Delitzsch course

[Torsten]

Hi Roberto,

I hope you had a good start in Delitzsch incorporating some of the ideas outlined in the English Team Trainer handbook.

Please let me know what you and the group did.

Many thanks,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Roberto]

Hi, Torsten, thank you for your message.
First of all, I'd like to give you a short description of the group: it consists of about 15 women of different age. Half of them are still beginners and the other half is brushing up their English skills. There are two women from Siberia. That's why I began by introducing myself and having them introduce themselves later. Then we learnt the alphabet and wrote basic vocab, paying attention to the spelling, pronunciation and comparing these words with the German equivalents. Some of the questions you put in the client learning profile sheet were briefly discussed in the class: since not everyone is able to communicate in English yet, we did it half in English and half in German: Who are you? Where are you from? Why do you want to learn/improve English? Did you learn English at school or anywhere else etc. I tried to motivate the group by convincing them that they know more English than they think: and they showed good results indeed, at least a great deal of them, even Angelika, an older woman who thought she had forgotten everything. She gave a proud impression at the end of the class.
I said to them that this first session aims to "(re)discover the English language and culture, and noone should be afraid of making mistakes, specially at the very beginning , language learning should be rather a funny activity where you learn to be aware of your weaknesses and strengths.
Here are some aspects we discussed today:
- basic vocab, alphabet, some simple pronunciation patterns, spelling
- the verb to be in simple present, the personal pronouns in the subject form
- we read some short texts about daily routines (the texts were translated then)
- countries and capitals, some important cities (not only English-speaking countries) Some of them were interested in geography and travelling abroad.
- word position in an English sentence, in comparison to the German structure: I just wanted them to find out by themselves what is English and what is German in a contrastive way.
- question words, wh-words compared to W-words in German; also some th-words: the, that, this, there etc. The pronunciation of TH in English.
- adjectives: colours
- a first "businesslike" text: Money and expressions related to this topic: pay, borrow, lend, spend (on), charge, free, expensive, inexpensive, reasonable etc.
- numbers: 0 - 12 activities in class (months, days, teeth, etc...)

As usual, I introduced myself as a member of an English team.

Torsten, I wish you a nice evening and have a nice day with the English learners on Friday!!

regards,

Roberto
_________________
Graduate Management Admission Test
GMAT Preparation & GMAT Vocabulary
Learn more about: Roberto Enrique Steffens Villarreal

[Torsten]

Hi Roberto,

On Wednesday please review the personal pronouns + BE verb, question words, the numbers, the alphabet, the days of the week, the ordinal numbers and present continuous. We started with the present continuous rather than simple present because the present continuous is more important and usually causes more difficulty for German speakers. If you get time, you might want to introduce the simple present pointing out the differences between both tenses.

We also covered basic vocabulary used to give and ask for directions and to talk about items of clothing based on the TOEIC Bridge test. For listening comprehension we used a Hueber course called 'Englisch Lernen Ohne Buch". If you like you can also introduce some logistics vocabulary since the group is preparing for jobs at DHL.

Good luck on Wednesday.
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Roberto]

Hi, Torsten,

just a quick note to thank you for updating me on the D-class again. I've prepared some logistics vocab + an easy short logistics text for tomorrow. I'll follow your hints on repeating the verb to be + pronouns, present continuous of verbs etc., thus I'll take into consideration what you suggested (basic grammar).

We'll keep in touch, regards,

Roberto
_________________
Graduate Management Admission Test
GMAT Preparation & GMAT Vocabulary
Learn more about: Roberto Enrique Steffens Villarreal

[Roberto]

Hi, Torsten,

I'd like to update you on last Wednesday's class: we practised the basic sentence parts in a brainstorming exercise. I divided the class into groups of two. Each group had to search for five words belonging to a particular sentence part: adjectives, nouns, verbs, adverbs, prepositions and pronouns. Then we wrote them on the whiteboard and had them construct short sentences using these different words. My goal was to give them the opportunity to find out the differences in sentence construction/syntax in both languages by themselves. It was all in all a dynamic day: we kept on doing both oral and written exercises using specially the present continuous. I introduced the simple past ending in -ed.

Summary:
- sentence parts
- nouns/adjectives and verbs having the same form: cold, clean, smile, rain, taste etc. > exercises
- s: third person for most verbs in simple present
- -ing- ending, progressive form of verbs > oral exercises
- -ed. simple past of regular verbs, -y > -ied.
- spelling and pronunciation exercises; importance of knowing how to spell words: wait, weight, made, maid etc,
- short number exercises: inhabitants in various countries: Germany, Sweden, France, England...
- English in Germany; is Germany anglicized? I asked them to find out English words or expressions in daily German: Mc. Clean, Subway, kids, family, Payback, PayTV, callgirl, dealer, Toaster, etc....
- logistics English: terms regarding logistics: packing, storing, planning, shipping, waybill, loading, unloading, requests, inquiries, directions, descriptions etc.
- translation of short logistics texts and other sentences.

I repeated some grammar aspects as you suggested, but it is not enough yet. They need more practice. Anyway, they are not in an intensive English course.

Regards,

Roberto
_________________
Graduate Management Admission Test
GMAT Preparation & GMAT Vocabulary
Learn more about: Roberto Enrique Steffens Villarreal

[Torsten]

Hi Roberto,

Thanks a lot for your update. How did the classes last week go? Also, what books or texts did you use?

Regards,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Roberto]

Hi, Torsten,

thanks for your e-mail too. Well, I think the D-class is making progress. One of them wished the would have a more intensive English course.
Here are some of the topics I covered in the last two sessions:

- structural grammar in English (compared with German): e.g.:
- adjectives: important adj. , opposites, some synonyms, comparative and superlative forms.
- adverbs: specially, adverbs of frequency and their position in a typical English sentence
- verbs: repetition of the basic verbs: to be, to have, modal verbs, their importance in daily speech: can/could, must, have to , shall/should, will/would etc...; regular verbs in the present tenses and past tenses; some irregular verbs in the present and past tenses. They still need more practice with the irregular verbs and the past tense(s). The verb form: I would like to...(I'd like to) among others.
- numerals: cardinal numbers. We practised long numbers together with population numbers of several known countries.
- nouns: how the can change: plural e.g. How we can learn them. Important noun fields: days of the week, colours, months, countries, seasons, family, food, means of transportation, some animals, flowers, clothes etc.
- prepositions: important prep. usage: on/to/at/by, before, after
- general texts and specialized text: "Logistics" > some essential vocab regarding logistics (shipping, loading, list, unloading, delivery, offer, truck etc...): we read some short logistics texts
- word position in a sentence
- we played cards to learn or brush up the basic English vocab, then we played other games: tops and tails, association games etc.
- we did brainstorming exercises every time we met.
- listening understanding: the pupils listened to a relatively easy text (e.g. Having breakfast, going on a boat trip, ordering something etc. ). Then I asked them some relevant questions and had them write short sentences on the whiteboard.
- frequent spelling and pronunciation exercises

The books and other teaching material I used in the class are e.g. copies of the English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy, copies of a English teaching material for logistics students, Grammar in Laughter, English game cards and last but not least English test-net links.

Regards

Roberto
_________________
Graduate Management Admission Test
GMAT Preparation & GMAT Vocabulary
Learn more about: Roberto Enrique Steffens Villarreal

[Roberto]

Hi, dear English-trainers,

I started a new English-course in Delitzsch two days before Easter. It consists of a group of women again who have different English levels, some of them could be considered as absolute beginners, whereas the rest possesses basic English knowledge that needs refreshing. That is why I started out with the alphabet. They learned the important English sounds in comparison with the German language. Here is a summary of the important aspects covered on Wednesday and Thursday:
- important English sounds: th. Words containing this sound can be often compared to d-words in German: that = das; the = der, die, das; thing = Ding, think = denken etc.
- wh-words: question-words: who, where, which, when, why...False friends wo and where? > Wer und wo?
- lots of oral exercises regarding pronunciation and spelling patterns; question-words
- the verb "to be". I made them clear that they have an advantage when learning English, since they have to memorize less verb endings if compared to the effort English-speakers would make when learning German. The verb "sein" in German has in the present tense more endings than the correspondent English one: "bin", "bist" "ist" "sind" and "seid" versus "am", "are" "is". They learned that this is the "most" irregular verb, the verb with the most changes. Regarding other verbs, it is more simple.
- simple dialogues in the group: identity, origin, favourite colour, favourite dish; counting things in the class
- learning new vocab. Techniques, mnemonics, brainstorming, mindmapping, repetition, playing with words (e.g: carpet: car + pet; psychotherapist: Psycho the rapist < Grammar in Laughter). What should we learn first? We labelled objects in the classroom and practised these words in different simple sentences. Etymology tricks (th =d; y = g; w = g; oa, o > ei; i > ei; d = t; t = s, ss, ß, z; p = ff, f, pf; k = ch etc. ) We collected a list of very useful words that follow these conversion rules: thing, day, follow, soap, stone, fine, do, eat, forget, two, it, open, up, make e.g.
- I had them point at the different labelled objects and ask the question: What is this? What is that? Then we learned important adjectives: cheap, expensive, long, short etc...Plural form of the nouns: -s (-es follows later).
- personal pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they. Simple present tense: ending -s, -es (3. person singular).
- the present continuous form of verbs: -ing-form. Every pupil was assigned an activity they should perform in the classroom: drink, eat, learn, read, write, listen, repeat, speak etc. Then someone in the class asked the question: What is she doing? She is drinking e.g. or: directly: what are you doing?
- some thematic vocabulary: colours, weather, countries, languages, food, drinks, classroom.

Sources uses in the class: Grammar in Laughter, Internet, English-test-net, English Grammar in Use by Murphy

I wish all of you a pleasant Easter Sunday and Monday.

Regards,

Roberto
_________________
Graduate Management Admission Test
GMAT Preparation & GMAT Vocabulary
Learn more about: Roberto Enrique Steffens Villarreal

[Roberto]

Hi, everyone,
I would like to update you on the last lessons given to the new D-class. As I said in a previous update, the group consists of women of different age and English language skill levels. A great part of them are still beginners. In my opinion, this class is more motivated than the older one. I wanted to give the beginners the feeling that English is somehow familiar to them. That is why I had them look for words and expressions ever heard, read, spoken or used in the German language. We found out such words as „subway, headset, body, legging, bed and breakfast, hot dog, receiver, family, kids, payback card, hardware, software, keyboard, computer, body guard, shopping, bestseller, etc“. I had them also find out some famous song titles. Result, among other songs: „Sunshine Reggae, Sign Your Name, My Name is Luca, Born in the USA, Dressed for Success, Join the Joyride, Brothers in Arms, Telling Lies, Money for Nothing, The Wall, etc“… This exercise was really motivating, because the „older“ part of the beginners was able to remember a lot of English sounds in a pleasant way. Then I had them spell the single words that came up in the mentioned songs and classify them into the different parts of the speech: verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, articles, prepositions, nouns etc… I would like to summarize some of the essentials aspects:
- Spelling new words, pronunciation patterns, such as: /KaiK/ time, fine, mine, line, like, i.e. series of words with a similar word structure. Other examples: /KouK/: alone, stone, phone, vote, note, wrote etc…
- Essential grammar: simple present, 3.Person singular in –s, -es. Use of this tense in comparison with the progressive present tense (to be + –ing). We practised the latter tense by answering the question „what are you doing now“? The techniques used in the class were based on „learning by doing“ + mimic. Each pupil got an object, such as a pencil, a glass, a letter or a radio and then the above-mentioned question was asked in the class. Answers: I am drinking. This question-and-answer session was able to be continued and enhanced: What are you drinking? I’m drinking water. Etc
- Practice of some grammar patterns: Have you ever + participle?; do you like (noun, -ing-form of a verb)?, would you like to….(verb)? , where is your…(noun)?, what colour is the (noun)? etc..
- First introduction of the past tense (-ed, regular forms) in short simple business texts: money, means of payment, earning Money, getting a job.
- Personal pronouns (subject forms)
- Articles: the, a, an. Pronunciation
- How to enrich your vocabulary: learning techniques, memory tricks, rhyming word activities, crossword puzzles, mind mapping, brainstorming.
- Semantic fields: countries, important cities, nationalities, languages, currencies, EU-countries, English-speaking countries, shopping, shops, post, restaurant, cinema, theatre, food, fruits and vegetables, parts of the body, family, some animals, colours, money, clothes, classroom.
- We watched a video on last Friday in the afternoon: Ireland

All in all, the class is making more and more progress, but especially the beginners need special care.

More details on this new class will be coming soon.

Regards,

Roberto
_________________
Graduate Management Admission Test
GMAT Preparation & GMAT Vocabulary
Learn more about: Roberto Enrique Steffens Villarreal

[Torsten]

Hi Roberto,

Many thanks for your great work and your detailed updates. I really appreciate the effort you have been putting into these classes and I know your students appreciate it too. Can you please tell me how much English you use with that particular class? I mean do you give instructions and explanations in German or in English? I'm asking because I'll be working with that group (Luftfracht) on June 3 and 4.

By the way, what do you think about this: Pronunciation of Guillermo Arduino?

Muchas Gracias,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Roberto]

Hi, Torsten,

thanks for you mail. "Muchas gracias también a ti". The instructions I generally give are often half in English and half in German. I usually ask them and have them do things in English, I write the sentences down on the whiteboard and in many cases I translate them into German, specially when I notice the information has not come over. This surely depends on the group.
But I have warned them to use more English in the class, since this is basically the opportunity for them to speak more intensively with the other participants and to get rid of the possible mistakes they usually make. It also depends on the time during the class. There are moments when they are more receptive to English, and they listen, respond or react with more attention then. One of my primary goals is to train them to be more self-assured whenever they use English, e.g., they should not be afraid of using English (old and new words etc..) in order to say something, to ask, to comment, etc. not only in the class. And the more they practise it in different ways or situations, the more natural and spontaneous it will get as times goes on.

Regards,

Roberto
_________________
Graduate Management Admission Test
GMAT Preparation & GMAT Vocabulary
Learn more about: Roberto Enrique Steffens Villarreal

[Roberto]

Hello, Torsten,

I would like to summarize today's English lesson:

First of all, we used a book called "250 Tests" by Frank E.Callies. The participants like this book, specially because it contains lots of pictures and colours and the vocabulary is well-structured, classified according to very important topics of conversation and provided with a lot of practical exercises. The topics covered today, partially a repetition, were:

- animals: singular and plural forms + spelling these words in English + pronunciation drills; question word "where" + verb to be in the present tense. At the zoo. The demonstrative pronoun "this" in singular + articles a/an. Differences between a and an.
- nationalities, countries, languages, age, flags: spelling + pronunciation exercises. Interesting information on the 27 EU-countries (member states). Practising colours: The colours of different European and non-European countries. I asked the participants in the class to find out what they associate with some chosen countries. Results, among other things: France + Eiffel Tower, Renault, Peugeot, Paris etc...or England, London, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Thames, Heathrow Airport; Japan: Tokyo, sushi, Ainu, sake, Toyota Motor Corporation etc. , Russia: Pelmeni, Moscow, Pyotr Ilyitsch Tchaikovski, Vodka, Gorbatchov, Kremlin and Red Square etc. ; a further exercise consisted in choosing a fictive nationality. Every participant pretended to be somebody else with a new identity. Then the participants had to introduce themselves, with a different typical name and describe the colours of the flag of her/his country. We asked questions regarding age, marital status, favourite dish, famous people from this country etc.
- Grammar: Asking questions with and without auxiliaries do/does/did; negative sentences: isn't, aren't, don't, doesn't, can't, hasn't, haven't. The verb "to like". Question words: how, what, where, who, why, when. Plural forms
- numbers: population, specially of EU-countries. These numbers were read aloud in the class.
- some adjectives: colours, old, young, large, big, small etc.
- a video about New York City.

Regards and have fun with them next week!
Have a nice Whitsuntide!

Roberto
_________________
Graduate Management Admission Test
GMAT Preparation & GMAT Vocabulary
Learn more about: Roberto Enrique Steffens Villarreal

[Torsten]

Hi Roberto,

Can you please do me a favour and send me a copy of any handouts or photocopies you have given to the group(s)? This will help us work as a team rather than separate individuals. Also, how did the group get "250 Tests" -- did they buy it themselves?

As for the book, maybe it makes sense to agree on what books and materials we use and suggest before we start the course?

Many thanks,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Roberto]

Hi, Torsten,

I'll send you the copies as soon as I can. The "250 Tests" is a book the participants fell in love with right at the beginning of the course. As some of them had a look at the book, they asked me why we could not use it in the class. Even the other class was envious, because they didn't have the book. I asked Mrs. H then, and she agreed on buying them. Mrs. H needs an official invoice for the 14 books (aprox. 140 Euros).

The pupils don't have to pay for them. I said to the class I can buy them in Leipzig, so I did this favour for them, bought them and carried the books from Leipzig to the D-class. I haven't received any money yet, because Mrs. H needs a new invoice (with AFI as the recipient). I can go back to the bookshop and ask for a new invoice that should be addressed to Mrs H. Otherwise, our English-team can make out the new invoice. I have kept the old one. I can send you a copy too, if you wish.

Please don't think I don't incorporate the english-test-net materials into the class, I usually do it, all the more so since we share very similar ideas. Did you meet the new class (Nina, Elena, Eva, Manuela, Elvira, Ilona, Sandra, Janina, Anne etc..) yesterday?

Have a nice day and regards!

Roberto
_________________
Graduate Management Admission Test
GMAT Preparation & GMAT Vocabulary
Learn more about: Roberto Enrique Steffens Villarreal

[Torsten]

Hi Roberto,

Thanks a lot for sharing your information with me. Yes, I met the group today and will be working with them tomorrow again. We reviewed the alphabet, the personal pronouns, the question words and some other basics.

As for the book, maybe we can find something even more appropriate for the group next time? "250 Tests" is great but was designed for small school kids. It contains pictures of toys, animals and little children. Since our groups are preparing to work at DHL we might want to use some materials that reflect their current situation.

Let me know what you think.
Regards,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary