• Too much colloquial dialogue or slang. You will get bogged down in explanations, leaving little room for students to contribute. • Reference to cultural events and people unknown to students. This would require too much background information. It’s fine to give one-line explanations but if they need a mini-lecture on the period to get to grips with the extract, it is not suitable for your aims as an assistant.
Poetry Poetry doesn’t have to mean Wordsworth. Not with sixteen-year-old lower intermediate learners. However, don’t exclude poetry. It can be a brilliant
Motivating teenagers pp 24–5
source of short, lively material which can bring one simple story or idea to life. Poetry doesn’t have to be serious and it can be appealing to an average group of non-academic adolescents if the subject matter reflects their world and concerns. Poetry is also music, it helps students tune in to the rhythm of English, the rhymes and the sounds of the language. It lends itself to
Using songs pp 85–8
acting out, and to thought-provoking discussion. The pleasure of getting your mouth round English rhythm and sounds can appeal to teenagers. Those too embarrassed to sing will recite a poem!
Making a poetry cassette p 126
A bad habit by Michael Rosen ‘Cigarette, Mike?’ they say, ‘I don’t smoke,’ I say. ‘Haven’t you got any bad habits?’ they say, ‘Yes,‘ I say, ‘I chew bus tickets.’ I can’t stop it. The conductor gives me my ticket and before I know I’ve done it I’ve rolled it up and I’m sucking on it like a cigarette. I hold it with my fingers. I roll it. I flick it. I hold it in my lips. But there’s a snag with my bus ticket cigarettes: they go soggy, they go gooey and I nibble and I bite 117