Course: Teaching of English (6508) Semester: Spring, 2021

Level: M.A Education

ASSIGNMENT No. 2

Q. 1 Write in detail rules for letter writing in English.

Rules for Writing Formal Letters in English

In English there are a number of conventions that should be used when formatting a formal or
business letter. Furthermore, you try to write as simply and as clearly as possible, and not to
make the letter longer than necessary. Remember not to use informal language like contractions.

Addresses:

1) Your Address
The return address should be written in the top right-hand corner of the letter.

2) The Address of the person you are writing to

The inside address should be written on the left, starting below your address.

Date:

Different people put the date on different sides of the page. You can write this on the right or the
left on the line after the address you are writing to. Write the month as a word.
Salutation or greeting:

1) Dear Sir or Madam,

If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, use this. It is always advisable to
try to find out a name.

2) Dear Mr Jenkins,
If you know the name, use the title (Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms, Dr, etc.) and the surname only. If you
are writing to a woman and do not know if she uses Mrs or Miss, you can use Ms, which is for
married and single women.

Ending a letter:

1) Yours faithfully
If you do not know the name of the person, end the letter this way.

2) Yours sincerely
If you know the name of the person, end the letter this way.

3) Your signature
Sign your name, then print it underneath the signature. If you think the person you are writing to
might not know whether you are male of female, put you title in brackets after your name.

Content of a Formal Letter

First paragraph
The first paragraph should be short and state the purpose of the letter- to make an enquiry,
complain, request something, etc.

The paragraph or paragraphs in the middle of the letter should contain the relevant information
behind the writing of the letter. Most letters in English are not very long, so keep the information
to the essentials and concentrate on organising it in a clear and logical manner rather than
expanding too much.
Last Paragraph
The last paragraph of a formal letter should state what action you expect the recipient to take- to
refund, send you information, etc.

Abbreviations Used in Letter Writing

The following abbreviations are widely used in letters:

• asap = as soon as possible

• cc = carbon copy (when you send a copy of a letter to more than one person, you use this
abbreviation to let them know)
• enc. = enclosure (when you include other papers with your letter)
• pp = per procurationem (A Latin phrase meaning that you are signing the letter on
somebody else's behalf; if they are not there to sign it themselves, etc)
• ps = postscript (when you want to add something after you've finished and signed it)
• pto (informal) = please turn over (to make sure that the other person knows the letter
continues on the other side of the page)
• RSVP = please reply

Outline: A Covering Letter

A covering letter is the one that accompanies your CV when you are applying for a job. Here is a
fairly conventional plan for the layout of the paragraphs.

Opening Paragraph
Briefly identify yourself and the position you are applying for. Add how you found out about the
vacancy.

Paragraph 2
Give the reasons why you are interested in working for the company and why you wish to be
considered for that particular post. State your relevant qualifications and experience, as well as
your personal qualities that make you a suitable candidate.
Paragraph 3
Inform them that you have enclosed your current CV and add any further information that you
think could help your case.

Closing Paragraph
Give your availability for interview, thank them for their consideration, restate your interest and
close the letter.

Outline: A Letter of Enquiry

A letter of enquiry is when you are approaching a company speculatively, that is you are making
an approach without their having advertised or announced a vacancy.

Opening Paragraph
Introduce yourself briefly and give your reason for writing. Let them know of the kind of
position you are seeking, why you are interested and how you heard about them.

Paragraph 2
Show why their company in particular interests you, mention your qualifications and experience
along with any further details that might make them interested in seeing you.

Paragraph 3
Refer to your enclosed CV and draw their attention to any particularly important points you
would like them to focus on in it.

Closing Paragraph
Thank them, explain your availability for interview and restate your enthusiasm for their
company and desire to be considered for posts that might as yet be unavailable.

Reference:

https://www.usingenglish.com/resources/letter-writing.php
Q. 2 Explain the teaching of English poetry at secondary level

Introduce poetry with poems that your students can relate to.
This is huge. You have to hook students on poetry from the get go. My of them
have a preconceived notion that poetry is boring, for older folks, for girls, you
name it. It’s your job to hook them! My 2 favorite poems to read to students are
“Sick” by Shel Silverstein with reasons that . . . “Little Peggy Ann McKay cannot
go to school today. She has the measles and the mumps, a rash, a gash, and purple
bumps.” {You have to put on your silly acting hat and use a great voice when you
read this poem!} At this point all of the students are with me and are starting to
see that poetry can be silly, fun, and creative! Next up, I read Silverstein’s poem,
“Sarah Cynthia Silvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out.” Once students
have hear these two poems, the walls of resistance start coming down. Most of my
students can connect with these two themes of being sick and not wanting to take
the garbage out.

Read each poem aloud to students more than once

I am a firm believer in reading a poem at least twice. Of ten on the first reading
because students are so engrossed in the story the poem is trying to tell that they
miss all the poetry elements. By reading a poem a second time, students can start
to listen for the important components, and they’ll discover thi ngs not seen
before.. When you reread the poem, ask students to listen for patterns and for the
overall flow of the words. Do any words stand out? Why do you think the author
chose the words she or he did to convey the meaning? These pieces of the puzzle
help create the mood, feeling tone, and message of the poem. Most importantly,
do this process with students the first few times so they realize you can’t read a
poem once and “get” the meaning on the first go -round. It takes many readings.
Set up a poetry corner in your classroom
I love getting students excited and keeping them excited about reading poetry.
One of my favorites is to transform my reading corner into a poetry display
corner. I pull out all of my books relating to poetry and put them o n display. Use
post-it-notes with arrows and put them on the pages of the poems you enjoy and
write things like, “Great use of alliteration!” and “The author repeats the word,
‘thump’ three times.” etc. This simple task shows students what’s on your mi nd
when you read the poem.

Learn about the poet prior to reading their poetry

A lot of poets write poems about their mood, life events, family and relationships,
and nature. First, learn as much as you can about the poet. Where and in what
time period did he or she live? Understanding the time period the poem the poem
was written and the background of the poet is essential to drawing conclusions
about the poem’s meaning.

Spend time analyzing poetry to really understand the authors purpose

The fun part of analyzing poetry is figuring out what the poet was trying to say.
This is where the use of figurative language comes in. It’s what makes the poetry
have that music-like rhythm and flow. It’s the flow of the words, the rhythm of
the beat, the pattern of the syllables, it’s the words carefully chosen to create
images in the reader’s mind. It’s really important that you spend time reading the
poems yourself and fully understand it before you attempt teach it to students.
Teaching children to analyze p oetry isn’t one of those things you can just pick up
and teach; some poems really are hard for adults to understand, let alone ask
students to understand. You really need to spend time thinking, reflecting, asking
questions about what you’ve read, and real ly understand the poem yourself.

Start each day with a read aloud poem

I like to start off each day during the poetry unit with a read aloud. Kids really
enjoy hearing poems and the writing voice of different authors. If you aren’t big
into reading, you can put a youtube video of someone performing poetry reading
as well. Shel Silvertein has recorded quite a few videos on youtube and uses a
great voice to read them. Remember to read a variety of poems so that you can
reach all of your kids.

Teach figurative language to help students better understand the poem’s

meaning
Some poems require very basic surface level understanding while other poems are
challenging to grasp what the poet is really trying to say. Poems often use
metaphors, similes, onomatopoeia, alliteration, idioms, and other figurative
language. Teach students the meaning of these kinds of figurative language.
Understanding these poetic devices will help unlock the meaning hidden within
some poems and allow for deeper critical thinking.
Get excited when you teach poetry, let loose
When you really enjoy reading and responding to poetry, your students will pick
up on your excitement. Use the funny voices when you read aloud. Laugh at the
funny parts. I’m totally an introvert, so this is hard me, but my students really
enjoyed when I read poems

Give kids a chance to write their own poetry

To solidify students love for poetry, let them write! You can provide them with
many different styles, alliterations, haikus, “I am”, 5 senses, concrete, etc. As
long as students are writing poetry, I don’t mind! Teach students that poetry
doesn’t have to rhyme. Let them experience the fun of writing their own poems
about what interests them.

Encourage students to share their poetry

Once students have written some poetry of their own, let them show it off! There
are a few ways I like to do this. #1: You can pair up students allow them to share
their written works in buddy pairs. This is great because it’s a small group and
helps build classroom relationships and confidence. I then encourage students to
 share kind feedback the poem their partner wrote. #2: Have students read their
poems aloud to the class. I like this as well because it helps foster public
speaking skills and students get to share with the whole class a poem they wrote
and are proud of. #3: Display their written works on the wall! Often times my
students write their own poetry and add pictures to go with it, and it makes decor
in your classroom.

Reference:

https://mrsrenz.com/10-poetry-tips/

Q. 3 What are the fundamentals of lesson planning to teach English. Make a lesson plan
on any topic from secondary level English.

1. What is the main topic of the lesson? If the activities in the lesson have a logical link then the
learners will be able to follow you and the lesson, more easily.
2. How can I arouse their interest? Begin the lesson by involving the children straight away. Show
them a picture, photo or object to capture their attention and indicate which topic the lesson is
based on.
3. How can I challenge them? Every learner, whatever their age or level needs to be challenged. If
there's no challenge then there's no learning. If there's no learning, there's no motivation. Think
about what they already know and make sure your lesson isn't just teaching them the same thing.
4. How much should I review what they've already done? Having said you should challenge them,
you can and should review previous words and work in general. Teaching a word one lesson
doesn't mean that all the learners have actually learnt it for the next. Incorporate previously
taught language in new situations to give the learners more practice.
5. What are the objectives of the lesson? It's vital to always think about 'why' they are doing an
activity, game or song. Everything on your plan should be educational. If you don't know what
an activity is teaching the learners then take it off your plan.
6. What vocabulary do I want to teach them? If you prepare beforehand exactly what words you are
going to concentrate on and how you are going to present them you will be better equipped to
explain them clearly to the children.
7. How can I explain the activities? You should prepare, at least mentally, how you are going to
explain each activity. Explanations should be short, clear and visual. Don't forget to demonstrate
and check their understanding by getting one or two of them to demonstrate for you. Also decide
how you are going to write on the board. You can draw a diagram on your plan to remind you so
that it's clearer for the learners.
8. How much detail do I need on my plan? If you're working from a book then don't forget page
numbers. As a guideline, imagine that someone else has to cover your class. They should be able
to read your plan and teach your lesson.
9. What order should I teach the activities in? As a very general rule you can start with an
introduction to the lesson, introduce the new language, give the children some controlled practice
and move onto freer practice. Finally review what they've done and get feedback from the
children themselves about what they did.
10. What problems might I have? If you're not sure if an activity will work; if you think it's too hard
or too long then take time before the lesson, at the planning stage, to think about how to resolve
any problems that could arise. Problems could be activity related or time-table related, student
related or even teacher-related. Taking those extra minutes when planning to think about possible
solutions could avoid you having a disastrous lesson.

• Have a lesson plan template that you can just fill in and print off.

• Have your plan to hand at all times during the lesson.

• Tick the activities that worked well as you do them.

• Make any extra comments at the end of the lesson about what worked and what didn't to help
you plan your next lesson.

• Plan a series of lessons that are linked to the same theme to have coherence to your lessons.

• Have extra activities ready just in case they finish early. This can be for both mid-lesson for
quick finishers or at the end of the lesson if your plan is shorter than you imagined.

• Remember to allow time for preparation, action and reviewing.

• An example of controlled practice is when you provide sentences with missing words. The
learners need to fill in the gap to talk to their partner and in this way everyone produces similar
language. Freer practice is when you set up the situation, for example meeting someone new, and
you let the children decide on their own role-play language using what they know and what they
have recently learnt. You will probably do more 'freer practice' with older primary learners than
the younger ones who have limited language at their disposal.

Reference:

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/lesson-plans

Q. 4 Explain the need and importance of lesson planning to teach English as a second
language.

Why is lesson planning important?

Every teacher is required to prepare a lesson plan because this is considered as guide for the
day’s lessons. Lesson planning is important because it gives the teacher a concrete direction of
what she/he wants to take up for the day. Research has shown that student learning is correlated
to teacher planning. One major explanation is that when plan is ready, teachers can focus on its
implementation. When teachers do not have to think so much about what they need to do next
they are able to focus on other parts of the lesson.
Lesson planning is important because it helps teachers ensure that the day-to-day activities that
go on in their classrooms are providing students with an adequate level of long –term progress
toward the goals outlined in their scope and sequence, as well as their individual education plans
when necessary.
An effective lesson plan includes several elements: learning objectives, quality questions,
supplies and activities. It is important to have the learning objectives in mind because those
should drive the development and implementation of all activities in the classroom. Quality
questions are inquiries that the teacher plans to direct at the students over the course of the
lesson. Sometimes these questions are rhetoric in nature, but more often they are designed to
help the student think at a higher level than simple memorization and comprehension. It is
important to come up with a plan for assessment to determine whether the class has met its
targets.

Lesson planning is a complex yet essential part of the teaching process that changes over time as
teachers gain more hands-on experience.

Need of lesson planning

• Through lesson planning the subject is organized properly.

• It keeps the teacher free from the faults of thoughtless teaching.

• It makes the proper atmosphere for learning process.

• The teacher also gets a clear idea about when they should start evaluation and when they
should proceed to the next lesson.

• Lesson plans helps in organized teaching and saves time.

• Lesson plans allow the teacher to apply appropriate strategy.

• Teacher will be more prepared and confident while teaching the lesson.
Reference:

http://mpbou.edu.in/slm/B.Ed_SLM/bedteb3u4.pdf

Q. 5 Describe in detail about Audio-Visual aids used in teaching of English

As new innovation have been developed ,modern technology has a solution for that. Nowadays,
teachers use various audio-visual aids to facilitate the teaching process and enhance the
concentration and learning ability of the students. Webster’s Encyclopedia Unabridged Dictionary
of the English Language, defines Audio-Visual a Aids as “training or educational materials
directed at both the senses of hearing and the sense of sight, films, recordings, photographs, etc
used in classroom instructions, library collections or the likes”. So now ,along with books,
teachers may use related pictures, audio clips, videos, power point slides, posters and so on in the
classrooms.
Students (especially the younger generation) learn best by observing and copying the behaviours
of adults. It is therefore clear that learning is more effective when sensory experiences are
stimulated. These include pictures, slides, speakers, videos and other audiovisual tools. According
to the Wikipedia, audio-visual education is defined as “instruction where particular attention is
paid to the audio and visual presentation of the material with the goal of improving
comprehension and retention. “. It can be first traced back to the seventeenth century when John
Amos Comenius (1592–1670), a Bohemian educator, introduced pictures in his book Orbis
Sensualium Pictus (“picture of the Sensual World”) which had around 150 drawings of everyday
life.

The objective of using audio-visual aids is to enhance teacher’s ability to present the lesson in a
fun, easy and efficient way for understanding of the students. Audiovisual material make learning
more permanent and lasting since students use more than one sense. The use of visual and audio
means make abstract ideas more concrete for the students .English language, which is considered
as a global has become a major medium for communication across borders globally. With the
appropriate implementation of various new media technological aids that can used in classroom to
teach English as foreign language (EFL) such as laboratories, videos, pictures, slides, audio
books and others, teachers can boost students‟ interest and making the teaching more efficient and
lasting.

A study of the impact of Audio Visual aids on young students.

Very young students, who are learning English as a foreign language must also develop
fundamental skills, which are also cross-curriculum; coloring, cutting, or following instructions
are among them. The use of Audio visual aids is quite beneficial as it not only provides learning
in English language but also provides a platform for the development of skills at a young age.
Suitable audio visual materials for young students have been shown in the following table. The
general objective is to implement an audiovisual materials-based teaching strategy to identify
young student’s understanding of instructions when doing language tasks .
It has also been seen that the use of audio visual aids (especially in young children) has helped in
maintaining the discipline of the class as most of the students are busy in learning. This interactive
session also helps in developing critical thinking and reasoning that are important components of
the teaching-learning process.

Audiovisual aids provide opportunities for effective communication between teacher and students
in learning. For example, in a study on English as Foreign Language (EFL) classroom, the
difficulties faced by EFL learner are lack of motivation, lack of exposure to the target language
and lack of pronunciation by the teacher, and such difficulties can be overcome by Audio as
purpose of communication and Visuals to provide more exposure.

Young students learn easily when they are motivated and curious about something. As young
students are getting more exposed to technology ,traditional methods of education are day by day
becoming more obsolete for them. Often they symptoms of restlessness, boredom and general
irritability.

Various types of AV aids.

More insight

Languages are not fixed but constantly changing, so are the media; modern means such as
Internet, computer, television, radio and newspaper which are extraordinarily rich sources o
language in use . Audio visual aids are those materials which involve the both audible and vision
senses and provide update information. The internet can be a rich source of authentic oral models
via recorded songs, talking electronic books, podcasts and video clips that help learners with
pronunciation as well as acquisition and reinforcement of new vocabulary . It is regard as genuine
new medium of linguistic communication. Using it allows learners to search through millions of
files from different available websites, they can access authentic materials such as newspaper,
magazine articles, news broadcast, movies and so on. Furthermore, browsing through the internet
allow the students to develop their skills, by reading authentic materials available on websites,
listening to foreign music and so on.’
Such aids will definitely help the future generations to facilitate the learing of English language
But there are various problems associated with such aids , these aids are expensive and require
technical knowledge to operate and install, which is often not available in various regions of the
world. Often such systems aren’t installed due to above mentioned problems. But undoubtedly,
such AV systems if implemented properly will enhance the quality of teaching and learning
process.

Almost all the students in modern scenario agree that use of different audio-visual materials
makes the class interesting and enjoyable. Often a lengthy class becomes really tough for them if
the teacher cannot make it interesting. They lose their attention soon from the lesson. Only the
lecture based class becomes monotonous for the students. However, different types of AV aids
can take away the monotony of the students. Students have claimed that they can pay more
attention to the lesson as it becomes more attractive and attention-grabbing. It brings variation in
the class. It has been seen that students can understand the lesson better if the teachers visualize
the contents relating with any audio-visual materials. Also, the use of PowerPoint slides makes
the class more interesting and stimulating.

Common Problems faced by teachers while using audio-visual aids:

Teachers often face the technical problem while using audio and video in the class. Sometimes,
the materials in a pen drive get damaged by virus. Also, often it happens that the speakers do not
work in the classroom or the video player does not support. As a result, teachers have to face a lot
of problems. The selection of the appropriate materials is very challenging. As often teachers
don’t have the facilities to design their own audio-visual materials suitable for our classes, they
have to depend on the ready-made resources from different websites. As a result, it is very
challenging for the teachers to find out suitable materials that match with the level of the learners
and other criteria.

Common problems faced by the students when teachers use audio-visual aids in classrooms

Although, students generally agree that audio-visual aids facilitate their language learning, but
sometimes they face some difficulties when their teachers use different audio visual aids in the
classroom. There are occasional technical issues and other unseen problems that arise sometimes.
As a result, they face difficulties to get the meaning. Sometimes they face problems in
understanding the material. Therefore, there are both advantages and disadvantages of using audio
visual aids in English language classrooms.

AV aids in The Learning Pyramid.

Studies have shown that varying your study methods and materials often leads to increased
retention and recall of information, and enhance your learning experience. The “learning
pyramid”, sometimes referred to as the “cone of learning”, developed by the National Training
Laboratory. The Learning Pyramid model suggests that some methods of study are more effective
than others and that varying study methods will lead to deeper learning and longer-term retention
.’ The Learning Pyramid suggests that Audio-visual learning methods lead to around 20%
retention of information learned. The audio-visual learning method may incorporate various
audio-visual learning/teaching tools including videos, sound, pictures, and graphs. However, as
media and computer technology continues to evolve, new forms of audio-visual instruction are
leading to more effective learning and retention of material. The effectiveness of audio-visual
learning and study methods are enhanced when combined with other, more active forms of study.
These include incorporating it with demonstration, discussion , practice and teaching others.

Reference:

https://prateekmaj21.medium.com/audio-visual-aids-711d25e6043a