Lesson Plans for AL 6962 Practicum II in TESOL Developed by Yuhei Yamamoto
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Background: Providing Context for the Lesson Plan
A. Description of Program
The school in which these videotaped lessons are conducted is Hawai’i Literacy, a
non-profit organization in Honolulu Hawaii. Hawai’i Literacy provides various
language programs such as adult literacy, Book Mobile, family literacy, and English
language learner classes. The goals of the school are to develop adult learners’
literacy skills in order to find jobs, gain parenting skills, and lead a successful life.
Dedicated volunteer tutors support all the programs. No formal assessment is
conducted in the English program; therefore, the classes are not for credit.
B. Description of students
Students’ ages range between 30 and 60, and they have lived in Hawaii for a varied
length of time. A majority of students come from Japan, Vietnam, Korean, and China.
Their major reasons to study English are to overcome language barriers and/or enjoy
lifelong learning. Students’ proficiency levels are fairly diverse. That is, whereas
some students are already proficient enough to produce accurate complete sentences
in speaking and writing, other students still have a hard time with basic grammar and
vocabulary. Students often sit together with classmates who speak the same native
language, and even during a lesson, they sometimes use their native language to
complete worksheets with classmates. It seems that most students still need to rely on
their first language to identify English vocabulary, as they often use bilingual
electronic dictionaries.
C. Description of course
There are usually more than 30 students in the Monday and Wednesday sessions.
Except for Saturday, when there are small tutoring sessions, each lesson lasts for two
hours without any break, so a variety of activities is usually implemented. Because
students can come whichever days they want, it is often seen that those who come on
Mondays do not come on Wednesdays or vice versa. Yet, regular students attend all
the sessions in a week. The classes meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays,
Fridays from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Saturday classes start from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
with a formal class running until 10:30 and individualized, self-directed lessons from
10:30 to 1:00. The classroom is large enough to accommodate 40 students, and there
are long tables in rows on two sides of the room. Three or four students sit together
per table. The host teacher finds reading materials and corresponding worksheets
from published text books or online webpages.
D. Description and overall goal of the unit that this lesson is part of.
This unit is composed of six stand-alone lessons, but topics are diverse as there are
students who only come either on Mondays or Wednesdays. Therefore, these two
lessons are designed with different contexts. The first lesson, entitled “The Language
of Gestures,” is based on the textbook Explorations: An Interactive Approach to
Reading (1998). An article and worksheets are used for listening practice, reading
comprehension, and vocabulary reinforcement. This lesson also introduces interactive
activities in order for students to apply their learned knowledge to communicative
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use. The second lesson, entitled “Spreading Rumors,” is designed to teach
prepositions for spatial meaning. All materials are developed by the lesson planner,
but the topic of this lesson carried over from previous sessions. In this lesson, there is
a variety of interactive activities where students learn to use prepositions to locate
objects on illustrations while spreading rumors about the characteristics of towns.
Therefore, this lesson is designed to develop students’ use of spatial prepositions by
completing tasks.
E. Recent work
There is no curriculum set for Hawai’i Literacy. Students are usually given a new
article that the teacher selects from teachers’ books or Breaking News English. Each
article comes with its own worksheets for gap-filling, word matching, and multiple
choice questions.
I. Getting ready to teach videotaped lesson 1
A. General topic of this lesson: Body language in different cultures.
B. General goal of this lesson: Students will:
1. Understand an article about body language and discover that there are
different cultural traditions around the world.
2. Demonstrate vocabulary knowledge by using word forms that fit in an
appropriate sentence.
3. Describe cultural differences in body gestures in both oral and written texts.
C. Student learning outcomes for this lesson: By the end of this lesson, students will:
1. Identify words by filling out blanks on a worksheet.
2. Recognize main ideas of the article by distinguishing True/False statements.
3. Demonstrate their reading comprehension by creating comprehension
questions of their own.
4. Recognize an appropriate word form by examining context and structure in a
given sentence.
5. Write paragraphs to share their ideas about differences of body gestures
between their home country and the United States.
D. Vocabulary and other key language to be taught in this lesson: Forms of noun, verb,
adjective, adverb that fit in appropriate sentences from the article. Target words such as
custom, gesture, wave, honor, hold up, enough.
E. Materials: White board and markers, teachers’ textbook, handouts (#1-#5)
F. Assessment: No formal assessment is provided in this lesson.
II. Teaching the lesson
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Activity 1: Warm up (10min)
1. Talk about the teacher’s experience of encountering people who showed unknown
body gestures, in order to engage students in the topic.
2. Pass out two illustrations of body gestures: One shows someone holding up a
hand, palm away from the face, and moving the fingers up and down. Another
one shows someone holding hands together over the head.
3. Write two sentences: “What does each gesture mean?” “Teach me some body
language from your home country” on the white board.
4. Ask students to find a classmate to talk with. Use the questions from the board to
engage students in a few minutes of discussion.
5. Ask three pairs to tell what they have talked about to the class. On the board,
write students’ opinions about the illustrations given and the common gestures
from their home countries.
6. Introduce new vocabulary (custom, gesture, wave, honor, hold up, enough) from
the article, writing parts of speech ,synonym, and example sentences of those
words on the left side of the board. This will remain until the next activity is done.
Activity 2: Expeditious reading (20min)
1. Tell students that they will only listen to the teacher without looking at the article
for the first time. Students are to catch main ideas of the story by listening.
2. Pass out handout #1, telling them that it has the article with blanks and they will
have to fill out each blank with words by listening to the teacher again.
3. Read aloud the article again and give students some time to fill in the blanks
before comparing answers with classmates.
4. Ask students to find a partner and have them compare answers. Walk around the
classroom and assist those students having difficulty finding a partner or
comparing answers.
5. Ask the class if they need to listen to the article one more time. Read aloud the
article for the third time if necessary.
6. Call on 6 students randomly and ask them to write words for their assigned blank
on the board.
7. Ask students whether they agree with all the answers given on the board. If not,
call on other students to correct the errors.
8. Repeat the same steps until all the blanks are answered correctly. At this time, ask
students if they have any questions.
Activity3: Reading comprehension (15min)
1. Pass out handout#2, telling them that they will have to complete the two sections
on the worksheet.
2. Explain the first task, saying that students are going to answer True/False
questions based on the article. Tell students that they are welcome to use handout
#1 as their reference. Encourage students to work together with classmates.
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3. Explain the second task, saying that students are going to write original (new)
sentences, using the words given.
4. Walk around the classroom and make sure that they understand the task
directions. If there are students who already finished the task, give them
additional words to write original sentences or pair up those who finished the task
and encourage them to use additional words in a conversation.
5. Have students share their answers with classmates.
6. Check the answers as a class by asking students individually to tell their
selections to the class. Ask students whether they agree with all the answers
given. If not, call on other students to correct the errors.
Activity 4: Making original comprehension questions (25min)
1. Pass out handout#3.
2. Tell students that they are going to write at least two of their own True or False
questions and two multiple choice questions.
3. Find useful descriptions from the article and demonstrate making both multiple
choice questions and True/False questions as model examples for students. Give
students some tips to create those questions and ask them if they have any
questions. For example, write “According to the article, people cannot talk to each
other without words” as an example True/False question.
4. Walk around the classroom to help students make questions. If there are students
who have not written anything on the worksheet yet, ask them to find passages
that they would like to use for the questions of their own.
5. Make groups of 3 or 4 students, telling them that each student will give the
questions they have created and also answer others’ questions in a group.
7. Visit each group and make sure that all students participate in the group
discussion. Nicely ask those students who speak quietly or have a strong accent to
repeat the question clearly.
8. Praise each group and ask students to go back to their original seats.
Activity 5: Vocabulary reinforcement (15 min)
1. Pass out handout#4.
2. Explain the directions of the handout, saying that students choose the correct form
of the word that completes the sentence.
3. Show a couple of sets of the words that have the same meaning but are featured
with different parts of speech on the board before letting students write words on
the worksheet. Ask students how they are different. Write the words “Similar”
and “Similarity” as an example.
4. Walk around the classroom and assist students who struggle with the questions.
5. Have students share their answers with classmates in pairs.
6. Check the answers as a class by asking students individually to tell their
selections to the class. Ask students whether they agree with all the answers
given. If not, call on other students to correct the errors.
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Activity 6: Writing short paragraphs (30 min)
1. Pass out handout#5.
2. Ask students to read the directions alone first, and tell them that the first section is
for brainstorming and the second section is to write paragraphs based on what
they have written in the first section.
3. Read the directions of the first section together and demonstrate the task by listing
words. Likewise, read the directions of the second section together and
demonstrate the task by writing paragraphs on the board.
4. Ask several students to repeat what the teacher has explained about the task
directions in order to ensure that they understand what they are supposed to do.
5. Walk around the classroom to see if students understand the directions and work
on them correctly.
6. Ask students whether they have finished the second section. If so, ask them to
find a partner and discuss what they have written.
Activity 7: Closing (5 min)
1. Tell all students that they have worked very well.
2. Tell the class that they will continue to use the same article but use different
activities in the next class.
The Language of Gestures (Handout #1)
Directions: Listen to the passage and fill in each blank with words.
1) People are talkative animals. We do a lot of talking―asking, answering, telling, saying.
But we do much of our talking without words. We often use a kind of “body language” to show
_______________________________.
2) This body language is the language of gestures. We point a finger, raise an eyebrow,
wave an arm ―or move another part of the body―to show what we want to say. In other
words, we “talk” with these gestures. And ________________________________of these
gestures in a day.
3) People all over the world use gestures. In every country, there are gestures that say
“Hello” and “Goodbye.” However, this does not mean that everyone in the world uses exactly
the same body language. We may have some of the same gestures, but different countries
______________________________―and different gestures.
4) Sometimes the same gestures can mean different things in different countries. For
example, Saudi Arabians and some other speakers of Arabic say “Come here” with a gesture
that most Europeans use to say “Goodbye.” They hold up a hand, palm away from the face, and
_________________________________up and down.
5) Because gestures can say different things in different countries, body language can be a
problem for travelers. When Soviet leaders visit the United States, they
_______________________________. They hold their hands together over their heads. This is
the same gesture that American boxers make when they win a boxing match. But the Russians
are not saying “We won” or “We’re the greatest!” They are saying “Thank you for the honor
you show us.”
6) Learning words in a new language is not enough. If you want to talk to people who speak
a different language, you might have to learn ______________________________.
Comprehension (Handout #2)
Directions: Decide whether the statements below are true (T) or false (F) and write
the appropriate letter in the parentheses.
Example: People often communicate silently. ( T )
1. People don’t use gestures very much. ( )
2. Opening your eyes very wide is a kind of body language. ( )
3. Everyone in the world has the same gesture for “Hello.” ( )
5. Americans and Russians have a gesture that looks the same, but means something
different. ( )
6. American boxers put their hands over their heads when they win a fight. ( )
7. Russians are saying “We’re better than you” when they put their hands over their
heads. ( )
Directions: In #1,#2,and #3 below, write one original (new) sentence, using the
words given.
1. Talkative (adjective)
_______________________________________________________________.
2. Feel (verb)
_______________________________________________________________.
3. Visit (Verb)
_______________________________________________________________.
Multiple choice questions & True/False questions (Handout #3)
Directions: Write two multiple choice questions of your own based on the article.
Directions: Write two True/False questions of your own based on the article.
Vocabulary (Handout #4)
Directions: Choose the correct form of the word that completes the sentence and
write it in the space given.
1. Customs Customarily
a. In the United States, men ( ) shake hands when they meet for
the first time. Women usually nod their heads and smile.
b. Every country has its own ( ).
2. Difference Differ
a. One ( ) between radio and television is that you can see people
gesturing on TV. This makes comprehension easier.
b. The meaning of the same gesture can ( ) from one country to
another.
3. Honors Honorably
a. The soldier fought ( ).
b. The country ( ) important visitors with parades and
receptions.
4. Talking Talkative
a. Body language is a way of ( ) without words.
b. Some students are too ( ) in class.
Hello, my name is Mr. Smith. Let me ask you several questions about
what you have read in the article. In the U.S. people shake hands to
express “Hello” or “Good bye.” What actions are commonly expressed
by body gestures in your home country?
I lived in Japan for two years. In the country, I learned that I was supposed
to bow (bend the body and the head) when I met someone. Can you tell me
actions that are described by body gestures in the United States but not in
your home country?
Writing Short Paragraphs (Handout #5)
1. Directions: Mr. Smith is going to help you brainstorm what you will write in the next
page. 1) Read what Mr. Smith asks you in each box below, and 2) list words to answer
his questions.
List actions here:
2. Directions: Write a paragraph(s) to describe common body gestures and their meanings
in your country.
3. Directions: Write a paragraph(s) to describe differences of body gestures between your
home country and the United States.
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I. Getting ready to teach videotaped lesson 2
A. General topic of this lesson: Spreading rumors about the characteristics of a town,
planning a museum tour.
B. General goal of this lesson: Students will:
1. Learn to use prepositions to express spatial relationships.
2. Talk about locations of buildings and sites in a role play.
C. Student learning outcomes for this lesson: By the end of this lesson, students will be
able to:
1. Match prepositions and spatial meaning of visual materials.
2. Interpret a dialogue to locate buildings on an illustration to complete the
characteristics of a town.
3. Describe and recognize locations of buildings in conversations to complete the
characteristics of a town.
4. Locate sites of the Metropolitan Museum in a role play.
D. Vocabulary and other key language to be taught in this lesson: Spatial prepositions:
on, across from, between, next to, behind, in front of, around.
E. Materials: White board and markers, handouts (#1-#5)
F. Assessment: No formal assessment is provided in this lesson
II. Teaching the lesson
Activity 1: Warm up (10min)
1. Introduce the word “Rumor” and write its definition on the white board.
2. Write two questions “Do you believe rumors?” “What are good and bad things about
spreading rumors?” on the board. 3. Tell students that their target grammar is some prepositions that are used to locate
objects, and they will use rumors to practice those prepositions.
Activity 2: Vocabulary reinforcement (25min)
1. Ask students what they know about prepositions and when they use them. Tell
students that they will learn some prepositions that are useful to locating objects.
2. Write a couple of sentences to show how prepositions are used to describe their
spatial meanings.
3. Pass out handout #1 and instruct that students are going to look through the
prepositions, definitions, and visual images.
4. Tell students that they can use handout #1 as a reference for the following
worksheets.
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5. Pass out handout#2 and tell students that they will fill in each blank with the
preposition that best describes each picture. Remind students that they can use
handout #1 if necessary.
6. Walk around the classroom and make sure that students understand the worksheet
directions. If there are students who already finished handout#2, ask those
students to write original sentences based on the instructions given on the bottom
of handout #1.
7. Ask students to talk to a classmate sitting next to them and have them share
answers with the partner.
8. Call on a student for each question in worksheet #1 to check the answer. Make
sure that each student answers by saying a complete sentence rather than only a
preposition.
9. Ask students whether they agree with all the answers given on the board. If not,
call on other students to correct the errors.
Activity3: Information transfer (25min)
1. Pass out handout #3 and ask students to skim a dialogue on the first page.
2. After explaining the scenario of the dialogue briefly, read aloud the dialogue to
students.
3. Ask students if they have any questions about vocabulary in the dialogue.
4. Turning to the next page, explain that the illustration is the characteristics of the
town about which Ken and Lisa are talking. However, the town on the illustration
is incomplete, and students need to add the buildings about which Ken and Lisa
were spreading rumors. Instruct that students will select the numbers of those
additional buildings and write those numbers on the illustration based on the
dialogue.
5. Walk around the classroom and make sure that they understand the directions. If
there are students who already finished the task, ask them to work on making their
own sentences on handout#1.
6. Ask students to talk to a classmate sitting next to them and have them share
answers with the classmate.
7. Draw the illustration from handout#3 on the board to check answers.
8. Give the white board markers to some students and ask those students to draw or
write their answers on the whiteboard.
9. Ask students whether they agree with all the answers given on the board. If not,
call on other students to correct the errors.
Activity 4: A role-play discussion in a group (30 min)
1. Tell students that this time, students will spread rumors about a town design like
Ken and Lisa did in handout #3.
2. Assign students to each group by counting off by two students. Ask Group A
students to move to one side of the classroom and Group B to move to another
side.
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3. Pass out handout#4 and tell students that there are two different versions of the
worksheet for Group A and Group B.
4. Tell students that as they did in handout#4, they will complete a town by adding
other buildings; however, only classmates in the other group hold information of
those building locations for your town.
Say: If you are in group A, you will need to find a classmate only from group B
because your partner will have information of building locations in your town.
Likewise, if you are in group B, you will need to find a classmate only from group
A to add buildings in your town. So exchange information with someone from the
other group and complete your town by adding buildings in the right locations.
5. Demonstrate the task with a volunteer student.
6. Give a rule that students cannot show their worksheets to each other and
everything has to be done by speaking.
7. Walk around the classroom and make sure that they understand the directions.
Assist pairs that struggle to exchange information.
8. Draw the illustrations of town A and town B to check answers.
9. Ask students to go back to their original seats and give the white board makers to
some students. Ask those students who received the markers to draw or write their
answers on the whiteboard.
10. Ask students whether they agree with all the answers given on the board. If not,
call on other students to correct the errors.
Activity 5: Planning visit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (25 min)
1. Talk about the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and ask if students have
ever been to an art museum.
2. Pass out handout#5 and tell students that they will use the museum map to
practice the prepositions that they have learned by describing the locations of
museum sites.
3. Set up the scenario, telling students and their partners that they are going to plan
how they will walk around the museum by using the map. Write a sentence
“Where is ------?” on the board and tell students that they will use the sentence to
ask the location of a site on the map and their partner will answer by using the
prepositions that they have learned.
4. Walk around the classroom and make sure that they understand the directions.
Activity 6: Closing (5 min)
1. Tell all students that they have worked very well.
2. Return the assignments that they submitted from the last class.
Prepositions (Handout#1)
1. On
Definition: Touching and being supported by the top surface of something
2. Across from
Definition: On the other side
3. Next to
Definition: Beside or adjacent to
4. Between
Definition: In or into the space separating two or more points
5. Behind
Definition: In or toward the back
6. In front of:
Definition: In a position that is further forward than something but
not very far away
7. Around:
Definition: In, along, or through a curving path
Directions: Write sentences of your own by using the prepositions in the list
Practicing Prepositions (Handout#2)
Directions: Fill in each blank with the preposition that best describes the picture.
1. Mika is standing____________________________ the bank.
2. A business man is standing ______________________ the car.
3. A cat is sleeping _________________________ the door.
4. A dog is sitting ___________________the table.
5. A boy is standing ____________________________the books.
6. A cat is ________________________ the two dogs.
7. People are walking ______________________ the clock.
I’m so excited to move to a new town. I
actually saw two people talking about the
town at a bus stop yesterday, and they said
that there was a good restaurant behind
the fire station. Oh, they also said there
was a nice shoe store next to a church and
in front of a clothing store.
That will be between the bank and a
tall tower. There is a movie theater in
front of our apartment, so it will be
easy to find it.
That’s great! My friend actually has a
house across from a bank and in front
of the post office. She said that she
would sometimes go to bike path
around the hospital.
That is great news too. I was thinking
about where to take our dog for a walk
there. By the way, I wanted to make sure I
know exactly where our apartment
building is at.
Sounds great! Thanks.
Rumors (Handout #3)
Directions: Ken and Lisa are talking about the new town which they are going to move to. Read
their dialogue (A) and select the numbers from ① to ⑥ (B). Write the numbers on the map
(C) based on the dialogue between Ken and Lisa.
(A)
(B)
Restaurant Shoe store Apartment Bike path Movie Theater Friend’s house
① ② ③ ④ ⑤ ⑥
The Characteristics of a Town: Group A (Handout #4)
Directions: Talk with a classmate from group B and exchange information about the locations of the buildings
in each town.
Based on what you hear from group B, draw buildings or write words in (1) to complete your town.
Tell all the details from (2) to your partner who needs your help to complete his/her town.
(1) Town of Group A
Post Office Church
Bank
Park
(2) I heard someone saying that in the town of Group B, there is
A library behind the bank.
An apartment building next to the hospital.
A school in front of the park.
A national flag on the bank.
A shopping mall between the post office and church.
A trail is around the post office.
The Characteristics of a Town: Group B (Handout #4)
Directions: Talk with a classmate from group A and exchange information about locations of buildings in
each town.
Based on what you hear from group A, draw buildings or write words in (1) to complete your town.
Tell all the details from (2) to your partner who needs your help to complete his/her town.
(1) Town of Group B
Church
Post Office
Bank
Park
(2) I heard someone saying that in the town of Group A, there is
A library in front of the bank.
An apartment building behind the park.
A school next to the hospital.
A national flag on the post office.
A trail around the church.
A shopping mall between the post office and church.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Handout #5)
There are many fine museums in New York, but the most
famous is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is also the
biggest museum in New York. There are more than 3 million
works of art in the Metropolitan. You can see art from all
over the world at the Metropolitan.