Fun & Challenging Activities For Your ESL Classroom: A Creative Workshop!

Presented by: Alex Baez & Carol Speigl The Texas Professional Development Group
EPALL IV Conference: Encouraging Persistence & Success
The Texas PD Group (c) 2006

Objectives
To understand the theory & principles of teaching ESL to adult learners To become familiar with the 5-step lesson plan for efficient and purposeful lessons To create instructional strategies/ teaching activities for student success To share our newly created activities with each other!

Agenda
1. Welcome! Theory & Principles of Teaching ESL to Adult Learners 2. Tell Us: What do your students want to learn and need to know how to do? 3. The 5-Step Lesson Plan: Health & Safety in the Kitchen! 4. Instructional Strategies: What are they? What do they do?

Agenda (Continued)
5. Now, You Try It! Creating & Sharing Teaching Activities For Our Adult ESL Classrooms 6. And the Winner Is . . . 7. Wrapping It Up--Thank you for Coming!

Why this is unique

We are teaching to adults We are
teaching language

We are teaching culture

We are teaching adults

Adults learn language & content in authentic, social contexts Adults can integrate listening, speaking, reading, writing, & CULTURE in their lessons Adults like to use real-life materials in their classes, and Adults learn best using reallife, interesting, & RELEVANT topics for their lessons.

We are teaching language Language is acquired Language is best acquired by using topics RELEVANT to the learner Teach material slightly higher than learners current level The Affective Filter affects a learners ability to acquire the new language Learners may go through a Silent Period while acquiring a new language Learners have a Monitor for acquiring new material.

Culture: Cultural Understanding for

Language Learning & Academic Success
Food Music Drama Arts Games Dancing Above: Primarily in awareness

Below: Primarily out of awareness

Friendship Leadership Illness Work Modesty Beauty Time Cosmos Childrearing Rules of descent Education Pets & animals Power relationships Sin Insanity Courtship Justice Decision making Emotions Class Body language Personal space Concept of self Kinship Logic & Validity Adolescence Old age Sex Money Past-Future From: A Workshop on Cultural Differences by Fatiu & Rodgers/ Published in AFS Orientation Handbook, Vol IV, 1984.

Tell Us!
What do your students want to learn?

What do your students want to know how to do? How do you find out what your students want to learn? How do you teach your students what they want to know? What strategies and activities do you use?

Multilevel Classroom Lesson Plan

Theme: Objectives: Date: Beginning:
Intermediate: Advanced:

Performance Indicator: (EFF, Texas Curriculum, etc.) Whole Class Inquiry: Instructional Strategies/Teaching Activities:
Beginning: Intermediate: Advanced:

Individual/Small Group Work: Extension Activities: Assessment:

Example: The Multilevel Lesson Plan

Health & Safety in the Kitchen!

Theme: Health & Safety in the Kitchen Three-hour class periods Date: PD Training: October 27, 2006

Performance Indicator: EFF, Texas Standardized Curriculum, Etc.

Lesson Plan: Health & Safety in the Kitchen

Objectives for Each Level: Beginning: Learn new vocabulary, sequencing, introduction to sentence structure Intermediate: Improve reading skills & report to colleagues on new text material Advanced: Using pre-GED academic material, learn about bacteria & viruses, & report new information to colleagues.

Lesson Plan: Health & Safety in the Kitchen

Whole Class Inquiry: Ask the class: Have you ever gotten sick after eating something? What happened? Why do you refrigerate food? Why do you wash your hands before preparing and eating a meal? Do you read the expiration dates on the packages of food you buy? Why? **Show pictures that relate to these questions.

Lesson Plan: Health & Safety in the Kitchen

Instructional Strategies/Teaching Activities: Beginning: Learn new topic vocabulary; using Picture Stories, sequence the 12 Hours Old story using newly learned vocabulary; write/narrate the story using simple sentences & transition words. Storyboarding. Intermediate: Using internet, agriculture extension service, & government publications, read about & discuss safe food shopping, safe food handling, expiration dates (use by, sell before), how long food can be kept, etc. Write/present short reports to classmates. Jigsaw Reading. Advanced: Using pre-GED/academic materials (Building Skills, etc.) read about & complete activities about bacteria & viruses--what they are, what they look like, how they make food unsafe to eat. Write & present short reports to classmates. Process Writing.

Lesson Plan: Health & Safety in the Kitchen

Individual/Small Group Work: Beginning: Sequence scrambled pictures of a story or cartoon; caption pictures; games; word finds, etc. Intermediate: Write & perform role play dialogues about food safety, cooking, shopping, calling/going to the doctor. Advanced: Using technology, find internet articles to read & discuss about food safety, viruses/bacteria. Take a pre-GED practice test.

Lesson Plan: Health & Safety in the Kitchen

Wrap Up: Whole Class: Each group presents their classwork to the whole group. Teacher asks what students liked, what they did not like. Teacher finds out if students will handle food, shopping, cooking, food storage differently after this lesson.

Extension Activities: Survey friends & family to see if anyone has gotten ill from eating spoiled food. Report on what happened. Visit a grocery store; find & read labels about food storage, expiration dates, etc. Put new information on a chart. Local health department employee visit & speak to class about safety & health in the kitchen.

Lesson Plan: Health & Safety in the Kitchen

Assessment: Beginning: Review picture captions, storyboards, & student vocabulary banks Intermediate: Observe students researching food safety information materials & reporting on their findings Advanced: Evaluate classwork & reports to class about viruses & bacteria.

Instructional Strategies
Are structured, purposeful activities that teach what learners need to know Teach the four modes, plus culture! Are cooperative, participatory Promote learning in authentic, social contexts Make connection between oral and written language

Some Examples of Instructional Strategies

Interview Information Grid Information Gap Role Play/Simulation Total Physical Response Language Experience Approach Storyboard Jigsaw Reading Project-Based Learning/Mini-Projects Case Studies Process Writing Problem-Solving Activities Games

Now, You Try It!

Creating & Sharing Teaching Activities For Our Adult ESL Classrooms
1. Get in groups; choose group roles 2. Take a lesson plan 3. Create original teaching activities based on instructional strategies that you can use in your lesson plan.

Remember: the teaching activity you choose must teach the objective of the lesson!
4. After presenting your teaching activities to the group, we will write up your creative activities and email them to everyone, so we will all have exciting activities for our classrooms!

For more information about teaching Adult Learners, contact . . .

TCALL: Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning www-tcall.tamu.edu 1-800-441-READ

Contact us . . . The Texas Professional Development Group

Alex Baez: alexbaez@academicplanet.com Carol Speigl: cleespeig@att.net

And the winner is . . .

Thank you for participating in:

Fun & Challenging Activities For Your ESL Classroom: A Creative Workshop!

Alex Baez & Carol Speigl The Texas Professional Development Group

The Texas PD Group (c) 2006