Please follow instructions.
#1 Go to: http://eslnews.org.nz/?p=1806
#2 On the right-hand side, look for: RECENT NEWS.
#3 Click on: WORLD REFUGEE DAY.
#4 Now! Read without thinking about all the words. Read and see how much
you are able to understand.
#5 Now...go back and read again slowly. This time circle all the words you don't
understand.
#6 Now you are ready to listen. As you go along, pause if you need to. Think.
#7 Try to listen a couple of times without stopping.
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HANDOUT
GETTING READY FOR CLASS DISCUSSION:
1. How many refugees does NZ accept every year?
2. Why do you think people are forced to emigrate?
3. Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to escape? Why?
4. Where did the refugees live before going to NZ?
5. Do you think their lives will be completely easy in their new country?
6. Name 3 obstacles that you think immigrants face?
7. Do you think world governments should do more to stop people from emigrating?
8. How many people have settled in NZ as refugees?
9. What can we do as a society as to not let our fellow country (wo)men be
forced to emigrate?
10. Do you think people are entirely happy to emigrate?
...................................................................................
IN-CLASS DISCUSSION
You will be placed in a group of 3 students. You will devise a plan of action to better the lives of citizens so that they have no need to emigrate:
* Better Housing
* Better Education
* Better Transport System
- Underground
- Buses
- Trolleys/Trams
- E-transport
* Better Environment:
- Parks
- Forests
- Open Spaces
- Special Bike lanes/paths
- Better beaches/rivers/lakes/pools
- Better recreational areas
- Areas FREE of smoking
..................................................................................
Please write a 200 word essay recommending ways to better your (city/country) so that citizens can enjoy a better quality of life. Use some of the expressions suggested in the following box:
___________________________________________
I believe that... -
It would be beneficial for everyone to... -
It is advisable to... -
As a society we should... -
It would enhance our environment if we... -
__________________________________________ -
...................................................................................
1. How will you use this resource to meet the needs of your instructional purposes?
This resource is valuable because it meets the needs of my students in terms of
listening practice. My SS are TEFL international students living in China so
they may not be exposed to enough formal or academic English of this type. A
resource like this allows them to listen to news that (although keep the
authentic flavor, have been altered to meet the needs of ELLs. LISTENING is
one of the requirements at our school and this also satisfies the demands of
the curriculum and Korean parents who want their children to be exposed to
the media.
2. Why is this application and format appropriate for the lesson you plan to create
(e.g., level of authenticity, relevance to target language, register,
accuracy, interest level, and motivation?
The lesson is appropriate for the students. I have some 10~12 year olds that
qualify for this level of English because they are very sharp kids from Shanghai
International School which is a very prestigious private institution here in
Shanghai, China. They are fluent with English and at the same level as native
English speakers. In many ways, they are 1 or 2 grades above North American
kids due to the high level of education they are receiving. In terms of register
I try to expose the kids to as many varieties of English as possible. I shift
back and forth between North American Standard English and British (RP) English,
so they can at least come across two important varieties of English. I find the
authenticity of this passage is very good. Pat Syme, the creator of this blog,
told me in writing that she picks all her writings from local and international
news so what appears in her blog are things which are from current affairs and
the international scene. Our kids need to be exposed to this type of English,
in other words: English in the news!
3. What handouts or directions will you provide students to focus learning and
adapt this resource for your instructional purposes?
I will create one handout, which I listed in this blog. That handout will be
used to generate class discussion and to motivate them to speak and to express
themselves. Hopefully, if enough talk is generated, that will also create
enough material that they can transfer to paper as the school also imposes
a writing component. All our kids have to turn in two 'journal writings' per
week. This would give them further practice. Another component which will tie
everything in will be a PPP (PowerPoint Presentation) that will reinforce what
we are studying with visual images.
4. Are the format, organization, design and language level of this resource
appropriate for your instructional goals?
The format is easy. The organization is simple. All the students need to do
is click and the image is readily available. There is no 'guesswork' or nothing
to really wonder about. The design and the language level is appropriate enough.
If there are some difficult words that the children need to look up, they will
be encouraged to do so, and to discuss those difficult words in class. I, as the
facilitator, will be one step ahead, monitoring the more difficult words, such as
UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). Words/acronyms like that
can be overwhelming for anyone. Time will be taken in class to discuss and
explain these concepts.
5. What are the potential problems, either language based or technical that you may
need to troubleshoot or prepare for?
For sure, language & concepts. As I explained in #4, there may be language that
is too difficult for a 10-year old or simply s/he may not have the schema to
know certain concepts. That's where my skills as a facilitator will come in. I
will have to provide that background knowledge. There is always the possibility
that children may feel lost. In order to prepare for that, I have thought about
the PPP (PowerPoint Presentation) to help me along. That extra help could save
the day.
Another problem may be relevance. How I plan to make it relevant for them is
to tie it in with the Korean War of 1950 which they are quite familiarized with
from early age. They will know about refugees, running away from one's country
do to oppression and things of that order.
GO TO: http://themusketeer.pbworks.com/browse/#view=ViewAllFiles¶m=All%2520Files
Aramis,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the reading (and the New Zealand pronunciation!). It is a good thing to try to get students to think beyond their own borders and (sometimes) privileged lifestyles. Since you are in Asia, the pronunciation may be every bit as commonly used as the American or British accent, but I wonder if it could be a problem.
Unless you will load the site in class, I would suggest that you make the link to the site automatic like you can do on Blogger. It just saves the copy and paste.
You had good and clear questions for the students. I would question the number, since the whole lesson should last an hour.
I like your discussion idea. Is it your intention that they just pick a few of the topics listed, or do they have to do them all? I wish you better luck than I have about getting them to open up about the time they felt like they wanted to escape. Probably with your younger kids that would work easier than with my 20ish Chinese who don't want to talk about their problems in front of everyone.
I like your lead-ins for the essay, and I think writing might be a good way to assess their understanding for the exercise.
Thanks for this interesting lesson.
Kelly, yes, opening up here in Asia is a tremendous problem. But remember, the kids I have for this lesson are 8~14. I can get them to open up. And no, my intention is not to cover everything. I design all my classes in a way that everything is overplanned. I fear running out of things to do. As far as accents is concerned, I try to educate my students that all accents are valid. In the case of this Kiwi lady, I thought her accent was beautiful and very clear. Once you start travelling the world, you realize that American English is a small percentage of all the Englishes out there. I appreciate your sincerity and warmth. Thank you for making your contribution. I still prefer your LESSON PLAN over mine. Yours puts mine to shame. ha ha Cheers!
ReplyDelete