Hands-On English: a Periodical for Teachers and Tutors of Adult
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 374 686 FL 800 770 AUTHOR Silliman, Anna TITLE Hands-On English, A Periodical for Teachers and Tutors of Adult English as a Second Language, 1991-1994. INSTITUTION Hands-on English, Crete, NE. REPORT NO ISSN-1056-2680 PUB DATE 94 NOTE 243p. AVAILABLE FROMHands-on English, P.O. Box 256, Crete, NE 68333 ($4 per copy; includes shipping). PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) JOURNAL CIT Hands-on English; v1-3 1991-1994 EDRS PRICE MFOI/PC10 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Adult Education; Body Language; Book Reviews; *Class Activities; Classroom Communication; *Classroom Techniques; Conversational Language Courses; Cultural Awareness; Daily Living Skills; Educational Strategies; *English (Second Language); Folk Culture; Games; Grammar; Grants; *Instructional Materials; Interpersonal Communication; Language Role; *Literacy Education; Multilevel Classes (Second Language Instruction); Puzzles; Reading Instruction; Recordkeeping; Student Records; Testing; Volunteers; Writing Instruction ABSTRACT These 18 issues of a newsletter designed for teachers and tutors of adult English as a Second Language, represent three volumes spanning the three-year period May/June 1991 through March/April 1994. Each issue contains brief articles, editorials, and materials reviews on classroom instruction, professional trends, and special projects. Typical content includes ideas for group work, notes on tools and techniques for instruction, grammar activities, cultural activities, reading activities, writing exercises, critiques of new books, texts, and instructional materials, discussions of classroom management and language-related issues, crossword puzzles and games, letters from readers, and classified ads and professional news. A combined index for the three volumes is included.(MSE) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** cc co szr M 0 Hands-On English A periodical for teachersand tutors of adult English as a second language Volume I, Number 1-6 Volume II, Number 1-6 Volume III, Number 1-6 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION THIS Cett 0/ Edvr-ostavio Rosen. and impreeement MATERIAL HAS BEENGRANTED BY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER IERICI .111.Th O document ries been reptoduced as /stewed /rpm me person Or °wawa Pon ongirolinp 4 ID Minor changes nese been made W improve nsproduCtion enably TO THE EDUCATIONAL Points drew Pi opinions slated day RESOURCES menl do not nCsterey represent &host INFORMATION CENTERIERICE OERI Unsex:mix Policy 2 May/June 1991 Volume I, Number 1 '19-tants-on English second language A periodical for teachersand tutors of adult English as a A helpinghand for you Our founding readers Some of the activities we presentwill be Here is the very firstissueVolume I, innovative, some perhapsold standards, and Number 1 of a brand-newperiodical that's some just, well,useful. For example, among meant to help you with yourESL teaching. we've got a word-find still small, we other things in this issue Although our subscriber list is puzzle for you to copy andhand out to your are proud to saythat the response to our students. There are three"strip stories" for a sample issue has been enthusiastic. listening task your studentswill enjoy, and You, our first subscribers, are amongthe There are other We're grateful tips for creating your own. founders of Hands-on English! activities both big and smallfor you to try. for your interest, and hopethat you will find us useful, whether you teach onestudent or A network classroom or out. many, in the If you discover somethingthat works, in the adult ESL, share it with usl For adults only process of teaching (There are some guidelines on page6.) There You might ask: Why anotherESL who would like to hearabout publication? There is a massive quantityof are surely others don't even it. literature out there already, and we Use Hands-on English as yournetwork for have time to read that! Asbusy ESL exchanging practical teachingideas with other professionals, we are almostoverwhelmed by teachers and tutors. ek too much input. First of all, we know of very fewpublications directed at people who teachadult ESL. And second, we know of nothing of apractical Contents: nature for adult ESL, byteachers of adult ESL. And, because it's a periodical,Hands-on Group work English will keep on bringing you newideas "Strip stories" for listening Tools & techniques throughout the year. Mapping for vocabulary .5 .10 Our goal "Scribes" help students learn information for Contributors 6 Much of what's available inprint may be Idea file thoughtful, challenging, interesting, 7 provoking, innovative and useful, even Cartoon dialogs activity necessary, in the longview. But it doesn't help Puzzle word find .8 you get throughtomorrow's lesson! a 4th-of-July From the field That's where Hands-onEnglish wants to an American-stylebanquet. help you. We will be trying, six times a year,to News & notes. .11 send you activities you can try outwith your On the market ESL students. We deeply hope thiswill make a review ofJust-a-Minute..___..... _____ .12 your teaching easierand more fun. 313 glands-on Group work: English "Strip stories" Volume 1, Number 1 May/June 1991 Here's an activity known as "strip stories," Hands-on English (ISSN 1056.2680) is in which a story is cut into strips and mixed. published six times a year (Jam/Feb., The students then reassemble the strips in the Mar./Apr., May/June, July/Aug., correct order. But, they have to do this by Sept./Oct., Nov./Dec) by Hands-on listening to each other! English, P.O. Box 589, Dewitt, NY 13214. Choosing the text Copyright1991 Hands-on English Use a story that is not too long. Even for an experienced group, 8 to 10 sentences is plenty. Subscription rates: The sentences should have a clear progression, U.S.: $16.00 for regular subscribers, or should contain language clues to the correct 410.00 for volunteers Jr teacher's aides, order such as "first," "then," and "finally." $22.00 for libraries or institutions. The text can be any story, problem, puzzle or Canada and Mexico add $4.; other explanation at an appropriate level for the the countries add $10. Single copies may be students. The activity will be easier if the purchased at $4.00 each. students already have some familiarity with the story. In fact, a strip story is a great way to Permission to photocopy: This review a reading from another lesson. riodical is copyrighted. However, we invite teachers and tutors who have a Setting It up aid subscription (or whose institution The activity works best with groups of 4, 5 or a paid subscription) to make as many 6. Have the students sit in a circle. They won't opies as they need for their own need paper, pencils or dictionaries. Mix the assrooin use story strips and hand them out. If there are too many strips, give some students two. ditor: Anna Silliman Instruct the students not to show their M.A.,Teachers College, Columbia Univ.) paper to anyone. Ask them to read their ontributing editor. Mary Jane Lucas sentence to themselves and make sure they understand it. You can circulate and help with ddress correspondence to the editor, vocabulary and pronounciation, if necessary. nds-on English, P.O. Box 589, Dt..vitt, 13214, USA. No fair peeking! call the office at: (315) 445-0785. Nov. tell the group to put the story together. Remind them not to look at each other's papers ubscrthe today! (you may have to be firm about this). It might nd this form with your check or money order be helpful to demonstrate the 'read & look up' .S. funds only) to the above address. techniquestudents read their own paper silently, cover it with their hand and look up nd me a subscription to "Hands-on English." before speaking to the group. enclose: The students can begin by reading their 0 $16.00 for a regular subscription sentences aloud for the group one at a time, or Cl $10.00 for a volunteer or aide subscription the group can devise any other strategy. Once Ll $22.00 for a library/institution the group agrees on the correct order of the story, they read it to the teacher. If it's still not correct, they keep trying until they get it. It can take from 5 to 20 minutes to solve the dress. story, depending on the group and the complexity of the text. If you have several groups working at the same time, be sure to titution: have an extra strip story ready in case one ition: group finishes early. 2 4 achallenging listeningactivity be fun, Follow-up meaning of the story as a whole. It can and satisfying to complete. A dictation is a great way to follow up this activity. Read the same story to the whole More stories class, sentence by sentence. When thty have finished writing, have the students correct the We include three examples of strip stories dictations within their groups. Each student for you to try with your students. You can also can check the sentence he or she was create your own, by writing a 6- to 8-sentence responsible for in the speaking exercise. Or, summary of an article or storythe students the students can pass the strips around and have already read. correct their own papers. For other examples, look in Richard Why it works Yorkey's Talk-a-tivities (Addison-Wesley, 1985) or in Index Card Games for ESL (Pro This is a problem-solving activity that Lingua, 1982). For a whole book of strip students can do cooperatively, without the aid stories for intermediate or advanced students, of the teacher. It generates intense listening, see Alice Blows a Fuse byJohn It Boyd and and focusses the students' attention on the connections between sentences and on the Mary Ann Boyd (Prentice-Hall, 1980).