English Language and Teaching Training Course

Course Contents

Module 1: The English Language Class

Session 1a Getting to know you activities (35 minutes)

Participants experience some getting to know you activities and discuss the value of using them in the
classes.

Session 1b Learning the first language /learning the second language (35 minutes)

Participants discuss the key similarities and key differences between acquiring the first language and
learning the second language

Session 2 Reading two stories Gasping Gasper and Chicken feed (40 minutes)

Participants read story and discuss with their partner to make sure that they have understood it.

English Language and Teaching Training Course

Course Contents

Module 1: The English Language Class

Session 1a Getting to know you activities (35 minutes)

Participants experience some getting to know you activities and discuss the value of using them in the
classes.

Session 1b Learning the first language /learning the second language (35 minutes)

Participants discuss the key similarities and key differences between acquiring the first language and
learning the second language

Session 2 Reading two stories Gasping Gasper and Chicken feed (40 minutes)

Participants read story and discuss with their partner to make sure that they have understood it.

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Session 1a Handout 1 Some pieces of...
Ask your colleagues question to find out more about them.

Some pieces of

An English word or expression

Date of birth

time
Favorite activities to do in free

What will you do on weekend?

If you could meet anyone

in the world, who would it
be? Why?

A good holiday

Something which makes you

Something which happy, why?
makes you angry,
why?

A free question

Session 1b Handout 2
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Is acquiring the first language/mother tongue the same as learning the second
language/English?
To what extent do you agree with the nine statements below? If yes, why/why not, and be ready to discuss
and compare with colleagues.

1. The first language acquisition is always natural and there is no need for instruction in acquiring it. On the
other hand second language learning needs a continuous guidance and instruction

2. In first language acquisition as well as in second language learning, the learners need comprehensible
input and opportunities to learn language in context in order to increase their proficiency.

3. The acquiring process of the first language and the learning process of the second is same as far as speed
is concerned.

4. I need to practice English language with native speakers of English to become a proficient speaker of
English as I practice first language with native speakers.

5. I need to have a sound knowledge of grammar to be an expert speaker of both first and second language.

6. If I make mistakes in my first language, no one notices but every one points out when I make mistakes in
English.

7. I get confused when I translate my native language into English.

8. I need to have same level of confidence to communicate in English as well in my first language.

9. As a teacher, I notice, my students feel more comfortable/relaxed when I explain in their first language.

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Session2 Handout 3
Read the story to share with a colleague

Gasping Grasper

China's greatest miser lay dying and he wanted to hand over the keys of his treasure house to someone who
would safeguard his wealth after he was gone. He had three sons to choose from, so he called them to his
bedside.

Turning to his eldest, he said, "Tell me, how you will conduct my funeral after I die?"

"It will be a grand funeral, father," said his son, earnestly. "I will have a silver coffin made for you and dress
you in robes embroidered in gold. Afterwards I will feed the poor for three days in your honor."

"You're a fool," rasped his father. "Silver coffin! Golden robes! You will feed the poor for three days! Oh,
woe is me! What a wastrel I've raised!" And he began sobbing in distress.

The second son realized that his father did not want much money to be spent on his funeral. So he said,
"Elder brother has extravagant ideas, father. I will see to it that you have a simple and inexpensive funeral.
Buddhist and Taoist priests will chant the prayers at your funeral. And there it will end. No feeding of the
poor or anything of that sort."

"Buddhist and Taoist priests!" gasped his father. "Oh, you nitwit, do you know how much those priests eat?!
And you have to pay them in gold afterwards!! You are as useless as your elder brother. Move aside, let us
hear what your younger brother has to say."

The youngest son had always loathed his father's niggardliness and now, disgusted with his behavior, said, "I
will spend no money on your funeral, father. In fact, I will make money when you die."

"And how will you do that, my son?" asked the miser, his eyes lighting up.

"As soon as you're dead I'll dump your body in a cart and take it to the various medical schools in the
Northern provinces and sell it to the highest bidder."

"You're a true son of your father!" said the miser, admiringly. "You shall be my heir." And he began to
grope under the pillows for the keys of his treasure house.

"But father!" said his elder son. "Did you hear what he said? He said he would sell your body to the highest
bidder in the Northern provinces!"

"I absolutely forbid you to do that," said the miser, looking sternly at his youngest son. "The northerners
want everything on credit. Take me to the southern provinces."

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Session 2 Handout 3
Read the story to share with a colleague

Chicken Feed.
Duan Guangqinj was a Chinese magistrate who lived about a hundred years ago. He was famed for the
fairness of his judgments.

One day while the magistrate was walking through a market he saw a crowd outside a poultry shop. On
enquiring what the matter was he learnt that a peasant had accidentally dropped a heavy sack on a chicken,
crushing it to death. The chicken was small, worth only about five coins, but the owner of the shop had
caught the peasant by his throat and was demanding a hundred. His argument was that the chicken would
have grown into a plump bird in another two years and then it would have fetched him the amount he was
asking for.

Somebody recognized the magistrate, and everybody made way for him.

“Judge our case, My Lord!" said the owner of the chicken, letting go of the peasant and bowing
obsequiously to the magistrate. “This man, through his carelessness has caused the death of a chicken that
would have fetched me a hundred coins in another two years!"

Fear had made the peasant’s speech incoherent. Nobody could understand what he was saying.

“The price put on the chicken is hundred coins," said the magistrate, to the peasant. “I advise you to pay."

There was a gasp from the crowd. Everybody had expected the magistrate to rule in the peasant’s favor.

The owner of the chicken was overjoyed.

“They said you were fair in your judgments, My Lord," he said, rubbing his hands in glee, “now I can say
there is no one fairer than you!"

“The Law is always fair," smiled the magistrate. “Tell me, how much grain a chicken eats in a year?"

“About half a sack," said the poultry shop owner.

“So in two years the chicken that died would have eaten a whole sack of grain," said Duan Guangqinj.
“Please give the sack of grain you’ve saved to this man."

The chicken owner turned pale. A sack of grain would cost more than hundred coins.Cowed by the jeers of
the crowd, he declared he would not take any money from the peasant, and retreated into the safety of his
shop.

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Stepwise Instructions for handout 3

1. Divide the class into 2 groups and hand out the texts.
2. Group A and B
3. Read the texts, talk about them within your group, and make sure they all understand everything. (5
minutes activity)
4. After 5 minutes or so, take the papers away.
5. Make pair of one A and B.
6. Tell their partner everything they learned from their text. Then they must listen to (and remember)
what the other student tells them about their group’s text.
7. Return to your original groups
8. Give them list of questions about their original text.
9. Pair them again, this time with a different person from the other group.
10. Test your partner using the questions about the text which their partner never read and was only told
about, and likewise answer questions about the text they were told about.