Developing Skills

DEVELOPING READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS In life we read for pleasure or for information. Start with its function or aim rather than working on vocab or other specifics. This is because students can then anticipate what he text is about. This is important to help develop their inference, anticipation and deduction. Students should be taught to use what they know to understand unknown elements. Ways to approach new text: • Consider text as a whole – its title, pictures, diagrams, paragraphs, typeface used, and make guesses about what the text is about, who wrote it, who is it for, where is appeared, etc. • Skim through the text to see if your guesses were correct, asking yourself questions about the contents of the text. • Read the text again, more slowly and carefully this time, trying to understand as much as possible. Answer your own questions. TESTING SPOKEN LANGUAGE It’s important that suitable measures are devised to assess progress. Use a rating scale of 1-5. Short oral tests should be conducted at set stages. Inform students of what is expected in an oral test well in advance because it reduces tension. It need only take 10 minutes but should consist of different techniques. • Question and answer exchanges – great for beginners. Yes/no, either/or, factual/spectulative, or justification of opinions. Generally who/what/where/when questions are simpler than how/why questions. Role reversal where student asks the questions is also good. • Pictures or a picture story – free description followed by questions and answers exchange. E.g student chooses are picture from those placed face down. Describe the differences between two pictures is also good. • Retelling a story • Role plays - offers the opportunity for group oral testing or pairs. • Telephone conversation – the aim is for the student to obtain certain information from a person over the phone. TEACHING AND TESTING WRITING SKILLS It’s important to devise a variety of interesting and useful real-life tasks that are relevant to the student’s world. • A person speaks in English to someone who translates it, summaries or elaborates in written Maori to a third person to read. • Taking brief notes on a topic from TV or radio then retell it to someone who has not seen or heard it. • Someone listens to a recording, tape recording, dictation, or a shopping list being read. Then it is given to a third person who is following the written instructions can make something. • The learner compares several descriptions and then makes recommendations, e.g. deciding on holiday accommodation. • Write a description of an object, person, place, or a process for someone else’s information. Acknowledgement: Thelma Moke

Whakamaori enei rerenga korero: 1. In the afternoon. 2. During the week before. 3. Who will run? 4. He will destroy the enemy. 5. You’ll see. 6. Father said to him. 7. … and take them to the shop. 8. The boys were also there. 9. To gather and put into 10. In stars in the sky 11. My father was poor. 12. While he was working 13. Aren’t you going. 14. He didn’t arrive on time. 15. Another one of his friends came too. 16. Who said? 17. Why are you working? 18. Which one is yours? 19. The sun is shinning. RANEI – ‘OR’ E pirangi ana koe he aporo he panama ranei?

Acknowledgement: Thelma Moke