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A – Presenting new vocabulary

Much of the new vocabulary in Upstream is presented through pictures, and students are asked to match the pictures to listed words. Vocabulary is always presented in context, and emphasis is placed on collocations and word association, since memorising new words is easier when they are presented in lexical sets.

Further techniques that you may use to introduce new vocabulary include:

Miming
Mime the word to be introduced. For instance, to present sing, pretend you are singing and ask students to guess the meaning of the word.

Synonyms, opposites, paraphrasing and giving definitions Examples:

Present store by giving a synonym: A store is a shop.
Present tall by giving its opposite: He isn’t short, he’s tall.
Present weekend by paraphrasing it: I don’t work at the weekend. I don’t work on Saturday and Sunday.
Present garage by giving a definition: A garage is the place next to the house where we put our car.

Context
Place vocabulary items in context with examples which make understanding easier and more complete. For instance, introduce the words city and town by referring to a city and a town in students’ own country: Rome is a city, but Parma is a town.

Visual prompts
Show photographs or drawings to make understanding easier.

Use of (bilingual/monolingual) dictionary
Encourage students to guess the meaning of a word, then use their dictionaries to check if their guess is correct.

Sketching
Draw a simple sketch on the board to illustrate the word(s) to be explained. For instance

Flashcards
Make flashcards out of magazine or newspaper pictures, photographs, ready drawings and any other visual material which may serve as vocabulary teaching tools.

Use of L1
In a monolingual class, vocabulary can be explained in the students’ mother tongue, although this method should be used only in moderation. Students also need to compare their mother tongue to the English language to find similarities and/or differences.

The choice of technique depends on the type of word or expression. For example, it may be easier to describe an action verb through miming, and not through synonym or definition.

B – Writing (skills work)

All writing tasks in Upstream have been carefully designed to guide students closely in producing a successful piece of writing.

Always read the model text provided and deal in detail with the tasks that follow. Students will then have acquired the language necessary to cope with the final writing task.
Make sure that students understand they are writing for a purpose. Go through the writing task in detail so that students are fully aware of why they are writing and who they are writing to.
Make sure that students follow the structured outline they are provided with.
It would be advisable to complete the task orally in class before assigning it as written homework. Students will then feel more confident about producing a complete piece of writing on their own.

C – Homework Assignment

It is recommended that homework is regularly assigned and routinely checked according to the specific needs of the class.
When assigning writing tasks, the teacher should prepare students as well as possible in advance. This will help them avoid errors and get maximum benefit from the task.
Commonly assigned homework tasks include:

Vocabulary
Students memorise the meaning of words and phrases.

Spelling
Students learn the spelling of particular words without memorising the text in which they appear.

Reading aloud
Assisted by the Student’s Cassette or CD, students practise at home in preparation for reading aloud in class.

Writing
After thorough preparation in class, students are asked to produce a complete piece of writing.

D – Correcting students’ work

All learners make mistakes; they are part of the process of learning. The way mistakes are dealt with depends on the activity.

Oral accuracy
In drill work, correct students on the spot, either by providing the correct answer and asking them to repeat it, or by indicating the mistake but allowing students to correct it. Alternatively, indicate the mistake and ask other students to correct it.

Oral fluency
In pair work or free speaking activities, allow students to finish the task without interruption, but make a note of the mistakes made and correct them afterwards, preferably at the end of the lesson.

Written work
Do not over-correct; focus on mistakes that are directly related to the point of the exercise. When giving feedback, you may write the most common mistakes on the board and help the class to correct them.

Remember that praising students and rewarding good work is of great importance. Post written work on a notice board in the classroom or school, or give ‘reward’ stickers. Praise effort as well as success.

E – Class organisation

Open pairs
The class focuses its attention on two students doing the assigned task together. Use this technique to provide an example of how the task should be done.

Closed pairs
Pairs of students work together on a task or activity, while the teacher moves around the classroom offering assistance and suggestions. Ensure the task is clearly understood before closed pair work begins.

Stages in pair work:

Organise students into pairs
Set the task and time limit
Rehearse the task in open pairs
Ask students to do the task in closed pairs
Go around the class and help students
Pairs report back to the class

Group work
Groups of three or more students work together on a task or activity. Class projects or role plays are often most easily done in groups. Again, ensure students clearly understand the task in advance.

Rolling questions
A student answers a question, then proceeds to ask a question directed at the next student in turn. This continues around the class.

F – Using the Student’s Cassette or Audio CD

All dialogues and texts in the Culture Corner and Curricular Cuts sections are recorded on the Student’s Cassette or Audio CD. Students have the chance to listen to these recordings at home as many times as they want in order to improve their pronunciation and intonation. The suggested stages of such self-access study are:

The student listens to the recording and follows the lines in the text or dialogue.
The student listens to the recording with pauses after each sentence or exchange. The student repeats as many times as needed, trying to imitate the speaker’s pronunciation and intonation.
The student listens to the recording again, then reads aloud