CLASSROOM LANGUAGE
Ce document a
été préparé pendant le cours d’été de juillet 2004 à Cambridge à partir des
informations collectées lors des précédents stages d’été à Lancaster et
Cambridge.
1. Starting the session and reviewing the work of the
previous lesson
I’m going to take / call the register first (= faire l’appel)
First of all, let’s recap (recapitulate) on the work
we did on Monday.
Can anyone remind us of the key points / main points?
Can anyone sum up / summarise what we discussed / we
covered last time?
Can I have your attention, please? Pay attention,
Thomas! Look this way!
Can you settle down, everyone?
Do you all have your notebook / exercise book in front
of you?
Remember that you must take some written notes.
Is there any point in the last lesson you want me to
clarify / go over again?
2. Establishing the overall aims / targets of the
lesson and moving though its phases
The topic / subject we are going to look at / to cover
/ deal with / focus on today is…
The issue(s) we are going to deal with today is (are)…
Today I want to give you the opportunity to practise…
To signal a change of task / topic:
Right. OK then. Good
Let’s move on. / Let’s move on to our next topic /
subject. Notice the use of “Let’s”
Now that you’ve worked on / through unit 1, let’s
think about / let’s go on to…
Bearing in mind the points you’ve come up with in your
groups, I want you to look at…
Now have a go at…
A lesson plan / framework
3. Eliciting a response from pupils.
Look carefully at the graph. What does it tell us
about…?
May I have a volunteer to comment on this map?
What can we learn from this source material about…?
What have you picked up from your reading?
What do you notice about / what is significant about?
Can you point out / show…?
What is the special term for…?
I’ll give you a clue / a hint.
Think about … / have a think about the issues
involved.
Consider the wider picture / think about the broader
implications of this question.
What is at stake here? What is the issue here?
What strikes you / is striking about…?
What do you think accounts for / explains this change?
On what does your opinion rest? On what grounds / on
what basis do you say that?
Can you give me some evidence to support your opinion?
Do you find that this account is biased / is unbiased?
Are you being unbiased here?
Try to give a balanced account of this event using the
different sources in your textbook.
Can you challenge this point of view, Peter? Can you
defend it, Sue?
The points which feed in to this argument are…
Take a different approach. You can tackle this
question from a different angle.
How does X compare with Y?
I want to stress / emphasize / underline this point.
Are you keeping us with me / are you following my
reasoning?
Are you taking this in (a colloquial form for:
understanding this / grasping this)?
Can you figure this out?
When answering, bear in mind that…
We have hit on / met with a crucial problem
Could you sum up / summarise the argument please?
I shall address two questions / this issue. (One can
also address an assembly)
Could you share your answer with the class?
Speak up (= speak louder), please, Ann!
4. Useful equipment.
A register (cahier d’appel)
A textbook (manuel)
A school diary (cahier de textes)
An absence slip / an absence form. A lateness slip
An exercise book / a notebook
Workbooks (published books with tasks to accompany
textbooks)
A worksheet / a task sheet
A handout (any document that you hand out, usually a
photocopy)
A pupil’s bag or backpack
A board (blackboard or whiteboard)
A screen
A (slide) projector
An OHP (overhead projector)
An OHT (overhead transparency)
A VCR / video
A wall map
A blank sheet of paper
Something to write with: fountain pen / biro = ball
point pen / pencil / felt tip pen / highlighter
Rough work / a rough copy (brouillon)
The first draft of an essay
5. Arranging furniture and setting up equipment
Put you desk in a horseshoe (a semi-circle)
Gather round everyone and pay attention!
Could you wipe the board please?
Could you pull the screen / the blind down?
Turn down / turn up the volume a little, please
Put all the furniture back where it was before,
everyone.
Let’s get this room cleaned up/ tidied up.
Pick up the litter and put it in the bin, please.
6. Distributing and collecting material. Organising group work.
Could I have a volunteer to hand out the exercise
books?
Pass round the books please – one between two.
Pass the books back to me / pass them to the back / to
the front.
Are there any spare books / sheets? (Are there any
spares?)
Who doesn’t have a worksheet yet?
Can you hand in / give in your homework please?
I’ll hand back your essays to you on Friday.
I am going to collect / take in your homework.
Put your homework on my desk as you leave the
classroom, please.
Find a partner and get into pairs: work in pairs/ in
three (etc)
Push your desk together to make up groups of four.
Choose a secretary / a spokesperson / someone who will
report back.
The dictionaries are on my desk – help yourselves.
Look up the words you don’t know.
Turn / turn over to page 26. Now open to page 30.
Read from… to … / Read through to … (this stresses the
continuity of the reading)
Skip to page 51
To skim the text is different from reading it
thoroughly, in-depth.
Underline / highlight the…
Fill in the blanks
Circle the words and phrases that…
Write down / note down / jot down your answers.
Try to answer in full sentences!
Focus on what you’re doing
When using the computer, make sure you log off
properly.
Come to the board, Tom.
Come and sit in the front row / go and sit at the
back, Luke.
I’ll have a word with you at the end of this class,
Sam.
You’re coming to speak to me before you leave, Sam.
7. Responding to pupils’ oral input and written work.
Good. Yes – that’s right / correct. Brilliant! / Spot
on.
This is too vague. Can you go into more detail /
develop your idea a bit more?
No, not quite. Anyone else has an answer?
You’re getting off the point there. This is off the
point.
Irrelevant (in the margin of a student’s written
answer / essay). Is this relevant?
Accurate / inaccurate work.
Well-argued / poorly argued
Very poor work.
A well-structured argument / essay
Good. Thorough and detailed work, well done!