Useful Ways of Testing 

 

   One of the most important qualities of a good English language exam is variation in the way of testing. Here are some different ways for examining grammar, vocabulary, comprehension and composition.  So, not on any account should a teacher stick to just one or two ways of testing.  The following is just exemplary of how things are expected to go on, but of course your exam must not go outside the framework of the structures and vocabulary that have been taught to your students.

 

A-Grammar:

1 - They (is, are, am, be) from Saudi Arabia.         Choose (or Underline)

2- Ali (wrok) in an office                                             Correct

3- a/is doctor? he                                                      Rearrange to make a question.

4- He wrote a book about                                         Ask using "What"  

5- He is play ....  football now.                                   Complete

6- They make cars in Japan.                                   Change into passive, etc. 

7- Ali likes apples.                                                     Change into negative, etc.

8- Fuad reads magazines.                          Start with the underlined word. Report

9- The teacher: Do you like English?          Report

10- If I were a bird, I ….                                 Complete 

11-…doing/has/He/ been/for/this/ a year   Put in order 

12- You didn't go there, …?                         Add tag question.

 

B-Vocabulary:

1 -Match A with B:

_____A________________________________B_____________

a-      Demand                                                                      I- can be used         

b- un-usable                                                                      2- need

                                                                        3- cannot be used

     

2-Write the correct words: -            [exits, melts, sun]

 a-If you heat ice, it...

b-The.............  rises in the east.

 

3-Use one of these words in a sentence of your own [visible, visit]

 

4- Complete:

a-      The opposite of advantage is …

b-     Conser ... means protecting the environment.

 

5 -Odd word out [or underline the odd word] book/ pen/ banana. 

 

6- Re-write the sentence using ‘equal’. Sami and Ali are of the same height.

 

7- Correct the mistake:  Saturday is the second day of the week.

 

  C- DICTATION:-

  1-     Write the missing letters …

2- Complete:       1 one                           2 …

3. Circle the correct spelling.  Aple/ apple/ able/ apble.

4. Re-arrange: heavy/ big.    Add ‘s’ fly/ wife.  Ad ‘ing’ to ‘ride’ / ‘cut’

 

 D- Comprehension  

 

  1. Some Yes/No & Eh-questions ((direct questions)).
  2. Find in the passage a word which means (e.g. many).
  3. Find in the passage the opposite of (e.g. expensive)
  4. Correct the sentence (or Put T or F) M-r. AI-All is a mechanic.
  5.  The word (e.g. him) in line 5 refers to …
  6.   Choose: AI-Ali goes to work ...      a-by car      b-on foot      c- by boat

 

E- Composition

  1. Using guide words  (or a table).
  2. Using pictures.
  3. Using questions whose answers are to be elaborated.
  4. Summary in the students' own words.

 

 2-POINTS OF DISCUSSION  

Language and self-development.

It is noticed that after only a few years from graduation, a teacher's command of English tends to become weaker and weaker.

What is the reason?

Well, that happens because English for most teachers is dealt within the confines of schoolbooks. So the best way for teachers to improve their English or at least keep up to a satisfactory level is to follow these suggestions.

a-     Set aside a few hours weekly for English.

b-     Study closely and thoroughly at least one grammar book a year.

c-      Read one English magazine and some English newspapers a month.

d-     Get yourself involved in a casual or planned discussion in English with your colleagues or supervisor to improve your spoken English and acquire a certain amount of fluency.

e-      Do some translation form Arabic into English to activate your passive English words and to acquire some more that you do not know.

f-       Write an essay every month and get it checked by some of your colleagues whom you think are good for this.

 

 

Teaching Aids [benefits, types, and requirements]

 

a-    Their benefits:

 

1 - They attract students' attention and stimulate them.

 

2- They simplify the lesson.

 

3- They make the lesson vivid and lively.

 

 4- They provide realistic situations.

 

5- They help students speak providing prompts, cues, etc.

 

6- They save time.

 

7- Things learned from them are not easily forgotten.

 

     b- Their types:

 

    They can be either ready-made or self-made (teacher-produced). They comprise posters, flash cards, recordings, slides, transparencies (for the overhead projector) real objects (like an apple, a pen, a model, etc) and TV & video.

   

    c- Their requirements:

 

1-They should be large enough to be seen by all students.

 

2- They should be clear enough to be legible (read easily)

 

3- They should be neat enough to be attractive and stimulating.

 

4- They should be easy to hang and use.

 WEAK STUDENTS

     To help weak students improve their performance and overcome certain problems, a teacher has to study their points of weakness and try to solve them through what is called "remedial exercises" inside and outside the class. These exercises should go on and on until you achieve the desired result.

1 -Common points of weakness should be dealt with collectively inside the class.

2-Students who are weak in reading should be given short sentences, then a short paragraph, and then a longer one to be read with the teacher's help inside the school and to be practised at home several times. Later on they will be examined and encouraged by getting higher marks.

3-Students who are weak in vocabulary can be assigned from 10 to 20 words to learn by heart at home and be examined at school by the teacher. Getting higher marks should encourage them.

4-Students who are weak in handwriting can be given a certain paragraph to copy at horne and are advised to take special care of the correct position; shape of each letter and spacing.

 

(Supervisor of English Awad, AI-Shehri)

 

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