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1. Two Writing Activities for Extensive Reading

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 3 Format(s): Text

   These activities promote writing fluency and self-monitoring as well as skills such as getting started with writing and skimming. Students demonstrate understanding of their extensive reading. Timed repeated thinking and writing is similar to free-writing. It includes brief cycles of writing and reflecting. In each cycle, students start their writing over. A similar activity involves cycles of skimming, writing, and thinking. For variation, students can start from where their last writing left off or choose the most important point as a starting place for the next writing turn.

2. Teaching Reading to Speakers of Non-Romanized Languages

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 3 Format(s): Text

   This article offers tips for teaching reading to speakers of non-Romanized languages. The author explains how initial lessons of the text “Let’s Read: A Linguistic Approach” by Bloomfield and Barnhart can be modified to address challenges that many Asian and Middle Eastern EFL learners face. The lessons address the alphabet, linking letters to sounds, and focusing on vowels in beginning reading. Rhyming and minimal pairs build connections between symbols and phonetic values. The lessons build a foundation for future reading. Teachers of any age group may find this article useful.

3. Developing Pragmatic Competence in the EFL Classroom

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 3 Format(s): Text

   Pragmatic competence is an important part of communicative competence, yet it is often insufficiently addressed. This article outlines a program of four lessons on the speech acts of openings and closings. Lessons examine dialogues for cultural differences regarding forms of address, abruptness, expected responses, and so on. Students also consider pre-closing phrases, ways to express politeness, and formality. Finally, students expand an artificial dialogue to make it more realistic. Activities include translation, pair work, creative writing, class discussion, and role play.

4. Building Consensus on Teacher Assessment

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 3 Format(s): Text

   This article proposes a collaborative workshop for teachers and teacher trainees to identify their preferred methods of Teacher Assessment (TA).TA refers to the evaluation of teachers. Some examples are observation by colleagues or supervisors, videotaping class, and feedback from students. The pros and cons of various TA instruments and formats are discussed, including how threatening they are perceived to be. Participants also consider what should be included in their professional portfolio. It can be rewarding to involve stakeholders in the process.

5. Just Off Main Street

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 3 Format(s): Text

   “Just off Main Street” is for learner use and is an account of the writer’s experience as an Arab American. It opens with a description of the writer’s childhood and the cultural divide between life inside and outside the home. Readers will be drawn into the vivid description of daily life. The article looks at the challenges of being bi-cultural, of keeping home life separate, of being “exoticized,” of becoming comfortable and proud of one’s heritage, and of finding community. The article provides opportunities for discussions of culture, identity, and activism.

6. An Integrated Skills Lesson Plan for "Just Off Main Street" by Elmaz Abinader

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 3 Format(s): Text

   This lesson plan is designed for high intermediate to advanced English language learners. Based on an authentic, contemporary essay by an accomplished American writer, the lesson plan includes tasks and activities designed to improve students’ English language skills as well as increase their understanding of American culture. The lesson includes pre-, during, and post reading activities to improve comprehension, learn new vocabulary, and make connections beyond the text. Websites of interest and useful questions for discussion or writing are included.

7. Sing Out Loud Traditional Songs

   Format(s): Text

   This CD contains traditional American folk songs. Download songs, lyrics, posters, and activities. Watch a video to get teaching tips!

8. Morning Discussion as a Communicative Activity

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 4 Format(s): Text

   This article describes freshman university students in China. They started their day with Morning Discussion, a student-hosted discussion of relevant topics. BBC and VOA reports were useful sources. The discussions offered opportunities for negotiation, clarification, and building communicative competence. As students took responsibility for the topics, classroom set up, and participation, their confidence grew. This was very successful, as shown by comments in students’ weekly diaries. Instructors stayed out of debates and did not interrupt to offer corrections.

9. On Native Language Intrusions and Making Do with Words: Linguistically Homogeneous Classrooms and Native Language Use

   In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 4 Format(s): Text

   Should L1 use be avoided in an EFL context, where classrooms tend to be linguistically homogeneous and where students have little opportunity to use English outside the classroom? This article reviews research on native language use in the classroom, how it is used (or not used), and the effects. It addresses topics such as impact on learning, teacher guilt, “covert use,” affective and processing benefits, validating the students’ own language, and solidarity with the instructor. The author concludes that a trend toward what Atkinson calls “judicious use” is reasonable.

10. Abstracts from Other Journals

    In: English Teaching Forum 2004, Volume 42, Issue 4 Format(s): Text

    “Challenges for ELT from the expansion in teaching children” addresses a growing international trend of teaching English to younger learners (TEYL). Some issues raised are teacher education, student motivation, assessment, and the diversity of levels that exist in secondary school. The second article explores the topic of “Ownership” of English and the NS-NNS distinction. The study asked speakers from India, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United States to rate the acceptability of sentences. Their answers reflected their degree of ownership and perceptions of the target language.

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