Part 1: Lesson Description Lesson

Lesson Title

Conversational English for Learners of English as a Second Language seeking General Educational Development. 

Abstract

Context: The course focuses on pronunciation reading informational text, which determines the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text for learners, the importance of listen and speaking, these are good communication skills to learn the English language. 

Relevance: This lesson will help prepare learners to effectively communicate and through education improve their lives.  Knowing English increases your chances of getting a good job, learners will be able to get their certificates for a GED, or citizenship.  The coverage in this lesson will focus on the English vocabulary, which is an important aspect in communication without sufficient vocabulary learners cannot understand others or express their own ideas.      

Learner Audience / Primary Users

This lesson is for learners who are illiterate in the English language and want to improve their educational stand point. 

Grade Level E (9-12): High School to Adult Secondary Education, ABE.

Teacher

Student

Educational Use

• Curriculum / Instruction
• Informal Education
• GED preparation

Language

English

Material Type

• Instructional Material
• Books (checked out from the library)
• Student Activities
• Homework and Assignments
• Teacher Handouts
• Syllabi

Keywords

• Designers for Learning
• Adult Education
• Literacy
• Vocabulary
• Discussion

·         Reading Literature,

·         Speaking and Listening

·         Reading Informational Text

·         Language

·         English as Second Language

Time Required for Lesson

60 Minutes

Targeted Skills

Key skills covered in this lesson include:

• Conversational English to properly pronounce words and understand the meaning.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to:

·         Read, speak, listen and use language effectively in a variety of content areas.

·         To Pronounce words.   

College & Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) Alignment

• Level: Adult Basic Education
• Grade Level: [CCR Anchor 4, Grade Level E]
• Subject: Basic Reading/English Language Learning
• Strand: Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Language

·         Sub-Strand: (RI) Reading Informational Text, (RL) Reading Literature, (SL) Speaking and Listening, (L) Language.

• Standard Description: CCR Anchor 4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (translate in Spanish to have a better understanding of the English word).
• Informational Text: written with the intention of informing the reader about a specific topic, primary purpose is to inform the reader about the natural or social world.  For example: apples can be red or green, dogs bark!  
• Reference Materials: use dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses to look up information and for a better understanding of words and sentences.  

Prior Knowledge

Basic Conversational English
Basic Reading Standards

Required Resources

Experienced ESL teacher
Printouts of GED study guide
Print GED practice test resource
Printout GED Reading Practice Tests and GED Reading Art Language Practice Lessons, materials students can read
Projector
Smart Board
Computer
Internet
Pencils and Notepads
Assessment: Check for Technical Literacy
Willingness to learn

Lesson Author & License

• Lesson Author: Juan J. Jaimes

• License: Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license

Design Proposal: Part 2 Lesson

Warm-up requires planning/preparation

Warm-Up (5 minutes):

Eye Witness: The teacher shows the class a picture (example: a busy street scene) for a few seconds.  If the picture is small, he/she may walk around the class.  Members of the class must then tell what they remember with the teacher asking follow-up questions.  A variation of this activity is to have students describe what is behind them in the class.

Here is another warm-up that also requires planning/preparation:

Memory: Song on tape or video: students write down what they remember/understand; class shares this information, then song or video is played again.

Introduction (15 minutes):

After warm-up, Instructor will introduce him/herself and learners will also introduce themselves to the class and teacher. 

This 15-minute game is a way to break the ice among students and instructor.  Good way to introduce a topic or review some theme based grammar.  For example: adjectives, jobs, food, things you take on holidays, etc.    

Write the letters A to Z in columns down the board. (see the illustration).  Make sure that there’s enough space next to each letter for a word to be written. 

Divide the class into two teams (three is possible but can get chaotic). Get each team to nominate a writer who comes to the front and stands by the board.  Each writer will need a different colored board pen / piece of chalk.  As soon as you say start, students must race to write an appropriate word next to each letter. For example, if the theme is adjectives then they might write. Angry, Beautiful, etc.
Team mates help by shouting out suggestions and giving spelling tips. I don’t stop my students from using any resources, such as textbooks and dictionaries. Only one word can be written for each letter so the first to start writing claims the letter.

After a five or ten-minute limit, or when all the letters have been used (I usually leave out X) give a point for every word each team has managed and congratulate the winners. If there are any spelling mistakes, then elicit the correct spellings from the class.

Presentation (15 minutes):

The instructor will hand out copies of GED study guide from “Test Prep Tool Kit,” (see below) a free website that helps learners prepare for the GED test.

The instructor will present lesson using the smart board and projector to show to the class a video that will demonstrate what will be available on the GED test and how it’s structured.  In the study guide, there are videos about comparing and contrasting literature and activities.  Watch the video’s and go over the questions as a class.  Discuss questions and videos to understand better and give examples.  

Identify vocabulary words that you think might be difficult for students to understand when they read the text.  Students can write sentences or words, and the instructor can use the smartboard to write to explain and go over with the class so that they can have a visual of the reading.  Going over the meaning of the text, ask students questions to check the student comprehension level and will give others to listen and how to speak the words.            

Practice (15 minutes):

We’ll watch the video tutorials from the “Test Prep Tool Kit,” website and discuss the questions. After watching the video tutorials, I’ll hand out papers which have the questions from the website.  Set groups of two and discuss the questions, after discuss as a class to go over the questions.  During this time the instructor can move around the room while discussing with the learners.  Good way to give immediate feedback of the activity to learners. 

Evaluation (10 minutes):

The game Jeopardy played, and students can select a flash card that will have questions based on the GED study exam. Students will work in groups of two, learners will answer the questions in the form of a question, just like in jeopardy.  Each team can work together to discuss what the answer to the question is.  This activity is a good way to analyze if the students are learning.  To make sure student participate, whenever the learners get a right answer, they get a reward.

Preparation:

The instructor will set up the jeopardy game with flash cards and write the questions on them and have the answers to the question on a piece of paper.   

Application (end of class):

Before, students leave explain the homework assignment to them to read the chosen book they checked out from the library.  At the end of each week students fill-out an academic assessment form, which they can complete as homework.  The questions on the survey will inform the instructor on the progress of the course and students.  At the end of each week students should be given a language and academic assessment form.  So, changes can be made and learning can be accomplished. 

Here is the academic assessment survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LW8QG53

Key Terms and Concepts:

Comprehension: the action or capability of understanding something.

Learn: gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught.

Involvement: the action of taking part in something.

Listen: give one’s attention to a sound.

Pronunciation: the way in which a word is pronounced.

Discussion: the action or process of talking about something, typically to reach a decision or to exchange ideas.

Part 3: Supplementary Resources and References

Supplementary Resources:

Recommend listening to English music and pay attention to the lyrics and try repeating the words.

Check out a book from the library, an easy book to read.  Here are some great novels to help improve your English:

·         The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame 

·         Lord of the Flies by William Golding

·         The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

·         Animal Farm by George Orwell

·         Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

·         The Giver by Lois Lowry

·         Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl

·         The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

References:

Cowell, G., & Jarausch, H. (n.d.). Warm-Up. Retrieved November 16, 2016, from http://roml700.unc.edu/documents/warmup.pdf

Zazulak, S. (2015, September 3). 9 great novels to help improve your English – Resources ... Retrieved November 15, 2016, from https://www.english.com/blog/9-great-novels-help-improve-english

A. (2016, August 14). A to Z word race. Retrieved November 06, 2016, from http://eslgames.com/a-to-z-race

GED Study Guide 2016: FREE Practice Tests & Video Courses. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2016, from http://www.testpreptoolkit.com/

Zakhareuski, A. (2016). Get to Know Your Students: 11 Essential Questions to Ask. Retrieved November 23, 2016, from http://busyteacher.org/17094-get-to-know-your-students-11-questions.html

Make Better Decisions with the World's #1 Survey Platform. (1999-2016). Retrieved November 23, 2016, from https://www.surveymonkey.com/

Attribution Statements: