Identifying Communicative Task Criteria
The first selected activity is the creation of a list of interesting places that can be found in a city and neighborhood for a friend to visit them with a pupil. The main goal of the given activity is to use the new vocabulary that is learned regarding the particular topic, master communication skills, and promote the ability to use these words in dialogues of various communicational situations. The given activity can be used during the application and extension phase for learners to perform targeted goals and tasks. It also meets the criteria of a well-constructed communicative task as it is a meaningful and contextualized exercise (Larsen-Freeman & Anderson, 2013). It is focused on the improvement of skills regarding a particular context and vocabulary.
Another activity is making arrangements for the arrival of foreign exchange students which also implies reading their messages and create a plan of action. The main goal of this task is to ensure the improved understanding of new words, to develop the ability to use them while constructing texts, cultivate working in groups, and presentation skills. It can be a part of the assimilation phase as the teacher should control some activities and monitor if the task and vocabulary are clear for learners, and they can engage in the group work. It is a contextualized sort of work with multiple options for choosing which provides students with more opportunities for the development of their language skills.
The given tasks can also be adopted to achieve various goals while working with students; however, it is critical to consider the current demands for students and classes. For instance, the second activity can be changed by eliminating the phase with reading messages; instead, students can create their presentations using the offered vocabulary or contexts. It will have to reduce the time and achieve better effectiveness while mastering a certain vocabulary.
Understanding Instructional Sequencing
Regarding the existing demands to the organization of dialogues, the following sequence can be suggested:
- Play the dialogue on the tape.
- Explain unknown words.
- Read the dialogue out loud while students are listening.
- Read each line out loud, having students to repeat each line.
- Ask the students about words they do not understand.
- Present comprehension questions.
- Play the dialogue on the tape again.
- Ask students to respond to the questions.
The given order of tasks is selected because of several reasons. First of all, playing the dialogue at the beginning of the exercise will help to create the appropriate language environment and demonstrate students how to pronounce words appropriately and sound lively. The explanation of new words is critical as it will help to achieve appropriate levels of comprehension and introduce new units that should be learned.
Reading by the teacher will help to eliminate misunderstandings or problems if some of the learners were not able to acquire information while listening. It is also critical that students should repeat the dialogue after the teacher to learn how to pronounce all words. Finally, comprehension questions should be asked for a teacher to monitor the current situation and determine if the presented material is clear for learners. Only having performed all these activities, it is possible to play the dialogue again and then ask students to answer all questions related to the dialogue. Observing this sequence, an educator will be able to achieve success while presenting new vocabulary and integrating it with various communicational situations.
Reference
Larsen-Freeman, D., & Anderson, M. (2013). Techniques and principles in language teaching (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.