CELTA Written Assignment 2

Skills Related Tasks

Name/Date: Mahmud 1st Submission 2nd Submission

Abulqosimov 10.10.2023
S NS S NS
Signature: Mahmud
Abulqosimov

By signing this I certify that

this assignment is my own
work, and that I have
acknowledged ALL material
and sources used in its
preparation.

Correctly using terminology

that relates to subskills and
language skills
Relating task design to
language skills
development
Finding, selecting and
referencing information
from one or more sources
using written language that
is clear, accurate and
appropriate for the task.
Word count of 750-1000

Overall comment

Overall grade Pass Resubmit Pass on Fail

Tutor(s) signature(s) and date Resub

1
Guidelines

Word count: 750-1000 words (You must state your word count.)

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your ability to help develop students’
reading skills
Start by reading/listening to/viewing the articles attached

Choose one article only. This is a continuous prose assignment.

SECTION 1. Lead-in/Pre-reading/pre-listening task (Suggested word count: 75–

100 words)
Describe how you would generate interest in the text. Describe any lead-in
activities you would do with students before they read the text.
List any vocabulary you would pre-teach and state why you have chosen them
but do not describe how you will teach them.

SECTION 2. First reading/listening task. (Suggested word count: 225 – 300

words)
● Design an initial reading/listening task for use with this text.
● Attach the question(s), with answers, as an appendix to your assignment.
● Describe how you would use this task in class.
● State what sub-skill of reading this task practises (reading for gist, reading
for specific information, reading for detailed comprehension or reading to
infer meaning).
● Say why it’s a good idea to practise this reading sub-skill, with reference
to your background reading about skills (see bibliography).

SECTION 3. Second reading/listening task. (Suggested word count:225–300

words)
● Design a second reading/listening task for use with this text. Attach the
question(s), with answers, as an appendix to your assignment.

2
 ● Describe how you would use this task in class. State what sub-skill of
reading/list this task practises (reading/list for gist, for specific
information, for detailed comprehension or to infer meaning).
● Say why it’s a good idea to practise this reading sub-skill, with reference
to your background reading about skills (see bibliography).

SECTION 4. Productive task design. (Suggested word count: 225 – 300 words)
● Design a productive skills (speaking or writing) task or series of tasks for
use in this lesson, following on from the topic of the text. The task(s)
should be relatively substantial.
● Attach any materials (cards/prompts for roleplays, writing or discussion
questions) as an appendix to the assignment.
● Describe how you would use the task(s) in class and say why you think it’s
a good idea for students to practise this type of speaking or writing, with
reference to your background reading about skills (see bibliography).

CANDIDATE CHECKLIST
The following points are potential pitfalls and candidates may be asked to resubmit because
these have not been done. To help you avoid these, please review your assignment and make
sure you have taken these into account.

Before submitting the assignment, check that you have:

You Tutor

Included a paragraph explaining what you chose and why Done

Described a lead-in Done

Listed the blocking vocabulary you would pre-teach and why (not how) Done

Included two reading or listening tasks, practising two different sub-skills Done
(gist, detail, specific information are all acceptable) related to the way the
text would be listened to or read in real life

Ordered the tasks logically Done

Submitted handouts with instructions and answer keys for any reading or Done
listening tasks

Checked the answers are correct Done

3
 Explained the rationale for each task, both for receptive skills and Done
productive skills

Referenced background reading in the rationale Done

Designed a follow-on productive task (speaking or writing) Done

Included a handout with instructions for the productive task Done

Stated a word count 1021

Proofread your writing Done

Included a bibliography Done

Note: the Assessment Criteria for this part are as detailed on page 1.

Suggested Bibliography

When completing the skills assignment, you need to have access to a general methodology book. We
recommend that you consult the chapters on receptive and productive skills in one of the following
while writing this assignment:

● Harmer, J. (2007) How to Teach English (2nd Edition) Pearson

● Harmer, J. (2007) The Practice of English Language Teaching (4th Edition) Longman
● Scrivener, J. (2011) Learning Teaching (3rd Edition) Macmillan
● Thornbury, S. (2005) How to Teach Speaking Pearson

4
 Write your First Submission here

Text: Pizza, popcorn and potatoes: six surprising foods that may actually
be good for us.
Level: Upper Intermediate.

The topic of fast food is chosen as it is thought to be of high interest to students and also the
text provides students with some amazing yet quite unexpected bits of information. The lexis is
believed to improve their vocabulary which will help in further language exams.

Section 1: Pre-reading/listening task

In the lead in stage, students will be shown a photo of a hamburger, pizza, popcorn and
French fries which will make them think of “junk food” followed by one question. “Is it
healthy to eat them?” in this stage students work in pairs and ask each other two questions
“Do you eat fast food?” and “How often/Why not?” This will directly lead students to the
context of fast/junk food. According to Harmer (2007, p101) “Students need to be engaged
with what they are reading”. As students need some vocabulary to understand the text
better, “spud”, “digest” and “obesity” will be taught in advance. These words are essential to
understand the chosen text as they are repeated frequently as well as being essential for the
tasks.

Section 2: First reading/listening task

As an actual reading task, students will be provided handouts with the names of 5 products given in
the text as numbered and the list of features each product has. Students will be given one minute or
maybe additional 30 seconds to read the text quickly and match the features with the list of products.
Afterwards, they will have a chance to compare their answers with their partner and fast readers can
help slow reads with the features. Then the students can check their answers with the teacher in the
form of Open Class Discussion to get some feedback from the teacher and the peers

This task enables students to read the text for a gist and understand the main features of the sub-

5
 paragraphs without paying much attention to the other details provided in the text. After the text
students will have improved their skills of skim-reading. This task does not require high level of
vocabulary as it contains intermediate and possible some upper intermediate words. Students can
use their background knowledge to help them as can challenge themselves whether they can work
well and accomplish the task under a limited range of time.

Section 3: Second reading/listening task

Once students have finished the feedback for the first task, it is a high time for students to develop
another skill of reading, namely reading for detailed comprehension. As Harmer (2007) mentions the
principle 6 in his book, it is not wise to read and drop the text and then move on to something
different- the text should be exploited fully. Therefore, students now can have a chance to read the
text to get the detailed comprehension on the basis of True/False questions in order to practise
reading for specific information skill. This task challenges students to understand the minor details of
the reading and as well as the lexis given in the text and in the task. Student will be given 8 sentences
and asked to decide whether the sentences agree with or contradict the content given in the text
during 4 to 5 minutes underlining the part of the text that the answer can be found.

Usually, teachers test whether students understood the text or not while most of them neglect the
fact that students want their skills improved not tested. I agree with the idea stated by Harmer (2007)
in his book “Principles of English Language Teaching” that comprehension tasks should help students
to understand the text better and improve their skills. Taking this into consideration, True-False task is
designed to help students with their lexis and detailed reading skill since Upper-Intermediate is one of
the last levels of learning a language. This task also helps students to develop their sentence
analyzation skill on the context of the text responding the grammar and finding synonyms or
antonyms from the text or even phrases and functional language that have similar or opposing
meaning in the exercise. When the time finishes, students work in pairs to help each other and
compare their answers followed by OCD led by the teacher. This stage is equally essential for the
students and the teacher as students can learn from the mistakes or strength of each other and
teacher can further help students with the vocabulary and some techniques to deal with the task.
Besides that, the teacher can identify the weaknesses of the students to work on in the further
lessons.

6
 Section 4: Productive task design
● Practice makes- if not perfect – at least fluent Thornbury, S. (2005 p79). As soon as students
have completed the feedback for the reading task, they can proceed to production stage
where they work as a group. The task consists of 12 questions (divided into 2 equally) related
to the topic. The activity is held that students A form a circle facing out and Students B form a
bigger circle facing students A and interview each other asking the questions provided by the
teacher. Each round lasts about 2 minutes giving enough time to both students to ask follow-
up questions and respond in details. On the clap of the teacher students B move clockwise to
change the partner and ask another question from a different student. The activity consists of
6 rounds which allow each student A to work with all the students B. Overall time for the
activity is estimated to last up to 13-14 minutes which will follow the feedback stage
afterwards. Random students will be nominated to report the most
interesting/unusual/extraordinary idea they heard from their partners.
This activity provides students with a range of questions to discuss, which covers a large area
of the topic. This is believed to be invaluable experience for students to improve their fluency
on the topic of food using the vocabulary they covered in the text so that students can have a
chance to activate the lexis they have learnt during the lesson. Last but not least, this activity
is specially designed to vary interaction patterns during the lesson and students can work
with different partner that allows them to exchange ideas with at least 6 students.

References
● Harmer, J. (2007) How to Teach English (2nd Edition) Pearson
● Harmer, J. (2007) The Practice of English Language Teaching (4th Edition) Longman
● Thornbury, S. (2005) How to Teach Speaking Pearson

7
8
4:

Pizza, popcorn and potatoes: six surprising foods that

may actually be good for us

Words byRobin EveleighSeptember 20, 2023

FoodHealthLifestyleWellbeing

As new research suggests beer might be beneficial to our gut health, experts share other unlikely foods – from
chocolate to potatoes – that may be better for us than first thought

New research from Dalian Medical University in China has found that the bacteria in beer could boost your
intestinal microbiome. While the medical consensus about alcohol consumption in general is that there is no safe
amount that does not harm health, the recent findings also suggest that anti-inflammatory polyphenols –
compounds found in plant-based foods – can help to combat heart disease, obesity, diabetes and even cancer.

The researchers stressed that the benefits of drinking beer on the gut only apply to moderate drinkers. Drinking
alcohol in excess has been found to increase the risk of serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, liver
disease and several types of cancer.

Still, the findings could help pave the way for ‘beer bioactives’ to be used for their health benefits in the future, say
the scientists.

Here are five more foods with some surprising health benefits.

1. Popcorn

It might be a movie night staple, but popcorn’s wholegrain status means it definitely deserves better billing. Besides
being high in fibre, the consumption of which is linked to lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers,
popcorn is full of vitamins, nutrients and antioxidant phenolic acids. “It’s been seen as a junk food, but if you cook it
carefully, it’s really beneficial,” explains nutritional therapist Stefanie Daniels. That means making it from scratch
and going easy on the oil or butter. “Using a good quality Himalayan or sea salt will give you some extra nutrients
and electrolytes too,” Daniels adds.

2. Potatoes

The humble spud gets some bad press thanks to its starchy carbohydrate content. These carbs are easily broken
down and digested, which can cause blood sugars to spike, leading to stress and tiredness. Daniels, though,
9
suggests a simple hack: simply letting your potatoes cool before eating turns much of those carbs into both slowly
digestible and resistant starch. They remain stable even if you reheat, and the latter is a prebiotic which supports
healthy gut bacteria. “Try cooking potatoes at lunchtime, letting them cool, and then reheating for tea,” Daniels
suggests.

3. Dairy milk

Plant-based alternatives are all the rage, but some (check the carton to see if yours is fortified) are missing a vital
dietary mineral: iodine. It’s essential for maintaining a healthy thyroid, and particularly important during
pregnancy and when breastfeeding for development of the baby’s brain. Luckily it’s found in abundance in cow’s
milk. A 200ml serving can contain as much as two-thirds of the recommended daily intake for adults. “Other
sources include white fish and seaweed, but if you’re avoiding them, and milk as well, it’s easy to become low in
iodine,” says nutritional therapist Anna Mapson, from Goodness Me Nutrition. “That can lead to a low functioning
thyroid, meaning weight gain, tiredness and brain fog.”

4. Chocolate

Hayfaa Jawhar was a food scientist before turning luxury chocolatier. “People always worry that if they eat
chocolate they’re not eating healthily, or they’re going to gain weight, but not necessarily,” she says. Jawhar
recommends choosing chocolate that’s free of palm oil, and low in sugar. “The darker the chocolate, the healthier it
is, because it will be higher in flavonoids,” she says. Flavonoids combat toxins and can help ward off cancer and
inflammation. If your sweet tooth can’t stand the bitter hit of dark chocolate, Jawhar suggests pairing it with
natural sweeteners like raisins or succulent dates.

5. Pizza

Yes, really – as long as you cook it from scratch. You could go the whole hog and make your own sourdough pizza
base. The fermentation process pre-digests the flour, making it easier on your gut and preventing blood sugar
spikes. If you want to make a standard dough, Jawhar advises adding some unrefined flour to your mix. “And go for
less processed toppings like mozzarella and fresh vegetables,” suggests Jawhar. “A lot of kids don’t like eating
vegetables, so homemade pizzas are a great way of incorporating veg into their diets.”

This article was amended on 24 September to emphasise the overall harm to health caused by alcohol.

Image: Dorien Monnens

Accessed Sept 29 2023

10
Appendices

Source: www.allrecipes.com. Link https://www.allrecipes.com/thmb/fFW1o307WSqFFYQ3-

QXYVpnFj6E=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/48727-Mikes-
homemade-pizza-DDMFS-beauty-4x3-BG-2974-a7a9842c14e34ca699f3b7d7143256cf.jpg

Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/49404/juiciest-hamburgers-ever/

11
Source: https://themodernproper.com/homemade-french-fries

https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_popcorn/

12
 Reading task 1. Read the text and match the features (a-e) to the types of food(1-5).

1. Pizza a. is full of vitamins

2. Chocolate b. contains a substance which is beneficial for future moms and
newborns
3. Dairy milk c. has some probiotics which provides beneficial bacteria for
organism
4. Popcorn d. helps parents to add vegetables into child’s meal
5. Potato e. helps to combat cancer

Answers
1. d
2. e
3. b
4. a.
5. c

Task 2. Read the sentences and decide whether they are true (T) or false (F)

1. Popcorn can be healthy when there is minimal portion of oil and butter.
2. Drinking beer a lot can help to fight a number of diseases.
3. Potato is considered to be unhealthy because it takes long time to be digested.
4. When potato is eaten some time after it is cooked, the harmful effects are decreased.
5. Dairy milk is harmful for adults, especially for pregnant women as it contains iodine.
6. People can get as much iodine as they need for a day when they drink 300 ml of milk.
7. There is a risk of obesity when eating chocolate which is rich in sugar and palm oil.
8. Home-made pizza can be help parents to encourage their children to eat vegetables.
Answers
1. T
2. F
3. F
4. T
5. F
6. T
7. T
8. T

Production stage O-ring.

13
Student A. Ask one question from one student B and change partner for the next questions.

1. Do you usually eat healthy food or junk food?

2. Would you consider frozen food as good food? Why or why not?
3. If you could eat at any restaurant for free, which restaurant would it be?
4. Breakfast or dinner? Why
5. Are you a chocoholic?
6. What kind of fruit do you like?

Student B. Ask one question from one student B and change partner for the next questions.

1. Do you usually cook at home, eat out, or get food delivery? Or a mix of all three?
2. Do you like to try new food and drinks?
3. If you could only eat one dish for the rest of your life, what would it be?
4. Chips or popcorn?
5. What kind of beverages do you usually drink?
6. What kind of vegetables do you like?

14