This guide is designed to enrich your reading of the articles in this issue. You may choose to read them on your own, taking notes or jotting down answers to the discussion questions below. Or you may use the guide to explore the articles with colleagues.

Many teachers use peer-review techniques; as the title suggests, this article presents ideas for helping your students engage in peer review more effectively. 

This week’s Teacher’s Corner provides students with the opportunity to practice using phrasal verbs in an activity about New York City.

LEVEL

Intermediate to Advanced

LANGUAGE FOCUS

Reading, speaking (primary focus)
Listening (secondary focus)

GOALS

During this activity, students will

• Practice speaking skills through a matching activity
• Practice reading skills and using travel-related phrasal verbs in a worksheet activity

MATERIALS

• Teacher: whiteboard or chalkboard, markers or chalk
• Students: pencils or pens, notebooks or writing paper

PREPARATION

1. Read through all the materials carefully.
2. Print out copies of the phrasal verb cards in Appendix 1.
   a. Students will use the phrasal verb cards in a pair-work activity. Print enough copies of the phrasal verb cards for each pair of students to have a set.
3. Cut out the phrasal verb cards and for each set, mix the cards so that the phrasal verbs and definitions are mixed well.
4. Print out copies of the phrasal verbs fill-in-the-blank worksheet in Appendix 2. Students will use the worksheet in a pair-work activity. Print enough copies of the worksheet for each pair of students to have one. The answer key is in Appendix 3.

ACTIVITY PART ONE: PHRASAL VERB WARM-UP

1. Begin the class by having the students form pairs. 
2. Give each pair a set of phrasal verb cards (already mixed up) from Appendix 1.
3. Have the students work together to match each phrasal verb to its correct definition.
4. After the students have completed the matching activity, review the answers as a class.
5. Next, ask the students, “What do the phrasal verbs have in common?”
   a. Answer: Each of the phrasal verbs is related to travel.
6. Next, ask the students, “What is the one city in the world you would like to visit?”
   a. Optional: Ask the students this question as part of a Think, Pair, Share activity.
       i. First, have the students think about their answer individually.
       ii. Next, have the students share their answer with their partner.
       iii. Finally, encourage the students to share their answer or, even better, to share their partners’ answers with the class.

ACTIVITY PART TWO: PHRASAL VERB WORKSHEET

1. Begin this part of the activity by asking the students if they would like to visit New York City.
2. Next, ask why they would like to visit the city, or ask what they would like to do if they visited the city.
3. As students answer the questions, pass out the phrasal verb fill-in-the-blank worksheet to the pairs of students. Instruct them to read through the worksheet and circle any vocabulary they don’t know.
   a. If students have questions about vocabulary, take a few moments to answer their questions before moving on to Step 4.
4. Next, have the pairs of students fill in the blanks on the worksheet with the phrasal verbs on the cards they used in Part 1 of this activity. As students work, walk around the room to check on their progress.
5. Once the pairs have finished filling in the blanks, check their answers as a class.

APPENDIX 1: PHRASAL VERBS MATCHING CARDS

APPENDIX 2: PHRASAL VERBS FILL-IN-THE-BLANK WORKSHEET

Directions: Read the paragraphs below about visiting New York City (NYC). Fill in the blanks with the correct phrasal verbs. You may need to change the verb tenses of the phrasal verbs.

New York has been called “The City That Never Sleeps!” With so many things to do at any time of day, New York is a great place to visit on vacation. Thanks to New York’s many transportation options, you don’t need anyone to __________ you __________ at the airport. Instead, you can take a bus or the subway into the city, or even have one of the city’s famous yellow taxis __________ you _________ at your hotel. After you ___________________ to your hotel, you can ____________________ on your NYC adventure!

If it is your first visit to New York, be sure to take some time to ____________________ the city by taking a walk. It can be a great way to get to know the city and experience the New York way of life. Some of the best things about New York can be found by ___________________ the many diverse neighborhoods full of great food, interesting events, and historical landmarks. Even though New York is famous for its busy streets, you can ___________________ from the crowds by visiting Central Park. There you can walk through the trees, sit by the lake, and even get a famous New York City hot dog.

Of course, no trip to New York would be complete without visiting the Statue of Liberty. To visit, you need to ____________________ a ferry at Battery Park. While crossing the water, you can ____________________ a wonderful view of the city. Once on Liberty Island, you can walk around the statue, visit the museum, or climb the 377 steps to the top of the Statue of Liberty. It is an incredible experience, but tickets sell out quickly!

As you leave New York and your plane ____________________, be sure to enjoy the view out the window to get one last look at the city that never sleeps!

APPENDIX 3: PHRASAL VERBS FILL-IN-THE-BLANK ANSWER KEY

Directions: Read the paragraphs below about visiting New York City. Fill in the blanks with the correct phrasal verbs. You may need to change the verb tenses of the phrasal verbs

New York has been called “The City That Never Sleeps”! With so many things to do at any time of day, New York is a great place to visit on vacation. Thanks to New York’s many transportation options, you don’t need anyone to ____pick you up_____ at the airport. Instead, you can take a bus or subway into the city, or even have one of the city’s famous yellow taxis ______drop you off________ at your hotel. After you _____check in________ to your hotel, you can ____set out_________ on your NYC adventure!

If it is your first visit to New York, be sure to take some time to __look around____ the city by taking a walk. It can be a great way to get to know the city and experience the New York way of life. Some of the best things about New York can be found by __checking out___ the many diverse neighborhoods full of great food, interesting events, and historical landmarks. Even though New York is famous for its busy streets, you can ___get away_________ from the crowds by visiting Central Park. There you can walk through the trees, sit by the lake, and even get a famous New York City hot dog.

Of course, no trip to New York would be complete without visiting the Statue of Liberty. To visit, you need to ____get on__________ a ferry at Battery Park. While crossing the water, you can _____take in________ a wonderful view of the city. Once on Liberty Island, you can walk around the statue, visit the museum, or climb the 377 steps to the top of the Statue of Liberty. It is an incredible experience, but tickets sell out quickly!

As you leave New York and your plane ___takes off________, be sure to enjoy the view out the window to get one last look at the city that never sleeps!

Teachers are tasked with many roles in the language classroom. In addition to teaching language, many must also act as cultural interpreters, counselors, disciplinarians, motivational speakers, and more. One task that language teachers may hesitate to take on is diagnosing learning disabilities in language learners. While language teachers are knowledgeable in how a second language is acquired and what techniques support successful second language acquisition (SLA), they are often not trained to diagnose learning disabilities so often connected with language. For example, dyslexia is a learning disability that interferes with the reading process. But what should language teachers do when all language learners inevitably struggle with reading at times? How do teachers know when the barrier to learning is related to a disability and not to the language difference? More likely than not, teachers will not be able to make such a diagnosis on their own. Moreover, even if teachers had the training, their institutions might not have the resources to support the student with a disability. Instead, language teachers should turn their attention to what they do best, and that is teaching the language using bottom-up skills and top-down skills that support all language learners, including those with learning disabilities.

This week, Teacher’s Corner offers a familiar reading task that promotes phonological awareness by focusing on decoding and distinguishing between the minimal pair of /p/ and /b/ in the final position of single-syllable words. This type of activity supports language learners with and without learning disabilities. Learners are given opportunities to practice identifying and decoding two letters, linking those letters to their corresponding sounds, and ultimately distinguishing between the two sounds. Each of these skills are the foundation to learning to read and speak in a new language and benefit all learners of a second language, regardless of a learning disability.

LEVEL

Beginning, but all levels could practice distinguishing between the spoken sounds

LANGUAGE FOCUS

Reading
Speaking
Listening

GOALS

Students will be able to

• Recognize the letters p and b in the final position of single-syllable words
• Distinguish between the sounds of /p/ and /b/ in the final position of single-syllable words

MATERIALS

• Word list of minimal pairs (see Appendix A); you may want to add pictures to help define the words
• Cut-outs of letters used in word list (see Appendix B)
• Minimal pair pyramid (see Appendix C)

PREPARATION

• Make enough copies of the minimal pair word list (Appendix A) for all students.
• Write the minimal pair word list on the chalkboard or on a large piece of paper to reference.
• Make copies of the cut-outs of letters (Appendix B) and put each set into three envelopes. (Make enough sets so that students working in pairs would each get a set).
• Make enough copies of the minimal pair pyramid (Appendix C) for each learner.

ACTIVITY ONE: RECOGNIZING THE LETTERS AND SOUNDS

1. Begin class by telling students they will practice reading and pronouncing the letters p and b.
   
   1. Warm up the group by asking students to think of words that have the sound /p/.
      
      1. Ask students to share some of the words and write their suggestions on the board.
      2. Repeat the task asking for words with the sound /b/.
   2. Circle any of the words on the board that end with the sounds /b/ or /p/.
   3. Point to the circled words and ask for volunteers to read them aloud.
   4. Explain that today, they will focus on those letters and sounds at the ends of words.
2. Give each student a copy of the word list of minimal pairs (Appendix A).
   
   1. Have students read the words silently.
   2. Then, ask one side of the room to circle the words that end in the letter p and ask the other side of the room to circle the words that end in the letter b.
   3. When they are finished, have students find a partner from the other side of the room.
      
      1. In their pairs, the students who circled the words ending in p should read each word they circled aloud to their partners.
      2. Then, the students switch, and the students who circled the words ending in b should read each word they circled aloud to their partners.
   4. When students are finished, bring the class back together as a group and have the p students read their words aloud in unison. Repeat with the b students.
   5. Have students return to their partners and ask them to switch papers. Now the students will read the circled words on their partners’ papers. For example, students who read b words before are now reading p words.
   6. Once again, bring the class back together and have the students read aloud in unison the words they just read to their partners.
   7. Draw the students’ attention to the word list of minimal pairs written on the board. Point to a word, say the word, and have the students repeat the word. Continue through the list, pointing to words and having students repeat the words after the teacher.
   8. After going through the list once, go through the list again, still pointing and having students repeat after the teacher. This time, however, change the order of the words.
      
      1. Continue this routine until the teacher can point to a word and the students will say the word without the teacher modeling it.
      2. Teachers can speed up this activity as the students get better at identifying the words.
3. Return students to pairs in order to practice putting the words together.
   
   1. Give each pair an envelope of letters (from Appendix B).
   2. Tell one student to choose a letter from each envelope and spell out a word from the list using those letters. Note: Some letters will combine to make words that have no meaning in English. This is OK because the focus is on pronunciation rather than learning the words.)
   3. The other student must read the word that the student spelled.
   4. Students return the letters to the envelope and the other student takes a turn.
   5. Give students enough time to get through most of the words on the word list.
4. After students have practiced spelling and saying the words, tell them they will now practice listening to the words.
   
   1. Go down the minimal pair word lists, choosing one word from each pair and reading the word aloud.
   2. Have students underline the word that they hear.
5. After reading through the list, help students check their work.
   
   1. For each minimal pair, call on a student to read the word he or she heard.
   2. If a student has chosen the wrong word, say the correct word again and have everyone repeat the word.

ACTIVITY TWO: MINIMAL PAIR PYRAMID

1. Explain to students that now they are going to use minimal pairs to follow a trail down a pyramid.
2. Hand each student a copy of the minimal pair pyramid (Appendix C).
3. Explain that at the top of the pyramid are two words and the teacher will read one. Then students will go to the next set of words stacked under the word they heard. The students should mark the word they hear. If they follow the path correctly, they will end up on the same word as the teacher at the bottom of the pyramid.
4. Go through the pyramid several times.
   
   1. After each trip down the pyramid, ask all of the students which word they should be on.
   2. Write the word on the board, and then take students back through the pyramid to see where they heard a word incorrectly.
5. Use the pyramid at the beginning of the next class, or intermittently throughout classes, to reinforce and practice the sounds.

VARIATIONS

For anyone looking to adapt this activity, consider having students work in small groups to read through the lists of minimal pair words as quickly as they can, going around in a circle. Learners who pronounce the /p/ or /b/ sound incorrectly force the game to stop, and the whole group must start from the beginning of the list again. Have groups time themselves to see how long it takes them to get through the lists without making any mistakes. After all groups have finished, ask groups to share their times, and the group with the fastest time wins.

APPENDIX A: MINIMAL PAIR WORD LIST

Minimal Pairs: b and p lap lab cub cup cab cap dip dib rib rip slab slap tap tab rope robe gap gab lobe lope Minimal Pairs: b and p lap lab cub cup cab cap dip dib rib rip slab slap tap tab rope robe gap gab lobe lope

Minimal Pairs: b and p lap lab cub cup cab cap dip dib rib rip slab slap tap tab rope robe gap gab lobe lope Minimal Pairs: b and p lap lab cub cup cab cap dip dib rib rip slab slap tap tab rope robe gap gab lobe lope

APPENDIX B: LETTER CUT-OUTS

Letters for Envelope 1	Letters for Envelope 2	Letters for Envelope 3
l	a	p
c	u	b
d	i
r
t
sl
g

 

APPENDIX C: MINIMAL PAIR PYRAMIDS

lap

lab

cup

cub

cap

cab

dip

dib

rip

rib

slab

slap

tab

tap

rope

robe

gab

gap

lope

lobe

cab

cap

tab

tap

dib

dip

cup

cub

rib

rip

 

lap

lab

cup

cub

cap

cab

dip

dib

rip

rib

slab

slap

tab

tap

rope

robe

gab

gap

lope

lobe

cab

cap

tab

tap

dib

dip

cup

cub

rib

rip

 

lap

lab

cup

cub

cap

cab

dip

dib

rip

rib

slab

slap

tab

tap

rope

robe

gab

gap

lope

lobe

cab

cap

tab

tap

dib

dip

cup

cub

rib

rip