How to use the activities
The following guidelines are to help you, the tutor, make the most of the classroom activities which accompany Talk Portuguese. Please feel free to print out these guidelines and the classroom activities which follow but make sure you have read the terms and conditions for their use set out in the copyright notice.
learners work in pairs
learners work in small groups
whole
class works together
Page numbers refer to the section of Talk Portuguese covering the basic language needed for the activity. Many of the activities also provide an excellent opportunity to extend the language covered in the book and to give additional vocabulary relevant to members of the class.
Where worksheets and cue cards are provided, they are listed (underlined) under the heading Materials. These are photocopiable for use in the classroom and are provided as Adobe® Acrobat® Reader files and as web pages. Full instructions on downloading are provided.
Before starting an activity, make sure that . . .
- · your learners are thoroughly familiar with the language they will need to use.
· the room layout allows people to move around freely and to talk to one another easily.
· everyone knows exactly what they are meant to be doing.
· they know why they are doing it. Adults new to language learning may be unaware of the learning potential of interaction and see it as a distraction.
· you set the context convincingly and bring the situation to life, whether learners are finding information or acting a role.
During the course of the activity, monitor closely and . . .
- · praise often to promote confidence.
· encourage good pronunciation right from the start.
· use your judgement as to when to correct mistakes and do so constructively and tactfully.
· don't let the activity go on too long even though some learners inevitably take longer than others to achieve a task.
At the end of the activity, reinforce learning with feedback . . .
- · summarise the task, reinforcing the language used and discussing any common mistakes. It may also be appropriate to bring in some additional vocabulary.
- · generate a sense of achievement by pointing out to your learners that they have achieved the task successfully, using the Portuguese language.
- · on assessed courses, encourage them to file relevant documentation in their portfolio.
- · encourage them to reflect on their learning and, individually, to focus on the final page of the relevant Talk Portuguese unit and evaluate their progress.
Now go to the top of the page and click on the unit you require from the bar on the left.
Printing the activities
Web pages can be printed from the File: Print menu of your browser. For best results please set the File: Page setup options so that the printed page fit on one page. Setting the percentage value to 80% may help.
Introduction | What is Talk Portuguese? | Unit 1 activities