The following text was presented as an example of a Reading Skills Practice with the following questions asked.
Sorry I haven't written till now. Since I got here I've been
really busy with the course and making new friends. I'm speaking English all
the time and going out in the evenings with my classmates. We're a real mix of
nationalities: Chinese, Russian, Thai, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian, etc. We all
talk in English but I'm learning loads about other languages and countries too.
My host family are really nice. The parents, Susan and Paul,
are very friendly and kind. The children are called Lewis and Amy. They're both
in primary school and are very sweet but they can be a bit annoying too. If I
have to watch the film frozen with them one more time, I'm going to go crazy! I
know all the songs by heart now. Ahhhh!
We live pretty near the school so I walk there every day.
It's only a short bus ride from Edinburgh city centre, and there are loads of
shops and cafes there. There's an ancient Castle too and we're going there on a
school trip next week. Edinburgh is a really interesting place to be and there’s
a festival on at the moment. It's awesome but a bit expensive for us students,
so we've been hanging out in the streets watching the free street performances
from actors and musicians. Yesterday I saw a magician doing card tricks - it
was so much fun!
I'll send some photos of Edinburgh Castle next time. Take
care and let me know how you are doing.
Reading
Skills Practice Foreign Exchange Emails.pdf (desire2learn.com)
How might you adapt this text for a LINC level 4 class
with mature students?
The text appears to be at CLB 5 currently. LINC 4 is
relatively equivalent to CLB 4, so the text would have to be made less
difficult. Making the text shorter and changing some of the informal words such
as “loads” to “lots” and “hang out” to “spend time with friends”.
As for adapting the text for mature students, I would change
the setting. It could be changed from a student and classmates to adults going
on a tour with other international adults with the common language of English.
Instead of a host family it would be a hotel and then touring is still a good
option.
What edits would you make to accommodate a group of
international students in an EAP setting?
I do not see any need to change or adapt the text for EAP
students. Hanging out with friends and touring are perfectly acceptable for professionals
as well.
If you are teaching at a school that uses a learning
management system (LMS), how would you share this reading with students? Do you
know what copyright laws say about sharing texts in an educational setting and
how to provide appropriate references?
I have no idea what a LMS is. I have no idea how it can be
used. I am also unaware of what copyright laws say. I do not believe they have
been covered in any of the courses yet.
Is this text too difficult for your group of learners?
What would you do if your curriculum includes this as a mandatory reading?
I do not have a group of learners, so this is irrelevant. I
do not see a problem using this text as mandatory reading if it was for the
appropriate CBL, although I wouldn’t mind having a Canadian version instead.
Where can you springboard from here?
From here you can easily discuss the differences between
formal and informal writing and reading. With the use of culturally specific
language in the text, you could also continue with identifying more culturally
specific vocabulary in other texts. There are also grammar and structural
mistakes which could be addressed and discussed as a class.
No comments:
Post a Comment