There is one activity that we do in classes that is called "running dictation". The basic steps are as follows:
1. Kids are paired up, and each pair is given a piece of writing paper.
2. The teacher gives a question, and one student writes the question on the paper.
3. The other student, after listening to the question, goes outside the room to where several photocopied paragraphs have been taped to the wall.
4. That student has to find the answer to the question by reading--scanning--the posted paragraphs.
5. The "running" student then races back to his/her partner and dictates the answer; he or she is responsible for ensuring that the writer has correct spelling, punctuation, etc.
Some of my students view this activity as a game and love it. Others don't view it quite so fondly since, if they get paired up with a lower-skilled student, they are likely to lose (whichever team finishes first is the winner).
It can be a challenging activity, even for native speaking kids, as it involves four (4) language skills: listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Can you imagine being asked to do this activity in a foreign language?
For the teacher, it can be the equivalent to giving a test: the teacher can observe the capabilities of the students as they engage in the activity.
I did this activity--running dictation--with one class for the first time last week, and I was dismayed to observe that two students could not comprehend and complete the activity. While that was negative, I now know that I need to spend more time with that one class on the same activity.
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