MAGICAL Teacher's Guide - Book - Page 10
f.
The Glossary
The glossary in the back of the Course Book can be a useful tool for pupils throughout the program.
It includes all new and review words, as well as their Hebrew/Arabic translations. The teacher should
introduce the glossary in the beginning of the year and ensure that pupils use it properly by
practicing basic dictionary skills and frequently referring them to it. The glossary can help pupils
remember new vocabulary or remind them how to spell words.
10. Teaching Oral Language and Speaking Activities
Speaking and practicing oral language is vital to language acquisition. Nurturing oral language skills provides
a strong foundation for learning to read (Honig 2007). In Magical, there are an abundance of speaking
activities throughout the lesson procedures. These tasks and activities promote the development of speaking
for accuracy as well as speaking for fluency skills. Many also provide social interaction opportunities both in
pairs and in small groups. This ensures practice of the target vocabulary and language structures in a natural,
authentic setting.
In the Course Book, pupils practice speaking through short, scaffolded dialogues. For example, Talk it Out
activities provide structured dialogues for pupils to perform and personalize, allowing for pupils of different
levels to participate. Pupils can recite the dialogue as it appears, customize it using the provided substitute
vocabulary, or more-able pupils can modify it by choosing their own words. Many of the Vocabulary
Activities described in the Teacher’s Guide, which practice new and reviewed vocabulary and grammar
structures, also serve as opportunities for encouraging speaking and interaction between pupils.
Think About It activities in the Course Book, as well as Class Discussions in the Teacher’s Guide, give pupils
opportunities to give personal responses, engage in the topics they are learning about, and share their
opinions, background knowledge, and preferences. Speaking for fluency skills are further developed through
other activities in the lesson procedures, including Greetings at the start of each lesson, Reflections at the
close. Additionally, pupils make predictions and discuss relevant topics through pre-reading tasks in the
Course Book.
Teachers are encouraged to observe, watch and/or record the pupils speaking throughout the year in order
to assess their progression in oral production. Skits, performances, and dialogues can be used as assessment
markers periodically. In addition, teachers should notice how pupils participate in various speaking for
fluency tasks, both in whole class discussions as well as during group work, and record their observations.
Progress can and should be noted for all pupils in the heterogeneous classroom.
11. Teaching Listening Skills
Listening to authentic speech in a target language provides the essential linguistic input pupils need while
learning the language. Developing listening skills can aid in advancing pupils’ oral production as well (Nunan
2011). The Magical program provides listening texts in a variety of formats: dialogues, public
announcements, radio shows, chants and musically integrated speech, and more.
Presenting a listening activity should be done in three stages: Pre-Listening, While Listening and PostListening. Each stage is explicitly noted in the Teacher’s Guide and carefully integrated within the teaching
procedure.
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