Video Transcript: Module 03

Integrating Skills

The focus in this module is on Integrating Skills. We usually talk about four primary language skills:  receptive skills, listening and reading; and, productive skills, speaking and writing.  There are also sub-skills, which are a necessary foundation for the four primary skills:  grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and non-verbal skills. In this module, we will look at some real classroom examples of integrating skills, using one or more graphic organizers for analysis.

Module Focus: Introduction

Some reasons for using an integrated skills approach are…

  • That the use of language for meaningful purposes requires the use of integrated language skills.
  • And, that each skill reinforces the other skills.
  • In addition…
  • Using “real” or “natural” language production and reception in classes is a good match for the social interactions that occur in communicative activities; and,
  • The more interesting the activities are, the more likely they are to motivate the students, and the more likely they are to produce greater language retention.

#1 Viewing Points: Integrating Skills, Example A

Video segment #1. Observe the following class. Look for answers to the questions…

  • What skills were integrated, and how?
  • What kinds of activities did the teacher use, and how did they support the integration of skills?

Transcript

03:01:46:27

OKAY, YOU GUYS, WE’RE GOING TO START WITH OUR FREE-WRITE

03:01:48:16

SO GO AHEAD TO THE COMPOSITION SECTION OF YOUR BINDER.

03:01:51:17

YOU CAN LOOK THROUGH THEM FOR A SECOND IF YOU NEED TO.

03:01:58:09

LOOK THROUGH THE MAGAZINE AND FIND ONE PICTURE

03:02:01:28

THAT YOU CAN WRITE ABOUT.

03:02:05:00

BUT ONCE YOU FIND YOUR PICTURE, GO AHEAD AND CUT IT OUT,

03:02:08:06

BECAUSE WE’RE GOING TO PASTE IT TODAY ON THE PAPER

03:02:10:23

SO THAT YOU CAN

WRITE ABOUT IT.

03:02:14:13

SO, GO AHEAD AND START WRITING.

03:02:16:02

I’LL BRING THE GLUE BY AND JUST —

03:02:18:16

YOU CAN DESCRIBE THE PICTURE OR CREATE —

03:02:21:11

DO A CREATIVE WRITE ON IT.

03:02:24:14

HALF A PAGE.

03:02:25:26

YEAH, IF YOU WANT TO,

03:02:27:04

LIKE YOU’VE DONE BEFORE, A CREATIVE STORY.

03:02:41:23

OKAY, VOLUNTEER TO READ OUT LOUD.

03:02:45:01

NELSON.

03:02:52:11

OKAY, THANKS.

03:02:57:20

IN THIS PICTURE, THERE ARE — IS A MOTHER BEAR WITH THREE CUBS.

03:03:02:06

THE CUBS LOOK HAPPY; THEY ARE PLAYING WITH THE MOM.

03:03:05:16

THEY ARE TOO SMALL AND THE MOTHER HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THEM AND PROTECT FROM OTHER ANIMALS.

03:03:12:13

SO THESE BEARS LOOKS EXCITED BECAUSE THEY LIVE ON THE SNOW.

03:03:17:09

THE MOTHER PROTECTS HER CUBS FROM THE AIR FROM THE ARCTIC

03:03:20:29

AND STANDING IN FRONT OF THE CUBS.

03:03:23:13

THE MOTHER BEAR DO ALL THE WORK FOR THEM, FOR THE FAMILY,

03:03:29:00

BECAUSE THE CUBS IS YOUNG AND THEY —

03:03:31:18

THEIR MOTHER HAS TO BRING ALL THE FOOD.

03:03:35:01

GREAT. NICE JOB.

03:03:36:18

CAN YOU SHOW THE — CAN YOU SHOW LUIS THE PICTURE?

03:03:46:11

THANKS, NELSON. LUIS?

03:03:50:25

MIND IF I READ FROM RIGHT HERE?

03:03:53:23

SURE, YOU CAN SIT RIGHT THERE; THAT’S FINE.

03:03:56:17

OKAY, ONE DAY THERE WAS A BOAT CARRYING A LOT OF GOLD.

03:04:01:13

THEY WERE GOING TO

TAKE IT TO AFRICA.

03:04:04:11

BUT THIS STORM WAS COMING VERY FAST

03:04:07:05

AND IT TURNED THE BOAT OVER.

03:04:09:12

THOUSANDS OF GOLD WENT DOWN IN THE OCEAN.

03:04:14:01

EVERYONE DIED.

03:04:15:26

PAST YEARS TO FIND IT — TO FIND THE GOLD,

03:04:19:07

THEY HAD TO BRING IN BIG MACHINES

03:04:22:00

SO THEY COULD SEE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN.

03:04:25:10

WHEN THEY WENT DOWN — WHEN THEY WENT DOWN, THEY WERE VERY COLD.

03:04:31:17

THEY FOUND A FEW BRICKS OF GOLD,

03:04:34:09

AND THEY HAD TO GO UP AND DOWN

03:04:36:06

BECAUSE THE GOLD

WAS VERY HEAVY.

03:04:39:06

GREAT, AND SHOW US THE PICTURE.

03:04:46:23

YEAH, CAN YOU TELL WHAT THAT IS, NELSON?

03:04:48:25

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS?

03:04:51:04

[ speaking indistinctly ]

03:04:53:06

YEAH, HAVE YOU SEEN THOSE — THEY’RE KIND — IT’S KIND OF LIKE A BOAT OR A SHIP

03:04:56:08

THAT GOES UNDER THE OCEAN, GOES TO THE VERY BOTTOM,

03:04:59:06

SO IT CAN SEE ALL THE DIFFERENT PLANTS AND ANIMALS DOWN THERE.

03:05:04:13

NELSON, YOU DID A — WHAT KIND

OF BEAR DID YOU DO LAST TIME?

03:05:08:11

[ speaking indistinctly]

03:05:09:26

YEAH, YOU LIKE BEARS, HUH?

Summary of Viewing Points #1

In this class we saw examples of…

  • Receptive and productive skills in combination with each other.
  • Activities centered on a particular theme or content area.
  • Students using English to communicate actual information (as opposed to a drill or rote memorization of items).

What else did you and your group observe?

#2 Viewing Points:Integrating Skills, Example B

Video segment #2. Observe the following class. Look for answers to the questions…

  • What skills were integrated, and how?
  • What kinds of resources did the teacher use, and how did those resources support the integration of skills?

Transcript

03:06:02:06

WE DECIDED TO WORK ON PROJECT CALLED GOOD DEEDS.

03:06:08:03

WHAT ARE GOOD DEEDS?

03:06:09:12

GOOD DEEDS ARE THINGS THAT WE DO

FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED HELP.

03:06:13:21

SO, STUDENTS LIKE THE IDEA, LIKE TO BE DOING SOMETHING GOOD FOR NOTHING, JUST —

03:06:20:13

THEY’RE DOING THE THING THAT WE LOVE AND THEY’RE HELPING PEOPLE.

03:06:24:01

ALSO, THIS ENHANCE THEIR SKILLS IN MANY FIELDS, LIKE THE PRESENTATION SKILLS.

03:06:30:03

SOME STUDENTS WILL MAKE PRESENTATIONS.

03:06:32:27

ALSO, THEY — THEY — THEY EMPOWER — THEY —

03:06:36:13

A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND THEIR SELF-AWARENESS.

03:06:40:15

SO THEY MAINLY LIKE THE IDEA ABOUT DOING THE DEEDS,

03:06:43:18

AND THEY — THEY CHOSE THIS PROJECT TO WORK ON THIS YEAR.

03:06:47:19

THANK YOU.

03:06:48:25

WHEN WE GO TO THE LIBRARY, I WILL TRY TO FIND — IN OUR READING — IN OUR

FREE READING PERIOD,

03:06:56:02

I WILL TRY FIND A BOOK ABOUT GOOD DEEDS.

03:06:59:15

WE WILL DIVIDE OUR — OURSELVES INTO TWO — TWO GROUPS.

03:07:07:15

AFTER READING THE BOOK, WE WILL WRITE A SUMMARY,

03:07:11:28

AND WE WILL — WE DON’T FORGET TO WRITE THE NAME OF THE BOOK AND THE AUTHOR.

03:07:18:11

I WILL CONNECT THE SUMMARY AND WRITE THEM IN THE COMPUTER, IN MY FREE TIME HERE OR AT HOME,

03:07:24:24

AND AFTER THAT I PRINT THEM AND BRING THEM TO iEARN.

03:07:28:17

WE WORK IN GROUPS, AND I LIKE THAT.

03:07:32:24

AND WHEN I… WORK IN PROJECT GOOD DEEDS,

03:07:42:00

WE — WE CAN DRAW A SMILE ON ANOTHER FACE.

03:07:51:24

IT IS ABOUT GOOD DEEDS.

03:07:55:03

BEFORE I MAKE GOOD DEEDS, SHE IS CRYING,

03:07:59:04

BUT AFTER GOOD DEEDS, SHE IS SMILING.

03:08:04:05

I GO TO THE INTERNET. I WRITE WITH MY FRIENDS, WITH ENGLISH.

03:08:13:04

WE MAKE THE DRAWING AND PUT IT IN THE — LOG IT IN THE ADMISSIONS

AND MAKE SOME ADMISSION (ADDITION?) EXCITING FOR A VISITOR OF THE WEBSITE.

03:08:25:04

AND MUCH —

03:08:28:18

TO MAKE HIM LOVE

THE IDEA AND —

03:08:33:12

THE IDEA OF THE PROJECT AND THE WEB.

03:08:36:14

THAT’S ALL.

03:08:39:11

NOW I WILL READ TO YOU A POEM.

03:08:41:29

“HOW ABOUT DOING — HOW ABOUT DOING GOOD DEEDS?

03:08:44:19

“THIS WILL HELP YOU INDEED

MAKE FRIENDS ALL OVER THE WORLD.

IIT IS EASY BY JUST A SIMPLE WORD.

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO WALK A MILE,

JUST — JUST YOU CAN GIVE ME A SMILE.

NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE OR HOW MUCH AFAR,

iEARN WILL CONNECT US AROUND THE SCREEN IN THE CLASSROOM ”

03:09:02:17

THANK YOU.

03:09:03:26

iEARN IS CONNECTING –AS MUCH AS WE CAN,

03:09:07:08

WE CONNECT THE PROJECT TO THEIR CURRICULUMS.

03:09:10:18

IT’S A GOOD — IT’S A VERY IMPORTANT POINT.

03:09:14:06

YOU KNOW, THE TEDDY BEAR PROJECT,

03:09:18:21

NOW WE’VE GOT THE NEW BEAR FROM U.S.A.

03:09:23:15

THIS IS FROM THE K…SCHOOL.

03:09:26:25

HIS NAME IS UNCLE SAM.

03:09:31:02

CAN YOU CALL HIM?

03:09:32:22

Students: HELLO, UNCLE SAM.

03:09:34:15

[ students continue talking ]

03:09:38:16

Woman [teacher]: WHAT’S HIS NAME?

03:09:40:10

HIS NAME IS UNCLE SAM. HE’S FROM U.S.A.

03:09:48:29

TAKE HIM TO SOME TRAVEL PLACE, LIKE THE TEMPLE, THE MOSQUE.

03:09:55:04

TAKE A PICTURE AND THEN —

03:09:57:28

AND SEND TO…SEND SOME E-MAIL TO U.S.A.

03:10:02:09

Woman [teacher]: ABOUT?

03:10:03:17

ABOUT WHERE HE GO, WHAT HE DO IN THAILAND.

03:10:08:08

WE CAN EXCHANGE SOME CULTURE.

03:10:12:10

Woman [teacher]: THAI CULTURE.

03:10:13:25

THAI CULTURE, AND TO SEND TO AMERICA TO SAY,

03:10:18:01

HOW ABOUT THAILAND CULTURE?

03:10:20:22

Woman [teacher]: AND THE MOST IMPORTANT IS THE RELATIONSHIP

03:10:23:27

BETWEEN THE FOREIGNER WITH THE THAI STUDENT.

03:10:30:23

I CAN HAVE A NEW FRIEND FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY AND PRACTICE MY ENGLISH.

03:10:37:28

I TELL THEM

ABOUT MY SCHOOL.

03:10:42:10

IT’S VERY FRESH, AND TELL THEM

03:10:45:23

ABOUT MY TEACHER AND MYSELF.

03:10:51:23

AND I ASKED THEM ABOUT THEIR SCHOOL.

03:10:59:09

I TELL ABOUT MY — TELL ABOUT MY SCHOOL,

MY TEACHER, MYSELF, AND IN THAILAND,

03:11:07:07

HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE TEMPLE IN THAILAND.

03:11:11:22

I LIKE THE STUDENT TO HAVE MANY FRIENDS

03:11:15:15

FROM THE FOREIGNER AND HAVE THE RELATIONSHIP,

03:11:20:23

TO BE A GOOD FRIEND

03:11:22:14

AND FRIENDSHIP

BEYOND FRONTIER.

03:11:26:20

THEY WOULD

LOVE TOGETHER.

Summary

In this class we saw examples once again of…

  • Receptive and productive skills in combination with each other.

We also saw…

  • Resources that were both tangible (for example, books and paper), and intangible (for example, ideas, brainstorming, speech reflecting critical thinking or analysis,  and so on).
  • And, we saw students who were motivated and on-task, using English to communicate in authentic ways.

What else did you and your group observe?

What kinds of assessment techniques would be a good match for the activities you have seen?

 

Module Focus: Summary

The focus in Module 3 has been on Integrating Skills. As a follow up, you could make a more in-depth comparison and contrast of classes A and B. What were some similarities in the use of integrated skills? What were some of the differences? How might the activities, lessons, or resources be further extended? What aspects could you apply to your own classes?

Look for additional examples of integrated skills in this video series.

See the manual for readings and more information on this and other topics related to Integrating Skills.