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    It Works in Practice 047

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    It Works in Practice 047

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    It Works in Practice 047

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     IT WORKS IN PRACTICE More tested lessons, suggestions, tips and techniques which have

    all worked for ETp readers. Try them out for yourself – and then
    send us your own contribution.
    All the contributors to It Works in Practice in this issue of ETp
    will all be given a copy of An A–Z of ELT by Scott Thornbury,
    published by Macmillan. Macmillan have kindly agreed to be
    sponsors of It Works in Practice for this year.

     Strip tease!
    Laughter is healthy and it produces
    chemical changes in our bodies which
    make us feel better. Fun and enjoyment
    should always have a core place in our
    classes: a good teacher–student
    relationship can make the difference
    between the learning process taking or
    not taking place at all.
    So, why not include cartoons and
    comics in our teaching? Here are some
    ideas for exploiting them to their full images, understand the written text, and ● Give one student the comic strip with
    potential and at practically all levels of speak using time-sequence transition all bubbles deleted. Print and cut out a
    language proficiency. words to maintain the unity of a set of the original bubbles. Distribute
    paragraph or story. these among the other students. The
    Write it students with the bubbles wander about
    The following activities provide students Cut it out saying aloud what their bubble says.
    with an invaluable opportunity for writing Comics can also be worked with by cutting The student who has the comic strip has
    creatively and also help develop them up. to find all the bubbles and put them in
    coherence. The students’ writing has to ● Cut up the different frames of a comic the correct place.
    be adjusted to the sequence of events strip and ask the students to put them
    depicted in the comic strip, taking into in sequence. This can be done in pairs Report it
    consideration what precedes and follows to encourage speaking. Comic strips can also be used to practise
    each panel. reported speech.
    ● Give each student one frame of a comic
    ● Blank out all the bubbles in a comic strip. Tell them that they can’t show First, elicit from the students which
    strip and see what students come up their frame to the other students. The reporting verbs could be used to report
    with to fill them. You might like to try aim is to find their partners in order to what is said in each bubble. Having
    the one on this page and then turn to complete the sequence by describing pictures depicting the situation promotes
    page 60 to see the original. their pictures. This can be done in small use of a wide range of reporting verbs
    groups (with as many members as the such as exclaim, protest, wonder, etc.
    ● Alternatively, blank out only one key
    bubble or all the bubbles belonging to comic strip has frames) or in a more
    challenging way as a whole-class Draw your own
    one character. Choose a fairly short story, preferably a
    activity. This variation gives you the
    ● Blank out only the bubble(s) of the last chance to use either multiple copies of funny one, and ask students to turn it
    panel and ask students to invent their the same comic strip or several into a comic strip. It is advisable to tell
    own endings. different comic strips. Students mingle, them in advance the number of panels
    describing their pictures until they they should use; this will depend on the
    Tell it think they have the comic strip main points of the text.
    As a follow-up activity or as an activity in complete. (You will need to tell them This is a very useful activity for helping
    its own right, ask your students to retell beforehand how many partners they students recognise key ideas in texts and
    what happens in the comic strip. should look for and whether there is helping them summarise.
    When carrying out this type of activity more than one copy of the same strip or María Cecilia Amigo
    students are required to interpret the a number of different ones.) Montevideo, Uruguay

    38 • Issue 47 November 2006 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •


     Split conversations
    Conversation is such a natural part of students to see who has the other part
    Mel: What was it like in Istanbul?
    our lives that many of us are not of their exchange. Tell the students
    How long did you live there?
    conscious of what happens within it. they have to speak to everyone.
    Sophie: It was great! We lived there for
    However, normally a conversation ● After four or five minutes, ask those
    about six years.
    follows some rules. Topics, openings students who have found their partner
    and closings, adjacency, the making of Mel: Why did you move?
    to stand in front of the board. Give the
    meaning, turn-taking, stress and Sophie: Dad got a new position in his
    others two more minutes to find their
    intonation, gesture and body language company.
    partners. If they still can’t find them,
    and even male and female differences Mel: Do you hear from your old help by giving some clues.
    all play an important role. school friends ?
    ● After all the students have finished, ask
    As English teachers we often tend to Sophie: Sure! In fact, my best friend
    them to make a circle and try to put the
    assume that conversation involves called me only last night. I
    exchanges in a meaningful order to
    nothing but a bit of grammar practice really miss her. We used to
    make a full conversation.
    and a few pronunciation skills. have such fun together. I hope
    I’m not wittering on too much. ● When they have finished, give all the
    However, if we want to be successful in
    students the full form of the
    teaching conversation we need to do Mel: Not at all! Anyway, let’s order
    conversation and ask them to read it.
    everything that native speakers do something now. I’m crazy
    Then consolidate by doing an exercise
    when they have real conversations. about chocolate cheesecake! I
    or two related to the conversation. For
    hope they have some. Waiter!
    I should like to describe one of the example:
    Sophie: Mmm … that was delicious!
    techniques I use in class.
    Read the definitions and find the words
    Mel: Yeah, the cheesecake was
    ● First prepare a conversation (or find in the conversation.
    great! Hey, let’s go to the
    one in a coursebook) which is
    cinema on Saturday. 1 ..................... = to feel sad because of
    appropriate for your students’ level.
    Sophie: Good idea. What shall we see? the absence of someone
    There is an example in the box. The
    2 ..................... = a job, a post
    conversation should have question-
    ● Give the slips of paper to the students 3 ..................... = wonderful or impressive
    answer exchanges in it.
    and tell them that they have two 4 ..................... = an instruction to supply
    ● Cut up the conversation so that each minutes to memorise their sentences. something
    part of the exchanges is on a different Then ask them to circulate around the 5 ..................... = a man who serves
    slip of paper. You will need as many room, saying what is on their paper and people with food in a
    slips of paper as you have students. listening to what is said by the other restaurant

    1 2 Conversation starter
    Before starting on a new topic, I often give the students an
    R 3 L 4 activity to stimulate them and get them talking. This one, a
    crossword on values, can be done in pairs or small groups.
    S S
    Across
    5 The most essential ten-letter word is ...... Trust it.
    6 The most satisfying two-letter word is ...... Use it.
    5 C F 7 The most poisonous eight-letter word is ...... Distance it.
    9 The most powerful nine-letter word is ...... Acquire it.
    U L C Down
    6 1 The fastest spreading six-letter word is ...... Ignore it.
    2 The most used four-letter word is ...... Value it.
    8 3 The most pleasing five-letter word is ...... Do it.
    4 The hardest working seven-letter word is ...... Achieve it.
    7 J E Y 8 The most demanding three-letter word is ...... Control it.

    Down: 1 rumour 2 love 3 smile 4 success 8 ego


    Across: 5 confidence 6 we 7 jealousy 9 knowledge
    9 K G Answers Hasan Senyüz
    Istanbul, Turkey

    • www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 47 November 2006 • 39

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