SIT TESOL Certificate Course Lesson Plan Form

Teacher’s Name: David Amato Level: Intermediate # of Students: 3-5 Date: 3 September 2014

Action Points from previous teaching: 1. Talk less during points when I know the students could be talking/practicing.
(Based on your own reflection, and feedback from
trainers and peers, what are two things that you will try 2. Use clarifying questions during more difficult/complex activities.
to do in this lesson to help your own learning as a
teacher?)

What skill and content are you teaching? (Check Grammar ECRIF: first conditional sentences.
the main lesson focus; also provide details / list of
items) If _________, _____ will ________ .
Culture
Grammar/Vocabulary XXXX
Speaking XXXX Listening
Reading Writing

Main Objectives: SWBAT: use first conditional sentence structure in order to talk about the effects of environmental degradation in Costa Rica in a
(What do you want the Ss to be able to do with the conversation with a new developer who wants to build a housing development in El INVU.
new material that they couldn’t do before?)
(there might be subsidiary objectives. Feel free to
include them.

Assumptions: By the time my lesson happens, they will have already had a lesson about environmental vocabulary. Hopefully, by the end of my
(What do your students already know what can they lesson they will be able to put that vocabulary into use through the grammar points they learn.
already do in relation to today’s lesson?)

Challenges/Opportunities for Teaching: Grammar structure might be new to students. The form of this grammar may be difficult, since it mixes present and future tenses.
(What will be new for your students? What aspects of
the lesson do you anticipate they might find
challenging / difficult?)

Solutions for challenges: Using diagramming and rods, I will try to explain the grammar structure as clearly as possible to Ss.
(How will you avoid and/or address these problem
areas in your lesson?)

Assessment: I will attempt to elicit sentences from each student individually throughout the lesson in order to know if they have understood the new
(How will you assess to see that Ss are ready to move grammar structure.
on to the next stages of the lesson or have reached
the final learning objective?)

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SIT TESOL Certificate Course Lesson Plan Form

Framework
Activity, Procedure/Steps- describe the essence of the activity Focus: S; S- Materials/Aids
Time ECRIF What will the Teacher say/do? What will the ss hopefully say and do? S; T; T-S VAKT
And stage objectives
5 Encounter 1. Activity or task: T-S Visual
Picture session.
Pictures of environmental cause/
effect
Teacher: Students:
Shows Ss 4 sets of pictures, each of a cause and Look at pictures and try to discern what process
an effect, and asks them to think about what is is taking place.
happening in the pictures.
Answer questions from the T.
Q: What do you see happening in these pictures?
Q: What relationship do the pictures have with
one another?

try to elicit the word “consequence” from Ss

At the end of the exercise, teacher reveals that

there is a cause-effect relationship, and that we
will use conditional sentences to describe this
process.

5 2. Activity or task: T-S VIsual

Encounter Sentence diagramming.
Pictures from first lesson
Teacher: Students:
Writes a box on the b with words “if,” “condition,” Work to fill in the chart with the pictures from the Dry-erase markers
“will,” and “result” on the board. first sentence and say the new sentences out
loud. Tape
T asks that one at a time, students fill in the chart
using the pictures from the previous exercise.

T asks Ss to say their newly-constructed

sentences out loud.

T writes newly vocalized sentences in the chart.

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SIT TESOL Certificate Course Lesson Plan Form
6 3. Activity or task: T-S Visual/Kinesthetic
Clarify Rods introduction
Rods
Teacher: Students:
T color coordinates sentence parts from previous Hold up rods for the appropriate sentence parts. Dry-erase markers
lesson with the multi-colored rods.
Using their rods, come up with a new sentence to
One color is for “if,” one color is for the condition, be filled in on the board.
one color is for the subject, and one color is for
the consequence.

T reads the sentences back to Ss, asking them to

hold up the appropriate rod for each sentence
part.

T asks Ss to come up with one new sentence

each and to say sentences out loud while holding
up their rods.

T fills in the chart and color coordinates the new

sentences.

6 4. Activity or task: S-S Visual, Tactile

Clarify Sentence structure rods cont’d.
T-S Multi-colored rods
Teacher: Student:
Asks students to work in teams to create Choose which pictures they want to work with, “Situation” pictures
conditional sentences using rods. use the rods to construct sentences about the
pictures.
Students are asked to look at two piles of pictures
which depict cause and effect and to use the rods Ss share their new sentences with the T.
to construct sentences about the pictures.

T receives new sentences from Ss and fills in the

chart.

6 5. Activity or task: T-S Visual

Remember Fill in the blank.
list of sentences to be filled in (on
newspaper)

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 list of sentences to be filled in (on
SIT TESOL Certificate Course Lesson Plan Form newspaper)

Teacher: Students:
Shows students the beginnings of several Take turns filling in the sentences.
conditional sentences, asks Ss to take turns filling
in a missing subordinate or conditional clause for
each sentence.

6. Activity or task:

Teacher: Students:

6 7. Activity or task: S Visual, Tactile

Internalize Making sentences with pictures.
“Situation” pictures

Teacher: Students:
Gives Ss several pictures, asks Ss to work Work independently to make conditional
independently to make conditional sentences sentences using the pictures in front of them.
using pictures.
After a few minutes, they share one of their
T asks Ss to share one sentence each at the end sentences with the class.
of the activity.

6 8. Activity or task: S-S Visual, Tactile

Internalize What will happen if...?
Flashcards with questions written on
them

Teacher: Students:
Asks students to work in pairs. Ss are given flash Work with partners to answer the questions on
cards with several questions, e.g. “What will their flashcards.
happen if deforestation continues?” T asks Ss to
answer the questions using the conditional form
with their partners.

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SIT TESOL Certificate Course Lesson Plan Form

5 Fluently Use 9. Activity or task: S-S

Role play: reasoning with a developer. Auditory

Teacher: Students:
Tells students that someone new (played by T) Take turns describing to the developer (T) the
has just moved to El INVU, and he thinks the potential environmental impacts posed by his
place has “a lot of potential.” He is planning to large development project.
build a large housing development and resort on
the banks of the river. Students will talk to him
about the potential environmental impacts of such
a project.

Please add more rows if you need them!

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 LANGUAGE ANALYSIS for lesson planning

TARGET LANGUAGE: first conditional sentences (If _______, _____ will _____ ).

Aspects of FORM that are important to consider (both written and spoken):

First conditional sentences consist of 2 clauses: a main, conditional clause containing the
word “if” and a subordinate clause containing the word “will.” The conditional clause
contains a scenario, and subordinate clause contains its possible future effect.

First conditional sentences contain present and future tenses.

- If (subordinating conjunction)
- conditional clause in present tense
- will + future tense result of conditional clause

MEANING: (What does each piece of target language mean?

First conditional sentences are the most basic forms of sentences which express a
“condition” in one clause and a “result” in the other clause. Actions happening in the
conditional clause could happen at any moment and are thus expressed in the present
tense, while actions happening in the “result” clause would happen in the future as a
consequence, and they are thus expressed in the future tense.

List at least 4 comprehension checking questions (yes/no, either/or, example,

short answer, then definition if possible!) for the meaning of this language point:
1. Does the subordinate clause describe the past, the present, or the future?
2. How do we write the future tense?
3. What do these three pictures have to do with each other? What is the relationship
between them?
4. When are we going to hold our rods up?

USE (When is this appropriate or not appropriate? Compare it to language that has a
similar meaning. When do we choose to use this form? Why?)

- used to express consequences; can be used as a prediction, a promise, or a warning

- uses can range from benign and matter-of-fact (“If you don’t tie your shoe, you will trip”)
to threatening (“If you don’t give me the money, I’ll kill you”).

Challenge point: What is most challenging (F, M or U) and why?

Form: conditional sentences use both present and future tenses to convey their
meaning. As such, it is critical to reinforce the point that one part of the sentence is in the
present tense, while the other part is in the future tense.

List 3-5 potential and/or typical mistakes/challenges that ELLs might make/have
when learning this particular language point.
- difficulty moving between tenses (present --> future) or grasping the concept of the shift
in tense
- difficulty using the future tense: dropping the “will”

What are you going to do to help learners deal with these challenges?
I will listen carefully during vocal activities and try to correct learners when I hear
their mistakes.
FLUENT USE: List two potential “real world” activities / situations / contexts in which the
learner might use this kind of language:
1. Role-play: someone in the group is a developer looking to build a hotel in El INVU.
Other team members must explain to the developer what the consequences of such
an action would be.
2. Ss see a confused tourist walking down the road. The tourist asks what will
happen if he keeps walking, and Ss explain what is at the end of the road...

TASK DESIGN: List 6 “practice” activities that go from controlled to free practice Include both
form and meaning (use if applicable) that could help the learner internalize this language.

1. Ss discuss with T what they see in various sequential pictures.

2. Ss work to create sentences using pictures and then verbalizing what they see in the pictures.
3. Ss work with rods to determine the various parts of first conditional sentences.
4. Ss work in teams to create new sentences to be written on the board.
5. Ss fill in the blanks of conditional sentences with clauses missing.
6. Ss answer questions before moving onto fluency task.

VISUALS: Drawing/diagram/chart of two different ways to present the form and/or meaning of
the language point on the board or on posters. (Feel free to do this on another sheet of paper
and attach it here!

TEXTS consulted to do this analysis:

University of Victoria English Language Centre website: http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/

grammar/1cond.htm

Grammar for English Language Teachers, by Martin Parrott

University of Oregon Teaching & Learning Center PDF on parts of speech: http://tlc.uoregon.edu/
publications/studyskills/GrammarHandouts/POSConjunctions.pdf
 Initial Reflections on Classroom Practice
The SIT TESOL Certificate Course

Please answer these prompts and questions for each lesson you teach during the course.
Write your responses the first 10 minutes of the feedback session. These reflections are meant
to help prepare you for the discussion and to support you during the discussion. These are
your notes and can be hand-written. Please attach your initial reflections to each lesson plan
and keep them with trainer written feedback in your portfolio.
Name David Amato Level of Class ECRIF Speaking
Intermediate Grammar
Date 3 Sept. 2014 Number of Students 6 PDP Listening Reading
Writing Culture

My initial feelings on the lesson I’ve just taught.

Overall, I felt the lesson went pretty well. Students were working with the first conditional
form, using vocabulary related to environmental issues in Costa Rica. The fluency activity
involved creating sentences about a fictional scenario in which a developer was coming to El
INVU to build a hotel, housing, and casinos. Students were asked to use the grammar
structure to speak with the developer. This activity got a little off track, since it was
humorous for one of the students to be role-playing a developer, but everyone was having
fun, and I think the grammar point stuck. An activity using rods got a little confusing, but
other than that the lesson seemed to flow pretty smoothly.

KEY MOMENTS –
What I planned to do. What actually happened. What I was feeling and
(What the students did/said, thinking at the time.
what I did/said)

I planned to do several Students were advanced I felt that it was the right
sentence-making activities enough to make several of decision to make. I wanted the
building up to the fluency these activities redundant, so I students to feel challenged and
activity. cut them and gave more time to have as much time as
to other activities. possible to work with the
language.

What did the students learn and how did they show me they learned it?

Students learned about the first conditional (“If _______ then _______”). They showed me
that they learned the structure through several writing and comprehension activities. I paid
attention while students were working in pairs with the grammar, and I was able to overhear
successful use of the grammar structure in these activities.
What were the objectives of the lesson?
How well did the students achieve them?

The fluency objective of the lesson was for students to talk about a potential development
project in El INVU. One of the students, Jefferson, was chosen to be the developer, and the
students found this prospect pretty funny, especially the idea (which I provided) that he would
be building a casino in town. The fluency activity didn’t work as well as I had hoped, partly
because the situation was very humorous and also because 5 students were talking to one
person in the role play, and things got chaotic as a result.

Things that I think effectively served students’ learning in this lesson:

Using challenging vocabulary and sentence structure. Going into this lesson, I
wanted to make sure that the students wouldn’t be bored, and so we worked with
more complex sentence structures. They seemed to be engaged and paying attention
the entire time, and if I could do this lesson again I would give them even more time
to create, speak, and write more complicated sentences.

Things that are puzzling me from this lesson:

I felt like I was talking a lot during the lesson, and I wished I had kept my mouth shut
for more of it. I also worried that I was leading some of the answers when describing
the future tense. A recap of the future tense might have been useful for this activity.

What I’ve learned from this lesson about facilitating learning:

Students enjoy being challenged and invited to deal with difficult material. With this
group, I am not afraid to try out complicated words and situations. However, I think
having a fun game involved would have made the lesson more colorful.

Questions / Issues/ puzzles I would like to get feedback on and/or to discuss and/or think
more about

How do I talk even less than I did tonight?

How do I work through grammar points, e.g. future tense, without leading students to
conclusions?
6.54 Give a brief explanation of
your opinion of one of the
environmental issues we just
studied.

Do you understand? The students need more Please give examples in

Do you get the ideas? clarification. CCQs or an order to help the students
What are you doing first? example would be very clarify the expectations.
What is brief? helpful right now.
6.57 Ss work in pairs giving their
opinions.
Anthony: use more natural /
organic…

T interrupts. I don’t know if

we got the idea.

SIT TESOL Certificate Course

Practice Teaching Observation Sheet

Name: David Date: Wed September 3, 2014

# of students:6 Level: Intermediate
Lesson Type: ECRIF Trainer: Amanda
Johnny, Anthony, Daniel, Donay, Jefferson, Rocio
Lesson Plan Included: was submitted on time. The target language was level
and challenge appropriate. The activities designed were student centered,
interactive and effectively scaffolded.
In general: David, I was really impressed by you and your class. Your activities
were engaging, thought provoking and transitioned well one into the other. You
handled the class and their ideas very well. You kept the question focused on
the students by eliciting the information from them instead of giving them the
answers. You challenged them to be more accurate than they normally are!

A puzzle I have is about the fluency activity and how to get all the students to
talk. I noticed that Jefferson and Donay were very active, but the rest were
passive. I was thinking about how it might help to separate them into two
groups and then have them do the activity within their group in order to
maximize participation and output.

In regards to ECRIF, you had an effectively scaffolded, learning centered lesson.

Congratulations!
In regards to your action plans:
1. Talk less during points when I know the students could be talking/practicing. Absolutely! Congratulations! This is not easy
and you made it look so last night!!!!!

2. Use clarifying questions during more difficult/complex activities. Yes and you used guiding questions to help them clarify.
Actions plans for next class:
1. I will rehearse a
tactile activity with
my peers before
the class.
2. I will create new
ways to group
students.

Time: I"notice… I"am"wondering"and/ I"am"suggesting..

(Description"of"students" or"thinking…. (speciCic"and"
and"teacher"actions"or" Interpretation:"what" measurable"possible"
words) helped/hindered" action"plans/
student"learning"and suggestions)
Generalizations:"
Themes"and"inside"or"
outside"theory"that"
connects"to"and/or"
explain"what"might"
have"helped"and/or"
hindered"student"
learning
7.01 I’m David and you are ___. Thanks for the intro. It’s
important for establishing
rapport and building
community.

Let’s keep talking about the I love that all these Whenever possible keep
environment. I have some lessons have a common the lessons connected.
pictures to look at. thread. It makes learning
more connected and
transitions are easier.

What an ambience that

T sits with ss and displays you have right now! They Keep relating to your
pictures. students are all leaning in students and being
What do you see starting and engaged with the accessible for them by
here? material. It’s an intimate sitting with them.
Ss all lean in and are learning scene. Thanks
focusing on the pictures. for choosing to sit with
them. It makes the class
more conversation
instead of traditional.
7.06 What do these pictures have Great question because it Keep giving them
to do with each other? Is gives the students
there an order? something to ponder and
analyze.

You might want to use You might want to use

cognates in Eng and cognates and give the
Span because it makes it students time for TPS in
easier for the students to order to clarify information
understand. Your first and increase
question is very colloquial communication.
while using the word
relationships is more
recognizable for the
students.

One thing I am thinking

about is if TPS would help
to create more
communication?

Thanks for giving them

the clarification, cause
and effect because now
they know the relationship
between the pictures.
7.08 T writes columns on the These columns are Continue to chunk the
board. If, cause, subject, helpful in structuring the information in
will + result. information in a manageable portions.
Jefferson goes to the board scaffolded way. You start
with his pictures and placeswith the non verbal and
them in the appropriate then make your way into
column. more verbal. I think that
this is a non threatening
T guides them at the board. way to easy students into
“which comes first” a grammar point.
7.12 T writes the elicited I love how you work with Continue to organize your
examples on the board in their sentences. It makes board so that it helps
place of the pictures. it more personal and learning!
helps the students to
connect with the TL on a
deeper level because
they are making a
commitment to the
activity.
7.15 T elicits the tense of the
causes and results. Great color coding
because it helps the
T highlights the parts of students to differentiate
speech with colors (color and eventually manipulate
codes). the language.

I’m not sure how you

T gives the students rods to wanted to use the rods to You might want to
work with the structure. make the sentences. consider writing bigger!
They are not using them
while creating their
sentences.

David, your print is very

Can someone read the small. I can’t see it from You might want to give
sentences? where I am sitting. more context in order to
guarantee more success
Ss read sentences. in a shorter amount of
David, I’m wondering if time.
T come up with a sentence this task is too loose and
about the environment that will need more structure.
follows this structure. For example, giving them
a card with an
environmental issue,
maybe even what Daniel
taught in his class in order
to keep the focus of the
class.
7.24 T puts up a poster on the Great job eliciting the Keep eliciting.
board. form of the structures.
Sentences with missing This helps the students to
parts. T elicits the parts of transition into the activity
the structures. and be successful.

I like how this activity is

very open so that all the
Ss offer their ideas. students can give their
T clarifies and asks for more creative ideas. IT would
information. be nice to hear more
ideas just to validate them
and help the students
build their confidence.

I notice that you want to

understand each of your
ss ideas, which you do
through asking clarifying Please keep drawing out
questions and getting the the information from your
students to give you more students because it is a
information. It can be very powerful teaching
time consuming or even strategy or tool for
tiring, but it helps the enhancing learning.
students to develop their
ideas and improve their
English.
7.33 T gives the students new Wow. The students are
pictures. creative in their ideas and
knowledge about the local
Ss talk to one another and environment problems.
exchange pictures.
Writing each sentence on
Donay: If we don’t stop to the board helps learning
destroying our planet, the because it clarifies the
land will be a big desert. structure and forces the
students to focus on their
accuracy, but the downfall
is that it takes up a lot of
time. What might be Could students write their
another alternative? sentences on a paper and
post them around the
room?
7.41 The monkeys Didn’t have Great teaching moment Continue giving clues and
homes. David. You approach it guiding the students
will by creating an towards accuracy.
When does “DID” happen. opportunity for the
students to check
themselves and the
structure.
7.44 T gives ss questions a sheet. Giving the questions was You might want to have a
Take turns asking questions a good move since you different configuration.
to your partner. didn’t teach the structure For example a concentric
What will happen if too many for the questions, but the circle or a gallery walk so
people use pesticides? pitfall is that they answer that the students keep
the question and then speaking.
stop talking. How can
you get them to
continually ask and
answer the questions?
7.47 I need to two bad guys. Donay and Jefferson are You might want to split
T explains the situation about the only ones speaking. I them in order to increase
the two bad guys, Jefferson wonder if separating the everyone’s participation.
and Johnny. The bad guys students into two groups
want to develop some land would help to increase
down by the river. everyone’s production?

The conversation is You might want to

getting off topic, the first
conditional. How can you
structure the activity so
that they continue to use
the target language?

SIT TESOL Certificate Course

Practice Teaching Observation Sheet

Name: Daniela Date: Wed September 3, 2014

# of students:5 Level: Intermediate
Lesson Type: ECRIF Trainer: Amanda
Johnny, Daniel, Donay, Jefferson, Rocio
Lesson Plan Included: was submitted on time. The plan was detailed with
activity information. There were suggestions made about vocabulary selection,
scaffolding of activities, and the fluency activity.