Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[alanpren23]

Hi there,
I'm currently studying an online TEFL course and was wondering if anyone could help me with something small ?

Basically one of the parts of my assignment is how to describe a pineapple , I have thought of using visual aid (draw one, use a projector) but that seems to obvious , or is that the point ?

Another idea was to use realia and just bring one in.

I'm not really 100% on the eliciting process.
For example with realia would you just put it on the table and ask them if they know what it is ?
If not I assume I would have to tell them as it's a difficult enough word for beginners.

Another option I could choose would be to simply write it on the board and see if anyone knew that way ?

Any help , greatly appreciated, thanks.

[Lorikeet]

What a weird assignment. If I wanted to talk about a pineapple in my class, I would probably bring one in or draw one. I can't really draw, so my drawings generally play up whatever the most obvious elements of the object are. (My map of the U.S. was interpreted as a cow, and my picture of a faucet with the hot and cold handles looked like an elephant, so who am I to say?)

By the way, you might want to post questions like this in the Teacher Forum on this same website.

[CP]

I may be way off here, but I would think that the purpose of the assignment is to make you use the language to describe / explain something that is not easy to describe / explain. You have to be creative with the words and expressions you know; use simile and metaphor to give the audience a mental picture of the pineapple, inside and out.

What does it look like? What does it smell like? What does it feel like? What does it taste like? How large is it? How heavy? What can you do with it?

Write that essay and see if you don't have to work hard to finish it.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb