Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

Commentary Context The following lesson was developed for a hypothetical reading and writing course to take place in an ESL setting, namely an intensive business English program in the United States, where each student has a laptop with Internet access in class. Students are junior-level business professionals from around the world. They have intermediate- level English proficiency in general and are fully literate in their L1. There are approximately 15 students in the class. This lesson would be situated among a series of lessons on business events in the world with a focus on reading and writing. In this lesson, I have chosen an authentic news article named Occupier gets an occupation: Wall Street firm hires protester (Appendix A) from the New York Post for students to read. The subsequent lesson would focus on how to write a professional development presentation outline. In general, my vision of the span of the course concords with the belief that one cannot successfully teach writing without teaching reading at the same time (Kroll, 1993). Lesson Sequence According to Aebersold and Field (1997), in intensive reading, each text is read carefully and thoroughly for maximum comprehension. Teachers provide direction and help before, sometimes during, and after reading. Students do many exercises that require them to work in depth with various selected aspects of the text (p. 45). This definition is clearly reflected in my lesson plan, which features diverse teacher-guided activities in pre-, during- and post-reading stages including application of reading skills,

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

investigations of the text macrostructure as well as cultural and historical concepts in the text. Hedgcock and Ferris (2009) argue that pre-reading activities help boost students interest, confidence, and motivation for reading and facilitate comprehension when they read the text carefully. In this lesson, I have designed the following prereading activities: sharing job hunting experiences, brainstorming the important personal qualities and skills for successful job hunting, and discussing the connotations of Wall Street as well as identifying the characteristics of news articles. These activities aim at activating and developing students schema knowledge, which may lead to deeper comprehension of the news article (Anderson & Pearson, 1984). The overriding goal of an intensive reading lesson is to build students skills and strategies for reading authentic texts beyond the reading classroom (Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009, p. 162). In line with this position, my during-reading activities center on reading skill development, including summarizing, skimming, and scanning the text or part of the text in order to answer comprehension questions. Through such practices, both top-down and bottom-up processing are elicited (Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009). I also encourage the use of strategies such as rereading, checking online dictionaries, and reflecting on previous reading short-circuits (Goodman, 1988) at different points in the during- and post-reading phases. I believe that these strategies and skills are essential to business professionals, who will be engaged in various real literacy events (Kern, 2000), for example, reading business correspondence. One of the most intriguing and challenging tasks for the students in this lesson is to research on Reagan Revolution and Occupy Wall Street and share their findings

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

in a collaborative Google Doc in the post-reading phase. I have assumed that students are familiar with the use of Google Doc, otherwise I would have to spend time teaching them how to use Google Doc with their Google accounts (if they have one). Moreover, due to the time constraints and heavy cognitive load of cultural information, I have decided to devote the class time to students exploration of different sources and leading them to read through some sources and then assign a comprehension question related to Reagan Revolution as their homework. I hope that such an activity will increase students awareness of the importance of culture-bound information in understanding a text and they will also be able to investigate this type of information through online resource gathering. I am convinced that the performative, cognitive, and metacognitive goals identified in the lesson plan outline can be achieved as long as teachers carefully implement this lesson plan at an appropriate pace and with adequate support and guidance for the students at all stages. Text Choice Regarding readability of the news article Ive chosen, A Lextutor analysis (Appendix A) shows that more than 80% of the words fall into the K1 and K2 categories, which makes the text lexically accessible, but still requires certain reading effort. Moreover, its Flesch RE is 67.0 and its Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level is 7.4, thus being easily processable by a Grade 7 or 8 reader. Similar to Readers Digest articles, which score around 65 (Hedgcock & Ferris, 2009), my chosen text is challengingly appropriate for intermediate learners of English. Assessment

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

I concur with Hedgcock and Ferris (2009) that the process of assessment can be regarded as a teaching and learning tool. Just as Alderson (2000) wrote, most instruction is indeed instruction anyway, sometimes quite explicitly so, as when homework assignments are marked (p. 191). In this lesson plan, I have not only used the comprehension questions (Appendix B) to accompany individual reading and classroom discussion but also as homework assignment, which would be marked based the completeness and appropriateness of the answers. Meanwhile, the teacher can also evaluate students performance informally by observing their participation in class activities. In the appendices, I have also included a writing assignment for a subsequent writing lesson, which is based on the topics covered in this lesson. To close this readingfocused lesson with a few writing prompts for students to think about could reinforce the idea of the interrelatedness of reading and writing.

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

Lesson Outline Background Setting Adult ESL class in an intensive business English program in the United States; Technology-rich environment, where each student has a laptop with Internet access in class; This is one of the classes in a reading and writing course with a focus on current events; Previous lesson: reading or writing about current business events in the world; Subsequent lesson: conducting a peer review of a professional development presentation outline Junior-level business professionals from non-English speaking countries around the world; Intermediate English proficiency, fully literate in their L1; Approximately 15 students.

Learner Background

Time Frame Materials & Equipment

2 hours (with a 10-minute break). Whiteboard and markers; Laptops with Internet access; Photocopies of the New York Post article for each student (Appendix A); Photocopies of the comprehension questions for each student (Appendix B); Photocopies of the assignment guidelines for each student (Appendix C).

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

Goals

The students will be able to: Apply reading skills including summarizing, skimming and scanning in understanding main idea(s) and specific information in a text (performative); Identify some basic features of news articles (e.g., the use of zero articles in titles and subtitles, pictures, singlesentence paragraphs, and direct quotes) (performative); Develop an awareness of the importance of cultural and historical references in understanding a text and explore culture-loaded concepts by using online resources (cognitive and performative); Know about potential difficulties and pitfalls in reading and coping strategies through self-reflection and exploration as well as group discussion (metacognitive, cognitive and performative). The students will be able to: Comprehend the Occupier gets an occupation article by actively participating in pre-, during-, and post-reading activities either individually or through collaborative work (cognitive and performative); Give appropriate answers to all the comprehension questions (cognitive and performative).

Learning Objectives

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

Development of the Lesson Time

5 min.

Stage
Interesting news/ Announcements

Procedures/ Teacher & Student Behavior

Materials: N/A Make announcements, telling the class that laptops will be used at some point of the lesson. Informal chatting about recent academic and extracurricular activities students (Ss) find interesting.

20 min.

Pre-reading: Background knowledge

Materials: Whiteboard, markers Transition by telling Ss that teaching them business English is an interesting and rewarding job. Ask Ss to share their most recent job hunting experience in a group of 3 or 4 by addressing the following questions. 1. Did you get the job? If so, how did you get the job? 2. Was there an interview? If so, what did the interviewer ask you? How did you reply? 3. What do you think of your performance in the interview? How could you improve? Ask each group to brainstorm a list of personal qualities and skills that will increase their success when looking for a job. Inform Ss that they will write a professional development presentation outline to address these personal qualities and skills as their homework and encourage them to take notes during discussion. Tell Ss that they are going to read a news article about job hunting for this lesson. Ask Ss whether they have thought about finding a job on Wall Street and what they know about Wall Street, making sure that the contemporary meanings associated with Wall Street are explored (e.g., financial institutions and markets, corporate greed and malfeasance).

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

15 min.

Pre-reading: Genre awarenessraising

Materials: Photocopies of the New York Post article (Appendix A) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Transition by telling Ss that it is time for them to read the news article and pass out the New York Post article. Ask Ss to number the paragraphs. Ask Ss to notice the length and punctuation of each paragraph and address the following questions. How many single-sentence paragraphs are there in the article? How many paragraphs include direct quotes? Ask Ss to identify the title and the subtitle and address the following questions. Is the subtitle Wall Street firm hires protester grammatical? Is the subtitle properly used here? Why or why not? Ask Ss to look at the two pictures as well as the title and the subtitle and invite several students to predict what the article will discuss in a couple of sentences orally.

20 min.

During reading: Summarizing, skimming and scanning

Materials: Photocopies of the New York Post article (Appendix A), photocopies of the comprehension questions (Appendix B) Transition by telling Ss that as they read through the article, they need to answer some questions by applying certain skills. Pass out the comprehension questions and preview the questions with Ss. Make sure that Ss understand the apparatuses and tell them that all the comprehension questions should be answered by the beginning of the next class and will be collected (informal quiz) and then marked. Assign four questions (the first two items plus two questions under 3) to a group of 3 or 4. Make sure that there are overlaps among the groups in terms of their assigned questions. Ask Ss to read the article and then write down responses to the questions assigned to their groups individually. Tell Ss that you can read the entire article or certain paragraphs multiple times if need be in order to answer the questions in 15 minutes. Encourage Ss to underline certain words (e.g., name, numbers, and places), which may help them answer the questions under 3. Walk around and provide assistance when necessary. Tell Ss that as they finish their assigned questions, they can take a 10-minute break and after the break they will compare their answers in groups.

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

10 min. 20 min

Break

N/A

During- and post-reading: Comprehension check

Materials: Photocopies of the New York Post article (Appendix A), photocopies of the comprehension questions (Appendix B), laptops with Internet access Ask Ss to compare their answers to the questions in groups and prepare a group version to share with the class. Assign roles to each student (e.g., time controller, note taker, reporter, and technology/dictionary person). Encourage students to reread the article and check online dictionaries (e.g., www.merriam- webster.com, www.urbandictionary.com) during group discussion if they come across any unfamiliar language. Walk around and provide assistance when necessary. Discuss the questions in class and ask Ss to supply or revise their answers to the comprehension questions. Inform Ss again that all the comprehension questions should be answered completely and appropriately and will be collected (informal quiz) at the beginning of the next class and then marked. Ask Ss whether they have any misunderstandings when they try to answer the questions by themselves and how to avoid similar misunderstandings when they encounter another text.

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

10

20 min.

Post-reading: Cultural consciousness raising

Materials: Photocopies of the New York Post article (Appendix A), photocopies of the comprehension questions (Appendix B), laptops with Internet access, whiteboard, markers Transition by asking Ss whether they have checked any vocabulary in online dictionaries or they find anything difficult in the news article that they dont understand. Call Ss attention to Reagan in the article and ask Ss whether they know anything about Reagan Revolution. Write Reagan Revolution and Occupy Wall Street on the board and divide the students into two big groups. Ask Ss to compile a digital profile for either Reagan Revolution or Occupy Wall Street through online searching in a shared Google Doc that can be accessed by the whole class. The profile doesnt have to be a cohesive passage. It can be composed of discrete paragraphs that originate from various sources. Ask Ss to supply the sources with URLs in the shared Google Doc for their classmates reference. Make comments and supply additional useful resources in the Google Doc as Ss work on the digital profile. Lead Ss to read through or read part of the two digital profiles (depending on the available time and the length of the profiles) and ask them to think about the question: Why did the protester say Reagan sucks, and, Ill vote after the revolution (see homework in Appendix B) based on the information in the shared Google Doc. Ask Ss to answer this question after class and discuss it at the beginning of the next class.

10 min.

Closing: Assignment as preparation for the next class

Materials: Photocopies of the writing assignment guidelines (Appendix C) Pass out the writing assignment guidelines to Ss and preview them with Ss. Make sure that Ss are clear about the directions. Ask Ss to get ready to submit the comprehension question handout at the beginning of the next class with complete answers (showing correction/ revision if applicable). Ask Ss to summarize what they have learned from the lesson (e.g., content and reading strategies).

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

11

References Aebersold, J. A., & Field, M. L. (1997). From reader to reading teacher: Issues and strategies for second language classrooms. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Alderson, J. C. (2000). Assessing reading. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Anderson, R. C., & Pearson, P. D. (1984). A schema-theory view of the basic processes in reading. In P. D. Pearson (Ed.), Handbook of reading research (pp. 255- 291). New York, NY: Longman. Goodman, K. (1988). The reading process. In P. Carrell, J. Devine, & D. Eskey (Eds.), Interactive approaches to second language reading (pp. 11- 21). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Hedgcock, J. S., & Ferris, D. R. (2009). Teaching Readers of English: Students, texts, and contexts. New York, NY: Routledge. Kern, R. (2000). Literacy and language teaching. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Kroll, B. (1993). Teaching writing IS teaching reading: Training the new teacher of ESL composition. In J. G. Carson, & I. Leki (Eds.), Reading in the composition classroom: Second language perspectives (pp. 61- 81). Boston, MA: Heinle.

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

12

Appendix A

Occupier gets an occupation

Wall Street firm hires protester By CYNTHIA R. FAGEN Shes gone from Occupy Wall Street to occupying a job on Wall Street. Down-on-her-luck protester Tracy Postert spent 15 days washing sidewalks and making sandwiches at Zuccotti Park then landed a dream job at a Financial District investment firm thanks to a high-powered passer-by who offered her work. I never thought I would be doing this, Postert admitted to The Post. The Upper West Sider, who has a Ph.D. in biomedical science specializing in pharmacology, was unemployed and had all but given up on finding work in her preferred field of academia when she joined the movement in October.

(Photo by RIYAD HASAN)

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

13

NICE JOB! Tracy Postert went from Zuccotti Park to Wall Street, where she was hired by Thomas Belesis and Wayne Kaufman.

(Photo by DAN BRINZAC) She held signs that read, Reagan sucks, and, Ill vote after the revolution. But she said she still needed to get a real job. So she made a new sign. On the front, she wrote, Ph.D. Biomedical Scientist seeking full time employment, and on the back, Ask me for my resume. It caught the eye of Wayne Kaufman, chief market analyst for John Thomas Financial Brokerage. The exec wasnt looking to hire, but he took Posterts rsum anyway. That was Oct. 22, Posterts Day 10 as an Occupier. The next day, Kaufman, impressed by her CV, sent her an e-mail asking if shed like to come for an interview. It wasnt far only two blocks from Zuccotti Park at 14 Wall St. I had been unemployed for so long, I thought why not? said Postert, adding that she is in her 30s and has no background in finance or business.

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

14

Her last paying job was as a lab assistant at Touro College making $2,500 for the one semester she worked there, she said. Kaufman offered her a job as a junior analyst evaluating medical companies as potential investments. Postert said the decision to accept was painful. But practicality won out. The starting salary as a junior analyst is near minimum wage, but in time, she can earn a cool six figures, assured Kaufman. Postert has now just completed her third week as a Wall Street geek. Shes already studying for her exams to be a certified financial analyst. I want to get a perfect score, she said. Life has definitely changed for the former Occupier. Shes in the office by 8 a.m., and she still has to get used to Kaufmans rallying cry of Go! Go! Go! blaring over the speakers in the morning. CEO Thomas Belesis said he believes Postert will be a great asset. She was ranting about Wall Street, and now shes working on Wall Street. Banks are not so bad. I hope we have opened her eyes, he said. Retrieved on November 13, 2013 from http://nypost.com/2011/12/05/occupier-gets-anoccupation/

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

15

Readability 1: Flesch RE: 67.0 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 7.4

Families K1 Words (1-1000): Function: Content: 137 ... ... Types 161 ... ... ... Tokens 344 -204 -140 -85 17 -10 ... Percent 77.13% (45.74%) (31.39%) (19.06%) 3.81% (2.24%) (80.94%) 6.73% (0.22%) 12.33% 100%

> Anglo-Sax... =Not Greco-Lat/Fr Cog: K2 Words (1001-2000): 16 > Anglo-Sax:... 1k+2k AWL Words (academic): 16

16 ... ...

20 ... 39 236

30 -1 55 446

> Anglo-Sax:... Off-List Words: ? 169+?

The readability statistics will only appear on the teachers copy of the news article.

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

16

Appendix B Comprehension Questions 1. SUMMARIZING: Read the first two paragraphs and the last paragraph of the article and answer the following question. (in no more than 40 words) What happened to the protester?

2. SKIMMING AND SUMMARIZING: Read the entire article and explain how the protester got her job on Wall Street. (in no more than 80 words)

3. SCANNING: Please look for names, numbers and places in the article and answer the following questions. a. Whats the name of the protester?

b. What degree did she earn?

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

17

c. What was her last paying job? What is her present job?

d. How much did she earn with her last job? How much could she make with her present job?

e. When did she get her present job?

f. Who offered her this job?

g. What was the position of the person who offered her the new job?

h. Where is she working now?

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

18

Homework: Why did the protester say Reagan sucks, and Ill vote after the revolution? (Dont forget to make full use of our shared Google Doc! Feel free to refer to other print and digital resources.

Yinghua Cai- Reading Lesson Plan Occupier gets an occupation...

19

Appendix C Assignment Guidelines Professional Development Presentation Outline You are going to write an outline for a professional development presentation. Imagine that your audience is a group of recent college graduates, who are having a hard time finding a job. All of the audience members are Business majors. Your outline should include an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The body of your outline should address the following questions: What personal qualities (e.g. bravery, friendliness) and/or skills (e.g. computer training, foreign language proficiency) will help increase your success when looking for a job? Why are these personal qualities and/or skills important? What can people do to further develop these qualities and/or skills (e.g. ask questions, network with other professionals, take risks)?

Your outline should look like this: Introduction This presentation will! Body ! Main point #1 ! (Example: One important skill that will help you increase your success when looking for a job is the ability to speak a foreign language). o Supporting examples and details ! (Example: This is important because! One way to develop your foreign language skills is to!) ! Main point #2 o Supporting examples and details ! Main point #3 o Supporting examples and details Conclusion Today, we have talked about! Keep in mind that your language should be direct, straightforward (easy to understand), and informative. At the same time, it is important that your outline is fully developed and that all sentences are complete. Bring a rough draft of these outlines to our next class. We will do a peer-review activity in class. After receiving feedback from your teacher and peers, you will revise your outline and give this presentation to your classmates later during the semester.