Material Workshop
Material Workshop
ISUS Criteria
Material Workshop
Syllabus
Levels:
Units:
Each language has 9 levels (L1 - L9).
Each level is composed of the following units:
Levels 1 and 2 have 10 units (for now)
Levels 3-9 have 20 units
One unit takes between 2 hours and 2 hours 10 minutes to
complete
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Activities
Activities: Each unit contains 5 different activities, each
pertaining to a specific activity type category.
Grammar
Vocabulary (introduced via Listening or Reading)
General Speaking
Business Speaking
Writing
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Grammar
The composition of the activity includes:
 an explanation of the grammar point and
 interactive exercise(s)
 A couple of discussion points or oral means of practicing the
grammar point in case the teacher should choose to assign this as a
telephone class.
Length: The activity should take the student 30 minutes to
complete
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Vocabulary (introduced by Listening or Reading)
The composition of the activity includes:
An introduction to the vocabulary to be covered in a text that the
student is intended to read or in a listening activity that the student
is intended to listen to.
Interactive exercise(s)
If you remove words from the text to create a fill-in the blank
activity, you must have the full text in the teachers notes.
All listening activities must have the full script written out so
that it may later be recorded
A couple of discussion points or oral means of practicing the
vocabulary in case the teacher should choose to assign this as a
telephone class.
Material Workshop
General Speaking
The composition of the activity includes a discussion or role-play
topic related to General language that is to be carried out in the
telephone class. You can see an example attached. There should
ALWAYS be one role play and one discussion in each unit. It is up
to you which you want to be general and which business.
Length: The activity should take the student and teacher 30
minutes to complete.
Material Workshop
Business Speaking
The composition of the activity includes a discussion or role-play
topic related to Business language that is to be carried out in the
telephone class. You can see an example attached. There should
ALWAYS be one role play and one discussion in each unit. It is up
to you which you want to be general and which business.
Length: The activity should take the student and teacher 30
minutes to complete.
Material Workshop
Writing
The composition of the activity includes:
An e-mail, a letter, an article etc written by the developer which is
related to the material covered in the unit with exercises. This is
NOT a free writing activity for the students. Typically the exercise
would be one of the following
 Ordering the sentences to make a complete e-mail
 Spotting the mistakes
 Fill in the gaps with two choices.
Length: The activity should take the student 10 minutes to
complete.
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Types of exercise
Matching
Order the words to make a phrase/sentence/question/etc.,
Order sentences to make a conversation/ letter/monologue/etc.
Multiple choice
True & False
Gap fill
Identify and correct the error
Classification/Categorizing
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Copyright Law
If the material is for language learning purposes:
The material / website can be something that you have paid for
(i.e. purchased a textbook, or subscribed to on the web) or free
(many websites are free sites for teachers).
Examples: www.esl.about.com, www.bbc.co.uk (the sections of the web that are
for language learning)
Can it be used?
Yes. BUT 50% of the material must be modified.
Material Workshop
Copyright Law
If the material is NOT for language learning purposes:
Material / website for informative purposes: news, culture,
personal development, hobbies, travel, etc.
Examples: Newspapers, magazines, journals: : The Financial Times, The
Economist, CNN, Reuters, etc; www.bbc.co.uk (only sections that are not for
language learning, i.e. articles by category: history, travel, questionnaires, etc.)
Can it be used?
YES. And it is not necessary to modify the material.
Do I cite the source?: Yes, and in this format:
Accredited source: http://www.bbc.co.uk
Year of the copyrighted material if it appears: 2010
Date when you extracted it for your use: 03/09/2011
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Group Speaking Activity
STRUCTURE
0-5 minutes
Outline Objectives/Warm-up engagement
1. Objectives should be taken from ISUS activities
2. Warm up activity should be fun and simple and should quickly involve each and every
participant, including the teacher.
5- 15 minutes
Topic discussion
3. This could include a BRIEF reading or text and some discussion questions which will prepare the
students for the rest of the material in the class.
15- 25 minutes
Controlled language practice
4. The language should be taken from the grammar and/vocabulary activities from the ISUS unit.
The examples used should relate to the class topic. Have clear language aim. Design activities which
will drill language focus and which will involve all student participants. If necessary include
language focus.
25 - 50 minutes
Case study/roleplays
5. The topic should be taken from the ISUS unit (comprehension, speaking or follow up activities).
Design activity so that all students can fully participate.
50 – 60 minutes
Error correction and feedback
6. Error correction and feedback
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Unit Structure
6.01
6.01G - Review of future forms
6.01RC - My job
6.01S - Working as a team
6.01V - Formal introductions
6.01W - A good boss is…
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Activity structure
0-5 minutes
5- 15 minutes
15- 25 minutes
25 - 50 minutes
50 – 60 minutes
Outline Objectives/Warm-up engagement
Objectives: Talking about your job, your boss and colleagues.
Introductions and socializing
Icebreaker: The Magic wand
Topic discussion
What makes a good boss?
My ideal job?
Read article and discuss the questions
Controlled language practice
Question and answer drilling re. job
Case study and Role-plays: Selling your job
Error correction and feedback
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Warm-up engagement
Warm-up game – The Magic Wand
You have just found a magic wand that allows you to change three work
related activities. You can change anything you want. How would you
change yourself, your job, your boss, coworkers, an important project,
etc.? Why it is important to make the change?
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Topic discussion
Read the text and discuss the questions below as a group.
‘Finding a career that best fits your personality profile may be a factor to
consider when thinking about professional success. Far too often, people
start out on career paths for the wrong reasons, mainly taking a job "while
they figure out what they want to do" and never moving on. Being at a
crossroads in your life and not knowing which road leads many of us to a
ditch which we find difficult to climb out of. People who excel in their
careers are usually highly motivated and energized by their jobs. They wake
up in the morning eager to get to work because their career lets them take
advantage of the natural preferences and strengths of their personality.
Their job is not a chore to be endured but a vehicle to exercise their talents.
They achieve the most important of things in job satisfaction: "a fit" with
who they are.’
Do you agree with that some jobs fit a certain personality?
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Topic discussion (II)
What personality types do you associate with the following jobs?
A Doctor
A P.A.
An account manager
A HR manager
A Policeman
A project manager
A designer
An engineer
Do you think your job fits your personality? Why / Why not?
Do you prefer a structured environment, or is a variety of tasks more important?
Do you thrive in crisis situations and work better under pressure?
Would you rather work primarily by yourself, or as a member of a team?
Are you a big-picture thinker, or do you excel in making sure all the details of a job are
completed?
What do you think your ideal job would be?
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Controlled language practice
Short Q&A
Work in a group taking it in turns to ask and answer the following questions.
Use the key sentences below in the example.
What is your job?
How did you end up in your job?
How long have you been in your job?
What does your job involve?
What do you most enjoy about your job?
What is the most challenging part of your job?
I am a Training Manager. I started out working as a consultant for a different
company and ran specialized courses. I saw the advertisement for training manager
and came for an interview and got the job. I have been working here for 3 years now.
It mainly involves identifying what our employees’ needs in terms of training and
setting up courses for them. I really enjoy seeing people flourish as they learn new
sets of skills. Managing the budget and telling people that we can’t afford to send
them on courses.
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Case Study and Roleplay
Situation: You are at a team-building conference.
Challenge 1 – Mingle around the coffee machine
Make a note of your favorite topic for socializing. Eg. The weather, clothes, music,
books, work etc. Your trainer will choose someone to kick-off and then you should
take it in turns in speaking.
Trainer: Lovely day, isn’t it?
Student 1. Oh yes, the weather here is so hot. In Berlin it was cold this mornig
Student 2. How was your flight?
Student 3. It was fine. I had to get up early though. How was yours?
Material Workshop
Case Study and Roleplay (II)
Challenge 2 – My ideal job
You have been asked to make a short presentation on your job as you have
nominated it as ‘the ideal job’. You can invent a job but it does have to sound like it
could be a real job!
Make a list of the positive points of your job.
e.g. fun, challenging, exciting, varied, work with lots of people, learn a lot, a lot of
socializing involved, important, take big decisions etc
Make a list of the positive points about working for your company.
Flexible working hours, possibility of working from home, great atmosphere, no closed
offices, great benefits and perks.
Recommend your job to a personality type
Would suit someone who is creative, meticulous, organized, funny, hard-working, likes
working under pressure.
Give a short presentation. Everyone will vote for the job that most appeals to them
and explain why.
Material Workshop
Template
TITLE:
OBJECTIVE:
TRAINER NOTES: (This should always be in red)
ACTIVITY: <presentation here>
EXERCISE 1
INSTRUCTIONS:
[all possible answers in green]
Exercise type: ?
(EXERCISE 2—OPTIONAL)
INSTRUCTIONS:
[all possible answers in green]
Exercise type: ?