Case 1: Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Background:
You and your small group are members of a consulting firm that is in direct competition with
several other similar firms for a potentially lucrative job developing instructional materials for
the Education Ministry of Colombia. There is a great need within Colombia for lessons that help
their K-12 students effectively learn English.
Before awarding the contract to develop their full English curriculum, the Education Ministry
wants to review sample lesson plans from each of the competing firms in order to make their
decision on who should be awarded the contract. It is your job to work with your assigned group
members and develop a successful lesson plan. The following is a description of the
requirements and timeline for this work to be completed.
Planning:
As you discuss the case, make sense of case content, and plan the lesson with your group
members, you will select and use a Web 2.0 tool. For this case, your group may choose a Web
2.0 tool from the following list: Evernote (http://evernote.com/), Google Docs
(https://drive.google.com/), or Wikispaces (http://www.wikispaces.com/). To help you make
your selection, visit Blackboard/Canvas where you can find short videos that provide an
overview of each tool. You and your group may use this tool in any manner that is helpful while
planning your lesson and discussing the case. Note: You will be asked to share whatever you
create using your selected Web 2.0 tool and answer/reflect on a few questions about your
experience with the tool. You can find the questions on page 3 of this document and an
electronic version of this document on Blackboard/Canvas.
Product:
You will research and design a lesson plan that will focus on teaching a short English lesson
(approximately 3045 minutes) to a group of students who have limited English capabilities.
Your lesson should include the following elements:
a. A description of all key components of a properly constructed lesson plan. Each of these
components needs to be fully described (i.e., to the point that someone you do not know will
be able to read your lesson plan and be able to successfully implement the lesson in its
entirety with the desired results).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Overview of Lesson
Description of Learners, Intended Learning Goals, and Lesson Content
Learning Objectives
Standards
Required Materials
Procedures
Assessment
References and Reference Materials

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b. Full APA style references of two different journal articles that discuss research on
teaching English as a second language. Each reference should be followed by a brief (one
paragraph) description/annotation of the articles content (what each is about and its
value).
c. On the Website Portfolio, a clear, concise (250 word max) well-written blog post that
includes thoughts on the following areas:
Why do you think your lesson plan was valid, practical, and motivational?
Looking at the lesson plan you created, what changes would you make to improve
it?
What was the biggest "take-away" that you gained by completing this case?
d. Your lesson plan should be formatted professionally. To give your lesson plan a polished
look, use word-processing options like tables, shading, ClipArt, etc.
Learners, Teacher, School:
Your lesson plan should be designed with the following in mind:
a) The teaching environment: Colegio Fundacin Nueva Granada (550 children between 2
and 16 years of age). http://www.cng.edu/index.php?seccion=outreach
b) Location: Bogot, Colombia
c) Number of students per class: Approximately 25
d) Grade and age of students: 6th and 7th grades (12-14 year olds)
e) Gender: Even distribution of boys and girls
f) Students past English experience: 2-3 years of classworkoverall speaking and
understanding abilities are low to moderately low.
g) Technology level of the school: Low levels (whiteboards in all rooms, Internet access in
the room, one instructor station with projector in room).
h) Teacher: Sharon Smith (23 year-old female)native English speaker, she is fluent in
Spanish. She has been trained in teaching English as a foreign language and has been in
Colombia for 3 months. She teaches multiple classes at different grade levels.
*NOTE: An important part of this lesson plan needs to be the selection and use of specific
technology and how it could be integrated and used to impact the learning of the students within
your lesson.

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Things to Consider

Consider what is important to think about before beginning your lesson-especially as it

relates to your learners, objectives, and environment.

Consider how the key characteristics of the learners and learning environment can
provide you with direction as you design your lesson.

Consider what role standards play in your lesson and where you can find appropriate
standards for your lesson.

Consider where you can receive guidance and gain ideas on the content for your lesson,
while at the same time considering how you will determine the validity of these sources.

Consider how your objectives will take into account your learners and environment.

Consider what role technology can play as you are planning your lesson.

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Lesson Plan Assessment Guide

Criteria

Possible

Topic of Lesson & Learning Goals

Can the lesson reasonably be delivered in 30-45 minutes?
Is the lesson topic appropriate for the learners, environment, & case requirements?
Given the topic, do the lesson goals allow you to adequately cover the topic?
Target Audience & Learning Environment
Does the audience description address all relevant student characteristics?
Does the description of the learning environment address all relevant characteristics?
Instructional Objectives
Does each objective include the following three elements:
Performance?
Condition?
Criteria?
Does each objective correspond to the lesson topic and learning goal(s)?
Instructional Procedure
Are the lesson procedures described in a logical, straight forward manner that could
be followed with relative ease?
Does the procedure correspond to the learning outcomes & objectives?
Are the instructional procedures doablegiven the class structure and size?
given age, abilities, and characteristics?
Are students given the opportunity to apply lesson content in a meaningful way?
Standards
Do the selected standards align with the learning goals and objectives?
Motivational Strategies
Do motivational techniques align with student attributes and needs?
Is an orientation activity used to capture the learners attention/set the tone for the
lesson?
Are motivational techniques used to maintain attention and enthusiasm throughout
the lesson?
Evaluation
Does the evaluation approach require the same performance as stated in the
objective(s)?
Does the evaluation approach require the same condition as stated in the
objective(s)?
Does the evaluation approach measure the criteria as stated in the objective(s)?
Is the evaluation approach appropriate for the described lesson and goals?

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Score

Technology Integration
Does the described technology use enhance the lesson outcomes and objectives?
Is the described technology use feasible (within the class structure, size, &
environment and with learners age/abilities)?
Face Value
Is the lesson formatted in a professional manner?
Blog Post
On the Website Portfolio, a clear, concise (250 word max) well-written blog post that
includes thoughts on the following areas:
Why do you think your lesson plan was valid, practical, and motivational?
Looking at the lesson plan you created, what changes would you make to
improve it?
What was the biggest "take-away" that you gained by completing this
case?
In what ways did you utilize your selected Web 2.0 tool (e.g., Evernote) as
you worked together as a group? Was it helpful or did it hinder the overall
planning process?
References
Are summaries of two different journal articles discussing research on teaching
English as a second language provided? Does this summary discuss how the articles
helped with lesson plan development?
Total Score

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30