Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading (GVR) Test Skill Development ...

1 Grammar, vocabulary , Reading (GVR) Test Skill Development Activities for the InformationPart 2 of the ECCE, in three parts 90 minutes 100 questions, all multiple choiceQuestions and Reading texts reflect a range of contexts: Personal Public Occupational EducationalVocabulary35 multiple-choice questions testing a wide range of task:Choose the word or phrase that most appropriately completes the Everyone thought that the new student was a welcome _____ to the increaseb. growthc. developmentd. additionReadingThere are two types of Reading tasks: Part 1: two Reading passages followed by five comprehension questions each Part 2: two sets of four thematically-related passages with 10 comprehension questions eachAll questions are multiple choice with four optionsSummary high-intermediate level, paper-based test based on internationally recognized criteria 90-minute multiple-choice test no prescribed course any general English course may be followedAbout the GVR SectionsGrammar35 grammar questions testing a variety of structures including.

2 The complete range of tenses, including more sophisticated use of the basic structures Mixed conditionals Relative clauses Modal verbs used for more sophisticated purposes, deduction Active & passive verbs A full range of conjunctions Phrasal verbs Reported speech Use of gerund and infinitive Use of question tags More advanced use of comparatives, and Use of would and could after I wish and if only Example task:Choose the word or phrase that best completes the conversation or It is better _____ the job now rather than leave it for finishesb. to finishc. finishd. finished preparing students for the ECCEThis packet contains general information about the Grammar, vocabulary , and Reading sections of the ECCE.

3 Included are 4 lesson plans for improving student GVR skills and over a dozen suggestions for additional lessons. These lessons mainly employ a collaborative learning model. When reviewing the lessons keep in mind: ECCE is aimed at the B2 level of the CEFR. ECCE grammar items focus on a variety of grammatical features observed in written American English. It is assumed that test takers can show a relatively high degree of grammatical control (Council of Europe, 2001: 114). ECCE vocabulary items measure vocabulary size and tap certain in-depth aspects of vocabulary knowledge. It is assumed that test takers will have a vocabulary size of up to 8,000 words (Laufer & Ravenhorst-Kalovski, 2010).ECCE Reading items focus on three subgroups of Reading skills: global, local, and inferential:Global understanding main idea understanding author s opinion understanding the relationship between ideas comparing/contrasting features of one or more textsLocal understanding explicitly stated ideas (detail) from one or more texts understanding vocabulary in context identifying referentsInferential drawing an inference/conclusion from one or more texts understanding rhetorical functionPlease see the CaMLA website for additional sample test materials.

4 ActivityFuture Continuous and Future PerfectTiming 5 minutesMaterials Future Continuous and Future Perfect WorksheetRationale To determine the difference between future continuous and future perfect by selecting the correct structure to fill the gap and manipulating the structures Remind students of the correct form and use for both future continuous and future Give out Worksheet: Future Continuous and Future Perfect and ask them to fill in the gaps in the dialogue using the correct structure of the words in Go through the correct answers with the class (see key to worksheet, below), clarifying understanding and correcting common Ask students to practice Reading the dialogue in pairs, playing particular attention to the pronunciation of the shortened and weak forms of the Still working in pairs, ask students to look at task (B) on the worksheet and improvise a dialogue about their own future plans, trying to use these two forms if possible.

5 You may wish them to write the dialogue so you can correct any to WorksheetJohn: What (1) will you be doing this time next year?Alex: I (2) will be working in my father s law firm. How about you?John: I m not really sure. I (3) will probably still be studying for my Spanish exams. I (4) won t have finished my course by : Wow! You ve been studying for years. Next time I see you, you (5) will have completely mastered the : I doubt it, but you (6) will be earning a fortune! You will have to buy me a fancy dinner in a top : Sure thing. I guess I (7) will have saved enough by then! Note: Encourage students to use the contracted forms (I ll) when they are speaking. : Future Continuous and Future PerfectFuture continuous: used to describe a continuous action which will be happening at a specific time in the future.

6 This time next week I ll be sunbathing on the perfect: used to describe an action which will have happened by a particular time in the future. By Monday I will have finished my Complete the conversation, using the words in brackets and the correct future : What (1) _____ (you/do) this time next year?Alex: I (2) _____ (work) in my father s law firm. How about you?John: I m not really sure. I (3) _____ (probably/still/study) for my Spanish exams. I (4) _____ (not/finish) my course by : Wow! You ve been studying for years. Next time I see you, you (5) _____ (completely/master) the : I doubt it, but you (6) _____ (earn) a fortune! You will have to buy me a fancy dinner in a top : Sure thing. I guess I (7) _____ (save/enough) by then!

7 2. Now ask each other about your plans for this time next year. Try to extend your conversation with appropriate detail and reaction, and make sure you use the correct verb : _____ ActivityModals of DeductionTiming 15 minutesMaterials Worksheet: Modals of Deduction; a picture of your choice, which enables you to demonstrate modals of deductionRationale To deduce what has happened from a series of puzzles to solve; to express themselves with appropriate modal verbsProcedure1. Show the class a picture, a scene from a movie. Ask the class what they think might have happened or be happening now. Elicit phrases which you can use as examples on the board, She must be a doctor; He might have been in an accident; He could be going to a Divide the students into groups of three or four and give them the Worksheet: Modals of Deduction.

8 Ask them to solve the puzzles you have given them and to write down their ideas using sentences which include a modal Monitor the exercise carefully and check for understanding and correct use of the When asking the students for their ideas , write good examples of modal usage on the board and give them the correct answers to the puzzles (see key to worksheet, below).Key to Worksheet1. The carrot, pebbles and pipe are part of a snowman which has The man is in a hotel room and he can t sleep because the man in the room next door is snoring. He calls the room s number and the man wakes up and answers. The first man hangs up without saying anything and goes to sleep before the other man starts snoring The man is driving the wrong way down a one-way This man is very short and he can t reach the button for the 20th floor.

9 If someone is with him, they can press the button for him. If it is raining he can use his umbrella to push the The man has hiccups and the bartender has startled him to make the hiccups go away. : Modals of DeductionBelow is a set of puzzles. In your group, decide what might be happening. Use phrases such as could be, must be, might have been, can t have been, There s a carrot, a pile of pebbles and a pipe lying together in the middle of a field. 2. A man is lying awake in bed. He makes a phone call, says nothing, hangs up and then goes to sleep. 3. A man drives down the highway at 55mph. He passes three cars going at 60mph. He is pulled over by a police officer who gives him a ticket. 4. A man lives on the 20th floor of an apartment block.

10 Each day he comes home from work and goes in the elevator to the 12th floor and then takes the stairs to the 20th. If he is with someone, or if it is raining, he takes the elevator all the way to the 20th floor. 5. A man walks into a bar and asks for a drink. The bartender suddenly jumps over the counter and screams in his face. The man says, Thank you, and walks : _____ 10 minutesMaterials Worksheet: Collocations, cut up into two sets of cards: verbs and nouns/adverbs (one worksheet for every group of students)Rationale to match verbs to the word or phrase which completes them; to use one s memory to remember where specific words are, and fix the phrases more readily in one s memoryProcedure1. Divide the students into groups of three or Place two piles of cards (Worksheet: Collocations) face down on the The first student takes a card from each pile.