Teach English in ShAyuan Zhen - Maoming Shi

This unit focused on the productive skills of speaking and writing. There are two main types of activities that teachers can choose from to practice these skills, particularly speaking. The first type of activity is based on accuracy, and focuses on having students use the language correctly. The second type of activity is based on fluency, and is less concerned with accuracy, and more focused on having students use the language in a creative manner. Both can be useful depending on what the goals of a particular lesson are. For speaking activities, a number of strategies may be used when designing a lesson plan. Activities can range from controlled, in which accuracy is the focus, to creative, in which fluency is the focus. In order to improve student participation, pair or group work can be used. The material chosen for each lesson should also be practical, or tailored to the students? interests when possible. For writing, there are a few main skill areas to keep in mind. Handwriting is one such area. If a student?s written work is difficult to read, they will be unable to communicate properly. Spelling is another important area of consideration, as is punctuation. Both are crucial to being able to communicate successfully in writing. One way of practicing writing is to have students complete creative writing activities. By having students write about something of interest to them, they may be more likely to participate. Prompts or guidance can be given to get them started, but the rest can be up to them, particularly in more advanced classes. The final point of interest in this unit was the section on using games in the classroom. Games can not only be a fun way to unwind and relax, but also a beneficial way of engaging the students. Depending on the atmosphere of the class, competitive or cooperative games may be utilized.