DIDACTIC UNIT

Lets talk about technology and inventions.

Title: Didactic Unit: Lets talk about inventions and technology.

Target: English teachers/science and technology teachers.
Students who need activities to improve vocabulary and oral interaction.
Author: Helder Guzman. Professor of English.

INTRODUCTION

Throughout this document, I am going to develop one didactic unit with a topic
included in the program of the course. This unit also emphasises on the
principles of a communicative approach in which the use of vocabulary is another
focus point.

This didactic unit is adaptable by all teachers of English and also by Science
teachers who use English as a tool for students.

This didactic unit deals with vocabulary related to technology and inventions, with
emphasis on using devices and interaction. Students will develop communicative
and vocabulary competence by working collaboratively and interacting to solve
eventual problems.

CONTEXT AND STUDENTS

This didactic unit is thought to be developed at Universidad del Tolima, with

students in the third semester of the English Major. These students are already
general users of English as it is the main subject in their major.

The curriculum for third semester presents the discussion regarding Inventions
and technology advance as one of the topics in the communicative approach and
motivates teachers and students to use ICT for enhancing vocabulary and the
interaction in the classroom. In the same sense, it is important to outstand that
this is a flexible didactic Unit and teachers may modify it in many ways depending
on the needs of students and their response.

The students in this course are 20 and their ages are between 17 and 19. They
already have coursed first and second level, meaning 320 hours of English. Their
level is considered by the standards of university to be B1. In addition, the
students mentioned already learned how to use strategies for reading and writing.
Also, their extent of vocabulary and oral communication is intermediate.
Nevertheless, it needs improvement, as explained.

The difficulty of students deals with learning vocabulary with ease and with
motivation. In the same way, students are generally reluctant to use English as
the main way to communicate orally inside the classroom. They have stated that
the main problem is that they want to speak but do not have enough vocabulary
so they are afraid to commit mistakes. This fact makes them shy to speak in front
of and with others. For that reason, the didactic unit intends to help students
overcome those difficulties by permitting them interact with each other in a
dynamical way and by using new tools as the Virtual Learning environments.

OBJECTIVES:

Read and understand the use of electronic flip magazines.

Make use of basic reading strategies to understand the ideas of texts.
Revise and practice new vocabulary in context regarding technology.
Use a digital game of virtual environment to practice vocabulary and speaking
related to the topic.
Motivate students to use own and learned strategies for collecting and
organising ideas before writing.
Improve pupils writing in terms of short reaction texts about the disadvantages
and advantages of technology.
Have an intense technological conversation to solve a technical situation in a
collaborative way.
Interact naturally in the classroom without pressure or compulsion.
Discuss own ideas and reflection about technology and reflect them on paper.
CONTENT OF THE UNIT:

Reading and Writing

Association of graphics, pronunciation and meaning of the new foreign words

using the manual for the device proposed.
Reading and understanding of vocabulary to increase students' competence
by associating vocabulary with background knowledge and the ideas of peers.
Autonomous use of reading strategies (use of visual elements and previous
knowledge about the topic, skimming, scanning and deducing meaning from the
context).
Completion of pre-tests and post-tests that will as a result inform of the scope
and the abilities improved by students.
Interest in using technology to understand and produce reaction texts related
to the topic.
Reading and writing of different texts related to habitual situations where
technology is needed.

Listen, speak and interact

Understanding written messages related to technology and inventions, coming

from the teacher or different digital or audiovisual means.
Participation in a Virtual Reality communicative situations expressing
vocabulary and functions related to a technological device and solution of a
conflict
Familiarization and recognition of characteristic vocabulary and and synonyms,
mainly worked during the use of a digital video game application.
Motivation in using the foreign language, verbally and non-verbally, with a
useful vocabulary acquired during the activity.
Completion of pre-tests and post-tests that will as a result inform of the scope
and the abilities improved by students.
METHODOLOGY

Students will make use of their background knowledge regarding reading and
vocabulary as well as their ability for using English language to communicate.

The teacher will motivate students to use ICT to learn new interactive ways to
read text materials on the web. The lexical competence of students will increase
as they find, ask and answer questions collaboratively regarding vocabulary and
knowing the meaning in context.

Pupils will read instructions from a manual in order to understand key vocabulary
for a future activity where their role is 100% important. They familiarize with the
vocabulary to use it with their peers orally through conversations in a virtual
environment.

The students will be motivated to use former knowledge on the abilities for
reading and understanding texts and articles. They will also be motivated to do
whatever is in their hands to interact orally and make themselves be understood
for achieving a successful goal.

Pupils will work together in the composition of short reaction texts regarding the
topic using their background knowledge acquired in former classes and the knew
tips gien by the teacher.

The interaction is an important matter to be considered at the moment of learning.

Pupils will interact in a virtual reality environment where they will use VR devices
to face a supposed technological problem that they must solve collaboratively.

Students will react orally and in written form towards the activities and will inform
each other and the teacher about their progress, attitudes and the vocabulary
acquired in the unit.
Resources and Materials:

Electronic Magazine on the Web: http://goo.gl/9XYqte

A defusal Manual: http://www.bombmanual.com/

Extra resource WebSites

Justpaste.it
http://text-to-speech.imtranslator.net/
Google images

ACTIVITIES:

A. The teacher starts by asking students about their background knowledge

on the topic of technology and inventions. Students participate orally and
in an informal way. They express their ideas on what is for them the best
technology nowdays and how it has transformed their lives.

B. Students will read and interact with the electronic flip magazine. As they
navigate, they will interact with other students using English language in
order to determine the meaning of new vocabulary in context by reading
the tiles of articles.
C. Students choose one of the articles and by recalling background
knowledge of the basic strategies for reading and understanding texts they
will try and obtain the main idea. Then, they will discuss their findings with
each other before reading the text thoroughly and get specific vocabulary.
D. In the extreme case pupils cannot get the meaning of new vocabulary, they
will associate it with images from a browser. They will not make use of
translators or dictionaries on the web.
E. There will be a discussion between the teacher and students to control
pace learning. It is ideal to create a debate where pupils express their
ideas of what they agree or do not agree regarding the text, as well as their
 impressions. This is an ideal time for the teacher to evaluate students,
whether using the rubrics individually or when listening to group
discussions as a whole.
F. The students download and read the Defusal Manual from the link given
by the teacher.

G. They will employ the same instructions given in the former activity. They
will only read the sections Section 1: On the Subject of Wires; On the
Subject of The Button and On the Subject of Keypads.
H. The pupils will discuss about what they think they will face in the next
moments and will try to find the meaning to new vocabulary by using the
strategies found in former instructions.
I. The teacher gives the students the
opportunity to interact in a virtual
learning environment using a VR
Digital Game. Pupils confront a
technological issue that although not
common, will motivate them to speak,
use the vocabulary acquired and improvise by creating their own
vocabulary and explanations.
J. Interaction, speaking and collaborative work is the key for success in this
activity. Listening and speaking are the essential abilities at this stage. This
is an ideal time for the teacher to evaluate students, whether using the
rubrics individually or when listening to group discussions as a whole.

K. After playing it for 30 minutes, students are be told by the teacher to

discuss and reflect on their perceptions about the tool used. They will also
make a list of synonyms and words used for already learn vocabulary
during the class.
L. Students will then be ready to write a short reaction text where they give
their opinion about the unit, its scope in terms of the acquirement of
vocabulary and speaking abilities, and the way they could use similar
elements in their future classes.
EVALUATION

Learning new vocabulary involves Never having seen the term before; Knowing
there is such a word, but not knowing what it means; Having context-bound and
vague knowledge of the word's meaning; Knowing the word well and
remembering it.

Apart from reading the texts written by students and evaluating their learning,
teacher will also have to pay close attention to their participation and correct
contributions to class during the activity. In Addition, to evaluate this Didactic Unit
the teacher is free to organise multiple choice tests by the end of the unit that are
related to the vocabulary acquired.

Eventually, teachers may also use rubrics. It may be the same rubric they use for
assessing speaking normally or a new one adapted by them to this unit. One
example of a general speaking rubric suggested for this unit is the following:

Rubric Speaking Assessment

Skill components Descriptors Comments

Pronunciation / Pronunciation / Intonation is
Intonation correct

1 2 3 4 __ Always __ Most of
5 the time __ Much of the
(circle one) time
low __ Sometimes __
high Rarely
Fluency __ Uses native-like flow of
speech
1 2 3 4 __ Uses fluent connected
5 speech
(circle one) __ Uses fluent connected
low speech, occasionally disrupted
high by
search for correct form of
expression
__ Speech is connected but
frequently disrupted by search
for
correct form of expression
__ Uses simple sentences

Vocabulary __ Uses sophisticated

vocabulary in a variety of
1 2 3 4 contexts
5 __ Uses varied and descriptive
(circle one) language, possibly including
 low native-like phrasing and /
high or idiomatic expressions
__ Uses vocabulary sufficient to
communicate in most social and
academic contexts
__ Uses vocabulary sufficient to
express needs and feelings and
responds in familiar contexts
__ Uses only basic vocabulary
with possible use of first
language

Grammar Uses appropriate tenses,

pronouns, gender and number
1 2 3 4 agreement, negation, articles,
5 prepositions and adjective
(circle one) placement
low (check only those
high areas that need work)
__ Present tense __ Past
tenses __ Future tense __
Complex verbal structures
__ Gender agreement __
Singular/Plural __ Subject-verb
agreement __ Negations
__ Adj. agreement
__Pronouns
__Prepositions __
Articles

This is a general rubric made based on the Common European Framework of

Reference. This one may be adapted or adopted by teachers according to their
needs and the level of students.

Oral assessment criteria grid (CEFR)

Range Accuracy Fluency Interaction Coheren

ce
B Has a Shows a Can produce Can initiate Can use
2 sufficient relatively high stretches of discourse, a limited
range of degree of language take his/her number of
language to grammatical with a fairly turn when cohesive
be able to control. Does even tempo; appropriate devices to
give clear not make although and end link
descriptions, errors which he/she can conversation his/her
express cause be hesitant when he/she utterance
viewpoints misunderstand as he/she needs to, s into
on most ing, and can searches for though clear,
 general correct most of patterns and he/she may coherent
topics, his/her expressions, not always discourse
without mistakes. there are few do this , though
much noticeably elegantly. there may
searching long pauses. Can help the be some
for words, discussion jumpines
using some along on s in a
complex familiar long
sentence ground contributi
forms to do confirming on.
so. comprehensi
on, inviting
others in,
etc.

B Has enough Uses Can keep Can initiate, Can link a

1 language to reasonably going maintain and series of
get by, with accurately a comprehensi close simple shorter,
sufficient repertoire of bly, even face-to-face discrete
vocabulary frequently though conversation simple
to express used routines pausing for on topics elements
him/herself and patterns grammatical that are into a
with some associated and lexical familiar or of connecte
hesitation with more planning and personal d, linear
and predictable repair is very interest. Can sequence
circumlocuti situations. evident, repeat back of points.
ons on especially in part of what
topics such longer someone
as family, stretches of has said to
hobbies and free confirm
interests, production. mutual
work, travel understandin
and current g.
events.

A Uses basic Uses some Can make Can ask and Can link
2 sentence simple him/herself answer groups of
patterns with structures understood questions words
memorized correctly, but in very short and respond with
phrases, still utterances, to simple simple
groups of a systematically even though statements. connectio
few words makes basic pauses, false Can indicate ns like
and mistakes. starts and when he/she and,
formulae in reformulation is following but and
order to are very but is rarely because
communicat evident. able to .
e limited understand
information enough to
in simple keep
conversation
 everyday going of
situations. his/her own
accord.

In addition, teachers may also use their own rubrics to assess vocabulary. This
assessment may be implemented in a flexible way. One of the rubrics suggested
for this skill is the following:

Indicator 3 2 1
Words Identified Identified more Identified 4 or 5 Identified less
than 8 words. words. than 4 words.
Synonyms Each word had a Has identified a Synonym doesnt
correct synonym synonym that match the
for vocabulary does completely meaning or the
word work for word. word.
Antonyms Each word had a Has identified an Antonym doesnt
correct antonym antonym that does match the
for vocabulary completely work meaning or the
word for word. word.
Definitions Definitions were Definitions Most definitions
detailed and accurately accurately
accurately matched the matched the
matched the meaning and meaning and
meaning. context clues in context clues in
sentence. sentence.
Sentence Sentence Sentence Sentence did not
accurately used accurately used use the word
the vocabulary the vocabulary accurately, but
word in a word, but the sentence was
structurally sound sentences had structurally sound.
sentence. structural errors.