Module teaching and integrating language skills lesson 1

Does the activity relate to real world activities?

Yes, the text is authentic, taken from real life, Guardian newspaper. The task is also close to real life, in real life while reading newspapers, we scan headlines and try to predict its content.

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  Elicit random answers. Summarise the points mentioned by the students and draw features of a task on the board based on the answers:
  

Main features of a task A task involves a primary focus on meaning. The students choose the linguistic resources needed to complete the task. A task has a clearly defined outcome. A task is close to real life situations.

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  Now ask students what Task-based Learning (TBL) is. Elicit random answers.
  
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  Tell students that TBL is based on task cycle: pre-task, the task itself, and post-task. Show students Handout 4 or draw the task cycle on the board. Explain each stage.
  
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  Ask students to think of the task they have experienced and identify these stages.
  

Answer: Pre-task Teacher showed the picture, introduced the topic and the task, asked students to make predictions based on the headline. Task To work in small groups and recreate a story by putting the phrases into chronological order. Then presenting to the whole group. Post-task In this lesson there were not post-task.

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  Say that post-task usually focusses on language. Ask students what post-task they would assign to their students. Elicit random answers.
  
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  Distribute handout 4 and ask students to compare with their own suggestions.
  
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  Now ask the following question:
  

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  What language skills and language areas will students have to use by going through the given task cycle (pre-task, the task, post-task)?
  
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  What were the activities for developing listening/reading/writing/speaking/grammar/vocabulary? At what stage of the cycle?
  

Answers: All language skills (speaking, reading, writing, listening) and some language areas (grammar, vocabulary) were used. For speaking – at all stages – guessing, discussions, presentation etc. Listening – listening to each other, to the teacher Writing – writing a story Reading – reading the story and comparing with own version. Grammar, vocabulary at post-cycle stage.

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  Establish that Task-based learning gives an opportunity to teach language skills and language areas in integration through meaningful, goal-oriented, close to real life tasks.