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Lesson Plans

Helen Shelton | Helen's Plan | Tutor's comments

Helen's plan

Stage	Inter action	Procedure	Aim
Name Helen Shelton Level Upper Intermediate Date 25 10 2004 Course Day 12 Page Inside Out Upper Int p54-55
1. Intro.	T-SS	•Briefly introduce myself [see Note 1, below] •Write statements on board "I am English", "I live in Barcelona", "I like Barcelona", "I am studying at IH"	•Introduction to theme •Set context
2. Lang. focus	T-SS SSx2 T-SS	•Ask if they know meanings of verbs, above •Decide which are "action" (dynamic), which are "state" (stative) •Confirm and give definition (main verbs can describe action or states)	•Introduce different verb meanings •Gauge existing knowledge
3. Discussion	SSx3 T-SS	•Using interview in book, determine whether verbs are "action" or "state" [see Note 2, below] •Column answers on board	•Check understanding of "action" (dynamic) and "state" (stative) meanings
4. Pre-task activity	T-SS SSx2	•Explain listening task •Using pictures in book, discuss what each shows	•Introduce task •Check understanding of pics.
5. Listening task	SSx2 OC	•Match 6 conversations with corresponding picture •Feedback [see Note 3, below]	•Listening for detail
6. Lang. focus 1	SSx2	•Using tapescript, discuss if verbs have dynamic or stative meaning	•Identify dynamic or stative meaning
7. Lang. focus 2		•Open class discussion to put verbs from above in tabular form (some appear in both columns) •Ask which have both meanings	•Introduce concept that some take both
8. Lang. focus 3		•Ask which meaning can take continuous form •Elicit answer that stative verbs cannot [see Note 4, below]	•Introduce continuous form
9. Practice of lang. form	T-SS SSx2	•Dictate series of statements (some with errors) and ask SS to discuss if form is correct	•Practice of language form

Notes

Simon particularly liked the way Helen used her introduction of herself to bring in the first examples of her target language.
Using the text in the course book meant that the students were looking at the language "in context", rather than in isolated examples.
Note how Stage 5 looks at meaning, and comes before doing Stage 6, which looks at form.
Simon felt that this point should have been made more explicitly, earlier in the lesson.

The following notes are added for the user; they did not form part of the original lesson plan.

Abbreviations used: T Teacher SS Students SSx3 (etc) Students in groups of 3 OC Open class
The above plan is reproduced as faithfully as possible to the original, but has been simplified for clarity (among other things the timing of each stage has been removed)
The above should not necessarily be seen as a model, "perfect" lesson plan. Rather, it should be read in conjunction with Helen's comments, those of her tutor Simon Gillow and the materials used (the latter not reproduced).