There are many instructional approaches for helping English language learners improve both reading comprehension and overall language proficiency. One such approach, the literature circle—which is somewhat like a student book club in the classroom—has drawn a great deal of attention in recent years (Schlick Noe and Johnson 1999). Many teachers champion the strategy and use it consistently in their classrooms (Daniels 2002).

According to the Standards for the English Language Arts published by the International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English (1996, 32), the instructional practices realized by literature circles embody quality educational standards and are used by teachers “who are bringing out the best in their students day by day.” To shed light on the many ways that literature circles improve English skills, this article defines the term, provides a brief theoretical foundation for the use of literature circles, describes their benefits, and then presents a four-lesson unit that applies the approach to the teaching of a literary text.

What is a literature circle?
A literature circle is an activity in which members meet to discuss and respond to a book that they are all reading (Daniels 2002). As Cameron et al. (2012) explain, literature circles are led mostly by students, while the teacher remains in the background and performs only basic control functions. Roles are usually assigned to members of the literature circle to allow the group to function productively and to help members remain focused on the chosen book. Examples of five individual roles are Discussion Director, Literary Luminary, Illustrator, Summarizer, and Vocabulary Enricher (Daniels and Steineke 2004). The Discussion Director’s task, for example, could be to develop at least five questions about the text and then share these questions with the group. The Literary Luminary pinpoints important parts of the text for the group in order to stimulate thinking and elicit some interesting facts about the text. The Illustrator’s job might be to draw pictures related to the reading and share the drawings with the group; the group members then speculate on the meaning of the pictures and connect them to their own ideas about the text. The Summarizer’s role is to recall what happened in the reading and prepare a summary for the group, and the Vocabulary Enricher helps the group find and discuss new or difficult words (Daniels and Steineke 2004). These roles can rotate with each discussion so that every student has the opportunity to perform each role. Overall, the purpose of the literature circle is to support student language improvement, particularly through reading comprehension and vocabulary learning.

Benefits of literature circles
Recent evidence demonstrates that literature circles positively impact student learning processes and language development. Much of this impact is directed towards several important areas for language learning, including the following.

Improved comprehension skills
Most important of all the benefits, literature circles help students develop comprehension skills that are essential when reading a text. Literature circles support strategies such as visualizing, connecting, questioning, inferring, and analyzing that are vital to solid comprehension and lively conversation (Daniels and Steineke 2004). Since the assigned roles in literature circles require students to draw the events, create questions, and summarize the text, learners are called upon to use a variety of strengths and skills to prepare for the discussion. As students perform their roles, they draw information from the text, pay attention to details to support their ideas, highlight main ideas, and respond critically to what they have read by making judgments about the characters’ intentions and actions, and about how and why things happened in the story.

Increased student participation in a safe environment
Literature circles help to provide a safe classroom environment where students can build confidence and feel enabled to take risks while interacting in their second language (Burns 1998; Larson 2008). Learners may feel more comfortable working with their peers than being constantly monitored or corrected by the teacher and may be more willing to share their viewpoints without feeling anxious about making mistakes.

Enhanced responsibility and motivation
Another benefit of literature circles is helping students feel a sense of ownership and responsibility. Student choice and social interaction easily integrate into literature circles, which support student motivation and can have a very powerful effect on achievement (Burner 2007). Researchers have also found that when students work in collaborative groups they encourage each other’s efforts and that this leads to increased motivation and effort (Daniels 2002; Chi 2008; Williams 2009).

Expanded collaborative discussion
Reading specialists highlight discussion, student response, and collaboration—all aspects of literature circles—as important for providing a way for students to engage in critical thinking and reflection (Schlick Noe and Johnson 1999). When students learn a second language, collaborative discussions with peers often play a vital role in reinforcing comprehension skills (Egbert 2007; Ketch 2005) because the active involvement that takes place entails speaking and listening to many different perspectives, which deepens second language learners’ understandings (Schlick Noe and Johnson 1999).

Developed oral proficiency
Research has found that the target language is learned more effectively when second language learners have a variety of opportunities to practice real communication (Krashen 1981); working in literature groups provides students with opportunities for social interaction and communication about issues important to them (Echevarria, Vogt, and Short 2008; Nagy and Townsend 2012). During the meaningful oral discussions that occur in literature circles, learners have more opportunities to practice oral skills, which eventually may help to develop their oral proficiency (Souvenir 1997).

Increased scaffolding opportunities
Scaffolding is the support given to students during the learning process so that they can cope with the learning task (Sawyer 2006). Almasi, McKeown, and Beck (1996), for example, note that the discussing and exchanging of ideas that occur in literature circles can support a deep understanding of a text. This scaffolding shapes students’ attitudes, helping them realize that their reading challenges are solvable, and increases their interest and involvement in the given activity.

Reinforced writing skills
Reading interactions may have positive effects on writing skills in general; they may also support greater participation and involvement as students share and shape their opinions on paper. Teachers can assign engaging and challenging group-writing activities that stimulate students’ critical thinking, such as choosing a different ending to a short story, writing a short critique, or addressing writing prompts that reflect knowledge of what they have read (Webb et al. 1998).

Overview of four-lesson unit
The brief overview of targets and processes below demonstrates how literature circles might be used in the language classroom in a unit consisting of four lessons.

Instructional goals
Although instructional goals for literature circles may vary depending on the text and context, the goal of the unit is that students, through group activities and discussion, will be able to analyze and comprehend a text. At the end of this sample unit, students should be able to:

• demonstrate the ability to compare and contrast the personalities of the main characters;
• provide understanding of the plot and the setting of the story and the characters’ actions;
• apply strategies to preview, comprehend, interpret, analyze, evaluate, and relate literature to their own lives;
• understand literary conflicts;
• define and provide examples of vocabulary from the text and identify a language concept (e.g., similes, metaphors, allusions) used in literature; and
• understand the idea of timelines, create conversations based on narratives, and use transition signals to compare and contrast.

Using the text Holes for a literature circle
Holes, by Louis Sachar (1998), a popular young-adolescent text for intermediate-level language students, will be the basis of several tasks in this four-lesson unit. In the book, the author tells the tale of two young main characters who are cursed with bad luck, Stanley Yelnats and Hector Zeroni, who is called Zero. Stanley is wrongly accused of stealing a pair of baseball shoes, and Zero was abandoned by his mother and has experienced a lot of suffering and difficulties in his lifetime. It is these misfortunes that result in the boys being incarcerated in a juvenile correctional facility called Camp Green Lake, which has neither green plants nor a lake. At the harsh desert camp (representative of actual juvenile facilities in the United States but not like any specific ones), all the inmates are given tools to dig holes in the hard ground in order to “build character”; however, the story reveals a different purpose for the digging: the administrators of the camp are looking for a supposed buried treasure. Through a series of flashbacks, the story reveals how the current events that the characters take part in intertwine with events that took place in the past and how these events affect their lives. Eventually, the two boys become great friends, consequently boosting their strength to stand up for their rights to camp administrators and receive justice. The main themes of the story are justice, friendship, bullying, and overcoming hardship.

Pre-task overview and modeling
Before the unit starts, students should already have been exposed to topics related to the main themes in the selected short story or novel. In a preview lesson, the students are asked to share their personal experiences around important themes in the text. This discussion leads to the introduction of the characters in the chosen reading.

To introduce the students to the concept of the literature circle, the teacher adopts the role of facilitator to help scaffold the understanding of how the text can be split into smaller parts and, through several simple stages of discussion and analysis, can be more easily understood. To this end, students read a short story in class and then receive a handout explaining the roles to be used during the unit. The teacher explains the roles and asks for five volunteers to create a model literature circle in front of the class as they discuss the short story.

Next, in the initial meeting of the actual literature circles, students look over the text and decide how to divide it up among the number of meetings they will have; they also assign roles for the first meeting. Once all questions have been answered and the teacher sees that all the students understand the process, the lessons can begin.

The four lessons
The teacher decides the timing of the literature circle lessons—they can be held daily, every other day, once per week, or whenever the teacher thinks it feasible and effective for the students. Each lesson below is organized in four sections: (1) Learning targets; (2) Preview (introduction); (3) Do (lesson content and tasks); and (4) Review (assessment of outcomes according to the learning targets). Preview activities may not be necessary for students in various contexts, while in others teachers may want to break up lesson sections in different ways. Student roles, if used, will determine how the circles run and which student leads which aspect of the tasks. Parts of the lessons can be deleted or adapted at the teacher’s discretion, and some tasks will change based on the texts chosen for the literature circles. Although the following lessons are based on an unspecified short story or novel, several of the specific tasks described in the four lessons use the text Holes as an example of the procedure.

Lesson 1
Learning targets: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify the setting and the characters of the chosen text (short story or novel), use new vocabulary, and make inferences from the story.

Preview:

1. The purpose of this brainstorming task is for students to construct schema that will help them understand the setting of the text that has been selected for the literature circle unit. The teacher shows pictures of a place like the setting of the text—in the home country, if relevant—to the students so that they become familiar with the setting of the story. Students describe the characteristics of that place and brainstorm vocabulary that is relevant to that setting. They can also discuss what it might be like to live in such a place.

For Holes, the picture would be of a desert, and students might brainstorm words such as flat, hot, sunny, and dusty and a list of animals that might be found there such as scorpions, rattlesnakes, and lizards.

2. The goal of the second task is to enable the students to understand the concepts of the setting and the characters and to make inferences. To this end, the teacher works with students to understand the use of three worksheets: (a) a character details organizer (like the free one at http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/character-details-organizer) that asks students to chart each character’s name, physical description, personality/qualities, and role in the story along with an important quote; (b) a worksheet with room to write in the time, place, description, culture, and other facts about the setting of the story; and (c) an inference chart with titled columns like “What the book says,” “What I know about this,” and “What I can infer.” After students understand how to use the worksheets, the teacher asks them to tell a short story they know that is familiar to all students, and then, using the worksheets, students describe the setting, list the main events, identify the characters’ behaviors and actions, and infer why the setting was or was not good for the main character(s). The students then make inferences about the characters and setting of the familiar story and discuss their answers. For additional practice with the worksheets and relevant concepts, the students can tell another familiar story and discuss their responses to it in their literature circles.
3. The teacher may choose to preview vocabulary from the first section of the chosen text (in this case, Holes).

Do:

1. Having read the assigned chapters from the chosen text and prepared for their roles, students meet in their literature circles and work collaboratively on the worksheets to describe the characteristics of the setting and identify the characters. In groups, students then add to and/or comment on a drawing of the setting by the group’s Illustrator, based on the descriptions in the novel. Using an inference chart, students look for evidence to infer how the setting may impact the characters. Students also share what they know so far about each character’s behavior, traits, and actions, and about the events that have taken place.
   For Holes, students would work from their understandings of the desert setting that were built in the preview, and the Illustrator would provide a picture of Camp Green Lake for the group. The group describes in what ways the setting would be a good or not so good place to live and why. Students list what they know about Stanley, Zero, and other important characters from this initial reading.
2. Finally, students discuss the main plot points presented so far in the text.
   Students reading Holes, for example, discuss what the curse is and how the word curse is interpreted in their own cultures. They might also discuss “luck” and the way they deal with bad luck from their cultural perspective. Last, each group describes how the curse was placed in Holes and predicts whether and how the curse will be broken.

Review:
Students can be assessed according to the following criteria:

• Clear illustration of the major features of the setting
• Completeness of character grids
• Logic of inferences
• Correct use of vocabulary

Lesson 2
Learning targets: At the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify a specific language concept (e.g., idioms, humor, descriptive adjectives, allusions, similes) and create their own examples, list plot points in chronological order, and address a text-based grammar point (e.g., verb tenses, use of prepositions of motion, sentence combination, use of ordering words).

Preview:

1. The teacher introduces the language concept by providing examples from the short story or novel. Students discuss the meaning and structure of the concept and find other examples from the text. Students then create their own examples of the language concept.
   For Holes, the teacher introduces the concept of simile by providing an example from the novel, e.g., “Zero’s face looked like a jack-o’-lantern that … .” The teacher then shows pictures of a jack-o’-lantern, and students try to guess what is meant by the description of Zero’s face. In groups, students then find other text examples, and finally come up with similar figurative descriptions from their cultures and share them with peers.
2. The teacher pre-teaches the grammar point by using examples from the text and other models.
   For Holes, the teacher models how to combine two sentences into one to create a simile and then passes out a worksheet where students combine pairs of sentences into a single descriptive sentence. An example provides scaffolding for the students, such as “John is strong. A lion is strong. John is strong like a lion.” Students then interact in groups to describe things or people they know by comparing them to things, people, and so on using as and like. The aim is to give the students exposure to and practice with similes that are similar to those used in the novel.
3. The teacher asks the students to help complete a timeline of events from the story. Students first make their own timeline in groups, creating a sentence for each plot point. They then share their timelines with the class, discussing points of disagreement.
   Because Holes entwines stories from diverse generations, the teacher introduces the idea of a flashback by drawing a timeline on the board and asking the students to select events that took place in the past and in the present that are interconnected. The teacher then places a pin on the timeline, and as a class the students retell the events back and forth using words and phrases such as first, then, before, in the past, and next.

Do:

1. In their literature circles, students share examples of the language concepts they found while reading the assigned text. They also talk about how these examples affect or enhance the text.
   In their Holes literature circles, students share similes they found and discuss how the comparisons the author used make the descriptions more vivid. They create additional similes for the characters by using information from the current chapters.
2. Student groups collaborate to find examples of major events in the text and list them on a timeline worksheet, to eventually be added to the class timeline.
   In their Holes literature circles, students work together to create and write a one-paragraph “flashback” for one of the characters.

Review:
Students can be assessed according to the following criteria:

• Grammatical correctness of the language concept
• Relevant inferences based on clues or evidence
• Inclusion of important events on a timeline
• Correct use of grammar point

Lesson 3
Learning targets: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to define and provide examples for new vocabulary and create a grammatically correct conversation based on a narrative piece from the text.

Preview:

1. The class reviews categories of literary conflict, such as person vs. person and person vs. society. The students then provide examples of these conflicts from real life or popular stories, with the teacher providing necessary vocabulary support. After that, the teacher demonstrates an example of a conflict, and students come up with suggestions that might solve the problem. For more practice, the students share personal life experiences about conflicts that they have had, and others suggest possible solutions.
2. The teacher then chooses a context from a familiar story where there is a conflict and more than one character. Together with the students, the teacher creates a brief narrative based on that event and writes it on the board. The teacher encourages the students to share their opinions about what the characters might have said based on the narrative and writes the resultant conversation on the board. Students read and discuss the narrative and conversation and ask any questions they have.

Do:

1. In their literature circles, members of each group collaborate to list the conflicts they think of in the part of the text that they have read so far; students use a chart with the types of conflicts at the top (e.g., person vs. person, person vs. society) and put their examples of each type of conflict from the text in the correct column.
2. Students consider the conflicts that have been noted and work to find solutions based on what is possible in the reading. Students define and use new vocabulary from the text as they collaborate.
3. Each group chooses an excerpt from the text that deals with a conflict between two or more characters and creates and models a grammatical conversation based on the conflict. Students are encouraged to use language and grammar concepts to practice what they have previously learned.

Review:
Students can be assessed according to the following criteria:

• Identification of a literary conflict
• Logic of solutions based on the novel
• Grammaticality of conversation
• Correct definition and use of new vocabulary

Lesson 4
Learning targets:
At the end of the lesson, students will be able to explain relationships among characters in the reading, use signal words for comparison and contrast, and write a logical comparison/contrast paragraph.

Preview:

1. The teacher asks each group to write down as much information as possible about one character from the story or novel. The teacher then models comparison and contrast by asking guiding questions about the characters. The teacher writes in a Venn diagram (using, for example, the chart maker at https://www.lucidchart.com/pages/examples/venn_diagram_maker) as students explain whether each point is a similarity or a difference. Students copy the ideas to their own Venn diagram.
   In Holes, students will focus on the two main characters, Stanley and Zero, who, though different, will become good friends because of the extraordinary circumstances in which they met. Students can watch a short clip from the video version of Holes in which the two characters get to know each other. While or after watching the video, each student notes the following information for each character:
   • Name of the character
   • His or her family background
   • Why he or she is in the camp
   • Characteristics of the character
   • Other notable information (dress, behavior, and so on)

   Students then complete the Venn diagram that the teacher has modeled and discuss questions such as these:

   • In what ways are the two protagonists similar or different?
   • Do you think that they will be friends or enemies in jail? Why?
   • What information helped you guess what might happen to the two characters?
2. The teacher passes out a worksheet of important signal words and expressions such as on the other hand, but, and whereas. The teacher shows a comparison/contrast paragraph to the students, and they indicate how the signal words are used. In groups, students underline the signal words in the paragraph. They then use their Venn diagram to write sentences about the similarities and differences of the two characters they have examined. The teacher and peers check for correct usage of the signal words and other grammar points.

Do:

1. In their circles, students discuss their Venn diagrams and add or delete any information.
   In their Holes literature circles, students discuss how Stanley and Zero met and how the two characters are similar and different (physically and in character). Students also share their perspectives about the circumstances under which Stanley and Zero have become friends. Students debate the way Zero and Stanley influenced each other and the way their friendship made them stronger and gave them the courage to challenge the hard living conditions in the camp.
2. Using a final copy of a Venn diagram, students list the characters’ similarities and differences that they have agreed on. They use the diagram to write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the characters using the comparison/contrast signal words.

Review:
Students can be assessed according to the following criteria:

• Correct use of a Venn diagram
• Appropriate use of signal words
• Paragraph based on events in the text

Conclusion
These four lessons provide a simple framework to support learners in comprehending and using the content and language in a specific text. Important for teachers, literature circles are flexible and lend themselves well not only to all types and lengths of texts but also to the addition of other language resources such as video, audio, and graphics. In addition, there is no set number of lessons for any one text, and the framework above is only one suggestion of the many available (conduct an online search for “literature circles” to find examples, more lessons, and additional instructions). Teachers may choose to emphasize other aspects of the text and focus on different grammar points, but the central idea that students are involved both with the text and with each other does not change.

Research shows that using literature circles as an instructional approach in the classroom has the potential to create a positive and interactive environment that sustains the kinds of student motivation and involvement that are essential to reading development. Through interactive discussions and collaborative tasks, learners complete conversational and written activities that expose them to diverse responses and perspectives. These experiences not only help improve their basic language and literacy skills, but may also help to develop high-order thinking skills that are vital for helping learners to grow as independent and autonomous readers.

References
Almasi, J. F., M. G. McKeown, and I. L. Beck. 1996. The nature of engaged reading in classroom discussions of literature. Journal of Literacy Research 28 (1): 107–146.
Burner, K. J. 2007. “The effects of reflective and reflexive writing prompts on students’ self-regulation and academic performance.” PhD diss., Florida State University, Tallahassee. diginole.lib.fsu.edu/etd/2732
Burns, B. 1998. Changing the classroom climate with literature circles. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 42 (2): 124–129.
Cameron, S., M. Murray, K. Hull, and J. Cameron. 2012. Engaging fluent readers using literature circles. Literacy Learning: The Middle Years 20 (1): i–viii.
Chi, Q. 2008. Study of group discussion in EFL classroom teaching. Sino-US English Teaching 5 (2): 57–61.
Daniels, H. 2002. Literature circles: Voice and choice in book clubs and reading groups. 2nd ed. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
Daniels, H., and N. Steineke. 2004. Mini-lessons for literature circles. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Echevarria, J., M. Vogt, and D. J. Short. 2008. Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP Model. 3rd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Egbert, J. 2007. Asking useful questions: Goals, engagement, and differentiation in technology-enhanced language learning. Teaching English with Technology 7 (1). http://www.tewtjournal.org/issues/past-issue-2007/
International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English. 1996. Standards for the English language arts. Urbana, IL: NCTE.
Ketch, A. 2005. Conversation: The comprehension connection. The Reading Teacher 59 (1): 8–13.
Krashen, S. D. 1981. Second language acquisition and second language learning. Oxford: Pergamon.
Larson, L. C. 2008. Electronic reading workshop: Beyond books with new literacies and instructional technologies. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 52 (2): 121–131.
Nagy, W., and D. Townsend. 2012. Words as tools: Learning academic vocabulary as language acquisition. Reading Research Quarterly 47 (1): 91–108.
Sachar, L. 1998. Holes. New York: Random House.
Sawyer, R. K., ed. 2006. The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Schlick Noe, K. L., and N. J. Johnson. 1999. Getting started with literature circles. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon.
Souvenir, L. 1997. “Implementing literature response circles in a kindergarten classroom: To what extent are LRCs developmentally appropriate for 5 and 6 year old kindergartners?” Master’s thesis, Washington State University, Vancouver.
Webb, N. M., K. M. Nemer, A. W. Chizhik, and B. Sugrue. 1998. Equity issues in collaborative group assessment: Group composition and performance. American Educational Research Journal 35 (4): 607–651.
Williams, S. M. 2009. The impact of collaborative, scaffolded learning in K–12 schools: A meta-analysis. Los Angeles: Metiri Group.

BIODATA:

Mohamed Elhess is an ESL instructor at the Intensive American English Language Program at Washington State University and the American Language and Culture Program at the University of Idaho. He holds a BA in TEFL from Libya and an MA in Education from Washington State University.

Joy Egbert is Professor of ESL and Education Technology at Washington State University. She coordinates the programs in ESL in the College of Education.

Audacity is a clear example of the open source movement with many online technologies. This free program allows for the recording, editing, and mixing of audio files that, with practice, can sound professionally produced.

Files in Audacity can be recorded and then manipulated by editing and then exporting them from the program in a variety of formats such as .wav or .mp3 files. Users can also take pre-existing audio and load them into the program to edit them together such as combining music and voice to create a song.

In this week’s Teacher’s Corner, we look at how to use Audacity and ways it can be used to produce classroom materials. Audacity does have a brief set-up phase that must be completed before being able to create .mp3 files. However once this is completed, producing files in .mp3 format is quick and easy. This week’s Teacher’s Corner begins with a set-up guide and orientation to the program, and concludes with some ways to use Audacity to create audio for the classroom.

Remember, using any technology is equivalent to learning a new skill. As with any skill, practice makes perfect, so be sure to go slow, acknowledge that mistakes will be made, and use this guide alongside the software itself. Any short-term fear of learning new technology can be conquered, and in return you’ll find a fantastic new program that can breathe new life into speaking and listening activities!

AUDACITY: SETTING UP

Audacity is a software program that needs to be installed on a computer to function. The following steps can be used to get Audacity successfully running on a computer.

1. Begin by visiting the Audacity website and downloading the software here. Once the software has been downloaded, double-click on the Audacity icon and follow the instructions.
   
   a. Audacity is available in a number of languages. As the software starts the installation process the first option is to select a language.
2. Follow the onscreen instructions. Once complete, Audacity will be installed on the computer.
3. To begin creating .mp3 files, one small addition is needed to the program. The easiest way to install this addition is by trying to create an .mp3 file. It may seem confusing at first, but it is straightforward in practice.
   a. Start by making a simple recording. To do this, click on the round, red record button.
   b. Once the software is recording, speak a phrase or sing a song – any audio will do.
   c. Next click on File -> Export
   d. A window will pop up asking for the file to be named and to select a location where it will be saved. After this, a window will appear asking for file metadata.
   e. Meta is information that can be added to the file such as the artist, year, and name. While this can help keep files organized, it is not needed. Fields can be left blank while selecting OK to move forward.
   f. After this window appears, Audacity will prompt a screen notifying Lame is needed. Don’t panic!
   g. To get the needed files, download them here. Follow the instructions and download and install the Lame files in a location where they will not be deleted. Installing them inside the Audacity program file is recommended.
   h. Once the Lame files have been installed, click Browse and navigate to the location where the Lame files were saved.
   i. Click on the file lame_enc.dll.
   j. This will allow Audacity to create .mp3 files!
   
i. It may seem to be a hassle just to create .mp3 files, but they are the most commonly used file format for audio and will allow for recordings that can be played on every device that a school or student may have.
ii. Audacity is unable to natively create .mp3 files. This means that the capacity to record in .mp3 has to be added to the software and cannot be included.
iii. Don’t worry, this step of the process never has to be repeated!

With Audacity now at full capacity it is possible to begin making recordings for the classroom. First, it is important to have a basic overview of the features of Audacity.

4. Recordings – This is where the recordings appear. The blue lines are the audio waves of the recording. If during the recording process these blue lines remain flat, check the microphone.
5. Recording Interface – These buttons are the basic recording menu. These are pause, play, stop, backward, forward, and record.
a. For more advanced recordings, Generate and Effect allow for the adding of effects to the recording such as changing the pitch and tone, as well as adding or removing silence.
6. Tools – These tools, shown to the left of the number four in the image above, are used to alter the recording tracks. The tracks can be magnified, scrolled, and selected. The selection tool, which looks similar to the capital letter i (I), is the default tool in the tool menu.

   Recording

   1. When recording in Audacity, each time the recording button is pressed a new track is created. When each new recording is made the previous tracks will play. Initially, this can be confusing, but with more experience in Audacity this turns into an interesting feature that enables voices over music or several voices playing at one.
   2. Try experimenting with the recording features and the multiple track functionality.
   3. Record two tracks in Audacity, similar to the image above, then try cutting and pasting the second track into the first track.
   a. To select a track use the selection tool in the toolbar and left click and hold on the bottom audio track. Then drag the mouse to the right to highlight the track. Finally, cut and paste the track into the first track. b. This highlight, cut, and paste functionality is the same as in many software programs such as Microsoft Word. Remember: if mistakes are made, there is an undo button!
   4. These steps may seem basic but they are all that are needed to create audio tracks. To explore more of the features, the Audacity website has a wide variety of helpful tutorials.

   With the basic functionality of Audacity, interesting classroom activities can be designed. Here are a few that can be used for speaking activities.

   Audio Journals

   1. Have students record weekly journals that can then be submitted as homework assignments.
      a. These journals can be on a specific topic or more free form for students to talk about what is important to them.
   2. When grading or listening to these audio journals, if students have made mistakes in pronunciation or vocabulary, the editing features of Audacity can be used to insert feedback directly into the journal entry. This can give the students better insight into the mistakes they have made in their speaking.

   Podcasts

   Similar to audio journals, students can be assigned to complete podcasts. Podcasts are the Internet version of radio station programs. Some podcast ideas are: lectures on a specific topic, movie reviews, interviews with unique individuals, and conversations between friends. When creating a podcast, it is important for the students to embrace the role of host. As host they should offer introductions to the topics, keep the podcast focused on the topic, and generally work to make it as entertaining as possible. Using podcasts can be a great way to get students to use their language in a more free-form conversational style. Great examples of podcasts can be found here, here, and here.

   Accent Activity

   In this activity students seek to mimic an accent. It is recommended to do this activity over the entire length of the course with students submitting an audio journal each week. Although this is designed for more advanced students, a modified version of this activity could be a fun assignment for lower-level students as well.

   1. Begin by having the students go online and find a short video of 30-45 seconds. This video should feature an extended speech from a single individual such as a celebrity interview, a speech by a famous politician, or a dialogue from a movie where a character talks at length.
   2. Week 1 –Students watch their video and transcribe the words spoken by their target speaker. Repeated viewings will most likely be needed to transcribe the video.
   a. For homework this week, students submit a document with the transcribed dialogue.
   3. Week 2 - Students record their own version of the dialogue reading from the transcription they made.
   a. For homework this week, students submit their dialogue recording.
   4. Week 3 –Students listen to both the movie clip and their own recording. Have them take notes on where their speaking differs from the movie clip. These differences could be in pronunciation, rhythm, intonation, or suprasegmentals (patterns that occur over a larger series of words such as stress and pitch). It is not critical that students document all the differences but that they begin to notice the differences.
   a. For homework this week, students submit their notes where they documented the differences in speaking. For lower-level students have them focus on only one or two differences.
   5. Week 4 –Students continue to listen to the clip and make recordings. Each week their goal should be to get their accent closer and closer to the movie clip and sound just like the speaker in the clip when saying the same dialogue.
   a. Each week for homework, students submit their recording along with an added reflection where they discuss the challenges in mimicking the movie clip. This reflection is the critical aspect of the homework, so encourage the students to be as detailed as possible noting both successes and frustrations. Again, for lower level students, this reflection could focus on one or two items.
   6. Final Week – After enough weeks of practice, students come to class with their movie clip. Each student should come to the front of the class and present their movie clip. Next, the student gives a live presentation of the dialogue (which has now been memorized).
   a. Encourage the students to act out the dialogue as well as they can! As a fun class activity, the class can vote on all the performances and give unique awards such as ‘best pronunciation’, ‘best intonation’, ‘best acting’, or ‘most dramatic classroom performance’.

One of these two English Teaching Forum articles is about how to make teaching materials more interactive and learner-focused. The second article is a detailed classroom activity about creating comics.

Hot Potatoes is a robust set of classroom activity tools that teachers can use to construct quizzes, cloze or matching activities, and crossword puzzles. Hot Potatoes is an open-source software program that can be downloaded at the Hot Potatoes Website

Hot Potatoes, like any technology used for the first time, can seem overwhelming. However, it only takes a little practice to get comfortable with the basics. Once these basics are discovered, begin to try the more advanced features shown at the end of this week’s Teacher’s Corner. Not everything needs to be learned at once so don’t rush and don’t panic!

What makes Hot Potatoes a valuable tool in a technology toolkit is that the files created by the software are simple .htm, or webpage, files. This means the files can be placed on computers in a lab, emailed to and from students, added to course management systems such as Moodle, or printed out and given to students as worksheets. Hot Potatoes can fit the realities of the classroom no matter the technology infrastructure.

The basic layout of Hot Potatoes is enough to work in many classroom situations; however the software can be extended far beyond its initial capabilities with audio, images, and video.

In this week’s Teacher’s Corner, we look at ways to use Hot Potatoes to make basic activities. The first set of ideas below will offer a basic tutorial on the JQuiz feature of Hot Potatoes. Once this has been mastered it is easy to transfer the knowledge over to the other features of Hot Potatoes such as JCloze, and JMatch. While each creates unique activities, the design and layout of the software is the same.

After some practice with the basics of Hot Potatoes, consider adding images, audio, or video to your activities. The second set of instructions below show how to use some simple HTML code to breathe life into your activities through multimedia. Hot Potatoes is far more robust than what can be shown in this tutorial, so it is important to play and experiment with all the settings. Be sure to have fun!

BASIC: INTRODUCTION TO HOT POTATOES

The Hot Potatoes suite is a set of six authoring tools that allows you to create different types of interactive quizzes. The quizzes are viewed using a web browser. Each program can produce a different type of quiz:

• JCloze – is used to make gap-fill or cloze exercises.

• JCross – is used to make crossword exercises.

• JMatch – is used to create matching exercises.

• JMix – is used to make jumble exercises.

• JQuiz – is a tool for making question-based exercises. Each quiz can consist of an unlimited number of questions.

For these instructions, JQuiz will be used as an example. JQuiz can feature multiple-choice questions and short-answer questions. Quizzes can also feature a mixture of multiple choice and short answer known as a hybrid question; questions can also be designed to allow students to select multiple answers.

The basic construction for JQuiz is:

1. Title – This is where to place the name of your quiz.

2. Q# - This block is where questions can be added to the quiz. To scroll through the questions that have been added, select the up and down arrows located next to the question number.

3. Answers – In the blocks below Answer are where the answers to the question are added. These can be single words or entire paragraphs depending on the needs of the activity.

4. Feedback – Each answer can be given specific feedback that can specify why that answer is correct or incorrect.

5. Settings – Under Settings, conditions can be set for each answer. For JQuiz to properly work, at least one must have the Accept as Correct box checked.

6. Menu – The top row of buttons in Hot Potatoes is the basic commands for the software such as file, edit, and insert. These commands are similar to those found in more common programs such as Microsoft Word.

PRODUCING A HOT POTATOES ACTIVITY

1. Begin by opening the software. For this example JQuiz will be used. Once opened, the software will display the screen shown above.

2. Questions and answers can be added to the boxes shown as in the image above. Once questions and answers have been added, save the file by clicking on File -> Save As

   1. This save feature will produce a .jqz file. This is the working file that should only be used to create the activity and should not be shared with students.

3. Once the JQuiz activity is complete it can be published as an .htm file for classroom use.
   
   
4. To create the .htm file, click on File -> Create Web Page -> Standard Format

5. At the basic level this is the scale of Hot Potatoes and much of the interface is similar to more familiar software such as Microsoft Word. If you can copy and paste in Word, much of the interface of Hot Potatoes will feel familiar.

6. With this brief overview, it is best to begin by making three or four activities using just the basic structure and format of the software. Just keep in mind these basics:

   1. Hot Potatoes saves two files:

      1. .jqz file – This is the working file to be used when making the activity. Each piece of Hot Potatoes has its own file format (.jcl for Jcloze, .jmt for Jmatch)

      2. .htm – This is the activity file that should be provided to students. This file is produced to look like a web page and can be opened with a browser (such as Internet Explorer, Chrome, or Firefox).

   2. Stay organized – Create a folder for each activity and save both the .jqz and .htm file in the same folder. This will make it easier to find each activity.
   3. After some time experimenting with the software, click on Options -> Configure Output in the menu bar.
      1. The Configure Output panel allows for the material to be customized such as changing colors, changing texts, and adding additional instructions or information.

HOT POTATOES PLUS: ADDING IMAGES

Once you have the basics of Hot Potatoes, it is easy to branch out to more sophisticated activities. The key is to take your time, play with all the available options, and allow for failure. While the below instructions can seem very technical, it breaks down to three basic pieces of computer code. With only these three pieces of code, a wide variety of activities can be made.

What is HTML?

Hyper Text Markup Language is the language that makes web pages possible. It works by containing instructions within a set of < > brackets. These brackets tell the computer that the information inside them is a set of instructions. For example a word in bold in HTML looks like this: <b>Hot Potatoes</b>. If this were placed on a webpage all the reader would see is Hot Potatoes.

Embedding Code into Hot Potatoes

A great place to practice embedding code into Hot Potatoes is with an image.

1. Begin by creating a new Hot Potatoes activity. Like the example above, a JQuiz is a good place to practice.

2. After starting a new activity, be sure to save it first. This will create a working .jqz file of the activity. Be sure to save the file in its own folder.

3. To embed an image into the activity, the HTML image code is needed:

   1. <img src="cat.jpg" alt="Cat" style="width:304px;height:228px;">

   2. What is important to remember with HTML code is that text appearing between the “quotations” can be changed and the code will still work. For example in the code above ="width:304px;height:228px;" can be changed to ="width:500px;height:500px;" and the code will run with a new image size.

   3. Important: If you use an image saved locally (on the computer), keep it in the same folder as the Hot Potatoes activity. If it is not in the same folder, the Hot Potatoes activity will not find the image, and it will not appear in the activity.

4. By adding the code into the question text block, the image appears as part of the question.
   1. Remember – the final activity will read everything within the < > as instructions.

5. After the code has been inserted and the .htm file produced, the image will be displayed in the activity.

6. If the picture is too large or too small, the size can be changed by adjusting the width and height.

   1. For practice, change the numbers in the "width:304px;height:228px;" in the activity. Save the file and then change the width and height numbers. See how the image changes size.

7. This code is extremely flexible and can be used to include images from the internet as well.
   1. For example: Let’s start with the code<img src="cat.jpg" alt="Cat" style="width:304px;height:228px;"> The cat.jpg can be replaced with the web address of an image.
      1. Try replacing cat.jpg with http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/styles/adaptive/public/frf_images/trace-480x350_0.jpg?itok=CUjWfJ36
      2. This will instruct the Hot Potatoes activity to visit that particular webpage and add the image to the activity.
8. Try adding images to a Hot Potatoes activity to test the ability of the code. If mistakes are made, just revert back to the HTML code above and try again! It is important to play with these features to fully understand what is possible. Just remember:
   1. The HTML code for images can be placed in any of the Hot Potatoes text boxes. Try adding images to individual answers or even the feedback boxes.
   2. If images display incorrectly, be sure the local file of the image is in the same folder as the Hot Potatoes activity (.jqz) and .htm file. If an online image is being used, be sure the web address for the image is correct.

HOT POTATOES PLUS: ADDING VIDEO

1. Videos can also be added to Hot Potatoes but new code is needed:

   1. <iframe width="560" height="315"src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mxg-KTJY-RA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

2. The code above links to a video in the videogame Trace Effects. Try copying and pasting this code into a new Hot Potatoes activity.
   1. Remember – the web address for any video online can be used to replace the web address in bold above.

3. Using this code can allow students to view a video online and then answer questions related to the video all without having to change web pages.

   1. Remember – if using an online video in the Hot Potatoes activity, the computers the students use to complete the activity will require Internet access.

4. Again, if mistakes are made, just revert back to the HTML code above and try again! It is important to play with these features to fully understand what is possible.

HOT POTATOES PLUS: ADDING AUDIO

1. Using the code <embed src="audio.mp3"> audio can be placed into an activity in the same way images and video can be added.

2. This code allows for the addition of locally created audio. This audio can be recorded on a desktop computer or phone using recording software such as Audactiy.

   1. Remember – if using locally created audio, be sure that it is saved in the same folder as the Hot Potatoes activity.

   2. For more information on using Audacity to create audio recordings, check back later this month for Week 3 of the September Teacher’s Corner.

3. This code can also be used to add online audio materials into the Hot Potatoes activity. To add online materials just replace audio.mp3 with the web address of the audio.
   1. Remember – when using online audio, be sure to copy/paste the URL which will begin with http://

HOT POTATOES: IN CONCLUSION

The above material may seem overwhelming at first, but don’t get disheartened. Any new technology takes time and should not be learned through reading alone. As with any skill, technology fits well with a learn-by-doing approach. This week’s Teacher’s Corner should be read step-by-step at the same time activities are made in Hot Potatoes. Using this approach will show how simple these steps can be. Just remember: approach learning new technology with a playful attitude, save often, and if everything fails it is always okay to begin again!