Adjective Clauses (Relative Clauses)

Adjective Clauses can cause problems for English learners.  Here’s a briefing on this grammar challenge.

An adjective modifies a noun. An adjective usually comes before a noun.

Adjective: I met a kind man.

 

An adjective clause describes or gives information about a noun.

          An adjective clause follows a noun.

          Adjective clause: I met a man who is kind to everyone.

The boy is adorable. He has the phone. (subject pronoun)

The boy who has the phone is adorable. (who is the subject)

          The child was funny. I saw him. (object pronoun)

          The child whom I saw was funny. (whom is the object)

 
Subject pronouns: WHO or THAT cannot be omitted

          The boy who has the phone is adorable.

          The boy that has the phone is adorable.

          Incorrect:  The boy has the phone is adorable.

Object pronouns: WHOM or THAT can be omitted

          The child whom I saw was funny.

          The child that I saw was funny.

          The child I saw was funny.


Use WHICH for things

          THAT for things OR people (correct but might offend)

          WHO or WHOM for people

 

The adjective clause must agree with the adjective it is modifying.

          I have a friend who is a great gardener.

          I have friends who are great gardeners.

          The class that she goes to is going on a field trip.

          The students that I know are all going.

Recognize adjective clauses (also called relative clauses) by looking for THAT, WHO, WHICH.  Clauses always need a subject and a verb.  An adjective clauses always describes a noun.  For more, see http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/relativeclause.htm

Ten Simple Phonics Activities

For tutors working with beginners, the following classroom ideas can easily be adapted for tutoring with pencil and paper... 
Thanks to:  Matthew Wilson, Sendai Board of Education, (Sendai, Japan)

Introduction
Getting students to discover and practice the connections between letters and the sounds they represent should be an important part of any English class routine. The following activities can be adjusted to meet different levels and adapted to fit into any timeframe. Please note that not every activity you do in class has to be extremely challenging. Simple ideas that everybody is able to accomplish can work wonders with student confidence which, in turn, can increase motivation.

The following are ten activities that can assist you in practicing phonics at any point in your lesson:

Letters on the Board
At first, the teacher writes some letters on the board. The teacher reads out a word, one at a time, and asks the students to try and spell each word using only the letters on the board. It is always a good idea to stop after the first word in order to write the correct spelling on the board. This can then be used as a reference point for the students for successive words. After reading out five to ten words, go through the spellings of each word. Also, limit the number of vowel sounds you practice as the variety of sounds they represent can be really challenging for students, especially beginners.

Speed Reading
Write a number of words on the board. If necessary, go over the pronunciation of each word. Then read through a list of the same words at a good speed leaving out only one of the words. The students should be listening to you read the list of words while following along on the board. After you are finished, they tell you which word (words) you didn’t read out. This activity can be targeted for a higher level by adjusting the vocabulary used, the speed you read, the number of words you leave off, or by doing additional tasks (e.g., like telling you which word you read wasn’t on the board).

Battleship Phonics
This is based on the popular game Battleship. The teacher would draw a grid on the board with initial sounds written across the top, and medial and final sounds written together down the left side of the grid. You would let the students know that you have chosen a few squares as ‘special squares’ that they should seek out. They find these squares by volunteering to say a whole word made up of a letter at the top and the side of the grid. The intersection of this row and column highlights a particular square. The object is for the students to find all your designated special locations.

Phonics Bingo
Write a good number of sounds on the board, e.g., pha, ma, la, ga. The students would choose a designated number of sounds you wrote and write them on an available space for writing. You would then play this like bingo and read out the sounds one by one. The students can get bingo when they have three of their sounds chosen or all of their sounds chosen. It is a good idea to go over all of the sounds written on the board beforehand to help ease comprehension.

Criss-cross Phonics
All the students stand up. To begin, show a word or a picture. The first student to raise their hand gets called upon and if they can correctly say the first (or last) sound of that word they can sit down and choose if the people in their row, horizontally or vertically, can also sit down. Gradually, there are fewer and fewer students standing. When you no longer have rows to choose from, only individual students would sit. Words and images could also be written/drawn on the blackboard if the teacher had no time to prepare cards.

Missing Sound
Draw or show an image on the blackboard. Beside the image, write all but one of the sounds. For example, there is a picture of a dog on the board, you write ‘og’ beside it and the students have to provide you with the missing sound, not the letter. This can be made into a group contest or a simple whole-class exercise where you would give the class time to think of the answer and get everyone to say the answer at the same time.

Two Sounds
Good to practice sound distinction. Have two words on the board representing the two different sounds you would like to practice, e.g., MEN, MAN. You would then show the students pictures and get them to put those words under the appropriate column. For example, you show a picture of a pen, the students should write ‘pen’ under the MEN column. (If you are dealing with beginners, they could just mark their choice with an ‘X’ under the column instead of asking them to write out the words. You would, however, have to give numbers before every word to help everybody keep track of choices.)

Beginning/Middle/End
Students copy down the chart you provided on the board which is divided into three sections. You can label the three sections, ‘beginning’,‘middle’ and ‘end’ in English or the native language of your students. You would focus on a specific sound and read out words containing that sound. The students would have to decide if that sound was found in the beginning, middle or end of the word by writing the sound in that appropriate column. This is a good listening activity with some implications for positive phonics reinforcement.

Ball and Cap Game
The students pass around a hat and a ball. When the music stops, the student with the hat must take out a piece of paper with a letter or letters written on it then read out its sound, not the letter name. The student with the ball must guess the letter(s). In lieu of music, the teacher can simply have his back turned and call out “stop”.

Pen and Eraser
Students have a pen and an eraser in front of them. You have two sounds you would like to practice, e.g., ‘f’ and ‘v’ sounds, and designate one sound for the pen and one sound for the eraser. When you say a word beginning with one of those sounds, the students should pick up the appropriate object (for upper levels, the sound can be in any part of the word not just the beginning). If you say a word not incorporating one of the sounds, the students should make a big X with their arms. This can evolve into a pair contest with one pen and one eraser for every two students. The students would aim to be the quickest to pick up the object after you read out a word.

Concluding Remarks
Matching sounds to letters and letters to sounds can be quite a tricky and daunting task when students are learning English. Activities such as these are simple to initiate, easily adaptable, and are good ways to practice and enforce English phonics.

Daily ESL Lesson

The Daily English lesson by ESL Gold is a great tool for tutors and learners.  This web-site has other helpful resources as well.
http://www.eslgold.com/daily_lessons.html

12 Tips for Speaking to English Learners

1. Speak concisely and clearly without mumbling or running words together. 
2. Use natural tone and rhythm.  Natural English emphasizes content words which are important for the listener.
3. Avoid speaking louder than normal but don’t speak under your breath either.  English learners are not usually hard of hearing but a dynamic dialogue can be easier to understand than soft speech.  Gestures or actions can be helpful.
4. Avoid speaking too fast.  Pause after a sentence or two to give the listener a chance to sort out what you have said.  Allow time for response.
5. Avoid unnecessary words.  For example, “This isn’t a particularly good idea for obvious reasons.”  Just say “This is not a good idea.”   
6. Avoid embedded sentences and multiple clauses.  “She’s the person who was helping us when we used the map that showed us how to get to the class from here,” is confusing to the ESL listener.
7. Use simple vocabulary.  Instead of “It would be my preference to meet alternate weeks on Monday mid-afternoon,” say “I would like to meet every second Monday afternoon.”
8. Avoid idioms.  An English learner probably does not understand the meaning of “I realized after the fact that I was barking up the wrong tree.”
9. Do not use “pidgin English,” such as “go food store” instead of “Let’s go to the supermarket.” It is demeaning to the listener and not helpful for understanding or for learning. 
10. Be mindful whether the listener has learned informal or formal English.  Some learners know book English, so they are better at formal, Standard English.  Others have learned English by listening (ear learners) so they may understand informal English better.
11. Don’t assume learners understand everything you say, even when you speak well.   It is not enough to ask a group "Does everyone understand?" Many people would hesitate to speak up.  Check frequently for understanding by asking specific questions. 
12. If someone with limited English indicates that he or she doesn't understand something it won't help if you give a long, complicated explanation. That would just be more English that the person doesn't understand. Backtrack and explain your point more simply, using actions, writing, pictures, and short, simple restatements.

NOTE:  This list is available as a handout - email janetl@chilliwacklearning.com

Volunteer in Eastern B.C.

I thought our Chilliwack tutors would appreciate a story about a fellow ESLSAP volunteer in Nelson, B.C.  Enjoy!  http://www.nelsonstar.com/community/230734291.html?mobile=true

Professional Development for Volunteers

Job Interview Readiness

A job interview is nerve-racking for most of us; for an English learner it can be a terrifying prospect!  If your learner is looking for work, you can help prepare him/her.

·       Ask your learner to find job postings of interest and go through them together.  Discuss the vocabulary and various aspects of the job. 

·       Research the company further, if possible. 

·       How does one apply for the position?  Does your learner have a resume and know how to write a cover letter?

·       Has your learner visited WorkBC for help?  Check their web-site at https://www.workbc.ca/

·       Questions that interviewers ask can be very different in Canada than other cultures.  Discuss this with your learner, and then perform a role play.  Start with a few simple questions and do something more difficult the next session.  Check out the samples and resources at

http://www.eslflow.com/Interviewquestions.html

·       Share about your own experience in the job market.  Encourage and have fun!

 

 

I am a good tutor/teacher because...

Adapted from blogger http://katenonesuch.com/

I’m evaluating learning.

I’m doing constant formative assessment as I work with students individually or in a group. What do they know? Where in the process are they stuck? What misconceptions are blocking their understanding of this new work? Will their grasp of this material be a sufficient basis for the new work I know is coming up next week?

I’m evaluating teaching.
Which of the strategies I have for teaching periods and capitals is working best for these students today?  What should I change in my tutoring?

I’m thinking about the long term and the short term.
How does this lesson on periods and capitals fit into my plan for helping students improve their writing? What connections can I make to show students how things fit together in the bigger picture?
 
I’m paying attention to emotions.
I look for behaviours that indicate what my learner is feeling:  Is frustration making it impossible to concentrate on the work?  Is she finding joy and satisfaction in doing something she couldn’t do yesterday?  Is response to stress is causing her to disassociate?

I try to find some way to express or deal with the emotions that are impeding learning, and bring forward those that are conducive to learning. I watch my own emotions, too, because they affect my teaching, and my students’ learning.

I’m solving problems.
Every minute, as they come up. Many things new and different every session.

I’m refusing to be bored.
If I’m bored, something is not working. I find out what it is, and fix it.

I’m engaged.
My students respond to me, not because they like me, but because I’m teaching!  …and because they’re learning.

Make OR Do?

The difference between 'make' and 'do' can cause some difficulties for ESL learners as it's not always easy to know when to use which. As a general rule, we use 'make' when we are talking about creating something (for example, make a cake, make a mistake, make a plan). 'Do' is used to express daily activities or jobs. Nothing physical is being created. The focus is on performing an action, activity, or task (for example, do homework, do the laundry, do the dishes). This is a general rule because there are always exceptions in English but it’s a starting point. Check on-line for interactive and printable practice for “make” and “do”.

Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL)

Did you know we have a great Rosetta Stone English learning lab in Chilliwack?   CLCS purchased this award winning software for the Immigrant Services computer lab on Mary Street.  Learners (and tutors) can access these computers on Monday afternoons from 12 to 2:30.   Please encourage your ESL learners to try it out.  Space permitting, they can also practice their computer skills.  You’re welcome to come along.  Let me know if you’re interested!

Check our learner's comprehension

It’s important to check that our learner understands us as well as the material we’re working with.  Here are a few ideas:

·       Don’t assume knowledge.

·       Start at the beginning.  For example, your learner says he has to write a paragraph about his weekend.  Ask “What is a paragraph?” or “What is the weekend?”

Check vocabulary.  Does your learner know the words you’re using?

·     Ask your learner to summarize what you have said. “Please tell me what this means.”  “Can you tell me what we learned in your own words?”

·       Quiz your learner on information you have covered together.

·       Ask the learner to explain the topic to you as if you were the learner and he was the tutor.

·       Ask probing questions to expand the topic and you may find he doesn’t get the basics.

·       If appropriate, draw a diagram of what he’s learning.

·       Use reinforcement.  “That’s great!  Now you understand!”

Pre-Reading Strategies

Before reading a text with your learner, ask her to predict the content of the text. You might make some notes about this and then discuss it together after the reading.  If you haven’t read it before, join in guessing and see who is right.

Predicting content of text based on titles or visuals.

Students can use the title, headings, photos or other visuals to predict what they are going to read about. Regardless of whether they guess correctly or not, studies have shown that if readers (native speakers or language learners) have predictions in mind when they are reading, their comprehension is greatly improved.
 

Predicting content based on knowledge of topic

There will be times when the students will already have enough knowledge about the text topic or text type to make predictions about what they will read about. If the text topic is not evident from the title of the text, you can tell her what it is about and discuss what they know about the topic before making predictions about the text.
 

Predicting content based on genre

For text that is a specific genre, you could brainstorm characteristic content.  For example, if the genre was a film review, they would expect to get a synopsis of the plot, a description of the main characters, some mention of the visual aspects of the film, an assessment of the quality of the film, and so on.  After reading the text, you can discuss whether the features you expected were there.   

Reading or listening to background information

In some cases, learners may lack the cultural knowledge to understand crucial aspects of the text. If native speakers would have this knowledge before reading, then it would make sense to try to give them that cultural knowledge before they read.  

Discussing ideas that appear in the text

With some texts, the students may not need any extra background information but a discussion of the ideas that will appear in the text will activate any knowledge they already have on the topic. This is commonly known as activating schemata. The usual way to do this is to prepare one or more questions for students to answer relating to the topic of the text.  

Brainstorming vocabulary that might appear

Another pre-reading strategy is to brainstorm words that you think might appear in the text based on the title, headings, visual, background knowledge, etc.   If you are working in a group you could make this a competition by awarding points for each word identified pre-reading that appears in the text.

(adapted, with thanks to K Lackman – Reading Strategies)

Call for Volunteers

The CALL Chilliwack program has an ongoing need for volunteer literacy tutors. Would you please pass this information on to anyone in your circle who may be interested in this program.

Would you like to help an adult meet a learning goal?  Tutors are needed to assist adult learners with a variety of needs: English as a Second Language, basic technology skills, reading, writing or math.  Learners come from all walks of life and range in age from 19 to 84.  If you are patient, flexible, have a sense of humour and a desire to help others achieve their goals, then consider volunteering as an Outreach Worker for Literacy (OWL).  Free training for OWLs will take place this fall, dates and times to be determined.  For more information contact program coordinator Marci Bulloch at marcib@chilliwacklearning.com

Thank you,

Marci Bulloch, Coordinator - Community Access to Literacy and Learning (CALL)

Chilliwack Learning Community Society
Phone: 604-701-9794
Mailing address: 45905 Yale Road, P.O. Box 21081 Southgate,
Chilliwack, B.C., V2P 8A9 www.chilliwacklearning.com

Visit us on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/ChilliwackLearning

Pronunciation - Insights from a Speech Pathologist

Pronunciation is about sound. Pronunciation is also about movement. Sounds are made by moving speech muscles, and each speech sound has its own complex pattern of movement. Consider the “sh” sound: lips are round, sides of the tongue are ‘holding on’ to the sides of the top teeth, the tongue creates a central space for airflow, voice is turned ‘off’, and the jaw is almost closed. These movements are perfectly coordinated in sequence, timing, distance, and muscle strength. Teaching pronunciation means teaching this new movement pattern. Begin by helping your student hear, feel and see the sound using mirrors, pictures and lots of hearing practice if necessary. Once they ‘get it’, start practice.

Much like the repetitive, drill-like practice necessary for learning to play a new song on the piano, our speech muscles need repetitive, drill-like practice to make a new movement pattern, or speech sound. Really, we are talking about facilitating muscle memory rather that practicing language skills. Here are some basic principles that will get results:
 

• Drill, drill, drill. When practicing the target sound in isolation, practice in sets of 5 or 10. Saying a new sound 50-100 times per class is not unreasonable.
• Make it frequent. Practice for 10 minutes at a time at least twice a day.
• Go step-by-step. Begin with the target sound in isolation, then progress to words, short phrases, sentences, and structured conversation. This process helps students lean how to integrate the sound into their everyday lives.
• Practice only when your student can make the target sound correctly. Practicing a distorted sound only reinforces the incorrect movement pattern. 
• Make it fun. For example, a variation of “I Spy” (“I’m thinking of something that is…”) has students repeating the “th” sound multiple times in a single class.
• Integrate with language practice. For example, scripts for ordering in a restaurant can be easily adapted to contain multiple repetitions of the same target sound.

Our thanks to Adrienne Nobbe, M.H.Sc., Reg. CASPLO,  for contributing her insights into teaching pronunciation. You can contact Adrienne at AdrienneSLP@live.ca.

Phrases for Conversation

ESL tutors and teachers frequently talk too much, and I'm as guilty of this as any of you!  English learners may struggle to understand us and don't get enough speaking practice when we go on and on.  That being said, the ESL tutor or teacher may be the learner's best role model and mentor for English conversation.  Through our experience, we know how to talk to a learner much better than the average native speaker they meet, and also better than their fellow English learners.  Practical conversation is something most of our clients enjoy, and every tutoring session should include speaking and listening.  Your learner may enjoy subject specific conversations.  For ideas, check out this web-site
http://www.eslgold.com/speaking/phrases.html

Writing Tutor Tips

From What the Writing Tutor Needs to Know by Margot Iris Soven (108-109)

v  Give equal amounts of sympathy and encouragement.  ESL students deal with more than just writing.

v  Rephrase comments that confuse students.  If the student doesn’t get what you are trying to say, try rephrasing your comments instead of repeating yourself.

v  Notice students’ expressions and body language. As with any tutee, body language helps you see if the students are confused.

v  Brush up on your grammar.  Although you don’t need to be an expert, many ESL students want deeper explanations of how and why grammar works.

v  Watch for plagiarism.  This doesn’t necessarily happen on purpose.  In some cultures borrowing from other sources is accepted.

v  Be patient.  You will probably need to devote more time to an ESL student because you will need to explain things more thoroughly.

Tutor self-evaluation checklist

Tutor Self-Evaluation Checklist   How well did I .....?	Very Well	Satisfactory	Could Improve
Prepare for the tutoring session
Get the lesson underway (establish goals, etc.)
Ask questions and prompt the learner
Handle the learner’s comments and questions
Maintain learner interest
Provide help when the learner was having difficulty
Ensure key points were drawn out
Bring session to a close and set out homework

Conversation Card game

Print the form, add a deck of cards and you have great conversation starters to use with your learners.

ESLSAP Chilliwack

Error Correction

1. Mistakes are good and students need to know they are. Explain that we learn best through making mistakes.  Of course, we hope not the same ones over and over...


2. Sometimes, tutors should correct mistakes anonymously. Do this by making notes of students' mistakes as you monitor their English and then work on them later. 


3. When a student makes a mistake it’s not wise to say "No!"/"That's wrong!"  It's better to say "Not bad"/"Almost"/"Good try"/"That's an interesting mistake"


4. The ability to self-correct is an important one for students to develop. Encourage it and give them time to correct themselves - don't jump in immediately to correct them. Most students (and indeed some teachers) seem to think that it is the teacher's job to correct students mistakes but this is not necessarily so.  Teachers can correct their students endlessly but this is not real life.  It's much better if learners get into the habit of listening to themselves when they are speaking and correct themselves as they go along.  


5. Don’t correct every mistake, especially in conversation.  Accuracy is important but so is fluency.  Learners need to be able to keep a conversation going and constant interruptions will be discouraging and counter-productive.


6. Be careful with humour but sometimes it’s okay to laugh about mistakes, especially when you can blame the craziness of the English language.


7. Learning English is like learning to ride a bike - you fall off a lot, but you get the hang of it in the end. You will make a lot of mistakes but you will be able to communicate effectively in the end.  

Pronunciation

Interesting post on English Central today by a Speech Language Pathologist:

Teachers often report that teaching pronunciation is frustrating – a lot of pain for limited gain. This is especially so when prerequisite skills integral to acquiring new speech sounds are missed in the lesson.
Teachers and students often assume that a pronunciation problem is due to not understanding how to articulate (or say) the new target sound. While this is true to an extent, a pronunciation problem is just as likely due to the student’s inability to perceive the new sound. This includes an understanding of how the sound is organized in the language sound system and an ability to recognize it.
Perception precedes production.
Our brains are wired to perceive sounds of our first languages, and not necessarily those of a new language. If we can’t accurately hear or perceive the sound, it is not possible to practice making it.
Try these easy activities:

• Use minimal pairs. The word pairs differ by one sound, (e.g., “sheet” and “seat”). Present the words and say one of the words in the pair. The student indicates which word s/he perceived by pointing to the correct word/picture. Lots of practice, careful listening, and giving immediate feedback are key. This works especially well when the word pair contrasts the new target sound with the student’s replacement sound, (e.g., ‘s’ instead of ‘sh’).
• Increase awareness of the target sound: provide multiple examples of useful words and sentences that include the sound; read aloud passages from any resource and ask students to identify how many times you said (or they perceived) the target sound; ask students to identify objects in the classroom or in pictures that have the target sound.

Remember that these are listening exercises only. Take care that you are talking while students are listening, and avoid giving unwanted visual clues with spelling in words. Once students truly perceive the new sound, they are ready to move forward with learning how to produce the sound.

English Central thanks Adrienne Nobbe for writing these teaching tips. Adrienne is a Speech-Language Pathologist who is also a certified ESL instructor.

Engaging Students in Active Learning

A commonly held assumption is that students like to take the easiest routes/short-cuts and prefer to be passive learners. Despite the fact that adult learners are busy individuals, research suggests that they do want to be engaged in active learning. They want their lessons to be interesting, practical and applicable.

Here are some of their suggestions for facilitating engaging lessons:

• use meaningful and purposeful learning activities
• ask stimulating questions
• use appropriate and relevant tools/technology to engage students
• incorporate real-life and application-based examples
• interact with students and effectively manage discussions

adapted from “Understanding Adult Learners’ Needs” by Dr. Nachamma Sockalingam, Singapore

Easy Reading

Many of you use the Westcoast Reader newspaper with your learner.  It’s available at the library each month and provides current, high interest articles to read and discuss.  The teacher’s resource can be printed on the web-site for worksheets to go with the articles.    Older editions of this newspaper are also available to print or read on-line at Best of the Reader.    As well, Alberta ESL services has a similar publication called English Express.   All of these provide great fillers during your tutoring time or can be expanded for an entire lesson.  Let me know if I can print them for you.

Blending Learning

I attended a workshop at the recent ESL teacher's conference on blending learning (classroom, computer based, on-line) and considered how this could benefit tutored learners.  Most of our tutors and learners use email and it's a skill newcomers need to do well but often find difficult.  An email conversation is great practice for your learner.  As well, you can assign homework or provide links to web-sites that will help them.  For example, you could ask your learner to watch a youtube video and write a summary to bring to your next session.  Let me know if you try this and how it goes!

Collective Nouns

Collective nouns are nouns which stand for a group or collection of people or things.  They include words such as audience, class, committee, crew, family, government, group and team.  They are treated as singular, with a singular verb. 

√ The whole family eats supper together.

√ The government is announcing an election soon.

√ He prefers an audience that arrives without expectations.

A common error for English learners is to use the plural verb because the word repesents more than one person.  For example, "My family are going on vacation."  Although these nouns consist of more than one person, the word represents one entity.