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Teaching Dictogloss in ESL Classes

The document outlines a dictogloss activity for language learners, where students listen to a text, take notes on key words, and then reconstruct the text from memory. It emphasizes collaboration among students to compare their versions and identify language gaps through discussion. An example with A2/B1-level students illustrates the process and highlights specific language points that emerged from their reconstruction efforts.

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Mac Baicov
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5 views2 pages

Teaching Dictogloss in ESL Classes

The document outlines a dictogloss activity for language learners, where students listen to a text, take notes on key words, and then reconstruct the text from memory. It emphasizes collaboration among students to compare their versions and identify language gaps through discussion. An example with A2/B1-level students illustrates the process and highlights specific language points that emerged from their reconstruction efforts.

Uploaded by

Mac Baicov
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Using a dictogloss in class:

1. Tell Ss you are going to read a short text aloud and they need to write the key
words and expressions they hear as you’re reading.

Write the title of the text and any proper names in it on the w/b. Tell Ss what kind
of text it is, e.g. a pedagogical text, poem, joke, etc.

Make it clear that it will be impossible to write every word they hear, i.e. it is not
a normal dictation.

2. Read the text once, clearly and at a natural speed. Learners make notes.

3. S-S work together, and using their notes, try to reconstruct the text from
memory. They need to try to get their text to resemble the original as closely as
possible.

4. Put Ss into larger groups to compare notes, and to alter their texts if necessary.

5. Read the text again, but this time they can’t write until you have finished.

6. Compare the original text with the Ss’ text. This is the main stage of the lesson.
Elicit differences between the two versions and clarify language points as they
arise. (The idea is that the differences indicate gaps in the Ss’ language
knowledge.)

Encourage Ss to ask:
‘Our text is different – is it grammatically correct?’
(If yes) ‘Does it mean the same thing as the original text, or something different?’
Here is an example of a dictogloss done with A2/B1-level students.

Last December, my computer stopped working. I switched it on but nothing


happened. I called a friend. He told me the monitor, mouse, modem and
keyboard were all broken. What a disaster! I took my computer to a repairer and
they installed the new hardware. I had to spend a lot of money!

The class' final version was:

Last December, my computer stopped work. I switched on but it doesn't work. I


called my friend. He said me to change the monitor, mouse, modem and
keyboard. What disaster! I taked my computer to repair and he installed a new
hardware. I spent a lot of money!

What came out of this was:

 the verb 'stop' needs ___ing when followed by another verb (students already
knew like/love/hate)
 the verb 'to happen' – students didn't know this verb
 He said .v. He told me
 'What + a + singular noun' as an exclamation
 active and passive: to show .v. to be repaired
 the verb 'to have to' for obligation – students didn't know this verb

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