Resource: Photoshop or similar software in order to prepare the points schem
any monolingual dictionary on line in order to look up examples given inside of number articles
websites which give important dates
Counting competence in L1
Divide the class in groups; each groups prepares a dot to dot for the others.
For A2 prepare a dot-to-dot game using a pattern of twenty dots. For B1 50 dots or more. (10-20 minutes)
Prepare a written list of words which express numbers (10 minutes)
If we give a list of numbers to read as in Mollica's examples A2 students can have a 50-dot list, but if we want them to listen to the numbers 20 is enough for A2, as shown by Ongaro (2014) experiment. Listening requires a greater effort of concentration, more numbers might lead the listeners to distraction and cause them to make errors.
Association of numbers to each of the twenty dots (natural number from 0 to 100) is NOT to be done in the counting order. According to age and spirit of competition, this process can last from 10 to 20 minutes if arrangement is meant to be difficult.
The number should be arranged in order to produce some difficult turning points in the path, where the student’s ability in recognizing number words can be better tested. Number words with similar phonemes, especially if these phonemes are extraneous to the mother language phonology, but also problems with the internal order of numbers names.
The obvious critical points are:
Group 1 - Discrimination between tens and unities:
E.g. Forty-nine and ninety-four /
Group 2 - Discrimination between number words with the same unit but different tens:
E.g. Fifty-two and eighty-two
Group 3 – For English discrimination between the voiceless dental fricative /θ/ and the voiceless labiodental /f/:
E.g. thirty and forty
For Italian: numerlogs with sounds like /kw/, /t/
E.g. cinque, dieci, quattro, quindici
Group 4 - For English discrimination between short and long vowels:
E.g. -ty and -teen /
For Italian: discrimination between short and long consonants
E.g. sessanta settanta novanta
For German: inverse order of tens and unities:
E.g: zweiundzwanzig vs. twentytwo
For French: vigesimal base: quatre-vingt-dix
For Italian: different form ( -dici not -dieci ) and inverse order of tens and unities from 11 to 16.
E.g.: uno undici, quattro quattordici, cinque quindici, sei sedici
order tens and unities from 17 to 19 but with inserted letters
E. g: diciassette, diciotto, diciannove.
Teacher collects the dot-to-dot prepared by groups, prints them and distributes three copies of the dot-to-dot A to the groups who prepared dot-to-dot B , C , D. The members of the group who has prepared the dot-to-dot A in turn read the list as many time as necessary for a group to complete the pattern and win the competition (15 min for 20 dots picture; 20-30 for 50 dots)
With students able to use a software - Jmatch of Hot potatoes for instance – it is possible to prepare the exercise as a reading matching test. In such a case the exercise is easier. Students have to recognise the number words and reach the dot associated with the Arabic number which is written as a word in the list. This type of exercise can be proposed with more numbers and be performed on computer. It is however a far from natural task; it is more a kind of play.
Teacher evaluation – Teacher gives a prize to the group who completes the pattern first in the listening contest
Teacher monitors the tasks and can appreciate the degree of difficulty inserted in the list according to the above mentioned criteria.
Vocabulary presentation - Groups of B2 level or B1 in a CLIL “math in L2” situation might prepare a dot-to-dot with ¾, 22, 23 and also with ordinal or as a result of operations as shown in Mollica 2008
Dot-to-dot peer evaluation – Students decide which dot-to-dot was the most challenging.
Setting homework – Students should be encouraged to play the dot-to-dot oral game with parents and the rest of the family; in this way they listen and repeat the number words
Vocabulary usage in context – Teacher presents exercises in power point presentation made of sentences with missing number words
E.g. Today it is the ...........
Most of your teachers were born in the .......(1980-1989, 1990-1999 solution: eighties or nineties)
Each group tries to find the appropriate word(s). The activity becomes more effective with ordinal numbers because sentences made with ordinal numbers are more natural and sometimes are found in idiomatic expressions.
Role play with four season market situation, asking for prices and weights.
To have a good command of numbers name in L1 To be aware of biggest differences in number words of L1 compared with number words of L2.
Difficult numbers sequences show awareness of language specificity of number words.
Wise choice of the picture: not too telling otherwise students go from dot to dot without listening or reading but following the profile of the picture they have guessed.
Set precise deadlines to conclude the first parts of the task. If students don´t finish after the 2nd step in class they cannot finish it at home. Foresee a longer lesson.
Be precise in setting the goal of the task (listening number words seeing both written number words and Arabic numbers; guessing the date number words appropriate for a certain cultural question choosing it among many possible dots with Arabic numbers).
Explaining the evaluation criteria for cultural questions, otherwise students will come up with any type of dates.
The task was created to develop listening and production skills of number words which are not usually practised enough during the syllabuses and foreign language programmes. Mollica’s long life experience shows that playing with dot-to-dot is effective; Ongaro’ s experience gave further evidence; we added the “create the game yourself” modality in order to induce more reflection on the structure and sounds of number words which are more language specific than generally expected.
This task can be introduced in most national syllabuses and foreign language programmes and can be easily modulated according to age of students.