Question on directions for an exercise

[learning54]

Hi teachers,
If I have a picture of an animal or a thing and I want the students to write this kind of question:

a) What is this? It is a cat.
Is it correct to ask them, 'Determine the name of the animal'?

b) What is this? It is a pen.
Is it correct to ask them, 'Determine the name of the object/thing'?

I have these questions among others.



Thanks in advance.

 

[5jj]

If they are at the stage of writing 'What is this? It is pen', I think that 'Determine the name of the object' is rather advanced.


Why not just start the exercise with an example?

 

[learning54]

Hi,
Thank you for your reply.
Then, I'll write, 'Look at the drawings and complete the questions and answers. But first read the example.'
What do you think?
Though in Spanish it is not that difficult. It is, 'Determina el nombre del objeto/animal'.

L

 

[emsr2d2]

Hi,
Thank you for your reply.
Then, I'll write, 'Look at the drawings and complete the questions and answers. But first read the example.'
What do you think?
Though in Spanish it is not that difficult. It is, 'Determina el nombre del objeto/animal'.

L

Do you write the directions for your exercises in Spanish? If that's the case, then they will, of course, understand it. You say it's not that complicated in Spanish but when I was a real beginner learning Spanish and my level had only reached "Que es? Es un gatto", I would certainly have found "Determina el nombre del objecto/animal?" complicated. (I would have worked it out because of my knowledge of other European languages but if you assume no helpful knowledge, then that is quite an advanced sentence for someone who is only up to "What is this? It's a cat.")

 

[5jj]

Then, I'll write, 'Look at the drawings and complete the questions and answers. But first read the example.'
What do you think?

It's OK. I'd just write:

Exercise 1: example: What is this? It is a cat.

1. (picture of cat.
2. (picture of dog)
etc

 

[learning54]

Do you write the directions for your exercises in Spanish?

Hi,
Thank you for your reply.
No! Not al all! I'm very much against translation. I may have expressed myself badly. What I wanted to say is that it is not so difficult for them to understand those directions, just because those words are very similar to the Spanish language.

Besides it, I've already try those directions with my beginner students. My question was based just on, if they were right. Why? Because today I thought, with this directions 'determine the name of the animal'. Could they think if its name is 'Jerry', or 'Tom'? I mean could they answer like that?

L

 

[emsr2d2]

That is a fair point. I have found, over the years, that many people simply don't recognise the similarity between a foreign language and their own. In their head "it's a foreign word" and I think they panic a little!