Animals (singular and plural)

Student Context

Number of students: 20 Approx age range of sts: 8 Sts' level of English: A1 (elementary level/beginners)

Sts' approx. purposes in learning English: to understand English speech (of their level), to know letters, to write letters and words, to copy sentences, to read simple words, word-combinations and short texts, to make simple dialogues, to pronounce words, word-combinations and short sentences. They learn English because it is a part of their school program. They want to study well and get good marks. But some of them are already very interested in learning a foreign language and want to know it perfectly.

Source of materials (including course book): textbook by M.Z.Biboletova, workbook, teacher’s book, CD, pictures, PC, projector, realia (stuffed animals)

Aims of the lesson, with learning outcomes

By the end of the lesson learners will be able to make nouns plural, distinguish between singular and plural nouns

Main: to introduce plural nouns to students, to gain understanding of the terms “singular” and “plural”, to investigate and learn spelling of words with “s” for plurals, to read quickly

Sub-Aims: to revise animals and familiar words (e.g. a cat, a dog, a parrot, a crocodile, a tiger, an elephant, a lion, a monkey, a bear, a cockerel, etc.), numerals (1-12), adjectives, colours

Means of assessing achievement of aims: visual aids (pictures), toys (stuffed animals):

TPR, S.A.R.S. strategy (select, adapt, reject, supplement); exercises, a pptx presentation, worksheets_____

Anticipated problems with learners and activities

(NOT grammar or lexis)

1. 20 students – they are not divided into groups (few teachers)

2. Low motivation of some students to study English

3. Sometimes students are too noisy and active

Strategies to deal with each problem

1. Trying to pay attention to each student, teaching online

2. I try to demonstrate real life situations so that students could feel where in practice the perceived knowledge can be applied

3. I try to make my lessons vivid, exciting and interesting

Personal action points for teaching: To make my lessons exciting, vivid and interesting, to arouse my learners’ interest, to use every opportunity for self-development, to grow personally, to pay attention to discipline in my lessons, to maintain activity of my learners, to see the weakest points of my students’ knowledge and to change the situation, to achieve (almost) everything I have planned, to make a further plan, to make examples (of the rule needed) effective, memorable and meaningful), to analyse my mistakes at the lesson and the lesson itself, to improve my methods of teaching, to use different strategies, to apply all my knowledge, that I acquired at different courses ("Integrating Critical Thinking Skills in the Exploration of Culture in an EFL setting", “Teaching English to Young Learners”, “Exploring Web 2.0 Tools for Classroom Teaching and Professional Development”, “TESOL Methodology”, “Teaching Grammar Communicatively”) at the lessons.

CONTEXT (of the lesson/from the text): It is an additional lesson. Children have one elective lesson a week. I try to give them additional material on the subject using a lot of strategies. I teach this lesson after Lesson 54 in the textbook by Biboletova (we only have such a textbook in the library). Children like these lessons very much. They always attend them with great pleasure.

My students already know the names of some animals. I try to teach them plural forms of the nouns. They all attend my extra classes.

B. MEANING: You see, some children don’t understand if we should add –s to all the nouns in plural. E.g. a bee – bees, a pet – pets. They often ask me questions if we should do something with the last letter “e”. My aim is to make the rule clear to them.

C. CONCEPT CHECK QUESTIONS FOR YOUR MODEL/S ABOVE: (remember to write the answers)

1. How will I engage learners or arouse their interest in what is to follow?

(Answer: By using visual and audial aids)

2. How will I introduce the target grammar item? How will I situate it/contextualize it? (Answer: By using pictures and flashcards)

3. What examples will I give? How can I make sure that the examples are effective, memorable and meaningful? (Answer: I will see it by the way my students answer, they will do some exercises and I will see the result)

4. How will I check learners’ understanding? (Answer: By using pictures and tasks)

D. STRUCTURE

A nouns + -s + plural noun

FORM: the 2^nd form of a secondary school;

Lesson – 45 minutes

E. PRONUNCIATION: Some children don’t pronounce the ending –s correctly. My aim is to teach them to do it properly.

F. ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS WITH…

Meaning: Students don’t know the meaning of some words as they do not do homework properly and do not demonstrate high level of knowledge of English

Form: Students don’t understand how we form plural nouns

Pronunciation: Students cannot distinguish between the voiced and voiceless sound [s]/[z] – it is difficult to understand that one and the same letter S can give different sounds

AND SOLUTIONS (refer to CCQs on the next page where needed)

I show them pictures

The rule is given in the presentation

I read plural forms, they repeat the words after me

Lexis: words, collocations, phrases, expressions & idioms. + (verb/noun etc.)

Why is this item of lexis necessary? What task does it help?

Pronunciation considerations:

Transcriptions, stress & intonation.

Examples/Concept check questions (include answers)

How will you clarify and check meaning?

These items of lexis are necessary because they help students to understand the rule.

The teacher pays attention to the pronunciation of the nouns in plural: we should read the –s [s] after voiceless consonants and [z] after voiced ones.

By using pictures: one animal and a lot of animals.

They already know the following words: a cat, a dog, a parrot, a crocodile, a tiger, an elephant, a lion, a monkey, a bear, a cockerel, a fox, a fish, a hen, a bee, a snake, a mouse, a duck, a frog, a pig, a rabbit (their homework was to learn the words)

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve

These items of lexis are necessary because learners repeat them.

Angry, big, funny, lazy, merry, nice

These items of lexis are necessary because learners repeat them.

Blue, green, grey, pink, sad

These items of lexis are necessary because learners repeat them.

Task no: 1 E / S / A

Stage aim:

Greeting

• Good morning, everybody! Glad to see you! Sit down, please.

• Who is absent today? Thank you.

Interaction pattern:

Time for whole task: 1 minute

What is the task? What will the students do?

• Teacher greets students. They respond to greeting and take their places.

Tutor Comments: I try to teach my students in a very optimistic way and never to enter the classroom in a bad mood.

What are your instructions? Demo? ICQ? Example?

They already know what to answer me. They say: “Good morning, Alina Viktorovna!”

• Dima is.

How will you conduct feedback?

I listen to their answers.

Task no: 2 E / S / A

Warming up

Stage aim: To practice pronunciation

Interaction pattern: Tongue twisters and questions

To intro the lesson

Time for whole task: 6 minutes

What is the task? What will the students do?

• And now let’s train our tongues. Repeat after me, please.

A black cat sat on a mat and ate a fat rat.

I see a big black cat,

Big black cat, big black cat.

What a big black cat!

What a cat! What a cat!

Students:

I see a big black cat,

Big black cat, big black cat.

What a big black cat!

What a cat! What a cat!

Hens, hens, count to ten,

Pigs, pigs, dance a jig,

Cats, cats, find a rat,

Bears, bears, go upstairs!

Students:

Hens, hens, count to ten,

Pigs, pigs, dance a jig,

Cats, cats, find a rat,

Bears, bears, go upstairs!

Have you got a pet? What pet have you got? What is its name? Have you got a dog? Have you got a parrot or a cat? – Yes, I have. I have got a dog. Its name is Jim.

What are your instructions? Demo? ICQ? Example?

The teacher pronounces the tongue twisters, students repeat them after her. The teacher asks questions, learners answer.

How will you conduct feedback? They pronounce these tongue twisters and poems quite correct, answer the questions, they are interested.

Tutor Comments: Students repeat these tongue twisters after the teacher. Then the teacher asks some of them.

Task no: 3 E / S / A

Stage aim:

Staging the aims of the lesson.

3 minutes

What is the task? What will the students do?

• What do you think are we going to learn today?

Students try to guess what they will do at the lesson.

Look at the pictures and toys!

• We will talk about animals!

Tutor Comments: The learners are to answer the teacher’s questions.

What are your instructions? Demo? ICQ? Example?

If they can’t name the objectives, I have to prompt.

How will you conduct feedback?

I will hear their answers.

Task no: 4 E / S / A

Stage aim: To check students’ knowing of 10 animals

Homework checking, repeating the names of the animals

Time for whole task: 5 minutes

What is the task? What will the students do?

https://www.liveworksheets.com/nq20154gz - your homework was to write the names of the animals and to email me the answers or check using the site. Have you done your homework? Have you checked it online? It is very good!

Tutor Comments: Their homework was to learn 10 words concerning animals: a cat, a dog, a parrot, a crocodile, a tiger, an elephant, a lion, a monkey, a bear, a cockerel. They had to do some online exercises created by the teacher:

Interaction pattern: online exercises

Repetition:

http://www.easynotecards.com/matching/105035 - classwork

http://www.easynotecards.com/quiz/105035 - classwork (match the names of the animals and the pictures)

http://www.easynotecards.com/matching/105315 - guess the animals (chose the right variant)

1. Matching game “Animals”

2. Quiz “Animals”

3. Online worksheet

(Check my answers – function)

What are your instructions? Demo? ICQ? Example?

1. Drag the picture of an animal to the word

2) Answer question: click answer
Next question/End round: 
  click blue arrow
Start next round: 
  click "Start Round" button
Restart quiz: click "Restart quiz" link
Larger image: click magnify icon

How will you conduct feedback?

I use “Survey Monkey” or the site liveworksheets.com allows me to control my students’ homework (they enter my email and the answers are sent to me)

Task no: 5 E / S / A

Presentation

Stage aim: to give the rule to the students

A “pptx” presentation

Interaction pattern: a cat – cats, etc.

Time for whole task: 5 minutes

What is the task? What will the students do?

The students will watch the presentation, define singular and plural and find out the rule

• Look at the pictures and say what we have to do to form plural nouns.

• We have to add –s.

Tutor Comments: If the students can’t understand the rule, I ask them: - What do we add?

What are your instructions? Demo? ICQ? Example?

Look at the presentation and answer my question: How do we form plural in English?

How will you conduct feedback?

I listen to the answers.

Task no: 6 E / S / A

Dynamic pause.

Stage aim: to relieve tension

Interaction pattern:

Time for whole task: 5 minutes

• And now let’s have some rest. Stand up, please!

Can you walk like a cat?

Can you jump like a dog?

Can you fly like a parrot?

Can you crawl like a crocodile?

Cab you run like a tiger?

Can you stand like an elephant?

Can you lie like a lion?

Can you move like a monkey?

Can you sleep like a bear?

Can you cry “Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!” like a cockerel”?

You are on the farm. It’s warm and the weather is sunny. You can see lots of animals. Loo, you see a cat. Walk like a cat and drink some milk. Now you are a dog. Jump, jump. Can you wave your tail? Oh, there is a rabbit. Let’s jump like that rabbit. Jump, jump, jump…

What is the task? What will the students do?

The students show some actions.

Tutor Comments:

Children like dynamic pauses very much. They like “Simon says” game and commands.

What are your instructions? Demo? ICQ? Example?

If they can’t perform some action, I show them.

How will you conduct feedback?

I see they act properly.

Task no: 7 E / S / A

Practice

A picture-word match

To define plural and singular

try to notice where nouns are plural (with –s)

Flash cards and online flashcards

http://www.easynotecards.com/matching/105315?fbclid=IwAR0epqVfJtR3LZsLMzxAFrYaQEjZ1h-XOnGT6WPqyEHOMCLG4QR4922NbKw

Stage aim: To check learners’ knowledge of the words and understanding of singular and plural

Interaction pattern:

Time for whole task: 5 minutes

What is the task? What will the students do?

The students will look at the flash cards and point to the singular and plural.

• Now you are to define singular and plral.Drag the words to the pictures.

Tutor Comments:

Children like to look at pictures. I have a lot of them in my classroom.

The teacher shows the pictures with animals and the students say “a dog” or “dogs” and so on.

What are your instructions? Demo? ICQ? Example?

• I show you the picture, you name the animal or the animals.

How will you conduct feedback?

I listen to their answers.

Task no: 8 E / S / A

Application

Stage aim: To check learners’ knowledge of the words and understanding of singular and plural

Let’s do some tasks.

Raise your finger if you hear a word in plural:

A cat, dogs, a parrot, rabbits, tigers, a lion, monkeys, etc.

http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=16184

Interaction pattern:

Time for whole task: 5 minutes

What is the task? What will the students do?

They are to write down the words in plural (online)

Tutor Comments:

What are your instructions? Demo? ICQ? Example?

How will you conduct feedback?

Students check their answers online.

Task no: 9 E / S / A

Production

Stage aim: To choose the right variant of the plural form of a noun

https://www.eslprintables.com/exercise.asp?id=16170#thetop – “Million Pound Drop Game”

Interaction pattern:

Time for whole task: 5 minutes

What is the task? What will the students do?

“There are 8 questions
Questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 have 4 possible answers.
Questions 5, 6 and 7 have 3 possible answers.
The last question (8) has only two possible answers.
You are given 1000000£ at the beginning of the game.
You have 33 seconds to place your money on the answers.
(At least one must be empty)
Money placed on wrong answers drops out of the game.”

Tutor Comments:

What are your instructions? Demo? ICQ? Example?

The rules are given.

How will you conduct feedback?

I will see the results of the game.

Task no: 10 E / S / A

Reflection, wrapping up, evaluation

Stage aim: to finish the lesson, to make conclusions

Evaluation of the lesson by means of smiles

Interaction pattern: Students have to choose the most appropriate smile for their understanding of the lesson.

Time for whole task: 5 minutes

What is the task? What will the students do?

Students have to choose the most appropriate smile for their understanding of the lesson.

• What have we found out today?

• We’ve learned a new rule about plural.

• And now choose the most appropriate to you smile.

“Today’s lesson made me feel:

Tutor Comments: The teacher advises her students to be fair.

“You are to draw the pictures of animals. I’m going to collect all the pictures and do a magic box filled up with your pictures. Divide into two groups, please. Let’s invite one student in front in turn and ask to pick up the pictures. Each group will say the correct nouns like a dog, two dogs, a bird, three birds, etc. The student who names the most of the pictures correctly, gets an excellent mark.”

What are your instructions? Demo? ICQ? Example?

I give three smiles to my students. They are to choose.

How will you conduct feedback?

I will collect these smiles and make a conclusion.