RECEPTIVE SKILLS:

LISTENING / READING

To improve these skills, teacher provides tasks to develop sub-skills.

The tasks of sub-skills of listening and reading (receptive skills) are similar.

Top-down skills (Extensive skills)

Bottom-up skills (Intensive skills)

TOP DOWN SKILLS

BOTTOM UP SKILLS

Schema

Guessing or ignoring words

Reading/listening for gist

Reading/listening for main points

Prediction

Using available clues (paralinguistic, vocabulary etc)

Reading/listening for specific information

Topic identifying

Focus shift

Recognition of linguistic features

Asking for clarification

1. PRE-READING / LISTENING TASK:

· WHY?

· In real-life, we don’t usually go into a reading or listening cold. There’s usually a headline or a context etc, so we shouldn’t expect learners to do so.

· To stimulate and raise interest in topic.

· The result will often be motivating.

· ACTIVITIES:

· Discuss pictures or photos.

· Read an advertisement.

· Topic discussion.

· Making predictions.

2. PRE-TEACH VOCABULARY:

· WHY?

· So learners don’t get bogged down on vocabulary questions, especially if it not the main aim of the class. The negative result of this could put the timing out and prevent the aim from being reached. This is the teachers’ nightmare.

· ACTIVITIES:

· Word and definition card matching.

· Eliciting.

· Miming

· Realia

3. WHILE READING / LISTENING TASK:

· WHY?

· To encourage learner focus

· To maintain learner interest and concentration

· ACTIVITIES:

· “Top-down” or “Bottom-up”?

· Identifying numbers/info, gap fill, answering questions etc.