Target learner population:
Class Grade: Grade 6, Aged from 11-12 years old
Number: 3 boys and 5 girls
Level: on/ above level
Situation:
They are all English Language Learners.
William tends to lose focus sometimes
Three boys can't be in the same group; they will not share ideas with individuals outside their friends group, they do not seem to care about group honors, and they would like to mess it up for fun.
Students can use the iPads in the classroom.
Mini-Reading Lesson
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the mini-lesson, the students will be able to:
- Recall target words correctly with at least 85% accuracy
- Read the text accurately, clearly, and fluently within 2 minutes.
- Identify key details and ideas in texts by summarizing a given number of paragraphs they have read independently.
Lesson sequence (15 minutes):
- Lead-in 2 minutes (I do)
- Show pictures related to the topic and ask leading questions that students can express freely
- Divide the students into two heterogeneous groups and give them words with pictures and sounds on the iPad to help them understand the vocabulary quickly.
- Prepare 4 minutes. (You do, I do)
- Students use iPads to view words, pictures and pronunciations, communicate in groups to understand vocabulary and submit recordings online of them reading through the target vocabulary.
- Students scan the reading text quickly, and students who read slowly can use the iPad to play the audio of the reading text directly.
- Randomly distribute eight color cards, prepared in advance by the teacher, in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black and white.
- Explore in Groups 7 minutes. (You do)
- Students read the text again to find the fruit that corresponds to the color of the card and the health benefits.
- Students write a summary of the content, using the vocabulary within the text, on a white board and attach the color cards to the board (Students who may have difficulty summarizing the content can do so using the fill-in-the-blank framework provided by the teacher).
- Check and consolidate 2 minutes (We do)
- The teacher takes the students to look at the contents summarized on the whiteboard.
- Collectively we read through the ideas, checking for accuracy and fluency in pronunciation.
- If there are any mistakes, ask the students again to return to the text to collaboratively find the answers, and mark the corrections with different colored pens on the whiteboard. (Offer clues as to where to find the answers using probing questions i.e. what are the key terms in paragraph 2, can you see any nouns in paragraph 2, how do you know it’s a noun, etc.)
Materials:
- Seewo Interactive whiteboard and PPT
- Colorful paper cards and markers
- Personal iPads in the classroom
- Reading framework (for students who have difficulty summarizing themselves)
After class, students will organize the contents of the whiteboard into an infographic, which can add other fruits and their own experience of eating colorful fruit for the health benefits, and students can submit in small groups using Canva.
Integrated skill expansion— Reading and Speaking
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
- Pronounce target words correctly with at least 85% accuracy.
- Read the text accurately, clearly, and fluently within 2 minutes.
- Engage in meaningful conversations using the target vocabulary.
- Express their opinions and share information related to the topic.
Lesson Sequence (15 minutes):
- Prior to the lesson:
- Distribute and provide a speaking rubric or criteria for evaluation, focusing on fluency, accuracy, and content - to inform the students of what is expected and what is being assessed.
- Lead-in (2 minutes):
- Show pictures related to the topic with each picture labeled with the target vocabulary.
- Ask quickfire questions to stimulate discussion about each image i.e. Does anyone recognise this/these? What do you think it does? Where have you seen it? Who would use it?, etc.
- Encourage students to express their thoughts, opinions, and personal experiences related to the topic.
- Vocabulary and Pronunciation Practice (5 minutes):
- Introduce the target vocabulary words from the reading text.
- Use Echo Reading (Teacher reads, students repeat one word at a time) to go through each word within the target language. Collectively and then select individual students to check pronunciation/fluency.
- Briefly break into pairs and have students read through a short A and B dialogue containing the target vocabulary. Check for pronunciation and fluency.
- Reading and Discussion (6 minutes):
- Distribute a reading text to the students that contains the target vocabulary.
- Go through the text together via Popcorn reading (i.e. first student reads until they hear a POP, then the next student reads until they hear a POP, and so on).
- Have the whole class read the target vocabulary as it appears throughout the text i.e. individuals read a sentence but the whole class must read the individual target word as it appears, e.g. I was walking through the *GARDEN* on Sunday morning.
- Divide the class into pairs or small groups to read through the text together. (Each student should read the text for their partner/rest of the group at least once.)
- Provide 4 example discussion questions to encourage students to share their opinions on the text, and ask each other additional/follow up questions.
- Encourage the students to identify how they know what each target vocabulary word means based on the surrounding text.
- As the teacher I will circulate among the groups, providing support, facilitating the discussions, and offering tips/clues to encourage speaking.
- Speaking Activity (2+ minutes):
- Assign a Head Speaker to ask each pair/group to summarize their thoughts on the text.
- Provide 3 questions for the Head Speaker to ask each group.
- Encourage the other groups to discuss why they agree or disagree with the current pair/group’s answer.
Reflection prompt: In what way(s) are the reading goals in the first activity enhanced/supported by the integrated approach in the expanded activity?
The integrated response in the expanded activity offers greater opportunities for the students to actively participate in the lesson and to practically use their newly acquired vocabulary. This benefits the student and the teacher’s ability to achieve the reading goals in the following ways; The students are more familiar with how the target vocabulary sounds from a variety of different voices including their own, the students can identify the differences between correct and incorrect pronunciation, the students can listen to and discuss a variety of different meanings behind a text and the accompanying target vocabulary that they may not have thought of, the teacher can actively hear the students pronunciation and can react to common issues in terms of pronunciation or comprehension, the expanded activity offers a more varied lesson to students which ultimately makes it more engaging and interesting. As a result the student is better able to form mental relationships between the vocabulary and the meaning behind the vocabulary due to the increased use of the vocabulary in practical activities, such as the dialogue with their partner/group and the active speaking and reading elements of the popcorn reading exercise and the echo reading exercise at the outset of the lesson. The lesson has progressed from a somewhat passive reading centric lesson that briefly covers the target language, to one whereby the students are repeatedly reading and speaking the target language to each other, to the teacher, and to themselves, along with having regular intervals within the lesson for expression of thoughts, ideas, and summaries of the target vocabulary in relation to a relatable example text.
