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Using worksheets to cultivate Chinese elementary
school students’ listening and speaking skills
Anka Li / Angus
Introduction
As it is known to all, English is widely used all over the world. People in China realize that learning
English well is very important. There is a popular belief that children as L2 learners are ‘superior’ to adults
(Scovel 2000), that is, the younger the learner, the quicker the learning process and the better the outcomes.
Most children in China begin to learn English after they enter the elementary school from Grade One.
Since language is a tool for communication, the spoken language is primary. The speaking proficiency
should go first. Thus the methodology would be oral-based. The speaking skill which listed in the language skill
of “New English Curriculum Standard for Chinese Elementary School Version 2011”, is described as “The
students can imitate English according to the tape, exchange simple greetings, exchange simple personal
information, exchange simple feelings and emotions, say out the words and guess the words’ meaning
according to the performance, say out the words and short sentences according to the pictures and passages,
pronounce clearly and intonate correctly in the oral expression, make a brief conversation according to the
personal and family information, use some of the common daily expressions and tell a simple story with the
help of teacher.” Therefore speaking skill is crucial to children during their elementary school period. At the
same time, listening skill is also a key to all effective communication. Listening is the absorption of the
meanings of words and sentences by the brain. Listening leads to the understanding of facts and ideas. Without
the ability to listen effectively messages are easily misunderstood. However, our traditional English teaching
attaches great importance to knowledge inculcation, grammar teaching, emphasizing writing training, ignoring
the speaking and listening skills of students. Many students learned English for many years, but it is difficult for
them to use English to communicate fluently with native English speakers. Since students’ speaking and
listening skills are so significant, it is meaningful for us to cultivate Chinese elementary school students’
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listening and speaking skills. If our goal as English teacher is to provide our students with a great variety of
opportunities to speak English, then worksheets are very useful for this goal.
1. Background
In “The New Oxford English-Chinese Dictionary”, worksheet is defined as a sheet of paper listing
questions or tasks for students. (Herausgeber 2007) It is set to help cultivate students’ skills. It can be used
before, during or after the class. Worksheets are widely used in western countries’ teaching. The teachers in
western countries use worksheets in daily teaching routines. But worksheet is not commonly used in class in
China.
A search in cnki.net was done by the writer. Very few essays about application of worksheets were
published. Some scholars used worksheets on reading, math and other aspects. On the other hand, a lot of
essays about improving students’ speaking skills were published. However, there are no essays relevant to this
topic.
2. Literature Review
2.1 Task-based language teaching
Task-based language teaching is an approach which offers students material which they have to actively
engage in the processing of in order to achieve a goal or complete a task. (Ellis 2003) Much like regular tasks
that we perform everyday such as making the tea, writing an essay, talking to someone on the phone, TBLT
seeks to develop students’ interlanguage through providing a task and then using language to solve it.
Assessment is primarily based on task outcome rather than on accuracy of prescribed language forms. This
makes TBLT especially popular for developing target language fluency and student confidence. As such TBLT
can be considered a branch of CLT. And the essence of TBLT is setting specific tasks for students so that they
act as if they were using the language in real life.
2.2 Listening & Listening Skill
Listening is the ability to accurately receive messages in the communication process. Thomlison defines
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listening as, “Active listening, which is very important for effective communication”. Listening can be also
defined as, “More than just hearing and to understand and interpret the meaning of a conversation”. Listening
skill can be defined as, “Listening is the act of hearing attentively”.
2.3 Speaking & Speaking Skill
“Speak" means to say words in order to express your thoughts, feelings, opinions, etc. to someone; to talk
to someone; to talk about a particular subject or person; to say words to express yourself in a particular way.
(learnersdictionary.com 2013) The definition of speaking is something used for talking and communicating.
(yourdictionary.com 2013) Speaking is the act of talking. Speaking is described as an interactive process of
constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information. Speaking skill is a
communication skill that enables a person to verbalize thoughts and ideas.
2.4 Information Gap Task
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, an information gap task is a technique in language teaching where
students are missing information necessary to complete a task or solve a problem, and must communicate with
their classmates to fill in the gaps. It is often used in communicative language teaching and task-based language
learning. ( Wikipedia 2013)
2.5 Connection and Reflection
The ultimate goal of foreign language teaching is: to enable the learners to use the foreign language in
work or life. From the literature review, it indicates that listening and speaking skills can only be gained in the
communication of authentic situations. In the traditional English teaching, some teachers use exercises and ask
the students to listen to the tape to cultivate students’ listening skill. Some teachers ask the students to recite or
memorize the dialogues in order to cultivate students’ speaking skill. Actually, those methods are not the best
ideas to cultivate students’ listening and speaking skills, because students might not internalize the language by
reciting or memorizing. Then how to create authentic situations for students to internalize the language in a
lesson? Because TBLT can help teachers set tasks for students to act as if they were using the language in real
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life, it makes use of real-life situations that necessitate communication. The teachers use TBLT to set up
situations that students are likely to encounter in real life. Students’ motivation to learn comes from their desire
to communicate so as to finish the tasks. And the tasks can be easily designed in worksheets. Teachers can
design different types of worksheets in order to assign students different kinds of tasks. So the writer wants to
use worksheets to assign the students tasks to have a conversation as if they were in real-life.
According to Rod Ellis, a task has four main characteristics (Ellis 2003)
(1) A task involves a primary focus on (pragmatic) meaning.
(2) A task has some kind of ‘gap’ (Prabhu identified the three main types as information gap, reasoning
gap, and opinion gap).
(3) The participants choose the linguistic resources needed to complete the task.
(4) A task has a clearly defined, non-linguistic outcome.
Based on the second characteristic of a task, the writer wants to use worksheets do design information gap
tasks to cultivate students’ listening and speaking skills.
Ur lists the characteristics of a successful speaking activity: (Ur 1996)
(1) Learners talk a lot. As much as possible of the period of time allotted to the activity is in fact occupied
by learner talk.
(2) Participation is even. Classroom discussion is not dominated by a minority of talkative participants: all
get a chance to speak, and contributions are fairly evenly distributed.
(3) Motivation is high. Learners are eager to speak: because they are interested in the topic and have
something new to say about it, or because they want to contribute to achieving a task objective.
(4) Language is of an acceptable level. Learners express themselves in utterances that are relevant, easily
comprehensible to each other, and of an acceptable level of language accuracy.
Information gap tasks satisfy all the above criteria. An information task takes place between students, not
between a student and a teacher. It changes the mood in the classroom; the class becomes student-centered,
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enabling the teacher to change role from an instructor to a monitor/facilitator. And students’ talking time can
be increased, they represent real communication. Everybody talks a lot. In an information gap activity, one
person has certain information that must be shared with others in order to solve a problem, gather information
or make decisions. (Neu & Reeser, 1997) All students are involved in the process equally and they are all
moving towards a specific purpose. Each student has the task of finding out certain information, and therefore
must find a way in which to ask for this information. So the Participation is even. The tasks help move the
students from working in a more structured environment into a more communicative environment; they are
hopefully using lots of the target language, and in the process discovering where they have gaps. Knowing
where these gaps are gives them a direction in which to improve. Information gap tasks are highly motivational
because of the nature of the various tasks. In addition, students are forced to negotiate meaning because they
must make what they are saying comprehensible to others in order to accomplish the task. (Neu & Reeser,
1997)
The tasks also require students to listen attentively and receive messages accurately so as to understand the
meaning of the conversation then accomplish the task. During the tasks, listening skill can be cultivated at the
same time.
As it is mentioned above, information gap tasks can be used to cultivate students’ speaking and listening
skills effectively. So how to design these tasks on worksheets and how to use worksheets to give a lesson will
be focused on.
3. Worksheets designing
3.1
Chart filling
Students work in pairs. The students are both given tables with information missing. What is missing in
one partner’s table is there on the other partner’s table and vice versa. Students must ask each other questions to
discover what is missing in each of their tables.
Worksheet A
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(Bloggerg1jimbo 2013)
Worksheet B
(Bloggerg1jimbo 2013)
In this example, different questions can be given in these two worksheets in case that they forget how to
ask. They can also share with each other these questions during the conversation.
3.2
Pictures Guessing
Students work in pairs. Each student is given a worksheet with different pictures. The students are
forbidden to look at others’ worksheets. Students must ask each other questions to find out what it is in the
picture.
Worksheet A
(Handouts Online 2013)
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Worksheet B
(Handouts Online 2013)
In this example, student A can ask “What can he/she do in picture 1” , and student 2 can answer “She can
help sick people.” Then student A can guess what her job is according to the answer. Teachers can tailor-make
the content of the worksheets to provide suitable practice of the language items being taught. It is very flexible
for teacher to design the worksheets to match the topics in the textbook.
3.3
Puzzle Filling
Students work in pairs. Each student is given a worksheet with a crossword puzzle and some tips on it.
What is missing in one partner’s puzzle is hinted on the other partner’s worksheet and vice versa. Students must
ask each other questions and describe the words in order to accomplish the task.
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Worksheet A
(Bogglesworldesl 2013)
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Worksheet B
(Bogglesworldesl 2013)
In this example, sentence structures can be given in these two worksheets in case that the students forget
how to ask. Teachers can tailor-make the vocabulary of the puzzles to match the vocabularies being taught in
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the textbook.
3.4
Pictures Drawing
Students work in groups. Each student is given a worksheet with different pictures. One student describes
the pictures and asks the others to draw. After they finish drawing the pictures, the one who describes the
pictures checks the pictures for each one. They take turns to be the one who describes the pictures.
Worksheet
(Bogglesworldesl 2013)
Use the language in this box to describe your pictures to your partners:
There is a
square
circle
rectangle
triangle
inside the circle
outside the circle
at the top
at the bottom
to the right
to the left
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
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Listen to your partner describe the circles
for you. Draw the picture that is being
described.
13.
14.
In this example, sentence structures can be given in this worksheet in case that the students forget how to
describe. The students who draw the pictures can improve their listening. The students who describe the
pictures can improve their speaking.
3.5
Interviews
Students work in groups. Each student is given a worksheet with key words or sentences. They interview
each other according to the content of the worksheet. After they finish interviewing one student they can
interview the next student. Sometimes they don’t need to write down the answers if the time is limited.
Worksheet
(Unique Teaching Resources 2013)
3.6
Matching or Multiple Choice
Students work in pairs. Each student is given a worksheet with language points, an example dialogue and
pictures. Students have to make a dialogue like the example to find out which number matches each option.
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Worksheet A
(Bogglesworldesl 2013)
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Worksheet B
(Bogglesworldesl 2013)
In this example, students can imitate the dialogue and use the map to make a new dialogue as if they were
communicating in authentic situation. And the motivation is high, because students like acting and they will
have much sense of fulfillment when they accomplish the task.
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4. Using worksheets in a lesson
After summarizing so many types of information gap worksheets, the writer would like to focus on how to
use the worksheet in a lesson. Here is an example from the writer’s previous experience.
In the warming-up part, brainstorm was used to review the verb phrases first. Pictures of activities were
shown to the students who had to say out these verb phrases quickly. Then one of the writer’s friends Sara was
introduced to the students. Her photos were presented. And the students were divided into pairs. Worksheets
were given to each student. In Task I, one student got Worksheet A, and the other got worksheet B. The
explanation was necessary to make sure students did understand.
Worksheet A
Ask student B for information to fill in the blanks.
You can ask: What does Sara usually do on …?
When you answer: She usually… on ….
Weekdays
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
surfs the Net
Activities
Thursday
Friday
watches TV
Worksheet B
Ask student A for information to fill in the blanks.
You can ask: What does Sara usually do on …?
When you answer: She usually… on ….
Weekdays
Monday
Activities
studies math
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
does homework
Friday
plays tennis
As students shared the information, chart filling worksheets were used to practice “What does …”
questions and the third person singular verbs in simple present tense.
Practice part went on. Sara’s parents were introduced. In Task II, another worksheet was given to each
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student. Student A got Worksheet C while Student B got Worksheet D. Worksheet C was about Sara’s
mother’s weekday routine and Worksheet D was about Sara’s father’s weekday routine. Worksheet C and D
were both picture guessing worksheets. One student did actions according to the pictures on the worksheet and
the other student guessed these activities. They could ask: Does he/she often … on …? And they could answer:
Yes, he/she does. \ No, he/she doesn’t. Picture guessing worksheets were used to practice “Does
he/she …”questions.
In Task III, Worksheet E and Worksheet F were given to Student A and B. The content was about Sara’s
family’s weekend. There was an example dialogue on the worksheets. Both students were assigned to use
designated phrases to have a dialogue according to the example. After the dialogue, they had enough
information to finish multiple choice exercises.
Multiple choice exercises
Sara always (A. does housework / B. plays the piano) at the weekend.
Sara’s mother always (A. does gardening / B. cooks) at the weekend.
Sara’s father always (A. watches a football match / B. goes sightseeing) at the weekend.
Then they continued making up sentences according to the multiple choice exercises with each other. The
sentence structures were supported: “Sara doesn’t … at the weekend. She always … at the weekend. ” “Sara’s
mother doesn’t … at the weekend. She always … at the weekend.” “Sara’s father doesn’t … at the weekend. He
always … at the weekend.” Multiple choice worksheets were used to practice “He/She doesn’t … ” sentences
and the third person singular verbs in simple present tense.
In this lesson, language points were the third person singular verbs and sentence structures in simple
present tense in which students usually made mistakes. With the help of worksheets, tasks made students
understand and internalize the language. In addition, students’ speaking and listening skills were cultivated.
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5. Conclusion
Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. (Benjamin Franklin) Learners are
an important resource for their own collective learning, and this resource can be accessed through collaboration,
cooperation and experiential learning. (David Nunan 1989) As it is known to all, learn by doing is the best way
for students’ language learning. Using worksheets in task-based language teaching can offer students
opportunities to speak and listen as much as possible. Last but not least, these tasks are dynamic and motivating
to do. Therefore this method that helps the students with the internalization of the language is effective.
However, not all the students’ speaking and listening skill can be cultivated. Since this method also has its
disadvantages. For example, there may be a mismatch in the level of students in a pair. Every pair completes the
task at a different speed. Further more, some lazy students simply copy the required information from their
partners. But overall the advantages far outweigh any disadvantages.
Finally, to design a suitable worksheet for a task is not always easy. It demands a vast knowledge of how
the teaching material promotes students’ difference and motivation. The writer thinks all the educators are so
intelligent and hardworking that they can keep life-long learning and offer their students the best education.
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