Name

Joel Swagman

Date  / Time of obs

24/05/2015

Class code

H1YJ-2A-1507

No. of students

15

Main aim

• Students improve reading fluency

Subsidiary aims

• Students will be exposed to new vocabulary
• Students receptively practice spelling/sound correspondence
• Receptive practice of the present continuous

Materials

Electronic: PowerPoint Presentation,

Teacher Materials: Pictures to elicit classroom rules, Markers, erasers, blue tack, White board, interactive white board, access to Internet, Projector, large pictures of vocabulary, large version or wordsearch

Worksheets: crossword, Scrambled words sheet, wordsearch sheet

Cut up paper materials: Cut up cards for “grab the card game”.  Cut up cards for “falling leaves” game, cut up cards for gist activity,   Cut up questions to post around the room for crossword activity.,

Signposting

On PowerPoint:

What can you see.

Open your books to page 28

Read page 28.

Who are Amy and Sam staying with?

Across

Down

Timetable fit

4th overall lesson, second lesson dealing with Unit 1.

Anticipated problems (lateness, class size, dynamics etc.)

Solutions

• Students are fairly well-behaved now, but this class apparently had a bit of a history before I took them over.  The previous T.A. (who left at the end of last term) was off the opinion that she had taken an unruly class and reformed them into manageable students by being extra strict with them, but that they could easily lapse back into their old habits if the teacher did not stay vigilant
• Several students arrive late
• There are some students who are more advanced, and finish everything early
• But there are other students who struggle, and need extra time

• Be extra strict on them, but also choose my battles  (i.e. crack down on fighting, rough-housing, and throwing things, but don’t make a big deal about the occasional speaking of Vietnamese.)  Also wait until the class is quiet and attentive before starting any activity.  Also reward positive behavior with stars.
• The first 10 minutes or so of the lesson are taken up with routines (dance, watch video)
• Have students work in pairs.  Try to arrange it so strong students will help weaker students
• Have activities ready for fast finishers

Language Analysis

Vocabulary: 7 new words

Meaning/use:  5 verbs describing activities, 2 nouns

Form: help (helping), pick (picking), brush (brushing), catch (catching), cook (cooking), boxes, lunch

Phonology: /help/, /pɪk/, /brʌʃ/, /kætʃ/, /kʊk/,/bɑːksez/, /lʌntʃ/

Potential learner problems with language

Possible solutions

• Possible pronunciation final consonant clusters on boxes and lunch (although…children seem to have less pronunciation issues than adults, so maybe it will be okay?)

• Teacher models clear pronunciation during introduction of vocab.  Also, lesson will emphasize receptive knowledge of vocabulary pronunciation in the early stages, on the assumption that the first step towards correct pronunciation is being able to receptively recognize the sounds..

Which specific skills will the learners practice? Reading for gist.  Reading for detail

Potential learner problems with skills

Possible solutions

• Some students lack self-confidence to read, and just give up when confronted with any sort of reading task.

• Some students are poor self-motivated, and have trouble focusing on a more introspective task like reading quietly.

• Try to make the reading comprehension easier with a prediction lead-in
• Design fun activities (crossword game) around reading comprehension questions.  Try to keep motivation high
• For a low level class like this, keep the comprehension questions simple and easy.
• Check final activity by playing CD.  Allow students to be able to read and listen at the same time, so that poor readers will be able to learn word/spelling correspondences by listening,

Time / Interaction

Stage Name and Aim (why)

Procedure

(what you and / or students and/or TA will do)

Observer comments

4:30-4:33

Interaction:

Video--class

Routine 1: Dancing

Why: an activity I inherited from the previous teacher of this class, and that the students were vocal about keeping—so it provides continuity for them from their previous teacher.

Also it helps to use up some of their excess energy at the beginning of class.

Also maybe the English lyrics of the song can function as input.  (Not comprehensible input per se, but still some exposure to the sound patterns and rhythm of English).  

Also a good activity to do right at the beginning of class, because many students are still arriving late.

Teacher: Dancing!  What song do you want?

Students say their choice of song.  If no suggestions are forthcoming, teaching puts “Just Dance” into youtube, and lists off the choices that come off, until students find a song they like.

Usually not everyone is happy with whatever song is chosen, but teacher responds to whatever is the first positive suggestion, and ignores the students who shout “NO!”.  (The idea is to condition student behavior towards making alternative suggestions if they dislike a song, not just to be negative.)

Once a song has been selected, students move into the middle of the room and start dancing.  

Some students are more eager to do this activity than others, so teacher and TA help to encourage students into the middle of the room.  (Particularly the 3 students who are new to this class this term are less used to this activity.)

Since this activity is more for student enjoyment/comfort than for pedagogical reasons, its inclusions is conditional upon students continuing to enjoy it.  If students respond negatively to the idea of a song, the activity can be dropped.

4:33-4:34

Interaction

T--class

Routine 2: Names

Why: I’ve got a terrible memory for names, so even after several weeks with these students, I still find it useful to review their names at the beginning of class.  Having their names fresh in my mind helps a lot with classroom control.

Teacher walks around the room and says out loud the names of all the students.  If the teacher makes any mistakes, he must go back to the beginning of the room and start all over again until he can list off all the names of the class flawlessly.

Students provide correction when teacher gets a name wrong.

4:34-4:36

Interaction

T--class

Routine 3: Re-introduce Classroom Management System

Why: Necessary to help keep students behaved, and help class run smoothly.

After finishing the names review, the teacher writes the names on the board.  (Sometimes the T.A. volunteers to help with this.)  Teacher shows students pictures, and elicits the rules.  (Listen, be quiet, Raise your hand, no throwing, no fighting/be nice.)

Teacher:  If you follow these rules, I’ll give you a _____.  (elicit “star”).  How many stars for a sticker?  (elicit “5”).

4:36-:4:38

Interaction

PowerPoint--class

Introduce New Vocabulary

Why: Introduce students to the new vocabulary they will be encountering in the reading.

Teacher shows students pictures on PowerPoint, and attempts to elicit vocabulary words.  If the teacher is unable to elicit, he tells the students the words.  Then the teacher models pronunciation.  After all the vocabulary words have been introduced, repeat the presentation 1 time.

4:38—4:43

Interaction:

T--Class

Vocabulary Receptive 1 Group Receptive: Run to the Picture

Why: Provide group receptive practice of vocabulary—get students ears accustomed to vocabulary sounds

Teacher puts pictures of the vocabulary around the room.  Teacher says the word for the vocabulary, and the students run to that card.

Award Stars

4:43-4:50

Interaction:

T--Class

Vocabulary Receptive 2.  Individual receptive: Grab the Card

Why: Further receptive practice of vocabulary sounds

Teacher puts students in groups of 3.  Gives each group a set of cards.  Teacher calls out vocabulary.  Students compete to grab the correct card.

Award Stars

4:50—4:57

Interaction:

Class—Class:

Groupwork

Vocabulary Receptive 3.  Spelling/word correspondence receptive:

Falling Leaves

Why: Provides practice with recognizing word/spelling correspondence receptively

Teacher shows students picture and word cards.  Teacher: “I want you to_____”  (Elicit: match).  

Teacher shows students various colored paper to elicit color names from students.  Then teacher walks around the room and shows individual students their colors to assign groups.  (Teacher elicits the name of the color as he shows it to individual student.)  Finally teacher checks groups by saying: “White, raise your hand.  Blue, raise your hand…”  et cetera.  Teacher throws cards, and the students race to collect their cards and match them with words.  Teacher and T.A. walk around to check.

Award stars

4:57—5:02

Interaction:

Worksheet--class

Vocabulary Receptive 4: Spelling Receptive

Word search

Why: Provide students with receptive practice recognizing spelling of words.  This will help prepare students for controlled spelling practice in next activity

Teacher hands out wordsearch.  Students find the words in the wordsearch.  Fast finishers yell out “Finished!” and teacher or TA checks their accuracy.  Then answers are check together on the board with large version of wordsearch

5:02—5:07

Interaction:

Worksheet--class

Vocabulary Spelling Controlled Practice.  Unscramble words

Why: Provide students with controlled practice on spelling of words.

Teacher hands out scrambled word worksheet. Students unscramble the words.  Fast finishers yell out “Finished!” and teacher or TA checks their accuracy.  Then answers are check together with PowerPoint.

Awards Stars

5:07-5:10

Interaction:

PowerPoint--Class

Reading Prediction

Why: Generate interest in the reading.  

Also predicting content helps students comprehend text easier.

Teacher show students PowerPoint presentation of pictures from the textbook reading.  With each picture, teacher asks: What do you see?

5:10-5:15

Interaction:

T--Class

Gist Reading

Why: Give students an overview of reading before asking them to read for detail.

Teacher gives students pictures and text cut up.  Students match pictures to text.  Check on the PowerPoint.

5:15—5:25

Interaction:

Worksheet--Class

Reading for Detail 1

Why: Students practice intensive reading skills

Also mix in productive practice of Vocabulary

Teacher shows students a crossword.  (Also on PowerPoint).  Teacher reviews rules of crosswords.  (Across words are written horizontally.  Down words are written vertically.  Use PowerPoint to illustrate.)

Questions are posted around the room.  Students walk around the room to find the correct answers.

Award Stars after activity is finished.

5:25-5:30

Interaction:

Worksheet--Class

Reading for Detail 2: Arrange the order

Why:

A second detailed reading.  

Also the check of this reading (playing the CD, and students checking their answers) will help students with spelling/sound correspondence of words

Teacher tells students to close their books and put them away.  Teacher puts students in groups of 3.  Teacher gives each group the story that has been cut up and scrambled.  Students work with each other to put the story in order.  Teacher and T.A. walk around the room helping.  Then, teacher plays audio CD, and students listen and check their answers.

Award Stars after activity is finished.