Analysis of published material.

University Degree Education and Teaching

Asifa Nazia Iqbal

TEFL Part 1 210LAE

Coursework Assignment 1: Materials analysis

Part 1: Analysis of published material

What level of ability is the material intended for: beginners, intermediate or advanced?

The level of the pupils I intend to create material is going to be for beginners as the level of English has to be basic and it should motivate the pupils, rather than confuse them.

Identify the three elements Engage, Study and Activate, and the order/pattern they come in. If you think one is missing, say so.

The three elements of engage, study and activate are available in the text this will be introduced to the pupils in the sequence of study by means of reading the text. Engage is reflected when the pupil will answer the questions, understand it and feel part of the story, in addition activate will also occur when they use their literacy skills. The discussion activity will engage and activate the pupil, and finally the listening activity will involve all three. For all the three elements to be present it is important t note that motivation is also needed.

Answer these questions in detail:

What does the materials writer intend students to do before reading the text, and why?

In the text before us the writer intends to give various information to the reader. This is reflected in the way that the writer has kept his sentences short, brief and to the point. The questions indicate this as they are also short and to the point. This is as; the writer wants the reader to find the main factors about the actual characters. The reason for this focus can be related to everyday life, as informative information is provided to us from a very young age to help us develop. An example of this can be found in instructions dancing games which are made for playstations. They follow the instructions which appear on the screen and follow the dance routine accordingly. This was an example of how simple instructions can be followed. In addition to this, instructions can be found on toys, which a child is expected to read and follow. Therefore the reason as to why the author of this material is asking questions before the reader reads the text is for the purpose of understanding the text fully. A factor to keep in mind is that the pupils are going to have basic knowledge it may not be in English but the purpose is to build on communication skills, speaking and listening, literacy skills, and the importance of discussion’s so that they feel comfortable in speaking and most importantly reading.

How many times are students expected to read the text? On each reading, how will they read, and with what purpose?

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How many times are students expected to read the text? On each reading, how will they read, and with what purpose?

On the first reading I would read the text with them and make them aware that they have to use their listening skills rather than hearing skills. Then I will ask relevant questions, (which would be open ended rather than single worded to see if they have understood the text, if they haven’t they need to re-read the text possibly in pairs. The purpose is so that they understand, and gain extra knowledge, then they can mix in a discussion about the text, and gain extra knowledge. The second reading itself will be a basic skim reading, for them to grasp the concept of the text, to understand what issues are involved. The third reading I would ask them to read it carefully so that what they have learnt and understood from the previous reading and they start to interlink the two readings together, and also start applying the questions and keep them in mind whilst reading the text. . Finally, I would suggest that they read the text a fourth time, and in this reading, start making notes on the questions that have been asked from them. And if needed read the text one last time just to check that the answers that they have are correct. The reason for this many readings is that the reader then is building up their knowledge of the text and aren’t bombarded with information, which can confuse them.

Look at the ‘comprehension’ questions in detail. What do you think is the point of EACH question? Another way of putting it: what does a learner have to do in order to answer each question, and what will they learn from it?

For the first question they would have to read the first introductory and bio-data paragraph. Here they will discover the fundamental knowledge such as what he looks like, and who he is. Therefore, building a picture in their minds of what he is actually like. Question B asks his age. The text itself does not actually provide his age, however, we are told, in his bio data that he is married has been through university, but the most important factor is that he is nearing the age of retirement, which to me would suggest that he is nearing the age of 65. The reason as to why we are not actually given his age is so that the reader is not only reading but actually understanding what is written and reflecting this in the answers that they provide.

Question c, asks how Mr Sithole obtained the $5 million. This can be found in the section which is nature of business. It could be that this figure has been set at this amount to reflect the seriousness of the case, and how important his job actually is. question D is asking where the money is now, the reason for this question is so that the student understands the process that the characters are going through. Where the money came from, where it is now and finally what will happen to the money(as reflected in question E).

Here I can see a pattern emerging; this is that each question itself unknowingly is giving more and more detail about the person in question. Which then sets a picture in the reader’s mind, such as what his lifestyle is, what he wears, and what he drivers? Therefore, at the moment what the pupil is learning more about Mr. Sithole. This pattern carries on thought the remaining questions so the above mentioned purpose still stands. The purpose is to set a picture of the characters in question.

What other activities are included in the section, and how do they relate to the reading text?

The activities that are involved here are the listening skills that are needed, an also the discussion forum that arises. The listening skills give the pupils more insight into the actual issues at hand. It asking what the differences between the scripts they hear and the text they are given. This makes them not only listen but hear and understand and then relate it to the text in question. Which in return is making them think, which is a key issue when a listening exercise is given. The discussion exercise’s gives the pupils authority this is a engage activity, which gives them more authority which means that it’s more enjoyable for them and so they learn more. In addition, being in a similar situation they understand the position that Mr. Sithole is in.

What opportunities does this material include for learning vocabulary?

Part 2 of the reading exercise is all about learning vocabulary. This as it rearranges phrases and then asks the students to find the relevant phrase that is in the text. This is a good way of giving pupils a wider range of vocabulary.

Are there any particular grammar points which the author wants students to study?

The writer has not asked the students to study any particular grammar points. He has asked the students to look at the text as a whole to find different ways of saying words and phrases. He has also asked them to think about key words and how they interlink with one another, these skills do have a general grammar context, yet no great emphasis is based on grammar itself.

Part 2: Create your own reading tasks.

An 82 year old man who shot a burglar who was trying to break into his allotment shed was ordered to pay him £4000 in damages yesterday. Ted Newbury has been sleeping in the shed to try to stop vandals destroying his allotment. He fired through the hole in a door when he heard voices outside. Mark Revil, 28, was hit in the chest and the arm by 50 shotgun pellets as he and another man tried to smash their way into the shed. They had gone there to steal, knowing that the pensioner had a television set and a washing machine in the shed.

Mr Newbury had slept in the shed every night for four years because of vandalism, the court was told by the defence. That night, he heard a loud banging on the door, and a voice saying ‘if the old man’s in there, we’ll do him.’ He was obviously terrified, and fired the gun in self-defence. As a result of the incident, Mr Revil lost two fingers, and has partially lost the use of one arm.

Mr Justice Rougier ruled that Mr Newbury had acted out of all proportion to the threat. He had not acted in panic, but had planned his response in advance, and it had been reckless to shoot the shotgun through a hole in the door, while not being able to see what he was shooting at.

Mr Justice Rougier awarded Revil £4000 for his injuries and loss of earnings. The judgement caused an immediate public outcry. Tim Malloney, the Mayor of Erewash, launched an appeal to raise money to pay Mr Newbury’s bill, and started the fund with a contribution of £100. Since then, money has been pouring in from all over the country. A London restaurateur was one of the dozens to call The Times to express his anger over the affair. Husseyin Ozer, 42, said he would sell his Rolex watch to pay the award. ‘I am outraged. The old saying that an Englishman’s home is his castle does not seem to be true anymore,’ he said.

I will handout this newspaper article to the students. However, in order to engage them in this task I will cut this article into different sections and ask them to put them in what they think is the correct order, in pairs. The reason for this task to be set out like this is so that the pupils actually understand the clipping and not just read it. First I will ask them to read to sections, just briefly so that they have an overview of what the situation is. Before I ask them to put the article in the correct order I will hand the students this list of questions which will help them in understanding the article more, and therefore, there will be a higher chance of them putting the article in the correct order.

What is the name of the burglar, and how old is he?
For what period of time did Mr Newbury sleep in the allotment?
What did Mr Justice Rougier rule in this case and why?
What was the result of the ruling?
What is the old saying that Mr Husseyin Ozer uses?

For vocabulary to be learnt, and practised I have used different words, and phrases in my comprehension question than what is provided in the article.

After the students have completed this task I will then ask them using their answers and what they read and understood to put the different sections of the article in the order that they think is correct. The students may or may not realise that the questions that I have set, set out the order in which the article is. So that if they have completed the task correctly they will find it easier to put the article together. Finally I will bring the class together and go through the correct answers and the order of the newspaper article.