Teaching Beginners with

Zero Prep and

WOW! Stories from Real
Life
An Alta Book Center Presentation
www.altaesl.com

TESOL 2014
Portland, Oregon

Laurel Pollard
Educational Consultant
www.laurelpollard.com
lpollard@dakotacom.net

Co-authored by Laurel Pollard, Dr. Natalie Hess, and Jan

Herron
1

Zero Preparation Activities

What if your reviewed every activity you ever used or heard of,
choosing only the ones that are the very best teaching teaching/learning practices?
What if you selected from that collection only the activities that take
NO TIME for the teacher to prepare?
And then, what if you collected only the ones that are flexible enough to use with
different content, at different levels?

We did that.
Here it is.
Enjoy!

There are TWO Zero Prep books

Zero Prep: Ready-to-Go Activities for the Language Classroom,
and its sequel, Zero Prep for Beginners.
Both of these resource books bring you activities that
are the very best for learning
take no time for the teacher to prepare before class
are adaptable for level and content (routines)

When you include Zero Preparation routines in our lesson plans, you have
more time to relax, reflect, and recover your vision!

Sample activities from

Zero Prep for Beginners
ZeroPrepforBeginners2001AltaBookCenterPublishersatwww.altaesl.com
Allrightsreserved.Permissiontophotocopymustbeobtainedfromthepublisher.

POINTING-OUT FUN

Studentslaughalotinthisactivity.Foronce,itiscorrecttobe incorrect!
AIM: Vocabularyreview,practicingsimpleaffirmativeandnegative sentences,practicingthisvs.
that(seeextension)
Procedure:
1.Reviewobjectsintheroom,includingstudentsclothingand partsofthebody,bywalkingaround
theroomandsaying thingslike,Thisisawindow.Studentsrepeatthesestatementschorally.
2.Bringtwostudentsuptodemonstratetheactivity.Theyboth standnearawindow(forexample).
Onesaystotheother, Thisisawindow.Thelistenerresponds,Yes,thisisa window.
3.Theydothiswithafewobjects.
4.Independentwork:Studentspairupandwalkaroundpointingoutobjectsandusingthetwo
sentences.Continuethisforafewminutes.
5.Studentssitdown.
6.Dotheactivityagain,thistimewithnegatives.Thisiswhere itreallybecomesfun!Standnearthe
windowagainwitha student.Pointtoitandsay,Thisisadoor.
7.Promptthestudenttorespond,No,thisisnotadoor!Thisis awindow!Theclasschorallyrepeats
bothsentences.
8.Doafewmoreexamples.Eachtime,besuretostandnearthe object.
9.Independentwork:Studentspairupandwalkaround,pointingtosomethingand sayingthatitis
somethingelse.
10.Continueaslongasstudentsarehavingfun.
Variation: Tosupportlowbeginners,havestudentswritethesetwosentencesonanote,whichthey
holdbehindtheirbacks:
Thisisa_______________.
Yes,thisisa________________.
Andforstep6,studentsaddnegativesentencestotheirnotes:
No,thisisnota____________.Thisisa____________.
Studentsmayrefertotheseastheywork.Butthenotesshouldalwaysbebehindtheirbackswhenthey
speak!
Extensions:
1.Studentsswitchpartnersandgoaroundtheroomagain. (Theycanswitchseveraltimes.)
2.Withmoreadvancedbeginners,standfartherfromtheobject sometimessoyoucancontrastthat
andthis.Thisisawindow. Thatisadoor.
3

ZeroPrepforBeginners2001AltaBookCenterPublishersatwww.altaesl.com
Allrightsreserved.Permissiontophotocopymustbeobtainedfromthepublisher.

WHO SAID IT?

Beginninglanguagelearnersunderstandmuchmorethantheycan expressintheirtarget
language.Heresataskthatgivesthemplenty toreadandlistento,thenallowsthemto
demonstratetheircomprehensionwithonewordanswers.
AIM: Listeningcomprehension,readingreview
Astoryfromthestudenttextoranothersource

Procedure:

1.Input:Tellastory,demonstratesomething,showapicture,ordoareadingwithyourclass.
2.Saysomethingthatonecharactersaid(ormighthavesaid).
Forexample,say,Pleaseletmegotothedance!
3.Asktheclass,Whosaidit?
4.Chooseoneoftheoptionsbelow:
a.Volunteerscalloutthenameofthecharacter,forexample, Cinderella!
b.Pairsorsmallgroupsconsultuntiltheyreachagreement; thenyoucallononestudentfrom
eachgrouptoanswer. (This option activates more students.)
Variations:Withmoreadvancedstudents,teamscanmakeupthe thingscharacterswould
say.Theycalltheseouttoanotherteam, whomusttellwhosaidit.Youmaysetthisupasa
competitive game.

Dicta-Comps
Dictacomps combine Dictation and Composition.
Students reconstruct a sentence (or longer passage).
They have clues to help them: a list of key words from the passage.
Dictacomps are wonderfully adaptable! Use them for pre-reading, reviewing
material, recycling vocabulary, or reinforcing a grammar point.
They can also be used to teach details like punctuation and spelling.
Best of all, students get immediate feedback when they correct their own work!
ZeroPrepforBeginners2001AltaBookCenterPublishersatwww.altaesl.com
Allrightsreserved.Permissiontophotocopymustbeobtainedfromthepublisher.

WHATS THE STORY?

Thisactivityusesallfourskills.Studentsnotonlyrememberwhat theyread,butalsothink
abouthowtoretellit.Toreinforcewhattheyhavelearned,theyrecreateitonemoretimeby
writingit.
AIM: Readingpractice,summarypractice
MATERIALS: Ashortreadingpassagefromthestudentstextbookoranother source

Procedure:

1.Chooseanyshortreadingpassage.
2.Readthefirstlineofapassageorreaduntiltheendofthe firstsentence.
3.Studentsrepeatchorally.
4.Studentsrepeatindividually.
5.Say,Chooseaword!(Sometimesyouwillmakeamore specificsuggestion,suchas
Whatstheaction?Wheredid thishappen?Whodidit?)
6.Studentscalloutwords.
7.Writeontheboardakeyword(ormorethanone)foreachsentence.
8.Continuethisprocessforeachsentenceuntilyouvereached theendofthereadingpassage.
9.Inpairs,studentsreadthepassagetoeachother.
10.Withoutlookingatthereading,volunteersretellthepassage bylookingonlyatthe
importantwordsontheboard.
11.Studentswritethepassagebyjustfollowingthewordsonthe board.(Eveniftheyonlyget
afewwordsright,thisisgood practice!)
12.Studentscomparetheirwrittenpassagewiththeoriginaltext.

Zero Prep for Beginners 2001 Alta Book Center Publishers at www.altaesl.com
All rights reserved. Permission to photocopy must be obtained from the publisher.

Stand For Your Word

This activity gives students a feeling that they own certain words.
Its a short, fun activity that benefits students at all levels.
One more reason to do this often: it gives students a chance to stand and sit
again rapidly several times. This helps them wake up!
Aim: vocabulary review, reading review, grammar, spelling
Materials: A passage that students have already read or heard and understand
well
Procedure:
Students take out a piece of paper.
Give each student a word to listen for. (The same word may be given to several
students.)
3. Be sure students know what their words mean. They may get help from other
students or from you.
4. Read the passage out loud while students listen.
5. As soon as a student hears his/her word, they stand up, then sit down quickly.
Repeat this stage a few times if it is challenging for them.
Extension:
6. Students trade words.
7. Students hold up their new word and call it out. (Again they get help with
meaning, if necessary.)
8. Read the text aloud again while students stand up each time they hear their
new word.
9. Repeat steps 6 - 8 several times.
Taking it even further:
10. Write the words on the board in the order that they appeared in the text.
11. Students look at the text and read out the sentences where "their words"
appeared.
12. Students read the whole text and answer questions about it.
Note: Stand for Your Word is NOT GOOD for general comprehension.
However it is EXCELLENT for

Working the big muscles getting oxygen to the brain

Distinguishing words in a stream of speech (useful for
beginners in English)
Learning parts of speech: students can stand up for nouns until
they are very clear on what a noun is, then go on to other parts
of speech.
Sight-sound correspondences in literacy training; choose words
with a sound that students are learning to spell.

Paying attention to unstressed (but important) words. Students

who skip the verb be in their writing or dont hear pronouns
well will improve if they Stand For these words!

ONE-MINUTE FEEDBACK

(Exit Tickets) (Zero Prep 5.19)

For the teacher: This activity gives us valuable feedback about what our students
got (and didnt get) from a lesson.
For the students: A quick, individual end-of-class review reinforces for each
student what they have learned very satisfying!
LEVEL: IntermediateAdvanced
AIM: Writing practice, feedback for teacher about what students are learning
MATERIALS: Blank index cards
Procedure:
1. When students come into class, hand each a card. Tell them that at the end of
class you will ask them to draw or write on the card something they learned
today and give the card to you.
2. Be sure they put their cards away.
3. Allow one minute at the end of class for each student to write his or her note to
you. Because the time is so short, students are concise, and you need only a few
minutes after class to read their notes and incorporate what they have said into
your planning.
Notes:
1. Once students are accustomed to this, once they have come to expect to write
you this note, they become more aware during the class of what they are and are
not learning. This leads to increased student responsibility for their learning and
more questions during class.
2. In conjunction with One-Minute Feedback, let students determine the pace of
the class by asking such questions as, Are you ready to move on? Do you need
more time with this? Should we practice this some more, or is this enough?
When we remember to do this, our classes stay in that exciting challenge zone
where students are
neither bored nor overwhelmed.

WOW! Stories From Real Life:

A Low-Beginning, Multi-Skills Textbook

Sometimes I thought my students

wouldn't need every step in the Notes to
the Teacher. But I followed the
recommended sequence, and my
students loved it! They also
remembered what they'd learned. I
think I've been moving too fast, not
giving them time to really learn. This
book is helping me become a better
teacher.
Libby Swanson, Adult Ed ESL teacher
Eastside Learning Center, Tucson

Who is this textbook for? Low-beginning ELL students, upper elementary, teens, and
adults
The stories: Students love these eight stories because
they are true
they are surprising
they resonate with students own experiences, hopes, fears, and dreams.
The exercises:

Weve provided more exercises than youll find in most other

books! Use them all, or skip the ones your students dont need, or
use some as a warm up or review .
Many ways to use a single page. The student pages look simple
as they must, for low beginners. But our teaching suggestions will
help you get the most from every page. Beginning students need
plenty of re-cycling and practice and these exercises provide
that, without ever being boring!
Lots of interaction, both student-student and teacher-class.
Teachers tell us they didnt know their low-beginning students could
say so much!
Plenty of basic words
Act It Out! for kinesthetic learning
About Me to activate students own ideas and experiences

Whats unique:

On Our Own: Carefully designed activities that students can do

independently even at this low-beginner level! This gives you a
chance to monitor, think, and relax.
Progressive Cloze: a fun, highly engaging way to learn vocabulary,
grammar, spelling, and punctuation unique to this book. And
students can do it on their own!
More exercises and activities and the pictures without captions as a free download
on ALTAs website
How many hours of instruction? About 40, for most classes -- 5 hours for each of the 8 units

10

This is Page 1 of a 3-page story from WOW.

Copyright 2008 Alta Book Center

11

The exercises in WOW promote

DEEP LEARNING from Simple Pages
Here is one example of how you and your students can make
the most of every page in a student book:

Picture Story

(I)

marks steps that students can do independently.

1. Students look at the story to get the general idea.

(I)

2. Read the captions aloud; students point to each picture.

3. Read the captions aloud; students say each caption after you.
4. Read a caption aloud. Students read the next caption.
5. A student stands and reads the first caption, then calls on the next reader.

(I)

6. A student stands and reads a random, out-of-order caption, then calls on a

classmate to read the next caption.

(I)

7. Read key words; students point to them (a scanning exercise).

8a. Read key words; students circle them.
8b. In pairs, students take turns reading aloud what they circled (they can read
just the word or the whole sentence its in).

(I)

9. Reading with Mistakes: Read the story, making a few factual mistakes.
Students hold up their right hand for a correct sentence or their left hand for an
incorrect one. Students tell you how to correct the false sentences.
10. Find the Picture: Students cover the captions. Demonstrate first: say a
caption, then say, Find the picture! Students point to that picture. Pairs
continue the activity, taking turns with roles: A says, He pays for books. Find the
picture! B points to the correct picture. .

(I)

12

Two Application Exercises from WOW

About Me
1. Steven is a student at New York University
I am a student at _______________
2. Steven pays for books.
I pay for ______________.
3. Steven drinks orange juice.
I drink ______________________.
4. Steven eats crackers.
I eat ____________________.
5. Steven washes his clothes in the library bathroom.
I wash my clothes _______________________.
6. Steven is a good writer.
I am a good ___________________.
7. Steven likes his new life.
I like ________________________.
Read the sentences and your answers to a partner.

Talk With Your Classmates

(a mingle)

Write about yourself here: I eat ________________________________.

Stand up. Tell your sentence to one classmate.
Talk with other classmates. Say the same thing, and listen to them.

13

Want to get the most out of every

page?
Ask Laurel for our bookmark,
A Thumbnail Guide
to the Teacher Notes!

include

Other exercises
in the student book
And the
More Reading and Comprehension

Activities
Write the Words You Hear (a dictation)
Find the Answers (scanning)
Questions and Answers
Circle Yes or No
Find the Picture
What Happened First
Vocabulary Activities
Listen, Repeat, and Write
Categories
Matching Sentences with Pictures
Act It Out
Put the Words in the Spaces

Notes to the
Teacher include
instructions for even
more ways to use the
readings:
Silent Reading
Pair Reading
Sentences With
Mistakes
Strip Story
Sentence Match-Up

Application activities
About Me
Talk to Your Classmates
Activity Wrap-Ups and Interaction
14

Cloze Exercises (Fill in the Blanks)

-- are holistic; students learn grammar, spelling, and vocabulary all together, in
context
-- provide a great deal of independent work, allowing teachers to breathe and think
-- allow students to work at their own pace
-- can be done by individuals, pairs, or small groups

WOW: Stories From Real Life proudly introduces

Progressive Cloze:
1. Students do the first version of a fill-in-the-blanks exercise, 1A.
They correct their work and put it away where they cant see it.
They immediately do 1B, a clean copy of the same version. They self-correct
this one too.
Of course theyre more successful this time because their corrections from the
first attempt are fresh in their minds.
2. They do a second version. This is same text but with different blanks to fill in
and more of them. They do 2A and correct their own work, then hide it. Then
they do 2B, and correct it. Theyre guessing, remembering, then self-correcting
their own mistakes immediately
and learning swiftly!
3. This is the last and most challenging version of the same text. Perhaps whole
phrases are missing in 3A and 3B. This would have intimidated them if they had
seen it first, but by now they are prepared. They do this exercise twice, and by
the time theyre finished, they are justifiably proud of what they can do!
(You can easily turn any text into a cloze exercise. Just Google cloze maker and
paste in your text.)
1A
Steven is a ________ at New York University.
He is poor.
He ________ for university tuition.
(etc.)
2A
Steven ____ a student at New York University.
_______ is poor.
He pays for ________ tuition.
(etc.)
3A
Steven is ____ student at New York ________.
He is poor.
________ ________ for university tuition.
(etc.)
15

Natalie and Laurel hope you and your students

are as excited about WOW as our field-test
teachers are!
Please contact Laurel if you want to talk about
how youre using our book.
Educational Consultant
Tucson, Arizona
520 891 0855
lpollard@dakotacom.net
laurelpollard.com

Sources:
Published by ALTA Book Center
1-800-ALTAESL altaesl@aol.com

www.altaesl.com

Zero Prep: Ready-to-Go Activities for the Language Classroom.

Pollard, Laurel, and Natalie Hess
Zero Prep for Beginners. Pollard, Laurel, Natalie Hess, and Jan Herron.
WOW! Stories From Real Life: a low-beginning multi-skills text. Hess, Natalie, and Laurel
Pollard

16