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”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania” EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE The County School Inspectorate, Braila, Romania Karabük Provincial Directorate of National Education, Turkey Braila 2014 The project was co-financed by the European Commission Lifelong Learning Programme, Comenius Regio

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Page 1: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE

The County School Inspectorate, Braila, Romania Karabük Provincial Directorate of National Education, Turkey Braila

2014

The project was co-financed by the European Commission Lifelong Learning Programme, Comenius Regio

Page 2: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information contained therein.

Autor Dincă Nicoleta

Brăila, iulie 2014

ISBN 978-973-0-17278-2

Page 3: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

1

2012 - 2014

"Language is the armory of the human mind, and at once contains the trophies of its past and the weapons of its future conquest."

(Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

Page 4: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

2

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements 4

Foreword 6

1. Lesson plan by Cristina Chifane 7

2. Lesson plan by Monica Șerban 18

3. Lesson plan by Rodica Neagu 28

4. Lesson plan by Corina Ciolacu 32

5. Lesson plan by Mariana Crăciun 37

6. Lesson plan by Olga Elena Stroe 42

7. Lesson plan by Tatiana Badea 49

8. Lesson plan by Roxana Nicolae 51

9. Lesson plan by Monica Iavorschi 53

10. Lesson plan by Mariana Caplea 56

11. Lesson plan by Anca Gheorghe 60

12. Lesson plan by Ümit Cebeci 64

13. Lesson plan by Arzu Uçar 69

14. Lesson plan by Mustafa Polat 73

15. Lesson plan by Ahmet Biçer 79

16. Lesson plan by Ismail Sezgin 83

17. Lesson plan by Dilek Kiraz Karadöngel 90

Page 5: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

3

Page 6: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

4

Acknowledgements

Our thanks and real appreciation is due to several professors from partner institutions in

the project from Braila - Romania and Karabük - Turkey, with whom we had the privilege of

working for two years to bear with us as we tried to find the best and innovative ways of

language learning strategies for their honesty in sharing their insecurities and uncertainties

about this topic, and for we thereby provindingus with the material on which this book is

bassed.

Erol GIRGIN Nicoleta DINCĂ

Karabük Directorate of Secondary School

National Education „Anton Pann”

Turkey Romania

Project coordinators

Page 7: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

5

Page 8: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

6

Foreword

The present booklet containing 17 lesson plans designed by the institutions in the

Comenius Regio partnership "New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and

Romania" is the result of the sustained efforts, discussions and reflections of the project's well-

equipped teaching staff.

It is worth mentioning that through this material, of considerable value, we intended to

inspire the new generation of young teachers by offering them a burst of creativity.

The methods upon which we all agreed are considered amongst the most innovative and

worthy to be part of any teacher's methodological kit. These are: drama, role-play, CLIL and last,

but not least, immersion.

The publication of this booklet has been made possible within the Comenius Regio

project “New approaches to foreign language teaching in Turkey and Romania”, implemented by

Karabük Provincial Directorate of National Education – Turkey and Braila School Inspectorate,

financed by the European Commission through the Lifelong Learning Programme..

In a multilingual Europe teaching and learning a foreign language represents a major

priority, a key factor in the Europe of the 21st century based on knowledge. Learning foreign

languages, particularly the English language, can open up the the path of our students and

teachers or of their decision factors.

The process of learning is regarded as a great opportunity throughout the life, as well as a

valuable accomplishment on the level of the human existence, not only to have access to careers

that previously seemed inaccessible, but also to stimulate them to new experiences with a view to

enriching these ones. We know that pretty often the teacher has to be creative, has to be a good

facilitator of the learning process and a good organiser. Through this project we proposed to

promote foreign languages in our regions, to develop new teaching methods and new

partnerships. Have you ever wondered why learning a foreign language differently? Because

today’s children are different, born at the same time with the technology, more liable to

challenges, more independent , always eager to discover something new.

In conclusion, we wanted this project because it offered us the opportunity of a better

career ,the chance to live, study or work in another country, of even more pleasant holidays, or

why not, a relationship with a person from another country.

Nicoleta DINCĂ, project coordinator from Romania

Erol GIRGIN, project coordinator from Turkey

Page 9: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

7

Page 10: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

8

PhD Cristina CHIFANE

Dunărea de Jos University of Galați, Romania

Cristina Chifane is currently post-doctorate researcher at

“Dunărea de Jos” University of Galaţi. In 2011, she has completed her

PhD thesis aiming at offering new insights into Translating Literature for

Children. She has a Master Degree in Translation and Interpretation from

“Dunărea de Jos” University of Galaţi (2006). Her research interests

include: translation and cultural studies, linguistics as well as English and

American literature. She has participated in national and international

conferences and has written a number of articles related to English

language and literature. She has taught English and Romanian classes to

high school students from “Petre S. Aurelian” High School in Brăila from

2004 to 2012 and she has taught practical English Courses and Courses of English History and

Civilization as Assistant Professor at “Constantin Brâncoveanu” University of Brăila from 2007

to 2013.

LESSON PLAN

DATE: 8 November 2013

CLASS: XIth

Grade

NO. OF STUDENTS: 15 students

LEVEL OF STUDENTS: Advanced

SCHOOL: “Gheorghe Munteanu Murgoci” National College, Brăila

TIME OF LESSON: 50 minutes

GENERAL THEME: Revision and Development of Grammar Structures

UNIT TOPIC: Dilemmas – Conditional Clauses

TIMETABLE FIT: Part of a series of lessons dedicated to the recognition and use of

conditional clauses in relevant contexts.

SKILLS: speaking, listening, reading, writing

AIMS:

to review the structures used in conditional sentences;

to introduce more advanced conditional structures, including alternatives to if and

inversion

OBJECTIVES:

to provide a personal ending to a sentence either under the form of a conditional clause or

a main clause;

to distinguish among different types of conditional clauses;

Page 11: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

9

to complete the grammar rules associated with conditional clauses;

to use the correct tenses required by various conditional clauses;

to match a conditional clause with a main clause according to logic and grammar;

to rephrase sentences either using alternatives of if or inversion through the omission of if

ASSUMPTIONS: Students are already familiarised with the main types of conditional clauses,

the contexts in which they are used and the tenses which their presence requires.

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS: Students might havedifficultiesin understanding mixed

conditionals or in providing alternatives to if.

METHODS AND TECHNIQUES: brainstorming, lockstep technique, group work, heuristic

conversation, grammar drills

AIDS: Power Point presentation, handouts, pictures

ASSESSMENT: teacher evaluation, student-student evaluation, self-evaluation

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. Barnes, Jane, Hyde, Drew, Kenny, Nick, Newbrook, Jacky (2006), Advanced Expert

CAE – Student’s Resource Book, Pearson Education Limited, Harlow

2. Bălan, Rada, Cehan, Anca, Ciută, Cristina, Dascălu, Mihaela, Elza, Gheorghiu, Olaru,

Eleonora (2003), In-Service Distance Training Course for Teachers of English,

Editura Polirom, Iaşi

3. Bell, Jan, Gower, Roger, Hyde, Drew (2006), Advanced Expert CAE – Coursebook,

Pearson Education Limited, Harlow

4. Bolitho, Rod, Tomlinson (1998), Discover English – A Language Awareness Workbook,

Macmillan Publishers Limited, Oxford

5. Hewings, Martin (2005), Advanced Grammar in Use, Cambridge University Press,

Cambridge

6. Kenny, Nick, Newbrook, Jacky, Acklam, Richard (2008), CAE Gold Plus - Coursebook,

Pearson Longman, New York

7. Vince, Michael, Sunderland, Peter (2003), Advanced Grammar and Vocabulary,

Macmillan Publishing Limited, Oxford

Page 12: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

10

WARM-UP

TIMING: 3 minutes

INTERACTION: T-S

PROCEDURE:

The discussion will start through a brainstorming regarding the meanings of the word

“dilemma”. During this stage the students will be asked to provide personal answers to the

following dilemmas:

If you were to see one of your colleagues cheating during an exam what would

you do?

If your teacher were to see a student cheating during an exam what would she do?

In this way, the teacher will introduce the topic of the lesson: Dilemmas – Conditional

Clauses with the revision and development of the respective grammar structures.

ACTIVITY 1

OBJECTIVES:

to provide a personal ending to a sentence either under the form of a conditional

clause or a main clause;

to distinguish among different types of conditional clauses

TIMING: 10 minutes

INTERACTION: T-S, S-S

PROCEDURE:

Throughout this activity and all the other activities students will be organized in 5 teams

which will be in a competition for the best team. They are going to watch a power point

presentation displaying pictures which show people facing a dilemma. The task of each team will

be to continue a sentence describing the people’s dilemmas by providing either a conditional

clause or a main clause and mentioning the type of conditional clause which has been used in

each sentence.

ACTIVITY 2

OBJECTIVE:

to complete the grammar rules associated with conditional clauses

TIMING: 7 minutes

INTERACTION: T-S, S-S

Page 13: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

11

PROCEDURE:

Students in each team will have to complete a number of rules on conditional clauses

(types of conditional clause, punctuation rules, alternatives of if, restriction rules, omission of if).

They will see the rules displayed on the power point presentation and they will also have them

on their handouts.

ACTIVITY 3

OBJECTIVE:

to use the correct tenses required by various conditional clauses

TIMING: 8 minutes

INTERACTION: T-S, S-S

PROCEDURE:

This activity will focus upon expressing imaginary regrets, regrets which famous people

might have had concerning certain events in their lives. Students are asked to complete

conditional clauses with the adequate tenses and to guess which famous character (great leaders

in history, successful businessmen, well-known actors or singers, exceptional writers etc.) might

have expressed a particular regret.

ACTIVITY 4

OBJECTIVE:

to match a conditional clause with a main clause according to logic and grammar

TIMING: 12 minutes

INTERACTION: T-S, S-S

PROCEDURE:

Students in each team will have to pick up two halves of two different sentences (a

conditional clause and a main clause). Another student will have the other half. When one

student reads his/her half, the student who has the other half will have to answer and read it.

Meanwhile, all the other students pay attention and complete all the sentences on their handouts.

ACTIVITY 5

OBJECTIVE:

to rephrase sentences either using alternatives of if or inversion through the omission of if

TIMING: 7 minutes

INTERACTION: T-S, S-S

Page 14: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

12

PROCEDURE:

Each team will have to rephrase one sentence in as many ways as possible using alternatives of if

(only if, otherwise, as long as, unless, providing, on condition that) and to rewrite two sentences

omitting if.

ASSESSMENT ANDHOME ASSIGNMENT – 3 minutes

Both the teacher and the students will evaluate the performance of each team and one of

the teams will be the winning team rewarded with high grades for their activity. The students’

home assignment will be to draw a list with ten major discoveries of humankind and to write

sentences describing how our life would have been different if these things had not been

invented.

Handout No. 1

Type 1 – Real Present

If Clause Main Clause Use

If + any present form

(a)……………… Simple,

Present Continuous or

……….. Perfect)

b)………………./Imperative/

can/may/might/must/should+bare

infinitive/Present Simple

true or likely to happen in

the future

If the weather c)…….. nice, we will go on excursion.

If you have done your homework, you d)………………TV.

If you have a headache, e)…………… an aspirin.

Type 2 – Unreal Present

If Clause Main Clause Use

If + f)…….. Simple or Past

Continuous

Would/could/might + bare

infinitive

untrue in the present; also

used to give advice

If I g)…………. you, I wouldn’t speak to him again.

If he h)……….. so many sweets, he i)………………. a problem with his teeth.

Type 3 – Imaginary situation contrary to facts in the past; also used to express regrets or

criticism

If Clause Main Clause Use

If + Past Perfect or j)

…………… Continuous

would/could/might + have +

past participle

untrue in the present; also

used to give advice

Page 15: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

13

If she k)……………. how to use the mixer, she wouldn’t have broken it.

When the if-clause precedes the main clause, we separate the two clauses with

l)…………….

If he had been more careful, he wouldn’t have caused the accident.

Conditionals are usually introduced by if. Other expressions are:

m)…………. (= if not)

providing

provided (that)

as long as

in case

on condition (that)

but for + ing form/n)………

otherwise

or else

what if

supposing

even if

only if

After if we normally use o)………… instead of was for all persons in

conditionals type 2 in formal English.

If I p)…………. you, I would tell her everything.

We do not normally use will, would or should in if-clauses.

If you want this, you can have it. (not: if you will want)

However, r)………., ……… or s)……….. can be used in if-clauses to make a

request or express annoyance, doubt/uncertainty or insistence.

Page 16: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

14

If you will/would be more patient, I’ll be with you in a minute. (request – Will

you please be more patient?)

If he should come, show him in. (doubt/uncertainty – I doubt that he will come)

Omission of “if”

If can be omitted in if-clauses. In this case, should, were and had (Past Perfect) come

before the subject.

If he should win the race, he’ll be very happy.

t)………………. the race, he’llbe very happy.

If I were you, I wouldn’t tell him.

u)..........................., I wouldn’t tell him.

If I had known the truth, I’d have called the police.

v)……………… the truth, I w)……………….the police.

Mixed Conditionals

All types of conditionals can be mixed. Any tense combination is possible if the context

permits it.

If-clause Main Clause

Type 2

If they were working all day,

(They were working all day

Type 1

theywill be tired now.

so they are tired now.)

Type 2

If I were you,

(You are not me

If he x)………. a better driver,

(He is not a good driver

Type 3

I would have accepted the job.

so you didn’t accept the job.)

he y)………………………….. the car.

so he crashed the car.)

Type 3

If she z)……………………. earlier,

(She didn’t finish earlier

Type 2

shewould be going to the party tonight.

so she isn’t going to the party.)

Handout No. 2

1. It (be) better if I (stay) at university in Germany and not gone back to Denmark.

2. If my army (outnumber), I (win) the Battle of Waterloo.

3. If I (deliver) the “I Have a Dream Speech”, the FBI agents (investigate) me my entire life.

4. I (have) a private life if I (found) Microsoft.

5. Maybe if I (divorce) Diana, her tragic accident (take place).

6. If I (be) obsessed with the color of my skin and the way I looked, I (pass through) so many

plastic surgery operations.

Page 17: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

15

7. Octavian (convince) the Roman Senate to levy war against Egypt if I (have) a relationship

with Cleopatra.

8. I (get) the Oscar for Best Actress for my part in Pretty Woman if Kathy Bates (play) so

exceptionally in Misery.

9. If I (be) in love with Daisy Buchanon, I (get married) and lived a happy life.

10. If I (write) The Satanic Verses, I (receive) death threats.

Handout no. 3

1. We will never get to the meeting a. the farmers will lose their crops.

2.Unless alternative sources of funding are

found

b. if the train doesn’t leave within five

minutes.

3. If the roads haven’t changed in that part of

town

c. I’m sure I’ll be able to find my way there.

4. If the weather doesn’t start improving soon, d. the research will not be able to continue.

5. If it isn’t ridiculously expensive, e. if you have been unemployed for six

months.

6. You are only entitled to state benefit f. I think I’ll buy that painting.

7. Unless the theatre is able to raise 100,000

pounds

g. if you saw the conditions in which the

refugees are living.

8. If it were to be found guilty of libel, h. there would be an outcry for students.

9. If the government were to increase

university fees,

i. I wouldn’t have gone out in the storm.

10. If I hadn’t already been busy in August, j. if I hadn’t studied economics at university.

11. You would be horrified k. he would have called me to say he was

going to be late.

12. If I had been afraid of lightening, l. it will have to close.

13. If he had got his phone with him, m. I’ll clean the house.

14. I wouldn’t understand how the economy

works

n. the newspaper would face huge legal costs.

15. If you tell me where the vacuum cleaner is, o. I would have gladly accepted your

invitation.

Handout no. 4

I. Rephrase the following in as many ways as possible using the words from the list below.

only if, otherwise, as long as, unless, providing, on condition that

Should you go to Rome, you must see the Colosseum.

You can swim but there must be an adult with you.

Page 18: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

16

Drive carefully so that you won’t have an accident.

He will get a bonus if productivity increases.

I’ll lend you the money, but you must pay me back soon.

II. Rewrite the following sentences omitting “if”:

If I were you, I would think twice before accepting his offer.

If you had brought more money with you, we could have gone on holiday.

If I were you, I’d leave an hour earlier to be sure of getting there on time.

If you get through to the theatre, could you reserve four tickets for tonight’s

performance?

If you had paid the telephone bill on time, your phone wouldn’t have been cut off.

Consult your doctor again if the symptoms remain 72 hours after starting the course of

medicine.

You would know what you have to do for homework, if you had not been absent from

school on Friday.

Clare would have been able to stay with her friends if they were still living in Brussels.

The shop would not have had to shut down if the workers were prepared to accept a wage

cut.

I might have considered taking the job if the salary had been higher.

REFLECTION

The lesson was dedicated to 11th

grade students, advanced level. It was part of a series of

lessons dedicated to the recognition and use of conditional clauses in relevant contexts. In the

context of a new approach to language teaching, developing grammar in context is extremely

important for the acquisition of language skills. Therefore, the teacher has resorted to a

combination of traditional and modern methods and techniques: brainstorming, lockstep

technique, group work, heuristic conversation and grammar drills.

Since the level of the students is advanced, the teacher started from the assumption that

they were already familiarized with the main types of conditional clauses, the contexts in which

they are used and the tenses which their presence requires. Emphasis was laid upon the fact that

students might have difficulties in understanding mixed conditionals or in providing alternatives

to if.

To attract and maintain students’ interest throughout the lesson, the teacher used a

number of aids such as: Power Point presentations, handouts or pictures. In addition, all types of

assessment were used: teacher evaluation, student-student evaluation or self-evaluation.

Page 19: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

17

Generally speaking, lessons designed to revise and develop grammar structures need to

be carefully planned and organized by teachers since repetitive mechanical drills or retroversion

exercises are not particularly stimulating for students.

The lesson “Dilemmas – Conditional Clauses” had two main aims: to review the

structures used in conditional sentences and to introduce more advanced conditional structures,

including alternatives to if and inversion. Throughout the lesson and at the end of the lesson, the

students were supposed to be able to: provide a personal ending to a sentence either under the

form of a conditional clause or a main clause; distinguish among different types of conditional

clauses; complete the grammar rules associated with conditional clauses; use the correct tenses

required by various conditional clauses; match a conditional clause with a main clause according

to logic and grammar and rephrase sentences either using alternatives of if or inversion through

the omission of if.

Planned for 50 minutes, the lesson included warm-up time, five activities and assessment

and home assignment.

The warm-up consisted in a brainstorming regarding the meanings of the word

“dilemma”. The students were asked questions meant to challenge them and incite their curiosity

(If you were to see one of your colleagues cheating during an exam what would you do?; If your

teacher were to see a student cheating during an exam what would she do?). By answering these

questions, students used conditional clauses in context and the teacher had the opportunity to

introduce the topic of the lesson: Dilemmas – Conditional clauses with the revision and

development of the respective grammar structures.

Throughout the entire lesson students were organized in 5 teams which were in

competition for the best team. The interactive character of such an approach made students get

involved and want to participate.

During Activity 1, students were watching a power point presentation displaying pictures

which showed people facing a dilemma. A representative from each team had to continue 3

sentences describing people’s dilemmas by providing either a conditional clause or a main clause

and mentioning the type of conditional clause which has been used in each sentence. The

students concentrated on the task and reacted positively to the teacher’s requirements, but instead

of 3 sentences only 1 sentence would have been enough to finish the activity more quickly.

On the basis of their previous knowledge and practice, during Activity 2 students had to

complete a number of rules on conditional clauses (types of conditional clauses, punctuation

rules, alternatives of if, restriction rules, omission of if). They saw the rules displayed on the

power point presentation and they also had them on their handouts so students from all teams

could follow and complete them when a representative from another team provided an answer.

In addition to developing students’ language skills, activity 3 contributed to testing and

developing their general knowledge. As a consequence, it focused upon expressing imaginary

regrets, regrets which famous people might have had concerning certain events in their lives.

Page 20: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

18

Students were asked to complete conditional clauses with the adequate tenses and to guess which

famous character (great leaders in history, successful businessmen, well-known actors or singers,

exceptional writers etc.) might have expressed a particular regret.

Activity 4 relied upon student-student interaction at the same time requiring the attention

of all the other students since students in each team had to pick up two halves of two different

sentences (a conditional clause and a main clause). When one student read his/her half, the

student who had the other half had to pay attention and read his/her part. Meanwhile, all the

other listened to the exchanges and completed all the sentences on their handouts.

Due to objective reasons there was no time left for activity 5 so all students received

handouts to solve the task at home.

At the end of the lesson, both the teacher and the students evaluated the performance of

each team and two teams were the winning teams rewarded with high grades for their activity.

The students’ home assignment was to draw a list with ten major discoveries of humankind and

to write sentences describing how our life would have been different if these things had not been

invented. The respective home assignment focused not only on the development of grammar

structures, but also on stimulating students’ creativity, enhancing their vocabulary and raising

their awareness with respect to the evolution of science and technology.

“Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom.”

(Roger Bacon)

Page 21: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

19

Ph. D. Assistant professor Monica ȘERBAN

Constantin Brancoveanu University, Braila, Romania

”My name is Monica Șerban and I am a teacher of English and

French at “Constantin Brancoveanu” University of Braila. In 1997, I

graduated “Nicolae Balcescu” College from Braila in the field of

Mathematics - Physics, English intensively and then, in 2001, I

graduaded “Transilvania” University of Brasov, Romania, Faculty of

Sciences in the field of English language and literature-French language

and literature.

Afterwords, in 2007, I obtained my Master Diploma in English

Translation and Interpretation at “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati,

Romania, Faculty of Letters and Theology. I completed my studies, in 2011, with my Ph. D.

Diploma in Translation as Intercultural Communication. My Doctoral studies were accomplished

at “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati, Romania, Faculty of Letters and Theology. In 2012, I

compiled a University course entitled “English for Specific Purposes” in collaboration with

Georgiana Mîndreci (coord.), Cristina Chifane, Raluca Prundeanu, Ramona Chițu, Adela

Dumitrescu at “Constantin Brancoveanu” University of Braila. In 2014, I published my Ph. D.

thesis entitled “Translation as Intercultural Communication”. At present, I am writing papers be

published on International Conferences on Economics, Translation and Culture”

SEMINAR PLAN

TEACHER: Professor Assistant, Ph. D. Monica Șerban

AREAL: “Constantin Brâncoveanu” University

DATE: the 31st of October 2013

LEVEL: 1st year students

TIME: 100 min.

TOPIC: Mobility of Labour and Migration

SKILLS: speaking, reading-comprehension, writing

TYPE OF INTERACTION: T-S; S-T; S-S

Assumptions: The students are familiar with parallel corpora descriptions and with the steps to

take in compiling a glossary

Anticipated Problems:

Problems which occur in brainstorming the new lexis;

The need to look up words, phrases and collocations in dictionaries

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contained therein.

20

Problems which occur in differentiating between simple past tense and simple present

perfect;

Problems which occur in the translating process;

Difficulties in the attempts to bridge cultural gaps.

Students’ Contribution:

Brainstorming items of vocabulary;

Deducing lexis and grammatical patterns;

Providing meaningful contexts;

Interacting with the teacher when exposing real-life situations;

Furnishing definitions with the aim of compiling a glossary;

Finding similarities and dissimilarities between the simple past tense and the simple

present prefect.

Teacher’s Contribution:

Enlarging on the cross-cultural communication, cultural specificity and identity beyond

borders, still the source of further controversies;

Presenting theoretical aspects which favour applicability to a number of drills with

reference to real - life situations;

Suggesting and adapting a number of schemata to the purpose of the seminar’s topics;

Providing a number of definitions for the terms to be explicated in the glossary;

Compiling a glossary with the aim of explaining crucial terms.

Aim:

To provide students with speaking, reading-comprehension and writing practice;

To give students confidence in their ability to use English vocabulary and grammatical

patterns; also to get involved in the communicative activities within the seminar;

To stir students’ interest in and curiosity about all sorts of topics that they feel it will

matter to them.

Objectives:

To offer different views on the topic;

To suggest new definitions;

To compile a glossary with the aim of explaining crucial terms;

To enlarge vocabulary;

To learn vocabulary by means of various drills;

To check the validity and applicability of the vocabulary items in various contexts;

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contained therein.

21

To find similarities and dissimilarities between the simple past tense and the simple;

present prefect by means of a number of schemata and various drills;

To personalize the topic;

To check the validity and applicability of the grammatical patterns to intercultural

communicationș;

To find corresponding patterns in the TLC and identify significantly different ones;

To find solutions for cases of identical translatability.

DIDACTIC STRATEGIES:

Aids: the students themselves, coursebook, hand-outs, flipchart, computer (Power-Point)

Method: Communicative

Class Management: individual work, pair work, group work

ACTIVITY 1: Warming up

Aim: Checking and reinforcing previous knowledge

Procedure: The teacher helps the students to recall the vocabulary items they have met before

and their explication and puts forward the objectives for the first part of the seminar. The

students answer the teacher’s questions related to the previous topic.

Interaction: T-S, S-T

Time: 7’

ACTIVITY 2: Pre-teaching lexis

Aim: Providing the context for the introduction of the new language

Procedure: The teacher tells the students a parable and asks them questions. The students listen

to it and answer the teacher’s questions.

Interaction: T-S, S-T

Time: 5’

ACTIVITY 3: Pre-teaching lexis (Lead-in)

Aim1: Brainstorming the new vocabulary

Aim2: Stirring the students’interest in the topic and developing speaking skills

Procedure: The teacher tells the students a parable and asks them questions. The students listen

to it and answer the teacher’s questions.

Interaction: T-S, S-T

Time: 3’

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contained therein.

22

ACTIVITY 4: Presenting lexis (While-teaching lexis)

Aim: Developing speaking skills and raising awareness of the words around the students. As

their awarenss increases, so will their vocabulary.

Procedure: The teacher determines the students to deduce the new items of vocabulary.

Moreover, she provides her own list of definitions for the students to take into account when

compiling the final glossary. The students read the definitions and listen to the teacher’s

explanations.

Interaction: T-S, S-T

Time: 5’

ACTIVITY 5: Practising lexis

Aim: Developing speaking skills

Procedure: The teacher asks the students to find the right collocation as exposed in the Power-

Point presentation. Moreover, they are asked to do exercise VII on page 55. The students find the

right collocation and do the exercise.

Interaction: T-S, S-S

Time: 5’

ACTIVITY 6: Practising lexis

Aim: Developing speaking skills

Procedure: The teacher asks the students to do exercise II on page 54. The students do the

exercise based on synonyms and antonyms.

Interaction: T-S, S-S

Time: 3’

ACTIVITY 7: Practising lexis

Aim: Developing speaking skills

Procedure: The teacher asks the students to do exercise III on page 54. The students do the

exercise based on filling the gaps with the words and syntagms from a box.

Interaction: T-S, S-T, S-S

Time: 5’

ACTIVITY 8: Consolidating the new lexis (Post-teaching lexis)

Aim: Reiterating the new vocabulary

Procedure: The teacher asks the students to do exercises IV, V, VI on page 54. The students do

the exercises and check their answers with their group colleagues.

Interaction: T-S, S-T, S-S

Time: 12’

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contained therein.

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ACTIVITY 9: Revising lexis (Post-teaching lexis)

Aim 1: Developing scanning skills

Aim2: Leading into reading

Procedure: The teacher asks the students to do exercise I on page 54. The students do the

exercise and decide individually whether the statements are True or False.

Interaction: T-S, S-T

Time: 5’

ACTIVITY 10: Pre-teaching grammar

Aim 1: Providing the context for the introduction of the new grammar

Aim 2: Developing scanning skills

Procedure: The teacher asks the students to read particular passages from the book so that they

should pay particular attention to the new structures to be introduced. The students read the

passages loudly.

Interaction: T-S, S-T

Time: 3’

ACTIVITY 11: While-teaching grammar (Approaches to structural form)

Aim : Explaining grammar in detail (deductively)

Procedure: The teacher puts forward the objectives for the second part of the seminar and

presents the language by means of a parallel corpora (Simple Past Tense vs. Simple Present

Perfect). The students pay attention to the details.

Interaction: T-S

Time: 5’

ACTIVITY 12: While-teaching grammar (Approaches to structural form)

Aim : Letting the students hear and see and be drawn their attention on form (inductively)

Procedure: The teacher draws a parallel between the two tenses by following three steps. The

students pay attention to the details.

Interaction: T-S

Time: 5’

ACTIVITY 13: While-teaching grammar (Approaches to structural form)

Aim : Challenging the students to discover how language works (discovery techniques)

Procedure: The teacher asks the students questions related to the formation of the two tenses. The

students answer the questions and discover the grammatical patterns by temselves.

Interaction: T-S, S-T

Time: 5’

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contained therein.

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ACTIVITY 14: While-teaching grammar (Approaches to structural form)

Aim : Checking the understanding of grammar

Procedure: The teacher asks the students to correct the following sentences if any correction

should be operated. The students reflect and do this exercise orally.

Interaction: T-S, S-T

Time: 3’

ACTIVITY 15: Practising grammar

Aim : Engaging in communicative activities by completing personal forms

Procedure: The teacher asks the students to do the first exercise on the hand-out individually.

The students write this exercise and self-correct themselves.

Interaction: T-S, S-T

Time: 5’

ACTIVITY 16: Practising grammar

Aim : Manipulating the grammatical patterns through activities

Procedure: The teacher asks the students to do the second exercise on the hand-out in groups of

four. The students write this exercise and correct themselves by interacting with the other groups.

Interaction: T-S, S-S

Time: 5’

ACTIVITY 17: Practising grammar

Aim : Engaging in communicative activities by completing personal forms Procedure: The

teacher asks the students to do the third exercise on the hand-out in pairs. The students write this

exercise and correct themselves in pairs.

Interaction: T-S, S-T, S-S

Time: 5’

ACTIVITY 18: Practising grammar

Aim : Checking the understanding of grammar

Procedure: The teacher asks the students to correct the following sentences if any correction

should be operated. The students reflect and do this exercise individually.

Interaction: T-S, S-T

Time: 5’

ACTIVITY 19: Revising grammar

Aim : Checking the understanding of grammar

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contained therein.

25

Procedure: The teacher asks the students to write the correct verbal tense between brackets. The

students do this exercise individually.

Interaction: T-S, S-T

Time: 8’

ACTIVITY 20: Follow up assignment

Aim : Compiling a part of the glossary and do the final exercises from both the hand-out and the

coursebook.

Procedure: The teacher explains how the assignment to be done

Interaction: T-S

Time: 1’

REFLECTION

The project entitled “New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and

Romania” aims at finding new methods and techniques of foreign language teaching. From our

perspective, this intercultural project offers us the opportunity to view the teaching of the English

language, as a foreign language, from a modern perspective, that is, from a cultural one. In fact,

it was in that light that our seminar entitled “Mobility of Labour and Migration” we designed.

Moreover, it is the definition of the term “interculture” that spreads a new light on the target of

this project. As culturalists assert, interculture refers to the interactions between cultures where

each group values the traditions, perspectives and contributions of the other. In addition, the

goals of interculturalism are to enhance mutual understanding, reduce marginalization and build

inclusion.

In point of fact, it was from this perspective that we thought the plan of our seminar. More

specifically, this seminar was conceived as a quest with a view to opening a communication

channel between cultures. Nonetheless, we would like to mention that by culture we mean the

culture of an individual or of a group. We attempted to offer a new way of viewing intercultural

communication, that is, through a cultural filter. We also endeavoured to make the Romanian

culture better-known by the English-speaking people abroad.

The seminar entitled “Mobility of Labour and Migration” was intended for the first year

students in “Constantin Brancoveanu” University of Braila. In our opinion, this topic is both an

actual and vital one. In our opinion, the continuous contact between distinct communities carried

out by phenomena such as migration and globalization is in fashion nowadays. The increase of

migration of workers, especially from developing countries to the developed world, is posing

serious challenges. Additionally, the phenomenon of globalization has lead to the augmentation

of migration which altered the feeling of identity and affiliation to one national culture. We

consider that, in the contemporary society, various realities are subjected to negotiation:

language, culture, political ideology and even religion.

The flow across peoples entails a shift between languages and cultures. When constrained to

remove from their homeland, migrants encounter a new and unfamiliar environment which they

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contained therein.

26

have to adjust to. Competence in learning a new language becomes a prerequisite in surviving

the new environment. Moreover, in the process, their identities will suffer a range of alterations.

In our opinion, the diversity of language groups spread throughout Europe has built a barrier to

communication. Nonetheless, variety represents a step towards mutual improvement for the

speakers who achieve competence in speaking more than one language. We consider it important

to distinguish between multilingualism and plurilingualism and discuss their effects on

communication. In the former situation, the emergence of numerous language communities in

society erects a barrier to communication between them, whereas in the latter situation, the

competence of a person to speak more than one language serves to building a bridge between

communities.

All these problems were included in the unit discussed together with our students. In

point of structure, this seminar comprised two parts: one dealing with vocabulary (lasting for 50

minutes) and the other, dealing with grammar (lasting for 50 minutes). This seminar aimed at

developing skills such as: speaking, reading-comprehension and writing. Moreover, the types of

interaction had in view were: teacher-student, student-teacher and student-student.

Before initiating this seminar, our students were familiar with parallel corpora

description and with the steps to take in compiling a glossary. As every manager of the

classroom, we have anticipated some particular problems that we might have encountered during

the seminar such as: problems which might have occurred in brainstorming the new lexis, the

need to look up words, phrases and collocations in dictionaries, problems which might have

occurred in differentiating between simple past tense and simple present perfect, problems which

might have arisen in the translating process and some difficulties in the attempts to bridge

cultural gaps.

Furthermore, we had in view to provide students with speaking, reading-comprehension and

writing practice, to give students confidence in their ability to use English vocabulary and

grammatical patterns, to get involved in the communicative activities within the seminar and to

stir the students’ interest in and curiosity about all sorts of topics that they feel it will matter to

them.

Additionally, the objectives aimed were: to offer different views on the topic, to suggest new

definitions, to compile a glossary with the aim of explaining crucial terms, to enlarge vocabulary,

to learn vocabulary by means of various drills, to check the validity and applicability of the

vocabulary items in various contexts, to find similarities and dissimilarities between the simple

past tense and the simple present prefect by means of a number of schemata and various drills, to

personalize the topic, to check the validity and applicability of the grammatical patterns to

intercultural communication, to find corresponding patterns in the TLC and identify significantly

different ones and to find solutions for cases of identical translatability.

The first part of the seminar regarding lexis comprised nine activities such as: warming

up, pre-teaching lexis, pre-teaching lexis (providing a lead-in the topic), presenting lexis (while-

teaching lexis), practising lexis (three activities), consolidating the new lexis (post-teaching

lexis) and revising lexis (post-teaching lexis).

More detailed, the warming-up aimed at checking and reinforcing previous knowledge.

The second activity, namely pre-teaching lexis, aimed at providing the context for the

introduction of the new language. The lead-in had in view the brainstorming of the new

vocabulary and stirring the students’ interest in the topic. The fourth activity, namely presenting

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contained therein.

27

lexis (while-teaching lexis), aimed both at developing speaking skills and at raising awareness of

the world around our students. As their awareness increases, so will their vocabulary. The next

three activities regarding practising lexis were directed at developing speaking skills.

Consolidating the new lexis (post-teaching lexis) aimed at reiterating the new vocabulary and

revising lexis (post-teaching lexis) pointed at developing scanning skills.

The second part of the seminar concerning grammar encompassed ten activities such

as: pre-teaching grammar, while-teaching grammar (approaches to structural form: four

activities), practising grammar (four activities) and revising grammar. In addition, the final

activity was a follow-up assignment.

Thoroughly, pre-teaching grammar aimed at providing the context for the introduction of the

new grammar. The four activities concerning while-teaching grammar (approaches to structural

form) pointed at explaining grammar in detail (deductively), letting the students hear and see and

be drawn their attention on form (inductively), challenging the students to discover how

language works (discovery techniques) and at checking the understanding of grammar. The next

activities regarding practising grammar aimed at engaging in communicative activities by

completing personal forms, manipulating the grammatical patterns through activities and at

checking the understanding of grammar. Eventually, revising grammar pointed at checking the

understanding of grammar. The follow-up assignment regarded a compilation of a glossary and a

sum of exercises from the hand-outs.

We would also like to mention that the method used during this seminar was the communicative

one. This is a modern method as the classroom becomes more student-centered with the teacher

allowing for students to output the language more often on their own. This method was

materialized into discussions around parables, deductions of the new items of vocabulary, into

determining students to find right collocations for the new lexis. The teacher attempted to stir the

students’ interest by communicating her own point of view on the subject matter and by

providing examples from her own background.

As regards grammar, the parallel corpora method fitted the purpose of our seminar.

More exactly, grammar was presented inductively, deductively and by discovery techniques.

These techniques were used in order to keep the channel of communication open and to stir

interest and imagination.

The aids were the students themselves, a coursebook, some hand-outs, a flipchart, a blackboard

and a computer (two Power-Point presentations: one including vocabulary and the other

comprising grammar). We considered that the class management should better serve our purpose

if it were thought as individual work, pair work and group work.

Our students’ contribution to the seminar’s topic was to brainstorm items of vocabulary,

to deduce lexis and grammatical patterns, to provide meaningful contexts, to interact with the

teacher when exposing real-life situations, to furnish definitions with the aim of compiling a

glossary and to find similarities and dissimilarities between the simple past tense and the simple

present prefect.

Conversely, the teacher’s contribution to the seminar’s topic was to enlarge on the cross-cultural

communication, cultural specificity and identity beyond borders, still the source of further

controversies, to present theoretical aspects which favour applicability to a number of drills with

reference to real - life situations, to suggest and adapt a number of schemata to the purpose of the

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contained therein.

28

seminar’s topics, to provide a number of personal definitions for the terms to be explicated in the

glossary and to compile a glossary with the aim of explaining crucial terms.

The last part of our seminar dealt with a discussion aiming at attaining the proposed

objectives. The discussion revolved around issues such as: presenting vocabulary, practising and

revising vocabulary. In this respect, the students reacted as expected, that is to say, they were

able to understand the new lexis. When practicing lexis, they had some difficulties in

pronunciation but they were overcome. When revising vocabulary, the students were able to

provide an accurate feed-back.

As regards grammar, the first stage, that is presenting grammar, was very dynamic since the

students reacted as expected. They deduced the new grammatical patterns very easily. With

reference to practicing and producing grammatical patterns, the students had some difficulties in

writing the right forms of the irregular verbs in the simple past tense and simple present perfect.

When revising grammar, the students proved to manage the grammatical patterns very well.

Eventually, the selected references employed to serve the purpose of our seminar were the

following:

Bassnett, S. (2002) Translation Studies (3rd rev. ed.) London: Routledge.

Carter, R. (2006) Working with Texts, London and New York: Routledge.

Chen and Starosa (1996) ’Intercultural Communication Competence: a synthesis’

Thousand Oaks: Sage, qtd. inDollerup, C. (2006) Basics of Translation Studies, Iaşi:

Institutul European.

Croitoru, E. (2011) ‘Translating Identity: Rethinking, Right Wording and

Reconceptualization’, in L. Frenţiu, (ed.), Romanian Journal of English Studies,

Timişoara: EdituraUniversităţii de Vest, pp. 146-154.

Cronin, M. (2003) Translation and Globalization, London: Routledge.

Cronin, M. (2006) Translation and Identity, London and New York: Routledge.

D’haen, T. and P. Vermeulen (2006) Cultural Identity and Postmodern Writing,

Amsterdam/New York: Rodopi.

Duranti, A. (2001) Key Terms in Language and Culture, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.

Mândreci, G, Șerban, M.. (2013) English for Specific Purposes, Pitești: Ed.

IndependențaEconomică.

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contained therein.

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Rodica NEAGU

National College ”Gh . Munteanu Murgoci”, Brăila, România

”I graduated from University of Bucharest in 1977, specialising in two foreign languages: French and English. For the first 12 years I taught English at junior school level. Since 1990, when I successfully competed for a post at an elite organisation of secondary education, I have been an English teacher at Colegiul Național “Gh. M. Murgoci”. Given my interest in self development, I applied for and won two Comenius grants in the U.K., within the Lifelong Learning Programme. Promoting excellence in TEFL and raising cultural awareness in students have been the guiding

principles in my career.

LESSON PLAN

CLASS – 10th

grade, Maths-Computer Science with bilingual study of English

LEVEL – B2.2 (Common European Framework)

SUBJECT- What is happiness ?

ACTIVITY – Debate on the following motion:

“Happiness does not mean having what you want, but wanting what you have.”

TEACHING AIDS:

Coursebook MISSION 2 (Unit II, Part 2)

Posters & Stickers

Worksheet

CLASS MANAGEMENT:

Pair – work

Group – work

Lockstep

INTERACTION:

Student – student

Teacher –students

GENERAL AIM : transition from the artificial setting of the classroom to real life situations

OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES: the students will be able todoresearch on a certain topic,

supply and organise information following the pattern of a formal debate,

summarise the information and draw conclusions,

express personal opinions,

use relevant arguments to support their opinions,

be persuasive.

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ASSUMPTIONS – Generally, adolescents are eager to discuss issues they feel strongly about.

They also like competition.

EXPECTED RESULTS:

abilities

better fluency and delivery;

coherence and logical flow of ideas;

increased self-confidence when speaking in public;

persuasiveness;

values

courtesy;

democratic attitude;

competition and cooperation;

discipline and self-discipline;

MAIN ACTIVITY

Preparation

deciding on the motion (source – coursebook);

making up the teams (3 proposers and 3 opposers);

appointing a chairperson and a time-keeper;

brainstorming for ideas on both sides;

introducing the model of formal debate;

stages

introduction of topic/type of activity

(3’) teacher elicits from students examples of situations that made them happy

(3’) students work in pairs to unjumble the stages of a formal debate (model: British

Parliament)

debate(25’)

- The Chairperson, time-keeper and the 6 speakers take their seats in front of the audience.

- The Chairperson reads the motion and introduces the members of the 2 teams (Proposers and

Opposers).

- The first 2 speakers of each team take turns to present their arguments/counterarguments; the

3rd

gives the summation speech for their respective team.

- A floor-debate follows, with members of the audience asking for clarification or challenging

points made either in favour or against the motion.

- The vote is taken.

- The Chairperson counts the votes and declares whether the motion is carried or defeated.

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31

Follow-up(7’)

Students are asked to group words/statements into two categories “Pursue happiness” and

“Enjoy happiness”, which summarise the messages in favour or against the motion (two separate

sections of Bb.)

Homework (5’) – individual project work. Suggested subheadings:

Definitions of happiness (Happiness is....)

Thanksgiving Diary (Thank God...)

The ten Commandments of a Happy Life

Tips on How to Fight Depression

Favourite Quotes on Happiness

ARGUMENT

Why “debate” ?

According to the Karl Popper theory, one of the passionate advocates of its educational

role, the debate is “an essential tool for developing and maintaining democracy in open

societies”. As such, the debate format prompts free discussion rather than aggressive

confrontation, offering opponents the ideal environment to discuss controversial issues, without

recourse to insults, emotional pressure or bias.

Although the two sides rarely agree at the end of a debate, they have the chance, by then,

to examine thoroughly the problem under discussion and get nearer to the truth while making

their point. “Honest disagreement is often a sign of progress.” (M.Gandhi)

Teaching English for communication purposes can turn to the debate as a technique that

allows students to use the language naturally and persuasively, as well as approach a topic from

their personal standpoint.

As a learning activity, the debate meets the requirements of the National Curriculum

regarding:

General competences

Oral/written interaction;

Transfer of oral/written messages to different communication situations.

Specific competences

Identifying and selecting relevant information from a variety of authentic sources, with a

view to achieving a structural task;

Expressing opinions on topical issues;

Adapting the form of the message to the respective communication situation, by means of

the appropriate language functions.

Moral values

Teamwork spirit

Flexibility when exchanging ideas.

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32

Above all, the debate develops extremely valuable life skills, like: doing research, working in a

team and communicating effectively. Focusing on critical thinking and logical argumentation,

the debate will prove to be useful not only at the school level (argumentative essays, oral exams,

presentations) but also in the world of work, or in the civic society: as citizens of democratic

societies, today’s students will be called to pass judgements and make informed choices in order

to defend and maintain democracy.

Why “happiness” ?

Because happiness means different things to different people, depending on the priorities

of each person, which is likely to lead to a clash of ideas. The two definitions that make up the

motion appear to be mutually exclusive, sparking controversy.

Furthermore, the pursuit of happiness is a deeply human aspiration that underlies all our

endeavours, regardless of age, but does so particularly in adolescence. Today’s youth need to

build their identity and shape their moral values against the background of the contemporary

consumer society, whose materialistic philosophy ought to be balanced with ethical principles.

REFLECTIONS

1. The formal debate adopted as a method of teaching – learning English, although not

completely new, can be considered modern, as it is an activity designed to encourage

communication and free exchange of ideas in our increasingly complex societies. As well as this,

it is a student-centred method – the student becomes the subject of learning. He/she collects

information on the topic to be debated upon, analyses the data and builds arguments, interacts

with team members, organises his discourse logically and convincingly, listens to the

counterarguments, highlights any weaknesses, synthesises the information, makes a final point.

Therefore, debating develops both the communicative competence and the cognitive skills of

students, which are at the centre of modern foreign language theory and practice.

The relevance and popularity of this format account for the numerous Debate Societies organised

by Romanian schools, but also for the initiatives at the European level, such as the European

Youth Parliament, whose sessions reunite young people from across the continent, in an attempt

to find answers to global issues, - all this in English, the global language.

2. The actual realisation of the afore – mentioned lesson plan was partly affected by the specific

circumstances “on the ground”. In my opinion, a filmed lesson does not do much justice to the

activity itself. Due to the pressure of performing to the best of his/her ability, the teacher – in

particular – experiences a kind of stage fright. In my case, this showed towards the end of the

lesson, which caused a little confusion among the students.

Nevertheless, I reckon that, overall, the aim and the operational objectives were reached

and that the learners enjoyed the lesson and participated actively.

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contained therein.

33

Corina CIOLACU

National College ”Gh. Munteanu Murgoci, Brăila, România

Teacher of English at the “Gh. M. Murgoci” National College in

Braila, Romania.She got her Bachellor of Arts degree in English

Language & Literature at the “Al. I. Cuza” University in Iasi,

Romania. She obtained the “First Teaching Degree” (the highest

qualification for the highschool teachers in Romania) as far back as

1991. She competed for and received two major grants for English

teachers in the United Kingdom, improving her teaching methods and

skills at The Institute ofApplied Linguistics, Edinburgh - Scotland and “The Mayflower College

of English”, Plymouth – England. Also she attended numerous conferences, seminars or events

organized for the EFL teachers in different venues. She organized several cultural trips to Britain

with her students. Her students always pass their English exams (all levels, including the

highschool finals, the Cambridge exams, etc) with top grades. Also their results in different

language competitions and contests are excellent.

LESSON PLAN

HIGHSCHOOL: C.N.”Gh. M. Murgoci”

TEACHER: Corina Ciolacu

CLASS: 11 B (Bilingual, 5h/week)

LEVEL: Advanced

NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 15

DATE: 2013, October 30

TIME OF LESSON: 10-11 h

TEXTBOOK: CAE Gold Plus

LESSON TOPIC: ”Pushing the Boundaries”

APPROACH: Communicative, computer-based

LESSON AIMS:

to develop students` ability to work in teams (managing everything that team work

means);

to stimulate students` creativity and responsibility by allowing them to do free- choice

final presentation;

to motivate students to do further individual research, topic-related;

to introduce vocabulary related to the topic ( science );

to determine students to speak freely, express personal opinions, debate.

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34

Note : In fact, this class is a hybrid between a regular textbook-based lesson and project work

activity, with special emphasis on the latter. Also, being computer-based, it will take place in a

Computer Lab.

ACTIVITY 1 : Warm Up

Objective: To introduce and approach the topic of the lesson (science)

Class Organisation: whole-class activity

Estimated Time: 5`

Materials: The class textbook

Description of the activity: Teacher asks SS some questions about science

ACTIVITY 2 : Presentation of some interesting aspects/ultimate researches in the field of

different sciences

Class Organisation: teamwork

Estimated Time: ~ 20`

Materials: Computer Prezi, overhead projector

Description of activity: T told SS they were going to study a lesson about Science 1 week

before asking them what sciences they were particularly interested in and if they would like to

present everybody some aspects of their main interests. They responded enthusiastically as they

attend a scientific profile. So they split into working teams according to the sciences they were

keen on. Then they established what aspects to tackle and started gathering materials. They

decided to present it under this form of a Prezi, as being a more modern, more functional and

even more attractive design than the usual PowerPoint slides.

Note: This was the project work segment of the lesson since T only launched the idea and SS did

absolutely everything themselves, starting with choosing what sciences to approach, then the

structure of every team, etc and all this was done as an extra-school activity, having complete

freedom from T`s part.

ACTIVITY 3: Mini-debates focusing on topics related to the sciences under discussion

Class Organisation: Group work

Estimated Time: ~ 20-25`

Materials: Debate-generating questions

Description of activity: T asked each team to think of at least one question related to the

specific scientific domain they worked on, write it on a piece of paper, put it into an envelope

and give it to me at the very beginning of the lesson. This way, nobody knows the questions in

advance and they will come as mind-blowing, debate-generating problems. Thus the SS will

have the opportunity of speaking freely, giving their opinions, appealing to their knowledge,

finding/discussing a quick solution to a problem, in one word interacting.

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35

ACTIVITY 4: Home assignment

The students are asked to revise Conditional Clauses (which they studied in the past) and are

given handouts containing 40 sentences to be rephrased into If-clauses with a given beginning.

Note: I am attaching a sample handout.

CONDITIONALS

Re-write the sentences so that they have the same meaning as the original.

1. I didn't go to Helen's party because she didn't invite me.

If .......

2. We'll go to the beach unless it rains.

If ............

3. Ann can't buy a new car because she hasn't got enough money.

Ann ....

4. You can get access to the Intranet only by having a password.

You ..........

5. She feels lonely since she hasn't got any friends.

If ............

6. Should you require more information, ask at the desk.

If ...........

7. Jim missed the plane because he arrived late at the airport.

Jim ........

8. Carlos Sainz didn't win the Monte Carlo Rally because his car broke down.

Carlos ........

9. I don't have a modem, so I can't e-mail you.

I ..............

10. I didn't send them a postcard because I didn't know their new address.

If ...........

11. She isn't passing her exams because she isn't studying hard enough.

If ..................

12. I'd like to buy a bigger flat, but I haven't got enough money.

If ..................

13. I didn't get to the meeting on time because my car broke down.

If .................

14. I never travel by plane because I get ear ache.

If ..................

15. I won't go to the party if you don't go with me.

Unless ..................

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36

16. If I had been told about the situation, I would have dismissed them.

You ..................

17. The restaurant was full so we couldn't get a table.

If ..................

18. I'm too busy to go to the pub.

If ..................

19. Ice melts down when you heat it.

If ..................

20. You can attend the meeting as long as you are a club member.

If .............

21. We didn't see The Two Towers because the cinema was closed.

We .............

22. She doesn't understand because you haven't explained the situation to her.

If ..............

23. You won't get a promotion if your work doesn't improve.

Unless ............

24. I never eat octupus because I get sick.

If .........

25. We didn't pick you up at the station because you didn't phone us.

Had .............

26. The government won't win the elections unless they create employment.

If ...........

27. I'll buy I new computer provided that I get a rise in salary.

Only if ...........

28. She wanted to buy that picture, but she didn't have enough money.

Provided ...........

29. Whenever I make a promise, I keep it.

If ............

30. We haven't got any matches, so we can't light a fire.

Unless ............

31. I didn't renew my subscription because I lost interest in the magazine's articles.

I .............

32. He was too slow to win the race.

If .................

33. I won't go to Rio unless I find a cheap flight.

If ...........

34. I never sunbathe because I get sunburt easily.

I ...........

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37

35. She will understand you provided that you don't speak too fast.

Only if ...............

36. He won't come for a drink because he's got work to do.

Unless ..............

37. She's too young to get a driving licence.

She ..............

38. They lost the match because of the heavy rain.

But for .........

If ...........

39. Whenever Peter and I meet, we talk about the good old times.

In case ........

40. Should you see Paul, tell him about the meeting.

In case ...............

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38

Mariana CRĂCIUN

National College ”Gh. Munteanu Murgoci”, Brăila, România

”I am a graduate from Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures,

University of Bucharest specialising in English and Spanish.

Since graduating in 1998 I have worked extensively in language

teaching , translation and interpreting.

I am part of the English team at the “ Gh. M. Murgoci” National

College and I have been teaching English and Spanish at different

levels. My goal as a teacher is to make my children learn as much as

possible while enjoying the experience. I try to make my classroom a

place where children feel comfortable and I strive to know my students

on a personal level. I treat them as unique people and differentiate

according to their individual needs”.

LESSON PLAN

Teacher: Craciun Mariana

School: National College ”Gh. M. Murgoci”

Date: 1st November 2013

Grade: 11th (Maths - Computer Science with Bilingual Study of English)

Level: Advanced

Time: 50 minutes

Lesson: ”NEAREST AND DEAREST”

Skills: speaking, listening, writing.

Lesson aims:

to create interest in the topic and to initiate discussion anticipating the content of the

lesson;

to raise expectations and create involvement in a listening task and listening for gist;

3.to learn important aspects of friendship which form and keep relationships;

4.to make students be able to express their viewpoints;

5.to give students practice in speaking and writing skills.

Materials: textbook (Gold – Longman), worksheets, cassette recorder, blackboard, poster,

stickers.

Anticipated problems: students may feel a bit awkward about expressing ideas

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39

Class management

Whole class

Pair work

Individual

ACTIVITY 1: 10’

AIM: to initiate discussion anticipating the content of the lesson and to check the students’ task

PROCEDURE: Students remember the qualities and the character traits they look for in a good

friend presented in the previous lesson.

The teacher asks pupils to present the homework - What makes you be a good friend?- then they

add other common features for two of their classmates sustaining their views. The presentations

are displayed.

ACTIVITY 2: 15’

AIM: to introduce the listening

PROCEDURE: Students listen to an interview (Annex-1) twice for finding out an expert’s

opinion about friendship during people’s life. Sarah Brown has written a book –”Parttens of

Friendship” in which she depicts different features of the friendship throughout the stages of

life. Students take notes about the ways that people make friends using the creative technique

”Lotus Blossom Technque” which can help them visualize the stages and their features clearly.

ACTIVITY 3: 5’

AIM: to develop speaking skills

PROCEDURE: Individually, students consider at least five ways to maintain the friendship.

They might come up with something such as: to be a good listener; not to judge your friends

harshly; to find positive common bonds with each other; to be open to trying new experiences;

to establish trust.

ACTIVITY 4: 15’

AIM: to give students practice in writing skills;

PROCEDURE: The students are put into pairs and, using the previous notes, they construct a

comprehensive poem about the friendship. As far as the terms specific for a poem are concerned,

students are reminded similes, metaphors, the uses of the five senses (touch, taste, smell, sound,

sight). Other useful tips which can be helpful for improving creative writing refer to avoiding the

clichés (expressions that have lost their freshness or originality), paying close attention to the

language itself because poems arrive in the form of words. Each pair creates an original stanza

related to each stage of friendship and having classical music still playing in the background help

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40

relax. After the seven minutes the six stanzas are collected to form a poem being read and

displayed.

ACTIVITY 5: 5’ Homework

Students will write a script for a short play related to friendship called “Friends Forever”. If the

script is appropriate for being acted, it will be put on stage and the students will be the actors.

ANNEX-1Listening - Interviewer with Sarah Brown

…and now Sarah Brown is here to talk to us about her latest book, Patterns of Friendship. Sarah,

you've found that there are quite noticeable patterns in the way that people make friends ...

Sarah Brown: Mmm, absolutely. For example, friendship becomes important quite early on, in

children as young as three. But up to about five, children have what you could call unchosen

playmates, based quite practically on what's available, they can't exactly go out to look for them

... often the children of their parents' friends, or family relations. And it's actually quite an

egoistic relationship at this stage (1C) - there may be frequent quarrels over possessions - toys

and so on ...

I: Yes, you think they'll play together happily sharing their toys and the next thing you know,

one's in floods of tears and you have to sort it out...

SB: Yes, but by the time the child's about five it starts to change. Once they're at school,

children begin to choose their own playmates. (2B) - other children in the same class, or living

nearby, maybe in the same street And they start to cooperate more. But friendship's still a way

of serving self-interest, and friends are expected to keep to certain rules.

I: Yes, I've noticed with my own kids that they can get really upset with their friends ...

SB: Yes, exactly, and this carries on to eight or ten years old, but gradually they begin to be able

to see things from other people's point of view - and this, er, marks the point at which the child

is beginning to acquire knowledge of social relationships.

I: And how do they develop these social skills?

SB: Well, from 12 onwards, as they enter adolescence, children are beginning to stand on their

own feet, er, the influence of their parents tends to decline, and they feel the need for a close

friend, nearly always with someone of the same sex. They're looking for friends who are people

they admire, who they see as similar to the sort of person they'd like to be ... and these

friendships take on great importance. Friends have got to be trustworthy.(3D) and friendships

are very exclusive, but at the same time there's the group thing, they're developing networks of

friends, having fun together ...

I: So they go to clubs and cafes in big groups ...

SB: Mmm, yes, and spend a lot of their free time together. And this continues for some years -

so young adults - from 18 to 25, or when they get married, have close friendships, like

adolescents, and may see their friends every day, and spend hours on the phone ...

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41

I: I suppose that for most of us, this is probably the period when our circle of friends is at its

widest, isn't it? But is it affected by marriage?

SB: Oh, yes, quite considerably - the couple may move away, they may have children. Friends

still see one another, but instead of every day or every week, they might get together once a

month or just at special times ... parties and so on.

I: And what about new friends?

SB: They may make some, but they tend to be based more on neighbourhood and work contacts,

and they're often less intimate than the friendships formed earlier on.

I: So less in the way of sharing secrets and confidences.

SB: Yes, exactly. And in middle age, between 55 and 65 - or even older, after retirement, people

take on new friends even less easily. At this time of life they hold on to earlier friendships which

are often more intimate than the more recent ones, even though they see these older friends less

often. Friends now aren't based so much on neighbourhood - they can be with people of any age.

And ironically, when they give up work there's a further decline in contacts with friends.

I: Really?

SB: Yes, because of transport difficulties, illness, that sort of thing. They're more likely to turn

back to their families at this point - full circle, as you might say!

I: Sarah Brown, thank you ...

REFLECTION

To find interesting teaching techniques that will help children understand the lesson that is

being taught is of paramount importance. I think that all lessons can develop creative thinking

when they involve students in generating and extending ideas, suggesting hypotheses, applying

imagination and finding new or creative outcomes.

What promotes creativity is a questioning classroom, where teacher and students ask

challenging questions; where new connections are made; where lessons are presented in different

ways - visually, physically and verbally; where there are fresh approaches and where the effects

of ideas and actions are critically evaluated.

This lesson aims to make use of some creative techniques for increasing the opportunities for

creativity. These creative techniques are very effective and can be used in various class activities.

The alternatives are unlimited. In this way students are learning thinking through the use of

formal processes and the learning experience is enhanced by hands-on class activities. The

students are empowered to learn by finding out something on their own.

I have used two creative techniques during this lesson.

1. Lotus Blossom Technique

After finding out an expert’s opinion about friendship during people’s life, students take notes

about the ways that people make friends using the creative technique ”Lotus Blossom

Technque” and then add their own ideas. This technique involves starting with a central theme -

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42

friendship - and working outward, using ever-widening circles or "petals." Central themes lead to

ideas that themselves become central themes, and so forth. This technique takes advantage of

visualization, free association, and a structured approach to creating idea stimuli and it is suitable

to use when you work in a group of students. It helps to understand the lesson by generating

more ideas when you run out of idea. From one idea it will trigger more idea so you don’t have

to worry about how to generate the ideas. It takes average time to complete because it triggers

the ideas fast.

2. Create a group poem

Writing a poem, another creative technique, is all about observing the world within or around

us. A poem can be about anything, in this lesson about friendship. Writing poetry can help

students become more eloquent and improve their linguistic style. Although poetry writing is

definitely a skill that improves with practice (just like any other type of writing). The students

are put into pairs and create a comprehensive poem about the friendship. As far as the terms

specific for a poem are concerned, students are reminded similes, metaphors, the uses of the five

senses (touch, taste, smell, sound, sight). Other useful tips which can be helpful for improving

creative writing refer to avoiding the clichés (expressions that have lost their freshness or

originality), paying close attention to the language itself because poems arrive in the form of

words. Each pair creates an original stanza related to each stage of friendship and then they are

collected to form a poem.

Another very important factor in enhancing the student engagement is to have a good

supply of resources in the classroom (posters, images, posters, books, pictures card, big sheets

of paper, etc) that the students know how to access.

There is a permanent display showing key words about learning styles and thinking skills.

Evidence of different techniques is displayed in the whole classroom (can be seen in the

recording) such as ‘Mind Mapping’, ‘PMI’ (listing the Plus, Minus and Interesting points of a

topic) or ‘concept cartoons’ created by the students. A bookshelf full of books and magazines is

freely available for them to consult.

Additionally teaching means: designing a classroom so all students can be observed at all

times, maintaining a safe environment, keeping students quiet so everyone can hear the lesson,

teaching children to be respectful and providing meaningful lessons that will keep them engaged.

Considering what I have said so far, I shall conclude that using some creative techniques or

activities makes the process of comprehension easier for the students and allows them to gain

independence, to overcome their fears and to combine what they learn from a lesson to other

activities. As can be seen from this recorded lesson, the direct teaching of thinking showed an

upgrading in the students’ ability to be creative, thus being able to be fluent in producing ideas

that range in flexibility and also in originality.

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43

Olga Elena STROE

National College ”Gh. Munteanu Murgoci”, Brăila, România

Motto: “Good students make good teachers”

CLIL: A LESSON FRAMEWORK

The present paper was structured into three main parts which cover the

both theoretical and practical approaches to CLIL teaching in our school

as an optional course for bilingual classes. In the first part of this article,

Content and Language Integrated Learning, it is presented an

introduction to this field. The second part of the article deals with some

aspects of introducing CLIL into the classroom and suggest a framework

for planning CLIL lessons The third part is entitled CLIL-CHANGING

LESSON INTO LIFE and covers the practical approach of this paper that shows the lesson plan

sample for a CLIL lesson which I have chosen to do with my students from the 9th

grade,

bilingual class, during an optional class.

KEY WORDS: CLIL, ELT, approach, language, skills, lesson, learning, teaching.

UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES

The principles behind Content and Language Integrated Learning include global statements such

as 'all teachers are teachers of language' (The Bullock Report - A Language for Life, 1975) to

the wide-ranging advantages of cross-curricular bilingual teaching in statements from the

Content and Language Integrated Project (CLIP). The benefits of CLIL may be seen in terms of

cultural awareness, internationalization, language competence, preparation for both study and

working life, and increased motivation. While CLIL may be the best-fit methodology for

language teaching and learning in a multilingual Europe, the literature suggests that there

remains a dearth of CLIL-type materials, and a lack of teacher training programmes to prepare

both language and subject teachers for CLIL teaching.

CLASSROOM PRINCIPLES

Some of the basic principles of CLIL are that in the CLIL classroom:

Language is used to learn as well as to communicate;

It is the subject matter which determines the language needed to learn.

A CLIL lesson is therefore not a language lesson neither it is a subject lesson transmitted

in a foreign language. According to the 4Cs curriculum (Coyle 1999), a successful CLIL lesson

should combine elements of the following 4Cs:

Content - Progression in knowledge, skills and understanding related to specific elements

of a defined curriculum;

Communication - Using language to learn whilst learning to use language

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44

Cognition - Developing thinking skills which link concept formation (abstract and

concrete), understanding and language;

Culture - Exposure to alternative perspectives and shared understandings, which deepen

awareness of otherness and self.

In a CLIL lesson, all four language skills should be combined. The skills are seen thus:

Listening is a normal input activity, vital for language learning;

Reading, using meaningful material, is the major source of input;

Speaking focuses on fluency. Accuracy is seen as subordinate;

Writing is a series of lexical activities through which grammar is recycled.

For teachers from an ELT background, CLIL lessons exhibit the following features:

Integrate language and skills, and receptive and productive skills;

Lessons are often based on reading or listening texts / passages;

The language focus in a lesson does not consider structural grading;

Language is functional and dictated by the context of the subject

Language is approached lexically rather than grammatically

Learner styles are taken into account in task types.

In many ways a CLIL lesson is similar to an ELT integrated skills lesson, except that it includes

exploration of language, is delivered by a teacher versed in CLIL methodology and is based on

material directly related to a content-based subject. Both content and language are explored in a

CLIL.

LESSON FRAMEWORK

A CLIL lesson looks at content and language in equal measure, and often follows a four-stage

framework, which are presented in what follows:

Processing the text: The best texts are those accompanied by illustrations so that learners can

visualize what they are reading. When working in a foreign language, learners need structural

markers in texts to help them find their way through the content. These markers may be

linguistic (headings, sub-headings) and/or diagrammatic. Once core knowledge has been

identified, the organization of the text can be analyzed.

Identification and organization of knowledge: texts are often represented diagrammatically.

These structures are known as 'ideational frameworks' or 'diagrams of thinking', and are used to

help learners categorize the ideas and information in a text. Diagram types include tree diagrams

for classification, groups, hierarchies, flow diagrams and timelines for sequenced thinking such

as instructions and historical information, tabular diagrams describing people and places, and

combinations of these like the fish-bone diagram. The structure of the text is used to facilitate

learning and the creation of activities which focus on both language development and core

content knowledge.

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45

Language identification: Learners are expected to be able to reproduce the core of the text in

their own words. Since learners will need to use both simple and more complex language, there

is no grading of language involved, but it is a good idea for the teacher to highlight useful

language in the text and to categorize it according to function. Learners may need the language

of comparison and contrast, location or describing a process, but may also need certain discourse

markers, adverb phrases or prepositional phrases. Collocations, semi-fixed expressions and set

phrases may also be given attention as well as subject-specific and academic vocabulary.

Tasks for students: There is little difference in task-type between a CLIL lesson and a skills-

based ELT lesson. A variety of tasks should be provided, taking into account the learning

purpose and learner styles and preferences. Receptive skill activities are of the 'read/listen and

do' genre. A list of listening activities might be:

Listen and label a diagram/picture/map/graph/chart

Listen and fill in a table

Listen and make notes on specific information (dates, figures, times)

Listen and reorder information

Listen and identify location/speakers/places

Listen and label the stages of a process/instructions/sequences of a text

Listen and fill in the gaps in a text

Tasks designed for production need to be subject-orientated, so that both content and

language are recycled. Since content is to be focused on, more language support than usual in an

ELT lesson may be required. Typical speaking activities include:

Question loops - questions and answers, terms and definitions, halves of sentences;

Information gap activities with a question sheet to support;

Trivia search - 'things you know' and 'things you want to know;

Word guessing games;

Class surveys using questionnaires;

10 Questions - provide language support frame for questions;

Students present information from a visual using a language support handout.

INTERNET RESOURCES

Content and Language Integrated Project (CLIP) - www.cilt.org.uk/clip

Euro CLIC - www.euroclic.org

European Centre for Modern Languages - www.ecml.com

Forum for Across the Curriculum Teaching - www.factworld.info.com

Norwich Institute for Language Education - www.nile-elt.com

Science Across the Curriculum - www.scienceacross.org

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46

The National Centre for Languages (CILT) - www.cilt.org.uk

LESSON PLAN

LEVEL: IXE grade – optional class

DATE: 3rd

June, 2013

TEACHER: Olga Stroe

TOPIC:WATER FACTS

TEXTBOOK: GEOPROFILES

INTERACTION: T-Ss, group work, Ss-Ss, Ss-T

MATERIALS: Language Maximisier, blackboard, teacher’s book, handouts, notebooks, CD,

Laptop, textbooks, OHP

GENERAL AIMS:

to evaluate recently acquired knowledge using dialogues;

to increase overall creativity of the group;

to improve Ss imagination;

to make Ss aware of words and expressions which are related to senses;

to make Ss able to express personal opinions about the topic;

to encourage Ss oral fluency;

to practise the language of discussions and suggestions;

SKILLS: Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing

TIME: 50 MIN

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Harmer, Jeremy, 1997– The Practice of English Language Teaching.

Longman, London and New York. Lee, W.R., 1964. Language teaching games and

contests.Oxford University Press. Nye, Gertrude Dorry ;MacGraw-Hill. 1966. Games for

Secondary Language Learning. BookCo. New York

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS: Ss may find the topic difficult to understand

ACTIVITY 1

AIMS:

To prepare students for the next activity and raise interest in learning about water facts;

To revise vocabulary from the previous lesson

CLASSMANAGEMENT: Whole class

SKILLS: Speaking

MATERIAL: blackboard

TIME: 5 min

PROCEDURE:

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2014

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contained therein.

47

T asks the Ss how they are feeling and then what they have learnt during their previous

class;

T encourages Ss dialogues asking about what they did not speak about in the previous

lesson;

T tries to elicit the title of the lesson from the students helping them if they need. T writes

on the blackboard the following word: WATER.

INTERACTION: T-Ss, Ss-T, Ss-Ss

ACTIVITY 2

AIMS:

To improve Ss imagination;

To make Ss aware of words and expressions which are related to senses

CLASSMANAGEMENT: Whole class

SKILLS: Speaking, Writing

MATERIALS: handouts

TIME: 15 min

PROCEDURE: T explains and writes on the blackboard the golden rules for this activity: every

idea has equal worth; no judgment; no criticism; no comment; stay focused on the topic; every

person thinks, speaks and listens. Students are asked to complete the sense chart from their

handouts 1 by writing the words in the correct places after they close their eyes and imagine that

they are the golden fish immersed into the Danube River. Teacher checks their answers. Then

students are asked to present what they saw, smelt, touched, tasted and heard under the Danube

River. Then students provide the main ideas of the topic.

INTERACTION: T-Ss, Ss-T, Ss-Ss

ACTIVITY 3

AIMS:

To raise Ss’ interest in learning about water facts;

To express personal opinions and predict the cause of the water facts.

CLASS MANAGEMENT: Whole class

SKILLS: Reading, Writing, Speaking

MATERIALS: OHP, Laptop, CD, Handouts, Blackboard

TIME: 10 min

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2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

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contained therein.

48

PROCEDURE:

T asks the Ss to move from imagination (immersion) to reality inviting them to watch an

authentic material about Water facts. Students are asked to complete the chart from their

handouts 2 by writing the words in the detail places after they watch the video twice

T makes them more aware of the language and style of a documentary.

INTERACTION: T-Ss, Ss-T, Ss-Ss

ACTIVITY 4

AIMS:

To make Ss able to express personal opinions about the topic;

To encourage Ss oral fluency;

To practise the language of discussions and suggestions.

CLASSMANAGEMENT: Group work

SKILLS: Speaking, Reading, Writing

MATERIALS: Handouts, Blackboard

TIME: 10 min

PROCEDURE: Ss are asking to divide in 5 small groups. The Ss try to guess how the event

happened and discuss the possible solutions. The leaders of the group present the conclusions

after their short discussions. T encourages them to provide 5 collective conclusions and asks

them what they can add to their title WATER. T writes then on the blackboard: FACTS.

Assigning task: Students are asked to write 10 acronyms after the T’s model or a poem about

WATER FACTS, as homework.

INTERACTION: T-Ss, Ss-T, Ss-Ss

ACTIVITY 5

AIMS: To focus attention and to sum up what you have been doing

To encourage Ss singing in English language

CLASSMANAGEMENT: Whole class

SKILLS: Speaking, Reading, Writing

MATERIALS: OHP, CD, Laptop, Blackboard

TIME: 10 min

PROCEDURE: T reintroduces the Ss into the atmosphere of the film and music asking them to

write the lyrics of the song HEAL THE WORLD by Michael Jackson after they have listened to

the 1st part of song twice. Ss check their lyrics on the OHP and T encourages them to sing the

song.

INTERACTION: T-Ss, Ss-T, Ss-Ss

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2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

49

REFLECTION

From a language point of view the CLIL ”approach” contains nothing new to the EL

teacher. CLIL aims to guide language processing and 'support language production in the same

way as ELT by teaching strategies for reading and listening and structures and lexis for spoken

or written language. What is different is that the language teacher is also the subject teacher, or

that the subject teacher is also able to exploit opportunities for developing language skills. CLIL

is also a concrete step towards effective education and according to Nelson Mandela, Education

is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world. This is the essence of the CLIL

teacher training issue and the main aim of our Comenius Project entitled: ”New approaches to

teaching foreign language in Turkey and Romania.

ANEXA 1 ANEXA 2

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contained therein.

50

Tatiana BADEA

College National "Gh. M. Murgoci "Braila, Romania

” A graduate of the University "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" Iasi.

Teacher of German at College National "Gh M. Murgoci "Braila, Romania.

Training and refresher courses organized by VHS

BildungszentrumSambachshof 2007, Goethe Institut Frankfurt 2008,

Goethe InstitutBukarest 2009”

PROJEKT DES DIDAKTISCHEN VORGEHENS

Datum: Okt. 2013

Die VII. Klasse

ZweiteSprache

Stundetypus:Vertiefung/neueKenntnisse

Thema: Die ersteVerabredung

OperationelleZielsetzungen:

Am Ende der Stundewerden die Schülerfähigsein:

1.ein Bildbeschreiben

2.Einfache Sȁtzeformulieren

3.Kurze Textehőren und Biderzuordnen

4.einen Dialog zumThema:”Die ersteVerabredung” schreiben

DidaktischeStrategien:

Unterrichtsmethoden und Verfahren:Ausspracheűben, Dialogeschreiben

Unterrichtsmaterialien: Bilder, CD-Player

Arbeitsmittel:Gruppenarbeit,Frontalarbeit,Einzelarbeit

Zeit:50’

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2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

51

VERLAUF DER STUNDE

UNTERRICHTS-

SCHRITTE

AKTIVITÄT DES SCHǗLERS

SOZIAL- FORM

HILFS- MITTEL

ZEIT ZIEL AKTIVITÄT DER LEHRERIN

Organisatorischer

Moment

Die Schűlerbegrűßen und setzensich.Siestellen die

Aufgabevor: ”Das Wetter”

FA

EA

5’ MűndlicheLeistungskontrolle

Einfűhrung BeschreibenBilder und machenVermutungen

FA 5’ 1 Macht das Thema der

Stundebekannt und

gibtweitereHinweise

Űbungsphase A.Űbungenvor

demHőren

Schreiben je 3 SȁtzezudemBild

FA Bild 10’ 1,2 Beobachtet die Schűler und hilftihnen;

B.Űbungen während des

Hőrens

kurzeTextehőren und Biderzuordnen ; den Text

lesen; richtig /falschŰbungenzum Text

EA FA

CD, CD-player

10’ 3 erklärt die Aufgaben und die unbekanntenWőr

ter/Ausdrűcke

Semantisierung und

Vertiefung

Dialogeschreiben und vorstellen

GA 15’ 4 Hilft den Schűlern

Anwendung/Transfer

Auf Fragenantworten Notieren die Hausaufgabe-

Dialog: Entschuldigungenbeidem

Date-Partner

FA 5’ Gibt den Schűler die Hausaufgabe

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2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

52

Rosana NICOLAE

National College "Gh. Munteanu Murgoci", Braila, Romania

“ I am a graduate of „The Faculty of Letters and Sciences from Galati „Dunarea de

Jos” University, the specialization French- Romanian. After I got my second degree,

at the proposition of my inspector, I participated in training courses regarding the

assesment component, in the period 1999 – 2001. At the end of this course I had

another training course in France, at Lyon, where I interrelated with teachers and

students from a similar educational system but also with different approaches from

the ones we apply in Romania.

In the period 2008 – 2011 I was an assistant manager of „Panait Cerna” Highschool

in Braila, during which I started a series of projects and school partnerships on cultural topics. Also I was

a coordinator of the highschool’s magazine,at whose launch I invited the representatives of the local

mass-media. Since September 2011, I have been a teacher of French at „Gh. M. Murgoci” National

College.”

PROJET DE LEÇON

Professeur:Nicolae Rosana

CLASSE: la XI e débutants

SUJET: „La cantatrice chauve” de Eugène Ionesco

TYPE DE CLASSE: activité périscolaire

DUREÉ: 30’

OBJECTIFS CULTURELS:

sensibiliser à la littérature/théâtre/textelittéraire

amenerl’élève à combattre la consommation des substances interditesd’une perspective littéraire

développer la créativite et les aptitudes d’art dramatique des élèves

éveillerl’intérêt pour le FLE

OBJECTIFS GÉNÉRAUX:

développer la collaboration entre les élèves

stimuler la disponibilitecréatrice

éveillerl’ensemble des qualitésintellectuelles et morales des élèves (l’inventivité,laflexibilité,la

patience)

renforcer les disponibilitésintellectuelles des élèves

OBJECTIFS LINGUISTIQUES:

encourager l’expression et la compréhension d’un textelittéraire en français

réagir aux messages

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2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

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contained therein.

53

RESSOURCES PSYCHOLOGIQUES:

le développement de la mémoire et de l’imagination

RESSOURCES MATERIELLES:

éléments de décor,costumes,letexte original

MÉTHODES ET PROCÉDÉS:

la lecture, l’explication,l’analyse,le remue-méninge,la conversation

ORGANISATION PÉDAGOGIQUE:

Cette demarche pédagogique commence de la proposition du professeur et des élèves de promouvoir

l’étude du FLE.

Le choix du texte dramatique est fait du désir de mêler une activité nonformelle à l’acquisition du

vocabulaire,de la compréhension du texte et de la typologie du courant dramatique.

Le résultat-la mise en scène de la version d’après „l’anti-pièce” „La cantatrice chauve”-estqu’on a

donné une touché originale à un texte déjà moderne. Le théâtre de l’absurde deviant cohérent et logique

même pour les étudiants lycéens par une perspective actuelle de la vie des jeunes: le péril de la

consommation de la drogue. Donc,traiter un sujet „dangereux” à travers un texte litteraire français, écrit

par un....Roumain,nous a paru intéressant .

Le défi a été lancé a tout le groupe d’ élèves -de bonsou de niveau moyen en français. On a debattu

le texte, son message de sorte que l’interprétation soit croyable.On a travaillé sur la prononciation et on a

procédé à la sélection des répliques et des scènes. Le talent des certains élèves et le désir de „s’affirmer”

des autres ont convergé à un jeu dramatique convaincant.

Les répétitions après les cours,dans un espace propice (le théâtre de la ville),la fabrication des costumes et

des accesoires,ont aidé les élèves à mieux se connaître,à devenir „célèbres” parmi leurs collègues.

La durée de la préparation de l’activité a été difficile à cause du programme chargé et differencié des

élèves qui appartiennent à des classes différentes (phylo,sciences-naturelles).

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2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

54

Ingrid Monica IAVORSCHI

National College "Gheorghe Munteanu Murgoci", Braila, Romania

Classe :XIème G

Niveau: B1

Professeur: IAVORSCHI INGRID-MONICA

Compétencegénérale : COMPRÉHENSION ORALE / EXPRESSION ECRITE

Compétencesspécifiques :

• Identifier le sens global d’un message oral

• Identifier des détails du message authentique

Sujet de la leçon : Les loisirs – les voyages

Support: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jD_8l8f7Cg

Vidéoprojecteur

Fiches d’activité

Objectifs:

Linguistiques :

identifier les mots et les structures appropriées pour le sujet (les voyages)

utiliser de manièreappropriée les règlesgrammaticalesd`emploi (orthographe, syntaxe et

lexique).

Socio- culturel :

découvrird’autres cultures

Situations de communication: trouver des informationssur un sujetd’actualité (loisirs, voyages)

Organisation de l’activité :frontale, individuelle, par groupes, par paires.

Matérielutilisé : web, les fiches de travail, les feutres, l’ordinateur.

ÉTAPE

DÉROULEME

NT

RÔLE DU

PROFESSEUR

ACTIVITÉ DES

ÉLÈVES

ORGANISATION

DE LA CLASSE

MATÉRIEL

UTILISÉ

Mise en

train

Présentation

des

compétences

et des

objectifs.

Explicitation

de la consigne

ainsi que du

détail des

objectifs.

Écoute active de

la consigne

donnée.

Organisation de la

classe

Grand groupe

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2014

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contained therein.

55

Mise en

route

1.

Conversation

sur l’idée et le

concept

« voyages»

Le professeur

propose des

activités pour

introduire le

sujet

1. Quels sont

les

monuments/

centres

d’attraction

de Paris que

vous

connaissez ?

2. Top –

centres

d’attraction

à Paris.

Mettez les

centres

d’attraction

dans l’ordre

de leur

importance.

Les élèves

répondent aux

questions,

discutent sur les

concepts, notent

dans leurs cahiers

etc.)

Faire le TOP

personnel des

monuments/centr

es d’attraction de

Paris

Petits groupes

Petits groupes

Fiches TOP

Compré

hensin

orale

1er

visionnement

du clip

Le professeur

guide la

compréhension

du clip pour

faciliter la

compréhension

de celui-ci

Reconnaître la

vile

Reconnaître les

lieux

Les élèves

regardent le clip,

posent des

questions pour

comprendre,

notent.

Petits groupes

L`ordinateur

http://www.

youtube.co

m/watch?v=

3jD_8l8f7C

g

Compré

hensin

écrite

2e

visionnement

du clip

Le professeur

met des

questions sur le

clip :

Refaire le TOP

des centres

d’attractions de

Les élèves

recherchent les

informations et

formulent des

réponses.

En petits

groupes

Mise en

commun en

grand groupe

Fiche

questionne

ment

détaillé

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2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

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contained therein.

56

Paris

Comparer avec

leurs propres

TOP

Renforce

ment

Le professeur

stimule les

élèves à

vérifier leurs

réponses.

Ils mettent en

commun les

résultats / TOP

Individuel

Mise en

commun en

grand groupe

Fiche

questionne

ment

détaillé

Devoir Devoir

On propose

aux élèves un

sondage

Auprès de

leurs amis sur

le sujet donné

(le TOP de

leurs

destinations de

vacances)

Les élèves

doivent faire un

sondage auprès de

leurs amis sur

leurs destinations

de vacances

favorites

Grand groupe Fiche de

travail –

sondage

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2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

57

Mariana CAPLEA

Tichilesti Secondary School, Braila, Romania

Mariana CAPLEA, currently a teacher of English at Tichilesti Secondary

School in Braila, has participated in several European projects, out of which two

in-service courses in England (2009, 2013). She is a graduate of the Faculty of

Letters, History and Theology at the University of Galati and has been teaching

the English language for twelve years. As a great fan of the British and American

culture, she has always encouraged her students to keep themselves up-to-date

with the latest information in the field.

In the period 10th – 21st June 2013, two teachers of English from our team, more precisely, Mariana

Caplea from Romania and Ismail Sezgin from Turkey, took part in an in-service training in Scarborough,

England, within the Comenius Regio partnership. Its title was “Language and Methodology for teachers of

English- a Blended Approach” and lasted for two weeks, being thus a great opportunity not only to get

more experience concerning the newest approaches to foreign language teaching, but also to share it with

their peers from both countries, and, why not, from everywhere, via this project.

Firstly, this course encouraged them to adopt a more reflective approach to the way they teach and to the

students’ needs. Besides giving them a wider range of teaching methods, it enhanced their organisational

skills and upgraded their knowledge of other countries and their educational systems.

The course programme adopted at Anglolang Academy of English, the institution from

Scarborough, was designed particularly to suit their needs. As a result, they had both language

development classes(with a focus on speaking practice, work on listening and grammar) and methodology

classes, which turned into really catchy discussions and valuable resources for the dissemination back

home.

The teaching methods discussed within this training were also shared at the second mobility of the

Romanian team in Karabuk, and agreed upon the fact that we, as teachers, can design and permanently

invent new activities and games for our students as long as the old ones provide a frame on which

creativity can be built.

Thanks to the continuous discussions and sharing of ideas and reflection within this course, the

two participants were further motivated to carry on developing other types of links and partnerships. The

great emphasis on practice and emphatic abilities on the trainers’ part outlined once more that the key to

good English-speaking students is the sustained effort and constant work on both the teacher’s and the

student’s part.

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2014

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58

LESSON PLAN

English in my trolley

Date: the 22nd of November 2012

Form: 14 pupils from the 5th to the 8th grade;

Methods: brainstorming, conversation, matching exercise, games;

Time: 60 minutes;

Materials: flip-chart sheets, markers, worksheets, glue, scissors, strips of paper, ;

Objectives:

to raise Ss' awareness that English is present everywhere around them;

to actively participate in interactive games;

to cooperate with their foreign colleagues in their groups;

to create a lovely, friendly atmosphere of learning the English language.

ACTIVITY 1 (3’): All sorts of packaging ...

AIM: to make Ss aware that English is on all sorts of packaging;

PROCEDURE:Ss and Teachers alike take a look at all those packaging on their desks, giving examples

of the English language.

ACTIVITY 2 (5’): Memorable slogans

AIM: to remember the famous brands ;

PROCEDURE: T shows a flip-chart with famous slogans that survived throughout the time, asking the

pupils to recognise the famous brands which match them.

ACTIVITY 3 (7’): Go round the class!

AIM: to match the halves of the same sentence;

PROCEDURE: Ss have to go round the class and search for the matching halves of the same sentence,

then put them together on a particular spot.

ACTIVITY 4 (10’): Find the thief

AIM: to practise the use of Past Tense and names of products;

PROCEDURE:Ss take turns in asking and answering about the thief.

ACTIVITY 5 (7’): Singing time

AIM: to enjoy singing the song „Shopping”;

PROCEDURE: Each student will have a line of the song. They will stand up as they hear the lines.Then,

everyone in the classroom will sing the song.

ACTIVITY 6 (8’): Video clips

AIM: to guess the slogan at the end of each video clip;

PROCEDURE: Ss watch the video clips about well-known products.They have to come up with a slogan

for each advertisement.

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59

ACTIVITY 7 (20’): Advertise a product!

AIM: to be creative and design an advert;

PROCEDURE: Ss receive flip-charts on which they will have to illustrate an advert , with a slogan, too.

REFLECTION

Learning a foreign language is a complex process which has many specific features for each age

group as well as for each individual stepping inside this process.Considering this, I am aware of the fact

that the most important thing in my classes is to build learners’confidence and to make them actively

participate along the whole lesson.

Encouraging them to speak by choosing adaptable activities (easier ones for the shy low students –

” Go round the class”, for example and more d ifficult ones for the daring ones like ’Find the thief”) was

one of my main objectives and I have to admit I achieved it.Of course there were times when the shy

students had the wonderful chance to step ahead and make themselves more visible , due to the very easy

tasks such as the one in the activity called „Singing” when all they had to do was to stand up as hearing

the line they had previously received from the teacher. Definitely, these were the students who would have

never preferred to engage in a much livelier activity such as ” Advertise the product”.

The way I combined the activities for this lesson enabled me to activate both shy and energetic

students in a very enjoyable manner, leading to the creation of a relaxed atmosphere, the perfect

environment for learning the English language.

Another important aspect which worths being mentioned here is the way in which we, as teachers ,

increase students’ motivation by making them feel that they shouldn’t worry about the mistakes they make

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2014

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contained therein.

60

or the fluency they often tend to lose on the way.

Any reaction from the part of my students matters the most for me, no matter how slight, as it is a

sign of learning and therefore very important. I always try to show even the least interested students that

things are not that difficult and they can succeed.

Designing gradual tasks should be an essential point to keep in mind for every passionate teacher,

as this can help the teacher establish a competitive atmoshere in class.

Moreover, each student should know his/her place and strive to get to a higher level ,that is a more

challenging activity, every time he/she is involved in the lesson.

I know that in my class there were students who couldn’t do without my help, while others, eager

for independence and creativity, resented my interference. I hope I took such differences into

consideration and acted accordingly. With the help of efficient group work, I trained the students to help

one another. This kind of group work was beneficial for both categories of learners : the students who

needed support felt more relaxed when helped by their peers; while helping their mates, the proficient

students actually produced language in an organized way.

Finally, I chose to do the ” Advertise ” activity in the end of my lesson because

such creative and personalised outcomes have a greater potential to remain in learner´s memory than a

pure language exercise from the textbook.

After watching the recorded lesson, I realised how much attention and effort I paid to this lesson right

before its design. As a self-reflection exercise, I must admit there is always room for improvement.

Of course it is not an easy thing to feel there is a pair of eyes spying on you, and not one forming part of

your class of students.

Through my lesson I tried to create an enjoyable atmosphere and have my pupils practise new vocabulary

related to shopping and advertising; watching the recorded version of the lesson gave me the feeling that I

achieved my goal, although I would have wanted more commitment on the part of my students. They did

not react naturally, on the contrary they behaved as if some restrictions were imposed on them.

In terms of activities, the easier ones were dealt with plenty of attention and commitment, such as “Go

round the class” or “Singing” when they did all right – paying due attention to the lines, they managed to

stand up at the right time. In contrast to these activities, “Find the thief “ and “Advertise a product” aimed

at producing new language while coming up with new original ideas. Especially the last one, “Advertise a

product” was thought of as a follow-up activity that should involve learners in a creative response to a

listening text, in our case, these short videos with advertisements. It is precisely here where I think I

should have given them more time to work this task out. Yet, their responses to this task might have been

uninhibitedly given, provided I prepared some models in advance.

Consequently, I think this kind of listening activities take up a lot of time and they require a lot of

preparation before the proper lesson. Taking into consideration the fact that a recorded lesson , in our case

a sample lesson , should show a greater amount of activities, it would be almost impossible to have all

these previously mentioned unless more time were allocated. To sum up, the lesson was well organized

and lively and the students did their best to take part in the activities proposed by the teacher. Of course

plenty of meaningful exposure to listening, combined with carefully thought-out tasks, simple during the

first round of listening and then more complex during the later ones, will assist students in acquiring the

skill. This will be the key to mastering a challenging skil.

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61

Anca GHEORGHE

”Vlaicu Vodă” School, Brăila, Romania

Member of the “Anton Pann Cultural Community Center”

Graduated from The “Lower Danube” University of Galati, Romania

Course: ”Developing oral fluency in the English language classes”- Exeter, UK-

march 2008 2004-2006 colaborated with “Alexander Language Schools,”, Braila,

Romania, as a student trainer for CAE and FCE Cambridge examinations; has

participated with several research papers in the “Scientific Communication

Sessions” held by ISJ and CCD Braila (eg: Class management: How to deal with

disruptive students”)

LESSON PLAN

Form: II B

Level: Starter

No of students: 28(15 girls and 13 boys)

Lesson:She’s wearing a pink dress

Book : Pebbles (G Ellis &P Hancock,Ed Longman)

Time :50 mins

Skills: Speaking,Reading, Listening,Writing

Type of lesson: Reactivating I’ve got/He’s got/She’s got and face parts and introducing He’s/She’s

wearing

Language :

I’ve got/ He’s got/ She’s got

blue,green,black, brown,fair

eyes,mouth,nose,ears,hair

T-shirt,dress,jacket,shoes,hat

he’s/she’s wearing

wedding, man,woman,littleboy,little girl

Terminal objective(s):

Ss will review the vocabulary learned in the previous lessons.

Ss will learn new vocabulary and grammar

Recent work: Students have learnt about facial features , colours and clothes; they should be able to

express possession in simple language: I’ve got/He’s got / She’s got [big eyes]; [brown

eyes], a [jacket] etc

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62

Teaching aids: blackboard,handouts,wordcards,cellotape,toys,medals,pictures,drawings, tape, cassette

recorder, students themselves

Class management: whole class, group work

Type of interaction: TSSS, S S,SSSSSS

Method: Communicative

ACTIVITY 1:

TIME: 3’

STAGE :Warm-up

AIM :Introduce the students to a joyful, stress-free learning climate by singing “The face song”

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS: P:Maybe a little bit of difficulty singing the lyrics

at the same speed as the singers on the tape S:encourage them to keep singing

PROCEDURE:. Start with some small talk ; run a quick review of the face parts by getting students to

answer the question What’s this?when pointing to them and invite the students to sing

The face song accompanied by the cassette

==whole class ==

ACTIVITY 2

TIME: 5’

STAGE: Vocabulary and grammar practice

AIM :Use I’ve got’He’s got/She’s got for physical description

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS: P:Some students might need some help to

understand what their task isS: encourage and help them until they manage an accurate description

PROCEDURES:

1. Start the activity by demonstrating Hello! I’mAnca. I’ve got brown hair and brown eyes;

2. Wave a magic wand pretending to turn into another person and pass the wand on to another child

suggesting that he/she does the same. A few more students come to the front of the class to describe

themselves in the same manner;

3. Point to one of the Ss who has just described him/herself and say :”He’s/She’s got black hair and

brown eyes”. Get the whole class to say the same about the rest of the students whose descriptions

they hear insisting on gender differences.

== whole class ==

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63

ACTIVITY 3

TIME: 10’

STAGE: Reading and writing practice

AIM : Develop the students’ reading, listening and writing skills by presenting them with the written

form of the vocabulary related to physical description

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS:

P:Some students might find it difficult to read the words correctly as they are so very young and barely

learning their own language

S:adopt an encouraging attitude and get them to read in chorus until they are confident

P: Some students might not understand the recorded message so they might fail to point to the right

picture

S:encourage them to listen for very familiar words; stop the tape and give them time to process the

message

PROCEDURES:

Hold up the word cards prepared in advance to introduce the written form of hair, eyes, hair colour

and eye colour. Read them out loud one time,to serve as model (eg:fair hair green eyes).Then have

the students repeat them in chorus;

2.Ask students to open books at page 16 to see the pictures of four children-two boys and two

girls-who have different hair/eye colour;

Alternatively, show students the same pictures,enlarged;

Display the pictures on the blackboard and write the names of the children on the right hand side

of the blackboard one below another,at random;

Tell ss that they are going to hear the four children introduce and describe themselves on the

tape,and that they need to point to each of the children whose descriptions they hear to prove

understanding of a recorded message(Eg:. My name’s Sally. I’ve got brown hair and brown eyes);

Play the cassette again,asking students to match the word labels below the pictures in their books

to the correct picture.One of the students who finishes first and correctly goes to the blackboard to

stick the larger word cards on the bb below ther right picture. The other students check their own

work.The same student gets to match the names of the children to the right picture. A nice round

of applause is his/her reward for a job well done.

==whole class ==

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64

ACTIVITY 4

TIME: 10’

STAGE: Vocabulary presentation

AIM: Introduce wedding and clothes related vocabulary.

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS:

P:Some students might mistake “woman” for “man”

S: repeat until there’s no confusion

P:Some students might feel amused seeing their colleagues impersonatin a woman, man etc

S:draw their attention to the real reason for this .

P: Some students might fail to understand the recorded message and point to the right person

Repeat the part of the script in question or get other students to fix the problem

PROCEDURE

Revise clothes by getting students to pay attention to the clothes templates you are holding up.

They need to identify them.;

Hold up the enlarged picture of a wedding which they can see in their own books, too. Teach

“wedding, woman, man, little girl, little boy” ;

Have some students come to the front of the classroom to play the roles of the wedding characters

while the class choruses the new words;

Play the cassette one timeso that the students can follow and point to the person being mentioned.

==whole class ==

ACTIVITY 5

TIME: 5’

AIM: Introduce “He’s /She’s wearing...” Engage the students in communicative situations by getting

them to decide what the people in the picture are wearing

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS:

STAGE: Listening practice

PROCEDURE:

Instruct the students to listen to the tape a second time and to repeat the language they hear right

after you have stopped it.Eg: Look! A Wedding! Look at the woman! She’s wearing a white dress.

And she’s got some flowers! Students pay attention and chorus the target language;

They also pay attention to the meaning of the words,and point to the pictures in their books at the

same time.

==whole class ==

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65

ACTIVITY 6

TIME: 15’

STAGE: Grammar practice

AIM: Practice He’s/She’s wearing in a meaningful context

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS:

P: Some students might have a hard time understanding the instructions

S:Make sure you repeat them,use other words, make use of mimic,gestures,any body

languagepossible,to clarify things. Use mother tongue if the situation requires it.

P: It could take a bit too long to organise the students

S:Let things happen and plan sequel to the activity next time

P:There might be too much noise and things migh tend to get out of control

S: Observe the groups carefully and try to remind them to pay attention to the tape.Alternatively, if

necessary,knock on some hard material to cool students down,or raise the level of your voice pitch to

make yourself heard by the little enthusiastic children.

PROCEDURE:

Tell the students that they are going to work in groups to work out what the characters are

wearing. Explain that each group is going to get a picture of the wedding characters which they

must colour in as they listen to the tape a third time;

Inform students that each group is going to have a representative/ a leader /a“boss” who is going to

do the colouring in. The other members’ role is to pay attention to the tape and help the

representative with any necessary information;

Show students a box which contains pieces of different colours from a game. Revise colours

briefly by holding the pieces up and getting students to identify them;

Explain that the groups will be formed according to the colour of the piecethey are going to pick.

Circulate among students an have each of them pick one piecefrom the box, at random. Call out

the colours in order to form the groups. Name the representative of the group, distribute the

handout and instruct each representative to get his/ her coloured pencils and get ready to listen and

colour. Inform students that the winners get medals on condition their work is perfect. Play the

tape and observe the activity of the groups. Repeat instructions and try to keep the students

focussed and relatively quiet.Check each group’s work and offer feedback. Award the golden

medal to the group who finish first and whose work is perfect and give them a nice round of

applause.

==group work==

ENDING THE LESSON. 2’

Tell students that next time we meet they will pick up from where they left off in order to consolidate the

knowledge they got today. Say good bye and dismiss the class.

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66

MATERIALS

ACTIVITY ONE: THE FACE SONG

I.I’ve got eyes on

my face(x3)

Open and close

my eyes

II.I’ve got a nose on

my face(x3)

Sniff,sniff,sniff with

my nose

III.I’ve got a mouth

on my face(x3)

Talk,talk,talk with

my mouth

IV.I’ve got hair on

my head (x3)

Brush,brush,brush

my hair

V.I’ve got ears

on my head (x3)

Wiggle,wiggle

my ears

Note: Students have only been taught the lyrics which contain”I’ve got” and “Eyes etc”, “”on my face etc”

ACTIVITY THREE: PICTURES OF KIDS,WORDCARDS AND TAPESCRIPT

1.My name’s Sally. I’ve got brown hair and

brown eyes.

My name’s Paul. I’ve got black hair and brown

eyes.

My name’s Ruby. I’ve got red hair and blue

eyes.

My name’s Mark.. I’ve got fair hair and green

eyes.

ACTIVITIES FOUR,FIVE AND SIX -PICTURE AND TAPESCRIPT

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67

ÜMIT CEBECI

TED ColleageKarabük,Turkey

Ümit Cebeci was born in 1986 in Ordu. He completed his primary and secondary

education in Ordu. In 2004, He started his uniersity education at Karadeniz Technical

University - Department of English Language and Literature and became Erasmus

student between the years 2006-2007 at Chemnitz University of Techology in

Germany. He had his English Language teaching Certificate in the academic years

2007-2008. He was chosen as Student Leaders by the U.S. Department of State and

was sent to New York and Washington to have leadership skills courses. Since 2010,

he has been working as an English language Teacher at TED Karabük College.

LESSON PLAN

Class:

3rd or 4th grades

Theme/Topic:

The Peanut, Butter and Jelly Song

Why do we teach?

To teach students sequencing words and teaching songs to

make lesson more interactive and enjoyable.

Content:

The Peanut, Butter and Jelly song from Youtube.

Speaking

Objectives:

Students will be asked what foods they like and which food

they eat at school.

Listening

Objectives:

Students will listen to the video and repeat the action words

and to the action by acting out.

Reading

Objectives:

(Why?)

Students will read the sentences silently and they will be

asked to underline (find) verbs.

Writing

Objectives:

Students will write the lyrics of the song on two A4 papers.

Students will be asked to prepare a small hand-made booklet.

Vocabulary

Objectives:

Students will learn food-related words such as

Cut, grapes, peanut, crunch, eat, and etc.

Use of English

Objectives:

Students will be able to talk about how they can make peanut

sandwiches. Later, they can use similar structure to talk about

different foods.

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68

Methods and

Techniques:

(How?)

Communicative Language Teaching Method

The use of music or song.

Materials: (With …..?) PC, Projector, Internet (or downloaded video), A4 Papers.

Assessment:

Teacher evaluation: See next page.

As stated in the project, New Approaches to Foreign Language Education in Romania and Turkey,

Communicative Language Teaching approach has a lot of effect on teaching and learning, especially;

teaching english as a second or foreing language. The approach enables and wants language learners and

teachers to communicate through the use of target language.

Apart from these uncountable approaches besides communicative ones, I think that language

learning must start with for sound features, the sentence, and abstract models of language in order.

Therefore, I set my lesson for this project upon Communicative Language Teaching approach by using a

song by Dr. Joan Shin (UMBC professor and teacher trainer). The song is called Peanut Butter and Jelly

as below;

Peanut, Peanut, Butter and Jelly (2)

First, you take the peanut and you crunch them, crunch them

Peanut, Peanut, Butter and Jelly(2)

Then, you take the grapes and squish them, squish them

Peanut, Peanut, Butter and Jelly(2)

Then, you take the bread, and spread it, spread it

Peanut, Peanut, Butter and Jelly(2)

Then, you take the sandwich and eat it, eat it

Peanut, Peanut, Butter and Jelly(2)

OBJECTIVES

In the lesson, there were no explicit linguistic objectives but the aim was to use language

communicatively. However, the main aim of the lesson was to teach students use of these words such as

first, then, second, after so as to teach them sequencing sentences. Thanks to Communicative Language

Teaching Method, I was able to teach students to learn about their own learning and take responsibility for

their learning.

SOME PRINCIPLES

It is important to start learning a second language at an early age. The younger the child is when

learning a foreign language, the closer the process comes to acquisition. At the initial stage of second

language acquisition, children tend to prefer listening and enjoy soaking up the language they hear. This

helps to strengthen their listening skills and to create a deeper understanding of the language. Therefore, in

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69

kindergarten (5-6 year-olds) and in primary (grades 1-3), teachers should use craft activities, rhymes,

songs, chants, games, characters and storiesthat children find loveable and interesting, and support them

with visual prompts to help to encourage motivated exploration in students’ learning. A fun, friendly,

loving, caring, and safe environment allows for learning by removing inhibitions and providing

opportunities for the production of learned material.

The main aim of Communicative Language Teaching Method is that language is for

communication and it can be learned both individually and collaboratively. Therefore, I chose a song to

enable them enjoy the lesson and learn with their peers. While singing in chorus, students are in

cooperation and competition is not encouraged in order to motivate students. Throughout the recording of

the class, it can be understood that students correct their errors themselves. The most important part of this

lesson for students is to understand the meaning and speak the language without any filter which can

sometimes cause bad experiences in language classes. By means of the song which I prefer for my young

learners, they feel themselves at ease and take part in all the activities through the lesson.

Young learners want to use the language, they are not ready to learn grammar directly and they are

willing to use English without worrying about accuracy. They need ample opportunities to practice on the

same topic from a variety of sources in a supportive and motivating classroom context. They love

communicating about real events and objects to accomplish real goals. They are eager to use the language

when it is functional and communicative, frequent and consistent with their identity.

In this activity, lesson learners and teacher’s has some roles and these roles have great impact on both

teaching and learning language:

Learners’ role

• A member of community;

• To listen to the knower;

• To provide the meanings they wish to express;

• To repeat target utterances;

• To support members of the community;

Teacher’s role

• A counselor;

• A model for imitation;

• To help students to understand their own problems about target language;

• To monitor learners;

• To support them in their struggle to master target language;

• Learning is dynamic and creative.

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70

Arzu UÇAR

Karabuk University, Turkey

Arzu UÇAR was born in Van in 1987. Arzu UÇAR finished her primary school in

Ankara and her secondary school in Antalya. She graduated from Akdeniz University

Education Faculty Foreign Language Teaching department. After receiving her

bachelor degree, UÇAR started to work at Karabuk University the School of Foreign

Languages as English Instructor in 2011. She has continued her master’s degree at

Anadolu University, Department of Curriculum and Instruction since 2013. After

Karabuk University the School of Foreign Languages was accredited as a

EURODESK Contact Point, Arzu UÇAR took charge in the EURODESK. Contact Person. e-mail:

[email protected]

LESSON PLAN

NAME OF THE TEACHER: Arzu UÇAR

DATE: 19Th

November, 2013

SCHOOL NAME: National College “Gh. M.Murgoci” High School, Braila

LEVEL OF STUDENTS: Upper Intermediate /B2

TIME OF LESSON: 60+ min

TOPIC: Asking/giving advice

SKILLS: Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking (Integrated)

GENERAL AIMS:

1. to evaluate recently acquired knowledge using dialogues and practical exercises;

2. to make Ss be able to express personal opinions about the topic;

3. to encourage oral fluency and practice the language of discussions and suggestion;

4. to improve Ss’ writing skill and strategies.

INTERACTION: T-Ss, Ss-T, pair work, group work, Ss-Ss

MATERIALS: Posters, white sheet, board marker

ACTIVITY 1: Warm up

TIMING: 5 minutes

INTERACTION: Ss-T, T-Ss

OBJECTIONS:To raise their attention for the lesson

PROCEDURE: Teacher greets the class and asks them how they are. T sticks 3 posters which belong to

Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, How I Met Your Mothers Tv Series to the board and asks Ss if they

know these Tv series. T asks Ss why she sticks these posters. After she gets the answers, she explains that

these are her favourite Tv series.

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71

ACTIVITY 2: Warm-up Activity 2

TIMING: 5 min

INTERACTION: Ss-T, T-Ss

OBJECTIVES: to get Ss involved in the lessons, to learn Ss’ interests

PROCEDURE: After T explains these posters are her favourite Tvseries , she asks Ss to write their

favourite 3 movies, Tv series or books. T asks some of the students their answers.

ACTIVITY 3: Listening Activity

TIMING: 15 min

INTERACTION: T-Ss

OBJECTIVES: to improve Ss listening skills and strategies

PROCEDURE: Teacher takes two posters but she leaves Breaking Bad poster. She sticks another poster

which belongs to the main character of the serial. She asks Ss if they know about the serial and the main

character. After getting the answers, she says ‘I have a letter from Walter White and he needs your help

and advice.’ She starts reading the letter.

ACTIVITY 4: Post-Listening Activity

TIMING: 10 min

INTERACTION: Ss-T, T-Ss, Ss-Ss

OBJECTIVES: To make Ss write advice for complicated situation, to develop Ss speaking skills, to make

Ss share and compare their ideas

PROCEDURE: After Ss listen to the letter , T asks Ss to write advice for Walter White and compare their

answers with their partner.

ACTIVITY 5: Writing Activity

TIMING: 20 min

INTERACTION: Ss-T, T-Ss

OBJECTIVES: To develop Ss writing skills and strategies, to make Ss explain a situation

PROCEDURE:T reminds Ss their favourite movies ,Tv serials or books. She wants Ss to think of their

character and the situation which the character feels like she/he is caught in the middle and needs some

advice. Ss think they are in the shoes of this character and write a letter to get advice for the situation.

After Ss finish their writing, T collects the writing and sticks them on the classroom’s wall.

ACTIVITY 6: Reading and Writing Activity (Integrated)

TIMING: 10 min

INTERACTION: T-Ss

OBJECTIVES:

1. to develop Ss reading skill;

2. to develop Ss writing skill;

3. to make Ss write advice for a complicated situation

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PROCEDURE: Teacher asks Ss to stand up, read the letters and write advice for the situation.

ACTIVITY 7: Speaking Activity

TIMING: 5 min

INTERACTION: Ss-T, T-Ss, Ss-Ss

OBJECTIVES: To develop Ss speaking skill

PROCEDURE: T collects the letters from the walls and hands them out to their owners. T asks Ss to read

the written advice. T asks some of the students to read their advice and asks them to share their ideas

about advice.

REFLECTION

I have never experienced the feeling of giving a lesson in a different country. Therefore, I had

been nervous and curious about it. After I had learned the level of the students in English which is B1+

and their ages, I started planning my lesson.

Since I had expected both sides – me and the students- would be excited and nervous, I brought

‘Turkish Delight’ and served them. Thus, we used it as an ice-breaker and also as a cultural exchange.

I had chosen the TV series as the theme of the lesson since I know that teenagers like watching

them and talking about them. As a warm-up activity, I sticked 3 posters which belongs to Game of

Thrones, Breaking Bad, How I Met Your Mothers Tv Series to the board. I asked some questions about

the TV series, the characters and the plot. Surprisingly, all of the students knew the three Tv series and

they were eager and excited to talk about them which encouraged me to have more interactive lesson.

They started talking among them in English about the TV series which showed that I was successful in

raising their attention for the lesson. However, even though the posters had good effect on them, I could

have used the trailers of them instead of posters.

After having explained that the posters were my favourite TV series, I asked them to write their

three favourite TV series, books or movies. I asked their answers and some follow-up questions about

their preferences, which was really good to have chance for interaction between us.

I took out the two posters and left the Breaking Bad one. I started asking questions about the series

especially about the main characters. I was satisfied that most of them knew about the series and they were

eager to talk about it. I said that l had a letter from Walter White who was the main character of the series

and started reading. All of the students gave attention to it and took some notes. After having finished

reading the letter, l asked them to write some advice for Walter White as pair work. They started talking

about the solution and some of them were in dilemma and they tried to convince each other. Although the

activity reached the objectives, I could have recorded the letter instead of reading it since I am not a native

speaker and it would have been better for them to listen to the letter from someone who is as a native

speaker. I got some of the answers on the solution and we discussed them. Their advice was very creative

and funny and I realized that they got really involved in the situation.

I reminded them about their favourite movies, Tv serials or books. I wanted them to think of their

character and the situation in which the character felt like she/he was caught in the middle and needed

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contained therein.

73

some advice. They thought they were in the shoes of this character and wrote a letter to get advice for the

situation. Even though l prepared the activity as an individual one , after having seen the strong

interaction between the pairs, I turned into it a pair work. While they were writing, I walked around the

classroom and asked the situation they were writing. After they had finished their writing, I collected the

writing and sticked them on the classroom’s wall. I was so surprised and happy that they wrote very

interesting and detailed letters. When l had planned this activity I aimed to make students personalize the

character and the result achieved its objective.

After having collected the letters from students, I sticked them on the board. I asked them to stand

up , come to the board and write advice about the letters their friends had written. They were eager to read

and write advice. While doing this activity, they were talking about the letters and making comments

which shows that they got involved in the activity. I collected the advice, unfortunately, we were out of

time to read together and comment on them.

In conclusion, I tried to adjust my original plan according to the classroom atmosphere and

students’ need. I put an effort to elicit the information instead of spoon feeding to my students.

Additionally, I focus on communicative approach in the classroom. All in all, the experience was so

different, efficient and important for my professional and individual development.

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74

Mustafa POLAT

Karabük University, Turkey

Mustafa Polat was born in Erzurum in 1988. After completing his primary and

secondary school education in Ankara, POLAT graduated from Anadolu

University, Department of English Language Teaching as an honor student in

2010. After receiving his B.A degree, POLAT started his master's degree at

Anadolu University, Department of Curriculum and Instruction and now he is

continuing his academic studies on the dissertation stage. POLAT who is also the

Projects and Courses Coordinator in the School of Foreign Languages, has been

working as Instructor in Karabük University SFL since 2012.

e-mail: [email protected] ; web: http://mustafapolat.wordpress.com

LESSON PLAN

NAME OF THE TEACHER: Mustafa POLAT

DATE: 19th

November, 2013

SCHOOL NAME: National College Gheorghe Munteanu Murgoci High School, Braila

NUMBER OF STUDE NTS: 15-20

LEVEL OF STUDENTS: Upper Intermediate /B2

TIME OF LESSON: 60+ min

TOPIC: Building Vocabulary

SKILLS: Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking (Integrated)

GENERAL AIMS:

to improve students’ abilities to both explore, store and use vocabulary;

to include the students in a more autonomous style in their learning process, rather than simply

having them presented with word lists selected by the instructor;

to encourage students to create and to use new strategies for vocabulary learning.

to improve students’ critical thinking and self-initiated independent learning strategies.

INTERACTION: Teacher-Students, Students-students (Individual work and cooperative work)

MATERIALS: OHP, Laptop, Speakers, The Presentation, The Article, The Crossword, The video.

ACTIVITY 1: Warm up

TIMING: 10 minutes

INTERACTION: Students-Teacher / Students-Students

OBJECTIVES:

to increase students’ curiosity about the lesson.

To increase the performance in the activity we are going to do.

PROCEDURE:

After greeting students, the teacher introduces himself. Then, he asks some trigger questions like “What

comes to your mind when you hear the word “nature” ?”. Thus, he tries to create a relaxed atmosphere in

the classroom and more and more students attend the lesson. At the end of the conversations teacher asks

that “Have you heard the word “aquifer” ?. Probably none of the students know the meaning of this word

because it’s literally scientific term about geology. Teacher listens to all the answers but he doesn’t give

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75

the correct definition, he tries to keep the interest alive. After all the answers, he writes the word “aquifer”

on the board and says; “we will learn this mysterious term completely at the end of the lesson but now I

have some interesting illustrations for you!”

ACTIVITY 2: Warm-up Activity 2

TIMING: 15 minutes

INTERACTION: Teacher-Students / Students - Students

OBJECTIVES:

to get students involved in the lessons;

to learn students’ previous vocabulary knowledge;

to get students to remember and encode vocabulary.

PROCEDURE:

Teacher has prepared some challenging illustrations in a presentation. There is a sentence under each

picture and there is a blank in each sentence. Firstly teacher shows the picture via OHP and then read the

sentence under it. Students try to find the missing word by using critical and creative thinking strategies.

Teacher listens to all the answers and guide them until they find the correct one. When students find the

correct word, teacher shows the word in the sentence. The word must be highlighted to catch students’

attention. When they find all the correct words, the teacher reviews all the pictures again and get students

to encode the words with pictures and sentences.

ACTIVITY 3: Active Listening Activity

TIMING: 15 min

INTERACTION: Teacher-Students

OBJECTIVES:

To improve students creative and critical thinking strategies.

To make students recognize and encode the new words.

PROCEDURE:

Teacher starts the video which is famous folk tale and involves the words in the presentation. Thus,

students have a chance to review the new words in authentic context. While students watching the video,

teacher pauses and asks some gist questions like “who is the real cunning creature in this video?” or “what

is the purpose of the fox’s silly behaviours?”. By this way students use critical and creative thinking

strategies.

ACTIVITY 4: The Crossword

TIMING: 10 min

INTERACTION: Students-Teacher

OBJECTIVES:

To practise new vocabulary.

To increase familiarization of new vocabulary.

PROCEDURE:

Teacher explains the purpose of the activity and hands out the crosswords. Teacher explains the directions

and students complete the crossword individually.

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ACTIVITY 5: Reading Activity TIMING: 15 minutes

INTERACTION: Teacher- Students; Students-Students

OBJECTIVES:

To make students share and compare their ideas

PROCEDURE:

Teacher turns back and circle the word “aquifer” on the board and says “It’s time to solve the secret

term!”. He hands out the worksheets and get students to read the article about aquifers on the earth

silently. After reading the article students are going to write definitions for the underlined words in the

text in exercise A, mark the statements as true or false according to the text in exercise B and finally

answer some open-ended questions in exercise C. Teacher offers Turkish delight all the students and

finishes the lesson.

REFLECTION

Before the lesson, I prepared my lesson plan for 60 minutes but I learned that lessons are 45

minutes in the school so I had to make small changes in my plan. At the beginning it was not a big

problem but at the end of the lesson I had to be quick to finish the lesson in time. To be honest, I felt a bit

nervous when the bell rang. I wished I hadn’t changed my original plan and just had a 5-minute break for

students instead of being quick and feeling nervous.

I learned that students were so nervous and excited before the lesson, thated was the first time they

attended a foreign teacher’s lesson and they also wondered about me and my teaching style. Thus, at the

begining of the lesson, I offered Turkish delight to the students to get them relaxed and I introduced

myself briefly. They really liked it so Turkish delight served my purpose quite nicely.

I had two different warm up activities in my lesson plan but I skipped the first warm up because of

the time limitation so I started with my vocabulary presentation via projector. I preferred projector

because it has many advantages. First of all, it is a commonly used technology which is used to project

illustrations or videos onto a large screen for groups of people to view at once so presentations on a

projector, additionally, reduce the need to make copies of materials to pass out to classmates. Secondly,

they have a crisper and higher quality of image than posters or other printable solutions. These higher

quality images or videos give a better experience to the audience due to the crispness of each of the slides

and it attracts students’ attention easily.

I wasn’t sure that this activity attracts their attention but I felt very comfortable because even

though the students were not young learners, they were motivated to learn by illustrations. When they

couldn’t find the necessary words, I gave some hints such as the first letter of the word or the synonym of

the word etc. During the presentation, students focused on the activity. All of the students were actively

participating and responding to my questions. They commented on the pictures and tried to find the

missing parts. One of the missing word in the presentation was “taken aback” and I didn’t expect that they

could find but one of the students found it easily and I was literally taken aback. Their English level is

really good when I compare it with Turkish highschool students.

After the first activity, the students were ready for the folktale. They were going to review the new

words in authentic context. While they were watching the video, I sometimes paused and asked some

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questions to keep the interest alive. After watching the video I couldn’t talk about it because of the same

reason: time limitation.

I am a supporter of Communicative Approach in language teaching and it emphasizes learning to

communicate through interaction in the target language and authentic texts into the learning situation so I

preferred this funny video in the lesson because it is possible to incorporate video into vocabulary

teaching like many different aspects of language teaching and learning. The learners who watched videos

or saw pictures were able to produce a higher percentage of acceptable sentences using the most difficult

target words than were the learners who read only the narratives or those who read both the narratives and

definitions. This would indicate that if vocabulary learning is going to be measured by productive use,

video is certainly facilitative.

After watching the video, I handed out the crossword related to the words they learned in this

lesson. I explained the directions and students complete the crossword individually. It was amusing

activity for them, they were competing with each other to solve the crossword. I think, they learned all the

new words easily and they evaluated themselves by this crossword because they had a chance to see their

performance on their own. Using crosswords in language teaching has many advantages. First of all,

Teachers can have control over which vocabulary is used in the puzzle, ensuring that the key content

words are used. Secondly, Teachers can use simplified or sophisticated language when writing the

definitions, depending on student need. Thirdly, teachers can use them in different part of the lesson for

different purpose easily. For example, it can be used before a lesson as a preview to vocabulary or during

a lesson as a listening guide, whereby students fill in the answers as they hear the word and the definition

or at the end of a lesson as a review of the key terms to practice new vocabulary.

Finally, I handed out the worksheets to the students. There is an article about “aquifers” on the

earth. I chose that terminological headline because I thought it attracts students’ attention and by the way,

they focus the article easily. Firstly, I asked them to have a look the text in seconds and asked some gist

questions like “What is the text about?, Are there any statistics or numbers in the text ?” After this

scanning phase, they read all the article silently and got ready for the reading exercises.

I didn’t do the first warm-up activity so I didn’t talk about the nature and aquifer so when I handed

out the article they were confused rightfully. I criticize myself for this, I wished I had a chance to mention

about it at the beginning of the lesson. After reading the article students did post-reading exercises with

their pairs. One of the extremely important advantage of pair work and is the learner's confidence.

Especially timid students, or ones who are not good at manipulating the language yet, feel more relaxed

and self-confident trying to put their language abilities during the activity and seeing how they use them.

This encourages students to cooperate with one another. Pair work has advantages not only for the learners

but also for the teachers. First of all they save time. Instead of asking individual students to practice a

structure or answer the questions, he/she can divide the class into pairs and make them do the exercise at

the same time. As a result students are able to practice the language more during the course. When the

time is saved, the teacher can take his/her students through much bigger material and many more

activities.

To sum up, this lesson is a very different experience for me because this is the first time to have a

chance being a teacher in another country. I try to learn something from each lesson and modify my

teaching styles according to the needs and personality of my students. Therefore, every teaching

experience is a unique learning experience to remember and to put in practice.

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78

Ahmet BİÇER

Karabük,Turkey

“My name is Ahmet Biçer and I’m 29 years old . I am an English teacher in

Karabuk , Turkey and I have been teaching English for some 8 years . In 2006 , I

started teaching English in a high school . In 2010 , I thought I would be happier

with younger learners and started teaching in a secondary school as of September ,

2010 . I taught English to the children aged 10 to 14 for three years. I changed my

school again in September , 2013 and I’ve been teaching in a primary school since

then. My pupils are aged 7 to 10 and it’s the first time they have learnt English .

My pupils think that I am an extraordinary teacher because I almost always play

unusual games in my English classes , which makes my pupils highly motivated .

I often use a sound equipment in my English classes so that I can easily catch

my pupils’ attention . They like hearing the words via microphone and I sometimes enable them to hear

their own voice by giving them the microphone . I am highly interested in games in language teaching . I

know that these games provide my pupils with an enjoyable atmosphere in which they learn English

enthusiastically. Finally , I am a humorous teacher and I can make my pupils laugh easily , which makes

them feel comfortable and happy during the English classes . I always try to be a creative teacher and I

think that I have the makings of a good teacher”.

LESSON PLAN

PART-1

Lesson English

Class 4th grade ( age 10 )

Unit 7

Subject Pets and numbers ( 10 to 20 )

Time 40 min.

PART-2

WARM-UP Showing the pupils some toys and

asking about them

AIMS

1. Understanding the names of pets

and making sentences about them using

their colors and body parts

2 . Understanding numbers

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79

METHODS

Communicative approach , grammar

translation method

TEACHING MATERIALS Book , workbook , toys , boxes , wheel

of fortune

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

1. Use some toys to motive the

students . Ask them some

questions about these toys .

2. Do some mental exercise by asking

them to translate the sentences into

Turkish or vice-versa .

3. Play the box game

4. Play the Wheel of fortune game .

5. Write some questions on the board

and ask the students to answer

them .

6. Write the numbers ( 10 to 20 ) .

PART-3

ASSIGNMENT Students write the names of the

numbers as homework .

The role of games in language teaching

Almost everybody loves playing games no matter how old they are . From early childhood playing is an

enormous part of most children‟s lives and it plays a big part of their development as well.

Why games?

There are a number of reasons that games deserve a place in the language classroom.

First of all, they are fun, which is extremely important, because they can help activate students who may

have been inactive before, due to lack of interest. Keeping students active is vital because teachers will

never be able to actually teach students anything unless they can get them to participate in their own

learning process.

Secondly, games also play a big part in helping students to feel equal. Playing games in the classroom can

also help create a friendly and positive atmosphere .

Thirdly , games are good for shy students and students with low confidence, and that works specifically

when playing takes place in smaller groups because then they get a chance to speak in front of fewer

audience instead of having to express themselves in front of the whole class. Also it is sometimes easier to

open up and forget the shyness when playing a game because the atmosphere is not so serious and more

emphasis is put on fluency rather than grammatical correctness.

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Fourth and the most important one is that students learn English in an enjoyable and enthusiastic way and

it will be much easier for them to review the subjects and learn words as they are playing the game .

When games are used in the classroom , the teacher must control the game in the right way. Also he

or she must make sure that every participant has a positive experience because the classroom must not

become a place where students feel vulnerable .

Another thing that is important to acknowledge is the fact that not all games fit the classroom

environment, or all groups of students, and that it can be hard finding the right game. In fact, it is good to

keep in mind when selecting a game that a recipe for a good educational game is one that balances both

fun and challenge .

As to my English class , I studied ‘ pets ’ and ‘ numbers ’ with my 4th graders that day . I prepared

some popular toys and cartoon characters that would attract the pupils’ attention easily . I always keep in

mind that motivation is the key factor in language teaching . At the beginning of the class , I showed these

toys to my pupils and asked them a number of questions ranging from colours to body parts .

Communicative approach was of vital importance for me . Also , I asked them to say what they

understood when they heard my sentences in English . They tried to translate the sentences into their

mother tongue , Turkish . They were really successful .

Afterwards , I did the vice-versa and my pupils tried to translate my

Turkish sentences on the pets into English . By this way , they did some brainstorming and this activity

was very enjoyable both for me and for the pupils .

After doing some mental exercises like that , we started to play my box game. Let me explain this game .

There are 6 blue boxes and six pupils hold the boxes . One of the pupils can be the host of the programme.

I choose two pupils and they become the contestant pupils and rest of the class become audience. It is like

a television programme .

As I said before , there are 6 blue boxes in which there are written papers I have prepared in advance.

I mean, I may write a word to guess, a sentence to translate, a question to answer or I may leave a blank

in the middle of a sentence on the papers.

The contestant pupils ask the others, who hold the boxes, to open the boxes one by one and they try to

answer the questions in the boxes .

If they answer them , they get points.

There may be different points on the papers in the boxes in accordance with the level of difficulty of the

questions or sentences. It is up to you .

So, pupils feel very excited and highly motivated while performing the game.

By this way, they can learn words or sentences in a very enjoyable way .

Only disadvantage of this game is that you can choose two pupils for the game because there are just six

boxes and two or three contestant pupils are suitable for this game . Although this is a disadvantage for the

pupils in a class , you can also choose 10-12 pupils for the game if you decide to play this game during

the whole class that takes 40 minutes .

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81

After playing the box game , I played another popular game with my pupils . This was the Wheel of

fortune game . Let me explain the game .

As you all know , there is a wheel on which there are different points and the pupils spin the wheel

and they say a random letter from the letters on the board . If they know the letter , they get points . The

one who finds the hidden sentence on the board first wins the game .

You can play this game with 5-10 pupils .

During the game , I ask my pupils a sentence or a question which is related to a recent subject and they try

to guess it by spinning the wheel and saying the letters .

They get some points and the winner has the right to go to the ‘shopping corner’ to buy some presents

with his/her points . To be honest , I don’t always have time to prepare that corner . Unfortunately , I and

my pupils forgot to prepare the presents that day because of the exciting athmosphere of that day.

In brief , If the winner has got a lot of points at the end of the game , he/she can go home with a

huge present packet consisting of biscuit , chocolate , fruit juice or maybe a notebook . As you guess , this

game is an exciting one for the pupils .

At the end of my English class , I wrote the numbers from 10 to 20 on the board and asked my

pupils to repeat them after me in order that they can learn how to pronounce them . Then , I gave them

some homework about the numbers and finished the class .

As a result , please keep in mind that the one who dares to teach must not cease to learn . A teacher must

be creative and enthusiastic . We must not forget that motivation , exposure and opportunity are

indispensable elements in English teaching.

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82

İsmail SEZGIN

English Teacher/Teacher Trainer

Safranbolu Anatolian High School, Turkey

İsmail SEZGIN was born in 1967. He graduated from English Language

Teaching department of Marmara University, Istanbul. He currently works for

Ministry of National Education. Previously, he worked at Marmara University and

for In-Service-Department of Ministry of Education as a Teacher Trainer. In these

institutions, he has worked as an instructor, curriculum and materials development

coordinator and a teacher trainer. He has delivered a lot of international and

national seminars in ELT field on different topics for the past fifteen years. He has

written a lot of books on English grammar and vocabulary. He is now doing his master’s degree on

English Literature at Karabük University.

e-mail: [email protected]

LESSON PLAN

DATE: 6 January 2014

CLASS: 10thGrade

NO. OF STUDENTS: 16 students

LEVEL OF STUDENTS: A2

SCHOOL: Safranbolu Anatolian High School

DURATION: 40 minutes

TOPIC: Presenting Future tense “will”.

SKILLS: speaking, listening, reading, writing

AIMS:

to predict future

to introduce future tense - “will”

ASSUMPTIONS: Students are expected to learn what piece of language is to be used while predicting

future

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS: Students might havedifficultiesin reading and understanding the

horoscopes due to the unknown vocabulary

METHODS AND TECHNIQUES: brainstorming, drama, pair work, grammar drills

AIDS AND MATERIALS: a skirt, blouse, wig, laptop, power point presentation, handouts

ASSESSMENT: teacher evaluation, self-evaluation

WARM-UP

TIMING: 1 minute

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INTERACTION: T-S

PROCEDURE:

Usually it takes more than one minute to warm up, but as this will be a video recorded

lesson, we have to stick to the time allocated, so I will just greet the students as usual and tell them to be

relaxed in front of the camcorders.

ACTIVITY 1

OBJECTIVES:

to draw students’ attention on the topic

TIMING: 14 minutes

INTERACTION: T-S, S-T

PROCEDURE:

The teacher puts on the skirt and the blouse. And at this stage he asks “what his job is?” and elicits

the answers. The teacher looks for the word “fortune teller”, but at this stage it is too early to get the

answer. Then the teachers puts on the wig and acts like a fortune teller. Again trying to get the answer

“fortune teller”, he asks what her job is. If he can’t get the answer, he tells what her job is and asks what a

fortune teller does. Then the teacher invites a student in front of the board and acting like a fortune teller,

the teacher predicts the student’s future looking at the student’s palm. While doing this, the teacher uses

the pre-prepared sentences written on a power point file.

ACTIVITY 2

OBJECTIVE:

to elicit the grammar rules associated with future tense

to make drills using Future tense

TIMING: 7 minutes

INTERACTION: T-S, S-S

PROCEDURE:

Teacher asks students to study the sentences presented on the power point presentation and wants

them to find out the rules. The teacher also asks the students if the teacher is talking about planned actions

for the future. Afterwards, the teacher gives out the handouts to do some drills on Future Tense and gets

the answers.

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ACTIVITY 3

OBJECTIVE:

to read daily horoscopes

to expose students to Future Tense in context

TIMING: 8 minutes

INTERACTION: T-S, S-S

PROCEDURE:

This activity will focus on reading daily horoscopes in which Future Tense is often used so that

students can see its usage in context while doing some tasks assigned by the teacher. There are daily

horoscopes at different places of the classroom and the students will go around the classroom and read

those daily horoscopes. (Annex 1) Before they go round the classroom, the teacher gives the students a

handout (Annex 2) and wants them to find out what problems people will face and what the solution will

be. Then the teacher and the students will discuss together.

ACTIVITY 4

OBJECTIVE:

to listen to a song

to expose students to Future Tense in a listening context

TIMING: 8 minutes

INTERACTION: T-S, S-S

PROCEDURE:

Students will listen to the song called “Sera, Sera”. First students will listen to the song just for

pleasure. Then, they will be given a handout (Annex 3) to fill in the blanks. Finally, answers will be

elicited.

ASSIGNMENT: 2 minutes

Students will be asked to write a daily horoscope of their own choice.

REFLECTION

As teachers we usually complain about our students not being eager to learn or participate into lessons. I

always hear teachers saying “My students do not participate in my course. How can I motivate my

students? I try to do everything for them but they are not happy with my classes and so on”. In fact there

are lots of answers to these questions, but I want to give a simple answer. If your students do not want to

eat what you cook, cook what your students want to eat.

What do I mean by saying “If your students do not want to eat what you cook, cook what your

students want to eat”? If your students enjoy your lessons, this can provide the motivation as teachers we

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look for. If your lessons are well-paced and if you include different kinds of activities in your lesson, this

will surely keep your students interested in your course.

As we all know learners have different learning styles and intelligences.

If there are 30 students in your classroom, this means there are at least four or five different types of

learners. If you cater for only one type of learner, then the others will fall behind and they won’t be eager

to participate. What’s important here is that we should put variety into our lessons in terms of our

approach to teaching activities.

In my lesson I’ve tried to make the lesson more fun. What’s more, I wanted it to be remembered

by the students using drama. I am sure that they will never forget this session all their life and of course

they will always remember how they learned “Future Tense”. Furthermore, by using different types of

activities –reading, listening - I wanted to cater for different types of learners. I wanted them to stand up

from their desks and go round the classroom to read the daily horoscopes so that I can feed kinaesthetic

type of learners. I used drama technique for the visual learners. I added a song into my lesson so that

auditory learners can also enjoy the lesson and benefit from it. To sum up, we should always take into

consideration that there are different types of learners in our classrooms and accordingly we should

prepare our lesson plans.

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YOUR DAILY HOROSCOPE

ARIES (March 21 – April 20)

Today you will come across an old friend. You will be very happy. He will help you with

one of your problems.

TAURUS (April 21 – May 21)

You will be busy this week. You will have to work a lot. Don’t worry! You will have some

time to relax at the weekend.

GEMINI (May 22 – June 22)

You feel tired today. Take it easy! Have a light dinner and go to bed early. You will feel

great in the morning.

CANCER (June 23 – July 23)

You feel lonely these days but don’t worry. You will meet someone very interesting

towards the end of the week. You will enjoy a lot together.

LEO (July 24 – August 23)

You have some financial problems but you should be patient. You will get good news on

Thursday. You will solve your problems.

VIRGO (August 24 – September 23)

You don’t think that your parents love you. This is not true. If you listen to your parents,

you will understand them. Everything will be all right soon.

LIBRA (September 24 – October 23)

Come on! Make up your mind! Do you like that boy? What are you waiting for? You

should act now. If you don’t do anything, you will lose him.

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SCORPIO (October 24 – November 22)

You are worried about your weight. This is true, but, if you avoid fatty foods, you will

lose weight. You will be healthier if you eat more fruit and vegetables.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 – December 21)

A close friend will call you today and she will invite you to a party. Go to that party! You

will enjoy a lot.

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 20)

You will be very happy today, because you will receive some unexpected money. You

will go shopping and buy some clothes. Be careful! Don’t spend all of the money.

AQUARIUS (January 21 – February 19)

At the beginning of the week you will feel bored. After Wednesday your week will start to

be interesting. You will go on a short journey at the weekend.

PISCES (February 20 – March 20)

You don’t spend much time with your friends. Why don’t you mingle with them? If you

socialize more, you will feel better. Listen to my advice! It will be useful for you.

HOROSCOPE PROBLEM SOLUTION

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When I was just a little girl

I asked my mother, “what _____ I be?”

“_____ I be pretty, _____ I be rich?”

Here's what she said to me.

Que Sera, Sera,

Whatever _____ be, _____ be

The future's not ours to see

Que Sera, Sera

What _____ be, _____ be?

When I grew up and fell in love

I asked my sweetheart what lies ahead

” _____ we have rainbows, day after day?”

Here's what my sweetheart said.

Que Sera, Sera,

Whatever _____ be, _____ be

The future's not ours to see

Que Sera, Sera

What _____ be, _____ be.

Now I _____ children of my own

They ask their mother, “what _____ I be?”

“_____ I be handsome, _____ I be rich?”

I tell them tenderly.

Que Sera, Sera,

Whatever will be, will be

The future's not ours, to see

Que Sera, Sera

What will be, will be.

Page 91: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

89

Dilek KIRAZ KARADÖNGEL

Yenişehir Primary School, Karabük,Turkey

“ I was born in Yenice , Karabük in 23/05/1988. I went Atatürk Primary

School and YIBO Secondary School. After that I contınued my educatıon

in Safranbolu Anatolıan Highschool. After university exam , I studied

English Language and Literature ın Dumlupınar University,Kütahya .In

2010-2013 I was English teacher in Diyarbakır and since 2013 I am

working in Yenişehir Primary School as an English teacher in Karabük”

LESSON PLAN

CLASS:

WARM UP (5 minutes)

(Revision of the last lesson)

Teacher asks the students what they learned in the last English lesson. Students answer saying

“Numbers”. Then teacher asks the students who wants to count the numbers 0 to10. Students

raise their hands and the three of them chosen by the teacher count the numbers 0 to 10.

Then jump game is played (students and teacher stand together to count the numbers and after

saying 5 and 10 students jump).

ACTIVITY 1 ( 10 minutes)

Teacher asks the students what colours they know . Then teacher writes the colours in English

but doesn’t write the Turkish meanings. Instead, the teacher sticks the true coloured paper

opposite the each word.Finally teacher asks the students to repeat after him/her.Teacher

pronounces the colours and the students repeat after the teacher.

ACTIVITY 2 (10 minutes)

Two short videos about the colours are watched by the students

ACTIVITY 3 (5 minutes) Teacher draws two circles on the board. And sticks the papers on

which teacher has written the colours before to one of the circles. Then she sticks the picture

of the some coloured things on the other circle. Finally teacher asks the students to stick the

right colour under the right picture.

Page 92: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

90

ACTIVITY 4 ( 10 minutes)

A game about the colours is played by the students. Teacher divides the class into two groups

and writes the English colours on the board. Then, he/she says Turkısh names of colours and

wants students to find the right answer.

REFLECTION

We started our lessons with warm-up activities because we have two English lessons in a week

so it is not enough to learn English effectively. Warm-up actıvıties help students to remember

what they have learned.

Our topıc is colours so I have used vısual tools like pictures, projector, computer, songs and

coloured papers..For the 2nd graders vısual things are very important when learnıng English

because they raise students’ attentıon to the lesson.

It ıs important to use multı-media tools when teaching a foreıgn language. They help students to

remember very effectıvely.When we use multi-media tools in the lessons , students’ motıvatıon

increases at the same time.

Benefits of the multı- media tools can be the following:

It helps learnıng

It adds diversity and differences to the process of learnıng

It prevents verbalism and evaluates the time better.

It makes students to practıse and exercise too much about the topıc they learn

Disadvantages of multı-media tools

It may decrease thınking of students

In some cases,it may requıre to use the language too much

It may cost too much

We may not have enough tıme and preparatıon to use the tool effectıvely.

I used games ın my lessons because games help students to learn in a funny and efficient

way. They enjoy the lesson when playing games and they love English lessons thanks to

them. Advantages of using games when teaching a foreıgn language can be sorted as:

They develop children’s practical skills,

develop children’s understanding and speech skills ,

children enrich their vocabulary,

Page 93: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

2014

”New Approaches to Foreign Language Teaching in Turkey and Romania”

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information

contained therein.

91

helps children to pronounce accurately,

develops children’s role play skill,

develops children’s memory.

In my lessons students attend lessons actıvely and both me and them enjoy the lessons.

I don’t use target language too much but I use it sometimes because students are getting bored

when they don’t understand the teacher.They don’t attend the actıvıtıes and don’t want to learn

English .

Page 94: Examples of good practice comenius regio project

Braila 2014

ISBN 978-973-0-17278-2