Unit 13

Integrated Skills

Aims of the Unit

--To understand the reasons of integrating the four skills;

--To grasp two ways of integrating the four skills

--To understand the implications of integrating the four skills for teaching

--To be aware of the limitations of integrating the four skills

Reasons for integrating the four

skills • In our daily life, we constantly performing tasks th

at involve a natural integration of language skills. • One's overall competence of language involves per

forming effectively a combination of the skills. • Integration of skills can enhance the students' com

municative competence. • Integration of skills can raise the students' motivat

ion to learn English.

• Integrating the skills means that you are working at the level of realistic communication, not just at the level of vocabulary and sentence patterns.

• Integrating the four skills can lead to the students’all-round development of communicative competence in English.

conditions for language learning

• Exposure to a rich but comprehensible input of real spoken and written language in use

• Use of the language to do things (i.e. Exchange meanings)

• Motivation to listen and write it• Instruction in language (i.e. Chances to

focus on form)

Ways to integrate the four skills

•Simple integration means the form of integration is within the same medium (either oral or written), from receptive to productive skills.

• Complex integration means constructing a series of activities constructing a series of activities that use a variety of skills. In each that use a variety of skills. In each of the activities, there is realistic, of the activities, there is realistic, communicative use of languagecommunicative use of language. .

Implications of integrating the four skills

for teaching

•Focusing on discourse •Adjusting the textbook

contents•Adjusting the timetable

Discourse featuresDiscourse features • the way that the text is organize

d• its layout (for written text)its layout (for written text)• the style of the language (formal the style of the language (formal

or informal?)or informal?)• the register• Discussion: (Task5 on page234)

Limitations for integrating the four skills

• Teachers should maintain an appropriate balance between integration and separation.

• Integrating the four skills require teachers to make a lot of preparation.

• The problem of designing suitable materials