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Observation Report

Forms for inclusion in the Observation Notebook must be typed

Name of Observer_____Wang Zhao____


Date
Observation Environment

Observation # _6__

(include URL if the class was online)

Class Skill/Content Grammar

4/29/13 UCR Extension

Class Teacher Level/Number (Beg./Int./Adv.) 400 Don Orf

Focus on relevant areas from the What Can Be Observed handout. Notice how the teacher handles these areas during the class. OBJECTIVE OF THE LESSON: Help students differentiate the use and meaning between the simple past tense and the present perfect tense Students could apply the grammar rules in exercises and real-life situation to achieve meaningful understanding

Notes while observing:


T takes roll Review:(8 minutes) T asks Ss the structure of present perfect (have +p.p.), negative present perfect (have+not+p.p.) and the question form of present perfect T asks Ss the meanings of present perfect and elicits answers by asking questions. E.g. T: Where are you now? Ss:In the classroom. T:How long? Ss:5 minutes. T:Whats the long answer? Ss:I have been in the classroom for 5 minutes. One S proposes to use since and makes the correct sentence: I have been in the classroom since 11:10.

Teacher Presentation:(5 minutes) T explains present perfect to the Ss , Is it a finished action? No, up to now T also introduces evervs yet in example T:If you want to ask someone about his experience, you can use the structure Have you ever..? but if you want to know whether your friend just had lunch, can you use Have you ever had lunch? No! You should use Have you had lunch yet?. T asks Ss if they understand the meaning of the sentences and most of the Ss are able to articulate the differences between them.

Guided Practice:(20 minutes) Present Perfect usage #1: Completed Actions T goes over the present perfect exercises on a handout with the students

Teacher Presentation:(5 minutes) T introduces present perfect usage #2: Repeated Actions T demonstrates the usage by drawing a timeline on the board. He writes down the year he was in Japan and asks students how many times he has travelled to Japan.

Guided Practice:( 10 minutes) T and Ss go over the follow-up exercises on the handout together

Wrap-up:(2 minutes) T assigns homework

Observation Report
Forms for inclusion in the Observation Notebook must be typed (continue on back) What did you learn about teaching or learning from this lesson? Consider your observation focus, and the theory you have studied in your TESOL classes.

As I have learnt in the grammar methodologies class, Thornbury (1999) emphasizes the idea that language is contextsensitive. Without context, the meaning of the sentence will be difficult to grasp or even completely lost. Grammar is also in the same position. If we take individual grammar structures out of context, it could threaten the real meaning of the sentence. For example, the sentence Hes playing tennis most people would interpret it as he is doing the action right now as I speak. However, if we put it into the following context: He never wears his glasses when he's playing tennis. Tomorrow morning he'll be in the office but in the afternoon he's playing tennis. One could see that it is the surrounding context that provides the situation and intended meaning of the speaker. In this grammar lesson that I have observed, the instructor has put a lot of effort in creating the context of the grammar for the students. Taking the exercises on the handout for example, each item is preceded with a description of the context that applies in the sentence. At the same time, the instructor constantly reminds students to think about the context of speaking. Exercise #6: You know that Dick wants to see every Spiderman movie. A new Spiderman movie started last week. What do you ask him? ___Have you seen____ the new Spiderman movie____yet_____? Teacher asks students why yet is used in this situation. Then he explains the sentence above has told us Dick wants to see every Spiderman movie. Hence, by using yet it indicates the speaker assumes either Dick has watched the movie or if not he is going to watch it eventually. Moreover, this kind of exercise is mentioned as meaningful drills by Paulston and Bruder in their book Teaching English as a

Second Language Techniques and Procedures. While mechanical drills only require students to memorize the structure of the grammar, meaningful drills require students to understand both the meaning and context to which the grammar rules apply. From what I have observed during the lesson, it coincides with Paulston and Bruders recommendation that students should be exposed to meaningful drills to assure that they have learned the rule and to reinforce the rule in context.

What activities/techniques from this class do you want to remember for your own teaching practice? Consider specific ways in which you could apply the techniques and methods you saw. Consider your future teaching environment and your students needs and goals.

First of all, the teacher keeps a relatively fast pace during the entire lesson. Oftentimes grammar lessons are seen as boring and tedious by students. Nonetheless, if the teacher constantly challenges students through scaffolding which is tailored to the needs and level of the students, it could result in a positive and engaging learning environment. As I have mentioned above, the grammar-in-context exercises are of extreme value to the students. Sometimes the exercises in the textbook might not be the most suitable to the students. It is the teachers job to find or create their own supplements to help students internalize the rules and apply them in either speaking or writing. Mechanical errors should also not be overlooked. In this class, some students are still making mistake like he have watched the movie. Once the teacher points out the error, students usually can

Observation Report
Forms for inclusion in the Observation Notebook must be typed

quickly correct themselves. I think it is important to remind students of the error and let them be aware of and correct it by themselves. If these simple errors are constantly ignored, they might become a habit that is harder to get rid of or even fossilize at the later stage.

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