Using Multimedia in the Foreign Language Classroom

Post- reading activities Activity 5 min 7 Students work in threes. They click on the hyperlink provided and are lead to a Hot Potatoes activity which asks them to fill in the blanks in a summary of the text. Activity 7 min 8 Students who have finished earlier than others can use a hyperlink in order to read another authentic text retrieved from the internet with information about life in England in the 11th century. Retrieving the A summary knowledge they have of the text acquired from a text is an important postreading activity However, as the activity aims to teach rather than test, in case students feel the need to read the text again, they can go back to the tasks screen and click on the text hyperlink. The activity is more efficient on the computer as not only students get individualised help but also because they can check guesses without being afraid that their choices are not reversible. All the words missing are verbs in the past tense, something which gives students the chance to study the characteristic features of narrative. Thus the reconstructed text is used as a real text which carries meaning. Reading extensively without the need to complete tasks helps readers read for pleasure and practice reading skills. Students are helped to realize the potential of the internet and become motivated to use the medium for the retrieving of relevant information. 30

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