TEACHING WRITING

ü writing-for-learning
ü writing-for-writing
 " Of the four communications skills [...] probably the most
demanding is writing" (Tighe, 1975:22).
There is a strong correlation between writing skills in the L1 and in the
L2. Students who are not very good writers in the L1 may have serious
problems with writing in the L2. However, the positive side of this issue
is that through L2 writing, learners may become better writers in the L1.
The communicative approach stresses the purpose of a piece of
writing and the audience for it. To act like 'real writers' learners need
to ask themselves questions concerning the purpose (Why am I
writing?) and audience for which they are writing (Who will read it?)
because writing is a truly communicative act when a writer writes for a
real reader.
 Written production

• Creative writing
• Writing reports, essays
 Written production
C2 Can write clear, smoothly flowing, complex texts in an appropriate and effective style and a
logical structure which helps the reader to find significant points.
C1 Can write clear, well-structured texts of complex subjects, underlining the relevant salient
issues, expanding and supporting points of view at some length with subsidiary points,
reasons and relevant examples, and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion
B2 Can write clear, detailed texts on a variety of subjects related to his/her field of interest,
synthesizing and evaluating information and arguments from a number of sources.
B1 Can write straightforward connected texts on a range of familiar subjects within his/her
field of interest, by linking a series of shorter discrete elements into a linear sequence
A2 Can write a series of simple phrases and sentences linked with simple connectors like
  ‘and,’ ‘but’ and ‘because’.
A1 Can give information in writing about matters of personal relevance (e.g. likes and dislikes,
  family, pets) using simple words and basic expressions.
 Written interaction

• Correspondence
• Notes, messages and forms
• Online conversations and discussions
 Written interaction
C2 Can express him/herself in an appropriate tone and style in virtually any type of formal and
informal written interaction.
C1 Can express him/herself with clarity and precision, relating to the addressee flexibly and
effectively.
B2 Can express news and views effectively in writing, and relate to those of others.

B1 Can convey information and ideas on abstract as well as concrete topics, check information
and ask about or explain problems with reasonable precision
A2 Can write short, simple formulaic notes relating to matters in areas of immediate need.
 

A1 Can ask for or pass on personal details in written form

 
 Content
Syntax (relevance,
(sentence
structure, stylistic
clarity,
choices) originality,
logic)
Organization Clear, fluent and The writer’s 
(paragraphs, effective process
topic and (getting ideas,
communication
support writing drafts
cohesion etc.) of ideas
etc.)

Vocabulary Audience,
Grammar purpose
 Approaches:

q Product writing
q Process writing
q Mixed approach
 Product Writing
is an approach to teaching writing that focuses on students' final
production, that is, the text they are asked to produce. There is
enhanced importance in the end product and this affects the way a
product writing lesson is staged. 
Students are not required to generate and brainstorm ideas as thoroughly
as they do in process writing - instead, they spend more time analysing
and practicing the main features of the text genre they are supposed
to write.
 The genres which might be more conducive to this
approach are (those that have fixed conventions):

 
E-mails;
Formal letters;
Reports;
CVs and cover letters;
Postcards;
Recipes;
Personal statements.
 Stages
ü model analysis
ü controlled practice
ü organising ideas
ü product writing
ü proofreading
 Stage 1. Model analysis

The first stage of product writing involves exposing students to a model

text of the genre they are supposed to produce. After reading the model
text, learners analyse the main features of the specific type of text -
Content, Lexis, Organisation, Grammar and Style (also known by the
abbreviation CLOGS).
Parts of the Letter Structural elements
letter of the letter

INTRO­DUCTI Flat3 Sender's address

ON 338 Boston Manor Grove Sydney, Date
Australia Informal greeting
December 1st 2011 Dear Robert,

BODY OF I'm sorry I haven't written to you for such a long Paragraph 1 Informal
THE time, but I've been very busy. How are you? I hope greeting
LETTER you're getting on all right in London. Paragraph 2
It's half past six in the evening here. I'm sitting at Information
the desk in my room and writing this letter. I've just Paragraph 3 Informal
finished my homework. Mum is getting the dinner ending
ready. We're having chicken and rice. It smells
wonderful! My father is staying in Melbourne this
week. He's working there. Anyway, you can see that
nothing very exciting is happening here.
I read a good book last week — "Overload" by
Arthur Hailey. Have you read it? If not, I do
recommend you to read the book.
We're all looking forward to seeing you at
Christmas. Please write or e-mail before then.
CONCLUSION Best regards, Jenny Informal
complementary close
 Model analysis

Which sentence states the main idea?

Which sentences directly support the main idea?
Has the writer used any listing words?
Which of the following did the writer do to support the topic: describe,
define, divide into parts, compare, contrast, enumerate, explain, give
reasons?
How did the writer end the passage? What did the writer do in the
ending: ask a question, summarise, introduce new material, point to
future directions?
Are any words repeated throughout the passage?
 Stage 2. Controlled practice

gap-fill activities, true or false, finding the mistakes in a text etc.

She didn’t see the beginning of the play. 
The train was late.

Since/As/Because the train was late, she …
She didn’t see the beginning of the play since/as the train was late.
The train was late so she …
With the train being so late she …
 Stage 3. Organising ideas

You are to write an article to the local paper on the topic «How can we
reduce air pollution levels in our cities?».  Think of the suggested
solutions and results to the given causes, fill in the gaps.

Cause Suggested solutions Result

factories polluting the air force to use special filters ―
 
too much traffic in the city ― ―
centre
 Stage 4. Product Writing

Case: You are a marketing manager at a large foreign company who

ordered goods for his permanent client. The goods were damaged because
of bad delivery service. As a result, your client is dissatisfied and you
have to pay from your own pocket for the reorder.
Instruction: Write the Letter of Complaint to the delivery service in order
to have a full payback.
Stage 5. Proofreading
 Product approach to writing:

ü helps learners develop analytical skills

ü is time-efficient
 Process Writing

an approach to teaching writing that allows the teacher and the students
to go through the process of producing a  text together. In process
writing, students have the chance to think about what they are going to
write, produce drafts, revise, edit, and give and receive feedback on
their work  before coming up with the final version of the text. A
process approach to writing contrasts with a product approach,  where
the main idea is to reproduce a model text.

The creative process of writing a text is the focus of process writing.

 Process Writing
ü a narrative,
ü an article
ü an essay
 Stages
ü Pre-writing:
- brainstorming ideas (work collaboratively - creating lists, mind maps and charts;
Padlet, Edmodo);
- planning;
- organising;
- selecting ideas.
ü Writing (compose the first draft, accuracy of language, punctuation and vocabulary
is not essential at this point)
ü Revising (look back at the texts and reorganise ideas, add, change or remove
sentences and adapt their choice of words; teacher’s feedback)
ü Editing (after writing several drafts, it is time to proofread, check grammar,
spelling and punctuation; peer proofreading). 
 Process approach to writing

ü fosters creativity
ü encourages collaborative work
ü time constraints
ü requires support
Mixed approach
 Writing-for-learning
üStory circle
üDictogloss
üExpanding sentences (the woman saw the man
When the pale, red-headed woman, who had arrived not less than an
hour earlier than the time they had agreed on the night before, saw the
tall bearded man leaning unhappily against a poster advertising a new
perfume which had just been launched onto the market, she knew at
once that …
Questions?
Thank you for attention!
Teaching pronunciation
Lack of consistency between spelling and
pronunciation
• 'though' - rhymes with 'slow'
• 'through' - rhymes with 'true'
• 'thought' - rhymes with 'taut'
• 'thorough' - rhymes with 'colour'
• 'cough' -rhymes with 'off
• 'tough' - rhymes with 'stuff
• 'bough' -rhymes with 'now'
• 'hough' -rhymes with 'lock'
 Problems
• discrimination: identifying  the differences between phonemes which are not
distinguished or used in the mother tongue and between falling, rising and level
tones.
• the problem of articulation, i.e. learning to make the motor movements adequate to
proper production of English sounds.
• the problem of intonation, i.e.  learning to make right stresses, pauses and use
appropriate patterns.
• the problem of integration, i.e. learning to assemble the phonemes and a connected
discourse with the proper allophonic variations (members of a phoneme) in the,
months, hard times.
• the problem of automaticity, i.e. making correct production so habitual that it does
not need to be attended to in the process of speaking.
Factors that affect pronunciation
ü the native language
ü the age factor
ü amount of exposure
ü phonetic coding ability or auditory discrimination ability
ü attitude and identity
ü motivation and concern for good pronunciation
 What to teach?
ü individual sounds: vowels and consonants where there are phonemic
distinctions, such as between the English words bit and
bet, or shop and chop, or meat and neat, for example;
ü diphthongs: vowels in combination, as in near or boy;
ü consonant clusters, as in school, train or empty;
ü linkage of sounds, an important phenomenon in English and a frequent
source of difficulty for learner-listeners.
For example, the phrase 'Put it on' will not be heard as three separate
words,
ü stress patterns in polysyllabic words, which themselves are related to
word grammar (as in 'responsible' and 'responsibility', for example);
ü sentences stress and rhythm, and the related phenomenon of weak forms,
whereby unstressed syllables are most frequently reduced to schwa; regular
stress in English tends to fall on nouns, adjectives, adverbs, main verbs as
well as contractions (e.g. won't),
ü intonation, and the use of varying pitch to formulate meaning and
intention.
 How to practice pronunciation

• to say the sound clearly in isolation for students to focus on it,

• to say it in one or two words,
• to make students repeat the sound as a group and individually,
• in case similar sounds are confused, the teacher ought to contrast the sounds so
that the difference is clearly heard,
• to describe in simple terms how the sound is made if learners experience
problems producing it,
• not to write the words on board, otherwise students might get confused and their
attention will shift from pronunciation (which is the aim) to spelling.
Exercises
ürecognition exercises (listening to native speakers on the recording!!!)
üreproduction exercises (drills, tongue twisters etc.)
RP stands for Received Pronunciation, which is the name of 'standard'
British English with 44 phonemes. They are grouped into 12 vowel
sounds, 8 diphthongs and 24 consonants
Minimal pairs
Dialogues
Intonation
Any Questions?
Teaching Vocabulary
üThe English dictionary consists of 500-980 000 words.
W. Churchill's vocabulary list – 60 thousand words;
W. Shakespeare’s – 20 000 words.
üDictionary of the German language – 300­500 000 words. 
Goethe's vocabulary list – 80 000 words.
üDictionary of the Spanish language – 250­300 000 words.
"Don Quixote" by M. Cervantes – 8 000 words.
üDictionary of the French language – 100­120 000 words. 
V. Hugo's vocabulary – 9 000 words.
üDictionary of the Russian language – 200 000 words. 
O. Pushkin's vocabulary list – 21,290 words.
* Starter - 200 Lexical Units;
* Beginner - 300-400;
* Elementary - 600-800;
* Pre-Intermediate - 1.000-1.200;
* Intermediate - 1.400-1.900;
* Upper Intermediate - 1.800-2.300;
* Advanced - 2.500-3.800.
Active vocabulary is Passive vocabulary is
used in writing and used reading and
speaking, where you listening, where you
are giving information are receiving
information
• to maintain elementary conversation – 300 words
• conversation on any topic – 1000 words
• vocabulary list of 2500 words provide a high level of conversation
• to understand any non­special text –  8000
Conceptual meaning
• a) polysemy is a term referring to a single word form
with several different but closely related meanings;
e.g. the 'head' of a person, the 'head' of a pin, the
'head' of an organisation, etc.,
• b) homonymy describes a single word form with
several different meanings which are not closely
related; e.g. a file may be used for keeping papers in,
or it may be a tool for cutting or smoothing hard
substances, etc.,
Sense relations

synonymy refers to a group of words that share a general sense and so

may be interchangeable in a limited number of contexts; e.g.
extend/expand/increase; nil/zero/O/nought/love (in tennis match), etc.,
Synonymy
antonymy is a term describing a variety of different forms of 'oppositeness'
which are relevant; e.g. husband/wife, big/small, (for different types of
antonyms see: Gairns and Redman, 1983, pp.24-28);
Antonymy
Affective meaning

connotation - refers to the way a vocabulary item reflects speaker's

attitude or emotions; e.g. "Joanna is a single woman" differs from
"Joanna is a spinster".
If one is to look at the lexical items from the point of view of the learner, then
three main areas of connotation may be identified:
ü intrinsic connotation - certain items intrinsically have a positive or
negative connotation; e.g. naive,
ü speaker's attitude - the understanding of the same item or expression
used by different speakers or by the same speaker in different contexts
may vary substantially; e.g. publicity, popular, liberal, etc .,
ü socio-cultural associations - there is a whole array of associations with
certain items that native speakers possess and these are shared by the
entire society; e.g. Friday the 13th, etc.,
 Style, register and dialect

• Style describes the level of formality (slang, colloquial, informal, neutral,

formal) as well as styles such as humorous, ironic, poetic, literary, etc that are
used in language;
• Register is a variety of language defined by the topic and context of use, for
example the language of medicine, education, law, computers, etc.,
• Dialect refers to the differences in not only geographical variation (e.g.
American English, Scottish English, etc.,) but, additionally, includes
variation according to social class a speaker belongs to.
Collocation

Heavy rain /strong wind

Word-building processes

affixation - it is the process by which prefixes and suffixes are added to

the base item; this process allows for item modification in meaning
and/or change from one part of speech to another e.g.: hand+full -
handful, hair+less - hairless, etc.
compounding is the process of forming new words from two or more
separate words that can stand independently to fit other contexts as well,
e.g.: adjective compounds: time-consuming, short-sleeved, verb
compounds: to baby-sit, to sightsee, noun compounds: coffee jar, table
tennis
conversion is also known as zero affixation, and it enables language
users to use items in different parts of speech without changing its
form, e.g.: I've just had a lovely swim; I can't swim very well.; certain
examples of conversion involve phonological changes, e.g.: He works
in the 'export market.; We ex'port a lot of goods.
coining, blending, and clipping
Coining is the process of inventing new words, hence an invented word
or phrase is referred to as a coin. According to Clark, "speakers coin
new words to fill gaps in the established lexicon. These coinages may be
used on only one occasion [...] or may answer some need common to a
larger community and eventually be added to the established lexicon"
(1993: 6).
Blending is a process by means of which two words are put together to
form a new one (called a blend), e.g. breakfast + lunch = brunch;
information + entertainment = infotainment.
Clipping is the process of shortening longer words e.g. flu (forn
influenza), email (from electronic mail) and dorm (from dormitory
(based on Thornbury, 2002).
 Sense relation
meaning
Meaning in context

Metaphor and idiom

Word use Collocation

Style and register

words
Part of speech

Word info Prefixes and suffixes

Spelling and pronunciation

Word
grammar Nouns, verbs, adjectives
What makes a word difficult?
When the words derive from a common origin, i.e. they are
cognates, they are easily transferable from one language to
another (e.g. Catalan vocabulari, French vocabularie, Italian
vocabolario and English vocabulary).
Problems crop up, however, when learners come across false
friends, which look similar, yet have a different meaning.
• Pronunciation;
• Spelling;
• Length and complexity necessary, necessity and necessarily;
• Grammar e.g. students have to remember if verbs like enjoy, love etc. are
followed by an infinitive or an -ing form;
• Meaning e.g. overlapping meanings of make and do, etc;
• Range, connotation and idiomaticity
ü the teacher should try to present new words in context;
ü revision is essential, the words that have been presented should be
incorporated into later practice;
ü things which are remembered best are:
Ø funny,
Ø strange,
Ø extraordinary,
Ø taught at the beginning and at the end of the lesson, lecture.
ü regular repetition which takes place some time after learning is
more effective than intensive repetition just after learning,
ü ineffectiveness of repetition in the absence of attention,
ü to learn 108 words it’s  necessary to read a text of 200000 words
(Ellis 1995)
According to Jean Aitchison (Aitchison 1990: 7), the number of words
known by an educated adult, is unlikely to be less than 50000 and may
be as high as 250000. These high figures suggest that the mental
lexicon is arranged on a systematic basis.
Experiments showed that native speakers can recognize a word of their
language in 200 ms (milliseconds) or less from its onset, that is,
approximately one-fifth of a second from its beginning
Researches in this area suggest that words are organized in semantic
fields, and within these fields there are strong relations between
coordinates. This arrangement is useful as far as producing speech is
concerned, as a speaker can pick a lexical unit easily from a particular
topic area. It also groups similar sounding words together which is
useful for comprehension.
 Lexical competence

receptive skills knowledge reproductive skills

strategies
Vocabulary presentation techniques

• visual techniques,
• verbal explanation,
• using dictionaries (translation is important!!!).
English
File
Speak
Out
Revising vocabulary (on the word/sentence level)

ü "odd word out" - students decide which word does not fit a group
(and other vocabulary games),
ü spidergrams - organising words according to categories,
subcategories, subclasses, etc.,
ü substitution techniques - paraphrasing words, expressions,
substituting them with synonymous expressions,
ü filling blanks - using a suitable expression, word to fit the context
and grammar of the sentence,
ü matching synonyms, antonyms, words with their definitions or pictures, etc.,
ü labelling pictures, objects, miming,
ü word dictations,
ü crosswords,
ü word associations,
ü sentence translation
On the text level
• cloze tests - filling in the gapped text with appropriate expressions,
• using words in speaking/writing!!!
• understanding words in listening and speaking
 Vocabulary strategies
Memory ???

Cognitive ???

Metacognitive ???

Social ???
 Vocabulary strategies
Memory creating mental images, applying images and sounds, reviewing,
employing action

Cognitive practice, receiving and sending messages, analyzing and reasoning,

creating input and output

Metacognitive centering learning, planning learning, evaluating learning

Social asking questions, cooperating, emphasising

http://slideplayer.com/slide/7982
5
Any Questions?
Teaching Grammar in Context
 The important question is not whether teaching and learning grammar is
necessary and/or sufficient for language learning, but whether it helps or
not. And my own opinion is that yes, it does help, provided it is taught
consistently as a means to improving mastery of the language, not as an end
in itself.

(Penny Ur, 1999:77-78)

“ Grammar is the business of taking a language to pieces, to see

how it works.”
(David Crystal)
Grammar in isolation /grammar in context
Grammar in Isolation
ü teaching separately in a lesson
ü focus on form and meaning
ü exercises: repetition, manipulation, grammatical transformation
ü Aim - to understand grammatical forms and be able to use them
ü cover the ability to understand grammatical forms.
 Disadvantages of Teaching G rammar in
Isolation
ü often confusing and not enjoying
ü grammar is about rules of language: pupils become bored and
stressed (they have to memorize directly)
ü students could not connect the grammar with their language or the
lessons with their lives
Language is context-sensitive. This means that, in the absence of context, it is very
difficult to recover the intended meaning of a single word or phrase
(Thornbury, 1999)

"Students need to get an idea of how the new language is used by native speakers
and the best way of doing this is to present language in context"
(Harmer, 1991, p.57)

Teaching grammar in context provides a meaningful framework that connects to

reality of the target language
(Anderson, 2005)
 Form Meaning
(structure) (semantics)

Use (pragmatics)
Social context
Linguistic discourse
content
Presuppositions about
content
 3-D Grammar Framework
Presenting Grammar
How is it formed? What does it mean?

form/structure meaning/semantics

use/pragmatics

When/Why is it used?

From: Larsen-Freeman, D. (2001). Teaching Grammar.

Grammar in Context
Integrate grammar in
everyday teaching

Integrate grammar while

teaching other skills
ü involves teaching grammar in relations to the context of the
situations the utterances are usually used
ü focus on form, meaning and usage
ü requires commitment to teach
ü specific instruction should be given to individual students
Grammar in Context

Teaching grammar
as a skill

Teaching grammar
as a process

Teaching grammar
as a product
 Examples
Examples of
Examples of Contexts
Contexts
ExamplesofofContexts
Contexts
q Pictures / Charts / Graphs
q Video / Audio
q Stories / Personal Questions / Polls
q Problems / Situations
q Real-life tasks discussions
q Dialogue / Role play
T: Read the poem. Pay special attention to the verb form in bold type.
WORK IS OVER (by R.Garland)
Mary has been raking hay,
All the day, all the day.
Now she is sleeping in the clover.
Work is over. Work is over.

To better understand the functions of PrPC give answers to the following

questions:
1. When did Mary begin to rake hay?
2. Is she still raking hay?
3. Do we know how long she has been doing the work?
As a result the girl is very tired, she's sleeping in the clover. What function
does the verb form in PrPC illustrate in the text?
Deductive / inductive approaches
 Useful tips
ü Practice
ü Success orientation
ü Teacher assistance
ü Interest
Strategies for Teaching
Grammar
TEACHING LISTENING
SKILLS
 Objectives
ü to identify the features of the listening process
ü to specify the challenges of FL listening
ü to discuss a framework for teaching listening
Common European Framework for References
of Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment
C1 Can understand enough to follow extended speech on abstract and complex topics beyond his/her own field,
though he/she may need to confirm occasional details, especially if the accent is unfamiliar. Can recognise a wide
range of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms, appreciating register shifts. Can follow extended speech even
when it is not clearly structured and when relationships are only implied and not signalled explicitly.

B2 Can understand standard spoken language, live or broadcast, on both familiar and unfamiliar topics normally
encountered in personal, social, academic or vocational life. Only extreme background noise, inadequate
discourse structure and/or idiomatic usage influence the ability to understand. Can understand the main ideas of
propositionally and linguistically complex speech on both concrete and abstract topics delivered in a standard
dialect, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can follow extended speech and complex
lines of argument provided the topic is reasonably familiar, and the direction of the talk is sign-posted by explicit
markers.
B1 Can understand straightforward factual information about common everyday or job related topics, identifying
both general messages and specific details, provided speech is clearly articulated in a generally familiar accent.
Can understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly encountered in work,
school, leisure etc., including short narratives.
A2 Can understand enough to be able to meet needs of a concrete type provided speech is clearly and slowly
  articulated. Can understand phrases and expressions related to areas of most immediate priority (e.g. very basic
personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment) provided speech is clearly and slowly
articulated.
A1 Can follow speech that is very slow and carefully articulated, with long pauses for him/her to assimilate
Challenges? Difficulties?
ü phonological difficulties

• She sat next to the wall.

• Tony’s a heart breaker.
• He doesn’t have an original idea in his head.
• Do you know what I mean? Give me a break.
Minimal pairs
ü trouble with sounds - not all English sounds are present in
learners' languages
ü different speakers speak differently (dialects, accents,
stress, rhythms, intonations)
ü lack of real-life situations where language learners need to
understand spoken English
ü speed - students have problems with following fast, natural
native speech (average speed - 150 words/min)
ü texts are too long
ü listener's limited vocabulary
ü different / unfamiliar grammatical patterns
ü students’ tiredness
ü students’ anxiety
ü students are usually tested but not taught listening
Text factor
ü the organization of information - matching or nor chronological
order of events,
ü the familiarity of the topic,
ü speed - if too fast it is confusing,
ü contextual support - pictures, video,
ü genre - register - type of language, e.g. legal, business, etc.
 phonology lexicon

Strategic Listening
competenc comprehensio syntax
e n

Sociocultural
competence semantics
 Listeners
ü preferred modes
ü age factor
ü the role of memory
Listeners need to develop sensitivity to speech
and ought to be exposed to as much of it as
possible to master the skill

!!!
Listening for gist: to understand the main idea of the
text.
Listening for specific information: to find out
specific details, for example key words.
Listening for detailed understanding: to understand
all the information the text provides.
 Teaching Listening Skills - Stages

Ø Pre-listening
Ø While-listening
Ø Post-listening
Pre-Listening

Objectives???
Purpose of listening
1. motivate learners to want to listen
2. keep the students concentrated through the passage
3. introduce learners to the topic, for example by giving background
information which is necessary for understanding
4. help them to chunk the listening into sections or units of information
5. make comprehension for students more difficult
6. make the students show evidence of understanding or non-
understanding
7. provide a focus, showing students what is important about any given
passage.
Purpose of listening
1. motivate learners to want to listen
2. keep the students concentrated through the passage
3. introduce learners to the topic, for example by giving
background information which is necessary for understanding
4. help them to chunk the listening into sections or units of information
5. make comprehension for students more difficult
6. make the students show evidence of understanding or non-
understanding
7. provide a focus, showing students what is important about any given
passage.
 Pre-Listening
q Purpose of listening

q Necessary background information

q Prevention of difficulties
Pre-Listening Activities:
???
 Pre-Listening Activities:
ü Teacher giving background information;
ü Students reading something relevant
ü Students looking at pictures
ü Predicting vocabulary
ü Predicting opinions/facts
ü Defining key-words
ü Pre-teaching vocabulary
ü Predicting the contents by key-words
ü Giving opinions
ü Generating questions
ü Personalizing
 What type of pre-listening activity is it?
What is a diet? Read the definitions of ‘diet’ below, then listen to a man
talking about his lifestyle. Say in which of the two meanings the word
‘diet’ is used. 
diet /'daıət/ noun 
1 [C, U] the food that you eat and drink regularly: to have a healthy,
balanced diet
2 [C] a limited variety or amount of food that you eat for medical
reasons or because you want to lose weight: a low-fat, salt-free diet
 What type of pre-listening activity is it?
Imagine you are to meet a keen athlete. What questions would you like
to ask him? Listen and say if the man answers any of your questions.
What are your preferences in food? Do you consider your meals to be
healthy or unhealthy? Why? Listen to a man talking about his lifestyle
and say if you have anything in common with the speaker.
• How can a teacher make the purpose of a listening activity clear to the
students?
• How can a teacher create a context for a listening passage?
• How can a teacher help reduce students’ worries or negative feelings about 
listening in the classroom? Suggest at least three ways.
While-listening activities
??????
 While-listening activities
q keep the students concentrated through the passage
q help them to chunk the listening into sections or units of information
q make the students show evidence of understanding or non-understanding
q provide a focus, showing students what is important about any given
passage
 While-listening activities
ü Show understanding by physical response
ü Filling in gaps/blanks
ü Detecting differences or mistakes
ü Ticking off items (Bingo)
ü Sequencing
ü Information search
ü Matching items
ü Marking items in pictures
ü Choosing the right word
ü Ticking the options
ü Completing sentences
Create a 4X4 bingo grid on your paper, and choose 16 words from
the board to write in the boxes (one word in each box), in any order.
Listen carefully, and put an X on any word you hear. When you have
four words in a row, shout “BINGO”! 
Words: avoid, anyway, cut down, put on, exercise, protein, plenty,
need, pasta, veg, reduce, training, stress, lean, water, make
 How many times to listen ?

Second listening – improves comprehension by 16,5 %, 
third – by 12,7 %
Post-listening activities

Purpose???
 Post-listening activities

ü exploring the transcript;

ü setting a speaking task;
ü detecting problems;
ü personalizing the information;
ü responding to the content of the passage
 Post-listening activities
ü Problem solving activities
ü Summarizing
ü Debates, interviews, discussions, role plays
ü Writing postcards
ü Reviewing the transcript
ü Quizzing Teams
ü Revising the text
ü Looking at language
 Reviewing the transcript

Read the transcript and underline any sections of the transcript that you think
you understand, but have some uncertainty about. Circle any sections which
you don’t  understand at all. Work in groups of 4 to discuss the parts you
underlined and circled. Write on the board any phrases or sentences you still
can’t understand to go over these with the class. 
Listening Sources

1 • Teacher Talk
2 • Student Talk
3 • Guest Speakers
4 • Textbook recordings
5 • Internet resources
 Selection criteria???
ü professional narration and recording,
ü a high level of artistic value,
ü representativeness,
ü a content criterion,
ü the degree of accessibility and simplicity,
ü diversity,
ü contemporary topics,
ü relevance of the subject matter
ü correspondence of the genre and the content of short stories to students’ 
interests (audiobooks)
Authentic materials !!!!
 Things to consider
ü Interest factor
ü Cultural accessibility
ü Language level
ü Accent
ü Intensive and extensive listening
Top-down vs Bottom-up listening

Top Down

Bottom
Up
Over lunch your friend tells you a story about a recent holiday, which was
a disaster. You listen with interest and interject at appropriate moments,
maybe to express surprise or sympathy or etc.

That evening another friend calls to invite you to a party at her house the
following Saturday. As you’ve never been to her house before, she gives 
you directions. You listen carefully and make notes.
 Top Down Holiday anecdote

Directions to a party Bottom Up

 Listening strategies
Before you listen
ü Think about the topic of the text you are going to listen to. What do you
already know about it? What could possibly be the content of the text?
Which words come to mind that you already know? Which words would
you want to look up?
ü If you have to do a listening exercise, check whether you have
understood the task correctly.
ü Think about what type of text you are going to listen to. What do you
know about this type of text?
ü Relax and get ready to pay attention to the listening text.
 While you are listening
ü It is not necessary to understand every single word. Try to ignore words
that you think are less important.
ü If there are words or issues that you don't understand, use your general
knowledge as well as the context to find out the meaning.
ü If you still don't understand something, use a dictionary to look up the
words or ask someone else for help.
ü Focus on key words and facts.
ü Take notes to support your memory.
ü The speakers' intonation and stress can help your understanding.
ü Try to think ahead. What might happen next? What might the speakers
say, which words might they use?
 After listening
ü Think about the text again. Have you understood the main points?
ü Remember the speculations you made before you listened. Did they come
true?
ü Review your notes.
ü Check whether you have completed your task correctly.
ü Did you have any problems while listening? Are you having trouble
completing your task? Identify your problems and ask someone for help.
ü Listen again to difficult passages.
Questions?
Thank you for attention!
TEACHING READING
SKILLS
Common European Framework for References
of Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment
C2 Can understand virtually all forms of the written language including abstract, structurally complex, or
highly colloquial literary and non-literary writings.
Can understand a wide range of long and complex texts, appreciating subtle distinctions of style and
implicit as well as explicit meaning.

C1 Can understand in detail lengthy, complex texts, whether or not they relate to his/her own area of
speciality, provided he/she can reread difficult sections.
Can understand a wide variety of texts including literary writings, newspaper or magazine articles, and
specialised academic or professional publications, provided that there are opportunities for re-reading and
he/she has access to reference tools.
B2 Can read with a large degree of independence, adapting style and speed of reading to different texts and
purposes, and using appropriate reference sources selectively. Has a broad active reading vocabulary, but
may experience some difficulty with low-frequency idioms.
B1 Can read straightforward factual texts on subjects related to his/her field and interests with a satisfactory
level of comprehension.
A2 Can understand short, simple texts on familiar matters of a concrete type which consist of high frequency
  everyday or jobrelated language.
Can understand short, simple texts containing the highest frequency vocabulary, including a proportion of
shared international vocabulary items.
A1 Can understand very short, simple texts a single phrase at a time, picking up familiar names, words and
  basic phrases and rereading as required.
 The main text types readers usually come across
(Grellet, 1981:3-4):

ü novels, short stories, tales;

ü other literary texts and passages (e.g. essays, diaries, anecdotes,
biographies),
ü plays, poems,
ü letters, postcards,
ü newspapers and magazines
ü specialised articles, reports, reviews, essays, business letters, trade
publications, summaries, accounts,
ü handbooks, textbooks, guidebooks,
ü recipes,
ü advertisements, travel brochures, catalogues,
ü puzzles, rules for games,
ü instructions (e.g. warnings), directions (e.g. How to use...),
ü notices, rules and regulations,
ü posters, signs (e.g. road signs),
ü forms (e.g. application forms),
ü graffiti, menus, price lists, tickets,
ü time-tables, maps.
The basic requirement for fluent reading comprehension is automatic
word recognition. For example, first language readers can recognise:
98–100 per cent of all words in a text (at least at some basic meaning
level), four or five words per second spending about 230 milliseconds
per word.
ü to understand a text properly a reader should recognize at least 95 % of
the words;
ü it has been calculated that 95 % coverage of most texts requires a
recognition vocabulary between 10,000 and 15,000 words; 98–99  %
coverage – about 36,000–40,000 words;
ü a realistic recognition vocabulary for more advanced second language
readers is above 10,000 words which seems quite reasonable and
accessible.
ü rapid and automatic syntactic processing;
ü combining word and structural meanings into units;
ü working memory !!!!
How do we read?

§ intensive reading (learners translate the text sentence by sentence

into the first language and explain difficult pieces to better
comprehend it);
§ extensive reading (students are interested in what they are reading
and focus their attention on the meaning and ideas rather than on
learning linguistic features of the text and analyzing its genre
specifications).
• skimming - quickly running one's eyes over a text to get the gist of it -
general sense (for example, when it is necessary to decide whether to
read an article or not) with the speed of 180–190 words per minute and 
understanding 70–75 % of the text;
• scanning - quickly going through the text to find a particular piece of
information (Students read with the speed of 400–500 (and up to 600 
words per minute) and understand 40­50 % of information);
• reading for a detail students try to get the meaning out of every word
and fully understand the text. The speed of reading is 50-60 words per
minute.
Selection criteria ???
Text readability - the ease with which a reader
can understand a written text
Readability depends on two factors:
1) How difficult the words are (related to readers’  range of lexical
competence) Rare words are less well known than common words. Rare,
difficult words are often longer than common, easy words.
2) How difficult the sentences are (related to readers’  range of
grammatical competence) Long, complex sentences cause more
difficulty than short, simple sentences
 Flesch Reading Ease – a readability 
measure
The higher the percentage, the easier the text is to understand. The
approach to calculating the Flesch score:
ü calculate the average sentence length, L.
ü calculate the average number of syllables per word, N.
ü calculate the score (between 0-100%).
 Flesch Reading Ease – a readability measure
score notes
100 - Very easy to read. Easily understood by an average of 11-year- old
90 student

89 – 80 Easy to read. Conversational English for consumers

79 – 70 Fairly easy to read
69 – 60 Plain English. Easily understood by 13-15 year old students
59 – 50 Fairly difficult to read
49 – 30 Difficult to read
29 - 0 Very difficult to read. Best understood by university graduates
 CEFR and text readability (recommendations)
B1 B2 C1

Word count Shorter texts of up Medium-length texts(up Longer texts

to 300words to 1000 words) (1000+words)

Average sentence length 13-15 words 18-20 words 18-25 words

Readability Flesch Flesch Reading Ease70- Flesch Reading

Reading Ease 50 Ease60-40
80-60

Readability
measures do not
apply to short
A1-A2 texts
authentic texts / authentic tasks
 Stages:

• pre-reading (to give students a reason for reading the text, to create
interest in the topic, to make it easier to read the text),
• while-reading (to encourage students to read the text in a certain
way),
• post-reading (to investigate the text in more depth, integrate reading
with other skills or relate the_ content of the text to their own
experience).
Pre-reading Activities:
???
 Pre-reading Activities:
ü Teacher giving background information;
ü Students reading something relevant
ü Students looking at pictures
ü Predicting vocabulary
ü Predicting opinions/facts
ü Pre-teaching vocabulary
ü Predicting the contents by key-words
ü Giving opinions
ü Generating questions
ü Personalizing
While-reading activities
 While-reading activities
ü Filling in gaps/blanks
ü Detecting differences or mistakes
ü Sequencing
ü Information search
ü Matching items
ü Choosing the right word
ü Ticking the options
ü Completing sentences
ü …
Post-reading activities

Purpose???
 Post-reading activities

üsetting a speaking task;

ü detecting problems;
ü personalizing the information;
ü responding to the content of the passage
 Post-reading activities
ü Problem solving activities
ü Summarizing
ü Debates, interviews, discussions, role plays
ü Writing postcards, letters etc.
ü Quizzing Teams
ü Revising the text
ü Looking at language
Reading strategies
Guessing the meaning of new words and phrases:
1. Try to guess the meaning from the context (i.e. the other words
around it). Think also about what part of speech the unknown word
is (e.g. a verb, an adjective, etc.), whether it is similar to another
English word you know, or whether it is similar to a word in your
language.
2. If you still can't work out what the word or phrase means, either
ignore it and carry on reading or use a dictionary (or glossary if there
is one) to help you.
Questions?
Thank you for attention!
TEACHING SPEAKING
ü Spoken interaction
ü Spoken production
Is listening a component of speaking?
Common European Framework for References
of Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment
C2 Can produce clear, smoothly flowing well-structured speech with an effective logical structure
which helps the recipient to notice and remember significant points.

C1 Can give clear, detailed descriptions and presentations on complex subjects, integrating sub
themes, developing particular points and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion.

B2 Can give clear, systematically developed descriptions and presentations, with appropriate
highlighting of significant points, and relevant supporting detail

B1 Can reasonably fluently sustain a straightforward description of one of a variety of subjects

within his/her field of interest, presenting it as a linear sequence of points.

A2 Can give a simple description or presentation of people, living or working conditions, daily
  routines. likes/dislikes etc. as a short series of simple phrases and sentences linked into a list.

A1 Can produce simple mainly isolated phrases about people and places.
 
C2 Has a good command of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms with awareness of connotative levels of
meaning. Can convey finer shades of meaning precisely by using, with reasonable accuracy, a wide range of
modification devices. Can backtrack and restructure around a difficulty so smoothly the interlocutor is hardly
aware of it.
C1 Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously, almost effortlessly. Has a good command of a broad lexical
repertoire allowing gaps to be readily overcome with circumlocutions. There is little obvious searching for
expressions or avoidance strategies; only a conceptually difficult subject can hinder a natural, smooth flow of
language.
B2 Can use the language fluently, accurately and effectively on a wide range of general, academic, vocational or
leisure topics, marking clearly the relationships between ideas. Can communicate spontaneously with good
grammatical control without much sign of having to restrict what he/she wants to say, adopting a level of
formality appropriate to the circumstances.
B1 Can communicate with some confidence on familiar routine and non-routine matters related to his/her interests
and professional field. Can exchange, check and confirm information, deal with less routine situations and
explain why something is a problem. Can express thoughts on more abstract, cultural topics such as films, books,
music etc.
A2 Can interact with reasonable ease in structured situations and short conversations, provided the other person helps
  if necessary. Can manage simple, routine exchanges without undue effort; can ask and answer questions and
exchange ideas and information on familiar topics in predictable everyday situations.
A1 Can interact in a simple way but communication is totally dependent on repetition at a slower rate of speech,
  rephrasing and repair. Can ask and answer simple questions, initiate and respond to simple statements in areas of
 The goals of teaching speaking:

Ø to encourage the acquisition of communication skills;

Ø to foster real communication in and out of the classroom.
What makes speaking difficult?
q Clustering
q Redundancy
q Reduced forms
q Performance variables
q Colloquial language
q Rate of delivery
q Stress, rhythm, and intonation
q Interaction
 Affective factors
Affective factors are the most important factors in SLA and English
teaching.
These factors include emotion, feeling, mood, manner, attitude and so
on.
All these factors, especially, motivation, self-confidence and anxiety,
decide the input and output of the second language.
 Psychological factors
• fear of making a mistake
• shyness
• anxiety
• lack of confidence
• lack of motivation
 Ряд 1
Ряд 2
Ряд 3

Категория 1 Категория 2 Категория 3 Категория 4

Do drills have a place?

Yes, BUT….
 Guidelines for Drills
ü Keep them short
ü Keep them simple
ü Keep them snappy
ü Ensure that students know WHY they are doing the drill
ü Limit the drill to phonological/grammatical points
ü Ensure that they lead to a communicative goal
ü DON’T OVERUSE THEM
(Excessive use becomes poisonous)
 Principles for Teaching Speaking
ü Focus on fluency and accuracy (depending on objective)
ü Use intrinsically motivating techniques
ü Use authentic language in meaningful contexts
ü Provide appropriate feedback and correction
ü Optimize the natural link between listening and speaking (and other skills)
ü Give students the opportunity to initiate oral communication.
ü Develop speaking strategies.
 When and how should I correct errors?

• Global errors
- affect meaning; hinder communication
- prevent listeners to comprehend some/all aspects of the conveyed message
• Local errors
- do not prevent message from being understood
- minor violation of a segment of a sentence
• Performance slip or competence error
- e.g. slip of the tongue, spoonerisms (bad salad (sad ballad))
 Common speaking strategies
• Asking for clarification (what?)
• Asking someone to repeat something
• Using fillers
• Using conversation maintenance cues (uh-huh, right, yeah, okay, hm)
• Getting someone’s attention
• Using paraphrases for structures one cannot produce
• Appealing for assistance from the interlocutor
• Using formulaic expressions
• Using mime and nonverbal expressions
Prepared / unprepared speech
Scaffolding
 Scaffolding Strategies

Modeling (students are given Bridging and contextualization

clear examples of what is (activate prior knowledge to
required of them build new connections and use
pictures authentic objects)

SCAFFOLDING

Text representation (students

Schema building (jigsaw
extend their understanding of
learning, compare and contrast,
text, create drawings, posters
projects )
video)
Group work
 Preparing for group work

ü Think carefully about how students will be physically arranged in groups.

ü Insist on professional, civil conduct between and among students to respect people’s 
differences and create an inclusive environment.
ü Talk to students about their past experiences with group work and allow them to
establish some ground rules for successful collaboration.
 Designing the group activity

ü Identify the instructional objectives, what you want to achieve

ü Make the task challenging.
ü Assign group tasks that encourage involvement, interdependence, and a fair
division of labour.
ü Allow sufficient time for group work.
ü Design collaborative work in multiple forms: pairs, small groups, large groups,
online synchronously, online asynchronously, etc.
 Introducing the group activity

ü Share your rationale for using group work. 
ü Explain the task clearly
ü Set ground rules for group interaction
ü Let students ask questions
 Monitoring Group Task

ü Monitor the groups but do not hover. 

ü Expect a lot from your students. Assume that they do know, and can do, a great deal
ü Be slow to share what you know. 
ü Clarify your role as facilitator
 Ending the Group Task

ü Provide closure to the group activities. Oral reports/Written reports

ü Model how you want students to participate.
ü Connect the ideas raised to course content and objectives.
ü Ask students to reflect on the group work process.
 Reference

https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-
resources/teaching-tips/alternatives-lecturing/group-
work/implementing-group-work-classroom
 Communicative activities
Information gap Story completion
Mingling activity Snowball groups / pyramids
Jigsaw activities Student presentations
Think-pair-share Interviews
Onion ring (inner – outer circle)
Storytelling
Problem-solving activities
Simulation
Discussion / debate
Role play
Rotating trios
 Information Gap
Speaker 1 Speaker 2
 “Describe and draw”
One student has a picture which they must not show their partner
(teachers sometimes like to use surrealist paintings - empty
doorways on beaches, trains coming out of fireplaces, etc).
All the partner has to do is draw the picture without looking at the
original, so the one with the picture will give instructions and
descriptions, and the ‘artist’ will ask questions.
Find the differences
 Mingle
A mingle is a short activity where learners walk around the classroom and talk to each other.
An ice-breaker, where learners get to know each other, is a type of mingle.
Example
The learners are talking about attitudes to sport/junk food/travelling. They prepare a question
each and then mingle to ask others in the class what they think.

Mingle activities include class questionnaires, matching activities (finding your partner),
group dictations, and role-plays.

Further links:
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/mingling-true-or-false
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/bingo-mingle
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/mingling-terry%E2%80%99s-trip
https://www.ef.com/wwen/blog/teacherzone/mingles-for-efl-class/
https://en.islcollective.com/english-esl-worksheets/search/mingle?page=1
Jigsaw activities
Storytelling
• retelling stories
• 4-3-2
• story reconstruction
Problem-solving activities
 Photographic competition (upper intermediate to
advanced)
• The activity begins when students, working in groups, are told that they are
going to be the judges of a photographic competition in which all the images
are of men. Before they see the four finalists, they have to decide the criteria
they are going to use to make their choice. Each group should come up with five
criteria.
• The students are then shown the four finalists for the competition. In their
groups, they have to choose the winning photograph using the criteria they
have previously agreed.
• Finally, the groups have to report back on their choices and say exactly why
they have chosen them - which criteria made them choose one above the others.
• Whole-class discussion about what masculinity means, or about photography
and how it has been changed by the invention of digitised images, etc.
The council of your town is going to spend a sum of money on the improvement of
health of the inhabitants. There are seven suggestions what to spend money on, but the
council can afford only two of them. Add some suggestions of your own. Decide which
would be the two most necessary implementations for your town. Be ready to present
your ideas.

• Offering working women free visits to the gym.

• Presenting an anti-drug programme in secondary schools.
• Organising free public lectures on healthy way of life.
• Offering free keep-fit classes for pensioners in the town.
• Providing free vitamin supplements for junior children.
• Printing and distributing antismoking posters and leaflets.
• Providing free vaccination against the flu.
 Discussions
Moral dilemmas: students are presented with a ‘moral  dilemma’  and
asked to come to a decision about how to resolve it. For example, they
are told that a student has been caught cheating in an important exam.
They are then given the student’s (far-from-ideal) circumstances, and
offered five possible courses of action - from exposing the student
publicly to ignoring the incident - which they have to choose between.
 Role plays
Last night the Wolverhampton Trophy was stolen from the Wolverhampton
Football Club Headquarters at around 9.30 in the evening. The police have
brought in a youth for questioning; they believe this youth stole the trophy.
The suspect is being interviewed by two police officers. The suspect’s lawyer
is also present. But because the suspect is not yet eighteen, a parent is also
present.
 Police officer 1

The suspect was seen leaving the club house at around 9.30 by two
other criminals, Ben and Joey, but you can’t  tell the suspect this,
because that would put Ben and Joey in danger. So the only thing you can
do is to keep asking the suspect different questions about what they were
doing last night in the hope that they’ll  get confused and in the end
confess.
You have had enough of teenage crime in your area. It makes you really
mad. Anyway, you want to get home. Unfortunately, you get angry rather
quickly. When your police colleague tells you to calm down, you get really angry.
 Police officer 2

The suspect was seen taking the trophy by two other crim inals, Ben
and Joey, but you can’t tell the suspect this, because that would put
Ben and Joey in danger. So the only thing you can do is keep
asking the suspect different questions about what they were doing last
night in the hope that they’ ll get confused and in the end confess.
You like your partner, but you get really worried when they
start getting angry since this doesn’t  help in a police interview
situation, so you try to calm your partner down. But whenever a
suspect’s  mother or father tries to say that their beautiful child is
not really to blame for something, you get really irritated.
 Lawyer

Your job is to protect the suspect.

You try to stop the police asking difficult questions - and you try to stop
the suspect saying too much.
 
 Parent

You think your child is a good person and that if they have
got into any trouble it isn’t their fault. Your partner (the suspect’s 
mother or father) was sent to prison and the suspect is very
upset about this.
If you think the police are being unfair to your child, you should tell
them so ­ and make sure they realise it isn’t really your child’s fault.
 The suspect

You are seventeen and a half years old.

You did steal the trophy, of course, but you don’t think the police
have any proof.
You want to know where the police got their information. When they
ask  you   what you were doing last night, you’ll say you were with a friend.
You enjoy being sitly when the police ask you questions. You get angry
when the lawyer tries to stop you doing this.
The portrait interview (almost any level)
 The portrait interview (almost any level)

Stage 1 - students are put into three groups. Each group gets a copy of ‘The  Arnolfini
Marriage’by Jan van Eyck ­ or a large version of the painting is projected onto a screen.
Stage 2 - each group selects either the man, the woman or the dog. They have to look at the
picture carefully and then come up with as many questions for their character as possible.
Every student in the group must make a copy of all the questions produced by the group.
(for the man ‘How long did it take to have your picture done?’,  ‘What is written on the
wall?’; for the woman - ‘Why don’t  you replace the missing candles in the chandelier?’, 
‘Why  is your room so untidy?’  and for the dog, ‘Why don’t  you run from such a dark
room?’, ‘How did they manage to keep you in that position for such a long time?’)
Stage 3 - students are put in new groups of three (one from each of the original three groups).
Each student in the group takes on the identity of one of the two characters they did not
prepare questions for. The student with the questions for them interviews them, and the other
student has to follow up each answer with a subsequent question.
Stage 4 - three students are chosen to play the different characters. They come to the front of
the class and are interviewed in the same way.
 
References

• Brown, H.D. (2007). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach

to language pedagogy (3rd ed). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.

• Richard-Amato, P.A. (2003). Making it happen: From interactive to

participatory language teaching theory and practice (3rd ed.). White
Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Questions?
Thank you for attention!
 Unit 8.
Developing Intercultural
Communicative Competence
What is intercultural communicative competence?
Intercultural communicative competence
ability to  understand cultures, including your own, and use this
understanding to communicate with people from other cultures
successfully.
Cultural Dimensions Models?
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension Model (Hofstede 1991, p. 28)
Hall’s Cultural Factors

 Factor
Overtness of messages
 Locus of control and attribution for 
failure
 Use of non-verbal communication
Expression of reaction
 High-context culture  Low-context culture
Many covert and implicit messages, with use Many overt and explicit messages that are
of metaphor and reading between the lines. simple and clear.
Inner locus of control and personal acceptance  Outer locus of control and blame of others for 
for failure
failure
 Much nonverbal communication More focus on verbal communication than
body language
Reserved, inward reactions Visible, external, outward reaction

Strong diistinction  between ingroup and  Flexible and open grouping patterns, changing

Cohesion and separation of groups
 People bonds
Level of commitment to relationships
Actions
outgroup. Strong  sense of family.
Strong people bonds with affiliation to family
and community
 High commitment to long­term relationships.
Relationship more important than task.
do one thing at a time
as needed
Fragile bonds between people with little sense
of loyalty.
 Low commitment to relationship. Task more 
important than relationships.
do many things at once

Focus Concentrate on the job at hand Are easily distracted

Attention to time Think about when things must be achieved Think about what will be achieved

Priority Put the job first Put relationships first

Culture (Tomalin, Stempleski, 1993)

Products
Literature
Folklore
Art
Music
Artefacts

Behaviours
Ideas Customs
Habits
Beliefs Dress
Values Food
Institutions Leisure
 Intercultural Communicative Competence

Linguistic competence Sociolinguistic competence Discourse competence

Intercultural Competence

Motivation, mindfulness, tolerance, empathy

Intercultural competence

Native Culture

Target Culture Communication

Designing Tasks (Nunan 1989, p. 10-11)

Goal           Learner’s role

Input TASK            Teacher’s role

Activities Settings
Literary texts

The crucial role of reading literary texts in developing cultural awareness

has been observed by a number of scholars, including Bredella (1996, 2000),
Burwitz-Meltzer (2001), Delanoy (1993), Kramsch (2000, 2003) or Soter
(1997). One of the main arguments for incorporating literary texts within the
second language classroom and intercultural education is concerned with the
fact that works of literature enable the reader to observe the world from
multifarious perspectives and cherish the diversity of individual
perception. The power of literature lies in its unique ability to deeply
involve the reader both at a cognitive, as well as emotional level. The
subjective world of literary protagonists might not only fascinate and allure
the reader, but also transfer them to a different reality, regardless of their
own otherness or limitation (cf. Soter, 1997).
 Hanauer’s  method: Focus- on- cultural
understanding
The key role in this method is still played by the reader who subjectively interprets the
text from the perspective of their own culture and personal experience. Hanauer
proposes to confront such an interpretation with interpretation of experts, understood here as
native speakers of the target language and culture.
• At the first stage of work learners are presented an original text and asked for its
interpretation in the light of their own culture.
• Secondly, they are exposed to cultural experts’ interpretations of the text they read and
compare them with their own reading.
• The final stage involves a discussion which aims at realizing culture dependent
differences in perception of the reality and conclusive text interpretation as well as
addressing the question of the impact of cultural factors on a certain text interpretation.
Literary texts
Language Culture Personality

Literary texts

ØIdioms ØTraditions and customs

ØPhrasal verbs ØHistory
ØProverbs ØLife style, Reality
ØSlang and Argo ØMentality, psychology
J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea.
It was no good. He’d have to say something to her. He cleared his
throat nervously. “Er—Petunia,  dear—you  haven’t  heard from
your sister lately, have you?” (…)
    ­ “No,” she said sharply. “Why?”
- “Funny  stuff on the news,”  Mr. Dursley mumbled. “Owls… 
shooting stars…  and there were a lot of funny looking people in
town today…”
    “So?”  snapped Mrs. Dursley.
“Well,  I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… 
you know… her  crowd.”
Language features
ADJECTIVE
no good. informal;
worthless

IDIOM
Clear one’s throat  Cough slightly so as
to speak more
clearly
NOUN informal
stuff Matter, material

PHRASE
to do with Be concerned or
connected with.
 Rosamunde Pilcher “September”

….The trouble was that he had never gone for domesticated females. His 
girl-friends were usually models, or young aspiring actresses with immense
ambition and little brain. (…)Which was great for his own personal 
amusement and satisfaction, but not much use when it came to being good
about the house. Besides, they were (….)able to down enormous and 
expensive restaurant meals, and disinterested in producing even the simplest
of snacks in the privacy of either their own flats.

Life style, reality, mentality

Life style, reality, mentality

He had never gone Life style, habits,

for domesticated tastes, mentality,
females reality
His girl-friends had mentality, reality
immense ambition
and little brain
They were Life style and habits
disinterested in
cooking
William Makepeace Thackeray.
Vanity fair

…But there are things, look you,

of a finer texture than fur or satin,
and all Solomon's glories, and all
the wardrobe of the Queen of
Sheba­things whereof the beauty 
escapes the eyes of many
connoisseurs. And there are sweet
modest little souls on which you
light, fragrant and blooming
Moral values and world tenderly in quiet shady places;
perception
 Moral values and world perception

there are things of a fine texture There are things more valuable
than expensive and sophisticated
goods

things which beauty escapes the eyes  Usually lots of people don’t 
of many connoisseurs appreciate them properly

sweet modest little souls fragrant and These are beautiful modest souls, that
blooming tenderly in quiet shady will only open to you if you are
places delicate and can appreciate them
William Makepeace Thackeray.
Vanity fair

…Vive la France! Vive l'Empereur! Vive Bonaparte!" "O Rebecca,

Rebecca, for shame!" cried Miss Sedley; for this was the greatest
blasphemy Rebecca had as yet uttered; and in those days, in England,
to say, "Long live Bonaparte!" was as much as to say, "Long live
Lucifer!" "How can you--how dare you have such wicked,
revengeful thoughts?"

History
History

in those days, in England,

to say, "Long live
Bonaparte!" was as much
as to say, "Long live
Lucifer!"
 Conclusion

Accordingly, the role of the language teacher would consist in providing a

selection of texts showing a variety of individual perspectives and making
language learner aware that each individual voice is just a single, though
unique, element of a complex mosaic that each culture is built of. Such an
approach would lead to deep understanding what culture really is, on the one
hand, helping the learners grasp certain aspects of the target culture, and, on
the other hand, restraining them from oversimplifications and stereotyping.
Literary texts used for cultural education should not be treated as “rough 
guides” to cultures, providing practical tips boiling down to what to do
or not to do in a certain cultural context. They should rather be
perceived as spring-boards for critical discussion leading to a profound
understanding of selected aspects of culture from an individual
perspective.
Adele • Throw yourself through every open
door
“Rolling in the deep” • Count your blessings to find what look
for
• Turn my sorrow into treasured gold
• And pay me back in kind -
• You reap just what you sow

Language features
Language features
IDIOM
Count one’s blessings  Be grateful for what one has.

Pay back PHRASAL VERB

to pay someone the money that 
you owe them
You reap what you sow. PROVERB
You eventually have to face up
to the consequences of your
actions.
 Songs
Supporting ideas Contrary ideas

1. Most students find popular songs very  ???

motivating, but...
2. Songs generally lighten the mood of a  
class, but...
3. Music appeals to the senses and is  
always perceived as enjoyable, but...
4. Songs are a great source of popular  
culture, but...
5. Songs provide many examples of  
colloquial language that many students
are keen to learn, but...
 Songs
Supporting ideas Contrary ideas

1. Most students find popular songs very this can depend very much on musical taste and
motivating, but... more mature learners might not be so keen to
learn from songs
2. Songs generally lighten the mood of a
class, but...
3. Music appeals to the senses and is
always perceived as enjoyable, but...
4. Songs are a great source of popular
culture, but...
5. Songs provide many examples of
colloquial language that many students
 Songs
Supporting ideas Contrary ideas

1. Most students find popular songs very this can depend very much on musical taste and
motivating, but... more mature learners might not be so keen to
learn from songs
2. Songs generally lighten the mood of a some students may perceive them as being
class, but... superficial and not concerned with real learning.
3. Music appeals to the senses and is
always perceived as enjoyable, but...
4. Songs are a great source of popular
culture, but...
5. Songs provide many examples of
colloquial language that many students
 Songs
Supporting ideas
1. Most students find popular songs very
motivating, but...
2. Songs generally lighten the mood of a
class, but...
3. Music appeals to the senses and is
always perceived as enjoyable, but...
4. Songs are a great source of popular
culture, but...
5. Songs provide many examples of
colloquial language that many students
Contrary ideas
this can depend very much on musical taste and
more mature learners might not be so keen to
learn from songs
some students may perceive them as being
superficial and not concerned with real learning.
 some students might think it will lead to singing
and for them, this is less enjoyable
 Songs
Supporting Contrary ideas
ideas
1. Most students find popular songs very this can depend very much on musical taste and
motivating, but... more mature learners might not be so keen to learn
from songs
2. Songs generally lighten the mood of a some students may perceive them as being
class, but... superficial and not concerned with real learning.
3. Music appeals to the senses and is  some students might think it will lead to singing
always perceived as enjoyable, but... and for them, this is less enjoyable
4. Songs are a great source of popular in some contexts this might be seen as invasive or
culture, but... inappropriate
5. Songs provide many examples of
colloquial language that many
 Songs
Supporting ideas
1. Most students find popular songs very
motivating, but...
2. Songs generally lighten the mood of a
class, but...
3. Music appeals to the senses and is
always perceived as enjoyable, but...
4. Songs are a great source of popular
culture, but...
5. Songs provide many examples of
colloquial language that many students
Contrary ideas
this can depend very much on musical taste and
more mature learners might not be so keen to
learn from songs
some students may perceive them as being
superficial and not concerned with real learning.
 some students might think it will lead to singing
and for them, this is less enjoyable
in some contexts this might be seen as invasive
or inappropriate
this idiomatic language is often difficult to
understand
Conclusions?
On balance, the advantages probably outweigh the disadvantages.
However, it is a good idea to be aware of different issues that surround
the use of songs and not assume that all students will love working on a
song. Also don’t  assume that students will have your taste in music.
What you perceive as “boring  folk music”  they might find not only
melodious, but also easy to understand, and vice versa!
 Aims Detail

To practice listening

To practise reading …
To practise speaking …
To practise writing …
To clarify or highlight vocabulary …
To clarify or highlight grammar …
To clarify or highlight pronunciation
...
 Aims Detail
To practice listening for a gist understanding of the song.
for a more detailed understanding of the song
To practise reading … by scanning for specific words in the lyrics of
the song
for an implied message in the lyrics of the song
To practise speaking … by discussing the content of the song
To practise writing … by creating new lyrics for the melody of the
song
To clarify or highlight vocabulary … by focusing on idiomatic language in the song
To clarify or highlight grammar … by focusing on example structures in the song
To clarify or highlight pronunciation ... by matching together words from the song that
rhyme
First listening Subsequent listening(s) Post listening
 First listening Subsequent listening(s) Post listening

Students listen and decide what

kind of song it is –  romantic? song
with a message?
Students listen and select the best
of 3 possible titles for the song.
Students listen and decide which
one of three pictures best represents
the song.
Students listen and select the best
of 3 one-sentence summaries of the
song.
Students listen to confirm their
predictions about the content of a
song based on having looked at 5
key vocabulary items from the lyrics.
 First listening
Students listen and decide what
kind of song it is –  romantic? song
with a message?
Students listen and select the best
of 3 possible titles for the song.
Students listen and decide which
one of three pictures best represents
the song.
Students listen and select the best
of 3 one-sentence summaries of the
song.
Students listen to confirm their
predictions about the content of a
song based on having looked at 5
key vocabulary items from the lyrics.
Subsequent listening(s) Post listening
Students listen and order the lines
of the song that have been mixed up.
Students listen and complete a
copy of the lyrics with gaps.
Students listen and answer True/
False or multi-choice questions.
Students listen and answer
comprehension questions about the
song.
Students listen in order to identify
and correct a wrong word in each
line of the song.
Students are given a list of words
from the song. They match together
the words that rhyme, then listen and
complete a gap-fill of the lyrics using
those words.
 First listening
Students listen and decide what
kind of song it is –  romantic? song
with a message?
Students listen and select the best
of 3 possible titles for the song.
Students listen and decide which
one of three pictures best represents
the song.
Students listen and select the best
of 3 one-sentence summaries of the
song.
Students listen to confirm their
predictions about the content of a
song based on having looked at 5
key vocabulary items from the lyrics.
Subsequent listening(s)
Students listen and order the lines
of the song that have been mixed up.
Students listen and complete a
copy of the lyrics with gaps.
Students listen and answer True/
False or multi-choice questions.
Students listen and answer
comprehension questions about the
song.
Students listen in order to identify
and correct a wrong word in each
line of the song.
Students are given a list of words
from the song. They match together
the words that rhyme, then listen and
complete a gap-fill of the lyrics using
those words.
Post listening
Students find and underline
examples of a particular grammar
point in a song.
Students study two or three
unfamiliar idioms from a song and
try to work out what they mean.
Students rewrite the lyrics of a
song, trying to fit their words to the
melody.
Students do a role play based on
characters or a situation from the
song.
Students sing the song together as
the CD plays.
 Sources:
Azerbaeva A.M. Developing cultural awareness through reading literary texts.
ESOL Teaching Skills Taskbook
Hanauer, D. (2001). Focus-on-cultural-understanding: literary reading in the second language classroom.
CAUCE. Revista de Filologia y su Didactica. 24, 389–404.
Soter, A. 1997. Reading literatures of other cultures: Some issues in critical interpretation. Reading across
cultures: Teaching literature in a diverse society. T. Rogers & A. Soter (eds.). Columbia University:
Teachers College Press. 213–227. 
Schewe, M. 1998. Culture through literature through drama. Language learning in intercultural
perspective. M. Byram & M. Fleming (eds.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 204–221.
Tomalin, B., Stempleski, S. (1994). Cultural Awareness (Resource Books for Teachers). Oxford University
Press, 1st edition.
Utley, D. (2004) Intercultural Resource Pack: Intercultural communication resources for language
teachers (Cambridge Copy Collection). Oxford University Press, 1st edition.