Adapting Authentic Texts for Spiritually Valuable and Pedagogically Useful Lessons

1. Adapting Authentic Texts for Spiritually Valuable and Pedagogically Useful Lessons Kitty Purgason Biola University CELT Dallas 2013

2. Professor of TESOL at Biola University

4. Mauritania

5. Indonesia

6. Iran

7. Kuwait

8. Oman

9. Vietnam

10. Tajikistan

11. China

13. Overview Intro: Why bother? Step 1: finding materials Step 2: creating an opener Step 3: scaffolding texts Step 4: developing more activities Step 5: finding more materials for follow-up

15. 1. Finding the core listening or reading text • Scour public radio, news, blogs, youtube Ideal: both audio and text • Choose high quality • Check for cultural, cognitive, and linguistic demands • Link the topic to your textbook or curriculum • Look for expansion capability • Consider Kingdom values

16. 1. Finding the core listening or reading text • Scour public radio, news, blogs, youtube • Choose high quality • Check for cultural, cognitive, and linguistic demands • Link the topic to your textbook or curriculum • Look for expansion capability • Consider Kingdom values

17. 2. Creating an opener Goals: • Get students ready for the main text • Activate schema • Create anticipation • Provide key language • Prompt predictions Possibilities: • Headlines • Visual images • Surveys

18. We’re going to be listening to a piece from Marketplace, a business show on public radio. Look at this headline. The piece is about a Chinese woman named Ping Fu. Look up “entrepreneurship” and “resilience” in your dictionary.

19. An entrepreneur is someone who starts a new business. Can you guess what business Ping Fu might have started? Someone who is resilient is strong, happy, or successful after a difficult situation. Can you guess what difficulties Ping Fu has experienced?

22. People who are resilient usually: • Feel in control • Have a personal vision • Have strong faith • Are able to solve problems • Are socially competent • Are proactive • Can get connected and have good relationships • Are flexible • Are organized

23. ………. • ……… • ………… • …………. • ……. • ………… Pros and cons Which one will fit your available time? Which one will best accomplish your goals? Which one will suit your students?

24. 3. Scaffolding Texts Making a reading text more comprehensible Making a listening text more accessible

25. Making a reading text more comprehensible

27. It was announced yesterday that 3D printer manufacturer 3D Systems had acquired Geomagic, a software firm that makes the software that drives them. Tech entrepreneur Ping Fu is the CEO of Geomagic, but don't confuse her with some silver spoon-totingheir to a family business. In fact, Fu's path to success almost seems like the plot of an Ayn Rand novel, a story she tells in her new memoir "Bend Not Break.” Born in communist China, and raised during the Cultural Revolution, Fu lived an incredibly hard life. Charged with raising her little sister as a girl, never formally educated, raped, imprisoned, and ultimately on the run from her country of birth, she eventually landed in America with a three-word vocabulary: "hello," "thank you" and "help.” If you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you are rich from birth. “Toting” = carrying. Don’t think wrongly that she is another person Ayn Rand wrote novels that are strongly pro-capitalism. [She was] charged with (= ordered to) raising her little sister as a girl never formally educated raped imprisoned on the run ( = hurrying to escape) from her country of birth

28. But the lessons of her youth proved to be fuel for her success in tech. First of all, she says, you have to learn who you are authentically and why you want to do what you're trying to do. (b) In her youth, she worked in the fuel business. This experience proved she could be successful in technology. One lesson she learned was to be authentic. She also says it’s important to learn the reason why you are trying to do whatever it is. (a) She learned many lessons when she was young. These lessons made her successful in the technology business. First of all, she says, you have to learn who you really are. If there is something you are trying to do, you have to know why—what is the reason for your goal and efforts?

29. Making a reading text more comprehensible • Gloss key lexical items or cultural references • Paraphrase sections with difficult syntax • Supplement with an outline • Add a diagram, chart, or illustration

30. Making a listening text more accessible

31. Making a listening text more accessible • Segment the text into manageable pieces • Use elements from the transcript in tasks

32. Read this list. Listen. Check the experiences from her childhood that Ping Fu said helped her succeed: ___ self-learning ___ experience hardship ___ adapt to changes ___ study Chinese literature ___ study computer science ___ have resilience

33. SG: When you look back on the hardships of your childhood, how do you think they allowed you to get where you are today? PF: When I grew up I learned a lot about self-learning and I learned a lot about adopting to changes and I have to have a lot of resilience. Read this list. Listen. Check the experiences from her childhood that Ping Fu said helped her succeed: _√_ self-learning ___ experience hardship _√_ adapt to changes ___ study Chinese literature ___ study computer science _√_ have resilience

34. Read. Then listen. Are these statements true or false? [If they are false, correct them.] ___ In spite of what the Red Guard said, Ping Fu never believed that she was worthless and a nobody. ___ Between 8 and 18 years old, Ping Fu had no formal education. ___ Ping Fu learned to be a maker of such things as radios, TV sets, and speedometers for cars

35. SG: Now, you said the Red Guard used to force you to recite the words, “I am a bug. My life is worthless.” Did you believe it at the time? PF: After I repeated many times that I was nobody I start to believe it. SG: You essentially had no formal education from the time you were eight years old until the time you were about 18. Were you learning anything during that time? PF: I did learn a lot of things when I was working in the factories so I think of myself as a maker because I learned how to build radios, TV sets, speedometer for cars. Read,. Then listen. Are these statements true or false? [If they are false, correct them.] _F_In spite of Because of what the Red Guard said and made her repeat Ping Fu never believed that she was worthless and a nobody. _T_ Between 8 and 18 years old, Ping Fu had no formal education. _T_ Ping Fu learned to be a maker of such things as radios, TV sets, and speedometers for cars

36. Here is Ping Yu’s advice for entrepreneurs. Talk about what she means. Talk about whether you agree or disagree. Understand who you are authentically. Understand why you want to do what you do. Don’t start a company just because you don’t like working for another person. Don’t start a company in order to make money. You have to create value. Now listen to this advice in her words.

37. Making a listening text more accessible • Segment the text into manageable pieces • Use elements from the transcript in tasks • Adjust the tasks

38. First listen: What is the main idea of this piece? • Ping Yu is a former Red Guard from China. She is now an astronaut in the U.S. • Ping Yu had a difficult childhood in China, but survived because of her resilience. She is now a successful entrepreneur in the U.S. • Ping Yu grew up during the Cultural Revolution in China. She now works for NASA in the U.S.

39. Second listen: Put these events in the order of Ping Yu’s life. • She studies Chinese literature. • She starts the company Geomagic. • She takes care of her sister when her parents are sent away. • She studies computer science. • She moves to the U.S.

40. 4. More activities that fit students’ needs to develop fluency, accuracy, or complexity in speaking or writing

41. Goal: fluency in oral skills Discussion – “Three Words” • When Ping Fu arrived in the U.S. she knew three words-- help, thank you, and hello. Do you think these are useful words? What can a person do with them? What might be hard about using these words? • If you could choose only three words to know in a new language, what would they be and why? • If you could add seven more words to make “top ten,” what would they be and why?

42. Goal: fluency/accuracy in speaking/writing Discussion or Writing Prompt – “Being Successful” Ping Fu says there are three elements from her childhood that led to her eventual success: self-learning, adaptability, and resilience. Do you agree that these are important to success? Explain why. Talk about additional elements that you think may contribute to a person’s success.

43. Goal: fluency/accuracy in speaking Role play. In groups of four, dramatize these parts of Ping Yu’s story. • Criticism: Two Red Guards, Ping Yu, Ping Yu’s sister • Study: University official, Ping Yu, two classmates • Advice: Ping Yu, three young Americans who want to become entrepreneurs

44. Official: What is your background? Ping Yu: I’ve been working in factories. Official: Haven’t you been to school? Ping Yu: No. I didn’t have the chance. But I want to be an astronaut. Official: Sorry. You need more education to study science. You will have to major in Chinese literature. [Later] Classmate 1: Let’s study this poem together. Ping Yu: OK. I think it’s about a man on a journey. Classmate 2: It might be a dream, not a real trip. Ping Yu: I can’t believe this is studying—it’s so much fun!

45. Language analysis Vocabulary Syntax Discourse

48. Editing x After I repeated many times that I was nobody I start to believe it. x I think it was my little sister... Without her, I don’t know what I would do. x …and being a little girl wanted to be an astronaut, I feel … x Some people think they start a company because they didn’t like to work for anyone.

49. Grammar Born in communist China and raised during the Cultural Revolution, Fu lived an incredibly hard life. Charged with raising her little sister as a girl…she eventually landed in America.

50. Grammar [She was] Born in communist China and [she was] raised during the Cultural Revolution, Fu lived an incredibly hard life. [She was] Charged with raising her little sister as a girl… she eventually landed in America.