I had planned to teach other parts of the body but we spent more time reviewing and practicing the alphabet using various materials (puzzles, flashcards, and websites). We also had a chance to review the parts of the body in the warm up. I asked the students to be in pairs and they had to point at their friend's body parts. They laughed a lot!
We had an alphabet dictation. I asked them to write the word dictation below the date on their notebooks. I corrected the dictation with the help of the students. I asked each one to go to the board to write the correct letters.
They also used some worksheets about the parts of the body that I had created using Pinterest ideas.
The afternoon group was faster and I could do more activities with them so we had an alphabet bingo and they had fun playing the game.
I realized I can't do the same activities for all the students since they have different levels in ESL Literacy. Besides, as I assumed everybody in class knew each other's names (at least I always know all the students' names) I never put an emphasis on that. However, my coordinator talked about how important it is in Canada for people to know and use other people's names and I am going to incorporate it into my lessons. I still have a LOT to learn about teaching ESL literacy...
Day 5
Three students arrived very early today and I believe they don't know how to check the time... I also thought that I can have a digital clock instead of an analog one in class...
We started talking about our favourite body parts as I was taking attendance. Then we had a warm-up to practice our names (unfortunately some students arrived late and missed this part).
We had a dictation about the parts of the body. They were able to write and to draw each part of the body. We corrected the dictation using the same technique of the previous class. While most students did that, one of my students practiced writing upper case letters.
The afternoon group used a picture dictionary to complete a worksheet. I taught them how to look for something using the table of contents of the dictionary and they were able to identify the name and the page! Yay!
Day 6
I had a cold and took a day off. My substitute used a lesson plan I had created. They practiced the alphabet.
I rested a bit and spent some time studying since I know I need to learn a lot more to help my students learn. I used the links Kelly Morrissey provides in her amazing website. I read the book Making It Real and I learned so much! It has amazing practical ideas that are going to help me create better classes for multi-level groups.
I have decided I am going to change some things in my classes. I am going to include an "Everyday English" part and numeracy every class. I am also going to work on sight words too.
There is so much to learn and sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed because I wish I already knew a lot more. But I have to be patient with myself and do the best I can now and keep improving. At least I know I can provide a safe place for my students to learn.
Day 7
I started the class telling them that I was quickly recovering from the cold and feeling much better. I asked them to tell me any word in English after I told them my word "Love". Each student told me a word and I wrote them on the board reading each one slowly.
We practiced greeting each other using our names and the name tags. I printed the greeting "Good morning!", we read it together and I put it on the wall. We read it together a few times.
First words: I wrote the word "STOP" on the board and we worked with it. Most students could read it and we talked about its meaning and where they had read it. I showed a picture of a STOP sign and we talked about its colors.
Then I wanted to know if they knew the numbers. We used the fingers to count, we counted some things in the classroom and we also used the website Learning Chocolate. After practicing with it, we had a dictation with numbers.
With the afternoon students, I did something different since they already know the numbers. We read the book "The Big Surprise" by Linda Kita-Bradley. We explored each picture and we read the sentences together and discussed what was happening on each page.
After the break we went to the computer lab because I wanted the students to finish the week practicing what they wanted using the Learning Chocolate website. After they were able to turn on the computer and type the username and password, they typed the website address and worked independently. Some students wanted to review the alphabet, others wanted to practice the parts of the body and others wanted to practice the numbers. It was great because they practiced what they needed most.
Reflection: After I discussed about my lessons with my coordinator, I have decided to have this structure from now on:
Attendance: Ask a simple question so all the students have a chance to say something
Warm-up
Calendar + Weather
Review
Everyday English
Sight words
Numeracy
Content
Wrap up
Leave taking
Computer lab once a week
I am very happy with my students' progress and I am enjoying every single minute with them. :-)
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