Teaching EFL Listening via FUN WITH ENGLISH Books/8B/Lesson 6

• Lesson Plan Version 0.3
  • Same as Version 2, but I shortened the discussion and textbook and spent a long time having the students tell me about their recent trip looking through pictures on their computer as a class.

9 Apr 2010 Grade 8 Class 7

• They were moderately interested in talking about Monday's festival, but I didn't really push it.
• While I was speaking with one of the students a boy quickly hijacked the computer and started showing images of their school trip two Saturday's ago.
• After I finished the test, I looked through the images with them. I have never seen so many of them get excited like that. I had them tell me what the different sections of the images were and many students who never speak English voluntarily got involved.

Lesson Plan Version 0.2

0) Before Class Starts

• Ask everyone to get into their seats.
• Walk around the room small talking with different students.
• Get the computer turned on if it works.

1) Greeting: Yo! What's up?

• Practice the "What's up?" routine.
  • If they don't remember, review.

2) Opening Discussion: Tomb Sweeping Day

• What special day was on Monday? (Qing Ming Jie = Qing Ming Festival)
• What is Qing Ming Jie in English? (Tomb Sweeping Day [TSD])
  • What is a tomb?
• What do people on TSD?
  • Burn money/incense?
  • Visit graves/tombs?
• What did you do on TSD?
• Do you like TSD? Why?
• Do you have any questions for me?

3) Textbook: Page 22 Let's get ready

• For "Relay Race" have two teams get in a race around the room.

4) Discussion: The Olympics (Questions written with Mr. Brown)

• What are the Olympics?
• Where were they in 2008?
• What sports do you like?
• What sports are Chinese athletes good at in the Olympics?
• What sports are more difficult? Better?
• Imagine the Olympics were coming to Anqing. What would you need to do?
  • Transport, Lodging, Facilities, Food, Language

5) Hand Back their Tests

• Explain first that their scores are out of 10, and give the answers.
• Do it one by one, highlighting down their names on my paper.
• Write the correct answers on the board.
• Tell them if they have questions they can ask me after class.

Extra Time: Number of Letters? Game (Mr. Brown)

• Make two teams.
• Tell them to make a word that begins with one letter, e.g. D, and has 6 letters.
• Go back and forth between the teams making the words.

8 Apr 2010 Grade 8 Class 6

• Giving out chocolates @ the end of the lesson was fine, until the other half of the class came in. Started giving some, then I panicked becasue they rushed me.
• Commenting on the basketball game didn't get as long of a conversation going as I'd expected.
• I mistakenly graded one girl's test. As it turned out she got a 100%, not a 95.

Next Week

• Give everyone chocolates?

9 Apr 2010 AM Period 1 Grade 8 Class 10

• Students still talked all the way through the lesson, but seemed to give me more of a chance.

9 Apr 2010 Grade 8 Class 8

• Had a long discussion about Qing Ming festival.
• They were very engaged throughout even on some topics that most other classes would find boring.
  • They're a class that has real potential. I can experiment here.
• Was quite bored of my lesson by this point.

Next Week

• Still haven't answered the English questions they asked me the first week.

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.

• Mr. Brown contributed heavily to this plan. This should be considered a collaboration. I have

tried to acknowledge contributions that are specifically his with (Mr. Brown).

Changelog

Version 0.2 8 Apr 2010

• Expanded the conversation questions and explanaiton for how to hand back the tests.

Version 0.11 6 Apr 2010

• Typed up the outline, and added some basic details.

Version 0.1 30 Mar 2010

• Created a lesson outline in a Tuesday coffee shop meeting with Mr. Brown.