Video transcript - A Dictation Activity for Grammar RevisionI’ve got a simple activity for you here- something that works really well for revising any grammar or vocabulary, needs minimal preparation and produces lots of meaningful practice. How could you not want to know what that is?!
It’s a Teaching Unplugged idea and it was shown to me by Cloe in my Next Step community so my thanks to all concerned.
Hi, I’m Jo Gakonga and if we haven’t met before, I’ve been in ELT since 1989, I’m a CELTA tutor and assessor and I’ve got a website at ELT-Training.com where I make material for teachers at all stages of their careers including my supportive ‘Next Step’ community. The link is below - so like, subscribe and check it out.
OK, the activity. All you need are examples of the language you want to practice wrapped up in mini anecdotes… and no, of course they don’t have to be true.
These are the ones that were originally suggested. Can you see where we’re going with the target language here?
- My handbag was snatched when I was walking around Rome last year.
- A hitchhiker stole my purse from the car when I was driving round Australia.
- I had my passport stolen on the way to Delhi airport.
- Last year, my daughter’s bike got stolen outside Tesco’s.
- My house was broken into last summer.
Nothing remarkable, just everyday language about a pretty unlucky life, it has to be said!
So, you start with a simple dictation. Read each sentence aloud once or twice and the learners write them down. Make sure you don’t overenunciate. Short dictations like this are really useful for authentic listening practice if you make them sound natural.
Now give your learners a bit of time to compare what they got in pairs and then check as a class against what you actually said. You can do some useful work here on vocabulary they may not know (hitchhiker/ snatched) and weak forms they may not have heard.
OK, now tell them that not all of the sentences are true. Ask which ones they think are invented and tell them they can ask you questions (things like ‘have you ever been to Australia?’ not ‘is number 3 true?’). You can also get them to ask for details, clarify things and basically interrogate you. That leads to a nice bit of questioning practice.
At this point, you can look at the language in the sentences. There’s quite a range here of describing theft with active and passive voice as well as causative structures so it would probably be suitable for higher level learners but you can use whatever sentences you like to revise and contrast the vocabulary or grammar you’re focusing on.
When you’ve done that, you want to give them some practice of the language, so get them to do the same as you did: maybe just write two sentences of their own- one true and one false- using the language you’ve been through. They can share these in pairs or small groups and ask each other more questions about their experiences. This is great for meaningful and interesting use of the language and they can swap and tell other partners for more practice.
And that’s it! Thanks again to Cloe for showing me this idea and to everyone in The Next Step community who keeps sharing what they’re trying out. If you use this activity, let me know how it goes in the comments and check out my website for lots more practical ideas.
