The challenges of using content-based materials to teach English

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The challenges of using content-based materials
to teach English

• Jeremy Walenn
• Garnet Education

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• Teaching English through
• Short stories
• Popular culture
• Drama
• Poetry and songs
• Workplace communication
• Social issues
• Sports communication

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• Content and Language Integrated Learning
• What we teach in any kind of content-based
  course is not the content itself but some form of
  the discourse of that content
• Eskey (1997)

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• Definition of content
• Met (1991) proposes that "... 'content' in
  content-based programs represents material that
  is cognitively engaging and demanding for the
  learner, and is material that extends beyond the
  target language or target culture"

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• Genre
• A stock of knowledge that is shared in a
  relevant discourse community across specific
  sociolinguistic contexts.
• (Yunxia Zhu, 2005)

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• Key points in NSS syllabus
• Reading and appreciating short stories
• Reading and writing specific aspects of a short
  story
• Planning a module story
• Preparing and writing a module short story
• Performing and telling stories
• Creating a display to showcase the work done in
  the elective

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• Reading and appreciating short stories
• Understanding the key features of a story
• Adapting a storyline
• Creating a setting
• Establishing a character
• Writing a dialogue
• Identifying themes
• Writing opening and closing sentences

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• Planning the module story
• Inspiration
• Drafts
• Revisions

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• Writing a module story
• Writing story twists
• Developing symbols

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• Telling and performing stories
• Voice
• Pause
• Gesture
• Eye contact
• Visual aids
• Music and lighting

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• Reading strategies
• Pre-reading
• While-reading
• Post-reading

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• Pre-reading activity
• Read the following eight words from a famous
  story and write them down.
• You have ONLY 8 SECONDS!
• Compare the words you have written down with you
  partner.
• Use the words you have written down to decide on
  
• genre setting plot characters

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• train journey snow
• crime passenger Turkey
• detective group

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• While-reading activities
• Jigsaw reading
• Topic sentences
• Missing paragraphs
• Dialogues in the wrong order

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English
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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English
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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• Post reading activities
• dramatising and performing
• hot seating
• writing alternatives title ending narrator
• making a cartoon or film version

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• The challenges
• choice of materials
• language level
• background knowledge
• motivation

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The challenges of using content-based material to
teach English

• Thank you for listening.
• walennjj_at_hotmail.com