Zero-prep in ELT (Webinar 3)

Webinar series

Zero-prep in elt

Webinar 1 - Zero-Prep Ice-Breakers and Warm-ups Webinar 2 - Zero-Prep Skills Teaching Webinar 3 - Zero-Prep Marking and Feedback

Skovoroda Hub

Регіональний центр змішаної освіти на базі ХНПУ імені Г.С.Сковороди

Speakers:

Olena Chukhno PhD in Education

Olena Chekhratova PhD in Education

Agenda:

1. Peer-generated comprehension check 2. Self-check patterns 5-min break 3. Self- and peer-feedback

Webinar 3

Peer-Generated Comprehension Checks

Reading / Listening

Peer-generated comprehension check

Enhances engagement Students enjoy:

• creating content
• challenging classmates
• “playing teacher”
• designing tricky or fun questions

Deepens learners’ comprehension Creating questions requires:

• rereading or relistening
• identifying key ideas
• evaluating what is important
• transforming input into questions

Time management Students may spend too long crafting questions. Mitigation: Time limits and number limits (e.g., 3 questions only).

Supports collaboration and communication Students negotiate answers, explain reasoning, and justify choices.

Uneven difficulty Some students produce: • overly easy questions • extremely difficult questions • irrelevant questions

Provides immediate feedback Faster learning cycle with instant correction.

Risk of inaccurate questions Learners may create:

• ambiguous questions
• poorly worded questions

Drastically reduces teacher marking

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Self-check patterns

Grammar/Vocabulary Reading / Listening

• Reduces anxiety (avoiding correcting publicly)

• A student may follow the pattern without understanding the rule

Check patterns

Check patterns

• Adds a gamified surprise at the end

• Allows for immediate feedback

• Works with most levels and skills

• Students might misapply the pattern

• Not all tasks fit into patterns

• More interaction, less teacher workload

• A student may start guessing the pattern

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Zero-Prep Feedback

Self-feedback

Peer-feedback

Self-feedback

• Promotes reflection and awareness
• Builds confidence
• Prepares for real-world
• Enhances long-term retention

Peer-feedback

• Promotes collaboration
• Increases STT
• Provides exposure to diverse perspectives
• Develops soft skills
• Reduces anxiety

We wish you fewer late-night lesson plans and more early-evening cups of tea!!!

Thank you for being part of this journey!

Memory Challenge

• Students write 5 details from the text.
• Partner must say a sentence with each word close to the text.

“One Word Answer” Challenge

• Students create short-answer questions where every answer must be only 1 word.
• Their partner answers and then checks with the creator.
• Great for scanning skills.

First Letters Spell a Word

Rule A is used in the sentences that spell the word … (e.g., ace, beg, film, begin). a) text, text, text, text, text b) text, text, text, text, text c) text, text, text, text, text d) text, text, text, text, text e)… f)… g)…

“Mistake Maker” Error Hunt

• Students rewrite 3 sentences from the text but make a factual mistake in each.
• Partner must find and fix the mistake.
• Creator confirms.

“Picture to Text” Sketch Exchange

• Students sketch 3 simple pictures representing ideas from the text.
• Partner must match each sketch to the correct paragraph or event.
• Creator confirms.

Odd–Even Pattern

Odd-numbered items follow Rule A Even-numbered items follow Rule B e.g.: 1,3,5,7 → verbs take –s; 2,4,6,8 → base form (no ending) Instruction: Fill in correct verb forms. When learners finish, reveal: “Odd = add -s.”

Grammar Rotation Pattern

The grammar structure rotates: the – a – an – zero article – the – a – an – zero article

“Emoji Summary”

• Students create a sequence of emojis.
• Partner retells the text.

“True, False, or Not Mentioned?” Creator

Learners write 3 statements:

• 1 true
• 1 false
• 1 not mentioned

Pairs exchange and do each other’s activities. The creator reveals which is which.

Every 3rd / 4th Item Pattern

Every third item contains a specific grammar feature. Instruction: Fill in the gaps with “the” or “a”. When the learners finished, reveal: 3, 6, 9, 12 – the article “the”.

“Find the Sentence”

Students pick 3–5 specific pieces of info from the text and write clues:

• “Find the sentence where the writer describes the weather.”
• “Find the sentence introducing the character.”

Partner must quote or point to the exact sentence.

Position in Sentence (Beginning/Middle/End)

At the beginning – Rule A (e.g., ing-form) In the middle – Rule B (e.g., bare infinitive) At the end – Rule C (e.g., to-infinitive)

“Order Me!” Sequencing Cards

Students write 5 short sentences summarizing the text, but in the wrong order. Partners must:

• rearrange into logical order
• return the sequence for confirmation

The “Trap Question” Game

Students create 5 comprehension questions, but one question must be impossible to answer because the info is not in the text. Partners must identify which question is the “trap.”

Vowel vs. Consonant Labels

Items labelled with vowels (a, e, i, o …) follow Rule A. Items labelled with consonants (b, c, d, f, g …) follow Rule B. e.g.: a, e, i → add “–s” b, d, f → base form

The “3–2–1 Challenge”

After reading/listening, learners write:

• 3 factual questions
• 2 inference questions (e.g., Why do you think …?)
• 1 creative question (e.g., “What would you do if…?”)

Learners work in pairs or groups. They ask and answer the questions and the creators confirm correctness.

Punctuation Pattern

• Sentences that end in a question mark: Rule A (e.g., more + adj.)
• Sentences ending in an exclamation mark: Rule B (e.g., adj.+er.)
• Sentences ending in a full stop: Rule C (e.g., the adj.+est.)

Long-sentences/short sentences

Long sentences – Rule A (e.g., adjectives) Short sentences – Rule B (e.g., adverbs) Instruction: Fill in the gaps with adjectives or adverbs. After students finish, reveal: long sentence = adj.