Teaching of English

1. Teaching of English as a Foreign Language
(TFL)
By Akram Ullah M.Phil. English Linguistics
Visiting Lecturer Department of English Karakoram International
University Gilgit Baltistan

2. Contents
Abbreviation .................................................................................................................................................4
EFL: English as a Foreign Language............................................................................................................4
ESL: English as a Second Language.............................................................................................................4
L1: The first language of a person, in this case Norwegian..........................................................................4
L2: The second language of a person, in this case English...........................................................................4
PISA: Program for International Student Assessment..................................................................................4
SNC: Single national Curriculum. ................................................................................................................4
Native language: A language which is spoken by birth. .............................................................................4
Target language: A language that someone is learning. .............................................................................4
Foreign language: A language which is from another country. ..................................................................4
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................5
Introduction to Second Language Acquisition.........................................................................................5
Second Language Learning.......................................................................................................................6
Teaching of English.....................................................................................................................................6
Primary Methods of English Teaching .....................................................................................................7
Grammar Translation Method...................................................................................................................7
Proposed Classroom Activities for Teachers....................................................................................8
Direct Method...........................................................................................................................................9
Audio Lingual Method..............................................................................................................................9
Communicative Language Teaching ......................................................................................................10
Encourage Student- Student Interaction. ................................................................................................10
Activity. 1 ...............................................................................................................................................12
Language....................................................................................................................................................13
The four Systems ....................................................................................................................................13
The Four Language Skills.......................................................................................................................14
Teaching Listening......................................................................................................................................14
Listening difficulties...............................................................................................................................15
The speed ............................................................................................................................................15
Vocabulary..........................................................................................................................................15
Structures ............................................................................................................................................15

3. The length and the topic...................................................................................................................15
Before listening: ................................................................................................................................16
During listening:................................................................................................................................16
Post listening......................................................................................................................................16
Activities ....................................................................................................................................................16
Listening Comprehension.......................................................................................................................16
Reading Skills............................................................................................................................................17
Rationale .................................................................................................................................................17
Teaching Writing Skills............................................................................................................................18
Strategies for Teaching Writing ..............................................................................................................19

4. Abbreviation
EFL: English as a Foreign Language
ESL: English as a Second Language
L1: The first language of a person, in this case Norwegian
L2: The second language of a person, in this case English
PISA: Program for International Student Assessment
SNC: Single national Curriculum.
Native language: A language which is spoken by birth.
Target language: A language that someone is learning.
Foreign language: A language which is from another country.
Metacognitive: to organize and evaluate your thought process related to learning and problem-
solving

5. Introduction
The increasing demand of English language for meaningful communication produce immense
need for quality English language education and it becomes important for the institutions to equip
their students with good knowledge of English language. The role and duties of English language
teacher in the current situation has increased for developing efficient communication skills.
Historically, English has been taught through rules, memorizing, translation activities and
grammar study. Technology is introduced in language learning with an ambition to improve
language acquisition. Traditionally English has been taught as a compulsory subject from class
one to graduation level.
Methods of teaching English tend to be uncertain for integrating new technology. The emphasis
on spoken language is the core of audio lingual, audio-visual, total physical response and
communicative methods. The advocates for oral language have pinpointed that communication is
spoken rather than written. The spoken language is emphasized in the classroom by using L2 rather
than L1; thus creating second language environment through communicative and task based
teaching. Grammar should be taught communicatively rather than explicit teaching of rules.
However, only communicative language teaching does not fulfil the requirements of second
language learner, because learners from developing countries are not interactive an English
language. In the similar countries with English as L2, the experts and linguists are striving to find
and adopt the effective teaching method. English has been included as primary subject in
curriculum around the globe and in Pakistan as well. It is vital to develop strategies for learning
and assessing language for diverse range of students in the world. Due to lack of practice and
exercise, basic speaking and listening skills have not developed, resulting in declining
communicative part of language education. The current study circle is an attempt to equip our
teacher to teach English effectively in primary as well as secondary level.
Introduction to Second Language Acquisition.
The definition of second language acquisition and learning is learning and acquisition of a second
language once the mother tongue or first language acquisition is established. It is the systematic
study of how people learn a language other than their mother tongue. Second language acquisition
or SLA is the process of learning other languages in addition to the native language. For instance,
a child who speaks Urdu as the mother tongue starts learning English when he starts going to

6. school. English is learned by the process of second language acquisition. In fact, a young child can
learn a second language faster than an adult can learn the same language.
Second Language Learning
Language learning refers to the formal learning of a language in the classroom. On the other hand,
language acquisition means acquiring the language with little or no formal training or learning. If
you go to a foreign land where people speak a different language from your native language, you
need to acquire that foreign language. It can be done with little formal learning of the language
through your everyday interaction with the native peoples in the market place, work place, parks
or anywhere else. This is true for learning spoken language.
Teaching of English
One image for teaching English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) is that of a tapestry.
The tapestry is woven from many strands, such as the characteristics of the teacher, the learner,
the setting, and the relevant languages (i.e., English and the native languages of the learners and
the teacher). For the instructional loom to produce a large, strong, beautiful, colorful tapestry, all
of these strands must be interwoven in positive ways. For example, the instructor's teaching style
must address the learning style of the learner, the learner must be motivated, and the setting must
provide resources and values that strongly support the teaching of the language. However, if the
strands are not woven together effectively, the instructional loom is likely to produce something
small, weak, ragged, and pale--not recognizable as a tapestry at all.
In addition to the four strands mentioned above--teacher, learner, setting, and relevant languages-
-other important strands exist in the tapestry. In a practical sense, one of the most crucial of these
strands consists of the four primary skills of listening, reading, speaking, and writing. This strand
also includes associated or related skills such as knowledge of vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation,
syntax, meaning, and usage. The skill strand of the tapestry leads to optimal ESL/EFL
communication when the skills are interwoven during instruction. This is known as the integrated-
skill approach.
If this knitting together does not occur, the strand consists merely of discrete, segregated skills--
parallel threads that do not touch, support, or interact with each other. This is sometimes known
as the segregated-skill approach. Another title for this mode of instruction is the language-based

7. approach, because the language itself is the focus of instruction. In this approach, the emphasis is
not on learning for authentic communication.
Classroom, a word that brings to our mind a setting wherein a teacher stands in front of a class of
30 to 40 students, delivering a lecture with a specific gravity in his/her voice. This is the method
of teaching that was predominant some two decades ago. However, things have changed over the
years, and though it was one of the most effective methods of teaching English to young students,
it no longer considered the same now. This is due to various reasons, maybe because:
 The present generation gets exposure to the world through social media.
 Their knowledge base is augmenting by the information available on the internet.
 The students nowadays are more intolerant and to grab their attention, teaching methods
need to satisfy their energetic thinking process.
Primary Methods of English Teaching
According to Asher and James (1982), “Methods are the combination of techniques that are used
and practiced by the teachers in the classrooms to teach their students and approaches are the
philosophies of teachers about language teaching that can be applied in the classrooms by using
different techniques of language teaching.
Grammar Translation Method
The grammar translation method is a method of teaching foreign languages derived from the
classical method of teaching Greek and Latin. In grammar-translation classes, students learn
grammatical rules and then apply those rules by translating sentences between the target language
and the native language. In Pakistan this method is used to teach English language, where
everything is translated into mother tongue then students are asked to apply it during speaking or
writing English. This method is considered one of the old and passive where teacher play active
role in the class and students are just listener they are not participating in classroom. Teacher
always give them task to complete it at home.
Many ELT teachers and theorists now see the validity and value of translation as an activity in
communicative classrooms (although few course book writers offer ideas and materials for this
area). Below are some of the ways translations can have a positive impact; many of these also
serve as responses to the objections and criticisms expressed above:

8. Proposed Classroom Activities for Teachers
 Designed well, translation activities in the classroom can practice the four integrated skills
(listening, reading, speaking and writing) and the 4 systems (grammar, vocabulary,
phonology and discourse). In terms of communicative competence, it requires accuracy,
clarity and flexibility. It trains the reader to search (flexibility) for the most appropriate
words (accuracy) to convey what is meant (clarity)' to understand the message.
 Following on from this, translation is by its nature a highly communicative activity; the
challenge is to make sure that the content being communicated is relevant and that we
achieve all possibilities for communication during the activity.
 Translation in groups can encourage learners to discuss the meaning and use of language
at the deepest possible levels as they work through the process of understanding and then
looking for equivalents in another language.
 Translation is a real-life, natural activity and increasingly necessary in a global
environment. Many learners living in either their own countries or a new one need to
translate language on daily basis, both informally and formally. This is even more
important with the growing importance of online information.
 Whether we encourage it or not, translation is a frequently used strategy for learners; if we
accept this, we need to support them in developing this skill in the right way, e.g. by
discussing its role.
 Translation can be a support for the writing process, especially at lower levels. Research
has shown that learners seem able to access more information in their own L1, which they
can then translate.
 Discussion of differences and similarities during the translation process helps learners
understand the interaction of the two languages and the problems caused by their L1. It
also helps learners appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of the L1 and L2, for example
in the comparison of idiomatic language such as metaphors.
 Teachers can focus translation activities on highly specific learning aims, such as practice
of certain vocabulary, grammar points, styles and registers, etc. It also lends itself well to
work with other tools such as e-mail and class web pages.

9.  Finally, for many learners developing skills in translation is a natural and logical part of
reaching higher levels, and being able to do this well is highly motivating.
Direct Method
This approach, also known as the ‘oral ‘or ‘natural ‘method, originated around the 1900s as an
alternative to the traditional grammatical translation method. At this time teacher were starting to
experiment with teaching and educational models as previous techniques were failing to improve
spoken communication.
The Direct Method is based on the direct involvement of the student when speaking, and listening
to, the foreign language in common everyday situations. Consequently, there is lots of oral
interaction, spontaneous use of the language, no translation, and little if any analysis of grammar
rules and syntax.
 The focus of the lessons is on good pronunciation, often introducing learners to phonetic
symbols before they see standard writing examples.
 The Direct Method continues to provoke interest and enthusiasm today, but it is not an easy
methodology to use in a classroom situation. It requires small classes and high student
motivation, and in the artificial environment of a classroom it is difficult to generate natural
situations of understanding and guarantee sufficient practice for everyone.
 However, variants of this method have been developed where the teacher allows limited
explanations in the student’s native language and explains some grammar rules to correct
common errors a student may make when speaking.
 One of the most famous supporters of this method was the German Maximilian Berlitz,
who founded the Berlitz chain of private language schools.
Audio Lingual Method
With the outbreak of World War II armies needed to become orally proficient in the languages of
their allies and enemies as quickly as possible. This teaching technique was initially called the
Army Method, and was the first to be based on linguistic theory and behavioral psychology.
The Audio-lingual Method was widely used in the 1950s and 1960s, and the emphasis was not on
the understanding of words, but rather on the acquisition of structures and patterns in common
everyday dialogue.

10. These patterns are elicited, repeated and tested until the responses given by the student in the
foreign language are automatic.
Communicative Language Teaching
The Communicative Method is in reality an umbrella term, a broad approach rather than a specific
teaching methodology, and has now become the accepted standard in English language teaching.
Communicative language teaching emerged in the 1980s as a response to the growing demand for
a language curriculum that would enable learners to use the second language in real-life
situations. Previously, foreign language teaching has predominantly had its emphasis on
grammatical competence, rather than actually focusing on developing students’ communication
and interaction skills.
At the end of the day, language does principally exist to make communication possible. CLT
methods primarily focus on the interaction during a classroom-based foreign language class
or online language learning session, in which students actually produce speech and conversation
for most of the classroom time using the target language.
The main purpose behind communicative language teaching methods is to prepare students to be
confident communicators for different real-life contexts, through repetitive oral practices and
student-student cooperation. In CLT, communication is the end and the means of the teaching
method.
Encourage Student- Student Interaction.
Student-student interaction plays an essential role in applying a communicative teaching approach.
As the more traditional teaching styles have usually been rather teacher dominant with students
mainly learning through passive listening, student-student interaction, on the contrary, focuses on
the active interaction among the students themselves during language classes.
Student-student interaction embraces the strategies of cooperative learning in which each student’s
learning success is dependent on the whole group’s input during the classroom sessions. This is an
effective way of engaging the whole class as such exercises engage all students, not just the
minority of active students who typically participate in a regular class.
One popular CLT activity is role-playing. There is a playful component in role-playing that helps
students practice speaking without feeling pressure. You can for example assign parts to your

11. students, or let them decide on a specific setting. Choose a topic that is relevant to students, or one
that connects to other topics explained in class. This will ensure that role-playing is an integral part
of language lessons and not only a stand-alone experience.
Collaborative tasks like assigning student groups to solve a puzzle using only the target language
are also popular activities in CLT. This type of exercise allows not only to enhance students'
communication skills but also to experiment with the peer-learning approach, which is useful in
strengthening relationships among students.
Total Physical Response
Total Physical Response (TPR) is a language teaching method built around the coordination of
speech and action; it attempts to teach language through physical (motor) activity. Developed by
James Asher, a professor of psychology at San Jose State University, California, it draws on several
traditions, including developmental psychology, learning theory, and humanistic pedagogy, as
well as on language teaching procedures proposed by Harold and Dorothy Palmer in 1925. Let us
briefly consider these precedents to Total Physical Response.
Total Physical Response is linked to the "trace theory " of memory in psychology, which holds
that the more often or the more intensively a memory connection is traced, the stronger the memory
association will be and the more likely it will be recalled. Retracing can be done verbally (e.g., by
rote repetition) and/or in association with motor activity. Combined tracing activities, such as
verbal rehearsal accompanied by motor activity, hence increase the probability of successful recall.
In a developmental sense, Asher sees successful adult second language learning as a parallel
process to child first language acquisition. He claims that speech directed to young children
consists primarily of commands, which children respond to physically before they begin to
produce verbal responses. Asher feels adults should recapitulate the processes by which children
acquire their mother tongue.
Asher shares with the school of humanistic psychology a concern for the role of affective
(emotional) factors in language learning. A method that is undemanding in terms of linguistic
production and that involves game like movements reduces learner stress, he believes, and creates
a positive mood in the learner, which facilitates learning.
Asher's emphasis on developing comprehension skills before the learner is taught to speak links
him to a movement in foreign language teaching sometimes referred to as the Comprehension
Approach (Winitz 1981). This refers to several different comprehension-based language teaching

12. proposals, which share the belief that (a) comprehension abilities precede productive skills in
learning a language; (b) the teaching of speaking should be delayed until comprehension skills are
established; (c) skills acquired through listening transfer to other skills; (d) teaching should
emphasize meaning rather than form; and (e) teaching should minimize learner stress.
The emphasis on comprehension and the use of physical actions to teach a foreign language at an
introductory level has a long tradition in language teaching.
Activity. 1
Wash
your hands,
your face,
your hair,
the cup.
look for
a towel,
the soap,
Hold
a comb.
the book,
the cup,
the soap.
Comb
your hair.
Maria's hair.
Shirou's hair.
Brush
your teeth,
your pants,
the table.
Other items introduced were:
Rectangle
Draw a rectangle on the chalkboard.
Pick up a rectangle from the table and give it to me.
Put the rectangle next to the square.

13. Triangle
Catch the triangle and put it next to the rectangle.
Pick up the triangle from the table and give it to me.
Quickly
Walk quickly to the door and hit it.
Quickly, run to the table and touch the square.
Sit down quickly and laugh.
Slowly
Walk slowly to the window and jump.
Slowly, stand up.
Slowly walk to me and hit me on the arm.
Toothpaste
Look for the toothpaste.
Throw the toothpaste to Wing.
Wing, unscrew the top of the toothpaste
Task Based Methods
Task-Based Learning (TBL) is a lesson structure, a method of sequencing activities in your
lessons. Sometimes called ‘Task-Based Language Teaching’, TBL lessons students solve a task
that involves an authentic use of language, rather than completing simple language questions about
grammar or vocabulary. Task-Based Learning is a good way to get students engaged and using
English. That, plus the collaborative element, builds confidence with language and social
situations. It’s also been shown to be more aligned with how we actually learn a language. So why
doesn’t everyone use TBL all the time? Well, there are a number of disadvantages with task based
learning, which we’ll look at in a minute. A lot of teachers try it once, it falls flat, and they don’t
use it again. A big part of that first failure is that the ‘task’ isn’t really a task.
Language
Language is s complex system of sounds and symbols used for communication. No matter which
language, every language could be divide into four systems and four skills.
The four Systems
1. Grammar
2. Vocabulary
3. Phonology
4. Discourse

14. The Four Language Skills
1. Listening
2. Reading
3. Speaking
4. Writing
The four skills of language learning are Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. They are four
capabilities that allow an individual to comprehend, produce, and use the language in effective
interpersonal communication. These are the most often acquired in the order of listening first, then
speaking, then possibly reading and writing.
Listening and reading are called receptive skills because learners do not need to produce language
to do these, they receive and understand it. Speaking and writing are called productive skills
because learners doing these need to produce language.
Having a good English level means to understand and to produce the language, so we should teach
and develop all the four language skills in our students.
Teaching Listening
Listening is a very important skill. It is the queen of the four skills as it helps students to speak,
communicate with others and learn vocabulary and grammar. It is the first receptive language skill.
According to Jim Scrivener, there are three different ways that teachers listen; he describes
them as ‘analytical listening, supportive listening and conversational listening’ and describes these
in his book Classroom Management Techniques and summarized in the table below:
Way of Listening Features

15. Analytical
• Most likely when we start out as teachers
• Common in the classroom
• Facilitates feedback/error correction
Supportive
• Developed when becoming more experienced
• Pay attention to the learner’s message
• Not so focused on language and errors
Conversational
• Varied degrees of attention applied
• Possibilities for ‘hijacking’ and ‘stealing’ a conversation
• Often inappropriate for the classroom
Listening difficulties
The speed
It is related to how many people are there in the conversation and how quickly they speak.
Vocabulary
It is related to the inability of students to understand the listening text if they cannot understand
the vocabulary included.
Structures
It is related to the incapability of students to understand the listening text if they cannot understand
the key structures included.
The length and the topic
Choose the topics based on students’ interest which can enhance their understanding ability and
concentration on the topic e.g. A long conversation about football, food, clothes, films or TV
programs may be easier for students to understand than a short one about politics or science.

16. Intonation
The intonation and stress of English native speakers are different from speakers of other languages.
So the students must know about phonetic symbols.
Before listening:
1. Prepare students for the listening activity by increase their interest with an interesting
introduction to the topic. Like ask them about their favorite hobby sports and dishes.
2. Giving them a strong reason to increase listening skills relating with the physical world.
3. Explaining the new words to them which may increase their curiosity.
4. Explaining the new structures as the students must know about the sentence structure
sometime there are many parts of sentence which is harder to understand clearly explain it.
During listening:
1. Students listen to the text for the first time.
2. Helping them guess what will happen next after listening to a part of the text.
3. They compare their predictions after their first listening.
4. Ask some questions to answer before they listen second time.
5. They do some activities e.g. filling in a table while listening the second time.
Post listening
Check students’ understanding of the whole listening text by asking more questions on details.
The teacher reads aloud the text (the story) from the audio script with five or six mistakes (not the
grammar of course). Students correct these mistakes either immediately or by making a list of
these mistakes and tell the teacher of them after listening.
Activities
Play a video and as ask question about it from the students. Listening comprehension is one of the
best method to teach listening skills. Does this activity from easy to difficult like play video in
slow mod then fast then faster?
Listening Comprehension
A sample listening comprehension you can find the video by clicking the given link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r9pWWYjBFw
Recon babies are very small when they are born. They cannot stand or open their eyes.
Only female Recon can take care of babies. A mother might have four babies to take care

17. of alone. She must leave them in the den when she looks for food. In the den the babies are
safe from the danger. The mother recon worries that the other animals might find her den.
So after few months the family moves. By then the babies can walk and climb. Their mother
has taught them to take care of themselves.
Reading Skills
Reading is a gateway to a whole universe of enjoyment and learning. Countless people love to sit
down and read a good book. There are innumerous topics and themes waiting to be discovered by
whoever might want to dig into the pages. Even so, although reading is such a treasured activity
for a multitude of people, for a lot of people it is a hard and laborious task. That is perhaps most
noticeable in schools, where pupils are required to read and work with different texts much of the
time. Many teachers can testify to the struggles and hardship that some pupils suffer in order to
handle reading in different contexts. On the other hand, many of the students really enjoy reading
and are therefore able to make use of these skills in other areas as well. Studies show that students
that like to read score better in most subjects than students that do not like to read (Krashen, 2004,
pp. 35-36). Hence, it is important to consider reading as something more than “just” a subject in
school.
Rationale
The purpose of this activity is for students to write about something they have experienced that
relates to central ideas, themes or events in a passage that they are going to read. In this way,
students form schema-building associations with the text.
Reading can be divided into three parts
Pre- Reading
 Activating Background Knowledge
 Setting purposes for reading
 Making guesses and reviewing a book
 Going on a Picture Walk
 Making a KWL (Know, Want-to-know) and Learned map
 Questioning and making predictions about a story

18. During Reading
1. Identify what’s important in a passage.
2. Perceive the text structure.
3. Keep themselves concentrated throughout the passage.
4. Show their understanding or non-understanding of the passage.
Post Reading
5. Identify theme of the text.
6. Identify the words which have contextual meaning.
7. Give some questions to the students from the text to find answers.
8. Highlight the major parts of the text.
9. Teacher must summarize the text to the students.
Teaching Writing Skills
Writing has a unique position in language teaching since its acquisition involves a practice and
knowledge of other three language skills, such as listening, reading and speaking. Moreover, it
requires mastering of other skills, such as metacognitive skills. Learners need to set an objective
for their writing, plan it carefully, think over its layout and logical structure, revise it. In the process
of writing they have to use cognitive skills; they have to analyze their sources and then synthesize
them in a compact piece of writing. Therefore, knowing how to write in L2 is a valuable asset in
foreign language communication.
Students always exclaim, writing is hard and a teacher replies, yes, but it can be fun for a well-
groomed teacher. Teachers teaching writing is hard and the authors of this action tool, respond,
yes, but it is rewarding. Simply stated, writing is not easy. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun,
rewarding, enlightening, reflective, and thought provoking. Writing is the vehicle for
communication and a skill mandated in all aspects of life. Parents write notes for their children.
Doctors write prescriptions. Automotive technicians write work orders. Politicians write speeches.
We write text messages e-mails to our friends and family. Writing as communication is a daily
activity. No matter their No matter their age, students recognize the need to communicate in
writing. As teachers, we are faced with the task of helping students view writing as essential to
learning. In addition to promoting the need for good communication skill sage, students recognize

19. the need to communicate in writing. As teachers, we are faced with the task of helping students
view writing as essential to learning. In addition to promoting the need for good communication
skills, teaching writing provides opportunities for students to develop clear thinking skills. When
students are granted time to write and process their thoughts, they develop a way to analyze their
thinking. Through writing, they discover the channels of logic and the drawbacks of myths. They
begin to rely on cognitive reasoning instead of spontaneous thought. In turn, writing makes
students responsible for their learning; they cannot sit passively in the classroom. They must
engage. The most powerful argument for teaching writing is that we are members of the human
race, and as such, we have always had the innate desire to communicate in writing. Prehistoric
cave dwellers sketched on stone walls to express their accomplishments. Egyptian priests used
hieroglyphs to record their history. Moses delivered the Ten Commandments on stone tablets to
the Israelites. King John signed the Magna Carta at the hands of feudal lords. penned the
Declaration of Independence for a new nation. Written communication is no less important in the
classroom. Depicting historical reasons for writing and demonstrating how to write promotes the
belief that teachers are models of active writers. Students more readily accept risks when teachers
visually communicate their abilities to take risks. Together students and teachers share an
emotional harmony that leads to building relationships. With a strong teacher-student connection,
students welcome the opportunity to express their thoughts, feelings, and reasoning in writing.
Writing is a developmental process that each student can successfully experience at different levels
when it’s approached systematically. Based on this premise, this action tool presents the five stages
of writing—prewriting, writing, revising, editing, and publishing—in a manner that allows writing
to be taught as a process.
Strategies for Teaching Writing
Preparing Students to Write
Activating prior knowledge is one method in which teachers can assist students before they even
begin writing. Making sure students have the opportunity to think about what they already know
before the task begins help the students incorporate new information into existing structures of
knowledge which activates long-term memory. Several strategies can be used to accomplish this
including graphic organizers, cooperative learning, read-aloud, and group discussions. Graphic
organizers can be used as visual tools for students to write or draw what they already know about

20. a subject, for example in the genre of informational or persuasive writing. From this activity,
teachers can then evaluate whether further instruction is needed. This is where read-aloud,
cooperative learning, and group discussions come in to play. If needed, a hand-selected text can
be utilized in order to provide additional background information, which can lead to group
discussions. Cooperative learning is also a great strategy to help students gain more background
knowledge especially for primary level students. This strategy requires students to collect
information from books, the internet, or each other as they work together with another student or
group of students. Through this strategy, students not only gain additional information needed to
complete the writing assignment, but it is also a great opportunity for them to develop language
skills through peer led conversations.
Activities Level. 1
Use the given words to develop a paragraph from.
Great Like Many Little Creature