Lecture 1: General problems of Foreign Language teaching

Group I. Exercises designed for developing pupils' skills in choosing the proper word.
Group II. Exercises designed to form pupils' skills in using the word in sentences.
Group I may include:
1. Exercises in finding the necessary words among those suggested. For example:
— Pick out the words (a) which denote school objects:
(1) a pen, (2) а cup, (3) a blackboard, (4) a desk, (5) a bed, (6) a picture, (7) a car (pupils are expected to take (1), (3), (4),(6);
or (b) which denote size:
(1)red, (2) big, (3)good, (4) smalt, (5) great, (6) green (pupils should take (2), (4), (5).
— Choose the right word:
The horse is a (wild, domestic) animal. They (ate, drank) some water. The (sheep, fly) is an insect. The (rode, road) leads to Minsk.
— Arrange the words in pairs of the same root: usual, danger, development, usually, dangerous, develop (pupils are expected to arrange the words usual — usually, danger— dan­gerous...).
2. Exercises in finding the necessary words among those stored up in the pupils' memory. For example:
— Name the object the teacher shows (the teacher shows pupils a book, they say а bооk).
— Give it a name: (1) we use it when it rains; (2) it makes our tea sweet; (3) we sleep in it (pupils are expected to say an umbrella, sugar, a bed).
— Fill in the blanks: They saw a little_____in the forest. The hut was ___.
— Say (or write) those words which (a) you need to speak about winter, (b) refer to sports and games.
— Say (or write) the opposites of: remember, hot, day, get up, answer, tall, thick.
— Name the words with a similar meaning to: city, go, cold, reply (pupils should name town, walk, cool, answer).
— Make a list of objects one can see in the classroom.
— Say as many words as you can which denote size (colour or quality).

1. 
   Play a guessing game. The teacher, or one of the pupils, thinks of a word. Pupils try to guess the word by asking va­rious questions: Is it a ...? Is it big or small? Can we see it in the classroom?
   

It is next to impossible to give all the exercises the teacher can use for developing pupils’ skills in finding words both among those suggested (when pupils just recognize the neces­sary words) and those stored up in their memory (when pupils "fish out" the words they need to do the exercise). There are plenty of them. Those mentioned, however, will be helpful for consolidating and reviewing the vocabulary in eight- and ten-year schools.
Group II may include:
1. Exercises in inserting the necessary words in word combinations, phrases, sentences; the words and sentences being suggested. For example:
— Combine the words:
(a) sky fine (b) speak late
rain blue run fast
snow heavy come loudly
weather white
(Pupils have to say (or to write): (a) blue sky, heavy rain, white snow, fine weather; (b) speak loudly, run fast, come late.)
— Insert the words met; built; posted in (1) The house was .... last year: (2) The delegation was... at the railway station in the morning. (3) The letter was ... three days ago.
— Make statements with: a few days, a few words, a few people, a few friends, a few hours; e.'g.; We worked in the field for a few hours.
— Connect the-sentences:
You must be careful because they had to complete
their work.
He should stay at home because the traffic is heavy in
the street.
They couldn't come in time because he has caught cold.
(Pupils should join the sentences on the left with these on the right.).