WHAT CAN YOU DO AS A LANGUAGE ASSISTANT?

ENGLISH AT SECONDARY / BACHILLERATO LEVEL

Use English: all the time

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/language-assistant/teaching-tips/ways-encourage-moreuse-english-class

Classroom management:
groups tend to be large layout (consult with the teacher)
Traditional rows The horseshoe Chairs in a circle
Nested tables in groups

GROUPING
as they are sitting (easiest) give stdts the choice random sitting (number them, then groups) you make the groups

TO CORRECT OR NOT TO CORRECT

correction on-the-spot (it depends)
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/language-assistant/teachingtips/error-correction

COORDINATION TEACHER- ASSISTANT: HOW CAN YOU HELP?

revising projects & giving ideas designing tasks preparing role-plays checking pieces of news suggesting ideas for lessons helping students with doubts attending diversity of levels in every classroom. assessment of oral tests

WARM-UPS:
Revise vocabulary from last session (from previous sessions with the teacher) Brainstorm new ideas
Word clouds

http://www.wordle.net/ http://www.abcya.com/word_clouds.htm

Hands-on activity:
an object which is important to me (guess why, ask questions)

Hands-on activity:
write 5 pieces of information; then stdts have to ask yes /no questions to guess why you wrote that

SKILLS

READING WRITING LISTENING SPEAKING

SKILLS
Isolated skills Integrated skills

LISTENING
listening comprehension (extensive listening, intensive listening)
Listening to project presentations Listening for clues (crosswords)

WHOLE GROUP LISTENING

e.g. Quizzes, fill the crossword, follow the instructions light-hearted or thought-provoking questionnaire which gets their minds working

MIND TWISTERS
How many times does number "9" appear between 1 and 100? Think about it. You cannot use a pencil and paper. A plane is flying from Madrid to Paris. Just over the Pyrnes it falls down and crashes on the border between Spain and France. Where would you bury the survivors? In France or in Spain? Why? How many pairs of animals did Moses take with him into the Ark?

LISTENING COMPREHENSION
quiz (teams) Picture dictation The students country. Presentation Culture lesson ( traditions and celebrations) e.g. Halloween, Thanksgiving Day.. Listening to a story

CALIFORNIA
How many people live in California? Whats the relationship between Northern California and Southern California like? Where in California do most of the vegetables and fruit grow? What is special about the highway? Where is San Diego? What do you learn about Laguna Beach? Where did Karli and Kendy study at University? What can you do at Huntington Beach? Name two beaches in Los Angeles What kind of people live in Malibu beach? What sport can you play on Carmel Beach? People usually go to Monterey bay when Santa Cruz is famous for

SPEAKING
some stdts tend to be shy if they have to speak in front of the whole class. Let them work autonomously, then monitor, be ready for questions. (Both teacher and assistant monitor, but if the assistant is free, teacher re-directs the question to the assistant) monitor: take notes, be mobile, be at your students' eye level, (be available but not intrusive)

SPEAKING
Whole-class (if you dare): find someone who

SPEAKING
pairwork= essential divide the classroom in groups / teams prepare a debate / act the debate interaction: small groups (the two teachers can monitor)

 interaction (dilemmas, role-plays, simulations) monologues (speak in your small groups, or prepare to speak for a minute) students' presentations (prepared at home)

 groups: board games- for a specific grammar item, to review vocabulary...monitor

prepare dialogues
give them vocabulary Act them If possible: recording (mp3, video) watching /listening for errors if not, take notes, revise together

INTEGRATED SKILLS:
reading + speaking: give them a short text (diff for both partners) then share the info listening (reading) + speaking speaking + writing

Working with films: (L- SP)

film clip (guessing) / trailers
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/now.showing.html (subtitled trailers)

http://cinema.clubefl.gr/

e.g. show the clip, no sound- guess the dialogue

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/language-assistant/teachingtips/using-film-video-clips

songs
(e.g. Katy Perrys Waking Up in Vegas) when listening to songs, also show the video 1st / 2nd time, w/o subtitles 3rd time, with subtitles on

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/language-assistant/teachingtips/using-music-songs

Ads:
video (listening and speaking) what will happen next?
http://adsoftheworld.com http://www.visit4ads.com/ http://www.bestadsontv.com/ http://tellyads.com/ (UK)

(subtitling: http://dotsub.com/) e.g Coca Cola- Reasons to believe (pronunciation, vocabulary)

printed ads
http://www.youthedesigner.com/2011/08/20/48-funny-print-ads-thatllkeep-you-laughing-and-buying/ http://adsoftheworld.com/

creativity
give prompts (visual, words): to make up a story / developing imagination http://www.binscorner.com/pages/f/funonthe net-illusion-pictures-contribute.html http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/ http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/storystarters/

 Writing: poems (rhyme)- limericks

Culture (presentations) then, in groups ask 5 further questions

my hometown special days (interesting= celebrations which do not exist in Spain) (e.g. Thanksgiving, April Fools)

SPEAKING + (HW) WRITING:

show a photo, guess: e.g. landscape (where is it, weather, how many people live there) funny picture (what is happening, what will happen next, what's the relationship between these people) then, hw: writing task
use pictures, speaking, description

 http://life.time.com/culture/albert-einstein-death-photo-of-his-princetonoffice/?iid=lf|mostpop#1 http://life.time.com/curiosities/hell-on-wheels-in-praise-of-mutantbicycles/#1 http://www.retronaut.co/2011/03/historic-wtf/

photos
http://life.time.com/ http://www.retronaut.c o/2011/03/historic-wtf/ http://www.gettyimage s.co.uk/ http://www.freephotos bank.com/ http://www.pics4learni ng.com/

 use of realia (or virtual realia): e.g. Give directions (real map- Google maps) / tube map /

Fillers
hangman, bingo recycling vocabulary: words in the bag: (password)
http://www.jamesabela.co.uk/intermediate/fillers.html

 Cross curricular activities (Geography, History..)

Follow-ups
Follow-up: writing task

At the end of the lesson, assessment

self assessment co-evaluation assistant correcting / grand group pupil reflection on the process suggesting new ideas reinforcing if necessary

SHARE
if there is a blog, website, upload the videos, so that stdts can watch it again

Resources
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/languageassistant Resources by topic: http://delicious.com/natalialzam subtitled videos: https://sites.google.com/site/watchinenglish/