Scaffolded Dictations: General Service List

$20.00

Scaffolded Dictations are simple ways to create meaningful lessons in the classroom. From just one short audio text comes a multitude of learning opportunities.

These activities are designed as a “dictoglos” - an activity where students listen for familiar words and try to re-create the original text as best they can using their knowledge of the language. The ideal dictogloss text is in line with Krashen’s input hypothesis - that is, the language level is slightly above that of the learners, but with familiar subject content. Teachers can always aim to introduce some new vocabulary or sentence structures if necessary.

This packet contains 5 lessons focusing on one word from the General Service List (GSL). Each lesson asks students to put all their skills into practice and to not only focus on the GSL word, but analyze its use - something usually lacking in vocabulary building exercises.

The General Service List (GSL) is compiled using corpora studies and the most frequent words used in English.

Each lesson has:

  • the audio text

  • two types of tasks: the “jungle” (more difficult) and the “forest” (less difficult)

  • a transcript of the audio

We hope this pack helps you and your students!

Scaffolded Dictations are simple ways to create meaningful lessons in the classroom. From just one short audio text comes a multitude of learning opportunities.

These activities are designed as a “dictoglos” - an activity where students listen for familiar words and try to re-create the original text as best they can using their knowledge of the language. The ideal dictogloss text is in line with Krashen’s input hypothesis - that is, the language level is slightly above that of the learners, but with familiar subject content. Teachers can always aim to introduce some new vocabulary or sentence structures if necessary.

This packet contains 5 lessons focusing on one word from the General Service List (GSL). Each lesson asks students to put all their skills into practice and to not only focus on the GSL word, but analyze its use - something usually lacking in vocabulary building exercises.

The General Service List (GSL) is compiled using corpora studies and the most frequent words used in English.

Each lesson has:

  • the audio text

  • two types of tasks: the “jungle” (more difficult) and the “forest” (less difficult)

  • a transcript of the audio

We hope this pack helps you and your students!

The Advantages of Using Dictogloss

A dictogloss is not an exercise where learners write all the important ideas. Instead, they focus on keywords and phrases, which are then used as a base for the reconstruction of the text. A dictogloss is almost like an exercise in note-taking without the notes and it provides many advantages: 

  • Provides a sharper focus on the mental process of listening, without interference from the process of writing;

  • Adds a welcome change of pace from traditional activities in the classroom;

  • Reduces the cognitive load of a task by priming the learners’ prior experience well before they do the task;

  • The preparation for the dictogloss provides learners with ideas, language items, and text organization clues so that they can focus on the skill bit, which in this case is ‘writing’; 

  • Integrates multiple skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) and systems (lexis, vocabulary, discourse, and pronunciation); 

  • Provides ‘negotiation of meaning’ - which is essential for language acquisition -  as it requires learners to listen, talk, collaborate, take notes, draft, redraft, and present orally (Long, 1991;  Pica and Doughty, 1983 &  1984); 

  • Encourages authentic and meaningful communication (Swain & Lapkin, 1995); 

  • Draws learners’ attention to key features of English, which are a key aspect of English as an Additional Language good practice (NALDIC, 1999);

  • Stimulates scaffolding of learning in that learners are dealing with language slightly above their level (Vygostky, 1978; Gibbons, 2002); 

  • Contributes to the development of academic language (Nagy & Townsend, 2012); 

  • Provides opportunities for language to emerge, especially during the task reconstruction and the error analysis where language can be refined (Thornbury & Meddings, 2009)

You Might Also Like