We recently had a query from a reader regarding the kind of language-generating concept questions we advocate. Basically, he had received some criticism after a lesson observation that the class was too teacher-centred, too input heavy and students didn't have enough time…
This series of posts is aimed as a practical look at random vocabulary or grammar exercises in published coursebooks. In these posts, we will be suggesting examples you might give for words, ideas on how you might exploit these examples as well as maybe giving some questions you could ask about language in the exercises. We hope to show how most, if not all, material can be looked at in more lexical ways – just by using simple repeated techniques. You can comment by adding alternative examples, patterns and questions.
If you want to suggest an exercise from a coursebook you are using, please contact us. If the exercise is based on single words or collocations, just send the list of words. If there are examples in the form of a gap-fill or a matching exercise, then send us the completed list of examples (i.e. no gaps / parts of sentences already matched).
Questions about words
In my talk at IATEFL (and International House London, where a video was made of it), I explained some of the limitations of asking traditional concept questions, especially when looking at vocabulary. What follows is a list of alternative types…
Van Gogh’s ear and wordlists
We’ve had a suggested adaptation of some material from a teacher, Amber Nowak, in the Netherlands. It’s a little bit different to what we initially envisaged here in that Amber has already exploited the material in the book, Go for…
Exploiting self-study phrasal verb exercises in the classroom
I'm very pleased today to be able to respond to the first request we've had in from a visitor. Patrick Gallagher has written to ask for ideas on how to tackle what's essentially self-study material that students would probably do…
Patterns beyond the past simple
The following grammar exercise on the past simple is from our book Outcomes Elementary (National Geographic Learning). Students complete the sentences with the correct past simple form of verbs given in brackets at the end of sentences - resulting in…