Unit 1

Interacting in Class

LISTENING TO A LECTURE WORKING WITH A PARTNER

WORKING IN A GROUP GIVING A PRESENTATION

• How do you think the students feel in each situation shown above?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of each type of activity?
• What kinds of activities in English class do you enjoy the most?
• What kinds of activities do you enjoy the least?
11
12 Unit 1 Interacting in Class

Listening Practice

Activity 1: Identifying Expressions

1. Listen to Activity 1 on the tape. You will hear eight dialogues about get-
ting acquainted. In each dialogue, the second speaker is having some
problem understanding the first speaker. What does the second speaker
ask or say in order to deal with the problem? Write each question or
statement in the blank.
A. _
B. _
c. _
D. _
E. _
F. _
G. _
H. _

2. Work in a small group or as a class to compare your answers.

Activity 2: Identifying Relationships

1. Listen to Activity 2 on the tape. You will hear ten dialogues. For each di-
alogue, identify the relationship between the speakers. Using the follow-
ing key, write the appropriate number in each blank:

1 = employer-employee
2 = teacher-student
3 = classmates
4 = co-workers
5 = strangers
A. _ c. _
B. _ D.
 Unit 1 Interacting in Class 13

E.~ _ H._~~~~
F.~ _ I. ~
G. _ J.~----
2. Work in a small group or as a class to compare your answers.

Communication Skills
Organizing Small Group Activities

During this course, you will be participating in many small group activities.
You can make sure that every member takes an active part in a group activi-
ty by giving each person a role: leader, reader, summarizer, reporter, or ob-
server. The following instructions explain how to organize a small group
discussion with four or five members:
Group members sit in a circle. One student takes (or is assigned) Role 1.
Students then count off in order-2, 3, 4, 5-so that #2 takes Role 2, #3 takes
Role 3, and so forth. In this way, each group member has a specific role to
play in the activity. If an activity has more than one situation, group mem-
14 Unit 1 Interactingin Class

bers rotate roles after each situation. This gives everyone a chance to take
on a different role during the activity.
Here is a list of the different roles with a brief explanation of the respon-
sibilities of each:

Role 1: Leader
• Starts the activity
• Makes sure everyone participates
• Keeps everyone on the subject
• Keeps the discussion moving
• Keeps track of the time

Role 2: Reader
• Reads aloud the instructions, situation(s), questions, etc.

Role 3: Summarizer
• Explains the situation or problem in his or her own words (without read-
ing)
• Makes sure everyone understands the situation

Role 4: Reporter
• Reports the group's results or ideas to the class

Role 5: Observer [when necessary]

• Observes the group or an individual
• Fills out observation forms

During each activity, all group members should participate actively. Each
person:

• Presents ideas
• Supports ideas with examples, details, and reasons
• Asks other for their ideas

Finally, all group members (not only the reporter) should fill in the
blanks in each activity as a record of their group's ideas and decisions.
 •
Unit 1 Interacting in Class 15

Activity 3: Organizing a Small Group Discussion

1. Work in a small group of four or five people. Follow the instructions pre-
sented in the previous section for organizing small group activities.
Group members should take the roles of leader, reader, summarizer, and
reporter. No observer is needed in this activity.
2. As a group, consider the following situation and discussion question:

Situation. An old, homeless man spends every day in the public library.
For most of the day, he sits quietly reading newspape'rs, magazines, and
books. Many people in the library have complained that the man is ex-
tremely dirty and smells terrible. Also, they say that he sometimes stares
at them in a strange way that makes them nervous. The homeless man,
however, says that he does nothing to bother anybody.
Discussion. What are possible ways that library officials might deal with
this situation?
A. _
B. _

c. _
D. _

E.
3. Work as a class. On the blackboard, list all the different ideas developed
by the groups.
4. Get back into your original small group. Work together to reach agree-
ment on the following question:
Group Decision. What is the best way for library officials to deal with this
situation?

5. When your group has reached a decision, discuss the following:

• Did each group member take his or her role during the discussion? If
not, why not?
• Did all group members take an active part in reaching the final deci-
sion? If not, why not?
• How can you improve your next discussion?
16 Unit 1 Interactingin Class

6. When all the groups have finished, work as a class to compare the deci-
sion each group reached. Which decision seems to be the best? To con-
clude this activity, compare your answers to the questions in item 5.

Brainstonning
An important technique that you will be using in this course is called brain-
storming. The purpose of brainstorming is to produce as many ideas as pos-
sible on a particular topic. Then you can later select the best ideas to use in a
discussion or a presentation. You can brainstorm individually, in pairs, or in
groups. Here are some general guidelines for group brainstorming:

• Write the topic at the top of a sheet of paper.

• Say anything on the topic that comes to mind, even if it seems silly, wild,
or crazy.
• Do not discuss or judge any idea that is mentioned. List all ideas without
comment.
• Write quickly, using words or short phrases. Do not worry about gram-
mar or spelling.
• Get everyone in the group involved. Keep the ideas flowing!
• Try to build on or add to ideas suggested by others.
• Remember that quantity is more important than quality.

At the end of the time period, review the ideas you have developed. At this
point you may want to:

• Cross out any ideas that do not seem to fit.

• Put a check next to the most useful or interesting ideas .
• Spend a few more minutes adding any new ideas that corne to mind.

The most important "rule" of brainstorming is not to judge the ideas as they
are mentioned. People need to relax in order to be able to think of interest-
ing, creative ideas. Try the following activity to get an idea of how group
brainstorming works.
 Unit 1 Interacting in Class 17

I Activity 4: Practicing Group Brainstorming

1. Work in a small group to consider the following:

Situation. David Doolittle is an unusual student. He always goes to class,
but he never does his homework. He is intelligent and imaginative, so he
always has a different excuse to explain why he did not do his home-
work. Today, however, he is having trouble thinking of an excuse.
2. Spend ten minutes brainstorming excuses that David can give his
teacher. For example, "A robber broke into my house last night and stole
it." "My dog ate it for breakfast." Use your imagination and have fun
thinking of ideas. Try to produce a list of at least twenty excuses.
3. When all the groups have finished, work as a class to share the ideas of
each group. Then discuss the following:
• How many ideas did each group develop?
• Did each group follow all the brainstorming "rules"?
• In general, how comfortable did everyone feel using this technique?
• How do you think you can improve future brainstorming sessions?
18 Unit 1 Interacting in Class

Sometimes group members do not participate equally in a brainstorming

session. One way to give everyone a chance is to use "chain" brainstorming.
In a "chain," group members sit in a circle facing each other. You then go
around the circle, giving each group member a turn to offer an idea. If a
person does not have an idea, he or she can say "Pass," and the next person
takes a tum. During a brainstorming session, you should always keep in
mind that quantity is more important than quality. Therefore, any idea is
better than no idea.

1. Work in a small group. Think about students who are good or successful
language learners. What do you think makes them good learners?
2. Spend ten minutes chain brainstorming possible ideas. The reporter
should write every idea as it is mentioned.
3. At the end of ten minutes, review your ideas.
o Cross out any ideas that do not seem to fit.
o Spend one or two more minutes adding any new ideas that come to
mind.
4. When you have finished, discuss the following:
o Did you follow the rules for chain brainstorming? If not, why not?
o Did you feel more comfortable brainstorming this time? Why or why
not?
o What are the advantages and disadvantages of chain brainstorming?
o How do you think you can improve future brainstorming sessions?
5. When all the groups have finished, discuss the following as a class:
o How many ideas did each group develop?
o In what situations do you think brainstorming might be useful?

Using Appropriate Language Styles

In English, as in most languages, speakers use different levels of formality:

Formal/Indirect
o I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid I didn't quite understand your last point. I
would appreciate it if you could explain it again.
o Would you be so kind as to repeat your last point?
 Unit 1 Interactingin Class 19

Neutral/Polite
• Would you mind explaining your last point, please?
• Could you please explain that again?

Informal/direct
• Excuse me?
• Can you explain that?
• Please explain that.

Highly Informal
• What are you talking about?
• What?
• Huh?

Generally, speakers of English use more formal language with people in

authority or of much higher status. People speaking in a formal situation
tend to use correct grammar and speak in complete sentences. Furthermore,
they usually speak more carefully, more clearly, and more slowly. On the
other hand, people use informal language with friends and family. When
speaking informally, they may use a more "relaxed" pronunciation, such as
"I'm gonna leave" ["I'm going to leave."] or "They wanna leave" ["They
want to leave."]. In an informal situation, people may also speak more
quickly, omit words, and use slang.
Of course, language is not neatly divided into formal and informal styles.
There are various levels of formality between the two. In fact, you will find
that a neutral/polite style of language-between formal and informal-is
generally appropriate in most academic and professional situations. As a
learner of English, you may find that it is safer to sound slightly more for-
mal than to be too informal. Of course, as you become friends with your co-
workers or classmates, you will probably move toward a more informal
style of language. Keep in mind, though, that an informal style may sound
rude or disrespectful in a business situation. For this reason, all of the lan-
guage presented in this book is neutral/polite in style. As you get to know
people better and improve your speaking ability, you will feel more com-
fortable changing your speaking style to suit the situation, the subject, and
the people involved.
In general, in choosing the appropriate level of formality, you need to
consider the following:

• What is your relationship to the other speaker? Are you relatives, friends,
acquaintances, or strangers?
• What is the other speaker's professional role? Is he or she your co-worker,
your boss, or a high-level official?
20 Unit 1 Interactingin Class

• What is the setting? Are you at a job interview, a business meeting, a staff
picnic, or a party?
• What subject are you discussing? Are you dealing with typical work-re-
lated matters, asking for a favor, or making a serious complaint?

Of course, most speaking situations involve some or all of these factors,

not just one. Your choice of language style, then, will depend on a combina-
tion of these factors.

Activity 6: Identifying Appropriate Language Styles

1. Work with a partner. For each of the following situations, write F (for-
mal) or I (informal) to show whether you might switch your language
style slightly to one or the other style; write N (neutral) if you think a
neutral style would be appropriate.
 Unit 1 Interactingin Class 21

A. Asking your boss for a raise

B. Discussing a homework assignment with a classmate
C. Asking a friend to go out for a cup of coffee
--- D. Being interviewed for a job
E. Asking the teacher about a homework assignment
F. Asking the teacher to raise your grade on an important
writing assignment 4

--- G. Having a meeting at work with several co-workers

---- H. Presenting a paper at a scientific conference
I. Talking with an important government leader at an official
reception
J. Complaining to a co-worker about a serious mistake he
made
K. Asking a classmate to spend an hour or two helping you
with some work you missed
2. When all the pairs have finished, compare your ideas as a class.

Participating in Class

The way that students and teachers interact varies from culture to culture.
As a result, the way students act in one culture may seem strange or even
rude in another culture.
The following guidelines are generally appropriate in the United States
or in a class with an American teacher. Of course, even within the United
States, student-teacher interaction varies from class to class and from
teacher to teacher. Therefore, be sure to discuss the following guidelines
with your teacher. Are they different from the ones you have followed in
other classes?

1. Find out what your teacher prefers to be called. In some classes, teachers
and students call each other by their first names. In other classes, teach-
ers want students to call them by their last names with a title, such as Dr.
White, Professor Green, Mr. Brown, or Ms. Black. Generally, though, stu-
dents do not call the teacher, "Teacher."

.
'

..
.~
22 Unit 1 Interactingin Class

2. Take initiative in class. Show your interest by volunteering to answer

questions. Ask questions when you do not understand something or
when you need more information. In general, teachers expect students to
take an active part in class. Many teachers include class participation as
part of the final course grade. Furthermore, teachers may have an unfa-
vorable impression of students who never make comments or ask ques-
tions. They may feel that these students are not paying attention, are not
prepared, or are not interested.
3. Respond immediately if the teacher calls on you to answer a question.
Whether or not you know the answer, make eye contact with the teacher
and say something. (This unit includes expressions you can use if you
need a few moments to think or if you don't know the answer.) Teachers
expect a direct response to a question, and it may seem rude if you do
not say anything. Furthermore, if you remain silent, even for a few sec-
onds, the teacher may call on another student or someone else may jump
in to answer the question.
 Unit 1 Interacting in Class 23

SPEAKING OUT IN CLASS

Signaling You Want to Speak

To get the teacher's attention, you can simply raise your hand. You may also call the
teacher by name. Sometimes you can signal that you want to speak by leaning forward
and making eye contact with the teacher. lf the teacher doesn't notice these signals,
you can also say:

Excuse me,. . . .
May I ask a question?
Could I make a comment?

Holding the Floor

When the teacher calls on you, you can give yourself a moment or two to think before
answering by:
• Hesitating
Well,umm.
Umm, let's see.
Umm, let me see.
Let me think .

• Repeating or rephrasing the question

In other words, you want to know.
So, you're asking me ....

• Asking the instructor to repeat the question if you didn't understand

Would you mind repeating the question, please?
Would you please repeat that?
Avoiding Answering

I'm not really sure.

I don't really know.
I'm afraid I don't know.
I'm sorry, but I don't know.

Activity 7: Volunteering in Class

1. Work as a class. Students should take turns acting as the "teacher," while
the others close their books. The "teacher" asks one of the following
questions and then waits for the students to volunteer answers. Students
should give examples, details, and/or reasons to explain their answers.
The purpose is for everyone to participate as much as possible-without
24 Unit 1 Interacting in Class

waiting to be called on by the "teacher." However, the "teacher" may

also call on students to answer. After several answers, the "teacher" can
go on to another question. There are no right or wrong answers to these
questions, so relax and have fun.
A. Of all the things you do in your free time, what do you enjoy the
most?
B. What is the best present you have ever received?
C. What do you think is the perfect age to be?
D. What is your favorite holiday?
E. Which would you rather be-the youngest or the oldest child in the
family?
F. If you could spend the day with one famous person alive in the
world today, whom would you choose?
G. Which pet do you think is better-a dog or a cat?
H. What place in the world would you most like to visit?
I. What was your favorite subject in high school?
J. What do you like best about the city where you are living?
K. What do you not like about the city where you are living?
1. What's your favorite place to be alone?
M. Think about the worst teacher you ever had. What made that teacher
so terrible?
2. As you participate in this activity, use a separate sheet of paper to put a
check each time you volunteer to speak. (Do not count the times the
"teacher" calls on you.) Remember-keep your book closed during this
activity! You have to listen to the questions.
3. The teacher or observers may use the Class Participation Evaluation
Form in Appendix A.
4. When you have finished, discuss this activity as a class:
• Did you find it easy or difficult to volunteer your answers?
• How many times did each person volunteer?
• Did everyone in class participate actively? If not, what happened?

Pronunciation Practice
Word Stress
To understand word stress, you need to know what a syllable is. A syllable is
the part of a word that contains one vowel sound along with one or more
consonant sounds. In general, the number of vowel sounds in a word deter-
 Unit 1 Interacting in Class 25

mines the number of syllables. Another way to understand this is to think

of syllables as the number of beats in a word.

Activity 8: Counting Syllables

Listen to Activity 8 on the tape. As you listen to the following words, tap
your finger or pencil on the desk to help you count the number of syllables.

1 Syllable 2 Syllables 3 Syllables 4 Syllables

part number following dictionary
word useful determines repetition
group pencil expression understanding
sound pronounce correctly presentation
think contain consonant experience

I Activity 9: Counting Syllables

Listen to Activity 9 on the tape. Repeat each word after the speaker. Write
the number of syllables that you hear.

1. _ 5. _ 9. _ 13. _

2. _ 6. _ 10. _ 14. _

3. _ 7. _ 11. _ 15. _

4. _ 8. _ 12. _ 16. _

In English, words of more than one syllable have a stress, or accent, on

one of the syllables. Stressing the right syllable is an important part of the
correct pronunciation. If you stress the wrong part of the word, people may
not understand you. You put stress on a particular syllable by:

• Holding it longer
• Saying it at a higher pitch
• Pronouncing the vowel sound clearly
26 Unit 1 Interactingin Class

Thus, the stressed (or accented) syllable may sound longer, higher, and
stronger than the other syllables in the word. Each word, then, has one
stressed syllable while the others are unstressed or weak syllables. There is
a greater difference between stressed and unstressed syllables in English
than in most other languages. This is because English speakers tend to give
careful pronunciation to the stressed syllable, and then "reduce" (or weak-
en) the other unstressed syllables. By reduce, we mean that people usually
pronounce unstressed syllables in a relaxed way-either /uh/ (as in up) or
/ih/ (as in it).
Some words in English can be used as either nouns or verbs. The differ-
ence in stress indicates the difference in usage: the noun has the stress on
the first syllable, while the verb has the stress on the second syllable.

Listen to Activity 10 on the tape. In each item you will first hear the noun
and then the verb. Notice that the stressed syllables are written in capital
letters in the following list. Pay close attention to the way that stress affects
the pronunciation of each word. Repeat each word after the speaker, being
careful to stress the right syllable.

Nouns Verbs
1. CON duct conDUCT
2. CON trast con TRAST
3. DE crease deCREASE
4. IN crease inCREASE
5. IN suit inSULT
6. OB ject obJECT
7. PERmit perMIT
8. PRESent preSENT
9. PROGress proGRESS
10. PROduce proDUCE
11. RECord reCORD
12. SUBject subJECT
 Unit 1 Interactingin Class 27

Activity 11: Identifying Stressed Syllables

Listen to Activity 11 on the tape. The speaker will say each word twice. Re-
peat each word after the speaker. Circle the syllable that is stressed.

1. pre sent 7. prog ress

2. re cord 8. in suit
3. can trast 9. sub ject
4. can duct 10. prod uce
5. in crease 11. per mit
6. ob ject 12. de crease

Activity 12: Identifying Stressed Syllables

Listen to Activity 12 on the tape. The speaker will say each word twice. Re-
peat each word after the speaker. Circle the syllable that is stressed.

1. at ten tion 11. op par tu ni ty

2. ex ample 12. ac adem ic
3. un der stand 13. dis cus sian
4. dif fi cult 14. ques tion
5. in tro duce 15. ap pro pri ate
6. nec es sar y 16. pro nun ci a tion
7. mis take 17. au di ence
8. re la tion ship 18. par tic i pate
9. com pre hen sian 19. pro fes sian al
10. sit u a tion 20. can fi dent

Learning Strategies
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Speaking a foreig(languagerequir~s ~e~~"r~I.differentskills. By identify-

ing your proble'IJi,~n;aS7.-yq4)willknow which skills to focus on in this
course. II :
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28 Unit 1 Interactingin Class

Identifying Skill Areas for Improvement

1. Work individually. As you begin this course, think about the areas in
your speaking and listening ability that you feel need the most improve-
ment. In the column labeled You, write 1 for the area you feel needs the
most work, 2 for the next, etc. For now, leave the other columns blank.

SKILL AREAS YOU

A. Grammar

B. Vocabulary

C. Pronunciation

D. Fluency:speakingsmoothly,without
hesitatingor repeatingtoo much

E. Listeningcomprehension:
understanding what others say

F. Feelingconfidentabout speaking

G. Other:

2. Now work in a small group with two or three other people. Write each
person's name at the top of a column in the chart. Exchange information
so you can fill in the chart.
3. As a group, discuss the skills that members of your group feel they need
to work on the most.
4. When all the groups have finished, share your results as a class.

Activity 14: Considering Strategies for Improvement

1. Work in a small group. Think about your experiences in learning Eng-

lish. In what ways have you tried to improve each skill area? For exam-
ple, how do you study a new grammatical structure, such as a verb
tense? Do you go over the rule until you memorize it? Do you try to find
examples of this structure in your reading? Do you try to practice it
while speaking?
 Unit 1 Interactingin Class 29

2. As a group, brainstorm a list of strategies that people can use to improve

their skills in English. Be as specific as possible. Each group member
should record these ideas on a separate sheet of paper. Be sure to con-
sider all of the skill areas listed in the chart in Activity 13.
3. After your group has finished brainstorming, discuss the strategies that
seem the best, the most interesting, and the most unusual. Which new
strategies might group members try?
4. When all the groups have finished, share your ideas as a class.

Cross-Cultural Communication
Considering Classroom Behavior

Classroom behavior varies from culture to culture. Behavior that is accept-

able in one culture may seem rude in another culture. In many cases, appro-
priate behavior depends on the circumstances of the particular situation.
The following expressions may be useful as you work on Activity 15.

EXPLAINING SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

how old you are.

who the other person is.
what you are talkingabout.
where you are.

you know the teacher,

it is a universityclass,
1 I should .
can .
you are in high school, then you
you are in a largeclass,

Activity 15: Considering Appropriate Behavior

1. Work individually on the following questionnaire. Write what you know

about your own culture and what you think is usual in American cul-
ture. Do not limit yourself to the given examples. Feel free to use your
own ideas.
30 Unit 1 Interacting in Class

IN AMERICAN
IN YOUR CULTURE SITUATIONS CULTURE

A. When the teacher walks in

and says, "Good morn-
ing," what do you do?
• Stand up and say,
IIGood morning."
• Stay seated, look at the
teacher, and say, "Good
morning."
• Look down and remain
silent.
• Smile but say nothing.

B. Class begins at 10,00, but

you arrive at 10,15. The
door is closed, but you
hear the teacher talking to
the class. What do you do?
• Walk in, say hello to the
other students, and take
your seat.
• Knock on the door to ask
the teacher whether you
can come in.
• Decide not to go to class,
and later explain to the
teacher.
• Walk in quietly, sit down
in the nearest seat, and
explain to the teacher
after class.
• Wait outside the door
until there is a break or
class is over.

___ I
 Unit 1 Interacting in Class 31

IN AMERICAN
IN YOUR CULTURE SITUATIONS CULTURE

C. Which of the following

habits are not acceptable in
class?
• Chewing gum
• Resting with your head
down on the desk
• Sleeping
• Sitting with one or both
shoes off
• Sitting with a foot or leg
up on a chair or seat
• Eating a sandwich or a
candy bar
• Drinking a soft drink
• Doing homework for an-
other class
• Talking with another
student while the
teacher is speaking

2. When everyone has finished, share your answers as a class.

3. Turn to the Answer Key on page 221 to see some typical responses of
people in the United States.