Julia CO #3- Dr. Rios Speaking Class

 Dr. Rio had students take out the sentences that they had written in the previous class. 

Dr Rio went around the class, having each student share their sentences to the entire class, giving feedback when each was done. 

Students are practicing triggers for using gerunds. 

As students read aloud, Dr. Rio encourages them as they read, with encouraging "goods" 

Dr. Rio points out a sentence a student shared to emphasize that it is possible to have a sentence with many verbs, and that some verbs require a gerund or an infinitive.  

"She promised to help me look for....." 

In the second half of class, Dr. Rio introduces a class discussion with a handout. He emphasizes the differences between a discussion and a debate and poses a question to the class: What is the difference between a debate and a discussion? Dr. Rio emphasizes that the goal of the class discussion is to connect everyone's opinions, even if not everyone agrees. Before a student speaks, they must show they listened to the person who spoke before them. Dr. Rio spends about 15 minutes introducing the activity and having students read examples of discussion language. 

Discussion Language: 

- Beginning a discussion: 

  • Today, the topic is about____? 
  • What are your thoughts on ____? 
  • What do you think about ____? 
- Taking the floor: 
  • I'd like to say something about that. 
  • In my opinion, ____. 
  • I think that ____. 
  • Excuse me, could I say/add something? 
- Keeping the floor: 
  • Could I finish my point, please? 
  • Could I say something else about that? 
- Getting Others to Speak: 
  • What do you think about that, ___? 
  • I want to know what ___ thinks about that. 
- Disagreeing: 
  • I see what you mean, but I think.... 
  • That's a good point, but.....
- Agreeing: 
  • I like/agree with what ___ said. 
  • That's just what I wanted to say. 
  • I think ____ has the right idea. 
- Bringing in Information: 
  • According to the article I read,_______. 
  • The article stated that _______. 
- Concluding 
  • To sum up, based on what we discussed,____. 
  • So, according to what we discussed, _____. 

Warm-up topic (to get the discussion started): 
Do you think fast-food restaurants are the ONLY reasons for obesity in the USA? 

Dr Rio starts by ensuring that everyone knows what the word obesity means (a low-frequency word), then has students define it and come up with synonyms. 

Dr. Rio gives students 1-2 minutes to write down what they think, "write down some quick opinions," about the prompt, and then goes around the class sharing their answers. 

Dr. Rio always plays music at a low volume when students are working. I think it's very effective at reducing tension in the room and helping students feel at ease while writing. 



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