Is reading aloud… allowed?
Alan Marsh
Acknowledgement: Jeremy Harmer
Reading an unseen text aloud
• The hierarchical structure of the various psychiatric hospitals was
such that those of greater professional status had the least to do
with their patients (and pseudo-patients). The average daily contact
of the pseudo-patients with psychiatrists, psychologists, and doctors
was 6.8 minutes. In view of this general lack of careful observation
by those in authority, it is not surprising that the pseudo-patients
were not released very quickly. The actual length of hospitalization
ranged from 7 to 52 days, with 19 days being the average.
•
The fact that all the pseudo-patients were released within a
few weeks of admission may suggest that the psychiatric staff
discovered that the pseudo-patients had been sane all the time.
However, this was not the case. All the pseudo-patients were
discharged with a diagnosis of ‘schizophrenia in remission’,
indicating that the deception had not been detected.
Reading aloud – the case against
Can be boring for the others
Nerves, feeling uncomfortable
Doesn’t help with understanding
Usually done badly – no training
Often dense texts – difficult even for
experienced readers
Not normal – we usually read silently
Reading aloud - the case in favour:
• Can help to make connections between written
•
words and sounds, groups of words and stress
and intonation
Diagnostic tool –disconnect between sounds and
spelling
Can be very motivating if ….
rehearsal time is factored in
It is occasionally a real-life skill eg …
Hey, listen to this and …
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• Presentations
Health Warning!
• Nothing should be attempted without
preparation and, ideally, rehearsal.
• Only after students have had a chance to
understand the text they will read from.
• And even then, as one teacher says: ‘I
usually ask them if they want to read
aloud. I explain that it is to work on their
pronunciation, intonation, rhythm … and
will help them build their confidence.’
The ‘listening brain’:
DA-di-DA sentences
Listen. Did you hear a or b?
• 1 a. I can drive.
•
• 2
•
• 3
•
• 4
b. I can’t ski.
a. I don’t think so.
b. I’m sorry I’m late.
a. Are you coming?
b. Who did you meet?
a. I’ve been to Spain
b. I haven’t been to
Greece..
Shifting stress
A
B
A
B
A
B
A
B
A
B
A
B
Sue caught the 9.30 ferry to Gozo
Right, Sue caught the 9.15 ferry to Gozo.
No! Sue caught the 9.30 ferry to Gozo!
I see. You caught the 9.30 ferry to Gozo!
No! Sue caught the 9.30 ferry to Gozo!
Got you! Sue missed the 9.30 ferry to Gozo
No! Sue caught the 9.30 ferry to Gozo!
Right. Sue caught the 9.30 ferry to Sicily.
No! Sue caught the 9.30 ferry to Gozo!
OK! Sue caught the 9.30 plane to Gozo!
No! Sue caught the 9.30 ferry to Gozo!
Well, you really shouldn’t mumble so much.
Articulate!
Shifting stress
A
B
A
B
A
B
A
B
A
B
A
B
Sue caught the 9.30 ferry to Gozo
Right, ……….9.15
No! Sue caught the 9.30 ferry to Gozo!
I see. You …………………….
No! Sue caught the 9.30 ferry to Gozo!
Got you! ….missed
No! Sue caught the 9.30 ferry to Gozo!
Right. ………………………………………………….Sicily.
No! Sue caught the 9.30 ferry to Gozo!
OK! ……………plane
No! Sue caught the 9.30 ferry to Gozo!
Well, you really shouldn’t mumble so much.
Articulate!
Two poems
• Partner A: your poem is on Page 5 of
these worksheets
• Partner B: your poem is on Page 10 of
these worksheets.
For Anne
•
With Annie gone,
whose eyes to compare
with the morning sun?
Not that I did compare,
But I do compare
Now that she's gone.
• Leonard Cohen
Cake
•
i wanted one life
you wanted another
we couldn't have our cake
so we ate each other.
• Roger McGough
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Dysart:
Do you dream often?
Alan:
Do YOU?
Dysart:
It’s my job to ask the questions. Yours to answer them.
Alan:
Says who?
Dysart:
Says me. Do you dream often?
Alan:
Do you?
Dysart:
Look - Alan
Alan:
I’ll answer if you answer.
Dysart:
Very well. Only we have to speak the truth.
Alan: (Mocking) Very well.
Dysart:
So. Do you dream often?
Alan:
Yes. Do you?
Dysart:
Yes. Do you have a special dream?
Alan:
No. Do you?
Dysart:
Yes. What was your dream about last night?
Alan:
Can’t remember. What’s yours about?
Dysart:
I said the truth.
Alan:
That is the truth. What’s yours about? The special one.
Dysart:
Carving up children. My turn.
Reading along with the news
A1: And here are the news headlines.
Following severe droughts in Africa the President of the
USA has announced that he is going to send food and
provisions to the people of Somalia who have lost their
homes and livelihood.
A2:
Robert Holmes Minister for the Environment has
resigned the Prime Minister has ordered an investigation
into the mysterious disappearance of a large sum of
money a spokesman for the minister told us that he was
out of the country and not available for comment.
A1:
Schoolgirl Paula Gates has not been allowed back into school
after the summer holidays because she has had her nose pierced
according to headmistress Jean Bradley Pauline knew that piercing
was against school rules the girl will be allowed back into school
when she removes the offending ring.
A2:
And finally to end on a happier note wedding bells are ringing
for 81-year-old Max Williams who won 16 million pounds in the
lottery last month he’s going to marry 22-year-old dancer Sally
Lister the happy couple posed for photographers outside the
millionaire’s luxury home in Essex and Sally held out her hand to
show off her 10000 pound engagement ring for the cameras.
From: Inside Out Intermediate.
• Listen again and whisper or mumble along with the recording.
• Work with a partner. Student A is Announcer 1 and Student B is
TAPESCRIPT 1
•
•
•
•
A
B
A
B
• A
Listen! … BA 516 to Geneva. That’s our flight.
Did the announcement say Gate 4 or 14?
I couldn’t hear. I think it said 4.
Look! There it is on the departure board. It is gate
4.
OK. Come on! Let’s go.
• From: New Headway Elementary
TAPECRIPT STUDY
• A LISten! … BA 516 to GenEva. That’s our FLIGHT.
• B Did the anNOUNcement say Gate FOUR or
•
•
•
•
fourTEEN?
A I couldn’t HEAR. I think it said FOUR.
B LOOK! THERE it is on the dePARture board.
It IS Gate 4 .
A OK. Come ON! Let’s GO.
The music of English
1 Practice the listening skill as per normal
2 Work on the tapescript for pronunciation
– Divide into chunks
– Identify primary stress in each chunk
3 Students listen and whisper at the same time
4 Students rehearse
5 Students work in pairs, listen to each other and give each
other feedback
6 They can then record their version and/or act it out in
front of the class. For this they could use only the stressed
syllables/words as memory prompts.
Listen to this! It says here ….
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
The easier it is to do, the harder it is to change.
Teamwork is twice the results for half the effort.
Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can.
Humour is always the shortest distance between two people.
Anyone can make a mistake, but to really mess things up requires a
computer.
People always have two reasons for doing things: a good reason and a
real reason.
People who think they know it all are a pain in the neck to those of us
who really do.
An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less
until he knows everything about nothing.
The human brain starts working the moment you are born and doesn’t
Up and down: intonation
We’re doing well in Europe, but not in the
Middle East.
Turnover is down, but productivity is up.
And for the second year running.
In Mexico we’re number one, in Argentina
we’re number one, in Chile we’re number
one, but in Brazil we’re nowhere.
The world’s second most popular drink
• The world’s most popular drink is water. You probably
knew that already. After all, it’s a basic requirement of
life on earth. But did you know that the world’s second
most popular drink is Coke? And that the human race
drinks six hundred million Cokes a day? Now, let’s just
put that into some kind of perspective. It means that
every week of every year people drink enough Coke to
fill the World Trade Center. In fact, if all the Coca-Cola
ever consumed was poured over Niagara Falls instead of
water it would take nearly two days to run dry. There’s
almost nowhere on the planet, from Miami to Malawi,
where the word Coke isn’t instantly recognized. The
brand name alone is worth thirty billion dollars. And
Chunking and pausing
The world’s most popular drink
is water.
You probably knew that already.
After all,
it’s a basic requirement of life on earth.
But did you know
that the world’s second most popular drink
is Coke?
And that the human race drinks
six hundred million Cokes a day?
Now, let’s just put that into some kind of
perspective.
It means
that every week
of every year
people drink enough Coke
to fill the World Trade Center.
• In fact,
• if all the Coca-Cola ever consumed
• was poured over Niagara Falls
• instead of water
• it would take nearly two days to run dry.
• There’s almost nowhere on the planet,
• from Miami
• to Malawi,
• where the word Coke
• isn’t instantly recognized.
• The brand name alone
• is worth thirty billion dollars.
• And that’s what makes Coca-Cola
• a global marketing phenomenon.
Stress!
• The world’s most popular DRINK
• is WATER.
• You probably knew that ALREADY.
• After ALL,
• it’s a basic requirement of life on
EARTH.
• But did you KNOW
• that the world’s SECOND most popular
drink
• is COKE?
• And that the HUMAN RACE drinks
• six hundred million Cokes a DAY?
• Now, let’s just put that into some kind
of PERSPECTIVE.
• It MEANS
• that EVERY WEEK
• of EVERY YEAR
to fill the World TRADE Center.
In FACT,
if all the Coca-Cola ever CONSUMED
was poured over NIAGARA FALLS
instead of WATER
it would take nearly TWO DAYS to run DRY.
There’s almost nowhere on the PLANET,
from MIAMI
to MALAWI,
where the word COKE
isn’t instantly RECOGNIZED.
The brand name ALONE
is worth THIRTY BILLION DOLLARS.
And THAT’S what makes COKE
a GLOBAL MARKETING PHENOMENON.
Spaced out!
• The world’s most popular DRINK
• is WATER.
• You probably knew that ALREADY.
• After ALL,
• it’s a basic requirement of life on
EARTH.
• But did you KNOW
• that the world’s SECOND
popular drink
most
• is COKE?
• And that the HUMAN RACE drinks
• six
hundred
million
Cokes a DAY?
• Now, let’s just put that into some kind
of PERSPECTIVE.
• It MEANS
• that EVERY
WEEK
• of EVERY YEAR
• people drink enough COKE
• to fill the World TRADE Center.
• In FACT,
• if all the Coca-Cola ever CONSUMED
• was poured over NIAGARA FALLS
• instead of WATER
• it would take nearly TWO DAYS
to run DRY.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
There’s almost nowhere on the PLANET,
from MIAMI
to MALAWI,
where the word COKE
isn’t instantly RECOGNIZED.
The brand name ALONE
is worth
THIRTY
BILLION
DOLLARS.
And THAT’S what makes COKE
a GLOBAL
MARKETING
Reading aloud IS allowed!
• But ……
• Make sure meaning has been dealt with
first
• Give preparation time, including rehearsal
• Use non-complex texts, including
dialogues
• Use ‘prepared’ reading aloud as training
for the ‘listening brain’
Reading aloud can be genuinely
useful, both for ….
 learners’ own engagement with the text
and for …
 their ability to read aloud in a natural way.
And to conclude …
• is a computer masculine or feminine?
Thanks!
• If you would like these slides, email me
at:
• alanmarshinmalta@gmail.com
• Feedback welcome!