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Topic and backround information:
Topic and backround information:
Students: 16 and 17 years old, with a B2 level of English.
Unit Topic: Shopping & Buying gifts (the unit coincides with the upcoming of Fathers day)
Objectives: Throughout the unit the goal is to use the grammar and vocabulary indicated for communicative purposes, combining both accuracy and fluency.
Vocabulary: To be able to understand and apply phrases and vocabulary related to buying/selling products. To understand new vocabulary related to payment (in cash, by credit card, receipt, pounds, euros, etc); to use vocabulary related to products (recycling previous vocabulary about clothes, furniture and other objects. However, they will be introduced to vocabulary about size: medium, large, small, etc)
Grammar: to be able to use and understand modal verbs to express opinions, suggestions and degrees of certainty (Although they are already familiar with the use of modal verbs, what is new is that they have to apply them to the relevant context)
First, I decided to include these three links that are certified web pages which produce ESL material. Although these are not authentic/genuine, these pages do cover most of the items provided by hockley (2007) and can be useful to introduce the topic of the unit. Since these were intentionally designed with the purpose of teaching they can be conveniently used as enabling tasks preparing students for working with more complex or authentic material later on:
https://timetolearnesl.wordpress.com/grammar-reference-3rd-eso/money-and-shopping/
Accuracy: This website corresponds to the Col·legi Sagrat Cor Palma – FECIB (Spain). Although there is no information about who may have written each worksheet the material has been checked to see that there were no language nor content mistakes
Currency: The content is up to date.
Content: The content is relevant and engaging because it can be related to their real-world experiences. Furthermore, the sites are appealing and intuitive to use.
Functionality: There are no broken links and the layout of the website is very straight forward.
Accuracy: The content in the page is factually correct and doesn’t present any language mistakes. Furthermore, the British Council website is officially recognized for creating ESL material, and although we do not have the name of the specific person who put together these exercises, it is safe to assume it was done by someone familiar with the subject of ESL.
Currency: The content is up to date. Plus, its content does not need much maintenance since it deals with the general topic of shopping.
Content: It is relevant since it can be associated with their real-life experiences. Shopping is something people are well familiar with. This activity can be considered as a window to see how it may be done in another county.
Functionality: All the links work and the interface of the website is very user friendly.
https://www.teach-this.com/functional-activities-worksheets/shopping
(>>> https://www.teach-this.com/images/resources/shopping-conversation-questions.pdf )
Accuracy: This website is also recognized for creating ESL material and was created for teaching purposes which is why the worksheet presents no language mistakes.
Currency: All the content can be considered to be up-to-date since it includes general information about shopping
Content: The content is relevant and also appealing since it allows for meaningful communication about students’ shopping habits.
Functionality: The link works, however, the teacher will have to explain how students are intended to work. For example: by dividing the worksheet.
Another group of links I have included correspond to news articles and suggestions of possible gift ideas and preferences for different festivities. These texts are completely authentic and within the selection I have chosen three which vary in their range of complexity. Some are shorter, with less complex vocabulary and some are more extensive, presenting more specific language. However, the latter can also be incorporated with appropriate scaffolding techniques or by abridging the text. The pages do not include exercises, so it is up to the teacher to decide what kind of activities can be presented previously, while or after reading. This could be a useful instance to engage students into a debate and practice what they have previously learnt, as well as an opportunity to be exposed to incidental vocabulary that is present in the articles.
Accuracy: Here, students can access articles which are completely authentic. Therefore, the language present may vary but still it can be considered accurate.
Currency: The articles seem to present relevant and up-to-date information.
Content: The content is well-organized and meaningful.
Functionality: The website, apart from being authentic, has a very appealing and easy to use layout, containing links that work perfectly.
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/gallery/best-fathers-day-gifts
Accuracy: The article was written by Jessie Atkinson, a Senior Commerce Writer for the magazine. Again, since this is an authentic magazine article it has been corrected and viewed by writers who are informed in the matter and proficient in their language use.
Currency: The article was written in 2023 and is still up-to-date.
Content: The content is meaningful and relevant for the students, yet again, the teacher must provide appropriate scaffolding in case any new expressions are present which can give the students a hard time.
Functionality: There are no broken links and the website is very easy to use.
Accuracy: This single article, which is from the globally recognized magazine Forbes, has been written by Olivia Bowman and can be trusted to be accurate since it has been written by people familiar with the topic and the language. Additionally, these types of articles usually go through several stages of correction
Currency: It is currently up-to-date and relevant.
Content: The content is engaging and also motivating since most students have heard about Forbes at some point in their lives. Therefore, working with the article can give them a sense of accomplishment. Finally, the content can also be associated with students' real-life experience in that it has to do with the upcoming fathers day. One slight disclaimer about the article is that it may present very specific vocabulary.
Functionality: All links work and the website has the typical format of an online article. making it intuitive for students to use.
Finally, I have included some authentic web pages that provide a space for online shopping. Incorporating any of these would make the task more genuine. Students can explore and see real life suggestions about what they can buy as a present. This unit would coincide with the upcoming of Father's day, which could boost students' motivation since it is more meaningful to have been given the opportunity to debate what could be an ideal gift. Although the pages’ vocabulary is not restricted, this could be a great opportunity for learning incidental vocabulary. Most objects that are being sold are organized by their corresponding category (eg: shoes, clothes, furniture, technology, etc) under words which the students are familiar with. Nevertheless, if encountered with a word they do not recognize, each object is accompanied by images and therefore can give students an idea of what the meaning might be.
Accuracy: This page is for the most part accurate. However since it is an authentic webpage with the purpose of buying and selling and not teaching the language. There may be some native type mistakes.
Currency: This website is constantly being updated to publish more products to sell.
Content: The content is meaningful and can be connected easily to the students real-life.
Functionality: The website functions correctly and has a similar layout to almost all online shopping websites, making it easy to navigate.
https://www.walmart.com/cp/clothing/5438
Accuracy: Since this website was not made for teaching English, but rather for real-life shopping, it is possible that there may be a few language mistakes.
Currency: This page is periodically updated to add products to sell.
Content: The content is relevant and meaningful and can be related to the upcoming festivity.
Functionality: The webpage functions correctly, there are no broken links and the layout is similar to most online shopping websites making it easy to navigate.
Accuracy: This website was most likely designed by native speakers that do not specialize in linguistics therefore it may contain some native like mistakes.
Currency: This page is periodically updated since companies add products to sell.
Content: The content is meaningful and relevant regarding fathers’ day.
Functionality: The website has no broken links and is very intuitive to use since the student will probably already be familiar with navigating on online shopping websites.
All these websites have been evaluated based on Dudeney & Hockly’s How to Teach English with Technology (2007):
Accuracy: The content of the pages is factually correct. It has been created by people who are invested in the relevant subject matter or that work for official organizations and companies. ✓
Currency: The content is up to date. ✓
Content: The content is relevant and engaging since it can be related to their real-world experiences. Furthermore, the sites are appealing and intuitive to use. ✓
Functionality: They all contain links that work up to the current date. ✓
Page updated
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