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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: How do you prepare your classes?
What methods and techniques do you use to prepare classes? I believe teachers have to find a balance so they don't run out of material and keep the right pace when teaching (not too fast and not too slow).
9 years 34 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
i brought course books from home for different levels of english learners:
I spoke to ESL teachers in my home country universities, and discussed the problems they encountered with students coming from China.
they then suggested good books to bring.
I also used the internet as an important resource.
The first class is usually a good way to assess the language level of your students by getting them to introduce themselves: i was told that one class would be Upper Intermediate, but it was clear when i met them that they were Pre-intermediate.
Check what printed material is available in your home country before you travel because you can be sure the books the students have are mostly rubbish.
good luck
First of all, you need to have a semester teaching plan. That means what you want to teach on those days that you have classes. You would have a teaching schedule telling you which days of the week you are on. With the teaching plan, you would list all the lesson titles which needs to have continuity otherwise you'd be teaching something that has nothing to do with what you taught last lesson. During the first few lessons, you will need to size up your class's understanding of whatever you teach and bring yourself down or up to their level. That's all there is to it. Good luck!
need to prepare a demo lesson plan eh???
Rossana:
No, I got a Portuguese teaching job with no demo lesson required, but I would love to know other people's opinions and experiences. I have never done this before, so any information is valuable to me.
hunny797:
Oh in this case you can seek help from the teachers but it will be better to mention the age groups of your students..
preparing lesson is according to the age...less age more games
This is my teaching web links collection, I got hanging around eChina (last 4000 years ):
iPad/iPhone App:
Math Flash Card Game
Note: Most of these resources require the flash plugin and won't be visible on mobile devices. We are in the process of creating mobile friendly versions, but they won't be ready for awhile.
Printable Flash Cards:
- Counting and Number Recognition Flash Cards (Preschool - Grade 1)
- Fingerspelling Letters of the Alphabet Flash Cards (Sign Language)
- Multiplication Flash Cards (Mini)
- Subtraction Flash Cards (Mini)
- Word Family (Rhyming Words) Flash Cards (Interactive "Talking") - ab, ack, ad, ag, ail, ain, ake, am, ame, an, ank, ap, at, ay, eat, eet, eed, ell, en, ent, est, ew, ick, id, ide, ight, ill, in, ine, ink, ing, ip, it, ock, op, ope, ore, ot, uck, ug and ump.
Other Popular Printables:
- 2013 Blank Calendars by Month
- 2013 Holiday Calendars by Month
- Letters of the Alphabet Coloring Pages
- State Flowers Coloring Sheets
- State Quarter Observation Sheets
- Poetry by Theme (see: How to Print Stories and Poems Video)
- Short Stories by Theme (see: How to Print Stories and Poems Video)
Teaching with video:
http://teachabroadchina.com/TACA/content/teaching-english-through-video
Web site for games in the classroom:
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/
Songs:
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/songs
while mostly for kids, you may find some that can be used
http://answers.echinacities.com/question/do-you-know-interestinglive-cla...
http://www.mes-english.com/ All kinds of resources for teachers, including flash cards and games
http://www.pdictionary.com/english/flashcards.php
http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/songs
http://www.teachchildrenesl.com/
http://www.bogglesworldesl.com/
5 websites to learn English:
http://justthink.org/curriculum/english-as-a-second-language/?gclid=CNTu...
Games:
- Have some sort of team activity that you can turn into a competition, such as getting them to match words with opposite meaning. I have done this with about 50 pairs of words (100 words in total)
- Giving advice to a stranger is a great adult game that can easily kill half an hour. Give everyone paper and a pen. Have everyone write 1 problem. Have everyone crumble their paper and put it in a cup. Each student will choose 1 problem and give the 'stranger' advice. Excellent speaking activity.
- Different ages? Different games.
Sentence game: Write 5 sentences on the board, number them 1 - 5. No. 6 is the monster. They will do everything with the die to make it land on 6 so you can grab them and eat them! Kids age = 5 - 7
Sentence game: Same as above but throw a 6 they have to change seats. Mark one chair with a cross. No-one is allowed to sit there.
Sentence game: make some action cards such as - Stand on one leg for 15 seconds, Do 5 push ups, Dance with the teacher. Sing a song. I do about 5 actions and if the student throws a 6 they select an action card.
Spelling game: Divide the class into however many teams you need. About 5 or 6 to a team maximum. Divide the board into 2 columns, 1 side for each team. Hand the first student in each team a marker. Yell out one of the words they have been learning and then it's a spelling relay. Each student runs to the board, writes a letter, races back to the line passing the marker, next student writes the next letter and so on. Not only great action for the kids but hilarious when you point out errors and weird looking letters written in a hurry!
Games are only limited by your imagination. Some more sophisticated games you can play with the older students. In another answer to a similar question I described my magnetic letters game. I play 2 to 3 games per lesson if it's a 2 hour class. But I also with hold games if the class misbehaves.
I have just downloaded Scrabble and played that last week with the kids. The best they can do is 3 letter words with an occasional 4. Wifi mouse, projector and screen and classroom computer required.
- Agree with hangman above. My kids go nuts for it. I combine it with
tic-tac-toe, where if the kid guesses a letter right they put up a thing
for their team on the tic-tac-toe board. You can mix up the tic-tac-toe
pieces too, X's vs. O's, sun vs. moon, ice cream vs. cake, whatever you and
the kids can draw.
- I also play pictionary, where I choose 1 kid and write down a word in a
notebook. Secretly show them the word, and they have to draw it, while the
class guesses what he's drawing.
- My favorite game to play (but best for small classes) is "I'm going on a
trip and I'm gonna bring" (or "I'm going to school and I'm gonna bring" or
whatever.) One kid names something to bring, the next kid names the first
item and adds one, keep adding one until you can't remember them. Make
sure they say the whole sentence every time. Also, point to the kids to
help their memory (point to student 1 to name first item, student 2 for 2nd
item...). Make sure the kids know they can say silly things (i.e. "I'm
going to school and I will bring grandma"). Once they understand the game,
you can vary it by using the alphabet, (student 1 - an A word, 2-B and so
on).
- Lastly, a game I made up that works pretty well is to draw a lower case "T"
on the board, with "start" on the top left and "End" on the top right (a
simple chart). Next, write "start" in the T, with the first two letters
seperated on one side and the others on the other side (ST|ART). Now,
below that, keep the ST from start but have the kids think of a new word
(example stand). Now, keep the ending but change the beginning (___|ND).
I've found two letters work best, and if they're stuck do 1 letter.
Alternate between beginnings and endings. It's a good way to practice
rhyming and alliteration, which I don't think students get to do often.
I've tried to think of a way to add a point system to the game, but
haven't found a good one without one team always doing starts and the other
always stuck with ends.
Lets see if this works as an example:
*START | END*
ST |ART
ST|AND
HA|ND
HA|
Loads of them you can play. Depends a lot on what kind of resources you're
working with...
- if you have a whiteboard, you can do lots of things like race games with
markers where you yell out numbers, words, etc...and two have to run to the
board and write it down.
Sticky balls also work great - you write down a bunch of words and then
they have to hit the one you say out loud with the balls.
- Cut a sentence or text in strips of paper and ask the kids to put it back
in order. Have it be a competition.
It's usually the best age group - those kids really love whatever you throw
at them. Just make sure it's presented as a game, of a competitive nature,
and they'll love it
- I play different types of games. I play counting games, flash card games
then we have our outside games and then other games. My counting games
would include 4 corners and rocket countdown. My flash card games include
the hammer game, slow motion, hidden pictures, pop goes the weasel. We have
outside games to but you wanted classroom games so I do have other games
that aren't counting games or flashcard games such as alphabet train game,
roll call game and magic word. We also play simon says for learning body
parts as I have a lesson on body parts at least once a week.
if you have a whiteboard, you can do lots of things like race games with markers where you yell out numbers, words, etc...and two have to run to the board and write it down.
Sticky balls also work great - you write down a bunch of words and then they have to hit the one you say out loud with the balls.
Cut a sentence or text in strips of paper and ask the kids to put it back in order. Have it be a competition.
It's usually the best age group - those kids really love whatever you throw at them. Just make sure it's presented as a game, of a competitive nature, and they'll love it
Games in the classroom:
- What time is Mr. Wolf?
- Modified version of Beer Pong. Cups with water and a ping pong ball.
- Giving advice to a stranger.
- Random reading games.
Twisters:
I focus on only a couple RELEVANT twisters based on students usual problems
- /th/, /dzh/ and the /f/ and /l/ issue.
- All loyal warriors will rarely worry why we rule.
- whether the weather is hot, whether the weather is cold, we'll weather
the weather, whatever the weather.
- She threw three free throws.
- Theophilus Thistle, the thistle-sifter, sifted a bag of unsifted
thistles. (they groan when they first see it, but by the end of the time,
they're fine with it!)
- Her seizures usually impaired her vision (many get 'seizures' and
'vision' right, but say 'urali'in the middle...you'll need to explain what
a seizure is)
- He measured his pleasure in treasure.
After that, I give them specific words to practise - this, that, then,
there, with, math, bath, etc etc... you need to have BOTH /th/ sounds, AND
in ALL positions in the words - beginning, middle, and end... or they end
up doing 'thank you' perfectly, but still say 'nossing'.... or 'wiz'.
- Soggy Sandy Sat Somewhere Safe So Sally SOSO should Save Sammie
- Big Bold Beautiful Billy Bossed Bender Back But Butchered Bobby
- Coco Cream Coconuts Covered Candies Caught Chris Chocolaty
- Elephant Ears Easily Eases Edwins Eggs Enough Each Evening
- Red lorry, yellow lorry. (repeat 4 times)
- The thunder tore through the thicket, where there were three thousand three hundred thick and thin trees!
- That thunder thinned out those trees!
- Theresa the tree keeper, thinks thoughts about the trees in the thicket as there are now only three hundred trees there!
you may have to explain 'thicket', 'tore' and how to pronounce 'Theresa'
pronunciation practice:
usually (Pingshi), unusually (Bu xunchang), seizures (Dianxian fazuo)
rural (Xiangcun), bugs (C), brown (Zongse), vacuum (Zhenkong),
truth (Zhenli), traffic (Jiaotong), trespassing (shan), threw (reng),
trophy (Jiangbei), Bite me! (Yao wo) smile (Weixiao), smell (xiwei), zoo
(Dongwuyuan), So long! (Zhème jiǔle!), cross (jiaocha), abroad (guowai),
especially (Youqi), recently (Zuijin)
TOPICS for discussion:
16Y
- romance
- talk about yourself
- tell jokes about laowai
- make a sketch or play (act), group role play:
# policeman - defendant;
# coach - champion;
# tourist - city guide;
Rossana:
Wow, that's a lot of resources!
Yes, there aren't many materials in Portuguese, this language is kind of obscure
icnif77:
You should state that in your post. This is an English Board in generally.
SwedKiwi1:
Great list of teaching materials. I particularly like the tongue twisters and discussion topics as these are the most useful for somewhat older learners.
Role play and pictures or flash cards usually work for learners of all ages if used correctly (more discussion and open ended questions for university and adult students).
coineineagh:
I'll look through this after class. Thanks on behalf of all the non-Portuguese teachers!
icnif77:
@coin: I finally 'wrote' a bit longer reply. Keyword was 'don't run out….'
i brought course books from home for different levels of english learners:
I spoke to ESL teachers in my home country universities, and discussed the problems they encountered with students coming from China.
they then suggested good books to bring.
I also used the internet as an important resource.
The first class is usually a good way to assess the language level of your students by getting them to introduce themselves: i was told that one class would be Upper Intermediate, but it was clear when i met them that they were Pre-intermediate.
Check what printed material is available in your home country before you travel because you can be sure the books the students have are mostly rubbish.
good luck
There is a lot to figure out before I start my lesson plans. I will be starting my 5th year teaching.
Every teacher I've met teaches according to a plan with a back-up plan. Age group and location are good starters. I always start my classes with an introduction. I talk and watch the behavior of the students. I ask a few simple questions and make a few jokes using a few Chinese words I know. Their reactions tell me a lot about what they know even if they don't speak. The first few classes are the most difficult for me because I will judge the classes personality in order to give an effective lesson that most of the kids will learn from. Class size varies in China depending on Public/Private, Primary/Middle/High, College/University institutions. Interest will also vary. Am I provided with material and a curriculum or do I provide that? What is the level of the best student in the class. That person could be your assistant.
I teach kindergarten children and having a routine for every lesson and class is important,we teach the book Dr Bird.
I always start my class with a hello song
Hello Song
song time
days of the week,months of the year
the weather,the weather song
some TPR
teach the topic,flash cards,games,activity
story time
goodbye song
I will also use real things in the class if teaching food,fruit,the 5 sences .etc
I take my teaching bag into class with story books,ABC flashcards,play dough as a back up.
shenme:
How to Teach Portuguese As a Foreign Language
http://www.ehow.com/how_6910615_teach-portuguese-foreign-language.html
I've made a lot of lessons over the last few years and have continually adjusted them to fit students needs. They are all here for free on PPT.