Month: July 2023

Teaching Reflection: Hour 9

By Aspen

On July 20, 2023

In Teaching Reflections

Class Type: Composition

Time: 50 Minutes

Topic: Adj, Adv, and Noun Clauses/ The Environment Cont.

Level: Low Intermediate

Intro/Activity 1 (15-20 minutes) GALLERY WALK

Place the 8 articles provided spread out around the walls of the classroom (they are labelled 1-8 for convenience). Next give each student a copy of the worksheet for the gallery walk labelled ‘Gallery Walk of Clauses’. Once everyone has a worksheet, depending on how many students are present in the class have them work either solo or in pairs. Once Ss are in their configuration (either solo or in pairs) explain to them that each person/pair is given a few minutes at each “station”(article on the wall) to figure out what kind of clauses are underlined in the article. Only one type of clause is underlined in each work. Either an adjective, adverb or noun clause. Students put the kind of clause they think is present in the article on their worksheet. After a few minutes, have Ss rotate to the next article in a clockwise (to the right) fashion. Repeat until all Ss have been to all the articles. MAKE SURE TO MODEL FOR STUDENTS BEFORE ACTIVITY STARTS Once Ss have completed their sheets, come back together as a class to quickly go over the answers and check if Ss have any questions/confusions.
Once Ss have completed their first worksheet, hand out the worksheet where Ss need to go around the room again and match the topics with the number on the article. MAKE SURE TO MODEL ACTIVITY, AS WELL AS GOING AROUND THE ROOM TO ENSURE UNDERSTANDING. Once Ss have finished or time is up, quickly go over the answers with the class before moving onto the next activity.
- It took some coercing to get the students to stand up and moving around, but I am finding that this is pretty common with it being hot out and getting close to the end of the semester. I believe this went over well! It took a fair bit of repeating instructions to make sure that Ss understood what it was that I wanted them to do, but we got there in the end! After having the last few classes being about clauses, it has helped me learn not only how to teach these clauses, but how to tell the difference myself (I grew up in the English language, so learning the reasons as to how certain grammar points work has been a bit of a struggle). With the help of my sponsor teacher, we were able to keep the mood up during this activity and the rest of class.

Activity 2 (10 mins) ENVIRONMENT Q’s

Once the Ss have come back to their seats, split them into groups of ~3 and tell them to decide who is the leader of their group (Mama or Papa Bear). Once everyone is in their groups and has a designated leader, go through the questions on the ‘Environment Questions’ sheet with the class, writing the multiple choices on the board to help students understand the choices they are making. MAKE SURE TO READ Q’S SLOWLY AND REPEAT A FEW TIMES, AND REPEAT THE ANSWERS AS WELL. Once every group has placed their vote on an answer, THEN reveal the answer before moving onto the next question.
- The students really enjoy this!! It is nice because it helps them use their critical thinking skills and perhaps prior knowledge from before they came to Canada to learn English. It also serves as a kind of “brain break” from focusing on the topic. I also really enjoyed putting this together, I hope to be able to use these types of “quizzes” often in future lessons I teach. However, due to time constraints, we were not able to complete all of the questions I had had prepared. That’s okay though, because I plan on using the questions I didn’t use for the next lesson.

Activity 3 (10-15 mins) BUILDING CLAUSES

Give each (or each pair of) Ss one of the eight sets of cue cards, and have them reassemble the sentence and decipher what kind of clause they were given. The cards only have the clause itself on them, not full sentences. MODEL/SHOW ON THE BOARD BEFORE LETTING THEM BEGIN. Once Ss are done creating their sentences, let them know if they got the TYPE of clause correct, and then help them move words around in the right order if necessary.
- For this activity, while we only had 2 groups due to a smaller than anticipated class, I am glad I created so many sets or varying difficulty. I was afraid that the easy ones would be too easy, however the harder ones were a bit too difficult for most of the class. For that reason I am glad to have created a variety, so that the group that understood clauses really well had a challenge, while the group that needed a bit more help could be eased into the activity a bit more gently.

Exit Ticket/Homework CLAUSE EXAMPLES

Before Ss have class for the day, have them come together in groups with their neighbours to create 3 sentences, one for each type of clause they’ve been working on (either adj. Adv. or noun clauses). Once each group is finished, have them write their sentences on the board for class review and seeing if they really understand the use of clauses before releasing them for the day. If assigning for homework, have each Ss create one sentence for each type of clause (1 sentence w/ adv. clause, 1 sentence w/ noun clause and 1 sentence w/ adj. clause). These are due for the next lesson next week.
- We did not have enough time in class to start the exit ticket as a a final activity, so it was assigned for homework to give to me the next time I teach their class.
- Overall, I am definitely feel a lot more confident about my teaching ability with this class now that the Ss are more familiar with my presence and that we’ve built a bit of a rapport. Not going to lie, I am sad at the thought of my next lesson with them being my last. That being said I am excited for my final lesson and I hope that I can make it memorable, even if its just a little bit. C:

Teaching Reflection: Hour 8

By Aspen

On July 13, 2023

In Teaching Reflections

Class Type: Composition

Time: 50 Minutes

Topic: Adj, Adv, and Noun Clauses/ The Environment

Level: Low Intermediate

Introduction: ~5 mins

Ask the Ss if they remember the theme from the last class (environment/salmon), and let them know that we will be continuing on with the same theme of “the environment”. Then go on Youtube and look up “reuse ocean plastic” and click on the 3-minute video from National Geographic.
- The class’s energy definitely dropped after their original instructor had left when myself and my sponsor teacher took over. That being said, I did try and create some banter while setting up for the class. However between setting up for group work, and pulling up the lesson plan (I had forgotten to print off a physical copy beforehand), and waiting for Ss to come back from their break the lesson started roughly 10 minutes later than intended. Thankfully however, this did not impede on the timing for the rest of the lesson.
- Overall the students were distracted, and I had had some difficulty reigning them in to focus despite calling for their attention a few times before I had begun the video. Something I need to work on for sure is having a stronger presence within the classroom. While I do strive to have a comfortable learning atmosphere within my classes, I need to find a maintainable balance between having a fun upbeat attitude and interacting with the students in such a manner that they will actively listen to me with little to no repetition. I had joked with my sponsor teacher that I need to learn how to tease my students a little bit. Little jokes or something within the context of the interaction to let them know that I want them to do what I ask, but also that I am here for them and that I want class time to be an enjoyable experience.

Activity 1: REVIEWING CLAUSES

Next, explain that we will be going over phrases and the different types of clauses (Noun, Adverb, Adjective), and write a few examples on the whiteboard and get Ss to guess the types of clauses they are.
- Now, this aspect of the lesson I know I went over fairly quickly. While I have been going over different levels of grammar points and how to teach them within the TESL program, I have always struggled with grammar. While I have gained more practice explaining how to explain different grammar points, I still feel lacking when it comes to my ability to explain them due to having grown up with English as a native language. All this being said, I did go over the different types of clauses that my sponsor teacher was so kind as to write them on the board for me in case they had to leave the room (which they did). However, I only labelled the type of clause, and read out the example sentences provided. I was not able to go too terribly into depth of how to tell the difference or provide more examples. Due to this, I was unable to take the time allotted to explain/review further.

Main Activity: LEARNING CENTRES

Tt divides the class into 3 groups, assigning each group one of the three readings prepared. Have each group label the different types of clauses on their respective worksheets. **Give groups their respective answer sheets a minute or two before time is up before the next rotation. Collect the answer keys BEFORE rotating groups and their respective learning centres. You may choose either to have groups move physically to the next “station” or to hand out the different worksheets to the 3 groups where they are currently situated. Repeat from ** until Ss have gone through all activities or the lesson is over.
- Overall, I believe that this exercise worked really well! However, if I were to do this again I would leave all the papers at their respective stations and have students rotate opposed to trying to rotate the handouts given to them. I had caused a bit of confusion trying to do this by not rotating the worksheets themselves properly and having to go back and give a group different worksheets after I had already given them some to do. Besides the mix-up however, this activity had gone over pretty well. I had had to explain the exercise a few times to those who were not paying attention to instructions, or on their phones messaging. I think I was able to handle getting them off their phones and to do their work well enough. Like I had said earlier, I believe I need to work on my banter as well as learning how to talk to students in a manner where they know they can have fun in the classroom, but also that they need to listen to me when I’m in charge.

Exit Ticket: WRITING PRACTICE

Have the students work in pairs or small groups to come up with a sentence that includes either a noun, adjective, or adverb clause. Then have each pair/group of Ss write what they’ve come up with on the board. Go over the sentences with the class, and help tweak them to be more academically inclined in order to help prepare students for academic writing in the future.
- Due to my negligence on the explanation of the different clauses, as well as students finishing earlier than anticipated, my sponsor teacher and I had decided that since we were early on time, that we would get each group to come together to create one sentence with each group using a different type of clause we’d gone over. This served as a great exit-ticket, and overall I think this lesson went over really well and that students are catching onto adverb, adjective and noun clauses!

Teaching Reflection: Hour 7

By Aspen

On July 6, 2023

In Teaching Reflections

Class Type: Composition

Time: 50 Minutes

Topic: Clauses vs. Phrases

Level: High Intermediate

Introduction (5 minutes)

Show students the trailer of a fish movie. Ask them what the topic is today (still around the environment)… yes, FISH… in particular… salmon. Have they ever eaten salmon? (if possible, bring in something for them to try). Ask Ss why salmon is important in the environment (salmon feed everyone and everything and produce phosphorous – needed for life).
- The class was pretty unmotivated today for some reason, so our attempts at riling them up a little bit fell a little flat, but overall it went well. Some of the students shared their previous knowledge about fish and their preparation, as well as my sponsor teacher brought in some candied salmon for the class to try to see if they like it as well.

Main Activity (35 minutes)

Ask the students the difference between a phrase and a clause (put up example on board). Then go over the three different types of clauses: adj., adv., noun. Give lots of examples and show how they function. Once Ss are comfortable with the three different kinds, tell them today we will be reading an academic essay on salmon. Have they ever eaten salmon? (if possible, bring in something for them to try). Ask Ss why salmon is important in the environment (salmon feed everyone and everything and produce phosphorous – needed for life).Hand out the reading. Read the essay with the students slowly, checking comprehension as you go. Once finished, pair students up and have them identify the different types of underlined clauses.
- While reading it aloud to the class, I had found it a little difficult to pull them along to the call and response within the reading that we had been doing (reading aloud most of the sentence, but then pausing to allow students to say the next word or phrase). There had been some more difficult words so we had made sure to write the new/different words on the board as a point of reference.

Closing (5 minutes)

Take up answer with the class. Ask Ss one thing they learned about salmon today as an exit ticket question.
- as we had gone over the answers with the class (the underlined phrases/clauses) both aloud and using the overhead projector to ensure that students could follow along in labelling the different clauses within their given text.
- Overall I think this class went well! I would have liked to be a little more active in the learning process, but I also appreciate being able to take a little bit of a step back and see how my sponsor teacher conducts themselves as a facilitator of learning ESL, opposed to being their student.

Teaching Reflection: Hour 6

By Aspen

On July 5, 2023

In Teaching Reflections

Class Level: High-Intermediate

Class Type: Composition

Topic: Annotation and Summary of Academic Texts

Introduction: (5-10 minutes)

Greet the students. Ask Ss what topic they have been working on— pollution and environmental issues! Ask if Ss have a lot of pollution in their home countries. Then tell Ss we will play a quick game of trivia in groups to activate background knowledge on the subject. Divide the c lass into groups of 2 or 3. Each group has to assign a Mama/Papa Bear as their leader to lead discussions and choose an answer from the group. Play the trivia game.
- The students really enjoyed this! Since the questions weren’t based on anything that the students had been learning specifically in class, they were really energetic and motivated to parse out the correct answer from the multiple choice questions. A few of the questions had to be skipped to ensure that the class moved along and gave enough time to the main activity, but overall this activity went swimmingly!

Main Activity: (30 minutes)

Tell Ss that today they will learn how to annotate (write on the board and explain as marking up and interacting with a text) and SUMMARIZE a text. Give each student TEXT 1 and put your copy on the overhead. Read the article out loud slowly to the students (they should be reading along) and show them how to circle/highlight/underline important information such as names, dates, and major ideas. Show students how to react to the text by adding “?”, happy faces, expressions such as “wow!”. Then ask Ss to identify the main idea(s) of each paragraph and write them in PHRASES in the margin of the text.
Once the text is annotated, tell Ss we will use the annotation and especially the main ideas in the margins to write a summary. In order not to plagarize, we nee to identify ‘technical’ words we are allowed to use in the reading (for example, pollution/environment/chemicals etc…). Explain that all other words will need to have a synonym. Also, show how the main ideas can be switched in order in the summary — this also helps with accidental plagarism. Show Ss how to begin an academic summary:
This article_________(reporting verb) the (major idea of article).
Main idea(s) of paragraph with important supporting detail
Main idea(s) of another paragraph with possibly important supporting detail
Main idea(s) of another paragraph with possibly important supporting detail
Closing sentence.
Write the summary with the class now. Have Ss write it onto their worksheet
- The students were quite concentrated on following along and making notes of their own on their worksheets. I believe this went over fairly well, as every time I looked up from marking up the essay on the overhead, everyone seemed absorbed in making notes of their own. Since this was my first time with this particular set of students, my sponsor teacher aided in showing them how to write a summary by taking the key points from each paragraph in the last 5-10 minutes of class. They also handed out another essay for the students to annotate on their own for homework and give to their regular teacher. Facilitating the class with them definetly eased some of the anxieties I usually face when teaching solo, so I had really appreciated their participation despite how minimal it may have been.

Teaching Reflection: Hour 5

By Aspen

On July 4, 2023

In Teaching Reflections

Class Level: High-Intermediate

Class Type: Speaking

Topic: Movie Making and Entertainment

Activity 1: Headband Guessing Game

Index cards are handed out to each student as they are instructed to write the name of a tv show or movie on them to use for the game. Then coming together as a circle, shuffle the cards and pick one up without looking at it and hold it to your forehead. Then have everyone else help you try and guess the title without saying it using descriptors or saying what happens in the plot of the movie/show. When it is either guessed, or a minute has passed, we’ll move on to the next person so they can guess. Remember to model/show them how first, gauge time to see if a 2nd round is necessary
- This activity went really well! The students had played a similar game and were able to help teach the students that may not have understood the rules. What was really interesting to see was that some of the students had tried to use the context of materials they had had in class to try and give hints relevant to the cards. Out of the activities I had planned for this class, I believe this is the one that went the best this time around.

First students will fill out the worksheet by themselves, and then share their answers with a partner. Once they’ve talked to their partner, each student fills out the rest of the worksheet with their partner’s favourite movie/tv show questions. Once time is up each pair shares their partner’s answers (second page) with the class. Model/show how to fill out the solo side w/ projector.
- With this activity, I had not prepared a more cohesive worksheet and there was confusion on what to share with the class from the worksheet. If I were to do this activity again, I think I might instead do a worksheet that is only a list of questions. Perhaps even make it so that you have to roll dice and answer the question number on the dice. Looking back, I had more writing within this speaking class than I would have liked.

Students will be put in pairs, and handed a worksheet as well as some small cut out pictures. The students then have to pick three pictures to make a story with a beginning, middle and an end. If this goes quicker than anticipated for some, hand out another worksheet to the pair, and get them to make another with either the pictures left over or they can draw their own pictures if they want. Once either time is up, or everyone has finished at least 1 storyboard get each pair to share with the class.
- With this activity, I realised that I had made too much of a focus on ensuring the students were confident in what it was they wanted to say. As a result, with this activity being the majority of the class time, it was spent mostly writing opposed to speaking. Overall, the class was more or less executed as planned. There were a few students missing, and as a result I ended up changing the pair work of this final activity into solo work. If I were to do this activity again, I think I would like to perhaps have one large pile of pictures to choose from, or even let the students draw their own pictures for the storyboarding. Instead of writing out what was happening in their stories, I would have them simply tell a partner or the class what their stories are.