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Running head: LESSON PLAN INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY

Teaching Language through Technology
Lesson Plan Integrating Technology
Kongxia Chen
Professor Jody
Spring 2014










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Evaluate the Use of Technology in the Lesson
I used four technological resources in my lesson plan including PowerPoint,
Google Slides, Google Forums, and Google Documents. These technologies are essential
in my lesson plan. For instance, I used PowerPoint to organize my lesson in preparation
for class and to show questions from appendices on the screen during teaching. Thus, I do
not need to come to class earlier to write down the questions on the whiteboard or read
the questions aloud. This saves class time. Having students to create PowerPoints of their
presentations by using Google Slides can help the audiences to better remember what the
presenter said, especially for those students who learn better visually (Larsen-Freeman &
Anderson, 2011). Also, I used Google Forums to create a survey, so students can see the
results of top favorite activities among their classmates immediately. Likewise, Google
Documents can be used as board on which students can post their writing and give
comments even though giving peer feedback is not a popular class activity in Chinese
education. However, peer editing is a great activity to develop students critical thinking
and revision skills.
If students struggle with producing some letters correctly, I will use the Talk
English ($%%&'(()))*%+,-./0,12$*345(6 website to teach pronunciation. This site
provides Pronunciation Lessons on letters. There are some minimal pair letters such B
and P which are commonly mispronounced. This site also gives instructions about the
shape and the movement of the mouth for producing the correct sound of a letter.
Teachers can refer instruction for teaching, and students can use it when it comes to
autonomous study. This site also offers some words and sentences that contain the letter
with audio files. Students can click play to listen to the word or sentence if they need
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to. Additionally, students can download the audio files, so they can listen to an audio file
at any time and anywhere without an Internet connection.

Overview of the Context
This is a 90-minute lesson for a group of Chinese students of English as a foreign
language at Sias International University in China. The students English proficiency
level is high intermediate according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (American
Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language, 2012). There are 15 students in the class,
and the class is mixed with freshmen and sophomores. The emphasis of this lesson is
combination of reading, speaking, and writing.

Assumptions
Every student has a computer and internet connection at school or at home
Students are familiar with Google Slides, Google Forums, and Google Documents

Materials and Resources Needed
PowerPoint
15 copies of an article
Computer
Projector and Screen
Objectives
Students will be able to comprehend reading in a True and False exercise and
analyze the main ideas of the reading by underlining them
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Students will be able to apply their critical thinking in their group presentations
Students will be able to practice their speaking in group presentations and
discussions
Students will be able to make comments in peer writing feedback

Pre-reading Preparation (10 minutes)
Ask students, Do you feel happy or unhappy today? Why?
Have two or three volunteers share their answers
Show some questions (Appendix A) in the PowerPoint, and then give students 8
minutes to write down their answers on a piece of paper or type on their own
computer
After 8 minutes, have some students share their answers

Reading the Article (8 minutes)
Pass out the articles (Appendix B)
Ask students to underline the topic sentence or main idea of each paragraph
Give students 8 minutes to do this activity

True and False Exercise (5 minutes)
After students finish reading, pass out the exercise worksheets (Appendix C)
Give students 3 minutes to finish without looking at the article
Go over the answers by calling students names

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Presentation (20 minutes)
Divide the class to 5 groups, and each group has 3 students
Assign each group a question (Appendix D) that is shown on the PowerPoint
Give students 15 minutes to discuss and organize their answers by using Google
Slides to create a presentation
Each group has 3-5 minutes to give a presentation

Survey (15 minutes)
Each group has 3 minutes to make a list of activities that people enjoy (at least 5
activities)
After 3 minutes, I will type their answers and then use Google Forums to create a
survey by using the numbers 1 to 7 to indicate the level of enjoyment (1 is the
least, and 7 is the most)
Every student assesses his or her own Google Forums and then takes the survey (5
minutes). The number of questions will be between 10 and 15.
Show the result of the survey on the screen to the whole class

Writing (25 minutes)
Choose a favorite activity that you do not participate frequently in
Follow the instruction (Appendix E) to write at least 10 sentences (15 minutes)
Create a group Google Documents (3 students in one group) and post writing
there
Give feedback to each other about writing (10 minutes)
:
Students can go back to the document to add or edit their own writing after class

Ending (7 minutes)
Remind students to finish the writing for homework if they have not finished yet
Choose one group member to send the Google Document to the instructor
Answer any questions from students

















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References
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. (2012). ACTFL Proficiency
Guidelines 2012. Retrieved from
http://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/public/ACTFLProficiencyGuidelines20
12_FINAL.pdf
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2003). Techniques and principles in language teaching, 2
nd
ed. New
York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Pronunciation. TALK ENGLISH.com. Retrieved from
http://www.talkenglish.com/ExtraLessons/Pronunciation.aspx
Smith, L. C., & Mare, N. N. (2004). Concepts for Today 4. Heinle, Tholson.














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Appendix A
Pre-reading Preparation
1. What is your definition of happy?
2. Is there a relationship between happiness and unhappiness?
3. Do you think your environment can cause you to be happy or unhappy? Explain your
answer.


































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Appendix B

The Paradox of Happiness
By Diane Swanbrow
Psychology Today


Its plain common sense the more happiness you feel, the less
unhappiness you experience. Its plain common sense, but its not true. Recent
research reveals that happiness and unhappiness are not really flip sides of the
same emotion. They are two distinct feelings that, coexisting, rise and fall
independently.
Youd think that the higher a persons level of unhappiness, the lower
their level of happiness and vice versa, says Edward Diener, a University of
Illinois professor of psychology who has done much of the new work on positive
and negative emotions. But when Diener and other researchers measure peoples
average levels of happiness and unhappiness, they often find little relationship
between the two.
The recognition that feelings of happiness and unhappiness can coexist
much like love and hate in a close relationship may offer valuable clues on how to
lead a happier life. It suggests, for example, that changing or avoiding things that
make you miserable may well make you less miserable but probably wont make
you any happier. That advice is backed up by an extraordinary series of studies
which indicate that a genetic predisposition for unhappiness may run in certain
families. On the other hand, researchers have found, happiness doesnt appear to
be anyones heritage. The capacity for joy is a talent you develop largely for
yourself.
Psychologists have settled on a working definition of the feeling
happiness is a sense of subjective well-being. Theyve also begun to find out
whos happy, who isnt, and why. To date, the research hasnt found a simple
recipe for a happy life, but it has discovered some of the actions and attitudes that
seem to bring people closer to that most desired of feelings.
In a number of studies of identical and fraternal twins, researchers have
examined the role genetics plays in happiness and unhappiness. The work
suggests that although no one is really born to be happy, sadness may run in
families.
In one University of Southern California study, psychologist Laura Baker
and colleagues compared 899 individuals who had taken several commonly used
tests for happiness and unhappiness. The men and women included 105 pairs of
identical and fraternal twins as well as grandparents, parents and young adult
offspring from more than 200 other families.
Family members, Baker reports, resembled each other more in their
levels of unhappiness than in their levels of happiness. Furthermore, identical
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twins were much closer than fraternal twins in unhappiness, a finding that implies
a genetic component.
In a study at the University of Minnesota, twins (some raised together and
others who had grown up apart) were tested for a wide range of personality traits.
In terms of happiness defined as the capacity to enjoy life identical twins who
were separated soon after birth were considerably less alike than twins raised
together. But when it came to unhappiness, the twins raised apart some without
contact for as long as 64 years were as similar as those whod grown up
together.
Why is unhappiness less influenced by environment? When were happy
we are more responsive to people and keep up connections better than when were
feeling sad.
This doesnt mean, however, that some people are born to be sad and thats
that. Genes may predispose one to unhappiness, but disposition can be influenced
by personal choice. You can increase your happiness through your own actions.
In a series of experiments by psychologists John Reich and Alex Zautra at
Arizona State University, they asked students to select their favourite activities
from a list of everyday pleasures things like going to a movie, talking with
friends and playing cards.
Then the researchers instructed some of the subjects to increase the number
of favourite activities they participated in for one month (the other participants in
the study served as controls and did not vary their activity level). Results: Those
who did more of the things they enjoyed were happier than those who didnt. The
conclusion, then, is that the pleasure we get from life is largely ours to control.




















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Appendix C

True & False Exercise

Read the passage once. Then read the following statements. Scan the article quickly to
find out if each statement is true (T) or false (F). Circle the right answer. If the statement
is false, change it so that it is true.

1. The feeling of unhappiness may be genetic. (T/F)

2. There is a strong relationship between levels of happiness and unhappiness in a person.
(T/F)

3. Researchers have found that happiness is inherited. (T/F)

4. Unhappiness is less influenced by environment that it is by genetics. (T/F)

5. It is impossible to increase your happiness. (T/F)

6. We can control our own happiness. (T/F)

These questions are from Smith, L. C., & Mare, N. N. (2004). Concepts for Today 4.
Heinle, Tholson. (p. 5).






















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Appendix D

Critical Thinking

Remember that there is no correct answer.

1. According to this article, feelings of happiness and unhappiness can coexist. Similarly,
love and hate can coexist in a close relationship. How can you explain such conflicting
feelings in a relationship? Do you think a person can be happy and sad at the same time?
Explain your answer.

2. The author mentions several studies of identical and fraternal twins. These studies
conclude that sadness may run in families. Why do you think researchers like to study
twins rather than other brothers and sisters? Why do you think researchers compare
identical twins who grew up together with identical twins who grew up apart?

3. According to the University of Southern California study, identical twins were much
closer than fraternal twins in unhappiness, a finding that implies a genetic component.
Why do you think identical twins were more alike than fraternal twins were?

4. The author describes two studies, one at the University of Southern California and one
at the University of Minnesota. She also describes an experiment at Arizona State
University. What do you think is the difference between doing a study and doing an
experiment?

5. What do you think the author believes about happiness and unhappiness? Does she
believe they are opposites? What do you think her opinion is?

These questions are Smith, L. C., & Mare, N. N. (2004). Concepts for Today 4. Heinle,
Tholson. (p. 15-16).







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Appendix E
1. Which favorite activity do you participate in least? Why?
2. How are you going to increase your practice in that activity? Be specific.