Основной трудностью для учителей английского языка является формирование у учащихся навыка одновременного сочетания достаточно большого количества грамматических явлений и изученной лексики в высказываниях различного уровня.
Преодолеть затруднения поможет выбор упражнений на этапах введения, тренировки и применение грамматического материала в коммуникативно-направленных заданиях, учитывающих специфические морфолого-синтаксические характеристики английского языка. Именно таким образом строится работа в отечественных и зарубежных учебных пособиях.
На этапе тренировки интенсивно используется организационная форма выполнения языковых упражнений – дрилл, цель которой - автоматизация навыков после целенаправленной отработки и многократного воспроизведения. Но использование дриллов ведет к внеситуативному усвоению формы и значения грамматического явления и не может подразумевать автоматическое использование его в речевой деятельности.
На этапе применения предполагается обеспечение использования языка в собственно коммуникативных целях. Учащиеся используют грамматический материал в усложненных ситуациях, приближенных к реальным. Происходит взаимоинтеграция с лексическим материалом и включение изученных явлений во все виды речевой деятельности.
Проблема состоит в том, что в учебных пособиях часто недостаточно коммуникативных упражнений, которые бы решали задачу отработки конкретного грамматического материала в речи и одновременно насыщали бы изучаемой лексикой.
Нам хотелось бы познакомить читателей с рядом коммуникативных упражнений, в которых сочетаются содержание, лингвистическая форма, соотнесенность с условиями реальной коммуникации и направленность на достижение определенного результата. Кроме того, задания предполагают создание ситуативных условий для употребления изучаемых речевых явлений и совершенствование грамматических навыков в интерактивных формах работы.
1. Form: Warm-Up
Activity Whole class: reading, speaking
Aim To become better acquainted, to share attitudes, interests
Grammar and functions A variety of sentence structures, including the conditional form
Vocabulary General
Time 10 minutes
Procedure
- Give the students the handout that follows and ask them to complete the sentences.
- Break up into groups of three to share completed sentences and to determine answers that are very unusual and answers that are the most interesting.
- Have each group share with the class their choices.
Handout
If you were a season of the year, which season would you be? Why?
If you were a country, which country would you be? Why?
If you were a musical instrument, which instrument would you be? Why?
If you were a piece of fruit, which fruit would you be? Why?
If you were a TV show, which show would you be? Why?
2. Form: Guided report
Activity Whole class: reading, writing, speaking
Aim To imagine that you are 87 years old, and to talk about past regrets
Grammar and functions Subjunctive mood: expressing regrets about past with I wish/If only + past perfect
Vocabulary General
Time 20 minutes
Procedure
- Display the picture of an old woman and what she says. Ask the students to read it and make comments about it.
- Then give one copy of the worksheet to each student and ask them to imagine that they are 87 years old.
- Tell them that, now that they are 87, they should look back on their lives, think about their regrets and complete the unfinished sentences on their worksheet.
- When they have done that, ask them to compare with other students in the class if they wish.
- Finally, tell them that they should go out and do all the things they might regret not doing when they are older.
Beatrice Williams, 87, looks back on her life…
‘I’ve always been a sensible person, one of those people who never go anywhere without a thermometer, hot water bottle, a raincoat and a parachute.
Now I wish I’d made more mistakes. I wish I’d relaxed more and been sillier. I wish I hadn’t taken everything so seriously. I wish I’d taken more trips, climbed more mountains, swum more rivers, watched more sunsets, eaten more ice-cream and picked more daisies. If only I’d taken more chances. ’
Now that you are 87, what are your regrets?
I’ve always been a____________________sort of person
I wish I’d more ______________________
I wish I’d less _______________________
I wish I had ________________________
I wish I hadn’t _______________________
If only _____________________________
3. Form: Information transfer
Activity Whole class: writing, speaking
Aim To write sentences about imaginary situations in the past and their results. To pick sentences out of a hat and find out who wrote them by asking questions.
Grammar and functions Third conditional to talk about an imaginary or unlikely situation in the past and describe its result.
Vocabulary General
Time 20 minutes
Procedure
- Ask students to work in groups of three or four. Give the cards with unfinished sentences to each group.
- Ask the students to complete their sentences in any way they like. They shouldn’t write their names.
- Ask students to fold up their sentences and put them in the hat.
- Mix up the sentences in the hat and let the students take one sentence each and find out who wrote it. Give the example: If you hadn’t come here today, would you have stayed in bed?
- The students go round the class asking questions. When they find the person who wrote the sentence, they should write the name, keep the card and take another one from the hat. The student with the most sentences is the winner.
Imagine
If I hadn’t come here today, I would have………
If I had time this week, I would have………
If I’d been born a member of the opposite sex, I’d ………
If I’d won the lottery recently, I would have………
If I’d met an alien from outer space on my way here, I’d ……
If I if I’d met my great-great-grandparents, I’d………
4. Form: Brainstorming
Activity Groups of 3-4 members each: reading, writing, speaking
Aim To speculate what might have happened if these events had not taken place, to try to imagine several consequences of each event.
Grammar and functions Third conditional to talk about an imaginary or unlikely situation in the past and describe its result.
Vocabulary General
Time 20 minutes
Procedure
- Ask students to work in groups of three or four. Give the cards with a number of events which affected the course of world history.
- Instruct the groups to chose and discuss the events and be prepared to share their thoughts.
- Call the total class together to discuss.
Handout
Here are a number of events, which affected the course of world history. Think of what might have happened if these events had not taken place; imagine several consequences and what would have happened if all these things had not happened.
20 000BC – first writing
8 000 BC – wheel invented
5 000 BC – Britain became an island
800 AD – paper money first used
1327 – guns first used in battle
1455 – first book printed in Germany
1455 – Columbus discovered America
1556 – tobacco introduced to Europe
1875 – Bell invented the telephone
1879 – Edison invented the electric light
1917 – revolution in Russia
1926 – Baird invented television
1945 – first use of atomic bomb
1962 – Gagarin was in the space
1969 – John Lennon met Paul McCartney
1970 – computer was invented
5. Form: Simulation
Activity Groups of 4-6 members each: reading, writing, speaking
Aim To discuss what you would do in an emergency situation
Grammar and functions The conditional form (If…then) and the simple present tense in negative and positive forms to practice coming to consensus, to become sensitive to different opinions and to establish priorities
Vocabulary General
Time 20 minutes
Procedure
- Divide the class into groups and tell them that they will pretend they are a family living in an area that is going to be struck by a hurricane. Their neighborhood must be evacuated to an area farther from the storm. Families will have just 15 min to get the things from their homes that they will need and to report to the shelter that has been set up in a local school. Each family includes a husband, a wife, a 6-month old baby, a 7-year old son and a pet dog.
- Give each participant a copy of the Evacuation list and ask that they individually rank the 15 things they would take in order of importance: 1 for the most important, 2 for the second most important & so on through 15, the least important.
- Group members share their rankings with each other & defend the items they have chosen. Similarities may be noted in the top choices and these reported to the total group at the conclusion of the exercise.
Evacuation List
A hurricane warning has been announced on radio and TV. Your neighborhood must be evacuated to a school located farther away from the storm. You and your family have just 15 min to get the things you need and report to the school. Listed below are some things you might think about taking with you to the shelter. Please rank the 15 most important items in order of their importance: 1 for the most important, 2 for the second important, and so on.
Evacuation List: First aid kit, Electric razor, Flashlight Cosmetics, Hairdryer, Family documents and jewelry, Soap & towels, Blankets, Canned food, Special medicines, Diapers for the baby, Transistor radio, Baby food, Changes of clothing, Toothbrushes, Coats, Portable TV set, Schoolbooks, Outdoor cooking stove, Razor and shaving cream Pillows, Tool kit, Cooking utensils, Pet food, Games & books, Water dish for dog, The family dog.
6. Form: Scenario
Activity Dyads: reading, writing, speaking
Aim To give advice and discuss the ideas, to become sensitive to another person
Grammar and functions The conditional form 2 and the simple present tense in negative and positive forms to practice coming to consensus
Vocabulary General
Time 10 minutes
Procedure
- Have students choose a partner. Give a card and allow enough time for them to read the card and ask questions.
- Pairs then enact their roles in front of the class. Allow time after each role play for student comments or questions.
I’ve got a problem
Your friend has a lot of bad habits, which she/he should give up, but it’s probably too late for she/he to change. Explain why she/he should change her/his habits.
Example: I’ve got a problem. I’m fond of chocolate, but now I put on weight. What should I do? – If you gave up eating a lot of chocolate, go on a diet, you would lose weight…
- …take some exercise and get fit
- …eat right food and feel better
- …take care of your health and enjoy life more
- …stop reading at night and feel better
7. Form: Interview
Activity Whole class: writing, speaking
Aim To discuss what you would do if you were in different positions of authority
Grammar and functions The conditional form 2 and make, let, not let to express obligation, permission and prohibition.
Vocabulary General
Time 20 minutes
Procedure
- Explain to the students that they are going to invent a list of rules they would impose if they were in positions of authority.
- Give the students the handout that follows and ask them to complete the sentences.
- Break up into groups of three to share completed sentences and to determine answers that are very unusual and answers that are the most interesting.
- Have each group share with the class their choices.
Handout
1. If I were my parents…
I’d make my children…
I’d let them…
I wouldn’t let them…
2. If I were the manager of my country’s football team…
I’d make my players…
I’d let them…
I wouldn’t let them…
Общая характеристика данных заданий – направленность на достижение определенного результата – решение проблемы, достижение консенсуса, исполнение различных ролей и т.д. Каждое является упражнением открытого типа, т.е. результат не может быть предсказуем и регламентирован учителем по содержанию и языковому оформлению.
Интерактивная форма выполнения упражнений открытого типа позволяет регулировать темп учебной деятельности учащихся, вовремя вносить необходимые коррекции. Органично вписываясь в классно-урочную систему, интеракция позволяет наиболее эффективно достигать прогнозируемых результатов, раскрывать потенциальные возможности каждого учащегося и развивать их адекватную самооценку.
Литература
1. Колесникова И.Л. Англо-русский терминологический справочник по методике преподавания иностранных языков. – Санкт-Петербург: Блиц, 2001.
2. Симхович В.А. Практическая грамматика английского языка. – Минск, НКФ «Экаперспектыва», 1994.
3. Connie L. Shoemaker Interactive Techniques for the ESL Classroom. – Boston, Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 1991.