10 Phrasal Verbs for the Office
In my last post, I explored how to use the new Woodpecker app to create a lesson based on a video about UBI. In this post, I will demonstrate how to use a video from one of the "Teacher Channels" in the Woodpecker app to create a lesson plan.
There are some great video lessons on YouTube or on websites like engVid, which I sometimes send to students as self-study activities. I search for videos that will complement the particular lesson topic or grammar point that I have been working on with the student. It is an alternative and fun way for students to review the language covered in the lesson, improve their listening skills, and it is something that can be done on-the-go.
In this post, I'm going to do things the other way round. Firstly, I chose a lesson from the engVid 'Teacher Channel'. In the video, teacher Alex introduces and explains the use and meaning of 10 common office phrasal verbs. Then, I created a lesson plan to go over the same phrasal verbs. The homework activities will involve the student watching Alex's video, through the Woodpecker app, in order to review the phrasal verbs. The objective is to assist language retention, improve listening comprehension skills, and to work on pronunciation.
Key Woodpecker functions used in this lesson
Built-in bilingual dictionary
Touch a word in the subtitles that appear in the lower half of the phone screen, to view the definition of the word in your chosen language. You can also touch on the 'speaker’ icon to hear the word played out loud.
Go back either 1 sentence or 5 seconds and listen again to a particular expression or sentence. Useful to improve comprehension and for pronunciation practice.
Back icons
Go back either 1 sentence or 5 seconds and listen again to a particular expression or sentence. Useful to improve comprehension and for pronunciation practice.
When a word is touched it is automatically added to the 'Word History', which can be found in the 'Main Menu'. To export words from the 'Word history' to a range of apps or to copy to a file, touch the three horizontal dots on the top right of the screen. Then, tick the circle next to the words that you would like to export. Finally, touch the green export icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Choose either 'Copy to clipboard' or 'Export as file'.
*Note: The export function is a payable add-on, which can be purchased by touching the 'Main Menu' icon (top left of the screen) and then 'Add-ons (bottom right of the Main Menu). It is a one-time payment and costs approximately US$1.
Dictionary
In the 'Main Menu' of the app, touch the 'Dictionary' option. Then, type a word or phrasal verb in the search box to view a definition in your native language and to view videos related to the word. Touch the arrow on the right of the translation to reveal greater detail from a dictionary. Touch on the name of the dictionary to go to the website of that dictionary and to see all the available information about the word or expression.
Creating a lesson plan based on a video within the Teacher Channel engVid in the Woodpecker app
Choose a video
Once you have chosen your video
Step one - Open the video in portrait mode in the app. Then, click on the 'Share' button (top right of the video screen) and send a link to yourself by email. You will add this link to your lesson materials so that your student can go directly to the chosen video in the Woodpecker app for the homework activity.
Step two - Read through the subtitles of the chosen video and touch/take note of the phrasal verbs that you would like to work on in your lesson.
The Lesson Plan
I created a lesson plan that consists of 8 tasks, 4 tasks for 2 groups of 5 phrasal verbs. The main objective of the lesson is to introduce, review and give the student the opportunity to use the phrasal verbs.
Task 1
To introduce the first set of 5 phrasal verbs in context - The student must identify the phrasal verb in a sentence and match it with its definition.
Task 2
Review the phrasal verb - Fill the gaps with one of the five phrasal verbs. Some sentences require the tense of the phrasal verb to be changed.
Task 3
Context and meaning - Read the dialogue. Then, replace a verb/expression with a phrasal verb. Read the dialogue again using the correct phrasal verbs.
Task 4
Speaking - Ask questions about the student's experiences in the office to show the practical use of the phrasal verbs and to encourage them to use the phrasal verbs in context.
Task 5-8 are a repetition of Tasks 1-4 with the second set of 5 phrasal verbs.
Homework
The self-study activity has 8 parts, students will need to use the Woodpecker app in order to complete them.
The self-study activity has 8 parts, students will need to use the Woodpecker app in order to complete them.
Part 1 - Revision and Improve Listening skills
Students should turn their phone to horizontal mode, tap on the CC (None) and watch the first part of the video.Part 2 - Improve understanding skills
Students should turn their phone to portrait mode and watch the first part of the video again, reading along with the text and tapping on words that they would like to add to their 'Word History' in the app.
Part 3 - Improve comprehension and pronunciation:
Students should use the 'Go-back-one-sentence' button and the 'Go-back-five-seconds' button on the Woodpecker player to re-listen to chunks of text, in order to understand better. Encourage them to pause the video and repeat the chunks of language saying them out loud. Remind them to copy the native speaker’s pronunciation and intonation.
Part 4 - Expand Vocabulary
Students should watch the second part of the video. Firstly, with their phone in horizontal mode and without subtitles, then in portrait mode reading along with the text and using the app to help them comprehend and to add new vocabulary to their Word History. Finally, using the 'Go-back-one-sentence' and 'Go-back-five-seconds' buttons to re-listen and repeat chunks of text to improve understanding and pronunciation.
Part 5 - Review New Vocabulary
Students should review the words that they have added to their Word History (found in the main menu) when they have finished watching the video. If they wish to purchase the in-app function (approximately US$1) they can use the 'Export' option, to export their vocabulary list to a text file or even to a Quizlet file in order to continue working on the expressions.
Part 6 - Writing and vocabulary review
Your student should write a sentence of their own using each of the ten phrasal verbs. As an alternative, they could create an office dialogue using as many of the phrasal verbs that they can from the lesson.
Part 5 - Review New Vocabulary
Students should review the words that they have added to their Word History (found in the main menu) when they have finished watching the video. If they wish to purchase the in-app function (approximately US$1) they can use the 'Export' option, to export their vocabulary list to a text file or even to a Quizlet file in order to continue working on the expressions.
Part 6 - Writing and vocabulary review
Your student should write a sentence of their own using each of the ten phrasal verbs. As an alternative, they could create an office dialogue using as many of the phrasal verbs that they can from the lesson.
Part 7 - Additional Exercise
Encourage your students to use the 'Dictionary' tool in the app to explore other uses and meanings of the phrasal verbs covered in this lesson.
*Note: I would not recommend this activity to lower level students or to students that have found the lesson challenging.
Click to view the video in YouTube
Conclusion
In my opinion, using the Woodpecker app to find inspiration for writing a lesson plan, in the form of one of the 'Teacher Channel' video lessons, is both highly effective and a huge time saver for teachers. From the students perspective, there are a number of advantages. The most important, I believe, is to be able to listen to another teacher with a different accent explaining the same vocabulary or grammar point again. The student gains from the repetition, which will increase vocabulary retention, while at the same time, being exposed to additional language and examples. Listening to a different accent will improve their listening skills. In addition, the combination of in-class activities and the more auditory/visual method of teaching from the homework video should reach a wider range of students by using a variety of teaching methods to suit different learning styles.
For tips on how to teach phrasal verbs, I recommend reading this blog post by James Taylor:
For more information about learning styles, I highly recommend this book by Marjorie Rosenberg:
https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Styles-Delta-Teacher-Development/dp/1905085710