MASARYK UNIVERSITY BRNO

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING:

HALLOWEEN PARTY

DIPLOMA THESIS

WRITTEN BY: VLASTA ROUSOVÁ

SUPERVISOR: PhDr. ALENA KAŠPÁRKOVÁ

BRNO 2008

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to thank PhDr. Alena Kašpárková for her kind help

and valuable advice that she provided me throughout my thesis as my supervisor.

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DECLARATION I declare that I worked on my thesis on my own and that I used the sources mentioned in

the bibliography.

20. 3. 2008

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C O N T E N T S

1 Introduction 7

1.1 Reasons for choosing this topic 8

1.2 The aim of the thesis 8

2 Theoretical part 9

2.1 "Project" – variations of the term in definitions 9

2.1.1 Czech sources 9

2.1.2 English sources 9

2.2 A brief history of project work 13

2.2.1 Pragmatic pedagogy and John Dewey 13

2.2.2 Project-based learning 14

2.3 Connected methods and approaches 15

2.3.1 Humanistic tradition and learner-centredness 15

2.3.2 Co-operative learning and project work 17

2.3.3 Community language learning and project work 18

2.3.4 Task/Problem-based learning and project work 20

2.3.5 Self-directed learning and learner autonomy 21

2.3.6 Cross-curricular teaching and project work 23

2.4 Teacher’s roles in PBL 25 2.5 The benefits of PBL 27 2.6 Motivation in PBL 28 2.7 Possible problems and difficulties in PBL 31 2.8 The development of the project 33

2.8.1 Bridging/Lead-in activities 33

2.8.2 Planning 33

2.8.3 Carrying out the project 34

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2.8.4 Creating the final product 36

2.8.5 Presentation and final evaluation 36

3 Practical part 37 3.1 Preface 37 3.2 Syllabus 38

3.2.1 Teaching unit I: Lead-in activities 40

3.2.2 Teaching unit II: Halloween festival 49

3.2.3 Teaching unit III: A pumpkin lantern 58

3.2.4 Teaching unit IV: Music at the party 62

3.2.5 Teaching unit V: Refreshments at the party 66

3.2.6 Teaching unit VI: Posters and invitation cards 71

3.2.7 Teaching unit VII: Programme of the party 75

3.2.8 Teaching unit VIII: Final evaluation 79

3.2.8.1 Halloween party – the final product 79

3.2.8.2 Assessment scheme (Achievement test, Questionnaire) 79

3.2.8.3 Reactions to piloted activities (evaluation and feedback) 86

4 Conclusion 89 5 Résumé 90 6 Bibliography 91 7 List of Appendixes 95

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Foreword

Whenever a student is supposed to write a work at the end of his/her studies, he/she

is standing face to face to a new phase of life. This time, often associated with

retrospection and self-reflection, causes a stream of thoughts in a student’s mind and it

could be very difficult to calm them down. Young people have different ambitions and

aspirations. However, all of them are spurred on by the innate need of self-determination.

Before they step over the threshold of a new period of their life, their mind is usually made

up and their aims are established.

The studies of the English language at the Faculty of Education include three main

areas: linguistics, literature and methodology. Which of them has proved to be closest to

me? Linguistics helped me to perceive the language as a system with all the rules and

exceptions. All its branches are highly interesting, but excuse me, M.A.K. Halliday, I have

not chosen a linguistic topic. Literature, on the other hand, does not strictly follow

language rules and offers a large space for learner’s imagination, intuition and

inventiveness. Simply, whereas linguistics gives you a map and compass, literature gives

you wings. Nevertheless, excuse me, Anthony Burgess, I have not decided for a literature

topic either. So, what has not been mentioned yet? I have come to a decision to write a

thesis based on a methodological topic that will serve as a well of ideas or as a

demonstration of my pedagogical approach in my future career. Frankly, my desire to

teach is still growing and, gradually, I have recognised that this kind of job could give me

real enjoyment and satisfaction. Both teachers and children are encouraged to use their

creativity. Moreover, teaching includes everyday interaction with young people and the

chance for constant development.

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1 Introduction

This diploma thesis is entitled "Project-based Learning: Halloween Party" and deals

with the topic of project work. Contemporary educational standards determine the choice

of teaching methods and approaches. Students are supposed to acquire so called "key

skills", e.g. responsibility, independence, cooperation and critical thinking. PBL seems to

cater for all these requirements. Moreover, this approach brings real life tasks into the

teaching process.

Theoretical part includes eight chapters providing necessary background knowledge

for teachers interested in projects. The first chapter investigates variations of the term

"project" in definitions and searches for the clearest explanation. An insight into the history

of project work is offered in the second chapter. Here one can learn basic facts about

pragmatic pedagogy and the emergence of PBL. Next, the chapter 2.3 explores the

connections between PBL and other approaches, i.e. humanistic tradition, co-operative

learning, community language learning, task-based learning, self-directed learning and

cross-curricular teaching. An important aspect of changes in teacher’ role is mentioned

afterwards. Then both benefits and difficulties in PBL, as well as motivation, are

discussed. The last chapter is concerned with the actual development of a project and

describes in detail its particular stages.

Practical part is designed as a manual consisting of eight teaching units: Lead-in

activities, Halloween festival, A pumpkin lantern, Music at the party, Refreshments at the

party, Posters and invitation cards, Programme of the party and Final evaluation. It is a

detailed teachers’ guide to the topic of a "Halloween party". This long-term project is

described here through a set of lesson plans, which should be easy for ELT teachers to

follow. The tasks and activities are planned for learners of an intermediate level.

The thesis also includes an important appendix. Enclosed herewith are handouts,

worksheets, examples of assignments, pictures and photos that support the overall idea of

this project.

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1.1 Reasons for choosing this topic

It must be mentioned that the primary motive to develop a diploma thesis based on the

topic of projects was personal experience with piloting some of the activities. It caused an

avalanche of ideas which had to be classified and organized into a whole. I had heard and

read about projects before, therefore I was eager to give my ideas the form of a project.

What were the aspects that convinced me to study all the available resources about

projects and write this diploma thesis? Firstly, both teachers and students rarely come

across tangible outcomes in the educational system. It is true that knowledge, skills,

abilities, developed interests and established relationships are of a great value.

Nevertheless, from time to time we long for producing something 'real' which we can touch

and show to others. Maybe, we sometimes need to fly down from abstract sphere and 'build

a house', 'tailor a suit'. In this sense, project work offers a solution in the form of a tangible

end-product giving learners a real sense of achievement and clearly indicating their work

and progress. Secondly, going through a project means to be in contact with reality and see

the practical application of more subjects from the curriculum, not just of English. Students

feel as adults, doing a task from real life. Very often students work on a certain structure,

vocabulary or grammar item hard and repeatedly but it can be called 'knowledge' only

when they are able to use it in practice. It is claimed that project work means learning by

doing and experience, which should facilitate the learning process, both in the terms of

speed and retention.

The topic of a Halloween party is hoped to be interesting and challenging for all the

participants. It is also believed that such a topic can be a powerful driving force for

project’s successful implementation.

1.2 The aim of the thesis

The aim of this diploma thesis is to create a work of practical usage that can serve

as a source of inspiration and refreshment for EFL lessons. It is an attempt to generate a

project-based task for intermediate students and exploit the topic as much as possible for

their development. Equally important, the thesis should be a thorough investigation into

PBL and it should enable the author to confirm or disprove long lists of PBL benefits.

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2 Theoretical part

2.1 "Project" – variations of the term in definitions

Both natural sciences and humanities have their own fields of study, research

methods and terminology. Pedagogy defines hundreds of terms that can be differentiated

according to their transparency. The term "project" occurs in pedagogical dictionaries and

methodology books in different combinations, e.g. Project Teaching, Project Method,

Project Approach, Project-based Approach, Project-centred Approach, Project-based

Learning often abbreviated as PBL. It might appear clear at first sight, but what is

seemingly familiar can turn into a "hard nut" during a deeper insight.

Although the word "project" has its roots in American philosophy, it is also

discussed and described by many Czech pedagogy experts. The following paragraphs

demonstrate how this term is defined by both Czech and English authors. It is essential to

remark that this chapter is focused on definitions, therefore there is less amount of personal

ideas.

2.1.1 Czech sources

In the first half of the 20th century, pedagogy in the Czech lands flourished and was

enriched by democratic and progressive ideas of outstanding educationalists and

professors. Otokar Chlup, a professor of pedagogy at the Masaryk University in Brno at

that time, interprets the project method as follows: „The project method organizes lesson

topics as a series of projects or complete tasks that would be attractive for a pupil through

its concrete goal. Pupils, working on the realization of a project, are gaining particular

knowledge and skills that are eventually the teaching aims themselves, and the project

becomes only a tool for reaching this aim. In every project a pupil is facing numerous

questions or problems concentrating on the same unifying idea. A project changes the

school life." (Chlup, 1939).

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The 90s continued these democratic traditions and modern theories were also born.

It is possible to find other definitions of a project in this period. Valenta claims that a

project is a task designed definitely and clearly, and we can introduce it to pupils so that

they regard it as important for life, because it is very near to real-life activities. (Valenta,

1993).

The Pedagogical Dictionary from 1998 presents the project method in a straightforward

way: "It is a teaching method which leads pupils to the solution of complex problems and

experience is gained through practical activity and experiments. It is derived from

pragmatic pedagogy and instrumentalism. It is also one of the most important motivational

strategies and significantly supports cooperative learning. Projects can be arranged as

integrated topics, practical problems or activities leading to the creation of a certain visual

or written end-product." (Průcha, 1998: 194).

Later, new experience with this kind of approach added other worth mentioning

aspects. „A project is a specific kind of a learning task, in which pupils are allowed to

choose a topic and direction of its investigation. Therefore the result is predictable only to

a limited extent. It is a task that requires initiative, creativity and organisational skills, as

well as undertaking responsibility for the solution of problems connected with the topic."

(Kasíková, 2001: 49). Using the words of Oldřich Šimoník, a project can be characterized

as a complex task, when pupils simultaneously acquire new knowledge and skills. During

the realization stage, the whole range of activation methods, i.e. independent learning in

particular, could be used. More important that the goal itself is the way to it, the

recognition process, pupils’ active, independent both practical and thought activities

connected with task and problem solving. (Šimoník, 2003: 58).

These days numerous definitions can be found on the Internet. Only several chosen

examples are presented below.

Project method is based on the connection of theory and practice, i.e. the combination of a

learning process with common life. It is the way of teaching making pupils search for

information sources, leading to collating information, experiments, discussions,

presentation of the result, evaluation and feedback. It supports activity, creativity,

interactive communication, responsibility, cooperation, the ability to see the problem as a

part of more subjects. At the beginning, the goal is always established and pupils’ main

task is to find a way or ways to it.

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Projects can be of different duration and range, from one lesson to several years,

covering one or more subjects or areas. A project can be also defined as a plan, intention,

task, the fulfilment of which pupils achieve independently, only with teacher’ assistance

and guidance.

2.1.2 English sources

It is necessary to explore ideas and opinions of English authors interested in

projects. A well-known personality who deserves to be in the centre of attention is John

Dewey. He can also be considered the father of project approach. More details about his

philosophy are written in the next chapter, but here the shortened version of his definition

of a project is offered. Dewey says that project does not present topics as verbal

formulations to be memorized, but brings conditions when pupils try their resourcefulness,

ability to make right decisions, activity. And this certain degree of uneasiness, certain

amount of obstacles should maintain pupils’ attention. Thinking begins where obstacles

are. It is aimed at a close relation between thinking and practice. An emphasis is put on

updating knowledge and making it more topical. (sweb).

W. Kilpatrick, another follower of pragmatic pedagogy, indicates the differences between

traditional and modern theory of teaching. Whereas, the traditional one represents learning

from books, learning words and utterances of others, holding back from real life, learning

through repetition and the promise that "what has been learned will be applied somewhere

else and at some other time, the modern theory introduces learning through experience,

situations of concrete personal life, pupils’ behaviour as a part of learning process and

immediate practice. (Singule, 1990: 182).

It is possible to find another definition in a practical book about the modern theory,

Teaching Today, by G. Petty. He adds that a project is a task or a series of tasks that pupils

should fulfil, mostly individually but sometimes in groups. Pupils can often decide

themselves how, where, when and in what order they will do the tasks. (Petty, 1996: 213).

Simon Haines explanation of project work should not be left out: "Projects are

multi-skill activities focusing on topics or themes rather than on specific language targets.

Of crucial importance is the part which students themselves play in the initial choice of

subject matter and in the decisions related to appropriate working methods, the project

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timetable and the eventual 'end-product'…project work provides students with

opportunities to recycle known language and skills in a relatively natural context." Harmer

then adds that projects involve investigation, reporting, commitment and dedication from

students and the most important thing here is the end-product. (Harmer, 1991: 147,148).

Nowadays, a three teaching approaches are often mentioned together. They are

project, problem and inquiry-based learning. They all fit the description of technology-rich

learning environment. "In each case, technology is used to facilitate learning. It may be a

tool to organize ideas, search for current information, or present ideas, such as PowerPoint

presentations. However the focus of learning environment is the student’s excitement about

solving a problem or addressing an issue they find meaningful." (eduscapes).

A clear definition found at <http://www.project-approach.com> says: "A project is

defined as an in-depth investigation of a real world topic worthy of children’s attention and

effort. The study may be carried out by a class or by small groups of children. Projects can

be undertaken with children of any age. They do not usually constitute the whole

educational program. Younger children will play and explore as well as engage in projects.

Older children’s project work will complement the systematic instruction in their

program." The next paragraph explains: "The Project Approach refers to a set of teaching

strategies which enable teachers to guide children through in-depth studies of real world

topics. The Project Approach is not unstructured. There is a complex but flexible

framework with features that characterize the teaching-learning interaction. When teachers

implement the Project Approach successfully, children can be highly motivated, feel

actively involved in their learning, and produce work of a high quality."

To summarize, it seems that projects are extended tasks which usually integrate

language skills work by means of a number of activities. These activities combine in

working towards an agreed goal and may include the following: planning, gathering of

information, group discussion, problem solving, oral and written reporting and display.

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2.2 A brief history of project work

It might be claimed that the variations of the project definition has just been

investigated and the imaginary "hard nut" has been cracked. It is not difficult now to

explain the term in own words and the author inclines to using the term Project-based

Learning (PBL) as well. It is felt that "an approach" is something more binding and it is

immediately associated with the approaches mentioned in the book Techniques and

Principles in Language Teaching by D. Larsen-Freeman. "A method", however, appears to

be a suitable term and projects are really closely connected with a certain kind of

procedure and specific types of teaching methods. Nevertheless, the author appreciates the

useful acronym "PBL".

It is widely recognised that philosophy is the mother of many later separated

branches of study. Pedagogy, born as an independent child in the 19th century, has always

been fed with philosophical ideas and streams.

2.2.1 Pragmatic pedagogy and John Dewey

Pragmatic philosophy was the most widespread in USA from the end of the 19th

century till the 50’s of the 20th century. The founder and the most prominent

representative of the pragmatic pedagogy is John Dewey (1859-1952). Educational

approaches already indicated in the 18th century by Franklin and Jefferson took shape

thanks to Dewey. He perceives education as a tool for solving problems that people

encounter in real life. He also says: „I want to connect school with life, make it for a child

a residence where it learns directly through life, instead of school being just a classroom

where a child is given tasks…a school should be a place where a child would really live."

(Dewey, 1904: 20, 51). Dewey creates his own conception, so called instrumentalism. Its

crucial feature is individual experience gained in practice that provides motives, develops

interests and helps to reveal and solve problems. The development of children’s activity is

also very important. The theory gave a birth to "an active" school, where the Project-based

Learning was its basis. (Průcha, 1998: 184). Dewey’s two most famous books (Democracy

and education, School and society) indicate an emphasis on the connection between school

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and real life, theory and practice, which is still up-to-date. Without any doubt, every

educational system should be democratic, tolerant, humanistic and open as much as

possible. Only then children could learn effectively and, above all, for themselves.

Dewey was followed by other educators, e.g. William Kilpatrick (1871-1965), who

have acknowledged the benefits of experimental, student-directed learning and planned

various field trips, laboratory investigations and interdisciplinary activities. "Doing

projects is a long-standing tradition in American education." (bie).

2.2.2 Project-based Learning

Project-based Learning Handbook, available at <www.bie.org> provides

interesting information on the further development:

"The emergence of Project-based Learning is the result of two important

developments over the last 25 years. First, there has been a revolution in learning theory.

Research in neuroscience and psychology has extended cognitive and behavioural models

of learning, which support traditional direct instruction, to show that knowledge, thinking,

doing, and the contexts for learning are inextricably tied. We now know that learning is

partly a social activity, it takes place within the context of culture, community and past

experiences. Research shows that learners not only respond by feeding back information,

but they also actively use what they know to explore, interpret, and create. They construct

solutions, thus shifting the emphasis toward the process of learning.

Second, the world has changed. Nearly all teachers understand how the industrial

culture has shaped the organization and methods of schools in the 19th and 20th centuries,

and they recognize that schools most now adapt to a new century. It is clear that children

need both knowledge and skills to succeed. This need is driven not only by workforce

demands for high-performance employees who can plan, collaborate, and communicate,

but also by the need to help all young people learn civic responsibility and master their

new roles as global citizens.

In a sense, the need for education to adapt to a changing world is the primary

reason that PBL is increasingly popular. PBL is an attempt to create new instructional

practices that reflect the environment in which children now live and learn.

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And, as the world continues to change, so does the definition of PBL. The most important

recent shift in education has been the increased emphasis on standards, clear outcomes, and

accountability." (bie).

2.3 Connected methods and approaches

2.3.1 Humanistic tradition and learner-centredness

It is known that the USA is the cradle of humanistic psychology flourishing in the

50s of the 20th century at the mycelium of the beat generation and hippies.

Understandably, what is the most important is a human being, his/her ideas, opinions, self-

perception and experiences. Human development is stimulated by the endeavour of self-

realization. People should act according to it and gradually reach independence,

satisfaction and the meaning of life. It is possible to learn more from Maslow’s self-

actualization theory or Rogers’ indirect therapy and education. Petty reminds that the

famous humanistic psychologist, Carl Rogers, emphasizes the idea that learning is not what

others do with children, but what children do themselves…students should learn actively.

(Petty, 1996: 52).

Humanistic stream in pedagogy supported "a common belief in the primacy of

affective and emotional factors within the learning process". (Nunan, 2000: 234).

Proponents of methods derived from humanistic psychology also claim that no teaching

techniques can succeed without taking into consideration these affective factors.

Responsible and enthusiastic teachers sometimes devise various innovative techniques and

activities very carefully, however the most basic and natural elements are often forgotten.

But remember those numerous lectures mentioning the importance of positive school

climate, class atmosphere, friendly relationships and partnership between teachers and

students. The author of this thesis has an intention to repeat again that only the teacher with

inner optimism and affection for teaching is able to create desirable atmosphere described

by humanistic educationalists. In other words, "if learners can be encouraged to adopt the

right attitudes, interests and motivation in the target language and culture, as well as in the

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learning environment in which they find themselves, then successful learning will occur".

(Nunan, 2000: 234).

Humanistic approach is defined by Moskowitz in this way: "Humanistic techniques

are those that blend what the student feels, thinks and knows with what he is learning in the

target language. Rather than self-denial being the acceptable way of life, self-actualization

and self-esteem are the ideals the exercises pursue…these techniques help students to be

themselves, to accept themselves, and be proud of themselves…help foster a climate of

caring and sharing in the foreign language class. (Moskowitz 1978:2).

According to Nunan, the proponents of humanism in language learning are Curran

who developed Community Language Learning, Gattegno who created the Silent Way,

Lozanov who produced Suggestopedia, and the most significant is Earl Stevick. He

became dissatisfied with both audio-lingual habit theory and cognitive code learning.

Instead, he found a deep interest in applying principles of humanistic psychology to

language learning and teaching. Stevick came to the conclusion that success or failure in

language teaching lies in the extent to which one caters to the learner’s affective domain,

i.e. learner’s emotional attitude towards the teacher, fellow learners, target language and

culture. It is argued that teachers should select materials, activities and overall language

content according to it. Moreover, there is a demand for making teaching subservient to

learning. (Nunan, 2000: 235). It means that authoritative style of teaching is prohibited; the

teacher is no more 'the master of puppets'. In other words, the teacher-directed approach is

replaced with learner-centredness and nondirectiveness. Learners’ attitudes, beliefs,

preferences and ideas are seriously taken into consideration. Broadly speaking, students are

in the centre of attention, which is an outstanding aspect of project work. Another shared

principle is that of a change in teacher’s roles. These will be dealt with later, but the top

functions of the teacher that are depicted in Nunan should be mentioned here.

It is claimed that the most important is "the vibes" that the teacher puts out. What is

meant by this peripheral expression? It has to do with the warmth and enthusiasm that the

teacher radiates. It is a part of the second personal or interpersonal function dealing with

already emphasized emotional needs and classroom climate. Practical goals of language

learning desired by society are included in the third function.

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The last two roles are representing the cognitive function with expected teacher’s

knowledge and the management function with organization and coordination skills.

(Nunan, ibid.).

2.3.2 Co-operative Learning and Project Work

Generally, when people are supposed to work in a group they need to co-operate and help

each other to succeed. Many publications on teamwork have been written in the

management area. There is a strong evidence that co-operation is also a frequent issue in

education. Moreover, it is one of the key competences that should be developed according

to a new educational framework.

Project work can follow different interaction patterns, such as individual work, pair

work, group or whole class work. However, the creation of an outstanding end-product is a

demanding task and often requires responsible group work when all the members are

highly interested in the task fulfilment. A great advantage is the fact that different groups

can deal with different parts of the project. For example, a tourist brochure could include

chapters providing information on history, geography, accommodation, sport and leisure

facilities etc. These sections might be assigned to several groups of students, taking into

account their hobbies and interests. Even better, students themselves should be allowed to

decide which part would be the most attractive for them.

Although, J. A. Comenius put an emphasis on a competitive atmosphere and his

legacy is still a valuable source for teachers, competition should be taken only as one of

activation techniques or warm-ups. It seems that the heterogeneousity in classes is still

increasing. Students come from different learning background, with different experience

and intensity of teaching. They also have different learning strategies. In this sense, visual,

audio, kinaesthetic, left-brained and right-brained types can be distinguished. On top of

that, diagnosed pupils with specific learning difficulties should be seriously taken into

consideration. In this case, class management becomes extremely important. Co-operation

is an inseparable part. Teachers should make pupils co-operate and there should be groups

where the brighter would help the weaker ones. Thus an individual approach is respected.

Without any doubt, group activities are very effective, especially when organising a project

in a mixed-ability class.

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H. Kasíková enumerates the advantages of group work as follows:

- pupils’ activity is increased

- more pupils are involved in work, including the slower ones

- pupils’ interest in tasks is higher

- pupils take on the responsibility for both learning and mistakes

- pupils are allowed to follow their own pace to a certain extent

- pupils acquire communicative and organizational skills

- pupils’ self-confidence is increased

- various problem solving procedures are naturally compared

- the teacher has enough time to devote to the weaker group (Kasíková, 1997:19).

Group work is regarded a prerequisite for co-operative learning. Kasíková claims

that co-operative learning is realised when "positive mutual dependence" exist among the

pupils, i.e. pupils realize that they can not succeed unless their classmates succeed and they

must coordinate their effort for achieving the goal, personal responsibility of each pupil is

required, activities takes place in the interaction face to face, pupils develop interpersonal

skills and the group is capable of self-reflection. Learners work in group in order to be able

to manage themselves in the future. (Kasíková, 1997:39, 2003:3). Similarly, project work

prepares students for solving real-life problems, tasks and situations. It also promotes

learner autonomy, i.e. makes learners responsible for their own learning. It might be

concluded that co-operative learning is an integral part of project work.

2.3.3 Community Language Learning and Project Work

Community Language Learning (CLL) is one of the language teaching methods

developed by Charles A. Curran as mentioned in the chapter 2.2.3. Richards and Rogers

explain that CLL has its roots in Counselling-Learning theory to teach languages.

Accordingly, CLL redefines the roles of the teacher (the counsellor) and learners (the

clients). The basic procedures of CLL can thus be seen as derived from the counsellor-

client relationship. (Richards, Rogers, 2001: 90). Not only is the teacher a counsellor, but

he also functions as a monitor, assistant, adviser, supporter and facilitator, as during project

work.

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The class is transformed into a community of learners with close relationships and

important communication flows. CLL includes "interactions between learners and

interactions between learners and knowers" (Richards, Rogers, 2001: 91) and is also

termed whole-person learning. A key element of CLL classroom procedures is according

to Curran "consensual validation or convalidation, in which mutual warmth,

understanding, and positive evaluation of the other person’s worth develop between the

teacher and the learner. (ibid.: 92). Similarly, Nunan adds that CLL is built on support,

commitment, trust, cohesiveness, solidarity and low anxiety level among the members of

the group. (Nunan, 2000: 236). It is necessary to point out here that this transformation of a

class into a community with a supportive atmosphere is a condition for all successful

projects.

Next to mention, Curran presents very interesting theory of psychological

requirements for successful learning entitled as an acronym "SARD".

- S stands for security

- A stands for attention and aggression (child’s knowledge is a tool for self-assertion)

- R stands for retention and reflection. What is retained is internalized and becomes a part

of the learner’s new persona in the foreign language. Reflection means self-assessment and

re-evaluation of future goals.

- D denotes discrimination which enables students to communicate outside the classroom

(ibid.).

Both Community Language Learning and Project-based Learning starts with a topic

or a task, and therefore the progression is very similar. Both approaches can be indicated as

task or topic-based. In CLL "learners are nominating things they wish to talk about and

messages they wish to communicate to other learners. The teacher’s responsibility is to

provide a conveyance for these meanings in a way appropriate to the learners’ proficiency

level." (Richards, Rogers, 2001: 93).

Other resemblances between CLL and PBL concern the choice of activities. These

are, for instance, discussion, problem solving, free conversation, recording, reflection and

observation, self-correction, group work etc. What is of a great importance is collaboration.

Richards and Rogers say about CLL: "Learners become members of a community – their

fellow learners and the teacher – and learn through interacting with the community.

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Learning is not viewed as an individual accomplishment but as something that is achieved

collaboratively." (Richards, Rogers, 2001: 94).

2.3.4 Task/Problem-based Learning and Project Work

As it is indicated in the chapter 2.1, problem-solving and task-fulfilment form a

crucial part of project work. It is essential to explain the connections and highlight the

benefits.

Unlike traditional syllabuses based on grammatical items, structures or functions,

projects are focused on meaningful tasks, real life problems and interesting topics or

themes. Whereas usual lessons often present the language without an authentic context,

carrying out a project enables students to experience authentic language input and

authentic tasks. As a starting point of a task-based learning might be regarded teaching

experiments of the British linguist Allwright conducted in the 1970s. According to

Harmer’s summary, students were asked to find information through interviews and

communication games. Thus a de-contextualised learning was avoided and students were

actively involved in reaching solutions to tasks. These series of tasks had a problem

solving element: in solving the problems the students naturally came into contact with the

language, which was acquired as a result of students’ deeper experience. (Harmer, 1991:

34).

Hutchinson suggests: "Languages are learnt most effectively when we use them to

solve problems. Problems make us think and we learn by thinking." (Hutchinson, 1987: 1).

Problem-based learning has its roots in heuristics which presents learning through

individual discoveries of unknown facts and relations. Learners’ intellectual growth is then

guaranteed. It is proved that knowledge gained through learner’s own effort and thinking is

likely to be stored in a long-term memory. However, 'ready-made' pieces of information

are usually forgotten very soon. There is strong evidence that projects have the power to

stimulate students to gather, compare, sort out and evaluate facts. Consequently, they are

able to find connections and make conclusions visible in final products.

21

2.3.5 Self-directed learning and learner autonomy

Contemporary pedagogy, including new educational documents, emphasizes the

development of habits associated with autonomous and lifelong learning, active and

responsible approach. In this sense, project work is an effective tool for leading students to

self-study and learner independence. It combines working both in and outside the

classroom, which gives students an opportunity to take charge of their own learning and

enables them to learn independently in the future. Harmer’s wise words say: "We cannot

teach students everything so we have to train them to teach themselves." (Harmer, 1991:

37).

During project students develop important study and research skills. They are also

allowed to make important choices and decisions. They can select the topic, working

method, way of presentation or the type of an end product. This is certainly preconditioned

by mutual trust between the teacher and the students, responsibility and devotion to the

task. Altogether, student autonomy is supposed to be "one of the hallmarks of PBL". (bie).

Learner training is a frequently used term in ELT and it is undoubtedly promoted in

PBL. Simply, a good teacher should be able to help students to be good learners. But are

there any clues how to do so? Hutchinson suggests a number of ways in which it is

possible to encourage learner development:

1. "Always encourage learners to work things out for themselves as much as possible.

The basis of all learning is that we use what we already know to make sense of something

new…"

During a project, students are often involved in a survey, research and gathering of

information. Teachers should not interfere in this stage, however they should believe in

students’ abilities and let them have complete freedom of action in dealing with this

matter.

1. "Teach students how to use various reference sources available to them…"

Nowadays, a huge amount of information is easily accessible, which is sometimes a

stumbling block. Students might feel confused and lost in this vast ocean of facts. It is up

to a teacher to show learners how to get their bearings and choose the right source, which

is a condition of every successful project.

22

2. "Check progress to encourage students to reflect on how well they know things. Take

action to deal with problems that come up."

In the course of a project, students acquire a lot of new expressions, lexical chunks,

grammar structures and also knowledge from other subjects. It is vital to provide

continuous feedback, because in this way problems are revealed and enthusiasm for next

work stimulated.

3. "Reassure students that errors are a natural and useful part of language learning.

Encourage them through skills activities and project work to take risks with the

language…"

As this point suggests, learners can be encouraged through PBL to take risks and

experiment with the language. They can learn a lot in this way and they are likely to

remember it.

4. "Try to develop a feeling of fun and challenge in the classroom…The most important

aspect of learner development is developing a positive attitude towards English and

the learning process." (Hutchinson, 1999: 6,7).

PBL lessons are colourful and lively. Students more speak than listen, more move that sit

and more laugh than worry. They trust their teacher and s/he trusts them. First and

foremost, working on a project should be an enjoyable activity.

Self-directed and active learning corresponds to modern educational principles, such

as activity, independence and creativity, which are key words of PBL.

It is stressed that a learner should not be only a passive member of an audience and

consumer of teacher’s monologue. Instead, he/she should be stimulated to active

participation in the teaching process through various factors, e.g. interest, novelty,

applicability, relevance, teaching methods and aids, atmosphere, a teacher as an example

etc. (Maňák, 1990: 96). And PBL brings these factors into practice. According to Jůva, all

the three types of mental processes should be involved, i.e. cognitive, emotional and

volitional. (Jůva, 1997: 11). It is widely recognised that problem solving and project work

represent an effective source of learners’ activity.

Independence is then expressed by Maňák as tendency to self-assertion and to

authentic self-expression. It is also associated with the need of independent deeds,

decisions, searching and creation.

23

These stages of learner’s independence were verified by researchers: 1. working according

to a pattern, imitation, 2. reproduction, 3. reconstruction and invention, 4. critical approach

and innovation. (Maňák, 1999: 28).

Creativity is the ability to bring something new with a positive value. It is the most

appreciated quality of successful projects. Processes suppressed in conventional teaching

are applied through creative work: "imagination, fantasy, intuition." It is also possible to

acquire at least certain elements of creativity: "sensitivity - ability to find out problems,

flexibility - change of a point of view, fluency - proposal of more solutions, originality and

elaboration - sense for details. (ibid.: 30).

2.3.6 Cross-curricular teaching and Project Work

It might be a problem for some students to switch from one subject into another and

realise the connections. But it would be a blunder to insist on the fact that only one subject

is the most important. The crucial point is to orientate yourself in the wide range of

knowledge. In this sense, 'the system of isolated pieces of knowledge' should be overcome

with the introduction of the cross-curricular approach.

This approach requires preparation of materials and cooperation among teachers,

which is sometimes demanding. However, its benefits outweigh its drawbacks many times

over and teachers are eventually rewarded with surprising results. Students gradually build

up a system of knowledge and create the ability of using information gained in other fields.

Besides, their self-esteem is raised as they are encouraged to show their strengths

connected with other subjects.

Teaching across curriculum can be also defined as Content and Language

Integrated Learning, abbreviated as CLIL. Content and Language Integrated Project at

<www.cilt.org.uk> provides this definition: "CLIL (Content and Language Integrated

Learning) aims to introduce students to new ideas and concepts in traditional curriculum

subjects (often the Humanities), using the foreign language as the medium of

communication - in other words, to enhance the pupils' learning experience by exploiting

the synergies between the two subjects." Four major principles of CLIL are stated as

follows:

24

CONTENT

Progression in knowledge, skills and understanding related to specific elements of a

defined curriculum.

COMMUNICATION

Using language to learn - whilst learning to use language.

The key is interaction, NOT reaction.

COGNITION

Developing thinking skills which link concept formation (abstract and concrete),

understanding and language

CULTURE

Exposure to alternative perspectives and shared understandings, which deepen awareness

of otherness and self. (cilt).

The article by the professor Steve Darn available at <www.teachingenglish.org.uk> further

explains: "Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has become the umbrella

term describing both learning another (content) subject such as physics or geography

through the medium of a foreign language and learning a foreign language by studying a

content-based subject. In ELT, forms of CLIL have previously been known as 'Content-

based instruction' or 'English across the curriculum'." (teachingenglish).

The summary of the advantages of Content and Language Integrated Learning here

contributes to the idea of CLIL and PBL connection:

• Knowledge of the language becomes the means of learning content • Language is integrated into the broad curriculum • Learning is improved through increased motivation and the study of natural

language seen in context. When learners are interested in a topic they are motivated to acquire language to communicate

• CLIL is based on language acquisition rather than enforced learning • Language is seen in real-life situations in which students can acquire the language.

This is natural language development which builds on other forms of learning • Fluency is more important than accuracy and errors are a natural part of language

learning. Learners develop fluency in English by using English to communicate for a variety of purposes

• Introduce the wider cultural context • Prepare for internationalisation • Access International Certification and enhance the school profile • Improve overall and specific language competence

25

• Prepare for future studies and / or working life • Develop multilingual interests and attitudes • Diversify methods & forms of classroom teaching and learning • Increase learner motivation (ibid.)

Project work provides a large amount of opportunities for cross-curricular teaching.

Through projects English can be linked to other curriculum subjects, such as geography,

history, art etc. In this way, students’ knowledge gained in other areas can be exploited or

even enlarged and reinforced through project activities. Learners become aware of the fact

that language is a tool for communication, for transmitting messages and contents that

possess real sense.

2.4 Teacher’s roles in PBL

Being a teacher is one of the most responsible and demanding professions.

Regardless of time or social system, teachers come just after parents to help children to

integrate into the society, to gain necessary knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, to arouse

interests, to establish the sense of moral and cultural values.

Methodology books enumerate many roles of a teacher, including that of a

manager, organiser, controller, prompter, assessor, participant, resource and investigator.

The last one deserves further attention because of constant development and improvement

that is connected with this role. After several years of teaching the job might fall into a dry

and uninspiring routine, when a teaching style becomes rigid and mechanical or

completely burn-out. Regular self-reflection should help to avoid this situation. It is

suggested that reflective teacher with a flexible approach is innovative, creative, open to

new trends and methods. One of possible guidelines how to "keep out of the way" is

definitely Project-based learning.

It is useful to classify PBL in terms of widely acknowledged teaching styles and

categories, i.e. student vs. teacher-centred approach and liberal, democratic and

authoritative style. It was mentioned in previous chapters that PBL is essentially student –

oriented. A special attention devoted to the division of rights and responsibilities gives

evidence of a democratic essence of PBL.

26

A few general observations concerning teacher’s role in PBL are described in

Haines. The largest single factor in successful project work is the teacher’s belief in and

commitment to this method of working. Then it must be ensured that students are mature

enough to work in this way and prepared thoroughly in advance. This also includes the

ability of self- and peer-correction. Haines explains that while projects are in progress, the

teacher should act as a reference source alongside dictionaries and grammar books. By

contrast, toward the end students need to realise that accuracy is important to the

communicative effectiveness of their work and 'end product language' should be as

accurate as possible. (Haines, 1989: 4).

Project-based Learning Handbook defines teacher’s role as follows: "At the heart

of successful PBL is teacher’s ability to support and direct students. This requires

instructional, organizational, interpersonal and communication skills, as well as the ability

to define the agenda for the class and push a project through to a successful conclusion. It

also includes being sensitive to the fact that students finish work at different rates, with

different abilities, aptitudes, and learning styles." (bie).

On the whole, PBL requires the teacher to adopt a new, enthusiastic attitude, to

acquire a wide range of skills and to leave traditional supreme position. It might be said

that 'leadership' is replaced by 'partnership'. Going back to the idea of CLL, the teacher

should really act as a counsellor, assistant, adviser or consultant, being prepared to give

advice and help with overcoming all difficulties and obstacles. It is his/her duty to co-

ordinate and facilitate the whole process.

Teacher’s stage-by-stage role is clearly outlined by Simon Haines:

Initially, the teacher should arouse interest and elicit students’ ideas for the thematic

direction, methods of working, timetable, suitable end product and resource implications.

During the project, the teacher should take on the role of facilitator, which involves

becoming a source of ideas and advice, a referee helping to resolve arguments or

disagreements, chairperson during groups’ reports to the whole class.

Finally, teacher’s functions are related to efficient organisation of displays and

productions. His/her role is one of organiser and evaluator. (Haines, 1989: 4).

27

2.5 The benefits of PBL

Although numerous advantages of project work naturally emerge from the previous

chapters, there is still a lot to add. According to the conviction that this approach brings

considerable benefits to the language classroom, an overall summary is presented here.

Contemporary educational frameworks mention the key competences that should

all pupils and students acquire. These are communication and collaboration, activity,

initiative and independence, creativity, responsibility and self-discipline, imagination,

critical thinking and problem solving. There is a question how to achieve these abstract

concepts in ELT. As it is claimed by Hutchinson, "project work is a way of turning such

general aims into practical classroom activity." (Hutchinson, 1999: 8).

PBL includes features such as variety, authenticity, relevance, ego factor enjoyment

and motivation. Motivation will be dealt with later; the following paragraphs are concerned

with the five preceding factors.

There is a space for a variety of topics, tasks, activities and interaction patterns.

Within a project can also be included all the language skills that are not taught in isolation,

but integrated and combined.

Fried-Booth differentiates four types of authenticity that are present in PBL:

"authenticity of language input, authenticity of task, authenticity of event and authenticity

of learner experience". (Fried-Booth, 1986: 4).

PBL removes the relevance gap between knowledge and thinking, school and

reality, theory and practice, between "the language students are taught and the language

they in fact require". (ibid: 5). Learners are encouraged to choose topics that are relevant

and interesting for them. They want to achieve a real, specific goal and are personally

involved in the activity. This fact is closely connected to the ego factor and

personalization, when learners’ own lives and personalities are taken into consideration. As

it is claimed by Phillips, project work educates the whole child, encourages emotional and

personal development and enhances not only intellectual, but also physical and social

skills. (Phillips, 1999: 6).

Students always appreciate novelty and refreshment. Strict syllabuses often allow a

limited time for doing something different with an essence of general enjoyment.

28

Once carrying out a project is acknowledged and school routine is broken, students

welcome this informal way of teaching as "an antidote to the system". (Haines, 1989: 3).

Hutchinson is convinced that students learn a lot when they are enjoying themselves. "Fun

is not just an added extra, it is the lifeblood of effective learning." (Hutchinson, 1987: 1).

Next worth mentioning benefit is a sense of achievement for all the

participants whose effort becomes visible in a tangible end-product. PBL is an ideal

approach for teaching heterogeneous classes with different students of various skills,

abilities, needs and interests. Projects themselves are open-ended activities and include

wide range of graded tasks. Individual contributions are valued and then positive climate is

easy to maintain. In short, PBL caters for mixed-ability classes with both easiness and

efficiency.

Last but not least, projects are beneficial from a linguistic point of view, extending

students’ vocabulary stock and consolidating new language. Haines mentions the

advantage of re-integrating language and establishing a context which balances the need

for fluency and accuracy. (Haines, 1989: 3).

2.6 Motivation in PBL

"Motivation is some kind of internal drive that encourages somebody to pursue a course of

action." (Jeremy Harmer, 1991: 3)

"Motivation involves the attitudes and affective states that influence the degree of effort

that learners make to learn an L2." (Rod Ellis, 1997: 75)

Motivation is such a complex phenomenon that it deserves deeper reflection. Therefore,

the following essay is incorporated into this chapter:

--------

Motivation

Many teachers perceive their profession only as a job, as a necessary role in their

lives. Few of them find teaching their vocation and are willing to offer a piece of their

29

heart when working with children and young people. They are aware of the fact that their

goal is not only to teach but also to motivate students to learn. It is widely recognised that

this approach requires more effort and energy, however, the result might be a pleasant

surprise. Although motivating someone to do something is considered a long-term process,

it is possible to find satisfaction and fulfilment at the end. Besides, these are the main

benefits of one’s work and teachers should avoid the so called 'burn-out effect' and should

try to maintain their positive attitude and enthusiasm for the whole teaching career.

Numerous methodology course books describe different types of motivation, e.g.

intrinsic, extrinsic, integrative, instrumental. It is not essential to compare them or discuss

the differences here. Nevertheless, teachers should bear in mind that it is vitally important

not to motivate students through marks but through other strategies.

Firstly, when a teacher comes to a class at the beginning of a new school year,

he/she might say either: "I am going to teach you English," or "I am here to help you with

learning English." Undoubtedly, the second alternative is better and far more encouraging.

Learners are given a great deal of freedom, and at the same time the feeling of

responsibility is promoted. The teacher should try to treat the students individually and find

out their needs and expectations. This individual approach can help him/her to recognise

the best ways to motivate each individual learner. Nowadays, English is playing a

significant role in many fields of the modern life and it is a 'universal' language that

enables communication all over the world. Somebody wants to study English at university,

others would like to use it when travelling or in their future jobs, others are interested only

in 'English' music, and still others do not want to learn English at all. What about these

indifferent and bored students? Sometimes it is very demanding to find a solution. But

generally, the teacher should try to connect the English language with something the

students like, be it music, literature, theatre or anything else. Students’ interests can

become the foundations of large projects.

Then, throughout the school year the teacher ought to promote positive attitude to

the English language and culture, using a wide range of authentic materials in the class,

such as tapes, video recordings, songs, newspaper articles, magazines and the Internet

sources as well. When the target language is presented in such a meaningful context,

learners’ motivation increases and learning becomes easier and more effective. Motivation

is the basis of successful language learning.

30

In this sense, it should be one of the main features to consider when planning a lesson. One

example can be mentioned here. As teenagers are fond of jokes and humour, why not try to

integrate it into English lessons? Sense of humour is always appreciated and it is also a

powerful teaching tool. Each lesson could include an element of fun, and in this way the

feeling of well-being and relaxation could be created. Positive, stress-free environment is

crucial, especially when teaching less confident learners or those who often fight with

nervousness. Not only positive atmosphere can contribute to teacher’s motivational

strategies, but also the atmosphere of cooperation can influence learners’ willingness to

work and participate. This is also one of the possibilities how to lower anxiety levels in the

class. Cooperation is closely connected with interaction patterns, e.g. pair work, group

work, whole class work. Different patterns are suitable for different learners, as well as for

different activities. However, students are more interested in the activity or task when they

can discuss ideas, difficulties, problems and mistakes too. Peer-correction is one of the best

ways to deal with mistakes and errors. It is stated in many sources that errors are 'the

natural outcome of learning' and that 'through mistakes we learn'. It is therefore necessary

to enhance learner’s self-confidence and esteem rather than punish or humiliate him/her.

To raise awareness of the mistake means to give confidence and to motivate at the same

time. Furthermore, however little sense of achievement is, it motivates a lot. That is why

positive error correction can be regarded as one of the motivational strategies as well.

What is associated with positive error correction is encouraging evaluation and

feedback. When students are supposed to hand in a project log, for example, they are

curious and wait for teacher’s comments and reactions. The worst case is when the teacher

gives them no feedback at all. Students’ motivation decreases or completely disappears.

Last but not least, it is the teacher’s personality that can be an effective

motivational tool. Students observe the teacher carefully and every word and every action

can influence them. If the teacher is not motivated and lacks enthusiasm and creativity,

students recognise it immediately and establish the same attitude. That is why all teachers

should be familiar with the power of creativity, positive relationship, encouragement,

challenge and praise if they are yearning for both learners’ and their own satisfaction.------

Motivation is one of the key features of PBL and one of its most important benefits.

"Projects offer students a way of practising their English while having fun…By creating

31

something, students use English as a tool and see how flexible and useful it can be. Most

important of all, projects offer teenagers a chance to find their own voice and to do

something meaningful and entertaining with the language they are learning. In short,

projects motivate." (Wicks, 2000: 9).

It is possible to summarize motivational aspects of PBL in the short overview below:

- break with routine

- enjoyment and challenge

- discovery approach

- contact with real life

- independence and responsibility

- different abilities appreciated

- useful products and applicable skills

2.7 Possible problems and difficulties in PBL

Various ELT techniques are likely to be described in terms of their pros and cons.

There can always be found people who are strongly for a particular approach and also a

group of confirmed opponents who are strongly against. In spite of the fact that projects

show a huge number of advantages, it is necessary to admit that some problems might

appear in PBL as well.

Firstly, projects may incur certain difficulties associated with organisation. They

have to be integrated into a school curriculum and require a detailed timetable. There are

certain stages that should be followed, i.e. planning, data collection, problem solving,

collating information, creating the final product, presentation, report and evaluation.

Projects are usually carried out both in and outside the classroom, however, combination of

classwork and homework is possible too. Definitely, it takes time to develop a successful

project. It is a good idea to start with so called bridging activities and thus actually bring

students to the idea of project work.

Secondly, monitoring is regarded by Fried-Booth more demanding: "…strategies

have to be devised for checking systematically on what the student has heard, learnt, and

understood. And, of course, what he or she may have said while conducting the project."

32

(Fried-Booth, 1986: 11). Error correction in PBL respects the requirement for learners’

autonomy and responsibility. As it was mentioned earlier, self- and peer-correction are

effective means of checking students’ performance and progress. (See checklists and error

monitors in Appendix I). Both students and teachers need feedback that goes hand in hand

with assessment. A teacher might decide whether he/she would apply formal or informal,

final or continuous assessment. Accordingly, the requirements and assignments should be

set. For example, when an assignment is creating a poster, the teacher should assess three

areas separately: language, content and layout.

Thirdly, project work makes demands on students’ independent work, discipline

and patience. In this sense, there might appear certain personal problems in the course of

the project. Fried-Booth speaks about these obstacles: lack of confidence, interest or

motivation, boredom, uncooperative students, problematic relationships, language learning

plateau. "After the initial burst of enthusiasm, there is often a period of anti-climax, when

everyone begins to worry about coping with learning the new language which is going to

be required for specific situations." (Fried-Booth, 1986: 45, 36). It is essential to maintain

curiosity and challenge throughout the whole project, for instance by progress reports or

continuous assessment scheme. In addition, there should be a climate of mutual trust from

the beginning till the end. Haines further recommends encouraging students to make use of

all their talents and distributing potentially difficult students among the various working

groups. (Haines, 1989: 8).

Last to mention, the character of project work naturally implies using the

mother tongue and noise. The teacher has to determine the limits and explain what is

acceptable and what is undesirable. According to Haines, teachers should allow students to

conduct organisational and planning discussions in L1, but insist on speaking English for

topic and whole class discussions, reporting back sessions and short talks. (ibid: 8).

Hutchinson speaks about noise as follows: "The noise of the well-managed project

classroom is the sound of creativity." (Hutchinson, 1999: 9).

33

2.8 The development of the project

2.8.1 Bridging/Lead-in activities

Whenever a new topic or task is to be dealt with in an EFL classroom, it is always a

purposeful strategy to begin with a suitable pre-activity. It can also be known as an

introductory, preparation or lead-in activity. As the term suggests, this activity should help

the teacher to introduce the topic, explain its relevance and demonstrate what the students

are supposed to do.

Due to an informal, unconventional, student-centred nature of project work there is

frequently the need for building a bridge stretching from traditional directive teaching to an

unknown PBL environment. As it is clearly explained by Fried-Booth, the main objective

is to ease the students gradually away from a teacher-centred approach to a situation where

they have an increasing say in what they do. In other words, bridging activities are

specifically designed to develop receptiveness to project work. (Fried-Booth, 1986: 15, 9).

It must be taken into consideration that it is sometimes the most important step to provide

students with reasonable explanation and rationale.

Bridging activities should prepare students for cooperative working, open-ended

tasks, communicative language production or they can be used for practising specific

language skills. (Haines, 1989: 5). There are various forms of these activities depending on

the project theme. Generally, it is possible to use well-known ELT techniques, viz. guided

visualisation, still image, dialogue, dramatization, simulation, information-gap or role play.

Positive reactions and responses signal that the project can move towards the following

stage.

2.8.2 Planning

Initial class discussion includes both teacher’s and students’ suggestions. It can be

compared to a brainstorming session which produces a wide range of ideas concerning the

development of the project. It is highly important that students are allowed to make choices

and decisions from the very beginning because "any decisions that the children make will

34

help foster a feeling of ownership of and responsibility for the project and increase their

motivation." (Phillips, 1999: 14).

Project work certainly requires initial stimulus or inspiration. Ideas, topics and

themes have to be considered carefully to find out whether they are suitable for a project.

According to Fried-Booth, "the jumping-off point, then, is the conviction that the subject is

worth pursuing." (Fried-Booth, 1986: 28). It is necessary to discuss such areas as the

content and scope of the project, curriculum areas, length (long-term vs. short-term

projects), location, level and age, the project objective, student groupings and dividing

responsibilities, the final product and the ways of evaluation and presentation. A visit to a

relevant organization or inviting guest speakers is also recommended to arrange if possible.

Then it is worth remembering that projects often incur preparation of extra

materials and equipment. Fried-Booth recommends getting oneself files, folders,

clipboards, spiral notepads, cassette players, cameras and video cameras, etc. It is useful to

prepare display boards, storage facilities and an accessible classroom equipped with mobile

furniture and presentation facilities. (ibid: 32, 33).

Lastly, valuable and practical advice can be found in the book Projects with Young

Learners. It is described as very helpful to draw a project web consisting of the project

topic in the middle and these areas arranged in a sun-ray format around: vocabulary,

grammar/functions, the language skills and curriculum areas. It can serve as a graphic

reminder of the work to be done and as the project progresses the objectives can be

evaluated and ticked off. Students can have a copy in their files or they can create a wall

poster. It can also be in the form of a calendar for young learners, with a picture for each

day depicting the activity to be achieved. (Phillips, 1999: 11, 16).

2.8.3 Carrying out the project

When all the essential preparations and arrangements are made, it is the right time

to proceed to a next step which is the actual carrying out of the project. Putting the ideas

into effect is the core of the project. Apart from working in the classroom, learners need to

tackle many tasks outside the school as well. Students are expected to practise all the four

language skills, i.e. reading, writing, speaking and listening, as well as various language

functions, e.g. introductions, polite requests etc.

35

Before collecting relevant information and other data, it is advisable to design

written materials, such as questionnaires, maps, grids, tables, etc. (Fried-Booth, 1986: 10).

Consequently, students are supposed to make the research, solve problems, conduct

interviews and surveys, observe specific environment and gather the facts. They can even

make audio or video recordings and take photos. What follows is collating information

which includes comparing results, explanation, negotiation and whole class discussion. Not

only have the students to choose the most important data, but they also need to devise a

system for storing and retrieving them later. For example, wall displays or cardboard boxes

can be used. As it is suggested by Phillips, learners can record their work in files or folders

including project plans, timetables, objectives for the project, written grammar exercises,

vocabulary lists, homework tasks, tests, reports on progress and evaluation sheets.

(Phillips, 1999: 12).

Fried-Booth says that these classroom feedback sessions can be significant in many

aspects. Constructive discussions are invaluable source for teacher’s reflection. Next to

mention, students learn to be selective and tolerant too. Moreover, unclear language items

can be used as a springboard for more intensive work, and a dossier can be built up for

both diagnostic and remedial purposes. (ibid: 44, 45).

Teacher’s roles during the project are depicted in the chapter 2.4. Nevertheless, it is

useful to remind his/her responsibility for monitoring and checking the progress. He/she is

expected to take notes of mistakes and errors. Be it individual, group or whole class

achievement or success, it needs to be noted down. But likewise, the same procedure is

aimed at problems and failures. Different activities and charts could be used to ensure

objective record keeping. There is presented a list of them here (example copies can be

found in the Appendix):

- weekly review

- error monitor sheet

- sub-skills checklist (Fried-Booth)

- project diary or log, preference charts (Phillips)

36

2.8.4 Creating the final product

Although there are projects with no tangible end product and with the emphasis on

the development of various skills, students undoubtedly appreciate the chance of producing

something real, original that they can show to their classmates, parents or even to the

general public. They are eager to make a show of their knowledge and abilities. The

significance of language accuracy is accepted as a matter of course. Through a final

product learners gain a sense of achievement that is so important for their motivation and

overall attitude to the subject.

There can be a wide range of the end products depending on the content of the

project, e.g. posters, wall displays, charts, portfolios, leaflets, brochures, booklets,

magazines or newspapers, video cassettes, exhibitions or parties. These days, it is

necessary to mention progressive PowerPoint presentations.

2.8.5 Presentation and final evaluation

Successful and well crafted projects deserve to be presented to others. Thus

students can experience the feeling of researchers, engineers, artists, reporters and all those

admired personalities who usually catch the attention of the public.

Presentations should be well-organized, attractive and not too long. The nature of

the end product influences the conditions, such as intended audience, suitable place and the

form of the presentation. There are classrooms specially equipped for these purposes in

most schools. If it is taken as a more festive occasion, a school hall would be an ideal

place. Inimitable atmosphere is achieved when a presentation takes place outdoors, for

example at school playgrounds.

Final evaluation is a valuable feedback for the teacher. Evaluation forms or

questionnaires can be substituted by whole class discussions. All comments and advice

should be weighed by the teacher, because with a constructive reflection it is possible to

improve future project attempts. Students learn to analyse both teacher’s and their own

work and become aware of the value of project work.

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3 Practical part

3.1 Preface

Project-based learning in ELT should not be regarded as something unusual or

supplementary. This approach offers benefits for both teachers and students. "To teach

does not mean to torture" could be its motto. Not only does it promote English language

knowledge, but it is also a means of personal growth and development. It is also widely

recognised that language learning is facilitated through positive atmosphere, mutual trust

and interesting topics. These aspects are taken into consideration in this project called A

Halloween Party.

It is essential for the students of the English language to become familiar with a

piece of English culture. This kind of topic connects learners with the English speaking

world and makes them to compare, to think of cultural differences. In this sense, students

are prepared to evaluate foreign influences and to appreciate our traditions at the same

time.

This project is designed for the learners of an intermediate level. But it can be

easily adapted for other levels as well (see Notes on pp. 49, 58). It is suggested to be a

long-term and multi-layered project and it is possible to choose only certain parts in

practice. A wide range of activities is included to practise all the language skills and

systems. The author bears in mind the factors of relevance, variety and balance. Different

teaching aids are used in individual units. Besides, teaching across curriculum is applied in

most lesson plans. Elements of subjects, such as I T, history, biology are incorporated into

the project. Students are given a chance to experience real life tasks. They are involved in

painting, cooking, computer graphics, planning the programme of the party and in many

other lively activities. Simultaneously, they focus on the language itself, extend their word

stock, improve their speaking skills and pick up grammar structures.

To sum up, this project is carefully planned to be both educational and enjoyable.

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3.2 Syllabus

3.2.1 Teaching unit I: Lead-in activities

Lesson plan 1: Horrid Henry Tricks and Treats (using authentic literature)

Lesson plan 2: Ghost stories – listening

Assignment 1: Draw a haunted house

Lesson plan 3: Ghost stories – reading, 'raising of ghosts', tongue twisters, storytelling

3.2.2 Teaching unit II: Halloween festival

Lesson plan 4: Halloween history (computer-based display)

Lesson plan 5: Halloween in the present (video package)

Lesson plan 6: Halloween – comparison with Czech traditions, mock test,

Assignment 2: Create a poster

3.2.3 Teaching unit III: A pumpkin lantern

Lesson plan 7: A pumpkin rhyme

Discussion: Pumpkins everywhere

Jack-o’-lantern: The old Irish legend

Dramatization of the story

Pumpkin anatomy

How to make a pumpkin lantern

Assignment 3: Create a pumpkin carving manual

3.2.4 Teaching unit IV: Music at the party

Lesson plan 8: Brainstorming, discussion

Who will be a DJ?

Guided visualization

Listening tasks

Assignment 4: Lyrics translation and painting the figures from the songs

39

3.2.5 Teaching unit V: Refreshments at the party

Lesson plan 9: Cooking verbs

Interview

Food associations

Halloween party food and drinks, recipes

Assignment 5: recipes – translation, labels, shopping list, preparation of

drinks and snacks, baking the pumpkin pie

3.2.6 Teaching unit VI: Posters and invitation cards

Lesson plan 10: Describing the party – adjectives

Language functions – invitations

Role-play

Wh-questions

Halloween party invitation cards

Assignment 6: Create posters and invitation cards for the party

3.2.7 Teaching unit VII: Programme of the party

Lesson plan 11: A party joke

Future tense

Pyramid discussion

Assignment 7: Dividing responsibilities

3.2. 8 Teaching unit VIII: Final evaluation

Lesson plan 12: Achievement test

Assessment scheme - questionnaire

40

3.2.1 Teaching unit I: Lead-in activities

Lesson plan 1: Horrid Henry Tricks and Treats (using authentic literature) Level: intermediate

Number of students: 18

Time: 45 minutes

Main aim: introduction of authentic contemporary literature, raising interest and curiosity

Subsidiary aim: enlarging Ss´ word stock, present examples of informal children´s

speech, raising cultural awareness

Interaction patterns: individual work, pair work, group work

Learner training:

Learners are trained to perceive the literary text as "a whole". They should be able to

summarize it without understanding each individual word. They will practise orientation in

the text and reading sub-skills.

Procedure:

1) General introduction

Ss are asked to make predictions in pairs about the book according to the picture on the

front page and the titles of the four stories included.

Mark the statements true or false: 1) The book is boring and serious. ( T / F ) 2) The stories are exciting and funny. ( T / F ) 3) The stories are moral and educational. ( T / F ) 4) The book is full of humour and exaggeration. ( T / F )

2) Raising the interest, personalization

In one of the stories, Horrid Henry, the main character, calls himself: "the bulldozer of

babysitters, the terror of teachers, the bully of brothers".

41

Create similar "nicknames“ for yourselves using alliteration (the same initial letters), either

truthful or untruthful. (dictionaries allowed)

The teacher: "the fan of fantasy", "the hunter of happiness", "the neighbour of nature".

3) Pre-reading activity: setting the topic, trick or treating

Brainstorming: the expression "trick or treating" is written in the centre of the board,

children think of everything connected with this custom (sun-ray effect).

= children´s practice of going to people´s houses on Halloween and asking for treats

(presents, usually sweets or fruit) under threat of playing tricks on people who refuse

(spattering them with a shaving foam).

4) Cutting a long story short

Ss are divided into 4 groups using numbers (ones, twos, threes, fours together). Each group

should read 3 pages of the story. (ending on the page 12: "Ding dong".) Then Ss share what

they have learnt.

5) While-reading activity: vocabulary work – competition

Each group is given 6 anticipated unknown words with their Czech equivalents on the back

side. They take the card only if they would not understand the correspondent sentence and

the story would become incomprehensible. The group which has taken the fewest cards

wins. (or they can choose traditional using dictionaries)

1st group: stuff – cpát se, woe betide – běda tomu, trident – trojzubec, copycat – ten kdo se

opičí po někom, bound – skákat, groan – úpět

2nd group: punch – udeřit, tease – škádlit, desperately – zoufale, yell – řvát, pat – poplácat,

curls – kudrny

3rd group: squeal – ječet, twirl – točit, yucky – odporný, howl – výt, screech – vřeštět,

ragged tufts – otrhané chumáče

4th group: sob – vzlykat, melt – roztavit, revenge – odplata, meekly – pokorně, leap –

skákat, to be in charge of st. – mít zodpovědnost za něco

In any case, Ss are provided with a handout of difficult words and their Czech equivalents

from the whole story at the end of the lesson.

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6) While-reading activity: culture awareness

The last seven pages are read by the best readers, page by page accompanied with

explanation of unknown words.

During the reading, Ss are asked to note down all the costumes mentioned in the story and

the characters wearing them. Would you like to try trick or treating? What costume would

you like to wear? (devil, bunny, pirate, pillowcase over the head, scarecrow - strašák do

zelí, robot,…)

7) Learning beyond the book

* competition, pair work

Each pair should write down as much as possible of things that are usually used for making

(Halloween) costumes, such as:

paper, scissors, glue, cloth, needle, thread, pins, safety-pins, coloured pencils, colours, brush, fine wire, fur,… The winning pair has the privilege to try the role of the teacher for a while. They are asked

to go to the board, write their words on the board, check whether their classmates

understand all of them and explain what is necessary. (approx. 4 min.)

Then the teacher adds several words that can be unknown to the students, explain them in

English and encourage learners to guess the meaning in Czech themselves and do not tell

the others. The teacher can prepare simple pictures on cards to help the weakest students.

After everybody has their guesses noted down, the teacher gives them the Czech

equivalents. (approx. 3 min.)

A short exercise follows:

Circle what can not usually be used for making a costume or a mask. ( approx. 4 min.)

1) a) cotton wool b) crepe paper c) green tea d) felt-tip pen 2) a) old sheet b) old T-shirt c) old dog d) old curtain 3) a) ribbon b) cheese c) pen d) sack 4) a) dictionary b) paper c) lipstick d) string

43

Lesson plan 2: Ghost stories – listening

Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)

Number of students: 18

Time: 45 minutes

Main aim: Introduce ghost stories as an integral part of Halloween

Subsidiary aim: Practice listening subskills

Learner training: Learners are trained to pick up lexical chunks and colloquial

expressions from listening to stories.

Language work: picture description, enlarging vocabulary, pronunciation practice

Interaction patterns: individual work, pair work

Learning environment: classroom with a good acoustics

Aids and materials: computer with Windows Media Player installed, worksheets, pictures

Procedure:

1) Pre-listening stage

T introduces the task that awaits the Ss and motivates them to participate. T uses visual

clues (pictures connected with the stories) for this purpose and plays short extracts. There

are three haunted stories on offer. It is up to the Ss to choose one scary story they would

like to hear.

- Rival Witches (5 min.)

- The Hermit’s House (5 min.)

- Pecos Bill and the Haunted House (4 min.)

Note: Stories are available at www.americanfolklore.net

As the first two stories are more suitable for adults, this plan deals with Pecos Bill and the

Haunted House.

T raises a picture depicting typical haunted house and asks somebody to describe it. Then

the Ss are invited to close their eyes and imagine a ghostly house or a place. Afterwards,

they should describe it to their neighbours and tell them if it really exists or if it is only

imaginary.

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T pre-teaches difficult lexis using his/her voice, gestures and miming:

- Verbs: howl (výt), moan (sténat), groan (hekat), shriek (ječet, vřískat)

- Creatures: werewolf (vlkodlak), spook (strašidlo, duch), mummy (mumie), banshee

(according to Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture: "a spirit

whose cry is believed to mean that there will be a death in the house")

- Other nouns: embarrassment (rozpaky), claws (drápy, spáry)

2) While-listening tasks

T makes sure that the acoustics is convenient and remind the Ss that they are not going to

be tested. Ss should practice various listening sub-skills. They listen to the story twice and

the T makes stops whenever it is necessary. During the second listening Ss fill in their

worksheets.

Listen carefully and try to deal with following tasks:

1) Circle the right state where P. B. was travelling:

Pecos Bill was travelling through………….a) California b) Arizona c) Nevada

2) Fill the right number in the gap:

a) There were nearly …….ghosts, spooks and monsters in the house.

b) Not a single man had stepped foot in it for the last……. years.

3) What most of the families in the neighbourhood have done? Circle the right answer:

a) They have complained. b) They have moved away. c) They have gone mad.

4) Complete the sentence:

The owner offered P. B. his share and ………………..

5) Circle Yes or No:

Was P. B. successful in fighting all the monsters? Yes / No

6) Circle the right answer:

What did P. B. need to kill the werewolves? a) sword b) special gun c) silver bullets

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7) When the whole house was cleaned up P. B. invited somebody to do something.

Replace somebody and to do something with the right words.

8) Does the story remind you of a similar Czech story or a hero?

KEY: 1) c, 2) 200, 5 3) b 4) a silver mine 5) Yes 6) c 7) a priest to bless the house 8)…

3) Follow-up

* Peer correction: Ss work in pairs, exchange their worksheets for correction. Only then the

T shows the key.

* Discussion in pairs: How did you like the story? Did you find it scary? Was it difficult to

understand?

* Assignment: Draw the most haunted house you can imagine and write labels beside to

practice vocabulary.

Lesson plan 3: Ghost stories – reading and storytelling

Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)

Number of students: 18

Time: 90 minutes

Main aim: Further insight into ghost and scary stories

Subsidiary aim: Practice of reading skills, using ghost stories for the development of

production (storytelling) skills

Language work: past simple x past continuous, parts of a house

Interaction patterns: individual work, pair work, group work, whole class

Learning environment: classroom, circle seating arrangement, props

Aids and materials: handouts, pictures, stops, board, marker

Preparation: T tells Ss to bring flashlights and candles to create a mysterious setting and

appropriate atmosphere.

46

Procedure:

1) 'Mingle and ask' activity

T presents following questions on the board:

- Do you believe in ghosts?

- Have you ever perceived or seen such a phenomenon?

- Do you have any strange experiences that you can’t explain?

- Do you often have haunted dreams?

- Do you like reading ghost and scary stories?

Ss are supposed to stand up, mingle and ask their classmates the above questions. It

naturally emerges from the activity that Ss want to find somebody who believes in ghosts,

who has experienced something like that, who often has haunted dreams and who likes

ghost stories. It could be planned as a group-formation activity as well. There might appear

a group of Ss who are interested in this topic and on the opposite site might stand those

who fundamentally disagree with the existence of supernatural phenomena. It could be an

indicator of Ss’ either romantic or realistic personalities.

2) Pre-reading stage

T writes this extract on the board: The chair was facing me when I came out of my room, so

I turned it around. Then I heard something squeak.

T explains the meaning of the word squeak (kvičet, pištět) and asks somebody to translate

the extract. Then Ss are encouraged to share their suggestions and predictions about the

content of the story.

3) While-reading activities

* Ss are provided with a real life ghost story PINK CHAIR (without a title) on handouts

(see Appendix II) and silent reading in pairs takes place. Then one student retells the story

and the other is a listener. They both think of a suitable title for the story.

* Whole class tasks:

Do-it-yourself questions: Ss compose and answer their own questions.

Summary: Ss try to summarize the content in two or three sentences.

Continue: Ss suggest what might have happen next

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Attitudes: T elicits reactions to the text and throws questions (Have you ever come across

anything like that? Have you ever experienced a similar situation?)

Exploitation of the text for language practice: past simple x past continuous, description of

a house

Ss are asked to underline all the examples of past simple and past continuous tense and to

explain the difference. Then they concentrate on different parts of the house and its

description.

4) Post-reading activities

* Poltergeist: T asks if somebody can explain what this expression means. If Ss have some

doubts, T can present his/her explanation: The term "poltergeist" comes from the German

poltern, "to knock," and geist, "spirit." It is a spirit which manifests its presence by making

noises, breaking dishes, moving or throwing of objects and even furniture.

Ss discuss: Could the house mentioned in the story be inhabited by a poltergeist?

- B R E A K -

* Raising of ghosts

This activity is not meant as a real raising of ghosts, it serves only for language practice

and for making cross-curricula (English – History) links.

- Ss are asked to share what they know about raising of ghosts:

Is it dangerous?

Does it have any rules?

Which signals are ghosts supposed to use as a proof of their presence?

- Ss should work in three groups and deal with following tasks:

1) Think of famous personalities from the history and choose one. This would be a

ghost you would like to raise.

2) Be prepared to give reasons why you have chosen this particular personality.

3) Find out when this personality lived (at least a century) and what he/she is famous

for.

4) Prepare questions that you would like to ask him/her.

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5) Tongue twisters

Ss try to say a tongue twister connected with the topic of Halloween. It is a good warm-up

for the storytelling part of the lesson.

- Dracula digs dreary, dark dungeons.

- If big black bats could blow bubbles, how big of bubbles would big black bats blow?

- If two witches would watch two watches, which witch would watch which watch?

Note: Tongue twisters are available at www.americanfolklore.net.

6) Storytelling

Ss are given small pictures depicting things such as: vampire, werewolf, ghost, witch, owl,

bat, black cat, pumpkin, cemetery, haunted house, spider, skeleton, dungeon,…

Each S has three pictures and also one paper road sign 'Stop'.

Now the T gives instructions and checks if the activity is clear.

Ss should sit in a circle, the curtains drawn, the candles placed in the middle.

T chooses the first one to start and points the flashlight at him/her. The student starts

telling a scary story. S/he has to mention the three things on his/her pictures. The next one

continues using his three pictures as well. Everybody contributes in this way for the

completion of the story.

However, there is a weapon that everybody can use. Each S has a small paper road sign

STOP. Whenever s/he raises this sign the learner before him/her has to retell everything

from the beginning.

Ss have to build up the story and pay attention to the others’ contributions at the same time.

7) Feedback

T writes frequent mistakes on the board and asks Ss to correct them.

T praises the Ss for active participation and original contributions.

Note: An example of teacher’s flexible approach to this project might be presented here.

Undoubtedly, it is possible to use ghost stories with young learners and with real beginners as well.

T prepares suitable colouring pages (samples are available on the Internet), e.g. a haunted house, a witch with

her broomstick etc. Learners are then supposed to colour them according to their fantasy and write the titles

below to practice vocabulary spelling. Another possibility is drawing pictures according to numbers

(numbers are linked together and in this way a picture is created). T can also introduce a picture dictation as a

49

great way of promoting learners’ attentiveness. Various monsters might be drawn in this way. For example:

Draw a big circle as monster’s head. The monster has three red eyes, four large ears, a long trunk and a

mouth full of sharp teeth…

All the pictures emerging from the activities are then used for storytelling and gradually stuck on the board as

the teacher tells the story.

3.2.2 Teaching unit X: Halloween festival

Lesson plan 4: Halloween history

Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)

Number of students: 18

Time: 45 minutes

Main aim: to provide useful background knowledge for the whole project

Subsidiary aim: teaching across curriculum (English – history, culture), using discovery

approach

Language work: past tense

Interaction patterns: pair work, group work, whole class

Learning environment: classroom

Aids and materials: data projector, computer with Windows Media Player, worksheets,

cards, board, marker

Procedure:

1) Warm-up: hangman

T greets the Ss and raises their curiosity with an incomplete sentence written on the board.

Gradually, Ss guess letters till the words (festival and magic) are revealed.

Halloween is a F _ _ _ _ _ _ L celebrated on October 31, when it is supposed to be the

most M _ _ _ C night of the year.

2) The History of Halloween: video (3 minutes)

T checks the function of a data projector and Windows Media Player. The video image will

be projected onto a screen from the Internet (www.history.com/minisites/halloween).

50

At first, Ss should go through the worksheets together with the T.

T explains that they are going to discover a few facts from Halloween history. The video is

played twice. First, Ss enjoy the display and then try to make notes and co-operate in pairs.

T reminds the Ss that filling the worksheet is only a challenge for them, not a test.

Worksheet – The History of Halloween

1) Which ancient tribe is connected with Halloween’s origins?

__________________________________________________

2) Halloween originates from the festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in, meaning

summer’s end).

Who is believed to walk the earth on this night?

__________________________________________________

3) How was November 1st called by the pope in the 7the century?

__________________________________________________

4) How was the night before November 1st called?

__________________________________________________

5) Where did the Irish immigrants bring their customs?

__________________________________________________

6) The tradition of "trick-or-treating" dates back to the early English tradition of giving

food to the poor who promise to pray for the family’s dead relatives.

How was this food called?

__________________________________________________

KEY: 1) the Celts 2) the ghosts of the dead 3) All Saints’ Day 4) All Hallow’s Eve

5) to America 6) soul cakes

3) Puzzle

T prepares a sheet of paper with a short summary of Halloween history. (See below)

S/he cuts the sheet to pieces, to several geometrical shapes.

Ss work in pairs and try to rearrange the pieces to get the text.

Then silent reading in pairs takes place, T goes around as a monitor and helps with the

vocabulary.

51

Halloween History

The origins of Halloween go back to Celtic Ireland B. C. Celts celebrated the

festival of Samhain around November 1. They thought that this time the borders between

the worlds of the living and the dead are the smallest. They also believed that the spirits of

the dead are wandering through the earth. That is why they placed lanterns carved from

turnips in front of their houses. These lanterns were meant as a welcome for the dead

relatives and as a protection against evil spirits. Later, European settlers introduced

pumpkins that were bigger and more suitable for carving.

After the Roman conquest in 43 A. D., Roman and Celtic traditions melted. For

example, Pomona was the Roman goddess of fruit and trees and her symbol was the apple.

This might be connected with a favourite Halloween treat – candy apples.

By the 8th century, Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. Pope Boniface IV

established November 1 All Saints’ Day and the night before it began to be called All-

Hallow’s Eve.

In the second half of the 19th century, Irish immigrants brought their customs to

America. Americans began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food

or money, which became today’s trick-or-treating.

Nowadays, Halloween parties are the most common way to celebrate this festival.

4) Group activity: Match and order

Ss are asked to form three groups. Each group receives 20 cards: 10 of them (A-J) are the

first halves of the sentences and the other 10 (1-10) are the second halves of the sentences.

Groups should match the sentence halves and put them into a correct order to make a story

describing the history of Halloween. (See Appendix III)

A. Ancient Celts celebrated festivals connected with their sun…

B. But the fun of Halloween is not only for children, many adults also dress…

C. But these are only ordinary Americans, mostly children, pretending…

D. Children also dress in costumes to visit nearby…

E. Later, November 1 became All Saints Day, but many believe the spirits…

F. On October 31 of each year, witches, ghosts and…

G. Some children in the U. S. now use Halloween to play…

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H. The Scots and Irish brought these traditions to America, along…

I. The traditions that underlie Halloween began in …

J. The word Halloween comes from an English phrase…

1. god and their god of death around November 1.

2. homes to receive candy and other sweets

3. meaning "all saints eve"

4. of the dead would roam the earth the night before

5. other evil spirits walk the streets of the United States.

6. Scotland and Ireland in the years before Christianity.

7. to be creatures of fantasy in the celebration of Halloween.

8. tricks on friends and neighbours.

9. up in costume to celebrate the magic of the evening.

10. with the practice of making eerie lanterns from carved pumpkins.

KEY: F-5, C-7, I-6, A-1, E-4, J-3, H-10, G-8, D-2, B-9

5) Feedback

T comes to all the groups, checks the answers, gives advice. Finally, s/he presents the key.

T praises Ss for participation and summarizes what they have just discovered about the

history of Halloween.

Lesson plan 5: Halloween in the present

Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)

Number of students: 18

Time: 45 minutes

Main aim: Introduce contemporary Halloween customs

Subsidiary aim: Involve Ss in a variety of activities, not just presenting facts

Language work: passive voice revision

Interaction patterns: individual work, pair work

Learning environment: classroom

53

Aids and materials: video player +video cassette, worksheets, board, marker

Procedure:

1) Video package

T has prepared a video package to guide the Ss through the Halloween festival. In this way

Ss explore the topic, discover pieces of knowledge themselves and are actively involved in

the teaching process. Besides, Ss have a chance to experience this means of delivery and

compare this audio-visual aid to a computer-based display.

Video cassettes available:

Window on Britain, OUP 1997 + Activity Book by Richard Mac Andrew, OUP 1998, ISBN 0-19-459038-0

British Festivals, Connect ELT, 101470.3204@compuserve.com (available at Anglická knihovna MZK,

Solniční 12, Brno 601 74, 542 210 157, zhr@mzk.cz)

T invites the Ss to enjoy the video and highlights significant points that the Ss are supposed

to notice. T makes stops to explain difficult expressions and to draw Ss’ attention to

interesting facts.

Exploitation of the video: At first, Ss share their impressions. Then, they are engaged in a

variety of activities offered in the Activity Book (see Appendix III).

2) Word game

The word "HALLOWEEN" is written in the centre of the board. The expression consists of

nine letters, which is an ideal number for a group of 18 learners. There can be 9 pairs

formed. It would be good to have a horseshoe seating arrangement in the classroom.

Ss are divided into pairs. The first one should think of a word beginning with the letter H.

The second student from the pair has to start with the last letter from his/ her partner’s

word. The words must be associated with Halloween.

Gradually, "word fringes" are hanging from HALLOWEEN.

54

Open-ended task: Each student tries to write a Halloween poem using at least three words

from the board. Ss share their attempts in the end.

Example:

H A L L O W E E N

O T A I R I V V I

R M N G A T E I G

R O T H N C N L H

O S E T G H I E T

R P R R E A N G R

A H N I A U G E E

V E A C R N H N A

E R I K S T O D T

N E L E S

Y S D T

E

3) Consolidation of facts: matching exercise

Ss remain in pairs and T gives them a worksheet with a challenging matching exercise. It is

assumed that the Ss are prepared to find connections between expressions on the left and

those on the right.

Example:

Match the expressions in column A with those in column B.

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Column A Column B

pagan scary costumes

to go candies

pumpkin holiday

to wear lantern

to mark windows "trick or treating"

to give a party

to organize with a tooth paste

4) Grammar focus: passive voice

Ss are supposed to work individually and revise the passive voice in a transformation

exercise, which is finally self-corrected according to T’s instructions.

Turn the following sentences into the passive voice:

1. People celebrate Halloween on October 31.

2. They use pumpkins for making lanterns.

3. Adults usually accompany small children in the darkness.

4. People often organize parties.

5. Someone prepares amazing food for the party.

6. We consider orange and black typical Halloween colours.

5) The end of the lesson: Keep smiling!

A joke is presented on the board: Why didn’t the skeleton go to the ball?

Because he had no body to go with! (www.americanfolklore.net)

Lesson plan 6: Halloween – comparison with Czech traditions, mock test

Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)

Number of students: 18

Time: 45 minutes

Main aim: Raising awareness of cultural differences

Subsidiary aim: test Ss' memory

56

Interaction patterns: individual work, group work, whole-class work

Learning environment: classroom

Aids and materials: picture, chart, board, marker, mock tests

Procedure:

1) Warm-up: picture description

T shows a picture (newspapers or magazines can be used) depicting Czech people kneeling

by a grave and lighting a candle.

Ss are asked to describe the picture. Each student should add a new detail.

2) Whole-class discussion

There are several points to discuss:

When does it (see the picture) happen in the Czech Republic?

How are these days called? …. …… All Souls’ Day (November 2)

All Saints’ Day (November 1)

T guides the Ss to find out these facts themselves.

3) Group-work: comparative approach – completing a chart

Ss work in three groups and try to complete a chart showing the differences between

Halloween and the Czech feasts.

Ss should also think of what do the feasts have in common, if there are any similarities.

Festival characteristics HALLOWEEN FEASTS in CR

origin pagan Christian

date October 31 November 1, 2

atmosphere magic, scary melancholic, respectful

age group mainly involved children adults

contents trick or treating, fun, parties visiting graveyards, cemeteries

symbols scary costumes, pumpkins candles, wreaths of flowers

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4) Mock test: What do you remember?

T explains to the Ss that it is the right time to check their memory, deals the multiple

choice tests, goes through the items, answers questions and wishes good luck.

Tests are corrected in groups.

In this way feedback is provided for both the T and Ss.

1) The word Halloween comes from a phrase:

a) All Hallows’ Evening b) holy week c) wine hall

2) Halloween dates back to ancient:

a) Greeks b) Celts c) Vikings

3) Halloween comes from a festival called:

a) Samhain b) Druidan c) Sunrise

4) Trick or treating means:

a) telling jokes b) making costumes c) knocking on doors and receiving sweets

5) Children dress up as:

a) ghosts, witches b) doctors, teachers c) pop stars

6) Typical Halloween colours are:

a) white and grey b) orange and black c) green and black

7) Typical Halloween animals are:

a) bat, black cat, spider b) dog, tiger, lion c) snake, fish, frog

8) What is connected with a haunted house?

a) garden b) magic spell c) ghosts

9) What is not a scary figure?

a) mummy b) werewolf c) fairy

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10) What do people usually do on Halloween today?

a) travel abroad b) have parties c) do not celebrate it at all

5) Assignment: Create a poster

Ss should create a poster for their schoolmates. This poster should include pictures and

basic facts about Halloween. Posters will be displayed along school corridors.

Note: With small children of the age of 10 or 11 the consolidation of facts connected with Halloween might

have the form of a favourite game with picture pairs – pelmanism. Learners could be divided into several

groups and play the game looking for two identical pictures and words at the same card. For instance, they

can come across these items: bat, spider, cat, pumpkin, vampire, witch, wizard, werewolf, ghost, mummy,

skeleton, goblin, executioner, dungeon, castle, haunted house, candies, candle, etc.

3.2.3 Teaching unit III: A pumpkin lantern☻

Lesson plan 7 Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)

Number of students: 18

Time: 90 minutes !!!

Main aim: making pumpkin lanterns and preparing a short scene for the party

Subsidiary aim: increase cultural awareness, encourage Ss’ creativity and performance

skills

Learner training: Learners are trained in predicting and guessing the meaning of

unknown expressions.

Language work: enlarging vocabulary, practising reading comprehension and dialogues,

using imperatives

Interaction patterns: pair work, group work, individual work

Learning environment: a spacious classroom equipped with a data projector, decorated

with pictures of carved pumpkins accompanied with associated facts (peripheral learning)

59

Aids and materials: data projector + CD, handouts with the Jack-o-lantern legend and

Pumpkin anatomy (see Appendix IV), real pumpkins (at least 3), knives, spoons, candles,

ribbons and supplementary decoration material

Procedure:

1) Warm-up: A pumpkin rhyme

An old pumpkin rhyme is presented on the board using a data projector:

"Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,

Had a wife and couldn’t keep her,

He put her in a pumpkin shell

And there he kept her very well."

A volunteer reads the rhyme aloud. It might help to create a stress-free environment.

2) Discussion: Pumpkins everywhere

T greets the Ss and throws the question: What do you know about pumpkins?

Ss share ideas in pairs for a while and then following statements are presented on the board

using a data projector.

a) There are pumpkins of various shapes and colours.

b) The pumpkin is a multifunction vegetable.

c) Pumpkins are used for cooking.

d) Pumpkins were used by American settlers for making beer.

e) Pumpkins serve as Halloween lanterns.

f) Pumpkins are used to play sports with.

g) Pumpkin’s leaves and seeds can be used to make medicines.

h) In the USA there are competitions of the biggest pumpkins.

Ss try to evaluate these statements and discuss if they are true or false. (It may be a surprise

that all of them are true. T is supposed to answer Ss’ questions.)

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3) Jack-o’-lantern: the old Irish legend

* Pair work: reading comprehension

T provides each pair with a handout and gives instructions. S/he also explains that it would

be a shame not to know why the lantern is called so. Ss should read the legend and try to

answer the questions below. (see Appendix IV)

T functions as a monitor and advisor during the activity.

4) Dramatization of the story

* Group work: practising dialogues

T demonstrates what the Ss are about to prepare.

Ss work together to think of possible dialogues between Stingy Jack and the Devil and

between Jack and Saint Peter. This is the time for bright students to help the others. Then

Ss decide which of them will be the actors. There might be the role of a narrator as well.

On the contrary, this is a chance for those who are not afraid to appear "on the stage".

The scene will be included in the Halloween party programme.

Example:

Jack: Hey, Devil, I guess you are so lazy that you never manage to climb this tree.

Devil: You miserable worm! I manage to do whatever I want.

Devil: Oh, what are you doing, you damned creature?

Jack: I’ve got a suggestion for you. Promise me not to take my soul and I will remove the

crosses.

Devil: All right, take my word for it.

Jack: Please, let me enter the gate of Heaven.

Saint Peter: Regretfully, you are not allowed here, Jack. Think of your cruelty, meanness

and sinful life.

Jack: Can I enter the gate of Hell?

Devil: You fool! You have got hoist with your own petard. I keep my promise. I don’t

want your soul here.

Jack: So, where should I go then?

Devil: Here you are and light your way.

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- B R E A K-

5) Pumpkin anatomy

"Which came first? The pumpkin or the seed?" (An old English saying)

Ss try to match the names of different parts of the pumpkin with the pictures. First they

should try to work individually and then they can check with their neighbour. T provides

handouts, gives instructions and then functions as a monitor and prompter.

Pumpkin anatomy:

stem – stopka, tendril – výhonek, úponka, leaves – listy, the lid – vršek, poklička, pumpkin

shell – kůra a dužnina, skin – kůra, slupka, pulp – dužnina, ribs – rýhy, žebra, blossom end

– místo po odpadnutí květu, cavity – vnitřek, dutina, brains – vnitřní hmota se semeny,

seeds – semena

6) How to make a pumpkin lantern

Ss make necessary precautions, they prepare tables, pumpkins and tools. They should work

preferably in 3 groups (with a giant, medium-sized and small pumpkin).

T presents 8 pictures with a description (see Appendix IV) on the board. Ss are supposed to

have a look at them before they start making their own pumpkin lanterns.

Finally, the groups display their final outcomes which will be a beautiful decoration at the

party and take photos.

7) Assignment: Create a pumpkin carving manual

T praises the Ss for their effort and introduces the short task for the next day.

Ss should write a short manual (pictures may be added) including instructions for making a

pumpkin lantern.

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3.2.4 Teaching unit IV: Music at the party ♪♫

Lesson plan 8

Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)

Number of students: 18

Time: 90 minutes !!!

Main aim: using of Ss’ probable interest in music and further motivation for organizing

Halloween Party

Learner training: Learners are trained in using dictionaries and are also shown how to use

songs for improving their English, both enlarging their vocabulary and controlling

pronunciation. They are reminded that translating song lyrics is a great idea how to learn

new expressions actively and more easily. Picking up whole chunks of language is another

advantage that students are made aware of. They are provided with useful web pages

where they can find lyrics of English songs. They are trained to gain all the possible

benefits from listening to songs.

Language work: enlarging vocabulary, pronunciation practice, past tense revision

Interaction patterns: whole class discussion, group work, individual work

Learning environment: classroom with good acoustics, seating arrangement: circle

Aids and materials: audio system/ CD player, Ss’and teacher’s CDs, handouts with song

lyrics (see Appendix V), dictionaries

Procedure:

Task for Ss given in advance, at least one week before this lesson:

Search your CD rack at home, at a library, at your relatives’ or friends’, and try to find

CDs that would be suitable for our Halloween Party, i. e. scary or ghostly titles, songs

supporting the atmosphere of a magic night. Look for such words as wizard, witch, ghost,

devil, fear, darkness, black, magic, etc.

Warning: choose CDs with common sense, they will be used at a school party!

1) Warm-up: "mind map" (brainstorming round an idea - "sun ray" effect)

T greets Ss and introduces the task in a challenging way. S/he writes the word "music" in

the centre of the board. Ss are asked to brainstorm all the expressions, they think of, that

are connected with it (kinds of music, musical instruments, names of singers

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and pop groups,…). Ss go to the board and write the words themselves to practise the

spelling and to refresh through movement – kinaesthetic aspect.

Following questions might be asked:

- What is your favourite kind of music, singer or music band? (T can share his/her

preferences.)

- Why do you listen to music – how does it help? (to relax, to learn new vocabulary,…)

- Do you find listening to music important for language learning?

- Do you know any music groups whose names might remind us of our project’s topic?

(e.g. the alternative rock group Smashing Pumpkins or the heavy metal group Halloween)

2) Presentation of Ss’ task and whole class discussion

T asks Ss to arrange their seats in a circle. A table is placed in the middle and all the CDs

are displayed on it. Everybody has a chance to have a look at the display.

At first, Ss consult possible vocabulary problems with the teacher and unknown words are

written on the board. Then each student introduces his/her contribution. T eliminates CDs

that would not be suitable at all and explains why. Then it is up to Ss to negotiate the final

musical background of the party. Possibly the order of songs might be established.

Examples of teacher’s contribution:

Gordon the Ghost (from Norman Whitney: Open Doors, OUP)

- a brilliant song for this occasion, easy lyrics, comprehensible, creating a spooky effect

The Trick or Treat Rap

Halloween Rap ( from Mary Glasgow Magazines: Raps for Learning English, Scholastic)

- teenagers will love these two rhythmical songs

Deep Purple: Black Night, Demons Eye

Ozzy Osbourne: Ghost Behind My Eyes, The Wizard

Alice Cooper: Poison, Welcome To My Nightmare

Uriah Heep: Lady In Black, The Wizard

(see lyrics in Appendix V)

3) Who will be a DJ?

When there is no volunteer for this role, a secret election is held in the class.

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Each student takes his/her "ballot paper" and writes the name of the person on it. Reasons

must be added. The rationale should consist of three sentences at least.

T presents an example:

1) John has much experience with playing records on parties.

2) He is the most responsible person for this job.

3) He is a music lover and has a musical ear.

Ss hand over their ballot papers and T counts the votes. Finally, the winner is asked to be

so kind and accept the position. He can choose his friend as an assistant.

- B R E A K -

4) Guided visualisation (3 min.)

T wants Ss to have a rest and relax at the beginning of the second lesson.

This method is used for creating the atmosphere of the party that is anxiously expected.

The song Black Night by Deep Purple is played and Ss just listen and enjoy it.

5) Listening tasks

Ss are going to listen to two songs by Uriah Heep and participate in connected activities.

- pre-teaching of unknown words and instructions for the listening

Group work: students in two groups try to guess the meaning of several chosen words by

matching them with their Czech equivalents. Then the expressions with their pronunciation

are written on the board and explained.

1st group: destruction – zkáza, zboření, foe – nepřítel, trample down – podupat, eager –

dychtivý, devour – zničit

2nd group: council – radit, faith – víra, misconceptions – mylné představy, cloak – plášť,

courage – odvaha

T explains repeatedly what the listening task is about and checks comprehension.

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A) listening to the song Lady In Black by Uriah Heep

While activities:

Individual work: gap-filling according to the prompts in brackets (listen twice!)

Mixed abilities: two types of handouts are distributed. (the first letter of a missing word is

given / the first letter is given + a prompt is added)

Ss are invited to find their favourite line or sentence. They also share impressions and

opinions. If they are eager, they can sing the song as well.

Post activities:

Finding the message of the song. Girls can discuss who would like to dress as "a lady in

black" for the party.

Language work: Ss underline all the examples of a past tense in the song, they concentrate

on irregular verbs and think of their past participle forms as well.

B) listening to the song The Wizard by Uriah Heep

While activities:

The song is divided into four paragraphs but these are jumbled on the handouts. Ss should

put them into a correct order during the first listening.

Several words are changed, Ss are supposed to find these intentional mistakes and correct

them. (There are 7 mistakes in the text.)

- pigs instead of kings, lies instead of tales, silver instead of gold, happy instead of free,

hear instead of see, house instead of home, shining instead of light

Post activities:

Ss compare this song with the previous one. They try to find similarities and differences

bearing in mind these areas:

- difficulties in understanding, amount of unknown words, main figure, setting, message

Boys discuss who would like to wear a costume of a wizard for the party

Language work: Ss invent variations of the sentence He told me tales and he drank my

wine and concentrate on filling other verbs in their past form. (E.g. He showed me miracles

and he ate my sweets.)

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Ss should close their eyes and try to imagine how the wizard might look like. Then they

can continue in his description He had a cloak of gold and eyes of fire…

6) Assignment – lyrics translation and painting of "the lady in black" and "the

wizard"

T suggests that it would be a good idea to work in two groups (boys and girls, if possible)

and try to translate the lyrics of the two songs. Girls might be interested in The Lady in

Black and boys in The Wizard.

Each group should create a poster containing original English version, translation attempt

+ illustration (drawing or painting of the figures).

Ss start the translation in the lesson and finish the assignment during the following 7 days.

7) T thanks Ss for their cooperation, answers questions, gives advice on translation and

provides useful internet links: www.lyrics007.com, www.lyricksfreak.com,

www.elyrics.net, www.absolutelyrics.com

3.2.5 Teaching unit V: Refreshments at the party

Lesson plan 9

Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)

Number of students: 18

Time: 90 minutes + the actual 'in the kitchen' work

Main aim: preparing refreshments for the party

Subsidiary aim: teaching practical skills-cooking, support Ss’ initiative

Learner training: Learners are trained in using dictionaries when translating the recipes.

Language work: cooking verbs, enlarging vocabulary, speaking practice - interview

Interaction patterns: pair work, group work

Learning environment: classroom equipped with computers, school kitchen / at home

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Aids and materials: cards with the verbs, handout with interview questions, pictures of

food, pictures of Halloween refreshments, computers with the Internet access, handout

with the recipes, board + data projector

Procedure:

1) Warm-up: Cooking verbs - 'find and match'

T greets the Ss and indicates what awaits them in the following lesson. S/he prepares cards

with English verbs connected with cooking and examples of their use. S/he sticks them on

the board. Ss should stand up, walk around the class and search for cards with Czech

equivalents. Either somebody knows a correct pair or they just try to match the verbs.

When all the cards on the board have Czech expressions stuck beside, T goes through the

pairs and deals with difficulties. Finally, there is a useful overview of cooking verbs on the

board.

Verbs suggested:

- to cut…Don’t cut your fingers. - řezat, krájet

- to slice…He sliced the lemon. - krájet na plátky

- to grate…We need grated cheese. - strouhat

- to mix… Mix eggs and milk in a bowl. - smíchat

- to mash…I like mashed potatoes. - rozmačkat

- to bake…She baked bread in an oven. - péci

- to boil…The water is boiling. - vřít

- to fry…The fish is frying in a pan. - smažit

- to stew…You must stew the meet in a pot. - dusit

- to smoke…He likes smoked sausages. - udit

- to spread…Spread butter on the bread. - rozetřít

- to stir…He stirred the sugar into his tea. - rozmíchat

- to whip…Chocolate cake with whipping cream is delicious. - šlehat šlehačku

- to beat…Add beaten eggs into it. - šlehat vejce

- to pour…Pour a glass of milk into the mixture. - nalít

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2) An interview: pair work

Ss are asked to work in pairs. One of them gives an interview to the other, who is

supposed to be the reporter of a school journal. After approx. 2 minutes they change

the roles. This activity is an opportunity for personalization and helps to bring the topic

nearer to the Ss.

Questions for the interview:

1) Do you like cooking?

2) What can you cook?

3) Who is the best cook in your family? Does s/he use a cookery book?

4) Do you think that cooking is an endangered activity?

5) Do you prefer so called fast food or junk food?

6) What is your favourite food?

7) Do you know a recipe that you would recommend?

3) Food associations

T encourages Ss to take part in this activity which needs imagination, fantasy and

maybe a sense of humour as well. T sticks five pictures of different kinds of food on

the board (chocolate, orange, nut, pizza, yoghurt). Ss should discuss in pairs which

food they associate most closely with.

Example: I can be a yoghurt because I try to eat healthy food.

I can be a nut because I don’t open my heart to everybody.

4) Halloween party food and drinks – lead in

T suggests that a successful Halloween party requires extraordinary and striking

refreshments. T has to raise interest and arouse curiosity among the Ss. S/he uses

pictures and names of Halloween recipes for this purpose. It is up to them to think out

and prepare surprising meals and drinks. It is emphasized that what counts is a visual

attractiveness. Why not give free rein to our imagination and try to make a scary snack

or ghastly-looking refreshments for our guests?

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5) Pictures

T passes several pictures round the class (see Appendix VI). These might represent, for

example, following dishes:

Eerie Eyeballs (děsivé oči)

Creepy Witches Fingers (plížící se prsty čarodějnice)

Sinister Skulls (zlověstné lebky)

Strained Eyeballs (popraskané oční bulvy)

Witches Brew (čarodějnické pití)

Then T writes their names on the board and Ss stick the pictures to them.

6) Brainstorming recipes

The previous activity might cause a sudden flash of inspiration. Now, it can’t be a

problem for the Ss to invent similar names of Halloween food and drinks.

Ss share ideas, look up unknown expressions in a dictionary or ask T for help.

Brainstorming may produce ideas such as: Bloody Mary (strawberry cocktail),

Vampire’s Eyes (two slices of lemon in coca cola), Vampire’s Teeth (jelly teeth in red

lemonade), Slime Toads, Hairy Spiders, etc.

Note: It is easy to find lots of candies in the shapes of worms, spiders, bloody eyes etc.

in sweetshops.

• Ss are shown a list of the names of real Halloween recipes. They go through them

with the T, explaining unknown vocabulary, finding the most interesting ones. Ss

are also likely to find that some of their inventions really exist, which might be a

pleasant surprise and further motivation.

7) Whole-class discussion and negotiating recipes for the party

Ss choose the best recipes that could be meant for preparation. Then Ss are asked to

form three groups. The first group is supposed to work on drinks (two kinds), the

second group deals with the typical pumpkin pie and the third group should decide on

other refreshments (two kinds would be enough).

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8) Searching the net

T introduces web pages where Ss can find a collection of Halloween refreshments.

Ss work with computers and search the Internet for the best recipes. Of course, they are

free to invent their own recipes too.

Useful links:

www.foodnetwork.com

www.britta.com

http://allrecipes.com/Info/Holidays/Halloween/Main.aspx

www.fabulousfoods.com/holidays/halloween/halloween.html

http://childparenting.about.com/cs/holidays/a/halrecipe.htm

www.mountain-breeze.com/holidays/halloween/

www.thefamilycorner.com/family/kids/recipes/halloweenparty.shtml

www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/halloween/index.htm

http://parentingteens.about.com

Note: It may happen that it is not possible to ensure a suitable classroom with the

Internet. There might appear other problems when using computers must be replaced

with an on-board presentation. In this case, T has prepared two recipes for Halloween

drinks, two recipes for scary refreshments and a recipe for the pumpkin pie. (See

Appendix VI).

9) Assignment

Ss in the three groups are supposed to translate the chosen recipes into Czech and

present them to their colleagues. Next, Ss print (or write in hand) cards with the names

of the dishes and drinks that will be used as labels at the party. Besides, they have to

write a shopping list, collect money and buy necessary ingredients.

Note: Parents are welcome to participate in this part of the project, as mothers might

be interested in preparing other kinds of desserts and snacks for the party.

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10) 'In the kitchen': preparation of drinks and snacks, baking the pie

The groups can decide whether they would like to work in a school kitchen, which

might happen during subjects such as: Home economics or Food technology, or at

home.

This stage takes place the day before the party because the refreshments must be fresh.

3.2.6 Teaching unit IV: Posters and invitation cards

Lesson plan 10

Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)

Number of students: 18

Time: 90 minutes !!!

Main aim: creating posters and invitation cards for the party

Subsidiary aim: teaching across curriculum – computer graphics/art, encouraging Ss’

creativity, highlighting visual aspects of learning

Learner training: Learners are trained in using the Internet and computers for developing

their English language knowledge and for making this progress enjoyable.

Language work: Wh-questions repetition, acquiring new adjectives, language functions

(making suggestions, invitations – saying 'no' politely, accepting and refusing invitations,

formal x informal discourse

Interaction patterns: pair work (role-play), group work

Learning environment: classroom equipped with computers

Aids and materials: examples of Halloween party invitations (see Appendix VII),

computers with the Internet access, whiteboard, marker

Procedure:

1) Warm-up: competition

T writes "Halloween party" on the board and introduces the following activity. Ss are

divided into 2 groups. Each group has to prepare a sheet of paper. One of the Ss writes the

letters in a column and then only adds the adjectives to the corresponding letters. S/he is

asked to say all the letters aloud to check correct pronunciation. The task is to put down as

RSVP

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many adjectives as possible that can be used to describe the Halloween party. They should

be ordered according to the alphabet. There is a 5- minute time limit. T repeatedly checks

if Ss understand the instructions. The competition begins after everything is made clear.

When the bell rings, groups hand over their papers and T counts the correct adjectives. The

winning group is rewarded with some treats. Finally, the appropriate adjectives are read

aloud because Ss can use them in later tasks.

Example:

A: admirable, awful, appalling

B: beautiful, banned, best, bizarre

C: crazy, charming, celebrated

D: dark, daring, depressing, disgusting

E: effective, educational, elaborated, every

F: famous, fantastic, fascinating, frightening

G: great, ghostly, gloomy

H: horrible, hostile, happy, horrific

I: interesting, ideal, illuminated, illegal

J: jolly

K: keen

L: lively, local, loud

M: magnificent, mysterious, monstrous

N: nice, notable, new

O: obscene, offensive, official

P: pleasant, popular, previous, prepared

Q: quiet

R: radical, rebellious, roaring

S: special, successful, super, spectacular

T: terrible, terrific, treacherous, thrilling

U: unique, usual, unimaginable, unforgettable

V: vivid

W: wild, well-organized, wondrous, wonderful

Z: zealous (horlivý, nadšený)

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2) Grammar in context: language functions - invitations

T indicates that when people speak they do so for a certain purpose. In this sense the

language has its particular function. T makes Ss think about a situation when two people

meet and one of them wants the other to come for a party. How is this request called?

An anagram might be written on board as a prompt: I V T A N O I N T I (invitation)

Ss are given handouts entitled Invitations and suggestions, Accepting and refusing

invitations (see Appendix VII).T gives explanation and helps Ss with the tasks.

3) Role-play: speaking practice

Ss are supposed to role-play 2 situations. The first one is an informal conversation between

two friends, when one of them is inviting the other to the Halloween party. The second

situation is more formal, when a student is inviting the headmaster.

T explains the difference and presents a few useful phrases:

- Hey, don’t be a coward and just come. It will be fun.

- Mr. Smith, can I talk to you for a while? Our class would like to invite you to our

Halloween party. We would be very pleased if you come.

Ss work in two groups, the first inventing the informal talk and the second preparing the

formal conversation. Then two pairs are chosen to act out the situations.

4) Wh-question: repetition

During this activity Ss repeat the structure of Wh-questions and of the passive voice as

well. The purpose is to plan further details for making the party a successful event.

The outcoming paper might be presented as a useful reminder on the noticeboard in the

classroom.T writes wh-expressions on the board: when, where, what, how, who

Ss work in pairs and try to form the questions:

When does the party begin?

Where will the party take place?

What will be included in the programme?

How many posters do we need? Where will be the posters displayed? (the notice: Stick No Bills!) How many invitation cards do we need?

Who will be invited?

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- B R E A K -

5) Examples of Halloween party invitations

T prepares computer-based display as an inspiration for Ss. Following things are

highlighted as essential: PICTURE - DATE - PLACE – TIME – RSVP – INVITATION

SLOGAN

T explains the meaning of the acronym RSVP:

According to Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture: letters written on an

invitation to a party, asking you to say whether you will attend or not. They are based on

the French words 'répondez sil vous plait' (= please reply).

Ss try to think of original slogans for their invitation cards, they can remember some of the

adjectives from the warm-up.

Example: All ghosts, witches and wizards are welcome to a spectacular Halloween party.

This wonderful black sabbath is a must for you!

6) CALL, E-learning

Ss work on computers and search web sites with animated Halloween graphics, e.g.

www.entertainment.webshots.com, http://712educators.about.com/cs/halloween,…)

They try to design posters and invitation cards on computers. Or they can be handmade as

well.

Note: This can be done across curriculum in computer lessons.

7) Assignment

Ss are asked to finish posters and invitations cards at home and prepare a presentation for

the next time when the class will choose the best ones that will be finally used.

T thanks Ss for their enthusiasm and invites them to ask questions.

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3.2.7 Teaching unit VII: Programme of the party

Lesson plan 11

Level: intermediate (upper-intermediate)

Number of students: 18

Time: 90 minutes !!!

Main aim: preparing an interesting programme of the Halloween party

Subsidiary aim: strengthening cooperation among Ss and development of critical thinking

Learner training: Jokes are introduced to learners as a great way how to learn new

expressions and acquire language chunks in a pleasant way. They can try to translate

Czech jokes into English (or vice versa) and a small 'class jokebook' can help them to get

into the heart of the language.

Language work: future tense (will x going to), developing speaking skills

Interaction patterns: group work, individual work

Learning environment: classroom

Aids and materials: handout with the joke, grammar worksheet, whiteboard, data

projector, marker

Procedure:

1) Warm –up: a party joke

A young woman was suffering badly from hay fever. She was going to a fancy dinner party that night and figured she would need at least two handkerchiefs to get her through the evening. She didn't have any pockets, so she stuffed them both in her bra.

Halfway through the night, she had already used up one handkerchief and was rummaging around in her bra for the other one. She was having trouble finding it, and soon she noticed that everyone at the table was looking at her.

"What on earth are you doing?" asked one of her colleagues.

She replied: "I could have sworn I had two when I arrived!"

(http://2havefun.com/Comedy/party.shtml)

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Humour is a powerful tool for language learning and Ss might appreciate this kind of lesson beginning. Ss are given a handout with the joke. T pre-teaches essential vocabulary using a marker and board. Ss make notes on their handout.

- hay fever (senná rýma), fancy (přepychový), rummage (prohledávat), swear-swore-

sworn (přísahat)

A volunteer reads the joke aloud and the others follow the text. Laughter is a signal that

everybody has understood and that there is no need to come back to the text.

2) Grammar focus: future tense (will x going to)

T uses inductive approach and tries to make the Ss work out grammar rules themselves. Ss

are provided with worksheets presenting two dialogues that show the difference between

using will and going to for the future.

A) Peggy: Have you thought about the weekend?

John: No, I haven’t. I have no plans.

Peggy: Let’s have a party.

John: That’s a good idea. I will print the invitation cards.

Peggy: That would be kind of you. I will prepare some refreshments then.

B) Peggy: Mummy, is it true that you are leaving for the weekend?

Mummy: Yes, we are going to visit our old friends. Do you remember the Chadwick’s?

Peggy: No, I don’t. But I have something on my mind. John and I have decided to have a party on Saturday. We are going to invite lots of people. Could it be in our garden?

Mummy: Yes, of course. But I hope you won’t be too noisy.

T elicits Ss ideas concerning the grammar rules, gives feedback and further explanation.

Ss are encouraged to do a following exercise:

1) Oh, I have forgotten to reply to the invitation card. - Don’t worry, I _________ them.

a) will phone b) am going to phone

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2) What are you doing? – I _________ a pumpkin pie for tomorrow’s party.

a) will prepare b) am going to prepare

3) Did you try your Halloween costume? – No, I forgot. I _________ it now.

a) will try b) am going to try

4) Have you decided on the programme? – Yes, everything is planned. We _________ magic and play scary games.

a) will perform b) are going to perform

Ss check answers with their partners before whole-class feedback.

- B R E A K -

3) Pyramid discussion: programme of the Halloween party

Clear instructions are crucial during this activity!

T explains to Ss that they are going to discuss what they think should be included in the programme of the party. Ss are reminded that there is a time limit from 2 to 3 hours. T recalls the Jack-o'-lantern scene, background music, display of refreshments, exhibition of costumes and games for younger schoolmates. Ss should think of such a programme that would represent what they have learned during the project, which would be amusing for both the organizers and the guests.

T can make use of a data projector and present some ideas on the board to get Ss started:

* Carnival procession with Chinese lanterns

* Pumpkin hunt in the dark

* Storytelling with torches

* Magician show with conjuring tricks

* Finding sweets in 'Wiggly Worms' (britishcouncil web):

You need: spaghetti, grapes, cooking oil and wrapped sweets.

1. Cook the spaghetti. Rinse in cold water. 2. Add some cooking oil to make the spaghetti slimy. 3. Put a black plastic bag in a bucket or bin. 4. Add the spaghetti and grapes 5. Add the sweets and mix. 6. Make a cover for the bin. 7. Make a hole in the cover big enough for a hand.

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* Guess the Pumpkin Weight

* Who is the ghost? (Have one child leave the room. Then take a large sheet and have a different (child) stand and hide under the sheet. Mix up the remaining children in the room and then allow the child who left the room to come back inside. That child has to guess who's the ghost, by process of elimination they need to figure out which child is hiding under the sheet. Then that "Ghost" goes out of the room and a different child becomes the new ghost, mix up the remaining children and repeat until all of the children have had a turn being the ghost. – From www.partygameideas.com)

…

When there are at least 20 ideas on the board, Ss are told to choose only 5 of them. They should negotiate with their neighbour and agree on a list of 5 items. Ss are expected to give reasons and be persuasive. When the pairs have decided on their fives, they are asked to work with another pair and compare their lists. This group of four undergoes discussion again. Ss try to persuade others and finally they announce the new list. Next, T put Ss into groups of 8 to discuss and choose the best 5 items. In the end, the whole class agrees on a final list of 5.

4) Feedback – error correction

T could make notes in error monitor charts and give them to Ss after the activity. Another possibility is to write examples of incorrect language on the board and ask the Ss to find the errors and correct them.

5) Assignment

Ss are divided into 5 groups, each of them being responsible for one of the 5 chosen items of the programme. T offers advice and help to all of them and invites them to discuss problems in his/her consultation hours.

79

3.2.8 Teaching unit VIII: Final evaluation

3.2.8.1 Halloween party - the final product

The final product of this project is supposed to be the Halloween party itself. It should be

held on 31 October, if possible. The most suitable place would be a gymnasium or a school

hall. It might take place even in a local culture house. In this case, the cooperation between

the school, parents and the public would be the closest. Parents can help with preparing the

refreshments and decorations. Pumpkins of various sizes, shapes and colours can be used

to support the atmosphere. Other props might be witchy dolls, candles, darkening curtains,

sheets etc. Students should make Halloween costumes themselves, but they can also buy or

borrow them. These creatures are likely to be seen at the party: a witch, lady in black,

wizard, demon, devil, goblin, ghost, hangman, executioner, mummy, skeleton, werewolf,

vampire and others.

The duration of the party is estimated at 2 or 3 hours. The programme would be organized

as negotiated in the unit 3.2.7 (a rehearsal is recommended).

3.2.8.2 Assessment scheme

- revision activities, checking students’ progress

1) Informal assessment

In my opinion, projects should be connected with informal assessment. There can be some

exercises and tests, but they should not be marked. It is sufficient to provide points or a

percentage. Otherwise, formal assessment tools, such as oral or written exams, are not

appropriate here. The result might be the same as with usual grammar-based lessons,

stressed and disgusted learners concentrating just on not failing the test, rather than on their

overall personal development and on enjoying the language.

2) Assessment tools

- observing the students during the whole project and note-taking

- weekly review: What have we learnt this week?

80

- sub-skills checklist (esp. after reading and listening lessons)

- performance sheet + error monitor at the end of the project for each learner: written

evaluation and feedback

- conferencing with students in small groups, finding out how they feel about the

project

- presentation: dramatization of the legend, storytelling, recipes etc.

- posters and other assignments

- project diary or log (storing materials and notes), preference charts

3) Final assessment

At the end of the project, learners are given a review form concerning the language

knowledge to fill in. Next, they are encouraged to try an achievement test. They are also

asked to fill in a questionnaire that serves as a feedback for the teacher. This might be a

challenging task as the learners feel like adults whose opinions and ideas are seriously

taken into consideration. (The teacher goes through the questions with the students at first

to make sure that everything is clear.) Finally, each student receives a participation

certificate. (See Appendix)

Project review

1) What new vocabulary have you learnt during the project?

2) Which of these new words can you use with confidence?

3) Which of these new words do you feel unsure about?

4) What can you say now that you could not say before the project?

5) What have you learnt about the English language that you did not know before?

6) Are there any words that you do not know how to pronounce correctly?

7) Any other comments?

81

Achievement test: What have you learnt?

1) Write 3 more words in each group:

1. devil, ghost, wizard……………………………… (Halloween costumes)

2. paper, cloth, scissors…………………………….. (things used for making a

costume or a mask)

3. crazy, great, wonderful………………………….. (adjectives describing a party)

4. hall, kitchen, stairs………………………………. (parts of a house)

2) Put one or more words in each blank:

1. People say that this house is full of ghosts and monsters. It is a …………house.

2. A monster that drinks human blood is called a …………….

3. The……….celebrated the festival Samhain.

4. People light up pumpkin lanterns to scare away………………

5. Children go around the neighbourhood, knock on the doors and say "……………"

3) Put in the right form of the verb:

1. A large hole is ……….around the top of the pumpkin. (cut)

2. A candle is …………inside. (place)

3. A special cocktail……………..for the party. (to be, mix)

4. Lot of money is ………….during Halloween. (spend)

5. There is going to be a party at the weekend. It……….fun. (to be)

6. We have bought all the ingredients. We…………..a pumpkin pie on Friday.(bake)

4) Match the words with their Czech equivalents:

1) pagan a) věnec

2) seeds b) víra

3) wreath c) pohanský

4) faith d) rozetřít

82

5) slice e) semena

6) spread f) nakrájet na plátky

5) Form questions for the following answers: 1. The party begins at 3 p.m. 2. Funny games will be included in the programme. 3. We need 20 invitation cards.

6) ☺ Can you solve this crossword puzzle? You can cross the words in all the eight directions: ←↑……

E S P I D E R P O

V I E W L W O H C

I A A I G H O S T

L A N T E R N R O

D R U M R O I R B

T E T O R C E Y E

P A R B K K Y A R

M O N S T E R S Y

evil, lantern, witch, ghost, horror, trick, spider, October, peanut, view, eye, mob (chátra),

rock, rap, drum, rot (hnít), ray (paprsek), red, monsters

7) ☺ Crossword: Fill in the gaps and find out a message from me:

↓

1. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 2. __ __ __ __ __ __ 3. __ __ __ __ __ __ 4. __ __ __ __ __ 5. __ __ __ __ __ __ 6. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 7. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 8. __ __ __ __ __ __ __

83

1. all the bones together

2. opposite of hell

3. people light this thing and put it into a pumpkin shell

4. to make a sound on sb. door

5. meaning the same as scary

6. adjective beginning with M, connected with atmosphere

7. witches ride on this thing 8. the most famous vampire

KEY:

1) 1. witch, skeleton, werewolf…2. needles, colours, string…3. spectacular, boring, ghostly…4. bedroom, bathroom, living room

2) 1. haunted, 2. vampire, 3. Celts, 4. evil spirits, 5. Trick or treat

3) 1. cut, 2. placed, 3. is mixed, 4. spent, 5. will be, 6. are going to bake

4) 1-c, 2-e, 3-a, 4-b, 5-f, 6-d

5) 1. When does the party begin?, 2. What will be included in the programme?, 3. How many invitation cards do we need?

6) party

7) Thank you!

Questionnaire – project evaluation

1) How did you like the project as a whole?

1 – very much

5 – not at all

Circle the number: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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Is there anything you would change next time?………………………….

2) How did you enjoy the party?

Do you think that the party was a success?

If no, what went wrong?

3) Which of these teaching units did you like best?

- Lead-in activities (stories)

- Halloween festival

- A pumpkin lantern

- Music at the party

- Refreshments at the party

- Posters and invitation cards

- Programme of the party

4) Which of the activities did you like best and why? (+)

Which one/ones did you not like and why? (-)

Which activities were the most demanding (or the most difficult) for you? (?!)

- Storytelling + - ?!

- Halloween word game + - ?!

- Dramatization of the Jack-o-lantern legend + - ?!

- Listening to the songs + - ?!

- Searching the net + - ?!

- Pyramid discussion (programme) + - ?!

- Others………………………….

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5) How difficult was the language of the project for you?

1 – very easy

5 – extremely difficult

Circle the number: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

6) How often did you have to look up words in a dictionary?

1 – rarely

5 – very often

Circle the number: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

7) The project included 7 assignments: 1) haunted house, 2) Halloween poster, 3) pumpkin carving manual, 4) lyrics and painting, 5) recipes, 6) invitation cards, 7) responsibilities for the programme

Do you think that this is: a) too many b) OK, just enough c) few

Which assignment did you enjoy the most?

8) Which of these teaching aids were the most helpful for you?

a) video b) computer c) pictures d)board e)others

9) Did you have any serious problems with the grammar tasks?

If yes, tick the most problematic area: past tense, future tense, passive voice, invitations

10) What have you learnt about the English culture?

86

11) Is there anything you find really great about the project?

12) Is there anything you would like to comment on or ask about?

13) Would you like to participate in other projects during this school year?

If yes, which of these topics is the most interesting for you?

- Our region - European cookery book - Children and young people in the 21st century

Others………………………………………… (Your ideas are welcome!)

Thank you for your answers, comments and ideas! ☺☺☺

3.2.8.3 Reactions to piloted activities (evaluation and feedback)

- piloted at The Grammar School in Bystřice nad Pernštejnem, October 2007 - 1) Horrid Henry Tricks and Treats (Lesson plan 1)

The students of "tercie" were introduced to me as a rare group of teenagers which likes

literature and working with literary texts. And they convinced me that it was true. There

was a positive atmosphere and enthusiasm in the class. They corrected one another and had

a real interest in making the lesson successful. The students were fond of creating the

nicknames, such as "the terror of teachers", and amazing ideas appeared, e.g. "the

nightmare of nurses", "the murderer of mathematicians", "the lover of languages", "the

hunter of hearts", …☺.

Brainstorming round "trick or treating" was not so productive as I had expected and the

activity changed into teacher's account �.

87

What went really well, was the competition concerning vocabulary work. Nobody wanted

to choose traditional using dictionaries and all the learners appreciated the game with cards

(They took a card with an unknown word and its Czech equivalent on the back side only if

they would not understand the correspondent sentence and the story would become

uncomprihensible). Similarly, the competition in pairs (writing down things usually used

for making costumes) appeared to be enjoyable. There was a winning pair with 14 items.

Then the students agreed that competitions are their most favourite activities in English

lessons ☺.

The only problem was timing. We did not manage to read the whole story at school �.

2) Storytelling (Halloween pictures)

To my surprise, the students of "tercie" were familiar with storytelling activities and all the

instructions were understood immediately. They were really active and eager to contribute.

They also brought candles and torches to create scary atmosphere ☺.

The students pricked up their ears and tried to pay attention to their classmates'

contributions because there was a threat of meeting the sign 'STOP' and retelling the whole

story from the beginning. Gradually, they built up a horror story about a vampire living in

a haunted house and chasing all the living creatures in the neighbourhood.

3) Halloween in the present (Video package)

The classroom atmosphere was totally different here. I had to change my behaviour and

treat the students in a more demanding way. The problem was that they were persuaded

that watching video in English lesson is a time for having rest and chatting. They were

disappointed that the video lasted only 5 minutes and then their activity was required.

Although they watched it three times, they had problems with the tasks and I had to choose

only some of them �.

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4) Making pumpkin lanterns

The most enjoyable activity seemed to be the manual work itself. Students worked in 3

groups and managed to create real works of art. They proved to be skillful and creative.

Gaining the pumpkins was not a problem either as parents of one student had a garden

centre. Surprisingly, the students were willing to clear the tables and tidy up the classroom.

The time limit, 45 minutes, was sufficient ☺.

5) Posters and costumes

Students worked independently on Halloween posters at home. They had to find basic

information about the festival and present it to their schoolmates. Posters were displayed

along the corridor. Examples in the Appendix show that Ss are talented artists and also

searching the net is no problem for them these days.

Ss were enthusiastic about making Halloween costumes themselves and only few of them

bought a mask. Their overall attitude convinced me that the idea of organizing Halloween

party with teenagers is not a utopia ☺.

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3 Conclusion

"Success is a journey not a destination." The process of writing this thesis is near the end. Thus it is essential to draw

conclusions and answer arised questions. The main intention of the thesis was to create a

teaching manual depicting the procedure of working on the project called "Halloween

Party". Now it is possible to state that the aim was achieved.

The topic is designed as a long-term project, which can start at the beginning of October

(or even at the beginning of a school year) and culminate on October 31. The project is

suitable for learners of an intermediate level, but with slight changes it can be practiced

with students of other levels as well. Similarly, the activities and tasks are carried out by

students of one class, but the lesson plans may be adapted, for example, as a whole-school

project. Evidently, PBL is a flexible approach.

As it was mentioned in the preface, students are offered a wide range of activities, a

large space for their own suggestions and ideas and also a great deal of responsibility. All

human senses are taken into consideration. It means that learning is facilitated through

audio-visual aids, movement, artistic work and cooking too. Gradually, students approach

the final product, which is the Halloween party itself.

It seems that the project-based learning demonstrates all the contributions of traditional

EFL techniques together with modern progressive teaching approaches and ideas. Simply,

it appears to be a miraculous method how to overcome common drawbacks and problems

that many teachers stand up to. In proof of it there are positive reactions to the piloted parts

of this project. The project as a whole has not been piloted yet due to my maternity leave.

However, I am going to do so as soon as possible and I would like to invite my colleagues

to try it out as well. I would appreciate their constructive criticism.

Last but not least, my overall attitude to this work did not lack enthusiasm,

responsibility and conscientiousness. I consider working on this diploma thesis a part of

my professional development, a significant road sign on my journey through teaching

practice.

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4 Résumé

Tato diplomová práce nese název "Project-based Learning: Halloween Party",

v překladu Projektová výuka: Halloweenský bál, a zaobírá se využitím projektů ve školní

praxi obecně, ale především v oblasti výuky anglického jazyka.

Teoretická část poskytuje cenné informace o projektech pro všechny pedagogy, kteří se

o toto téma zajímají. První kapitola hledá nejvhodnější definici projektu a její objasnění.

Dále se nabízí pohled do historie projektové práce v souvislosti s pragmatickou

pedagogikou. Autorka také zkoumá spojitosti projektové výuky a dalších didaktických

metod, jako je např. kooperativní vyučování nebo humanistický přístup. Zmiňuje se dále o

rolích učitele v průběhu projektové výuky, které se podstatně liší od tradičního frontálního

vyučování. Další kapitoly pojednávají o výhodách i problémech vybraného přístupu.

Autorka se zamýšlí nad významným prvkem pedagogické činnosti, kterým je motivace, a

prezentuje zde krátkou esej na toto téma. Poté stručně specifikuje motivaci v projektové

výuce. Poslední kapitola se zabývá samotným postupem projektu a popisuje jeho dílčí

kroky.

Praktická část se zaměřuje na zvolené téma projektové výuky, tedy Halloweenský bál.

Autorka zde vytvořila plány pro jednotlivé vyučovací jednotky, které dohromady tvoří

manuál detailně popisující průběh projektu. Nejdříve jsou navrženy úvodní aktivity

využívající strašidelné povídky. Následuje část, jejíž náplní je historie i současná podoba

Halloweenu a také srovnání s českými tradicemi. Skrze další vyučovací jednotky se

studenti dobírají k výslednému produktu, kterým je samotná "party" uspořádaná nejlépe

přímo 31. října. Studenti jsou zapojeni do rozmanitých aktivit, jako např. vydlabávání dýní,

malování, vytváření plakátů a pozvánek, vaření a samozřejmě nechybí příprava kostýmů.

Projekt nabízí možnosti kreativního myšlení a originálního přístupu. Důležitým aspektem

jsou také mezipředmětové vztahy, které jsou ve většině plánu zakomponovány.

Diplomová práce obsahuje přílohy, které dobarvují podobu vytvořeného projektu. Je

zde možno najít doplňující materiály pro učitele, pracovní listy pro studenty, příklady

aktivit a úkolů, obrázky a fotografie.

91

6 Bibliography

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2) VALENTA, J. et al.: Pohledy. Projektová metoda ve škole a za školou. Artama-

STD, Praha 1993.

3) PRŮCHA, J.: Pedagogický slovník. Portál, Praha 1998.

4) KASÍKOVÁ, H.: Kooperativní učení, kooperativní škola. Portál, Praha 1997 (2001,

2003). ISBN 80-7178-167-3.

5) ŠIMONÍK, O.: Úvod do školní didaktiky. MSD Brno, 2003. ISBN 80-86633-04-7

6) SINGULE, F.: Americká pragmatická pedagogika. SPN Praha, 1990.

7) PETTY, G.: Moderní vyučování. Portál, Praha 1996. ISBN 80-7178-681-0

8) HARMER, J.: The Practice of English Language Teaching, Longman 1991. ISBN

0582 046564

9) LARSEN-FREEMAN, D.: Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching.

Oxford: OUP, 1986. ISBN 019434133X.

10) DEWEY, J.: Škola a společnost. Praha, J. Laichter 1904.

11) DEWEY, J: Demokracie a výchova. Praha, J. Laichter 1932.

12) NUNAN, D. Language Teaching Methodology. Harlow: Longman, 2000. ISBN

0135214696.

13) MOSKOWITZ, G.: Caring and Sharing in the Foreign Language Classroom,

1978.

14) RICHARDS, J. C., ROGERS, T. S.: Approaches and Methods in Language

Teaching: A Description and Analysis. Cambridge: CUP, 1991. ISBN 0521312558

15) HUTCHINSON T., WOODBRIDGE, T.: Project 2 (Teacher's Book), OUP 1999.

ISBN 0-19-436525-5.

16) MAŇÁK, J.: Nárys didaktiky. Brno: MU, 1990. ISBN 80-210-0210-7.

17) JŮVA, V.: Úvod do pedagogiky. Brno: Paido, 1997. ISBN 80-85931-78-8.

18) MAŇÁK, J. et al.: Vybrané kapitoly z obecné didaktiky. Brno: MU, 1999. ISBN

80-210-1308-7.

19) HAINES, S.: Projects for EFL Classroom (Resource Material for Teachers).

Thomas Nelson and Sons 1989. ISBN 0-17-555736-5.

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20) DIANA L. FRIED-BOOTH: Project Work (Resource Book for Teachers). OUP,

1986. ISBN 0-19-437092-5.

21) PHILLIPS D. et al.: Projects with Young Learners. OUP, 1999. ISBN 0-19

437221-9

22) HUTCHINSON, T.: Project English 3 (Teacher's Book). OUP, 1987. ISBN 0-19-

435441-5

23) ELLIS, Rod.: Second Language Acquisition. OUP, 1997. ISBN 10-0194372154.

24) WICKS, M.: Imaginative Projects (A resource book of project work fro young students). CUP, 2000. ISBN 0 521 668050.

24) FRONEK, J.: Velký česko-anglický slovník. Leda, 2004. ISBN 80-85927-54-3.

25) HAIS, HODEK: Velký anglicko-český slovník. Nakladatelství Československé

akademie věd v Praze, 1991. ISBN 80-200-0064-X

26) Dictionary of English Language and Culture. Longman 1998. ISBN 80-582-30204-

8.

27) Friendship (Halloween history), vol. XXX, Foreign Language Publications, 1995.

28) Friendship (How to make a pumpkin lantern), vol. XXXI, FLP, 1997.

29) Friendship (Pumpkins), vol. XXXII, FLP, 1998.

30) British Festivals – video cassette + book, Connect ELT

93

Internet resources:

Theoretical part:

1) Projektová výuka [on line]. [quoted 2007-10-05]. Available from:

<http://www.gjs.cz/projektova-vyuka.htm>

<http://www.gjs.cz/projekt_2003-4/index.htm>

<http://www.opengate.cz/cs/volny_cas/vyuka_anglictina/index.shtml>

<http://sweb.cz/zdenka-projekty/vyvoj_definice.html>

2) Projects [on line]. [quoted 2007-10-11]. Available from:

<http://www.english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/projects/home.html>

<http://www.nelliemuller.com/Nellies_English_Projects.htm>

3) Project-based Learning [on line]. [quoted 2007-10-11]. Available from:

<http://www.eduscapes.com>

6) Project Approach [on line]. [quoted 2007-10-14]. Available from:

<http://www.project-approach.com>

7) Project-based Learning Handbook [on line]. [quoted 2007-11-02]. Available from:

<http://www.bie.org>

8) Content and Language Integrated Project [on line]. [quoted 2007-11-02].

Available from: http://www.cilt.org.uk

9) DARN, S.: Content and Language Integrated Learning [on line]. [quoted 2007-11-

07]. Available from: <http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk>

94

Practical part:

10) <http://www.elyrics.net>

11) <http://www.lyricsfreak.com>

12) <http://wwwabsolutelyrics.com>

13) <http://parentingteens.about.com/od/halloweenfun>

14) <http://www.abcteach.com/directory/clip_art/holidays/halloween/>

15) <http://www.abcteach.com/directory/seasonalholidays/halloween/>

16) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack-o'/lantern>

17) <http://www.pumpkinnook.com/facts/jack.htm>

18) <http://www.pumpkinnook.com/hween/games.htm>

19) <http://www.allhallowseve.com>

20) <http://www.britta.com>

21) <http://www.foodnetwork.com>

22) <http://allrecipes.com/Info/Holidays/Halloween/Main.aspx>

23) <http://www.fabulousfoods.com/holidays/halloween/halloween.html>

24) <http://childparenting.about.com/cs/holidazs/a/halrecipe.htm

25) <http://www.mountain-breeze.com/holidays/halloween>

26) <http://www.thefamilzcorner.com/family/kids/recipes/halloweenpartz.shtml>

27) <http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/halloween/index.htm

28) <http://2havefun.com/comedy/party.shtml>

29) <http://www.partygameideas.com>

30) <http://www.americanfolklore.net/halloween.html/#1>

31) <http://www.americanfolklore.net/halloween-game.html>

32) <http://www.history.com/minisites/halloween>

95

7 List of Appendixes

Appendix I:

1) Weekly review 2) Sub-skills checklist 3) Error monitor 4) 'Layered' approach to project work (Fried-Booth, 1986) 5) Project diary (Phillips, 1999)

Appendix II:

1) The story Horrid Henry Tricks and Treats (by Francesca Simon) 2) A haunted house (picture) 3) The ghost story Pink Chair (www.allhallowseve.com) 4) Pictures for storytelling (www.abcteach.com, www.bristol.ac.uk,

http://images.google.cz, www.akaska.cz/obrazky/halloween, www.entertainment.webshots.com)

Appendix III:

1) Halloween history (Friendship) 2) Trick or Treat (video package)

Appendix IV:

1) The Jack-o'-lantern legend 2) Pumpkin anatomy (www.pumpkinnook.com) 3) How to make a pumpkin lantern – pictures (Friendship)

Appendix V:

1) The Trick or Treat Rap 2) Halloween Rap 3) Lady in Black, The Wizard lyrics – handouts

Appendix VI:

1) Halloween refreshments – pictures 2) Halloween refreshments – recipes

Appendix VII:

1) Invitations and suggestions, Accepting and refusing invitations – handouts 2) Examples of Halloween party invitation cards

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Appendix VIII: The Withered Corpse- A Body Parts Guessing Game (americanfolklore)

Appendix IX: Photos

Appendix X: Certificate of Participation