Literature Journal

Heng Yuen Yee

B1301379
Department of Early Childhood Education
Bece 207
Dr. Yeow Poh Wha

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Table of Content
Title

Page

1. Importance of Lesson Plans

3-4

2. Benefits of the Integrated Lesson Plans

4-5

3. Oral Presentation

5-6

4. Learning Experiences of the Children

5. References

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Importance of Lesson Plans

As a professional educator or teacher, we must acquire the skill of planning
appropriate lesson plans for children. According to Olenka Bilash (2009), there is a
correlation between student learning and teacher planning. Hence, lesson planning is seen as
a vital component of teaching and learning process. Teachers can organize a lesson well and
keep the lesson on track while teaching by planning a proper classroom lesson. In
conjunction with that, this allows teachers to teach more as well as help the students to
acquire objectives more easily and manage less. Besides, when a lesson is well-planned,
teachers can focus on its implementation (Olenka Bilash, 2009). The better prepared the
teacher is, the more likely the teacher will be able to handle when unexpected happens in the
lesson (Scrivener, 2011). Thus, through lesson planning, it eventually increases the chances
of a successful lesson (Scrivener, 2011).
Additionally, it is extremely important for educators as well as teachers to realize that
lesson planning is essentially a thinking skill. Scrivener (2011) stressed that planning a lesson
is actually imagining the lesson before carrying out it. Hence, it involves not only predicting
skills but also sequencing, simplifying, considering, anticipating as well as organizing skills
(Scrivener, 2011). Other than that, lesson planning helps teachers to be more confident when
delivering the lesson to students. Also, it provides a coherent framework for smooth efficient
teaching and useful basis for future planning. Besides, planning lessons gives a sense of
direction to teachers in relation to the syllabus.
Lesson planning helps teachers to plan lessons that cater to the students needs,
learning abilities, interests and their levels. Thus, a well-planned lesson is more likely to
engage the learners by attracting them to pay attention throughout the lesson. In addition,
students learn better when they are engage with structured lessons. Also, students can

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assimilate knowledge and new skills which have been taught in the lesson more easily.
Therefore, lesson planning is crucial and essential for both teachers and students. It is our
responsibilities as an educator to provide well-planned lessons for the students.
Benefits of the Integrated Lesson Plans
Integrated lesson plans refer to lesson plans which integrate a variety of learning
areas, bringing together various aspects of the lesson plans into meaningful association to
focus upon broad areas of study (Shoemaker, 1989, as cited in, Lake, 1994). It views teaching
and learning process in a holistic way and reflects the real world, which is interactive
(Shoemaker, 1989, as cited in, Lake, 1994). Alberta Education (2007) stressed that teachers
can plan for the development of key skills and understandings that transcend individual
subjects and strands through integrating lesson plans. Other than that, choosing meaningful
connections among subject areas helps students to build on their diverse prior knowledge and
experiences. Also, it supports students holistic view of the world and ensures more
meaningful learning for students (Alberta Education, 2007).
Furthermore, integrated lesson plans benefits students by enabling students to develop
a unified view of the lesson to broaden the context of their learning beyond every single
subject areas (Alberta Education, 2007). According to Alberta Education (2007), when a
lesson plan is organized in a holistic way, it is better in reflecting the real world as well as the
way children learn at home and in the community. Research by Alberta Education (2007)
showed that younger students are able to take in many things, process and organize them at
one time and this theory was supported by the brain research as well. Hence, teaching ideas
holistically, rather than in fragmented pieces, better reflects how the brain of young students
process information.

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Integrated lesson plans enable students to focus more clearly on conceptual

understanding because content is aligned around the key issues (Alberta Education, 2007).
Besides, integrated lesson plans allow students to identify both distinctive qualities and
related elements of the subject areas. Thus, students become more involved in their learning
as the context is more meaningful and understandable to them (Alberta Education, 2007). In
addition, it allows students to use and demonstrate their skills, knowledge and attitudes in a
variety of learning contexts. Hence, this enables teachers to assess students skills and
understandings in a variety of learning contexts. Moreover, teachers can easily manage the
content of the study programs as the outcomes from different key learning skills and areas are
both addressed at the same time and reinforced (Alberta Education, 2007). Most importantly,
integrated lesson plans allow teachers to provide relevant lessons for learning and lessons
will be based on the students needs. Last but not least, it increases students participation as
well as their motivation.
Oral Presentation
Strengths. Before we started to present our oral presentation, we first smiled at the
audience, greeted the audience and thus, introduced ourselves. Then, we stated our topic
clearly by telling the audience what we are going to present as well as outlined the main
points. By having a good introduction, I found that we were able to capture the attention of
the audience where we established eye contact with as many as possible in the audience.
Besides, we checked our visual aids to make sure that we have arranged our visual aids in the
order we need them before the oral presentation.
Weaknesses. Throughout the oral presentation of my group, I found that our group
did not speak clearly and at a moderate pace. We did not practice several times and rehearse
our oral presentation before. Also, we did not prepare ourselves well before the presentation.

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Hence, during the oral presentation, we tend to speed up and rushing through the story as we
were nervous.
Learning Experiences of the Children
Children start school familiar with stories and narrative conventions in their own
language and quickly transfer this familiarity into willingness to participate and listen to
stories in English (Read, n. d.). Stories provide a natural, enjoyable and relevant context for
exposure to language and an opportunity to familiarize children with rhythm, sounds and
intonation of English (Read, n. d.). Children can also develop learning strategies as well as
thinking skills, for instance, predicting, guessing, hypothesizing and inferring meaning (Read,
n. d.). Stories help children to develop concentration skills and also aspects of emotional
intelligence, for example, empathy and relating to other people (Read, n. d.).
As children become familiar with the story, more extended dramatization activities
provide opportunities for recycling the language it contains through story retelling or acting
out, either by children themselves or by using the flannel board of dramatization (Read, n.
d.). In the process of dramatization of story, it provides a focus and support for children to use
language from the story in an independent way and also it contributes in building up young
childrens confidence and self-esteem (Read, n. d.). Hence, telling stories as well as dramatize
story using flannel board dramatization provides a variety of learning experiences for young
children.

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References
Olenka Bilash. (2009). Lesson Planning in the Language Classroom. Retrieved from
http://www.educ.ualberta.ca/staff/olenka.bilash/best%20of%20bilash/lessonplanning
.html
Scrivener, J. (2011). Learning Teaching. Retrieved from
https://archive.org/stream/Learning-Teaching/Learning-Teaching-by-James
Scrivener#page/n109/mode/2up
Lake, Kathy. (1994). Integrated Curriculum. Retrieved from
http://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/integrated-curriculum.pdf
Alberta Education. (2007). Primary Programs Framework for Teaching and Learning.
Retrieved from https://education.alberta.ca/media/656618/curr.pdf
Read, Carol. (n. d.). Storytelling and drama. Retrieved from
http://www.onestopenglish.com/children/stories-and-poems/storytelling-and-drama/