Worksheet Outline

Lesson 1: A Journey to our River

Research Question:

How do contextualized worksheets centered on Task Based Learning (TBL) contribute to

the development of seventh graders’ two oral communication micro-skills(*) in a rural public

school?

Learning Objectives

General Objective: To describe the landscape around the river and the importance of protecting it

for the community’s life.

 Specific Objectives: (a) To identify different activities people can do in the river; (b) to

use vocabulary related to landscape around the river; and (c) to express short ideas about

the importance of rivers in people's life.

Second Language Acquisition Principles (SLA)

 Achieve impact through novelty, variety, attractive presentation, and appealing content.

 Facilitate student self-investment, which aid the learner to make efficient use of resources

to facilitate self-discovery.

 Provide opportunities for communicate purposes in L2, fostering thereby language use,

not just usage.

 Take into account students' different learning styles such as visual, auditory, kinaesthetic,

studial, analytic, experimental, global, dependent, independent, etc.

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View of the nature of language

The international view, which according to Richards and Rogers (2001), helps students to achieve

facility to use language to receive and convey authentic messages. Language message content

should be organized by patterns of exchange and interaction.

View of Language Learning

The role of affect, in which the interaction of students with learning activities is shaped by

cognitive, psychological and experiential factors that generate affective interaction with the

learning process (Tudor, 2001).

Language Teaching and Learning Approach

The Task Based Learning (TBL) is the approach that under lies this pedagogical intervention.

Following Harmer (1988), it makes the performance of meaningful task central to the learning

process. Students are presented with a task that they have to perform or a problem they have to

solve. (p.71)

Language Learning Strategies

Direct Strategies

1 Memory strategy: Placing a word or phrase in a meaningful sentence, conversation or

story, in order to remember it.
4 Cognitive strategies: recognising and using routine formulas and patterns; recombining
elements in new ways to produce a longer sequence, as in linking one phrase with another in
a whole sentence; practicing naturalistically in the new language in natural, realistic
settings; and repeating or saying or writing the same several times.
1 Compensation strategy: Using mime or gesture to indicate the meaning. (Oxford, 1997).

Indirect Strategies

2 Metacognitive strategies: Self-evaluation

1 Social strategy: Cooperating with peers (Oxford, 1997).

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 Pragmatic purposes:

 What?

Speaking: Students will describe a visit to the river and what people can do there by

using suitable vocabulary as well as routine formulas and patterns.

 How?

Task Based Learning (TBL): The type of tasks allow students to use the language.

First Lesson

Pre-Speaking (In the classroom)

Organize a puzzle about the river and its landscape, identify basic vocabulary about the river and

use vocabulary in contextual sentences.

While- Speaking: (outside in the river)

Pair work to describe activities people can do in a river.

Post-Speaking: (in the classroom)

Group work to tink about the importance of our river to this community and answer this question

orally: Why is it important to protect our river?

Self-assessment

It poses question s in regards to the three theoretical constructs that frame this research study.

My worksheet…
Mi guía…
It does  It can be better 
offers a variety of oral communication tasks.
ofrece una variedad de tareas de comunicación oral.
has an attractive design and eye-catching photographs.
tiene un diseño atractivo y fotografías que captan la atención
visual.
has a useful content.
tiene un contenido útil.
considers my needs, preferences and learning styles.
considera mis necesidades, preferencias y estilos de aprendizaje.

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promotes the application of learning strategies that help me do or
solve the tasks.
promueve la aplicación de estrategias que me ayudan a hacer y
resolver tareas.
sequences the learning activities gradually so that I can learn in a
relaxed way.
secuencia gradual de actividades que me permiten aprender de
manera descomplicada.
provides opportunities to learn from both my classmates and
teacher’s observations.
promueve oportunidades para aprender tanto de mis compañeros
como de las observaciones de la profesora.

Learning in a rural context...

Aprender en un contexto rural…
Helps me use vocabulary related to actions people can do in Rio
Frio river.
me ayuda a usar vocabulario relacionado con actividades que la
gente puede hacer en el río.
allows me to express short ideas about the importance of rivers in
people's life.
me permite expresar ideas cortas sobre la importancia del rio en
la vida de las personas.
lets me describe the landscape around the river and the importance
of protecting it for the community’s life.
me permite describir el paisaje alrededor del rio y la importancia
de protegerlo en la vida de la comunidad.

helps me to identify different activities people can do in the river.

me ayuda a identificar las diferentes actividades que la gente
puede hacer en el rio.

To develop my oral communication…

I do I can improve
Para desarrollar mi comunicación oral…
I accomplish the communicative functions according to the
situation, participants, and goals.
logro funciones comunicativas acordes con la situación,
participantes y metas.
I use facial features and body language to complement verbal
language and convey meaning.
uso gestos faciales y lenguaje corporal para complementar el
lenguaje verbal y trasmitir un significado.
The task-based learning approach ...
It does It can be better
El enfoque basado en tareas…
makes me use the target language to achieve a particular outcome
within my rural context.
me hace usar el nuevo lenguaje para alcanzar un resultado
particular dentro de mi contexto rural.

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promotes materials (worksheets) didactically designed around a
series of authentic tasks.
promueve materiales (talleres) que son diseñados didácticamente
alrededor de una serie de tareas auténticas.
gives me opportunities to experience and use the language to
interact in real situations.
me da oportunidades para experimentar y usar el idioma e
interactuar en situaciones reales.

References

Núñez, A. (2010). Workshop on The Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL)

Núñez, A. (2011). Materials development in-class workshop for the MEED students at the
Universidad Externado de Colombia.

Núñez, A., Pineda, C., Tellez, M. (2004). Key aspects for developing your instructional
materials. PROFILE, Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Núñez, A., & Téllez, M. (2009). ELT materials: the key to fostering effective teaching and
learning settings. PROFILE Issues in Teachers’ Professional Development, 11(2).

Núñez, A., Téllez,M., Castellanos, J. and Ramos., B. (2009). A practical materials development
guide for EFL pre-service, novice and in-service teachers. Bogotá

Núñez, A., Téllez, M. F., & Castellanos, J. (2012). A framework for materials development: A
path for in-service teachers to build up the instructional design of their research projects.
In A. Núñez, M. F. Téllez, & J. Castellanos (Eds.), Teacher research on English didactics
issues (pp.17-37). Bogotá: Departamento de Publicaciones Universidad Externado de
Colombia. Departamento de Publicaciones Universidad Externado de Colombia.

Núñez, A., & Téllez, M. F. (2015). Reflection on teachers’ personal and professional growth
through a materials development seminar. HOW, A Colombian Journal for Teachers of
English, 22(2), 57-74.