Activity 7: Writing encyclopedia entries using Glossary

Aim: Help students improve their ability to write clear descriptions

Moodle modules: Glossary

Extra programs: None

Ease of setup: *

If you tell students they're going to write an encyclopedia, they'll probably look bemused. It sounds like a daunting task. But if you know that the students live in a pretty town with lots of tourists, and you tell them they're going to do a project in which each student takes photos and describes various parts of the town, they might well get interested. So the key challenge is to find a topic that is appropriate to your class and present it in an enticing way. If we use Glossary to present the bits of information, the end result will be a mini encyclopedia.

Here is a quick brainstorm of topics that might work, but the topic for the encyclopedia depends very much on the age, interests, and language level of the students:

• Towns in your area/country/the world

• Historical events

• Musicians

• Famous people

• Tourist sights...