Apresentação realizada no ENPLIRJ de 2006.

1. WEBTASKS: A MEANINGFUL WAY TO LEARN AND
UNDERSTAND LANGUAGE
Profa Maria Aparecida Moreira

2. Dear Teachers,
When I was a student of English over 20 years ago I used to dream about the day I would be in
contact with “real English”. To me, the English I was exposed to during my lessons did not
represent the language used in the real world. I remember how hard it was to find authentic
materials, especially reading materials. Foreign magazines and newspapers were far too expensive.
Ok, there were films and songs, but we couldn’t afford to buy all the titles we wanted. As for the
films, the VHS versions did not come with English subtitles. Today, the new technologies, mainly
the Internet, have opened all the doors that were once closed to us. It is widely known that the
number of people who have access to the new technologies is still very limited. However, it is a fact
that they are gradually becoming part of the educational environment and teachers have to be in
tune with these advances if they want to use them for the benefit of their pupils.
In this booklet, you can find the procedures for some of the webtasks presented at the V ENPLIRJ.
They are classified by topics and situations, rather than by grammar items. They can be used with
groups at different levels of proficiency in the language, according to the complexity of the task. In
many cases, the same website can be used for elementary or more advanced groups.
Maria Aparecida Moreira
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3. There are 5 stages in this project:
Getting students to know the new pyramid: what does each color represent?
A new concept of a healthy life: the balance between diet and physical activity.
Testing the students’ knowledge of a healthy diet through a game.
Customization of a balanced diet.
Setting homework.
1. In the classroom, show the students the Power Point presentation with the basic instructions.
A worksheet with more details for the activity should be given to students when they get to the
computer laboratory (see Appendix).
2. At the computer lab, ask students to sit in pairs or trios and give each student a worksheet,
which contains all instructions to the project.
3. Monitor their work by helping them with vocabulary. Encourage them to guess the words
they don’t know.
4. Back to the classroom, each pair should sit with another pair and compare their tables and
their dietary suggestions.
5. Set homework. Ask students to fill in the chart for their physical activities and the table
“Eating for good health”, which was taken from the “Time for kids” website.
SUGGESTIONS FOR FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES:
1. Students could make a poster about the new pyramid in which they would urge teenagers to eat
the right food.
2. The teacher could organize a picnic where students should only eat the recommended type of
food.
3. Students could make a TV commercial advertising the new pyramid as part of a government’s
health campaign.
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4. 1. In pairs, visit the site www.mypyramid.gov and learn about the new FOOD PYRAMID designed
by the US Dept of Agriculture. To watch an animated film, click on “Tour my pyramid”. Then
click on “inside the pyramid” and complete the table below:
COLOURS FOOD GROUP 5 EXAMPLES IN THIS GROUP SPECIAL TIPS
ORANGE
GREEN
RED
YELLOW
BLUE
PURPLE
1 ounce = about 28 grams
2. This pyramid includes Physical Activity as part of a healthy diet. How much physical activity is
recommended for a person your age? ______________________________________________
Are you following the recommended amount of physical activity? _________
3. Now play a game to check what you know about a balanced daily diet. Go to the section “For
Kids” and click on “My pyramid blast off game”. Keep playing until you make the rocket reach
Planet Power. The success of your mission depends on your food choices.
4. Do you have healthy eating habits? Check it on “My pyramid plan”. Check the food you should
eat and your ideal amount of calories per day according to your age, sex and the physical activities
that you do. If you want, you can print a PDF version of these dietary suggestions at home.
5. HOMEWORK:
a) According to this website there are two types of activities: moderate and vigorous. Complete the
table below with the activities you usually do every day. Then calculate the amount of time you do
it during a week.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMOUNT OF TIME AMOUNT OF TIME
(MODERATE OR VIGOROUS) DOING IT PER DAY DOING IT PER WEEK
b) Complete the “Eating for good health” table.
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5. The objective of this activity is to provide students with an opportunity to use their reading skills and gather
information from authentic material (Websites), thus broadening their knowledge of the world.
The students are also encouraged to share this information with their classmates, hence developing their
speaking skills.
PROCEDURES:
Slide 1
Introduction to the project
Slides 2/3
The objective of these two slides is to bring up the topic of charity.
Slide 4
Ask students if they know the meaning of NGO. Click to show the answer.
Elicit names of NGOs which act in Brazil or in the world helping animals, children, poor people,
victims of tragedies, the environment, etc. Write these names on the board.
Slide 5
Ask what they know about these famous organizations (WWF, Greenpeace, UNICEF, Medecins
sans Frontiers, Red Cross, World Vision, AL-ANON and Amnesty International) and what they
would like to know about them. See their websites on next page.
Slide 6/7
Students now are set in pairs and, according to their interests (if possible), ask each pair to choose
an organization and write down 5 or 6 questions about it. The questions should be about their
foundations; the people involved in it; their projects in different countries and any other aspects
raised by the students. There are some suggestions of questions on slide 7.
Slide 8
Tell the students they are going to the school’s computer laboratory to make a research on the
internet. They will have about 30 minutes to find the answer to their questions. Tell them to write
down only the essential info about “their” NGO in their own words, as they will have to report to
their classmates when they go back to class.
Slide 9 - Pre-teaching vocabulary (optional)
Anticipate the sort of vocabulary they expect to find in these sites. Elicit what specific words they
think they will find in their sites. If students find it hard to come up with specific vocabulary, show
them slide 9 and elicit the meaning of the words and which site they might find them.
Slide 10 and 11 – Students start off
Slide 12 to 26 – Screenshots of the sites (optional)
The use of these slides is at teacher’s discretion. Teachers could use these slides to show students
where they will find the information they need so as to save time.
LAST SLIDE (optional)
Here are the sample questions to give to students in case they can’t write their own questions.
Hyperlink on slide 7.
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6. FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY:
When the class comes back to the classroom, they will have a round-off session to exchange the
information gathered. Tell them to be as simple as they can while reporting their findings so that
their classmates can learn from them.
THE NGOs PROJECT
Students’ names: _____________________________________________
NGO: ________________________ Motto: _________________________
Founded in: ___________________ By: ___________________________
Most important historical facts:
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Most important projects: ___________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Projects in Brazil: ________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
How we can help:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
NGOs’ websites: Other NGOs:
 www.greenpeace.org  www.aidsaction.org
(AIDS)
 www.wwf.org  www.worldwatch.org
(environment)
 www.unicef.org  www.hrw.org (Human
 www.redcross.org Rights Watch)
 www.foe.org (Friends of the
 www.worldvision.org Earth)
 http://www.aspca.org
 www.msf.org (Protection of animals)
 www.al-anon.org  http://www.friendsofanima
ls.org (Protection of
 www.amnesty.org animals)
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7. This activity aims at giving the students an opportunity to see examples of Passive Voice
constructions in a real context (newspapers). In this lesson students will also be able to identify
what type of newspapers they are, the different sections and how headlines are written. It can be
used as a post-presentation lesson to reinforce the understanding of this grammar topic.
PREPARATION:
1. Elicit from the students what sections they usually read in a newspaper and if they ever read
online newspapers in Portuguese or in English.
2. Tell students that they are going to visit some on-line newspapers in the school’s computer
lab in order to do some research and talk about a news item to their classmates.
3. Organize them in groups of 2 or 3 per computer and give them the worksheet that they are
going to use for their task.
4. Go through the worksheet with them. Check any vocabulary problems. Remind them that
when they come back they will have to do a presentation to their classmates.
5. Here are some suggestions of other online newspapers:
 http://www.newspaperindex.com/ - newspapers from all over the world
 www.thewashingtonpost.com
 http://www.nytimes.com
 www.usatoday.com
 www.independent.co.uk
 http://www.guardian.co.uk
 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/global
 http://www.brazilinfocenter.org/ - Brazil Information Center
PRESENTATION IN CLASS:
1. After students come back from the lab, the teacher should ask one member of each group to write
their HEADLINES and ONE sentence in the PASSIVE VOICE on the board.
2. All members of the group should then tell their classmates what they understood from the story
they have read and show them the PASSIVE VOICE structure they have found in the news item.
FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY:
1. Writing: students can write their own news stories based on a recent event.
2. Speaking: In groups, students can create a TV news programme reporting on some recent
news.
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8. 1. What’s the name of the newspaper? _______________________________________
2. Choose an article from the front page or in the world news section and copy its headline:
____________________________________________________________________
3. Answer these questions:
a) Can you anticipate the story by just reading the headline? ( ) YES ( ) NO
b) Which word(s) helped you understand the headline?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Now read the article very quickly. What is it about? Summarise it in one sentence:
____________________________________________________________________
5. Write 2 sentences from this article in which you can find examples of passive voice
structures:
___________________________________________________________________________________
.___________________________________________________________________________________
In which verb tense were they used? _______________________________________________________
6. Go back to the HOMEPAGE of the newspaper and tick the items you can find in it:
( ) film reviews ( ) TV programme listings
( ) editorial ( ) comic strip / cartoons
( ) weather forecast ( ) letters to the editor/ the reader’s opinion
( ) job ads ( ) gossip
7. Be ready to talk to your classmates about you work.
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9. AN ACTIVITY USING RIOTUR WEBSITE
Tell students to imagine their pen friend(s) decided to come and visit Rio for the Pan-american
Games. They are going to spend 7 days here. Tell them that the tourists asked them for some
suggestions. In pairs/trio, students should plan the tourist’s visit. They should think about
accommodation (not at their own places), things to do see and buy. Tell them to include a variety
of activities: leisure, sports and cultural.
PROCEDURES:
Visit the site: http://www.riodejaneiro-turismo.com.br/pt (click on English version). Click
on RIO GUIDE for the activities and on LODGING for types of accommodation.
AN EXAMPLE OF FORM TO BE FILLED IN BY STUDENTS DURING THE ACTIVITY:
Suggested activities for
_____________________________
(name of tourist)
Accommodation:
Sightseeing:
Shopping:
Night life activities:
Cultural activities:
Beaches:
Where to eat:
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10. SOME SUGGESTIONS OF TOURISTS’ PROFILES:
Tourist’s name: John Tourist’s name: Cyntia
Todd Holmes
Country: Scotland Country: Australia
Age: 25 Age: 38
Budget: very limited Budget: limited
Interests: popular culture; Interests: samba; sports;
outdoor activities; nature popular art
Tourist’s name: Pierre Tourists’ names: Lisa
Dupont, wife and 2 kids and George Stan
(aged 8 and 11) Country: The USA
Country: France Age: 54 and 58
Budget: unlimited Budget: unlimited
Interests: beach; Interests: History, Arts
sightseeing; history and and sightseeing
outdoor activities
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITY:
Students can write a letter/e-mail to their pen friends:
Dear John
I’m very glad you’re coming to Rio next year. Here are some suggestions for
your stay. I found a good youth hostel for you. It’s ...... I think you should
visit The Tijuca National Park and all the beaches, of course. They’re
fantastic. You shouldn’t miss ....
....
Did you like my suggestions? Write me back.
Cheers
Aparecida
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11. Tell students they will pretend they’re going to do some online shopping. Ask them what they’d
like to buy and how much they’re prepared to spend. They can work in pairs but the shopping
should be individual. There are sites for girls and boys.
Girls should look at the Marie Claire online magazine and choose some clothes and accessories to
buy. Access http://magazines.ivillage.com/marieclaire and click on Fashion> My Virtual Model
to try them on.
(The Virtual Model tries on the clothes you choose)
Boys can visit www.marks-and-spencer.co.uk or http://www.bananarepublic.com and
choose something for them or someone in their families.
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12. Give this card to each pair of students:
Imagine you’re shopping for clothes online. Choose one of these sites to simulate your
shopping. You have 20 minutes to buy as much as you can!
Girls should look at the Marie Claire online magazine and choose some clothes and
accessories to buy. Access http://magazines.ivillage.com/marieclaire and click on
Fashion> My Virtual Model to try them on.
Boys can visit www.marks-and-spencer.co.uk or http://www.bananarepublic.com
and choose something for them or someone in their families.
FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY:
Back to the classroom, students sit with a different partner and compare their shopping and how
much they spent.
Example:
“I shopped at “Banana Republic”
and I bought a red silk dress, some
leather gloves and a pair of All-star
trainers. I also bought some long
leather boots. They all cost $....”
BILL
A red silk dress = 245.00
A pair of leather gloves = $ 35.00
A pair of All-star trainers = $ 86.00
A pair of long leather boots = 128,00
TOTAL= $494.00
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13. This activity can be done on Valentine’s Day, Christmas’, Mother’s Day or any other special
occasion. Tell students to access the sites bellow and choose a card to send to a friend, a classmate
or a person in their family.
 www.123greetings.com
 www.americangreetings.com
 www.hallmark.com
 www.e-cards.com
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14. Ask students to work in pairs and access http://teenageadvice.about.com, click on QUIZZES and
choose one to do. There are quizzes about kisses, love, dating, friendship etc. It is advisable that
each pair does a different quiz.
After doing the quiz, ask them to find some advice to read on the same site or on
www.teenadviceonline.org .
FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY:
Back in their classrooms, students report what they have read to a student from another pair.
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15. In pairs or trios students visit the site www.restaurants.com , where they can choose a city to go
and a restaurant to eat at in the US or another country. They should go through all the information
available about each restaurant and then negotiate which restaurant they want to eat at. A good idea
would be if the teacher gives each pair/trio a card containing a customer’s profile:
THE CUSTOMER’S PROFILE:
You are spending your
holidays in New York City and
you want to have dinner with
a group of 10 friends in a
restaurant in Little Italy.
You want to pay the bill by
credit card and you want to
book a table.
FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY:
Back to the classroom, students sit with a different partner and talk about which restaurant they
decided to go and give details of the restaurant: the food they decided to eat, how much they’ll pay,
the facilities the restaurant offers, etc).
NOTE: Some restaurants have links to their own sites, where you can see their menus.
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16. In the classroom, ask students what their favourite films are and if they can remember noticing any
mistakes in them. Elicit some contributions.
At the school’s computer lab, tell students to access the site www.movie-mistakes.co.uk . It shows
mistakes in all kinds of films. Students can try to find mistakes in their favourite movies in the
Search box.
For example: there are 141 mistakes listed for the movie The Matrix.
These sites contain synopses, reviews, trailers, interviews and news about movies, DVDs and video
games:

 http://movies.yahoo.com
 www.rottentomatoes.com
 http://us.imdb.com/
 http://www2.warnerbros.com
 http://movies.go.com
FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES:
Students can write a composition about their favourite films, using the information gathered in
these sites or simply talk to their classmates about their discoveries.
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17. Students pretend to be in a place they’ve never visited and write virtual postcards to their
classmates, friends or family. Here are some sites they can use:
 •www.ozoutback.com.au (Australia)
 www.cardengland.com (England)
 •http://www.paris.org/postcards (Paris)
 •http://www.free-photo-ecard.com/themes/landscape/ (exotic places)
 •http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/cool_stuff/postcards.html (other planets)
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