Download How to Use Basic English: Recommendations

How to Use Basic English: Recommendations
Basic English may sound a little complicated. It isn’t the easiest thing in the world to
limit your vocabulary to a simple set of only 850 words when you start teaching. Typing
your lesson notes in Open Office and use the different language settings to spell check for
usage of non-Basic English works great but most of us don’t have the means to type and
print our notes. So, here are some ways we have found that helped us while preparing and
teaching our lessons.
 As you are handwriting your lesson notes, keep the basic English word list next to
you. Try to write (or re-write) every sentence using only the first 850 words.
 Play around with the word lists. How many different things can you say using
those words? Will the sentences sound funny to you if you only use Basic
English? Yes. Will the students think it sounds any funnier than normal English?
No and they just may start to understand you.
 Form 1 has a mandatory 4 weeks of “basline English” at the start of school. Use
this time to teach them English grammar. How are nouns, verbs, and adjectives
used in English and in what order. Introduce them to the basic 850 words.
 When you need to use a non-Basic English word, introduce it as new vocabulary
and give the students its definition and try to repeat it frequently throughout the
lecture. Technical vocabulary is very common especially in the sciences but most
explanations really can be said using only the 850 words.
I promise, once you get used to writing and talking in basic English it becomes easy to
use it and you won’t have to put much thought into choosing your words carefully while
you prepare for your classes.
Other advice:
 Teach your students examinations words (ie. Define, explain, list…) and what
each is asking them to do.
 Review past NECTA exams and teach your students any weird words that tend to
occur on the exams. NECTA sometimes likes to throw SAT words onto their
exams screwing over the students.