Basic English Language Skills
A Handbook
Prepared by,
Dr. Nehal Ali
Assistant Professor
Majmaah University
I Reading Skills:
Students do not automatically transfer the strategies they use when
reading in their native language to reading in a language they are
learning. Instead, they seem to think reading means starting at the
beginning and going word by word, stopping to look up every unknown
vocabulary item, until they reach the end. When they do this, students are
relying exclusively on their linguistic knowledge, a bottom-up strategy.
One of the most important functions of the language instructor, then, is to
help students move past this idea and use top-down strategies as they do
in their native language. Give example from your teaching experience.
Most Important subskills:
Skimming:
Reading through a text quickly to get an overall idea of the contents; that
is, the gist of the passage. For example, before buying a book we glance
quickly at the cover page, the reviewer’s comments on the back cover
(also called book jacket), the contents page, etc., to get a general idea of
its contents.
Scanning:
Searching quickly for a specific piece of information or a particular word.
For example, when looking up a word in a dictionary, an address in a
directory or the flight arrival schedule of a particular flight, we do not
read entire pages or passages. We search for the keywords or ideas
because we know what we are looking for. Scanning involves moving our
eyes quickly down the page seeking specific words and phrases.
Strategies to develop students' reading skill:

Previewing: reviewing titles, section headings, and photo captions
to get a sense of the structure and content of a reading selection

Predicting: using knowledge of the subject matter to make
predictions about content and vocabulary and check
comprehension; using knowledge of the text type and purpose to
make predictions about discourse structure; using knowledge about
the author to make predictions about writing style, vocabulary, and
content

Skimming and scanning: using a quick survey of the text to get the
main idea, identify text structure, confirm or question predictions

Guessing from context: using prior knowledge of the subject and
the ideas in the text as clues to the meanings of unknown words,
instead of stopping to look them up

Paraphrasing: stopping at the end of a section to check
comprehension by restating the information and ideas in the text
Instructors can help students learn when and how to use reading strategies
in several ways.

By modeling the strategies aloud, talking through the processes of
previewing, predicting, skimming and scanning, and paraphrasing.
This shows students how the strategies work and how much they
can know about a text before they begin to read word by word.

By allowing time in class for group and individual previewing and
predicting activities as preparation for in-class or out-of-class
reading. Allocating class time to these activities indicates their
importance and value.

By using cloze (fill in the blank) exercises to review vocabulary
items. This helps students learn to guess meaning from context.

By encouraging students to talk about what strategies they think
will help them approach a reading assignment, and then talking
after reading about what strategies they actually used. This helps
students develop flexibility in their choice of strategies.
Reading Assessment Techniques:

Reading comprehension – These are the most common forms of
published reading tests available. Commonly, a reading
comprehension test comprises of the child being made to read a small
text passage, and then the child is asked a few detailed questions
related to the text. However, there are certain variations to this kind of
reading assessment. For instance, instead of being asked detailed
questions, the child can be asked to answer certain inferential
questions which have to be read –in-between-the-lines in the text
passage. Another common reading comprehension assessment is the
‘cloze’ task, wherein words are purposefully omitted from the passage
and the child will be asked to fill in the blanks with the appropriate
words.
Peer review activity 1: someone writes and the other reads quickly to
skim the text.

Language Comprehension – Language comprehension can be
measured in the same way that you would assess reading
comprehension. However, with language comprehension, the child
will not be asked to read any text. From the instructions to the
questions, everything will be verbally presented to the child. It is wise
to compare a child’s reading comprehension with his language
comprehension to make sure that he understands the text both ways.

Decoding – Oral reading is another form of decoding assessment, but
it isn’t a very ‘clean’ assessment. Most of the time, children tend to
guess words that are based on the text or clues that are provided by
pictures. This way, the difficulties within the child’s guesses are
plainly visible and their difficulties in decoding are revealed.
However, sometimes the child guesses correctly and so the teacher
will believe that the child decoded the word. Decoding is typically
done by measuring the child’s ability to read words out of the context.
Activity: try to guess the meaning of the words "quite" and "quiet"
from reading different sentences to students.
II Writing Skills:
1. Writing skills help the learner gain independence , comprehensibility
, fluency and creativity in writing. Writing skills are specific abilities
which help writers put their thoughts into words in a meaningful form
and to mentally interact with the message. Writers gain creativity
when they can write their own ideas, not copying what has already
been written, so that they can be read and understood.
Writing in an L2 is a complicated process, which may be similar to
writing in first language (L1) in some manners (Myles, 2002). Research
also shows whereas external variables can directly affect the writing style
and performance (Ballard & Clancy 1991; Lantolf, 2008), the effective
underlying factors considered in writing assessment have not exceeded a
handful such as vocabulary, grammar, cohesion, and coherence (Leiki,
2008; Ferris, 2002).
Writing sub skills:
Criterion (sub-skill)
Description and elements
1) presentation of ideas, opinions, and
information
2) aspects of accurate and effective
paragraphing
3) elaborateness of details
4) use of different and complex ideas
and efficient arrangement
5) keeping the focus on the main theme
of the prompt
6) understanding the tone and genre of
the prompt
Arrangement of Ideas
7) demonstration of cultural competence
and Examples (AIE)
1) range, accuracy, and appropriacy of
coherence-makers (transitional words
and/or phrases)
2) using logical pronouns and
conjunctions to connect ideas and/or
Communicative
Quality (CQ) or
Coherence and
Cohesion (CC)
sentences
3) logical sequencing of ideas by use of
transitional words
4) the strength of conceptual and
referential linkage of sentences/ideas
1) using appropriate, topic-related and
correct vocabulary (adjectives, nouns,
verbs, prepositions, articles, etc.),
idioms, expressions, and collocations
2) correct spelling, punctuation, and
capitalization (the density and
communicative effect of errors in
spelling and the density and
communicative effect of errors in word
formation (Shaw & Taylor, 2008, p. 44))
3) appropriate and correct syntax
(accurate use of verb tenses and
independent and subordinate clauses)
4) avoiding use of sentence fragments
and fused sentences
5) appropriate and accurate use of
Sentence Structure
synonyms and antonyms
Vocabulary (SSV)
Specific Strategies for Improving Student Writing Skills:
These strategies are organised according to the order in which an
academic might implement them. Following each strategy is a word that
describes whether the strategy targets motivation, instruction, practice, or
feedback.
1. Emphasise to students that good writing skills are important, both to
their satisfactory completion of the unit and to their future careers.
Encourage students to improve their writing skills. (Motivation)
2. Provide students with an anecdote about the implications of
substandard writing or the value of good writing. For example, you may
talk about a job candidate who missed selection due to his or her poor
writing. (Motivation)
3. Read aloud quality writing done by a former student, and encourage
students to listen to its flow. With the permission of the writer, name and
praise him or her. (Motivation, Instruction)
Activity: ask students to write and do peer review and let them choose the
best piece of writing.
4. Encourage students to pay close attention to the grammar and
punctuation they see in textbooks and other books and articles, as well as
in any sample paper. (Instruction)
5. Encourage students to complete a writing unit, such as ENCO 100 (
course code for The Craft of Academic Writing) at the University of New
England (UNE). (Instruction)
6. Refer students to writing skills web sites. UNE's Academic Skills
Office provides useful fact sheets. (Instruction)
7. Explain to students that certain writing skills are fundamental to almost
all types of writing, but there are also purpose-specific writing skills and
styles. (Instruction)
8. Tell students: With practice and feedback on performance, writing
becomes better. Learning most complex skills involves many attempts;
students need not feel discouraged if they are not instantly accomplished
writers in a specific genre. Once a certain level of skill has been reached,
the process of writing becomes increasingly enjoyable. (Motivation)
9. Describe to students the process you use to write journal articles and
reports and how using the process benefits you. This process might
include starting with an outline, completing several drafts of the
document, checking the writing against the requirements, and asking
another individual to proofread the document. (Motivation, Instruction)
10. Give students handouts containing important writing rules. "The
Writer's Workplace" by Sandra and John Scarry, the "Publication Manual
of the American Psychological Association," both available at the UNE
Library, and web sites with content such as UNE's writing fact sheets are
good sources of concise rules regarding grammar and
punctuation. (Instruction)
11. Teach students one important rule relating to grammar or punctuation
in each lecture or in each unit. (Instruction)
12. Give students a course-related worksheet, have them write a précis of
its content, and then ask them to critique each other's writing. (Practice,
Feedback)
13. Toward the end of a lecture, ask students to spend five minutes
writing a summary of the content of the lecture. Next, have students
critique each other's writing. (Practice, Feedback)
Motivation Activity: let students choose the best feedback after peer
review and let him/her be rewarded.
14. Give a writing assignment and in the marking criteria set aside a
specific number of points for writing quality. Give students a copy of the
marking criteria before they begin writing. (Practice, Motivation)
15. Explain to students before they complete a writing assignment the
most common writing errors made in the past as well as the rules the
errors violate. (Instruction)
16. Provide students with a list of poorly structured sentences from
assignments of prior years. Ask the students to improve the sentences,
and then discuss the improvements as a class. (Practice, Feedback)
17. Provide students with a checklist of writing-process suggestions (e.g.,
see item 9 above) they can apply to a written assignment. Ask them to
submit a completed checklist with the assignment. (Instruction)
Checklist can be peer reviewed
18. To the extent feasible, correct writing errors on student papers and
provide printed statements of important rules violated by the
errors. (Feedback, Instruction)
19. Encourage students to learn the rules they violated in making the
errors. (Instruction)
20. Praise students freely for excellent or improved writing. (Motivation)
Writing skill assessment:
Writing assessment has been largely carried out in two forms:
Impressionistic (holistic) and analytical, “In analytic writing, scripts are
rated on several aspects of writing or criteria rather than given a single
score. Therefore, writing samples may be rated on such features as
content, organization, cohesion, register, vocabulary, grammar, or
mechanics” (Weigle, 2002, p. 114). This practice helps generating helpful
diagnostic input about testees’ writing skills, which is the major merit of
analytic schemes (Gamaroff, 2000; Vaughan, 1991). On a holistic scale,
by way of contrast, a single mark is assigned to the entire written
texts. The underlying assumption is that in holistic marking raters will
respond to a text in the same way if a set of marking benchmarks are to
guide them in marking (Weigle, 2002, p. 72).
In relation to the analytic assessment of the writing skill, Aryadoust,
Akbarzadeh, and Nasiri (2007) discussed three criteria based on which to
score the text, that is, Arrangement of Ideas and Examples (AIE),
Coherence and Cohesion (CC) or Communicative Quality (CQ), and
Sentence Structure and Vocabulary (SSV). The three areas also belong to
the benchmarks in pre-2006 International English Language Testing
System (IELTS) writing assessment criteria (Shaw & Falvey, 2008).
These criteria were modified in 2008 and the current rating practice in the
IELTS Writing test is based on a new exposition of writing performance
and assessment (Shaw & Falvey, 2008); for example, it was agreed to
separate the SSV criterion into vocabulary and grammar. Also, the CC
was found to be the most difficult area for raters to score. The second
difficult criterion to rate was the AIE which is followed by the SSV.
Shaw and Falvey (2008) capitalized on the similarity of CC and AIE,
which could cast doubts on the inseparability of these sub-skills in
writing. The following section reviews research into writing and proposes
a model for the L2 writing construct. The model will be validated via
structural equation modeling.
III Listening Skills:
Listening is one of the most important skills you can have. How well you
listen has a major impact on your job effectiveness, and on the quality of
your relationships with others.
Most Important sub skills:
1. Listening for gist. Before playing the audio track, ask students to
listen for the general message. You can help them do this by first saying:
“Listen to the interview and answer the question: What is the difference
between a professional culture and a national culture?” Then play the
track and ask for your students' feedback in a plenary session.
2. Listening for detail. The same audio track can then immediately be
used to train students to listen for detail. It is important to set the task
before you play the CD. You can set the same task for the whole group,
or split the task, so that some students listen for particular pieces of
information and the others for different information. This relieves the
listening load for each student. Split the group into two, asking half the
group to listen for the answers to questions 1, 3 and 5 and the other half
for the answers to questions 2 and 4. Then put the students into pairs so
they can tell each other their answers – thus practicing listening skills
again with their partner. You will also need to do plenary feedback here
to make sure everyone has the same information.
3. Listening for specific information. These listening skills are
particularly useful for elementary-level learners who are not able to
understand a large part of many audio texts in a foreign language. Prepare
a worksheet with a list of the names of the people mentioned in the news
reports (these are marked in bold in the transcript) and add the names of
five more famous people. Then play the audio track and ask the students
to tick the names of anyone they hear on the list. Depending on the level
of your learners, you can make this task more difficult by adding the
names of, for example, US states, countries, cities, newspapers and
airlines. It is very motivating for elementary-level learners to feel they
have been able to get at least some information from an original audio
text in a foreign language.
Methods of developing students' listening skills:

Promote active listening: Giving the students something to listen for
ensures that they are involved in the task. Exercise sheets are another
tool that promote active listening;

Identify listening strategies: Give the students tools to guide their
listening; such as, looking for specific information, identifying
predictable words or phrases, or discussing what they expect in
certain forms of speech; such as, newscasts or advertisements.;

Selecting the most appropriate strategy for presenting the lesson; for
example, using a top down (general meaning, summarizing) or
bottom up (cognates, specific words, word order patterns) approach;

Allow the students to hear as much of the target language as possible
while using a variety of teaching methods; for example, sometimes
using visual cues, at other times not;

Use authentic materials; for example, a lecture or a radio
announcement in the target language, to help students become
accustomed to different accents and to a realistic pace of speech;

Ensure the students know the goals of the listening task: is the goal
to understand what’s being said, to decide whether to keep listening
or to obtain specific information?

Provide opportunities for reflection and discussion so the students
can share what was heard, what was learned and methods they
employed to better understand what was said;

Organize pre-listening activities, such as providing students with
relevant vocabulary, reading a related text, looking at a related
image or clarifying necessary cultural information etc.;

Be sure to check level of the listening exercise beforehand to ensure
it is an appropriate level for the students.
Listening skills assessment:
Teachers can use post-listening activities to check comprehension,
evaluate listening skills and use of listening strategies, and extend the
knowledge gained to other contexts. A post-listening activity may relate
to a pre-listening activity, such as predicting; may expand on the topic
or the language of the listening text; or may transfer what has been
learned to reading, speaking, or writing activities.
For example, for listening practice you have students listen to a weather
report. Their purpose for listening is to be able to advise a friend what
to wear the next day. As a post-listening activity, you ask students to
select appropriate items of clothing from a collection you have
assembled, or write a note telling the friend what to wear, or provide
oral advice to another student (who has not heard the weather report).
To evaluate listening comprehension, you use a checklist containing
specific features of the forecast, marking those that are reflected in the
student's clothing recommendations.
IV Speaking Skills:
Speaking sub skills:

pronunciation

using stress, rhythm and intonation well enough so that people can
understand what is said

using the correct forms of words

word order

using appropriate vocabulary
Activities for Developing Speaking skills:

Task-Based Activities: These are activities that ask students to
accomplish a specific task by following simple instructions. These types
of activities are generally preferred by students as they have a clear
understanding of when they have accomplished what was asked of them.
Tasks such as “reach an agreement,” “Find someone who,” “Describe the
media” are common ways of presenting such tasks. These tasks are also
an excellent way to activate language that has been presented in class,
providing focused situations in which students will be forced to use the
target language in order to continue.
It is extremely important that students understand exactly what is being
asked of them, otherwise it can be difficult for them to focus on the task
at hand, and it’s possible that some students will end up doing something
entirely different.

Topic-Based Activities: These are activities that allow the students more
freedom. By choosing topics that your students will identify with, they
are given a chance to express their thoughts and opinions in a more
natural way. Activities such as Discussions or Debates are common
examples of these types of activities. These tasks let students experiment
with the language that has been presented to them in class over a longer
period of time. It is a great way to see what students have retained from
the lessons, as they must construct sentences by themselves.
One must be very careful when choosing the topics to present in class.
They must be age appropriate, appropriate for the cultural and religious
beliefs of the students, but also thought-provoking and interesting.
Remember that what your students find interesting can be very different
from what you find interesting.
Best Wishes
Dr. Nehal Ali