INTERLINK

Course = RW
Level = 1
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Simplified Novel
Center = UNCG
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2000
Instructor = Kristy Ellise Perry
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = READING/WRITING LEVEL 1
Please note that these students weren't true level ones, they were really low to mid level twos. There were two students, however, who started lower than a level one. One of them stayed at that level (due to numerous absences and missed assignments), and the other quickly caught up to and passed some of the entering level ones in his writing ability.
Simplified Novel Please refer to my Spring II 2000 report. How core tasks were used with students I had chosen a reading book which was too easy for them, so I made copies of an article from 8 different books and had them rate the books (e=too easy; r=just right; h=too hard). I had students work in pairs, and I gave them four of the eight readings. They were to put their name and a rating next to their name, so I could tally up the votes of the one which got the most "just right" scores and order that book. That was how we arrived at the choice of Amazing Stories 3. Then, students voted on which topics they found most interesting in the reading book; that was how we decided on which chapter would be first, second, and so on. Activities which grew from tasks Reading speed was addressed by the skimming exercises in the book. Unlike last term in level 2, we did not attack scanning too. Vocabulary and discussions about the topics and readings were dealt with the same way as last term (please refer to my Spring II 2000 report). What seemed good in terms of timing, connections, etc. Discussions of the topics were the most well received activities which involved reading. My students enjoyed hearing about different cultural viewpoints (especially the American viewpoint), and greatly enjoyed the fact that I joined in the discussions and shared my opinions. Problems Please refer to my Spring II 2000 report.

---

Course = RW
Level = 1
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Simplified novel
Center = ISU
Semester = Fall
Term = 1
Year = 2000
Instructor = Krystie Wills
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = The RW1 students read a simplified version of "Rain Man." It is about 40 pages long. The vocabulary is basic, in general, although it also introduces some more challenging words. The students read the book outside of class on an almost daily basis, covering a couple of pages a night. Then in class we discussed what had happened. Half-way through the book, the students were required to prepare questions while they read. Then at the end, students also had to write a simple summary of what happened. After finishing the book, they wrote a reaction to the story. The students liked the story and liked discussing it. I think it was at an apropriate level for this group. (Sometimes our level 1 is very low and this book may sometimes be inappropriate.)

---

Course = RW
Level = 1
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = YA Novel
Center = ISU
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2000
Instructor = Allyson Newport
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = RW 1 YA Novel
This term I had my level 1 students read Rainman , which is a very low level reader of around 1200 words. The students were assigned certain chapters to read for each week. Fridays were novel discussion day. The chapters in this book are just the right length so as not to be overwhelming, but also to be long enough to produce discussion. Each week I had some kind of questionnaire for the students to do together in groups. These sheets varied from week to week depending upon what writing skill we were keying on at that time. Each worksheet began by asking students to list any new vocabulary they either had learned from the chapter or still did not know. Then the students were asked to look in the chapter for different writing structures. For example, when we were studying parts of speech, they would choose a paragraph and mark subjects, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc. Or when we were studying adjectives and adverbs, the students had to write three adjectives to descri! be certain characters in the book and three adverbs to describe certain actions carried out by the characters. I hope that this helped the students begin to look at literature as a source for writing instruction as well as for reading comprehension and vocabulary building. Then the students answered comprehension questions. At the beginning, this task took the students a very long time, but they became much faster as the term progressed. All in all, I thought this was a useful exercise. The students seemed to enjoy the book, and the level was good for them. Also, the book is free from the publisher!

---

Course = RW
Level = 1
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Simplified Novel
Center = ISU
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2001
Instructor = Krystie Wills
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = This term we began again with Rain Man (see previous entry for details.) Additionally, since my level one students were motivated and hardworking, each student was able to incorporate another text. Students chose a graded reader and were assigned to do the following: 1) read a chapter, 2) write a summary of the chapter and 3) present the chapter in class. This worked really well because each student chose a book that was interesting to him/her, and it gave a lot of practice with free reading, and then with explaining what they had read.

---

Course = RW
Level = 1
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = simplified novel
Center = UNCG
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2001
Instructor = Lynn Bergschneider
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = This term, the level one class was really a high-beginning or low level one class. Therefore, I chose not to do a novel, but use a textbook called "Far From Home" (by William Pickett). The book is set in units with three stories per unit that deal with the same main characters. They talk about everyday things which help build the vocabulary and structures the students need to communicate their needs and feelings. The exercises after the reading are excellent for building vocabulary and working on sentence structures and word forms. It really seemed to help them improve not only their reading but their writing as well. I used the topics in the stories as the basis for journal writing, and we shared our cultures with each other. I think it was a really successful book this term. However, I wouldn't recommend it unless the class was lower than average as the vocabulary is fairly simple. The book covers the 3000 most common English words used in print.

---

Course = RW
Level = 1
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Book reports
Center = ISU
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2001
Instructor = Jane Blyth Warren
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Book reports Students chose individual books from the easy-to-read section of the public library. They were able to find a wide range of books in terms of level and topic. Each student was responsible for giving a 5-minute summary of the book in class. They followed a schedule set by me and each did one each day. They were graded on preparation, speaking skills, understanding of main points, and ability to explain the book clearly. Students really seemed to like this task and took it seriously. They also liked being able to choose their own book according to interest and ability.

---

Course = RW
Level = 1
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Reading a novel/Visiting a farm
Center = UNCG
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2002
Instructor = Cheryl Howard
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Core task report for RW1 Spring II 2002 The students in the class read the novel “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White. They read a few chapters a week and answered questions about the novel with a partner or small group. Sometimes the students were given questions to answer as they read chapters to help guide them through the readings and help them to understand better what they read. After finishing the novel, the students wrote a summary of the most important and memorable events in the novel and also their reaction about the story. They all enjoyed the story very much and sharing how the story had opened their minds about friendship. In order to understand firsthand about the farm atmosphere in the novel, the students were taken to a farm that had animals whose hair is used to make yarn and threads. A woman who is a hand spinner and weaver and who owns a retail yarn shop in downtown Greensboro allowed the class to come to her home where she keeps the animals. The students were able to see and touch sheep, angora goats, a llama, a horse, a miniature horse, and a miniature donkey and its baby. The students were also shown how to spin thread on a wheel. Then the students shared how spinning is done in their countries, and the woman brought out a similar kind of tool that they were speaking about that spins in the hands. A student from Thailand spoke about silk worms in her country, and the woman brought out a box containing some cocoons of silk worms to show everyone. The students were also able to see a garden with wild strawberries and also an apple tree with small green apples starting to grow on it. The students were very excited about the opportunity to see the animals and also to see some of the countryside they did not realize was there outside of the city. After the trip, the students wrote about their experiences at the farm and how what they had seen related to what they had read in the novel. The students reading comprehension improved as a result of reading the novel. At first, the students had trouble understanding a great deal of the vocabulary, but they worked hard to guess meanings, and after understanding the flow of the story, they were better able to infer meanings from what they had read. The students were able to watch half of the videotape of the novel after they had read half of the book and again after they had finished the book. Seeing the story in pictures seemed to also help them to grasp the meaning of the story better and helped to build their confidence about what they had read. The students became better writers as a result of reading the novel and visiting the farm. They began to write sentences based on the sentence structure that they had learned in the novel. At the farm, the students were able to use their spoken English to talk to the owner and ask questions. They had to make themselves understood on their own and make sure that they understood what the owner said to them. When the students wrote about their experiences at the farm, their writing showed improvement over what they had previously been able to write, and the students used a lot of new vocabulary that they had learned both from the novel and from the conversations they engaged in and heard at the farm. Spelling and grammar problems were able to be addressed when they wrote their summaries of what they read and their paper about their experience.

---

Course = RW
Level = 1
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Kids Page
Center = CSM
Semester = Summer
Term = 2
Year = 2002
Instructor = Marcia Lane
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = I had one level 1 student in a mixed 1/2/3 class so he had to work independently some of the time. Not easy to do. I gave him the Kids Page from the Rocky Mountain News. I keep a selection of these pages when they have appropriate reading matterial which is not childish. He chose from my file, read the page (actually 4 pages including puzzles, etc.) and wrote a summary of what he wrote. He and I then talked about what he had read, after he made a vocabulary list. The technique is common but the material is not. He chose topics such as: the Appalachian Trail, fish, mushrooms, and love (Valentine's day with love traditions). These papers are in the Wednesday section of the paper every week and can be found at the Rocky Mountain News website (RockyMountainNews.com)

---

Course = RW
Level = 1
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = "News for You"
Center = UNCG
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2002
Instructor = Julie Shoemaker
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = This term our reading task for a mixed RW-B/1 was a continuous reading of “News for You” the weekly international newspaper for ESL learners by New Readers Press. This emerged accidentally since the book we were to read, “Cry Freedom”, is out of print. This class consisted of both beginner learners and RW1 students. The articles in each weekly edition covered mainstream headlines. The front page of the November 20th 2002 edition, for example, consisted of UN Gets Tough on Iraq, US Strikes in Yemen Killing 6 Al-Qaida Terrorists and Republicans Win Control of Congress. There is a sports section, a People in the News section, a crossword puzzle and comic strip as well as other human interest stories usually of shorter length. By using this source students even at these beginning levels read about current events so they were connected to events by reading about them in English. We used this paper to work on increasing reading speed, guessing words from context, improving pre-reading skills, and comprehension. A supplementary section, “Focus on News for You” contains questions and ideas for further activities related to the articles. These articles were also the stimulus for journal and graded writing. The website is: www.newreaderspress.com

---

Course = RW
Level = 1
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = novel
Center = CSM
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2003
Instructor = Marcia Lane
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Adapting the course to the students' needs and interests is especially important to their success, so I allowed my female student to choose her own novel. She chose Little House on the Prairie, which seemed advanced for her but she was determined to read it. It did, indeed turn out to be quite difficult for her. HELPS: Previewing: At first she used her dictionary for every word she didn't know and each chapter took her 3-5 hours to read. I was able to wean her away from the extensive dictionary use by previewing each chaper with her and pointing out the main ideas as well as emphasizing that the descriptive parts (such as hosue building) were less important to the main idea of the novel. We also did some work on context clues and she kept a vocabulary log. Her stress level decreased and her confidence in reading increased. Collaboration: To further enhance the experience of reading the novel, I suggested to her CS teacher that she give an oral book report in her CS class after finishing the reading.

---

Course = RW
Level = 1
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = UNCG
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2003
Instructor = Dean Daniel
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Students read the novel Sarah , Plain and Tall. During the first four weeks we read simple short stories (Begin in English), and by week five students were ready for the challenge of the novel. Most of the students showed excellent comprehension and seemed to enjoy the story. Activities that worked well included: Letter Writing - Since the novel includes letters which Sarah writes to Papa and the children, this fits well. Students pretend to be Sarah and write a letter to her brother William back in Maine. They include details from the novel about Sarah's new life in Kansas and what they imagine Sarah's feelings were about her new life to be. They also ask William questions about his life in Maine. After the letters are written, each student reads another student's letter, pretends to be William, and responds to the letter. This requires even more imagination since the novel reveals little about William (only that he's a fisherman and is newly married). I was amazed at how well students did with this activity. I had been afraid that it was beyond the abilities of level one students, but they certainly rose to the challenge. Ad for a Wife/Husband - Sarah comes to Kansas in response to an ad that Jacob placed in a newspaper for a wife and mother for his children. Students write their own ads for a wife or husband, detailing the type of spouse they are looking for and information about themselves. Make copies of all the ads (without names) and hand out. Students choose the spouse they want. Lots of fun when the names are revealed! You can also bring in examples of personal ads and discuss how these differ from the type of ad Jacob would've placed. Similarities/Differences - In conjunction with work on the comparison/contrast paragraph, students write a paragraph about the similarities and differerences between Sarah's old home in Maine and her new home in Kansas. Description - In conjuction with work on descriptive paragraphs, students write a paragraph describing Sarah's personality and interests. They can be given a list of points to include. (Personality: strong, brave, kind, adventurous Interests: animals, flowers, carpentry, drawing)

---

course: RW
level: 1
category: Reading Task
core+task: simplified novel
center: UNCG
semester: Summer
term: 1
year: 2003
instructor: Lynn Bergschneider
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: Since I had one student repeating and a very low B level this term, I tried two new texts this term for reading skills. The books were Cause & Effect (Level 1) and Facts & Figures (Level B). They are both organized the same way: there are various units and each unit contains readings on a general theme. After each reading, there are a variety of exercises to help them develop their vocabulary and reading skills (i.e. vocabulary building, word form choice, antonyms/synonyms, main idea selection, T/F and comprehension questions. The vocabulary is recycled and reviewed throughout the text and the exercises build in difficulty. I used it for homework each night (3-4 exercises) and sometimes checked them as a group and I sometimes collected them to see how they were doing as individuals. We did other readings in class (such as News For You and Amazing Stories) and it was interesting to see that they recognized new words that had been in the homework books. I think they enjoyed the topics..it's a little dated, but I also think the clear structure of the books is good for building confidence at this low level.

---

course: RW
level: 1
category: Reading Task
core+task: Simplified Novel
center: ISU
semester: Fall
term: 2
year: 2005
instructor: Carolyn Smith
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: For the simplified novel task this term, my students read Rain Man. For the higher level students it was fairly easy and for the lower level students it was just about right. We discussed the novel and did some writing activities but to make it interesting for everyone I used different activities of varying difficulty. Crossword puzzles using vocabulary words from the novel weren�t too difficult but even the higher level students had to concentrate on their spelling which was a good practice for even those students. I also took sentences from the novel and scrambled the word order. This was difficult at times but it was good practice for their writing skills and by mixing higher students with lower students, they were able to help each other.

---

course: RW
level: 1
category: Reading Task
core+task: Simplified Novel
center: CSM
semester: Fall
term: 1
year: 2006
instructor: Muhieddin Baddour
e-mail: [email protected]
For the core reading project, I have selected Deep Trouble, an illustrated adventure story featuring attractive pictures, plenty of dialogue, and different exercises. Ss have enjoyed the story immensely; they think it sounds like a movie. I ask Ss to read a chapter at home everyday, practice pronunciation, and do the exercises that follow. The next day in class, I have Ss write a summary about the chapter. (Earlier, I gave Ss instructions on how to write a summary, and had them read a sample summary along with the original complete passage). In addition, they take turns reading the chapter out loud�which gives me the chance to help them with pronunciation whenever needed. Each S is asked to write at least three questions about the chapter and then pick another S to answer the questions. Here is the part that has turned out to be the most beneficial and most fun. I reproduce the dialogue in the story onto a separate document (including brief and easy stage directions), pass out copies of it, and assign Ss specific characters to read and act out. I give them directions as to how to produce the right intonation and tone of voice, and how to convey the character�s emotional state with both their voices and body language. This activity has generated good results; it has helped improve Ss� reading and pronunciation remarkably, has lowered their affective filter, and has created a fun atmosphere. Another thing I ask Ss to do is to write an alternative ending to the story.

---

course: RW
level: 1
category: Reading Task
core+task: novel
center: ISU
semester: Fall
term: 2
year: 2006
instructor: Margaret Hurdlik
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: I would highly recommend Because of Winn-Dixie, the novel that we used in RW1 this term, to other INTERLINK instructors. This was the first time we used this novel, and I had initial concerns because it is both unabridged and significantly longer than our usual RW1 texts (about 180 pages). I can unequivocally say, however, that this is the most successful novel experience I've had in RW1. Because of Winn-Dixie is a Newbery Honor Book written by Kate DiCamillo. It follows one summer in the life of Opal Buloni, a ten-year-old motherless girl, as she adjusts to a new town in Florida. Along the way, she meets a dog who changes her life and meets many interesting people who teach her a variety of lessons and become her friends. This novel was particularly successful for my students because (a) although it's written for children, it deals with adult themes including friendship, loss, and discrimination, and contains vividly-drawn characters; therefore, class discussion was always lively; (b) it continually recycles vocabulary; students commented on how much this helped them; (c) its length provided students with a lot of reading input (substantially more than the typical 60-page novels that we have used in the past). I suspect that this last reason will help these students make the jump to the RW2 novel more easily (something that has been a concern in the past). FYI: There is a recent movie of this novel that is available on DVD. We will be watching it on the last day of class. I'm sending (as an attachment) the activity that I used on the day we began the novel. Knowing that cultural attitudes about animals (and dogs in particular) vary greatly, it seemed useful to conduct an opinion survey and talk about our feelings due to the fact that a dog figures prominently in this book. Students seemed to enjoy this activity.

---

course: RW
level: 1
category: Reading Task
core+task: Novel
center: ISU
semester: Spring
term: 1
year: 2007
instructor: Carolyn Smith
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: This is an activity I used with both reading/writing 1 and 1B. Both levels found that taking scrambled sentences and putting the words in the correct order was useful practice. Generally I chose sentences from the novel that reflected different grammatical structures we had been working on in their writing. Here are the scrambled sentences I used from the ESL reader �Rain Man.�

---

course: RW
level: 1
category: Reading Task
core task: A Puzzle for Logan
center: ISU
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2007
instructor: Catherine Montgrain
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: Our novel for level 1 this term was 'A Puzzle for Logan" by Richard Macandrew. It is one of the Cambridge University Press novels, level 4. As I am a part-time teacher, this novel had already been chosen and ordered without knowing who would teach the class. In future, I would not choose this book as the students found it too predictable as a detective story and could have been challenged more,even though they enjoyed it. Once realizing this, I decided to try to make the book more challenging by using a section of it to learn how to begin summarizing, and also have the students write their own quizzes. A teacher suggested that I divide the book into four sections of 16 pages each, and give the students a quiz every two weeks. Taking the last section of the book, I divided the class into groups of three and had half of them take the first four pages, and half the next four, and write down sentences about the important ideas or events that took place. Once each group had discussed and written these down, we went through them as a class. We corrected any grammar problems together then wrote these sentences up on the board. If any main ideas seemed to be missing, we discussed them and added them. We then tried working with the sentences to see if we could join any of them into compound or complex ones, thereby shortening our text. We then discussed what a summary was and how they would be learning more about this in level two. Students realized that they had written their first simple class summary from eight pages of a novel. For the next activity, taking another class, we looked at the last few pages (about 5) of the novel. The class was again divided into groups, this time of two. Each group wrote 4 to 6 questions about the text that they believed were important to know the answers to. These could be specific or general but would be the kind of questions they thought I might ask in a quiz I gave. We then went over these, wrote them up, and took away similar questions or ones that were too vague or too specific. We then discussed whether we had missed any really important ones. I took six of these questions and had them take this quiz. The winner won a prize. I told them that many of their questions would be on their real graded quiz the next day. They semed to enjoy playing the teaher's role in this activity and learned a lot from it.

---

Course = RW
Level = 1
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Formal Letters
Center = UNCG
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2000
Instructor = Kristy Ellise Perry
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Please note that these students weren't true level ones, they were really low to mid level twos. There were two students, however, who started lower than a level one. One of them stayed at that level (due to numerous absences and missed assignments), and the other quickly caught up to and passed some of the entering level ones in his writing ability. Formal Letters Please refer to my Spring II 2000 report. How core tasks were used with students Please refer to my Spring II 2000 report. Activities which grew from tasks Please refer to my Spring II 2000 report. One change, however, is that some students had a harder time with peer analysis than with analysis of their own writing, so I had them focus on exchanging paragraphs more than last term. What seemed good in terms of timing, connections, etc. Please refer to my Spring II 2000 report. Problems As always, when some students don't do their homework, the peer response pairing can become tricky. Because of this, I reminded students that not doing their homework is not only affecting themselves, but other students in the class' learning is affected. I took this approach this term because a few students seemed to be slipping into a pattern of turning in late paragraphs. I appealed to the cultural aspect, which many of my students share, of working for the greater good of the group. I feel this approach proved to be affective for all except one student (the lowest level one with the most amount of absences).

---

Course = RW
Level = 1
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Informal Letters
Center = ISU
Semester = Fall
Term = 1
Year = 2000
Instructor = Krystie Wills
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = This core task fits in with something that we started doing several terms ago. Every term, currently enrolled students write letters which are sent to those students who may be coming to our center. (That is, those students who have been sent 1-20s.) The RW 1 students wrote about themselves, why they came to Terre Haute, what they have experienced here, etc. They also concluded the letter with advice about what to expect and what (not) to bring. The students wrote 2-3 drafts, depending on their revisions. They enjoyed the assignment and some remember getting a similar letter before they came.

---

course: RW
level: 1
category: Writing Task
core+task: Writing
center: CSM
semester: Fall
term: 1
year: 2006
instructor: Muhieddin Baddour
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: Here is an activity I always do in my writing classes that has proven to improve Ss� penmanship. I choose a student paper that contains the most common types of errors, reproduce it verbatim onto another document, and delete the author�s name. Using an overhead projector, I ask Ss to read the paper and critique it, pointing out both the strengths and weaknesses. Before we work on the paper, I emphasize that the paper has been chosen randomly and ask whoever wrote it not to reveal his/her authorship. I remind Ss that none of us is a perfect writer, and that the greatest writers in the world seek proofreading, feedback, and advice on their work. When I see Ss puzzled, I give them hints, asking them, for example, to look for verb tense agreement, spelling, word choice, or punctuation. Sometimes I have Ss read two papers on the same assignment, a well-written paper and a poorly-written one. I ask them to compare the two papers and explain how much they follow the cri teria for the given assignment. This activity gives Ss a sense of what the teacher is looking for and how grades are assigned.

---

course: RW
level: 1
center: CSM
term: 2
year: 2006
instructor: Lou Ann Venditti
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: Project Product: A class cookbook
Process:
1. Have students bring several cookbooks to class. Allow students time to browse through and compare different kinds of cookbooks.
2. Review the structure of cookbooks. Discuss cookbook design, organization, table of contents, index....
3. Ask the students to find recipes in their cookbooks using the index.
4. Using the overhead projector, read recipes as a class. Familiarize students with units of measure, fractions, ingredients, etc.
5. Ask the students to make something as a group. (I provided the recipe, ingredients and measuring devices and then tried to stay out of the way.)
6. Ask students to bring recipes to class. (I asked students to bring recipes from their country that they had gotten from friends and family. Some students used to internet. At a minimum, they had to retype recipes they had found and demonstrate the ability to read them.)
7. Read student recipes as a class.
8. Compile recipes. Decide how to organize and label the cookbook. Assign cover, table of contents, etc.
9. Copy and bind.

---

course: RW
level: 1
center: UNCG
semester: Fall
term: 1
year: 2007
instructor: Peter Frey
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: Part 1 Learners in my RW 1 group enjoyed copying this down as a running dictation from a monitor in the computer lab. Next, they had to create 2 short news stories using the combinations below. Please see Part 2 for the answer. Please put the words below into 2 short news stories. Subjects: Yo Yo Ma Jackie Chan he he he he Verbs: went went received made needs played Objects: award 10 films to Hawaii to NYC a rest a concert Extra: in 2006-2007 51 year old 41 year old last week in Carnegie Hall last week after a busy year for humanitarian work Because: because where later Part 2 I put the answers below on the wall to allow learners to compare my �version� with theirs. Story 1 51 year old Yo Yo Ma went to NYC last week where he played a concert in Carnegie Hall. Later, he received an award for humanitarian work. Story 2 41 year old Jackie Chan went to Hawaii last week after a busy year because he needs a rest. He made 10 films in 2006-2007. The next stage would be to remove the scaffolding and ask learners to create similar short news stories in 2 teams, mix them up using the same categories as before, and then to read them out loud to each other as dictations. The aims of this activity are: to raise overall learner awareness of the structure that is used when writing short news stories in English through the process of construction and deconstruction, to enable learners to practice writing short news stories in both restricted and unrestricted forms, and finally, to improve computer skills (which has been the case for my RW 1 group) Please let me know if you try this approach and how it works for you! Kind regards, Peter

---

course: RW
level: 1
center: VU
semester: Fall
term: 1
year: 2007
instructor: Chuck Goesel
e-mail: [email protected]
My RW1 students this term were very computer orientated. Some of them hope to study IT at VU in the future. With this information in mind, I altered the journal project and had my students send me emails as well as writing in their journals.
My students also really seemed to enjoy class collaborated chain stories. We wrote many chain stories, were each student wrote a topic at the top of the paper and then passed the paper around the class, with each student asking a question. Another variation on this idea is to have each student write a basic sentence from a teacher supplied topic (they also enjoyed picture topics). After the student writes their sentence, the paper is passed to the next student who adds a sentence using the same topic (or from another picture). When all students have written on each others paper, the original student reads all the sentences and writes a complete paragraph with the supplied sentences. Each student of course must edit and correct the sentences. Then the paragraphs are passed around to see any changes made in their sentences. Finally, each student reads their paragraph out loud to the class.

---

course: RW
level: 1
core task: informal letters, letters, writing
center: UNCG>
semester: Fall
term: 2
year: 2007
instructor: Molly Anthony
e-mail: [email protected]

report text: Initially, I asked the students to write a letter to a friend or family member to describe their first week of Interlink classes. However, this was not very natural, as most of them don’t have a lot of family or friends who would care to (or be able to) read an English letter. For the next letter, we wrote to students from a third grade class in Ohio. I was able to use my mother’s third grade class, but I imagine that a little research would produce scores of teachers who would be happy to have international penpals for their class. Prior to writing the letter, we brainstormed about what the kids would be interested in hearing, and what questions we might like to ask the kids. Writing these letters also gave us the opportunity to practice addressing envelopes. The third graders loved getting their letters and actually wrote back ­ my students were also excited. After receiving the replies, my class worked on sending short thank you notes back to the kids, which required them to use a generic "thank you" format and to include comments, questions, or answers to the content of the children's replies.
The last letter we wrote was to a character from or author of what we were reading (short novels for some, stories for others). This let students think about questions or comments they had about what they were reading.

---

course: RW
level: 1
center: ISU
semester: Spring
term: 1
year: 2008
instructor: ron engel
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: At the rw1 level students need to get a firm grasp on the writing of affirmative sentences, negative sentences, yes/no questions, and wh- questions. In order to help the students to manipulate the issues at hand and to help them to identify for themselves the issues that they must consider whenever they create a question or negative statement, I have been developing a procedure or a sequence of activities that are used throughout the term. Early on, we get the students to talk about what they are doing, do, did, have done, and will do. Rather than try to compare or contrast sentence construction in a variety of verb tenses, we just focus on one verb tense at a time. On the board or on paper or both, we create affirmative statements based on what is true in our daily lives. In pairs, groups, or as a whole class game, we manipulate the sentences into negative statements, wh- questions, and yes/no questions. Over a period of class sessions over the first 2 or 3 weeks of the term, we do some variety of this activity until we have covered all of the verb tenses that are mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph. So, hopefully, everyone has been exposed to what needs to be done in order to write accurate sentences. Without having to use metalanguage and without having to make it seem like a grammar issue or exercise (it seems more like a communication or conversation "strategy"), students have cont act with, though not necessarily mastery of, sentences in English. As the term moves along, this focus morphs into an activity that originates with a reading activity. Articles from a variety of sources could be used. I used material from a basic reading text, from speed reading articles, and from old issues of News for You . Rather than create content questions myself for any of these readings, the students do it themselves. As a quiz in class or as homework, the students create questions and answers based upon the readings. It seems reasonable that they should be doing this while using the verb tenses indicated in the 2nd paragraph. The content of the reading will inevitably require the students to practice what needs to be done when various verb tenses are in play. This part of the "scheme" can be and needs to be repeated throughout the term.

---

keyword: Vocabulary game
submit: Submit Query
course: RW
level: 1
center: UNCG
semester: Spring
term: 1
year: 2008
instructor: Ellen Baumgartner
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: This term there were 2 sections of RW 1 and both sections read the same novel, "The House on Mango Street." Each Friday the 2 classes got together and answered questions and discussed the chapters that they had read that week. The students found the reading quite challenging, but eventually they became more adept at determining the deeper meaning behind the words. Since the vocabulary was also difficult, we (Stephanie Rummel and myself) had the students give us one word a week and we kept a running list throughout the novel. Then on our weekly meetings, the 2 classes would play a "taboo" type of vocabulary game. The competition between the 2 classes became quite fierce and it gave the students more incentive to study the vocabulary lists so they would not lose the game. How to play: Place 2 chairs against the blackboard facing the class. One team member sits in the chair and faces his/her teammates. The teacher then writes 2 different vocabulary words on the blackboard - one for each team. The students in the chair cannot see the word, so their teammates have to give them the definition of the word in order for them to guess it. Whoever guesses the word first, gets the point. The students giving the clues are also not allowed to use body language to "act out" the word. They can only use words. As mentioned before, the game became quite competitive and also very noisy; however, the students looked forward to it every week.

---

keyword: informal letters
submit: Submit Query
course: RW
level: 1
center: CSM
semester: Spring
term: 1
year: 2008
instructor: James King
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: As part of the informal letters portfolio project for RW1, I introduced the students to the "Dear Abby" column. ("Ask Amy" is another possibility.) Both are available for free in the print and online editions of many newspapers and, if necessary, can be adapted/selected by the teacher to suit the language level or cultural sensitivities of the students. Advice columns offer a glimpse of life in America and the customs and cultural issues our students may encounter. Once the students read and discuss several examples of such letters, they have a better understanding of what is meant by "advice" and are ready to offer some of their own. We read and, if necessary, discuss (as a class or in groups) a letter to Abby. They work individually or in pairs to write a reply to the letter writer, generally as homework. The students then share the advice they have given with other members of the class. This can lead to lively disagreements about the suitability of some of the advice. The cultural situations described in the Dear Abby letters can also be surprising for our students. For example, there was a lady who brought her dog whenever she visited the home of "Fido's Mistress." Since the two dogs didn't get along, Fido's mistress had to lock her dog in the bedroom. Fido's mistress was worried that having Fido's territory "taken over" by the visiting dog was too stressful for Fido. Some of our students come from countries where dogs would never be allowed in the home. These cultural differences led to interesting discussions about the place of pets in society.

---

keyword: Daily Language
submit: Submit Query
course: RW
level: 1
center: VU
semester: Spring
term: 1
year: 2008
instructor: Laura Underwood
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: Every morning for the first activity in class, the students did a daily informal letter. The content of the letter was pertinent to the day (related to Valentine’s day preparation, Leap year, Interlink activities, local news, campus events, classroom information) or purely hypothetical. This was done as a daily language activity to improve writing skills and to introduce new skills. First, the students read the letter and identified the numerous mistakes. They wrote the letter correctly in their notebooks. At the beginning of the term, the errors were VERY simple. (The students just had to find where capital letters and periods were required.) After finding the necessary adjustments, they met with a partner to compare/share. Then, the students took turns going to the board to make the necessary corrections. As they did them on the board, they explained why the correction was necessary. When the entire letter was correct, they read the letter, discusse d the content, and read it aloud. Each day, we introduced a new skill with an in-context mini lesson. As homework, they wrote a responding letter. The growth in their writing development was truly amazing. These students, who on the first day could not write a complete sentence, developed amazing writing skills and were able to write detailed, well-written informal letters with complete paragraphs and proper letter format. They all stated that this was the most useful and practical approach to learning to write in English.

---

keyword: Game
course: RW
center: UNCG
semester: Spring
term: 1
year: 2008
instructor: Carrie Castelein
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: In my RW B class this term in order to improve vocabulary, we played a modified version of Boggle. Students had two minutes to find as many words as they could and then the students read and spelled their words for the class. The other class members then had to decide if the word was a real word and if it was spelled correctly. The students received points for every correct word they had. The students also had to define the word for their classmates. After 3 rounds, the students exchanged their papers and had to write sentences using all of the words. They then exchanged the papers again and did peer editing. I orginally started this game as a team/group activity, but my class this term was very competitive and decided that they wanted to play it individually. It worked quite well and I received positive feedback from all the students. Boggle is a dice game. I have actually used this game in levels 3 and 5, with great success, but changed it a little for B. For instance in 3 all words had to have at least 3 letters and the letter had to be touching each other--real boggle rules, in 5 the words had to be at least four letters and touching each other, and no electronic dictionaries may be used--I bring E-E Dictionaries and any team can challenge the other about definition, spelling etc. In the higher levels I explain these three rules, and the game runs itself.

In B, since the students were so low, most of the words were simple--do, but, get, etc, but since I waited until week seven, many vocabulary words such as amble, bee, places (mall, home, store etc), clothing... were used. Students were allowed to use their Oxford Picture Dictionary, their vocabulary lists and the E-E setting on their Electronic Dictionaries for challenges, although no student did--I am sorry, I did not even think to bring in a paper dictionary. I was the judge in the first round and I said things like do you think this is correct? How many L's are on the board, is this a word, etc. By the second round, my participation was minimal. The students in this class were vocal enough to disagree with the others and tell them how it should be spelled, if it was a word or not, and the correct definition etc. I think the students asked me for my judgement only twice--the other times it was all settled in class and correctly.

For error correction, we had been working on this all term. For instance Laura wrote "I am go to store" and Amy corrected her based on what we had been working on in class by first asking her if she was talking about by asking when this sentence happened. When Laura responded "now" Amy underlined the incorrect word and wrote above it "going" she also added "the". Since we had been doing this all term, the students were comfortable working with this. In their writing, I had mainly forcused on subject verb agreement, articles, form etc and that is what the students focused on. So, for all intents and purposes many of the sentences were NOT correct in their entirety, but were correct in the areas we worked on.

Doing error correction in lower levels may seem strange, but I tried it anyway and was surprised by the results. One way I set up error correction in my class was to have students work in pairs to see if they could see the errors without prompting and correct them. They then turned it into me, and I highlighted the mistakes, and returned the work the next day. The students then corrected them and resubmitted them or the sentences were written on the board. On board days, I encouraged the students to ask the writer the meaning of their sentence, the time etc. As a result, students began to see the relationship between word endings, to be, and subject and were able to explain why something was incorrect instead of being told why and the correction.

---

keyword: Editing
submit: Submit Query
course: RW
level: 1
center: VU
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2008
instructor: Marcia Ricchiuto
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: During the course of the term I brought in paragraphs and letters written by former Interlink students for my RW1 students to read and edit. After reading, they were supposed to check for punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure. We also used these papers to reinforce the organization of paragraphs and letter format.

This term I had two older students who seemed very anxious about the fact that they had to start at the very beginning, writing very simple and basic sentences. So I decided to bring in old portfolios just to show my students how much the other students, who also started in Level 1, had progressed. My students were very pleased and excited to see that those students also made mistakes and struggled to write, but in the end they were able to write research papers and essays. This was a great encouragement for them.

---

keyword: Writing Instructions
submit: Submit Query
course: RW
level: 1
center: UNCG
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2008
instructor: Ellen Baumgartner
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: In order to make writing instructions more real to my students, I had them actually follow the instructions that were given to them. They had to follow the steps for wrapping a present. I first got them talking about presents: when do you receive them, how do they look, what is the paper that is around them, etc. Then, I gave them a set of instructions on how to wrap a present that had been cut into strips. The students put the steps in order in groups. After this, I gave them a box, wrapping paper, tape and scissors, and told them to follow the instructions that they had just put in order. One student had to read the instructions and the others had to follow them.
This turned out to be a very creative activity, since some of the students turned out to be very good wrappers!
This activity works not only on reading skills, but also listening and speaking skills.
An alternative would be to have the students wrap the present first, and then deconstruct it to write their own set of instructions.

As a follow-up, I had the students choose cards that had writing prompts on them: How to drive a car, How to use a cell phone, How to download music to an MP3 player, etc. They then had to write a set of instructions for the prompts.

This was a nice change of pace for the students, since they had a chance to do something "hands on."

---