Lesson Plans for AL 6962 Practicum II in TESOL

Lesson Plans for AL 6962 Practicum II

in TESOL

Developed by Yuhei Yamamoto

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Background: Providing Context for the Lesson Plan

A. Description of Program

The school in which these videotaped lessons are conducted is Hawai’i Literacy, a

non-profit organization in Honolulu Hawaii. Hawai’i Literacy provides various

language programs such as adult literacy, Book Mobile, family literacy, and English

language learner classes. The goals of the school are to develop adult learners’

literacy skills in order to find jobs, gain parenting skills, and lead a successful life.

Dedicated volunteer tutors support all the programs. No formal assessment is

conducted in the English program; therefore, the classes are not for credit.

B. Description of students

Students’ ages range between 30 and 60, and they have lived in Hawaii for a varied

length of time. A majority of students come from Japan, Vietnam, Korean, and China.

Their major reasons to study English are to overcome language barriers and/or enjoy

lifelong learning. Students’ proficiency levels are fairly diverse. That is, whereas

some students are already proficient enough to produce accurate complete sentences

in speaking and writing, other students still have a hard time with basic grammar and

vocabulary. Students often sit together with classmates who speak the same native

language, and even during a lesson, they sometimes use their native language to

complete worksheets with classmates. It seems that most students still need to rely on

their first language to identify English vocabulary, as they often use bilingual

electronic dictionaries.

C. Description of course

There are usually more than 30 students in the Monday and Wednesday sessions.

Except for Saturday, when there are small tutoring sessions, each lesson lasts for two

hours without any break, so a variety of activities is usually implemented. Because

students can come whichever days they want, it is often seen that those who come on

Mondays do not come on Wednesdays or vice versa. Yet, regular students attend all

the sessions in a week. The classes meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays,

Fridays from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Saturday classes start from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

with a formal class running until 10:30 and individualized, self-directed lessons from

10:30 to 1:00. The classroom is large enough to accommodate 40 students, and there

are long tables in rows on two sides of the room. Three or four students sit together

per table. The host teacher finds reading materials and corresponding worksheets

from published text books or online webpages.

D. Description and overall goal of the unit that this lesson is part of.

This unit is composed of six stand-alone lessons, but topics are diverse as there are

students who only come either on Mondays or Wednesdays. Therefore, these two

lessons are designed with different contexts. The first lesson, entitled “The Language

of Gestures,” is based on the textbook Explorations: An Interactive Approach to

Reading (1998). An article and worksheets are used for listening practice, reading

comprehension, and vocabulary reinforcement. This lesson also introduces interactive

activities in order for students to apply their learned knowledge to communicative

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use. The second lesson, entitled “Spreading Rumors,” is designed to teach

prepositions for spatial meaning. All materials are developed by the lesson planner,

but the topic of this lesson carried over from previous sessions. In this lesson, there is

a variety of interactive activities where students learn to use prepositions to locate

objects on illustrations while spreading rumors about the characteristics of towns.

Therefore, this lesson is designed to develop students’ use of spatial prepositions by

completing tasks.

E. Recent work

There is no curriculum set for Hawai’i Literacy. Students are usually given a new

article that the teacher selects from teachers’ books or Breaking News English. Each

article comes with its own worksheets for gap-filling, word matching, and multiple

choice questions.

I. Getting ready to teach videotaped lesson 1

A. General topic of this lesson: Body language in different cultures.

B. General goal of this lesson: Students will:

1. Understand an article about body language and discover that there are

different cultural traditions around the world.

2. Demonstrate vocabulary knowledge by using word forms that fit in an

appropriate sentence.

3. Describe cultural differences in body gestures in both oral and written texts.

C. Student learning outcomes for this lesson: By the end of this lesson, students will:

1. Identify words by filling out blanks on a worksheet.

2. Recognize main ideas of the article by distinguishing True/False statements.

3. Demonstrate their reading comprehension by creating comprehension

questions of their own.

4. Recognize an appropriate word form by examining context and structure in a

given sentence.

5. Write paragraphs to share their ideas about differences of body gestures

between their home country and the United States.

D. Vocabulary and other key language to be taught in this lesson: Forms of noun, verb,

adjective, adverb that fit in appropriate sentences from the article. Target words such as

custom, gesture, wave, honor, hold up, enough.

E. Materials: White board and markers, teachers’ textbook, handouts (#1-#5)

F. Assessment: No formal assessment is provided in this lesson.

II. Teaching the lesson

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Activity 1: Warm up (10min)

1. Talk about the teacher’s experience of encountering people who showed unknown

body gestures, in order to engage students in the topic.

2. Pass out two illustrations of body gestures: One shows someone holding up a

hand, palm away from the face, and moving the fingers up and down. Another

one shows someone holding hands together over the head.

3. Write two sentences: “What does each gesture mean?” “Teach me some body

language from your home country” on the white board.

4. Ask students to find a classmate to talk with. Use the questions from the board to

engage students in a few minutes of discussion.

5. Ask three pairs to tell what they have talked about to the class. On the board,

write students’ opinions about the illustrations given and the common gestures

from their home countries.

6. Introduce new vocabulary (custom, gesture, wave, honor, hold up, enough) from

the article, writing parts of speech ,synonym, and example sentences of those

words on the left side of the board. This will remain until the next activity is done.

Activity 2: Expeditious reading (20min)

1. Tell students that they will only listen to the teacher without looking at the article

for the first time. Students are to catch main ideas of the story by listening.

2. Pass out handout #1, telling them that it has the article with blanks and they will

have to fill out each blank with words by listening to the teacher again.

3. Read aloud the article again and give students some time to fill in the blanks

before comparing answers with classmates.

4. Ask students to find a partner and have them compare answers. Walk around the

classroom and assist those students having difficulty finding a partner or

comparing answers.

5. Ask the class if they need to listen to the article one more time. Read aloud the

article for the third time if necessary.

6. Call on 6 students randomly and ask them to write words for their assigned blank

on the board.

7. Ask students whether they agree with all the answers given on the board. If not,

call on other students to correct the errors.

8. Repeat the same steps until all the blanks are answered correctly. At this time, ask

students if they have any questions.

Activity3: Reading comprehension (15min)

1. Pass out handout#2, telling them that they will have to complete the two sections

on the worksheet.

2. Explain the first task, saying that students are going to answer True/False

questions based on the article. Tell students that they are welcome to use handout

#1 as their reference. Encourage students to work together with classmates.

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3. Explain the second task, saying that students are going to write original (new)

sentences, using the words given.

4. Walk around the classroom and make sure that they understand the task

directions. If there are students who already finished the task, give them

additional words to write original sentences or pair up those who finished the task

and encourage them to use additional words in a conversation.

5. Have students share their answers with classmates.

6. Check the answers as a class by asking students individually to tell their

selections to the class. Ask students whether they agree with all the answers

given. If not, call on other students to correct the errors.

Activity 4: Making original comprehension questions (25min)

1. Pass out handout#3.

2. Tell students that they are going to write at least two of their own True or False

questions and two multiple choice questions.

3. Find useful descriptions from the article and demonstrate making both multiple

choice questions and True/False questions as model examples for students. Give

students some tips to create those questions and ask them if they have any

questions. For example, write “According to the article, people cannot talk to each

other without words” as an example True/False question.

4. Walk around the classroom to help students make questions. If there are students

who have not written anything on the worksheet yet, ask them to find passages

that they would like to use for the questions of their own.

5. Make groups of 3 or 4 students, telling them that each student will give the

questions they have created and also answer others’ questions in a group.

7. Visit each group and make sure that all students participate in the group

discussion. Nicely ask those students who speak quietly or have a strong accent to

repeat the question clearly.

8. Praise each group and ask students to go back to their original seats.

Activity 5: Vocabulary reinforcement (15 min)


2. Explain the directions of the handout, saying that students choose the correct form

of the word that completes the sentence.

3. Show a couple of sets of the words that have the same meaning but are featured

with different parts of speech on the board before letting students write words on

the worksheet. Ask students how they are different. Write the words “Similar”

and “Similarity” as an example.

4. Walk around the classroom and assist students who struggle with the questions.

5. Have students share their answers with classmates in pairs.

6. Check the answers as a class by asking students individually to tell their

selections to the class. Ask students whether they agree with all the answers

given. If not, call on other students to correct the errors.

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Activity 6: Writing short paragraphs (30 min)


2. Ask students to read the directions alone first, and tell them that the first section is

for brainstorming and the second section is to write paragraphs based on what

they have written in the first section.

3. Read the directions of the first section together and demonstrate the task by listing

words. Likewise, read the directions of the second section together and

demonstrate the task by writing paragraphs on the board.

4. Ask several students to repeat what the teacher has explained about the task

directions in order to ensure that they understand what they are supposed to do.

5. Walk around the classroom to see if students understand the directions and work

on them correctly.

6. Ask students whether they have finished the second section. If so, ask them to

find a partner and discuss what they have written.

Activity 7: Closing (5 min)

1. Tell all students that they have worked very well.

2. Tell the class that they will continue to use the same article but use different

activities in the next class.

The Language of Gestures (Handout #1)

Directions: Listen to the passage and fill in each blank with words.

1) People are talkative animals. We do a lot of talking―asking, answering, telling, saying.

But we do much of our talking without words. We often use a kind of “body language” to show

_______________________________.

2) This body language is the language of gestures. We point a finger, raise an eyebrow,

wave an arm ―or move another part of the body―to show what we want to say. In other

words, we “talk” with these gestures. And ________________________________of these

gestures in a day.

3) People all over the world use gestures. In every country, there are gestures that say

“Hello” and “Goodbye.” However, this does not mean that everyone in the world uses exactly

the same body language. We may have some of the same gestures, but different countries

______________________________―and different gestures.

4) Sometimes the same gestures can mean different things in different countries. For

example, Saudi Arabians and some other speakers of Arabic say “Come here” with a gesture

that most Europeans use to say “Goodbye.” They hold up a hand, palm away from the face, and

_________________________________up and down.

5) Because gestures can say different things in different countries, body language can be a

problem for travelers. When Soviet leaders visit the United States, they

_______________________________. They hold their hands together over their heads. This is

the same gesture that American boxers make when they win a boxing match. But the Russians

are not saying “We won” or “We’re the greatest!” They are saying “Thank you for the honor

you show us.”

6) Learning words in a new language is not enough. If you want to talk to people who speak

a different language, you might have to learn ______________________________.

Comprehension (Handout #2)

Directions: Decide whether the statements below are true (T) or false (F) and write

the appropriate letter in the parentheses.

Example: People often communicate silently. ( T )

1. People don’t use gestures very much. ( )

2. Opening your eyes very wide is a kind of body language. ( )

3. Everyone in the world has the same gesture for “Hello.” ( )

5. Americans and Russians have a gesture that looks the same, but means something

different. ( )

6. American boxers put their hands over their heads when they win a fight. ( )

7. Russians are saying “We’re better than you” when they put their hands over their

heads. ( )

Directions: In #1,#2,and #3 below, write one original (new) sentence, using the

words given.

1. Talkative (adjective)

_______________________________________________________________.

2. Feel (verb)

_______________________________________________________________.

3. Visit (Verb)

_______________________________________________________________.

Multiple choice questions & True/False questions (Handout #3)

Directions: Write two multiple choice questions of your own based on the article.

Directions: Write two True/False questions of your own based on the article.

Vocabulary (Handout #4)

Directions: Choose the correct form of the word that completes the sentence and

write it in the space given.

1. Customs Customarily

a. In the United States, men ( ) shake hands when they meet for

the first time. Women usually nod their heads and smile.

b. Every country has its own ( ).

2. Difference Differ

a. One ( ) between radio and television is that you can see people

gesturing on TV. This makes comprehension easier.

b. The meaning of the same gesture can ( ) from one country to

another.

3. Honors Honorably

a. The soldier fought ( ).

b. The country ( ) important visitors with parades and

receptions.

4. Talking Talkative

a. Body language is a way of ( ) without words.

b. Some students are too ( ) in class.

Hello, my name is Mr. Smith. Let me ask you several questions about

what you have read in the article. In the U.S. people shake hands to

express “Hello” or “Good bye.” What actions are commonly expressed

by body gestures in your home country?

I lived in Japan for two years. In the country, I learned that I was supposed

to bow (bend the body and the head) when I met someone. Can you tell me

actions that are described by body gestures in the United States but not in

your home country?

Writing Short Paragraphs (Handout #5)

1. Directions: Mr. Smith is going to help you brainstorm what you will write in the next

page. 1) Read what Mr. Smith asks you in each box below, and 2) list words to answer

his questions.

List actions here:

2. Directions: Write a paragraph(s) to describe common body gestures and their meanings

in your country.

3. Directions: Write a paragraph(s) to describe differences of body gestures between your

home country and the United States.

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I. Getting ready to teach videotaped lesson 2

A. General topic of this lesson: Spreading rumors about the characteristics of a town,

planning a museum tour.

B. General goal of this lesson: Students will:

1. Learn to use prepositions to express spatial relationships.

2. Talk about locations of buildings and sites in a role play.

C. Student learning outcomes for this lesson: By the end of this lesson, students will be

able to:

1. Match prepositions and spatial meaning of visual materials.

2. Interpret a dialogue to locate buildings on an illustration to complete the

characteristics of a town.

3. Describe and recognize locations of buildings in conversations to complete the

characteristics of a town.

4. Locate sites of the Metropolitan Museum in a role play.

D. Vocabulary and other key language to be taught in this lesson: Spatial prepositions:

on, across from, between, next to, behind, in front of, around.

E. Materials: White board and markers, handouts (#1-#5)

F. Assessment: No formal assessment is provided in this lesson

II. Teaching the lesson

Activity 1: Warm up (10min)

1. Introduce the word “Rumor” and write its definition on the white board.

2. Write two questions “Do you believe rumors?” “What are good and bad things about

spreading rumors?” on the board. 3. Tell students that their target grammar is some prepositions that are used to locate

objects, and they will use rumors to practice those prepositions.

Activity 2: Vocabulary reinforcement (25min)

1. Ask students what they know about prepositions and when they use them. Tell

students that they will learn some prepositions that are useful to locating objects.

2. Write a couple of sentences to show how prepositions are used to describe their

spatial meanings.

3. Pass out handout #1 and instruct that students are going to look through the

prepositions, definitions, and visual images.

4. Tell students that they can use handout #1 as a reference for the following

worksheets.

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5. Pass out handout#2 and tell students that they will fill in each blank with the

preposition that best describes each picture. Remind students that they can use

handout #1 if necessary.

6. Walk around the classroom and make sure that students understand the worksheet

directions. If there are students who already finished handout#2, ask those

students to write original sentences based on the instructions given on the bottom

of handout #1.

7. Ask students to talk to a classmate sitting next to them and have them share

answers with the partner.

8. Call on a student for each question in worksheet #1 to check the answer. Make

sure that each student answers by saying a complete sentence rather than only a

preposition.



Activity3: Information transfer (25min)

1. Pass out handout #3 and ask students to skim a dialogue on the first page.

2. After explaining the scenario of the dialogue briefly, read aloud the dialogue to

students.

3. Ask students if they have any questions about vocabulary in the dialogue.

4. Turning to the next page, explain that the illustration is the characteristics of the

town about which Ken and Lisa are talking. However, the town on the illustration

is incomplete, and students need to add the buildings about which Ken and Lisa

were spreading rumors. Instruct that students will select the numbers of those

additional buildings and write those numbers on the illustration based on the

dialogue.

5. Walk around the classroom and make sure that they understand the directions. If

there are students who already finished the task, ask them to work on making their

own sentences on handout#1.

6. Ask students to talk to a classmate sitting next to them and have them share

answers with the classmate.

7. Draw the illustration from handout#3 on the board to check answers.

8. Give the white board markers to some students and ask those students to draw or

write their answers on the whiteboard.



Activity 4: A role-play discussion in a group (30 min)

1. Tell students that this time, students will spread rumors about a town design like

Ken and Lisa did in handout #3.

2. Assign students to each group by counting off by two students. Ask Group A

students to move to one side of the classroom and Group B to move to another

side.

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3. Pass out handout#4 and tell students that there are two different versions of the

worksheet for Group A and Group B.

4. Tell students that as they did in handout#4, they will complete a town by adding

other buildings; however, only classmates in the other group hold information of

those building locations for your town.

Say: If you are in group A, you will need to find a classmate only from group B

because your partner will have information of building locations in your town.

Likewise, if you are in group B, you will need to find a classmate only from group

A to add buildings in your town. So exchange information with someone from the

other group and complete your town by adding buildings in the right locations.

5. Demonstrate the task with a volunteer student.

6. Give a rule that students cannot show their worksheets to each other and

everything has to be done by speaking.

7. Walk around the classroom and make sure that they understand the directions.

Assist pairs that struggle to exchange information.

8. Draw the illustrations of town A and town B to check answers.

9. Ask students to go back to their original seats and give the white board makers to

some students. Ask those students who received the markers to draw or write their

answers on the whiteboard.



Activity 5: Planning visit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (25 min)

1. Talk about the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and ask if students have

ever been to an art museum.

2. Pass out handout#5 and tell students that they will use the museum map to

practice the prepositions that they have learned by describing the locations of

museum sites.

3. Set up the scenario, telling students and their partners that they are going to plan

how they will walk around the museum by using the map. Write a sentence

“Where is ------?” on the board and tell students that they will use the sentence to

ask the location of a site on the map and their partner will answer by using the

prepositions that they have learned.

4. Walk around the classroom and make sure that they understand the directions.

Activity 6: Closing (5 min)

1. Tell all students that they have worked very well.

2. Return the assignments that they submitted from the last class.

Prepositions (Handout#1)

1. On

Definition: Touching and being supported by the top surface of something

2. Across from

Definition: On the other side

3. Next to

Definition: Beside or adjacent to

4. Between

Definition: In or into the space separating two or more points

5. Behind

Definition: In or toward the back

6. In front of:

Definition: In a position that is further forward than something but

not very far away

7. Around:

Definition: In, along, or through a curving path

Directions: Write sentences of your own by using the prepositions in the list

Practicing Prepositions (Handout#2)

Directions: Fill in each blank with the preposition that best describes the picture.

1. Mika is standing____________________________ the bank.

2. A business man is standing ______________________ the car.

3. A cat is sleeping _________________________ the door.

4. A dog is sitting ___________________the table.

5. A boy is standing ____________________________the books.

6. A cat is ________________________ the two dogs.

7. People are walking ______________________ the clock.

I’m so excited to move to a new town. I

actually saw two people talking about the

town at a bus stop yesterday, and they said

that there was a good restaurant behind

the fire station. Oh, they also said there

was a nice shoe store next to a church and

in front of a clothing store.

That will be between the bank and a

tall tower. There is a movie theater in

front of our apartment, so it will be

easy to find it.

That’s great! My friend actually has a

house across from a bank and in front

of the post office. She said that she

would sometimes go to bike path

around the hospital.

That is great news too. I was thinking

about where to take our dog for a walk

there. By the way, I wanted to make sure I

know exactly where our apartment

building is at.

Sounds great! Thanks.

Rumors (Handout #3)

Directions: Ken and Lisa are talking about the new town which they are going to move to. Read

their dialogue (A) and select the numbers from ① to ⑥ (B). Write the numbers on the map

(C) based on the dialogue between Ken and Lisa.

(A)

(B)

Restaurant Shoe store Apartment Bike path Movie Theater Friend’s house

① ② ③ ④ ⑤ ⑥

(C)

Clothing store

Church

Fire station

Hospital

Post office

Bank Tall tower

The Characteristics of a Town: Group A (Handout #4)

Directions: Talk with a classmate from group B and exchange information about the locations of the buildings

in each town.

Based on what you hear from group B, draw buildings or write words in (1) to complete your town.

Tell all the details from (2) to your partner who needs your help to complete his/her town.

(1) Town of Group A

Post Office Church

Bank

Park

(2) I heard someone saying that in the town of Group B, there is

A library behind the bank.

An apartment building next to the hospital.

A school in front of the park.

A national flag on the bank.

A shopping mall between the post office and church.

A trail is around the post office.

The Characteristics of a Town: Group B (Handout #4)

Directions: Talk with a classmate from group A and exchange information about locations of buildings in

each town.

Based on what you hear from group A, draw buildings or write words in (1) to complete your town.

Tell all the details from (2) to your partner who needs your help to complete his/her town.

(1) Town of Group B

Church

Post Office

Bank

Park

(2) I heard someone saying that in the town of Group A, there is

A library in front of the bank.

An apartment building behind the park.

A school next to the hospital.

A national flag on the post office.

A trail around the church.

A shopping mall between the post office and church.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Handout #5)

There are many fine museums in New York, but the most

famous is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is also the

biggest museum in New York. There are more than 3 million

works of art in the Metropolitan. You can see art from all

over the world at the Metropolitan.

Documents

Lesson Plans for AL 6962 Practicum II in TESOL