CONTEXT

●This activity has other functions besides starting the class.   It is also establishing what the theme is going to be for today’s class and that theme will be running through the majority of the stages and activities in the class.  The theme could be dream holidays, big vs small families, pets, fashion, incredible new technology, etc
●One of the main ideas is to capture the students’ interest and engage them, usually through a speaking activity.
●Some common ways to carry out this activity is to have students look at and describe some images, have a quick game of some kind or to have a brief discussion.
●This activity does not take a long time, just a few minutes.
●Students are not expected to use the target language in this activity or even in the next ones (not until it is officially brought to their attention in the Presentation stage).

INTRODUCTION

READING FOR GIST

●This task is to orientate the students to the general drift of the text.
●Students are not expected and are even discouraged from trying to understand all the vocabulary and every element of the text.  They are just to focus on the general idea.  Giving the students a short time limit (such as 1 or 2 minutes) often helps the students do the task in this way.  It should be a brief task.
●Students are given the task BEFORE they listen, read or watch.  They do the reading, for example, with that task in mind.
●Some typical tasks could be the students decide which of 3 titles would be most appropriate for the text, students predict what the text could be based on what was done in the previous activity, students categorize the text (such as saying what genre the extract is from – science fiction, documentary, etc), or to match the contents of the text with one of several pictures provided.

READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION (DETAILS)

●Like the Gist task, it is done quickly.
●Also like the Gist task, there are no questions about understanding the target language.
●The questions should highlight some important parts which deal with understanding the text (such as what happened or the order of events).
●Students have to scan the text quickly (if it’s a reading), but listen or watch for the information if it’s a listening or video.  They are looking for specific information asked for in a few questions.
●The students have the questions BEFORE they begin with the text the second time.
●The questions should be few in number and short answer (true/false, multiple choice or can be answered with one-three words).

PRESENTATION

●The essential information the students should know about the language focus is laid out here.
●The presentation should be clear and easy to follow
●The students should be involved in the presentation.  This is not a lecture done by the teacher, although there can be some lecturing mixed in with it.  Key points and examples are elicited from the students, if there is reason to believe that they might be able to offer that information.  If they can’t, then you can asking leading questions or set up the situation where they can offer some input or ideas.
●Comprehension check questions should be done during and near the end of the presentation, before the students proceed to the Practice stage.  (“Do you understand?” is NOT a good comprehension check question. “Is a modal verb followed by ‘to’?”  “Which one is the auxiliary and which one is the principle verb?”  “Are we talking about the present, past or future here?” are examples of comprehension check questions.)
●You want to start the Presentation stage fairly early into your lesson plan so students have sufficient time for not only this stage, but for the Practice and Production stages that will follow it.

PRACTICE 1

●Students can work individually, in groups or as a class on this task to get more familiar with the target language.
●The teacher is actively monitoring, correcting and guiding the students.
●If a number of students are having difficulty with one or more concepts behind the structure, the teacher can go back to the Presentation stage for a while to clarify some of those issues.

PRACTICE 2 (and more)

●If the structure is complex, you may want to focus on just one or a few ideas in each task and to progressively integrate the ideas and increase demands/expectations.  For example, one task could be in pairs, one student asks another a simple question in the past and the partner responds.  In a second task Student 1 has to ask one or two follow-up questions and Student 2 has to volunteer more information.
●If your Production activity is speaking, then you want at the very least the final Practice activity to be done in speaking as well.  (It is too much to ask the students to jump from doing writing exercises to suddenly use the structures in their spontaneous speaking.)
●Provide examples and where appropriate, model what you want done for each task.
●Have clear objectives for each Practice activity.

PRODUCTION

●Production is expressed through either writing or speaking, but most typically is done through a speaking activity in modern classes.
●Production in speaking can be done in various activities such as discussions, conversations, debates or role-plays.
●One important idea is there is an element of spontaneity in the speaking.  It is not following a structured format like Student #1 asks a series of questions and Student #2 answers.  Even though the students are speaking, it is not ‘free-flowing’ enough to be considered a Production stage activity.
●Another important idea is that the teacher is not to intervene.  That means no corrections, no help or guidance, no prompts or suggestions once the activity has begun.  Any direction or addressing of issues is to be done in the Feedback session that follows the Production activity.  This is important because the students should feel that they can engage in a conversation entirely on their own, without the intervention of the teacher.  This can be very beneficial to the students building up their skills and confidence to be users of the language outside of the classroom.

CONTEXT

INTRODUCTION

By the end of the class the students should be able to know the difference between first and second conditionals and be able to use both forms while speaking about pollution.
Objective for activity:
To pre-teach some important vocabulary found in the reading (ex: lifespan)
To orientate the students towards being more familiar with the content and directions taken in the coming article.  It was an authentic article but some of the vocabulary was quite difficult and because I edited a few parts out so it wouldn’t be so long, I wanted to make sure that they had a general idea of what the article was about.
 How activity is planned to be carried out:
●This was an open class activity to encourage all to participate and to not overuse the pair-work option.
● ‘Lifespan’ is an important vocabulary word and concept that is relevant to the reading.  Its meaning is to be elicited and to help strengthen the word, some examples and/or a brief discussion will be encouraged.
●The article also talks about different common health risks and I want the students to be thinking of them so it would be easier to understand and appreciate the article.  I would like the students to come up with some of those risks themselves, involving them further by tapping into their world knowledge and getting them to contribute possibilities like cancer, pollution, lack of resources,  lack of medical resources, diet, high crime rate, etc.  To introduce the question and keep them focused I will write the question on the board:
What are some common causes for shorter life spans in some countries?

READING FOR GIST

By the end of the class the students should be able to know the difference between first and second conditionals and be able to use both forms while speaking about pollution.
Objective for activity:
To have the students get a general idea of what the text is about without getting bogged down with unfamiliar vocabulary or some unclear parts or ideas
 How activity is planned to be carried out:
●The students are given a handout which contains both the article to read and two sets of questions. The students are asked to fold their papers so they could focus completely on that first task (and not reading ahead to see what is next on the handout).
●Students understand the task before they begin reading and are given only one minute to decide which title would be best for the article.
●After one minute students are asked not only for their answer, but also why the other options were not correct or suitable.

READING FOR SPECIFIC INFO (DETAILS)

By the end of the class the students should be able to know the difference between first and second conditionals and be able to use both forms while speaking about pollution.
Objective for activity:
To have the students get a better idea of what the text is about by quickly scanning it for specific information
 How activity is planned to be carried out:
●Students are told to look at Section 2 on their handout
●We go over the questions so the students understand what they have to read for
●Students read and work out the answers individually but can check with other students
●The answers are elicited and explained.

PRESENTATION

By the end of the class the students should be able to know the difference between first and second conditionals and be able to use both forms while speaking about pollution.
Objective for activity:
To familiarize the students with how the first and second conditionals are formed and to know what situations are appropriate to use which one
How activity is planned to be carried out:
●Ask the students what they know about the grammatical structure of conditionals.
●Focus on what they know about the first and second conditionals and write the information on the board in a clear and organized way (which resembles the chart in Handout 2.
●Review the key points by asking different students comprehension check questions to see what they understand and how well they are retaining the key information.

PRACTICE 1

By the end of the class the students should be able to know the difference between first and second conditionals and be able to use both forms while speaking about pollution.
Objective for activity:
To test for level of understanding as students apply some of the recently reviewed key concepts by correcting 4 sentences with errors emphasizing those points.
How activity is planned to be carried out:
●Point out the 4 sentences in Section 2 and tell the students to correct them.
●Monitor the students while they are working to see what they find difficult.
●Elicit the answers and their explanations / Also deal with their doubts as we go over their answers.
●Review the key points before going on to Practice 2

PRACTICE 2 (and more) – – – 2a

By the end of the class the students should be able to know the difference between first and second conditionals and be able to use both forms while speaking about pollution.
Objective for activity:
● To have the students come up with their own sentences using the first conditional structure for an appropriate situation, matching the form with the function
● To have the students become familiar with incorporating the TL into their speaking
How activity is planned to be carried out:
●Focus on only the first conditional and elicit the key points to orientate the students.
●Students look at Section #3 on Handout 2 and teacher elicits different possible questions they could ask in that form.
●Students individually write first conditional questions to ask a partner in the class.  Teacher monitors and helps.
●Model the coming speaking application by having one student ask another his/her question and the partner replies.  Encourage them to explore a little further by changing it into a ‘mini one-minute conversation’ through asking follow-up questions and volunteering comments or details.
●Place students in pairs and have them take turns with their questions which lead them to their mini conversations.
●Give some feedback when they are finished, looking both at the target language used and their development of the mini conversations.

PRACTICE 2 (and more) – – – 2b

By the end of the class the students should be able to know the difference between first and second conditionals and be able to use both forms while speaking about pollution.
Objective for activity:
● To have the students come up with their own sentences using the second conditional structure for an appropriate situation, matching the form with the function
● To have the students become familiar with incorporating the TL into their speaking
How activity is planned to be carried out:
●Focus on only the second conditional and elicit the key points to orientate the students.
●Basically the same procedure as the previous exercise, but now for Section 4 on Handout 2 and focusing on the second conditional.

PRACTICE 2 (and more) – – – 2c

By the end of the class the students should be able to know the difference between first and second conditionals and be able to use both forms while speaking about pollution.
Objective for activity:
● To help students prepare for coming discussion
How activity is planned to be carried out:
●Tell the students that soon they will have a discussion about the theme of air pollution.  They are to talk about how bad it is and what can be done about it.  Elicit some possible sentences/questions for the two conditionals as examples.
●Students each write one first conditional sentence or question and another one in the second conditional that they might use in that discussion.
●Teacher monitors and helps.
●Go over the expressions in Section #6 that they can use while speaking and write them on the board as prompts
●Because there are only four students, place them all in the same group and tell them they are enjoying a cup of coffee together.  They are to imagine that the conversation has turned to air pollution and without referring to their notes, they talk about how bad the situation is and speculate what could be done about it, using occasionally, if it’s appropriate, the first or second conditional.  The main focus is to have a conversation and that they should explore the theme.
●Teacher listens and steps in, if necessary, to guide and encourage the students to explore the theme in their conversation.
●Give some feedback when they are finished, looking both at the target language used and their development of the discussion.

PRODUCTION

By the end of the class the students should be able to know the difference between first and second conditionals and be able to use both forms while speaking about pollution.
Objective for activity:
● To use the two conditionals in a Production speaking activity
How activity is planned to be carried out:
●Tell the students they are going to have one more conversation using the first and second conditional.  This time it will be about land and water pollution or pollution in general.
●Tell them they can think for a couple of minutes about what they may say or ask about that theme.  Remind them of some of the things that came up in the previous speaking activity.  Also tell them that the teacher will not be participating; that it will be just their conversation.
●Students speak for about 5 minutes.
●Give some feedback when they are finished, looking both at the target language used and their development of the discussion.

CONTEXT

●As can be expected, many people don’t speak as much when they have to do so in front of the class.  Still, I wanted them to also share their perspectives with the rest of the class to strengthen their confidence in speaking beyond the pair-work interactions.  After doing such things frequently over several classes, they should feel reasonably better prepared to speak with a larger group.  This class discussion following the pair-work started off a bit slow but soon they started volunteering more.
●This is more than just a warmer to get the students speaking, because the idea is to introduce the theme of today’s class.  And later, through that theme, the language focus will be drawn out, with examples referring to that theme.  The teacher could simply lecture or show something, but it’s generally better to get the students speaking about that theme.  The target language may or may not naturally come up during this activity but the students are usually not expected to produce it at this stage.  The students are speaking, thinking about the theme, and the teacher can participate too, gently nudging them to stay focused on that theme and the assigned task.  Usually the pace is relaxed and this activity shouldn’t take too long, especially because the students will require more time later on when given more demanding tasks.
●In all, we spent about 10 minutes on this warmer (I did some editing for this video), which is about twice as long as I originally planned.  Usually you want to keep the warmers short, but I liked the good participation, especially from two of the four students.  It’s good to see students using new vocabulary that came up as they contribute a perspective or two.  Because of their strong interest and engagement, I kept the activity going a little longer than planned.

INTRODUCTION

●I didn’t ask the quiet student by name for any contributions, partly because sometimes people are content to let others do much of the volunteering and they may even prefer to have a little time to themselves.  I also think that sometimes it’s good to give a little breathing room and respect for people who prefer not to be always so involved.  I know her a little, and from my experience with her as a student she is not hesitant to be forthcoming and participates well on some occasions in every class (as she did in the earlier pair-work activity).  Another reason why I didn’t ask her was there was a very good dynamic happening in general and suggestions didn’t stop coming from the rest of the class, so I didn’t want to hamper that.
●Often just one warmer is sufficient, but I did this second one (the Introduction) to show another way of how one could further explore into the theme for the class and to help prepare the students for the next stage.  Rather than students speak in pairs as we did before, we spoke as a class.  Rather than giving pictures to describe or speak about, a theme of discussion was written on the board.  Notice again that much of the speaking is done by the students, not simply the teacher lecturing them.  The students are encouraged to contribute.
●We spent just over 9 minutes on this introduction.  The 3 ½ minutes shown here was a very good use of the time.  About six more minutes were spent on more vocabulary, explaining clot and stroke, for example.  Although the students participated in the explanations, it wasn’t the best investment of time.  If the primary aim of the class was to learn new vocabulary related to medical issues, then perhaps it would be easier to justify the time.  The main objective for the class, however, was to have the students explore the use of the first and second conditionals and to use those conditionals in their speaking about pollution.  Although that studying and practising of the target language wouldn’t come until a later stage in the lesson plan, that extra six minutes could have been a whole new activity just to reinforce that original objective.

READING FOR GIST

●I didn’t want to spend a long time with instructions so I prepared for giving them in different ways.  I deliberately included numbers on the handout for easy referral to the current task.  When speaking to the students I raised my voice and said, “So….”, indicating a coming change in direction and that they would have to pay attention.  I had the students fold the paper with me, keeping them engaged and offering a little variety to the tasks they had to do.  I also spent some time going over the titles and the task instructions so they would have a clear idea of what to do.  It wasn’t a long time although there was a little repetition to reinforce them.  The students were pre-warned that they only had a minute to complete the task so they would know better how to approach the task.  (If I do this first reading task in a similar way in the next few classes, they will quickly learn that they have to skim the text rapidly rather than settle into it to try and understand everything.)

READING FOR DETAILS

●I went through the questions with the students, as I did in the prior task.  It is important they understand the task and the content of the questions before they start reading the second time if they are to be expected to try and complete the task.  I hadn’t been with this group very long, but during the course I would try to give them more responsibility and autonomy.  One interpretation of this would be for me to lead them less and to be a bit more demanding of them in an explicit way.  For example, if I feel the instructions and the task is simple, I would put the onus more on them to ask me about anything that might be unclear.  If I feel that there are some elements that might be potentially misunderstood or not understood, I could ask them to explain the task to me in their words.
●In the monitoring of Input Task 2 (Reading for Specific Information), I had a look at how they were making out.  It helps me a lot in knowing what to focus on in the class by knowing what which students are doing well in and where they are not.
●When I asked them for the answers I tried prompting them to give me a little more information.  Sometimes a short and to-the-point answer is best, but I wanted them to become used to giving me complete answers.  Actually, this group as a whole was quite good at this, but it was mostly one student.  The others gave good answers as well, but I felt there was room to expand their development further.
●In looking at how much time was invested since the start of the class, it had been slightly over 31 minutes.  If we are in a one-hour class, this is not a good balance of time.  (Actually ours was a 90-minute class but I had a few other things planned.)  So far we had only done the warmer, introduction and 2 input tasks (reading for gist & specific information).  We had less than half the class to go and we hadn’t started the main focus yet.  We could still try and do everything, but something would have to be cut down or even eliminated.  If the students don’t have any problems with the target language, that production activity still might be attainable.  However, all things considered, it would be better to trim the time earlier in the previous activities to have sufficient time for the Presentation, Practice and Production stages.  One of the difficulties many teachers face, including experienced ones, is when to cut off students or reduce the time on an activity, especially when things are working so well and you hate to stop it.  I think in general practice, we should always be responsible for those decisions and that each of them is a judgement call.  When you let something extend or go further than planned or is necessary, something else will have to pay the cost.  Having said that, the classroom is a very dynamic situation with a myriad of things happening at the same time.  You have your lesson plan and intentions.  You have the class moving with and without your influence.  There is the ‘personality’ of the class as a whole with all the students and you have various different groupings plus each individual with her or his needs, capabilities and input.  It can be well worth sacrificing a Production activity in some cases, and the teacher should feel okay with that, all things considered.  But if the teacher almost never gets to the Production activity when that is the primary objective, then that teacher should reflect on how the time is invested in the different activities, classroom management, and balancing the lesson plan with how things are done in the classroom.

PRESENTATION

●With that clear reference on the board I began asking them about what verb tenses were used in the two clauses.  I could have gone on with the lecturing, but I would have less of an idea of what they knew.  By seeing directly what the students are contributing or not contributing, I can better see what I have to focus on and which students might need a little more help.  There is also a very strong benefit in keeping the students’ attention and interest by involving them.  Their participation ensures a greater chance of understanding and retention of the information, which is part of our goal as teachers.
●When the students offer something relevant to the presentation, I like to recognize its contribution and perhaps even ‘pad’ it by enveloping what they said with a little extra information.  For example, when one student said a future form should be used, I agreed and brought to the students’ attention that any future form that is appropriate to that clause could be used.  Another technique would be to ask the students about that extra information which might be useful to know (Ex: “Is ‘will’ the only form we can use for the future here?”)
●I later asked the students to turn their articles over to see the handout on the first and second conditional.  Rather than them taking a lot of notes, much of information I wanted them to have was presented visually, with examples and key points written out on their handout.  They could spend less time writing and listen better to what I was saying.  If they still wanted to make any additional notes (or use circles and underlining), they could do it right on that paper.  If I was using a virtual board or projecting images onto a regular board, I could have that chart all ready to go.  Some teachers are very good at using power point in their presentations.
●I liked how I explained some of the points that needed to be highlighted and communicated clearly.  I also liked that there was some interaction with the students but I feel the presentation wasn’t good on several points:
1) I talked too much.  The students may or may not have liked my lecturing, but there was far too much of it.
2) I didn’t elicit very much.  It was done a little, but there could have been much more.
3) Most of the students weren’t participating.  It is good to engage many if not all of them.
4) I really don’t know how much of the presentation was useful to them or how much the students understood.  What was lacking was frequent comprehension check questions, working out what they know at each point.
5) The time was far too long for what was done.  I made it more teacher-centered because I wanted to move on more quickly, but that didn’t really happen.  If I could have presented in half the time, which was very possible, that would be another six minutes or so for the students to practice using the structures themselves.
●So, taking everything into consideration, I feel that the presentation wasn’t nearly as successful or well-done as it could have been.

PRACTICE 1

●For the first practice activity, I often treat it as a combination of a practice and a presentation.  The Practice 1 task reflects many of the key points raised in the Presentation, and I want to see how well the students got them.  I also encourage the students to express their doubts so we can address them either from their own initiative by bringing it to my attention, or by me asking the students.
●I was very pleased with this activity because we got to the crux of a few issues and the students were very involved.  It took longer than I thought and I could have cut that down by speaking less.  And I still should have used comprehension checks more.  In theory we have already gone over the information in the Presentation stage so it is alright to quickly remind the students of a few principles, but to keep it to a bare minimum.  And get them to do most of the explaining.

PRACTICE 2   (AND MORE)

●The first activity or activities in the Practice stage solidify the basics.  The activities near or at the end of the Practice stage begin to resemble the Production activity as the students are getting prepared for it.  Even if students could make sentences using the structures correctly, there are still a few more expectations they have to work on or be familiar with in order to have a successful Production activity.  The activities in the later part of the Practice stage should be with this kept them in mind.
1) The students are preparing to have a conversation without the teacher.  In the later parts of the Practice stage, the teacher can still intervene, guide and correct, but less so.
2) The students are not following a strict formula as they might be in activities in the beginning of the Practice stage.  They contribute to the conversation and react to what others say.  There should be speaking activities in the Practice stage if the Production activity is a speaking one.
3) They should be able to find an opportunity to try out the target language in that conversation.  This is very different than thinking of how to write a sentence while looking at previous examples.  It’s okay if they make mistakes, but they should feel reasonably confident in trying it out in the conversation.
●In this class the objectives were not met and the activity fell short in its value of being an effective opportunity for all students to individually produce some sentences using the structures.  Also, the students were not sufficiently prepared to participate well (with good confidence and clarity in how and when to use the structures while discussing the topic).  It is one thing to understand at a basic level what is involved with the target language (meaning, form, when to use it) and it’s another to use it a freer less controlled way.

PRODUCTION

●So how could have this been a good Production activity?  The obvious answer is for the teacher not to intervene in the students’ discussion.  If the teacher was correct in feeling that they needed help, then it was because they weren’t ready for carrying out the task on their own.  More time dedicated to exploring speaking activities in the Practice stage would have been useful.  And if the teacher hadn’t spent so much time in the activities earlier in the class, the students would have had more time to prepare for that Production activity.
●Another consideration could be to set up the Production activity with good instructions and see if the students can handle such a conversation even if it seems a bit premature.  It may be true that they aren’t quite ready to do it completely on their own, but there is a chance that they might have carried it out somewhat successfully.  Whatever weaknesses there were would become apparent, yet the students still might have been able to carry out that discussion in some ways.  This could still serve to help them become more autonomous, working with what they have.  And those weaker areas would become easier to identify during the activity with the idea that more work could be done on them in future classes.

●Reduce teacher talking time.
●Ask more comprehension check questions in the Presentation and Practice stages.
●Ensure that students have adequate time to explore the Practice stage activities (those without and with speaking).
●Make sure the quieter students participate more than they are, perhaps by asking them questions more often and doing more pair-work interactions.
●Don’t intervene during the Production stage.
●Have a feedback session to tie things up at the end of the class.  It is a good opportunity to highlight both positive progress made and some suggestions for the students to keep in mind.