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Humanising Language Teaching
Year 5; Issue 2; March 03
Get – what does it mean?
Before Class: Choose a number of delexical verbs you would like to revise, e.g. make, get, take
Aim: pooling student corpus, learner training, preparation for using dictionaries, revision
Time: 15 minutes
Procedure:
- Divide the class into groups. Allocate one verb per group. Tell each group to keep their verb secret.
- Explain that the students have to look through the previous unit or units of their course book.. They find chunks with the verb they have been given. Give a limit of 6-8 examples.
- Each group gets an A4 sheet folded in the middle. On the left they write down all the examples they have found. It is fine if they get chunks like: get tired, get angry, get out, etc..
- Then on the right they write a translation in their native language.
- The folded sheets circulate from group to group. The students read the translations first, then try to think of the verb, finally they can look at the English examples.
Variation: Choose other grammar categories such as prepositions or nouns
Rationale: Students learn that the meaning of a word may depend on the context of chunk it is used in. They also get initial training in learning to look up words in translation dictionaries.