Lesson Planning 101

Every week I have the task of coming up with an exciting lesson.  I have found that understanding the needs of my students ahead of mine are the most important aspect to take into consideration when planning any lesson. As teachers it is vital for us to identify the type of learners we have (i.e. visual, auditory, kinesthetic) before planning a lesson as it makes work a little easier.  I'm currently teaching at an all boys middle school and I've found that majority of my students are visual learners; however, I try to fit in activities that also appeal to my auditory and kinesthetic (tactical) learners so that they don't fall behind.

The next step is to pick a topic that will appeal to everyone in class (teacher included).  For the purpose of this post I have chosen "Animals".  It's one my favourite topics as it can be taught to any grade in numerous ways.

Now that I have a topic and I know what type of learners I have I will start planning each step of the lesson taking time into consideration.  My classes in Korea are 45 minutes long so I will need to have enough prepared to fill that time without becoming repetitive or redundant.

OK! Let the planning begin!

Step One:  Lead-in ( 3minutes)
This is where you will introduce your topic to the class.  Audio visual aids such as a music video is an excellent lead-in tool.  The lead-in should be 5 minutes or less as it is just a warm-up. For example: **Old McDonald had a farm**, could be a  fun lead-in for a lesson on animals.
After listening to the song/watching the video you can ask the students to guess the topic, it gives them a little thrill when they make the correct guess.

Step Two: Elicitation (5 minutes)
Here, you want to find out how much your students know about the topic.  A good way to elicit information from the students is show them a prop such as flashcards or a PowerPoint presentation.  Each image or prop will get the students talking. For example in a lesson on animals you will show the students images of different animals to check if they can identify the animal.  You can take it a step further with higher level students and check if the kids know the names of the offspring and to make things more exciting, you can talk about the sounds animals make.

NB:  Using funny looking images creates a lighter atmosphere in the classroom as it draws the student in and builds greater engagement.

 Step Three:  Presentation (7 minutes)
In this step you will be presenting the main topic.  So if you chose the theme of animals you have a sub-topic such as animal homes.  During your presentation you will talk about this.  PowerPoints; Flashcards or Charts are great for presentations.


Step Four:  Controlled Practice (10 minutes)
At this point you would want the kids to put into practice everything they have studied.  The best way to test their knowledge on the day's lesson is through a work sheet.  Another great tool is doing a role-play.  Most often your topic will dictate the type of practice most suited for the lesson.

Step Five: Freer Practice (15 minutes)
Once again you will be testing the students knowledge on the lesson just taught however with this step you can be more flexible.  Games are great for this as it creates a "freer" learning environment.  It's both entertaining and educational. With this set you can do more that one activity depending on your time.

Step Six: Review   (5 minutes)
Towards the end of the lesson it's good to do a quick review to tie up the lesson. Review could be a short worksheet like a word search which they can complete in class or something longer if you wish to give the students homework for the day.












Pictures courtesy of Google Images

Vocab Builder

I'm in the process of planning fun activities for my summer camp.  Like every lesson that I plan, I have to take into consideration my "target audience".  The kids who usually sign up for my vacation classes want to be entertained and not taught.  These classes are four hours a day for 2 weeks but they can feel like an eternity if you have insufficient material prepared, unenthusiastic students or worse, BORING lessons.  With fours years of camps under my belt I have found what works and what doesn't.

My students are huge fan of games and movies. They cringe every time I pull out a worksheet and pass out as soon as I start talking for more than 10 minutes.  Taking those hurdles into consideration I have planned some exciting tutorials and activities for this summer.

Sample Board

While preparing and researching ideas for new activities I came across this gem ===>

                   A boggle bulletin board

You will paste the letters on your blackboard (or a wall of your choice) so that everyone in class has a good view of it.  Give each student his/her own answer sheet and get the kids to make up words.
It's a wonderful opportunity for the students to build their vocabulary and practice thinking independently.  To make things more exciting you could set a time limit and dish out candy to whoever gets the most words in that time.


It's exciting when the kids get all competitive and you can steal a few moments of silence whilst they are busy writing out their words.








Source: www.technologyrocksseriously.com
Images courtesy of Google images

Hiatus

Wow!  It seems like ages since I've posted.  The guilt is slowly nibbling at me but before it consumes me I have decided to write a little apology to myself and whoever has visited my page with the hope of finding something resourceful.

 Mitchell Park Zoo, Durban

In Korea, native teachers are given the opportunity to renew their contracts.  The benefits of renewing allows you a two week vacation as well as a handsome bonus.  I used my bonus to book a flight to South Africa where I could spend some much needed time with my loved ones.  Fortunately for me, I was able to combine my winter break with my 'bonus' two weeks which gave me a wonderful month to regroup in the comfort of my family home.

Durban Harbour

The weeks leading up to my big return home were unpleasant as I caught a cold due to the serve winter weather that we experience here.  To make matters worse, I had to teach at our school's winter camp; that did not aid in the recovery process at all.  I kept joking that when I got to South Africa I would defrost under the African sun and will finally be rid of all the cold bugs.  Little did I know, these little bugs caught a piggy back ride with me home.

Flag Farm, Ballito

From the day I landed in SA till the day I left, I had experienced all sorts of aliments.  It wasn't the best of vacations; however, having my family around to take care of me was comforting.  On the few days that I was feeling a bit well, I was able to be a little touristy in my own backyard.  It was wonderful just being under African skies, listening; smelling; and tasting, all the things I grew up with.

Dubai_UAE

Before coming back to Korea, I had a stop-over in Dubai.  I was granted a tourist visa and free accommodation by my airline which afforded me the opportunity to tour the stunning Arab city.  And then, it was back to Korea!

I arrived in Busan the night before our new school year began so the first day at work was absolute torture.  

We are a few months into the new semester and I think I've finally adjusted to being back.  The work load for me this semester has been daunting, hence my failure to blog.  To add to that, I've been falling ill frequently which completely slays me.  I guess it's true when they say "old age is a pain!"