APPLYING SENTENCE FRAMES SENTENCE STARTERS TO LISTENING AND SPEAKING TEACHING IN UNIT 2, NEW ENGLISH TEXTBOOK 10 AND UNIT 1, NEW ENGLISH TEXTBOOK 11

THANH HOA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
TINH GIA 2 HIGH SCHOOL

EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE

APPLYING SENTENCE FRAMES & SENTENCE STARTERS TO
SPEAKING AND LISTENING TEACHING IN UNIT 2,
EXPERIMENTARY ENGLISH TEXTBOOK 10, AND UNIT 1,
EXPERIMENTARY ENGLISH TEXTBOOK 11

Author: LE THI LIEN
Position: Teacher
Subject: English

THANH HOA, 2017

1


TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.
2.
3.
4.

Contents
Page
I- INTRODUCTION
1
1. Rationale

1
2. Aims of the study
2
3. Objects of the study
2
4. Methods of the study
2
II- CONTENTS OF THE STUDY
3
1.Theoretical basis
3
2. Practical basis
3
3. Applying Sentence starters and sentence frames in teaching 4-9
unit 2 (Grade 10) & Unit 1 (Grade 11)
4. Results of applying techniques
9
III- CONCLUSION AND RESOLUTION
10
1. Conclusion
10
2. Resolution
10
Reference books
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
Appendix 5
Appendix 6

Appendix 7

2


I- INTRODUCTION

1. Rationale
It goes without saying that English has developed into a world language. It is
considered international because of its significance in cultural aspects in not
only former Bitish colonies but also in other countries due to integration.
Besides, English is regarded as global thanks to the dominance of the language
in this information technology age. It is a common knowledge that any modern
citizen of this rapidly growing twenty-first century mastering the English
language is determined to overpower those who do not. Still, there remain some
opponents of this trend who decide to go against the flow to probably avoid the
domination of the language and its culture. Notwithstandingly, any practical and
serious thinking individual could easily tell how that conservative idea is hardly
working at this point now that English has been deeply rooted and undoubtedly
here-to-stay in our society. In other words, one, needless to say, greatly depends
on English to survive and thrive in this contemporary world.
The teaching and learning of English; therefore, has been immensely
concentrated around the globe. English language is even separated into four
distinctive skills to be easily taught to non-native speakers of English. As a
child, we learn to listen before we speak, so it is fairly clear that input should
come first before output. Novel movements in teaching English language also
share the same opinion on placing more attention to the communicative purpose
of the language by focusing on Listening and Speaking.
Reality has showed inconsiderable improvement in learners’ speaking and
listening skills accompanied by a bitter truth of these two skills remaining a

struggle for English learners.
The apparently undesirable situation of teaching and learning speaking and
listening skills has triggered a passionate need in every teacher or instructor of
English language to invent new ideas to combat the problem. As one myself, I
have been concerned enough to detect and apply effective techniques to
enhancing students’ speaking and listening skills at Tinh Gia 2 High School in
many units in Experimentary English textbook, with the aim of enabling my
students to easily obtain what they are learning about.
In what follows I shall concentrate on the application of Sentence Starters &
Sentence Frames (SS & SF) in teaching unit 2 Listening lesson, experimentary
English textbook 10 & Unit1 Speaking lesson, experimentary English textbook
11, by Pearson.

3


2. Aims of the study
My theme focuses on making clear about some issues below:
-What do Sentence Starters or Sentence Frames (SS & SF) benefit the
language learners?
-How are SS & SF applied?
3. Objects of the study
The objects chosen for my study and application are 10th & 11th grade students of
classes 10B7, 11A8, 10C7, 11B7 in Tinh Gia 2 High School, Thanh Hoa
province in two school years. These students are eligible to focus on speaking
and listening skills before their main subjects in the National Examination and
English is not really their interest; therefore, they complete the activities in their
English text book in an active way.
4. Methods of the study
The methodololgy used in this experience initiative is experimental. Groups of

168 high school students of 4 classes 10B7, 10C7, 11A8, 11B7 in Tinh Gia 2
high school were involved in the two studies. The applications for classes 10B7,
11A8 were in school year 2015-2016, and 10C7, 11B7 were in school yearo
2016-2017, a pair of 10B7 and 10C7, a pair of 11A8 and 11B7 compared with
each other.
The study is intended to better inform the way teachers prepare SS & SF and to
see to what degree the benefits of applying SS & SF extend beyond the groups
without any designed activities.
My study is conducted by qualitative methods, including
- collecting information about the theme.
- practicing teaching
- observing and assessing.
- analyzing data
By using the combination of these methods, my theme will make clear the
questions in this topic, and reach effectively the targets of the essay.

4


II- CONTENTS OF THE STUDY
1. Theoretical background
According to Linda L Evans, Sentence Frames or Sentence Starters are effective
means utilized to build background knowledge as well as to consolidate
materials. Even as native English speakers we sometimes struggle with just the
right word to explain, describe, clarify, or elicidate what we want to convey. We
always understand more than we can speak. One of the best ways to engage
English language learners (ELL) in actively acquiring new material is to connect
their background knowledge to the new topic. So, lets give them some sentence
frames
or

starters
to
help
them
use
language.[1]

2. Practical background
It is a matter of fact that the new English textbook, applied experimentarily in
some Vietnamese high schools, is a project- based design, including 10 units
and 4 reviews. Each unit is relevant to a certain topic and is divided into Getting
started, Language, Reading, Speaking, Listening, Writing skills, Communication
& Culture, and Looking back & Project. Most of the topics in the books grade
10-12 are designed with real-life situations and modern life in society. Curricula
attract and motivate the learners a lot. However, the amount of vocabulary and
activities in almost the lessons require a better level of language learners. That’s
why, not few teachers have been trying hard to find suitable teaching
supplimentary means and, to a certain extent, these means can fulfil the aim of
helping students understand and know thoroughly the contents of the lessons.
Nevertheless, how will the class be if these techniques are applied in all the
lessons? Will the students find it motivating enough to acquire knowledge? Will
the completing tasks in the text book help students learn how to take initiative ,
build their confidence, solve problems, communicate ideas, and manage
themselves more effectively? Will the students have chance to build important
skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication in a variety of
media, and speaking as well as presentation skill? More important, will the
students be confident enough to be connected with comunities and the real world
in the target language?
SS & SF bearing many good points as mentioned above can help language
learning reduce more and more stress. I, therefore, forcedly implemented SS &

SF in teaching many units, of which Unit 2 Listening lesson, Experimantary
English textbook 10, and Unit 1 Speaking lesson, Experimentary English
textbook 11, brought my students and my teaching as well much joyful
experience.

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3. Applying SS & SF in teaching Unit 2, Listening skill, New English
textbook 10 and Unit 1, Speaking skill, New English textbook 11.
The kinds of SS & SF can be varied, depending on the real situation in
terms of students’ ability and the content of each unit. By my experience in
learning and teaching English, I have successfully applied some kinds of SS &
SF in teaching many units. Below are some SS & SF-applied activities extracted
in two units to illustrate the way I experienced in school year 2016-2017.
3.1 Applying SS&SF in unit 2, listening skill (Page 21), English 10.
In Unit 2, English 10, Listening skill (Page 21), SS & SF, used as an effective
means in Act 4 and Act 5, are designed to help students divide the plate of the
food pyramid in the simplest way but the least time-consuming and summarize
the plate of food pyramid they have learnt easily.
To illustrate the way I applied the techniques, I extract activities implemented in
the lesson plan.
UNIT 2: YOUR BODY AND YOU
Lesson 5: LISTENING SKILL: “The Food Pyramid”
V. Procedures
Teacher’s activities
Students’ activities
Activity 3: (12ms)
Aim: To check students’ comprehension
-Help sts underline key words for each -underline key words

sentence.
Key words:
1.The Healthy Eating Pyramid is
a complex guide of choosing
your diet.
2.Daily exercises and weight
control are key to staying
healthy according to the
Pyramid.
3.You are advised to eat more
things on the top of the Pyramid.
4.It’s suggested that half of your
plate consists of vegetables and
fruit.

6


5.Fish, poultry, beans and nuts
the other half of the dinner plate.
-Have sts guess the answer basing on their -Guess the answer
background knowledge.
-Have students listen to the recording once, -Listen to the recording and take
require to take notes during their listening. notes
-Have sts to listen to for the 2nd time
-Check some sts about their taking notes
-Call on students to check their answers
-Do as required
-Give feedback:
Key Act 3

1.
The Healthy Eating Pyramid
is a complex guide of choosing
your diet->F(simple)
2.
Daily exercises and weight
control are key to staying
healthy according to the
Pyramid.->T
3.
You are advised to eat more
things on the top of the
Pyramid.->F (bottom)
4.
It’s suggested that half of
your plate consists of vegetables
and fruit. ->T
5.
Fish, poultry, beans and nuts
the other half of the dinner plate.
-Explain sentence 5 to sts (because it is the ->F ( a quarter)
most difficult and the key to do Act 4)
-Lead in Act 4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*Activity 4: (5ms)
Aim: To develop students’ skill in
listening for specific information.
-Listen to the recording again
-Have students listen again to divide the
plate into sections with the right labels of
foods they hear

-Provide sts with sentence starters on screen
of the projector to enable them to have
anwers easily and correctly
SENTENCE STARTERS……………..
-use Sentence starters to give
1. In our daily diet, half of the plate should answers
be…………….....
2. A quarter of the plate should be

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…………., and ………………. should be
the other quarter.

-Call on some sts to read aloud sentence Key Activity 4
starters
Vegetables, fruits
Grains Protein
Fat

----------------------------------------------*Activity 5: ( 5ms)

\\

Aim: To wrap up the listening with an
expansion to writing using the knowledge
and information students have just
learnt.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

-Provide sts with sentence starters by
handouts or on screen of the projector to
check their comprehension
SENTENCE STARTERS……………..
(Appendix 1)
1.Three important group of food to stay
healthy are………………
2.Daily exercises and weight control are
…………..
3.In your daily diet, half of the plate
should be……..
4.Whole
grains
should
make
up………….
5.Fish, poultry, beans and nuts
……………………
-Have sts work in pairs/groups to complete
sentence starters
-Call on someone to read aloud their answer
-Give feedback
-Ask sts to write down and study at home
--------------------------------------------------

-See the SS&SF given and do as
required

-work in pairs/groups

-Write down and self-study at
home

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3.2 Applying SS&SF in unit 1, Speaking/ skill (Page 11), English 11.
In Unit 1, English 11, Speaking skill (Page 11), SS & SF are designed after Act 2
(Further activity) to check students’ acquisition of phrases learnt which are key
words &phrases and ideas as well used to practise in Act 3.
To illustrate the way applied the technique, I extract the Act implemented in the
lesson plan.
UNIT 1 – THE GENERATION GAP
Lesson 4 – Speaking: “What are conflicts about?”
V. Procedures:
Teacher’s activities

Students’ activities

II. While- speaking:
*Activity 2: (7 ms)
Aim: To focus on the ideas and useful
language that Sts can use in Act 3 when they
talk about their problems with parents.

- Introduce the task
- Ask Ss to read the list of things teenagers and
their parents complain about
- Ask sts to work individually to tick the
complain they hear in their family.
- Encourage Ss to add some more complains if
they can
- Go around to observe and help sts with any
new language they may need to express their
ideas
- Ask some sts to talk about their ideas after the
model by the teacher (as parents) and two good
students (as children).
Model:
T: My children dress badly and have ugly
hairstyles.

- Listen to the T.
- Read the list
- Tick the conflicts they
have in their family
- Add some
possible

more

if

- Listen to and talk about
their ideas

St 1: My parents don’t respect my privacy.
St 2: my parents don’t listen to my opinions.
- Listen and give feedback: answers can vary

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* Further activity: (4ms) Game playing
Aim: To give chance for sts to repeat conflicts
between parents and children happening
almost in families, also to help them engrave
useful language for confident practice
-Introduce the game
-Divide the class into 6 groups of 7.
-Numerate the members in each group.
(No 1, 3, 5, 7 are children. No 2, 4, 6 are
parents. Sts as parents sit near one another,
given Handouts (SS & SF) of uncompleted
sentences of complaining about their children,
so do Sts as children)
-Ask sts to close books, give out SS & SF
Handouts, and tell them what to do
-Check up what Sts have to do
Handouts: (Appendix 2)
Groups of parents
N2 My children ……………….and have
ugly hairstyles.
N4 My children spend……………on their
………and computers.

N6 My children don’t …………………...

-Listen
to
introduction

game

-Get SS& SF Handouts
-Respond

Groups of chldren
N1 My parents don’t let me ………………I
want.
N3 My parents don’t respect……………..
N5 My parents want me to ……………..
N7 My parents keep…………….with their
friends’ children.
-Have sts to work in groups
-Go round & help
-Call on pairs (N1 with N2, and so on) to
represent before class
-Give feedback
-Ask Sts to exchange their SS & SF with the
other role, and give them time to get ideas
------------------------------------------------------

-Discuss and help one
another
-work in pairs

-Listen to
-Exchange handouts
-----------------------------

10


* Activity 3: (10 ms)
- Introduce the task
- Get Ss to read the “Helpful expressions”
(Explain some phrases if necessary)
- Ask Ss to work in pairs practice talking about
the problems they have with their parents and
giving advice, using SS & SF Handouts given in
Act 2.
- Go around to help sts if necessary.
-Ask some pairs to role-play their conversation
- Listen and give feedback on their performance
-------------------------------------------------------

- Listen to the teacher
- Read the expressions
- Work in pairs

- Do the role-play
-------------------------------

4. Results of applying SS & SF in teaching unit 2, English 10, and unit 1,
English 11.
The fact that New English textbooks 10 and 11 are only experimented in some

classes narrows me from my assessing results. However, application was carried
out in two classes for each unit, 10B7 (2015-2016) with 10C7 (2016-2017), and
11A8 (2015-2016) with 11B7 (2016-2017). Undoubtedly, the SS&SF-applied
classes produced better results compared with classes without this application.
In order to assess the effectiveness of applying SS & SF to teaching unit 2,
Listening skill (English 10), I conducted a thirty-minute test for paragraphwriting (Appendix 3), also for Unit 1, Speaking skill (English 11) with a fifteenminute oral test (Appendix 4), and then I compared the scores, analyzed the data
by a table of score levels (Appendix 5)
Before using this technique, most of my students could traditionally complete all
the taks in the text book, with the help of their teacher. However, they easily
forgot the vocabularies, the topic as well as the contents of the unit. It seemed
that after each lesson, students did not really understand the deeplysinked part in
the unit.
Clearly, when applying applying SS & SF to teaching in general and teaching
two units in particular, my students enjoyed working together to create their
groups’ outcomes, they seemed to be very eager for each unit because they
remembered main ideas and useful language to communicate with friends and
teacher in English with confidence.
Here, I felt the sense that activities were done more easily with the support of
vocabulary or repetition of useful languages they had chance to embed during
their experience. In detail, when students did the 15 minute test for listening
skill, they gave their answers faster and more correctly. Therefore, they could
use foreign language to give advice for a better diet, basing on knowledge learnt
in the food pyramid. Also, students presented their talking about conflicts with

11


fewer mistakes but more confidence and activeness thanks to vocabulary and
key phrases engraved.
III- CONCLUSION

1. Conclusion
Language teaching needs innovations without ease. It is no longer a process of
floating the “iceberg”. To integrate in the modern society, students need to be
equipped with important skills. Accordingly, urgent requirements should be
made to help student acquire knowledge actively, practice their skills and solve
the problems with confidence. Applying other techniques in teaching language
to reduce stress for low-level students and to mark the learners’ mind becomes
significant. It is the teacher’s role that help students can find out the main ideas,
enrich their vocabulary, and apply them to real life situations
Besides, changes is also shown as the role of the teacher from the provider into a
consultant; students will fulfil the demand of knowledge themselves. It is clearly
that in my class, with SS & SF, each unit indeed is appealling to students. When
students practice speaking or writing about good advice for a better diet or about
conflicts happening in their families, they are able to expand their vocabulary
and evaluate their listening and speaking skills.
SS & SF is an easy technique to prepare, it doesnot take time and money for
teachers. With this means, students are insprired to obtain a deeper knowledge of
the topics they are studying. When designing or planning SS & SF for any
activity, it has got to fulfill some criteria. Firstly, SS&SF must focus on main
objective of the Act. Secondly, it must help reduce stress of vocabulary for
learners. In addition, it must be applied practically and easily in many classroom
lessons
2. Suggestion
Basing on practical teaching New English Textbook 10, 11 in two school-years,
I suggest that foreign language learning classes should be equipped with such
modern facilities as projectors, headphones, and TV sets to motivate students by
exciting lessons with pictures and useful links for foreign language learning and
teaching.
This is my little experience to help students find learning in acquiring actively
by themselves. I hope to receive your reading and comments as well as

contribution to make this theme more perfect so that it can be applied widely.
Thanks for your reading!
THE CONFIRMATION OF
THE HEAD MASTER

Thanh Hoa, May 25th 2017.
Author

12


Lê Thị Liên

13


REFERENCES
Bibliography:
1.[1]Submitted
On
December
14,
2007,
/>2. Exprimentary English textbooks 10, 11 by Pearson

Article

Source:

14

APPENDIX
APPENDIX 1 :
ENTENCE STARTERS…………………………
6.
Three important group of food to stay healthy are…………………………..
7.
Daily exercises and weight control are ……………………………………….
8.
In your daily diet, half of the plate should be…………………………………
9.
Whole grains should make up…………………...……………………………
10. Fish, poultry, beans and nuts ……………………………...………………….
APPENDIX 2:
Handouts:
Groups of parents
N2 My children ……………….and have ugly hairstyles.
N4 My children spend……………on their ………and computers.
N6 My children don’t …………………...
Groups of chldren
N1 My parents don’t let me ………………I want.
N3 My parents don’t respect……………..
N5 My parents want me to ……………..
N7 My parents keep…………….with their friends’ children.
APPENDIX 3:
(For classes 10B7, 10C7)
A 30-minute writing test
Question:
Write a 120-word paragraph of what you have for dinner to have a better

health.
APPENDIX 4:
(For classes 11A8, 11B7)
A 15-minute oral test
Question 1: Do conflicts happen in your families between you and your
parents?
Question 2: What do you often complain about your parents? Give any
reasons?
Question 3: What do your parents disagree with you? Give any reasons?

15


APPENDIX 5: GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATING TALKING SCORES
Class:……………………….
Criteria
Content
answer

MARK
Presentation

Fully completed
of Answer Q2 & Q3 in the
etest
The content is correct and
reasonable
Answer only Q1 & Q2/Q3
Almost unable to answer
any question correctly

Real connection
Confident,
flexible,
attractive
Wide amount of vocabulary
Presentation is smooth
Time is not over 15 mins
Clarify the problem
Attractive
Presentation go with poster

MARK
TOTAL MARK
MARK of TEST

Mark

Teacher’s
assessment

10
6

3
1
10
30
10
10
5

5
10
5
5
50
80
CORRECT
ANSWERS /8

16


APPENDIX 6: TEACHER’S ASSESSMENT for WRITING TASK
CLASS: ……………………………………………….
Criteria

Mark

Fully completed
Form More than half completed
&Level
of Less than half completed
completion
Almost not completed
MARK
Content
The content is exact and
reasonable
The
paragraph

is
illustrated and easy to
understand
Examples are plentiful and
attractive
writing errors are less than
4 and do not lead to
misunderstanding
MARK
Coherence & Ideas are coherent and
cohesion
cohesive
Ideas are not vague to
understand

15
6
3
1
25
10

MARK
TOTAL MARK
MARK of TEST

Teacher’s
assessment

10

10
10
40
10
5
15
80
CORRECT
ANSWERS/8

17


APPENDIX 7:
Clasification:
CLASS

8-10 marks

7-8 marks

5-6 marks

<5 marks

10B7
10C7

18

CLASS

8-10 marks

7-8 marks

5-6 marks

<5 marks

11A8
11B7

19

19