TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook

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

Name of Observer Ye Ran Observation # Writing

Focus on relevant areas from the What Can Be Observed handout. Notice how the
Date

Observation Environment (include

Class Skill/Content

URL if the class was online)

08/24
/2014

Online
Writing
https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=aQusQWPjdMo&lis
t=PL97E4D1379ECE3A9F
teacher handles these areas during the class.

Class
Level/Numbe
r
(Beg./Int./Ad
v.)
Intermediate

Teacher

Mrs. Cathy

OBJECTIVE OF THE LESSON:

Ss will identify the parts of a paragraph.
Ss will organize and compose a paragraph.
Ss will evaluate a paragraph whether it is organized well or not.
Notes while observing:

Warm-up (5minutes)
1. T began the class by asking students what writing is. T put the twelve students into six
pairs. Ss were supposed to talk with each other and discuss the question. Two minutes
later, T calls time and asked the question again. Most of the Ss gave their own opinions in
class. T wrote Ss answers on board.
2. After that, T concluded the characteristics of writing from Ss answers and introduced
the main topic today which is how to write a paragraph.

Presentation (10minutes)
3. In order to make Ss easier understand how to organize a paragraph, T used realia
which is a picture of a hamburger to illustrate the structure of a paragraph.

TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook
4. T compared a paragraph to a hamburger. The topic sentence and the conclusion
sentence are indispensible in a paragraph just like the buns of the hamburger. Moreover,
the different ingredients within hamburgers are like the supporting details in a paragraph.
5. After presenting the basic elements of a paragraph, T pointed at the picture of a
hamburger and asked students: Is the topic sentence similar to the conclusion sentence?
Ss answered yes. T went on to ask: Can we put peanut in a hamburger? Most of the
students shook their heads. At this time, T presented that the supporting details should not
irrelevant to the topic sentence just like we cannot put peanuts in hamburgers. Thus,
choosing reasonable and relevant supporting details makes a difference.

Practice (20minutes)
6. To reinforce what Ss learnt from the hamburger, T asked Ss to do some interesting
exercise. Firstly, Ss were allowed to sort six blue stripes, which are six sentences, into a
paragraph within seven minutes. Ss worked in pairs and sequence those sentences into a
correct order. So Ss would understand how a paragraph should be organized. Meanwhile,
Ss need to figure out a scrambled sentence, which does not belong to the paragraph. After
the group work, T checked the answer and gave praises to Ss who sorted correctly.
7. In trios, Ss took turns to read a certain paragraph and identified which sentence is topic
sentence, which are supporting details, and which one is the conclusion part. While
students were finishing the task, T walked around in the classroom and answered
questions that students raised.
8. After five minutes, the spokesmen of each group were invited to read the paragraph in
front of the class and see if the paragraph is stick to the topic or not.

Production (10 minutes)

9. T gave students a writing task which is to describe the city you lived in. Ss wrote a
paragraph independently within five minutes. Then T corrected their works one by one
and gave tips to them to improve writing skills. Obviously most Ss did a very good job.

Wrap-up (5 minutes)
10. Before the class end, T asked a question why is writing important to you. All Ss gave
their own reasons. Finally, Ss realized the importance and pleasure of writing.
(Continue on back)

TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook
What did you learn about teaching or learning from this lesson? Discuss your
observation focus, and the theory you have studied in your TESOL classes. Consider
the three levels of teacher reflection (surface, pedagogical, critical). (100-200 words)
What I learnt from the class is that the teacher stressed how to organize a piece of writing.
The most interesting thing is that the teacher compared a visual and vivid hamburger to a
paragraph so that students could intuitively understand the different parts of a paragraph,
namely, the topic sentence, the supporting details, and the conclusion. Instead of caring
about accuracy of grammar or fluency of the content, the teacher just paid attention to the
organization of writing. It is called The Paragraph- Pattern Approach, a specific method
of teaching writing. Students analyzed and imitated the form of modal paragraphs. Then
they practiced the form in the follow-up activities. According to Ann Raimes (1983),
This approach is based on the principle that in different cultures people construct and
organize their communication with each other in different ways. (p.8). So it is necessary
for ESL teachers to teach students from different countries how to organize a piece of
writing.
Raimes, Ann. (1983). Techniques in Teaching Writing. New York, Oxford University
Press.
What activities/techniques from this class do you want to remember for your own
teaching practice? Discuss specific ways in which you could apply the techniques and
methods you saw. Discuss your future teaching environment and your students needs
and goals. (100-200 words)
From the analysis of this class, one technique I will use in my future teaching for
intermediate Chinese students is to encourage students to share their ideas and to
participate in class discussion. Since most of the Chinese students dare not to speak out
loud, I will firstly put them in to pairs and let them talk to each other before inviting them
to give an answer in front of the class. One of the advantages of this method is that
students can make a real communication in class and it is also an opportunity of practice.
Moreover, when students take in a small group, they wont be nervous so that they are
willing to share their ideas.