Listening Lesson Plan

Reduced Forms of Colloquial English

Class Description:


This lesson plan is geared towards adult intermediate ESL learners. It will be assumed that they already know what contractions are.

Goal:


Students will listen to and understand reduced forms of colloquial English

Terminal Objectives:


Students will be able to hear certain reductions that are commonly used and understand them in daily conversations they have with others.

Enabling Objectives:


Materials:

  1. Tape recorder with tape of advice column
  2. Copies of warm-up matching game
  3. Copies of Cloze activity
  4. Copies of transcript of newspaper column without reductions or contractions

Warm-up:


Distribute copies of the matching game. Explain that we will be going over some common contractions that they have seen before and give instructions for the game. State how this game will help us to understand the lesson on reductions. Answer any questions they have. Make sure students understand how two words become one with contractions.

Introduction:


To students: How many of you have had trouble understanding what people say when they speak really fast and “slur” words together? Today we will go over some reductions that are used often in conversations so that you will be able to pick them out when you hear them and understand them. Reductions are similar to contractions in that they are usually made up of two (sometimes more) words that are put together. The difference is that while contractions are grammatically acceptable, reductions are not. They are not words in themselves, they are “slurred” words. (Explain what “slurred” means). Give examples of both reductions and contractions and break them down into the individual words.

Presentation:


We will now listen to a tape of a newspaper advice column in which a man writes in to get some advice for a problem he is having. Specifically ask students to pick out answers to the comprehension questions. Direct their attention to a few important bits of information. Play the tape (twice, if necessary) and then ask the following comprehension questions:
  1. What is the man’s problem?
  2. How many children does the brother have?
  3. When does the brother’s family want to visit?
  4. What are the brother’s children like?
  5. What do the children do during mealtime?
  6. What is he afraid of?

Play the first few sentences again. Explain that now we will try to pick out the reductions in this sentence. Model the task for the students.

Practice:


In groups or pairs, try to come up with suggestions for this man. What advice would you give him? Play the tape again, if necessary. Share student suggestions with the whole class and then play the columnist’s advice to the class. Discuss the response and student agreement or disagreement with it. Pick out further reductions in the taping of the response as a class.

Evaluation:


Hand out the Cloze activity worksheet. Give instructions on what to do. They will be picking out the reductions from the first part of the column this time. Play the tape a sentence at a time as they fill in the worksheet. They should hand these in at the end of class.

Application:


For next time, explain that you would like them to make a list of five reductions they hear in their daily conversations with other English-speakers. If they do not understand them and cannot break them down, ask them to simply write them anyway and bring them to class. We will go over the reductions in class next time and share the difficult ones with each other so that we all can better understand them in conversations.

Backup Activity:


Have another section on tape similar to the advice column (can be another type of question) using the same reductions placed in a different context. This could be one more example for students of how reductions work, and practicing listening to these would better enable them to pick them out and understand them in a real conversation they may have with others. For this additional section, a transcript of what is on the tape will be necessary. Another Cloze activity on this section can also be done, if more evaluation is needed.

Listening Selections

From an Advice Column in your Local Newspaper

Dear Abby,
My problem is my brother, his wife and their three children, ages six, five and three. They live 1,000 miles away, but they have announced they are going to visit us this summer. We do not want them to come.Their children are not disciplined. They do anything they want to do. They have no respect for authority or property. They run wild, climb onto furniture with dirty shoes, get into everything, leave the table during mealtime and chase each other all over the house.We have two children, ages seven and ten, who are never a problem. We have a nice home that we have worked hard to furnish nicely and I am afraid these kids will do real damage.I hate to be rude, but we do not want these people to come. You have got to help us. What should we do?Sincerely,
Jeff

Abby's answer:
Maybe you could try to meet them somewhere else. If that is not possible, you should be totally open and honest with them. It might hurt family relations, but if their children are wild and undisciplined, they would not be surprised that you do not want them to come.

Listening Cloze
Instructions: Fill in the missing words
Dear Abby,My---- my brother, his---,their three children, ages six,------ three. They live----- miles away, but -----announced they are -------visit us this summer. We do not ----------- to come.Their children ------ disciplined. They do anything they----- do. They----- no respect --------- or property. They run wild, climb------- with dirty shoes, get-------- everything, leave the table during-------- chase each other------ the house.-----two children, ages seven and ten,------- never a problem. We------- nice home that------ worked hard to furnish nicely and------ afraid these------ do real damage.I --------- be rude, but we------- want these people to come. -------- got to help us. What should we do?
Sincerely,
Jeff

THE MATCHING GAME
Using the following contractions, have students match them with their non-reduced forms.
she is
they're
he is
she's
I am
they are
you have

he's
are not
they've
you're
I have
isn't

do not
they'll
we are
we have
cannot
don't

they have
we're
is not
I'm
they will
who are

we're
can't
I've
who're
aren't

*NOTE: Adapted from The Adult Education ESL Teachers Guide by C. Ray Graham and Mark M. Walsh.