Teaching EFL Listening via FUN WITH ENGLISH Books/7B/Lesson 13

Lesson Objectives

Class will begin on time with everyone in their seats.
The textbook will go quickly and the students will do what they are supposed to be doing.
The lost activity will get the students thinking and working in groups effectively.
Listening to the song will get the students attention.

Lesson Plan

Before Class
- Get greetings powerpoint ready on the computer.
- 3 Minutes before class begins, Mr. Brown's students are out of the room and my students get in their seats.

Greeting: What's up?

Riddle
- Why is 6 afraid of 7?
Textbook: Page 50 Let's get ready A&B
Textbook: Page 51 Let's listen 1 A&B
Activity: Lost on an Island What would you do?
- Make groups of 4 or 5 students.
- You are lost on an island.
- How will you survive?
- Write 8 ways you will surive.
Listening: Pop Music

Extra Time
- Competetive Hangman

Lesson Review

25 May 2010 AM Period 4 Grade 7 Class 3

3 minutes before class

Story about my Chinese lesson last night.
- No one was interested.
Riddle
- Got the attention of some.
Let's get ready
- Decided not to do the grades on a gut feel, not sure if it was the right move or not.
- This is a really good way to get different students talking.
Let's listen 1
- Tough, but they got through it.
Lost activity.
- Confused by "desert island" is it an island or a desert?
- Say what they have: trees / knife / ...
- didn't know the word survive
- Worked pretty well thoguh.
- Listened to "Beat It"

Next Lesson

Go over what the students wrote in their answers to the "lost" activity sheet.

25 May 2010 Notes

What Could I Have Done Better?

Gotten them working together in their groups more effectively.

What Did I Do Well?

Moved on quickly once I realized they were not interested in my opening conversation.

What Did I Learn?

Small groups activities may work better when the students stay in their desks and work with those around them.

What Did My Students Get From The Lesson?

Oral/aural practice and thinking about how to survive on an island alone.

Were the Lesson Objectives Achieved? Why?

Class will begin on time with everyone in their seats.
- Yes, arrived before the bell and made this happen.
The textbook will go quickly and the students will do what they are supposed to be doing.
- Yeah, had a few students answer the questions and may have drawn it out a tad too long, but overall worked well.
The lost activity will get the students thinking and working in groups effectively.
- Could be better, but worked.
Listening to the song will get the students attention.
- For most of them, yes.

How can I Improve the Lesson?

Change the questions for the island activity.

26 May 2010 PM Period 1 Grade 7 Class 11

Did not get the computer ready before class began, and I was unsettled because I tried to download something to use in class right before and it did not work.
I was really tired this class.

Chat about the weather, which did not get much interest.
Riddle
Tongue Twister
- Not a great reception.
QQ English Corner Announcement
Let's get ready + grades
Island Activity

Next Week

Pictures
Go over select answers to the island activity.

26 May 2010 PM Period 3 Grade 7 Class 10

High 5 Introduction
- Taught the students about High 5's, including how to fake someone out with a high-5.
Riddle
- Clue: "Eat in the past."
QQ English Corner
- Some students seemed to be interested.
Let's get ready + music + grades
- Broke their grades into in class scores + test scores and after I'd told everyone I explained briefly and told them how they can raise their grades.
Let's Listen 1 A&B
- Really struggled with "A".
Island Activity
- Worked well.
Missing words listening
- Considerd, but chieckened out from moon walking in class.

Next Week

Go over the answers.

26 May 2010 Notes

What Could I Have Done Better?

Explained about the grades in a way that was less attacking and more informative.

What Did I Do Well?

Tweaked my grades approach to try and improve it, though it still needs a lot of work.

What Did I Learn?

Telling the students their grades mostly has no effect, but for a select group of students it can motive/deflate them.

What Did My Students Get From The Lesson?

Oral/aural practice and thinking about how to survive on an island alone.

Were the Lesson Objectives Achieved? Why?

Class will begin on time with everyone in their seats.
- Yes, but in the first class I did not make sure the computer was ready.
The textbook will go quickly and the students will do what they are supposed to be doing.
- Yes, one listening activity was really tough for them, though
The lost activity will get the students thinking and working in groups effectively.
- Worked well, but now the question is if its an effective activity for them to be doing, or not.
Listening to the song will get the students attention.
- Not really, no. Try an easier song, perhaps?

How can I Improve the Lesson?

Explain more about the grades before I hand things back to the students.
Student had an idea about offering "red paper" for students who answer questions well and if the get 5 sheets of red paper, then I will give them one sheet of "blue paper" which they can trade in for a prize. Quite excellent idea. She also said the students wanted to see pictures of my home and family.
Island activity is working well, but I do not know if I need to keep doing it. They are not actually speaking English to eachother and ... its just strange but for some reason even though it works well I do not know if its a good use of time.

27 May 2010 PM Period 3 Grade 7 Class 8

Riddle
- Figured out the name one really quickly.
QQ English Corner Announcement
Any Questions?
- None today.
Let's get ready + Lady Ga Ga
- Went around and asked all the lower level students simple questions to get them talking in English.
Let's Listen 1 A +B
- Really, really struggled with LL1 A - I explained it as being out of order. The reading was 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 and the questions were 5 - 3 - 2 - 4 - 1 which helped a little.
Missing Words Listening
- Des'ree "You Gotta Be" - just played it through seeing if they could get the words.
- Playing a whole song might be too much. Maybe just a minute would be better.
- Kids did seem to enjoy the song.
Played Pixar's "The Birds"
- Kids seemed to enjoy themselves watching.
- Afterwards asked them different questions about the bird's emotions.

Next Week

Video?
Music?
grades?

28 May 2010 AM Period 3 Grade 7 Class 7

This group of students really work hard for me and have a great attitude. This lesson was not one of my best.

Riddle
Knock Knock
Textbook
- Went around the room
Missing Words Listening
- Worked for a little while
Alien movie
- Went well.

Next Week

grades?

28 May 2010 AM Period 4 Grade 7 Class 9

Riddle
- One girl in this class whose been getting all the answers to the riddles got this one too.
Knock Knock joke
Textbook
- Went around the room asking individual students for probably a bit too long.
Missing Words Listening
- Didn't go over so well.
Telephone in their 4 person rows.
- One boy who tries hard asked for it, so I tried forgetting about rules and focusing entirely on speed and absolute accuracy it worked pretty well actually. Try it again by having each team only allowed to tell me one time?

Next week

One young lady said I would like the Chinese Song: "Wonderful Tonight"
A student who got an answer wrong got quite bashful afterwards, give her another shot.
grades?

28 May 2010 PM Period 3 Grade 7 Class 2

Nobody
- Played it before class began. One girl got all excited and her friends were prodding her on to dance, but she was bashful. I encouraged her and she agreed. She then came up to dance for everyone.
Riddles
Knock Knock
- No laughs
let's get ready
- didn't ask quite so many students individually. a few who i did seemed like they were expecting me to next ask "Why?" which I didn't, and which seemed to sorta disappoint them.
  - Interesting sign.
let's listten 1 A&B
- Struggled with the first one as have their peers.
Missing Words Listening
- Gotta Be: Some were engaged
- Beat It
- With or Without You: Got a few especially at the end when I faked doing the Bono howl.

Next Week

Answer to the "Longest word in the English language?" riddle
Boys who were playing cards all lesson have to come and sit up in the front.
Asked before for my Chinese name, give it to them.
grades?

28 May 2010 Notes

Grade 7 and Grade 8

I have officially become dependant on the computer. If the USB doesn't work for one of my lessons, my heart sinks a little bit. It doesn't destroy my lesson, but I definitely need it.
After I lost faith in the "Group activity" exercises I sort of lost faith in my lessons in general this week.
Did not try to get any sort of conversation going.
Movies are definitely effective in their own way. Got to be a better way to get a conversation going around them, though.
- Ask questions before hand?
- Have them make the dialogue?
Going around asking questions of the individual students only works for a certain amount of time, at a certain point the others lose interest.
I try to kind of poke fun at certain boys whose levels are alright in order to get them speaking talking about wives or girlfriends or whatnot. Is that an effective way to teach? Its lighthearted, but might they think I'm bullying them?
A common response to riddles or jokes is that they are "very cold". I wonder what the literal translation for that is, in Chinese?
Making eye contact with students is important. Sometimes when I'm using the computer I'm spending too much time looking down at the machine instead of them.
Students really hate to get answers wrong. Is that something I should be reinforcing by only giving them questions in front of peers I know they can answer?

What could I have done better?

When I am disheartened find a way to change things up?

What did I do well?

Not let my anger distract me too much.

What did I learn?

Movies can be a valauble teaching device.
I am overdependant on the computer.

What can I do next lesson?

Movie again, but with more structured English usage?
- Mr Brown's suggestion: Play it once through, then play it again stopping and asking silly questions including putting certain people on the spot.
The lesson about common mistakes - including time.

Appendix

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank all the 7th and 8th grade classes at Anqing Foreign Language School who had this lesson for their participation and feedback. I would also like to thank the Anqing Foreign Language School for allowing me to teach there.

References

I get many ideas from Stuart Brown. (Mr. Brown).
Marjorie King provided some feedback on my last lessons, that was built into this lesson. (King)

Changelog

Version 0.1 23 May 2010

Questions chosen at my 18 May 2010 meeting with Mr. Brown.

Feedback

If you have feedback, please add it below
Marjorie King provided the following feedback on a Left in Front post that linked to this lesson:

I read your lesson plan. I am so glad you didn’t throw the candy to the students. I would think that would cause more commotion than you need. Instead of the candy you could give them extra credit for a better grade. Good thought of yours about the computer. You need to look at the students most of the time.