Friday 22 October 2010

Time flies, whether you're having fun or not...

So much for my intention of posting something about what I have been doing with my classes every two or three days. Two weeks have gone by!

Maybe it's easier to work backwards.

Today I have put numerous assignments on Edmodo for my students to do. Many have just been to ask my students to do a section of the workbook as a test, correct it and tell my how it went, but there is also a long list of vocabulary for File 1 for them to study. We went through most of it in class very quickly just showing 12 or so words at a time and asking students to ask for help if they had forgotten any.

I use Word a lot with the IWB and in the case of vocabulary revision I simply showed the lists provided by OUP in 'Reading Layout' with the size of the text increased by using Control + the wheel of the mouse until it is easily seen from anywhere in the classroom. Here is a picture of what it looks like:


Another task I set them for the next week was to do appropriate remedial work for each of the grammar questions they got wrong on the Entry Tests they did and corrected at home in the first week. On average people made 5 mistakes and the only problem was helping them see which sections of the Grammar Checker for their level would be useful. I spent an hour or so last year or earlier making a cross-reference list like this one for Pre-Intermediate:

GRAMMAR

 

1.                           . (5C)

2.                             (2A)

3.                             (2B)

4.                             (4B)

5.                             (6C 6D)

6.                             (9B)

7.                             (7C)

8.                             (5C)

9.                             (5B)

10.                         (6C 6D)

11.                         (9B)

12.                         (5B)

13.                         (1B)

14.                         (2B)

15.                         (2A)

16.                         (7A)

17.                         (3D)

18.                         (8D)

19.                         (4D)

20.                         (6A)

21.                         (3C)

22.                         (nothing)

23.                         (7B)

24.                         (8B)

25.                         (8A)

or this one for Intermediate:

GRAMMAR

 

1.                           . (4B)

2.                             (2A)

3.                             (2B)

4.                             (4A)

5.                             (9A)
----------------

6.                             (5C)

7.                             (1B)

8.                             (8B)

9.                             (4B)

10.                         (8D)
----------------

11.                         (5B)

12.                         (8C ?)

13.                         (1D)

14.                         (3A)

15.                         (6B)
----------------

16.                         (6D)

17.                         (7D)

18.                         (8B)

19.                         (9B)

20.                         (6A)
----------------

21.                         (8A)

22.                         (7A)

23.                         (6C)

24.                         (4D)

25.                         (3C)

Sadly, the answers for the exercises in the Grammar Checker for Pre-Intermediate are missing from the student pack (or at least they were last year). I tracked them down on the internet:

answer_keys_new_english_file_grammar_checker_for__pre-intermediate

I suggested that they should study the grammar explanation section and then hide it and do the corresponding exercises as a test, writing their answers on a piece of paper. That way they preserve the exercise for re-use if needed.

We'll, we'll see how it goes. I've asked them to give me feedback on when they've completed THEIR exercises and to ask me about any problems they still have.

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