Teaching Technical English by Cécile Sohier

Thursday, 25 January 2018

Learning the Vocabulary of Farming through Songs / Parodies: Reading, Listening and Speaking Activities

Students read about farmers who create parody songs, listen to a parody about life on the farm, then create their own parody, and practise their reading, listening and speaking skills.

One of my students recently asked me:'why don't we study a song?'. He studies land-based enineering, which is the study of farm machinery, so I told him it would probably be difficult to find a song that would have anything to do with this field (no pun intended). Well it turns out, I was wrong!!

I youtubed 'farming songs' and I came across the Peterson Brothers, who live in Kansas and make parodies that are actually quite fun for our tractor aficionado students.

Here are some activities on the Peterson Brothers and one of their parody 'A Fresh Breath of Farm Air':

1. A reading activity: an article on the Petersons.

The article is a little long but the vocabulary is fairly simple (no technicalities). I would typically get them to work in groups of 3 or 4 for the part where they have to fill in the gaps with titles.

Then you can get them to prepare an interview of the Peterson Brothers provided they remember how to make questions in English (otherwise you may want to go through that again with them). I would ask them to prepare about 10 questions individually or in pairs and them ask 3 students to go to the board to role-play the Peterson brothers (probably wiser to pick some confident students) and the class to interview them (a bit like in a press conference).

Peterson Brothers Worksheet

2. A listening activity on a farmer's parody song.

There are many parodies from the Petersons that would have been good for the listening activity I had in mind. So to be completely honest, I chose this song because it reminded me of my teenage years watching The Prince of Bel Air and Beverly Hills on TV. It was fun watching young Will Smith singing rap-style Prince of Bel Air in class!

On the worksheet that you can find below, students have to complete the lyrics of the parody and then go through the song again to make a list of all the actions the Petersons carry out in their farm on a typical. Actions are for instance: doctor and feed the cows, fix the fence, grow food/wheat/corn/beans/hay, chase the cattle in, plant, fertilize, stack and bale up the hay... which as the students underlined is a lot for a typical day!

Then, we compared the parody to the original song so that they would understand that writing a parody is not writing lyrics from scratch with the music, but more like adapting the original lyrics. So for example here "In West Philadelphia born and raised" became "In Central Kansas born and raised".

By this point Students have all the information they need to create their own parody. I let them pick their own song, though I had prepared a few suggestions just in case, and I did stress that it would be a lot easier with a moderately slow paced song.

A Fresh Breath of Farm Air Worsheet

Teaching ressources activities materials lesson plans. General Farming Vocabulary: Listening comprehension. Farming Parody. Peterson Brothers A Fresh Breath of Farm Air. Lyrics

La parodie est disponible sur Youtube en suivant ce lien:

A Fresh Breath of Farm Air

Et l'original:

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air

L'article complet se trouve à cette adresse:

http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/video-sensations-peterson-farm-brothers-farm-science-review-just-kansas-farm-kids/156732.html

Cécile Sohier

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About the Author

Cécile Sohier is an English teacher specialising in Technical English, ESP (English for Specific Purposes), Business English, and EFL/ESL teaching. She creates classroom-ready resources and shares practical ideas for teaching English in secondary schools, vocational education, and professional contexts.

Teaching Technical English focuses on:

• Technical English vocabulary and communication

• ESP lesson plans and teaching strategies

• Business English activities and resources

• EFL/ESL classroom materials for teachers

• Practical English for real-life and workplace situations

All articles are written to support English teachers, language educators, and learners looking for clear, usable, and authentic teaching materials.

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Friday, 12 January 2018

Fixing Tractor Hydraulics: Listening Activity to Learn English for Mechanics

Students learn how to easily fix a tractor hydraulic pump, as well as some technical English for mechanics, and practise their listening, writing and speaking skills.

After learning some vocabulary of farming through a song parody, I eventually decided to gather up my courage to get to the crux of the matter: how to talk about tractor mechanics in English. And particularly how to explain where a failure comes from and/or how to find a given failure on a vehicle.

Dare I say, I am drawing away from my comfort zone as my mechanical knowledge is close to zero. But it is time to man up and give my students what they really are craving for: some real technical vocabulary.

This video, along with the exercises I created, are a good starting point. The technique she presents, as well as the vocabulary, are rather simple and useful.

She explains and demonstrates how to fix tractor hydraulics by putting pressure into the reservoir with a blow-off nozzle. The only drawback of the video a little background noise so it is paramount to make sure the loudspeakers are up to the task, and make a clear and loud sound.

You can find the worksheet by clicking on the link below:

How to easily fix tractor hydraulics exercises and transcript

The video is available on youtube:

How to easily fix tractor hydraulics

This listening activity can be followed by another one, which contains much more technical vocabulary:

Why won't my tractor work

Students learn how to easily fix a tractor hydraulic pump, as well as some general mechanical vocabulary, and practise their listening, writing and speaking skills.

More articles on English for Mechanics:

Fixing Tractor Hydraulics: Listening Activity to Learn English for Mechanics

Tractor Transmission: Mechanics Vocabulary Quiz

Tractor Troubleshooting Vocabulary Speaking Lesson

Tractor Buying Facts: Reading Activity and Oral Presentation Skills Practice

Tractor Troubleshooting English for Mechanics Listening Lesson

Tractor Warranty Issue / English for Mechanics: Listening and Speaking Exercises - BTS Final Exam (CCF)

Cécile Sohier

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About the Author

Teaching Technical English focuses on:

• Technical English vocabulary and communication

• ESP lesson plans and teaching strategies

• Business English activities and resources

• EFL/ESL classroom materials for teachers

• Practical English for real-life and workplace situations

All articles are written to support English teachers, language educators, and learners looking for clear, usable, and authentic teaching materials.

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Tuesday, 19 December 2017

General Vocabulary of Farming: Phonetics, Intonation and Pronunciation

Students revise the general vocabulary of farming, learn/revise the pronunciation of the words (stress, sounds and intonation), and practise their listening, speaking and writing skills.

GENERAL VOCABULARY OF FARMING

Stress. Listen and underline the stressed syllable:

Audio exercise 1

tractor

dealership

harvest

combine harvester

forage

silage

baler

seeder

pesticide

fertilizer

manufacturer

tillage

manure

Sounds. Put the words below in the right column.

Audio Exercise 2

bale

wheat

dirt

seeder

combine

pesticide

fertilizer

dealer

dealership

silage

field

tillage

wheel

hydraulic

yield

/ei/	/i:/	/i/	/ɜː/ (bird)	/ai/

Sounds. Put the words above in plural and put them in the right column.

/s/	/iz/	/z/
harvests

Intonation. Repeat the sentences below, then try to repeat giving at least 2 different intonations.

Audio Exercise 4

This tractor is efficient.

Fertilizers increase the yield.

Tillage is important.

Combines harvest the crop.

Balers make bales with silage.

Dealerships sell seeders and balers.

Sprayers spray fertilizers and pesticides.

Cécile Sohier

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About the Author

Teaching Technical English focuses on:

• Technical English vocabulary and communication

• ESP lesson plans and teaching strategies

• Business English activities and resources

• EFL/ESL classroom materials for teachers

• Practical English for real-life and workplace situations

All articles are written to support English teachers, language educators, and learners looking for clear, usable, and authentic teaching materials.

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Monday, 18 December 2017

Web quest: Native Americans in North Dakota (short version)

Students learn about Native Americans and the Dakota Access Pipeline, and practise their reading, writing, and speaking skills.

This article is a shortened version of a webquest I already published in a post. You can find it here:

Web quest: Native Americans in North Dakota

It is intended to take up to an hour for the students to browse the internet on flagged websites and find out the answers to the questions.

NATIVE AMERICANS WEB SEARCH

1. What Native American nation lives in North and South Dakota:

…………………………………………………………………………….

http://www.ducksters.com/history/native_american_sioux_nation.php

2. Name one famous leader of their tribe. Explain briefly what he is famous for.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

http://www.crystalinks.com/sioux.html

3. Name a famous battle, massacre or protest of the Sioux. Explain why it is famous.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

http://www.crystalinks.com/sioux.html

4. a. What were the boundaries of the Great Sioux Reservation in

the Article 2 of the Treaty of Fort Laramie of April 29, 1868?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

http://www.crystalinks.com/sioux.html

b. Are they still the same boundaries today?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Sioux_Reservation

5. Are Indian reservations independent? Justify with the mission statement and

core principles of the South Dakota Reservation

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

http://www.sdtribalrelations.com/initiatives.aspx

6. How many Sioux live in South Dakota today?

……………………………………………………………….

7. What is the black snake myth for Native Americans?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

http://howtoexitthematrix.com/2016/09/14/to-kill-the-black-snake/

8. Why is it at the heart of a controversy and protests? Do you see a link to the prophecy?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37863955

Answers:

NATIVE AMERICANS WEB SEARCH

	Sitting Bull (1831-1890) was considered the last Sioux to surrender to the U.S. Government. He led 3,500 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors against the US Cavalry under George Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876, a battle won by the Indians. In later life, Sitting Bull toured with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, where he was a popular attraction.
	The Native Americans who live in North and South Dakota are called the Sioux.
	There is an old Lakota prophecy of a black snake, the zuzeca sape , that will comes across their land, and bring great sadness and destruction.
	The massacre at Wounded Knee Creek was the last major armed conflict between the Lakota and the United States. It was described as a "massacre" by General Nelson A. Miles in a letter to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. On December 29, 1890, five hundred troops of the U.S. 7th Cavalry, 25 troopers and more than 150 Lakota Sioux lay dead, including men, women, and children. Around 150 Lakota are believed to have fled the chaos, many of whom may have died from hypothermia.
	The Battle of the Little Bighorn occurred June 25–26, 1876 near the Little Bighorn River in eastern Montana Territory, was the most prominent Sioux victory of the Great Sioux War of 1876. 146 Indians died and 160 were wounded, while 274 Americans were killed and 49 were wounded.
	Indian Reservations are independent and sovereign on their lands as stated in the core principles of the South Dakota Reservation: “Each Tribe operates as a separate government to govern its own citizens under its own laws”.
	The boundaries of the Great Sioux Reservation were commencing on the 46th parallel of north latitude (the South Dakota border) to the east bank of Missouri River, south along the east bank to the Nebraska line, then west to the 104th parallel of west longitude. It was situated on 6 states : North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado.
	A company called Energy Transfer Partner is building the Dakota Access Pipeline, a 1.900 km long pipeline that will transport 470.000 barrels of crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois. Native American people are strongly opposed to the project because it will put drinking water at risk of contamination and damage sacred grounds. Lakota people believe the pipeline could be the great black snake of the prophecy.
	The Great Reservation was gradually reduced by the US Government. Today the Sioux territory is divided into different reservations such as Standing Rock, Cheyenne River, Crow Creek, Pine Ridge, Rosebud, Lower Brule.

Cécile Sohier

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About the Author

Teaching Technical English focuses on:

• Technical English vocabulary and communication

• ESP lesson plans and teaching strategies

• Business English activities and resources

• EFL/ESL classroom materials for teachers

• Practical English for real-life and workplace situations

All articles are written to support English teachers, language educators, and learners looking for clear, usable, and authentic teaching materials.

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