LANGUAGE SKILLS RELATED TASKS

Name: Cheryl Assignment 3: Language skills related tasks

Course: O3/2020 Date submitted: 15th August

In this assignment you will be exploring the area of teaching skills through the use of authentic materials

The aim of this assignment is for you to:

 Evaluate a piece of authentic material for language skills development.

 Show evidence of your background reading in the topic area (skills).
 Identify the receptive skills and sub-skills that could be practised and developed using an authentic
text.
 Identify the productive skills that could be practised and developed in relation to the same text.
 Design tasks in relation to the selected text with brief rationale for each.

Assessment criteria (from Cambridge English Syllabus and Assessment Guidelines)

Successful candidates can demonstrate their learning by:

Correctly using terminology that relates to language skills and sub-skills.

Relating task design to language skills development.
Finding, selecting and referencing information from one or more sources.
Using written language that is clear, accurate and appropriate to the task.
+-750/1000 words.

Each assignment may COMMENTS

be submitted twice
PASS
1.
RESUBMIT

PASS on
2. Resubmission

FAIL

FIRST MARKER SECOND MARKER

 Level:
Source of authentic
material:
Part 1 (200 words)
Based on your observations and teaching to date, briefly:
1. Describe your current
group’s weaknesses in
reading\listening (with
direct evidence from TP) –
please refer to sub-skills.
2. Describe your current
group’s weaknesses in
speaking and/or writing
(with direct evidence from
TP) – do not base this on
their weaknesses in
grammar or vocabulary.
3. Why would the text
you’ve chosen interest your
group of learners?
4. How would specific
learners’ needs (related to
skills development) be
catered for in this lesson?
Part 2 (800 words)
1. How would you generate
interest in the topic of the
text? Why is this
important?
2. Which items of
vocabulary from the text
would you pre-teach and
why? (Not how!)
Upper-intermediate
https://theconversation.com/mystery-china-pneumonia-
outbreak-likely-caused-by-new-human-coronavirus-129729
My upper-intermediate group is quite strong in terms of
reading and listening skills. However, some weak students
relatively need more time for gist reading tasks according to
one reading lesson about space tourism. Some of them are not
that strong in skimming skill.
The majority of the students are not confident enough in
writing. Some of my group’s students have the need of writing
argumentative essay for the exam and when they write, they
need more ideas for their writing. Therefore, topics for the
lesson should be suitable for critical thinking. Besides that, the
accuracy, cohesion and coherence of the writing seem to leave
room for improvement.
I choose the text about COVID-19, SARS and MERS. This text
reflects real-life. On the one hand, my group of learners are
adults and they care about the world and international issues.
On the other hand, this topic can help them to boost ideas and
show them the coherence of an article.
In this reading lesson, students will have developed their
scanning skill (reading for gist task) and skimming skill (reading
for details task). Besides that, at the end of the lesson, the
students will have developed their writing skill, especially the
cohesion and coherence of writing.
Lead-in:
I will show them some pictures and a short video about current
situation of COVID-19.
Then I will ask them to discuss in pairs:
1. What is going on in these pictures?
2. Have similar things happened before?
3. What might happen in the future?
This is important because this lead-in part is to set the context
for the students and generate their interests in the topic. This is
also a good opportunity to see if students know the related
language, for example, epidemic, in the reading article.
Pre-teach vocabulary:
pneumonia; respiratory; syndrome; epidemic; symptoms.
These words are chosen for pre-teaching is because it is related
to the topic and students may not be familiar with them since
they are quite advanced. The vocabulary is essential for
detailed reading. As Scrivener (2011) stated, vocabulary is one

3. Describe the first
reading/listening task you
would design, stating the
target sub-skill. Attach any
materials you would hand
out (and include an answer
key). Explain clearly how
the task will help your
learners practise the target
sub-skill. Quote from your
background reading.
Describe the full staging of
the activity and your
instructions for it.
4. Describe the second
reading/listening task you
would design, stating the
target sub-skill. Attach any
materials you would hand
out (and include an answer
key). Explain clearly how
the task will help your
learners practise the target
sub-skill. Quote from your
background reading.
Describe the full staging of
the activity and your
instructions for it.
COVID-19
Year 2019
Where to start Eastern China
Number of Ongoing
identified cases
Number of death Ongoing
Traced source A market in Wuhan,
which sold live
animals
of the main problems when reading a text in a foreign
language. Even though students are strong in reading, these
words could help them to do the reading tasks.
Reading Task 1: Read for gist
Read the article quickly and choose the best title for it:
a) Coronavirus- the situation today
b) Coronavirus – lessons from the past
c) Coronavirus – what the future will be
ICQs: do you need to read every word carefully for this task?
(no) How much time do you have? (2 min) Do you work alone
or in pairs? (alone)
The answer is: b
This stage asks students to skim-read the article in 2 mins and
the teacher provides open class feedback.
This task is a general question to ask students to choose the
best title and it provides three options. students can predict
the main idea of the article based on three options. As Nuttall
(1996) stated that prediction may activate schemata and help
students to understand the article more easily and prepare for
harder task. In addition, by starting with this simple task, the
task-feedback circle can help students to practice skimming skill
(Scrivener, 2011). Skimming skill is a ‘top-down’ skill. By using
this approach, this task gives students an accurate general view
of the article without reading every word.
Reading Task 2: Read for details
Read the article carefully and complete the table:
COVID-19 Sars-CoV Mers-CoV
Year 2002-2003
Where to start
Number of identified cases Ongoing
Number of death Ongoing
Traced source camel
ICQs: How much time do you have? (8 min) Do you work alone
or in pairs? (pairs)
The answer is:
Sars-CoV Mers-CoV
2002-2003 2012 This stage asks students to read
South China Middle East the article carefully and complete
8089 2500 the table, then peer check in 8
mins. Finally, the teacher
774 858 provides open class feedback.
Animals sold as camel
food in markets This task contains a lot of detailed
information, including year and
number, to check students’ understanding. Students have to
read the article thoroughly to find the information. Detailed

5. Describe the follow-up
production task (speaking or
writing) you would design –
attach any materials you
would hand out. Explain
how this task will help your
learners practise the target
skill (not language). (Quote
from your background
reading.) Describe the full
staging of the activity, your
instructions for it and the
type(s) of feedback you
would manage.
References:
Harmer, Jeremy. (2004). How to teach writing. Longman.
Nuttall, Christine. (1996). Teaching reading skills in a foreign language. Macmillan.
Scrivener, Jim. (2011). Learning teaching: the essential to English language teaching. Third
edition. Heinemann.
reading is essential for upper-intermediate students and the
authentic article requires a close and detail-oriented reading.
Thus, it helps students to develop their scanning skill.
The task also provides some key words, for example, year and
number to help students to uncover and accurately understand
details in the article to improve the skill necessary for reading
the authentic texts (Scrivener, 2011). Then students will check
answers in pairs, it can encourage students to better
understand the article by helping each other and it can also
help students to build confidence. Finally, open class feedback
can show students the original texts in the article and the
answers. It can also help students to develop reading skills.
Follow-up Task: Writing
Use linking words and write two paragraphs for this question:
How is the COVID-19 similar and different from other epidemics
like SARS and MERS?
Useful linking words:
Addition Moreover, in addition, furthermore, besides……
Contrast However, on the contrary, while, though……
Comparison Similarly, equally, likewise, comparable……
This stage asks students to write the similarities and differences
among the three epidemics by using linking words and then do
peer check in 10 mins.
I would use a writing task for productive skill since writing
activities are less often found in the classroom and students
have the need for formal writing (Scrivener, 2011). This task
helps student to practice the cohesion and coherence of the
writing by writing alone. Cohesion and coherence are needed
for writing to be truly accessible (Harmer, 2004). Therefore,
linking words are provided for reference. Then, students will
check each other’s writing to check if there are some mistakes,
especially if the linking words are correct. This task is rather
challenging; thus, peer check will help the students to build
confidence and improve writing skill.
If students are very strong, they can start writing an
argumentative essay which is set for homework.
Submission checklist:

 I have addressed all areas of the rubric, following the template above.
 I have referred to (and quoted / paraphrased from) my background reading where the need
for this has been indicated.
 I have included tasks to develop two receptive sub-skills and one production skill.
 I have included the expected / desired answers for my receptive skills tasks.
 The production task is directly related to the chosen text and is not language-focused.
 I have attached all the materials and tasks as they are to be presented to the students in
class (including oral instructions where appropriate).
 I have included a rationale for all the tasks.
 I have included a bibliography.
 I have included and respected the word count.
 The work is my own.

Word count: ___1,018_____ words

Trainee initials _____Chenyue Zhu___________

Appendix

The Authentic Material

Mystery China pneumonia outbreak likely caused by new human coronavirus
In December 2019, a cluster of pneumonia cases was reported in Wuhan, eastern China. The pneumonia is
associated with a previously unidentified coronavirus related to the deadly Sars virus.

The virus has now spread to other cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guandong. There have also been
confirmed individual cases in other countries, including Thailand, Japan and South Korea.

The new coronavirus outbreak is linked to a market in Wuhan, which sold meat and live animals. Following the
outbreak, the market was closed. There is no clear evidence of the virus spreading between humans, and it is
thought that it originated in animals.

The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak bears similarity to the 2002-03 epidemic of Sars (severe acute respiratory
syndrome) coronavirus (Sars-CoV). The Sars-CoV outbreak, which started in south China, lasted for over nine
months. It spread to 37 countries, causing 8,098 people to become ill and 774 to die.

Sars-CoV was traced to several animals, including civet cats and raccoon dogs, being sold as food in markets. The
infected animals had no symptoms. Closure of the markets with animal culling alongside treatment and
containment of patients led to the outbreak being halted.

There are seven coronaviruses known to infect people, including the novel Wuhan coronavirus and Sars- CoV
already mentioned. Other human coronaviruses are those that cause the common cold like 229E, NL63, OC43 and
HKU1 viruses, as well as the deadly zoonotic Mers virus.

Mers-CoV is a camel common cold virus that often jumps to humans in the Middle East. Mers-CoV can cause
severe pneumonia in people and spread from person to person. Mers-CoV was only identified in 2012 and
continues to be a significant problem in the Middle East. Nearly 2,500 cases of Mers have been identified, causing
858 deaths.
How the new Wuhan coronavirus came to be in humans, and how closely it will resemble the Sars outbreak, will
be a focus of ongoing research.

Adapted from: https://theconversation.com/mystery-china-pneumonia-outbreak-likely-caused-by-new-human-

coronavirus-129729

Lead-in
Look at these pictures and think out loud:

1. What is going on in these pictures?

2. Have similar things happened before?
3. What might happen in the future?
1. Building your vocabulary:
Finish the cross-word puzzle of the following words:
pneumonia; respiratory; syndrome; epidemic; symptoms
2. Reading task 1:
Read the article quickly and choose the best title for it:
Coronavirus- the situation today
Coronavirus – lessons from the past
Coronavirus – what the future will be

Answer key: b

3. Reading task 2:
Read the article carefully and complete the table:
COVID-19 Sars-CoV Mers-CoV
Year 2002-2003
Where to start
Number of identified cases Ongoing
Number of death Ongoing
Traced source camel

Answer Key:

COVID-19 Sars-CoV Mers-CoV

Year 2019 2002-2003 2012
Where to start Eastern China South China Middle East
Number of identified cases Ongoing 8089 2500
Number of death Ongoing 774 858
Traced source A market in Animals sold as camel
Wuhan, which sold food in markets
live animals

In December 2019, a cluster of pneumonia cases was reported in Wuhan, eastern China. The pneumonia is
associated with a previously unidentified coronavirus related to the deadly Sars virus.

The virus has now spread to other cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guandong. There have also been
confirmed individual cases in other countries, including Thailand, Japan and South Korea.
The new coronavirus outbreak is linked to a market in Wuhan, which sold meat and live animals. Following the
outbreak, the market was closed. There is no clear evidence of the virus spreading between humans, and it is
thought that it originated in animals.

The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak bears similarity to the 2002-03 epidemic of Sars (severe acute respiratory
syndrome) coronavirus (Sars-CoV). The Sars-CoV outbreak, which started in south China, lasted for over nine
months. It spread to 37 countries, causing 8,098 people to become ill and 774 to die.

Sars-CoV was traced to several animals, including civet cats and raccoon dogs, being sold as food in markets. The
infected animals had no symptoms. Closure of the markets with animal culling alongside treatment and
containment of patients led to the outbreak being halted.

There are seven coronaviruses known to infect people, including the novel Wuhan coronavirus and Sars- CoV
already mentioned. Other human coronaviruses are those that cause the common cold like 229E, NL63, OC43 and
HKU1 viruses, as well as the deadly zoonotic Mers virus.

Mers-CoV is a camel common cold virus that often jumps to humans in the Middle East. Mers-CoV can cause
severe pneumonia in people and spread from person to person. Mers-CoV was only identified in 2012 and
continues to be a significant problem in the Middle East. Nearly 2,500 cases of Mers have been identified, causing
858 deaths.

How the new Wuhan coronavirus came to be in humans, and how closely it will resemble the Sars outbreak, will
be a focus of ongoing research.

*NB: The underlined words are answers for the detailed reading task.

4. Follow-up Practice:
Use linking words and write two paragraphs:

How is the COVID-19 similar and different from other epidemics like SARS and MERS?

Useful Liking words:

Addition Moreover, in addition, furthermore, besides……
Contrast However, on the contrary, while, though……
Comparison Similarly, equally, likewise, comparable……

5. Homework:
Write a 350-400 words essay answering the following questions:
What do these comparisons tell us about how dangerous this new virus is?
What can people do to protect themselves?
What can governments do to help prevent the spread of viruses?