Exploiting material

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Jo Gakongaelt-training.com

jo.gakonga@elt-training.com

Exploiting MaterialOr Dig, dig, dig!

When I started teaching….

Is this your security blanket?

As my career has progressed….

So what changed?

I learnt to exploit my material

Why is this a good idea?

For learners:• A more even pace?• More focus on language – vocabulary, grammar,

discourse, ‘chunks’• More chance for them to notice language • More chance for recycling – better for memory

Why is this a good idea?

For teachers:• Less material!• (With practice!), less stress• Easier to produce a coherent, connected lesson• Fewer photocopies – save the trees!

Let’s look at an example…

From: Natural English Intermediate by Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman

Start with the picture..

Think about the people:

• Describing them, appearance and personality He’s … He looks like (a) (n)…. She looks (adj) and vocabulary• Their life…present tense for habits, past tenses for their

history, achievements, etc.• Speculating on their life/ relationship (They could/ might be..)• Write 4 sentences – 2 true and 2 false about the picture…

Think about the text:

• Predict what it will be about – easier with a title.

• They write some comprehension questions – note that they may or may not be able to answer them from the text – this is fine!

Let’s look at the text.Andrew and Rowena got married a year ago and are expecting a baby this year. Rowena has a well paid job as an accountant working in London (an hour away by train). Andrew has been working as an engineer in the aviation industry but his company is closing down and there are no other similar jobs in the area. They’d like to stay in the same village, as the rest of Andrew’s family are close by. They have to make a difficult decision. These are the ideas they have discussed so far.

Dictation

Bad reputation?

Dictation

Who can do it?

Teacher to students Student to student

Dictation

What’s it good for?

Teacher to students Student to student

Listening!Raising awarenessSpelling and writing

Dictation

What’s it good for?

Teacher to students Student to student

Listening!Raising awarenessSpelling and writing

ListeningRaising awarenessSpelling and writingPronunciation

Student to student dictation

Running dictation

Student to student dictation

Strips on walls

Student to student dictation

Alternate lines

Student A Student B

How about a dictogloss?

How is this different?

How about a dictogloss?

How is this different?

• Usually some are given

How about a dictogloss?

How is this different?

• Read at normal speed – they listen

How about a dictogloss?

How is this different?

• Read again at normal speed – they take notes

How about a dictogloss?

How is this different?• They recreate the text as closely as they can to

the original in pairs.

(doesn’t matter if it’s not the same as long as the meaning is the same and the language is correct)

How about a dictogloss?

How is this different?

• They compare their own with the original to see the differences.

So you could give them the first part and do the second part as a dictogloss:

What words or phrases would you highlight before you read it out?

Choices:1. Andrew enjoys photography very much and has thought about starting a local photographic business. There isn’t much competition from other photographers nearby, but he’ll need to borrow money from the bank to start up the business.

2. Rowena could go back to work after the baby is born and be the main breadwinner. Andrew could stay at home and look after the baby.

3. Andrew could probably find a good job in the aviation industry but they’d have to move to a different part of the country.

4. With his commercial experience, Andrew could retrain and go into business management. There’s a one year course at his local college. If he does that, he’ll probably be on a low salary for a year or two after training.

What words or phrases would you highlight before you read it out?

Choices:1. Andrew enjoys photography very much and has thought about starting a local photographic business. There isn’t much competition from other photographers nearby, but he’ll need to borrow money from the bank to start up the business.

2. Rowena could go back to work after the baby is born and be the main breadwinner. Andrew could stay at home and look after the baby.

3. Andrew could probably find a good job in the aviation industry but they’d have to move to a different part of the country.

4. With his commercial experience, Andrew could retrain and go into business management. There’s a one year course at his local college. If he does that, he’ll probably be on a low salary for a year or two after training.

Choose….

• Words or phrases that

...you think they won’t know… or…

…that you want them to learn

Jigsaw readingChoices:1. Andrew enjoys photography very much and has thought about starting a local photographic business. There isn’t much competition from other photographers nearby, but he’ll need to borrow money from the bank to start up the business.

2. Rowena could go back to work after the baby is born and be the main breadwinner. Andrew could stay at home and look after the baby.

3. Andrew could probably find a good job in the aviation industry but they’d have to move to a different part of the country.

4. With his commercial experience, Andrew could retrain and go into business management. There’s a one year course at his local college. If he does that, he’ll probably be on a low salary for a year or two after training.

Book exercises…..

• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each solution.

• Decide in a group what is the best option.• Listen to what Andrew and Rowena decided.• Compare their answer to your group’s.

What else?

After the speaking exercise…..

You have a text….

…so use it!

Some examples… Analysing tense

Guided discovery…

Find an example of…

Something that is still trueSomething that started in the past but may not continue in the future.Something that started in the recent past and will probably continue.Something that is happening now and is temporary.

Some examples… Analysing tenseAndrew and Rowena got married a year ago and are expecting a baby this year. Rowena has a well paid job as an accountant working in London (an hour away by train). Andrew has been working as an engineer in the aviation industry but his company is closing down and there are no other similar jobs in the area. They’d like to stay in the same village, as the rest of Andrew’s family are close by. They have to make a difficult decision. These are the ideas they have discussed so far.

Now

Past Future

Some examples… Articles

Andrew and Rowena got married ___year ago and are expecting ___baby this

year. Rowena has ___ well paid job as ___ accountant working in___ London

(___hour away by ___ train). Andrew has been working as ___ engineer in

___ aviation industry but his company is closing down and there are no other

___similar jobs in ___ area. They’d like to stay in ___ same village, as ___ rest

of Andrew’s family are close by. They have to make ___ difficult decision.

These are ___ideas they have discussed so far.

Some examples…prepositions

Choices:

1. Andrew enjoys photography very much and has thought _____starting a local photographic business.

There isn’t much competition ____ other photographers nearby, but he’ll need ___ borrow money

_____ the bank to start ____ the business.

2. Rowena could go back to work after the baby is born and be the main breadwinner. Andrew could

stay ____ home and look ______ the baby.

A bit of competition can help bring things like

this to life!

Some examples…mistakes

Andrew could probably find a good job in the industry aviation. But they have to move to a different part of the country.

With his commercial expereince, Andrew could retrain and going into business management. There’s one year course at his local college. If he will do that, he’ll probably be with a low salary for a year or two after training.

Other possibilities…

• Guessing meaning in context

• Noticing and learning collocations and language chunks (They are e---- a b---)

• Looking at conjunctions

• Phrasal verbs• ………

A word of caution…

Don’t overdo it!