Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Introduction

The Lesson Outlines on this blog cover one year at Tung Hai Elementary School 東海國小.  At the time of writing, individual lesson plans have not been included, primarily because I usually write these in my notebook, and rarely type them out.  If you are interested in seeing individual lesson plans here, please let me know and I will start putting them up.


Those interested in general information regarding teaching in Taiwan are encouraged to visit my Unit Plan for Tung Hai Junior High School.  That unit plan was much more systematic, and explores some issues regarding teaching in the R.O.C.


I also (occasionally) deal with educational topics on my local blog, Taitung Style, and also on my all-purpose Taiwan blog, Taiwan 101.  The links for those two are on the right.


Live long and prosper, and may the Force be with you, my young Jedi!

Grade 3 Semester Outline 1


Grade 3 Semester Outline
English Conversation (生活美語)
Email: timesthreethehighest@gmail.com
Blog: www.taitungstyle.blogspot.com
Facebook: Timesthree Thehighest
June 14, 2011/6/14

Students in our school begin studying English in grade 3.  For this reason, giving them a good start in English is of paramount importance.  Many of the habits they acquire during this first year will remain with them for the duration of their English studies, and their level of mastery over the grade 3 English curriculum will largely determine how well they learn English throughout the entirety of their elementary school years.

While sight words and sentence patters are introduced through the grade 3 curriculum, the alphabet is the primary focus of study.  Given the nature of the tests they will take, and even on what material can be effectively tested in the English classroom, the critical nature of learning the alphabet should be obvious.  Many students leave third grade thinking they have mastered the alphabet, only to find that they haven’t learned all of their letter sounds, or are unable to identify the letters in a spoken context.  Other students never realize the importance of spelling and memorization in English, and the role the alphabet plays in learning these important skills.

Beyond the alphabet, students in grade 3 are also introduced to simple vocabulary words, the numbers from one to ten, and simple phrases.  While these simple vocabulary words might seem to be of secondary importance, learning this set of vocabulary well – from the beginning – can set the stage for future success in English.  The numbers from one to ten are also very important, and their value transcends even the English language, given the importance of these numbers with respect to technology.

The simple phrases mentioned above, such as “My name is ______” and “How are you?” are perhaps of lesser importance, and can be relearned in grade 4.  Just the same, learning these phrases early is bound to increase the confidence of every student; the more fully these phrases are understood the better.

With the above ends in mind, this semester’s English conversation class will be following the outline below.  This outline will also be a reflection of the Longman English Level 3 textbook, which the students will also use in their regular English class.

Week
Topics Covered
1
ABCs, 1-10, Commands/Actions
2
ABCs, 1-10, Commands/Actions, art project
3
ABCs, 1-10, Commands/Actions, ball game
4
ABCs, 1-10, Commands/Actions, review
5
Written Test #1/DVD
6
ABCs, classroom objects, names and introductions, commands/actions
7
ABCs, classroom objects, names and introductions, commands/actions, art project
8
ABCs, classroom objects, names and introductions, commands/actions, ball game
9
ABCs, classroom objects, names and introductions, commands/actions, review
10
Written Test #2/DVD
11
ABCs, family members, commands/actions
12
ABCs, family members, commands/actions, art project
13
ABCs, family members, commands/actions, ball game
14
ABCs, family members, commands/actions
15
ABCs, family members, commands/actions
16
ABCs, commands/actions, likes and dislikes
17
Special Topic #1
18
Special Topic #2
19
Special Topic #3/DVD
20
Oral (Speaking) Test #1
Notes

l   This class follows a month-by-month schedule, with an art project, a ball game, a test, and a DVD presentation presented with a four-week timeframe.  Not every class will have their lessons on the same week.
l   Written tests are tests of written English and reading comprehension.  The oral test is a test of listening comprehension and speaking ability.  All of the material tested is to be found within the book.
l   Every class will be made as interactive as possible, with a variety of learning styles accommodated.  I use songs, movement, and other methods throughout the semester.
l   Each semester we have a “special topic,” which is an extension of something in the textbook.  The subjects/vocabulary covered during these “special topic” sessions will not be the subject of any test.

Overview of Longman English Book 1
Unit
Vocabulary Introduced
Sentence Patterns
Starter Unit: Get Ready
Letters Aa-Zz, good, morning, hi, hello, I’m, stand, up, sit, down, open, your, book, close, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten
Good morning.
Hi, I’m _________.
Hello, I’m _________.
Stand up.
Sit down.
Open your book.
Close your book.
Unit 1: At School
What’s, name, goodbye, see, you, later, it’s, a, book, pen, pencil, book bag, no, try, again, yes, good, job, take, out, put, away, raise, hand, put, down, apple, ant, boy, bird, cat, cap, dog, desk, and, ruler, flower, write, numbers, here, choose, from, now, let’s, play, Bingo
What’s this?
It’s a __________.
Yes.
No.  Try again.
Take out your book.
Put away your book.
Raise your hand.
Put down your hand.
Unit 2: My Family
Oops, sorry, that’s, OK, are, you, ready, am, this, is, my, father, mother, sister, brother, who’s, he, he’s, my, she, she’s, talk, about, your, family, look, point, listen, be, quiet, egg, elephant, fish, fox, gift, girl, hen, hand, Mr., Mrs., it’s, me
This is my __________.
Who’s he?
Who’s she?
He’s my __________.
She’s my __________.
Look.
Point.
Listen.
Be quiet.
It’s __________.
Unit 3: Food
Ice cream, please, here, are, thank, you, have, some, pizza, thank, mmm, yummy, you’re, welcome, I, like, cake, don’t, milk, do, don’t, friend, clap, jump, turn around, stop, ink, insect, jam, juice, king, kite, lamp, lion, man, too, circle, it, now, you, draw, your, family, spin, say
I like __________.
I don’t like __________.
Do you like __________?
Yes, I do.
No, I don’t.
Clap.
Jump.
Turn around.
Stop.
Here you are.
Me, too.
__________, please.
Culture 1
Christmas
Star, decorate, the, tree, bell, gift, open, we, wish, merry, Christmas, happy, new, year, sing, carols, stocking, Santa Claus

Culture 2
Chinese New Year
Clean, house, eve, dinner, rice, red, envelope, tangerine, get, eat, great, watch, lion, dance, firecrackers, fish





Grade 3 Semester Oultine 2


Grade 3 Semester Outline
English Conversation (生活美語)
Email: timesthreethehighest@gmail.com
Blog: www.taitungstyle.blogspot.com
Facebook: Timesthree Thehighest
January 5, 2012

So how are we doing in Grade 3?  I tested all four classes today, and almost all of them seem to have mastered the alphabet.  This is a great thing.  Moving on from the alphabet, most of them have some knowledge of a word associated with each letter, at least for A-J.  The Longman 1 books doesn’t really use many sentence patterns, so it is too early to comment on their grammar and ability to answer questions in English.

The Longman 2 textbook is very similar to Longman 1.  The alphabet from N-Z is covered, though most students seem to know these letters already.  This is a serious weakness in Taiwan’s English curriculum: spending longer than a semester on the English alphabet.  Questions included in this book follow the “How old are you?”, “Is this your _____?”, “What color is your _____?”, and “Can you ______?” patterns.  There are also a number of commands used, but these are rarely discussed in class.

The phonics this semester is more basic letter sounds.  I should definitely work more on having the students sound out words.  Should they acquire enough skill in this area, it should serve them well in Grade 4.

Given the volume of information introduced in the Grade 3 English curriculum, I feel that the students are performing up to expectations.  Hopefully there will be time in class to expand upon the information provided in the textbook.  This, I feel, would be more rewarding for everyone.

Week
Topics Covered
1
Starter unit, review, numbers above 10, “How Old Are You?”
2
Starter unit, review, numbers above 10, “How Old Are You?”, art project
3
Starter unit, review, numbers above 10, “How Old Are You?”, ball game
4
Starter unit, review, numbers above 10, “How Old Are You?”
5
Written Test #1/DVD
6
Pets/animals, “Is it your _____?”, letters Nn-Qq
7
Pets/animals, “Is it your _____?”, letters Nn-Qq, art project
8
Pets/animals, “Is it your _____?”, letters Nn-Qq, ball game
9
Pets/animals, “Is it your _____?”, letters Nn-Qq, review
10
Written Test #2/DVD
11
Colors, “What color is your _____?”, letters Rr-Uu
12
Colors, “What color is your _____?”, letters Rr-Uu, art project
13
Colors, “What color is your _____?”, letters Rr-Uu, ball game
14
Having fun, activities, verbs, “Can you _____?”, letters Vv-Zz
15
Having fun, activities, verbs, “Can you _____?”, letters Vv-Zz
16
Having fun, activities, verbs, “Can you _____?”, letters Vv-Zz
17
Special Topic #1
18
Special Topic #2
19
Special Topic #3/DVD
20
Oral (Speaking) Test #1
Notes

l   This class follows a month-by-month schedule, with an art project, a ball game, a test, and a DVD presentation presented with a four-week timeframe.  Not every class will have their lessons on the same week.
l   Written tests are tests of written English and reading comprehension.  The oral test is a test of listening comprehension and speaking ability.  All of the material tested is to be found within the book.
l   Every class will be made as interactive as possible, with a variety of learning styles accommodated.  I use songs, movement, and other methods throughout the semester.
l   Each semester we have a “special topic,” which is an extension of something in the textbook.  The subjects/vocabulary covered during these “special topic” sessions will not be the subject of any test.