Ideals v. Reality

• This lesson involves Choral Reading and Backwards Build Up drills that are typically associated with the Audio-Lingual Method.  Refer to the Teacher Toolkit for videos and information regarding these exercises if unfamiliar with them. 

• Time should be taken to read the excerpts thoroughly, anticipating what words or phrases the class may have difficulty with. The excerpts have already been condensed for simplicity but can be further condensed if needed.

• The UN Declaration of Human Rights text contains more difficult pronunciation than the World Health Organization (WHO) text. Decide beforehand whether the words and phrasing contained within the UN Declaration of Human Rights text is suitable for your class. An alternative to excluding that text from the activity is to proceed with both choral reading as intended by having Group A students repeat UN text, and Group B students repeat the WHO text. This can be altered as needed to fit classes of differing abilities. 

Warm Up Activity: 

Time: 10 - 15 Minutes

1. The warm-up should address potential problems from the text (Appendix A) before students begin speaking. As learners from different language backgrounds face different difficulties, the text should be examined beforehand to find issues your specific students may face. One potential problem is that the text contains words with identical diphthongs but different pronunciations: 

• health vs. means

•  should vs. house

• hood vs. food

2. On the board, create lists comparing the sounds and lead the students in reciting the words:

• (Health, stealth, wealth) vs. (Mean, treat, beat)

• (Should, could, would ) vs. (House, out, mouse)

• (Hood, cook, good) vs. (Food, moon, boot)

If desired, have students look for those words  (health/means, should/house, hood/food) in the text in order to highlight their presence.

1. A second potential problem students may face is intonation. The text contains list-related intonation patterns. It may be helpful to quickly review that intonation rises on each listed item except the last, where it falls. Either use the lists that appear in the text (Ex: treated with respect and dignity), or create an example text that lists things and lead students in a series of drills to practice this intonation pattern. 

2. A third potential problem students may face is the difficult pronunciation of some words, such as widowhood, unemployment, and disability. Create a list of potential problem words and drill them with students before starting the choral reading. This list will differ based on the expected ability of the class. 

Activity Setup: Grouping 

If Applicable - Split Students into two Groups:

1. Group A, higher level learners (B1-B2)

2. Group B, lower level learners (A2-B1)

Caveat: Having students split into two groups, lower level and higher level, enables the teacher to pay closer attention to students that may need additional help. This activity functions on the basis that the class has been split into two groups. However, this activity can be completed as one group.  

Activity: Choral Reading

Time: 30 Minutes

Materials: 

• Appendix A

1. Inform students that today they will be reading excerpts from both the World Health Organization and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. Both excerpts talk about health and health care as a basic human right that all human beings are entitled to. 

2. Ask students what they think a basic human right is if the topic hasn’t already been introduced at this point.

   1. For the purpose of this activity, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as written by the United Nations categorizes human rights as either economic, social, cultural, civil, and political in nature. They are rights and freedoms that many believe all human beings are entitled to without discrimination. 

3. Ensure each student has a copy of the text (Appendix A). Allow students a few minutes to read the text before starting the choral reading. Instruct students to mark words they don't know the meaning to or that they wish to know the pronunciation of. After students complete their readings, answer any questions.

4. Instruct students that you will read a portion of the text, and that the groups will repeat the portion. Inform students that you will all repeat the text together at least 2 times, but can do it more times as needed. 

   1. Group A will repeat the portion first; Group B will repeat the portion after.

   2.  Conduct the choral reading of the entire text twice or more as necessary.

Comprehension Check Questions (CCQ’s) To Check Students' Understanding: 

• What will the teacher be doing? 

• What should you be doing while the teacher is reading the text out loud?

• Which group should repeat after the teacher first? 

• How many times will you repeat the text as a class? 

5. After conducting the choral reading, have students pair together and practice the reading with each other. If possible, pair students from Group A with students from Group B. Allow enough time for each student to get through the reading text at least once, or more if desired. Caveat: It's recommended to pair lower levels and higher level students together which allows students to assist one another with the text. 

6. After students finish practicing in pairs, answer any additional questions and close out the activity with one last choral reading

Wrap Up Activity: Additional Practice

Time: 15 - 20 Minutes

Materials: 

• Appendix A

1. Have students break into small groups of 3-4 and move to different areas of the classroom. 

2. Have them practice reading 1 or 2 more times as a small group; walk around to answer questions and step in to help pronunciation. 

3. In their small groups, have each student read the passage aloud once on their own.