ASSIGNMENT 3

LANGUAGE SKILLS RELATED TASKS

Candidates can demonstrate their learning by:

a) correctly using terminology that relates to language skills and sub-skills
b) relating task design to language skills practice
c) finding, selecting and referencing information from one or more sources using written
language that is clear, accurate and appropriate to the task

Length: 750 1,000 words

Part A: Receptive skills task design
1. What is your opinion of the text as a piece of authentic material to be used in class? Would
this article be suitable for your current TP students? Why/why not?
2. What would you do as a lead in to get the students interested in the topic? What is your
rationale? (Refer to background reading).
3. Is there any vocabulary you feel is essential to pre-teach? If there is, list the items and say
why you have chosen them.
4. Design a task which provides students with practice in skimming (reading for gist). Include
the task and time limit. What is the rationale for getting students to skim? (Refer to
background reading).
5. Design a task which provides students with practice in scanning (reading for specific
information). Include the task and time limit. What is the rationale for getting students to
scan? (Refer to background reading).
6. Design a comprehension task which provided students with practice in reading for detailed
understanding. Include the task and time limit. What is the rationale for getting students to
read for detailed understanding? (Refer to background reading).
Part B: Productive skills task design
Design or find an extension activity (for freer practice of productive skills either speaking or
writing) which you could use after the students had read the article. Include your task and your
rationale for choosing it. Why use a follow-up task? (Refer to background reading).
Please include word count and a bibliography.
Recommended Books for this Assignment

Learning Teaching, Jim Scrivener (Heinemann, 1999)

The Practice of English Language Teaching, Jeremy Harmer (Longman, 1991)
How to Teach English, Jeremy Harmer (Longman, 1999)

Read the following article then answer the questions:

Do not pass go,

Do not collect $151
Dargaville
When 13 year old Lance Auckett of Pouto,
south of Dargaville, was told to clean out his
bedroom before the start of the school term,
the results had repercussions no-one could
have envisaged.
When he pulled out a box of school books
from under his bed and thumbed through
them, out fell a 10,000 yen note.
Mum, do you reckon this is real? he
asked. Lance was then told that the only way
to find out was to take it to a bank.
At the first bank he went to he asked if the
note was real and, if so, how much it was
worth. While the teller was speaking to him,
the manager telephoned Auckland and was
advised not to pay out without sending the
note through for verification. Meanwhile, the
teller checked the conversion rate and told
the boy he could expect to get about $15.
He tried another bank and the amount went
up to about $49.
As his mother was still shopping, Lance and
his mate decided to try yet another bank.
They were told the note appeared to be real
and the teller arranged to have a cheque
made out for it, but Lance had one more bank
to visit.

At the Dargaville branch of the National

Bank he was given the best rate of $151.20,
which he accepted. A delighted Lance gave
the money to his mother to look after, and
they returned to Pouto.
During the next couple of weeks he spent
some of the money on a tape, a soft drink, and
a wedding present. No-one expected the next
development.
Lance went off to school as usual when he
was called into the principal's office, where a
police officer was waiting. Lance was asked
where he got the note. He told them. At this
point his mother was brought back into the
picture and asked to contact the National
Bank because, on sending the money to
Japan, they had discovered it was Japanese
Monopoly money worthless.
Now the bank would like its money back
and the parents feel they should not be
responsible for paying it because the boy had
not intended to defraud. He had asked if the
note was real.
The back declined to comment.
(From The Christchurch Press, 11/03/93)