CELTA Assignment Cover Sheet

To be completed by CELTA candidate

Submitted by: Raúl Núñez Gamboa

Assignment title: Skills Related Task

Assignment number: 3

Number of words: 999

Submitted on (date): 17/02/2018

This assignment is my original work and I have acknowledged all sources.

Full name: Raúl Armando Núñez Gamboa

To be completed by CELTA tutor

Overall grade:

General comments:

International House London Teacher Training

A MEMBER OF THE INTERNATIONAL HOUSE WORLD ORGANISATION

A. Rationale 255 words
Reading is a receptive skill with many uses and purposes in classroom
(Harmer, 2001). We could have students to read in order to study language and the
way we construct texts; to introduce new and interesting topics that could excite
reflection and imagination; to train in the acquisition and development of specific
skills, such as skimming and scanning, for further use in real life reading
situations. For this and more, reading is a key component in any classroom
(Nuttall, 2005).
In my lesson, students will read ‘The Top 20 Travel Experiences in 2017’, an
article published in The Independent in June of the same year. Considering James
Harmer, who states that ‘a balance has to be struck between real English on the
one hand and the students capabilities and interests on the other’ (2001: p. 69), I
consider that the article is balanced and suitable for a B1 classroom. First, it is an
authentic text with ‘real English’. The language is diverse and has, among others,
the following features: phrasal verbs (look into), collocations (get a tattoo) and
informal language (chill out). The syntax mainly uses past tenses, specially, the
past simple. Secondly, the text aids students’ comprehension capabilities by its
paratextual characteristics such as title, coloured picture, a bullet list (‘Top 20
travel experiences…’), cursive letters (‘The No Regrets List’), capital letters for
places, e. g., ‘Great Pyramids’, and numbers (‘more than 5,000 18-25 millennials’).
Finally, the topic is travel and holidays, a general theme that could easily engage
students.
From my point of view, students could read the text with no difficulties
considering language. Nevertheless, the second intensive reading task will
encourage them to guess meaning from context.

B. Lesson Design
1. Introduction 127 words
In order to get learners interested in the theme and ‘make an explicit link
between the topic of the text and students’ own lives and experiences’ (Scrivener,
2011: p. 267), I will put onto the board a picture of these famous places: Blue
Lagoon, Great Pyramids and the Great Wall. Then I will ask students to talk with
a partner about which place they would like to visit and why they would do so.
After this, I will set up a feedback and note onto the board which place would have
more visitors. In the feedback, I would also pay special attention to their interests
and even previous experiences. I could ask follow-up questions like if they ever
have taken a trip to an interesting place before.
2. Pre-Reading 94 words
As a Pre-Reading task, students will predict the content from words and
phrases from the text. They will have the phrases in exercise 1 on the hand out.
Words and phrases will work as clues. After they go through the clues in pairs,
comes a feedback. Previous pair work will encourage students to participate in this
stage. I will copy onto the board four or five ideas.
This activity is based on predicting, when we predict “expectations are set up
and the active process of reading is ready to begin” (Harmer, 2001: p. 70).
3. Extensive Reading 113 words
Students will read quickly for gist on their own to check text against
predictions written on the board. They will have two or three minutes. Once
finished this individual reading and checking, they will compare answers with
partners and discuss their impressions about the text. After this, a second feedback
comes in which students will share their affective response to the text and
prediction checking.

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 In this stage students will practice skimming and have a chance to respond to
the message of the text: ‘It is especially important that they should be allowed to
express their feelings about the topic – thus provoking personal engagement with it
and the language’ (Harmer, 2001: p. 70).
4. Intensive Reading 109 words
In the intensive reading task students will scan the text, this is ‘move eyes
quickly over the text to locate specific piece of information’ (Scrivener, 2011: p.
264). They will have to mark as true or false eight sentences about the content on
the handout. First, they the read the sentences and underline keywords. Second,
they go again through the text and find information. Third, they mark the
sentences. After this individual work, students compare answers in pairs. By the
end of the stage, I will set up a feedback activity asking where in the text they
found the information, this will help to study in detail the text.
5. Guessing meaning from context 97 words
‘We need to find accommodation between our desire to have students develop
particular reading skill (…) and their natural urge to understand the meaning of
every single word’ (Harmer, 2007: p. 287). In this stage, students will have to
match a list of words from the text with their definition on the hand out. The words
to study will be highlighted in the text. They will work in pairs. After they finish, a
feedback takes place in order to check answers. This activity enables students to
practice understanding by context, a key reading skill to build comprehension.
6. Productive skill 144 words
The follow-on task is to write a letter to the editor recommending a couple of
places in Spain where people could have a wonderful and unforgettable experience.
First, students in pairs read a sample letter and answer questions about structure,
language and style. After this, I will set a feedback in order to analyse the
structure of the text and write a layout onto the board. Once finished, the same
pairs brainstorm what places in Spain they could recommend and the reasons why.
Next, they write a first draft. During this stage, I will monitor closely for pointing
out mistakes on language and content. The draft will be handed on to another
group for peer-reviewing. Afterwards, students emend their texts and rewrite the
letter on an A1 size sheet. Finally, the letters are put onto the board and students
vote for the best text.

C. Bibliography
 Harmer, J. (2001) How to teach English, Malaysia: Pearson Longman.
 Harmer, J. (2007) The Practice of English Language Teaching, Harlow: Pearson
Longman.
 Nuttall, C. (2005) Teaching reading skills in a foreign language, Oxford: Macmillan
Heineman.
 Scrivener, J. (2011) Learning Teaching, Oxford: Macmillan Education.

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 Worksheet
1) Read the following words and phrases from an article you are going to read and
answer:
What do you think the text will be about?

2) Check if the following sentences are true or false:

True False
a. Millenial and pos-millenial generations are born before 1980.
b. Travel experience number five is to learn how to make pizza.
c. Cultural interests is the strongest motivator to travel.
d. Millenial and pos-millenial generations have wider travel aspirations thanks to new
technologies.
e. Contiki is a travel agency for grandparents.
f. The nature of the travel experiences is not so varied.
g. Young people search for interesting experiences when they travel.
h. The range of age of the millennials who participated in the survey was 18-24 years.

3) Match these words and phrases (1-8) from the text with their definitions (a-h).

1) Chill out a) To complete

something.
2) Round out b) Something general
or that includes everything.
3) Respondent c) To exist for a long
time.
4) Lasting d) Set of questions
made to people.
5) Reign e) Half a litre.
6) Catch-all f) To relax.
7) Pint g) To be the most
important.
8) Survey h) A person who
answers a question.

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4) Read the following text and answer the questions:
a. How many parts can you identify?
b. Do you think the language is formal or informal? Why?
c. Is George giving an opinion? Is he giving reasons? Where?

203 Huntingdale Blvd.

Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
April 29, 1995

Editor
Scarborough Mirror

Dear editor:

I believe there should be no homework in the city of Scarborough. Do we not have

school six hours a day, thirty hours a week, one hundred hours a month, one thousand
two hundred hours a year? I believe we get, enough work in school, never mind at
home. Our teachers believe we are very hard workers. Imagine, homework on top of
sports, on top of after-school activities! We want a break.

Sincerely, George Turnipp

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