Publisher: Pro Lingua Associates
High beginner/low intermediate
Great Dictations Catherine Sadow: – Teacher of the Year MATSOL 2009
Great Dictations is intended to improve the listening and speaking skills of English language learners. Reading and writing skills are also reinforced, along with attention to vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. The text provides a wide variety of dictation/discussion topics, including provocative news items and information from the internet.
In this second edition there are 39 high-interest articles presented as dictations of four types:
- Partial Dictation
- Dictogloss
- Pair Dictation
- Prediction
Each unit begins with a short introduction providing background and context for the dictation. This is followed by a short vocabulary list used both to introduce new items and to clarify pronunciation. The central focus of the unit is a dictation followed by discussion.
Most units are two to three pages long. Some will take less time than others. The dictations usually take about 30 minutes. In some chapters there is an additional listening activity. The discussions can take place in pairs or small groups. With some units, the teacher may want to discuss the issues with the whole class. The discussions take from 20 to 30 minutes.
The units end with a follow-up activity which is intended to explore the topic further – often by having the students speak with native speakers. The follow-up also provides additional language skill practice, especially writing practice. Some web research is suggested. Some follow-up activities are done in class, and some are to be done out of class to be continued during the next class meeting.
The full texts of the articles are given in the back of the book to be used in dictating. The texts have also been recorded by native speakers. The audio CD provides challenging listening to the voices of three different native speakers.
Sample units and the full introduction and table of contents are given on our website for your consideration. The sample units can be printed and tried out with your class.
A few of the topics are:
• About Lying • Five Things That Will Disappear in Our Lifetime (in the U.S.) • Tipping in a Restaurant • Changing Careers • Languages in the U.S. • Soap Operas • A Courageous Athlete • Overweight • Intermarriage • School Uniforms • Asking advice • Giant Pandas • International Baseball • Medical Myths • Stay-at-Home Dads • International Adoptions
