Teachers
Here are some suggestions for teachers on how to use the languagecaster website. You can also visit the Football Language Resource page that has lots more content, teaching ideas and printable handouts, all of which are free.
The idea behind our free football podcast and website is simple: students who are interested in football and want to learn English can combine the two. By focusing on a topic they like, they can use top-down knowledge which acts as a framework for more detailed study of the language. A learner who is interested in the content of the target language should be more successful.
Football is a natural narrative and its story develops each week, building on what has gone before. This provides added structure for the learner as they can use what they know about the ’story’ to support their learning.
Main features include:
- Authentic listening: the podcast is delivered at natural speed, with no ‘graded’ language. The podcasts feature real-life stories from the world of football.
- Football is a natural narrative that students can easily follow. There is a beginning, a middle and an end to the story (the season) that is full of twists and turns along the way. There are larger-than-life characters, heroes and villains, as well as lots of tension, drama, violence, sadness and joy!
- The Podcast follows the same format each week: an introduction, a review of the football week, a main feature, an explanation of an English football phrase and predictions. All of these sections have language support for learners.
- The show focuses on a particular theme each week – usually something that is in the news at that time, for example, about a famous player or a competition that is taking place.
- As the content is authentic, it may be difficult for lower-level learners. In this case, teachers can adapt the tasks from the free worksheets and transcripts that are provded or they can use shorter segments of the shows with the transcripts
Read more about languagecaster by reading an article published in The Language Teacher (October 2007)
Contact
If you have any comments about the show or the site
If you have any suggestions for the show or the site
If you would like to blog about your favourite team or player
If you would like to participate on the show in any way
If you have any difficulties with site or downloading the podcast
Then check the FAQ or contact us as at: admin@languagecaster.com
