-WWW Lesson Plan-

LEVEL: FORM 2 (Intermediate to Advance)

TIME: 1 HOUR 

TOPIC: FAMOUS HISTORICAL BUILDINGS

LANGUAGE CONTENT: ADJECTIVES
PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE: Students have learnt about adjectives and how to use it to describe nouns. 

AIMS: By the end of the lesson, students should be able to locate information on the web and practice their writing skills through a short paragraph by using adjectives to construct complete and meaningful sentences. 

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• One computer for 2 students
• Internet connection
• Web browser

PREPARATION:

1. Locate the "Famous Historical Buildings" website.

2. Browse the web through to make sure that the content and language is appropriate.

3. Prepare worksheet for the students' activity in the classroom. 

WEBSITE: http://www.professorcornbread.com/projects/school/project/index.html


PROCEDURE:


SET INDUCTION (5 MINUTES)


1. Teacher revise the previous lesson on adjectives.
2. Teacher reveal the topic for the day.


TASK 1 (20 minutes)


1. Teacher asks students to get into pairs. Each pair will work at one computer. 
2. Teacher distributes Worksheet 1 for each pair.
3. Teacher asks students to surf this website:
     http://www.professorcornbread.com/projects/school/project/index.html. 
4. Teacher instructs the students to complete the worksheet based on the information on the      web.
5. Teacher provides assistance when necessary.
6. Teacher discusses the answers with the students.


TASK 2 (20 minutes)


1. Teacher distributes Worksheet 2 to each student. 
2. T gives instructions:

• Each student has to write a short paragraph on 1 famous local historical building that they would like to visit. 
• Students have to state 3 reasons why they choose the building by using the adjectives. 
• Students can look for the information about the building on the internet.
• Teacher provides assistance when necessary.

TASK 3 (10 minutes)

1. Teacher asks a few students randomly to present their work to the class. 

2. Teacher asks the other students to ask questions during the presentation. 

3. Teacher offers necessary assistance.

CONCLUSION (5 minutes)

1. Teacher asks students to reflect on the lesson today.

2. Teacher recaps the lesson and derives the moral values from the topic. 

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITY

1. Teacher asks the students to write a short paragraph describing a historical building that they used to visit by using adjectives. 
2. The task is to be done individually and be e-mailed to the teacher before the next class. 






WORKSHEET 1

WORKSHEET 2

hypertext and hypermedia

VIETNAMESE PHO

Plain rice is at the center of the Vietnamese diet. Plain rice is also used to make noodles. There are 4 main types of rice noodles used in Vietnam cooking. Bahn pho are the wide white noodles used in the quintessential Vietnamese soup, pho. Bun noodles (also called rice vermicelli) look like long white strings when cooked. Banh hoi are a thinner version of bun noodles. 

Just as essential to Vietnamese cuisine as rice and noodles is nuoc mam , a salty fish sauce that is used in most Vietnamese recipes (just as salt is used in most Western dishes). Nuoc mam is produced in factories along the coast of Vietnam. Anchovies and salt are layered in wooden barrels and then allowed to ferment for about six months. The light-colored, first-drained sauce is the most desirable. It is also the most expensive and reserved primarily for table use. Less expensive nuoc mam is used in cooking. When shopping for nuoc mam , one should look for the words ca com on the label, which indicates the highest quality. 

The most popular condiment is nuoc cham (dipping sauce), which is as common in Vietnam as ketchup is in North America. Saucers filled with nuoc cham are present at practically every meal, and diners dip everything from spring rolls to meatballs into it. The recipe that follows can be adjusted to suit individual tastes by using more or less red pepper and nuoc mam. Nuoc cham is quite simple to make and will keep in the refrigerator for up to 30 days. A few spoonfuls over a bowl of plain rice can be considered an authentic Vietnamese peasant meal.

-Article Review-

-ARTICLE REVIEW-

Web-text: Perceptions of Digital Reading Skills in the ESL Classroom

1. Citation of the article

Title: Web-text: Perceptions of Digital Reading Skills in the ESL Classroom
Journal : Prospect Journal, Volume 17, No. 1 April 2002, pp. 55-70   Author :   Dr. Wendy Sutherland-Smith;                                                        BA/LLB, Dip. Ed, M.Ed. Studies, PhD (Australia)                              Currently is a senior lecturer at                                                      Monash University,Australia                   

2. Summary of the Article

This research is aimed to compare students’ perceptions on reading skills needed to read traditional printed text with the skills needed to read and gather information on the web. It is also to discover whether the students perceive reading as different on the web and also their expectations of web-text to compare to paper-text. This research also focuses on the impact of web-text usage on the reading classroom teachers.

The methodology used in this research was a qualitative ethnographic design following Denzin and Lincoln’s work (1994). Observations were done in both traditional paper-based and networked ESL classroom. The observation in the traditional paper-based classroom was done 1 hour every day for the first week and then 1 hour a week for the next 10 week term which totaled up 14 hours of observation. For the networked class, the students were observed 2 hours per week during the computer laboratory sessions made up a total of 20 hours through out the 10 weeks of teaching period. 4 hours of computer laboratory sessions were audio-taped and transcribed. During the observation, both classes were required to do a project in which the texts were read on the web as well as on paper.

The samples were 48 grade six students from two classes with a focus on 12 ESL students’ responses. These samples came from Taiwan, China, India, Malaysia, Poland, and Bhutan.

The research found that students preferred to use the internet over books in finishing their tasks. Over half of the samples perceived web reading as different from print-text reading and they saw both ways as fulfilling different roles in their process of carrying out the project. The teachers also reflected that online reading required different skills from paper-text reading. Even though the students found that finding information on the web was different but often it was more difficult for them to compare to the paper environment because they were not familiar with the web functions. They were easily distracted with unrelated links that appear interesting to them. This led to frustration when they could not perform well in the project. They liked to use the internet because of its appealing appearance such as sound and moving graphics which they could not find on paper-based mode. Overall, students can be more interested in web-text reading if only they have knowledge about its functions.

3. Reaction

Yes, I think this research interests me because I got to learn about the students perceptions on the use of web-text in the ESL classroom which is very helpful to assist me in carrying out this kind of lesson in the future.

I think this research was well conducted because it provides all the information a reading classroom teacher needs to know about these two different reading skills. A clear comparison between web-text and paper-based mode was made for the readers to see the advantages and disadvantages of each environment. This information will be a helpful resource for the teachers to decide what is best for their students. But, there is only one flaw of this research that I would like to comment. The different roles of web and paper play in helping the students finishing up their project should be elaborated more so that teachers will have the ideas how to improve their teaching with the combination of both when necessary.

The implication of this research in the teaching and learning of ESL is that when teachers are sufficiently equipped with the information of web-text reading and the students’ perceptions on it, they can put their best efforts to make reading activity fun and interesting yet meaningful for the students. English reading materials will no longer be as linear and monotonous with the help of audio and videos the web provides. The rich discussions on the findings are helpful for English teachers to know in details about the skills involved in reading web-text and also the perceptions and expectation of students on this new approach. In Malaysian schools, using internet as a mean to teach English language is more than encouraged for it helps to initiate the students’ interests and curiosity in learning new things. But, to make sure that the learning process is smoothly done teachers play a vital role by being selective in choosing the materials to be brought into the classroom. The materials should meet their level of competency or else they will be frustrated and demotivated to learn. Before one goes for the materials, the most important thing is to make sure that both teachers and students are sufficiently equipped with the skills and knowledge about the web functions. The enforcement of using web in the ESL classroom will prepare the students to face the fast paced hi-tech world in the future.

 find article : click here

Assignment 2

1. Why do you think evaluation of CALL courseware, websites, materials etc important?

• I think it is important for CALL coursewares, websites, materials etc to be evaluated because every material used for teaching language (especially second language) needs to fit the learners' needs and also their level of proficiency. Materials chosen should create opportunities for learners to learn, not the other way around in which will happen if we just simply choose any material to be brought into the classroom. Students will feel demotivated and lost interest if they found that the materials are too difficult or too easy or too boring or it's hard for them to use the materials.
  

2. How do you think Hot Potatoes JCloze may help your students learn English?

• Hot Potatoes JCloze provides students with excitement and fun in completing the English exercises. This application allows us to provide clues for the students so that they would not feel frustrated or demotivated if they could not find the answer. It also can provide immediate feedback for the students for their motivation. We can make the page interesting by adjusting the font, the colours, put up some pictures etc. This will attract the students to try the exercises.
  

I have created a grammar worksheet in which it tests the students understanding on the singular and plural forms. This exercise is suitable for lower secondary school especially form 1 students. I decided on doing this because I noticed that during my practicum, my students were always confused with these two forms. So I hope this kind of exercise will help them improve their English.

..Introduction..

Assalamualaikum...

Hi! I'm new here so let's see stuffs about me...

I'm Norshazrina Sabri (Arin) and i'm doing my degree in TESL at UiTM Shah Alam. Actually this is my first time creating my own blog (which i never thought i would). I used to think that blogging are just for people who like to share their thoughts and and their moments of life with others, but now i know that blogging are more than just that. Lots of creative people make their blogs useful for others to learn from. Some provides information that go with people from all walks of life. I created this blog because i would like to be one of them (hopefully..huhu..)

When it comes to computer skill, i have to admit that i'm a novice. it's not that i know nothing about computer but i still have lots and lots of things to learn. i like to improve my computer skill because i know that i have to catch up with this fast-developed world. Since that i'll share my knowledge with school students afterwards (i think), i also need to know more than they do.

i do know some simple softwares like powerpoint, words, adobe (those that i really need to use). just the basic ones because i did not really interested with technologies before. And i know some of the basic hardwares too. experience learning via the computer? maybe during my first semester in degree program but i can't remember much.

my practicum was one of the unforgettable moments in my life even though i never had a chance to incorporate technologies in my teaching. it's not that the school does not have any, but it was limited. everytime i tried to book for the laptop and the projector, it always full. Alhamdulillah the teaching process still went well even without the technologies. i have to admit that i needed to provide lots of materials from different sources to make sure that my lessons are interesting. i don't deny that with technologies, there are lots more of fun activites can be done. i agree with the facts that students will be more fascinated with what technologies can do. so they will be interested and they can pay more attention to the lesson.

my expectation from this course..emm.. i hope i will be able to catch up with every lesson taught and i hope to learn more new things. i know that this is going to be quite hard for me but i'll try my best to do my best in this course.