Friday, March 20, 2020

Reading Comprehension Lesson Plans for ESL

Reading Comprehension Lesson Plans for ESL There are many reading comprehension and dialogue resources on this site (see list below). Each reading or dialogue contains the selection, key vocabulary and expressions and a follow-up quiz. These exercises are great for individual use on the internet. They can also be incorporated into a lesson plan to help focus on specific grammar or subject areas. The following lesson plan is a blueprint to using these resources for your classes. Aim: Provide context for various grammar or subject areas Activity: Reading / dialogue comprehension Level: Beginner to intermediate Outline: Decide whether youd like to incorporate the reading / dialogue into the lesson or assign as homework.As a class, review the key vocabulary section provided with each reading/dialogue. Make sure students understand this vocabulary. If they dont, ask them to explain it to each other or use a dictionary. As a last resort, explain the word or phrase to the class in your own words.Ask students to read reading/dialogue. If you are using a dialogue, have students first read the dialogue and then pair up to practice reading the dialogue aloud. Have students switch roles and practice a number of times. Go around the class and help students with pronunciation, intonation and stress.Ask students to do the quiz on their computer and keep track of their score. Open up the exercise to discussion. Possible questions: What did you think of this reading? Can you give other examples of this type of situation and which phrases you would use? etc.Key in on vocabulary by having students create a vocabula ry tree. Ask students to add to this tree by working in small groups to find appropriate related vocabulary and phrases. Take each key word or phrase and use in a variety of questions around the class. Encourage students to do the same in small groups. Here is a list of dialogues/reading comprehension resources on the site to use with this type of lesson: Beginner - Lower Intermediate The City and the Country - Comparative form, as ... as Interview with a Famous Actor - Daily routines, present simple Whats in Your Office? - Use of there is / there are, prepositions and office furniture vocabulary What Were You Doing? - Use of the past continuous in combination with the past simple The Oregon Weather Forecast - Use of the future with will for predictions, weather vocabulary A Business Presentation - Use of the present perfect An Interview - Superlative Forms Introductions - Basic questions used when meeting someone for the first time. Filling in a Form - Basic personal information questions (name, address, etc.) The Meeting - Schedules, future plans. A New Office - This, that, some and any with objects. Cooking - Daily routines and hobbies. A Great Workout - Abilities with can, making suggestions. A Busy Day - Plans for the day, responsibilities with have to. Planning a Party - Future with will and going to Intermediate Business English Deliveries and SuppliersTaking a MessagePlacing an OrderTomorrows MeetingDiscussing Ideas English for Medical Purposes Dialogues Troubling Symptoms - Doctor and PatientJoint Pain - Doctor and PatientA Physical Examination - Doctor and PatientPain that Comes and Goes - Doctor and PatientA Prescription - Doctor and PatientHelping a Patient - Nurse and Patient Dialogues Focusing on the Service Industry Cleaning Staff - Vocabulary and requests dealing with cleaning rooms and taking care of guestsA Drink at the Bar - Vocabulary and situations related to serving customers at a bar

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Dont Waste Decimate

Dont Waste Decimate Don’t Waste â€Å"Decimate† Don’t Waste â€Å"Decimate† By Maeve Maddox A member of the DWT Forum called my attention to a strange use of the verb â€Å"decimate†: . . . today I came across a . . . usage that was new to me: A pundit said that Obamas failure to get his health care bill passed would have led to the decimation of his presidency. Decimate derives from decem, the Latin word for â€Å"ten.† It originated in a Roman military practice. To enforce discipline in the ranks, Roman officers dealt with a breach of duty by one legionary by punishing the soldier’s entire company. The men would be assembled and told to count off. Every tenth man was killed. The company had been decimated. It would be ridiculous in the 21st century to insist on using decimate only with its original meaning. However, it does make sense to confine the word to the sense of eliminating part of a group. H.W. Fowler stated that the meaning of decimate â€Å"is naturally extended to the destruction in any way of a large proportion of anything reckoned by number, e.g. a population is decimated by the plague. I expect that Fowler would classify â€Å"decimate his presidency† as a Slipshod Extension. Here are some more questionable uses from the web: Irrevocable mistakes can decimate an inherited IRA I hope, no I pray that I am wrong, but tonight, that wonderful audacious inspiring Presidential candidate will politically decimate his presidency and legacy. Bushs star-tinged vision decimated by his own budget And sadly, even with his departure, there remains [sic] far too many, who supported his efforts to decimate our democracy and delay efforts to stop those who lay waste to the world’s climate. Here, also from the internet, are some appropriate uses of decimate: We have to make decisions and deal with the economy. We’re not going to cut, cut, cut,† he said. â€Å"Because we cannot afford to decimate programs across the board. The ruling Zanu PF party continues with a covert plan, hatched by the Joint Operations Command (JOC) soon after the March elections, to completely decimate the MDC structures despite winning the June presidential poll run-off, the opposition party has said. Global Warming Will Decimate Arctic Peoples Decimate is a useful word. The indiscriminate use of it to mean merely â€Å"destroy,† chips away at the special sense of eliminating a large proportion of a group of people or things. Suggested alternatives: the ruination of his presidency mistakes can deplete/demolish/eradicate an inherited IRA politically destroy his presidency and legacy. vision shattered by his own budget who supported his efforts to demolish/exterminate our democracy Careful writers will weigh what they mean by decimate before throwing it into a sentence just because it sounds fashionable. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What is the Difference Between "These" and "Those"?The Difference Between "will" and "shall"A "Diploma" is not a "Degree"