A number of years ago, I was a teacher of English at Busu High School in Papua New Guinea and given all the grade 9 classes to prepare them for the grade 10 exam. My best technique was to show them videos on my TV screen and use this to promote writing skill. Please click:
Over the years, my approach has been polished to the point that teaching writing by DVD has become a most useful technique. I have a player at my house and DVDs from the Discovery Channel.
Let us take a report on DVD. I could show a class the report on the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte emperor of France.
First I would explain the rise of Napoleon who was elevated to power at the end of the French Revolution. I would tell of the execution of nobles of France often with their families.
I would explain how Napoleon rose to power becoming a dictator who waged war across Europe. He was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and exiled to the island of Elba where he died of suspected poisoning.
PLAY THE DVD TO THE CLASS – 20 MINUTES. Then I would question the class. The responses would be carefully set to be made into one sentence.
Who was Napoleon Bonaparte?
Napoleon Bonaparte was the French dictator
When did he rise to power?
He rose to power in the French Revolution.
What happened in the French Revolution?
The king, queen and nobles were killed.
How were they killed?
They had their heads cut off by guillotine.
What happened to their lands?
Their lands were given to the poor.
How did Napoleon become powerful?
He took command of the armies.
What did he do with the armies?
The armies invaded European nations.
Who led them into battle?
Napoleon led them into battle.
What was the result?
The French empire was begun.
Where was Napoleon’s forces defeated?
Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo in 1815
Which forces defeated them?
The British forces defeated him.
What happened to Napoleon?
Napoleon was captured.
Where was he imprisoned?
He was imprisoned on the island of Elba.
Did he live?
He died
What is thought to have killed him?
It is suspected that he was poisoned.
The task would now be to combine the sentences. This would be reserved for the period on the next day. The DVD would be played once more to refresh memories. This also had the aim of improving general knowledge.
Napoleon Bonaparte was the French emperor who rose to power in the French Revolution when the king, queen and nobles had their heads cut off by guillotine and their lands given to the peasants.
He took command of the army and invaded European nations, leading soldiers into battle to begin the French empire.
But Napoleon was defeated by the British at Waterloo in 1815, captured and imprisoned on the island of Elba where he died of suspected poisoning.
Within the month, the students would be required to write a short summary of the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte using the structures above in a time limit of 15 minutes. This would be preparation for the written expression exam.
I would also tell the class of the famous palindrome:
ABLE WAS I ERE I SAW ELBA. It reads the same forward and backward.
THE FOLLOWING WEEK, WE WOULD WATCH A DVD ON THE PYRAMID OF GIZA.
The same process would be followed.
IN THE MONTHS TO COME, WE WOULD DO THE SAME WITH:
destruction of Pompeii by volcanic eruption
earthquakes in Mexico City
Aztec sacrifices
extinction of the mammoths
movement of people across the ancient world
fall of the Roman Empire
migration of birds
breeding of turtles
mystery of the eels in the Sargasso Sea
breeding of turtles
mystery of the eels in the Sargasso Sea
And twenty more
These students are becoming educated while learning English.
Who needs a textbook?
Your ideas regarding teaching English using TV programs is interesting. I like CNN and will one day have recordings of their programs to teach. I know it will be most refreshing.
ReplyDelete