Teaching ideas - Modal Verbs

There must be plenty of ideas about how to teach modal verbs. During my fifteen years as an EFL teacher/Professor, I have been dealing with lots of groups in which I was (still am) supposed to teach modal verbs.

Thinking about the many possible ways of introducing this grammar point, I decided to write some entries on how to teach modal verbs in English.

A great deal of teachers introduce such grammatical points, especially when it comes to obligation and permission, by talking about laws, rules, regulations in many different places (countries, cities, etc.).

For example, you can show the students some pictures of schools and just say “you have to stay at school until you are 18” or “You don’t have to go to school after you are 21”.

It is also possible to invent some stories (students love story telling) telling your students to look at the pictures below and create a dialogue or something like that.

A: I think it might be a(n)…

B: No, it is not. It has to be a…

Another possible way of talking about modal verbs in English is by asking students to search for crazy laws in some countries and ask them to describe the laws by using the modal verbs (should, must, have to).

 After that, divide the students into three (or more) groups and ask them to discuss their crazy laws.

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! 

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How to Teach Reported Speech: Alternative Approach.

  

Reported speech is used to talk about things other people have said. Instead of introducing this topic using a range of different tenses, stick with a very simple structure for this first lesson. “He said he liked soccer.” where both verbs are past tense, would be ideal. A lesson on reported speech is the perfect opportunity to review different structures and vocabulary.

How to Proceed

1 Warm up

Use the warm up activity to get some simple sentences on the board. You can elicit certain sentence structures if students need more practice with something in particular. You can do this by asking students to make groups and giving each group a different question to answer. This way you will get three to six sentences for each structure and can cover a range of topics. After giving students some time to discuss their questions and write individual answers, have volunteers read sentences aloud. Write some sentences and the names of the student volunteers on the board. Be sure to use at least one sentence from each group.

2 Introduce Reported Speech

You may choose to have students stay in their groups or return to their desks for the introduction. You can try to elicit the target structure by asking a question such as “What did Ben say?” Try to use a sentence that is written on the board. Most likely students will search for the name Ben and then read the sentence exactly as you have written it but you can then say “You’re right! He said he was very tired. Good job!” You have now introduced the target structure. Write the sentence He said he was very tired. on the board next to Ben’s original sentence I am very tired. Use a few more sentences from the warm up as examples and encourage students to make reported speech sentences. Now play a short game such as Crisscross with the remaining examples to give students some practice.

3 Practice

In their groups, students should trade sentences with group members and rewrite the sentences using the reported speech structure. Be sure to allow time for the majority of students to present their sentences to the class so that students can have lots of examples and some speaking practice. If students have questions, this is an excellent time to address them and review anything they are struggling with. Next use short video or audio clips for an exercise where students listen to material and complete a worksheet testing comprehension and practicing reported speech. You could also use a written dialogue for this type of activity but it will be more challenging if students have to listen to the material even if that means reading the dialogue aloud to the class. Check the answers as a class after several repetitions. If there is time, you can also play the material once more after the answers have been checked.

4 Produce

Reported speech is a great opportunity for students to do interviews with classmates, teachers or family members so this activity may be best as a homework assignment. If students have never had the opportunity to conduct interviews before, it would be good to provide them with several questions to ask. It may also be helpful to provide the translations of these questions for the interviewees.

5 Review

What students present depends on the amount of time you would like to spend on this activity. Students could either use the reported speech structure to talk about the response to one interview question or summarize their findings. This activity allows you to ensure that students are using the structure correctly. If students have difficulty with something, you can review and practice that in the warm up for the next lesson.

Being able to talk about things they have heard allows students to share more information. It is one thing to say what you think and totally different to talk about what other people have said. This will definitely be practiced further when you talk about giving advice because often someone will prompt advice giving by saying something like “I want to/think ~ but my parents said ~.” Covering this topic thoroughly now will give students the confidence to create this section of dialogue in giving advice dialogues and role plays later on.

See our Reported Speech worksheets here.

From: BusyTeacher.org

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 does not look right, contact me!

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What streaming radio stations are your favorite ones?

I have asked some of my Quora contacts if they could help me find some online radio stations they liked. The answers were almost instantaneously. The one I liked most was this one from Santa Monica, but I’ll post more options in the future.

I hope you listen to it as much as you can!

Remember: if you want to improve your English, you should listen to as many different resources as possible. The more you listen, the more you improve it (your listening skill).

KCRW = http://www.kcrw.com/

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 is, 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!

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Breaking the ice.

Submitted by Rachael Roberts on 15 September, 2014 - 09:47

http://zip.net/btpzpy

When I first learnt French at school, aged about 9 or 10, the teacher insisted on giving us all French names. I was annoyed because mine was Renee (not Rachel). Who was this Renee, and what did she have to do with me? I think the idea came from the method of Suggestopaedia, and was intended to give us new French identities in which we would not feel awkward about speaking French. Can’t say it worked!

However, there is some truth in the idea that many students find it difficult to take the risk of expressing themselves in a foreign language. They can feel shy, or embarrassed. For this reason, activities at the start of a new course, often called ice breakers, are much more than just a way to have some fun and create a nice atmosphere. They can really help you to promote a level of trust and openness in the class which will encourage students to take more risks with language and with what they are willing to contribute.

GETTING TO KNOW THE TEACHER

Showing a willingness to reveal something of yourself will often encourage students to feel more at ease with you, and to be more open themselves.

A simple activity is to tell the students you are going to tell them some facts about yourself..but one of the facts will be false. They then have to discuss together which fact is false, and say why. After you have heard their guesses, you can tell them the truth. They can then repeat the activity in pairs or small groups.

Alternatively you could show students three personal items you carry about with you, and ask them to make guesses about you, based on these items. Again, the activity can then be repeated by the students. Another version is to ask the students to guess what items you carry in your bag (probably works better for handbags). This will encourage them to speculate on what kind of person you are, if you have a family and so on. Then you show them the contents of your handbag and explain why you are carrying these old tickets, or where you first bought this perfume etc. I love this version, because handbags are so personal that students are quite excited at the thought of getting to see what’s in there (though I have to say I do look first to make sure there’s nothing embarrassing!).

GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

For this kind of ice breaker, you can have activities where students mingle and walk about, which can be great for getting up energy and breaking the awkward silence at the beginning, or, if your students are in fixed seats, there are plenty of activities for pairs and small groups.

Probably the most famous mingle activity is ‘Find someone who’, which dates back to at least 1983 (Frederike Klippel, Keep Talking). Students have a list of sentences such as ‘Find someone who has six cats’ and they have to mingle around asking questions until they find the right person for each statement. These can be pre-prepared by the teacher if s/he knows enough about the students, or the questions can be more random. Another way of doing this is to get the students to write the sentences, using ‘I’d like to find someone who…’. In this way they can search for people with common interests. When the activity is finished, students can feed back to the whole class, saying who they met and what they learnt about them.

Another classic activity, which I think originates from Gertrude Moskowitch’s Caring and Sharing in the Language Classroom, is Identity Cards. Students write on a large sticker their basic information (such as their name) and also some other information about themselves, for example, three words to describe themselves, or something they do well. They then mingle and read and discuss each other’s identity cards.

Or you could try activities where students go to different corners of the room, depending on their answers to a question. For example, ‘Are you a morning person or an evening person?’ The students go right or left and then briefly discuss with the people next to them the reasons for their choice. Another version gets students to stand on a cline. This can work well with adjectives- e.g. how confident are you? (far left very confident, and far right very unconfident). You could then get them to do it again and stand where they would like to be.

If you want or need students to remain seated, a very simple activity is to ask them to find three things they have in common with their neighbour that they can’t tell just by looking (and/or three things which are different).

Or, if you have more time, or want to go into more depth, you could ask students to write down a number of questions that they would like to be asked about their life and interests. They then swap the questions with a neighbour and carry out an interview with each other. This has the great advantage that students can avoid touchy subjects and that they will probably talk at some length about what they do want to talk about.

Giving students some time to prepare before discussion usually pays off. A useful technique is to get them to draw a PIE CHART about themselves. This could represent how much of their day they spend on different activities, or what things they are interested in, with bigger slices of pie for those that interest them the most. They then show each other the charts and explain and answer questions.

Or you could ask students to draw a simple map of their life, with symbols along the way to represent milestones. This will work better if you do it yourself first, and, of course, has the advantage of introducing you to them as well.

The possibilities are endless, and, of course, you don’t have to do these activities at the beginning of a new year. They can work any time as a way of deepening the interaction between you and the students and between the students themselves.

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 is, 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.

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The 14th BRAZ-TESOL International Conference ‘Emerging Identities in ELT’ will be held in Joao Pessoa.

The 14th BRAZ-TESOL International Conference ‘Emerging Identities in ELT’ will be held at Escola Internacional Cidade Vivain Joao Pessoa between April 30th and May 3rd, 2014.

A forum for professionals in the field of English Language Teaching, the International Conference promotes the discussion of practical and theoretical issues related to the teaching of English to speakers of other languages. It is a unique opportunity for BRAZ-TESOL members and international colleagues to get together, present their work and reflect on their practice.

The Academic Committee invites all BRAZ-TESOL members and international colleagues – teachers, teacher trainers, researchers, program administrators, and material writers – to submit proposals for presentations at the Conference.

The closing date for receipt of proposals is December 20th, 2013, but we encourage you to submit your work as early as possible. Visit our website www.braztesol.org.br to submit your proposal form.

All proposals will be read by members of the Academic Committee and designated readers, and notification of acceptance will be sent by mid-January, 2014.

All Brazilians must be BRAZ-TESOL members in good standing in order to be able to present. International delegates need to indicate their country of origin in the registration process as they will pay a special fee for international delegates.

Please note: Workshops, papers and talks are usually conducted in English; however, proposals for presentations in Portuguese will be considered.

Closing Date: December 20th, 2013

We look forward to hearing from you and receiving your proposal.

Marcelo Barros

President, BRAZ-TESOL

Entrevista com o professor Cláudio Azevedo.

Voltamos das nossas férias em alto nível com essa entrevista concedida no final do ano passado pelo professor Cláudio Azevedo. Muito conhecido no meio virtual pelos trabalhos que desenvolve com seus blogs, Cláudio fala um pouco de suas experiências como docente e no mundo virtual e muitas outras coisas mais. Apreciem essa entrevista e se gostarem, curtam nossa página no Facebook. 

01.        Poderia fazer um breve resumo da sua vida acadêmica-profissional? Como você avaliaria o ensino superior na área de Letras no nosso país? Esse ensino é satisfatório ou deveria passar por adequações?

Trabalho na Casa Thomas Jefferson, Brasília, há 27 anos. Sou formado em Letras. Acho que o ensino de Letras no Brasil precisa melhorar muito. No caso do meu curso, Letras-Inglês na UnB, eu tive colegas e professores de altíssimos níveis. Porém, nos cursos de Letras-Português, percebi pessoas com níveis muito aquém do que esperado para um curso superior. Há uma necessidade muito grande de adequações, mas talvez a principal delas seja a valorização do professor da área, o que atrairia pessoas mais qualificadas a fazer Letras e ensinar nas faculdades. O ensino da Língua Estrangeira é visto por muitos como um trabalho temporário e não uma opção de vida. Por isso pessoas de outras áreas que não Letras são procuradas e desejadas em cursos de línguas. Apesar de temporários, possuem muitas vezes nível de inglês melhor que os próprios alunos de Letras.

TESOL 2012 - Movie Segments and Grammar: The Perfect Connection

02.        Como aprendeu a falar inglês? Teve ajuda de algum recurso? Qual a importância de saber falar inglês no mundo globalizado como esse em que vivemos?

Aprendi inglês onde eu ensino hoje, na Casa Thomas Jefferson.

Comecei com 12 anos de idade, formei-me nessa Instituição, fiz o Teacher Development Course, e nunca mais saí da Casa. Quando estudei inglês, uma segunda língua era um ponto a mais, um bônus inestimável. Hoje em dia não dá para procurar um bom emprego ou seguir uma carreira sem falar inglês. Falar bem, e não arranhá-lo. Inglês é simplesmente pré-requisito para uma boa carreira em qualquer área. Os recursos hoje são infindáveis, mas na minha época de aluno, o grande recurso era o professor e nossa motivação. Ou seja, ensinava-se e aprendia-se inglês antes do powerpoint e computadores.

03.        Você tem preferencia por algum método ou abordagem? Acredita que algum deles seja mais eficiente e algum menos eficiente?

Para mim, o melhor método é o melhor de cada método. Podemos fazer uso de vários aspectos das diferentes abordagens e métodos para compormos as nossas aulas. A abordagem comunicativa é muito interessante para o aluno e professor, mas acrescentar elementos de outros métodos pode ser bastante saudável. Porém, na nossa Instituição usamos a abordagem comunicativa, uma maneira de estimular a criatividade do professor ao elaborar seu plano de aula, sem engessá-lo em um determinado método.

TESOL em New Orleans 2011

04.        Quando decidiu que queria ser professor de língua inglesa?

Desde muito novo, mas minha família era contra. Achava que eu não conseguiria me sustentar na área da educação. Formei originalmente em Economia, e só depois enveredei no ensino de Língua Estrangeira. Investi na área e nunca deixei de dar aulas. Adoro o que faço.

05.        Já pensou, em algum momento, em desistir da carreira de professor e fazer outra coisa completamente diferente?

Algumas vezes. Nossa profissão é desgastante, cansativa mesmo. Mas é muito gratificante também. Acho que não faria nada tão bem como dar aulas e desenvolver materiais pedagógicos para o ensino.

06.        Como você avalia o ensino de Línguas Estrangeiras no Brasil?

Lausanne, Suiça

Acho que os professores de inglês são a categoria de professores mais organizada no Brasil. Há dezenas de seminários e convenções que ajudam muito a qualificação destes profissionais. Existem algumas boas escolas de inglês no Brasil, mas infelizmente, a maioria promete o que não pode cumprir, como curso completo em 1 ano, ou 1 ano e meio. Isso compromete a nossa credibilidade. Claro que se ensina inglês em 1 ano, ou 1 ano e meio, mas logicamente não é o curso completo. Outro problema é a rotatividade dos professores de inglês. É difícil mantê-los por muito tempo nas nossas escolas, mesmo por que muitos veem o ensino de inglês como uma coisa temporária, um bico. Isso compromete a qualidade do ensino significativamente.

07.        Você tem dois blogs sensacionais, um voltado para a parte estrutural da língua – gramatica, e o outro focando em atividades com vídeos, filmes. Como surgiram as ideias para a criação de cada blog?

Eu sempre fiz este tipo de atividade ao longo da minha vida profissional. O que aconteceu é que a tecnologia atual me permitiu compartilhar o que faço com o mundo. Isso é genial. Hoje assisto a filmes com olhos voltados ao meu blog, levo post-its ao cinema e anoto a cena que pode ser útil. Agora é um caminho sem volta. Meus leitores são exigentes e cobram novas atividades e dão sugestões que não posso descartar. Mas a criação dos blogs foi um dever de casa. Ao aprender como se faz um blog, meu professor passou como dever de casa a criação de um blog. Logo, peguei todas as minhas atividades e coloquei nos blogs. Ou seja, foi uma coisa inesperada, mas o resultado foi estupendo. Agradeço ao meu professor por ter me ensinado o básico sobre blogs, wikis, etc. Mas foi preciso ir à luta e botar tudo que aprendi em prática.

08.        Qual a importância do uso dos recursos tecnológicos para o ensino/aprendizagem de uma língua estrangeira?

Fundamental. O mundo hoje é muito diferente. As crianças e jovens veem na tecnologia um atrativo que faz parte do seu dia a dia. Não incluir recursos tecnológicos nas aulas é um tiro no pé. Porém, como se usa o recurso tecnológico é que realmente faz a diferença. Não adianta ter muitos recursos e a aula continuar chata. Nada como um bom professor para aperfeiçoar estes recursos e fazer da sua presença um elemento crucial para uma boa aula.

09.        Além de inglês, você fala outros idiomas? Usou técnicas similares em todos ou cada um foi estudado (aprendido) de forma diferente?

Falo espanhol, francês e português, é claro. Entendo e me comunico em italiano também, mas muito pouco. Aprendi o básico, mas o suficiente para minhas viagens. Aprendi em cursos de língua, como aprendi inglês.

10.        Já viveu alguma situação inusitada durante todos esses anos de ensino?

Situações inusitadas acontecem sempre, independentemente do seu tempo de experiência. Mas a mais inusitada de todas foi dar aulas para iniciantes em inglês que tiveram muita pouca formação formal em suas línguas maternas, junto com alunos com enorme facilidade para o aprendizado. Como ensinar o alfabeto, soletração, conceitos gramaticais, se essas pessoas não o sabem em português? Foi um grande desafio, mas o meu sucesso foi bem questionável.

TEFL - SP July 2011

11.        Quais seriam os principais problemas encontrados por um profissional de idiomas na região onde você atua?

Conseguir treinamento continuado, uma carga horaria cheia que o permita sobreviver sem precisar trabalhar em varias escolas ou ter outros empregos.

12.        O que se esperar de um professor e um aluno de idiomas? Quais deveriam ser os papeis de ambos?

Comprometimento. O professor e aluno comprometido, motivado, antenado com o mundo é uma fórmula de sucesso. Ambos precisam usar recursos tecnológicos, mas não o fazem como deveriam. O aluno usa a tecnologia no seu dia a dia, mas reluta em utilizá-lo para estudar em casa. O professor também domina estes recursos, mas tem pouco conhecimento teórico que o ajude a dosar e aplicar o que sabe eficazmente. Aos mais antigos e experientes falta a compreensão que o mundo muda rapidamente e que o que funcionava há pouco tempo atrás não funciona mais hoje em dia. É preciso atualizar-se sempre e gostar do que faz.

13.        Obrigado pela atenção e por ter compartilhado um pouco da sua vivencia no ensino de idiomas com vários profissionais da área (muitos professores me escrevem dizendo que leem todas as entrevistas). Você deixaria alguma mensagem para professores e estudantes de língua inglesa?

O importante na nossa profissão é trabalhar com amor. É preparar aulas com os nossos alunos em mente. Agradá-los, mas provendo conteúdo significativo. É preciso investir sempre em qualificação. Não deixe de ir a convenções nacionais e internacionais como o TESOL, BRAZ-TESOL, CTJ Seminar, participar de webinars, enfim, continuar crescendo. Compartilhe o que você faz. Isto só traz dividendos ao professor. Vejo, por exemplo, o que compartilhar minhas atividades nos meus blogs, totalmente gratuitos, pode me trazer em retorno. Não devemos só usufruir o que a internet nos oferece, mas sim compartilharmos também o que fazemos de melhor, mesmo que seja com o colega que está próximo. Não desanime. Nossa profissão é cansativa e demanda muito da gente, mas é também uma das mais prazerosas que há.

Learning English by playing Games.

O jogo da semana ficará postado ali no lado esquerdo do blog e os alunos poderão jogar e aprender inglês após clicar sobre a imagem do mesmo. Para entender o jogo, além da leitura das instruções, recomendo assistir esse trailer:

A ideia para a inclusão dessa nova ferramenta veio por meio da leitura do livro PRACTICE TEACHING: A REFLECTIVE APPROACH do Professor e Linguista, Jack C. Richards, que trata o assunto da seguinte forma:

A further important component of professional knowledge in today’s classroom has been termed “technological pedagogical content knowledge”, or TPCK (Mishra and Koehler 2006) – that is, the ability to incorporate and integrate technology into teaching.

Indo mais além, o próprio Jack acrescenta sobre o uso da tecnologia no ensino:

The use of technology in teaching becomes more important in present times because teachers also have to be able to keep up with the technological knowledge of their students. Young learners today have more access to information and more tools available to them to manage their own learning. 

Ainda mencionando o Professor, gostaria de registrar aqui a minha felicidade por ter me encontrado com o mesmo no Cambridge Day 2012. Jack Richards, autor, entre muitos livros e artigos, da série “INTERCHANGE”, mostrou-se uma pessoa de fácil acesso e bastante engajado no ensino de língua inglesa. 

Jack C. Richards and Bruno Coriolano. 

Richards, Jack C.. PRACTICE TEACHING: A REFLACTIVE APPROACH / Jack C. Richards, Thomas S. C. Farrell. Cambridge University Press. 2011.

Caso você procure pelo link mais adiante e o jogo postado ali ao lado já seja outro e não esse indicado na postagem, clique aqui >> LINK << para ser direcionado à página do mesmo.