ICELT

British Council, Bogotá – CO 001

JUAN CALLEJAS

Montessori School - Medellin

METHODOLOGY ASSIGMENT 2

PLANNING BEYOND THE LESSON

Date submitted: October 08

Word count: 1221

I confirm that this assignment is my own work and that I have acknowledge all sources

Specific assessment criteria:

a) Select materials and / or activities appropriate to the learners' needs, their grasp of the
previously taught material and the objectives.
b) Organize activities in logical sequence and describe the rationale behind this ordering.
c) Show an ability to identify potential problems and offer some realistic possible solutions.
d) Justify planning decisions reached on the basis of evaluation of their own teaching.
 INTRODUCTION

The lesson is going to be based on developing the knowledge of the comparatives and
superlatives in which students are going to interiorize their goals. Some of my students show lack
of confidence in using English all the time and this is one of our goals for the period at school, so I
find it interesting to have them work on it while I apply myself what I have been improving through
ICELT. The use of several tools I have learnt through it, has helped me a lot. The importance of a
well-designed lesson is far and away, the most important aspect for me as a teacher.

FURTHER PRACTICE NEEDED

The learners have improved their abilities to use English as a second language; they have been
developing the use of the four skills, however, they still need to further practice on their speaking.

In order for me to help them develop their analytical knowledge of the target language, I have
planned speaking-oriented lessons, such as this one in which the learners are going to learn how
to use the comparatives.

Since this particular topic is quite difficult for them, a number of repetitions is mandatory.

According to Curtain and Pesola, “we should provide context for concepts and activities through
their relationship to a thematic centre”, and this is why, in this lesson of comparatives, the learners
are going to face false friends, and the L1 interference is still too obvious.

The pronunciation of the th sound in than, is a new sound for them, too. The use of the adjectives
they don’t know yet, the comparatives, superlatives and the use of equality, offer the learners quite
an important challenge.

THE NEXT LESSONS

For my next lessons; speaking will be used as a regular part of them since this is an area of certain
concern. I have set the following aims: speaking practice through drillings, guided and free
practices. Also, the writing skill will be developed by writing a number of exercises showing and
analyzing model texts. I have chosen the following sequence: listening, reading, writing and
speaking. For the following lesson I am going to plan a listening activity in which the learners are
going to hear two conversations about comparatives, these activities are going to be seen in Top
Notch Fundamentals by Longman, writing will be also improved by practicing through showing and
analyzing a text (see attachment)
ICELT has helped me a lot, now I am practicing the best way to design lesson plans and of course
how to apply predicting problems, which is such an excellent point, so now I want pupils to
understand in depth the use of comparatives as the final achievement for my final period at school
and at the same time the real use of ICELT the way of class planning and ongoing.

I am going to use several activities in which Ss are going to have the opportunity to apply both,
their knowledge in L1 as well as their new knowledge of L2 1 and also I hope that several students
who show difficulties can get their new topic during this final period of the year. If I am able to lead
them to new discoveries and more fluency in speaking it would be a great achievement.

DESCRIPTION OF MATERIAL OR ACTIVITY AND

HOW I WOULD USE IT IN THE CLASSROOM

Jeremy Harmer in How to teach English presents the main features of good teachers, stressing the
idea that being a good teacher can be something "natural" almost genetic for some but also stating
that training and practice refinement can play a crucial role for the rest, most of us, in fact.

The first activity I used was based on their own picture dictionary: Students brought cutouts from
supermarkets booklets in order to organize them by groups this way: cars, house hold appliances,
technology, and food. After that we started calling them aloud so the whole vocabulary is learnt and
then we are going to start comparing TV sets, refrigerators and so on, using everyone’s pictures.
This activity is to be done in pairs just by learning comparatives, no superlatives so far. It is
important for them to express themselves about their own possessions and likes so the activity
ends up being really meaningful.

The following activity is going to be grammar-based and it will involve not only the structure and
vocabulary but also the use of the exceptions to the rule.

This TV set is bigger than that one, that refrigerator is smaller than this one, and the use of colours,
my car is white and your car is white, too. But your car is whiter than my car.

I would like them to develop possessives and to say my car is whiter that yours.

LEARNER DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTIONS

Some of the problems that learners have showed the ones related to false friends and how the
differences between L1 and L2 have interfered. These are: he is the most tall in the class, my
mother cooks richer than your mother, my video games are more new than Pablo’s.
These samples came up because in their mind the students may have very interiorized the use of
how to compare using different words while in English they are going to use the correspondent
ending to the adjectives.

Another set of materials that were used in class is themselves, comparing the students by having
them in pairs at the beginning, in trios later and in groups of four after. So they could practice
descriptions by saying for instance: I am taller than Miguel, Sandra is shorter than Marcela and we
are more intelligent than the other students.

Difficulties are seen in depth when it comes to L1 interference, which is a major issue, but then a
well prepared lesson and planning beyond the lesson offers me the best option to solve problems
that might arise.

CONCLUSION

I have made the current planning decisions because the activities were appropriate for the learners
and especially because when I was first observed by an ICELT examiner, I did so many activities
that the lesson seemed to be very messy, now I only choose one or two activities at the time and
they work much better, I want to use more variety, every single activity I design is shortly enough to
fit its necessary time so the lesson doesn’t take the wrong path. So I am sure to say that ICELT has
guided me to more effective planning.

REFERENCES

Curtain, H., & Pesola, C. (1994). "Languages and children: Making the match." Longman.

Nunan, David. 2000 Expressions. Heinle and Heinle

Moon, J. (2005) Children Learning English. Oxford: Macmillan Heinemann

Harmer, Jeremy 1988 how to teach English; Longman

APPENDICES
 ICELT LESSON PLANNING FORM

Name of teacher : Candidate number:

JUAN CALLEJAS
Institution:
COLEGIO MONTESSORI
Date of observation: 08 09 Time of observation 7:40 to 8:10
Length of class 45 min.
Class/grade Room:
BASIC 3 – 3rd GRADE 3A
Number of students Average age of students
17 10
Number of years of English studies(students) Level of students
3 Elementary Intermediate Advanced
X
Lesson number observer
1 2 3 4
Aims
By the end of the lesson the students will be able to:
Reinforce their knowledge in the use of comparatives and superlatives.
Interiorize the grammar topic of comparatives (er, than), and superlative (est)

Personal aims
I will be able to maximize the use of the time, a well planned lesson leads me into a better class
environment and better results.

Assumed knowledge
Ss already know vocabulary pertinent to some superlatives

Description of language item/skill

The level to be taught is basic, so the vocabulary to be used is going to be simple but effective.

Materials
Ss are to bring fruits, pictures of cars, buildings, and supermarket booklets to be used as a part of a real
comparative lesson. This activity I designed offers Ss the opportunity to interiorize comparatives because they are to
use their own pictures and materials

Rationale part 1: profile of the learners

1. Describe ages and language level of the learners in the group you are going to teach:
average 10 years old and the level
 2. Outline the learner’s linguistic and affective needs: Ss need to understand the rules of the
comparatives.
3. Explain how the aims of the lesson are related to learners needs outlined in 2 above: This
topic is so important and daily used that is a basic one.

Rationale part 2: anticipated problems

I
Anticipated problems
The use of than instead of what
The false friend of gooder or bader
The use of more and less might be difficult.
Misspelling some adjectives.
Planned solutions
Teach than previously
Encourage Ss to use only L2
Teach exceptions with examples in advance.
T previously writes on the board the correct
spelling of difficult words.

STAGE LEARNING ACTIVITIES TIMING

T asks what an adjective is and writes in one column some one- 10m
syllabe-adjectives in order to check knowledge before going beyond:
1. PRE-TEACH
Short, clean, thin, happy, fat, cold, cheap, tall, and dirty. Ss should
VOCABULARY
know them all. Then a new column in written with some long-word-
adjectives such as: intelligent, dangerous, expensive and talkative.

T will choose two volunteers to use the target: e.g. short: Maria 15m
Pamela is shorter than Maria Isabella, so Maria Isabella is taller than
2. CONTEXT
Maria Pamela.
SETTING
Then another sentence is written: a laptop is more expensive than
an I-phone.

T asks: 15m

What’s the difference between the two sentences?

3. GUIDE Ss TO
INFERTHE Why do you think they are so different?
TARGET
STRUCTURE What’s different among the two columns?

What’s an adjective?

Ss are to see how to write happier, thinner, fatter, and dirtier, 15m
4. PRONUNCIATION checking the repetition of some letter or when to use i instead of y.
WORK the use of CVC consonant-vowel-consonant will double the final
consonant, e.g. big-bigger

5. CONTROLLED Individually Ss are to complete the following excercise 5m

PRACTICE
1. (short) my mom is __________________________ my dad

2. (talkative) my friend is ______________________ my cousin

 3. (happy) a monkey looks ______________________ a clown

4. (intelligent) Wanda is ________________________ Cosmo

5. (clean) Medellin is ___________________________ Bogotá

6. (cheap) a magazine is ________________________ a book

7. (expensive) my dad’s cell phone is _______________ mine

8. (dirty) my uniform is __________________________ yours

9. (dangerous) a Lion is _________________________ a tiger

10. (fat) a hippo is _____________________________ a bear

The exercise is checked with a partner. 10m

6. FEEDBACK

Ss are to create 10 sentences using the following cues: 15m

Example: tall / Sebastián / Alejandro they write: Sebastián is taller

than Alejandro.

7. GUIDED 1. big / hippo / elephant

PRACTICE
2. dangerous / shark/ tiger

3. intelligent / I / my friend

4. beautiful / Paris Hilton / Beyonce

5. young / my mom / my dad

8. FEEDBACK Teacher checks the options, they may vary. 5m

9. FREE PRACTICE Ss are to write 10 sentences comparing two adjectives. 20m

STAGE LEARNING ACTIVITIES

TIMING
1. PRE-TEACH Some new adjectives are taught: Interesting, weak, funny, difficult, 10m
VOCABULARY angry,
 T will write on the board: the president should be the most intelligent 15m
2. CONTEXT
person in the country.
SETTING
My dad is the tallest person in my family.

T will ask the following questions: 10m

Why do you think we use the expression the most?

3. GUIDE Ss TO
INFERTHE What’s the difference between the most and the ending est?
TARGET
STRUCTURE What’s the difference between bigger and the biggest?

Repetition drill: individual, choral and group repetition of the 5m

4. PRONUNCIATION expressions: my dad’s the tallest at home, the whale is the biggest
WORK animal, my mom is the most beautiful woman.

Ss are to fill in the gaps: 15m

Crocodile is _______________ animal of the desert (angry)

That giraffe is ___________________ of the zoo (tall)

My friends are __________________ of the school (intelligent)

5. CONTROLLED
My mom is _________________ mom of the world (beautiful)
PRACTICE
Apple is ________________ brand of computers (expensive)

Chinese is ________________ language to learn (difficult)

My sister is ______________ in my family (weak)

Cuentahuesos is _______________ of sabados felices (funny)

T has Ss in pairs to check their answers. 10m

6. FEEDBACK

Ss are to work individually: 15m

Place the words in the correct order.

1 whales elephants are heavier than

7. GUIDED 2 Bogotá M edellín is than bigger

PRACTICE
3 Tiger dangerous more lion than

4 isn’t father uncle my taller than my

5 than colder Rionegro than isn’t Medellin

 Teacher checks answers. 5m

8. FEEDBACK

In trios learners are to make up 10 sentences that compare among 20m

9. FREE PRACTICE
themselves.

E.g. Mateo is taller than Nicolas but Alejandro is the tallest of us.

WRITING

Read the following text, answer the questions and then create a similar story
using comparatives:

My uncle Jerry loves to tell stories. He says this is a true story!

Uncle Jerry was on vacation. He was very happy. He rented the smallest and cheapest
car in the city.

He was driving in the highway but he didn’t like it, “this is the most boring road in the
world. I want to go to the country” He said,

He went to a small town, “this is the prettiest town in the world,” he thought, and he
stopped and talked to the friendly people, “they are the friendliest people in the
world,” the road became slower; when Jerry was driving he was happier and happier.

Suddenly, a big truck came in a curve, the driver looking through the window shouted
“PIG!”

Jerry was more surprised than any other day. “That’s the most unfriendly person in the
world.” He thought. “And PIG to you!” he shouted too.

He kept driving around a curve and then… in the middle of the road was the biggest
pig in the world!

1. What kind of car did Jerry rent?

______________________________________________________________________

2. Why didn’t he like the highway?

______________________________________________________________________

3. Where did he want to go?

______________________________________________________________________
4. How was Jerry when driving?

______________________________________________________________________

5. What did he think about the town?

______________________________________________________________________

6. What did he think about the people?

______________________________________________________________________

7. What did he think about the truck driver?

______________________________________________________________________

8. How was Jerry after the man shouted PIG?

______________________________________________________________________

9. What was in the middle of the road?

______________________________________________________________________

10. This story is: to inform, to entertain, or to give an example:

_____________________________________________________________________