Task 4
Do/would you use the flowing principles when planning your lessons? Analyse an EFL teachers’ concepts of the strategy of a lesson plan[1].
Aims and concepts
• Contexts and marker sentences
• Starting a lesson
• Presenting new language
• Controlled practice
• Freer (less controlled) practice
• Finishing the lesson
1. Introduction, warm-up, revision
2. Presentation
3. Practice
4. Production
1. Introduction, warm-up, revision
Before putting your students directly to sleep by beginning a long lecture, it is best to complete a warm-up type exercise. If you plan on introducing a new lesson, take this as a good time to set the scene of the lesson. You can set the scene in a few ways: by asking your students to think about a certain topic, brainstorm on the whiteboard, play a game or review material from an older lesson. This will spark their interest right away. More importantly, it will help to get students thinking in the right direction, focus their attention, and prepare them for the lesson ahead. Regardless of the amount of time available for the lesson, this part of your lesson plan should only last for 5-10 minutes.
2. Presentation
The presentation part of the lesson is where the new material is well, you guessed it, presented. You can present the new material in various ways: a written text, a song, a dialogue on tape etc. In order to help students actually digest the new material rather than just swallow it, this portion of the lesson must be paired with clear explanations of the grammar, along with examples. It is highly recommended to show several clear and concise examples, in context. Before moving on to part 3 of the lesson, make sure students have some understanding of the material they just learned, as well as an understanding of it's meaning and proper use.
3. Practice
- The practice stage of the lesson is where the student gets involved. The goal of the practice stage is that students use the material you presented in context. This is where the teacher provides activities/exercises for students. The teachers role in this part of the lesson is to manage students, and encourage them to use the new language by working in groups or pairs. The activities or exercises you'll want to prepare for this stage may vary: a short role-play, games, fill-in-the blanks, guided dialogue, information gaps, and problem solving activities are all some great ideas. The practice should focus on oral, reading and/or written skills. Upon termination, the teacher can collect these activities to return and review the answers in class together. This part of the lesson will take up the bulk of class time. It will serve to ensure students have a solid grasp on the material you had just presented. It's best to use a large range of practice activities to keep students intrigued and excited. Below are some helpful websites to add to your arsenal of teaching tools. Dave\'s ESL Cafe\'s Web Guide!: Lesson Plans, ESL Activities