Unit 15

WORKSHEET – UNIT 15

Task 1 – Why do teachers need to evaluate their students’ English?

Teachers need to evaluate their students’ English to determine whether the students are making any progress in their learning. A teacher also needs to evaluate students at the beginning of a course to be able to identify their needs or problem areas. An evaluation is also useful for correct placement. Conducting periodic evaluations and keeping records is also very useful because teachers can easily refer to these in case there would be a problem in the future. Evaluating students’ English will also let the teacher know if the aims of the lessons are being met or if changes are needed.

Task 2 – List the different types of testing and evaluation tools that a teacher can use:

1.     Tutorials – teachers can conduct individual (not always possible) tutorials or small group tutorials to assess what has been done in class and address any problems.

2.     Student evaluation – students can evaluate the course through a questionnaire or survey. It can also be done by means of a guided discussion.

3.     Tests – there are many different types of exams that teachers can use.

a.     Placement test – this allows the teacher to place the student into the appropriate level or class

b.     Progress test – can be done weekly, bi-monthly, monthly, or after 2-3 units to assess which language items have been retained and which ones need revisions.

c.      Diagnostic test – this is given at the start of the course to see what the students already know and don’t know. It can help teachers to design lessons that can address any problems identified in the exam

d.     Practice test – a practice test follows the format of whatever external or formal exam the students are preparing for.

Task 3 – What reasons might students have for studying for formal or external tests of English?

Students study for formal or external tests of English primarily for studies and work purposes. Schools abroad require foreign students to take a formal exam such as the IELTS or TOEFL before they can gain admittance to the institution they have applied to. Professionals like nurses and doctors are also asked to take these exams (IELTS or TOEFL) before they can be allowed to work in an English-speaking country. In countries like Japan, Korea and some European countries, the TOEIC exam is also very popular for gaining employment and promotion purposes. Those who want to start a career in business can also take the BEC exam. Another reason why students take these formal or external tests of English is for immigration purposes. For students who are exam-oriented, they take these tests as a form of assessment or evaluation of their English language skills in addition to the exams being given in their local schools.

Task 4 – What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of the example placement test on pages 4 and 5 of this unit?

Strengths:

-         It covers verb tenses and there’s a progression in difficulty.

-         It contains general questions that can be used to assess the writing skills of the students.

Weaknesses:

-         It does not have a speaking component.

-         Contains some advanced vocabulary which means that it’s not suitable for beginners.

-         The test does not start with easy or familiar questions.

-         Section 2 #14 is a bit confusing and so are other items in section 2.

Task 5 – What would you include in a thirty minute progress test for a group of beginners, making sure that you were testing all four skills (speaking, reading, writing and listening)? Give a detailed outline of the test you would construct, with examples.

For an initial progress test for a group of beginners (small class), I would create a 30-item written test which will include the following types of test:

1.     Multiple choice questions – 5 items

Ex: ____ from Beijing, China.

(a.  I    b. I am        c. I is d. She)

2.     Matching type – 5 items

Ex: match the words to the numbers

11	nineteen
4	fifteen
15	four
9	eleven
19	nine

3.     Fill in the blanks – 5 items

Ex: What ____ your address?

4.     Write questions for the answers – 5 items

Ex: __________________________________?

          Yes, of course! I love ice cream.

5.     Listen and draw – 5 items

Ex: There is a square inside a big circle.

6.     Write a short conversation (6 sentences) about a given picture.

For the speaking part, I will let them choose a question to answer from a box. Then, the students have to ask me one question each.

Unit 14

WORKSHEET – UNIT 14

Task 1 – State the advantages and disadvantages of authentic and created materials. Which kind of materials would you favor for a class of intermediate students? Why?

Authentic materials:

Advantages

-         It can boost the confidence of students if they are able to understand it.

-         It’s authentic or real so it’s more interesting for the students.

-         It can be geared to the interests of a particular set of students such as teen agers or business people.

-         It prepares the students for the real world, most especially if they are migrating to an English-speaking country.

Disadvantages

-         The material is not graded to the level of the students because it’s made for native speakers and not ESL learners.

-         It can sometimes be too difficult or complicated for the students to comprehend.

-         It might contain a lot of informal English which can be disadvantageous to the students who haven’t mastered formal/academic English yet.

Created materials:

Advantages

-         The material can be graded to the level of students.

-         The teacher can easily choose which vocabulary or language items to include in the material (ex: crossword puzzles, matching activities, role-plays)

-         It can be used to replace or supplement material from the book.

-         Student-focused

Disadvantages

-         Some students may find it a bit boring because it’s not real.

-         It limits the exposure of students to real English or everyday English.

-         Can be too time-consuming to create the material.

-         Some original materials have not been tried and tested.

I would favor the use of authentic materials for intermediate students because they already have a good grasp of the English language. Using authentic materials can bring the right kind of motivation and challenge to the class. I’m sure that they will appreciate the fact that they are not only learning the language but are being exposed to the cultural content of the material as well.

Task 2 – What do you consider to be the advantages and disadvantages of using course books with a class?

Advantages:

-         It’s something that the students expect.

-         It’s less time-consuming for the teacher.

-         It has already been tried and tested.

-         There is progression and continuity of lessons.

-         It’s always something the teacher can rely on when he/she runs out of ideas.

-         It provides security for both the students and teachers.

-         Language items in the past lessons are often used in the succeeding lessons.

-         There is a balanced mix of lessons covering grammar, pronunciation, speaking, writing, listening, and reading.

-         It’s usually appealing to the eye.

-         It’s helpful for novice teachers.

Disadvantages:

-         Some books may be outdated and no longer relevant to the students.

-         It dictates the lessons to be covered.

-         Since course books are designed for all nationalities, some of these books may not cover the particular needs of a group of students.

-         It becomes boring and predictable.

-         Teachers can become lazy at times.

-         Some lessons don’t provide an in-depth coverage of language items that the teacher needs to teach.

-         Some topics/lessons may not be suitable for the class.

-         Students may not like the book and might not want to use it.

Task 3 – How can the teacher use the course book to maximum effect?

Teachers should remember the following when following a course book:

-         Use the course book as a guide only and don’t consider it your bible.

-         Don’t think of the course book as a solution to everything.

-         Omit sections/topics from the book that are unsuitable to the level of the students being taught.

-         Supplement the book with other materials, authentic or created, to provide an opportunity for extended language practice.

-         Replace unsuitable materials with similar and more appropriate ones.

-         Don’t use the text book for the whole lesson.

-         Plan lessons well and make them interesting.

-         Use the materials contained in the book in a way that he/she sees fit or perceives to be most beneficial for the students.

-         Don’t base all of the lessons on the book. The teacher should be aware of what the students need and should try to address such in the lessons.

Task 4 – Find an authentic reading text of your choice online appropriate for an upper-intermediate class, and using the blank lesson plan that you should have received, devise a full ESA lesson plan that revolves around the text. As always, complete all sections of the lesson plan, as well as the procedure.

Include all exercises and worksheets when submitting your lesson plan.

Unit 13

WORKSHEET – UNIT 13

Task 1 – Why is the teaching of pronunciation important, but often neglected by teachers?

Many teachers give less attention to the teaching of pronunciation because oftentimes, they lack the confidence and training to teach such skill effectively. Native English speakers are rarely taught phonetics in school and it can be said that they learn how to pronounce words along the way. As such, learning about phonology including the IPA and teaching it is a foreign concept for them.

On my part, I’m a non-native English speaker but I have never studied the IPA system in school either. I have seen the symbols before but I’ve never given much thought to any of it. In fact, I only learned to write the phonetic symbols here in China. When I first came to China, I would cover pronunciation in my classes but when the students started asking me to write the phonetic spelling, I didn’t know how to do it. Looking back, I realized I should have taken my TEFL course before I came to China! J

Task 2 – State, with a brief description, techniques that can be used to indicate intonation and stress:

1.     Nonsense words – Teachers ask their students to utter nonsense words like ‘ging geng gong pak pik’ to convey different feelings such as being angry, bored, happy, surprised, etc. After practicing with nonsense words, the students can then practice with real sentences.

2.     Use of gestures – Teachers can use their hands to guide the students by giving a clear sweep of the hand either up or down to indicate a high or a low pitch. Gestures such as clapping, clicking of fingers, and tapping on the desks or board are also helpful in indicating stress.

3.     Humming or singing – Students can also sing out the sentences or hum the words together.

4.     The board – The board is there for teachers to utilize. Giving a visual presentation by using straight or angled arrows, stress marks, underlines, and capital letters can emphasize the point being made.

5.     Contrastive stress – Let the students hear the difference in stress and intonation by giving them two examples, one is the correct one and the other is the incorrect one. Teachers just need to make sure that they repeat normally so the last thing in the students’ mind is the correct one.

Task 3 – For each of these sentences, give the meanings indicated by the

          i) rise/fall intonation pattern

          ii) fall/rise intonation pattern

a) I’m going to tell you a story.

i)                    The person wants to tell an important story.

ii)                  The person wants to start telling a story and wants the listener not to say anything because the story is about to begin.

b) She’s not going out tonight, is she?

i)                    The person talking knows that she is not going out but simply making a statement.

iii)                The person talking is a bit dismayed that she is going out and thinks it’s not a good idea for her to go out.

c) I don’t understand.

i)                    The speaker is simply stating that he/she doesn’t understand something.

iv)                Expressing shock or disbelief over something

d) Goodnight!

i)                    The person is saying goodnight but is not actually waiting for a reply.

ii)                  The person is saying goodnight and wants some acknowledgement.

Task 4 – Say each of the following sentences and then underline the stressed syllables in each:

a) I know why he wanted to see you.

b) What’s the time?

c) Don’t forget to turn out the light!

d) It’s another beautiful day today.

Say each of the following sentences and then underline the unstressed syllables in each:

a) Once upon a time, there was an old woman…

b) In the light of the above statement, I shall abstain from voting.

c) Good morning. How can I help you?

d) I’m away for the rest of the week.

Task 5 – Make up a sentence similar to that in the example on page 7 of the unit, and explain its various possible meanings, when different words in it are stressed:

1. JACK wanted to join the singing competition yesterday.

-          It was Jack who wanted to join the singing competition, not ME or anybody else.

2. Jack WANTED to join the singing competition yesterday.

-          Jack really wanted to join the competition. He made the decision himself.

3. Jack wanted to JOIN the singing competition yesterday.

-          Jack wanted to be in the competition as a competitor, not as part of the audience or as a judge.

4. Jack wanted to join the SINGING competition yesterday.

-          This means he wanted to join the singing competition and not any other competitions like dancing or cooking.

5. Jack wanted to join the singing COMPETITION yesterday.

-          He wanted to join the competition, not the free show or the charity event.

6. Jack wanted to join the singing competition YESTERDAY.

-          He wanted to join yesterday and not the day before yesterday or any other day.

Task 6 – How and why can a student’s pronunciation affect the quality of his/her communication?

Pronunciation can affect the quality of a student’s communication in many ways. For one, mispronouncing words can alter the meaning of what is being and eventually lead to misunderstanding. It is therefore important for students to understand that correct pronunciation is the key to effective communication. In other cultures, people who often mispronounce words are sometimes perceived as uneducated. If this happens, it can seriously affect the confidence of the English learner and hamper his/her learning. The student would rather stay quiet in class than become the laughing stock of the entire class. While it takes hard work and years of learning for a non-native speaker to sound like a native speaker, what’s important for students is to learn how to speak clearly and ensure they are being understood correctly.

Task 7 – Indicate the major ways in which English sounds are joined and linked. Give your own examples:

a.     Linking                          -        What do you want to eat for lunch? becomes ‘Whatcha wanna eat for lunch?’                                

b.     Sound dropping (t,d)     -        sandwich becomes ‘sanwich’ 

c.      Sound changing             -        Grandpa becomes ‘grampa’

d.     Extra lettering                -        ‘law and order’ becomes ‘lawr and order’ 

Task 8 – What are the benefits in students learning the phonemic alphabet?

Learning the phonemic alphabet is beneficial to students and teachers alike because it serves as a standard pronunciation guide for all varieties of English. If students are familiar with the IPA system, then they can easily improve their learning on their own. They can learn how to correctly pronounce words using this system because it is consistent. It’s also important to language learners whose 1^st language lack sounds that are present in the English language.

Task 9 – Referring to the phonemic alphabet, transcribe the phonemic text at the end of the course unit into standard script:

Yogi:           What’s the matter, Boo-Boo?

Boo-Boo:    My tummy hurts and feels really big.

Yogi:           Why? What’ve you been doing?

Boo-Boo:    I think I’ve been eating too much honey.

Yogi:           Have you considered going on a diet?

Boo-Boo:    No I haven’t. Do you think I should?

Yogi:           You’re very fat, so yes!

Boo-Boo:    Thanks for the advice

Yogi:           Any time my friend

Boo-Boo:    See you later.

Unit 12

WORKSHEET – UNIT 12

Task 1 – What are the two productive skills?

Speaking and writing

Task 2 – Give a brief description of the differences between accuracy and fluency activities:

Accuracy activities are usually integrated in the study phase. These are controlled or teacher-guided activities used to practice correct usage of grammar and language. Fluency activities, on the other hand, are usually done in the activate phase. They provide opportunities for students to experiment and be creative with the language

Task 3 – List 5 different speaking activities, giving an example activity of your own for each:

1.     Creative Communication – Describe and Draw

This activity is done in pairs, A and B. Each student has a different picture. Student A describes his/her picture first then Student B draws whatever Student A describes. After sometime, they exchange roles so B gets to describe and A gets to draw. They compare pictures after.

2.     Controlled Activities - Tongue Twisters

The teacher can use tongue twisters for drilling activities. Many of these tongue twisters are found online.

3.     Guided Activities – Dialogues

The teacher can provide a copy of a dialogue with some parts missing. It’s up to the students to add information to complete the dialogue.

4.     Creative Communication – Short Instructions (How to…)

Students pick a topic related to giving instructions like…how to fry an egg, how to operate a computer, how to go come to school from your home, etc.

5.     Creative Communication – Create a story based on a picture

Students are given a picture without text or description. They have to come up with a story about the picture, making sure that they say something about what happened before the scene in the picture and what will happen after.

Task 4 – Give examples of ways that the teacher can do to encourage students to speak and interact during a lesson:

1.     Be friendly and smile a lot to put the students at ease. If they’re comfortable, they are more likely to open up.

2.     Don’t force students to speak up if they don’t want to. Give easy questions to slow students so they can be able to answer and feel confident. Reserve more difficult questions for students who need to be challenged.

3.     Praise students for giving correct answers but don’t criticize students for their mistakes.

4.     Provide more opportunities for pair work and group work.

5.     Allocate time for more controlled and guided speaking activities.

6.     Give the students time to think and prepare their answers.

7.     Plan your lessons carefully.

8.     Speaking activities should have a purpose.

Task 5 – List five ways, with short explanations, that a teacher can generate interest in a topic. Come up with ideas of your own:

1.     Games – choose games that are suitable to the level of your students. It can be word games, TPR games, or traditional games as long as you incorporate some form of language into it. Games are fun and interesting ways to catch the attention of students and get them interested in the lesson.

2.     Jokes, humor, and anecdotes – Teachers can start a class by telling a joke or a funny anecdote that the students can relate to.

3.     Short outdoor trips – If your lesson is about food and ordering food, you can schedule a class at a local or international fast food chain (McDonald’s). This is a commonly done by ESL teachers here in China if they are teaching kids. Similarly, you can opt to have your adult class at a local coffee shop or go to Starbucks if your lesson is about coffee.

4.     Classroom Realia – Students get excited if they see things being brought to the classroom and they are given the chance to touch or feel these objects. I actually have a collection of bills and coins from different countries that I bring with me whenever I teach about money, banking, or countries. The students get excited every time.

5.     Songs and video clips – Another thing that can surely generate interest in a topic is the use of songs and videos. Choose material that is relevant and suitable to the students you are teaching.

Task 6 – Using the blank lesson plan that you should have received, plan an ESA lesson including at least one effective free-speaking activity. Please ensure all parts of the lesson plan are completed.

Task 7 – What additional issues does the teacher have to consider for a writing activity?

For a writing activity, there are some issues that need to be considered like handwriting, punctuation, spelling, and differences in spoken and written English. There are students who use a system of alphabet that is different from the English language so forming the English letters can be a problem. Handwriting can also be problematic if it impedes the reader from understanding the content. In this case, the teacher should encourage students to continually improve their handwriting. Another thing to consider is the use of punctuation. Written work can be a mess if the proper punctuations marks are not put in place. Spelling is another major issue. Students have to be made aware of the most common rules and complexities of spelling including silent letters and differences in British and American spelling. Students should be encouraged to read extensively to improve their spelling skills as well. Lastly, it’s also important to explain to the students the differences in spoken and written English. Examples of these are words like ‘can’t’, ‘I’d’, ‘gonna’ for spoken English and ‘cannot’, ‘I would’, and ‘going to’ for written English.

Task 8 – Think of five traditional games that could be adapted for the classroom and details of how you would use them (these games should not include any of those mentioned in the course unit):

1.     Taboo – can be used in the classroom the same way that it’s traditionally played. Students try to describe a word without using the accompanying taboo words.

2.     Alibi Game – this is a useful game when teaching past simple and past continuous. Teacher sets the scene of a crime (What? Where? When? Who?), have the student work in pairs and come up with an alibi as to why they couldn’t have committed the crime. Students interview the “suspects” individually and look for any inconsistencies in their answers. The pair with the most inconsistencies is most likely guilty.

3.     Guess Who – this game is also played the same way it’s normally played. It practices descriptions. The teacher can create multiple copies of a board with the faces of different people. There are also downloadable game boards available on the internet. Students take turns asking yes or no questions and by process of elimination, determine who the mystery person is. The first one who can do that is the winner. This is best played in pairs or small groups.

4.     Bingo – can be adapted for any vocabulary lesson.

5.     I spy – The teacher starts by saying….” I see (spy) something red (round, blue, big, orange, colorful, etc) “and the students ask questions like “ Is it a ____?” until they guess the correct object.  If they answer correctly, then they can be the game leader.

Unit 11

WORKSHEET – UNIT 11

Task 1 – What are the two receptive skills?

Reading and listening.

Task 2 – Describe the different specialist skills needed for reading and listening successfully:

a.     Predictive skills – predicting or guessing the content of a text or article from the headline or title.

b.     Scanning for specific information – sometimes, we read or listen to find out specific information only. For example, we don’t have to read everything or listen to everything if we just want to know the results of a game or the weather for tomorrow.

c.      Skimming  for general idea – we don’t have to focus on every word or try to understand every single word but try to just have a general idea or understanding of the text or listening material.

d.     Reading and listening for detailed information – if we need to understand something for a purpose, we need to read carefully or listen carefully so we can be sure to achieve that purpose.

e.      Deductive skills – our understanding of words and phrases should go beyond what is obvious. Sometimes, we need to read or listen between the lines in order to deduce the real meaning of what people are writing and saying.

Task 3 – Why is the choice of topic so important?  How can the teacher generate interest in the topic?

The choice of topic is very important because it would be counter-productive to teach a topic that the students are not interested in or consider a boring one. If students are interested in the topic, they are more likely to be very participative and motivated to learn more in class. Teachers should never assume that because they find a particular topic interesting that it would automatically hold true for the students.

However, if the teacher can get the students engaged or interested in the activities, there is a good chance that the students will be more receptive to the lesson even if they did not like the topic originally. The teacher can generate interest by using pictures or flashcards, jokes, body language, video and audio clips, discussing the topic, predicting the content of the text or how the story ends, and other fun engage activities.

Task 4 – What does the teacher need to consider when selecting a text or dialogue?

It is very important for the teacher to carefully select which text or dialogue to use in a class. The level of the students should be considered. Texts or dialogues should neither be too easy or too difficult for the students. Students should be challenged in a good way so they will become more confident. It’s also important to think about the interests of the students when selecting a text/dialogue to work on. There should also be a variety of materials including authentic and non-authentic texts. In addition, it’s also important to stay away from topics that are culturally-insensitive or considered taboo for the students.

Task 5 – Look at the reading comprehension questions and the gap-fill exercise on page 7 of the unit. Numbers 1 to 4 are already given. Provide four more of your own that would check your students understanding of the reading material:

Reading comprehension questions:

5) What do men and women wear in a business environment?

6) Compare what men and women wear when they are swimming in a competition and when they are having fun.

7) What do women wear to enhance their business-wear?

8) How is the uniform of a policeman in England different from the uniform of a police woman?

Gap-fill exercise (This should be in the form of four sentences with a separate list of  ‘gap-words’):

5) Police officers in England can carry guns if they have special ______.

6) Women sometimes use ______ like silk shawls to enhance their business-wear.

7) Ladies usually wear _______ if they swim for fun.

8) Some police officers ride horses on the street and the horses wear a special ______ and _______.

List of words: saddle, coat, training, bikinis, accessories

Task 6 – Using the blank lesson plan that you should have received, plan an ESA lesson that makes use of the reading text and sample comprehension exercises on pages 6 and 7 of the unit.

Please include your aims, context, expected number of students, anticipated problems and solutions, and all the other boxes at the top of the blank lesson plan form, as well as the procedure.

Task 7 – Using the second blank lesson plan that you should have received, plan an ESA lesson that would follow on from the lesson plan in task 6, which makes use of the grammar exercises on pages 8, 9 and 10.

Again, include your aims, context, expected number of students, anticipated problems and solutions, and all the other boxes at the top of the blank lesson plan form, as well as the procedure.

Unit 10

WORKSHEET – UNIT 10

Task 1 – Imagine you are a student in the class on the CD-ROM.  How would you have felt during:

Lesson one?

In lesson one, I would have felt discouraged and unmotivated to learn. The teacher kept saying “very easy” so that would have made me afraid to speak up otherwise, I would have looked like a complete idiot if I made a mistake. I would have felt bored in class also because the teacher wasn’t engaging enough. Based on how the teacher handled incorrect answers from the students, I would have been discouraged from volunteering my own answers. At the end of the lesson, I would have felt confused and perhaps even frustrated with how the lesson went.

Lesson two?

I would have enjoyed being in class. I would have felt comfortable speaking up and offering my answers because the teacher was very encouraging. I would have felt at ease too because the teacher used positive reinforcement to deal with incorrect answers. In this kind of class, I would not have been afraid to ask questions. I would have felt happy and motivated to attend the next class.

Task 2 – Which lesson was the more effective?  Why?

Lesson two was definitely more effective than lesson one for several reasons. First of all, lesson two was clearly more structured and well-prepared than lesson one. The teacher was more engaging and encouraging in lesson two while in lesson one, he looked like he was frustrated that his students couldn’t even give simple answers. In lesson two, there were clear instructions before every activity, which were definitely lacking in lesson one. In addition, the teacher made an effort to learn and use his students’ names. The class was delivered using simple language making it easier to understand. Flashcards and body language were also utilized which made it more interesting. Lesson two also had an engage phase which was helpful in putting the students at ease. The fact that the lesson was more student-centered definitely made it even more effective.

Task 3 – What main differences did you note between lesson one and two in the following areas?

The teacher’s attitude to the students:

In lesson one, the teacher seemed frustrated with the students for not coming up with the answers he wanted. He didn’t look like he was enjoying the class. He appeared unfriendly because he rarely smiled. He wasn’t very encouraging and he reacted negatively when the students gave incorrect answers. He just assumed that the students understood what he was saying. He didn’t really care about the learning of the students.

In lesson two, the teacher clearly looked like he was happy to be teaching the class. He smiled a lot thereby encouraging student participation. He seemed genuinely interested with the students’ learning. He wrote his name on the board and made an effort to learn the names of the students. He used positive reinforcement. He praised students for giving correct answers but did not shut them off when they made mistakes.

The students’ attitude towards the teacher:

In the first lesson, the students appeared uncomfortable in the class. They looked as if they were afraid to speak up. They were not very participative because the teacher wasn’t very encouraging. They seemed discouraged and unmotivated.

In the second lesson, it was clear that the students were happy with the teacher because he was enthusiastic about his teaching. They reacted positively towards him. They were more open and unafraid to say something in class.

Student participation:

In lesson one, student participation was very minimal. It was more of a teacher-centered lesson. The teacher asked questions but did not really care about the students’ answers. The students looked confused but didn’t ask any questions or clarifications. When they did, he answered with “I don’t understand” or “I will tell you later.” He supplied most of the language input on the board instead of asking the students for their input. The students’ role was at best mere listeners.

In lesson two, student talking time was high. They had a lot of input in class, from the engage stage to the activate stage. All the students had the chance to speak up because the teacher tried to involve all the students.

The teacher’s voice (clarity, complexity, speed etc):

In the first lesson, the teacher did not vary his voice throughout the lesson. At times, he sounded unclear to the students as evidenced by their facial expressions and at one point, he was just mumbling or muttering to himself. He also went about with the class quickly.

In the second lesson, he spoke clearly and slowly. He used words to suit the level of the students. The speed was also appropriate for a beginner class. There were variations in his voice which kept the class engaged all throughout the lesson.

The teacher’s instructions and explanations:

The teacher’s instructions in lesson one were very limited or lacking even for some activities. In the first activity, he just handed out the worksheets without telling them what to do. The teacher did not offer any explanation even if the students were obviously confused on what to do. When some of the students asked questions, he didn’t answer adequately or just said he didn’t understand or he’ll tell her later. He didn’t rephrase his questions and sentences even if the students clearly didn’t understand what he was saying.

In lesson two, the instructions and explanations were very clear. Time limits were also set. The teacher used language that was appropriate to the level of the students. He told them what to do before letting them work on the worksheets. He also made sure that the students understood further by offering examples or answering the first question for the class. The teacher also used body language and visual aids to further reinforce instruction and understanding.

Monitoring of the students:

There was no monitoring of students in lesson one. After he handed out the worksheets, he settled down in a corner and just waited for the students to finish the activity. He even tried to read a book at one point. He didn’t move around the class to check on their work even if the students were just looking at each other’s papers helplessly, an indication that they didn’t know what to do.

In the second lesson, the teacher monitored at the start of the activity to check that they had understood the activity. He also set a time limit so at a later point, he checked on the students’ progress then started his countdown. He made sure that everyone understood before moving on to the next activity.

Engage stage:

In lesson one, there was no engage stage. The teacher just mentioned what they were going to learn that day and then he started by eliciting examples of modal auxiliary verbs.

In lesson two, the teacher started the class by asking them to name as many animals as they can in two minutes. This kept the students on their toes because they were given a time limit. The activity was a pair work so it helped relieve the pressure from the students, despite the urgency of completion.

Study stage:

In the first lesson, the input came mostly from the teacher. He didn’t give the students enough time to figure out things on their own. Rather, he supplied most of the information on the board. He gave them worksheets but since there were no explanations provided, there was no actual learning done.

In the second lesson, he elicited the answers from the students first by writing sentence prompts on the board. He also used body language to elicit action words. He drilled pronunciation by using the 3x3 formula. He dealt with mistakes by asking students to self-correct and also asked the other students to correct their classmates’ mistakes.

Activate stage:

The activate stage in the first lesson didn’t work because the teacher’s instructions were unclear. He also kept talking when the students were supposed to be doing the activity, thereby creating disturbance. There wasn’t enough time allotted for the activate phase so he just dismissed the class without proper feedback on the activity.

In lesson 2, the teacher showed his own drawing first to reinforce instruction and understanding. Once the activity started, he just monitored from a far so as not to disturb the students. Reporting was also done prior to the dismissal of the class.

Task 4 – How would you change/adapt lesson two to make it more effective still?

For the reporting part of the activation stage activity, I think I can make it more effective if I let one student talk about what their animal CAN do and let the other student talk about what their animal CAN’T do. This way, both partners are given equal opportunities to speak up.

Another thing I would do is to give more practice time on the pronunciation of difficult words.

Task 5 – What level do you think the students are?  Was the language point appropriate for this level?

Based on the materials used, I believe that the students are at the beginner-low intermediate level. The language point was definitely suitable for this level. However, there was a difference in the activation of language in lesson one because of a different delivery method from the teacher. 

Task 6 – Using the blank lesson plan that you should have received, create the lesson plan that you think the teacher followed in the second lesson on the CD. Please include your aims, context, expected number of students, and all the other boxes at the top of the blank lesson plan form, as well as the full procedure.