As the clock ticks

Manaswini Sridhar

As an English teacher, have you ever looked at a math worksheet and told yourself, “How simple it seems! Why is it so problematic to create a language worksheet that is simple and fun and that also works?” Language worksheets are more elaborate because the subject demands it. But then, one can also fine-tune a math worksheet to make it suitable for English. No, it isn’t as crazy as it sounds.

Here are some clocks for students to learn to tell the time.

Students are taught how to tell time and the teacher downloads or creates a worksheet with different kinds of clocks for students to demonstrate that they have mastered the concept. The teacher is able to at once understand if the student has grasped the concept or not, and so either makes improvements in the teaching or proceeds to the next level.

What can a language teacher do with this kind of worksheet or a modified version of it to teach middle school students English?

The worksheet can be used to improve written or spoken skills.

Teacher tells students: Look at the clocks and note the time. This is Mr. Mittal from Mumbai. What is the time shown on the first clock? What is the time shown on the second clock? How do you think Mr. Mittal would have spent his time from 10:10 am to 2:00 pm? (although students do a lot of math, they still are not sure whether 12:00 in the afternoon is am or pm and this goes for midnight too! By elaborating on the concept, the language teacher is also teaching a bit of math!)

Some questions the students could be asked to ponder over would be: How is Mr. Mittal dressed? Where is he going? How do you think he is going? What is he feeling? When does his action finish? What does he look like then? Students should be encouraged to formulate more questions since this develops their analytical skills and also their ability to form grammatically correct questions. It also helps them use their imagination. The teacher can also use the above exercise to determine if students have grasped the various tenses by dictating that they adhere to a particular tense to either talk about Mr. Mitttal or write about him, as the case may be. Students using the present tense would say/write: This is Mr. Mittal. He leaves for work every day at 10:00 am. He is an executive and is therefore always expected to wear a suit to work. He leaves for work by a chauffeur driven car, and on the way to work he reads the newspaper or the minutes of the previous day’s meeting.

The teacher may ask a section of the students to talk about Mr. Mittal using the past tense: This is Mr. Mittal. (Those students who say This was Mr. Mittal need to be told that Mr. Mittal is very much alive! These kinds of inputs are beneficial in understanding how tenses work together.) Yesterday he left for work at 10:00. He wore formal attire to work because he was meeting an important client. (the past tense is combined with the past continuous!)

A section of the students may be asked to use the future tense: This is Mr. Mittal. (not: This will be Mr. Mittal!) He will leave for work at 10:00. He will reach his office in 10 minutes since it is a short distance from home. He will meet an important client today and hence he is wearing formal attire. (the future tense is combined with the present continuous!)

The enterprising teacher can draw on the sentences written by students, ask the students to identify the tense and then have the students themselves transform the sentence into another tense. Given the larger context of the writing/presentation, students then understand how to weave the various tenses into a paragraph or a piece of writing. For example, a student who writes in the future tense says: Mr. Mittal will leave for work in another 10 minutes. He will have his breakfast of cereal and coffee before leaving for work. When transforming the sentences into the past, the student would say: Mr. Mittal left for work after 10 minutes rather than in another 10 minutes. He had his breakfast of cereal and coffee before leaving/he left for work. Working around with sentences in contexts helps students recognize how the tenses operate together.

To help students write detailed descriptive passages, the picture of the three clocks is adequate. Students can be asked to give a detailed description of each of the clocks. For example: The first clock from the left is circular and is colourless. The time shown on the clock is 1:15. The outer edge of the clock is accented by a darker shade of black and the second hand is red, while the minute and hour hands are black.

The clock in the middle is also circular. However, the outer edge of the clock is not accented by a different shade of black. The feature that distinguishes this clock from the first is that it does not have a second hand; the minute hand is blue and the hour hand is red.

The third clock stands apart from the other two clocks in terms of shape and colour. It represents the blazing rays of the sun and is therefore an appropriate yellow. The minute and the hour hand are both black. It does not seem to have a second hand. Which one do I like most? I like colour and therefore my choice is definitely the last clock.

Students may be asked to describe one of the clocks in a sentence and the other students could guess which clock is being talked about. Example: The special feature of this clock is its distinctive colour! This clock is similar to another one but it does not have a second hand!

Crispness of language and the ability to listen, comprehend and answer immediately are most certainly skills that all students need to develop. Students of science also need to be able to describe the properties of an object or an animal and at the same time talk about its special characteristics.

The next time you look at a worksheet and tell yourself with a sigh that it doesn’t pertain to your subject or the level of students you are handling, think again!

How would you use this worksheet to unleash the writing skills of your middle school students?! Log onto to this website and give us your ideas!
http://www.kidzone.ws/math/jungle/gr1-tally2.htm.

The author is a teacher educator and language trainer based in Hyderabad. She can be reached at manaswinisridhar@gmail.com.