3.2 Language Skills Related Task Candidate  name:                          Annie  Cambridge                                                                      Criteria  

To  stand

ard  

Not  to

 stand

ard  

yet  

1st  Submission  

To  stand

ard  

Not  to

 stand

ard   2nd  Submission  

Tutor  feedback  and  resubmission  guidance  if  necessary  

Tutor  feedback    

Select  an  appropriate  authentic  text  for  the  level  and  provide  a  rationale    

           

Identify  receptive  skills  to  be  practiced,  using  correct  terminology  

           

Submit  two  appropriate  receptive  skills  tasks  

           

Identify  productive  skills  to  be  practiced,  using  correct  terminology    

           

Submit  an  appropriate  productive  task  of  your  own  design    

           

Submit  a  sufficient  outline  of  a  lesson  plan  

           

Relate  task  design  to  language  skills  practice  

           

Find,  select  and  reference  information  from  one  or  more  sources    

           

Use  written  language  that  is  clear,  accurate  and  appropriate  to  the  task    

           

Word  count  of  750-­‐1000              

Overall  grade    Tutor(s)  signature(s)  and  date  

Pass  

Resubm

it  

  Pass  

Fail  

 

 

     

Text and Rationale

For my assignment I’ve chosen the article “Longest-married couple seal 80 years with a kiss” by Roya Nikkhah,

in the Telegraph, London, Published May 26, 2008. I chose this for my upper-intermediate learners because it is

on a universally interesting theme – every culture celebrates longevity in marriage – and because the vocabulary,

while fairly challenging, is accessible enough for upper-intermediate learners to develop their reading skills

without getting stuck on every word (Harmer, 2007: **page**).

Lead-in

Before students read the article I will have them discuss the couple they know who have been married the longest.

This will help activate learners’ schemata on the topic, i.e. their background knowledge of the world as connected

to the subject of romantic relationships and marriage. As Harmer states, “the job of the receptive skills

teacher…is to provoke students to get in touch with that knowledge or schema” (2007: **page**). This

facilitates comprehension and replicates what readers do in their own language. I may also pre-teach some key

‘blocking’ phrases like “milestone” and “seal with a kiss”. Harmer states that pre-teaching removes barriers and

enables learners to read more quickly and ‘fluently’ (2007: **page**).

Gist reading

My first receptive skills task involves having the learners read for the general idea or gist of the article. Learners

tend to want to read and understand every word of a text (Harmer, 2007: **page**) and, while this is useful for

language work and to develop their vocabulary, it doesn’t make them very efficient readers. Additionally, this is

not usually how we read in real life. To help learners overcome this desire and therefore to develop the skill of

reading quickly for the general idea I have conceived a title-matching task (see appendix A). Learners have to

read quickly (I will set a time limit for this and encourage them to stop reading and move on as soon as they have

figured out the best title / sub-heading) to match the headline and the subheadings to the appropriate paragraph.

Getting the general idea of new stories before we read them for detail replicates the real-life skill of ‘skimming’

an article to see if it is interesting and therefore if we want to re-read it in depth.

Detailed comprehension

To help students understand the text in depth I have designed a true or false task with eight true or false

statements which reflects how we read in real life (see appendix B). These require students to understand the

details of the text and the beliefs of the couple but they use different words so the students actually have to

understand rather than just find the same words in the article (Harmer, 2007: **page**). This reflects how we

read a newspaper in real life, first skimming to see if we are interested and then reading for more detail and to

work out attitudes, facts, implications, etc.

Productive skills follow-up

After reading or listening to a text it is natural to want to speak or write about it. The topic of my lesson is pretty

much universally interesting so….. Harmer says that …….. (What Harmer says about productive skills).

The task requires students to write advice for newly weds in a mini-book format like the Little Book of Calm. I

will bring in a copy of the Little Book of Calm (Wilson, 2005) to show Ss and tell them that they will write the

Little Book of Marriage. First candidates will brainstorm tips for a successful marriage based on their own ideas

(and the article if they want). Brainstorming in advance replicates the process of real life writing (Harmer, 2007:

**page**) and will help learners generate and pool ideas for their books. I will give learners some useful

language for giving advice (“it’s a good idea to”…, “husbands and wives should”…, etc.) Students will then draft

their little books of marriage while the teacher monitors. There will be a peer editing stage so that students can

help each other improve their texts and then a “publishing” stage where students will read each other’s books and

choose what they think is the best piece of advice about marriage.

Outline of a lesson plan

time stage/aim procedure

5 lead-in

to engage Ss in the topic and

to activate schemata

have Ss discuss “who is the couple you know who have

been married the longest”

Brief WCFB

5 pre-teach vocab –

to avoid Ss becoming

blocked on key unfamiliar

words

Pre-teach milestone and “seal with a kiss”

10 reading 1 –

to develop gist

comprehension skills

Ss read and match the titles / headlines to the

paragraphs.

15 reading 2 –

to develop detailed

comprehension skills

Ss answer T/F questions

5 speaking –

to develop speaking fluency

and to brainstorm ideas for

Ss brainstorm advice for married couples. Ss don’t

write yet in full sentences. They discuss and make notes

the writing

15 writing T introduces the little book of calm and tells SS they

will be writing the little book of marriage.

Ss write their advice individually

5 feedback/correction – to

share the stories and

upgrade Ss’ language.

Ss read each other’s books. T provides correction

Word count: 850

Bibliography

Harmer, J. (2007) The Practice of English Language Teaching, Harlow, England: Pearson/Longman

Nikkhah, R. (2008) “Longest-married couple seal 80 years with a kiss” Telegraph, London, Published May 26,

2008

Wilson, P. (2005) The Little Book of Calm, Harper Collins

Appendix A

Read the newspaper article and match the main headline (1) and the subheadings (2, 3&4)

A: The Secret of Lasting Love

B: Momentous Marital Milestone

C: Longest-married Couple Seal 80 Years with a Kiss

D: An Affair to Remember

1. _________________________________________________

London: Some say it is mastering the art of compromise, others that graciously handing over the remote control will do the trick. But for Britain's longest-married couple, Frank and Anita Milford, their remarkable relationship has a simple secret: sharing a kiss before bedtime. 2. ______________________________ Today the couple will celebrate their 80th, or "oak" wedding anniversary. But while the Milfords can lay claim to a momentous marital milestone, they plan to celebrate in low-key style, spending the weekend quietly together at the Plymouth care home where they both live. Milford, a former dock worker who turned 100 earlier this year, said: "Being in love is something you do every day. At our age that's all you need, just us together, no big fuss." The couple lived in a bungalow in Plymouth for more than 70 years before moving into the Warwick Park Residential Home in 2005. Their carers say that the Milfords still laugh and joke together like newlyweds, rather than a couple who have spent eight decades in each other's company.

But Anita Milford, 99, confessed that they still have the occasional disagreement: "Not big rows, just the odd cross word. It's healthy." 3. ___________________________________ The couple met in 1926 at a YMCA dance and married two years later on May 26, 1928. Instead of a lavish reception after the wedding, they went to see a Charlie Chaplin film. Earlier that month, Walt Disney brought out Plane Crazy, in which Mickey and Minnie Mouse made their debut. The Milfords' two children, Frank and Marie, are in their seventies, and they are great-grandparents several times over. In June, they hope to claim the record for the longest British marriage ever, previously achieved by Percy and Florence Arrowsmith, of Hereford. Percy Arrowsmith died in 2005, aged 105, two weeks after their 80th anniversary. 4. ___________________________________ Anita Milford said that "sharing a little kiss" before bedtime was the couple's golden rule. "To win over your sweetheart you need old-fashioned chivalry," she said. "We do everything together, even after nearly 80 years." Anita Milford, who will celebrate her 100th birthday next month, said her advice to young couples was to "make time for a little romance" every day. "I never cared much for big romantic gestures," she said. "Frank has respected me from the moment we met. That's the secret of true love."

Appendix B) True or False

1. The Milfords think that romance is important in a relationship 2. They think that humor is an important part of a relationship 3. They are planning a big party to celebrate their 80th anniversary 4. The couple always agree with each other. 5. Mickey and Minnie Mouse were born the same month as the Milfords’ wedding 6. When the article was written, the Milfords had won the record for longest British

marriage. 7. The couple have one great-grandchild. 8. The Milfords think that spending time apart is healthy.

Talk to a partner. Do you agree with the Milfords’ advice? Now work together and make a list of advice you’d give to married couples: Appendix C Follow up task The Little Book of Calm gives advice for people who are stressed.

Write your own “Little Book of Marriage” giving advice to people who have just got married.