Download - Course Assignments
Producción de Materiales en
Distintos Soportes
Instituto Superior en Lenguas Vivas “Juan Ramón Fernández”
Año 2013
1er cuatrimestre
Alumna: Florencia Sáez
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“The analysis of language teaching materials: inside
the Trojan horse” by Andrew Littlejohn
Analysis of unit 2, Incredible English 6
In order to analyse the book Incredible English 6 (unit 2), I will appeal to the schedule
presented by Littlejohn to reveal the three aspects of process, participation and content
developed in the unit. I will include the pages I analysed below the chart.
Course package as a whole
1. Type: six-level course
2. Intended audience: primary schools
3. Extent:
3.1. Components: Class book, activity book, teacher’s book, test section, CDs, teacher’s
resource pack, photocopy masters book, the incredible English adventure game poster,
DVD and DVD activity book, website.
3.2. Total estimated time: not specified.
4. Design and layout: four-colour class book, two-colour activity book and two-colour teacher’s
book.
5. Distribution:
5.1. Material: (available for the teacher)
5.1.1.1. Audio
5.1.1.2. Audio script
5.1.1.3. Answer keys
5.1.1.4. Guidance on use of the material
5.1.1.5. Methodology guidance
5.1.1.6. Extra practice
5.1.1.7. Tests
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5.2. Access: (available for both teacher and student)
5.2.1.1. Syllabus overview
5.2.1.2. Word lists
6. Route through the material: specified
7. Subdivision: 9 units, each consisting of subsections (Lesson 1 to 7)
7.1. Lesson 1: Introducing vocabulary
7.2. Lesson 2: Story
7.3. Lesson 3: Reading
7.4. Lesson 4: Listening and speaking
7.5. Lesson 5: Learning through English
7.6. Lesson 6: Learning through English
7.7. Lesson 7: Song, review and self-evaluation
Overview of an extract from the Class book
1. Length of the unit: one unit out of 9 (Unit 2)
2. Sequence of activities:
2.1. Lesson 1:
2.1.1.1. Look at the pictures, listen to the recording and repeat.
2.1.1.2. Read the sentences and correct them.
2.1.1.3. Look at the pictures, ask and answer questions.
2.2. Lesson 2:
2.2.1.1. Listen to the story.
2.2.1.2. Language practice.
2.2.1.3. Read a dialogue.
2.2.1.4. Listening activity.
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2.2.1.5. Practise new vocabulary with a speaking activity in pairs.
2.3. Lesson 3:
2.3.1.1. Read a text.
2.3.1.2. Find words in the text.
2.4. Lesson 4:
2.4.1.1. Listen and point to the photos.
2.4.1.2. Listen and choose the right answer.
2.4.1.3. Listen and find the missing words.
2.5. Lesson 5:
2.5.1.1. Look, listen and repeat.
2.5.1.2. Listen, read and answer.
2.6. Lesson 6:
2.6.1.1. Look at the charts and make sentences.
2.6.1.2. Listen, answer and check.
2.7. Lesson 7:
2.7.1.1. Guess the words in the song.
2.7.1.2. Play a game.
Task Analysis Sheet: Unit 2 (Pages 16 and 17)
Task number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
WHAT IS THE LEARNER EXPECTED TO DO?
A. TURN-TAKE
Initiate X X X
Scripted response X X X X
Not required
B. FOCUS ON
Language system (rules or form)
Meaning X X X X X
Meaning/System/Form relationship X X
C. MENTAL OLPERATION
Decode semantic meaning X X X X
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Select information X X X X X
Hypothesize
Repeat identically
Apply general knowledge X
Research
Express own ideas/information
WHO WITH?
Learners individually simultaneously X X X X X X
Learner to whole class X
Learner individually outside class
WITH WHAT CONTENT?
A. INPUT TO LEARNERS
a. Form
Extended discourse : written X
Extended discourse: aural X X X
Words/phrases/sentences: written X X
Words/phrases/sentences: aural X
Graphic X X X
b. Source
Materials X X X X X X X
Learners
Outside the classroom
c. Nature
Fiction X X
Non-Fiction X X X X X
Song
EXPECTED OUTPUT FROM LEARNERS
a. Form
Words/phrases/sentences: written X X X
Words/phrases/sentences: oral X X X X
b. Source
Materials X X X X X X X
Learners
c. Nature
Fiction X X
Non-fiction X X X X X
Song
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The use of visuals in the EFL classroom by David Hill
Analysis of the visuals in “Incredible English 6”
The first distinction Hill makes about the way in which visuals are used in textbooks is if
they are used for a purpose or if they are just used in a decorative way. After analysing unit 2 from
the book Incredible English 6, by Oxford University Press, I have reached the conclusion that most
of the visuals in that book are used for a specific purpose. They are important for the
understanding and the development of the activity; they are used with the text. An example is
shown below:
Another distinction we have to bear in mind is the kind of use textbooks give to the visuals
in them. In Incredible English 6, the visuals are used for different activity types. For example:
Some of them are used to deal with precise elements of the unit language focus (syntax,
vocabulary). In the following activity, students are asked to match the written text to the picture.
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Other pictures are just used to clarify elements that appear in a text. The following photos
used in this activity provide students some help about what the text is talking about and the
students can make some meaning out of it.
Finally, some other visuals are used to work on listening comprehension. The following
activity presents some photos which students have to match with the conversation they listen.
This is similar to the previous activity in which the visuals act as an aid for understanding better
what is being talked about.
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Analysis of the Incredible English Web Page
Incredible English Web Page: Main page (“elt.oup.com”)
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First Section: “Stories”. It is divided into the units of the book.
First Section “Stories”: Example Unit 1. It contains the audio material for the story in each unit.
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Second Section: “Characters”. It contains downloadable material such as calendars, door hangers,
etc.
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Third Section: “Songs”. It contains the same songs that appear in the units of the book with
images.
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Fourth Section: “Picture Dictionary”. It contains audio material to practice vocabulary from the
unit. It shows the same images the book shows.
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Fifth Section: “Games”. There are games to practice vocabulary from the unit. These games do
not appear in the book.
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Games Section: “Wordsearch”
Games Section: “Complete the sentences”
Sixth Section: “Web Quests”. This section contains downloadable material to practice the content
of the unit. These web quests do not appear in the book.
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Usefulness of the site
Companion vs. promotional site: mostly promotional
Links to authentic material: no links to authentic material. No third-party links.
Publisher-produces activities: there are some in the games section and the web quests.
Usability of the site
Speed: Fast
Labels and descriptions: clear
Active links: all active
System compatibility: OK
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Analysis of the lesson plan “Beauty is only skin deep”
1. What is the connection between literacy and image in this unit?
In this unit, the author explains that nowadays it is necessary to be able to understand
and interpret images since their use has increased a lot in the last time, although it has
been present throughout history. New types of literacy have appeared, one of them being
visual literacy. The author of the text defines visual literacy as the “learned ability to
interpret visual messages or texts accurately”. Since images are used to communicate
messages that must be decoded in order to have meaning, we have to be able to interpret
these messages appropriately, developing the skills necessary to make meaning of them.
2. What conceptualization of literacy is the teacher departing from?
The teacher departs from the multiliteracies conceptualization since the activities he
or she presents are aimed at developing the ability in students to interpret the messages
that images convey, to make meaning out of them. The teacher is trying to make the
students see the images in a critical way, to raise a thoughtful analysis of the underlying
message in them.
3. In what ways is the unit helping the teacher and students become code breakers?
This unit helps both teacher and students to be able to discover, to reflect on an
image, to develop the ability of reading an image and to have a critical understanding of
how images are constructed. Visualization alone does not function to maximize student
achievement, there must be some critical analysis of the image to discover the message it
tries to communicate. If not, what we do is just a description of the image.
4. How does the content of the unit appeal to young audiences?
The topic chosen for the unit is very appealing to young audiences, mostly girls,
because from a very young age people are taught that their appearances will play a huge
role in their lives and they are also taught that the perfect man or woman is the one who
is tall, thin, young and Caucasian, which is a stereotype used and reinforced by the media.
It is a topic that most young people are interested in and they will want to carry on with
the activities proposed by the unit. The content of it will help students become aware
that those are just stereotypes and not the real definition of beauty.
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Analysis of ten activities from the book “Pictures for
language learning” by Andrew Wright
In his book “Pictures for language learning”, Andrew Wright provides useful criteria to
assess the value of any activity that can be used in the classroom. He presents his criteria in the
form of five basic questions: is the activity easy to prepare? Is it easy to organize in the classroom?
Is it interesting to students and the teacher? Will the language and the way you want the students
to use it be authentic and intrinsic to the activity? And finally, will the activity give rise to a
sufficient amount of language in order to justify its inclusion in the language lesson?
What follows is the analysis of 10 activities presented in Wright´s book according to these
criteria
1) Picture story dominoes.
This activity is easy to prepare
because you don’t need a lot of
material (just some cards with
pictures). It is also easy to organize
since it can be carried out in pairs
or in groups of 4 or 5 students and
the teacher can walk around the
classroom while they do it, making
sure they are all working properly.
I chose it because I found it really
interesting and I think it will be
interesting for the students as well
since they have to be very
creative, to respond rapidly, and
to make connections. Some of
them may come up with really
crazy ideas and that would add a
lot of fun to the activity. In my
opinion this activity is meaningful
and authentic. In doing it, students are challenged to tell a story that makes sense; they are
encouraged to speak extensively without the stress of being accurate all the time. This activity
displays a sense of purpose and an emphasis on meaning rather than on accuracy and it helps
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build students ´confidence. Finally, the activity presents a great amount of language that students
will have to resort to create the stories. Before carrying it out, the teacher can practise with the
whole class different types of connectors, for example, or adjectives describing people and objects
so students can use them while doing the activity.
2) Detectives.
In order to carry out this
activity you only need a bunch of
cards with pictures of people
which you can get from the
internet so, its preparation is very
simple. Its organization is easy
too, since the teacher has to
divide the class into groups of five
students who, at the same time,
will be divided into 2 groups, one
of two students -the detectives-
and the other of three students -
the witnesses-. The activity is
appealing to students since what
they have to do is to role play, to
imagine they are either
detectives or witnesses of a crime
who must find the correct
suspect. The intrigue and the
mystery elements make the
activity fun and engaging. The
activity is meaningful and
authentic. In it, students are
solving a real-world problem: the
learning environment is similar to
a real-world application, in this
case, solving a crime. What is
more, students are asked to work
collaboratively and to make
choices, all this being part of
authentic learning. With respect to the amount of language, this activity requires a great use of
vocabulary for description which the teacher can write on the board before starting with the
activity in case of finding it useful.
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3) Picture sequence.
This activity is very simple to
prepare since what the teacher
needs is only a story without any
text or dialogues. In order to
organize it the teacher should tell
the students to work in pairs. The
activity is interesting since what
students are asked to do is to
create some meaning from the
pictures, to try to guess what is
going on and then, role play it to
their classmates. If each pair
would be given the same picture
sequence many different versions
of the same story would be
created and that would be a lot of
fun. The activity is also meaningful and authentic. It allows for multiple interpretations and
different outcomes and students need to collaborate with each other to carry it out. The amount
of language presented by the activity is a lot. Students need to be familiar with narrative texts and
it can be useful to write on the board different connectors, adjectives or phrases students can use
before starting with the activity.
4) Inventing a character.
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The activity “inventing a character” is very easy to organize and prepare. Students have to
work in groups of 8 or 10 people and the material they need is just an A4 sheet of paper to draw
and write. The activity is interesting and engaging, having students to create a character out of
the blue and then to simulate it is themselves. It is meaningful and authentic since students are
asked to work collaboratively and it creates an opportunity to solve a problem while generating an
immense enthusiasm and commitment. Finally, this activity presents a great amount of language,
both to describe the character and then to simulate being it.
5) What might happen?
For this activity, the material
needed is a picture from which
the students are to create a
story. In this case, the activity is
not carried out in groups or in
pairs but as a whole group, with
the teacher asking questions. It is
interesting in the sense that it
enables students to think,
hypothesize and play with it,
giving rise to different ideas,
interpretations and points of
view. It is meaningful and
authentic since it portrays events
that may happen in the real
world. Anyway, the purpose of
this activity is to practise the use
of “might” so, maybe, it would
not be done by the teacher and
students unless they were
learning a foreign language and
they needed to practise this new
pattern. Regards the amount of
language, it presents a new
structure for the students and, in
describing the picture and what
might or might not happen,
students are given the chance to
practise a lot of vocabulary.
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6) Picture jigsaws.
Regarding the organization
and materials needed, this
activity requires the teacher to
prepare several pictures that
depict different things, such as:
landscapes, cities, etc., and to cut
them into pieces. Each student
will be given a piece. They are
going to work in groups of
approximately 5 or 6 members
each. Students should
reconstruct the picture by finding
the people who have the rest of
the pieces. This activity is
interesting since students have
to find a relationship between
bits of information and it is fun
because in doing so, they have
walk around the classroom and
interact with each other. It is
meaningful and authentic
because it presents a challenge,
that is, to identify what their
piece is depicting and to find the
rest of the pieces and, it requires
the collaboration of all the class.
The activity presents a great
amount of language students have to use in order to describe their pieces to the rest of their
classmates.
7) Hold up picture story.
The materials needed for this
activity are some pictures which,
when put together, form a story. As
regards the organization, this activity
will be carried out as a whole group.
It is interesting since students have
to work together to put the different pictures in a sequence while debating and exchanging
opinions and ideas. It is meaningful and authentic because students are asked to work
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collaboratively; they are challenged to create a story out of bits of information; they are
encouraged to speak and write while their self-confidence is promoted. Finally, it requires the use
of a lot of language, not only to describe each picture but to create a story out of them.
8) Newspaper photographs.
To carry out this activity,
photographs from newspapers or
magazines are required. As regards
the organization, it can be done
either individually or in pairs. It is
interesting because students have
to create an article out of a picture,
which can lead to many different
interpretations and outcomes. It is
meaningful and authentic since the activity portrays a real-world situation, it has a purpose and it
is engaging. The activity contains a great amount of language students need to use in order to
write the articles.
9) Picture maps.
For this pairwork activity, only a
map of a city is required. It is a very
interesting activity to carry out since
students have to resort to their
creativity and plan a day in that city,
just as if they were tour guides. It is
meaningful and authentic in the way
that the learning environment is
similar to a real-world application, in
this case, being a tourist and getting
to know a city. It is engaging and it
has a purpose. As regards the amount
of language used in the activity,
students can practise giving
directions, describing places, writing
a letter, etc.
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10) Eyewitness.
For this activity to be
performed, a picture depicting a
street scene is required. The
activity can be done as a whole
class or, in its variations, in pairs
or in small groups. It is
interesting because students are challenged to memorise a picture and then, try to describe it and
compare it with what the rest of the class remember. Many different versions of the same picture
will surely appear. It is meaningful and authentic because the ability to remember is a key factor in
the success of the learning of a language and it is also something students put into practice in real
life situations. Finally, with respect to the language used, a lot of description vocabulary will be
useful as well as phrases used to give opinion, for example, “I think”, “In my opinion”, etc. and
phrases used to agree or disagree.
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Analysis of three online comic creators
Comic Creator Tools Function Review
Toondoo Make Beliefs
Comix Creaza
User friendly environment (drag and drop)
Transform functions (move, resize, flip)
Save function
Edit function
Export function
Import function
Print function
Content packages
Free transform page layout
Multimedia enrichment with sound and video
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Comic I created to explain the importance of using
comics in the classroom
Exporting to file-types
Community for online support