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Keeping up with the progress of all of our students is challenging. Overseeing large classes, multiple learners’ needs, and multi-level classes are often barriers to adequately tracking learning. There are solutions to these challenges that can be implemented easily and take up very little time all while producing relevant feedback and results for further use in planning and understanding our students’ needs.

Using simple, formative assessments can be a great way to check in on student progress. In this week’s Teacher’s Corner, we show you an easy way to check in on your students’ learning and progress. Using “exit tickets” is a way to ask students to recall what they’ve learned. In order to exit class, they must turn in a ticket with their responses. You can then take a few minutes to see what went well and what needs review in the next class. It’s a simple, easy way to check their progress. In fact, this technique is so easy that you should try it in your next class.

Level

Any level

Language Focus

Assessment

Goals

During this activity, teachers will be able to:

  • Identify what students learned by the end of a lesson.
  • Recognize what learners will need to review during the next class.
  • Use feedback to identify possible adaptations in related future lessons.

Materials

  • Paper and pencils for students

Preparation

  • Plan to save five minutes of the end of your lesson to complete this assessment.

Procedure

1.     Five minutes before the end of class, give each learner a pencil and piece of paper. This will be their exit ticket.

2.     Tell students to write down one thing they learned in the class that day and one question they have about something they learned.

3.     When finished, collect all of the papers from learners and read them when you have time before the next class.

4.     In order to best utilize the feedback from students and to target student needs, here are some suggestions:

a.            If your class size is manageable, write down a response to each learner’s question and return to students during the next class.

b.            Make note of common questions among students. At the beginning of the next class, plan to use the first five minutes (or as much time as needed) to respond to and review the questions posed.

c.            Return the cards to learners during the next class. Then, put students into small groups (2 to 4 people per group) and have them work together to answer the questions on their cards.

d.            Before class, review the students’ comments and answers on the cards. Start with the information the students wrote about what they learned. After reading carefully, prepare a set of questions that focus on this information to ask at the beginning of the next class. For example, if a learner writes, “a thesis statement must include a topic and a controlling idea”, write a review question that asks, “What must a thesis statement include?” Questions that set students up for success give them a chance to show and share what they know. In addition, you know that all students will successfully answer at least one question while also reviewing a lot of other information from the previous lesson.

5.     In this type of assessment, it is essential that you take time to review the exit tickets before proceeding. The exit tickets are used to provide valuable and relevant information about what did and did not go well in the lesson. Use the information to adapt and redefine your own teaching of the material.

Variations

An alternative to a written exit ticket is a verbal exit ticket. The verbal exit ticket is particularly useful if you have extra time at the end of class and your class is a manageable size. Before students finish for the day, ask each learner to share one thing they learned and one question they have. You can do this privately with each student or as a large group with students speaking to the whole group.

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Activity 1
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In this interview, Blake talks about studying for exams, singing in choir, and his grandmother. 

Format: E-book, MP3
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Level

High-Intermediate to Advanced

Language Focus

Speaking, reading (primary focus); writing, listening (secondary focus)

Goals

Students will practice using reported speech by giving news reports.

Materials

Preparation

This week’s Teacher’s Corner practices reported speech through reporting on news stories. Reporting on events, such as news stories, allow students to practice a larger variety of verbs when using reported speech.

  1. Read through all the materials carefully before starting the activity.
  2. Read the article “Scott Kelly Reflects On His Year Off The Planet” before class to identify vocabulary that may be new or challenging to students. Identify the quotes made by astronaut Scott Kelly in the article; students will convert these quotes to reported speech.
  3. Print a copy of the article for each student to read or, if possible, complete part one of the activity in a computer lab.

Procedures

Part 1 – In-Class Practice

1.     Pass out copies of the article “Scott Kelly Reflects On His Year Off The Planet”, or provide students a link to the article if working in a computer lab.

2.     Have the students read the article.

3.     Once the students have finished reading, have the students underline or highlight the quotes made by astronaut Scott Kelly in the article. If students are reading the article online, have them write the quotes on a sheet of paper.

4.     Next, have the students write a short summary of the article. Instruct them to use at least two quotes from astronaut Kelly. These quotes must be changed to reported speech.

a.     For lower level classes, students can do the summary in pairs or small groups.

b.     Advance classes can use this opportunity not only to practice reported speech but to cite sources as well.

  • For example, with Scott Kelly’s quote, "I have taken a lot of pictures because I've been up here for a long time," can be changed to: Kelly told reporters that he had taken a lot of pictures because he had been up there a long time.
  • More advanced classes can also use reported speech to summarize what the author of the article wrote, such as: Brumfiel states that when Kelly had returned to Earth he had spent 340 days aboard the International Space Station.

5.     Have students switch summaries with another student. The students read their partner’s summary and analyze how closely it matches the information in the article. Instruct the students to make corrections to any errors they see in the reported speech contained in the summary.

a.     Optional: The summaries can be collected and corrections made to the reported speech.

Part 2 – Homework

1.     Now that students have practice with the in-class article, assign them homework to find a new article on which to report.

2.     Encourage students to find an article on a topic they enjoy. A resource for articles designed for learners of English is Voice of America.

3.     Have the students summarize their article and, as in the class example, include at least two instances of reported speech.

Part 3 – In-Class Report

1.     In the next class, have the students present their article summary to the class. Give each student two minutes to present their summary to the class.

2.     Encourage students not to rely on their writing but to try giving the summary from memory.

Optional variations

1.     Make this a regular activity in your class by requiring students to present a news report each week. Each class period, a set number of students can provide a report, such as two students at the start of each class.

2.     If class time is limited, have the students record their summaries and submit them as audio journals. For ideas on student recordings, see the September 2015 Teacher’s Corner on using Audacity recording software.

For more ways to incorporate global affairs and news into your classroom check out the Teacher’s Corner for March 2016.

Format: Text
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Activity 4
Text (PDF)

Bella talks about being a part of glee (a group of students who sing and dance to songs) at her school.

Format: MP3, Text
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Level

Intermediate to Advanced

Language Focus

Speaking, listening (primary focus); reading (secondary focus)

Goals

Students will increase their reported speech skills through role play activities centered on the game Trace Effects.

Materials

  • Teacher: whiteboard/chalkboard, markers or chalk, computer and projector, computer lab if possible, copies of Trace Effects (online or DVD version). Copies of the Trace Effects Chapter 1 comics, which can be found in the downloads section of this webpage.
  • Students: pencils or pens, notebooks or writing paper.

Preparation

This week’s Teacher’s Corner uses the video game Trace Effects to practice reported speech. Trace Effects, like other video games, requires players to solve problems using the information provided. Gathering information in Trace Effects requires asking questions and listening to the answers. This question and answer format makes it an effective way for students to practice reported speech.

This week’s Teacher’s Corner provides a series of activities centered on Trace Effects to help students practice reported speech. If you have never played Trace Effects, you can find it here.

  1. Read through all the materials carefully.
  2. These activities are best used in a computer lab, if possible. Have students work on the computers in pairs or small groups.
  3. The fourth activity is an information gap using Chapter 1 of the Trace Effects Comic book. When students are paired for the activity, one student will have the regular version of the comic and his/her partner will have a special version of the same comic. This special version will have some of the text missing. Both are included in the “Downloads” section of this week’s Teacher’s Corner web page.

Procedures

Trace Telephone – Pairs or Small Groups

1.     Before class, ensure that each computer has a set of headphones.

2.     Have the students form pairs or small groups. Each pair or small group should have a computer on which to work.

3.     Next, have the students go to the webpage Trace Effects. If your school has DVD copies of Trace Effects, or the game is installed on school computers, have the students use that version.

4.     Provide each student a role during gameplay: one student (the controller) should control the mouse and keyboard, while a second student (the reporter) listens to the audio in the headphones.

a.     If playing in small groups, the third student can be the “grammar checker.” Their job is to listen to what they reporter tells the controller and check the reported speech that the reporter uses.

5.     Let the groups begin a game of Trace Effects. The player with the headphones must communicate the responses of the other characters to their partner or group.

a.     If playing as a whole class, have one student come to the front of the class to be the reporter. The remainder of the class can shout out/vote for what should be selected next in the dialogue chain.

Trace Telephone – Class Version

1.     If a computer lab is not available, a similar activity to the one above can be conducted as a whole class.

2.     In this version of the activity, one student works as the controller of the game while another student uses the headphones to listen to the audio.

3.     Taking turns, students come to the front of the class and put on the headphones. The student must listen to the dialogue from the NPCs (Non-Playable Characters) and change the speech they hear to reported speech. Using reported speech, they must tell the class what they heard.

4.     If the student uses reported speech successfully, they continue to be the class reporter. If the student does not use the correct reported speech, the reporter must sit down and a new student comes to the front of the class to assume the role.

a.     Optional: When a student reports the dialogue incorrectly, they can take over controlling the game.

5.     The student who correctly reports the dialogue the most number of times in a row wins!

Trace Summary – Chapter 2

Reported speech is regularly used when summarizing an event or telling a story. In this activity, students will report on the events of Trace Effects Chapter 2.

1.     Place students into pairs or small groups. These pairs/small groups will work together to complete Trace Effects Chapter 2.

2.     Have the students play Chapter 2 of the game.

a.     While students play the chapter, have them take notes about the events in the game.

  • Encourage them to take notes on who Trace talks to and what the characters say to Trace.

b.     If students are playing in pairs or small groups, have them take turns at the controls. This chapter of Trace Effects has two scenes: the farmers’ market and a high school. Students can switch turns on the controls when the scene changes.

3.     Once students have completed the chapter, have them provide a summary of the chapter in the form of a story. For example:

Trace asked the woman at the tomato booth if she was Emma Fields. The woman said no and told Trace to ask the people at the corn booth.

4.     Depending on the level of the students, the summary can be presented in class as a spoken activity, or students can take their notes home and write a summary to be presented in class the following day.

Trace Effects – Comic Book

This activity is best completed after students have played Trace Effects Chapter 1. This activity can also benefit from being conducted in a computer lab if possible.

1.     Have the students form pairs of A and B.

2.     Give half the students (student A) copies of the Trace Effects Chapter 1 – Blanks comic book included with this activity.

3.     Give the other half of the class (student B) a copy of the Trace Effects Chapter 1 comic.

4.     Instruct student A to fill in the blanks in their comic by asking student B what was said by the characters with the missing text. Student B should give the missing lines using reported speech. Student A should listen to the reported speech and convert it to direct speech and fill in the words missing in the speech bubbles.

  • Note: to extend the activity and give both students in the pair the opportunity to work with reported speech, hand out only half of the comic (pages 3-5) to the students. Then, once the pairs have completed those pages, have them switch roles and to complete the second half of the comic (pages 6-8).
Format: Text
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Activity 3
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Trace Effects Chapter 1 - Original
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Trace Effects Chapter 1 - Blanks
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This webinar, “Student-Centered Classroom Management: Addressing Classroom Issues with 5 Adaptable Forms,” examines classroom management and student-centered classrooms before discussing five adaptable forms participants can use to manage activities in their own classrooms. The presenter will explain how and why to use each form and additional classroom management resources will be shared.

Author: Catherine Thomas Format: Text, Video
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Webinar Presentation
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Additional Resources - Forum Articles
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Meeting EFL Learners Halfway
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Minimizing the Chaos
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Alex discusses her family’s Thanksgiving celebration and the traditional foods they eat on Thanksgiving Day.

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This webinar, “Using Group Work Effectively to Increase Student Speaking Time in Class” explores several new warm-up activities and grouping strategies. The activities and strategies can be used to introduce or review lesson content and provide strategic opportunities for students to practice speaking in class.

Author: Rebecca Wilner Format: Text, Video
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Webinar Presentation:
Using Group Work Effectively to Increase Student Speaking Time in Class
Text (PDF)
Additional Resources:
Towards Better Group Work: Seeing the Difference between Cooperation and Collaboration (Forum Article)
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What Do We Want Small Group Activities for? Voices from EFL Teachers in Japan (TESL-EJ Article)
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This webinar, "Hey Kids! Let's Put on a Show! Theater in the English Language Classroom,” focuses on how to use theater in the classroom--from developing short, theater-based activities to putting on a student show. Danielle will answer key questions, such as these: 1. How do I choose a dramatic text for my students? 2. What language activities could I do with that text? 3. How do I cast and direct a student show? By the end of this webinar, viewers will have an enhanced understanding of using both small- and large-scale theater projects in your classroom.
Author: Danielle Capretti Format: Text, Video
Availability
Webinar Presentation:
"Hey Kids! Let's Put on a Show!" Theater in the English Language Classroom
Text (PDF)
Additional Resources:
Romeo and Juliet in One Hour (Forum Article)
Text (PDF)

Level

Low-Intermediate to Advanced

Language Focus

Speaking, listening (primary focus); writing (secondary focus)

Goals

Students will practice using reported speech through discussing gossip and rumors.

Materials

  • Teacher: whiteboard/chalkboard, markers or chalk, “Two Truths” Appendix 1.
  • Students: pencils or pens, notebooks or writing paper.

Preparation

This week’s Teacher’s Corner is using a variation on the game “Two Truths and a Lie”. The game is simple; each player tells two facts that are true and one that is a lie. The other players must correctly guess which one of the three statements is a lie. In this variation of the game, students will write their statements down on a sheet of paper, trade them with other students, and then use reported speech to share these statements with the class.

  1. Read through all the materials carefully.
  2. Print out the “Two Truths and a Lie” cards in Appendix 1. Make enough copies so that each student in class has a statement card.
    Note: If playing multiple rounds, print enough copies so each student has one card per game.
  3. Each game will have five rounds. In the first round, student A will talk to his/her partner, reporting on the statements. Their partner (student B) will choose the statement they believe is a lie. Student A will then note on their card student B’s choice in the “Vote for a Lie” table at the bottom of their card. The pair of students will repeat this process for student B’s card. Once both students have noted their partner’s vote, they will find new partners and repeat the process. Once each student has talked to five other students and registered the votes, the game is over.
  4. After students have played two rounds and have become familiar with the game, encourage them to expand the game to include statements about their favorite celebrities and/or sports stars. For example a student may write:

Lionel Messi has won eight La Liga titles.

Lionel Messi plays for Real Madrid.

Lionel Messi has won three European Golden Shoes.

Procedures

Part 1 – Two Truths and a Lie Statements Cards

  1. Tell the students to think about two facts and one untrue fact about themselves. Encourage the students to think carefully so that the lie is difficult to detect!
  2. Next, pass out the “Two Truths and a Lie” statement card to the students.
  3. Have the students write down their name at the top of the card and their three statements in the numbered spaces provided.
    Note: Remind students to mix up their statements. If each student writes the lie as the third statement, the game will become predictable!

Part 2 – “Did you know that…?”

  1. Next, have each student switch their card with a classmate so that each student now has another student’s card.
  2. Instruct the students to read the card and convert the statements to reported speech. 
    For example: Susan writes, “I went to America”, so John should change it to, “Susan said that she has gone to America. 
    Note: When gossiping in English, the beginning of a sentence is typically altered to make the news more exciting. For example, instead of “Susan said that…” the sentence may begin with a phrase such as, “Did you hear that…”or “Do you think that…” or “I heard that…” While lower level classes may need to practice the more formal structures, more advanced students can use these more informal phrases.
  3. Next, have the students stand up and find a partner. They can choose any partner except the person who has their original card (and whose card they now have).
  4. Each student should report the information on the card to their partner. After hearing the three statements, their partner should guess which one is the lie. Each student should mark down their partner’s guess at the bottom of their card.
  5. Have the students switch and find a new partner and repeat the process.
  6. After five rounds, have the students find the classmate whose card they have. Have the students share the results with their partner.
    Note: If time permits, have students volunteer to share their results with the class. Which student had the most believable lie?

Optional Activity

If time permits, have the students play another round. This time, have them create statements about each other or their favorite celebrities or sports stars.

Appendix 1: Two Truths and a Lie

Name:

Facts About Me:

1.

2.

3.

Votes for Lie:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name:

Facts About Me:

1.

2.

3.

Votes for Lie:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name:

Facts About Me:

1.

2.

3.

Votes for Lie:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name:

Facts About Me:

1.

2.

3.

Votes for Lie:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name:

Facts About Me:

1.

2.

3.

Votes for Lie:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name:

Facts About Me:

1.

2.

3.

Votes for Lie:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Format: Text
Availability
Activity 2
Text (PDF)

Pages