SECTION A
Curriculum Studies
1. Mention any two aims of the primary school English syllabus.
To help pupils to
i) Lay effective foundation which will facilitate the learning of the language at higher
levels
ii) attain high proficiency in the four language skills. i.e., listening, speaking, reading
and writing.
iii) Communicate effectively in English. (any two).
2. What are the three basic curriculum materials?
(The syllabus; The teacher’s guide/manual, the pupil’s textbook)
The Syllabus – Structure
The syllabus is structured in five columns:
Column 1: This contains the units which are a breakdown of the topics that constitutes a
specific skill of the section.
Column 2: This also contains specific objectives to be achieved at the end of lessons. The
objectives are stated numerically, eg. 1.1.1; 1.1.2; 1.2.1. etc. In each case, the first digit
represents the section; the second represents the unit and the last stands for the objective.
These numbers are called SRN (syllabus reference number). The SRN 1.2.1 stands for
section one, Unit two, objective one, etc.
Column 3: This is made up of the content which constitutes the core material to be taught.
For this reason, only the salient points are needed. In this regard, teachers are to consult
other reference materials to enrich their work.
Colum 4: This area constitutes the teaching-learning activities (teacher-learner activities)
or the methodology to be used to teach the specific topics.
Column 5: Finally, this column contains the evaluation procedures, made up of both oral
and written evaluation questions, assignments and other exercises.
Pre-requisite skills
These are skills pupils possess before setting foot at school, eg. ability to express
themselves in, at least, the mother tongue, tell or retell simple stories, participate in role
play as well as being familiar with the environment, eg. can identify a tree, vehicle, a
church, etc. The teacher’s work is facilitated if these pre-requisite skills are sharp.
3. Mention three reasons why the syllabus is important,
i) It consists of topics to be taught in an academic year
ii) It contains specific objectives for the topics
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iii) It contains suggested teaching /learning activities
iv) It guides the teacher to prepare his/her lesson notes
v) It guides the teacher in selecting test items (any three).
vi) It standardizes the teaching of English in all schools in the country.
Vii) Examining bodies like WAEC rely on the syllabus for setting questions in English.
Sections of the Primary School English Syllabus
4. What are (i) the different sections of the primary school English syllabus?
(ii) the components of the different sections?
(i) a. listening and speaking b. grammar
c. reading
d. writing
e. library
1.
2.
3.
4.
(ii)
Section
Listening and speaking
Grammar
Reading
Writing and Composition
5. Library
Component
story, verse, conversation, drama, debates.
language items.
reading aloud, reading comprehension.
penmanship, essays, mechanical writing
(punctuation, spacing etc.).
extensive reading.
The pupil’s textbook
5. Mention two ways in which the pupil’s textbook is important.
i) It helps the teacher to teach the topics outlined in the syllabus.
ii) It contains useful exercises for pupils.
iii) It contains useful reading passages for comprehension, dictation, etc.
iv) The pictures and other illustrations make the teacher’s work easy.
v) Teacher’s use of teaching/learning materials is thus enhanced.
vi) Pupils can study ahead once they have the textbooks.
vii) It serves as a guide for teacher’s output of work.
(any two)
The Teacher’s Guide
5. What is the Teacher’s Guide? (It is a book which serves as a guide for the teacher only
and which accompanies each textbook at every stage or class)
6. State three reasons why the teacher’s guide is important.
i) It contains answers to exercises in the pupil’s textbook.
ii) It contains suggested teacher-learner activities.
iii) It provides explanation on some difficult topics in the syllabus.
7. What is the difference between ‘syllabus’ and ‘scheme of work’? (The syllabus contains
topics to be taught in a year (course / period) whilst the scheme of work is a plan or
order of the topics to be taught in a term.
Profile Dimensions
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Profile dimensions are the underlying behaviours for teaching, learning and
assessment. In the teaching of English, three dimensions have been indentified for
teaching, learning and assessment (testing). These three dimensions are (i) knowledge
(ii) understanding (iii) application or use of knowledge. However, knowledge and
understanding can be combined, so that we have the main dimensions as (i) knowledge and
understanding (ii) application (use of knowledge).
Knowledge
is
the
ability
to
remember
or
recall
material
already
studied.
Understanding is the ability to grasp the meaning, idea or concept learnt. Application is the
ability to transfer learned material in different (new) contexts or concrete situations.
Knowledge and understanding are taught through listening and reading. (These are
called receptive or passive skills). Use of knowledge or application is taught through
speaking and writing (productive or active skills). The different dimensions are weighted in
percentages: knowledge = 20%; understanding = 20%; application = 60%. It is clear from
this that knowledge and understanding are both low profile while application is high profile,
as indicated in the table. The weighting of the dimensions has pedagogic implications. For
instance, the weight for the four language skills are as follows: listening = 10%; speaking =
30%; reading = 30% and writing = 30%. This means that if a teacher is teaching a story
lesson, for example, very little time should be spent in telling the story (ie. listening, on the
part of pupils). More attention should rather be devoted to retelling the story (ie speaking),
answering of questions based on the story, dramatizing certain scenes in the story, etc.
‘Application’ in profile dimensions has a number of levels, one of which is the use of
action words. These are verbs or words used in stating specific objectives to make them
measurable, eg. list, draw, explain, etc. Words like ‘know’, ‘understand’, etc. are not
action words and so are not suitable to be used in stating specific objectives because they
cannot be measured.
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8. What are profile dimensions? (The underlying behaviours for teaching, learning and
assessment or testing).
9. What are the two profile dimensions in English?
(a) knowledge and understanding
(b) Use of knowledge or application)
The relationship among the four language modes.
Speaking
Listening
Reading
Writing
Productive skills
(active skills)
Receptive skills
(passive skills)
Primary skills
Secondary skills
From the diagram above, listening and speaking are primary skills while reading and writing
are secondary skills. Again, listening and reading are called receptive skills or passive skills
whereas speaking and writing are productive skills or active skills.
10.
What are the four skills of language? (listening, speaking, reading and writing)
11.
Through which skills are knowledge and understanding taught? (listening and reading)
12. Use of knowledge or application is taught through……….skills.
(speaking and writing)
13.
What are the receptive skills? (listening and reading)
14.
Which skills are productive? (speaking and writing)
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15.
What profile dimension is receptive? (knowledge and understanding )
16. Which of the profile dimensions is productive? (use of knowledge or application of
knowledge).
17. What is ‘weight’ in profile dimensions? (The relative emphasis that should be given to
each of the four skills in the teaching and learning process).
18. What weight is given to the various skills of the English language? (listening = 10%,
speaking = 30%, reading = 30%, writing = 30%)
19.
What is the weight of the receptive skills? (40%)
20.
How much weight is given to the productive skills? (60%)
21. State the weights of the different profile dimensions (knowledge and understanding =
40%, Use of knowledge or application = 60%).
22. What two major abilities or behaviours are required to be acquired in learning English?
(Knowledge and Understanding; use of knowledge/application).
23. What does knowledge and understanding refer to? (The ability to recall or identify
(principles, rules, what is learnt or taught, etc).
24. To what does ‘Application of knowledge’ or Use of knowledge refer? (Ability to use the
language effectively in speaking and writing in different contexts or situations).
25. In profile dimensions, the ability to use knowledge has a number of levels. List any
three of these levels.
i) application
ii) analysis
iii) synthesis
iv) evaluation
v) action words (any
three)
26. List three examples of action words used in the application of knowledge.
i) differentiate ii) compare
iii) list
iv) draw
v) contrast, etc.) (any three)
27. What kind of words are used in setting specific objectives for a lesson plan? (action
words).
a) What are profile dimensions?
b) State three ways in which profile dimensions are important to the teacher.
c) Identify the profile dimensions the words underlined are associated with in the
following specific objectives.
By the end of the lesson, the pupil will be able to:
i) identify two examples of pets kept in our homes.
ii) explain the words a) pets
b) domestic animal
c) wild animal
iii)
write a composition and entitled ‘My Pet’
d) In ‘C’ above, state whether the words underlined are activities which measure low
profile or high profile.
e) Which kind of verbs are used in association with profile dimensions?
Answer
a) Profile dimensions are the underlying behaviours for teaching, learning and
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assessment.
b) i) Profile dimensions help the teacher to set good specific and achievable objectives.
ii) Profile dimensions help the teacher to use appropriate TLMs to achieve his
objectives.
iii) Knowledge of profile dimensions helps the teacher to devise relevant teacherlearner activities to make his lesson successful.
iv) Profile dimensions also guide the teacher to give the right exercises or
assignments to evaluate lessons taught. (any three).
c) i) knowledge
ii) understanding
iii) application (use of knowledge)
d) i) low profile
ii) low profile
iii) high profile
e) action verbs.
The table below will make the answer clear
Dimension of
learning
Knowledge
Understanding
Application
Action verb associated with dimension
The ability to: recall, identify, define,
describe list, name, state, mention, etc
The ability to: explain, summarize, translate,
re-write, paraphrase, predict, give example
etc
The ability to: produce, draw, write,
compare, differentiate, create, compose, etc.
29. What are the main components of the oral work section?
(a) speech practice
(b) conversation
(c) drama
(f) debates.
Remarks
Low
profile
Low
profile
High
profile
(d) verse
(e) story
30. What components make up the reading section of the syllabus? (a) reading aloud
(b) reading comprehension
31. What are the components of the writing section of the syllabus? (a) penmanship
(handwriting)
(b) mechanical writing
(punctuation, etc)
(c) essays
Theories of Second Language Acquisition
34. Mention any three theories of language acquisition. (i. Innatist Theory
ii. Behaviourist Theory iii. Cognitivist Theory iv Monitor Model Theory
iv. Discourse Theory (any three).
35. a) What is the Innatist Theory?
b) List two implications of the Innatist Theory
The Innatist Theory
a) The Innatist Theory states that every child has an innate (inborn) ability to acquire
language. The proponents of the theory, led by Naom Chomsky, believe that every
child is biologically programmed for the acquisition of any language he is exposed to.
The Innatists posit that the innate ability to acquire language is found in an imaginary
black box called language acquisition device (LAD), located somewhere in the brain.
According to the theorists, children use their LADs to pick language naturally as they
are exposed to it.
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Implications of the Innatist Theory
b) i. Every child is capable of learning any language so the teacher should
create the right atmosphere for the child to learn.
ii. The pupil should be motivated to learn the L2
iii.
The teacher should always select the right language items for the child.
iv.Language items or materials selected should suit the age and experience of
the child. (any two)
36. a) What is the Behaviourist Theory?
b) State two implications of this Theory
The Behaviourist Theory
a) Led by B.F. Skinner, the Behaviourist Theory claims that language is learnt by
imitation, reinforcement and habit formation. The theorists argue that learning a
language involves a set of habits where certain stimuli are associated with particular
responses backed by reinforcement. To them, these theorists further assert that a
child’s nurture is more important than his nature. This means when a child is exposed
to any language around him, he learns it by imitating the utterances he hears from
mother, siblings, etc.
Implications of the Behaviourist Theory
b) i. The teacher has to make use of a lot of drills, memorization and constant
practice for the desired habit formation in the language.
ii. The teacher should be proficient in the language so that children can repeat or
‘imitate’ the correct pronunciation, structure, expression, etc. In this regard, the
teacher should see himself as a role model in the learning process.
iii. The teacher should use reinforcement as a means of motivating learners. (any two)
37. a) What is the Cognitive Theory?
b) List three implications of this theory
The Cognitive Theory
a) These theorists, led by Jean Piaget, claim that learners use their cognitive abilities in a
creative way to learn about the structure of the L 2. In this theory, learning is seen to
progress in transitional stages. Proponents of this theory believe that making errors is
a positive sign of learning the L2. In this regard, error analysis is an important principle
of this theory. It is a principle in this theory to expose learners to learn language in
near-natural situations.
Implications of the Cognitive Theory
b) i. The teacher should use a lot of TLMs to help his learners use the language
naturally.
ii. Language acquisition should be seen to progress in transitional stages.
iii. The teachers should find out the sources of learners’ errors for the necessary
corrections to be made. (Such errors can emanate from communal pull;
fossilization; L1 interference; wrong generalization, etc)
NB: if a student or learner knows the correct pronunciation of the word ‘oven’ as
/٨v∂η/ but continues to say /∂ûνIη/, he has made that error because of the fear of being
laughed at. This is an error of communal pull.
Fossilization is a deep-rooted error which is difficult to correct, e.g. a learner spelling
cemetery’ as ‘cemetry’ or ‘cemetary’ even when he has been corrected.
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When a learner writes ‘The mans are tall’, he has made an error of overgeneralization of the
formation of the plural by adding ‘-s’ e.g, boy – boys; table-tables, ball, - balls; and so man –
mans!
L1 interference is the case where a learner makes an error by translating verbatim the L 1
into the L2. .e.g. when a learner says ‘My head is paining me’ instead of ‘I have headache or
my head is aching.
38. a) What is the Monitor Model Theory?
b) State two implications of this theory to the language teacher.
The Monitor Model Theory
a) The Monitor Model Theory was led by Krashen. The theorists place emphasis on
‘learning’ as a conscious process that monitors or edits the learner’s progress of
acquisition and at the same time guides his performance. The proponents of this
theory have put forward an ‘input hypothesis’ which suggests that the teacher of the
L2 should go about his lesson the same way as a child acquires the L 1 from the
mother. To the theorists, learning is a conscious effort of editing one’s own progress. If
a learner is given an input of ‘a’, his new input will be ‘a+1’, then a+2, then a+3, etc.
This means a new input is added progressively each time the first is used.
Implications of the Monitor Model Theory
b) i. The theory argues that aptitude relates to learning so the learner’s
aptitude predicts how well he will perform in an aspect of the language (e.g.
grammar, speech, etc)
ii. The theory rejects the view that the L 1 interferes negatively with second language
acquisition. Rather, the L1 is seen as a performance strategy.
iii. The teacher should also use repetition and drills to facilitate the learning of the L 2.
(any two)
Approaches to second Language Teaching
39. Mention any four approaches to second language teaching.
(i) Grammar – Translation Approach,
(ii) Director Approach
(iii) Reading Approach
(iv) Communicative Approach
(v) Situational Approach
(vi) Audio-lingual (Structural) Approach.
40. a) What is the Grammar – Translation Approach?
b) Give four features/of principles of this approach
c) State two merits and two demerits of the approach
The Grammar – Translation Approach
a) The Grammar – Translation approach is a teaching approach where emphasis is laid
on translations into the L1 in the teaching and learning process. This approach also
called the classical approach, was the major teaching approach between the 1840s
and the 1940s. It takes its roots from the traditional approach of teaching, Latin and
Greek. The approach consisted of a thorough analysis of written texts in which
translation, reading comprehension exercises and written imitation of texts were the
dominant features. Learning involved a sound knowledge of grammatical rules.
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Features/Principles
b) i. The Grammar – Translation approach was characterized by memorizing
rules and facts in order to understand the morphology and syntax of the
target language.
ii. The L1 is the point of reference in learning the L2.
iii. Reading and writing (the secondary skills) were given more emphasis than
listening and speaking (the primary skills).
iv. Vocabulary items were learnt by being translated into L1.
v. Grammar was taught by the deductive method. This means the teacher first gave
the grammatical rules for the learners to apply in different contexts.
vi. The teacher dominates the learning process
vii.The learner’s L1 was the medium of instruction
viii. Errors are seen as a sign of inadequate learning.
Merits
c) i. Learners understand lessons better since their L1 is used.
ii.
The use of drills helps in the accurate use of language
iii. Grammatical rules are learnt by being memorized so mistakes are minimal
iv. The learner becomes very good in reading and writing.
Demerits
i. A teacher cannot teach in a school where he does not understand the L1 of
that community.
ii. The grammar-translation approach is teacher-centred
iii. Learners can hardly use the target language for communication.
iv. Emphasis is placed on reading and writing to the detriment of listening and speaking
which are the basic skills.
41. a) What is the Direct Approach?
b) Outline four features of this approach
c) State three advantages and two disadvantages of the approach.
The Direct Approach
a) The Direct Approach is a teaching approach where the target language is taught in
the same language, e.g. English is taught in English; French is taught in French, etc.
The approach is based on teaching the target language naturally or directly without
making any translations into the L1. The Direct Approach seems the direct opposite of
the Grammar – Translation approach in that more emphasis is laid on the
communicative aspect of the language, that is listening and speaking. The approach
is therefore called oral or natural approach.
Features/Principles
b) i. classroom instructions are given in the L2
ii. only everyday vocabulary and sentences are taught.
iii. Oral communication skills are built up gradually
iv. Grammar is taught inductively
v. Correct pronunciation and grammar are emphasized
vi. The approach demands effective use of TLMs
vii.New teaching points are introduced orally
viii. Concrete vocabulary is taught through the use of demonstration, objects
and pictures. (any three)
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Advantages
c) i. Language is learnt in a natural situation
ii. The use of TLMs makes learning the L2 more practical and meaningful
iii. Pupils use and understand English the first they go to school.
iv. Pupils acquire fluency by this approach
v. All the four language skills are emphasized
vi. The approach is child-centred (any three)
i.
ii.
iii.
Disadvantages
The teacher should be very skilful in order to teach effectively.
It is time-consuming since a lot of TLMs are used to enhance understanding
Lesson can be boring because of the many repetitions.
42.
a. What is the Reading Approach?
b. List three features of this approach
c. State two advantages and two disadvantages of the Reading Approach.
The Reading Approach
a) The Reading Approach is based on reading. This approach was used in place of the
Direct Approach because reading was viewed as the most usable skill to have in a
foreign language. The change was also due to the fact that the Direct Approach was
difficult to use practically.
Features/Principles
b) i. Reading is much emphasized
ii. Much attention is given to only the grammar needed in reading comprehension.
iii. Translation made into the L1 is used in this approach
iv. Active, rather than passive vocabulary, is taught. (any three)
Advantage
c) i. Teachers need not be skilled in the use of the target language since
translation is used. This makes the approach easy to use.
ii. Learners can read well by this approach
Disadvantage
i. besides reading, little attention is given to the other skills (i.e. listening, speaking
and writing)
ii. teachers who cannot speak the L1 of a community cannot teach in a school in that
location.
iii. Learners cannot use the target language in communication. (any two)
43.
a. What is the Situational Approach?
b. Outline two features of this approach
c. State two merits and two demerits of the approach.
The Situational Approach
a) The Situational Approach is based on teaching the target language situationally. (e.g.
a dialogue about a patient with a doctor; in a chemist’s shop, at the lorry station, etc.
This approach became popular in Britain between the 1940s and 1960s, and was a
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reaction to the Reading approach because the latter failed to address the oral needs
of the learner. The Situational Approach is much akin to the Direct Approach in that
only the target language is used in the teaching and learning process.
Features/Principles
b) i. Only the target language is used as the medium of instruction.
ii. Aural/oral skills (listening and speaking) are much emphasized. As a result, lessons
begin with oral practice (primary skills) before the secondary skills (reading and
writing) follow later.
iii. New vocabulary items or expressions are introduced situationally.
iv. Vocabulary is graded from simple to complex (any two)
Merits
c) i. Oral skills (listening and speaking) are given much attention.
ii. Learners can use the target language in communication since the spoken aspect is
much emphasized. Hence, learners acquire fluency.
iii. Language is acquired in natural situations because real life situations are used in
dialogues. (any two)
Demerits
The success of this approach depends on a skilful teachers who is also proficient in the
target language.
ii. A lot of TLMs are needed to make the teaching/learning process successful.
i.
44.
a. Explain the Communicative Approach
b. List three features or principles of this approach
c. State two merits and two demerits of this approach
The Communicative Approach
a) The Communicative Approach is one that views language teaching as the object of
communication. In other words, the goal of the teacher’s task is to make his learners
communicate in the target language.
Features/Principles
b) i. The aim of teaching is for communication in the target language.
ii. Language is taught and used in context
iii.
The L2 is the language of instruction
iv. Language games are used to enhance communication
v. The teacher’s major task is to promote situations which encourage pupils’
communication.
vi. Language teaching is based on real life situations. Learners are therefore involved
in classroom activities.
vii. Errors can be allowed as the object of the lesson is for communication.
Merits
i. It ensures fluency
ii. It helps learners to use language in a natural context or in real life
situations.
iii.
It develops all the four language skills together.
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Demerits
c) i. It demands a skilful teacher otherwise objectives cannot be met.
ii. Accuracy is sometimes sacrificed for fluency
45.
a. What is the Audiolingual or Structural Approach?
b. Outline two features of this approach.
c. What are any two merits and two demerits of the approach?
The Audiolingual (Structural) Approach
a) This is a language teaching approach based on the teaching and learning of the
structure of the target language as well as words and sounds associated with the
language.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
Features/Principles
Memorization and mimicry are used because language acquisition is seen as habitformation.
Grammar is taught inductively.
The primary skills are taught first, then the secondary skills.
Errors are not entertained and so much effort is made to prevent them.
Language is often learnt without regard to meaning or context.
Merits
i. It makes lessons practical.
ii. It encourages maximum classroom participation.
iii. Learners hardly forget what they learn since learning involves all the five senses.
iv. Accuracy is emphasized.
Demerits
i. It needs a skilful teacher to use the approach since learning materials should be
carefully controlled.
ii. It lays too much emphasis on memorization without paying attention to meaning.
iii. Little attention is given to fluency.
iv. The four skills are not integrated in a single lesson.
46.
Differences
between
the
lingual/Structural Approach
Communicative
1. Meaning is important
2. Memorization is not based on
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Communicative
Approach
and
Audio-lingual (Structural)
More emphasis is laid on structure
or form of language than meaning
Encourages memorization of
Audio-
structure but on the
communicative function of the
langue
Fluency is emphasized
Language learning is for
communication
5. Accurate pronunciation is not a
must
6. The four skills are integrated in a
single lesson
structure in dialogues
Correct structure is emphasized
Language learning is based on
structure, words or sounds.
Exact pronunciation is emphasized
The four skills are not integrated
but separated (primary skills, then
secondary skills)
Pre-reading Activities and Pre-reading Skills
48. Pre-reading activities are activities a teacher takes his pupils through for them to acquire
pre-reading skills to prepare them for formal reading.
49. Pre-reading skills, on the other hand, are skills acquired through pre-reading activities
and which prepare pupils for formal reading.
50. Mention any three pre-reading skills. (i. oral language skill (development)
(ii) visual discrimination
(iii) auditory discrimination
(iv) visual comprehension (v)
visual motor skills (left-to-right eye movement), etc.
51. What is oral language skills? (It is a skill which equips the child with fluency in the use of
the language).
52. What pre-reading activities help pupils to acquire oral language skills? (i) talking about
pictures
(ii) reciting rhymes
(iii) retelling parts of stories or stories
(iv) picture stories in sequence
(v) debates (e.g. Which is older, the hen or the egg?
Children can express their views in the form of a debate)
(vi) Field trips (children are
taken out of the classroom on a walk and are told to observe whatever they see, e.g. a
goat, a turkey, etc. When they return to the classroom they are made to talk about what
they saw, thereby developing their fluency skills).
53. Visual comprehension or concept building skill is the child’s ability to interpret what he
sees and compares it with the knowledge of the world. Knowledge of the world refers to
what children know already, e.g. children know that a hen has two legs, so they can
identify the missing element when they see another hen with only one leg. Two activities
which can help pupils acquire the skills mentioned are i. Kim’s Game ii. Lucky Dip.
Lucky Dip
In this game, teacher collects assorted objects familiar to pupils (e.g. matchbox,
fruits, pencils, erasers, etc) and shows them to pupils. After this he puts them into a
bag or box. He then calls pupils one by one to come and dip their hands into the bag
or box without looking into it and pick an object at random. Once this is picked, the
name of the object is to be mentioned correctly after being shown to the class. If the wrong
name is mentioned, the pupil is out of the game. The winner is the last pupil who still
remains playing the game. The game develops visual comprehension and concept building.
Visual Memory Skill
This skill helps pupils to commit to memory as many things as they can retain in their minds
on seeing them.
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Activity – Kim’s Game
In this activity the teacher makes the same assorted collection of objects familiar to children.
He shows them to all pupils and then covers them. After this, he calls them one by one to
mention all the objects they remember seeing in the collection. The winner is the pupil who
mentions the highest number of objects correctly.
54. Visual discrimination skill helps pupils to differentiate between objects of different colour,
shape, size, etc, in fact, visual discrimination is the same as visual comprehension and
concept building.
55. The pre-reading activities which help children to acquire visual comprehension and
concept building are the following.
i. matching: children are made to match objects of the same size, shape, colours, etc.
e.g.
ii. Sorting: children are made to group or classify objects with the same characteristics ,
e.g. grouping all fanta tops, sprite tops, coca cola tops, etc from an assorted collection of
bottle tops; grouping all red balls, all green balls, yellow balls, etc. from a large collection
balls of the same sizes but different colours, etc.
iii. Picking the odd items out: The teacher draws a serious of identical pictures and
deliberately leaves out one part for pupils to identify, e.g. the third picture below has
only one ear.
iv. Jig-saw puzzle: children are given two identical pictures, A and B, pictures of a cat. The
teacher cuts picture ‘A’ into different shapes and tells pupils to rearrange or fit all the
parts together to look like picture ‘B’.
The jig-saw puzzle equips the child with visual comprehension skills as well as the skills
of concept building.
56. Visual motor skills
This skill develops children’s ability to move eyes from left to right, up and down, etc. it
also helps the child to co-ordinate the hand and the eyes.
57. The pre-reading activities which develop this skill are the following
i. Box and dot game: Teacher draws a horizontal series of boxes on the board
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and puts one dot in the middle of the first box on the left. He then calls a pupil
one by one to come forward and put a dot each rapidly in the rest of the boxes, starting
from left to right
The rapid movement of the eyes from left to right develops the child’s visual motor
skill. At the same time, the co-ordination of the eyes and hand also develops eye-hand
co-ordination.
ii. Drawing objects or tracing shapes:
children are made to either draw objects familiar to them e.g. orange, banana etc.
trace them in broken lines. All these activities develop eye-hand co-ordination and
visual motor skills as well.
iii. Following trails and tracks: Teacher takes pupils to a sandy spot and walks in
different directions as they observe. After this, he calls pupils one by one to follow his
trail or track, thereby developing the visual motor skill.
58.
Auditory Discrimination
This skill helps pupils to distinguish between different sounds.
59.
Pre-reading activities
i. sound walk:
In this activity, teacher takes pupils outside the classroom to listen to different sounds
in the environment, e.g. the sound of a grinding mill, an aeroplane the gobble of
turkeys, the cackling of hens, the grunting of pigs, etc. when they return to the
classroom, they are made, one by one, to utter the sound(s) they heard. Alternatively,
the teacher utters certain sounds for pupils to identify the animals or things which
produce them.
ii. Kofi Says:
In this game, pupils are to perform only the activities which begin with the words ‘Kofi
says’. E.g. Kofi says stand up, Kofi says raise your arms, etc. if any pupil performs an
activity which does not begin with ‘Kofi says’, he is out of the game. The winner of this
game is the last pupil who remains still playing it. This game helps pupils to be
attentive to what they hear and at the same time, discriminate between them.
iii. Initial letter sound game:
In this game all pupils stand up. If the teacher utters a sound, e.g. /s/, all pupils whose
first names begin with this sound should sit down, otherwise they are out of the
game. Therefore, with the sound /s/, any pupil called Cynthia, Samuel, Cephas, etc
should sit down, otherwise he is out of the game. The winner is the last pupils still
standing and playing the game.
iv. Whispering grammar or Whispering game
In this activity, the teacher whispers one word (e.g. ‘apple’) into the ear of the first
pupil on the first row. This pupil is to whisper the same word into the ear of the pupil
behind him, and from him too to the third. This goes on till the word reaches the ears
of the last pupil, who mentions it for everybody to hear. This can also be played in
15
columns or rows, the first person receiving the word and the last person saying it
aloud. The winning group is the one whose member says the word correctly.
Method of Teaching Reading
The two main methods of teaching reading are
1. Look and say Method
2. Phonic Method
The look and say method has two other variants. These are (1) Whole Word Method
(2) Sentence Method.
The Whole Word Method
This is a method of teaching reading using individual words where pupils merely look at the
word and pronounce it after the teacher. This method is also called sight word method.
Usually, words are associated with pictures to help pupils read.
Teaching Procedure
a) Associating Pictures With Words
Pictures have words written beneath them to indicate what they are or mean. These
words are introduced gradually with a lot of revision for reinforcement.
b) Withdrawal of Pictures
The next step is to withdraw the pictures gradually so that pupils read the words
alone. This builds the pupils’ sight words or sight vocabulary. Sight words in this sense
means words pupils recognize and read without any difficulty.
c) Formation of sentences with words learnt
doll
a
Mansah
has
Thirdly,
helped Mansah
words
has
a
doll
pupils
are
to merge the
learnt to form
sentences.
becomes
d) Reading of Texts
The last procedure is for the tr. to guide the pupils to read their textbooks.
Advantages
1. It enhances fast reading skills. This is because pupils read only from special graded
books.
2. Reading becomes meaningful as it is associated with pictures
3. It promotes correct pronunciation since the pupil repeats what the tr. says. As the tr. is
the best model, such repetitions will therefore be good.
Disadvantages
1. The pupils’ reading is limited to only words taught by the tr.
2. The pupil is not equipped with word attack skills.
The Sentence Method
This is a method of teaching reading which emphasizes the reading of whole sentences and
phrases. The proponents of this method argue that the sentence is the unit of thought and
16
therefore meaning comes from complete sentences. Initially, only single sentences are
taught at a time.
Teaching Procedure
1. Associating Pictures with Sentences
This facilitates reading as well as makes it meaningful.
2. Withdrawal of pictures
The second procedure is to withdraw the pictures for pupils to read known sentences.
This exercise is reinforced by drills or repetitions.
3. Reading of texts based on known sentences
This is the third step which helps pupils to read a text known to them.
Breaking of sentences into sense groups. e.g.
4.
Mansah
has
a
new
toy
5. Rearrangement of jumbled words
Words in the sentences can be cut and mixed up or jumbled together for pupils to rearrange
The Alphabet Method
This is the method of teaching reading where emphasis is laid on using the names of the
letters of the alphabet and the spelling of the names into words. e.g. snake,
b, etc. The Alphabet Method is a variant of the phonic method
snake
belt
Teaching Procedure
60. i. Display of letters of the alphabet
This is done for both upper case and lower case letters. Images of the letter shapes are
used to reinforce the memorization of the names.
ii.Teaching of single consonant sounds
The usual practice is for the tr. to teach for a start, single consonant instead of
digraphs. e.g. ‘car’ instead of ‘chair’, ‘sand’ instead of ‘stand’, etc.
iii. Looking for words beginning with particular letters
This could be done by pupils from magazines or other books
iv. Use of other phonic techniques
Any other techniques of the phonic method which are appropriate can be used.
Advantages
1. The idea of letters representing sounds is established. This is an incidental rather than
a systematic approach of teaching phonics.
2. Pupils learn all letters of the alphabet. (both upper & lower case).
3. It helps pupils to spell accurately.
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4. Pupils are equipped with word-attack skills.
5. Pupils learn letter sequences.
Disadvantages
1. Calling letters aloud and reading them can cause slow reading.
2. Reading is done often without regard to meaning.
The Syllabic Method
This is method of teaching reading where pupils are helped to break long words into
syllables to pronounce them. .e.g. com.po-si-tion.
Advantages
1. It provides pupils with word attack skills.
2. It equips pupils with spelling skills.
3. It promotes interest in reading as pupils become independent readers.
Disadvantages
1. It is not easy to break some words into syllables.
2. It slows down the pace of reading.
Apprenticeship Technique
This is an informal way of learning reading where a good reader helps a weak one to read.
Again, a good reader from a higher class can help readers in lower classes.
The Eclectic Approach
Also called the Integrated Approach, the eclectic approach is teaching reading by combining
the best practices in the book say and Phonic Methods.
Advantages
1. It ensures successful reading.
2. Pupils can read other texts outside the prescribed ones.
Discuss briefly the procedure to fellow when using the phonic method
a) The first step is to make children associate capital letters with small letters. This is
done by (i) matching the upper case with lower case letters (ii) sorting and
classification of lower case and upper case letters from a mixture of letters (ii) use of
musical chairs
With the use of musical chairs, the teacher arranges chairs in a circle and labels each
with one small letter. Each pupil is then given a capital letter. After this the teacher
plays some music, during which time the pupils dance round the chairs. As soon as
the music is stopped by the teacher, each pupil is to locate and sit on the chair which
bears the lower case letter of the one he is holding. Any pupil who fails to sit on the
appropriate chair is out of the game. The winner becomes the last one who continues
to play the game.
b) Associating sounds with letters is the second step. Here pupils are helped to associate
sounds with appropriate letters. E.g. /f/ in fan; /s/ in sit, etc.
c) After this, sounds are blended to form words, e.g. m+a = ma; ma+ma=mama; p+a =
pa; pa+d = pad, etc. at this time, the teacher uses a Tachistoscope or phonic slide to
reinforce the blending of the sounds. The phonic slide is made up of a chart
containing columns of letters, with a movable part sliding up or down. When aligned,
18
phonetic words are formed which are read by pupils. The movable slide can be in
initial, medial or final (terminal) positions, as illustrated in the diagrams below.
Initial
n
t
ma
d
p
m
f
s
d
i
w
l
n
t
P
g
d
s
m
P
ad
b
l
19
The Phonic Slide
medial
terminal
Movable
Slide
movable
slide
movable
slide
Another TLM which can serve the same purpose is the phonic wheel. This is made up of a
circular chart or card composed of two or three concentric circles at the outer edges of
which are written some letters in sectors. This also contains a part which is movable and
then a fixed one. When turned, phonetic words are formed when aligned, and read by
pupils, as in the diagram below.
The Phonic wheel
ong
ad
s
on
at
un
ap
and
ack
A third method of reinforcement is the use of word families. Word families are groups of two
or more words in which a regular pattern of sound or spelling relationship is repeated, e.g.
bag, bad, bat, etc. sad, son, sow, etc.
Reading Readiness
61. What is reading readiness? (The stage at which pupils exhibit signs that they are
ready for formal reading.
62. Mention any two signs of reading readiness.
i) ability to speak fluently in the L1 or L2
ii) ability to answer simple questions
iii) pupils’ ability to tell differences between colours, shapes, etc
iv) obeying simple classroom instructions e.g. stand up, sit down, close your book, etc.
v) pupils’ ability to tell or retell stories or parts of stories.
vi) ability to exhibit a reasonable degree of concentration. (any two)
vii) ability to read a few sight words or sight vocabulary. e.g. ball, go, man, etc.
63. What are any two factors of reading readiness?
i. physical factors
ii. mental maturity
iii. emotional factors
iv. social factors (any two)
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64. Which physical factors determine reading readiness?
i. Visual discrimination
ii. Visual acuity
iii. Hearing
65. What emotional factors of pupils affect their readiness to read?
i. When they cry at the least provocation
ii. When they make too many complaints to the teacher.
Methods of Teaching Reading
66. What are the two main methods of teaching reading?
a) The look and say method
(b) The phonic method
67.
What other name is given to the look and say method?
(whole word technique (method) or holistic method
68.
Mention any other methods of teaching reading.
method).
(alphabet method and syllabic
69. What is the look and say method? (It is a method of teaching reading where the
leaner looks at a word and pronounces it, (usually with the aid of pictures)).
70. What are phonetic words? (They are words whose letter sounds can be blended to
pronounce them).
71. What are sight words? (They are words whose individual letter sounds cannot be
blended to pronounce them).
72.
Give any two examples of sight words (through, their, chair, sight) (any two)
73. What is the phonic method of teaching reading?
(A method of teaching reading where the sounds of the letters are used for
pronunciation).
74. What is the syllabic method of teaching reading?
(A method of teaching reading where words are broken into syllables before pronouncing
them, e.g. com –po-si-tion).
75.
Mention any two examples of phonetic words. (map, god, bag, man, son, sin (any two)
76. What is the eclectic approach? (A combination of the best methods of the phonic and
the look and say methods of teaching reading).
78. Mention any two advantages of the look and say methods of teaching reading.
a) pupils learn a lot of sight words in a short time
b) pupils can read on their own because of the large stock of sight vocabulary.
c) It promotes fast reading
d) Reading becomes interesting and meaningful. (because of the presence of pictures)
79. What is sight vocabulary? (All the words a pupil can recognize and pronounce upon
seeing them).
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80. What are the disadvantages of the look and say method?
a) people cannot read new words on their own
b) It demands too much memory work
c) Pupils are not able to analyse words on their own.
81. What are word attack skills? (They are all the clues and other means a pupil uses to
help him/her pronounce a word).
82. Give any two advantages of the phonic method.
a) It provides the pupil with word attack skills.
b) pupils can read independently without any aid
c) pupils can read new words
d) It encourages correct pronunciation (any two).
83. What are any two disadvantages of the phonic method?
a) It is not suitable for pupils whose mental ages are lower than seven
b) The method cannot be used with the reading of sight words
c) It can lead to finger tracing in pupils.
d) It can lead to mispronunciation of certain words.
84. Give any two advantages of the syllabic method.
a) It equips the pupil with effective spelling skills.
b) It provides the child with word attack skills.
85. What are any two disadvantages of the syllabic method?
a) It does not help fast reading
b) some words are difficult to break into syllables
86. In pronunciation, what are the two forms of correction procedure?
(modelling and phonetic analysis)
87. What is modelling? (It is correcting a wrong pronunciation by saying the correct one
(modelling) for pupils to repeat. In other words, the teacher models the correct
pronunciation for pupils to repeat).
88.
For what words is modelling an appropriate correction procedure? (sight words).
89. What is phonetic analysis? (A correction procedure where the teacher helps the
learner to blend the individual letter sounds of a word to pronounce it).
90. For which words is phonetic analysis an appropriate correction procedure? (phonetic
words).
Teaching Reading Comprehension
91. What is scanning? (Reading quickly through a text for particular information/specific
information).
92. What is Skimming? (Reading quickly through a passage for general information (gist
of the passage).
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93. What are prediction activities? (They are all the activities a teacher takes pupils
through before the start of a lesson to help them predict what is going to be taught and
so focus on it).
94. What are the 3 ways in which prediction activities can be conducted?
a) By the use of real objects, realia, pictures/charts/ sketches, etc.
b) By the use of titles, subtitles or headings.
c) By the use of questions.
93. Distinguish between ‘Reading Aloud’ and ‘Reading Comprehension’ (In reading aloud,
the emphasis is on pronunciation but in reading comprehension, emphasis is on
understanding a text and therefore answering comprehension questions).
94. What are the stages of both the reading aloud and reading comprehension lessons?
i) Preliminary reading stage
ii) Reading stage
iii) Post – reading stage.
95.
Mention the activities under the preliminary reading stage of a reading aloud lesson.
(a) prediction
(b) teaching of new words (vocabulary)
96. What is the difference between fluency and pronunciation?
(Fluency is the ability to speak or read a language smoothly and well whilst
pronunciation is the way a word is mentioned correctly).
97. What are the activities of the reading stage of the reading aloud lesson
a) reading aloud
b) matching
c) rearrangement of jumbled words to form sentences
98.
What is the plan of the reading aloud lesson?
Preliminary Reading Stage
1. Prediction activities
2. Teaching of key words
1.
2.
3.
4.
Reading Stage
Model reading aloud by teacher
Reading aloud for pupils to repeat after teacher
Matching (of word cards or flash cards to words on sentence cards).
Rearrangement of jumbled words into sentences.
Post Reading Stage
1. Divide class into groups for different activities (Teacher appoints leaders to the
various groups).
Group 1 – reading aloud
Group 2 – Matching
Group 3 – Rearrangement of jumbled words, etc.
2. Let pupils change over their activities.
23
Go round and visit each group to offer the necessary assistance.
99. What is the plan of the reading comprehension lesson?
Ans:
Preliminary Reading Stage
1. Prediction activities
2. Teaching of vocabulary
1.
2.
3.
4.
Reading Stage
Writing of pre-reading questions on the board.
Model reading by teacher or by a very good pupil.
Silent reading by pupils.
Answering of pre-reading questions orally.
Post- Reading Stage
1. Oral discussion of real comprehension questions with pupils.
2. Writing of correct answers to comprehension questions by pupils into their exercise
books.
100. What is the appropriate sequencing of pre-reading activities?
(concrete
semi-concrete
semi-abstract
abstract)
Teaching Vocabulary
101. What are the two main ways of teaching vocabulary items?
i. Concrete technique
ii. Explanation technique
102. Mention any two ways by which you will teach vocabulary using the concrete
technique
(a) real objects
(b) realia
(c) picture/charts/sketches
(d) demonstration/miming (any two)
103. Mention any two ways of explaining vocabulary using the explanation technique
(a) synonyms
(b) antonyms
(c) from general to specific /particular
(d) from
specific /particular to general
(e) anecdote
(f) explanation through context (any
two).
104. How will you explain the following vocabulary to your BS6 pupils?
i. scorpion
ii. squat
iii. pumpkin
iv. grey
v. crocodile
vi. A wooden sleeper is better than a concrete one.
vii. My uncle is a light sleeper. (viii) adder
Ans: (i) use of realia, picture or sketch
(ii) by demonstration.
iii) real object or realia iv) by using a piece of cloth or material with a grey colour. v)
realia or chart/sketch: also, a kind of reptile like a lizard which lives both in water and on
land. (explanation technique) vi) a wooden or concrete or metal beam on which a rail is
laid (explanation technique).
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vii) A person who wakes up from his sleep by a slight disturbance. (explanation
technique).
viii) one example of snakes is an adder (explanation techniques from general to
specific/particular. (an adder is a kind of snake = from specific to general).
Types of comprehension Questions
105. Mention any two kinds of comprehension questions.
i) factual (direct) ii) inferential iii) speculative iv) referral v) personal response
(any two).
106. What is a direct or factual question? ( a question whose answer can be got directly
from a text (passage).
107.What is an inferential question? ( a question whose answer is not direct but can be
inferred or deduced from the text).
108.What is a speculative question? ( a question whose answer demands a logical guess
from the reader).
109.When is a question referral? (a question whose answer refers to a certain word, phrase
or sentence in the text).
110.What are referral words? (Words which refer to other words in the passage).
111.When is a question a personal response type? (When the answer demands a personal
opinion from the reader, e.g. If you were hawk, what would you do?).
112.What is a factual type ‘A’ question? ( a question whose answer is got directly from one
sentence in the passage (text).
113.What is a factual type ‘B’ question? (A question whose answer can be got directly from
two or more sentences in the text)
114.When is a question an inferential type ‘A’ ( when the answer can be inferred or
deduced from one sentence in the text)
115.When is a question an inferential type ‘B’ ?
(When the answer can be inferred or deduced from two or more sentences in the text).
Read the following passage and answer the questions
Little Jojo has catarrh. Besides he has serious malaria. The reason for this is simple. When
Mama went into the boys’ room, she suddenly retreated for fresh breath. There was no
place for the feet – pieces of paper, unwashed bowls and clothes,… ‘It’s only yesterday,
Wednesday, that I went to hospital!’ the woman fumed. She started looking for her health
insurance card.
Answer the following questions and in each case, state the kind of comprehension question.
a) On what day has Jojo fallen ill?
25
i) Thursday
ii) factual (type ‘B’ question)
b) Why is little Jojo ill?
i)
Because of the filth and stench in the room where he sleeps.
ii)
Inferential (type ‘B’) question.
c) Why does Mama suddenly come out of the boys’ room after entering it?
i)
Because of the stench
ii)
Inferential (type ‘A’) question
d) What do you think Mama will do to the boys?
i)
she will beat or punish them severely
ii)
speculative question.
e) What does ‘this’ refer to in the passage?
i)
the illness of Little Jojo
ii)
referral question
f) Where do you think Mama is going?
i)
To hospital
ii)
An inferential (type ‘B’) question.
116. What are oral-aural lessons? (They are lessons which develop listening and speaking
skills).
ORAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
117. What is oral language development? (A skill which develops pupils’ listening and
speaking skills).
118. What are lessons or activities which can develop oral language skills in pupils?
i) rhymes/verse
ii) stories
iii) conversation
iv) drama
v) picture
description
vi) riddles
vii) songs (any three).
119. What are oral/aural lessons? (Lessons which develop pupils’ listening and speaking
skills or lessons which develop pupils’ oral language)
120. What are any two ways in which aural/oral lessons are important? (i) They develop
pupils’ listening and speaking skills. (ii) pupils acquire new vocabulary
(iii) they
offers pupils the opportunity of using certain words or expressions correctly (iv) they
help pupils to develop interest for literature in higher classes). (any two).
VERSE
121. Mention any two factors you will consider in selecting verse for your Lower Primary
(class 1 -3) pupils.
(i. The verse should be short (ii) The language should not be difficult.
(iii) It should
be easy to explain.
(iv) It should have a strong rhythm (which can be
clapped/beaten/tapped by pupils.)
(v) It should be suitable for pupils’ age and
experience. (vi) It should offer pupils the opportunity to move or perform actions.
(any two).
26
122. What are any two factors you will consider in selecting verse for your Upper Primary
pupils? (i) it should be a little longer
(ii) it should not be too action-oriented or it should not be nursery rhymes
(iii) vocabulary should be higher than that of the lower primary
(iv) it can be based on real life situations (any two).
123. What are sound-sensitizing activities in the teaching of a verse lesson? (activities that
draw pupils’ attention or awareness to sounds).
124. Mention any two techniques of sound-sensitizing activities (i. listening
ii. Reciting
iii. Tapping/clapping/beating out the rhythm iv. back chaining v. identifying rhyming
words (any two).
125. i. What is back chaining in a verse lesson? (building sentences from the end of a line
of the verse).
126. Give one example of back chaining
…right
…my right
…on my fight
…finger on my right
….little finger on my right
The little finger on my right
127. What are the stages of a verse lesson? (i. Pre-presentation stage/Preliminary Reading
Stage
ii. Presentation Stage/Reading Stage
iii. Post-Presentation Stage/PostReading Stage).
128. What are the activities of the Pre-presentation stage of a verse lesson? (i. Prediction
activities
ii. Teaching of vocabulary items. iii. Teaching general meaning of the
verse.
129. Mention the important activities in the Reading Stage or Presentation stage of a verse
lesson. (i. Teacher writes/puts the verse (on a manila card) on the board.
ii. Teacher recites the verse two or three times for pupils to listen attentively.
iii. She then allows pupils to join her in the reading (lower primary) or she reads line
by line for pupils to read after her (upper primary).
iv. The recitation is accompanied by sound sensitizing activities like clapping, beating
out the rhythm, gestures, etc.
v. One sensitizing activity is helping pupils to identify rhyming words.
e.g. Tr: Supply the last word: Rain, rain, go………………………………
Pupils: away
Tr: come again another….
Pupils: day, etc. (Teacher helps pupils to realize that ‘away’ and ‘day’ rhyme)
130. Mention any two activities at the post reading stage of a verse lesson (i. Answering of
personal response questions. (ii) pupils drawing something related to the verse, e.g. a
27
fish. (iii) retelling parts of verse which interests pupils most
(iv) dramatizing the
verse or part of it
(vi) writing a parallel verse
(vii) telling a story related to the
verse (any two) (The last are activities done especially at the upper primary. Note that
drawing something related to the verse e.g. a fish, hen, hawk, etc. is done at the
lower primary only.
Story Telling
131. List any three ways in which stories are important to pupils.
(i) They develop pupils’ listening and speaking skills simultaneously.
(ii) Pupils acquire fluency skills.
(iii) Pupils learn new vocabulary items
(iv) Pupils acquire skills to organize ideas for composition
(v) Pupils develop their creative talents.
(vi) Pupils are encouraged to read library books. (any three)
132. What three factors will you consider in selecting stories for lower primary (i. age and
class of pupils (ii) interest of pupils
(iii) length of story (should be short)
(iv) should relate to pupils cultural background or experience
133. What are the stages of the story lesson plan?
(i) Pre-presentation /Pre-reading stage or Preliminary reading stage
(ii) Presentation/reading stage
(iii) Post-presentation/post-reading stage).
134. What are the main activities of the pre-presentation stage?
(I Prediction activities
ii. Teaching of new vocabulary items).
135. Mention the different activities in the presentation or reading stage of the story
lesson. (i. Teacher tells or reads the story to pupils. A pupil can also read or tell the
story.
(ii) Teacher pauses once a while to ask while-reading questions to ensure that pupils
pay attention. Teacher’s voice should be varied in tone to ensure attention on the part
of pupils.
(iii) Teacher accompanies his narration with pictures, real objects, realia,
gestures, etc. to make it more meaningful.
135. Mention two activities of the post-presentation stage.
(i) Drawing a character or something in the story (in the case of the lower primary)
(ii) Asking questions, e.g. personal response questions
(iii) retelling parts of the
story (iv) writing a parallel story
(v) dramatizing the story (any two).
Conversation
136. List two reasons why a conversation lesson is important. (i) It develops pupils’
listening and speaking skills
(ii) pupils are helped to use appropriate registers on
certain themes or use certain grammatical structures correctly.
(iii) It helps pupils to communicate their ideas.
(iv) It helps pupils to write
effectively in future
(v) It helps pupils to learn new vocabulary.
137. What are the stages of the conversation lesson? (i. Preparation stage
ii. Presentation stage
iii. Production stage
28
138. What are the activities of the preparation stage of the conversation lesson?
i. prediction activities
ii. Teaching of vocabulary items
139. What activities are conducted at the presentation stage of the conversation lesson?
i. Teacher helps pupils to role play the characters in the conversation. e.g. Teacher
playing the part of a doctor and one pupil playing the part of a patient: Tr.
P.
ii. After this, they change roles, such that Teacher plays the part of a patient and
the pupil plays the part of a doctor: Tr
P.
iii. A few pairs of pupils are given the chance to role play the different characters
in the same way.
140. What are the activities of the production stage of the conversation lesson?
i. Pupils are paired or grouped to use the structure in the conversation freely. e.g.
P1
P2. This means Pupil 1 can also ask questions which Pupil 2 will answer.
(ii) After some time, they change roles, such that Pupil 2 will now ask questions for
Pupil one to answer P1
P2. The conversation is borne on the structure taught by the
Teacher. (P1 and P2 here means pupil 1 and pupil 2 respectively. NB: it does not mean
a pupil from class or class two!)
141. What is the importance of the presentation stage of the conversation lesson? (It is for
accuracy in the use of the structure taught).
142. What is the importance of the production stage of the conversation lesson? (It is for
fluency in the use of the structure taught).
143. What are the stages of the drama lesson? (i. Pre-presentation stage
stage
iii. Post-presentation stage)
ii. Presentation
144. What activities are involved in the pre-presentation stage of the drama lesson?
(i. Prediction activities
ii. Teaching of vocabulary related to the lesson).
145. List the activities of the presentation stage of the drama lesson. (i. Teacher appoints
characters and helps them dramatize a story pupils have been told in a previous lesson
(iii) After the first performance, Teacher appoints another group to perform. This is done
till members of the class have had their turn).
146. Mention the relevant activities of the post-presentation stage of the drama lesson.
(i. Answering of questions based on the drama
ii. Drawing of some characters or
other features of the drama. (iii) Retelling a story related to the drama.
Writing
147. Briefly outline the features of the classical approach of teaching handwriting. (i. This is
the type of handwriting where emphasis was laid on form and beauty/quality ii. This
handwriting was characterized by the synthetic method of writing. In this method,
vertical, horizontal, oblique as well as cursive lines were taught and used. These lines
were combined into letters and then into words. iii. The major problem about the
classical approach of teaching writing is that more emphasis was laid on form and
beauty but not on the individual needs of the pupil).
148. State the features of the modern approach of teaching handwriting.
29
(i. The writer is allowed to use his own style to write his message in a way which can
be read
ii. Emphasis is no more placed on form and beauty
iii. This approach
therefore places emphasis on the writer and her needs.
149. How is writing viewed today? (A means of expression and an art of personal style).
150. What are pre-writing activities or preparatory writing activities? (They are activities
pupils are taken through to acquire pre-writing or preparatory writing skills).
151. Mention any two pre-writing activities (i. wrist exercises ii. Writing in the air
iii. writing in the sand tray
iv. scribbling
v. drawing
vi. Tracing (patterns
or the outline of objects).
vii. Copying (patterns) (any two).
152. What are any two pre-writing skills? (i. eye-hand co-ordination ii. Visual motor skill
iii. alignment
iv. spacing (between letters and words). v. penmanship (any two).
153. List any two ways in which reading and writing are connected (i. Both reading and
writing are done from left to right. Ii. Some pre-reading activities and skills are also
pre-writing activities and skills. e.g. drawing, tracing, visual discrimination visual
motor skill iii. Both reading and writing require visual motor skills)
154. In writing, mention the three groups of the letters of the alphabet with examples
(i. Ascenders, e.g. f, h, k, l, etc
ii. Suspenders e.g. a, c, e, w, etc
iii. Descenders, e.g. g. j, p, q, y.
155. What are the two main types of writing?
(i. Mechanical writing
ii. Composition
Types of Composition
156. What are the three types of composition? (i. controlled writing
Composition/writing
iii. Free composition/writing
ii. Guided
Controlled Writing
157. What is controlled writing? (It is the kind of writing in which the teacher controls
almost entirely what pupils write. In this kind of writing, the teacher provides almost
all the words, expressions, etc. needed to write the composition.
158. Mention any two types of controlled writing (i. copying ii. Blank filling
iii. Matching
iv. jumbled sentences
v. substitution table
vi. Rebus (any two).
159. Briefly explain any two of the controlled types of composition above, giving examples
in each case.
a) Copying – This is the type of composition where pupils merely copy everything the
teacher writes.
e.g. The name of my best friend is Peter Asiama.
He is nine years old. He comes from Adawso etc.
Copying is a kind of writing suitable for the very beginners or very weak pupils.
30
b) Blank filling
In this writing, the teacher writes the composition and leaves out certain words to be
used to fill some blank spaces. These words can be written below the composition or
provided by pupils themselves.
e.g. The name of my best friend is…………………….
He is………….years old. He comes from……………………etc. (seven; Kitase;
Stephen Agyei). So the composition becomes “The name of my best friend is Stephen
Agyei. He is seven years old. He comes from Kitase, etc.
c) Matching – This can be made up of a table of two columns, A and B, where pupils
are to take each item from one column and match it with another to form a
meaningful sentence with which to write the composition.
A
B
e.g. The pet I like best is
black and white
It is called
a cat
Its colour is
Hope
My pet likes catching
bread and pear very much
It also likes
mice and lizards
d) Jumbled Sentences. (A Visit to the Zoo).
In this composition, sentences which make up the composition have been written in
the wrong order. Pupils are to re-write them in the correct order.
e.g. We came back home very late.
Some of the animals could even dance.
We saw many wonderful animals
One day I went to the zoo with my uncle, etc.
e) Substitution Table (e.g. My Best Friend)
This is a composition made up of tables with different columns. For each item picked
in the first column, pupils are to select the appropriate or corresponding items from
the other columns to write a meaningful composition.
e.g.
The name of my her parents
netball
This
best friend come
eleven years old.
She and
girl
is
Mr. and Mrs. Nkansah.
Her
best food
are Susana Nkansah.
The game
gari and beans.
she likes best
from Bepong.
f) Rebus (e.g. My Pet)
This is a kind of blank filling where the blank spaces are marked by pictures. Pupils
are to re-write the composition, writing the correct words of these pictures.
e.g. My best pet is ...
It is called Hope. Hope likes to catch
a . It also likes to eat a
Sometimes, Hope sleeps on my
, etc.
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160. Mention any two advantages of controlled writing (i. Errors are very much reduced
ii. It is easy to be marked by the teacher (since every pupil is writing the same things)
iii. It provides a model for pupils’ writing. (any two)
161. What are any two disadvantages of controlled writing?
(i. Pupils are not helped to be creative ii. It is a disincentive to those who can write
certain parts of the composition themselves.
iii. As there is no variety, teachers are bored in marking such essays.
Guided Composition
162. Briefly explain guided composition (It is the kind of composition in which in which
pupils have the freedom to use their own words and expressions but the whole work is
guided by the teacher).
163. Mention any two examples of guided composition.
(i. parallel writing
ii. Use of data (e.g. tables, maps, charts, etc)
iv. use of pictures
v. use of questions (any two).
iii. Use of stories
164. Briefly explain any two types of the guided composition above.
a) Parallel Writing
This is the kind of writing where the teacher writes a model for pupils to write
something similar to it e.g. the teacher can write a formal letter (e.g. for seeking
employment) and ask pupils to write another formal letter which is similar, e.g. for
inviting another school to play a football match).
Parallel writing can also be done by writing the composition and underlining
certain parts which are replaced by pupils using their own words. e.g. During the last
Easter, I visited a friend in Cape Coast, etc. This can be re-written as, ‘During the last
Christmas, I visited a relative in Kumasi, etc.
b) Use of Data (e.g. My Best Friend)
Terminal Report
Name: Jane Asare
School: Kyerematen D/C JHS
Class: JH2B
No on roll: 45
Position in Class: 1st
English – 90%
Mathematics – 75%
Integrated Science – 75%
Twi – 95%
French – 90%
Agricultural Science – 70%
Conduct – Very satisfactory
From this data, the following composition can be written.
My Best Friend
My best friend is Jane Asare. She attends Kyermanten D/C Junior High School. She is in
JH2B. There are forty-five pupils in her class. On her Terminal Report, she has very good
marks. She scored 90% in English and French and 75% in Mathematics and Integrated
Science.
Her best subject is Twi. My best friend does better in the languages than in the
sciences. Jane Asare is a good girl and hard-working. As a result, she is first in her class.
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I like my best friend because her conduct is good.
c) Use of Stories
Children can be asked to write the story they have heard from their teacher in a
previous lesson. e.g. Long, long ago, hawk and hen were close friends. etc.
d) Use of Pictures
Children can also be made to write a composition from a series of pictures based on a
story the teacher has told them previously. e.g. A manila card divided into four
sections with a different picture in each. Children are guided to write sequentially
what each picture is about, in the form of a meaningful composition.
e) Use of Questions
Questions can also be used to guide pupils in writing their own composition e.g.
Where did you go last Saturday? Why did you go there? When did you go there? What
did you do? Etc.
165. Mention any two advantages of guided composition. (i. Pupils’ errors are minimized
because they are guided by the teacher.
ii. Pupils become creative as they move from the controlled writing to the guided
composition. This is because they enjoy a little freedom in originality of work.
166. Mention any two disadvantages of guided composition.
(i. It can make free writing difficult later because pupils are always guided.
ii. Pupils are not helped to be creative.
iii. Pupils are denied the joy of complete originality of work.
iv. Pupils are not motivated because they cannot write in the way they like.
Free Writing.
167. Briefly explain free writing/composition. (This is the type of composition in which
pupils have absolute freedom in the choice of words, expressions, etc. on a given
topic.
168. In composition writing, what is the difference between the push-off technique’ and the
‘story ending technique’? Give an example each. (In the push-off technique, the pupil
is to start the composition with a given sentence but with the story-ending technique,
the pupil’s composition is to end by a given sentence. An example of the ‘push-off’
technique is ‘One fine morning, my friends and I decided to go fishing on the Keta
Lagoon. This is to be continued by the pupil, using his own words and expressions.’
For the story-ending technique, an example is ‘That is why the hen has a pointed
beak.’
169. State two advantages of free composition. (i. Pupils are helped to be creative. Ii.
Pupils enjoy complete originality of work. Iii. Pupils are motivated to write because
they are at liberty to put their writing skills into practice. (any two).
170. State any two disadvantages of free writing. (Pupils’ scripts are difficult to mark
because of the varied way of the use of ideas, words, expressions, etc. ii. This method
is difficult to use where pupils are very weak. iii. It can lead to copying as pupils who
cannot write their own composition will merely copy from their friends (any two).
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The Composition Lesson
171. What are the stages of the composition lesson? (i. Pre-writing stage
iii. Post-writing stage.
ii. Writing stage
172. Briefly discuss the activities of the pre-writing stage. (This is the most important stage
of the composition lesson because the success of the composition depends on it. It is
at this stage that the teacher prepares the pupils orally first before writing the
composition. Some of these activities include discussion of pictures, answering of
questions related to the topic as well relevant discussions which will prepare the
pupils to write. The teacher also treats the relevant vocabulary and expressions for
the work.
173. What is done at the writing stage of the composition lesson? This is the stage where
the actual writing of the composition is done by pupils. This is done after the teacher
is satisfied that enough preparation is made for the work. The teacher goes round
during this time to offer the necessary assistance where needed).
174. What is done at the post-writing stage of the composition lesson? (The teacher
collects pupils’ exercises for marking. He finds time to discuss pupils’ errors). Discuss
Drills
175. What are language drills? (They are activities which offer pupils a lot of oral practice
based on repetition).
176. Mention any two language drills. (i. substitution/replacement drill
ii. Matching drill
iii. Incremental drill
iv. Transformation or Mutation drill.
v. Integration/combination drill
vi. Pattern drill
vii. Chain drill (any two).
177. Briefly explain how any two of the drills are used.
a) Substitution/Replacement Drill.
In this activity, pupils make use of cues to replace certain items when repeating a
structure. e.g. Teacher says, “I have some oranges” (holds the oranges): Cue:
tomatoes. Teacher shows the tomatoes to pupils who say ‘I have some tomatoes.
Cue: onions. Pupils: ‘I have some onions, etc.
b) Matching Drill
In the exercise, pupils are to match certain structures with the appropriate words, e.g.
in the use of ‘has’ or ‘have’.
Tr: I have two pens. Cue: everybody. Pupils say: ‘Everybody has two pens. Cue: She:
Pupils repeat: ‘She has two pens’.
Cue: They: Ps: ‘They have two pens’, etc.
c) Incremental Drill
In this drill, pupils repeat all the items mentioned in a chronological order and add
another. e.g. Tr: At the market, my mother bought some pepper. Cue: onions Ps: At
the market, my mother bought some pepper and onions. Cue: cabbage. Ps: At the
market, my mother bought some pepper, onions and cabbage, etc.
d) Transformation/Mutation Drill
Here, pupils are to change from one grammatical structure to another, e.g. from the
active to the passive.
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Tr: The pupils sing the National Anthem
Ps: The National Anthem was sung by
the pupils. An artist draws pictures
pictures are drawn by an artist, etc.
e) Integration/Combination Drill
In this drill, pupils are to combine, e.g. two sentences into one using e.g. a relative
pronoun. e.g. Tr: This is the girl. She won the first prize in the quiz. Ps: This is the girl
who won the first prize in the quiz.
f) Pattern Drill
This is used to teach certain structures by the use of patterns.
e.g. Tr: The lion is the strongest animal. Cue: ape, cleverest:
Ps: The ape is the cleverest animal. Cue: snake, longest.
Ps: The snake is the longest animal. etc
g) Chain Drill
This works on a repetition from one pupil to another in the teaching of a particular
structure or item. In the teaching of pronouns, the teacher can put the duster in a box
and ask the first pupil: ‘Where is the duster?’
P: The duster is in the box. The first pupil also places the duster on the box and asks
the second pupil: ‘Where is the duster?’
P2: The duster is on the box, etc.
178. Mention any two features of drills. (i. They limit pupils’ chances of making mistakes.
ii. They are built on vocabulary known to pupils.
iii. They are made up of short
sentences iv. They are used to achieve certain specific objectives. (any two).
179. Mention any two ways by which language drills are important.
(i. They help to establish new grammatical structures or principles in pupils’ minds.
ii. They improve pupils’ fluency in the use of certain structures.
iii. They limit pupils’ possibility of making mistakes (any two).
The Primary School Grammar Lesson
180. What are the stages of the Primary School grammar lesson?
(i. Revision stage ii. Introduction Stage
iii. Practice 1 Stage or Accuracy Stage or
Controlled Practice Stage
iv. Practice 2 Stage or Fluency Sate or Free Practice
stage).
181. What is done at the Revision Stage of the Primary School grammar lesson. (The
teacher revises pupils’ RPK which prepares the ground for the learning of the new
structure e.g. If the new grammatical structure to be learnt is the simple past tense,
then the teacher revises the simple present tense as RPK during the revision stage.
182. What is done at the introduction stage of the Primary School grammar lesson? (It is at
this stage that the new grammatical structure is introduced, e.g. If the new structure
is the simple past tense, the teacher can
i. ask questions whose responses will elicit
the use of this tense. e.g. Tr: What did you eat yesterday? P:1 ate some rice, etc.
ii. Play a dialogue on a cassette which illustrates the use of the new structure.
iii. Give a short narration which illustrates the use of the new structure. e.g. Last
week, I went to the village. I helped my uncle on his poultry farm. The work on the
farm was interesting, etc.
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183. Discuss the activities of the Practice One Stage (It is at this stage that the teacher
ensures accurate use of the new structure; hence accuracy stage. He does this by
controlling how pupils use the new structure; hence controlled practice stage. In this
regard, the teacher uses the appropriate drills like the substitution table and others to
ensure accuracy.
184. Discuss the activities of the Practice 2 stage (It is at this stage that pupils are allowed
to use the new structure freely; hence free practice stage. Through this free practice,
pupils acquire fluency. Hence fluency stage. The teacher pairs pupils such that P1
asks questions for P2 to answer using the new structure. After some time, they
change roles, such that P2 asks questions for P1 to answer. The teacher does not
interrupt pupils’ activities at this time to correct errors. He should rather go round and
visit each group and then notes the serious errors for discussion later.
The JHS Grammar Lesson
185. What are the stages of the JHS grammar lesson?
(i. Introduction Stage
ii. Discussion/Explanation Stage
iii. Exercise Stage.
186. What are the activities of the introduction stage? (i. The teacher revises pupils’ RPK
through questions and answers, brainstorming, etc II. Teacher introduces the new
structure through a dialogue or conversation on a cassette, short narration, etc.
187. Discuss the activities of the discussion/explanation stage.
The teacher assists pupils, through questions and answers, to discover the rule for the
structure, e.g. In the teaching of the future simple, the teacher guides pupils to
discover that the tense is formed by ‘shall’ or ‘will’ + the verb. After this, the teacher
gives one or two exercises to ascertain proper understanding.
188. Briefly discuss the activities of the exercise stage of the JHS grammar lesson. (This is
the stage where exercises are given to ensure proper understanding of the use of the
new structure e.g. use the correct form of the verbs in brackets in the present perfect
to complete the sentences: (i) We……some banku (eat) (ii) She……..her assignment
(write) etc. Ans. i. We have eaten some banku. ii. She has written her assignment,
etc.
Teaching Spelling and Dictation
189. What is the difference between spelling and dictation. (Spelling is calling out the
individual letters which constitute a word in the correct order but dictation is reading
words or passages for pupils to write correctly).
190. Mention two ways in which spelling and dictation exercises are important.
(i. They develop listening skills
ii. They develop word recognition skills
iii. They promote fast reading
iv. They help pupils to build new words (any two)
vi. They help pupils to write fast.
191. Mention the two main ways of teaching spelling (i. Traditional method
method).
TRADITIONAL APPROACH
192. Discuss briefly two ways of the traditional method of teaching spelling.
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ii. Modern
a) i. Pupils can be given some words to be taken home to learn how to spell. The
following day, they are given these words to spell ii. The words can also be written on
the board for their pronunciation and spelling to be drilled. After this, they are cleaned
from the board. Pupils are then asked to spell them. iii. The teacher can also read a
passage to pupils and ask them to read silently. During the silent reading he writes
difficult words on the board and drills their pronunciation and spelling. After this he
dictates the passage in sense groups for pupils to write. Pupils can do peer editing or
the teacher can mark himself.
b)
Missing Letters – Words can be written and certain letters left out for pupils to
insert. e.g. t…oth; da..g..r; di..tat..on; etc.
c) Jumbled Letters
Letters which constitute words can also be written in the wrong order or jumbled for
pupils to re-write in the correct forms. e.g. seet l = steel; yourtnc = country, etc.
MODERN APPROCH
193. Discuss two ways of teaching spelling by the modern approach.
a) Look, cover (write with finger) write and check.
In this approach, a word is presented on a flash card for the pupil to study its spelling.
The word is withdrawn or covered and the pupil writes it. Later, he checks for
correctness.
b) Use of Spelling Games
i. Mother and Children
In this language (spelling) game, the teacher gives a long word which is the ‘mother’.
Pupils are to form as many words (‘children’) from it as possible. The winner is the
group or pupil who emerges with the greatest number of correct words. Given the
word ‘generation’, which is the mother, some of the children are gene, ration, gate,
etc.
F
O
O
D
S
ii. Word Hunt
This is made up of a chart containing smaller squares. One letter is written in each
small square. Thus the chart contains hidden words which can be read vertically or
horizontally. The winning group or pupil in this game is the one who is able to ‘hunt’
the greatest number of correct words from the chart.
L A T O
O S
I
N
V U M E
E N E W
C E N E
From the chart below, words like ‘flat’, ‘ovum’, ‘sin’, etc can be hunted.
iii. Junior Scrabble
This can also be played on a chart with smaller squares. Unlike the case of the word
hunt, only a few letters are written in a few squares. Pupils are to continue writing
words from the few letters given, in this case “STREAM’. Other words like START,
37
NATION, etc can be written from the original word. The winning group or pupil is the
one who comes out with the greatest number of correct words.
S
T
R
E
A
M
A
S
H
E
E
R
S
T
A
R
T
A
A
R
I
S
E
T
I
E
R
A
A
E
N
A
T
I
O
N
T
M
A
D
A
M
iv. Letter Strings
The teacher can give a letter string like ‘str-‘. From this, pupils are to form as many
words as possible. Some of these can be ‘straight’, ‘struggle’, ‘strong’, etc. other
letter strings are –tt-, gr -, etc.
v.
Can You Go?
In this game, the teacher or pupil has a word in mind. He writes the first letter of
this word on the board, e.g. ‘s’. He then asks the class: ‘Can you go?’ He calls a pupil
who says ‘Yes’, I can go’. He too adds another letter, for instance ‘h’. This pupil also
stands the chance of asking: ‘Can you go?’ When another pupil says ‘Yes’, he also
adds a letter, for instance, ‘o’. This continues till the word ‘shoe’ or ‘show’ or ‘shower’,
etc. is written. The pupil who says ‘Yes’ but adds a wrong letter is out of the game.
The winner is the pupil who adds the last letter after which no more can be added.
LANGUAGE GAMES
194. Mention two ways by which language games are important.
(i. They break the boredom in classroom lessons
ii. There is active participation by all
pupils.
iii. They permit language to be learnt in situations or communicatively.
iv. Some games help pupils to acquire all the four skills of language.
v. Pupils remember the principles learnt better because of their involvement in the
games. (any two).
195. What are any two demerits of language games? (i. It is time-consuming
ii. Some pupils can hide behind others and so do not contribute in group work.
iii. If class size is too large, organizing some language games is difficult.
iv. Language game activities can make classes rowdy. (any two).
38
196. Mention any two preparatory activities you will do before the start of a language
game. (i. Dividing class into groups (if applicable) ii. Giving out the rules of the game,
including how it is won
iii. making materials ready or the game (any two).
197. Mention any two types of language game (i. Structure games
iii. spelling games
iv. Writing games (any two).
ii. Vocabulary games
198. i. What is a structure game? ii. Give one example. (i. A structure game is used to
teach
certain patterns of syntax or language structure, e.g. ‘too…to’ ‘so…that’, etc
ii. One example of structure game is ‘What is it? This game is used to practise the
structure: ‘No, it isn’t or ‘Yes, it is’. The player can start by saying ‘I have a fruit in my
bag. What is it? Other pupils guess by asking: ‘Is it an orange?’ The player says: No, it
isn’t. Another asks: ‘Is it a pineapple?’ The player responds: ‘No, it isn’t. This
continues till someone mentions the right object and the player will say ‘Yes, it is’ The
pupil who gets the answer correct stands the chance to take over from the first pupil
and ask questions).
VOCABULARY GAMES
199. i) What is a vocabulary game? Briefly describe how one is played.
i. A vocabulary game is one which helps pupils to acquire a lot of vocabulary. ii. One
vocabulary game is ‘My grandmother went to the market’. The first pupil starts by
saying ‘My grandmother went to the market and bought onions. The second pupil
continues by saying. ‘My grandmother went to the market and bought onions and
pepper’. Each pupil who continues is to make a chronological list of all the previous
items before he adds his or hers. The winner is the pupil who is able to remember and
mention the greatest number of vocabulary items in the chronological order.
Another one is ‘I Spy: The first pupil says ‘I spy with my little eye something beginning
with ‘C’. other pupils will ask: ‘It is a cat?. The first pupil will say ‘Not at all’. P2: ‘Is it a
cane? P1: No, it isn’t. P3: Is it a car? P1: No, it isn’t. This continues till one pupil
mentions the correct object. The principle here is that the pupils mention as many
vocabulary items as possible, thereby developing their stock of vocabulary.
200.
201.
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Spelling Games
i) What are spelling games? ii) Briefly describe how two spelling games are played
(I A spelling game is a language game which a teacher uses to teach spelling). (For
examples of how these games are played, see Article 84 b i – v).
NB: In describing language games, the following should be stated.
(i) Rules of the game (e.g. time, no of words, etc.) (ii) How the game is won.
(iii) The importance of the game, e.g. for fluency skills spelling, vocabulary, etc.
Writing Games
i) What is a writing game? ii) Briefly describe how one writing game is played.
i) A writing game is a language game used to develop the writing skills of pupils.
ii) One writing game is ‘sentence Relay’. In this game the teacher can divide the class
into three groups, A, B and C. Each group is given a passage containing equal number
of jumbled sentences. The sentences bear on a story previously told to pupils. One
person is selected from ‘A’ to write the first sentence. One member of ‘B’ is also
appointed to write the second sentence on the board. One member from group C
writes the third sentence, etc. Any member who writes the correct sentence wins a
point for his group. The winning group is the one with the greatest number of points.
General Examination Questions
202.List four literal skills which can be developed in a comprehension lesson.
i. ability to explain correctly concrete words, phrases, clauses and sentence
ii. ability to identify stated main ideas
iii. ability to recall stated sequence of events
iv. ability to identify characters and character traits and action
v. ability to interpret abbreviations/acronyms
patterns
203.What do core points in a lesson indicate? (skills that are developed in the lesson)
204.What are the two main skills pupils develop in comprehension?
i. Literal skills
ii. Interpretative skills
205.What third skill are pupils expected to acquire at the final year classes in
comprehension? (critical reading skill).
206.What are interpretative skills? (skills developed in pupils when they are made to answer
inferential questions).
207.List four examples for interpretative skills (i) predicting outcomes
(ii) interpreting character traits
(iii) drawing conclusions
(iv) making generalizations
208.Give two examples of critical reading skills. (i. identifying relevant and irrelevant
information
(ii) interpreting propaganda techniques
(iii) understanding fallacies in
reasoning
(iv) differentiating facts and opinions
209.Mention the three skills into which all reading skills can be summed
(i) scanning
(ii) skimming
(iii) close reading skills
210.What are the four lines in children’s writing exercise books called, starting from the top
to bottom?
i. pink or red
– cap line
ii. blue or black – waist line
iii. blue or black – base line
iv. pink or red
– drop line
e.g.
cap line
waist line
base line
drop line
affectionatel
211.What are ‘primary practices’ in
teaching?
(They
are
basic
(important) activities the teacher carries out before, during and after teaching a
lesson).
212.Give any three examples of primary practices. (i) knowing your pupils
(ii) writing lesson notes
(iii) marking exercises)
213.Why is understanding one’s pupils or the child important? (So that the teacher selects
the right materials to teach the children since they are the target of the lesson).
40
214.Mention any three things by which a teacher can understood her pupils
(i) age
(ii) social background
(iii) economic (financial) status
(iv) physical challenges (v) emotional conditions of the child (any three)
Managing Multi-level Classes
215.What is a multi-level class? (A class made up of pupils with different abilities and
experience, e.g. in a P1 class there may be pupils with KG experience and some
without it; it can also be two or more classes combined to be taught together by a
single teacher as a result of lack of teachers)
216.What is ‘differentiated tasks’? (Assigning different tasks to groups according to ability,
mixed ability, interest, etc)
217.What is a heterogeneous grouping? (grouping of pupils with different abilities, also
called mixed ability group).
218.Explain ‘homogeneous grouping’ (Grouping pupils with the same learning needs or
pupils with the same abilities).
219.What is direct ‘instruction’? (A new lesson or skill taught by the teacher to his pupils).
220.Define the term ‘practice’. (The follow-up activity immediately after a teacher’s lesson
or skill)
221.What is ‘cumulative review’ ? (Activities meant for pupils to practise lessons previously
taught for reinforcement and consolidation).
222.Explain ‘remedial teaching’ (re-teaching of a lesson which is previously taught in order
that weaker pupils can catch up with their peers).
223.What is SRN? (Syllabus Reference Number)
224.What does each of the following digits represent with regard to SRN?
a) 1.3.2
b) 2.1.3
a) section 1; unit 3, objectives 2.)
b) section 2, unit 1, objectives 3.)
225.List any two advantages of the use of SRN.
i. It is for easy reference by other teachers or officers from the district
education office.
ii. It provides a quick reference for the teacher in preparing her lesson plan.
226.What is pair reading? (Reading in pairs so that each pupil helps the other)
227.Distinguish between the deductive and inductive methods of teaching grammar. (With
the deductive method, the teacher first gives the grammatical rules before learners
are made to apply them in sentences but in the inductive method, grammatical rules
are not given first but learners are led to discover the rules through a series of
sentences).
41
228.
List four motor skills involved in writing. (i. ability to hold chalk or pencil properly
ii. Ability to position oneself properly before writing.
iii. Ability to write the pattern/letter/word properly
iv. correct spacing of letters
v. correct alignment
vi. Ability to position writing material or paper on which to
write properly and firmly (any 4).
229. State two features which show that there is a connection between reading and
writing. (i. Both reading and writing are done from left to right. ii. Some pre-reading
activities and skills are also pre-writing activities and skills.
230. Mention a skill which is common to both reading and writing.
(i) visual discrimination
(ii) visual motor skill)
231. What are fluency activities? List two of such activities. (They are activities which allow
the learner to use the language smoothly without interruption or difficulty).
232. What features does the synthetic method of teaching writing emphasize? (form and
beauty (quality).
233. What is peer editing? (Pupils reading over and correcting their fellow pupils’ written
exercise.
234. Verse, stories and drama are useful for……………development in young children.
(Listening/speaking (Oral/\aural) / Cognitive).
235. What is the difference between fluency and pronunciation?
(Fluency is the ability to speak/read well without difficulty while pronunciation is the
ability to call out words correctly).
236. List four activities that can be done at the pre-presentation or preparation stage of a
conversation lesson.
i) Take pupils through prediction activities
ii) Teach relevant vocabulary
iii) Provide opportunity for pupils to use the vocabulary.
iv) Revision of RPK through brainstorming, questions etc.
237. Mention any two ways in which verse is important in the primary school. (i. It
develops pupils fluency.
ii. It develops two oral language skills simultaneous (i.e.
listening and speaking).
iii. It develops pupils creativity
iv. It develops pupils’
foundation to study literature in later classes. (any two).
238. Identify any two aims of the primary school verse lesson. (i. To develop pupils
language (i.e. fluency, acquisition of vocabulary and correct pronunciation) (ii) To
develop literary competence (e.g. appreciating works of art); getting familiar with
basis facts about writing. (iii To develop pupils’ cognitive development (reciting a
verse with actions makes pupils creative and so pupils develop their cognitive ability).
239. Mention the two activities which help elicit personal response from pupils. (i. mining
ii. Drawing
iii. Talking about the verse
iv. writing about the verse (any two)
42
240. Mention the two responses into which the activities in (13) above can be summed. (i.
verbal ii. Non-verbal responses)
241. Group the activities in (239) above into verbal and non-verbal responses = drawing
and miming = non-verbal responses ii) Talking and writing about the verse = verbal
responses.
242. Identify any two techniques of teaching meaning in story and verse. (i. actions
Pictures/real objects or realia
iii. Simple explanation).
243.
ii.
Mention the aims of the different stages of the verse lesson.
(Pre-presentation state: To teach the general meaning or the general idea of the
verse.
(Presentation stage: To draw pupils’ attention to sounds because sound in verse
convey meaning.
(Post-presentation stage: For pupils to reflect on the verse and say what they feel
about it (personal responses).
244. What is the objective for the Practice One stage of the Primary School grammar
lesson? (for accuracy in the use of the new structure).
245. What is the objective of the Practice Two stage of the Primary School grammar lesson?
(for fluency in the use of the new structure, taught).
246. At what stage of the Primary school grammar lesson should the teacher not interrupt
children’s activities to correct errors. (Practice Two Stage).
247. Why should the teacher not interrupt pupils activities at this stage? (so that they can
practice the new structure freely to acquire fluency).
248. Mention two roles stories play in the primary school. (i. They help develop the four
language skills.
ii. They develop language and literary competence
iii. They help
pupils to learn story structure (The knowledge of story structure helps pupils to write
good composition) iv. Story telling also makes pupils fluent v. story helps pupils to
learn cohesion
249. How is cohesion taught?
(i. By exposure
ii. By keeping a check on whether pupils are able to follow
different strands of meaning in the text).
250. What are the advantages of a) a teacher telling or reading a story?
b. a pupil
telling or reading a story?
(a) When a teacher tells a story pupils get new vocabulary as well as intonation. When
a teacher reads a story, pupils are motivated to read library books for their own
stories.
(b) When a pupil tells or reads a story, other pupils are also challenged to do the
same).
251. To what group of psychologists do both the innalist and cognitivist theory belong?
(Rationalists).
SECTION B QUESTIONS
43
1. How will you teach a conversation lesson in a B5 class?
The objective of my conversation lesson is to teach the correct use of ‘so…that’ and
‘too…to’.
In this lesson, I will take pupils through three stages, Preparation stage, Presentation
stage and the Production stage.
In the preparation stage, I will first take pupils through prediction activities. The TLMs are
syringe, bottles of medicine (liquid and tablets) a doctor’s coat. I will ask pupils the
names of the various objects they see and help them predict what the conversation
lesson will be about - a visit to the hospital. After this I will teach difficult vocabulary e.g.
syringe – an instrument for injection, etc.
At the presentation stage, I will paste dialogue on a manila card on the board. I will
first role-play with a pupil, the pupil playing the role of a patient and I, the teacher,
playing the role of a doctor: Tr
P. After some time, I will change roles with the pupil,
such that he will play the part of a doctor and I will act the patient: Ti
Tr: Good morning. What can I do for you?
P: I’m sick, Doctor.
Tr: Where are you suffering from?
P: All over the body, Doctor.
Tr: Then come for an injection.
P: I’m too week to walk to you!
Tr: Then lie down on the bed.
P: I’m so weak that, I can’t lie down.
In the second presentation, the pupil and teacher will change roles.
At the production stage, I will pair pupils for them to use the structure ‘too….to’ and
‘so…that’ freely in their own conversation. P1
P2. e.g. The woman is too fat to enter the
Taxi; The woman is so fat that she cannot enter the taxi.
I will go round and visit each group.
After some time, I will make them change roles so that P 2 will now ask questions for P1 to
answer. P1
P2. As I go round, I will not interrupt pupils’ conversation but will allow them to
use the two structures freely. I will write down the most serious pupils’ errors and correct
them later in the class.
2. a) What is reading readiness?
b) Discuss briefly three factors which affect reading readiness.
c) State any two signs of reading readiness.
ANSWER
a) It is the stage at which pupils show signs that they are ready for formal reading.
b) One factor which affects reading readiness is physical factors. These factors are visual
acuity,
visual discrimination and hearing. Visual acuity is the ability of the pupil to see both far
and near objects clearly. Short-sighted and long-sighted pupils have to sit in front or at
the back respectively. At this stage, if pupils are able to tell differences in colour, size,
shape, etc, then they are ready to read, Besides, they should be able to hear well before
they can start formal reading.
44
Another factor which affects reading readiness is mental maturity. By this, reference is
made to the mental age of the child, which is the child’s intellectual ability expressed in
terms of the average ability for a certain age. Pupils need to be mentally mature before
they can start formal reading. The mental maturity also affects the method of teaching
reading the teacher adopts, for example, the phonic method is not suitable for children
whose mental ages are below seven years.
Finally, emotional factors also affect reading readiness. A child who makes repeated
complaints to the teacher or cries at the least provocation is not emotionally adjusted for
reading. This factor is important because in reading, a pupil can be made to repeat what
another has said, share reading materials or desks as well TLMs like flash cards and word
cards.
c) One sign of reading readiness is pupils’ ability to tell or retell simple stories or parts of
stories they have heard.
Another sign is children’s ability to tell differences between sizes, colour, shapes, what
they hear, etc.
3. a) Distinguish between pre-reading skills and pre-reading activities.
b) Mention two pre-reading skills and in each case, describe two pre-reading activities
you will take your pupils through to acquire these skills.
ANSWER
3. a) Pre-reading activities are activities children are taken through to acquire pre-reading
skills which prepare them for formal reading whilst pre-reading skills are skills
acquired through pre-reading act ivies.
b) Oral language skill and visual discrimination are two pre-reading skills.
With the oral language skill, one pre-reading activity I will use to help my pupils
acquire it is retelling parts of stories. I will tell them a simple story and ask them to
retell parts of the story or what they heard. This will improve their fluency skills
through listening and speaking.
Another activity I will use is making children talk about pictures. I will paste a picture
(e.g. of an elephant, tiger, human being, etc) on the board and ask pupils to talk
about what they see by the use of questions, e.g. What is the name of this animal?
What can you say about the ears of the animal? etc. This will make them speak, thus
acquiring the oral language skill.
One activity I will use for pupils to acquire visual discrimination is sorting. I will put a
lot of balls of the same sizes but different colours in a basket and ask children to
group all green balls, yellow balls, red balls, etc. together. This will help them to
distinguish between different things they see.
Another activity for the acquisition of visual discrimination I will use is picking
the odd item. I will draw on the board five identical human faces but leave the left ear
out on the fourth picture. I will ask a pupil to pick out this odd picture. I will use
different pictures on the board and in each case, vary the position of the odd picture
for children to pick out. This will also help children note certain subtle differences in
what they see in relation to others.
4. a) Briefly explain the Grammar-Translation Approach
b) Outline five features of the approach.
c) State two advantages and two disadvantages of the Grammar-Translation Approach.
45
ANSWER
3. a) The Grammar-Translation Approach was a traditional approach of teaching a
second language between the 1840s and 1940s. It was characterized by thorough
analysis of written texts in which translation and imitation of texts
dominated.
b) Five features of the Grammar-Translation Approach are the following.
i) Little attention was given to listening and speaking skills. Instead, emphasis
was on reading and writing.
ii) Vocabulary items were learned by being translated into L1.
iii) Much emphasis was placed on accuracy because the learner was to exhibit a
reasonable standard of translation.
iv) Grammar was taught by the deductive method.
v) The learner’s L1 was the medium of instructions.
c) One advantage of the Grammar – Translation Approach was that the learner
became
very good in reading and writing so mistakes were minimized.
Another advantage was that grammatical rules were learned by being
memorized so mistakes were minimal.
One disadvantage of the approach was that a teacher who could not speak the
L1 of his school could not teach there.
Finally, the approach was teacher – centred instead of child-centred because most of the
activities were controlled by the teacher.
SUMMARY OF STAGES OF LESSON PLANS
1.
Verse
2.
Story
Pre-presentation/Pre-reading stage
Pre-presentation/Pre-reading stage
Presentation/Reading stage
Presentation/Reading stage
Post Presentation/Post-reading stage
Post-presentation/Post-reading stage
3. Conversation
Preparation stage
Presentation stage
Production stage
4.
Composition
Pre-writing stage
Writing stage
Post-writing stage
5. Grammar – Primary School
Revision stage
Introduction stage
Practice One stage/Accuracy stage/Controlled Practice stage
Practice Two stage/Fluency stage/Free Practice stage
6. Grammar - JHS
Introduction stage
Discussion/Explanation stage
Exercise stage
7. Reading Aloud
Preliminary Reading stage
Reading stage
Post–reading stage
46
8. Reading Comprehension
Preliminary Reading stage
Reading stage
Post-reading stage
Hints on Lesson Plan Preparation
Rubrics
1. It is important to fill the rubrics, e.g. Week ending, school, subject, etc.
Objectives
2. In English, objectives are stated before the RPK, but not the other way round. If this is
violated, a candidate scores zero for both the objectives and the RPK.
3. Specific objectives are always stated using actions words: e.g. by the end of the
lesson, the pupil will be able to explain, list, draw, etc. but not the pupil will be able to
‘know’.
Use of TLMs.
4. When TLMs are stated, the examiner expects to see their use in the lesson
preparation. E.g. Paste the picture on the board; display the hospital equipment on
the teacher’s table; arrange the TLMs on the teacher’s table.
The examples above mean the candidate has used the TLMs in the lesson and so
marks will be awarded.
Stages of the Lesson.
5. The stages of the lesson plan should be stated in a distinct manner. In the case of
both reading comprehension and reading aloud, the stages are Preliminary Reading
Stage, Reading Stage and Post-Reading Stage. These should be underlined.
NB: In the English lesson plan, there is no stage called ‘introduction’ or ‘closure’ which
begins or ends the lesson respectively. They are therefore not to be included in the lesson
plans.
Core Points
6. In English, core points comprise the skills expected to be developed at the end of an
activity. E.g. when the teacher asks pupils what they do on Saturdays, they are
developing two skills. They are ‘listening’ and ‘speaking’.
This means the pupils need to ‘listen’ to the teacher’s questions and after that they
are expected to ‘speak’.
Therefore, in the example above, the appropriate core points to be written are
listening and speaking skills.
NB: The core points are always written in alignment with the teacher/learner
activities, usually at the end of the appropriate activities.
47
Evaluation.
7. Exercises for evaluation should be given expected answers. The ideal number of
evaluation items, in the case of comprehension questions, should be between three
and five, depending upon the class.
E.g. 1. Why did Cynthia keep quiet?
(Ans: Because she was afraid to talk.)
2. Who was Mr. Jones?
(Ans: The headmaster)
3. What exercise was going on in the passage?
(Ans: Inspection of assignments)
These evaluation items can also be presented thus:
1. Why did Cythia keep quiet?
2. Who was Mr. Jones?
3. What exercise was going on in the passage?
Expected Answers:
1. Because she was afraid to talk.
2. The headmaster.
3. Inspection of assignments.
Remarks.
This should not be filled because the lesson plan is imaginary and so the lesson has not
been taught yet.
48
QUESTION: Prepare a detailed lesson plan which you will use to teach a reading comprehension lesson in a JHS 2 Class
School: Keta Presby ‘A’ JHS
Class: JHS 2B
English syllabus for JHS pp. 19-20
No on roll: 46
Pupil’s book 2 unit 5 p.22
Week Ending: Friday, 22nd August, 2008
1.
2.
3. Teacher’s guide p. 12.
Day /Duration
Aspect, Topic, Sub-topic
Objectives,
R.P.K
Teaching /Learning Materials/Teacher/Learner /
Activities
Core Points
Evaluation
Day
Wednesday
Date
7th May, 2008
Time
10:00 – 11:10am
Duration
70 mins.
Aspect
49
Reference:
Subject: English Language,
Reading
Comprehension
Topic
One Saturday
On the farm
By the end of the lesson, the pupil will be able to
i) Use at least, three key words correctly in sentences of their own.
ii) answer at
least, five
Comprehension questions
Correctly.
RPK
i. Pupils go to
Farm on
Saturdays
ii. They can answer simple questions about their daily
activities .
TMs: Flash cards
whet
dusk
adder
50
Preliminary Reading Stage
1. Take pupils through prediction activities by asking them about what they do on Saturdays e.g. I go to the library/to the riverside/church, etc. let them open
at p.22 of their textbook and describe what they see in the picture. Help them to predict what they are going to read about.. e.g. farming, weeding etc.
2. Teach vocabulary items, ‘whet’ means sharpen. An adder is a kind of snake. Dusk is the time of the day between sunset and night- fall.
Reading Stage
1. Write pre-reading questions on the board.
i) Which two boys went to the farm on this day?
ii) What did they see at the base of the tree?
iii) Were the children afraid?
2. Let pupils open at p.22 of the their textbook and make a model reading aloud
3. Let pupils read silently and find answers to the pre-reading questions.
4. Discuss with pupils the correct answers to the pre-reading questions orally. Let a good reader make another reading aloud.
Post – Reading Stage
1. Discuss the correct answers to the real comprehension questions orally with pupils. e.g. Why did the children not come home early? (because of the
incident on the farm).
2. Let pupils write the correct answers discussed into their exercise books.
Development of
Listening and
Speaking skills.
51
Acquisition of
Vocabulary
Development
of listening skills
development of
reading skills
development of
listening and
speaking skills
.
Development of
Writing skills
Pupils to answer the
52
Following questions:
1. Why did the children not come home early? (It is because of the snake).
2. What time did they reach the farm?
(7:30 a.m)
3. What work did they do? (weeding)
4. Who killed the
Snake? (Mensah)
5. When did the
children return
home? (at dusk)
REMARKS:
QUESTION: Prepare a detailed lesson plan to show how you will teach a reading aloud lesson in a BS 1
Class using the following text: This is Mumuni.
Mumuni has a cat.
The cat is white.
Mumuni likes the cat.
Fati also likes the cat.
53
School: Frankadua L/A Primary School.
Class: BS 1B
Week Ending: Friday, 29-8-08
References:
Subject: English Language
1. English Language Syllabus for
No. on roll: 45
Primary School pp. 12 -14
2. Pupil’s Book 1, Unit 2 pp.22-24
3. Teacher’s Manual, p.12
Day/Duration
Aspect, Topic, Sub-topic
Objectives,
R.P.K
Teaching /Learning Materials/Teacher/Learner /
Activities
Core Points
Evaluation
Day
Tuesday
Date
26 - 8 - 2008
Time
8:00 – 9:00am
Duration
60 mins.
54
Aspect
Reading
Aloud
Topic
Mununi’s Cat
.
By the end of the lesson, the pupil will be able to
i) read at least, 3 of the
sentences aloud correctly.
ii) match at
least 5 words
correctly with words on the
sentence cards
55
iii) rearrange
jumbled words to form at
least, two
correct sentences.
RPK
i. Pupils have
Pets in their
homes
ii. They can read a few sight vocabulary.
TMs: 1. Flash
cat
likes
has
is
2. Sentence
Mumuni has a cat
Also
This is Mumuni
The cat is white
Mumuni
cards:
Cards:
Mumuni likes the cat
Fati also likes the cat
3. A chart containing the passage to be read.
Preliminary Reading Stage
Prediction activities: Let pupils open at p.9 of their textbook and talk about what they see in the picture. e.g. Tr: What do you see in the picture? Pupil: I see a
cat/a hat.
Tr: What is the colour of the cat?
56
P: It is white
Reading stage
Paste the chart with text on the board. Make a model reading aloud.
After this, read aloud for pupils to repeat after you in a chorus, then in groups.
Let pupils pick any flash cards and match them with the appropriate words on the sentence cards.
After some practice with pupils, let them rearrange jumbled words to form meaningful sentences.
Post Reading Stage
Group pupils into three. Appoint a leader to each group and tell them what they will do.
Group 1 is to do reading aloud.
Group 2 will do matching.
Group 3 will do rearrangement of jumbled words.
Supply the necessary TLMs. Go round and visit each group and offer the necessary assistance.
Let them change over after some time.
Development of
Listening and
Speaking skills.
57
Listening skills.
Reading skills
Word recognition skills
Development
Of reading skills
Development of
word
recognition skills
Let pupils read the
Following text aloud:
58
This is Mumuni.
Mumuni has a cat
The cat is white.
Mumuni likes the cat
Let them match words on sentence cards.
Let them rearrange jumbled words to form sentences.
REMARKS:
59
3.
Prepare a detailed lesson plan that you will use to teach a reading
comprehension lesson based on the passage below in a B4 class.
Uncle Sam is a stammerer. Sometimes he would not finish a sentence but
would stop at a point and start all over again. The repetition of certain
words in his speech makes it difficult for the children to listen without
laughing. As for Jones, he would always hide behind the cupboard with
stood behind the chair on which Uncle sits during his Saturday visits. From
there, he can laugh without being caught. Mama has told us several times
not to laugh at her brother’s speech. However, the children would listen to
their mother but anytime uncle appears in the doorway, they would start
looking at one another’s faces.
One Saturday, Uncle came as usual. When we were all at breakfast, he
started: ‘I need some b – b – b – b – b – br – br……’ The word ‘bread’ could
never be pronounced. Just then, Mama shouted, ‘Oh dear, I’ve put some
pepper in Jones’ tea!’
All the children, including the rest of the family, burst into laughing.
60
Week Ending: Friday, 21st August, 2010.
School: Atobiase D/A Primary School.
Prim. Sch. pp.20 & 21
Class: B 4B.
Day/Duratio
n
Aspect/Topic
/Sub-topic
Objectives/RP
K
Subject: English Language.
References:
1. English Syllabus for
No. on Roll: 46.
2. Teacher’s Guide Bk 4p.16.
3. Pupils Textbook 4p.30.
Teaching/Learning Materials/TeacherCore
Evaluation
Learner
Points
Activities
Day
Tuesday
Aspect
Reading
Comprehensio
n
Date
18th Aug.
2010
Topic
Time
8.00 –
9.00am
Duration
60mins
61
A Good
Mother
Objectives
TLMS
By the end of
the lesson, the
Flash
Behind
Stammerer
Shouted
pupil will be able cards:
to
(i) Use at least,
Preliminary Reading Stage
3 key words
1. Take pupils through prediction activities by
correctly in
asking them whether some of their relatives
sentence of his
visit them. Ask them what they do when the
own.
relatives visit them. Expected answers. They
converse with us; they entertain us, etc. Let
(ii) answer
pupils open at p.30 of their textbook and talk
correctly, at
about the picture. Expected answers: I see a
least, 4
family at table; eating some food, etc. help
comprehension
pupils predict what they are going to read
questions.
about.
2. Teach relevant vocabulary items using the
flash cards. ‘behind’ means ‘at the back of’. A
RPK
stammerer is somebody who usually repeats
1. Pupils have
certain words quickly when talking.
relatives who
visit them.
2. Pupils have
Developme
nt of
listening
and
speaking
skills.
Acquisition
of
Vocabulary
schoolmates
who are
stammerers.
3.Pupils can
answer simple
questions about
themselves.
Reading Stage
1. Write pre-reading questions on the board
a) What word did Uncle want to mention?
2.
3.
4.
5.
(bread)
b) When does Uncle visit the family?
(Saturday).
Let pupils open at p.30 of their textbook and
make a model reading aloud of the passage.
Let pupils read silently and find answers to
the pre-reading questions.
Discuss with pupils the correct answers to
the pre-reading questions.
Let a good reader read the passage aloud
again.
Post-Reading Stage
1. Discuss with pupils the correct answers to
the actual comprehension questions.
2. Let them write four of the correct answers
discussed into their exercise books.
Developme
nt of
listening
skills
Developme
nt of
reading
skills
Developme
nt of
listening
and
speaking
skills
Evaluation
1. What word
did Uncle
want to
pronounce?
(Ans: bread)
2. Why did
Mama crack
that joke?
(Ans: Because
she didn’t
want Uncle to
see that the
children were
laughing at
him)
3. Did Uncle
discover the
trick? Why?
(Ans: No,
because
everybody
laughed)
4. What kind
of woman was
Mama? (Ans:
clever, good,
etc)
62
REMARKS:
Q1: Prepare a detailed lesson plan on how to teach the present perfect tense (e.g. I have taken) in a B6 Class.
Week Ending: Friday, 2nd April, 2009
School: Alavanyo E.P. Primary School
Class: B6A
No on roll: 40
Reference: 1. English Syllabus for Primary Schools p.22.
2. Pupil’s Textbook Six p.12
3. Teacher’s Guide Book 6 p.10
Average age:12
Day/Date
Duration
Topic/Subtopic
Objective/RPK
Teaching learning materials/Teacher-learner activities
Core Points
Evaluation
Day
Tuesday
Date
1 – 4 – 09
Time
8.00 – 9.00
am
Duration
60minutes
Aspect
Grammar
Topic
Present Perfect
Tense
Objectives
63
By the end of the lesson, the pupil will be able to:
2.4.1: use the present perfect tense correctly in at least, 3 sentences of his own.
2.4.2: change at least, 3 sentences from the present tense to the present perfect tense.
RPK
Pupils can use ‘have’
TLMs: 1. Flash cards
2. Substitution
or ‘has’ in the simple present tense.
eaten
broken
taken
table.
TLAs
Revision stage
Revise pupils’ RPK in the use of ‘has’ and ‘have’.
e.g. I have two erasers, Mary has four pencils, etc
Tr: How many pens do you have?
P: I have three pens, etc.
Introduction stage
Introduce the topic by asking questions.
Tr: What have you done this morning, John?
P: I have swept my plot; I have fetched some water, etc
Continue with more examples of the new
Structure: e.g. Mercy has eaten some rice. Jane has gone abroad, etc.
Practice One Stage
Paste the substitute table on the board
I
have
bought
six oranges
The pupils
eaten
some mangos
Mensah
has
sold
some rice
My friend
three apples
Help pupils from sentences from the table.
e.g. Mensah has eaten some rice, etc.
Let pupils repeat the following after you.
We have finished our homework;
My uncle has broken his promise etc.
Let pupils form sentences with the words on the flash cards.
64
Practice Two Stage
Pair pupils and engage them in a conversation using the new structure freely, such that P 1 asks questions for P2 to answer. e.g.
P1: What have you eaten today?
P2: I have eaten some rice and stew.
P1
P2
After some time, let pupils change roles, so that it will be the turn of p2 to ask questions for P1 to answer: P1
P2
Go around and visit each group and offer the necessary assistance.
Development of listening and speaking skills.
Development of listening and speaking skills.
Development of Accuracy skills.
65
Development of fluency skills.
Development of fluency skills.
(i) Oral Exercise
Let pupils use the present perfect tense in a few sentences of their own.
(ii) Written exercise Let pupils use the correct form of the verbs in brackets to complete the sentences below:
1. The pupils-their
homework – (finish)
2. Maggie – the
margarine. (eat)
3. The goat-the pot.
(break)
Expected answers e.g.
i) have finished
ii) has eaten
iii) has broken
REMARKS
66
Q2: Prepare a detailed lesson plan on how to teach the present perfect tense (e.g. I have eaten) in a JH2 Class.
Week Ending: Friday, 15th February, 2009.
School: Keta D/A JHS
Class: JH2
No on roll: 45
Reference: 1. English Syllabus for JHS p.16.
2. Pupil’s Textbook 2 p.10
3. Teacher’s Guide
Average age:14 years
Day/Date
Duration
Topic/Subtopic
Objective/RPK
Teaching learning materials/Teacher-learner activities
Core Points
Evaluation
Day
Wednesday
Date
10 – 2 – 08
Time
8.30 – 9.30
am
Duration
1hour.
Aspect
Grammar
Topic
Present Perfect
67
Tense
Objectives
By the end of the lesson, the pupil will be able to:
2.5.1: establish the rule for the formation of the present perfect tense.
2.5.2: use the present perfect tense in at least, 3 correct sentences
RPK
Pupils can use ‘has’ and ‘have’ correctly in the simple present tense.
TLMs: 1. Flash cards
3. Substitution
gone
written
drawn
table.
TLAs
Revision stage
Revise pupils’ RPK in the use of ‘has’ and ‘have’.
e.g. I have two erasers, Mary has four pencils, etc
Introduction stage
Introduce the topic by asking questions which will elicit pupils’ use of the present perfect tense. e.g.
Tr: What have you eaten this morning?
P: I have eaten some gari and beans.
Write pupil’s answer on the board. Continue to ask more questions demanding answers in the use of the present perfect tense, and each
time, write pupils’ answers on the board.
Discussion/Explanation Stage
Help pupils to underline the verbs in the sentences written on the board. e.g. ‘have eaten’, ‘has gone’ etc. Ask pupils what they see about
the first part of each verb? Expected answer: ‘Has’ or ‘Have’. Guide pupils to realize that the second part of the verb is always in the past
participle.
Ask pupils what then they can say about the rule for the formation of the present perfect tense.
Expected answer: It is formed by ‘has’ or ‘have’ the past participle of the verb.
i)
Exercise Stage
Let pupils form sentences in the present perfect tense
using words on the word cards. e.g. The child has broken the bottle, etc.
ii) Paste the substitution table on the board and guide
68
pupils to form sentences from it. e.g. My uncle has
travelled; Nobody has finished the exercise, etc.
iii) Let pupils form their own sentences in the present
perfect tense.
Recall and use of previous skills
Acquisition of new structure
69
Correct use of new structure
70
Let pupils re-write the correct forms of the verbs in brackets to complete the sentences in the present perfect tense.
1. Nobody-to the
sun before (go)
2. We – to the office
twice (be).
3. The children their
names here (write)
expected answers e.g.
1. has gone
2. have been
3. have written
REMARKS
Q1: Prepare a detailed lesson plan with which you will teach the following verse in a B3 class.
Here’s a tree with trunk so brown
71
Here I stand and chop it down
Swing the chopper to and fro,
To and from, to and fro,
Swing the chopper to and fro,
And chop the big tree down.
Week Ending:
School:
Subject:
Class:
No on roll:
Friday, 12th January, 2012
Mepom D/A Primary School
English Language
B3A
53
Day/Duratio
n
Day
Monday
Aspect/Topic
Aspect
Verse
Date
8-12-12
Time
8:30-9:30
Duration
60mins
Topic
Here’s a Tres
with Trunk
so Brown
References:
1. English Language Syllabus for Prim. Schools pp. 9&10
2. Pupils Book 3, Unit 3 pp. 16& 17
3. Teacher’s Manual Bk3 p. 6
Objectives
Teaching-Learning Materials /
TLAs
By the end of
TLMs
the lesson,
1. A picture of a man cutting
the pupils
down a
will be able
big,
tree
chopper brow
to
brown
tree
Flash cards
i. recite the
verse
correctly.
ii. dramatize
parts of the
verse.
iii. draw a
tree with a
72
Core
Points
2. A chart containing the verse to
be read
TLAs
Pre-presentation stage
1. Take pupils through prediction
activities by pasting the picture
on the board and asking them
Developm
what they see in it.
ent of
Eg. Tr: what do you see in the
listing
Evaluatio
n
brown trunk.
RPK
Pupils see
trees on
school
compound
picture.
P; I see a big tree /
somebody cutting down a tree
etc.
Help them to predict what they
are going to learn.
2. Teach relevant vocabulary with
the aid of the flash cards:
chopper – a tool for cutting
wood. Brown – the colour of
the trunk of the tree in the
picture
and
speaking
skills.
1. Recite
the verse
Acquisitio
n of
vocabular
y
2. What is
the colour
of the
trunk of
the tree?
Brown
Presentation Stage
1. Paste the chart containing the
verse on the board.
2. Recite the verse twice audibly,
using gestures and the proper
voice modulation to bring out
the meaning.
3. Let pupils recite with you line
by line.
4. After this let them repeat the
verse line by line in groups,
rows, individually, till it is
learnt
5. Take pupils through soundsensitizing activities, eg.
Indentifying rhyming words,
eg. ‘brown’ and ‘down’
Post-Presentation Stage
73
Developm
ent of
listening
skills.
Listening
and
speaking
skills.
3. What is
used to cut
down the
tree?
Chopper
4. Draw a
big tree
with a
brown
trunk.
1. Ask pupils questions based on
the verse eg. What did the
chopper chop down? (Expected
answer: a big, brown tree).
2. Ask personal response
questions: Tr: Do you like the
verse? Which like do you like
best? etc. a man chopping a
tree down.
3. Let a few pupils dramatize
Developm
ent of
listening
and
speaking
skills.
REMARKS:
74
Q2: Prepare a detailed lesson plan which you will use to teach a composition lesson in B5 Class entitled ‘An
interesting story I have heard’ based on a previously told story about the Hen and Hawk.
Week Ending:
Friday, 20th December, 2011
References:
School:
Adaiso D/A Primary School
1. English Language Syllabus for Prim. Schools p. 8
Subject:
English Language
2. Teacher’s Manual Bk. 5 p. 10
Class:
B5
3. Pupils Textbook Unit 4 p. 19
No on roll:
42
Day/Duratio
n
Day
Thursday
Aspect/Topic
Objectives
Aspect
Composition
By the end of the
lesson the pupils
will be able to
Date
19-12-11
Topic
An Interesting
story I have
Heard.
Teaching-Learning Materials / TLAs
TLMs
a hawk
2. A manila card on which is written a
i. narrate the
story about the
hen and hawk
ii. write a
composition of at
least ten lines on
the topic.
RPK
Pupils have
heard the story
from their
teachers and
parents
75
Evaluation
1. A chart with the picture of a hen and
model composition
Pre-writing Stage
1. Pupils to mention any story they
Duration
60 mins
Core
Points
have heard.
2. Paste the picture of the hen and
hawk on the board and ask pupils to
retell the story about the two birds.
3. Write the following questions on the
board to guide them:
Tr: What are the two birds in the
picture?
P: A hen and a hawk.
Tr. What did they decide to do one day?
P: To make a drum.
Tr: Who did not help the other in the
An
Interesting
story I have
Heard.
Long, long
ago, hawk
and hen
were staying
together,
they………
Hen
work?
P: The Hen
Tr: What excuse did she give: etc.
4. Write pupils’ answers on the board.
5. Paste the model composition on the
board and guide pupils to read
through.
6. Let pupils narrate the story about
the two birds using the Tr’s model.
Writing Stage
1. Let pupils write the composition in
their exercise books. Go round and
offer the necessary assistance
where needed.
Post – Writing Stage
1. Collect pupils’ work for marking.
2. Discuss with pupils the most serious
errors you noticed when you well
going round.
REMARKS:
76
Developme
nt of
Listening
and
speaking
skills.
Developme
nt of writing
skills.
promised
Hawk
that……
Q3: Prepare a detailed lesson plan with which you will teach the use of the words ‘some’ and ‘any’ in a
conversation lesson in a Basic Three class.
Week Ending:
Friday, 8th December, 2011
References:
School:
Abodom D/C Primary School
1. English Language Syllabus for Prim. Schools p. 20
Subject:
English Language
2. Teacher’s Guide Bk. 3p. 9
Class:
B3A
3. Pupils Textbook 3, Unit 2 p. 7
No on roll:
50
Day/Duratio
n
Day
Thursday
Aspect/Topi
c
Aspect
Conversation
Date
7-1-12
Topic
The use of
‘some’ and
‘any’
Time
8:00 – 8:35
Duration
35mins
77
Objective Teaching-Learning Materials /
s
TLAs
By the end
TLMS
of the
1. A manila card on which is
lesson the
written a model conversation
pupils will
2. Classroom or domestic
be able to
articles: sugar, pencils, pens
use
erasers, money, crayons,
i) use
apples, etc.
‘some’
and ‘any’
Preparation Stage
correctly
1. Display the TLMs for pupils to
in at least
identify the different articles.
3 given
2. Drill pupils in the use of the
sentences.
words ‘some’ and ‘any’ in
ii) use
positive and negative
‘some’ or
sentences respectively. Eg. I
‘any’ in at
have some sugar. I don’t have
least 3
any ‘money etc.
Core
Points
Developme
nt of
listening
and
speaking
skills
Evaluation
1. Do you
have some
money?
(Yes, I have
some
money) or
No, I don’t
have any
money.
sentences
of their
own.
2. Do you
have a car?
(Ans. No, I
don’t have
any car?
etc.
Presentation Stage
1. Paste the model conversation
on the board.
2. Role-play the dialogue on the
RPK
Pupils can
ask or
answer
simple
questions
among
their peers
manila card with a good pupil,
the teacher asking questions and
the pupil answering:
Tr. Do you have some sugar?
P; No, I don’t have any sugar.
Tr. Do you have some pencils?
P: Yes I have some pencils.
Tr. Do you have some erasers?
P: Yes, I have some erasers.
Tr: Do you have any pens?
P: No, I don’t have any pens.
Correct use
of ‘some’
and ‘any’
3. Change roles with pupils, so
that he asks the questions for
you to answer, using ‘some’ or
‘any.
Production Stage
1. Pair pupils for them to use
‘some’ or ‘any’ freely in a
dialogue. The first pupil (P1)
asking questions for the
second (P2) to answer.
2. Let them change roles after 3
minutes.
3. Go round and offer the
necessary assistance where
78
Developme
nt of
fluency
possible. Jot down, very
serious errors and correct
them later.
skills
REMARKS:
79
Bibliography
Ananse, Tony V.
Methodology.
(2003)
Model
Questions
&
Answers
in
English
Asamoah, J.K. et al (2004) Methods of Teaching English TED, Accra.
Asamoah, J.K. et al (2001) Teaching English in Basic Schools, IEDF,
Winneba.
Bennette, W.A. (1968) Aspects of Language and Language Teaching, CUP,
Cambridge
Ijona, Wendy (1981) Teaching English in The Primary School.
Johnson, Terrey D. (1973) Teaching and Learning
Tabi-Arhin, Paul Practical English Methodology for DBE Students
80