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Course Outline
Each Shoebox Course is divided into eight Workshops, totalling twelve hours.
One: Building Blocks A We start with an overview about how students learn, and then move into the central idea of the Shoebox method: that students learn best when they generate their own language about their own lives. We then strip away much of the complexity of English to reveal the foundational principles beneath, which then lead to an understanding of how clauses, punctuation, conjunctions and sentence types all link in clear structures, and even show how students can make their writing much more varied. We also demystify such terms as subject - verb - object, predicate and complement, participles and infinitives, and take everything back instead to simple, easy-to-understand components. Two: Building Blocks B Building Blocks continues with further practice in main and dependent clauses, and we also learn the secrets of Noun and Verb families, prepositions, subordinating conjunctions, and articles. Three: Past Stories Most of a student’s life is past, so it makes sense to show students how to master the past tenses as soon as possible. Rather than teaching the four main past tenses separately, this workshop shows you how to combine them into a single, coherent and logical whole. Learn how to use story-telling, conceptual hooks, components and whiteboard diagrams to show students of Pre-Intermediate and higher how to write such sentences as “While my friends were relaxing at home, I went to the zoo to see a koala because I had never seen one before.” Four: Present Stories This follows the same idea as the Past Stories Workshop, that genuine, stable, remembered language is best produced when it is relevant. Since the most relevant thing to a student is his current life, this workshop takes four tenses (Present Simple, Present Continuous, Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous) and unites them into a single, logical whole, focussing on the student’s present life. Using Shoebox techniques, we use stories, conceptual hooks, components and whiteboard diagrams to help students generate their own language. Five: Future Stories The Future is the most difficult of all tense groups, but we make it easier with a romantic tale of two students and their adventures that grows with every telling! Unlike the Past and Present Stories workshops, though, we only use the Future Simple, as the three other future tenses are used much less often, although you can request information on how to teach those tenses if there is time in the workshop. If will and going to are all your students use for the future, or you have never understood how to teach them clearly, this workshop will provide a sequenced, logical story that makes sense. Six: Conditionals A Much of English is not real. As soon as that seemingly insignificant word if begins a sentence, we enter the imaginary world of the Conditionals, where things are not real, but what might be in the past, future, the always or a mixture of them. First, we use the components and building blocks from Week One to untangle the grammar, and then use conceptual hooks to link the students’ lives to the grammar. It’s wonderful to see students use these principles in class to express imaginary situations in their lives with freedom and accuracy. |
Cost and Inclusions
$350
Tax-deductible receipt and certificate provided. Weekly payments possible. Email Greg to set up an arrangement. Location
George Burnett Leisure Centre
Manning Rd, Manning (opposite Elderfield Rd) ample free parking onsite (see map below) Time and Dates
7.00 - 8.30 PM
May 21, 28 June 4, 11, 18, 25 July 2, 9 Seven: Conditionals B, Modals and Passives
We continue with Mixed Conditionals, those forms that scare many students (and some teachers!) and show you how the underlying principles remove much of the confusion and make them simple indeed. Even Modals and Passives fit into the Shoebox family. Using Shoebox colour-coding, torches and stories, you will both learn the underlying principles behind these two forms as well as how to teach them with discovery-based methodology and simple laminated cards. Eight: Secrets and Review Some of the trickiest parts of English are the tiniest. How do we teach the (many groups of) easily confused words like watch - see - look at, get in or get on, come and go, bring and take, say - speak - tell and many others? Surprisingly, many of these have underlying principles, and it is delightful to see a student’s eyes light up as she sees the principles. This workshop will show you, too. We also review your learning this week and you receive your Certificate of Completion and access details to the Shoebox Members’ Library. |
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