1 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

TESOL Canada

Lesson Plans: ESL.

Cultural Methodologies in the Praxis of Learning.

Education Canada College.

Toronto, Ontario.
August 9, 2011.
2 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

Lesson 1: Introduction to the Nature of Speech, Language and the Culture of Address.

Goal: to establish an understanding of the flow of language as natural, to learn the basic phrases and
expressions, to be able to speak clearly in English the subjects in focus of this learning module.

Learning Modules.

1) Listening,
2) Comprehension
3) Vocabulary
4) Pronunciation
5) Story and Dialogue
6) Grammar: Past and Present.

Learning Objectives:
• Development of syntax and its constructive elements
• introduction of the self and conversation with others including the teacher about personal goals,
aspirations, intentions, interests and hobbies
• relational understanding of the subjectivity and its matters in regards with the language
structures
• learning the basic formulas to structure sentences
• listening activity to engage sound and thought in meaning
• discussion activity
• reading activity
Duration: two hours.
Level: all levels. For the beginners we use simple words and emphasize the basics while keeping the
same flow of the natural language acquisition to ensure the right mindset if correlated with the overral
language structure and the proper attitude follows.
Materials: hand outs and conversation activity sheets (1).

English is about syntax. Language is a storytelling experience. Language is a cultural journey which
you should all enjoy and follow the natural flow of expressions, meaning, and interconnectedness of all
being beyond the social strata of a human modes or knowledge of reality. Language is a story, the story
that is being told for the Earth, the world, the cosmic community with Stars and other more than human
actors. This is how we begin: with a presence and wonder for otherness, alterity and language in it as
the flow of ethics. In this way, we follow the right path of knowledge in grammar, syntax, phonetics
and its dialogical creativity where the story is a masterpiece for the community, the future and more
than termporal understanding. At this note of the philosophical language placement, we open the lesson
activities in a contextual integration of their linguistic and cultural meaning.

What does it mean to know grammar and syntax? It means that you need to put words in meaning as
they follow the grammatical order. “Subject plus verb phrase, complement, modifier of place. Subject
3 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

is the agent of a sentence. Every sentence must have a subject. Pronouns can replace nouns. Every
sentence must have a verb. Complement complements the verb. It is usually a noun or a noun phrase.
The complement cannot begin with a preposition. Complement answers the question what? Whom?”
(Piles, Mynjos, 39-40)

The weather is nice.

My name is Olga.
I like to teach and learn new meanings of language and the story of culture through understanding.
I also like nature and the culture of its language which is common to all nations and minds, because it
embraces the heart in unconditional being.

Nature makes me change my mind every time I write sentences about syntax. My mind is becoming
intricate in balance and hope that arise every day with the Sun.

(what does nature change in me? How does that change take place? What do I like to teach and learn?
What is the subject of the first sentence? What is the subject of the third and others?
What is the subject matter and a topic I am raising with these sentences?)

“Modifier tells the time, place or manner of the action. It is a preposition phrase. A prepositional phrase
is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun. A modifier of time usually
comes last if more than one modifier if present” (41)

“ prepositional phrases: in the morning, at the university, on the table”

Prepositions point to place, dimensions and durations and are specific to the sentence in the location of
a noun that describes the meaning of the subject and verb.

Dialogue.
Conversation about day, mood, and leisure. Weekend plans.

-Hi, how are you today?

-I am well, and how are you?
-Great! It is so nice and pleasant outside that I want to sing and dance with every step I make. The
world is beautiful today. I know it now.
-Yes, indeed. It is quite a day. Gorgeous outside, and feels great. My heart is happy.
-Yes. We are both like poets in the nature of the day, in admiration of its changing light and warmth of
the summer.
-Hey. Where are you going today, anyway?
-Because of the happiness of the day, I want to spent time outdoors, thinking about the future.
-What are you going to do?
-I think I want to go to the woods, and sunbathe.
-Great idea! Canada has a lot of parks, natural spaces, wild places and beaches. One of them is Bruce
Peninsula. This is one of my favorite places. I go there often to meditate and swim, hike and trek
through the signing sands, dunes and wild pathways in the forest. Perhaps, I am there in peace and
harmony of the world.
-Indeed. It is a magnificent place, full of magic through which nature knows its course.
I also go there often.
4 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

-So long for now. Have a wonderful day.

-Same to you, my friend, enjoy your day.
-See you.
Bye, bye.

Questions to ponder upon.

1) What is this dialogue about? What is the theme of nature?
2) What is the mood of day and leisure?
3) What are the weekend plans?
4) What does it mean to feel like a poet?

Answer these questions orally, and tell me a little bit about your plans. Take a piece of paper and write
down some of the main ideas for the future, then put them as subject and verbs with complement and
modifiers. Take some time to prepare and present.

1) Where do you usually go for a weekend?

2) What time is the best for you?
3) What is the mood of nature?
4) Have you ever been in the wild? If yes, what does it mean to you?
5) What memory of the wild do you keep?

Assignment to fulfill the learning objectives: please circle new words and write their meaning in your
words. You may consult the dictionary. Please write down the phrases and expressions used in the
dialogue and their usage in your thoughts. Tell me what you have written in your notebook.
Let us all have a discussion about the meaning and its changing contexts. After this activity, grammar
instructions follow.

Present Simple and Past simple.

She goes to school every day.

He goes to work every day.
They go camping every weekend.

I go to university every day.

I study at the university.
She studies there too.

Where does she go every day?

Where does he go every day?
Where do they go every day?

What does she do every day?

5 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

What does he do every day?

What do they do every weekend?

What do you do every day?

Present simple is about the present in its simple form of meaning. It is something that happens every
day.

Past simple is the simple past and is about something that happened yesterday. It is an action of the
past, but in its repetitive form of recollection. You tell us something about yesterday, the other day or
any other time as a narrative of events. It does not have an answer yet to the activity and action as
perfected. We do not know yet about the accomplishment of act, history or any other process related to
the subject, verb and their phrases.

He walked to school yesterday.

She walked to school yesterday.
They went to camp last weekend.

They all went camping last month.

I went to school yesterday and learned new meanings about subject, verb and phrases.

Past simple is formed with -ed added to the main verb. Or with the help of irregular verbs.

Begin- began- begun

bring-brought-brought
catch -caught -caught
do-did-done
-drive-drove-driven
eat-ate-eaten
feel-felt-felt
forget-forgot-forgotten
hear-heard-heard
know-knew-known
leave-left-left
speak-spoke-spoken
spend-spent-spent
swim-swam-swum

Please remember these irregular verbs because you will need them at some point in your
communication.

It is also important to know other time tenses which make a different meaning in English.
6 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

Present progressive or continuous – He is walking to school now.

It is about a duration of time in which the verb of the subject is in the process of making action.
It is modified with the time now as duration of the accompanying action.
It is about something that is taking place.

Formed: to be plus the verb-ing

Past progressive -He was walking to school when Jane came,

It is about the past duration in relation to some other event which is narrated in the present about the
past.

We know when to us it: once you have indicator of “when”

Present perfect; He has waled to school several times. I have been here before.
Past perfect. He had walked to school before he met his friend.

Present perfect is about the past actions which have perfected, and known to occur several times.
Past perfect is also about completion of action which has indication of some other event in relation to
the perfection of the past.

Has- ed, or irregular verb.

Had-ed, irregular verb.

You see there is a pattern of meaning through which time weaves the narrative of events and history.
Present is something about the present, in the past it is the same with a different verb form. The
duration is continuous and should be marked so. Perfect is about perfected action.

How to tell a story:

Subject: Settlement in Canada and Nature.

I have read this book. It is very interesting. It tells us about the new world in the history of Canada.
When settlers came from Europe and Eastern Europe, they brought their cultural ideas, values, history
and language. These artifacts form a modern landscape of Canada, urban and rural, natural and wild as
forming meaning of cultural and social relations of the present with values, worldviews and outlooks
about the world. The latter is mostly prominent in architecture and facades of the urban landscapes. The
two former notions become visible in the wild when social members choose leisure activities to
recreate their sense of time, space and place. The notions of history become visible in their personal
and communal manifestations of feelings, emotions, and attitudes which are either cleaned by the
course of nature or become insignificant in the immediate surroundings. Upon their return to the urban
habitats or habits of time, people seem to regain their perceptual sense of nature as an ideal place,
somewhere they can return to in recreation of their spiritual values and cultural histories of the present,
clean from social and other histories.
7 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

Listening to media stories:

1) Integrating: becoming Canadian, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtwxnzVMXzw

What do these stories tell us?

What are the new words we learn?
What is the message from the government of canada?

Some words .

Integrate cultural values cooperate

Communication history responsible
Location nature to be responsible
Become development to know how to
Settlement prosperity invite
Search recreation ceremony

Phrases: Fantastic! Magnificent! Amazing! So Long! Great! Welcome! You are welcome! Be a guest!
It is excellent!
Prepositions: from the very beginning, number of, example of, pair of, reason for, sample of, exception
to, quality of. Conversation Activity follows.

Homework: make a story about Settlement in Canada, using abovementioned words and phrases.

Lesson 2. How to Sound well and be well in the story of language as expression, discussion and
participation.

Goal: to attain a fluent understanding of basic syntax, lexicon related to the usage of theme words,
style and structure in order to have a proper contextual basis for further studies.

Objectives:
• to introduce simple present and simple past to relate student's personal stories with the learning
methodology
• students learn how to tell their stories with the usage of simple present and simple past
• students learn functional language “there is/there are” structures and the usage of pronouns as
subjects in their possessive and reflexive roles as syntax building blocks
• students engage in conversation activity (1) and learn to appropriate simple present and simple
past in daily speech
• students read the basic simple text work with two short essays “Be Firm” and “Tongue Twisters
Tamed: Exercises in Articulation” from Barnard, S. pp. 167-168.
• students also engage in interactive participatory assignment that would involve the whole
8 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

course and learn how to use self-reflections and modes of meditation to understand language
and their learning processes

Members: 1-30. Level: beginners, intermediate, advanced. According to the level in focus, complexity
of activities, vocabulary and usage are introduced with the same structure.

Materials: hand outs; board; copy of the text; conversation activities hand outs, see enclosed.

Duration: two and a half hours.

Grammar: Simple Present and Simple Past.

Simple Present Structure and Usage: used to express habitual action, generalization; schedules events
in the future ( most often used when talking about public transportation); to express “now” but with
non-continuous verbs.

Verb + (e)s

to be: I am, you are, they are, it is, she is, he is, we are.
To have: I have, you have, she has, he has, it has, we have, they have.
To do: I do, she does, he does, they do, it does, we do, you do.

Questions: Do you....have a pen?

Does it matter ?
Does she have a pen?
Does it rain in Africa?
Are you a student?
Is she a student?

Peculiar verbs and cases to acknowledge: material below borrowed from Language Dynamics (2011).

Group II Non-Continuous Verbs

The second group, called "Non-Continuous Verbs," is smaller. These verbs are usually things you
cannot see somebody doing. These verbs are rarely used in continuous tenses. They include:

Abstract Verbs
to be, to want, to cost, to seem, to need, to care, to contain, to owe, to exist...
9 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

Possession Verbs
to possess, to own, to belong...

Emotion Verbs
to like, to love, to hate, to dislike, to fear, to envy, to mind...
Examples:
• He is needing help now. Not Correct
• He needs help now. Correct
• He is wanting a drink now. Not Correct
• He wants a drink now. Correct

Group III Mixed Verbs

The third group, called "Mixed Verbs," is the smallest group. These verbs have more than one meaning.
In a way, each meaning is a unique verb. Some meanings behave like "Non-Continuous Verbs," while
other meanings behave like "Normal Verbs."

Mixed Verbs
to appear, to feel, to have, to hear, to look, to see, to weigh...

List of Mixed Verbs with Examples and Definitions:

to appear:
• Donna appears confused. Non-Continuous Verb
Donna seems confused.
• My favorite singer is appearing at the jazz club tonight. Normal Verb
My favorite singer is giving a performance at the jazz club tonight.
to have:
• I have a dollar now. Non-Continuous Verb
I possess a dollar.
• I am having fun now. Normal Verb
I am experiencing fun now.
to hear:
• She hears the music. Non-Continuous Verb
She hears the music with her ears.
• She is hearing voices. Normal Verb
She hears something others cannot hear. She is hearing voices in her mind.
to look:
• Nancy looks tired. Non-Continuous Verb
She seems tired.
10 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

• Farah is looking at the pictures. Normal Verb

She is looking with her eyes.
to miss:
• John misses Sally. Non-Continuous Verb
He is sad because she is not there.
• Debbie is missing her favorite TV program. Normal Verb
She is not there to see her favorite program.
to see:
• I see her. Non-Continuous Verb
I see her with my eyes.
• I am seeing the doctor. Normal Verb
I am visiting or consulting with a doctor. (Also used with dentist and lawyer.)
• I am seeing her. Normal Verb
I am having a relationship with her.
• He is seeing ghosts at night. Normal Verb
He sees something others cannot see. For example ghosts, aura, a vision of the future, etc.
to smell:
• The coffee smells good. Non-Continuous Verb
The coffee has a good smell.
• I am smelling the flowers. Normal Verb
I am sniffing the flowers to see what their smell is like.
to taste:
• The coffee tastes good. Non-Continuous Verb
The coffee has a good taste.
• I am tasting the cake. Normal Verb
I am trying the cake to see what it tastes like.
to think:
• He thinks the test is easy. Non-Continuous Verb
He considers the test to be easy.
• She is thinking about the question. Normal Verb
She is pondering the question, going over it in her mind.
to weigh:
• The table weighs a lot. Non-Continuous Verb
The table is heavy.
• She is weighing herself. Normal Verb
She is determining her weight.

Some Verbs Can Be Especially Confusing:

to be:
11 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

• Joe is American. Non-Continuous Verb

Joe is an American citizen.
• Joe is being very American. Normal Verb
Joe is behaving like a stereotypical American.
• Joe is being very rude. Normal Verb
Joe is behaving very rudely. Usually he is not rude.
• Joe is being very formal. Normal Verb
Joe is behaving very formally. Usually he is not formal.
NOTICE: Only rarely is "to be" used in a continuous form. This is most commonly done when a person
is temporarily behaving badly or stereotypically. It can also be used when someone's behavior is
noticeably different.
to feel:
• The massage feels great. Non-Continuous Verb
The massage has a pleasing feeling.
• I don't feel well today. Sometimes used as Non-Continuous Verb
I am a little sick.
I am not feeling well today. Sometimes used as Normal Verb
I am a little sick.

At this stage students practice 5 minutes, answering the teacher's questions which she writes on the
board. 5 questions should be written down, 5 questions should be answered orally.

After this activity, Simple Past is presented in a clear way.

Simple Past: used to present a completed action in the past; a series of completed actions; duration
which starts and stops in the past; habits in the past; general statements;

Form: Verb + ed (Irregular verbs) Enclosed: hand out with common irregular verbs.

Teacher gives the students questions to answer and practice conversations (15 minutes).

Questions include but not limited to the following.

1) What do you usually do?
2) What did you do yesterday?
3) How do you manage to stay fit?
4) What did you do when you were little?
5) How did you mind change from your childhood?
6) What do you think about English Culture?
12 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

7) What did you think about English Culture before you came to Canada?

Students should participate as a group and use the irregular verbs sheet before them.

After this activity, we take 15 minute time for break. After the break, students receive a copy of the
texts and we all work together in reading the passages, understanding them and opening mind spaces
for new learning and energy of sound.

Students receive sheets for reflections and thoughts.

Sheets look like this.

Name:
Date:
Purpose of Text/statement:

Introduction:

Subject:
theme:
thesis:
overview

Body:
supporting argument
supporting argument
supporting argument

Conclusion

reference to purpose and subject overview

summary of main steps
key words and expressions

Text work: please circle simple present, simple past and appropriate verb forms.

Students read the text as a group. Then individually, they work with the forms (10 minutes).
As a group, we discuss out loud the main notes and the subject matter.

Our discussion slowly moves to a conversation activity 8. See enclosed for the details.
13 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

Lesson 3. Why should we Learn and what do we have to know?

Goal: to learn and repeat the progressive times: present and past; to understand the place of the
modalities, to understand and remember the usage formulas and apprehend the flow of speech with
appropriate sounds, expression and narrative; and to be able to participate in a comprehensive
discussion with appropriate flow of meaning using the learned aspects for integration.

Working schema of the lesson plan and its intentions.

1) Overlook of time, irregular verbs and past simple and present simple.
2) Story.
3) Present progressive and past progressive
4) Asking questions : why, where, how, when
5) Question structure : simple with a question mark.
6) Question structure: embedded in text as answer. (78)
7) Dialogue
8) Listening
9) Overview.

Level: Intermediate and Advanced. Beginners also with the same schema but less weight in text and
modalities functions. All levels adhere to the schemata but their differences are in the materials used.
Duration: two and a half hours.

Materials: hand out with dialogues and text with the speech by David Suzuki. Discussion questions
and Conversation Activity materials.

Let us remember what we know and recall the knowledge from the past into the present. We are going
to start with a dialogue.

The Time is very easy to understand, yet, it is one of the most difficult human assignments on Earth as
it takes us beyond what we know, what we may know and what we should know. Here, let us consider
some of the elements of the learning modalities in question. They are expressed with modal inclinations
such as “may, should, ought, have to, supposed to, might, must, could, would”. Today we make sure we
have an outline of their usage and proper placement in a sentence. Modal verbs help us express our
aspiration for obligations, responsibility, duties and other inclinations of the human thought to achieve
the best of experience.
Before we learn the modals, let us outline the time in the present progressive and past progressive, and
use the formulas to make a meaningful expression.

Present Progressive (continuous).

14 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

Subject + am + verb + ing

is
are
Present Progressive:
• to indicate the present time now except for stative verbs
John is eating dinner now.

• Also used to indicate future time.

We are leaving for the theater at seven o'clock.

The committee members are examining the material now.

George is leaving for France tomorrow.

Stative verbs.
Know understand have believe hate need see hear love appear smell want taste seem like wish sound
own.

Material is taken from Pailes and Munons, 53.

Examples and work in pairs. Please open the brackets and put the correct form in place. Use language
to communicate these issues with each other in pairs. Expresss agreement or disagreement and explan
why.

1) Something (smell) very good.

2) We (eat) dinner at seven o'clock tonight.
3) He (practice) the piano every day.
4) They (drive) to school tomorrow.
5) I (believe) you.
6) Maria (have) a cold.
7) Jorge (swim) right now.
8) John (get) up at 6.00 am.
9) Jerry (mow) the lawn now.

Past Progressive.

Subject + was + verb+ ing

were

• to indicate an action which was occuring in the past and was interrupted by another action.

When Lark came home, Martha was watching television.

Martha was watching television when Mark came home.

When +subject 1+ simple past tense+ subject 2+ past progressive

15 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

subject 1+ past progressive + when + subject + simple past tense

• two actions occurring in the past at the same time

Martha was watching TV while John was reading the book.
While John was reading a book, Martha was watching television.

It is also possible to say the following:

While Martha was watching television, John read a book.

• An Action which was occurring at some specific time in the past.

Martha was watching tv at seven o'clock last night.

What were you doing at one o'clock this afternoon?

Samples. The teacher hands out the sheet.

John was walking to class when he lost his pen.

The student was reading while the professor was speaking.

Assignment in class. Please open the brackets and put the correct grammar form of the verb. Please
work in pairs and discuss the opinions based on the rules learned together. The teacher follows each
group and evaluates the discussion flow.

1) Gene (eat) dinner when his friend called.

2) While Maria was cleaning the apartment, her husband (sleep).
3) At three o'clock this morning, Eleanor (study).
4) When mark arrived, the Johnson (have) dinner, but they stopped in order to talk to him.
5) John (go) to France last year.
6) When the teacher (enter) the room, the students were talking.
7) While Joan was writing the report, Henry (look) for more information.
8) We (see) this movie last night.

After this activity, the teacher hands out text with a speech by David Suzuki. Barnard, S. Speaking our
Minds: a guide to public speaking for Canadians. Scarborough: Prentice Hall, 1989. p.16. Please see
appendix for the material in use. After the students read the passage and the answers and questions, we
discuss the meaning of “should and ought to, have to and must” in relation to the Suzuki's speech as
“thought for the world”. Students work as a group and discuss the main points in light of their
knowledge. Expression follows by a commemoration of several key points in the course of the study.
Students submit their notes the teacher who keeps them in The Class's Learning Portfolio: a creative
learning journey of thought, idea, feeling and imagination. See enclosed Appendix for the Objective
Statement of the Learning Portfolio.
16 Shugurova, Olga. 2011.

After Reading Comprehension we all engage in Conversation activity 2. See Appendix with the
associate materials.

After the conversation activity, students reflect on their learning and make some meaningful comments
with some art illustrations about their learning progress. They may also write down their emotional
responses about others and their learning, about the teacher and the overall flow of the group dynamics.
Emotional intuitive reasoning is integral here as it helps students comprehend their learning progress as
understanding and the general relation to the language and its cultural context. Resolution of emotional
associations are in reflections and the feeling for the language with its sound phonics. The teacher
advises students to write down their ideas and say them out lout as a sound exercise. In this way, the
process becomes more knowledge-experience oriented and helps students to become more comfortable
with the sound of language and their emotional intelligence.