Teaching with Scenarios An Integrated Strategy-based Approach to Teaching Communication Skills Heide Spruck Wrigley Literacywork International Adapted

Teaching with Scenarios

An Integrated Strategy-based Approach to Teaching Communication Skills

Heide Spruck WrigleyLiteracywork International

Adapted for TISESL

Tips and Strategies

Literacywork International

Lesson Flow

PreviewPreview

Interactive Teacher

Presentation

Interactive Teacher

Presentation

Think-Pair-Share

Comprehen-sion Check

Think-Pair-Share

Comprehen-sion Check

Story Map DiscussionStory Map Discussion

Shared Reading

Shared Reading

Create Dialogue and

Role Play

Create Dialogue and

Role Play

Language and

Vocabulary Practice

Language and

Vocabulary Practice

Culture NotesCulture Notes

RetellingRetelling

Discussing Options

Discussing Options

Preview the Scenario

Show students the cover picture and in a few words summarize the story. Include the title, the people, place, and problem in your summary. Make the connection to students lives by saying something like, “do you ever go to a clinic?” or “do you know the (local) factory.” Give students a minute to look at the front page and discuss the key words with each other.

Lesson Flow


Mini-Presentation with Pictures

Present the story to the students orally. Speak slowly but naturally and use pauses between sentences. Ask question as you go along to keep the class engaged and to make sure they understand. Use transition phrases such as, “Ok, let’s see what happens next”. Repeat and rephrase key information and act out the story as you go along. Alternatively, play the audio CD and ask students to fill out the Story Map.

Lesson Flow


True/False Comprehension Check

When you have finished the story, make a set of statements about the story and ask students to decide if the statement is true or false. Use Think/Pair/ Share: Students evaluate individually if a statement is True or False and then share the answer with a partner or in a small group. Ask the question again and have everyone hold up their True or False Cards. Ask students to justify their answer by providing evidence from the story.

Lesson Flow


Story Map Discussion

Ask students to work in pairs to discuss the story using the Story Map. They should talk about what happened, who was involved, or why someone felt a certain way. Encourage students to talk about what happened and discourage writing. After students finish, check answers.

Lesson Flow


Retelling

Ask students to work in pairs or small groups to retell the story using the pictures only (students need not write). For variation, cut pictures up and have students put them in the right order as they tell the story. Ask a couple students to present the story orally to the class (consider enlarging and laminating a set of story cards for this purpose).

Lesson Flow


Shared Reading

Read the story aloud to the students while they follow along, looking at the pictures (ask beginners to follow with their fingers or a ruler). Then ask students to work in pairs reading the text without pictures to each other. Ask them to underline the words they don’t understand and have trouble with and discuss them. After students finish explain problems.

Lesson Flow


Discussing Options

Quickly review and highlight the problem in the story involving students. Ask students for ideas on how the problem could be solved and draw a chart on a flip chart (use the Options Chart in the text as a model). Ask students what the consequence of a particular option would be. Use the Think-Aloud Strategy to illustrate your thinking. Ask students to work individually and then in pairs or groups to discuss answers.

Lesson Flow


Dialogue and Role Play

Ask the same pairs or groups to pick their best option and create a dialog for the end of the story. Students can finish the dialogue in their book or can create their own. Encourage students to be creative. Ask a couple of pairs of students to role play their dialogue in front of the class. The other students evaluate how well they did, using the rubric. Discuss with the class if the problem was handled appropriately.

Lesson Flow


Language and Vocabulary Practice

Highlight the key vocabulary from the scenario once more and put students who share the same language in pairs so they can discuss the vocabulary and complete the match-up activity (model the activity first!). If there is an odd person, work with that student. Ask students to put words they want to remember in the Personal Dictionary. Explain and model the language activity and have students complete the activities in pairs.

Lesson Flow


Cultural Notes

Culture notes are designed to have students grapple with key issues through thinking and discussion. Introduce a few of the culture notes and ask students if they agree or disagree with the statement. Probe for why they agree or not. Then ask students to work in pairs or small groups to tackle the rest of the questions. Debrief with the students and highlight expectations of the American workplace (see comments in notes).

Lesson Flow


Making Language Come Alive

Instructional Strategies


Wrigley 2008

Scenarios for Problem Solving

Use Scenarios for problem solving.

Strategy


Wrigley 2008

Scenarios for Socio-cultural SkillsStrategy


PowerPoint

Use PowerPoint (or transparency) to set context and illustrate language.

Strategy


True-False Cards

Use True-False cards to check understanding. Use Think-Pair-Share to make it a meaningful activity.

TRUE

FALSE

Strategy


Evocative Pictures

Use compelling visuals to support presentation and foster discussion.

Source: Material World

Strategy


Think-Pair-Share

Use Think-Pair-Share to build engagement. Students think about the answer individually first then pair up and share their answers.

Strategy


Click and Clunk

Use Click and Clunk to monitor reading comprehension. As students read with you, they say “click” when they understand a word or phrase and “clunk” when they don’t.

ClickClickClunk

Strategy


Oral and Written Language

Connect oral and written language to deepen language learning. Have students listen and retell before they read the story

So you see, it’s really quite easy if you just listen

to me.

Thanks you so much. I

was looking for guidance.

Strategy


Cloze Tests

Use Cloze Tests and Dictations to focus on language.

Alex overslept and was ____ for work. He ____ his cell phone at home. He couldn’t call his ____ to tell him he ___ late. Alex was in ____.

Strategy


Fix-up

Teach Fix-up strategies to help students repair miscommunication or lack of understanding. Fix up includes double checking, admitting fault and saying, “It won’t happen again.”

Strategy


Analyzing Options and Consequences

Ask students to outline a problem and generate options. Have them consider the consequences of each option. Use charts to help them organize their ideas.

Strategy



Role Plays

Use Role Plays to foster spontaneous communication. Build the Role Plays around dialogues students have created and practiced. Discourage memorization or reading the dialogues.

I shouldn’t say this, but…

I shouldn’t say this, but…Oh, please

do.Oh, please

do.

Strategy

Flash Cards

Use Flashcards to build vocabulary. Use large picture cards in front of the class to have students generate language and have students practice with smaller cards.

GossipGossip

Strategy


Conversation Cards

To practice and extend Role Plays make up conversation cards that act as prompts for students.

Talk about the weather.

Talk about the weather.

Talk about your family.

Talk about your family.

Strategy


Graphic Organizers

Use graphic organizer such as Story Maps or tables for options and consequences to help students organize their ideas

Strategy



Think Alouds

Make thinking process visible by articulating your thoughts to students. Explain how you would solve a scenario (“ok, here I am a nurse. I have very little time….”

OK, so here’s how I came up with the

answer.

Strategy

Mini-Poems

Use Mini-Poems to promote writing.

Three Things I Like About Home Family events Familiar places Mother’s cooking

Two Things I Don’t Dusty roads Cousin Robert

Strategy


Sketches and Picture Stories

Use sketches to illustrate scenarios. Encourage students to retell the story using storyboards.

Strategy


Chalk-Talks

Use Chalk-Talk to extend the scenarios and tell new stories.

Strategy


Videos

Use videos to extend scenarios and foster listening comprehension. Modern Times is fun as are various I Love Lucy episodes. Consider the English for All videos.

Strategy


Songs

Use songs to extend scenarios.

Strategy


Computer and Web - Background

Use Computer & Web to build background knowledge.

Strategy


Preview

Use preview to activate background knowledge.

Strategy


Question Generating & Answering

Use question generating & answering to increase comprehension. Students make up questions about a story and a partner tries to find the answer in the story

Who is Manny?

What is a utility knife?

Why is Manny in trouble?

Strategy


Use Realia to Set the Context

Bring in items that help iillustrate the story, such as dolls, utility knives, belts, switches and other items to make the scenarios come alive

Strategy


Mini-Projects

Use Mini-Projects to reinforce language, culture & work skills.Have students work in teams to create an ad campaign for a new product or write a Public Service Announcement

Strategy


Documents

Teaching with Scenarios An Integrated Strategy-based Approach to Teaching Communication Skills Heide Spruck Wrigley Literacywork International Adapted