RESOURCES IN AN ESL CLASSROOM

VIDEO

There are several resources that can be used in an ESL classroom, among them we can find:

Games Flashcards, word cards Gap fills and jigsaw activities Songs, music Audio files Podcasts Role - plays and drama Videos, films Books, magazines and other reading material Pictures, posters Work sheets and other written exercises Puzzles Realia and other manipulative materials Technology: software, internet, interactive whiteboards, online learning platforms, etc.

VIDEOS
Advantages:

authentic language input exposure to real-life language-in-use including reduced speech, normal speech rates, and various accents provides visual support for language learning students enjoy it students are attracted to the "real life" nature of videos such as the ones in You tube meaningful - memorable appealing can speed up the learning process classroom management problems are greatly reduced

arises excitement and curiosity among students more appealing homework its visual aspect facilitates comprehension it increases the target language input listeners may not understand every word, but they can follow the main theme and recognize the most important points (meaning from context) it effectively stimulates further study e.g. discussion or debate it can be used for comprehension, for vocabulary acquisition and for pronunciation and intonation can be used to reinforce and test vocabulary and knowledge of the grammatical structures of the target language make language learning more interesting and stimulating

can be used to teach a variety of English language skills including speaking and listening, reading and writing, as well as group decision making, cultural understanding and reasoning it allows learners to see facial expressions and body language at the same time as they hear the stress, intonation, and rhythm of the language a different accent for students to hear a change of focus during the lesson expertise on a subject the teacher is unfamiliar with

Disadvantages:

wrong pronunciation and slang equipment needed often they do not provide the best means of explaining complex concepts or practicing particular grammar or writing skills it takes time for the teacher to preview and select appropriate authentic videos and then to prepare activities for learners

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING VIDEOS:

Inspiration/Motivation/Interest: Will the video appeal to

my students? Will it make them want to learn? Content: Does the content match my instructional goals? Is it culturally appropriate for my learners? Clarity of message: Is the instructional message clear to my students? Pacing: Is the rate of the language or instruction too fast for my students? Graphics: What graphics are used to explain a concept? Do they clarify it? Do they appear on screen long enough to be understood by the learner?

Length of sequence: Is the sequence to be shown short

enough?

Independence of sequence: Can this segment be understood

without lengthy explanations of the plot, setting, and character motivation preceding and following it? Availability and quality of related materials: What print materials accompany the video? Use of videos: How will I use the video?

DIFFERENT TYPES OF VIDEOS THAT CAN BE USED IN AN ESL CLASS:

YOU TUBE videos VIDEOS on everyday situations SONGS video clips VIDEO SLIDES VIDEOCASTS SHORT FILMS MOVIES BASED ON NOVELS MOVIE SCENES that portray certain language forms MOVIE TRAILERS TV COMMERCIALS

We can also use cartoons, documentaries, news, interviews, games shows, etc.

TYPES OF ACTIVITIES WHEN WATCHING A VIDEO IN CLASS:

Pre - viewing activities:

preview title and predict content class surveys / interviews about issues, concepts, and problems in video problem solving in groups, brainstorm possible solutions to problem in video, discuss pros and cons of each, and report best solution and reason to class read summary / synopsis of video listen and take notes about video content in a skeletal outline or listening cloze vocabulary preparation dictionary work looking up definitions, matching vocabulary to definitions, or deducing meaning of vocabulary from context

While - viewing activities:

silent viewing of a scene or short clip to predict content (Who? What? Where? Why? How?) general listening for main ideas discrete listening for details dialogue cloze video interruptions with comprehension checks and prediction questions

Post-viewing activities:

class surveys / interviews about reactions to video oral or written summaries personal response journals read or write a review oral or written alternate endings oral or written character descriptions vocabulary and idioms exercises role plays / simulations use dialogues from video for pronunciation exercises (intonation, stress, reduced speech)

problem solving discussion, debate time lines, plot maps, Venn diagrams grammar exercises using video content, dialogue: oral and written (present, present continuous, past, past continuous, reported speech) ranking, group consensus activities sequencing exercises put words, sentences, or paragraphs about video in correct order (sentence strips or numbering) projects: posters, presentations

IDEAS AND EXAMPLES ON HOW TO USE VIDEOS IN CLASS:

YOU TUBE videos:

Aim: to improve listening skills Activity: Sharing YouTube videos Level: Intermediate to advanced

At the end of one of your classes, decide on a particular topic that your class would enjoy. You can do this as a poll, take suggestions or choose a topic on your own that fits in well with your curriculum. Before the next lesson begins, go to You Tube and search for short videos on the topic your class has chosen. Once you have found appropriate videos, save the urls in your browser.

Watch the video a few times and create a difficult vocabulary guide. Write a short introduction to the videos you will watch. The more context you provide the better your students will understand the videos they are about to watch. Include both the short introduction and difficult vocabulary list on a class handout. Make sure to include the url (web page address) of the YouTube video. Create a short quiz based on the videos. Hand out the introduction sheets and go through the introduction and difficult vocabulary list to make sure everyone understands. Watch the videos together as a class. Students can then work on the quiz sheet in small groups or in pairs.

Most likely, your videos will be amusing and students will want to watch many more. This is to be encouraged! If possible, give students 20 minutes or so at the computers to explore YouTube. For homework: In groups of four to five students, students should find a short video of their own to present to the class. Ask them to provide a short introduction, difficult vocabulary list and follow-up quiz modeled on the worksheet you have created for your class. Remind students to include the url (web page address) of the YouTube video. Have students exchange worksheets with another group and complete the exercise. Students can then compare notes on the videos they have watched.

*monitor content!

VIDEOS on everyday situations:

Aim: to improve listening skills Activity: multiple choice on an every day situation video Level: Intermediate

(watch video 1)

Questions:
Martine buys a jacket, a skirt, and ___ pairs of jeans. one two three Jaimie buys a ___. shirt skirt t-shirt Martine goes shopping every ___. day weekend month Jaime likes playing football every ___. day weekend month Martine takes Jaime to ___ more shops. five seven nine

Martine tries on ___ pairs of shoes, but doesn't like them. seven ten twelve Martine buys a card for her ___, some chocolate, and some flowers. sister mother friend Jaimie is not having a good time, but then he finds a ___ he likes. shop top book Jaime has ___ guitars, but he buys one more. one three five

SONGS video clips:

Aim: to improve listening skills and pronunciation; to understand native speaker linking and intonation Activity: listening to popular contemporary songs (focusing on pronunciation) Level: advanced

minimal pairs in initial, medial and final position: were my eyes when I couldn't see. You saw ______ there was in me." the best the pest the mess

e.g.: "You * * *

common phoneme errors made by linguistic groups:

The dental sounds // and the / / are particularly problematic for most ESL learners. e.g.: "I _____ the Lord for the nighttime to forget the day." * sank * thank * dank

discrete vowel sounds:

e.g.: "Man, I ______ like a woman!" * fall * feel * fool

collocation and chunking of word units in English

Cloze the articles with the nouns and for higher levels, even strings of possessive pronouns and adjectives etc., should be clozed together. e.g.: "They paved paradise, put up a parking lot, with a pink hotel and __________." * a swinging hot spa * a swinging hot spot * a swinging hot space

homonyms to test spelling and meaning:

e.g.: "Got to get back to the land, set ______ free." * my sole * my soul * my soil

phrasal verbs with different prepositions:

e.g.: "They paved paradise and ____ a parking lot." * put on * put out * put up

different contractions for verb tenses and agreement:

e.g.: "If I had a million dollars, ______ buy your love!" * I'm * I'll * I'd

words with the same prefixes, suffixes or roots:

e.g.: "He was a boy; she was a girl. Can I make it any more _______?" *obvious *oblivious *obnoxious

reductions in words such as 'gonna', 'hafta', 'gotta', etc.:

e.g.: "I think I'm _______ have a son." * going to * goin' * gonna

VIDEO SLIDES:
Aim: to improve listening skills and pronunciation; to learn about zoo animals Activity: watching zoo animals pictures and listening to their names Level: beginners

(watch video 2)

VIDEOCASTS:
Aim: to improve listening skills and pronunciation; to learn about Teenage Millionarires Activity: watching the video and answering comprehension questions Level: advanced

(watch video 3) 2:30

Questions:

How old is Jasmine? Where does she live? What is she planning to do on her summer vacation? What is she founder of? How long has she been doing this? Where does she sell her products? How far does she want to take her products? What happened when she was 11 years old? Do her products contain chemicals? What did she start doing when she was 13 years old? What did a recent poll find? Which well known internet companies where started by young people? Etc.

SHORT FILMS:
Aim: to improve speaking skills, listening skills and pronunciation Activity: gap-filling, conversation, and vocabulary use Level: advanced

PLAN: (video 4) 1:40

MOVIES BASED ON NOVELS:

Aim: to use videos as a motivation for the careful reading of selected passages in a novel or as a starting point for project work (The Graduate: final scene) Activity: looking for discrepancies between the novel and the film Level: intermediate - advanced

Preparation:

Select some short film segments and their corresponding reading passages. Look for discrepancies in setting (time of day, location), characters (age, sex, appearance, number), dialogue (sequence, forms of expression), actions and events (sequence, consequence to plot).

In class:

Remind students that very often there are differences between films and the novels upon which they are based. Show them a selected film segment once and then provide the corresponding reading passage. Ask them to note (or underline) the visible (setting, characters, actions and events) and verbal/aural differences (dialogue). This may be done individually or in small groups. Show the film segment again upon request until they are satisfied that they have found all of the possible differences. To give them a goal, tell them how many differences you found.

(video 5) (word 5)

Projects:

Divide the entire film into larger segments (several scenes in each) and assign one segment to each group. The students must find the corresponding pages in the novel and all of the discrepancies. As well as examining visible and verbal differences suggest that they note structural changes (sequence, deletion or addition of scenes). To conclude the project, the group will provide possible explanations for the changes and the effects of the changes on the understanding and enjoyment of the story.

MOVIE SCENES that portray certain language forms:

Aim: to draw learners' awareness to the language forms in English that are used to mark politeness or the lack of it (The Graduate: Mrs. Robinson seduction scene) Activity: listening for and recognizing different levels of politeness in a dialogue Level: intermediate - advanced

Preparation:

Select a video segment. Study the dialogue (use the screenplay or transcribe it). Make a list of all politeness markers or imperatives.

Procedure: Students form groups and look at the list of requests on the handout. They need to sort the request forms into three categories: Very Polite, Moderately Polite and Not Very Polite. (there will be some differences in opinion) Students try to make rules or guidelines to explain the differences among the three categories. Students make a list of specific words or combinations of words that indicate levels of politeness. Watch the video and check off the politeness markers that occur in the segment. Play the segment two or three times.

(video 6) (word 6)

MOVIE TRAILERS:
Aim: to practice in listening, speaking, and writing / learning what the movie is about Activity: talking about movies/ predicting movies plot, setting, characters, etc./ writing a summary on the film Level: beginner - intermediate - advanced

Introduce key vocabulary (genre, plot, setting, main characters) and generate some class discussion on movies in general. Pass out the worksheet. For high-intermediate and advanced students, turn the TV monitor around so that students cannot see the picture. For high-beginner through intermediate students, let them see the picture and hear the sound. At this stage, students work individually to complete the worksheet:

Title: Genre: Characters: Setting: Plot:

(video 7)

Once students have listened to/watched the preview, put the students in small groups. The task for each group to write a short summary for the film. Post these summaries around the room or collect them to read out loud. Students vote on which summary they think is most accurate. Now, play the preview again (for all levels, with the visuals) and ask students to evaluate the accuracy of their summaries. As a follow-up, assign homework, asking students to watch the movie and then tell if it was what they expected based on the preview.

TV COMMERCIALS as a stimulus to write in a variety of genres, styles and persuasive forms:

Aim: to provide practice in constructing simple past tense forms and checking for subject verb agreement / to give students a context to write a narrative paragraph using appropriate temporal adjectives and past tense forms. Activity: writing a narrative paragraph in past tense Level: beginner

Preparation:

Select the video segment. Write a target narrative paragraph to determine the number and nature of the verbs that are likely to be used. Make a list of these target verbs and supplement the list with related verbs.

Procedure:

Warm-up (to pre-teach or stimulate thinking about verb forms) Make a list of lexical verbs including those that might be useful in the following activity. Read the present tense for one by one to each student. Student should supply the correct simple past form. Use pronouns before the verb forms to increase some awareness of subject verb agreement in present tense forms. Read the past tense using a pronoun form with the verb. Student should supply the correct present tense form with subject pronoun agreement.

Task:

Form small groups (3-4) and watch video segment. Write a short summary of what happened, step by step in simple past. Use temporal markers like first, then, next, finally, at the end, etc. Ask one group member to read the summary aloud. Ask a different group member to list the verb forms used on the board, writing both the simple past and the present tense forms. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each group. Circle the verbs common to each groups summary, underline those that are different, correct any that are illformed.
(video 8)

OTHER USEFUL ACTIVITIES :

No picture Choose a short extract with plenty of sound effects. Play it with the screen covered or turned away from the students, and ask them to write down what they hear. After playing the extract, have students compare what they heard in pairs, and then elicit the language from them. Remember to show the extract with both picture and sound at the end of the activity to satisfy the students' curiosity!

No sound: Show a short extract with a lot going on, or where the characters convey a lot of emotion in their expressions, but play it with the volume off. Students can then do one of the activities below without having to worry about understanding the dialogue: * Describe what happened using narrative tenses * Describe the scene * Anticipate dialogue or reactions * Arrange a cut up dialogue Finally, play the extract again with sound. Having done one of these tasks, your students will be able to fit what they hear into a context much more effectively than if they had viewed the extract initially with picture and sound.

Jigsaw viewing: Half the class watches with no picture, then the other half with no sound. In pairs they then question each other to recreate the scene.

Viewing on rewind: Choose a short sequence with a lot of action. Play the scene backwards to the students, then have them reconstruct the story in chronological order, using narrative tenses, or future tenses, or whatever you want the linguistic focus to be. Finally, play the sequence normally so students can compare it with their version.

Pause / Freeze Frame:

Hit pause when a character has an interesting expression on his or her face, is about to react to something or answer a question, or when there is a lot of colourful new vocabulary on the screen. Have students describe the character/scene, or anticipate what the character will say or do next. Release the pause button to allow students to compare their ideas with what actually happens.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE USE OF VIDEOS IN THE ESL CLASSROOM:

Evaluate and select the appropriate video materials regarding length, content and language goals. Find out if it fits the outlined goals and objectives of the lesson. Preview it first, and watch it several times before using it. Plan learning activities in advance. What is the major skill the students to accomplish? Will you use small groups? How will you form them? Will you dictate questions to students or provide them with written copies? Prepare worksheets of comprehension questions. Prepare difficult and unusual vocabulary and grammar. Practice with the technology ahead of time, and always check the tape before hand. Make sure you are familiar with the DVD player and its control.

USEFUL VIDEO RESOURCES SITES:

http://www.elllo.org/ http://www.eslnotes.com/ http://www.umitserin.com/iths2007/podcasts/ http://busyteacher.org/atoz/ http://www.manythings.org/ http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/ http://www.eslflow.com/teachinglanguagewithmovies.html http://www.youtube.com/britishcouncil http://vimeo.com/britishcouncil http://www.english-trailers.com/index.php http://www.eslpartyland.com/teachers/nov/film. http://cla.univ-fcomte.fr/english/sites/video.htm http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Square/3472/greatscenes.html#lessons http://www.readwritethink.org/student_mat/index.asp http://www.movieflix.com/