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Title of activity:

Help! Au secours!

Intended learning outcome(s):

Language learning Strategies: Developing awareness of how to analyse learning needs

Language learning Strategies: Identifying suitable learning

Transversal skills: Using asynchronous voice recordings to interact and collaborate.

Productive language: Giving instructions

Activity description.

This is a collaborative activity which has a shared end product. The aim of the activity is to produce a

shared resource using the voice presentation tool (Integrated within our VLE).The target group of

students have CEFR level A2+ language level (roughly a GCSE equivalent) and have been in class

for about 7 weeks (14 hours of face to face teaching). By this point they have been using a range of

language websites to improve their language skills and they have been encouraged in class to rate

these. In their language learning, they have covered the use of the imperative (cliquez, téléchargez..)

and infinitives (il faut trouver/répondre…) for giving instructions though passive skills such as reading

signs and understanding classroom instructions, the level of language production is well within their

grasp as it needs to be for this performance based activity.

The voice presentation tool is an asynchronous tool which facilitates the display of URLs alongside a

text and voice recording.

Teresa MacKinnon Creative Commons 4 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In session 1:

-using our writing surfaces around the room, students are asked in small groups to list in English the

aspects of the language they find problematic e.g. grammar (give detail – making present tense of

irregular verbs), understanding radio or video, writing (give detail- agreements of adjectives). They

then agree which of these problems they are going to focus on for their contribution to the Au secours

voice presentation.

A screenshare demo of how to post a recording to the Au Secours voice presentation is shown and a

list of potential starting points for useful websites shown.

-Assignment: Each group (max. 4 students) has to reflect on the problem they are addressing and

prepare 2 website recommendations. They then have to prepare a brief guide to the website to show

others how to use it to address the problem. They add the site to the voice presentation board and

write the instructions into the associated text box. They then record a spoken set of instructions.

Tutor available online to give support and advice and keep task moving through moodle

messages/forum.

Session 2:

Tutor shows plays back some of the recordings and encourages students to interact with the

instructions and ask questions through the board. Emphasises that this is an ongoing resource and

that posting a problem to the Au secours board will bring more recommendations.

Timeframe for activity:

1. 20 mins in class – task set up and demonstrated, 1 week to complete task

2. 10 mins: task review in class

You can view and try out a demonstration here:

http://talleyrand.horizonwimba.com/talleyrand/presentation?rid=_warmood_150-1400313803632

You will need java enabled to use this tool.

Teresa MacKinnon Creative Commons 4 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/