How to teach remotely with
This guide provides teaching suggestions for using Prism Reading coursebooks and other supplementary materials to support your online classes. The links throughout this guide take you to a variety of teaching resources. The suggestions are based on a mixed model of remote teaching using: > live lessons online > collaborative group tasks without the teacher > individual self-access study They are based on the principle that live lessons give students the chance to speak and clarify their doubts. Students can complete other tasks such as reading, listening and controlled practice exercises on their own and use the classroom to check answers.
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Tools you can use in live classes: SCREEN-SHARING:
C H AT B O X :
BREAKOUT ROOMS:
can be used to share Presentation Plus, images, videos as well as playing audio.
allows for all students to participate actively at the same time, best used for short answers and brainstorming.
are virtual rooms for small groups. Teachers can enter these rooms and monitor the work going on in pairs or small groups.
G R E AT F O R :
G R E AT F O R :
G R E AT F O R :
> giving instructions
> starting the lesson
> comparing answers after tasks
> setting up tasks
> checking concepts
> role-plays
> presenting grammar or vocabulary
> closing the lesson
> short discussions.
> getting feedback.
> stimulating discussions.
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Two or three short breakout room tasks each lesson help to add variety. To find out more about how to set up and manage breakout rooms and other functions in your online class, read Using a video conference platform for teaching online.
Tools your students can use for tasks outside the classroom:
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DISCUSSION FORUMS:
VIDEO OR AUDIO RECORDINGS:
you can post a short task on any discussion forum platform (you may have a digital platform at your school, you may want to use online applications like Moodle or Edmodo, you may want to use a wiki or a blog or other shared online space).
students can make short video recordings on their phones, tablets or computers and share them with you and/or the whole class.
C O L L A B O R AT I V E WRITING TOOLS: students can work together online to write and edit a document using e.g. Google docs.
A quick overview of the coursebook unit structure. The sections you will want to prioritize for synchronous videoconferencing classes are shown in bold.
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Unit Opener
Unit objective, Activate your knowledge
Reading 1 & 2
Preparing to read, While reading, Reading between the lines, Critical thinking, Collaboration
Language Development
Grammar/Vocabulary
Watch and Listen
Preparing to watch, While watching, Critical thinking, Collaboration
A suggested structure for an online course following a mainly synchronous approach
UNIT 4
UNIT
4
WEATHER AND CLIMATE LEARNING OBJECTIVES Key Reading Skills
Reading for details; using your knowledge to predict content
Understanding key vocabulary; Additional Reading Skills reading for main ideas; recognizing text type; synthesizing Language Development
Collocations with temperature; describing a graph
ACTIVATE YOUR KNOWLEDGE 1
Match the types of weather to the photos.
2
What is your favorite type of weather? Why?
3
What is your least favorite type of weather? Why?
4
Look at the large photo. What type of weather do you see?
a
b
c
d
snowy
sunny
rainy
windy
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Activate your knowledge > Use screenshare to ask students to look at the image on the opening spread and brainstorm answers to the initial questions.
Main Classroom
> Feed back on their answers by calling on individual students to expand on their answers. Do this with five or six students before moving on.
Breakout rooms
> Put students into breakout rooms to discuss questions. Give students a time limit, and clear directions of what they need to produce after group session.
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Screenshare
READING 1 1 UNDERSTANDING KEY VOCABULARY You are going to read a text about extreme weather.
scared our cats. They wouldn’t come out from under 5 The the bed until the storm ended and it was quiet again.
Before you read, look at the definitions. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words in bold.
increase in rainfall this year. As a result, 6 There has been a the lakes and rivers are at the highest levels in years.
almost (adv) not everything, but very close to it cover (v) to lie on the surface of something
if there is 7 Swimming in the rain can be fun, but it’s lightning. You should get out of the water right away so you don’t get hurt.
dangerous (adj) can harm or hurt someone or something huge (adj) extremely large in size or amount last (v) to continue for a period of time lightning (n) a flash of bright light in the sky during a storm thunder (n) the sudden loud noise that comes after a flash of lightning 1 I think the big snow storm will the ground in snow. We won’t be able to see any grass at all. 2 Although flashes in the sky. 3
4
READING 1
4 Asli got sick when the weather changed. Luckily, it didn’t long. She felt better after a couple of days.
PREPARING TO READ
2
USING YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Work with a partner and discuss the questions.
1 What kind of weather do you have in your town or city? 2 What does the word extreme mean? 3 What is an example of extreme weather?
can be very scary, it is also beautiful when it
every house on our street was destroyed by the fire. Only two houses were saved.
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Reading 1 & 2
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Preparing to read
Main classroom
> Divide your class into groups and ask them to complete the Preparing to Read in the breakout rooms. Allow at least 7 to 8 minutes for the task. Visit each of the breakout rooms in turn to monitor the task and help where necessary.
Screenshare
> Bring the students back into the main classroom. Ask them to write one sentence they remember from their breakout room task in the chat box. Call on individual students to expand on their answers in the chat box and report back on their group’s work.
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Breakout rooms Chat box
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READING 1
WHILE READING 3
READING FOR MAIN IDEAS Read the text on pages 72–73. Then circle the statement that contains the most important idea in each paragraph.
READING READINGBETWEEN BETWEENTHE THELINES LINES 5
RECOGNIZING TEXT TYPE
Circle the correct answer.
1 What type of text is this?
1 Paragraph 1 a Extreme weather is unusual and can cause natural disasters. b Extreme weather can take place over a short time or a long time. 2 Paragraph 2
a an excerpt from a newspaper
a facts
3 Paragraph 3 a In a heat wave, temperatures are hotter than normal. b Heat waves sometimes occur in the U.S.
a In 2015, there were floods in South America. b Floods happen when there is too much rain.
b opinions
CRITICAL THINKING 6 Discuss the questions with a partner.
APPLY
ANALYZE
EVALUATE
Do you prefer hot or cold weather?
What is the worst weather you have experienced? Describe it.
Has the weather in your country changed in recent years? Why or why not?
5 Paragraph 5 a A sandstorm is a storm with a lot of wind and dust. b Certain countries have frequent sandstorms.
SKILLS
COLLABORATION 7 A Work in a small group. Choose a natural disaster, such as a flood, hurricane,
READING FOR DETAILS When reading a text, it is important to understand the details as well as the main ideas. Details give specific information about the main ideas. You can find details in a text by looking for key words. Read the sentences with the key words carefully to understand important information. READING FOR DETAILS
b someone studying climate
3 What kind of information is included in the text?
4 Paragraph 4
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b an excerpt from a textbook
2 Who would be interested in reading this text? a someone studying biology
a Hurricanes cover a very wide area. b Hurricanes are huge, dangerous storms.
Circle the correct ending for each sentence.
1 Hurricanes move from … a land to sea. b sea to land. 2 Heat waves … a may lead to droughts. b aren’t usually a big problem.
or earthquake, that happened in your state or country. Go online and find the following information. • What kind of natural disaster was it? • Where did it happen?
• What happened? • What did people do to help? • Will it probably happen again?
• When did it happen? B Give a report to the class. Include photos or videos in your report.
3 Paraguay had … a a very big flood in 2015. b no food for people to eat in 2015. 4 In 2011, … a China had a bad sandstorm. b Iraq had a bad sandstorm.
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Reading 1 & 2
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While reading
Screenshare
Assign students to breakout rooms to complete the activities. If assigning outside of synchronous class time, assign students to share their responses on the discussion board.
Breakout rooms
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Reading Between the Lines
Main classroom
Have students complete the activities in pairs or small groups in breakout rooms. Return to the main classroom and share answers with the class. Then have students read the text again for homework, making additional annotations and notes on the challenging skills and content to be shared at the beginning of the next class or on a discussion board. If there is a Skills box in this section, draw students’ attention to the particular strategy that they should employ while making inferences.
Screenshare
Critical Thinking
Main classroom
Assign students to breakout rooms in pairs or small groups. Have one student read the question aloud to the group. Have the other student(s) share his or her ideas. Move on to the next question, allowing another student to read the question aloud. Encourage students to ask follow-up questions. If there is time, come back as a group to discuss the questions as a class.
Breakout rooms
Collaboration
Main classroom
Assign pairs or groups to breakout rooms, as indicated by the collaboration activity. Screenshare and read through the tasks with the class, breaking down each step and allow for questions through the chat box. Some steps can be completed in class entirely while others may require students to research, survey, or investigate as homework. Be sure to plan for multi-day tasks, and set clear due dates for students.
Screenshare
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Discussion board Breakout rooms
Breakout rooms Chat box
110°F (40°C)
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
90°F (32°C)
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT 60°F (15°C)
30°F (-1°C) April
May
June
July
50°F (10°C) the statements with the bold words in Exercise 2. 3 Complete 40°F (4°C)
110°F (40°C)
110°F (40°C)
90°F (32°C)
90°F (32°C)
70°F (21°C) 1 Use 30°F (-1°C) in (15°C) 60°Ftemperature.
April
May
June
July
to talk about an increase
Feb
Mar
Apr
Mar
Apr
and
to talk about a decrease
(-1°C 30°FF (15° C)) 60°
30°F (-1°C)
30°F (-1°C)
Jan
50°F (10°C)
50°F (10°C)
50°F (10°C)
and
2 Use F(21° (4°C 40° 70° F C)) in temperature.
70°F (21°C)
70°F (21°C)
110°F (40°C)
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70°F (21°C)
70°F (21°C) 50°F (10°C)
COLLOCATIONS WITH TEMPERATURE
Sept
A
Oct
Nov
Dec
B
90°F (32°C)
Jan
1
1 Look at the graphs. Circle the correct word to complete the sentences about 70°F (21°C)
50° F (10°C) (4°C 40° 70° F F(21° C)) 40°FF (-1° (4°C)) 30° F (15°C C) 60°
the graphs.
30°F (-1°C) 50°F (10°C)
1 In July, there are high / low temperatures.
(-6°C)) 20°FF (10° 50° C) 40°F (4°C
Sept Oct are high Nov / low Dec 2 In December, there temperatures.
40°FF (-1° (4°CC)) 30° 12 a.m. 30°F (-1°C)
50°F (10°C) 30°F (-1°C)
3 The maximum / minimum temperature is 90°F (32°C) in July. 4 The maximum / minimum temperature is 34°F (1°C) in December.
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DESCRIBING A GRAPH LANGUAGE You can use certain words and phrases to talk about graphs. Use the verbs rise, drop, fall, and reach and the nouns increase and decrease to describe changes on a graph. Increase and decrease are also verbs.
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6 The temperature reaches 90°F (32°C).
2 a.m. Mar
3 a.m. Apr
Apr
1 a.m.
2 a.m.
3 a.m.
120°F (49°C) (-6°C 20°FF (10° 50° C)) 105°F (40°C) 40°F (4°C) 85°F (29°C12 ) a.m. 30°F (-1°C) 70°FF(21° 120° (49°CC)) 20°F (-6°C)
1 a.m.
2 a.m.
3 a.m.
Sat 1 a.m.
Sun 2 a.m.
Mon 3 a.m.
Sat
Sun
Mon
105°F (40°C)
2 The graph shows a decrease in temperature.
5 The temperature falls to 34°F (1°C).
Mar
Feb
70°FF(21° 120° (49°CC))
1 The graph shows an increase in temperature.
4 The temperature drops to 34°F (1°C).
Feb
1 a.m. Jan
40°F (4°C) 12 a.m. 30°F (-1°C)
Fri 85°F (29°C12 ) a.m.
2 Match the sentences to the correct graph (A or B).
Jan
(-6°C 20°FF (10° 50° C)
105°F (40°C)
3 The temperature rises to 90°F (32°C).
Feb
the graphs. Circle the correct word to complete the sentences. F (10° C) 50°at 4 Look
85°F (29°C)
4
Fri
50°FF (10° C) 70° 120° F(21° (49°CC)) 45°F (7°C) 105°F (40°C) 40°F (4°C) 85°F (29°C)
Fri
Sat
Sun
Mon
Sept Fri
Oct Sat
Nov Sun
Dec Mon
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
(2°C) 35°FF(10° 50° (21°C) 70° 45°F (7°C) 40°F (4°C)
a The graph shows an increase / a decrease in temperature. b In April, the temperature reaches / falls to 60°F (15°C). a The graph shows an increase / a decrease in temperature. b At three o’clock, the temperature drops / rises to about 23°F (-5°C). a The graph shows an increase / a decrease in temperature. b On Monday, the temperature reaches / falls to 86°F (30°C). a The graph shows an increase / a decrease in temperature. b In December, the temperature rises / falls to 45°F (7°C).
(2°CC)) 35°FF(10° 50° 45°F (7°C) 40°F (4°C)
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(2°CC)) 35°FF(10° 50°
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45°F (7°C) 40°F (4°C) 35°F (2°C)
Reading 1 & 2 Language Development
Screenshare
> Use a screenshare to highlight information in the skill boxes and instruct on targeted skills, as indicated in the Skill Boxes.
Chat box
> Use a poll or chat feature to assess students’ understanding. > Have students complete Tasks for homework. > Review the Tasks when you meet synchronously. If using the Online Workbook, have students complete Online Workbook exercises.
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WATCH AND LISTEN
WATCH AND LISTEN
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GLOSSARY extreme (adj) the worst or most serious; for example, extreme weather conditions tornado (n) an extremely strong, dangerous wind that blows in a circle
UNDERSTANDING DETAILS
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Watch again. Match the questions to the correct answers.
1 What does spring bring?
a tornadoes
2 What killed people in Joplin, Missouri?
b warm, wet air
3 What is Josh Wurman studying?
c a dangerous tornado
4 What does Josh use to find storms?
d tornadoes happen quickly
5 Why did the team have to move fast?
e a Doppler radar scanner
alley (n) a narrow street between buildings produce (v) to cause a reaction or a result Doppler radar (n) a special radar system that can give us information about a storm
5
spin (v) if something spins, it turns around and around quickly
a Some thunderstorms produce tornadoes, but others do not. b Tornadoes are one of the most dangerous kinds of weather in the world.
PREPARING TO WATCH 1
ACTIVATING YOUR KNOWLEDGE
c The winds in a tornado can spin faster than the winds in a hurricane. Work with a partner and answer the questions.
1 What is a thunderstorm? 2 Why are some people afraid of thunderstorms? 3 How can wind from a storm be dangerous? 2
Look at the pictures from the video. Discuss the questions with your partner. PREDICTING CONTENT USING VISUALS
1 What do you think the video is about? 2 Where do you think it takes place? 3 What do you think the man’s job is?
WHILE WATCHING 3
UNDERSTANDING DETAILS
Read the statements. What is the video mainly about? Circle the best answer. UNDERSTANDING MAIN IDEAS
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MAKING INFERENCES Work with a partner. Do Josh and his team enjoy their work? How do you know?
CRITICAL THINKING 7 Work with a partner. Discuss the questions.
UNDERSTAND
ANALYZE
EVALUATE
Is Josh Wurman’s job important? Why or why not?
What other jobs are related to weather?
Why do people choose to live in areas with extreme weather?
COLLABORATION Watch the video. Circle the correct answers.
1 The middle of the United States is called Tornado Alley / Valley.
8 A Work with a partner. Interview a person who has been in a natural disaster.
Prepare 5–10 questions.
2 The year 2010 / 2011 was very bad for tornadoes.
B Interview the person. Take notes.
3 That year a dangerous tornado killed more than 160 / 60 people.
C Write a summary of the results, and share it with the class.
4 Scientists can / cannot predict when and where tornadoes will happen. 5 Josh Wurman is a computer / weather scientist. 6 Seventy-five / twenty-five percent of thunderstorms produce tornadoes. 7 Finding the right thunderstorm is easy / difficult.
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Watch and listen
1
Prepare to watch
Discussion Board
If students have access to an LMS with Discussion Board, post the questions on the Discussion Board, before students virtually meet. If you do not have an LMS with a Discussion Board, when meeting with students synchronously, put students into break out groups to discuss. Have each group share answers.
Breakout rooms
2
While Watching
Discussion board
> If students have access to videos through the CLMS (Cambridge Learning Management System), assign students to watch the video from Watch and Listen and have them post their answers to the Discussion Board, Forum or other collaborative site.
Forum
> If students do not have access to videos through the CLMS, play the video during synchronous class meeting. Have students share their answers with the group. Assign a follow up question for students to respond to via Discussion Board or Forum.
Screenshare
Discussion (Critical Thinking)
Main classroom
> If students have access to an LMS, consider posting Discussion questions on a Discussion Board for them to respond to. They can additionally respond back to their classmates’ ideas.
Screenshare
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> If students do not have Access to an LMS, use synchronous class time using videoconferencing to pose questions to students. If breakout rooms are available, put students into rooms to discuss. Have groups share answers. Assign each group a certain question to work on.
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Collaborative writing tool
Discussion board Breakout rooms
We hope you find these guidelines helpful. If you would like to use additional resources with your learners in the synchronous class or as homework, here are some suggestions: > Online Workbook: Self-grading practice that gives learners instant feedback. Teachers can track time-on-task and check leaner progress. > Video and audio on CLMS: Students can watch videos and listen to recordings of the reading passages for review.
click here
> Kahoots: Ready-made Kahoot quizzes based on vocabulary from each unit to use for diagnostic assessment, practice, formative assessment and review. Host a live Kahoot quiz by sharing your screen or create a challenge your students can play on their own. Looking for more digital resources to help with home learning? You might also like to consider:
click here
click here
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> Free resource for students and teachers: Make your words meaningful with Cambridge Dictionary. Sign up for ‘Cambridge Dictionary Plus’ for free to access quizzes and to create, share and download your own word lists. > World of Better Learning blog for teachers: To help support all teachers who now have to teach from home due to the Coronavirus outbreak, we have created a series of blog posts with expert advice on how to move your classes online.