INTEGRATE SPEAKING, WRITING, LISTENING, AND READING IN A PRACTICAL WAY IN YOUR EFL CLASSES.

I would like to share some ideas about how to integrate speaking, writing, listening, and reading in a practical way in your EFL classes.

This is one of the activities I used with my intermediate-level students. It’s a running dictation.

But first of all, we have to understand what a running dictation is, right?

A Running dictation, according to wiktionary.org, is a “classroom exercise in which students run to a text, and then pass the message verbally to a partner.” During this activity, we will have to put the students in pairs (or groups).  

Remember that they will probably have to run in the classroom, so be make sure everything is okay in order to avoid accidents.

Each group will have to choose a writer and the runner(s). The writer will be responsible for writing down the sentences and the runner(s) for running (or walking if you like it) and dictate the sentences they will have to read (usually on the wall or on the board). The runner(s) will have to read silently and remember each sentence. (I particularly ask them to memorize only one sentence and run back to their writers).

The role of the writer is to write down the sentences in order to complete the whole text (or paragraph). They may also swap roles (the writers and the runners). As I believe students will only remember a few words (usually two or three) at a time, I would advise you to let them run back and forth until they finish the whole sentence.

In this very specific example, you could use one video and the speaker’s speech, so that students will have the chance to watch the video and listen to what the speaker is saying. I decided to use a video from Ted.com (video here).

I displayed two paragraphs (A and B below) on the wall and started the running dictation.  They will hear both paragraphs when they listen and watch the video.

A

Hello, everyone. Because this is my first time at TED, I've decided to bring along an old friend to help break the ice a bit. Yes. That's right. This is Barbie. She's 50 years old. And she's looking as young as ever.

B

My experience, however, in the Islamic world is very different. Where I work, in the Arab region, people are busy taking up Western innovations and changing them into things which are neither conventionally Western, nor are they traditionally Islamic.

The students had to choose between the groups (A or B) and do the activity.

When the first group finished I checked with them to see whether they had written the right sentences or not.

After that, I gave them the interactive transcript and played the talk three times giving them time to listen and complete the gaps.

The video:

Shereen El Feki: Pop culture in the Arab world

Hello, everyone. Because this is my first time at TED, I've decided to bring along an old friend to help break the ice a bit. Yes. That's right. This is Barbie. She's 50 years old. And she's looking as young as ever. (Laughter) But I'd also like to introduce you to what may be an unfamiliar face. This is Fulla. Fulla is the Arab world's answer to Barbie.

Now, according to proponents of the clash of (1) _________________, Barbie and Fulla occupy these completely separate spheres. They have different interests. They have (2) _______________ values. And should they ever come in contact ... well, I've got to tell you, it's just not going to be pretty.

My experience, however, in the Islamic world is very different. Where I work, in the Arab region, people are busy taking up Western innovations and changing them into things which are neither conventionally Western, nor are they traditionally Islamic. I want to show you two examples. The first is 4Shbab. It means "for youth" and it's a new Arab TV channel.

(Video): Video clips from across the globe. The USA.

♫ I am not afraid to stand alone ♫

♫ I am not afraid to stand alone, if Allah is by my side ♫

♫ I am not afraid to stand alone ♫

♫ Everything will be all right ♫

♫ I am not afraid to stand alone ♫

The Arab world.

(Music)

♫ She was preserved by modesty of the religion ♫ ♫ She was adorned by the light of the Quran ♫

Shereen El Feki: 4Shbab has been dubbed Islamic MTV. Its (3) ________________, who is an Egyptian TV producer called Ahmed Abu Haïba, wants young people to be inspired by Islam to lead better lives. He reckons the best way to get that (4) ___________________ across is to use the enormously popular medium of music videos. 4Shbab was set up as an alternative to existing Arab music channels. And they look something like this. (Music)

That, by the way is Haifa Wehbe. She's a Lebanese pop star and pan-Arab pin-up girl. In the world of 4Shbab, it's not about bump and grind. But it's not about fire and brimstone either. Its videos are intended to show a kinder, gentler face of Islam, for young people to deal with life's challenges.

Now, my (5)_________________ example is for a slightly younger crowd. And it's called "The 99." Now, these are the world's first Islamic superheroes. They were created by a Kuwaiti psychologist called Naif Al Mutawa. And his desire is to rescue Islam from images of intolerance, all in a child-friendly format. "The 99." The characters are meant to embody the 99 attributes of Allah: justice, wisdom, mercy, among others. So, for example, there is the character of Noora. She is meant to have the power to look inside people and see the good and bad in everyone. Another character called Jami has the ability to create fantastic inventions.

Now, "The 99" is not just a (6)__________________. It's now a theme park. There is an animated series in the works. And by this time next year, the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman will have joined forces with "The 99" to beat injustice wherever they find it.

"The 99" and 4Shbab are just two of many examples of this sort of Islamic cross-cultural hybridization. We're not talking here about a clash of civilizations. Nor is it some sort of indistinguishable mash. I like to think of it as a mesh of civilizations, in which the strands of different cultures are intertwined.

Now, while 4Shbab and "The 99" may look new and shiny, there is actually a very long tradition of this. Throughout its history, Islam has borrowed and adapted from other civilizations both ancient and modern. After all, it's the Quran which encourages us to do this: "We made you into nations and tribes so that you could learn from one another." And to my mind, those are pretty wise words, no matter what your creed. Thank you. (Applause)

  

I do hope you have enjoyed this activity! See you next time! 

You may also ask the students to write what they thought of the video on the ‘discuss session’ on the video on the site (here). 

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

Your feedback is welcome. Please direct comments and questions to me at bruno_coriolano@hotmail.com

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