English lessons

Question

Answer the following questions:

1. Name the primary skills in TEFL/ESL.

2. Which should be included in a general English teaching syllabus?

3. Which 2 skills appear more often in a course specifically designed for telephone operators / receptionists?

4. How can you ensure that you are considering the needs of every learner?

5. Why could it be necessary for you, as the teacher, to provide extra materials?

6. What extra materials could be useful? (Name 3)

7. Which receptive skill is used when conversing?

8. Which productive skill is used when making notes at lectures?

9. What do we call a discussion of the text in which the teacher raises the awareness of what the learners already know about the text, in order to lay a foundation for understanding the new information they are going to hear?

10. “Reading is an inbuilt skill.” Is this statement true or false?

11. What decides which sub-skills of reading will be necessary in a particular reading exercise?

12. Is reading a novel for pleasure an example of intensive or extensive reading?

13. What name is given to the sub-skill involved in running over a text to identify its general topic?

14. Which reading sub-skill involves in-depth study of the text?

15. Why do you need to know whether your learners are eg university students, business English students etc?

16. In Example Text 1 are your students required to understand every word before completing the exercises?

17. In Exercise 1 of Example Text 1 what kind of reading is required – skimming or scanning?

18. In which of the 2 texts is the student required to predict?

19. In Exercise 3 of Sample Text 2, would the students skim or scan?

20. For which stage of a receptive skills lesson would you plan exercises on grammar structures used in the text, a role-play based on the text or an essay on the topic of the text?

Answer 1

1. The four primary skills in TEFL/ESL are:

1. Listening
2. Speaking
3. Reading
4. Writing

2. A general English syllabus should include:

1. All four skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing)
2. Vocabulary
3. Grammar
4. Pronunciation
5. Functional language (e.g., asking for directions, making requests)

3. For telephone operators/receptionists, the two most important skills are:

1. Listening
2. Speaking

4. To consider the needs of every learner, you should:

1. Conduct a needs analysis (surveys, interviews, placement tests)
2. Use differentiated activities to cater to different levels and learning styles
3. Give opportunities for student feedback and adapt accordingly

5. Extra materials may be necessary if:

1. The coursebook doesn’t match learner needs
2. Learners need more practice with weak areas
3. To make lessons more engaging, relevant, or up-to-date

6. Useful extra materials include:

1. Authentic texts (e.g., newspaper articles, menus, websites)
2. Audio/video clips (songs, podcasts, interviews)
3. Flashcards/worksheets

7. The receptive skill used when conversing is listening.

8. The productive skill used when making notes at lectures is writing.

9. That discussion is called pre-teaching / schema activation (often referred to as activating background knowledge or lead-in).

10. “Reading is an inbuilt skill.” → False (reading must be taught; it is not naturally acquired like speaking).

11. The purpose of the reading task/exercise decides which sub-skills are needed (e.g., skimming for gist, scanning for details).

12. Reading a novel for pleasure is extensive reading.

13. The sub-skill for running over a text to identify its general topic is skimming.

14. The sub-skill involving in-depth study of the text is intensive reading.

15. You need to know your learners (e.g., university vs. business students) because:

1. Their needs, goals, and contexts differ (academic essays vs. business emails)
2. Materials and tasks must be relevant and motivating

16. No, in Example Text 1 they are not required to understand every word before completing the exercises (focus is on gist/detail depending on task).

17. In Exercise 1 of Example Text 1, the reading required is skimming (for general understanding).

18. Prediction is required in Text 2 (often part of pre-reading).

19. In Exercise 3 of Sample Text 2, students would scan (to locate specific information).

20. Exercises on grammar structures, role-plays, or essays based on the text belong to the follow-up (post-reading/listening) stage of a receptive skills lesson.