IT WORKS IN PRACTICE More tested lessons, suggestions, tips and techniques which have all
worked for ETp readers. Try them out for yourself – and then send us
your own contribution.
All the contributors to It Works in Practice in this issue of ETp will
receive a free copy of Sound Foundations by Adrian Underhill,
published by Macmillan. Macmillan have kindly agreed to be sponsors
of It Works in Practice for the coming year and contributors will be
given copies of books in their Teacher Development Series.
Famous numbers
Dropping a clanger
I came up with this idea while browsing through a puzzle magazine.
After having presented and practised a situational It has proved very useful for revising spelling and phone numbers
dialogue in class, such as buying a ticket at the station, with beginners. It also makes a nice filler.
shopping or eating out, I show my students (much to their
I start to draw a mobile phone on the board. After drawing a few
amusement) a clip from a video of The Clangers. For those
lines, I ask my students what they think it is. They tend to guess
of you who didn’t grow up in Britain in the seventies, the things like a house or a box before they eventually guess it is a
Clangers are animated ‘moon mice’ who communicate via mobile phone. I marvel at how perceptive
modulated whistling. I point out or elicit that the Clangers they are while I finish drawing the
can understand each other, and I encourage the students numbers. I then elicit which letters go with
to guess what they’re saying. each number.
The students then repeat the original situational dialogue, 2
3 Once we have a state-of-the-art, new-
1 DEF generation mobile phone on the board, I
but whistle it like Clangers. They then go on to invent ABC
another dialogue in pairs and they perform it to the class, 6 tell the students that I am going to give
5
4 MNO them the phone number of a well-known
who have to guess where they are and what they’re JK L
GHI film star. Of course, since this person is
9
talking about. 7
8
rich and famous, she has two mobile
W XYZ
TUV
This is a very useful exercise as it dissociates pitch from PQRS # phones with different numbers. The
0 star’s numbers might be 726372 and
words and syntax. If you cannot lay your hands on a ,
video of the Clangers, other alternatives in which 2855625. Once they have written
communication is achieved via wordless noises include down both numbers and we have duly checked
them, I challenge them to find out the name of the hidden star. I
R2D2 (in the Star Wars films) and Pingu.
Annette Margolis give them this hint: choosing the right letters below each number
Latina, Italy on the mobile phone and making the necessary combinations with
them (eg 7 could be either P, Q, R or S), the first phone number
will lead to the star’s first name, while the second will give the
surname. In my example, the star is Sandra Bullock.
Banishing Boring Bob Once the students have worked out the name, I ask one of them to
Faced with an uninspiring text of the ‘Bob gets up at 7
spell it out loud while I write it on the board, eliciting any changes
o’clock. He drives to work.’ variety, I liven things up by where necessary. Then I dictate some more numbers and make sure
encouraging a little student sabotage. They take turns to they have grasped the idea before letting them produce their own
read a few sentences, substituting occasional words and numbers and enjoy playing the game in pairs. I walk around giving
phrases with others of their choice. ‘Bob drinks beer/ help whenever a student wants to check the spelling before giving
kisses his girlfriend/goes back to sleep at 7 o’clock. He the numbers to their partner.
swims/skateboards/skis to work.’ Those listening shout
out as they spot the differences, ‘No, he doesn’t, he ….’. The students get so involved that they forget that they are
practising numbers and spelling – they are just having fun!
From a teaching perspective it is sound: students are
Do you know whose these numbers are? Are they among your
reading closely for meaning, discovering which sentence
favourite stars?
elements are actually substitutable and using language
creatively. From the students’ point of view, it’s a good 642653 – 543626 • 42774766 – 3673
deal more entertaining than boring old Bob. José Luis Rupérez
Gillian Twine Madrid, Spain
Stamford, UK (If you’ve solved José Luis Rupérez’s famous names, why not have a go at our
competition on page 20?)
42 • Issue 27 April 2003 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •
The mobile art gallery
In his article, The human classroom,
(ETp Issue 23), Mario Rinvolucri mentions
how some teachers bring in flowers or
play music in an attempt to make the
classroom an enjoyable environment for
learning. I have searched for a way to
bring some humanity, and inject my own
personality, into my language classrooms
in Japan. I also want to encourage my
students to communicate with me beyond
what is expected by the coursebook. The
problem is that I have to move from
classroom to classroom throughout the
day, so setting up art and pictures, as I
did in my classroom when I was in the
United States, is out of the question. To
solve this I have created a simple plywood
box, about the size of a shopping bag,
and glued large squares of cork to all the
sides. On this mobile art gallery I pin an
ever-changing assortment of family Letter hunt Taken for a ride
pictures, and photos of students, festivals In this game, students have to go around As we live at the seaside with
and places I have visited at the weekend. the school or local area, following written wonderful beaches and a lagoon
I also pin ticket stubs from films I've instructions which you have given them,
seen, programmes from concerts, etc. I and writing down letters to make up a which is suitable for all kinds of
try to arrive a few minutes early for each message. For example: water sports, I took it for granted
class and put my ‘picture box’ on the ‘Go straight out of the classroom door that this activity would be very
front desk. I then busy myself taking out and turn left. Continue along the corridor. enjoyable.
the contents of the box (it also serves as What’s the letter on the second door on
the right? Write it down. Turn right and Students were invited to take part
a mobile filing cabinet and coursework
go down the stairs and out of the main
storage place) and getting the room in a boat ride, during which they
entrance. Go straight ahead for about 50
ready for the lesson. yards. What is the third letter of the name could speak only English. When
Students inevitably gather around the of the house directly opposite you? Write they arrived at the harbour, they
box, checking out the items and pictures. it down. ... Now divide the letters into a were presented with a tour
sentence. What does it say?’
This always leads to some conversation or brochure in their mother tongue,
The message should be something
at least a few questions or statements. If divided into groups and given time
obvious like ‘We’re the winners’ or ‘That’s
a student says, ‘Oh, I saw that movie, the answer’. to prepare to play the role of tour
too!’, I can then ask what they thought Obviously, you need to choose the guides. Each group chose a place
of it. If I have a quiet group, I can point class and the route carefully. I once made
which the boat would pass and
out pictures and ask the students about the mistake of directing an afternoon
them. It has been a good, productive class past the pub – they never made it wrote a description of it in English,
classroom investment. back! based on the brochure. They then
Pat Dougherty Alex Case got on the boat, and each group
Himeji, Japan London, UK
took a turn acting as tour guides
for an audience of classmates and
Cheering correction tourists (who were told that it was
Write several sentences on the board, some with mistakes. Point to the a special tour).
sentences one by one and ask students to cheer or boo according to whether
they think it is correct or not. When you all reach a consensus, put a cross If you are not lucky enough to live
next to the incorrect sentences. Then point to the incorrect sentences word by the sea, this idea could also be
by word, and ask students to boo or cheer until all the mistakes are located. adapted for a bus tour.
Finally, ask students to correct them.
Simon Mumford Maria Emília Soares Guimarães
Izmir, Turkey Cabo Frio, Brazil
• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 27 April 2003 • 43
