Additional Info

• Name: Planning a trip to Edinburgh

• OVERVIEW

• Linguistic dimension

• CEFR Level: A2, B1
• Linguistic dimension - Skill(s): Reading / Speaking / Writing
• Duration: 3 x 60 minutes but variable dependent on individual circumstances and degree of outcome
• Target language: English

• ICT dimension

• ICT resources:

  PC, Internet access, online dictionaries, PowerPoint, projector

• ICT competences: To browse/search the internet for information on a given town or city in the UK. To prepare a brief PowerPoint report on the main findings to persuade peers about their choice of venue and activities.

• Detailed description of the task

• Situation / theme(s): Researching the attractions of a city or town in the UK.
• Product requirements or prerequisites: Students should already be familiar with the vocabulary related to places and amenities in a town, accommodation and transport .
• I can...:
  • work effectively in a group
  • understand authentic online texts relating to tourist  information, places of interest, amenities etc.
  • produce a persuasive presentation of the research done on the town/city
  • express myself successfully in the target language.
• Product: To produce a Powerpoint presentation to be presented to peers. Alternatively, this task could be retrospective and take the form of a report of an actual visit and students could create a movie of the place they are visiting.
• Product requirements or prerequisites:

  Students should already be familiar with the vocabulary related to places and amenities in a town, accommodation and transport  

• Process:

  • Students (in groups) are asked to compile a list of websites which could be of use to the task.

  • For each site a brief outline of the information that can be researched should be provided

  • Students share and compare their findings with peer groups

  • Groups amend, as necessary, their original website lists in the light of group feedback

  • Now, detailed research is done online to identify the key elements of what would constitute a successful visit to the town/city. In order to do this efficiently, groups should subdivide the research required to be done among the group members

  • The information from this task is then distilled into a short Powerpoint presentation of no more than 4 slides

  • Roles for this task are negotiated within the group

  • The finished Powerpoint is presented to peers. 

• Division of roles (optional): Groups assigned at the outset by mutual agreement or by the teacher as deemed appropriate Roles within the groups are negotiated by the group with the teacher acting as adviser where necessary
• Consolidating activities suggested or follow up plan:

  Groups watch and listen to the presentations and make notes of the features they liked/disliked. These comments are shared with the whole class. The teacher should point out any key vocabulary or structures that have commonly been used throughout the task and assist with any language difficulties.

• Success factors or evaluation criteria:

  Students will have succeeded if they achieve the following:

  • understand relevant vocabulary and structures

  • identify appropriate information about the town

  • distil the information to highlight the key features

  • negotiate roles fairly within the group

  • present in a coherent and fluent manner

  • be persuasive

  • be able to provide constructive criticism on peer work

  • act on feedback provided making amendments as required

• Authors: John De Cecco, Lindsay Dombrowski.

• Didactic added value of the task and other information

• Practical hints for teachers:

  Students should already be familiar with Internet search tasks, PowerPoint software and how to work in groups.

• Additional methodological or didactic comments:

  Clear instructions on what is required needs to be provided, in particular, to limit the time spent completing the online research. Each stage of the process for completing the task (breadcrumb trail) should be set out with suggested timings for each stage.

• Reasons why this task is a model of best practices:

  The vocabulary is relevant to future adult language use.

  The ICT skills are key competences for educational, social and work-related use.

  The task requires essential competences in working with others.

• Impact that it is expected to have on the teaching practices and attitudes:

  The task facilitates the incorporation of ICT into the classroom and encourages collaborative working. Student motivation is enhanced by the development of useful, real-life skills which will serve students well throughout their lifelong learning.

• Reasons why this task travels well:

  The task incorporates many significant features of language competences across national curricula, development of ICT skills and collaborative working

  The specific situation however can be modified, adapted, or expanded where necessary, to suit curricular constraints while still maintaining the essence of the task’s products and skills set. Any such modifications might require adjustments to the CEFR levels.  Indeed, the original CEFR levels, as stated for this task, should not in themselves impose restrictions on the range of abilities for which the task is appropriate.  Teachers will use their professional expertise to determine what modifications are necessary.

• Rationale and/or theoretical underpinnings of the task: TBLT using CEFR common reference levels-