Example 4a: Imitative Exercise: Dictation
Level:
A1 (Grade 5) [Note: This exercise was designed for Grade 5 students,
but it can be modified to fit the needs of students of all levels. ]
Topic:
Health *Learning the names of different illnesses
*Correctly spelling the names of the illnesses
Aim(s):
*To check whether or not students can produce the graphemes and
orthographic patterns of English
*To produce writing at an efficient rate of speed to suit the purpose
(e.g., to write down the name of the illness before the next one is
named)
Background
and
Procedures:
*Students have been learning how to talk about health problems and the
names of different illnesses. The next topic is “Make suggestions about illnesses”. Before moving to a subject whose successful introduction
and usage depends on whether or not Sts know the names of the
illnesses, the T wants to make sure that Sts are able to match the
pronunciations with the pictures/spellings of the health problems and
illnesses.
*The T decides to use a Dictation task.
*The T gives every student a Dictation sheet (see Example 4b) and asks
them to listen carefully and write down the illnesses they hear. S/he
informs Sts that s/he is going to read the name of each of the illnesses
twice.
*The T reads the names of the following illnesses/health problems:
(1) sore throat
(2) fever
(3) stomachache
(4) broken arm
(5) toothache
(6) measles
(7) broken leg
(8) cough
(9) headache
(10) backache
Formative Assessment (i) Peer Assessment: To follow one of the main principles of learning-
oriented assessment (that is, learner involvement in assessment), after
completing the Dictation task, the T asks Sts to pass their Dictation
Sheets to the classmate on their left. The Sts are instructed to evaluate
the spelling performance of their peers (see Example 4b). First, they
have to decide whether the spelling is correct or not.
=If they think the spelling is correct, they have to put a tick () in the
“Correct spelling” column.
=If they think the spelling is incorrect, they have to put a cross (X).
