about. Using the CD, play the first half of the story and have the students follow the text as they listen. Ask the students about new words and write the vocabulary on the board. Students should write the new words in their vocabulary notebooks. Practice: (10-15 min) Have the students practice their reading skills—randomly call on students to read 1-2 sentences each. During the reading, use the sentences to ask questions about translation, vocabulary, and grammar. Production: (15 min)

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 17 Write 6 questions about the story using new vocabulary on the board. Divide your students into pairs and have them write complete sentences answering the questions. After everyone is finished, go over the answers. Empha- size that you want the students to create their own sentences, not just copy sentences from the book. Assessment: (<5 min) For homework: List 5 different types of stores on the board. Write the model sentence: You can buy ____ and _____ in a ______store. (ex: You can buy shirts and trousers in a clothing store.) Tell the students to write one sentence for each store. They must list at least 2 things they can buy in each store.

Sample Lesson Plan Two

Lesson Title: Teenagers’ Possessions and Money Materials Needed: New Inspiration: Student’s Book 1, Learning Objectives: 1. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to produce 5-6 sentences about their possessions using ‘have got’ and ‘haven’t got.’ 2. After reading “Where does all the money go?”, students will answer 6 out of 7 questions correctly in the “3. After Reading” section, pg. 104. Motivation: (5 min) Greet the students. Ask them how much money they spend every week. What do they buy? What things do their parents buy for them? Presentation: (10 min) Give your students about 5 min. to read, “Where does all the money go?” (pg. 104) silently. Explain any new vocabulary words. Ask several comprehension questions to verify that the students understood the story. Briefly review how to use ‘have got/haven’t got’ in statements, questions, and short answers. [You can use the examples in ‘Language Workout’ on pg. 105] Practice: (10-15 min) Students complete “After Reading” on pg. 104 individually. Write the correct answers on the board and use any mistakes to check for comprehension and reinforce the grammar rules for ‘have got.’ Activity: Have all the students stand up. Use the command, “Sit down if you have got…” and “Sit down if you haven’t got…” to practice the grammar. Production: (15 min) Divide the students into pairs. Tell the students to write 6 sentences about their partner—3 sentences about what their partner has got and 3 sentences about what their partner hasn’t got. [Encourage them to be creative! Write examples on the board like: Mari hasn’t got six toes. Giorgi has got ten freckles on his nose.] Have each group read at least 2 of their sentences to the class. Assessment: For homework, have the students write a short paragraph about themselves modeled on the paragraphs about Emil and Freya. They should discuss their allowance, their possessions, and the amount of money their parents spend on them in a year.

Page 18 English Teachers’ Resource Book Chapter 4: How to Teach Four Skills: Speaking, Listening, Writing, Reading

Four skills—speaking, listening, writing, and reading—are essential when teaching students how to comprehend and use a language. Mastering these four skills determines the overall language proficiency of a learner. These four skills are divided into two categories—productive and receptive. Productive skills (speaking and writing) require students to create and produce, helping them to develop creative thinking. Receptive skills (reading and listening) require students to receive information, helping them to develop critical thinking and comprehension. However, receptive skills are not passive! They still require students to actively participate in the learning process. When creating your lesson plan, you can focus on each skill individually, or (more effectively) you can link the skills together. Working with these skills in combination helps students not only in recognizing the connection between the skills, but also in gaining the confidence to use the skills inside and outside of the classroom. For example, a lesson plan that combines multiple skills could include texts from the textbook, listening activities from the textbook CD, and speaking activities that focus on the theme or topic from the unit chapter. Writing skills seem to be more utilized during homework exercises in Georgian educational system, but can also be implemented in class for presentations, unit reviews, and different comprehension or partner activities. Incorporating the different skills into lesson plans throughout the weeks and school year allows more students to get involved in the lessons; this will help students who aren’t great at one skill feel more prepared and confident in their skills through focusing on how it can complement any one of the other skills. It is important to use all of these skills so that students can have a more thorough understanding of a language, as well as develop their creative and critical thinking skills.

Teaching Speaking

Learning a new language can be quite challenging, but also very rewarding. Speaking is one of the most useful skills to have when it comes to learning a new language because it aids in interface communication with not only native speakers, but also people from other countries who share knowledge in that common language. Speaking can also be one of the most difficult of the four skills to develop because it requires students to not only acquire content, but demonstrate the usage of language material. Speaking is a productive skill. It is important to emphasize that both students and teachers should strive to spend much of the class time speaking in the target language; the lesson should focus mainly on the students’ language production. Speaking encourages the students to engage in the lesson and motivates them to learn more vocabulary as well as grammar theory and rules. Note: When writing a PPP lesson plan, it is important to remember that students should be engaged inspeaking throughout the entirety of the lesson, not just in the Practice or Production phases. To teach speaking effectively, you should choose materials that are interesting to the students, such as sports, music, or pop culture. Group or pair work maximizes the speaking opportunities in class, but engaging everyone in class instead of focusing on what a few students can do or say. Speaking in pairs or groups also helps students who feel uncomfortable with their speaking abilities can do so in a safer setting. Here are a few tips to make sure that students are getting the most out of their experience during the lesson: Asking questions to elicit creative answers helps students to come up with answers on their own. Instead of filling in the blank for an answer, or giving students hints, it is better to ask questions like “What is this?” or “Where is this person?” that leave the question open-ended instead of requiring an answer that is “yes” or “no”. Open-ended questions aid in creative thinking. What? When? Where? How? Why? What about? Tell me about? How about?

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 19 Speaking should be a fun skill to improve: this means that error correction is less important, and flow and fluency take precedence. Encouraging students to speak will give them confidence: , they will speak more often, especially if they don’t fear they are going to be yelled at or corrected every time they say something incorrectly. Mistakes are the best way to learn how to do something right! Allow students time to develop what they are going to say instead of putting them on the spot. This will enable students participate more often, and eventually fluency and speed will develop more rapidly. When students are speaking, show interest in what they have to say! This will motivate them and help them find creative ways to express their thoughts and will encourage them to participate frequently. Types of Speaking Activities 1. Describe and draw/describe and arrange: Have one student describe a picture or a person and have another student draw that picture on the board. Or, if you are reviewing prepositions, have one student tell another student where objects should go on a desk or in a classroom. This incorporates not only speaking, but also listening on the part of another student. These activities can be done in group or pair work and involve many students. 2. Snow ball: Ask one student to say a sentence (a word for lower levels) on the topic of the lesson. The second student has to repeat the sentence (word) and say his/her own. The third student repeats two previous sentences and says one more. The last student repeats all previously said sentences. 3. Dialogues: Students write a dialogue that uses the new vocabulary words or grammar rules that are the topic of the lesson plan for that day. This can be done in group or pair work and requires some organization, e.g. making sure students have an equal amount of new words or lines that they must say. They can and should present to the class, too. 4. Surveys and questionnaires: Give students a list of things they could possibly like or dislike including foods, sports, movies, singers, songs, etc. This can be made into a table or grid format, where one side of the table has questions, and the opposite side has possible answers, and students must go around the classroom asking others whether or not they enjoy these things. This activity could also be done in an interview session, with one student as the interviewee and the rest of the class asking him/her questions about things he/she likes or dislikes. 5. Discussions and debates: These are activities that are much better done with students at a higher level (intermediate or advanced). Give students a topic that is controversial: sports teams (which is the best), if money makes you happy, if students should have more say in their education, etc. a. Discussions and debates can use and elicit phrases such as I think, I believe, I agree/disagree…and include reasons why. b. Expressing opinions is an important part of discussions and debates and helps students develop their creative thinking while they form their arguments c. Groups or pairs are good for debates because they help students to better organize their thoughts and support each other in what it is they want to say about the topic or theme of the discussion 6. Role-plays: Encourage students to pretend they are in different roles or are different people. Either give the students a situation to perform or encourage them create their own situation. This is great for group or pair work and can be done in writing beforehand so that the students feel more prepared. Examples include: an angry customer at a restaurant, two rival sports fans at a football game, an actress or actor at an interview, etc. 7. Mafia: This game is played with students with a higher understanding of a language. Many Georgian students are aware of this game already or might have played it before. This game works best with a maximum of 15 students. 4-5 of the students make up the ‘mafia,’ and everyone else is a ‘townsperson’. The goal of the game is for the townspeople to discover and kill off all members of the mafia before the mafia kills off all the townspeople. There are two phases of the game: day and night. At night, the narrator of the game (usually the teacher) tells the mafia to “wake up,” and they then must choose a townsperson whom they want to kill. All townspeople must have their eyes closed during the night phase. The narrator then tells the mafia to sleep. During the day phase, the narrator tells everyone to wake up. The person who was chosen by the mafia to be killed is now dead and out of the game (they can no longer play). During the day phase of the game, everyone (townspeople and mafia) debates about who they think is a member of the mafia. After the debate, everyone votes on whom to kill off. This person is now dead, and the game continues onto the night phase. The day phase usually takes longer because students debate and discuss who it is they want to kill. The game ends when all the townspeople or all the mafia are dead. New vocabulary should be taught at the beginning of the activity so that students all have an opportunity to express their opinion. These are a few activities that work very well in the classroom and can be used in almost any lesson plan. They can be paired well with reading exercises from the book, and they help students to recognize that speaking is an important part to learning a language.

Page 20 English Teachers’ Resource Book Teaching Writing

Teaching writing in the classroom can be a difficult task, however writing tasks should not be neglected as it is an important way to practice spelling and phonics, learn grammar theory and rules, and practice reasoning and argumentation. Writing is a productive skill, like speaking and requires the students to put forth a little more effort, especially in regards to things like essays or other types of writing compositions. Including writing in every lesson can be a daunting task, but it can be accomplished through small spelling activities, grammar, translation, or transliteration activities. It is important to note that for multi-level classes the lesson plans which include writing exercises should be tailored both for those students who don’t know many words or grammar rules as well as for those students who are excellent writers and spellers. Here are a few tips for teaching writing in the classroom: Allow for mistakes! This can be grammar or spelling or even sentence structure. If during homework correction there are many students who have made the same mistake, that mistake should be reviewed for the whole class maybe as an entire lesson (if it is something like verb tense agreement) or as an assessment activity (like spelling competitions). Give incentives for students who do their homework or push themselves further with writing. Students who write more in an essay than was assigned or complete the entire workbook pages that were assigned could get a reward such as a sticker or an extra point for their participation. For advanced and intermediate students, give written assignments that engage and interest students in the topic. Examples include: favorite author, book, painting, sport, food, musician, etc. They could also be given a topic such as ‘education in Georgia’ or ‘reasons why I love my town’ and anything else that students can relate to. Examples of Writing Activities (beginner/pre-intermediate) 1. Biography: Students write about themselves, their families, friends or a famous person 2. Description: Students write about a place or thing that is very familiar to them such as the school, their home, the town they live in, etc. 3. Dictation: Dictation can also be used for beginners or elementary learners. Be sure that the words and phrases used in the script are all known to the students beforehand. This activity also helps to develop listening. 4. A Picture is worth…: Have a picture on the board that elicits new vocabulary and sentence structure that has been learned. If students have learned prepositions, they can write about where things are in the picture (“The bird is in the tree,” “The tree is in front of the house”). Examples of Writing Activities (intermediate/advanced) 1. Writing Prompts: Start the class off with a writing prompt like “There was a huge thunderstorm in the city. I watched as all the houses started to break down and fall down the hills. Next thing I knew, I received a call from the president…” or “If I had one superpower it would be…” a. Writing prompts can be fun and interesting. They can be shared in groups with other students or with the whole class. b. Prompts encourage creativity within the classroom and break away from the normal exercises (this can also be an incentive for good behavior from students) c. Teachers can help with translation of any words that students do not know and write them on the board so that other students can also use those new vocabulary words if they so choose. 2. Letters: Have students write letters to each other that make complaints, ask for advice or say thanks. Letters should include questions that elicit answers from other students who can then respond to the letter. 3. Creative Writing: Place a picture or a series of pictures at the front of the classroom and ask students to make up a story about those pictures. It can be about the people in the picture, about a nature scene, or anything else. These pictures can be found in the text books, in magazines or even in newspapers. Students could also write a personal story or a reaction to the picture. 4. Dictation 1: The teacher comes up with a short script using grammar theory, sentence structure and/or new vocabulary that has been taught in class. The teacher will then read the script two-three times( the first time being the slowest) while the students write down what the teacher says. 5. Team Dictation: This is a lively activity that practices speaking, listening, writing, walking and remembering! Choose a short passage or dialogue or just make a list of words and make several copies. Put the copies up around the walls of the classroom (or even the school building). Put the students in pairs or small groups. The aim is for one of the students in each pair to walk (or run!) to read the passage (words) on the wall. They remember some of the passage and walk (or run!) back to their partner. They quietly dictate what they remem- bered to their partner, who writes it down. They then swap roles. Over several turns they will build the whole passage. This means they really do have to run back and forth because students will only remember three or four words at a time. The winning pair is the team that finishes first - although you need to check for mistakes. If there are mistakes, they must keep walking to check!

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 21 6. Song Transcription: This is like dictation, but requires the students to listen to a song and write down the words that they hear. It can be fill-in-the-blank or it can be free-write, where the students must write down all the words that they hear. Teaching Essay and Paragraph Writing Essays are beneficial for students to learn how to write because they are important in future academic and professional life and because they help students become more creative in their self-expression. It is easier to begin teaching paragraphs and then move on to essays. Paragraphs should usually be taught with emphasis on the diamond shape, shown to the right. Paragraphs support an argument and give details in the form of facts. Paragraphs should focus on one overarching main idea. Opening Sentence For example, if the paragraph is This is the first sentence of a paragraph. This sentence about food, the supporting detail should introduce the idea of your paragraph. It should make sentences should all talk about no specific claims, but should instead make a board state- food. ment. Paragraphs can be assigned in class by giving the students a Supporting Detail Sentences These are sentences that follow your topic sentence. These single topic like food, animals, a sentences should give specific details that support the ideas member of the family, and so on. of your topic sentence. It can be turned into an activity by having the students draw a topic Closing Sentence from a hat; they must then write The closing sentence should reiterate the idea of your topic about that topic in the diamond sentence. It should not introduce any new information to format that is shown here. the paragraph. Instead the sentence should summarize the information presented in the paragraph into one sentence. Essays should follow the format of: Introduction, Supporting Paragraphs, and Conclusion. The introduction tells the reader what the essay is going to be about. The introduction is overarching, opinionated and arguable, usually concluding with a enthymeme, whichis a sentence that sums up the points that will be made in the supporting paragraphs. An enthymeme assumes that something is true and is supported by the body paragraphs. For example, the essay may be about the student’s town. The enthymeme might state, “New York City is the most diverse city in the world because of the people, the food, and the nightlife.” The supporting paragraphs give specific examples and details of what the essay is about. For every new topic, there should be a different supporting paragraph. Please see the diamond shape above for how to create a well thought-out supporting paragraph. For example, if the essay is about one’s home town, the supporting paragraphs might include 1. the people, 2. the food, and 3. the nightlife. The conclusion should reiterate what the essay is about. It can talk about the supporting paragraphs and the reasons why the writer’s reasons are legitimate or why the author wrote the essay. For the example about one’s home town, the conclusion would talk about why the town is great or beautiful based on the people, the food, and the nightlife. The conclusion can also repeat the introduction’s enthymeme, but should be down with different word usage: “Because of the people who inhabit the city, the food that is carefully crafted at each street corner, and the bustling nightlife creating an atmosphere of a city that never sleeps, New York City is the most diverse place to be, see, or live in the entire world.” Though teaching writing can be a difficult task, it is rewarding not only for the students, but also for the teacher. Writing is an important skill to have as students continue on past their primary years in school and further develop their language abilities.

Teaching Listening

Listening is one of the two receptive skills that help to develop students’ critical thinking and comprehension skills. Though it is considered a receptive skill, listening still requires active participation and thinking on part of the students. For example, by posing questions to students that require them to think about the answer rather than just read it

Page 22 English Teachers’ Resource Book straight from a text, teachers allow students to develop their comprehension levels and challenge them to rely less on translation from their native language into the target language. Listening activities developed for in-class work are often linked to another of the three skills, such as reading from a text, speaking a dialogue, or developing questions based off of a writing exercise. Listening activities are also very beneficial for students when they have the opportunity to hear a wide range of dialects and accents. It can help develop students’ ability to understand the target language if they can hear how it sounds from someone who isn’t a native speaker as well as someone who is. There are many listening resources available on YouTube and other online websites that host native and secondary speakers. The CD-ROMs that come with the school textbooks also have listening exercises recorded by people with British accents. Listening activities can also focus on pronunciation. With intermediate and advanced students, it is important to give them examples of how the spoken language can sound differently than the written language. For example, ‘I want to’ becomes ‘I wanna…’, ‘I don’t know’ becomes ‘I dunno’, and ‘I’m going to’ becomes ‘I’m gonna’. This can be a fun Listening and Dictation activity for a native speaker like a Volunteer to use during a lesson. Examples of Listening Exercises (beginner/pre-intermediate) 1. Draw What I Say: Have one student stand at the board and then have the rest of the class tell the student what to draw. This is a great exercise if you have new vocabulary words like animals or prepositions of place, or if you want to review vocabulary from a unit. This activity can be done in teams and be timed so that whichever student draws the correct image the quickest gains a point for his/her team. 2. Simon Says: This game focuses on verbs in the present tense. Write all the verbs that the students know up on the board. It usually helps to ask the students what verbs they know. For each verb, do an action. Once the students have matched an action with each verb, start the game. If ‘Simon Says’ a verb, all the students must do the action. If the teacher or student who is commanding the game doesn’t say ‘Simon Says’ before the verb, any student who did the action must sit down. Continue the game until most students are sitting down; repeat the game several times to ensure the students thoroughly know the actions and verbs. 3. Fly Swatter: Write new vocabulary words on the board or have flashcard pictures taped to the board that match new vocabulary words. Divide the class into two teams and have a student from each team approach the board. Then, call out a vocabulary word that the students can find on the board. Whichever student points to or ‘slaps’ the word or picture first gains a point for their team. Examples of Listening Activities (intermediate/advanced) 1. Listening and Dictation: Read a poem or play a song to the class. Have the students sit in pairs or in groups and assign them grammatical categories or word groupings such as ‘verbs’, ‘personal pronouns’, ‘adjectives’, etc. Then play the song or read the poem once slowly. Have the groups or pairs write down all the words that they hear for their category. Play the song or read the poem once more at normal speed and then have the students check their answers to a written text of the song or poem and see how many they got right. 2. Guess Who?: Have one student come up the board and face the class. On the board, Write the name of a famous person or a person that the students in the class would know. Then have the rest of the class use clues and hints to describe that person to the student in the front. Don’t let your students give too much direct information—encourage them to make the game as challenging as possible. 3. Two Truths and a Lie: Have students use the present perfect tense (or any tense) to write two things that are true about themselves and one thing that is false. Then, have them present what they wrote; the class must judge which statement is the lie. For more advanced students, have them explain when or where they did the things that were true, or why they haven’t done the thing that was a lie.

Teaching Reading

Reading is the second of the two receptive skills and focuses on developing comprehension skills and exposes students to the structures text, dialogue, song, rhyme etc of the target language. With the great texts that are readily available through the school textbooks, reading should not be a passive activity, but should require an emphasis on listening as well, especially with in-class work. In order to facilitate higher level of comprehension and master of content, remember that reading corrections, especially for pronunciation, should be corrected after the students have finished reading their portion of the text. Students who are constantly corrected while they are attempting to read a text or passage fear pronouncing a word wrong and would rather not read at all. It is better for the flow of the passage and reading if the students are corrected after the entire text has been read.

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 23 Reading Strategies: Skimming and Scanning Skimming is a skill that allows students to quickly understand the gist of the text or the passage. When the text is long or there is a lot of material and a limited amount of time (such as only 45 minutes for the lesson), skimming comes in handy. Tips for skimming: Read the title Underline and translate any unknown words/write these words on the board Read the first sentence of every paragraph Notice pictures Translate any expressions or phrases unknown Scanning helps students to find specific information quickly in the text. If there are questions posed about the text at the beginning of the activity, scanning allows students to look for key words or phrases that help to answer these questions. Tips for scanning: Pose questions before the text has been read so students can look for key words or phrases Have students work in pairs to find any information elicited by questions Translate unknown words or phrases/write these words on the board Use aids such as headings, topic sentences, and sub-headings Listening and Reading Exercises Create an interest for the students before the text is read for listened to (if it’s an audio CD). If the text is about music, ask the students what kind of music they like and what genre it is. If it is about inventions, have the students answer questions about their favorite invention or which invention they think is the most useful. Make sure that the new vocabulary words, phrases and expressions are understood by the class before they read the text. Use skimming to ask the students which words in the text they don’t know. Once the list is compiled on the board, read the words and have the students repeat them so they can pronounce the words correctly. Ask general questions about the text before the students read it thoroughly. These are simple questions which elicit answers about what the text is about or whom the text is referring to and which don’t require much in- depth reading for the answers. Note: these questions don’t have to be answered right away, but can be answered once the students read the text once. After the reading/listening, ask the students questions based on the information they have learned from the text. For multi-level classes, ask students questions that are easily found in the text and also answers that they have to critically think about. Questions develop the students’ comprehension levels, and assure the students understanding of the text. Open-ended questions are perfect for reading activities: “Who?” “What?” “Where?” “When?” “Why?” and “How?” Structuring Reading and Listening Activities The activities that target reading and listening skills are usually structure in similar sequence and are laid out in three stages: Pre-listening/reading While listening/reading Post- listening/reading

Why do pre tasks? In real life it is unusual for people to listen/read to something without having some idea of what they are going to hear/ read. When listening to a radio phone-in show, they will probably know which topic is being discussed. When listening to an interview with a famous person, they probably know something about that person already. A waiter knows the menu from which the diner is choosing their food. In our first language we rarely have trouble understanding listening. But, in a second language, it is one of the harder skills to develop - dealing at speed with unfamiliar sounds, words and structures. This is even more difficult if we do not know the topic under discussion, or who is speaking to whom. So, simply asking the students to listen to something and answer some questions makes developing listening skills much harder. Many students are fearful of listening, and can be disheartened when they listen to something but feel they understand very little. It is also harder to concentrate on listening if you have little interest in a topic or situation. Pre-listening tasks aim to deal with all of these issues: to generate interest, build confidence and to facilitate comprehension. Aims and types of pre tasks:

Page 24 English Teachers’ Resource Book Setting the context This is perhaps the most important thing to do - even most exams give an idea about who is speaking, where and why. In normal life we normally have some idea of the context of something we are listening to. Generating interest Motivating our students is a key task for us. If they are to do a listening about sports, looking at some dra- matic pictures of sports players or events will raise their interest or remind them of why they (hopefully) like sports. Personalization activities are very important here. A pair-work discussion about the sports they play or watch, and why, will bring them into the topic, and make them more willing to listen. Activating current knowledge - what do you know about…? 'You are going to listen to an ecological campaigner talk about the destruction of the rainforest'. This sets the context, but if you go straight in to the listening, the students have had no time to transfer or activate their knowledge (which may have been learnt in their first language) in the second language. What do they know about rainforests? - Where are they? What are they? What problems do they face? Why are they important? What might an ecological campaigner do? What organizations campaign for ecological issues? Acquiring knowledge Students may have limited general knowledge about a topic. Providing knowledge input will build their confidence for dealing with a listening. This could be done by giving a related text to read, or, a little more fun, a quiz. Activating vocabulary / language Just as activating topic knowledge is important, so is activating the language that may be used in the listening. Knowledge-based activities can serve this purpose, but there are other things that can be done. If students are going to listen to a dialogue between a parent and a teenager who wants to stay overnight at a friend's, why not get your students to role play the situation before listening. They can brainstorm language beforehand, and then perform the scene. By having the time to think about the language needs of a situation, they will be excellently prepared to cope with the listening. Predicting content Once we know the context for something, we are able to predict possible content. Try giving students a choice of things that they may or may not expect to hear, and ask them to choose those they think will be mentioned. Pre-learning vocabulary When we listen in our first language we can usually concentrate on the overall meaning because we know the meaning of the vocabulary. For students, large numbers of unknown words will often hinder listening, and certainly lower confidence. Select some vocabulary for the students to study before listening, perhaps matching words to definitions, followed by a simple practice activity such as filling the gaps in sentences. Checking / understanding the listening tasks By giving your students plenty of time to read and understand the main listening comprehension tasks, you allow them to get some idea of the content of the listening. They may even try to predict answers before listening.

While tasks When we listen/reading to something in our everyday lives we do so for a reason. Students too need a reason to listen that will focus their attention. For our students to really develop their listening skills they will need to listen/read a number of times - three or four usually works quite well - as I've found that the first time many students listen to a text they are nervous and have to tune in to accents and the speed at which the people are speaking. Ideally the listening tasks we design for them should guide them through the text and should be graded so that the first listening task they do is quite easy and helps them to get a general understanding of the text. Sometimes a single question at this stage will be enough, not putting the students under too much pressure. The second task for the second time students listen should demand a greater and more detailed understanding of the text. Make sure though that the task doesn't demand too much of a response. Writing long responses as they listen can be very demanding and is a separate skill in itself, so keep the tasks to single words, ticking or some sort of graphical response. The third listening task could just be a matter of checking their own answers from the second task or could lead students towards some more subtle interpretations of the text. Listening to a foreign language is a very intensive and demanding activity and for this reason I think it's very important that students should have 'breathing' or 'thinking' space between listening. I usually get my students to compare their answers between listening as this gives them the chance not only to have a break from the listening, but also to check their understanding with a peer and so reconsider before listening again.

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 25 Post tasks There are two common forms that post-listening tasks can take. These are reactions to the content of the text, and analysis of the linguistic features used to express the content. Reaction to the text Of these two I find that tasks that focus students reaction to the content are most important. Again this is something that we naturally do in our everyday lives. Because we listen for a reason, there is generally a following reaction. This could be discussion as a response to what we've heard - do they agree or disagree or even believe what they have heard? - or it could be some kind of reuse of the information they have heard. Analysis of language The second of these two post-listening task types involves focusing students on linguistic features of the text. This is important in terms of developing their knowledge of language, but less so in terms of developing students' listening skills. It could take the form of an analysis of verb forms from a script of the listening text or vocabulary or collocation work. This is a good time to do form focused work as the students have already developed an understanding of the text and so will find dealing with the forms that express those meanings much easier. Applying the framework to a song Here is an example of how you could use this framework to exploit a song: Pre-listening/reading Students brainstorm kinds of songs Students describe one of their favourite songs and what they like about it Students predict some word or expressions that might be in a love song While listening/reading Students listen and decide if the song is happy or sad Students listen again and order the lines or verses of the song Students listen again to check their answers or read a summary of the song with errors in and correct them. Post-listening/reading Focus on content Discuss what they liked / didn't like about the song Decide whether they would buy it / who they would buy it for Write a review of the song for a newspaper or website Write another verse for the song Focus on form Students look at the lyrics from the song and identify the verb forms Students find new words in the song and find out what they mean Students make notes of common collocations within the song Sample Lesson Plan Sample Lesson plan is mainly focused on developing the speaking and listening skills, but it also integrates few writing and reading tasks. The lesson plan is accompanied by comment boxes that explain the reasoning and purpose of each activity. The following sample lesson plan is based on English World 6, Unit 5 and was co-planned by Education PMs, Teo Neparidze and Asmat Sikharulidze.

Type of Class: ESL, Listening Level: Pre Intermediate Time period: 45 minutes Topic: Kingfisher Valley – Part 5 (plotting the plan) Textbook: English World 6 Lesson objective: By the end of the lesson, students will explore the pictures and a listening passage to understand and analyze the story of Kingfisher valley, discuss actions and viewpoints of the characters and express their opinion about the key conflict in the story. Target Vocabulary: TV station, TV reporter, to interview, envelope, leave alone, valley. Stage Activity Resources Warm-up (5 minutes) 1. Ask the class to tell you what they remember from the last From the textbook episode. If necessary, ask prompt questions: Passage 8: Kingfisher Who did the children talk to first? Miss Havers Valley – Part 5 Why did she have to sell the valley? Because she needs the money Students’ Book

Page 26 English Teachers’ Resource Book Who did they see next? Mr. Roach Pictures from What did he say about his plans? The children could not Students’ Book p. 65. stop him Technology 2. Ask the students what they think will happen next. Pre-Listening (15 Give an example: CD and CD player minutes) Picture 1: Projector

Words I know Words I would like to know Other (visuals/ (listed in local language) handouts) Computer Opinion 5 copies of statements To type To express opinion from the story. To think 3 copies of the listening table by the Other possible words students may come up with: characters. Pictures Mobile phone To gather Angry Copies of answer keys Photos To talk TV station To shout for each student. Envelope Mirror TV reporters To interview To call To tell stairs Microphone

3. Once the students have their lists, ask them to pair up and share their lists with a partner. Pairs will help if they know a word that their partner wants to learn. 4. In the end of this activity, go through the key words you would like to reinforce with students for this class: TV station, TV reporter, to interview, envelope, leave alone, valley. 5. Divide the students in groups of 3, distribute a copy of the statements listed in random order and ask groups to work together to match each statement with a respective picture. Statements: a) Dan is writing a letter. b) Dan is putting pictures in the envelope. c) Meg is speaking on the mobile phone. d) Friends decide to save Kingfisher valley. e) Meg’s friend has an idea. f) Meg’s friend, Juliet, is speaking on the phone. g) Meg and her friends arrive at TV station. h) Meg and her friends are telling Kingfisher valley story to Aunt Jane. i) TV reporters are waiting for Mr. Roach on the street. j) TV reporter interviews Mr. Roach. k) Everyone is shouting at Mr. Roach. l) Mr. Roach is very angry. 6. Hang the poster with pictures on the wall. Have one of the groups share the correct matches with the rest of the class. Listening (20 Minutes) 7. Tell the class to look at each picture, listen and follow the story. Play track 8. The children listen and look at the pictures again. Tell the students they will be asked questions about the text after listening. Ask questions to check understanding. What pictures Dan put in the envelope along with his letter? Of Kingfisher and Lynx Why did Dan write a letter and why did he put pictures? To save kingfisher valley How did the other children feel about the plans for the valley? angry Who they approached for help? Aunt Jane. Did Aunt Jane want to help them? Yes.

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 27 What did Aunt Jane do? Tried to interview Mr. Roach outside his hotel Did he want to be interviewed? No, he didn’t. What did the children ask him to do? leave the valley alone 8. Tell the students that they will listen to the passage once again and will be given a task to complete in pairs. Distribute the handout (listening table) assigning roles to each pairs. Give the students some time to read their task. Allow students to ask questions to clarify. Then play track 8. 9. After the students complete the task distribute the answer key OR display the answers on the projector (depending on the time available). Post Listening (5 10. Ask the class reflective questions: Minutes) Who do you think Dan is writing to? How could Aunt Jane help the kids and save the valley? What do you think will happen next? Why is it important not to destroy the valley? Have you heard about a similar story in your town/village? 11. Ask the students to write a response to the below question for homework. Instruct the students to use at least 10 of the following words in their writing: Pictures Mobile phone To gather Angry Photos To talk TV station To shout Envelope Mirror TV reporters To interview To call To tell Stairs Microphone Leave alone Valley Terrible To build Excitedly To belong to To come up To cut down with Imagine that local famous businessman bought your town’s main park. The park is one of the most favorite places for you and your friends. He openly says that he plans to build a large supermarket on the place of the park. What would you do to stop him? Evaluation Collect the listening table (activity 11) from students to evaluate the lesson.

For Activity 6 Match the statements with the pictures a) TV reporters are waiting for Mr. Roach on the street. b) Friends decide to save Kingfisher valley. c) Dan is writing a letter. d) Meg’s friend has an idea. e) Meg’s friend, Juliet, is speaking on the phone. f) Mr. Roach is very angry. g) Meg is speaking on the mobile phone. h) Meg’s friend has an idea. i) Meg and her friends are telling Kingfisher valley story to Aunt Jane. j) TV reporter interviews Mr. Roach. k) Everyone is shouting at Mr. Roach. l) Dan is putting pictures in the envelope. m) Meg and her friends arrive at TV station.

Page 28 English Teachers’ Resource Book For Activity 11 Narrators: Tick true or false

Narrator said True False Miss Havers owned the valley before Mr. Roach wanted to cut down hundreds of trees in the valley Mr. Roach wanted to build a factory in the valley Miss Havers had no money Miss Havers had to sell her car Dan and Meg came up with a plan together Dan put a photo of lynx in an envelope Meg and her friends met up in a TV station Aunt Jane was very interested in the story Aunt Jane decided to interview Mr. Roach Suddenly, Aunt Jane shouted excitedly Loud voice belonged to Ken Roach

Meg: Write key words or phrases that helped you decide that the following statements are true:

Statement Key Words/Phrases Meg wanted her friends to come to her house Meg wanted to save Kingfisher valley Meg went to TV station Meg saw Ken roach first

Aunt Jane: Circle the phrases that Aunt Jane used: Hello, everyone! Nice to meet you! Come in! Sit down! I’m a TV reporter. Important story You’ve got for me Would you like some tea or coffee? How can I help you? I work at a TV station. This is terrible! We must stop him! Let’s go to the hotel. Can I speak to you, please? My name’s Jane Fox. We know about your plans. You can’t destroy the valley

Ken Roach and Dan: Complete the sentences/fill in the missing sentences: Dan In my opinion the valley is ______... I think he’ll like ______. Ken Roach Who are you? ______? I’ve got nothing to say to you. ______! You can say what you like. You can shout as loud as you want. You might not like my plans but ______: ______!

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 29 Meg’s Friends: Draw a route that Meg’s friends did today (listen to Meg as well)

Anna’s House Boy’s House

TV Station

Meg’s house

Grand Hotel

Girls 2’s house

Page 30 English Teachers’ Resource Book Chapter 5: How to teach grammar

Teaching grammar can often be associated with explanation of rules, and repetition of structures. However, when teaching grammar effectively, in a communicative way, this important material can become both beneficial and meaningful. Traditional Georgian teaching methods often focus primarily on grammatical rules, as opposed to meaning, when teaching a grammatical structure. This common methodology stems from the belief that learning a foreign language is about mastering its linguistic system. Empirical data show that even if students are able to learn and memorize grammar rules, they are not necessarily able to communicate in the target language at all. The following is a typical grammar lesson in classrooms focusing on grammar-translation method: 1. The teacher writes down the name of the grammar point on the board. 2. The teacher presents the rule and structure. 3. The teacher gives examples (in English) to illustrate the rule. 4. The teacher gets students to make up their own sentences using the rule they have just been given. 5. The teacher gets students to do some translation from English to Georgian and visa versa. Very often these are only at sentence level and are disconnected and not to the context. 6. For homework the teacher asks students to learn the grammar rule by heart and make some further sentences with them. During this kind of lesson the teacher controls the activities till the end of the lesson and s/he tries to minimize the possibility of students producing with the language, making and learning from mistakes. Ideally, a teacher should pay more attention to enable students to work with the target language during the lesson and communicate in it by the end of the lesson. In teaching grammar, like in any ESL lesson, we can structure activities in three stages: Introduction Practice Application or free practice Introduction that’s the stage when the grammar item is introduced either deductively (from the rule to the examples) or inductively (from examples or context to the rules). In many Georgian schools as well as in any other post-Soviet educational systems grammar is introduced through giving rules (ex. Present Simple is used to denote the action…..) and asking students to memorize it. This is typical grammar- translation method which doesn’t help to develop communicative skills because students don’t see how this or that grammar point is used in real language. That is why it is VERY important to introduce grammar in context. 1. Eg. Give your students two short paragraphs to read and say whom these Paragraphs are about. Soso lives in Tbilisi now. He works at the office not far from his home. He likes photography. Soso lived in Tbilisi last year. He worked at the office not far from his home. He liked photography. Then ask them to find in each similar words that are used in different form. Guide the group to make the rule about different tenses of verb themselves. If your students make the rule by themselves they will remember and understand it much better than just memorize. Taking into account that in our classroom we usually have different types of learners other approaches might be effective as well: - Using visual timeline with Tense Indicators is good for Logical/Mathematical Learners;

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 31 - Using pictures helps Visual Learners differentiate and remember grammar forms and meaning go to school to read

to write to sing to eat

- jazz chants, songs and poems are effective for auditory learners. Below is an example of a Jazz Chant “Where does John live?”, for the Present Simple tense.

Where does John live? He lives near the bank. Where does he work? He works at the bank. When does he work? He works all day And he works all night, At the bank, at the bank, At the great big bank. Where does he study? He studies at the bank. Where does he sleep? He sleeps at the bank. Why does he spend all day, all night, All day, all night, At the bank, at the bank? Because he loves his bank, More than his wife. And he loves his money, More than his life.

(If you are interested in using jazz chants in teaching, you can search for “Carolyn Graham Jazz Chants” on youtube. Ms. Carolyn Graham is the creator of Jazz Chants, which connect the rhythm of spoken American English to the beatof jazz. She developed the technique of jazz chanting during her twenty-five years of teaching ESL in the American Language Institute of New York University. Ms. Graham is the author of numerous Jazz Chants books, all published by Oxford University Press). Practice sometimes it is also called controlled practice which means that accuracy is very important here and students have to be corrected. Typical Activities for this stage are: fill in blanks, matching activities, substitution, completing sentences etc.

Page 32 English Teachers’ Resource Book Application or free practice. Fluency is important at this stage. Some mistakes that don’t change the meaning or that don’t disrupt communication can be ignored. Typical Activities for this stage are: tell (write) your own story, make a report or make a prediction, make your own weather forecast for tomorrow, write newspaper announcement, advertisement etc. The assignment should be communicative and in our case in line with the

Practical Grammar activities:

a. Present Continuous Tense Activity Ask students to stand in a circle. Mime an action (ex. swimming) and ask a student next to you:” What am I doing?” The student answers: “You are swimming.” Then that student mimes an action and asks next one what is he/she doing? The Student answers and it continues round the circle. Change the action (ex. reading) and say the wrong statement (e. I am talking over the phone). The Student next to you should say:” No, you are not talking over the phone, you are reading”. And it continues round the circle. (10 min) Debrief – What is this activity aiming at? (2 min)

b. To Be Ball Throw a ball to say either a personal pronoun or noun. For example, throw the ball to SoSo ad say, “I.” Soso then has to say “am” and if he can’t then he has to sit down. Do this a couple times until the students start to understand how the game works. The great thing about this activity is that even the slower students will eventually get it. This activity is easily adapted to other verbs, to review different tenses of verbs, and to review how to form questions. (“You eat!” “Do you eat?”)

c. Positional Prepositions Place several classroom objects on a table in front of the room. You can include objects like pens, pencils, rulers, chalk, notebooks, etc. Prepare blank cards, each with a preposition on it. “Between”, “next to”, “under”, “on”, “in”, “inside of”, “outside of”, “close to”, far from”, and “beside” are good ones. Have a student come up to the front of the class and draw preposition card. Giorgi, for example, draws “between.” The students must first make a sentence using the preposition and classroom objects. For example, “The ruler is between the eraser and pencil.” Then he must re-arrange the objects on the desk to make his sentence. In this case, Giorgi should put the ruler between the eraser and the pencil. For lower level students, it may be easier to rearrange the objects and then make a sentence, so that initially they are only trying to remember what the preposition means rather than worry about making an entire sentence. For more advanced students, you can prompt them to change their arrangement by saying “Now put the eraser between the ruler and pencil.”

d. Sentence betting Sentence betting is a fun ESL classroom activity that students are sure to enjoy. The basic premise of the game involves students reading sentences written in English on the whiteboard/blackboard and betting fake money on whether they think it's a correct sentence or not. Split your class into teams of around 3 or 4 students and hand out an even amount of fake money to each team, you can keep track of their totals on the whiteboard/blackboard without needing fake money but it makes the activity a lot more fun if they have something physical to work. Give each team a piece of paper and write the first sentence on the whiteboard/blackboard. Here are a few examples (remembering to omit the correct/incorrect part): Correct: I want to buy a new computer. Incorrect: Yesterday I will go to the library. Correct: I love playing basketball after school. Incorrect: You're photo is beautiful. Give them around a minute to discuss the sentence in their groups before asking them to make their bets on the piece of paper you gave them. Let the students know that if they're unsure about a sentence then they should probably bet less money. It's also a good idea to make the maximum bet half of what they currently have so they can't lose all their money. For example, if you gave each team $10000 then the maximum bet would be $5000. A typical bet might look like this: Correct sentence: $5000 OR Incorrect sentence: $3000 Collect the pieces of paper and hand out the winnings/collect the losses equal to how much they bet. Play as many rounds as you like, get each team to count their winnings at the end and see which team finishes

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 33 with the most money. You might like to keep track of the is on the whiteboard/blackboard as the game progresses.

e. Tic Tac Toe If you're looking for an easy activity to finish the last few minutes of an ESL class while reinforcing some of the things the students learnt then give this fun tic tac toe game a try. Draw a large noughts & crosses table on the whiteboard/blackboard and explain to the students that they will be playing you, the teacher, in a classic game of noughts and crosses. The difference with this version of tic tac toe is that there isn't alternative turns, you will instead be asking the students questions relevant to what they have been learning (i.e. the grammar aspect) if they answer correctly then they can draw a 'O' but if they are wrong then you can draw an 'X'. Ask a range of students questions until either they or you have a line of three consecutive O's or X's. It's a simple activity but a fun way to finish the class, especially if the students win.

For more activity/game ideas focused on the grammar, you can visit the following link: http://www.funenglishgames. com

Page 34 English Teachers’ Resource Book Chapter 6: Co-Teaching

Co-Teaching is defined as a group of two or more teachers working together to plan, conduct and evaluate the learning activities for the same group of learners. Quinn and Kanter (1984) define co-teaching as "simply teamwork between two qualified instructors who, together, make presentations to an audience."

Benefits of Co-Teaching

A successful and effective team teaching relationship will benefit many different groups of people. Besides the three main groups that are directly related to team teaching – the students, the Georgian English teacher, and the PCV – the school and the community also benefit from this mutually encouraging classroom setup.

The Students Students will benefit from this model in four specific ways: First, they are able to observe firsthand the values of teamwork, partnership and participation. For many students, these are ideas that have been talked about in class, but may be more of an abstract concept. When they see the Georgian teacher and Peace Corps Volunteer successfully working closely together, they will witness these ideas effectively demonstrated, and understand that they can actually work. Second, the students’ interest in the lessons will be higher because the two teachers will be able to engage the students better. There will be less time for boredom as the class quickly moves from activity to activity, which will in turn lead to fewer discipline problems that are usually created out of students’ disinterest. Third, students’ learning styles differ, just as teachers’ teaching style differs from Georgian to Georgian and Volun- teer to Volunteer. In a team teaching classroom, all students are exposed to two different methods of teaching in the same lesson. If one teacher usually teaches orally, a student who does well with auditory learning will benefit from that teacher’s style. When the other teacher begins the next activity, which is more hands-on, students who learn best with kinesthetic learning will benefit greatly. In this manner, students whose learning styles are regularly unmet with one teacher’s teaching style may be interested in and successfully learn via the other teacher’s methodologies. Finally, all classes have different levels of student activity, knowledge and understanding, and these multi-level classes can be more effectively taught with the team teaching model and its two teachers. While one teacher leads the class in an exercise, the other teacher is able to circulate the room to help the slower students understand the task, or give the faster students an extra task to keep them busy. When the class should work independently, with a partner, or in groups, both teachers are able to help get students started if they are unsure of the task, answer other students’ questions, and review, or correct students’ work if they finish early.

The Georgian Teacher

One of the biggest benefits for the Georgian teacher in team teaching is the chance to increase of duration of instruction in English to a greater extent with a native speaker. The Georgian teacher is improving his or her comprehension and speaking skills by communicating with the Peace Corps Volunteer during the lesson planning stage and within the actual classroom. This also gives the students a great example for why it is important to practice speaking English with a native speaker, even if it may be very nerve-wracking – you get better and more confident over time! Both teachers can maximize time in a team-taught class. Team-taught class gives ample opportunities for organizing the resources for the upcoming activity, monitoring the participation of students, noticing the trends in mistakes and accomplishments. Additionally, a team-taught lesson can move from a teacher-centered lesson to a student-centered one. Therefore, less focus is on the Georgian teacher, and they are able to work more in depth with and encourage their students to do tasks themselves. This takes off some pressure for the teacher to always be leading activities, while also giving the students the chance to take on some leadership in the classroom.

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 35 Mutual Benefits for the Georgian Teacher and PCV

There are four main areas in which both the Georgian teacher and the PCV receive mutual benefits. First, there is less pressure for each person to lead and prepare individually for the entire lesson. Secondly, each teacher is able to play to his or her strength in the classroom, and allow his or her colleague to cover other material that they aren’t as strong in teaching. For example, the Georgian teacher has been trained in university to teach grammar rules in a way that connects grammar structures to native language. During this part of the lesson, the PCV can make sure the students are following the Georgian teacher, or put example sentences on the board. Later in the lesson, the PCV can work on speaking practice with the students while the Georgian teacher helps keep non-speaking students attentive and quiet. Adding to the above point, both teachers can learn how to grow in their weaker areas from watching their partner teach. In doing this, each person can learn and enact new approaches and activities into the classroom, as well as transfer new skills, ideas, creativity and knowledge between each other. Some things that Georgian teachers do in the classroom are done because they work well, and the PCV can learn accordingly. At the same time, the PCV has been trained with new, innovative ideas that can be shared with the Georgian teacher and implemented in the classroom. Finally, both teachers will be able to spend more time on teaching the class because less time will be spent on disciplining the students. With an extra teacher moving through the room throughout the entire lesson, students quickly realize that they will not be able to misbehave while the lesson is going on – there are now two pairs of eyes watching their every movement.

The School

It goes without saying that the school(s) in which there is a successful Peace Corps Volunteer and Georgian teaching pair will benefit greatly. First of all, the transfer of skills from the Peace Corps Volunteer to Georgian English teachers and vice versa serves as free, ongoing professional development over a two-year period. This is something that would be impossible both financially and time-wise for a school to be able to provide under regular circumstances. In addition, having a team teaching situation encourages creativity through exposure, as well as a generation of new knowledge and knowledge-seekers who have the opportunity to be educated under a unique system such as team teaching. Finally, any new activities, teaching methods, and skills used in the classroom will remain with the teachers and many times with the schools long after the PCV has finished his or her time there, which is an excellent and sustainable resource.

What Co-Teaching Is Not Team teaching does not consist of either the Peace Corps Volunteer or Counterpart. Doing the following during the lesson: Grading copybooks/tests Working on the class register/journal Sitting/standing in the back of the classroom Prompting students while other teacher asks questions Taking a coffee/tea break Leaving the classroom while one teacher teaches material alone Responding to cell phone

What Co-Teaching Is Not

Team teaching does not consist of either the Peace Corps Volunteer or Counterpart Doing the following during the lesson: Grading copybooks/tests Working on the class register/journal Sitting/standing in the back of the classroom Prompting students while other teacher asks questions

Page 36 English Teachers’ Resource Book Taking a coffee/tea break Leaving the classroom while one teacher teaches material alone Responding to cell phone There appear to be two broad categories of team teaching: Category A: Two or more instructors are teaching the same students at the same time within the same classroom; Category B: The instructors work together but do not necessarily teach the same groups of students nor necessarily teach at the same time. Since Peace Corps Georgia requires Category A, we will only focus on this category. When instructors team teach the same group of students at the same time (Category A), there are a number of different roles that these team teachers might perform. Category A team teaching usually involves a combination of six models (identified by Maroney (1995) and Robinson and Schaible (1995)) according to the personalities, philosophies or strengths of the team teachers as well as the personalities and strengths of the learners. Traditional Co-Teaching: In this case, the teachers actively share the instruction of content and skills to all students. For example, one teacher may present the new material to the students while the other teacher constructs a concept map on the overhead projector as the students listen to the presenting teacher. Collaborative Teaching: This academic experience describes a traditional team teaching situation in which the team teachers work together in designing the course and teach the material not by the usual monologue, but rather by exchanging and discussing ideas and theories in front of the learners. Not only do the team teachers work together, but the course itself uses group learning techniques for the learners, such as small-group work, student-led discussion and joint test-taking Complementary / Supportive Co-Teaching: This situation occurs when one teacher is responsible for teaching the content to the students, while the other teacher takes charge of providing follow-up activities on related topics or on study skills. Parallel Instruction: In this setting, the class is divided into two groups and each teacher is responsible for teaching the same material to her/his smaller group. This model is usually used in conjunction with other forms of team teaching, and is ideally suited to the situation when students are involved in projects or problem-solving activities, as the instructor can roam and give students individualized support. Differentiated Split Class: This type of teaching involves dividing the class into smaller groups according to learning needs. Each educator provides the respective group with the instruction required to meet their learning needs. For example, a class may be divided into those learners who grasp adding fractions and those who need more practice with the addition of fractions. One teacher would challenge the learners who grasped the concept more quickly, while the second teacher would likely review or re-teach those students who require further instruction. Monitoring Teacher: This situation occurs when one teacher assumes the responsibility for instructing the entire class, while the other teacher circulates the room and monitors student understanding and behavior. To make the team teaching effective the teachers will need to develop a strategy of working together.

Where to Start

Questions to Ask Each Other Meet with your co-teacher (counterpart/ Peace Corps Volunteer) sometime early in the school year. Spend some time discussing the following questions and writing down each partner's responses to help build a solid, professional working relationship for the school year. What are the general expectations or goals each of you has for your classes this year? What will your co-teaching classroom look like? (Student desk arrangement, teacher placement, etc.) When will you plan lessons together? How much time can you devote each week to planning and communicating for your classes? How will your roles be determined and presented so that students see you both as equal teaching partners? Take a moment to discuss classroom rules, discipline techniques, tardy policy, etc. How will these rules be enforced? Who will enforce them? Discuss classroom routines/procedures for students leaving the room, using their phones, turning in assignments (late), etc. Who will be responsible for recording grades and keeping up with them? What noise level is acceptable in the classroom to you and your partner? What are your pet peeves in the classroom? In other words, what things do you find it difficult to tolerate in the classroom?

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 37 How will you handle multi-level classrooms? Who will make tests and quizzes? What arrangements will be made if one of you is absent from class? (Will there be advance notice to your co-teacher? Do you have each other’s contact information? Do you agree to give your co-teacher as much notification as possible for your absence? How much time do you consider to be "advanced notice" to prepare a lesson, change a lesson, or take-over a lesson? (Right before the lesson, a day before, a few days before, etc.) Can you agree to give your partner his or her required advance notice time when you need to make a change, have him or her prepare a lesson or take over a class? How and when will you resolve differences/conflicts with each other? (verbally, communication log, etc.)? How will the two of you celebrate classroom successes together?

Overview of Roles & Responsibilities

This manual will discuss the following aspects of team teaching roles and responsibilities in further detail, but to get you somewhat familiar with them, here is a brief overview:

Develop a Positive Working Relationship: In discussing the roles and responsibilities of team teaching, developing a positive working relationship between Georgian English Teacher and Peace Corps Volunteer is a crucial aspect for success. There are many ways to develop such a professional relationship, and in Georgia the best method is to simply spend more social time together. This of course simply means that the counterpart and Volunteer should sit down together after lessons and hopefully even after school to discuss work. By developing a close relationship, counterpart and Volunteer create a comfortable platform of trust for discussing their roles and responsibilities. Also paramount to developing a strong working relationship is joint participation by both parties during the lesson itself. This is most effective when both teachers are at the front of the classroom working together throughout the lesson. However, the most important point here is that both counterpart and volunteer participate actively during the lesson. This is an excellent way to improve the working relationship and as a bonus demonstrates leadership to students.

Careful Lesson Planning Together: Dedicating time to lesson planning together as a team is something both counterpart and Volunteer should agree to. This is probably one of the most quintessential responsibilities in terms of successful team-teaching. Prior to class, both teachers should help to carefully divide the material and time for the lesson. When deciding who should lead what part of the lesson, both teachers should carefully consider their own strengths and weaknesses, and then coordinate accordingly. If lesson planning is carefully and properly conducted, it will help to create a natural flow during the lesson and prevent any logistical disputes that may otherwise arise. All behavioral issues should also be discussed prior to the lesson. Here, the role of the counterpart is to inform the Volunteer about problematic students and how exactly these students’ behaviors can be addressed within the rules of the school. The counterpart’s support is especially important regarding discipline at school. For example, if a Volunteer is not informed otherwise, he/she might decide that sending a particularly troublesome student to the director’s office is a perfectly acceptable solution to the problem. Finally, another important aspect of lesson planning together is the sharing of resources. Both Volunteers and counterparts should already have many resources of their own, but by combining materials and ideas the team can double their information pool. There are many resources that Volunteers receive from Peace Corps and these should be made readily available to counterparts. In turn, counterparts should be ready to provide Volunteers with their curriculum plan for each academic year. Additionally, both counterpart and Volunteer should participate in the sharing of ideas for lessons. In short, lesson planning demands that counterpart and Volunteer maintain a relationship consisting of equal responsibility and reciprocity.

During the Lesson: While working within the classroom once again both counterpart and volunteer should focus on their strengths. For the Volunteer this means helping out with students’ pronunciation, speaking, and potentially presentation of new vocabulary. The counterpart’s area of expertise will more than likely be centered in grammar as well as ensuring students understand the material presented. However, it should be noted that the team teaching pair should always share presentation of the above-mentioned skill sets. Just as counterpart and Volunteer work together to develop the lesson, during the lesson itself the team teaching pair should always be together.

Page 38 English Teachers’ Resource Book There should never be a point in the lesson when either counterpart or Volunteer is simply sitting in the back watching the lesson. Both parties should be actively participating throughout the entirety of the lesson. For example, ifthe Volunteer is presenting new vocabulary to the class, the counterpart could be setting up the next activity or monitoring the students in the classroom. When confronting behavioral issues, both teachers should be on the same page and support the other teacher’s decision. Neither teacher should ever interrupt or contradict the other during the lesson, as this would set a bad example and confuse the students. Throughout the lesson, the teaching pair should aim to demonstrate leadership by working efficiently together as a team. Not only is this a positive example of leadership for the students, but also it helps generate a comfortable environment for learning a language.

Evaluation: Discussions to evaluate lessons should be held as soon as possible following the lesson. These evaluations should be held regularly so that both teachers understand what works and what does not work for one another. Both parties should participate equally in feedback and, in order to avoid any animosity criticism should always be cushioned with compliments. Also, feedback will only be beneficial if it is constructive; simply saying that the lesson was good or bad is pointless. When asking for feedback, questions should always be open-ended so as to encourage conversation. Evaluating the lesson is an extremely important responsibility of the Volunteer and the counterpart because it is a time to strive for improvements. No lesson is ever perfect, and so there is always room for both parties to improve. Oftentimes though, it might be difficult to find time for analyzing and evaluating each lesson. Realistically, what may work well is to set a practice of identifying one success and one area of improvement after each lesson.

Logistics: As is always the case for any job, team teaching involves both parties taking responsibility for logistics. For lesson planning it is a Peace Corps expectation to include the lesson planning time in the regular teaching schedule. This will ensure having a set time for meeting from the beginning of the school year. IT will be the responsibility of the Volunteer and the counterpart to be consistent and meet at the pre-arranged times regularly for lesson planning or other kinds of collaborative work. At a more general level, the counterpart should do his/her best to keep the Volunteer informed about logistics at school. This includes: Passing on information discussed during school meetings, Letting the Volunteer know about changes in the school schedule, Explaining general information about what goes on at the school. In turn, the Volunteer should do his/her best to keep the counterpart updated on his/her schedule outside of school. The volunteer should meet with his/her counterpart to discuss projects both school and non-school related. In case Volunteer travels outside of the community, he/she should give his/her counterpart the dates he/she plans to be absent from site as soon as possible. Additionally, both counterpart and Volunteer should invite one another to participate in extracurricular functions. Volunteers should do their best to invite counterparts to Peace Corps related activities including trainings, clubs, and projects. When possible, counterparts should invite volunteers to attend and/or participate in school concerts, holidays, and other functions. In this way, both parties help the other to feel included in their respective communities.

Final Remarks As you begin to develop your relationship with your Peace Corps Volunteer, keep in mind that you both might have different ideas as to what is the best way to work together. Willingness to try different methods and combinations until you find one that works best with your strengths as teachers and individuals is essential for both halves of a partnership. It is also helpful to share your weaknesses and strengths with your team teacher. This could simplify the role assigning process and help your team figure out the best way to work together.

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 39 Chapter 7: Working with Limited Resources

When teachers have to teach with limited resources, they need to use their creative skills to produce resources that will enrich the learning process and make it interesting. This could be creating visual aids, and “low cost” activities such as: role plays, skits, simulations, games etc. This chapter will offer ideas for utilizing classroom materials, creating your own resources, and learning about activities that do not need additional resources for implementation.

Board and Chalk

We often think of having only chalk, a board, and an eraser as very primitive and resource-poor. However board and chalk is actually a very versatile material. Considerations for using the board Make sure to help focus attention and make things clearer for class Write clearly keep the font size reasonable write in a straight line don’t hide the board talk as you write space the amount of content (don’t clutter the board) How can you use the board and chalk? Draw to explain a vocabulary item visually, show the spelling of the word, write down directions, write down rules, make diagrams, show grammar structures, draw graphic organizers such as mind maps, hierarchical outline, a Venn diagram, T-chart, other.

Graphic Organizers Mind Mapping Outline (to support brainstorming about all possible ideas) (to sequence and prioritize the ideas from brainstorming)

Page 40 English Teachers’ Resource Book Venn Diagram (to show what two things share in common and what they don’t)

T-Chart (for comparative lists – pros and cons, a concept and examples of the concept) FRUITS NOT FRUIT Banana Carrot Tomato Celery Watermelon Cheese Strawberry Potato Cucumber Egg Realia ‘Realia’ refers to any real objects we use in the classroom to bring the class to life. The main advantage of using real objects into the classroom is to make the learning experience more memorable for the learner. To give a couple of simple examples, if you are going to teach vocabulary of fruit and vegetables it can be much more affective for students if they can touch, smell and see the objects at the same time as hearing the new word. This would appeal to a wider range of learner styles than a simple flashcard picture of the piece of fruit or vegetable. A second example would be if you are going to teach some functional language for asking for the timetable for a train. You could use a fictitious timetable or you could use a real one from the local train station, you brought back from your last trip to US. This way you expose students to more language than simply the times and destinations: they will see information about prices, discounts, bank holidays etc.

Activities involving realia Tourist information Collect brochures of places of interest (in English if possible but not vital) and ask students to use them to plan a trip for a group of students who are coming to their town for a week. They can plan the itinerary, work out the budget etc. Island survival Bring in a selection of items such as a coat hanger, a corkscrew, a packet of dental floss, a clothes peg, a plastic bag, a wooden spoon, some swimming goggles, elastic bands etc. Put the students into groups and tell them they have been ship wrecked on a desert island with their group. Luckily there are some random items on the island they can use to help them survive. Reveal the items one by one and elicit vocabulary. Then tell students they have ten minutes to think about how they are going to use the items to help them survive. At the end, listen to each group’s ideas and vote on which group you think would survive the longest. Identity envelopes Get three or four envelopes and fill them with bits and bobs you find around the house such as foreign curren- cy, shop receipts, postcards, photos, buttons, etc. Put students into groups and ask them to have a good look at the objects and to decide who they belong to. They should be able to build up the identity of a character from the objects. You could say they are all suspects from a crime and they have to decide who did it, or simply create the characters to use in a role play. About me

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 41 Gather some bits and pieces that you have in your bag, purse and around the house such as used cinema or concert tickets, train or bus tickets, cards you’ve received, passport photos, shopping receipts etc. Stick them on a piece of card or on a cork board. Get students to ask you about the items to gather information about you. As a follow up, ask students to do the same and bring in some bits and bobs they have for their classmates to ask them about. Concentration See the games archive for instructions on how to play this game. http://teachingenglish.org.uk/language-assis- tant/games/concentration Instead of using students’ names put an object, such as an item of clothing or a classroom object, in front of each student and that is what they say instead of their names to pass the turn around the circle.

Visual Aids

One of the ways to supplement teaching is to create your own visual aids. Visual aids are important for many reasons: they create a visual representation of otherwise abstract material, they help with memorization, they are easily referenced in later lessons, and most importantly, they make the lesson more interesting. When creating or selecting a visual aid for you lesson, it is important to remember that not all students are visual learners. Some are also auditory learners, while others prefer tactile stimuli to fuel their learning. The best type of lesson plan includes a combination of all learning styles.

Considerations for creating visual aids Can you bring in the real object instead of drawing the object on the board? Can you use local inexpensive materials? Are there any commercially produced visual aids that would be useful? Are they suitable for the students’ needs? Will the visual aid be easy to make? Can you use visual aid at lessons on different topics? Can you use them again? Can you involve the students in making the visual aid? The students can then use their imagination and knowledge to think through problems and find out answers for themselves. Tips for using visual aids Pictures should be large enough so that they are visible. Keep pictures simple. This makes it easier for the students to see and understand. A picture is better understood when it has one clear meaning Use a series of pictures to explain more than one thing or a sequence of events. Most effective posters have clear, uncomplicated pictures and short written messages. The clearest posters use simple black and white drawings and are clearly labeled.

Flashcards

Flash cards are really good resource to be used at classes when you are limited in resources. It can be played in groups as well as with the whole class if it is not more than 10-12 students. If you have more, split the class into groups to have 5-6 people in each. Flash cards can be used to: introduce new vocabulary review previous lesson vocabulary practice some grammar material practice speech patens do reserved activity How to prepare flashcards Needed Materials: Set of pictures, set of words denoting used picture, cardboard to fit the size of pictures (if it is not available in your community you can use playing cards instead), glue, scissors Procedure:

Page 42 English Teachers’ Resource Book Prepare a set of pictures you need (fruit, vegetables, school objects etc.). You can take pictures from clipart, old magazines or just draw them. There is no need for them to be masterpieces. If you are using playing cards, pictures should fit the size of a card. Prepare a set of words to denote words Prepare a set of cardboard cards (or use regular playing cards) Cut out pictures to fit the size of cards Glue pictures on the cards (if you are using playing cards pictures should cover the whole surface of the card) Cut out words Glue words on the other side of the card Congratulation! You have one more resource to use at your school. You can also download flashcards from the following link: Students: https://drive.google.com/?tab=mo&authuser=0#my-drive Teachers: https://drive.google.com/?tab=mo&authuser=0#my-drive What can you do with flashing cards? Activities with Flash cards: Concentration game Put some cards in front of your students. Ask them to close their eyes. Change the order of cards or take one away. When students open their eyes they need to say what was changed or which card was taken away. For lower level students it would be enough to name the object shown in the picture. Later you can ask students to pronounce the whole sentence: “I guess (I am sure) we are missing an apple” or “You took an apple away!” The same can be done with words’ side. Students can play this game while the teacher is working with another group. Calling game Each student gets a card. Teacher calls: “Who has a yellow long fruit?” one of the students who’ve got a banana picture (or a word) has to say: “I have a banana”. Variation: a teacher names a fruit and a student who has it says a description: “It’s me who has a long yellow fruit”. The complicity of calls and replays depend on the level of students’ language. Guessing game Put 5-6 or even more cards in front of students. One of the students thinks out one of the object depicted on them. Other students have to guess the object asking questions: “Is it a ….” Or “Do you think about ….” Spelling Put 5-6 cards pictures up in front of your students and ask them to write objects’ names. In a while students turn cards around to check their spelling. Appoint one student (it can be a group leader) to be responsible for keeping students away from cheating. Make the right order Group of students gets a set of cards. Teacher or one of the group members names them in a definite order and students need to arrange them accordingly. Grab it Group of students gets a set of cards. Teacher or one of the group members names one of them. Students need to grab the named object as fast as they can (Note: This is pretty energetic game and needs some space, so you have to be sure it wouldn’t be distractive for your class) Three in a row Each group gets a set of 9 cards which are arranged in a square. Teacher or one of the students names the object. Groups need to find it and turn the card. The group which is the first to get three pictures in one row (horizontally or vertically) turned is a winner. ABC order Group of students gets a set of cards. They need to arrange them in ABC order. Shopping This activity is a variation of role game. Group of students gets a set of cards. One of the students is assigned a role of a sales person and all the other are customers. One customer approaches the sales person and they have the following dialogue: Customer (C): Do you have fresh fruit? Sales Person (S): Yes. What do you need? C: I need bananas. S: How many?

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 43 C: Just one. How much does it cost? (How much?) S: 2 Lari You as a teacher can make a lot of variation of the dialogue depending on the topic, level of students. “Jeopardy” Needed Materials: Flipchart paper, markers, ruler, stickers Procedure: Get a piece of flipchart paper (a piece of white, very simple wall paper will be good as well) and draw the following table: Category 100 200 300 400 500 Food Weather Sport Grammar Take stickers of different color to write a name of category (food, sports, weather etc.) Write questions on stickers (What is your favorite sport? or what is an English word for ______?) The color of sticker should be the same as the color of category this question fits in. In different resources you can find different variations of the game’s design, but this variant with sticker will allow you to adjust the activity to any topic learned. Congratulation! You have one more resource to use at your school. What can you do with “Jeopardy“? “Jeopardy“ is really good activity to be used at classes when you are limited in resources. It can be played in groups as well as with the whole class if it is not more than 10-12 students. If you have more, split the class into groups to have 5-6 people in each. This activity can be used: to review and practice previous lesson vocabulary to practice some grammar material to practice speech patens to do reserved activity Here are some ways to use “Jeopardy“: With pictures: Split the class into groups of 5-6 people. Instead of questions on stickers you can just stick a picture (face down). To save time use flash cards instead if you have them. One of the student names the category and the score point. Teacher takes the chosen card and shows the picture to the group. They need to say the word. It would be good if you ask you students to use the words in short sentences but not isolated (ex. This is a …., I like …, Can I get a…). If the answer is correct the group gets the 100, 200 or more points depending on the category the word was in. If the group doesn’t know the answer or makes a mistake, another group can answer and get the point. Prepare some small prizes for winners in advance. Synonyms/antonyms: Split the class into groups of 5-6 people. Prepare stickers for the following categories: synonyms, antonyms, irregular verbs. One of the students chooses the category and the score point. Teacher takes the chosen card and reads the word in it and the student needs to say the antonym or the synonym, or say the third form (or the infin- itive) of the verb. If the answer is correct the group gets the 100, 200 or more points depending on the category the word was in. If the group doesn’t know the answer or makes a mistake, another group can answer and get the point. Prepare some small prizes for winners in advance. Tenses: For many ESL learners English tenses are very difficult to deal with. This activity allows practicing this grammar aspect easily. Prepare stickers with the following categories: Present Simple (Indefinite if British English is taught in your country), Past Progressive (Continuous if British English is taught in your country) and so on so far. Give groups the chance to choose the category and the point. Take the card. Students have to say the sentence in required Tense. If the answer is correct the group gets the 100, 200 or more points depending on the category the word was in. If the group doesn’t know the answer or makes a mistake, another group can answer and get the point. Prepare some small prizes for winners in advance.

Page 44 English Teachers’ Resource Book English Word Corner Needed Materials: Flipchart paper, markers, stripes of paper Procedure: Get a piece of flipchart paper and write “English Word Corner” in big bright letters. Write English words on strips of paper to be posted in your corner. Take the picture and match it with the word. Your corner can look something like this and even better.

Congratulation! You have one more resource to use at your school. What can you do with English Word Corner? “English Word Corner “ is very good activity to be used at every classes when you are limited in resources and also it can be used even in teaching adults. If you work with young learners, involve them in creating the corner. This is good resource to meet visual learners’ needs. This resource can be used to: introduce vocabulary review and practice previous lesson vocabulary do reserved activity Here are some ways to use English Word Corner: Introducing new vocabulary: While introducing new vocabulary use this corner, stick new words there. Keep them there for a week as long as a topic is covered or there is space. If it is done at each lesson students get used to the routine, know where they can find words from previous lessons. Reviewing previous lesson vocabulary: Start your every lesson with reviewing previous lesson vocabulary. It can be done through matching activities (ex. Come to your class prior to your students. Rearrange words in the corner the way they wouldn’t match pictures. When the lesson begins tell students that something is wrong with our nice corner. Please help me to make an order.).

“Low cost” activities

Another good way for making the class interesting despite the lack of resources is coming up with so called “low cost” activities such as: role plays, skits, simulations, games, other. These activities can be helpful when supplies are short.

Role Plays Role plays provide the opportunity for extended interaction rather than just a 2-line exchange. Role plays are a great way to develop students’ speaking skills as well as critical and creative skills and will require few, if any, resources. However, they must be well planned. If your students aren’t familiar with role plays, begin gently and don’t launch into a really complicated activity immediately. Guidelines for role plays: Before class, brainstorm the language and vocabulary students will need for the role play. Write these in a list and be prepared to prompt or explain them. Review them when the role plays are over. Ask lead-in questions to engage students’ interest in the situation and to establish the context of the role play. Build up the atmosphere and encourage the suspension of belief by using props available. If you are performing a restaurant role play, consider bringing them in wine glasses, knives, forks, spoons and plates. Explain the task clearly. Say who the students are and what they have to do. Get them to think about the outcome by asking what happens in the end? How does the conversation/role play end?

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 45 Pre-teach or check students know the language and vocabulary that you listed before class. If it’s a complicated role play, consider giving students prompt sheets with key vocabulary/questions for their characters. Students who are playing the same character can prepare together in pairs or small groups, e.g. “husbands” together and “wives” together. They can then help each other with ideas and have extra speaking practice. Monitor this stage carefully and help with ideas and language. Consider creating cards for each character and write things like their name, role, relationship, personality, and main concern. For example: Name: Mari. Role: Wife. Personality: Impatient. Main concern: leaving on time for a concert. Whether or not everyone acts out their role play in front of the whole class will depend on the size of your class and the time available. If you have a big class, you could ask groups to rehearse acting out their role plays to each other before they face the class. When students act out their role play to the class, make sure the class listens. Give students questions to answer as they watch, e.g. What was the man complaining about? Was he successful in the end? Or give students a task, e.g. the class is the audience for a TV interview and can applaud, heckle, etc. Don’t interrupt while students are acting out their role plays. If they’ve done their preparation well, it should go smoothly. When you give feedback, highlight the good things as well as the errors. You could make a note of the grammatical errors you hear during the role play and deal with these in a subsequent lesson. Your immediate feedback can then be about the positive aspects of the language, the students’ ideas, fluency, stress and intonation, facial expressions etc. Remember to boost students’ confidence so that they will be keen to do more role plays in the future. Sample role plays:

Alibi Activity type: A role play based on a very old idea in which students have to act as criminals and police people. Level: Pre-intermediate and above Teacher's notes: 1. Tell the whole group about a crime which has recently been committed, for example: Last night between 6pm and 9pm a diamond was stolen from a store on the main street of our town. The diamond was priceless. Nobody knows exactly when the diamond was stolen but it was certainly taken between 6pm and 9pm. Two people were seen outside the shop last night and have been taken in for questioning by the police. At present, they are the prime suspects and unfortunately they are in this very room! 2. Point out two ‘suspects’ in the group. Choose the most confident students who do not mind being suspected of a crime. Make sure that they feel suitably surprised! Ask the students what needs to happen now i.e. that they need to be interrogated and that they need to have a strong alibi. Actually they have to think of one story i.e. that they were together and they need to think, in detail, what they did between 6pm and 9pm. 3. They might say, for example, that they went to a restaurant, they ate fish, they shared the bill and that they went home on the bus. The stories MUST be identical. If the stories are not the same, they are ‘GUILTY’ 4. Tell the two students to leave the room and to think of an alibi; it must be watertight. 5. Tell the remaining students that they are police people and what they are going to do is to interrogate the suspects. Arrange the classroom so that you have two equal groups and put one group on one side of the room and the other group on the other side of the room. Ask them to think of questions that they would like to ask the suspects. Tell them that they need to find differences between the two suspects’ stories. 6. After a few minutes preparation, allow the two suspects back into class. Seat one suspect in front of one police station and the other in front of the other police station. Tell each group to interrogate the suspect with their prepared questions. After 10-15 minutes (this will depend on the group), swap the suspects over i.e. move one suspect to the other police station and move the other suspect to the other. 7. Allow time for the new interrogations. 8. After both police stations have spoken to both suspects, ask the stations to confer as to whether they think the suspects are guilty or not i.e. were there any differences in their stories. 9. As a follow-up, you can do error correction, ask the students to write up a report of what happened and also decide on an appropriate punishment! Note: You can have more than two suspects e.g. three suspects and three police stations or four and four police stations. The amount will depend on your class size. Always make sure that you have the same number of stations as suspects because they all need to speak to each suspect.

One Word Dialogue 1. Write the dialogue below on the board 2. Ask the students to act it out in pairs.

Page 46 English Teachers’ Resource Book 3. Then tell them to create their own, one-word dialogues. 4. You will need to help the students with their intonation. Student A: Happy? Student B: Happy!

Student A: Really? Student B: Sure!

Student A: Angry? Student B: No!

Improvised situations 1. Give out an occupation to each student and put the students into pairs. 2. Then write on the board 10 am yesterday. 3. The students should then mingle and explain what they were doing at that time according to their jobs. 4. They can mime what they were doing and the other students should explain what they were doing in words. 5. Keep changing the times i.e. say "now it's 12 pm." The students should move around the room and mime something that they were doing at that time.

Add a Word Method: One student begins a sentence by saying only one word. A second student must say a word which continues the sentence. A third must continue, and so on, until someone says a word that does not fit syntactically or grammatically. If the sentence comes to a logical end without error, the next student may say "period" and begin a new sentence with a new word.

Word Building Write a big word with many vowels and consonants on the board. Give the children 5-10 minutes to write as many words as they can make using the letters from the original word. To make this more challenging, allow them to only use a letter two times.

Bubbles Make three circles on the board. Write “beginner sounds” for words (l, f, st, ch, b) in the first circle, “middle sounds” (a, e, i ,o ,u ,ee, ou, oi, ea) in the second circle, and “end sounds” (st, ch, t, ll) in the last circle. Have children make words by using one letter or set of letters from each circle. Allow children to add letters as needed.

Survivor Spelling Game Make a list of vocabulary covered in previous lessons. Have students stand. Call out a vocabulary word. The first student begins by saying the word and giving the first letter, the second student the second letter of the word, the third student the third letter, and so on until the word is spelled correctly. If somebody makes a mistake they must sit down and we start from the beginning again until the word is spelled correctly. The last student must then pronounce the word correctly and give a definition in order to stay standing. The student who is left standing is the "survivor" and wins the game.

Expand and Enrich a Sentence by Asking Wh- Questions Wh- questions are: what kind of? How Much? How Many? Why? Who? Whose? Where? When? Which? 1. Write a short sentence on the board, such as: The students walked. 2. Ask each of the question words, and write a longer sentence using the answers. You will end up with something like. The 7th form students walked to the store yesterday to buy coca-cola. Expanding and Contracting Sentence Write a long sentence on the board with adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases. The object is for students to remove a word or set of words and still keep the sentences grammatically correct. Do this activity either together as a class or have students work in pairs. You can invert this activity by writing a very short sentence on the board (such as “Fish swim.”) and have the students add a word or set of words, keeping it grammatically correct.

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 47 Sentence Combining You can help your students learn how to write more complex sentences by giving them sentence-combining activities. In this type of activity, they are provided with three or four short sentences that the students have to combine using the appropriate punctuation, transitional words and phrases, and so on. For example: Nino has a dog. Nino’s dog is big. Nino’s dog is black. Combined: Nino has a big, black dog. You can guide your students to follow a model or give them a cue to make certain they master a specific technique. For example: Nino’s dog is big Nino’s dog is gentle Cue: (but) Combined: Nino’s dog is big, but gentle. Hint: To save yourself some preparation time and give your students additional practice in writing, you can instruct them to write three or so short sentences, then to pass their notebooks to another student to combine. The notebooks can be passed to a third student to be proofread and corrected.

Storyline Divide into groups of 4-6 people. Give everyone a sheet of paper and ask them to write the first sentence of a story at the top of the page. It may begin "Once upon a time..." if they like. Then they pass the page along to the next person in the group. That person reads the first sentence and adds one more to it to continue the story. Then that person folds the top of the page backwards so only his or her own single sentence is visible and passes the page to the next person. That person writes one more sentence, folds the paper back to hide the previous sentence, and passes it along again. When the pages have passed through the entire group one or two rounds, everyone unfolds the pages and reads the stories. They are often hilarious, and this game usually generates contagious laughter.

Punctuation Game I came up with this game to help the students understand what the marks of punctuation are. Draw a period (.), a comma (,), a question mark (?), exclamation mark (!), and an apostrophe (') on the board and leave a few inches between each symbol. Tell the students the name of each and have them repeat each name. When they are comfortable with the names, begin by pointing to each one in succession. Once they are proficient at this, speed up the pace. This is where it gets fun. Once they are able to say the names in order, change the order on them. Speed up each time through to get the kids excited. As a final tactic, have each student go through the names of the symbols at a slow pace and then speed up. I give the one who can say the most right a piece of candy or a sticker. Have fun and you'll see a big improvement in their punctuation.

Cultural Charades Before the lesson, fasten cards under the children's desks or seats. When the class begins, ask the students to read the word that is on their card, but to keep it secret. Put the name of each child into a hat, and pick out a name at random. When called on, the child must come to front of the class and try to describe the object on their card. When the class correctly guesses the right answer, write the word on the blackboard. Continue the process until every student has had his or her turn. Next, ask the students to read all of the words on the blackboard that they have described, and to tell you which could be grouped together. This is easier if you choose specific topics when initially writing the card, for example, animal names, types of clothes, different sports etc. This game can be adapted to fulfill any topic that the class may need to cover, or to improve upon.

Memory Momentum Prepare a tray of objects at the front of the class – the more items the better. Ask the class to file around the table for a short amount of time, cover up the objects and the students to sit back down again. The class should then write down the English names of as many objects as they can remember, and then call out the objects so that you can write them on the board. When the list is complete, ask the children to tell you a bit more about what they can remember, for example, ‘What was the banana near to?', ‘What was at the back of the table?', or ‘What was in the middle of the table?'. (In the event that the students cannot remember, simply uncover the objects in order to enable further learning).

Page 48 English Teachers’ Resource Book As an extension of this exercise you could move the objects around, so that the class can practice describing comparative positioning. Try to get the students to use as many different words to describe the same things as possible. For example, if the banana was in the middle of the table, move it to the back of the table, and ask them ‘Where it is the banana now?', or ‘What it is the banana now next to/ beside/ opposite to/ adjacent to?'.

What's In the Bag Game Take a small cloth bag to class. Have the students close their eyes while the teacher puts an object in the bag (such as a plastic fruit). One student then puts his/her hand in the bag to feel the object and try and guess what it is. This activity works well with the following themes: fruit, vegetables, classroom objects, toy vehicles, plastic animals, alphabet letters and even plastic insects!

For more activities see Chain Story and Word Association in TEFL Resource Book, section 2, ESL Activities.

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 49 Chapter 8: Developing Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking has been described in many different ways. Some have simply defined it as the act of thinking about thinking. More specifically it is the act of calling into questioning the assumptions underlying our customary, habitual ways of thinking, acting and then being ready to think and act differently on the basis of critical questioning. Critical thinking is about solving problems, it asks questions about the problem to make sure that it’s understood and that all necessary information is available; it analyzes and evaluates the problem, looks at a problem from a different perspective, content or role. Critical thinking is simply the process of making informed decisions. The critical thinking process can be summed up in three simple steps: Identifying Assumptions Judging and Scrutinizing Arguments Exploring Alternatives It is important to note that critical thinking goes hand in hand with creative thinking which is basically the generation of new ideas. This directly relates to the third step of critical thinking. In other words, how critically your students think about something determines both their level of response and their ability to generate new, different ideas. There are a couple of main ways creative ideas come about: Evolution – an idea is improved. Example: The first television evolved into a better version. Synthesis – an idea is combined with another idea. Example: We have music and we have phones. We can combine those and make a phone that also plays music. Revolution – an idea is thrown out, and a completely new idea is created. Example: Rather than build a bridge, have a zip line to cross a river. Reapplication – an idea is used for a different issue than it was originally made for. Quick Ways to Foster Critical Thinking The biggest hindrance to critical thinking is negativity. If students think there is no room for improvement or don’t believe they can come up with ideas, which is typical for students who were not taught and encouraged to express their own thoughts and ideas, then they will not produce much. Another problem which can hinder critical thinking is students’ lack of background knowledge needed to connect with the topic. Sometimes students are simply stumped and don’t know how to start. Here are some simple ways to help students overcome these obstacles and start to think critically: Categorizing Material – Organizing things into groups for/with students can help them to better analyze the topic. Brainstorming – Discussing and creating a list of things related to the topic can help students generate ideas. Comparing and Contrasting – Relating a new topic to something the students already know is a great way to get critical thinking started. Asking Questions – More questions will always get students to think more. If students are strong enough, following a “what” question with a “how do you know” will get more responses. This can also be used in a discussion to learn more about the topic. Some examples of the “what” questions can be: ▪ What is the situation? ▪ What is (are) the problem(s) I must decide about? ▪ What are my intuitions (assumptions) about the situation/problem? ▪ What information do I have, need, and could reasonably find? ▪ What are some different possibilities? (options/alternatives) ▪ What’s important/what counts? (what are reasonable criteria?) ▪ What possibility best fits my idea of what counts? Modeling and Using Examples – It always helps to have an example to demonstrate new ideas to students, use examples that they can easily relate to; however, if students are not used to examples, you might have to do this a couple of times for them to understand. Use What Your Kids Know – It is much easier to be critical of a topic we already understand. That being said, the more students can relate to and/or know about a topic, the easier they will be able to think critically about it. Motivate students by giving them positive and encouraging feedback: “What an interesting idea!”, “Thank you for your original idea!” etc.

Page 50 English Teachers’ Resource Book How Critically is Someone Thinking? In 1956, Benjamin Bloom headed a group of educational psychologists who developed a classification of levels of intellectual behavior important in learning. During 1990's, a new group of cognitive psychologist, led by Lorin Anderson (a former student of Bloom's), updated the taxonomy reflecting its relevance to 21st century work. This tool can be used to assess and evaluate students as well as to look at how thorough they have to think through an issue.

Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy

There are six levels of thinking according to Bloom’s Taxonomy. The first three levels are deemed “lower order” thinking. The second three are called “higher order” thinking. This is not saying that any of these processes is bad, but rather that the lowest level of thinking, “remembering,” requires the least critical thinking (and is also the least beneficial). Every type of thinking after “remembering” increases both in difficulty and in the amount of critical thinking required. Note: Make a special effort to use lower order tasks and questions for weaker students. This will help them learn more and eventually get on track to accomplish higher order thinking goals.

PROCESS/TYPE OF THINKING RELATED TASKS Lower order of Remembering: can the student recall or Cite; Define; Distinguish; Duplicate; Give an thinking remember the information? example; Know; Label; List; Listen; Locate; Match; Memorize; Outline; Quote; Read; Recall; Recite; Record; Relate; Repeat; Reproduce; Review; Select; Show; Sort; State; Write; Underline Understanding: can the student explain ideas Account for; Annotate; Associate; Classify; or concepts? Define; Describe; Discuss; Estimate; Explain; Give examples of; Give main idea; Identify; Observe; Outline; Paraphrase; Recognize; Research; Report; Restate; Retell; Review; Select; Summarize; Translate Applying: can the student use the information Adapt; Apply; Change; Calculate; Choose; in a new way? Collect; Compute; Demonstrate; Dramatize; Draw; Employ; Exhibit; Illustrate; Interview; Make; Manipulate; Operate; Paint; Practice; Schedule; Sequence; Show; Sketch; Solve; Translate; Use Higher order of Analyzing: can the student distinguish Analyze; Appraise; Arrange; Categorize; thinking between the different parts? Compare; Contrast; Criticize; Debate; Detect; Diagram; Differentiate; Discriminate; Dissect; Distinguish; Examine; Experiment; Group; Inquire; Inspect; Investigate; Order; Probe; Question; Relate; Research; Separate; Sift; Survey; Test Evaluating: can the student justify a stand or Appraise; Argue; Compare; Conclude; decision? Contrast; Criticize; Critique; Defend; Evaluate; Interpret; Judge; Justify; Relate; Select; Support; Value Creating: can the student create new product Assemble; Blend; Compile; Compose; or point of view? Concoct; Construct; Create; Design; Develop; Devise; Forecast; Formulate; Generate; Imagine; Improve; Invent; Organize; Originate; Plan; Predict; Prepare; Produce; Propose; Set up

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 51 Examples of the Types of Thinking Being Used and Questions That Check Lower Order of Thinking Remembering Things students can do to show their remembering of the material. Potential Products: • List things that happened in chapter 1. • Match the word with the correct definition. • Write a list of keywords from this topic. • Recite a poem you have learnt. • Underline all the articles in a paragraph. • Label all the different parts of the body. Types of questions that can be asked to show students remembering things. Examples: • What happened after...? • How many...? • What is...? • Who was it that...? • Can you name ...? • Find the definition of… • Describe what happened after… • Who spoke to...? • Which is true or false...? Understanding Things students can do to show their understanding of the material. Potential Products: • Describe your typical day in a timeline. • Write in your own words what happened in the story. • Translate the passage you just read. • Sketch a drawing of an event in a book. • Interpret what you think the main idea may have been. • Explain why the character solved the problem in this particular way. • Paraphrase this chapter in the book. • Reorganise the pictures from the story into the correct order. • Outline the main points. Types of questions that can be asked to show students understanding things. Examples: • Can you explain why... ? • Can you write in your own words? • How would you explain... ? • Can you write a brief outline... ? • Who do you think... ? • What was the main idea... ? • Can you give examples of... ? • Can you identify the main problem? • Reorganise the pictures from the story into the correct order. Applying Things students can do to show applying their thoughts to the material. Potential Products: • Choose the best answer. • Dress a doll in national costume. • Schedule each character’s daily chores. • Write how you would have solved the main problem. • Make a journal entry for the main character. • Paint a mural using the materials. • Interview a classmate about what they think. • Apply a solution from the book to another problem it could fix. Types of questions that can be asked to show students applying knowledge. Examples: • Do you know of another instance where…? • What is your interpretation of the end of the story? • What questions would you ask of _____ ? • Can you show how …? • How does ____ exhibit sadness? • Which sequence would be correct for fixing a ____ ? Can you explain?

Page 52 English Teachers’ Resource Book Higher Order of Thinking Analyzing Things students can do to show their analysing of the material. Potential Products: • Use a Venn Diagram to show how two topics are the same and different. • Survey classmates to find out what they think about a particular topic. Analyse the results. • Classify the actions of the characters in the book. • Probe the interviewee by asking three questions to figure out who they are. • Investigate and report on the cause of the problem. • Order the materials in order from most useful on a dessert island to least useful. • Separate the items in terms of where they belong. Types of questions that can be asked to show students analyzing the information. Examples: • Which events could not have happened? • If _____ happened, how would the ending change? • How is _____ similar to _____ ? • What do you see as other possible outcomes? • Why did ______changes occur? • Can you explain what must have happened when...? • Can you distinguish between...? • In what ways can you relate to the main character? • How much value does this item have? • What are the alternatives? Evaluating Things students can do to show their evaluating something. Potential Products: • Write a letter to the editor criticizing or complimenting an article. • Have a debate and discussion on a hot topic. • Write a persuasive speech arguing for/against… • Make a booklet about five rules you see as important. Convince others. • Evaluate the characters’ actions in the story • Justify why _____ is the most important thing for a successful team. • Relate problems in your life to that of a book or story. Types of questions that can be asked to make students evaluate a topic. Examples: • Is there a better solution to this problem? • How important is _____ ? What is your judgement? • How can you defend your position about _____? • Do you think _____ is a good or bad thing? • How would you have handled...? • What changes to _____ would you recommend? • Do you believe...? How would you feel if...? • How effective are...? • What are the consequences...? • What influence will _____ have on our lives? • What are the pros and cons of....? Creating Things students can do to show creation of a product. Potential Products: • Write a short story or a poem. • Compose a song. • Design and prepare a visual aid. • Plan and implement a short lesson educating peers. • Prepare and conduct a small research project. • Create and perform a short play. • Set up and hold a school talent show. • Design and implement a Student Council election. • Participate in Student Council sessions and propose solutions to problems. Types of questions that can be asked to prompt creation from students. Examples: • Can you design a _____ to _____ ? • Can you see a possible solution to...? • With these materials, what can you create to help...? • Why don't you devise your own way to...? • What would happen if ...?

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 53 • How many ways can you...? • Can you create new and unusual uses for...? • Can you develop a proposal which would...? In Summation Higher Order of Thinking Analyzing Evaluating Creating is when a student can break apart is when a student can analyze is when a student uses his/her something and know every part of it something and then use personal knowledge and all of these processes well. and other information to look at it. to create a product. Lower Order of Thinking Remembering Understanding Applying is when a student knows something. is when a student knows something is when a student knows something well. very well and can use it in different situations.

Sample Critical Thinking Activities Below are some sample critical thinking activities to use in the classroom. Some of these examples might be things you’re able to take and use with your own students. However, it’s going to be important to think about the ways these activities will need to be adapted for your local context.

Critical thinking for younger students

Fact or Opinion Knowing the difference between fact and opinion has a lot to do with critical thinking. Can you engage in critical thinking based on opinions? Typically no. Do you need facts to make an informed decision? Typically yes. Distinguishing between fact and opinion can sometimes be challenging for younger learners. However, with some practice, you can teach them to see the difference between facts and opinions, and be able to build this foundational skill for making informed decisions. You can also modify the questions to either align them with the lesson theme or to get students thinking about important topics such as gender sensitivity, healthy life styles, other.

Activity A fact is something true. It can be observed. It can be looked up in respected books or web sites. An opinion is what we believe or feel. Opinions cannot be proven through observation or with information from respected books or websites. Have students circle F for fact or O for Opinion for these statements: 1. Colombia is larger than Guyana. F 0 2. French is more beautiful than Arabic F 0 3. Washing your hands regularly will help you get sick less F 0 4. Indonesia is composed of islands. F 0 5. Chisinau is the capital of Moldova. F 0 6. Teachers think students are lazy. F 0 7. Girls are smarter than boys. F 0 8. Girls live longer than boys. F 0 9. Ice is a solid, water is a liquid. F 0 10. Nobody can live without friends. F 0 Past and Present Related to the idea of using facts to make informed decisions, is using evidence to make sense of things and formulate explanations. In this example, students consider what they know about the past and the present (from personal observation, reading, or speaking with someone older). They use this as evidence that some aspects of life have changed. They then consider this evidence and use critical thinking skills to develop explanations of why these changes may have occurred. This activity can be used with intermediate level students.

Page 54 English Teachers’ Resource Book Activity Today, life is different than it was for our great grandparents. Think about some differences between those days and today. Write them in the boxes. Then think about why some things have changed. Think too about things that have stayed the same, and why that is. In the PAST In the Present Entertainment Many people… Many people… Communication Many people communicated by… Many people communicate by… Clothing Girls wore only… Girls can wear…. Toys Children played with…. Children play with Transportation People went to the nearby town by… People go to the nearby town by… Glocal “Glocal,” a combining of “global” and “local” is an approach to coming to terms with globalization in a way that is respectful of local conditions and indeed allows for what is “local” to affect what is “global” as much as “the global” affects “the local.” This type of activity invites students to view the information critically and make informed decisions about problems that have local and global importance. It can also involve identifying the similarities and differences from one context to another - and using these observations to help you understand a situation. This type of activity can be used with more advanced students.

Activity We have an example of a reading activity about an issue affecting local communities and the world at large. There are “kids not in school” everywhere so this is something all children can relate to, and will likely have opinions about. It is particularly “glocal” because while kids are not in school everywhere, kids are not in school in different countries for different reasons. At the bottom, there are examples of questions that can guide students in thinking critically about the problem. After having brainstormed all the different reasons why children are not in school, how can that help students make decisions about (a) how they should feel about the importance of education, (b) what the U.N. and other government agencies should do to help more children attend school, and (c) how can they (individually or as a class) decide on a way to call attention to this problem to encourage leaders to address it? United Nations Report - 67 Million Children Not in School The U.N. set a goal to provide elementary education to all students is challenged. A 2011 report states that 67 million children are not in school. One of the main reasons is wars. According to the report 42 per cent of children in poor countries cannot attend school because of armed conflict. That is 28 million children. In many cases, children, their teachers, or their schools are seen as target of war. According to the report, there were 613 attacks on schools in Afghanistan in 2009, an increase of 269 attacks since the previous year. 350 children were killed in attacks in Gaza in Israel. Nearly 300 schools were damaged. And it is not just fighting that is the problem. The report says that 21 of the poorest nations in the world spend more money for their armies than for education. Pakistan spends 7 times as much on the military as on schools. Chad, a very poor country spends 4 times as much on its army as on education. Of course there are other reasons why children cannot attend school. Sickness, especially malaria, keeps kids out of school and many children cannot attend school because their parents do not have enough money to pay school fees. Also, some kids that should be in school instead have to work to help support their families. The report concludes, “if current trends continue, there could be more children out of school in 2015 than today.” Questions: 1. What is the main reason why children do not attend school? 2. What goal does the U.N. want to reach in 2015? 3. What are two other reasons why children may not be able to attend school? 4. Other than fighting in wars, what is one way that wars hurts schools? 5. What will happen if many children can’t go to school? 6. What should the world do about this problem?

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 55 7. How would you feel if you couldn’t go to school and didn’t know when you could return to school?

Sources: Financing Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Meeting the Challenges of Expansion, Equity, and Quality, UNESCO, 2011 Global Education Goal Falling Short: 67 Million Kinds Not in School U.N. Reports. Huffington Post http://www. huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/01/un-67-million-kids-not-in_n_829678.html

Page 56 English Teachers’ Resource Book Chapter 9: Classroom Management

Think back to your favorite classes and teachers. How did they manage their class? Was the teacher happy to let students shout and not pay attention? Did they wink at innocent rule-stretching or ask students nicely to please stop talking? Probably not. On the other hand, did they yell all the time when students were not following directions? Were they constantly punishing students for breaking the rules? Also, probably not. In short, they didn't need to. This is because they were good classroom managers. Our favorite teachers were able to teach in a way that students seemed to follow directions naturally. The teachers were understanding but firm. They were strict but they were fair. Don't be afraid of being firm with your students. Don't feel bad if you make them unhappy, as long as you do it in a fair and patient way. School is the environment in which children are becoming little members of society, and here they must learn to control their energies and direct them into productive activity. A well-managed classroom is created first and foremost through regular, predictable structures and schedules with clearly defined expectations. The extent to which you will be able to create and maintain classroom policies, patterns, and rules will depend in part on how well you discuss these issues with your co-teacher, even before the school year starts. This may be new to both you and your co-teacher. Consider establishing moderate policies for all classes initially, and then choose one or two classes to really "focus" on.

Before the Semester Starts and the First Day of Class

The most effective classroom policies will be clearly defined from the beginning of the school year and subject to few changes. It is imperative when meeting with your counterpart before the semester starts to discuss all the following topics in this chapter and make sure you are both on the same page.

Tardy/absence policy Students should not get away with skipping or coming late to class, and attendance should be taken at the beginning of each class period. The most constructive response for repeated absences will depend largely on the school rules and regulations. Open a discussion with your co-teacher about possible ways of dealing with repeated absences.

Classroom Rules Within the first week of class present and discuss classroom rules. Keep these general and simple. Four or five is a good number. When you create the rules, review them before they are established and consider that rules are realistic, have enforceable consequences, emphasize positive values such as respect and tolerance rather than just list what NOT to do. Use classroom rules that describe the behaviors you would like to see instead of listing things that the students cannot do. E.g. instead of “no-running in the room”, use “move through the building in an orderly manner. Instead of “no fighting”, use “settle conflicts appropriately. Have students write down these rules in their notebooks. For the first week or so, consider having students repeat the rules at the beginning of each class. Here is a sample set of rules: Our Respectful Classroom Be respectful of yourself Respect classmates Be polite and courteous to teachers and staff Respect the rights and things of others Take turns Share Always do your best Try to speak English Come to class on time

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 57 Come prepared with all supplies and homework complete Treat books and materials carefully Raise your hand before you speak during a classroom lesson Listen quietly while others are speaking Leave your seat only when necessary Allow others to engage in teaching and learning Stay on task Try hard These rules are extremely reasonable. Enforce them consistently and pedantically, especially during the first few weeks. Once the students understand that they will never get away with testing you or talking back, you'll find you won't have to enforce them nearly as much. You may waste a lot of time the first few weeks, but in the end you will have done yourself and your students a huge time-saving favor. The following steps will help you in instituting the rules with your students. Put rules on wall in English/Georgian Enforce classroom rules consistently Make sure discipline fits “crime” without harshness Avoid ridicule and criticism Recognize your own personal buttons Address problem behaviors directly and immediately It’s important to use disciplinary opportunities to reinforce not just what the student did wrong but to explain alternative behaviors Consequences Consequences for breaking a classroom rule are as important as the rule itself. Every teacher must create consequences which they are willing to apply. Examples: First time: Name on board. Warning. Second time: Student fills out a form that asks them to identify the rule they've broken and what they plan to do to correct the situation. Teacher keeps the form on file. Third time: Isolation from class/team/upcoming opportunities that other students have Fourth time: Office referral and contact to parents Further times: Parents and student called to office to meet with principal and/or teachers. Involving students If in one of the first classes you establish class rules as a group, you typically have more buy in and better participation. In many classes learners may have little say in the class rules, so you may want to provide a list to help them choose features that they associate with good classrooms. Make sure to involve your co-teachers in this process. You can also facilitate the development of class rules by asking the 4 questions and transforming student responses into set rules: • How do you want me to treat you? • How do you want to treat one another? • How do you think I want to be treated? • How should we treat one another when there’s a conflict?

During the Lesson

As Soon As Class Starts Setting the tone of the class begins before the bell rings. For children to learn, they must first go from child-mode into learning-mode. This will be most effective if it is associated with physical space and not just psychological pressure. Therefore, as soon as they walk through the door, and before the class has even officially started, students should know how they should act, and what they should be doing. For the first few weeks of class, write on the board what is required of them as soon as they enter the classroom. For example: Sit down. Have homework out. Begin “Early Bird” activities “Early Bird” activities are activities that students engage in as soon as they enter the classroom independently that take five to ten minutes. The primary motives are (a) to give students something to do while the teacher is attending to daily

Page 58 English Teachers’ Resource Book administrative chores, (b) to settle the students, and (c) to provide activities that will activate background knowledge about the lesson topic. Before students walk in the room, have an “Early Bird” assignment written on the board. Students will be expected to immediately sit down and begin working on an “Early Bird” and while they are working on this assignment, the teacher can collect homework, take attendance, other. “Early Bird” activities can be short, simple, low-stakes writing prompts, vocabulary items rated along a continuum of 1) “I could define this word,” 2) “I could use this word in a sentence,” 3) “I would know this word when I see it but might not be able to use it without support yet,” 4. “I’ve never seen this word before.” Another “Early Bird” activity could be to discuss study questions related to that day’s lesson with a partner. It can also be as simple as: remember or look up as many fruits in English as you can and put them in order of deliciousness; personal information card with name (especially for your first days), other. A warm-up activity can then be connected to the dots, such as a class-wide survey to discover the students’ top five favorite fruits or top five hobbies.

Direct Instruction Uncertainty increases the level of excitement in the classroom. The technique of direct instruction is to begin each class by telling the students exactly what will be happening. The teacher outlines what he and the students will be doing this period. He may set time limits for some tasks.

Modeling McDaniel tells us of a saying that goes “Values are caught, not taught.” Teachers who are courteous, prompt, enthusiastic, in control, patient and organized provide examples for their students through their own behavior. The “do as I say, not as I do” teachers send mixed messages that confuse students and invite misbehavior. If you want students to use quiet voices in your classroom while they work, you too will use a quiet (but distinct) voice as you move through the room helping youngsters. You can also provide more detailed modelling such as e.g. sitting in a student’s chair, and showing them precisely how you want them to raise their hand and how NOT to raise their hand. This way your students know exactly what you expect from them.

Non-Verbal Cuing A standard item in the classroom of the 1950’s was the clerk’s bell. A shiny nickel bell sat on the teacher’s desk. With one tap of the button on top the teacher had everyone’s attention. Teachers have shown a lot of ingenuity over the years in making use of non-verbal cues in the classroom. Some flip light switches. Others keep clickers in their pockets. Non-verbal cues can also be facial expressions, body posture and hand signals. Care should be given in choosing the types of cues you use in your classroom. Take time to explain what you want the students to do when you use your cues. Examples: Clap hands or ring a small bell Command “all eyes on me” (gesture with an index finger pointed to each eye) Raise your hand in silence and mime to students to raise their hands as well. When all students are silent with their hands raised, begin class Call out sharply, “Give me five” with the flat of your hand extended high, then slowly count down in dropping pitch, four...three...two....one... Assigned Seating This is self-explanatory. Establishing and maintaining seating assignments can help keep talkative students from congregating in the corner, or keep easily distracted students on task by putting them near the front of theroom. Whether or not it will be constructive for a specific class should be decided on a class-to-class basis. In any case, in a class where there are more desks than students, students should be expected to fill up the seats in the front of the classroom. They should know that they won’t be allowed to sit at the very back.

Environmental Control If possible make the room look conducive to wanting to learn. The friendlier the room the more the child will want to be there. Students enjoy an environment that changes periodically with more visuals, posters, or in setting (small round tables, U-shape design, etc.). But just as you may want to enrich your classroom be mindful of distractions and how some students will get caught up in visual exploration especially if the visual or decoration is overly colorful.

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 59 Raising of Hands Students must raise their hands to speak and should do so in a quiet, respectful way. Never slack off on this rule. For instance, if the whole class is being noisy, make them all write out the rules 10 times, and then sit quietly. After a few weeks of strict enforcement of this rule, hand-raising will become second nature. Never call on a student who is raising their hand while making a scene, e.g. begging, whimpering, etc. Calling on these students will reinforce this distracting behavior, and encourage other students to act similarly. Likewise, calling on students who are raising their hands quietly and respectfully will reinforce appropriate behavior.

Monitoring Monitoring students work and making them aware that teachers observes them throughout the class is essential for effective classroom management. The key to this principle is to circulate. Get up and get around the room. While your students are working, make the rounds. Check on their progress. An effective teacher will make a pass through the whole room about two minutes after the students have started a written assignment. S/he checks that each student has started, that the children are on the correct page, and that everyone has put their names on their paper, provides individualized instruction as needed. Students who are not yet quite on task will be quick to get going as they see the teacher approach. Those that were distracted or slow to get started can be nudged along.

Positive Reinforcement Most of us remember our proudest and most motivated moments were when someone praised us for our talent, hard work, accomplishments or effort. Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool, make ample use of praise but don’t overuse it. When you see good behavior in your student, acknowledge it. This can be done verbally and non-verbally. Examples: a nod, a smile or a “thumbs up” or other types of positive attention; parents “good notes”; easier assignments, expectation; additional point; verbal praise; stickers, candy.

Correcting Behavior Discipline should be understood as a corrective measure to reinforce a well-structured class, and not punitive reaction to undesirable behavior. Chances are the student will already know they are misbehaving. Student misbehavior isn't just an annoying disruption, it's a secret message the student is (unwittingly) trying to convey to you. It’s up to you to figure out the secret code: It could be one of the following: I am bored and need to create some distractions to entertain myself. I think I am stupid and by acting silly I can camouflage this and make others think I just don’t care. I am angry because everything is terrible in my life I don’t get attention unless it is for getting into trouble Once you determine the underlying factors for student misbehavior you will be able to determine which intervention will be the most effective. Examples: provide opportunities to move around involve more TPR activities provide specific information supported with examples to focus their attention provide frequent reinforcers stand close use their name place hand on shoulder or table in front of them simplify the curriculum so that the child learns at his own level make accommodations to fit strengths of child provide more opportunities for pair work between weak and strong students walk around the room to give individual attention Rather than criticizing the student by telling them what they are doing is wrong, consider a more constructive reprimand at first, such as, "Lasha, make a better choice please." This warning encourages the student to self-reflect rather than become defensive. It also lets the student know that they are getting close to a more serious reprimand, but that they can easily avoid it by changing their behavior. You must discuss disciplinary strategies with your co-teacher outside of class, and make sure both of you enforce the same rules in the same way. Penalties should not be arbitrary or unpredictable, and should be imposed only after positive attempts at dealing with the problem have failed. For example, call the classes’ attention to proper behavior by only calling on students who are sitting quietly and raising their hands, and then thank them for following the rules. Do not tell a student something like, "That's right, but next time please raise your hand." This means little more than, "Well I don't want you to break my rules, but okay, you can, and still get the attention you want." If you acknowledge

Page 60 English Teachers’ Resource Book their behavior at all, you should say something like, "Mari! Do not talk out of turn. Raise your hand! Do not talk out of turn!"

STOP. THINK. DO. Forms Consider introducing a fairly serious corrective written form like the one below. When a student is given the form, they must fill out three boxes, a STOP box, a THINK box and a DO box. STOP - The student describes the negative behavior that they need to stop doing. THINK - The student should reflect on why the behavior is inappropriate (Does it disrupt the class? Or is it unfair to the other students, such as cheating on a test would be?) DO - The student must write how s/he will change his/her behavior in the future.

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 61 Chapter 10: Non-formal Education

Formal education is a hierarchically structured, chronologically graded education system, running from primary school through the university level. In addition to general academic studies, it includes a variety of specialized programs and institutions for full-time technical and professional training. Any organized educational activity outside the established formal system – whether operating separately orasan important feature of some broader activity – that is intended to serve particular learning target group is called Non- formal education. While the purpose of formal education is based on long-term and credential-based, non-formal education is short-term, specific, and non-credential based. Timing of formal education is long-cycle, preparatory, or full-time. Non-formal, on the contrary, is short-cycle, recurrent, or part-time. The content is also different, as formal education has standardized and academic guidelines of which to abide, while non-formal education is individualized and practical. It also has a flexible delivery system, while formal education is institution-based and isolated from any environmental factors that might influence it. Examples of non-formal educational events in Georgia Student conferences – thematic conference with a PowerPoint or other presentations on healthy life styles, human rights, environmental issues, and suchlike. Clubs – aim to involve students in subjects or activities that often aren’t taught in the classroom. They try to do so in a more interactive and engaging way. Examples of clubs include: English conversation, American culture, Civics, Drama, Environmental, American board and card games, American/English music, American movies, running, basketball, volleyball, fitness, and so on. Debates – develop critical-thinking, argumentation, presentation, research, and speaking and listening skills; is an arguments-based discussion Student parliaments – promote the democratic system of operation; students design and lead parliament sessions; cooperate with the Board of Trustees; cooperate with the local municipality administration Thematic field trips – visiting historical places, museums of local heritage, visits to prominent local public figures, visits to administrative bodies (Civil Registry, Youth Department, Police, Emergency Room) Theme days – historical days, water issues awareness day, World HIV/AIDS Day, Human Rights Awareness Day, World Peace Day, Global Hand-Washing Day, World Heart Day, and so on Summer camps – students gain knowledge about the topic, enhance mental and physical skills, and develop team-building skills and of course practice and develop English skills as all activities are conducted in the language. Examples of actual camps in Georgia: GLOW Camp – Girls Leading Our World (GLOW), a leadership seminar for young girls, is an initiative that has been successfully implemented by Peace Corps Volunteers and partner NGOs in countries around the world since 2000. GLOW is for 14-17 year old girls from economically depressed rural villages, internally displaced people (IDPs), and minority communities in Georgia. This mix of girls from different backgrounds and regions fosters understanding and tolerance and creates rich, lifelong friendships. Girls can practice their leadership skills in all sectors of society, including governmental organizations. SELF Camp – Self-Esteem and Leadership through Fitness (SELF) Camp initiated by Peace Corps Volunteers and their partner NGOs, is a camp for girls aged 13-16 years old. It is designed to promote self-esteem, leadership, and healthy lifestyles among girls through sports and physical fitness. The camp aims to build girls' confidence while teaching them various sports and good health practices. LIFE Camp – Leadership, Integration, Fitness through Education (LIFE) Camp initiated by Peace Corps Vol- unteers and their partner NGOs, aims to promote healthy lifestyles for Georgian youth through sports and fitness in a learning environment that fosters a cooperative spirit. Participants from across Georgia will be given the opportunity to develop and practice leadership skills through team-building activities and informed discussions. LIFE Camp seeks to empower campers with the knowledge they need to lead a healthy life and to continue to make positive contributions to their society and country.

Page 62 English Teachers’ Resource Book School Olympiads – contests in different school subjects. The winners within the schools are eligible to participate in National scale contests. Those who get the highest scores in English are granted attendance to Tbilisi Buckswood International summer school and then, if they get the highest points in academic studies, are sent to Britain summer schools. Other winners in other subjects attend summer camps in different parts of Georgia. Write On! – Peace Corps Volunteer initiate project that was established in 2002 in Georgia. It now has expanded and has become an international project that includes countries such as Moldova, Ukraine, Slovenia, Bulgaria and many other Peace Corps countries. Students from different schools across Georgia compete in creative writing and the winners from every grade are judges regionally, nationally and internationally. The National winners take part in East regional contest and the best essays are published in the Wrire On! book. National English Spelling Competition (NESC) – The Georgian National English Spelling Competition (NESC) was established in 2012 with the help of Peace Corps Volunteers to enrich the English language learning experience in Georgia for students and teachers. Through three rounds of competition, the NESC aims to motivate students and teachers to improve their English-language skills by rewarding excellent performance, showcasing their successes in a public forum, and most importantly, making it fun to learn English. English Language Competitions – Your school’s students, starting in grade 6 or 7, have one hour to write an original and well-thought-out essay from a prompt given to them at the beginning of the hour. The speaking portion is a 5-minute interview, similar to an Language Proficiency Interview. The judge, a native English speaker, has a 5-minute conversation with the competitor. The judge starts with simple questions such as asking about the student's family. Then s/he moves into more complicated questions, such as their views on pollution to ascertain the competitor's ability. The level of difficulty of the questions is congruent with the grade level. This competition has been organized by several volunteers at the local level. Community projects – several hours, single-day activities that attempt to improve one facet of the community at-large. An example of a relevant activity would be a trash pick-up day. Considerations for starting up a non-formal education program Find out what type of non-formal education program exists in the school/community, how sustainable they were, what the best practices are, other Design an interview/survey form and conduct interviews/survey with school staff and students to assess non-formal education needs at the school/community Identify resources for the implementation of different non-formal education program/activity Identify organizations that might contribute to your non-formal education program (e.g. ERC, American Corner, Culture House, youth center, NGO) Start brainstorming about possible school/community non-formal education programs/activities with your school staff; If possible involve students in the brainstorming directly or through a survey/questionnaire Select the type and focus point, set the goals and objectives of a non-formal education program/activity but don’t feel too locked into a plan; be more flexible than you would in formal classes. Consider your participants age, level and interests; have some sort of age range, because first and twelfth graders don’t tend to have the same capacity for activity participation or the same skill sets Specify and locate resources (supplies, materials, visuals) Determine dates and length (how many weeks, how many hours per day); develop a curriculum, make a general/ tentative schedule Identify location (where, outdoor, indoor, other) Discuss division of roles for teachers involved in the non-formal education program Identify ways for advertising; how to disseminate information to the community and attract participants; recruit students Have back-up plans. Many times when things go very wrong without a back-up plan, you could lose an opportunity for meaningful education Monitor and evaluate the results of all the activities so that they can be revamped and refocused to better to future camps

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 63 Sample Activities

Crossing the River Topic: Teamwork, Cooperation, Leadership Purpose of Activity (What should the participants gain from this activity?): To help participants work as a team to be the first team to successfully cross the river. Number of Participants: 20-40 Age Range of Participants: All ages English Level: Beginner Time Required: 20-25 minutes Materials: scotch or duct tape; a hardwood tiled or cement surface, preferably with squares Relevant English Grammar: N/A Relevant English Vocabulary: N/A Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Using tape, construct two 7 X 7 square grids on the floor about ten feet apart, adjacent to each other. 2) Divide the participants into two equal teams. 3) Tell them that the goal of the activity is to get all team members to cross the river by stepping on the correct “lily pads” without speaking. Only the facilitators know the correct routes (see the correct path below). Each team has a different route. 4) The route can go in any direction except backward, so straight, left, right, or horizontal are all possibilities. Once someone makes a mistake and steps on the wrong “lily pad” (square), they must go back to the end of the line. Then the next team member attempts to cross the river without stepping in the “water.” Only one person from each team can attempt to traverse the river at a given time. 4) The first team to successfully have each member cross from one side to the other on the correct “pads” is the winner. 5) These are the only rules. The key is for the teams to assign leaders and for those leaders to keep track of the correct "pads" that lead to the other side; and to also mark the faulty ones (with paper, if you allow it). The leaders can stand anywhere around the river and point or gesture to the "pads" to help their teammates out. The leaders will help organize a swift crossing of the river, and ideally would be the last to successfully cross.

Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics: What are your initial thoughts and reactions? What were the challenges of this activity? Why was teamwork important for this activity? How did you choose your leaders? Alphabet Actors Topic: English Purpose of Activity (What should the participants gain from this activity?): To make letters of the alphabet with their body upon hearing the letter called; useful when learning or reviewing the alphabet. Number of Participants: 10-30 Age Range of Participants: 5-17 English Level: Beginner to Intermediate Time Required: 15-20 minutes

Page 64 English Teachers’ Resource Book Materials: N/A Relevant English Grammar: letters of the alphabet Relevant English Vocabulary: N/A Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) Spilt the students into teams of three or four 2) Have one volunteer come to the front of the class and say a letter aloud. The person saying the letter should be from a different group than the one attempting to make the letter 3) The group who has to contort their bodies to make the letter has 10 seconds to do so. If they correctly spell the letter, then they earn a point. 4) Have the groups take turns and keep tract of points as the game progresses 5) The first team to four is the winner. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics: How did you like the activity? What about making the letters with your body was easier or more challenging than you originally anticipated? What skills other than remembering the pronunciation of the letters of the English alphabet proved useful during this activity? How was this activity helpful (maybe in terms of learning or remembering the alphabet)?

“I want” Game

Topic: English vocabulary Purpose of Activity (What should the participants gain from this activity?): To build and strengthen quick English listening skills Number of Participants: 12-30 Age Range of Participants: 8-17 English Level: Beginner, Intermediate Time Required: 15-20 minutes Materials: Large space to run around in; (can vary and depends on items used – at least six of various colors): pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, books, bottle Relevant English Grammar: vocabulary (nouns) of objects and colors Relevant English Vocabulary: objects and colors Activities (Detailed Step-By-Step Instructions): 1) The participants are divided into four evenly divided groups 2) The facilitator stands in the middle of the four groups. The four groups should form a square around the facilitator and should each be approximately the same distance from the facilitator. 3) Each group has the same objects and the same colors 4) Go over each object in English and the color of each object twice. 5) Explain that the facilitator says “I want..” in English, and the group that brings the correct object or the object that has the correct color earns a point. Examples can be: “I want something blue and something white.” OR “I want a bottle.” (The Facilitator can say “I want” and then name just one color or object, or a string of objects and colors. Start with one, then progress to two, then three, and so on, making the game more challenging as you go). All objects must remain on ground until facilitator finishes his/her instructions. The first team to earn a certain number of points is the winner. 6) Hold up each object at the conclusion of the game and have the students recite the object name and color to check for understanding. Suggested Follow-Up Discussion Topics: What new words did you learn? (Once they say the words in English, ask them what it means in Georgian). What language skills does this activity help improve? How?

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 65 Samples and templates for non-formal education program/activity

Sample extracurricular class meeting schedule

Activity Leader Week 1 Introductory Meeting Getting-to-know you Sign-up for leadership tasks Week 2 Warm-up: Fact or Fiction ______Theme: Music/Other ______Week 3 Warm-up: 20 Questions ______Theme: Poetry/Other______Week 4 Warm-up: Chain Fairytale ______Theme: Current Events/Other______Jan. 29th Club Outing: Sightseeing trip (place TBA) Coordinator:______

Sample Schedule for summer camp (LIFE Camp) Day 2: Nutrition and Hygiene 8:00 am Wake-up 8:30 am Breakfast 9:15 am Meal Clean-up & Dental Hygiene 9:45 am Daily Review 9:55 am Everybody with … (LSAB p. 12)(GEO p. 13) #12 10:10 am 12-minute Workout 10:30 am Food Pyramid and Serving Sizes (LSAB p. 131)(GEO p. 149) 11:10 am Create a Healthy Meal 11:30 am Snack Hygiene [Shake My Hand (LSAB p.118)(GEO p. 137) #10/Discussion Questions CG p. 63/ 11:45 am Communicable Diseases (LSAB p.116)(GEO p. 135) #6] 12:35 pm Drunk Driving 13:30 / 1:30 pm Lunch 14:15 / 2:15 pm Types of Exercise (LSAB p. 144/GEO p. 164) #2 14:30 / 2:30 pm Sport 1 16:30 / 4:30 pm Free Time 18:30 / 6:30 pm Dinner 19:15 / 7:15 pm Clean-up & Free Time 20:15 / 8:15 pm Human Knot (LSAB p. 60)(GEO p. 69) #6 20:35 / 8:35 pm Concentration (LSAB p. 61)(GEO p. 70) #8 20:50 / 8:50 pm Snack 21:15 / 9:15 pm Making Toothpaste (LSAB p. 127)(GEO p. 145) #11 21:40 / 9:40 pm Bed Prep 22:00 / 10:00 pm In Tents 22:30 / 10:30 pm Lights Out!

Page 66 English Teachers’ Resource Book Sample Schedule for summer camp (GLOW Camp)

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 8:00-8:40 EXERCISE 8:45-9:30 BREAKFAST 9:30-10:00 OPENING 10:00-11:00 10:00-11:00 10:00-11:00 10:00-11:00 10:00-11:00 10:00-10:45 Hygiene Self-Esteem, GBV and Civic Setting Goals Number Peer Pressure, Women’s Responsibility Exchange and Bullying Rights 11:00-11:15 11:00-11:15 11:00-11:15 11:00-11:15 11:00-11:15 10:45-11:45 Coffee Break Coffee Break Coffee Break Coffee Break Coffee Break Closing 11:15-12:15 11:15-12:30 11:15-12:30 11:15-12:00 11:15-12:30 12:00 -12:45 Nutrition Problem Gender Roles; Volunteerism Women’s Lunch 1:00-2:00 and Physical Solving/ Gender in My Panel (Q&A) Fitness Conflict Life ARRIVAL Resolution 12:15-1:30 12:30-1:30 12:30-1:30 12:00-1:30 12:30-1:30 1:00 Departure First Aid Relationships Rights of Youth GLOW Peer and Communi- Minorities, Participation Education cation Children, and and Project the Disabled Development 2:00-2:45 1:30-2:30 Camp Opening LUNCH 2:45-3:30 2:30-4:30 Icebreakers AFTERNOON ACTIVITY 3:30-4:30 4:30-5:30 4:30-6:15 4:30-5:30 4:30-5:30 4:30-6:15 Team Building Men’s Health Women’s Diversity and Technology for Taking GLOW Reproductive Tolerance a Cause Home/ Project Health, STIs, Presentations and HIV 4:30-5:30 5:30-6:15 5:30-6:15 5:30-6:15 Q&A Team Identity Substance Leadership Presenting a Abuse Positive You (CV and Cover Letters) 5:30-6:30 6:15-6:30 6:15-6:30 6:15-6:30 6:15-6:30 6:15-6:30 Character Journal Journal Journal Journal Journal Building

6:30-7:30 6:30-9:30 DINNER Farewell 8:15-9:30 7:30-9:30 7:30-9:30 7:30-9:30 7:30-9:30 Dinner Scavenger Campfire Movie Night Disco Talent Night Hunt

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 67 Schedule template for school summer camp Location ______Overall Objective ______Target groups/Students age ______

Day 1 Date/time Topic Specific Objective 1.

Page 68 English Teachers’ Resource Book Chapter 11: Assessment and Evaluation

First let us differentiate between assessment and evaluation. Although both have the same definition, in the field of education they take on two different roles. Assessments are the objective measuring of some sort of achievement or knowledge. An assessment looks to the past, at something that happened which we want to measure. The question that assessments normally answer is “what was achieved?” Evaluations take into account all factors, including assessments. They can contain personal opinions, students' learning styles as well as other components. In this way evaluating something not only answers “what was achieved?” but it also answers “how was it achieved?” and “what should we do next?” This makes evaluations much more subjective than assessments. After all, an evaluation has to look towards the future, which is always uncertain.

Why Do We Assess Things Let’s say that you are approached by a mother and their child and they ask you to teach their child English. What is the first thing you would do? Of course, you would assess them. You don't want to start with the alphabet if the student already knows it. You also don't want to teach grammar to a student that cannot write sentences correctly. It is important to know where students are at so that the most effective learning can take place.

Types of Assessment This brings us to the next step... how do you assess that child? You could just start by talking with the child in English or you could administer a test. Each of these examples is one of two different types of assessment. There are formal assessments and informal assessments. Both have positive and negative aspects. Let's assume you start talking to the student to assess them. You ask them their name, age, if they have family members and all of the child's responses are perfect. They seem fluent in their use of English and you decide to put them in a very difficult curriculum. Later on you find out that they barely can put together sentences and the things you talked about were some of the few topics they knew in English. This is the problem with informal assessments, or assessments that are more judgment-based rather than standard-based. Human error plays a large part in this and it can be easy to misjudge students' abilities using only informal assessments. What if you started by giving the student a test? This can turn out a number of different ways. You may think that they did well and that they understood the material, but the next day they seemed weaker than your test showed. Maybe they just knew about that topic or they are good at taking tests but forget the material right after the test. There is also the possibility that they cheated and don't really know much English. Obviously in a classroom anything is possible. The other side of this coin is that maybe the student knows a lot of English but fails the test. This could be because they get nervous when taking tests or they were confused by the questions. Another possibility is that the test was not well made and did not measure what the students learned. In some ways formal assessments are more complicated and can be inaccurate especially if developed and administered poorly. In summation, formal assessments are more structured and normally more objective. Informal assessments can lack structure and tend to be more subjective but none of them gives a clear picture of students’ skills. You can’t see how the child can speak or what his/her listening skills are when you have formal assessment, and informal assessment doesn’t demonstrate what are students’ reading and writing skills. So to get a complete picture of your students’ knowledge and skills your assessment should have both formal and informal components.

Problems and Solutions Now we can see that both methods of assessing things have their own benefits and challenges. The secret to succeeding in these is to use both and to create a well-constructed test. Both formal and informal assessments can be used to make an accurate evaluation of a student. Every method can help you learn about your student's level. Once you know where they are at and what they need, helping them succeed and grow becomes a much easier task. Look at the chart below for a list of assessment types along with its strengths and faults.

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 69 Assessments

Name Strengths Faults Form. Inform. Anecdotal Records – very informative – a lot of work (notes on a student’s – keep track of specific issues – information depends on teacher’s X day to day progress) – helps every student awareness Check For – simple – hard to check for everything Understanding – quick, can just be asking “does – can overlook some students everyone understand” or having – very informal X students write down one thing they learned Debates – focuses on speaking strength – requires a lot of organization – challenging and very accurate – not the best measurement for shy X students Dialogues – can assess every student – hard to know specific problems – focuses on speaking strength and strengths X – easy and practical – not the best measurement for shy students Essays – deeply looks at student's writing – hard to grade fairly and thinking skills – lots of time to correct – easy to use – doesn't accurately measure stu- X – useful skill for students dents who are weak writers – other factors like creativity can limit students’ responses Group Projects – efficient way of measuring groups – difficult to structure and organize of students effectively X X – all students can use their strengths – one student might do the majority of the work Journals – a good way to assess all students – students perception of their pro- – offers more unique and personal gress might be flawed X feedback – hard to fairly assess – not always accurate Matching Questions – easy to set up – only shows basic understanding – all students can excel – not informative of struggles X – shows basic understanding Multiple Choice Tests – can be very thorough – setting up well made tests is a lot – easy to use of work X – can be very accurate – some students are not assessed – very time efficient well by this method Open Ended Questions – offer a very accurate assessment – creativity can be an issue – relatively easy to set up – can be very difficult to grade fairly X X – more time needed for grading Portfolios (a – a great way to see all of a student's – students may have low motivation compilation of student progress/struggles – requires time and effort from the work) – very informative teacher X X – mainly shows classwork and tests, might not be actual ability Projects – good for non-traditional learners – requires good planning – can be very informative – easy for students to copy and X – time efficient cheat True False Questions – very easy to make – very inaccurate – all students can show knowledge X in this Quizzes – quick and easy to set up – takes time to grade and make – great for using after class – not always the most accurate X – gives good information

Page 70 English Teachers’ Resource Book Multiple Choice Test In America multiple choice tests are the main way students' performance is assessed. Part of this is because they are a very efficient way of measuring students’ accomplishments. They don't take a ton of time for teachers to grade and a lot of different questions can be answered in a short time. The other issue we looked at in the section about 'types of assessments' is the fact that multiple choice tests can be very inaccurate. One example is how they may not fit a student's learning style (see chapter 2, Learning Styles). If a student is a kinesthetic learner, these tests don't account for the students’ gifts in spatial intelligence and hands on work. In spite of all of this, there are some tests which have been researched for decades and have been proven to be very accurate. Examples: GRE, ACT and SAT. Here are a couple of things you can do to make sure your tests are high quality. Have good distractors – Distractors are options that look like the correct answer but aren't. There should always be one distractor that is on topic, but not even close to being correct. The other two should similar to the correct answer, but with a mistake or flaw in either that makes them an incorrect choice. Make the test from your lesson plans – If you follow your lesson plans then all you need to do is choose things from them to be on the test. You can choose information from activities students did, projects, homework, or from things you wrote on the board, this makes creating a test an easy task. Have clear directions – Even if you verbally explain the instructions, students forget as they are focused on the material. If you have clear instructions, both in English and the native language, then students will be able to stay on track more and perform better. Also, examples help, but students who are not used to having examples will need to be trained in how to use them. Have a lot of questions – In any multiple choice test the more questions you have, the more accurate it will be. Even within sections, the more questions you have within a reading part, the more accurate your test will be and students who have not learned the material will not be able to guess their way to a passing grade. BUT be sure your students have enough time to do it. Analyze the test data – A good way to check if your test is well made is to look at how many different questions were correct. If all of the students got a particular question wrong it might mean that you didn't teach that topic. It is okay change point totals for a bad question. Discuss the results of the test with your students – Students might have been confused by a question. It doesn't hurt to go through all the answers and ask if they had questions. If anything you might find out you had a bad question and maybe the students will learn the material from talking about the test. Remember, it is okay to give them all more points for a legitimate mistake on your part. Keep your tests – It is much easier to update a test than it is to create a new one from scratch. Granted, every year you should add or remove questions based on what you added or removed from your curriculum for that year, but keeping a digital copy will save you time.

Pre-Post Test Pre/Post tests are used for measurement of the learning achieved by a person as a result of comparing what that person knew before (in a pre-test) and after the experience or intervention (in a post-test). More specifically, the tests indicate how people are learning. The data can help to identify students who may require extra attention or assistance and may provide insight on teaching methods that need to be developed or improved. Typically pre-post test would be conducted at the beginning and end of every grading period. If possible, it would be more valid to base the pre/post test comparison on two classes at the beginning of the assessment period and two near the end, because some practices do not occur in every lesson. Also the “pre” observation does not have to occur in the very first class, nor the “post” observation in the very last class. Observations can be carried out with the first few weeks and the last few weeks of class. Reasons for using a pre-test: To measure a starting point or the amount of pre-existing knowledge on the topic by the target group of individuals - students To compare with the starting point of a post-test To inform the teacher about topics that are/are not needed to be cover in class based on the students’ previous knowledge and skills To indicate to the student what he/she will learn during the activity Reasons for using a post-test: To measure, document and report on the learning that took place as a result of teaching in class To analyze the appropriateness of learning objectives To identify students who need additional help

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 71 To target any instructional needs to improve teaching How to write a pre and post test Each pre- and post-test question item should be written for the learning objectives of the lesson or curriculum which articulate the specific learning outcome to be achieved. For ease in assessing the learning that takes place in class, you should match the question item as close as possible to the learning objectives. You can easily assess instructional units that you have recently finished teaching. Some examples: If your students learned how to make questions and negatives in the simple present tense by transforming affirmative sentences into negative sentences, yes/no questions, “wh” questions or tag ending questions, they will be assessed by a similar sheet of simple present transformations, based on affirmative sentences, but with slightly different content. If your students did a dictation on a topic and then studied that topic in more depth, they can be assessed through a similarly structured dictation on a closely related topic. If your students had a writing assignment on the topic, “My best friend,” to practice descriptive writing and cause and effective clauses (e.g., my best friend is ___ because....”). They can be assessed through a descriptive essay using cause and effective clauses by being given an assessment titled, “My favorite family member is...” If your learned expressions for leave taking (“Sorry, I’ve got to go now”) and saying goodbye through a series of dialogues to end conversations, students can be assessed using a slightly different dialogues with new characters taking leave and saying goodbye in a related setting The question items for pre-and post-tests can be multiple choice, true/false, short answer, other. Begin by writing 10 test question items based on the learning objectives. If you find that cannot write a test question item on the learning objective, then it is important to rewrite the learning objective to be something that is actually achievable and measurable.

Checklist for pre and post test Ensure each test is titled with the activity title, date, participant’s name, and either pre- or post-test Ensure that the tests measure what you want to measure; tests should assess the attainment of the learning objectives Verify that the test is appropriate to the level of your participants Ensure both pre and post tests have the same question items Ensure the test question items are presented in the correct sequence Ensure that each multiple choice question is complete with a selection of answer options—try to be consistent in the number of options provided Avoid using negative questions (not, except) unless it is your intent for the students to learn a negative answer In the final version of the test, check that all question items are complete and coherent, and that no question (and its answer options) is split between pages Try to create the same conditions for participants for each test

Page 72 English Teachers’ Resource Book Sample Tests

Sample Test, Grades 3-6 Name/სახელი და გვარი ______Grade/კლასი ______Date/თარიღი ______

A. Alphabet - ანბანი Fill in the blank with the correct letter. ჩაწერეთ ასოები რომელიც აკლია. A B C D ___ F G H I ___ K L M N O P Q ___ S ___ U V W ____ Y Z

B. Translate Translate the words into Georgian. გადათარგმნეთ სიტყვები ქართულად. 1. school - ______4. How are you? ______2. good - ______5. What is your name? ______3. shop - ______6. How old are you? ______C. Translate Translate the words into English. გადათარგმნეთ სიტყვები ინგლისურად. 1. ცუდად - ______4. სამი - ______2. კატა - ______5. გოგო - ______3 ძაღლი - ______6. ბიჭი - ______D. “To Be” - ყოფნა Translate the words from Georgian to English or English to Georgian. გადათარგმნეთ სიტყვები ინგლისურად ან ქართულად. მე ვარ - ____I am____ ჩვენ ვართ - ______შენ ხარ - ______თქვენ ხართ - _you are ის არის - ______- _they are_ E. Sentences Translate the sentences into Georgian. გადათარგმნეთ სიტყვები ქართულად. Ex. They go to school. ისინი დადიან სკოლაში. 1. I go to the store. ______2. You like the cat. ______

Translate the sentences into English. გადათარგმნეთ წინადადებები ინგლისურად. 3. ჩვენ გვიყვარს ხაჭაპური. ______4. ის არის ცუდად. ______

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 73 Sample Test, Grades 6-11 Name ______Grade ______Date ______

A. Conversational English Fill in the blank with the correct word from the word list. Not all words will be used. Words: am, are, is, then, now, you, will, at, to, in, your, my, speak, fine, if, or, she. Keti: Hello, may I please ______to Maka? Mari: Sure, one minute. Maka: Hi Keti, how ______you? Keti: I’m ______, thanks. And ______? Maka: Not bad. What’s up? Keti: I ______calling to ask if I can borrow ______dictionary. I left mine ______school. Maka: No problem. Do you need it ? Keti: Yes. Is it okay ______I come pick it up ______ten minutes? Maka: Sure. Keti: Thanks! I ______be right over. Maka: See you soon! B. Present Simple and Present Continuous Fill in the blank with the correct form. Ex. She always goes to school at nine (go). Now I am taking a test (test). Irakli: Hi Gio, what ______(you do/are you doing)? Giorgi: Right now I ______to Dato’s house (go/am going). Irakli: Do you always ______to Dato’s house after school (go/are going)? Giorgi: No, I usually ______home (go/am going), but today I ______(work/am working) on a project with him. Irakli: What kind of project ______it (is/is being)? Giorgi: We ______an essay about popular films (write/are writing). Many people ______to see movies in theaters (go/are going). C. Sentence Order Put the words in the correct order. Ex. exercise/do/often/you/? Do you exercise often? 1. color/my/blue/favorite/is. ______2. tomorrow/what/doing/you/are/? ______3. like/much/music/listening/I/to/very. ______4. get/you/up/usually/what/time/do/? ______5. watching/he/football/is. ______D. Reading Comprehension Read the following text (from New Headway, p. 56) True or False Underline true if the statement is correct or false if it is incorrect. Ex. Washington was married, but didn’t have any children (true/false). 1. Washington came from a rich family (true/false). 2. He loved being a politician (true/false). 3. He worked hard (true/false). 4. He had a good education (true/false). 5. He was in office for eight years (true/false).

Page 74 English Teachers’ Resource Book E. Finish the Sentence Read the first part of the sentence and write a logical second part. Ex. My family and I enjoy going camping in the mountains. 1. When I go to the seaside, I always ______2. My best friend and I like to ______3. While we are school, we ______4. I wish ______5. I would never ______F. Dictation Listen to the teacher and write down the sentences in the space below. 1.

G. Essay Write a letter to a friend about your summer vacation (holidays).

H. Past Simple and Past Continuous Fill in the blanks with either the past simple or past continuous form of the verb. Mary ______(walked/was walking) down the street, when she ______(saw was seeing) a small cat in a tree. The cat ______(meowed/was meowing) and ______(clawed/ was clawing) at the branches. Mary ______(did not know/was not knowing) what to do. She ______(took/was taking) out her phone and ______(called/was calling) the police. She ______(waited/was waiting) for them when a neighbor ______(came/was coming) with a ladder. He ______(climbed/was climbing) up and ______(rescued/was rescuing) the cat. He ______(brought/was bringing) the cat down when the police ______(arrived/were arriving). They ______(thanked/were thanking) him for rescuing the animal and ______(left/were leaving). Mary ______(took/was taking) the cat from the neighbor and ______(returned/was returning) it to its owner.

I. Adjectives into Adverbs Fill in the table with the correct form of the word. The first one is done for you.

Adjective Adverb beautiful beautifully slow loudly careful dangerous well

J. Adjectives and Adverbs Underline the correct word. Ex. The dog is quick/quickly. The dog walks quick/quickly. 1. The car drove slow/slowly. 2. The smart/smartly boy answered the question clever/cleverly. 3. She is a quiet/quietly girl, although she always answers correct/correctly.

English Teachers’ Resource Book Page 75 K. Critical Thinking Question Answer the following question on a separate piece of paper: “If you could change one thing about your school, what would it be, why would you change it and how would you go about changing it?”

How to collect pre and post tests and analyze

The tests are collected and the answers across the two tests are compared for each individual and reported on if changes have occurred. Any participant who does not do well should be identified and given additional help. You may also want to look at the data on a bigger picture scale-that is, see how a group of participants did on a particular question item to see if it might be useful to alter the design and delivery of class. It’s important to see an increase in learning of your students from pre to post test. A simple rubric will help you compare pre and post test results. Similar rubric as featured below will help you capture number of students who had an increase under the competencies included in the test. For example, 2 students out of 5 improved by at least one level on the rubric, or 2 out of 5 students improved their score on the assessment instrument by 50% or more. Obviously if you want to make statement about overall average improvement of a student (or the class as a whole) you need to have the same kind of assessment measure (a rubric, a score, or yes/no) for every competency assessed.

(Sample) Use present simple and Give basic personal Write about vacation

Competencies present continuous information AVERAGE Δ / CLASS Student Pre Post Δ Pre Post Δ Pre Post Δ Student 1 7 9 2 Student 2 8 8 0 Student 3 9 10 1 Student 4 6 8 2 Student 5 7 10 3 Average Δ / Student 8/5=1.6

Best Practices This last section gives you some suggestion on the final and arguably most important points to keep in mind when assessing your students. Assess Often! You don't always have to have a formal test every week, but having a vocab quiz every week or just checking at the end of every class as part of the lesson can help you to make sure students are on track. Especially it is important in those educational cultures where students are not used to tests. Pre-test and Post-test! Having a test or some other check at the beginning of a year, semester, month or unit as well as at the end can help show students' growth. Even if they don't learn at the best rate, you are still doing your job. Keep Track of Students’ Progress! Assessment should be focused on what students achieve, how much they progress in your classes and not on how much they fail. Whether you are taking notes, have portfolios or you are making a number of charts for class averages on the wall, knowing students growth can help you in motivating them and explaining issues to parents and the student themselves. Let your Students Know their Progress! Assessment should not cause learners to devalue how they learned, but rather make them see the value of learning in the way that they did. It is very important motivation for any student to that he/ she is getting better. Make a Rubric! You can make a rubric for every single activity you do. This is a lot of work but at the same time if students know exactly what they have to do and are being graded on then they will perform better. Doing this can also make any informal assessment more formal and understood. Remember! Clear instructions are the best instructions.

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