Assignment 1: LANGUAGE SKILLS RELATED TASKS (750-1000 words)
The aim of this assignment is for you to:
Evaluate a piece of authentic material for language skills development.
Show evidence of your background reading in a specific topic area (skills).
Identify the receptive skills and sub-skills which could be practised and developed
using a given authentic text.
Identify the production skills which could be practised and developed in relation to
the same text.
Design tasks in relation to the selected text with a brief rationale for each.
Recommended books for this assignment (please list the ones you use in a
bibliography at the end of your assignment, giving the title, author, publisher and year
of publication):
Learning Teaching, Jim Scrivener, Heinemann.
The Practice of English Language Teaching, Jeremy Harmer, Pearson.
How to Teach English, Jeremy Harmer, Pearson.
It is a requirement of this assignment that you refer directly to your reading by
either quoting or paraphrasing; in both cases, you must credit your sources
immediately following the quote / paraphrase in parentheses (like this) or as a
footnote1.
Assessment criteria (reproduced from the CELTA Syllabus and Assessment
Guidelines):
Candidates can demonstrate their learning by:
Correctly using terminology which relates to language skills and sub-skills.
Relating task design to language skills development.
Finding, selecting and referencing information from one or more sources.
Using written language which is clear, accurate and appropriate to task.
The assignment – a template for your answer
Part 1 (200 words)
Based on your observations and teaching to date, briefly:
1. Describe your
current group’s
weaknesses in
reading (with direct
evidence from TP) –
please refer to sub-
skills.
2. Describe your
current group’s
weaknesses in
speaking and/or
writing (with direct
evidence from TP) –
do not base this on
their weaknesses in
1
Like this.
, grammar or
vocabulary.
3. How might the topic
of the chosen text be
relevant or be made
relevant to students in
your context?
Part 2 (800 words)
Using one of the attached articles (in full – you may not edit it), answer the following
questions:
1. How would you
generate interest in
the topic of the text?
Why is this
important?
2. Which items of
vocabulary from the
text would you pre-
teach and why? (Not
how!)
3. What kind of
prediction activity
would you set up and
why is this
important?
4. Describe the first
reading task you
would design,
stating the target
sub-skill. Attach any
materials you would
hand out (and
include an answer
key). Explain clearly
how the task will
help practise the
target sub-skill.
Quote from your
background
reading. Describe
the full staging of the
activity and your
instructions for it.
5. Describe the
second reading task
you would design,
stating the target
sub-skill. Attach any
materials you would
hand out (and
include an answer
The aim of this assignment is for you to:
Evaluate a piece of authentic material for language skills development.
Show evidence of your background reading in a specific topic area (skills).
Identify the receptive skills and sub-skills which could be practised and developed
using a given authentic text.
Identify the production skills which could be practised and developed in relation to
the same text.
Design tasks in relation to the selected text with a brief rationale for each.
Recommended books for this assignment (please list the ones you use in a
bibliography at the end of your assignment, giving the title, author, publisher and year
of publication):
Learning Teaching, Jim Scrivener, Heinemann.
The Practice of English Language Teaching, Jeremy Harmer, Pearson.
How to Teach English, Jeremy Harmer, Pearson.
It is a requirement of this assignment that you refer directly to your reading by
either quoting or paraphrasing; in both cases, you must credit your sources
immediately following the quote / paraphrase in parentheses (like this) or as a
footnote1.
Assessment criteria (reproduced from the CELTA Syllabus and Assessment
Guidelines):
Candidates can demonstrate their learning by:
Correctly using terminology which relates to language skills and sub-skills.
Relating task design to language skills development.
Finding, selecting and referencing information from one or more sources.
Using written language which is clear, accurate and appropriate to task.
The assignment – a template for your answer
Part 1 (200 words)
Based on your observations and teaching to date, briefly:
1. Describe your
current group’s
weaknesses in
reading (with direct
evidence from TP) –
please refer to sub-
skills.
2. Describe your
current group’s
weaknesses in
speaking and/or
writing (with direct
evidence from TP) –
do not base this on
their weaknesses in
1
Like this.
, grammar or
vocabulary.
3. How might the topic
of the chosen text be
relevant or be made
relevant to students in
your context?
Part 2 (800 words)
Using one of the attached articles (in full – you may not edit it), answer the following
questions:
1. How would you
generate interest in
the topic of the text?
Why is this
important?
2. Which items of
vocabulary from the
text would you pre-
teach and why? (Not
how!)
3. What kind of
prediction activity
would you set up and
why is this
important?
4. Describe the first
reading task you
would design,
stating the target
sub-skill. Attach any
materials you would
hand out (and
include an answer
key). Explain clearly
how the task will
help practise the
target sub-skill.
Quote from your
background
reading. Describe
the full staging of the
activity and your
instructions for it.
5. Describe the
second reading task
you would design,
stating the target
sub-skill. Attach any
materials you would
hand out (and
include an answer
