Teach English in Lucheng Zhen - Jincheng Shi

Planning the lessons is very important for the teachers and for the students as well. A lesson plan is a great tool that helps to have the course under control and to adjust the lessons to the different situations that might occur during the school year. A lesson plan is a working document that keeps the teaching process organized. Good teachers follow all the stages of a lesson plan but with some variation, because the lesson plan doesn't have to be a script and experienced teachers know how to follow the plan with adjustment to the current situation and classroom environment. When creating a lesson plan it is important to stay focused and recycle language through various skills - reading and listening, writing and speaking. Before writing the details of the plan it is best to take the time and consider the big picture of a lesson. To do that I first write a clear and focused learning objective to determine what students need to focus on considering past lessons and future goals. Then I usually select materials needed for the learning objective. After which I divide the lesson into the following stages: warm-up, introduction, presentation, practice, evaluation, and application. I always choose my warm-up activity based on previous knowledge. Then I introduce the learning objective and inform students what they will learn during the class. After eliciting the language and vocabulary examples from students I have them practice the new material with different activities. I always save my lesson plans for the record to refer to when preparing the review and future lessons. Below are the steps I follow when I create my lesson plans. I teach 90 minutes lessons to adult students of intermediate level. 1. Warm-up review (10 to 15 minutes). The objective of this stage is to set an environment that is pleasant, positive, and safe for the students. Good warm-up activities are games based on previously learned language, for example, "Simon Says" or "Deserted Island" 2. Introduction (2 to 5 minutes). This is when I explain and establish the purpose of the lesson. I mention to the students what they are going to study and what new knowledge or skill they will have mastered by the end of the lesson. 3. Presentation (20 to 30 minutes). The presentation stage is the teaching stage, where new information is presented. I start by using previous knowledge and examples, then elicit language and vocabulary examples from students. It is important to provide examples using audio and visual aids. I also try to use the board, color markers, and flashcards to illustrate the point. The board work should be clear and precise because it helps the students to understand the main points of the new material. I also try to provide my students with a specific formula, and the name of the grammar objective. 4. Practice (30 to 40 minutes). The practice is the most important stage in a lesson. Students need to practice daily, to ensure they retain what they have learned. The most effective ways to practice is to have students work in pairs, small groups or have the class work together as one group. 5. Evaluation (5 to 10 minutes). It is important to evaluate whether or not the students have learned the material a teacher planned for them. There are different tests to asses the students, including quizzes, puzzles, questionnaires, progress tests and many more. 6. Application (2 to 5 minutes). When students are learning a new language they benefit more when they stay in contact with the language outside the classroom. It isn't easy in China, where I currently teach, so, I assign homework and try to explain the situations when they can encounter the new language in real life. Planning lessons is very important and difficult in the beginning, but once the teacher has some experience it becomes easier and more fun.