Unit 13 Integrated Skills
Teaching objectives
By the end of the lesson, students should be
able to:
 know how to integrate the four skills
 know the implications of integrating the
four skills for teaching
 know the limitations of integrating the four
skills
Teaching contents
1. Why should we
integrate the four skills?
 2. How can we integrate
the four skills?
 3. What are the
implications for teaching?
 4. What are the limitations
of integrating the four
skills ?

1. Why should we integrate
the four skills?
When we communicate, we often use more
than a single language skill. Integrating the
skills allows you build in more variety into
the lesson because the range of activities
will be wider. Integrating the skills means
that you are working at the level of realistic
communication, not just at the level of
vocabulary and sentence patterns.
2. How can we integrate the four
skills?
 Simple
integration:
The easiest form of integration is within the
same medium (either oral or written), from
receptive to productive skills.

Complex integration:
This involves constructing a series of
activities that use a variety of skills. In each of
the activities, there is realistic, communicative
use of language.
3. What are the implications for
teaching?
Focus on discourse
That integration of the four skills is
concerned with realistic communication
means that we are teaching at the
discourse level, not just at the level of
sentences or individual words and phrases.
 Adjusting the textbook contents
 Adjusting the timetable

4. What are the limitations of
integrating the four skills?
Integrating the four language skills can be
demanding of the teacher. We need to have a
good understanding of discourse, and to be
able to use textbooks flexibly. This can also be
time-consuming, requiring a lot of preparation.
Another limitation is the problem of designing
suitable materials that take account of students'
different skill levels.
Thank you