teaching-tips-youmove
02.02.2012
Things I Have Done Recently
Por Fábio Santos
LESSON 54: THINGS I HAVE DONE RECENTLY
After dealing with the Simple Past for two lessons, it is time to address every student’s least favorite topic, the Present Perfect. The thing is, it shouldn’t be a topic they’re scared of, so let’s see if we are able to demystify it once and for all this week.
Correct Etapa 3 and make it a point to go over the use of EVER, ALREADY, YET, FOR, SINCE, etc. This stuff may not be as obvious to your students as it is to you, so take your time, involve them in the process—through elicitation—, and you should be good to go. Cover the distinction between those actions that have been completed and those that are still going on, both of which are in the same verb form, the Present Perfect. If you clarify that now, I guarantee you will have a smooth Interaction later on. Ask them plenty of questions—in as natural a manner as you can—and, no surprise, use the board a lot.
As preparation for this Interaction, check each item with them, making sure they are well aware of the application of the vocabulary they are about to use. As there are lots of questions to be asked, make it interactive right now: involve them in the verification of the meaning of the words and what not. Done that? Now it’s time to model the activity. Get your book and a blank sheet of paper and start asking questions and taking notes. Two or three should do. Invert the process now: answer two or three questions yourself, making sure the board is used at all times. Let them know how long they should be doing this for, so no one takes too long and no one shouts “I’m finished!” after only a couple of minutes. When you feel they are prepared to give it a go, step aside and let them get to work. This should be fun.
Next, part two of the activity. Explain and model the whole thing, dedicating just as much time and attention as you did the first time around. Do not let them feel like the first part of the activity was the highpoint of today’s class, but this one is quite a letdown. Decide whether you’re all going to work together or whether you’re going to arrange groups. Whatever you do, do not leave lower-level students unattended if you see they’re just sitting there watching. Wrap it up with your solid-gold feedback and that’s it for today.
It’s time for the Closing. As opposed to some of the latest Teaching Tips I’ve posted, we’re going to do the Closing in Portuguese first, as well you should, and then we’re going to mind those Assignments. Not the other way around. Not anymore, okay? I once defended the assigning of homework before the Closing for fear that shifting languages back and forth would feel weird. But then again I’ve been made to believe it’s better to slow down, cool down, do the Closing in Portuguese, let them take a breath, and then wrap it all up with the assignments.
Make sure you remind them to bring their dictionaries to class for Lesson 56. Have a good one!
LESSON 56: THINGS I HAVEN’T DONE
Here’s a brown class to brighten up your day. It’s no big deal, mind you, but it requires plenty of thorough planning, so here we go.
Etapa 3 is rather lengthy this time around, so don’t waste any of your precious time. Check the three activities they had to do, making sure the board is used the whole time. For the third activity, get as many people as you can to tell you their sentences—and analyze them on the board, no less! As the Teacher’s Guide puts it, make this as teacher-centered as you can. Involve them, yes, get them to answer follow-up questions that will help them understand what’s going on and all that, but do not get carried away. There’s a time and place for small talk, but this is not it, okay?
As preparation for today’s Interaction, give clear and concise instructions and model some of the expected production on the board. If you can get them to contribute to your examples, all the better. Before you let them start, be sure to assign roles to every student in every group, so they know exactly who’s supposed to do what—who leads, who follows, and so on. When at last they start working, step aside and observe. Resist the urge to approach them and help out unless your presence has been requested—and in those cases when you know they’re just not getting anywhere, of course.
Now to the second part of the activity. Rearrange the groups so your students have a chance to interact with as many people today as they possibly can. When they present their production within each group, they’re supposed to help each other out, even to the point of altering sentences if need be, so don’t forget to mention that—and model that, too—when you’re presenting the activity.
Today’s Closing will probably be one of those, right? It’s possible some students will be feeling frustrated—if not totally convinced the Present Perfect is the devil in disguise. Listen to them, but do not encourage an overall feeling of agreement that this verb form is too much to handle or anything like it. Make sure you’ve taken notes of successful moments they’ve experienced during Interaction and mention them now.
The Assignments are plenty and diverse for three level ranges. Cover them all, as usual, giving them good instructions and good examples. Need I say you have to use the board in the process?
All the best!
1 COMENTÁRIOS
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09.02.2012 | 11H02
DE:
Livia - YM Barra Funda
I think I've studied in more than 4 English schools and, it has always been difficult to understand the Present Perfect because the books never explain why and when we should use it. These classes made it a lot clearer for students.
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Discourse and Sociolinguistics
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