Grammar for Intermediate Students - Outline Example

Module: Grammar for intermediate An overview of the duration: Year: Foundation. Teacher’s Khalid. Lecture duration: 3 – 4 hoursa day. Total number of semesters: 2. Duration of semesters: September to June. Working days: Saturday – Wednesday. Holidays: The two Eids holidays (about 3 days each). Winter holidays between the two semesters usually in January (about 2 weeks). Summer holidays after the end of semester 2. A brief description of the learners: There are male and female students in this class and their ages vary from 18 to 20 years old. A total of 30 students will be engaged in the course. These students are from different regions with varieties of cultural backgrounds in Oman. Some students live in interior places and their levels of English differ from the levels of other students who live in urban places like Muscat. Moreover, some of the students in this class have graduated from public schools where they have been studying either general or basic education, while others have been studying in private schools. In the two semesters of the first year, the students will study English in order to develop their skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing as well as enhancing their knowledge of the grammatical rules of English and expanding their vocabulary knowledge. Besides, students should reach advanced to continue their studies in this college, so the foundation year is the preparation year for the students before starting to study in the other specializations which are all taught in English language. Course description: This lesson plan is designed to be taught in the Higher College of Technology-Oman/Muscat. In this college, the students will study for 5 years to obtain bachelor degree in different specializations such as IT, business, and engineering. There are certain requirements in order to join this college. For example, students should graduate with minimum 65% in their high school certificate. The first year for all students will be the foundation year, where students have to be taught general English for 2 semesters. This lesson plan will be taught for a class of foundation year students who are intermediate level students. The current module is based on “grammar for intermediate students”. The duration of this module is 12 weeks. The students have already covered 4 weeks and there are 8 more to follow. Currently, week 4 has ended. Objectives: 1. To provide the students with a sound understanding of the English language. 2. To create an interest for and awareness in speaking, reading and writing English correctly. 3. To inculcate the sense of correct grammar and sentence construction in the students. 4. To perform activities as mentioned in the book recommended to ensure active listening and effective learning in the class. Interests: In order to learn grammar, students should take interest in their studies and be optimistic about learning English language. A teacher can develop their interest by choosing the right plan of action. “Characters are extremely helpful when presenting points of grammar for the first time.” (www.oup.com, 2010). The lesson plan: “A plan is not a route-map of what must happen in class, it is only your informed setting-up of some possibilities.” (Scrivener, n.d.). The book which will be taught in the two semesters to improve the students’ grammar is “A Course in Language Teaching (Practice and theory) by Penny Ur”. Web-link to this book is mentioned in the “references’ section of this document. The book comprises 21 modules and each module comprises 5 units on the average. The book provides the students with a comprehensive guide of English language in all forms in general, and the grammar and pronunciation in particular. The book is specifically very beneficial for students of TESOL who would like to teach English after graduation because the book comprises quite a lot of modules about teaching English language. This book also guides the teacher on how to maintain an effective learning environment in the classroom. The book is equally beneficial and informative for both students and the teacher. The units are based on presentation and explanations, practice activities, tests, teaching pronunciation, teaching vocabulary, teaching grammar, topics, situations, notions, functions, teaching listening, teaching speaking, teaching reading, teaching writing, classroom interaction, classroom discipline and others as mentioned in (Ur, 1999). Module 6 titled “Teaching grammar” is specifically suitable for this class. The modules will be taught in the order they appear in the book which is the same as mentioned above, to maintain a consistent process of learning, as adjacent units are interrelated and the bond needs to be maintained in order to ensure sound concept building on the part of the students. Additionally, the book is accessible online free of cost, so it would not be a burden on the students’ pocket. The students will access the URL to the book via computers assigned to each individual. Lesson schedule: Module: Grammar for intermediate students. ICT Opportunities in the classroom: Computer systems. Internet facility. TV. LCD. White board. Book referred: “A Course in Language Teaching (Practice and theory)” by Penny Ur. Module 6 is about teaching grammar p.30-35. Another book, “Essential Grammar in Use” by Raymond Murphy will be referred to occasionally. “There are 115 units in the book and each unit is about a different point of English grammar.” (Murphy, 2007). Besides, the students will also be encouraged to read other books relevant to the subject as considered necessary by the teacher. Overall aims: (Skills, Knowledge, Concepts and Attitudes) It is an MS programme comprising 5 years. The students will be taught English grammar in the first / Foundation year that would help them speak and understand English rightly in the years to follow. Module duration: 12 weeks. Duration covered: 4 weeks. Lessons covered: Unit 1 (What is grammar?). Following lessons: Unit 3, 4, 5 and 6. (Module 6 of the book recommended consists of 6 units in total. Each unit will be taught in detail in four weeks. In the current 12-week module, only units 1, 2 and 3 will be covered). Links with literacy, Mathematics and other subject areas: Learning to speak and write English with correct grammar is very essential for the students who want to pursue their career in the field of IT, business or engineering. The students will be taught English grammar only in the Foundation year, which will comprise the first of the 5 years they will take to complete the programme. In the Foundation year, the students will learn good English with correct grammar that would enhance their learning in the following years since the courses offered will be in English. Stages: The 12-week module will be taught in 3 stages, each stage comprising 4 weeks. A description of the scope of work included in each stage is expressed as follows: Stage 1 - Week (1 – 4): Unit 1 (What is grammar?) Stage 2 – Week (5 – 8): Unit 2 (The place of grammar teaching) Stage 3 – Week (9 – 12): Unit 3 (Grammatical terms) Aims and objectives: The aims and objectives associated with each unit are given below: Unit 1: 1. “To find out what students really think or know: We can use questions to encourage students to talk about themselves and their experiences.” (Doff, 1988, p. 22). 2. To differentiate between the structures of English and other languages. 3. To analyze the potential factors that hinder the learning of English. One reason is that the “Words are not pronounced the way they are spelt”. (www.ego4u.com, 2010). 4. To analyze how different words with same meanings affect the structure of the language. 5. Theory based learning. “Without the knowledge provided by theoretical principles, we loose sight of a crucial tool for responsible instructional planning and classroom decision making.” (Ferris and Hedgcock, 2005). Unit 2: 1. To enhance the students’ learning of grammar through providing them with the right kind of environment and opportunities 2. To enhance the students’ interest in learning grammar through their exposure to grammar education outside the classroom. 3. Activity based learning. “Innovation in English Language Teaching provides both theoretical perspectives and practical tools for analysing, developing and evaluating English language teaching curricula”. (Hall and Hewings, 2001). Unit 3: 1. To introduce students with the definitions, concepts and theories of sentence, clause, phrase, word and morpheme. 2. To make students learn the different parts of speech and identify individual parts in each sentence of the text. 3. To explore the writing styles, and teach the students various styles of writing including Slanted language and Slang language. Materials: Books from the course and other, movies, newspapers, journal articles, internet blogs and legal papers. Procedure: The procedure for each unit is described as follows: Unit 1: Unit 1 has already been covered. The initial lectures based on the students’ realization of the attitude and approach needed to learn English grammar. The students were encouraged to engage in speaking English among themselves and with the teacher. The students were graded for confidently delivering their speech in front of the whole class, irrespective of whether they were speaking the language correctly or not. The sole purpose was to inculcate self-confidence in them. However, their speech was analyzed for grammatical accuracy just to let them know and understand where they went wrong. Their speech was recorded and afterwards words were replaced with others having similar meanings to inculcate a sense of synonyms in the students. To achieve this, softwares like “Free Online Dictionary” will be taught. Weblink to the software is mentioned in the references section of this paper. Unit 2: Currently the students are done with their Unit 1 and are about to get started with their Unit 2. Unit 2 is more activity-oriented as compared to Unit 1. The students will have more frequent visits and tours to seminars and language conferences. Their exposure to English learning opportunities will be enhanced and they will be taught language softwares. Softwares like “WhiteSmoke” will be taught. Weblink to the software is mentioned in the references section of this paper. The students will be encouraged to check their writing for grammatical accuracy through grammar softwares. Unit 3: Unit 3 will cover week 9 – 12. The students will get graded assignments. They will be given words to use as noun in their essays. The same words will be given to the students to use them as verb in their essays. The teacher shall check the assignments for plagiarism. The students who plagiarize will be dealt with strictly. Timings: Unit 1: Week 1 – 4 (Sat – Thu) 9 am to 10 am Unit 2: Week 5 – 8 (Sat – Thu) 9 am to 10 am Unit 3: Week 9 – 12 (Sat – Thu) 9 am to 10 am Current practice in TESOL: “Today, almost 30% of U.S. households own a PC, and more than 60% of U.S. students use computers in schools.” (Smith, 2007). (Richards and Renandya, 2002, p.397) noted that one of the most important aspects for a teacher is the seating arrangement of the students i. e. whether they should sit in groups or else as one unit for the teacher to teach. According to (McDonough and Shaw, 2003, p. 43) learners are given a situation or a topic to practice. “Vocabulary is taught in the form of isolated word lists”. (Mora, 2008). Possible problems: It is not unusual for students to find the course of learning English and its grammar as a second language quite challenging. Besides, the process is equally tough and challenging for the teacher involved. Linguistic barriers play a central role in hindering the development of sound understanding for the concepts especially when the teacher and the students do not belong to the same ethnic background. What to talk of different backgrounds, even if the teacher and the students come from the same origin, learning / teaching is still quite challenging for the parties involved. This necessitates the modification of the mood of the course in a way that would enhance the students’ interest and quest for learning the language. In other words, the style of teaching needs to be versatile enough to gain the students’ attention. “But we need today to be more aware of the need to prioritize those forms that are essential for international communication…”. (Ur, 2009). Follow up: The students may seek any future guidance related to the course after they are finished with their foundation year. The teacher will respond to their queries online. References: Doff, A, 1988. “Teach English: a training course for teachers : trainers handbook”. UK: Cambridge University Press. Available at: http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=UH1qk3_ptIYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Teach+English:+A+training+course+for+teachers.+By+Adrian+Doff.&source=bl&ots=09MVDGewWC&sig=z22Yq_gniC5Zq4ROQ9I8VcrC_d4&hl=en&ei=ui3IS5iJMtC8rAeUqJTmDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CA0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false. [Accessed: 14 April 2010]. Ferris, D. R. and Hedgcock, J. S., 2005. “Teaching ESL composition: purpose, process, and practice”. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers. Available at: http://books.google.com.pk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=mWEBYfkFtYgC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=current+practices+in+TESOL&ots=QTfc4ADQ_f&sig=bH38_Sljh-oB24LcXbSg68QxgTU#v=onepage&q=current%20practices%20in%20TESOL&f=false. [Accessed: 14 April 2010]. Dictionary.com, n.d. Available at: http://dictionary.reference.com/. [Accessed: 14 April 2010]. Hall, D. and Hewings, A., 2001. “Innovation in English language teaching.” London: Routledge. Available at: http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=LzM7CFvf2KQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=current+practices+in+TESOL&lr=&source=gbs_similarbooks_s&cad=1#v=onepage&q=current%20practices%20in%20TESOL&f=false. [Accessed: 14 April 2010]. Mora, J. K., 2008. “Second language teaching methods”. Available at: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/jmora/almmethods.htm. [Accessed: 14 April 2010]. McDonough, J. and Shaw, C., 2003. “Materials and methods in ELT: a teachers guide”. UK: Blackwell Publishing. Available at: http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=IG37FRrcoFkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=current+practices+in+TESOL&lr=&source=gbs_similarbooks_s&cad=1#v=onepage&q&f=false. [Accessed: 14 April 2010]. Murphy R., 2007. “Essential grammar in use”. UK: Cambridge University Press. Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=VbMzXlk_y8gC&pg=PP1&dq=Gramma+in+use&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false. [Accessed: 14 April 2010]. Richards, C. and Renandya, W., 2002. “Methodology in language teaching: an anthology of current practice”. UK: Cambridge University Press 2002. Available at: http://books.google.com.pk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=l3vTGZdgzcIC&oi=fnd&pg=PA397&dq=current+practices+in+TESOL&ots=OfRDj2C52r&sig=8HEOFo7hAa91TsK0H8RNjPOa1_g#v=onepage&q=current%20practices%20in%20TESOL&f=false. [Accessed: 14 April 2010]. Scrivener, J., n.d. “General: planning lessons”. Available at: http://www.onestopenglish.com/section.asp?catid=59449&docid=146578. [Accessed: 14 April 2010]. Smith, E. H., 2007. “Technology in the Classroom: Practice and Promise in the 21st Century (part 1)”. TESOL. Available at: http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/sec_document.asp?CID=403&DID=1064. [Accessed: 14 April 2010]. Ur, P., 1999. “A Course in Language Teaching (Practice and theory)”. UK: Cambridge University Press 2007. Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Nna-jgwZ4LsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=a+course+in+language+teaching+penny+ur&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false. [Accessed: 14 April 2010]. Ur, P, 2009. “Teaching grammar: Research, theory and practice”. Available at: http://www.univie.ac.at/FDZ-Englisch/conference/PennyUr20090228.pdf. [Accessed: 14 April 2010]. WhiteSmoke, 2002 – 2010. Available at: http://www.whitesmoke.com/. [Accessed: 14 April 2010]. www.ego4u.com, 2010. “The main reasons why speaking English is so hard”. Available at: http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/pronunciation. [Accessed: 14 April 2010]. www.oup.com, 2010. “Teaching Grammar to Young Learners”. Available at: http://www.oup.com/elt/catalogue/guidance_articles/14867483?cc=gb. [Accessed: 14 April 2010]. Read More