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Rh WAYS OF USING MICROTEXTS IN CLASS

Recent issues of have included a series of exchanges which began with K. Hepfer's 'Zur Frage der Eignung der Nacherzahlung als Form der sprachlichen Übung in Englischunterricht' ['On the question of the suitability of retelling as a form of linguistic exercise in the teaching of English'] (1968). Hepfer's examples indicate that for him 'retelling' applies to texts somewhat longer and more complex than what we are here calling microtexts, but the article and the ensuing discussion by Hohmann (1968) and Herfurth (1968) are still relevant to the present topic. Hepfer had concluded that in retelling, the original text is badly diluted and distorted by students. Hohmann conceded that this is the case, but argued that it was not sufficient ground for rejecting this type of lesson entirely. Herfurth distinguished between correctness of content and correctness of language, and also between retelling as 'Klassenarbeit' (writing in class) and 'Übungsform' (kind of practice). The former depends on the latter. In Herfurth's opinion the 'Übungsform' is usually slighted in teaching, and impossible results are then demanded of the 'Klassenarbeit.' In this section of this chapter, we shall outline some of the classroom procedures which have proved useful in turning microtexts into effective 'Übung.'

One basic procedure which has had considerable use over the years is the following:

1. Students listen to the text three to four times. For them, this is an opportunity to practice comprehension, and the quicker ones may notice certain variations in successive retellings. For the teacher, if he is originating the text on the spot, this is a way of settling in a fairly stable version that he will be using in later steps.