Rationale for choosing the text.

I decided to use  the  menu of “Gina’s café’ which is situated in  Brooklin , NYfor my skills related task . I think it is an appropriate text for elementary level, because  many  students in the group I am currently teaching are fond of travelling and therefore they will need to be able to read menus in the cafes and restaurants  when visiting other countries.

The  use of an “authentic” text could be hugely appreciated  by students  because the ability to understand the text is an enormous confidence booster.  It is   also  important that in authentic material lesson  Ss do not have to understand every single item of vocab/grammar, and that it is the task that should be fitted for their level, not the material. “Authentic materials bring reality into class and have various advantages , e.g motivation, cultural awareness , giving real exposure, creative teaching .” (Masoud Khalili  Sabet)

 

Lesson procedure :

 

As a lead- in  ask students the  the questions  like “ Do you like to have meals at home  or at the restaurant ?  How often do you go to the restaurant ?”

Show Ss a picture of a menu and ask them to identify the type of the text.

Pre-teach blocking  vocabulary (appetizer, , pastries, salmon, dough) using pictures.

 

By  giving the elementary Ss  the questions before showing the text I want to get them interested in the topic and encourage them to talk about the restaurants and therefore predict much of the vocabulary in the text. Pre-teaching  blocking  vocabulary will enable students to complete the task  quickly .

 

Receptive skills: reading

Sub-skill: Skimming for gist

Procedure

Ss get the text of the menu  without subheadings .  Ask Ss to match the paragraphs with the subheadings. Tell  Ss  they have 2 minutes to read the text quickly and match the subheadings to the paragraphs . After 2 minutes stop the students and ask them to compare answers in pairs . Then show them the correct answers on the board.

Materials : copies of  the  menu of “Gina’s café’ , handouts with subheadings.

Aims: To develop Ss’s  ability to skim a text in order to get the gist of  the passage.

Rationale: by giving the elementary Ss   a  matching  task I want to show them  that “ It’s not always essential to understand every word” (Scrivener,264) .Checking their work in pairs helps them become independent learners  and “ at the same time gives them a sense of their own progress” (www.cambridge.org.br/.../young-adult-adult-le)

 

 

Sub-skill: Scanning for specific information

Procedure

Give Ss a  table  with 5 questions

 Ask them to look through the questions quickly.

Tell Ss to read the text and find answers to the questions. Set time limit – 2 minutes.

After 2 minutes stop the  Ss and ask them to compare their answers in pairs.

Run open class feedback to see if all the students answered the questions correctly. Ask Students to justify their answers.

Materials

Menu of “ Gina’s café’ , handouts with the questions

Aims

To develop Ss’s ability to scan a text for specific information

Rationale

Giving Ss  the questions before reading the text will help  them  to cope with the task faster  and focus on the items they will need to find. Setting  the  time limit is necessary to prevent Ss from reading every word.  Open class feedback is essential because if  there are any discrepancies, the group collectively  decides on the correct answer.  

 

Productive skill  :Writing

Set the writing Task.’  A  well –known   millionaire   Pete Grahm  wants to open a new café in our city . He needs fresh  ideas about   the name ,the  theme  , kinds of the dishes and also the place for it . He is ready to pay 5,000  dollars for the best  business project . Write  your ideas   for  this business  project .

Give Ss 12 minutes to complete the task . After 12 minutes stop Ss and ask them to discuss their  ideas in pairs.

Provide them with the models of the questions on the board : What is the name of the café?  What theme does  it  have? What kind of dishes  does have ? Where is you café situated ? etc.

Tell Ss that their task is to choose the best project. “ Pete  Gram is very rich and he always gets other people do the work for him . He asks you to choose the best

 project .

.Give Ss the criteria for assessment   . Put the projects on the board.

Divide the Ss into two teams

Ss read the projects and choose the best one.

Ask students to justify their choice.

Give feedback on accuracy and content

Materials

 Templates  of  the  project  with subheadings: Name , Theme , Dishes, Location

Aims:

to practice productive writing skills

Rationale:

 Setting the writing  task as a contest  encourages Ss to write with a clear  a communicative purpose and  for  a clear audience. Ss need enough time for production activities that is why I let them write for 12 minutes. Ss are given an opportunity to assess their work themselves because” Students can also be extremely effective at monitoring and  judging their own language  production . They frequently have a very clear idea of how well they are doing or have done, and if we help them to develop this awareness, we may gently enhance learning.”(Harmer,102) . Highlighting common errors , eliciting corrections  is  important  to encourage Ss and provide them with feedback.

 

Appendix

 

 Handouts with questions.

 

1. What is the name of the café ?
2. Where is it situated ?
3. What is the minimum order ?
4. How can people pay for the meal  ?
5. What potato dishes do they serve ?