CELTA Assignment 3: Language-Related Skills

Name: Iuliia Kumicheva

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1. Introduction

For the purpose of this assignment, I have chosen a short text about packing tips. The following tasks
are designed for a group of pre-intermediate students I teach during the CELTA course in mind. Majority
of the students in the group are studying English with a view to communicating while travelling, as they
shared during one of the lessons I have observed. I assume that students who have travelling
experience can easily come up with numerous ideas about the given topic, while other students are also
likely to find all the information in the text relevant in terms of planning their future trips.
As the level of English slightly varies in the group (there are students of different age, with various
learning background and individual strengths and weaknesses), a rather short text like this will be
suitable for the whole class. The text “7 tips on packing lighter” is a blog entry published on a website of
a community dedicated to connecting people who seek free housing while travelling and those who are
willing to accommodate others in exchange for practicing a language of their choice with a native
speaker at home. It is clear from the very beginning what the text will focus on. It has a lot of lexis on
travelling and tourism. The register of this article is informal, so students will not have difficulty
understanding its content. The text layout is organized in a list, which makes it easy to be understood.
The article is not challenging in terms of grammar, however it has some potentially difficult vocabulary.
Only a few lexical items need pre-teaching, since they aren’t blocking. I designed tasks which do not
require knowing these words. If students happened to have any questions about any words, I would try
to elicit/check the meaning from other students first, then present the meaning by showing a picture or
explaining, asking CCQs to check comprehension. I may also encourage students to deduce meaning of
unknown words from the surrounding context. I would include pre-teaching some vocabulary in the
pre-reading stage. I did my best to design such tasks, which would be challenging, but yet manageable.

2. Lesson procedure
For a lead-in, I would ask students personalized questions about their travelling experience and how do
they usually get ready for holidays. This way I would be able to make a link between the topic of the
text and their own lives, and thus generate their interest.

In the pre-reading task we would discuss what type of luggage do students prefer (“What would you opt
for: light or sturdy luggage?”). I would use the pictures to elicit the meaning of the vocabulary. We
would also discuss whether students make checklists and if they help them remember to take only
essentials. Students would discuss these questions after having discussed their meaning, and drilled
pronunciation to facilitate their comprehension while reading the text and doing the exercises. I would
use CCQs to check Ss’ comprehension.
Checklist / unplug / opt for / sturdy
Lead-in stage lasts for about 10 minutes

Receptive skills: Reading

TASK 1. Sub-skills: Predicting and Reading for gist

Procedure
After students have been exposed to the blocking vocabulary, draw their attention to the text layout
and their headings. Elicit what each paragraph might be about. Give students the article and tell them
they have 2 minutes to read the text and match the illustrations of the text to the paragraphs.

Aims
To improve Ss ability to skim the text to get its overall idea.

Materials
Self-made handout with illustrations to match the paragraphs of the text found in
http://www.talktalkbnb.com/de/blog/article/7-trips-on-traveling-lighter/324

Rationale
As Jim Scrivener states, “we build our understanding of the text by making use of what we already know
to help us predict the structure of the text”, associated with
“top-down” theory [Scrivener, 2011: p. 259], that is why I believe predicting the content of the text
based on their headings may be beneficial for learners. As Christine Nuttall notices, prediction may
activate schemata, and if relevant schemata are activated, we can understand the text more easily
[Nuttall, 1996: p. 13], thus completing this task would facilitate completing the following one as well. I
have decided to give this task so that students will practice reading for gist to get a general idea of the
text and better prepare themselves for the given topic. In addition, by matching the paragraphs with
their illustrations they will be exposed to the text’s layout, as the illustration would summarize the
content of the paragraphs. This will enable them to give a better performance while doing the following
task, where they will need to skim the text [Harmer, 2001: p. 202].

TASK 2. Sub-skill: Reading for detailed understanding

Procedure: Allocate some time for Ss to read the statements related to the text. They read the article
for the second time and decide whether the sentences are True (T) or False (F). They have to complete
the task in 7 minutes. Ss work in pairs and agree on which statements are true/ false and justify their
answers.

Materials
Self-created sentences based on the article found in http://www.talktalkbnb.com/de/blog/article/7-
trips-on-traveling-lighter/324

Aims
To improve Ss’ ability to scan the text for specific details.

Rationale
I designed this task for students to read the article more thoroughly and exploit their reading skills.
Having been taught the necessary vocabulary and having obtained the general idea of the text, students
are expected to cope with the task without a problem. In order to prevent them from reading every
single word in the text I decided to have students do the exercise based on True/False sentences, so
that students will just scan the text in search of specific details. Such restrictive task will prevent them
from reading every single word in the text. Most of the students still can not get rid of unproductive
habit of being distracted with an unknown word from the content of the text. Yet, at this stage,
students focus on “scanning individual points from the text without carefully reading through every
word of the text”. At the same time students need “involving some degree if processing the overall
shape of the text, searching through key words or clues from the textual layout”, thus improving the
skill necessary for reading the authentic texts [Scrivener, 2011: p. 265]. Comparing answers in pairs may
also encourage students to understand the text in detail. As Harmer points out, “having students work
in pairs to agree whether a statement about part of a text is true or false helps individual students
understand something”, and makes the task more communicative [Harmer, 2001: p. 207]
Open class feedback can be quite fast and precise (T or F and a quote from a text that justifies the
answer).

Productive Skill: Speaking

TASK 3
In the follow-up activity students will work in small groups and brainstorm more pieces of advice on
travelling. I would say that they are now a group of editors in travelling magazine (I will bring National
Geographic, for example), and they have to agree on pieces of advice to publish. They have 5 minutes to
put down as many ideas as they have. Then students work in pairs with members of another team to
compare their answers. Feedback – each group chooses a leader to report in class what common
travelling tips they have and what are different.

Materials
No materials are needed for this stage of the lesson.

Aims
To improve Ss’ speaking skills and encourage them to use the text as the source of ideas for
communicative reasons.

Rationale
When designing this task, I wanted to make it rather specific, since designing a specific, related problem
for discussion is more challenging and more realistic [Scrivener, 2011: p. 214]. This task seems to be
very beneficial for students in terms of improving their skills to speak more fluently and with bigger
confidence. They not only practice speaking, but also consolidate the material they have been taught at
the lesson and learn to use the text as a model for organizing their thoughts. Therefore, they improve
their discourse management, which makes their speech clear and consistent. [Harmer, 2001 pp. 275-
277]. This activity also engages students into working in groups and pairs, allowing them to talk to
several people while completing the task.

Bibliography
1. Harmer, Jeremy. The Practice of English Language Teaching, Pearson Education Limited, 2001.
2. Scrivener, Jim. Learning Teaching, Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2011.
3. Nuttall, Christine. Teaching Reading Skill in a foreign language, Macmillan Publishers Limited, 1996.
 Handouts
http://www.talktalkbnb.com/de/blog/article/7-trips-on-traveling-lighter/324

7 Tips on Traveling Lighter

So you're leaving tomorrow for a grand adventure, but you realize while packing that you can't close your
suitcase ! Sound familiar ? Don't worry, you're not alone. Check out our list of seven tips and tricks to help
you travel light (and even save some space for souvenirs)!

1 - Check!
Make a checklist before your departure. The excitement of an impending trip can make you a bit
scatterbrained, which means if you don't plan, you might forget important items or pack something
unnecessary on a whim. With a checklist, you will know exactly what you need and exactly what you have.
If you're not sure where to start, there are lots of sites (click here) that give you list ideas for different types
of trips.

2 - Take only the essentials!

We always promise ourselves that we'll do this, but it never seems to be the case. We like to take some
things « just in case. » But if space is a big issue, then be strict : two or three pairs of pants, some shirts,
sweaters, undergarments and socks. Try for no more than three pairs of shoes (walking, dressy sandals, flip-
flops). If you really need something when you get there, you can probably buy it. Of course, your clothes
will depend on where you're going. If that happens to be somewhere cold... .

3 - Wear it!
Most people want to be comfortable on the plane, but when you're strapped for suitcase space, don't hesitate
to wear your heaviest clothes instead of packing them. Those fluffy sweaters or coats take up a lot of room.
Plus, you won't be cold on the plane!

4 - Roll it!
Tightly rolling your clothes can save you a lot of space, and it will also keep them from getting too wrinkled.
Very practical, and gives you space for souvenirs.

5 - Go natural!
Do you have a long and hefty beauty ritual ? All of those products add up to a good chunk of space you
could save. Choose all-in-one soaps for body and hair, or for dishes and laundry. Pay attention to airline
restrictions on liquids.

If you have trial size products hiding in your closet, now is the time to make use of them ! They're perfect
for travel and you can have them in your carry-on.

Finally, a microfiber towel is best when traveling. It dries quickly, and it's ultra compact. It's a much better
choice than a heavy, fluffy bath towel.

6 - Choose carefully!
Opt for light but sturdy luggage. Don't take a bigger bag than you need. You know there is a weight limit for
most airlines, and a correctly sized suitcase will help ensure you don't surpass it.

7 - Unplug!
Take a break from social media during your trip. Take advantage of your time, use your eyes and your ears
to experience the world around you. Take only your phone (if it's a camera-phone, even better- saves you
more space!), and a small notebook instead of a laptop if you want to journal.

Good travel is all about being simple and practical! Travel light, travel better. Grab your
bag!
Task 1
Look through the text and match the paragraphs with the given illustrations:

A B

https://goo.gl/tGoLht

https://goo.gl/KrMWK1

C D

https://goo.gl/aw57NG

E F

https://goo.gl/KrMWK1

https://goo.gl/4pfA1h
G

https://goo.gl/H9ru2m
Task 2
Read the text again and decide, whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F).
T/F
1. When we go travelling, we can forget something important ...
2. According to the text, creating a list will help you get ready ...
3. You need to take all the things, because buying something is very expensive ...
4. You would need no more than three pairs of shoes ...
5. You can save up some spaces by wearing jumpers and jackets ...
6. You should take big bottles of shampoos with you ....
7. Reading airline rules about transporting liquids is useless helpful. ...
8. If you travel, take as many electronic devices as possible – it’ll help you document every moment ....

Answer Keys
Task 1 Task 2
1 – Check: F 1. T
2 – Take only the essentials: E 2. T
3 – Wear it: C 3. F
4 – Roll it: B 4. T
5 – Go natural: A 5. T
6 – Choose carefully: G 6. F
7 – Unplug: F 7. F
8. F