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Reading Logs: Integrating Extensive Reading with Writing Tasks

In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 1 Format(s): Text

This article informs instructors about blending reading logs into writing tasks. Several benefits are discussed, including clarifying objectives of reading and providing opportunities to respond to reading, building critical literacy, and monitoring student progress. The article describes how to develop an extensive reading project for advanced students that includes both comprehension and vocabulary strategies. Details include how to structure and format the reading logs as well as assessment procedures.

Promoting Genre Awareness in the EFL Classroom

In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 2 Format(s): Text

The author introduces genre awareness, a concept from ESP (English for Specific Purposes) and EAP (English for Academic Purposes), and relates it to its potential use in the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classroom. She explains genre awareness as the ability to use the communication tool that is most appropriate for the purpose and audience. She recognizes several challenges to using genre awareness curriculum in the EFL classroom. Finally, she presents several useful genre awareness classroom exercises.

Establishing Textual Authority and Separating Voices: A New Approach to Teaching Referencing

In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 2 Format(s): Text

This article provides practical reasoning and tools for the ESOL teacher to better teach source referencing. The author argues that students from around the world are taught different concepts for using sources. Students often assume texts present truths that do not require analysis. Many cultures teach students to memorize texts and repeat them to show mastery and shared knowledge. The author addresses plagiarism and provides classroom exercises.

Creating Meaningful Web Pages: A Project-Based Course

In: English Teaching Forum 2002, Volume 40, Number 3 Format(s): Text

This article describes a nine-week course in Web design that can guide students in the production of an electronic project. It discusses the importance of project-based courses in language teaching since they offer learners an opportunity to be creative, control their own learning, and produce something tangible. The article addresses the benefits and difficulties of teaching such a course.

Lesson Plan: Create Your Own Sporting Event

In: English Teaching Forum 2010, Volume 48, Number 1 Format(s): Text

This lesson plan, for intermediate learners, has students use their knowledge of sports, build their sports vocabulary, practice sport-related verbs, and create a written and visual presentation of a sporting event they create. The author provides a list of activities for individual, small group, and whole class work.

What Mary Shelley Never Wrote: Using Basic Computer Skills to Enhance Student Writing

In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 2 Format(s): Text

This article describes an inspired, well-managed process writing class project for intermediate language learners. The author used Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein as a creative writing tool in class to develop writing and computer skills. Students read and discussed the book. Working in a collaborative format, students wrote a short story sequel to the novel and offered revision advice in a workshop format. The sequels were then compiled and shared with beginner language learners. The author pointed out that the sense of audience was also established with this project.

Lesson Plan - Virginia: Jamestown and Its People (Volume 47, Issue 3)

In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 3 Format(s): Text

The lesson plan “Virginia: Jamestown and Its People” consists of two parts using Jamestown, a historical site in Virginia, and several of its famous figures as the source for classroom activities. Part I activities are about the site including a brief history of Jamestown and its artifacts as a basis for writing and speaking activities, while the second part focuses on some famous figures who lived there as a basis for listening and writing activities.

Building Vocabulary and Improving Writing while Developing a Tourist Brochure

In: English Teaching Forum 2008, Volume 46, Number 2 Format(s): Text

This article describes how creating a tourist brochure can help students improve their vocabulary and writing skills. The author describes how to plan writing lessons based on the creation of a brochure: viewing videos, planning the brochure, writing the brochure, getting feedback and rewriting, and displaying the brochure. In the conclusion, the author highlights the benefits of the activity as providing opportunities for contextualized writing and vocabulary learning.

English Magazines = Motivation + Improved ESL Writing Skills

In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 1 Format(s): Text

Creating and editing a magazine in English is a challenging and motivating type of portfolio assessment. It encourages student fluency and freedom by allowing students to choose their own topics for writing. It is real communication for a real audience and requires students to take responsibility for their own writing. It can also make the teacher’s job more enjoyable. The article describes a magazine-editing project for an intermediate university writing class. The students performed well on the national writing examination.

Maximizing the Benefits of Project Work in Foreign Language Classrooms

In: English Teaching Forum 2005, Volume 43, Number 4 Format(s): Text

There are many benefits to using project work in the classroom, such as student autonomy, increased content knowledge, and motivation. This article gives ten steps for structuring project activities to maximize these benefits, using a case study on project-based learning in an English preparatory program in Turkey. Also included are recommendations for writers on how to include project-based learning in their materials.

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