Adults learning a foreign language: a lesson proposal for a2 Learners

FACULTAD de FILOSOFÍA y LETRAS Máster en Profesor de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Enseñanza de Idiomas Especialidad: inglés ADULTS LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE: A LESSON PROPOSAL FOR A2 LEARNERS María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo Tutora: Raquel Yuste Primo Departamento de Didáctica de la Lengua y la Literatura 2022-23 1 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo ABSTRACT This paper tries to analyse the foreign language learning and acquisition of the English language in adults, as well as their skills and motivations to learn a second language in adulthood. Thus, the spreading and evolution of the English language in a globalized and competitive world demonstrate how a bilingual person, especially one who speaks English as a second language, gains an advantage over those who only speak their mother tongue. For this purpose, a didactic proposal, mainly focused on the communicative approach, has particularly been designed for the teaching of English to adults. Moreover, a theoretical framework based on how adults acquire a second language, and different methods to teach and learn English, will support the final goal. KEYWORDS: English Learning and Acquisition in Adulthood, Skills, Motivation, Promoting Communication, Didactic Proposal RESUMEN Este trabajo intenta analizar el aprendizaje y adquisición de la lengua extranjera en adultos, así como sus habilidades y motivaciones para aprender un segundo idioma en la edad adulta. Además, la difusión y evolución del inglés en un mundo globalizado y competitivo demuestra que las personas bilingües, especialmente aquellas que hablan inglés como segunda lengua, tienen ventaja con respecto a aquellos que solo hablan su lengua materna. Para este propósito, se ha diseñado una propuesta didáctica especialmente dirigida a adultos y que promueva el enfoque comunicativo. Además, un marco teórico basado en la forma en que los adultos adquieren una segunda lengua, junto a diferentes métodos para enseñar y aprender inglés, servirán de ayuda para conseguir el objetivo final. PALABRAS CLAVE: Aprendizaje y Adquisición del Inglés en Adultos, Habilidades, Motivación, Promoción de la Comunicación, Propuesta Didáctica 2 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 2. PROMOTION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES: GUIDELINES OF EUROPEAN COUNCIL AND COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK OF REFERENCES: 2.1.- English as a Second Language in Spain 2.2.- Advantages of Bilingualism over Monolingualism 3. EFL TEACHING AND LEARNING FOR ADULTS: 3.1.- Foreign Language Learning and Acquisition in Adults 3.2.- Adult´s Ability to Learn a Second Language 3.3.- Motivations to Learn a Foreign Language 3.4.- Promoting communication in EFL classroom: 3.4.1.- Communicative Approach 3.4.2.- TPR 3.4.3.- Direct Method 4. DIDACTIC PROPOSAL: 4.1. Justification 4.2. Objectives 4.3. Contents 4.4. Methodology 4.5. Evaluation 4.6. Lesson plan 4.7. Implementation Results 5. CONCLUSIONS 6. REFERENCES 3 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo 7. APPENDIXES: 7.1. Appendix 1: Lesson Plan Tables 7.2. Appendix 2: Rubrics for assessment 7.3. Appendix 3: Current Laws and Regulations in EFL in Spain 4 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo 1.- INTRODUCTION The main aim of this project is to use several activities and tasks to promote the learning of the English language in a communicative setting through the four skills: writing, reading, listening, and speaking, with special emphasis on the latter as communication is the prime objective to be achieved. For that purpose, it has been attempted to create an original didactic proposal by introducing different tasks and activities that may motivate students to write, read, listen and especially to speak in a foreign language. Currently, there is an increasing number of people who speak more than one language being English the most remarkable of all because it is the one used as the lingua franca. For that, the prime goal of this work is to elaborate a didactic proposal that helps students to acquire English as a second language since speaking more than one language, especially English, has become almost compulsory if a person wants to achieve aims in his personal and working life. Firstly, it will be explained how foreign language is promoted in Europe along the lines of the European Council and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). After that, the use of English as a second language in Spain (less than 30 % of the Spanish population, according to the European Commission, can communicate in English) is going to be analysed, to continue explaining the advantages and disadvantages of bilingual agents compared to monolingual ones, and how their brains work differently. As our didactic proposal is aimed at a group of the Official School of Languages, it is important to focus on how adults acquire a second language and different methods to teach English to them. That is the reason to consider the acquisition of a foreign language in adults as well as their skills and attitudes, unlike the youngest students. In the next point, it is being highlighted the importance of adults’ motivation to learn a foreign language. Furthermore, the communicative approach is being reviewed in this work since it is fundamental in today's language teaching, and this approach is essential in the planned didactic proposal, as well as the TPR methodology and the direct method. Audio, and videos in the original version, as well as realia (which are resources that have not been specifically designed for learning but are used in education as materials), are going to be used as much as possible to achieve communicative skills. 5 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo A specific Didactic Proposal, based on the communicative approach to promote speaking in adult learners, has been designed to achieve a significant acquisition of a foreign language, particularly English. The purpose is to help students learn English in a relaxed and playful way with an emphasis on the communicative aspect. Finally, this work will finish with the implementation results of the proposed Didactic Unit and the conclusions drawn from it. 2.- PROMOTION OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES (GUIDELINES OF EUROPEAN COUNCIL, CEFR) In a global world like today´s, the domain of a different language than L1 provides people supremacy over those who can only speak their native language. The globalization phenomenon has contributed to locating English as the language of the dominant countries worldwide. Thus, it has overtaken other native languages through cultural consumerism (films, series, music…) and through political and economic environments too. The language of Dickens has even conquered, thanks to colloquial words and idioms, countries where the population does not speak English. Furthermore, it has become a particularly useful tool to obtain both intellectual and working progress in the twenty-first century. It could be also said that the English language is, nowadays, a kind of language like Esperanto when it was invented by Zamenhof at the end of the ninetieth century, or Latin in ancient times. According to Davidson (2007) in his work The Nature and Significance of English as a global language, Anglophones made up some 12% of the global population in 2007. Nowadays, there are probably at least as many regular speakers of English as a second language as there are Anglophones. This author explains that there are 6.000 languages in the world, and he considers that they are threatened by the domination of English. It is clear that the world of today is multilingual with most people speaking more than one language, and those who do not speak other than their native language will face an important challenge to get on in our globalised world. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages [CEFR] (European Council, 2002) establishes language competencies and especially those referring to foreign languages. It is also useful to identify the prime elements of those competencies that are needed to learn a 6 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo language and how the CEFR tries to support the training. In this regard, the requirements of any quality education comprehend a plurilingual and multicultural learning process as a response to the necessities demanded by the globalised current society. The European Council (2018) recommends increasing the level of language competencies in both official and other languages, as well as supporting people to learn different languages relevant to their working and living situations that, may contribute to cross-border communication and mobility. This kind of education must cover the acquisition of the main competencies and both the individual and collective cultural identity must be preserved to make the teaching and learning process more effective and enriching. Moreover, this cultural identity will also contribute to social cohesion. Considering that acquiring new languages also relates to the cultural aspects of those languages, as stated above, the necessity of interacting with other people leads to the use of a diversified repertoire of cultural and linguistic resources that enrich learners. In the same way, intercultural and plurilingual skills make links among people and help to understand others. That is why the Council of Europe, through the CEFR, promotes the development of areas such as mediation, multilingual competence, and sign language expertise. In its publication, the European institution also contributes to including quality education for all and focuses on the promotion of multilingualism and multiculturalism. Classrooms can be set on the stage to become aware of increasing social and educational diversity, and that is why it is especially important to promote different languages. 2.1.- English as a Second Language in Spain Out of the 450 million EU citizens, more than 370 million speak English in Europe (People in the EU, 2015). Considering that English is the most widely spoken language in Europe, we have a big challenge in our own country since less than 30% of the Spanish population can communicate in English according to European Commission (2018). As English has become a communicative vehicle between people who speak different native languages, it seems clear that dominating it gives advantages in the labour, economic, business, and cultural markets. Consequently, in comparison to other European nations, there is a clear imbalance in the opportunities for students and job mobility in Spain (Faure & Unesco, 1972), and the fact that most of the Spanish population are unable to mantain an everyday conversation in English comes as no surprise. 7 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo Both educational and media sources have been identified as powerful influences on second language learning, so they must be key in the learning process. In terms of education, English is the first foreign language taught in more than 90% of our schools, and students must spend between seven and eight hundred hours learning it (Unit, 2003). Nevertheless, and according to Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (1999), only 38% of Spanish between 15-29 years old would dare to participate in an English speech or chat, although these rates have improved in the late years. Then, why is Spain considered one of the worst European countries in English skills? Individual factors such as intelligence and cultural environment make it easier to learn a foreign language. Another factor that aids nations like Holland, Denmark, and Sweden, where more than 80% of the population speaks English fluently, in improving their proficiency in the language is grammatical proximity (Linn, 2016). But, on the other hand, speakers of languages that come from romance, such as Spanish, French, or Italian, have more difficulty when learning English. It is interesting to read in Crystal (2012) that countries that have a minority native tongue have a higher index of foreign language speakers, on the contrary, only over a third of the population in the United Kingdom (36%) can speak a second language since they can communicate in their native language anywhere in the world. Moving to the Spanish context again, the oldest citizens of our nation are mostly illiterate in English because they learned French in school when they were young (Shaheed, 2016). Furthermore, the contact within countries in that period of our history (first three-quarters of the XX century) was little, almost null, only citizens with a specific status could travel abroad and learn English. Although education reforms had been put in place, especially with the incorporation of CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) methodology, English language teaching still tends toward grammar and accuracy to prepare students for national exams at the end of the term and not for everyday life and communication. Fortunately, things are changing; Governments are implementing a language policy in line with the European Union in which up to 40% of the content of the school curriculum could be taught in English. What is even more, European Union mobility programs such as Socrates or Erasmus +, are useful for teachers and students to practice and improve their English as well as to develop their careers abroad. 8 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo Nevertheless, according to Caraker (2016), the growing presence of English as a global language has taken its toll in Spain, but its penetration into Spanish society and culture seems to have been moderate compared to other European countries. Some of our students feel that they do not need to speak another language, sometimes influenced by their families, sometimes because they observe that politicians and famous people who appear on television and social media do not speak English and do not have a good cultural level, but, nonetheless, they have reached positions of importance in the current scale of values. This is demotivating for them, so it is crucial that families and schools encourage students to learn foreign languages and incentivise them to have curiosity about other cultures and countries. It could be very enriching and have multiple benefits for their future and life. Regarding public organizations, it could be a promising idea to provide financial aid to those families that want to send their children to study in some English-speaking country but cannot afford the expense, as suggested by the British Council webpage (2023). In addition, they could implement the reformations and necessary means to improve English learning skills for those who demand it since this would benefit the progress of our country. Meanwhile, many people are opening their minds to other cultures and languages and seeing how beneficial it is as we are trying to expose in this paper. 2.2.- Advantages of Bilingualism over Monolingualism The most fascinating and complex organ of our nervous system and the seat of our thoughts and emotions, the human brain is still a mystery to science (Cobb, 2020), and some recent studies, that are going to be cited in this paper, will help us to comprehend how it works when learning a language. Studying a language is difficult, and there are known cases of children having grown separated from the exterior world who could never speak if a specific number of years had passed. This fact demonstrates that interaction is crucial and that the process of learning a foreign language is a search for the meaning that occurs through patterns. Consequently, the human brain can accumulate a big amount of information when it is ordered by patterns and our brain is ready to remember more information when a topic is related to another (Alladi et al., 2017). Thus, as bilingual teaching is based on the principle of searching and watching interrelated patterns, this didactic proposal has been planned through tasks and activities that follow a progressive line of action. 15 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo The cited authors also defend that motivation in adult language learning can be caused by multiple factors, such as attitudes, aptitudes, academic achievement, self-improvement, personal academic qualification, or career progression. But, on the other hand, the objectives of adult learning go beyond academic performance and results, they are closer to all those aspects that improve their quality of life by raising their level of self-satisfaction. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages also points out the importance of promoting the study of languages, highlighting the importance of considering the student's motivations (Council of Europe, 2000). In this regard, low levels of motivation can be further explained by the fact that books, movies, and other media are translated into Spanish; this contributes to less desire to know and learn English. Only 43% of the respondents asked believed there were opportunities to be exposed to English outside the school (Richard Caraker, 2016). It would be desirable to make efforts to improve this situation and it would be also interesting that movies and programs were broadcasted in original versions on television. In relation to this, numerous scholars such as Krashen (1992b) and McLaughlin (1983), have developed different theories about the influence of watching movies in the original version and the acquisition of a foreign language. They state that the high frequency of subtitled television viewing at home proves to be a significant factor in performance results. Furthermore, adults´ exposure to the Internet, films, videos, and music, and their prospects for future employment contribute to their motivation to learn English. In addition to all this, teacher feedback is also a relevant aspect of increasing student motivation. Therefore, an effort should be made in this regard. From what was experienced during the training in the School of Languages of Valladolid, nowadays, mobility is one of the main motivations among adults to learn English (personal communication, 2023). The students consider that learning a new language can improve job opportunities since many jobs require a basic or advanced knowledge of a second language. Also, the increasing number of people who must travel abroad to work must be considered. Thus, learning English can make traveling easier and more exciting, as it will allow for better communication with locals and a better understanding of the country's culture. Many retired adults, who have been professionals, have a lot of free time, what leads them to visit other countries. Then, when they encounter foreign language difficulty, they decide to learn English, 16 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo which, as previously explained in this paper, has become the global language nowadays. Regarding motivation, another remarkable one is that of unemployed individuals who are the ones that express the desire to further their education to improve their employment situation. At present, and due to the substantial number of temporary jobs and the lack of stability that exists in many of them, individuals are forced to continually recycle themselves and learn new languages to enlarge their curriculum vitae. 3.4.- Promoting communication in EFL classroom As we have analysed in the previous sections, adults can take advantage of their life experiences, interests, abilities, and motivations, as well as their previous knowledge. It is for this reason that it has been considered appropriate to use the communicative approach together with methodologies such as the Direct Method and the Total Physical Response (TPR) in the didactic proposal. They will help students to reach adequate communicative competence in the real world. 3.4.1.- Communicative Approach Nowadays, language teaching focuses on communication as the primary goal of language learning, emphasizing the importance of students not only learning the rules of the new language but also being able to communicate in real life. In relation to this, the communicative approach gives importance to both accuracy and fluency in language learning but highlights the ability to transmit an understandable message, that is to say: the fluency to communicate effectively. Communicative language teaching (CLT) was established at the beginning of the 1970s by British and American scholars to encourage communicative skills in L2 instruction and its methodology was focused on the learner´s experience in meaningful L2 interaction in communicative situations (Arnold & Murphey, 2013). It emerged as a response to more traditional, grammar-focused approaches to language teaching and recognizes the language as a tool for communication and the fact that students learn better when they are engaged in using it meaningfully, motivated (topics must fit them), and using real sources. This approach also states that learners need to know the purpose of their learning. The methodological revolution that exists currently has been built around two fundamental principles: the conception of language concerning its use, and the new position of the learner at the centre of the learning process (Beghadid, 2013). 17 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo As cited in Mirbabayeba (2021), the use of authentic materials is an important characteristic of CLT according to Berninger et al. (2009). Thus, consonant with these authors, Mirbabayeba (2021) explains that “there are various authentic materials, such as a copy of a genuine newspaper article, a live radio or TV broadcast, a menu, a literary text, etc., which expose students to examples of natural language”. Hence, and in line with what has been said by Mirbabayeba (2021), CLT allows the students to decide by themselves what, how and why to learn to achieve the goal of developing communicative competence. As mentioned by Holbekova and Mamajonova (2021), when it comes to the goals of language instruction, how language is learned, the types of lesson activities that best encourage and motivate learning, and the roles of teachers and students in the classroom, can be viewed as a set of guiding principles. These authors also mention that the communicative approach highlights the use of language in everyday real contexts, and not so much in formal education. Holbekova and Mamajonova (2021) also defend that there should be a kind of balance between the two, and the priority must be on the meanings and rules of usage rather than on grammar and structure. New trends are putting the emphasis on communication and only secondarily on grammar, just like in informal learning of the L1. For that, the communicative approach focuses on the development of communicative skills that enable the learner to develop as a member of a speaking community as in real life (Richards et al., 2001). In summary, the communicative approach must involve a wide variety of activities, techniques, and methodologies, such as discussions, role-plays, or solving-problems tasks, that allow the students to use the language while doing the learning process in meaningful and authentic contexts (importance of real sources and materials). It is therefore demonstrated that language should be studied to use it in real life because it is an instrument that facilitates communication. That is the main reason why the communicative approach has been devoted much emphasis in this educational proposal for adult learners. 3.4.2.- TPR Method Total Physical Response (TPR) is a language teaching method that was developed by James Asher, a professor of psychology at San Jose State University, California. He stated that memory is enhanced through association with physical movement. In other words, and 18 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo according to Phuang (2017), it can be understood as a language teaching method built around the coordination of speech and action: commands are given to students in the target language, and students respond with whole-body actions. Consonant with Asher (1969), foreign language learning is acquired by TPR the same way as mother tongue acquisition does. It consists of two phases, in the first one, the teacher does the action by gestures and after that, she/he performs the action together with the students. In the second phase, the teacher gives the instruction and students perform the action. Afterward, only when students have more knowledge of L2, the teacher can tell them what the task is to be given and to whom. All phases can be repeated as many times as the teacher considers appropriate. Following the same line, Tough (1991) considers, as cited in Canga Alonso (2012), that the most advisable form to learn a second language (L2) must be based on a model like the development of oral skills like the one used when acquiring the first language(L1). This statement will be the fundamental basis of Total Physical Response (TPR). One aspect of the TPR methodology to emphasize is that the student becomes the active protagonist of his or her learning process, being created a relaxed environment in which learners must connect language and movement. This methodology seems to be very suitable when the learner is not able to produce words in the target language, in other words, in the initial stages of learning (Richards & Renandya, 2002). This way, the beginning of the learning process becomes more fun and motivating and keeps the student wanting to learn more and more. Thus, TPR seems to be based on behavioural psychology, according to Canga (2012), since stimulus-response action is the basis of learning. Once again, the relationship between motor development and second language learning is shown to be the fundamental base for L2 acquisition in beginners. All these theories can be linked to the second language acquisition theories, which are, according to Krashen (1982a): Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis, Input Hypothesis, Affective Filter Hypothesis, Monitor Hypothesis, and Natural Order Hypothesis. Thanks to these theories, Krashen explains that foreign language acquisition can be like mother tongue acquisition, by internalising the language, which means subconscious and implicit knowledge. It is also essential to consider the input that can be used in the classroom by visual reinforcement, gestures, voice, and short sentences, and it should be done by giving examples, 19 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo repeating, offering positive reinforcement, and asking rhetorical questions. In fact, all this process can be done by the TPR Method which has come to be known as "the approach to understanding” as read in Yuste Primo (2023). But in terms of sociolinguistic theory, Canga (2012) in Revista Iberoamericana de Educación, goes on to explain that Sanchez (1997) argues that TPR could be limited to beginners, although it is not restricted to any specific social group. This fact leads us to believe that it can be an effective method for adult beginners and, consequently, it is going to be applied in the didactic proposal of this paper. The effectiveness of Total Physical Response compared to the Grammar-Translation approach for acquiring and retaining new vocabulary in an English as a second language class has been analysed by Castro (2010) who states that teachers of English as L2 need to use strategies that work better if they want to be effective. Adults often face significant challenges in their lives and sometimes demonstrate a lack of interest in learning. That is why we must implement attractive methodologies to get them hooked. But, as in most things in life, this methodology should not be overused, but applied at specific moments in the learning process. It proves to be a highly effective method for vocabulary acquisition. 3.4.3.- Direct Method The direct method was developed by Berlitz in the 20th century. It was previously used by the French Francois Gouin in the XIX century who was one of the first reformers to attempt to build a methodology around the observation of how children learn their mother tongue. Consequently, this method consists of simulating reality to acquire a new language the way children do when they learn their first language. In this sense, the direct method or natural method consists of teaching the language through the exclusive use of the target language, as well as the constant dialogue that will reinforce the oral expression (Cáceres, 2016). It was developed as a reaction to the grammar-translation method, whose decline began during the 1920s, starting to be combined with direct method techniques, and little by little one has been replaced by the other in the communicative approach which is a trend now. Mart (2013) points out that lessons and classroom activities must be carried out in the target language so that students fully engage in the use of it. He also states that conversation and interaction are important parts of this method by using the language in real-life contexts. What 20 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo is more, as students are not allowed to speak in their L1, they will learn L2 through conversation and demonstration which will lead them to fluency. Going a step further, there must be an emphasis on exposure or input rather than practice, as claimed by Bhatti and Mukhtar (2017), a prolonged period of attention before students try to produce the second language. The influence of the Direct Method in classroom communication teaching of foreign languages shows itself as a good option through interesting and motivating activities that catch the attention of students. It is also an effective method for teachers to use the English language in class and associate the meaning through action and demonstration, as read in Batool, N., Anosh et al. (2017). Another fundamental issue highlighted by this method is self-correction, and it also encourages participation in the classroom. As Yuste Primo (2023) points out in her slides on the subject of Methodology and Assessment, the direct method uses real materials (realia), the same as it will be done in our didactic proposal. There is also an essential golden rule when it comes to the Direct Method: do not translate. As well as the need to communicate in a foreign language becomes crucial in the learning process: of course, the L2 is always used in the classroom, but not the L1. Obviously, with this method, the emphasis is on oral production and pronunciation rather than grammar. Furthermore, the teacher plays the role of facilitator, the person who assists, explains, and demonstrates, but does not translate. We, as teachers, must be aware that the use of the Direct Method, particularly with its diverse activities and tasks that involve the learner in the practical use of the target language, will affect the students' linguistic development positively. 4. DIDACTIC PROPOSAL 4.1. Justification The present Didactic Proposal is designed attending to the contents legislated in DECRETO 37/2018, de 20 de septiembre, por el que se establece la ordenación y el currículo de los niveles básico, intermedio y avanzado de las enseñanzas de idiomas de régimen especial en la Comunidad de Castilla y León and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). 21 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo Similarly, all the laws concerning language teaching in Schools of Languages at both regional and national level have been considered (see appendix 3 ). This proposal will be developed during four sessions that last two hours each and it is aimed at an Official School of Languages in a medium-sized city such as Valladolid. Additionally, this unit is addressed to a class of adults with an A2 level of English according to the CEFR. Furthermore, the Didactic Unit will be implemented in the second trimester of the course, just before the Easter holidays. The sessions will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:30 am to 12:30 am, and one Friday per month. The distribution of the class consists of 16 students, all of them adults. Although pupils will work individually in some activities, most of them are designed to work in pairs or in groups to promote collaborative work and interaction among students. What is more, by doing so, they will have to interact and negotiate meanings. It is also important to mention that these pairs and groups will be composed of the same members from the beginning. It has been tried to develop activities that are appealing and entertaining for the students, but that will also be useful for them when they must deal with the outside world since they are adults who often travel and need to make use of the L2. Regarding the classroom, it has been planned with an L-shaped distribution of the tables to promote interaction and communication between the students, and there will be enough space for the teacher to move around in order to be their mediator and facilitator in the learning process. Most of the activities and tasks prepared are focused on the four skills recommended by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Taking all the previous matters into consideration and focusing on the acquisition of a foreign language in adults, especially English, the didactic proposal to be carried out will be based on the communicative approach since the main objective of adults when studying a new language is to be able to communicate, according to Myslihaka (2016). This author also states that adults, when studying a foreign language, might have an accordance and a program to do monitoring and assessment of their own learning strategies, which is a huge advantage too. Another important strategy in adults' acquisition is the enrichment of positive and meaningful living experiences they have which will be used to their advantage. Since the acquisition of good oral proficiency is of crucial importance in the process of 22 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo learning L2, the creation of a communicative and comfortable environment by the teacher encourages learners to become involved in the target language and supports their oral progress. Is for this reason that the didactic proposal that we suggest is focused on the development of the student's communicative skills. As we have seen in the theoretical framework of this paper, new methodologies demonstrate that students can do longer sentences more often in pairs or groups than in traditional classes, is for that reason that collaborative work is going to be promoted. And whenever possible, students will work with the same partner or group to help shy students get involved and feel more confident. Multilingualism must be set in the context of multiculturalism because language is not only an important aspect of culture but also a means to access cultural manifestations. Linking with this, the present proposal includes real sources taken from real life. Another point in the process of adults learning a second language that motivates them better is the perspective of language teaching which is broadened in several ways, especially, for its vision of the learner as a social agent, who co-constructs meaning in the interaction, and by the acquisition of multilingual and multicultural competencies. All of which will be used to the students´ advantage. We have also tried to effectively develop the communicative approach whose primary objective is to use language as a means of communication by encouraging persuasion, discussion, sharing of ideas, reaching agreements, etc. Thus, to help them develop these functions in a social context and in real life, we also wanted to create real learning situations and activities that stimulate communication so that students can function in the real world and achieve autonomy when communicating in the target language. As for the use of language, it will be worked on at the discourse level thanks to games, role plays, discussions, and other proposed activities that involve communication among students and progressively increase in the level of difficulty. In terms of linguistic content, and as recommended by the curriculum, students previously learnt contents will be reinforced, since English is a subject that builds on the previous knowledge acquired throughout the course thanks to continuous assessment. However, in this unit, we will specifically work on the past simple tenses, irregular verbs, there 23 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo was and there were, prepositions of place and movement, and vocabulary of crime and mystery. We will also review there is and there are and the uses of some and any. Regarding the evaluation of the objectives to be achieved, continuous evaluation instruments will be applied through the observation of the student’s performance, the completion of the proposed tasks, and their participation in the classroom. Concerning those students with special needs, we have none in this class, so it is not necessary to implement any adaptation. This proposal is based on the recommendations of the Decreto 37/2018 as well as the current legal frameworks with the intention of creating in the students significant learning which make them see the usefulness of the English language in their lives and the real world. 4.2. Objectives The basic level is based on level A, and according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), it involves the ability to use the language in a simple but appropriate and effective way, both orally and in writing, in everyday situation and producing short texts on specific topics with a basic repertoire of frequent linguistic resources and in standard language. Regarding short texts, the final task of the didactic proposal will be to write a postcard following the formal guidelines and specifications for writing postcards. Specifically, this proposal is aimed at A2 level students and it deals with vocabulary of crime and mystery, prepositions of place and movement, regular and irregular verbs in the past tense, and the uses of there was, and there were. The general objectives will be focused on working on the four communicative skills that are developed in the A2 level of English and are defined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Nevertheless, the principal aim will be on the student’s ability to communicate, with special emphasis on speaking skills. The prime objective of this didactic unit is to provide students with the necessary tools to communicate with the L2 in the outside real world. As the student progresses in his learning and thanks to continuous assessment, he or she will 24 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo realize the usefulness of learning a second language such as English which has become a global language. Regarding the specific objectives, and following the lines of CEFR and the DECRETO 37/2018, de 20 de septiembre, por el que se establece la ordenación y el currículo de los niveles básico, intermedio y avanzado de las enseñanzas de idiomas de régimen especial en la Comunidad de Castilla y León, the students will be able to: o Identify diverse types of texts. o Understand oral and written texts appropriate to their level, pointing out relevant information and common expressions. o Produce oral and written texts, well organized and adequate to the interlocutor, in addition to demonstrating a sufficient degree of fluency to communicate effectively in oral production and taking care of spelling skills in written texts. o Learn to use the foreign language in everyday situations, such as introducing oneself, asking for and giving information, making suggestions, or narrating a simple fact or event. o Distinguish the different uses of language according to context and interlocutors. o Value and consider the socio-cultural aspects of the second language as well as the relevant social aspects of everyday situations and use the most common forms of social relations. o Internalise the linguistic resources necessary in these situations, through functional and formal practice. o Encourage initial motivation and find opportunities to experiment using the new language, including those provided by the new technologies. o Train in the use of strategies that facilitate communication. 4.3. Contents Following again the DECRETO 37/2018, de 20 de septiembre de Castilla y León, the basic level focuses on the contents that make the development of pragmatic competence possible and includes the following points: a. Language activities: the activities of comprehension and production which learners must implement to carry out the functions of pragmatic competence. 31 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo After reading the article, they will have to answer some questions about the text that the teacher will write on the blackboard, this task will be done in their pairs. The next activity will consist of a conversation between two guests at the hotel and students must pay special attention to what they say about if they have seen a ghost in their room. They will have to answer 10 multiple-choice questions, in a previously given chart, during the listening. As usual, they will listen twice, and they will have two minutes in between. They will also be provided two minutes to read the questions before playing the audio for the first time. Now the teacher will explain some grammar, there was/ there were, and prepositions of place and movement through another specially prepared presentation with some appealing and colourful slides. After listening to the teacher’s explanations, students will be given a photocopy with some examples and uses and a list of prepositions of place and movement. The following activity is intended to be useful for the learners to establish their knowledge of the grammar just explained by the teacher. From a projection of a photo of the supposed to be a haunted room of the hotel, the teacher will ask direct questions to the students about what they see in the picture. After that, the screen will be switched off and they will describe what they have seen in the room. The students will reinforce the previously learnt by using there was and there were and the prepositions of place and movement in their descriptions. Hereafter, the students will watch a documentary about a haunted castle in Scotland that contains (according to local mythology) four ghosts. It is located near Loch Ness. After watching the video, they must complete some given sentences with the same words that they could hear in the video. They can be one, two, or three words. The documentary will be played twice, and the students will have time to read the sentences before and in between the two listenings. Now, it is time for a speaking engagement in which, the class will be divided into groups, and a “circle of speakers” will be made. Each member in the group will have a number (1, 2, 3, and 4 in the first group, 5,6,7, and 8 in the second group, and so on…up to 16 students that are in class). Members will take turns speaking, and when everybody in the group has spoken, the teacher may call a number, and the person with that number must tell the class what his/her group has spoken about the proposed topic (which is in this case, what they know, or they have heard about the Loch Ness Monster). 32 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo After twenty minutes of speaking, the final task will be carried out. It will serve to finish the last session. In it, students must write a postcard to a friend pretending they are in Scotland on holiday. They must use the grammar and vocabulary learned in this didactic unit. The teacher will distribute authentic postcards of Scotland's landscapes that she or he had previously printed from the internet. Students will be also given some preliminary instructions on how to write a postcard. The teacher will write the general guidelines on the blackboard: how to write the mailing address, a greeting, and a goodbye closing as in real life would do. The body of the text must have about 50 words and the postcard must be signed by them. All the postcards will be hung on the classroom wall to be co-evaluated by their classmates thanks to a specially prepared rubric for this final task (Annexes 2, table C). 4.7. Implementation Results Once the Didactic Unit has been implemented, an analysis of the students' response to it can be made. First of all, the students response has been very receptive, and they have shown signs of having learnt new concepts, vocabulary and grammar in an entertaining and communicative way. It has been used new technologies and digital devices with them, but they reject them onsome occasions because of their age. They like to do the activities and tasks on paper in orderto file them and be able to consult them when necessary. But, nevertheless, they were feeling more comfortable and confident with new methods as the sessions went on. They felt safer doing things step by step and patiently. At the beginning of the experiment, most of the students have poor pronunciation, some of them forget often the third person “s” and irregular verbs seemed to be difficult for them too. To the question of how many of them have prior knowledge of the target language, and who were learning English for the first time, it was found out that 14 of the 16 had only studiedFrench at the time when they went to school, and the other 2 had little knowledge of English but they had forgotten most of it. Despite their language deficiencies at the beginning, the evolution and improvement became evident as the classes progressed, reaching a reasonable proficiency, according to their level, at the end of the unit. 33 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo Secondly, it has been observed that the motivation of the students was remarkably high, as well as their participation, being always willing to collaborate in everything proposed by the teacher. This could be because they are mostly retired professionals, which gives them particular characteristics such as, for example, the fact that they have a great interest in finding out the reason for things. They need to know the process that has been followed and they are, therefore, very much involved in it. In addition, it is interesting to mention that most of them study a new language with the intention of keeping their intellectual capacity active. The participants have shown an unequal degree of autonomy, with fewer students less able to work autonomously than others, and feeling grateful for the collaboration of their classmates and the teacher. As far as discipline is concerned, as they are adult learners, there were no interaction problems between them. They always showed respect for the rules, for their peers, and for the teacher. Thirdly, it has also been observed that they are very punctual, some of them arriving at the class well in advance indicating their enthusiasm to learn. As regards attention to diversity, it has not been necessary to implement any methodological or any other type of adaptation, as there were adults with no special needs. It can be said that the expectations have been fulfilled to a great extent and it has been a very satisfactory experience since the results showed a great interest and desire to continue progressing on the part of the students. Regarding interaction with the students, it has been fluent, and it has been tried to speak in L2 as much as possible with the students, although in A2 it is sometimes necessary the use of the L1. Most of the students, as said, faced a new language in adulthood, but, nevertheless, they worked hard to rarely use their native language. Having in mind that vocabulary plays an important role in language acquisition, especially for English Second Language (ESL) and English Foreign Language (EFL) and the fact that there is no language without words, as stated in Indriyani and Sugirin (2018), TPR proved to be a great success, the students were involved, had fun and learned the proposed vocabulary to the point of demanding that method on other occasions. 34 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo On the other hand, the fact of having used real resources was very motivating for the students (because they saw how useful it could be in the real world when they have to book a hotel, read a newspaper or touristic brochure, or go on a trip, for example). The games played helped them to relax at times when they had been working hard, and they were particularly useful to engage them in the tasks. In addition, the activities and tasks carried out in this proposal seem to have awakened great interest in English and Scottish culture among the learners, with some of them expressing a desire to travel to these destinations. Finally, it can be stated that the participants in the didactic proposal have shown themselves capable of communicating with a certain degree of fluency with their classmates and with the teacher, despite the limitations of an A2 level and thanks to the high degree of motivation they have demonstrated. 5. CONCLUSIONS The present Didactic Proposal seems to have been fostered the communicative competence, and the proposed activities have been mostly focused on that skill, often developing discussions, speaking, and dialogues between students either in pairs or in groups. In conclusion, it can be stated that the methodology used in this didactic proposal has proved to be especially useful in motivating students to speak out in class, which was the prime goal since communication is the main objective of second language teaching. Some of the students had difficulties in public speaking at the beginning, but finally, thanks to the games, TPR method, attractive tasks, and the direct method used in this proposal, they were able to speak in front of their classmates. Moreover, it has been shown that this type of methodologies and activities created a relaxed atmosphere and complicity among the students, allowing them to get to know each other better and to contribute to each other's work. It has also proven to be effective in involving the students in group work, being promoted social abilities, sharing ideas, discussions of the best options, building meanings, helping, and correcting each other, and thus, reaching a final product that everyone was pleased with. Thus, collaborative work has also been particularly useful with shy students who, otherwise, would not be able to express themselves and participate. 35 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo Furthermore, the use of realia with adult learners has been shown to be an essential resource because it has helped to provide learners with a framework of reality and the usefulness of the target language. To conclude, mention should be made that the use of the communicative approach in the foreign language classroom, especially English as a second language for adults, has proven to be a valuable tool in getting students to speak in front of an audience. Thus, grammar and content can be learnt in a playful and practical way, as it has been demonstrated in the current proposal, instead of doing it in a repetitive manner with boring exercises as it was done in previous times of language teaching. 36 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo 6. REFERENCES Al Noor, Hosne & Khan, Mohammad. (2019). Effects of personality and motivation in second language acquisition: a tentative study on adult EFL learners. EPRA International Journal of Research and Development, 4(10), 53-59. https://cutt.ly/A4Rtcvs Alladi, S., Bak, T. H., Shailaja, M., Gollahalli, D., Rajan, A., Surampudi, B., Hornberger, M., Duggirala, V., Chaudhuri, J. R., & Kaul, S. (2017). Bilingualism delays the onset of behavioral but not aphasic forms of frontotemporal dementia. Neuropsychologia, 99, 207–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.03.021 Alonso, A. M. (2012). 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European Journal of Social Science Education and Research. vol. 3, no 2, p. 147-154. 40 Universidad de Valladolid María del Mar Alonso Gonzalo Paris, T., Yussof, R. (2013) Use of ‘time trap board game’ to teach grammar. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol.105, p. 398- 409 Phuong, H. Y. & Pham Nguyen, T. N. (2017). The Impact of Board Games on EFL Learners' Grammar Retention. Journal of Research & Method in Education, 7 vol. II, p. 61-66. Richards, J. C., & Renandya, W. A. (2002). Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. Cambridge University Press. Richards, J. C., Richards, J. C., Dudeney, G., & Rodgers, T. S. (2001). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press. Rivers, W. M. (2018). Teaching Foreign Language Skills Rev Ed. University of Chicago Press. Sciences, N. A. O. (2006). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. http://journals.plos.org Shaheed, M. (2016). 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UVA. https://campusvirtual.uva.es/pluginfile.php/3660260/mod_resource/content/1/Respuesta%20F %C3%ADsica%20Total.pdf Resources: -Class computer -Speakers -Digital screen -16 photocopies I will give you a photocopy with a list of 50 main irregular verbs to help you in future activities. You don´t have to learn them by heart, but have them at hand from now on. (The teacher starts the explanation..) Ok, that´s all! Do you have any questions or doubts about the grammar I have just explained? ACTIVITY/TASK 9 Session 2 RELAX SPEAKING Ok, perfect! Well, as you have worked a lot in this long session, the last 20 minutes will be dedicated to a game called: Guess who I Am? I will give you one card each with the name of a famous dead person (all of them are related to the topic we are studying: detectives, monsters, crime writers, assassins, etc…) You have to ask questions to a partner to guess the character who can be a real or a fictional one, but all of them are dead in order to obligate you to use the past form. The answers must be “yes” or “no”, any other answer is not allowed. The game starts…first, they ask if the person is a man or a woman and after that, if it is dead or alive and go on making questions until some student in the class guesses the character. They guess as many characters as 20 minutes of time allows. (The students have fun playing the game and speak a lot…) Oh, it is time to leave! Thank you for your participation! You have performed very well! See you at the next session! Bye! Timing: 20 minutes Classroom Management: Group activity (all the class must play together) Resources: 16 hand-made cards SESSION 3 (120 minutes) ACTIVITY/TASK 1 Session 3 WARM-UP GRAMMAR Hello, good morning everybody! How are you today? Well, to start this new session, you will need your mobile phone. We are going to play a “Kahoot” (previously prepared by the teacher). So, please take your mobile phones and please enter the code I have written on the blackboard in the application. You must fill the gaps in 20 sentences with the correct simple past tense of the irregular verbs given in brackets. This game will serve us to remember what we have studied in the previous session. After the game, we will check the answers all together. Another thing, as we are working in groups of four in the next activity, the winner of this game will make the groups, ok? Is everybody ready? Fine, let´s start, please! Timing: 15 minutes Classroom Management: Individual task Resources: -Students´mobile phones (our students are adults) -Class computer -Blackboard ACTIVITY/TASK 2 Session 3 REINFORCEMENT READING Perfect guys! I can see that you liked the Kahoot! Well, now we move on to another game: a “Cluedo” I have especially prepared for you. In it, you will find a situation (a robbery story) and 13 different clues. All the situation is located in the past to use the grammar we have learnt previously. You must work in the groups of 4 that student “X” ( the winner of the previous game) will make. Ok, what you have to do is try to guess who the robber is, taking into account those clues. You will discuss it in your groups. So, let´s go! Timing: 25 minutes Management: Groups of four Resources: -4 photocopies with the situation - 4 photocopies with 13 clues - ACTIVITY/TASK 3 Session 3 RELAX SPEAKING Fine! I am happy you liked the “Cluedo”! Now, please listen, who do you think the robber was? and why? A discussion starts… (Then, each group receive a photocopy of the solution and check if their group was right or wrong). Timing: 15 minutes Management: Group task(discussion) A MURDER MYSTERY Resources: 4 photocopies with the solution ACTIVITY/TASK 4 Session 3 REINFORCEMENT LISTENING Fine! Listen, please! Pamela and John are a young couple from the USA who want to rent a haunted house (obviously they don´t know it). Now, you must listen to the audio and answer 10 multiple-choice questions. We will listen twice and you will have 2 minutes in between. You will be provided 2 extra minutes to read the questions before playing the audio for the first time. We will correct the activity together at the end. Is everything clear? Ok, let´s start! Timing: 15 minutes Classroom Management: Individual activity Resources: -Computer -Speakers -16 photocopies ACTIVITY/TASK 5 Session 3 INTRODUCTORY GRAMMAR Thanks for your participation in the activity! Well, now we change to grammar, it is going to be a brief explanation as an introduction. I am going to give you a handout with some tables about “there is” / “there are” and “some/any” together with some examples. You will be able to do the following activities in this session if you pay attention, ok? (Teacher gives the papers to the students and starts the explanation…) Timing: 10 minutes Management: Individual activity Resources: 16 handouts ACTIVITY/TASK 6 Session 3 REINFORCEMENT READING Ok, thank you for listening to me! Next, we are playing a jigsaw reading: a text with the description of the haunted house taken from the previous listening. This text is divided into four equal parts. You must work in groups of four: groups A, B, C, and D. Each group will receive one part of the story and work together to understand it. You must read and share your part of the story orally and then, order all of them to get the right Timing: 20 minutes Management: Groups of four Resources: 4 pieces of the text (one per group) sequence. With this text, there is / there are, some/any, and past simple tenses (regular and irregular) will be reinforced. Do you understand how to do it? Well, fine! Let´s go then! ACTIVITY/TASK 7 RELAX Well, guys! To finish this session and have a little relaxation, we are playing a board game: Aunt Agatha's Inheritance' A board game in which you have to go around a haunted mansion to get the aunt's inheritance. The game includes twenty-five cards with the objects of the house, five traps, eight character cards, a board with boxes in it, and one dice. As there are eight characters in the story, you will play in your usual pairs, ok? (the game starts…and when the 20 minutes are up the teacher cocludes the session and says goodbye until the next day) Session 3 ACTIVITY Timing: 20 minutes Management: In pairs Resources: -twenty-five cards with the objects - five traps - eight character cards - a board - one dice. SESSION 4 (120 minutes) ACTIVITY/TASK 1 Session 4 INTRODUCTORY READING Good morning guys! How are you? Today we are starting the last session of this unit. As an introduction, I want you to read this newspaper article about a famous hotel in London in which many famous people stayed, including the Irish writer Oscar Wilde and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. We knew about him in the first session of Timing: 15 minutes Management: In pairs A MURDER MYSTERY Resources: 8 photocopies with the article taken from a real newspaper but adapted to the level the current unit. Do you remember? The writer who created the character of Sherlock Holmes. This hotel has the reputation of being haunted, especially one of its rooms, room 333. People believe that the hotel has several ghosts. After reading, you must answer in pairs some questions about the text. I will write them on the blackboard. Do you have any doubts or questions? Ok, let´s go! ACTIVITY/TASK 2 Session 4 WARM-UP LISTENING What do you think about room 333? Interesting, isn´t it? Well, now you are going to listen to a conversation between two guests at the hotel and please pay special attention to what they say about if they have seen a ghost in their room. You will have to answer 10 multiplechoice questions during the listening. As always, we will listen twice and you have two minutes in between. You have another two minutes to read the questions before playing the audio for the first time. We will check the answers at the end. Ok, let´s listen! Timing: 10 minutes Management: Individual activity Resources: -Computer -Speakers -16 Photocopies (one per each) ACTIVITY/TASK 3 Session 4 INTRODUCTORY GRAMMAR Thanks for doing so well! Now I am going to present you some slides I have prepared to explain “there was/ there were” and prepositions of place and movement. I will give each of you a photocopy with some examples and uses and a list of prepositions of place and movement. Come on! Timing: 15 minutes Management: Individual task Resources: -projector -screen -16 photocopies ACTIVITY/TASK 4 Session 4 REINFORCEMENT SPEAKING Ok, now from a projection of a photo of the supposed-to-be haunted room 333 of the hotel, I want to ask you Timing: 15 minutes questions about what you see in the picture. First, you will watch the photo, after that, the screen will be off and you must answer about what there was in the room. You will have to use the previously seen by using there was and there were and the given prepositions). Ok, let´s start! Management: All together (students, in common, will answer the questions) Resources: -projector -screen ACTIVITY/TASK 5 Session 4 REINFORCEMENT LISTENING Next, we are going to watch a documentary about a haunted castle in Scotland that contains (according to local mythology) four ghosts. It is near Loch Ness. You must complete the card that I am going to give you with the same words that you hear in the video. They can be one, two, or three words. The documentary is going to be played twice and you have time to read the sentences before and in between the listenings, as always. I will project the transcription at the end for you to check your answers. Do you understand what you have to do? Perfect, come on! Timing: 15 minutes Management: Individual activity Resources: -Computer -Speakers -Digital screen -16 cards ACTIVITY/TASK 6 Session 4 REINFORCEMENT SPEAKING Interesting, isn´t it? Well, now the class will be divided into groups and a “circle of speakers” will be made. Each member in the group will have a number (1, 2, 3, or 4; 5,6,7, 8…). Members take turns speaking, and when everybody in the group has spoken, I will call a number, and the person with that number must tell the class what his/her group has spoken about the proposed topic (which is in this case, what you know or you have heard about the Loch Ness Monster). Let´s go! Timing: 20 minutes Management: Groups of four Resources: None ACTIVITY/TASK 7 Session 4 REINFORCEMENT WRITING (FINAL TASK) To finish this last session, as a final task, you must write a postcard to a friend pretending you are in Scotland on holiday. You must use the grammar and vocabulary learned in this didactic unit. I will distribute authentic postcards of Scotland's landscapes that I have printed from the internet. I am going to write the general guidelines on how to write a postcard on the blackboard: how to write the mailing address, a greeting, and a goodbye closing. The body of the text must have about 50 words and the postcard must be signed by you. All the postcards will be hung on the classroom wall in order to be co-evaluated by you, thanks to a specially prepared rubric for this task. Each of you will evaluate one partner, and the postcards are numbered from 1 to 16. I will assess you too, and the average of my rubric and your rubric grade will be calculated. The student with the highest mark in this task will be graded with 0,50 points of the final grade. Thank you, guys, for your effort in this unit. You have worked hard! Congratulations! I see you in the next class! Bye! Timing: 30 minutes Management: Individual task Resources: -16 postcards - Writing materials -Peer´s rubrics -Teacher´s rubric 7.2. Appendix 2 Rubrics for assessment TABLE A WRITING PRODUCTION She/he does not accomplish the task= 0 1 0,75 0,50 0,25 0 Adapts to Provides The length of COMMUNICATION the context, relevant and the text EFFICACY type of text, appropriate produced is target information in appropriate. audience, an adequate and manner. register. TEXT Organises Uses ORGANIZATION ideas appropriate effectively, reference logically, elements and fluently (pronouns, into demonstrative appropriate s, articles, sentences correlation of and tenses, paragraphs. connectors, etc.) LEVEL OF Uses Uses correct Use correct CORRECTION correct morphological spelling and vocabulary and syntactic punctuation. and structures. expressions. RANGE IN THE Uses a Uses a varied USE OF THE varied, range of LANGUAGE precise, and morphological natural and syntactic range of structures, vocabulary precise and and natural expressions. TOTAL TABLE B ORAL PRODUCTION She/he does not accomplish the task= 0 1 0,75 0,50 0,25 0 COMMUNICATION EFFICACY Adapts to the context, type of text, target audience, and register. Provides relevant and appropriate information in an adequate manner. The length of the text produced is appropriate. TEXT ORGANIZATION Organises ideas effectively, logically, and fluently into appropriate sentences and paragraphs. Supplies interruptions with strategies such as speech fillers, etc. Uses appropriate reference elements (pronouns, demonstratives, articles, correlation of tenses, connectors, etc.) LEVEL OF CORRECTION Uses correct vocabulary and expressions. Uses correct morphological and syntactic structures. Use correct pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation. RANGE IN THE USE OF THE LANGUAGE Uses a varied, precise, and natural range of vocabulary and expressions. Uses a varied range of morphological and syntactic structures, precise and natural TOTAL OBSERVATIONS: TABLE C Peer´s rubric POSTCARD NUMBER:  The colleague follows the instructions given by the teacher on how to write a postcard.  The content of the text is relevant and wellunderstood.  He/she uses appropriate connectors. 1 0,75 0,5 0,25 0  The text is attractive to the reader.  the text is well structured. 1 0,75 0,5 0,25 0 TOTAL………………………………… / 10