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Expatriates in the Woshington Post
B2 level

Description

This lesson affords SS to to engage in a jigsaw reading activity in that they are required to read and take notes in "Home groups". In fact "Home groups" allow SS to acquire sufficient knowledge at their fingerprints before they move to new groups called "Expert groups" where they get the chance to further deepen their understanding of the subject. In so doing, they create a melting pot of ideas where they take on a dual role both as a disseminator and a recepient of knowledge, which is nothing short of engaging. The reading activity ends with a whole- class discussion. The mechanism of this stage is such that SS are encouraged to mention what they have learnt from each other. As a matter of fact mutual recognition and appreciation of efforts is the fruit of this stage. As the grand finale, SS will be involved in a debate about reasons for immigration. Personalisation of the topic can go a long way towards maximum cognitive engagement.

Materials

Abc HOs,WB,markers

Main Aims

  • To provide sufficient practice of reading as well as speaking skill in the context of a jigsaw reading activity.
  • To provide practice of reading skill, writing sub-skill( note-taking) as well as fluency practice in the context of a jigsaw reading activity.
  • To provide practising reading skills and sub-skills as well as speaking in the context of reading.

Subsidiary Aims

  • To provide practice of reading sub-skill( gist reading & detailed reading) as well as note-taking as a writing sub-skill in the context of a jigsaw reading activity.

Procedure

Lead-in (8-9 minutes) • To activate SS' schemata before they read their texts.

The completion of the lead-in depends on clever use of the use of title coupled with the map: this can be stimulating and engaging. The teacher has no intention of launching into a monologue about the map and the title, precisely because it is the SS ,first individually and then in pairs,who should take their time to work out the map and the data it represents. In so doing, SS give each other scaffolding through exchanging ideas. In fact SS take their time and generate possible ideas for one minute and then in pairs exchange their ideas for two minutes. Finally the teacher gets the whole class to voice their opinions and speculations.

Presentation (7-8 minutes) • scaning & note-taking

SS are provided with certain sections of the text in "Home Gtoups" every one of which consists of three learners and they are given separate texts on which they focus. Essentially, the SS need to take their time to read theit texts and fill a "graphic organiser" at the same time. In the meantime, the teacher circulates the class, offering help, making sure the SS are on task. At this stage, SS need to employ note-taking to complete a certain related section of the graphic organiser. This stage can give SS some preparation time to marshal their thoughts before they present their ideas.

Further exposure (6-7 minutes) • Fluency practice and cooperative leading in the context of jigsaw reading

Having collated information in "Home Groups", SS move to new groups called"Expert Groups" where they share their information and deepen their knowledge of the subject. To accomplish their mission SS are required to ask questions of their peers as well as welcome questions, which inevitably leads to a melting pot of ideas. Essentially every S has to draw on their the notes they have gathered in their "Home Groups" to provide the other two SS in the group with sufficient information. Additionally, SS need to take notes while listening to their peers. This stage can set the stage for the incremental accumulation of awareness of the whole text.

Cooperative learning (5-7 minutes) • Note-taking and summarising

As the grand finale, SS bring themselves to the centre of the class, forming a semi-circle. Then SS are asked to say what they learnt from each other. In other words, they complement one another, which serves as a confidence booster. This stage can manifest the desirability of cooperative learning in a learning environment. This stage in the jigsaw reading activity allows SS to take on a dual role both as a disseminator and a recipient of knowledge.

Cooperative summary writing (12-15 minutes) • To assess SS' comprehension

SS are given the complete text to read carefully. Afterwards, they are given a summery to read and make sure the text accurately reflects the passage. As a matter of fact the summary contains some inaccuracies and the SS are required to read the summery. Students get through the summery and zoom in on the mistakes. Having rectified the inaccuracies, SS swap their corrected summaries and comment on each other's work in pairs. Besides, they have to further flesh out their friends' summery if necessary. This stage potentially characterises the very nature of learning. Besides, it places importance on developing learner autonomy in SS.

Fluency practice (15-16 minutes) • To afford SS the opportunity to immerse in speaking as an important skill.

The T provides SS with a HO in which SS come across a number of reasons for immigration. SS are given some useful expressions, such as " my top priority is ...", " sth takes precedence over sth" and "what matters most to me is ...". The HO provides some examples to ease SS into the task. In fact the HO provides SS with an example in which they see the target language. SS are encouraged to build their examples, for which they have approximately five minutes, prior to pairing up with a partner. SS form groups of three to share their ideas. Once they have discussed their ideas for six minutes, they get into new groups of three with new partners. This time they are required to explain things from memory, which is gonna be cognitively challenging. Finally SS sit down and the T gets feedback.

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