Soraya
‘Mary’s cat has a blue tie but it doesn’t like honey’ I remember when I studied English at school, we used to have books with texts I was unable to be interested in, and it could be something as ‘Mary’s cat has a blue tie but it doesn’t like honey’. After a short while, it is very difficult to be interested in “English language” when you read texts like that in a book all the time. So, when I teach Spanish, I am especially interested in selecting texts that the student may follow without getting horribly bored. It is important that the prepared types of text for each student fit the objectives of each activity. We also have to take into account that the language’s samples we select, whether oral or written, are presented in real contexts, linked to communication situations that student needs at each stage of the program. The same text may serve as a model for subsequent comprehension and expression activities (oral or written), intonation and pronunciation. Moreover, the text should offer the following possibilities: • Include vocabulary (in recorded or written texts). • Show grammatical examples. • Recognize different types of text (print ads, tickets). • Identify the relevant information (in printed contracts.). • produce similar texts (writing a notice of demand for labor). • Role playing. We could start with short and simple texts and to observe the student’s progression to increase the level of difficulty as it should be according to students’ skills. It is more interesting and motivating for a student when a teacher prepares the material based on the own students’ experiences and activities. Among others, I suggest the following types of texts for comprehension and expression: a. Oral texts: • Telephone conversations. • Notices published by pagers. • Dialogues or conversations. • Job interviews. • Songs. b. Written texts: • Commercials, billboards and signals. • Tickets. • Official Formularies. • Notes and messages (written, phone…) • Prescriptions. • Supermarket signs and shops. • Labels for goods. Learning language should prepare us for real life experiences and these should contribute to feedback the process of learning.
6 nov. 2014 11:10