TESL Materials:

1
TESL Materials

• Some Considerations and Resources

2
Grammar Materials

• Some features to think about
• The order of materials--I prefer easiest to
  hardest. Grammar usually builds on itself. For
  example, the students need to know parts of
  speech before they can write sentences. They
  need standard word order before they can
  recognize inverted (question) word order.
• Wordiness--Many ESL students have trouble reading
  long descriptions of any type, let alone grammar.
  I prefer charts to paragraph explanations.
• LayoutIs it confusing and too busy, or it is
  clear with plenty of white space?

3
Grammar Materials (cont.)

• Additional materialsDoes it have helpful
  charts/indexes/glossaries in the back? Does it
  come with tests you can use? Some books come
  with supplemental listening or reading materials.
• Organization--Is it topic based? Function based?
  Notion based? A combination?
• AccuracyHow many mistakes are in the book? You
  may have to carefully study the book yourself to
  check.
• AppropriatenessConsider age and level, but also
  are the activities and exercises appropriate and
  well-done for the target structure?

4
Questions to Consider by Nan Jiang

• Q Does the textbook provide enough language
  material for preparation, presentation, practice,
  and application activities?
• A Preparationno. I had to study outside of the
  book.
• Presentationno.I usually bring in supplemental
  presentation materials.
• Practice--some chapters, yes. Some, no.
• Applicationno. I have to create my own
  activities.
• Q Does the text in the textbook provide the
  best linguistic and physical contexts for
  presenting new material?
• A Usually, yes. I like the texts that are
  used.
• Q Does the textbook provide enough language
  material for practicing the new item?
• A See above. I think chapter 5 is particularly
  scanty.

5
Questions to . . . (cont.)

• Q Does the textbook provide enough language
  material for application activities?
• A No. Many of the communicative activities
  are not of quality, and for the Ss to actually
  communicate with the target structure, more
  forms/formulas need to be made clear. Plus, the
  context of the situation is usually not given.
• Q What supplementary language and non-language
  materials are needed for effective p, p, p, and
  a?
• A A teachers grammar book, more explicit
  charts/explanations, more exercises for practice,
  more communicative activities.

6
Reading Book Considerations

• FocusAre you focusing on skills, vocabulary,
  comprehension, speed?
• TextDo you want to use real life texts?
  Literature? Manufactured texts?
• ThemesDo you want the readings to be
  thematically related?
• Difficulty of the vocabulary and
  sentence-structure
• Cultural Knowledge

7
Reading Materials

• Textbooks
• ESL newspapers (News for You, etc.)
• Time for Kids, Sports Illustrated for Kids
• Selected Time, Newsweek, or Readers Digest
  articles (shorter)
• http//iteslj.org/Techniques/Bermejo-TimeNewsweek
  .html
• USA Today weekend magazine (also on the web)
• School newspaper (i.e. The Plainsman)

8
Listening Materials-- Considerations

• Level age of studentsStudents get very
  frustrated if they listen to something multiple
  times and still cannot understand it.
• Length--Is it so long that it gets boring or
  confusing? Does it stray from one topic to the
  next?
• ClarityIs it a good recording?
• VocabularyWill the students understand enough of
  the vocabulary to stay with it?
• SubjectIs it appropriate and interesting?
• TranscriptMake sure the listening has a
  transcript for you and/or the students, if
  needed.
• Comprehension QuestionsDo they come with the
  recording, or can you create some?

9
Considerations for Conversation Materials

• Think about your objectives Do you want to
  reinforce grammar structures? Work on
  pronunciation? Work on pragmatics?
• Almost anything can be talked about if the
  students are given enough background and
  vocabulary.
• Make sure the students do most of the talking.

10
Conversation Materials

• Textbooks
• Realia (Show and Tell, Q A, describe, give
  alternate uses)
• Board GamesTaboo, Scattergories, Table Talk,
  Clue, Monopoly, Life, Pictionary, Jeopardy
• Newspaper/magazine pictures or articles
• Pronunciation Books
• Clear Speech by Gilbert (Cambridge UP)
• English Pronunciation for International Students

11
Writing Materials fromRaimes, Ann. Techniques
in Teaching Writing. Oxford Oxford UP, 1983,
pp. 5-11. Reid, Joy M. Teaching ESL Composition.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ Regents/Prentice Hall,
1994, pp. 21-34.

• Understand your approach/philosophy of writing
• ?Do you believe writing in the second language is
  a necessary skill to really learn the language?
• ?Do you think writing is a support skill for
  language learning (in other words, writing
  reinforces grammar structures)?
• Do you think of writing as another activity to
  add interest to the lesson?
• Do you see writing as a diagnostic test?
• Do you believe ESL students can learn to write
  like native speakers do?
• ? Do you believe the students will need to write
  in their everyday or career life?

12
Writing Materials Philosophy (cont.)from Reid, p.
23

• Ask yourself if you agree with these statements
• 1. Writing is just another way of practicing
  grammar.
• You will want a book of controlled writing
  exercises in which the students fill the correct
  grammatical structure in the blank, or simply
  rewrite a paragraph.
• 2. Just writing a lot will improve an ESL
  students language.
• No book is needed. Just create writing topics or
  assign writing projects.
• 3. You cant really teach writing.
• ? Same idea as 2. A book would not be useful.
• 4. The teachers job is simply to design, assign,
  and evaluate writing.
• You will want a book of topics or writing, and
  you should consider researching philosophies of
  grading (grading every mistake vs. only those of
  the target structure, etc.).
• 5. If the student can speak well, he/she will be
  able to transfer those skills to writing.
• ? A book especially for writing may not be
  necessary.

13
Writing ApproachesYour philosophy usually
supports an approach from Reid pp.23-32

• 1. Controlled WritingSs fill in grammatical
  structures to reinforce grammar skills. You may
  not need a writing textbook if you chose a
  grammar text that includes such exercises.
• 2. Free Writing/Guided WritingSs structure
  sentences into a paragraph as a response to
  questions. Focus is on vocabulary building,
  reading comprehension, grammar, or oral skills.
  Especially good for beginning Ss.
• ?Write Away A Course for Writing English by Byrd
  and Gallingame
• Note Many books transition the students by using
  controlled or guided exercises, then move them
  into freer writing exercises.

14
Writing Approaches (cont.)from Reid pp. 23-32

• 3. Language-Based Writingclosely related to
  Guided Writing. May include sentence combining,
  dicto-comps, assignments that use a specific
  tense or adjective usage, etc.
• 4. Pattern/Product Approachmore focused on
  composition techniques and strategies. Reordering
  sentences, writing topic sentences,
  organizational strategies, etc.
• ?Writing Efficiently by Barbara Seale writing
  textbooks developed in the 1980s books by
  Sandra McKay
• 5. Process Approacha parallel process to that
  used with NESs. Writing as a process of
  discovering. Exploring a topic through writing
  with brainstorming, multiple drafts, conferencing
  with peers and teachers. Less focus on mechanics.
  Popular now.
• ?Exploring Through Writing by Ann Raimes
  research by Vivian Zamel

15
Some Criteria for the Evaluation of Textbook
Writing Activities from Ur, Penny. A Course in
Language Teaching Practice and Theory.
Cambridge Cambridge UP, 2000, pp.162, 164.

• 1. Would my Ss find the activity motivating,
  stimulating, and interesting to do?
• 2. Is it an appropriate level for them? Or would
  they find it too easy/ difficult/
  childish/sophisticated?
• 3. Is the kind of writing relevant to their
  needs?
• 4. Would I need to do some preliminary teaching
  in preparation for this activity?
• 5. Do I like this activity? Would I use it?
• 6. Does this book focus too much on micro
  writing tasks (spelling, etc.)? On macro tasks
  (organization, etc.)? Is there a balance of the
  two?

16
Miscellaneous Materials

• Basic English Grammar, Fundamentals of English
  Grammar by Betty Schrampfer Azar Prentice-Hall
  This seems to be a popular book overseas. Could
  be used as a textbook or for supplemental charts
  or exercises.
• CNN videos (These accompany various reading and
  listening texts.)
• Movies (Used with closed captioning and
  comprehension questions, these can be fun
  listening/cultural materials.)
• Connect with English Video Series McGraw-Hill
  (These short soap-opera type segments come with
  listening/comprehension activities. The students
  love these videos.)
• Short NPR segments on cassette (These accompany
  various texts or can be found at www.npr.com.)

17
Teacher Resources

• Books
• The Grammar Book by Celce-Muricia and
  Larsen-Freeman (Heinle Heinle)
• Teaching ESL Writing by Joy M. Reid
  (Regents/Prentice Hall)
• Writing by T. Hedges (Oxford UP)
• Techniques in Teaching Writing by Ann Raimes
  (Oxford UP)
• Cambridge Language Teaching Library The Language
  Teaching Matrix by Richards
• Discussions that Work by Ur (Cambridge)
• Language Teaching--A Scheme for Teacher
  Education Reading by C. Wallace (Oxford UP)
• Oxford English Resource Books for Teachers
  Conversation by Nolasco Arthur Pronunciation
  by Laroy (Oxford UP)

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Teacher Resources (cont.)

• TESOL Journal, TESOL Quarterly,
• TESOL Matters (and other TESOL publications)
• English Journal and other language-related
  publications
• TESOL conferences and academies
• http//www.heinle.com/
• Web casts and videoconferences TESOL
  http//www.tesl.org/ (50 membership)