Section 1 Classroom Activities

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I.Thinking

【Case Reflection】

Mr A is a novice English teacher. He has a responsible and earnest approach in both his teaching and his preparation for teaching. Despite his best endeavors, he feels at a loss as his students don't seem to concentrate for the first five minutes (and sometimes longer) of his lessons.

What problem do you think Mr A's teaching has? Do you have any suggestions to help Mr A deal with this?

II.Learning

A teaching process is the procedure and timeline of teaching activities. Different teaching methodologies usually have different teaching processes: the traditional PPP (presentation-practice-production) teaching process, for example, and the task-based teaching and learning process are based on different teaching methodologies.

English classroom activities for elementary and middle schools can be divided into four types: start-up, language learning, language performance, and summary. These activities can be carried out in a different order in response to different needs. They can also be combined with classroom teaching, so that reviewing becomes part of the process of learning, and summarizing becomes part of the process of performance, etc.

III.Start-up

Start-up refers to the beginning of the teaching activities. A good start-up greatly improves the chances of success.

1.Pre-class activities

The main purpose of pre-class activities is to prepare for the teaching. Teachers can consciously carry out pre-class activities before the bell rings for class to start. For example, teachers can present teaching content through writing on the blackboard, drawing pictures, hanging pictures, preparing coursework, or playing music. Teachers can also elicit feedback by talking to students in English so as to identify teaching content, or doing mini-surveys based on some specific teaching content.

Since the pre-class time belongs to students themselves, pre-class preparation activities should mainly be carried out by teachers themselves. Pre-class activities should not increase the students' cognitive or affective burden, nor should they tire the students.

2.The beginning of the lesson

Teaching formally starts with the teacher's announcement of “Class has started”. The beginning of the lesson should be natural in order to help lessen learning anxiety, prepare students emotionally, and focus student attention. The beginning should also lay the groundwork for new language learning, and activate existing student knowledge and skills in preparation for new learning opportunities. Ways to start may be a daily report, questions-and-answers, stories, news, talks, or exercises, etc. Teachers should provide variety in how they start a class so their students maintain an interest in their learning.

3.Revision

Revision refers to students revising knowledge they have learned in preparation for new learning. Through revision, teachers help students activate existing knowledge and skills which are relevant to the main teaching points of the class. In addition, teachers should use this time to identify what difficulties students may have. Teachers should try to have all the students participate in revision and design individual and effective revision activities to help those who experience difficulty in learning. Through this, students who have trouble in learning can experience more ease in learning the new language content.

How to revise can be addressed in the form of a group discussion. For example, four or five students in a group can reflect on the content they have learned in the previous class. They then tell their group the problems they had in learning and ask the group for help. Next, a representative from each group reports their own group's summary on how to solve individual problems. Through listening to their group reflection, students can learn from each other. Teachers can also have a general understanding of all the student learning for the last class by listening to each group's report. Thus, the problem of neglecting the individual in whole class revision can be avoided.

Revision can be conducted every term, but it is preferable to incorporate revision into the beginning of the teaching stage of each unit. This “revision” is different from the commonly confused term “review”. Revision should focus on students using the knowledge and skills they have learned, not just looking at the material again (review) . Teachers should find students' deficiencies in language knowledge and skill through this revision and guide them to correct and improve such issues.

IV.Language Learning

Language learning is the process which allows achievement of teaching objectives.

1.New language lead-in

Lead-in refers to the activities based on what students have already grasped, which teachers use to lead to new language. In the teaching process, teachers can use task lead-in, plot lead-in, knowledge lead-in, real event lead-in, news lead-in, etc. to introduce new language. The choice of lead-in should be suitable for the type of teaching content and should focus on the main and potentially difficult teaching points. Teachers can use task lead-in for language expressions that are difficult; use plot lead-in for stories with complex plots; use knowledge lead-in for texts with heavy knowledge content on things such as geography, history, etc.; use everyday experiences such as on-line games to lead-in to texts which reflect the students' own life, and use news lead-in for texts about significant and major incidents.

During lead-in, teachers have begun to teach new language knowledge and cultivate new language skills. Lead-in is closely connected with whether the new teaching content can be processed successfully; whether the anticipated teaching outcome can be achieved; and whether students can grasp the new language. If the lead-in fails, it will take a lot more time to achieve the lesson goals (if they are achieved at all) . Therefore, lead-in is very important to new language learning.

Step 1 Lead-in

Remark about heroes and historical figures and ask Ss who they think heroes and people who make history are:

Yao Ming/Dong Cunrui/Lei Feng/Liu Xiang/Mao Zedong/Deng Xiaoping/Sun Yat-sen/Thomas Edison/Martin Luther King.(Huang Xiuping & Huang Zicheng, 2005: 68)

2.New language presentation

New language presentation refers to presenting new learning content to students. As this is the first contact with the text, it is instrumental in helping students to form appropriate language use.

Presentation of teaching content usually includes posters or blackboard drawings, teaching materials presentation; audio recording presentation; and cartoon or video presentation, etc. It is best if the overall presentation has an authentic context and pragmatic purpose. Some teachers like presenting texts through vocabulary first, then sentences and then discourses. The result is the text is not well processed or understood. If teachers present texts discoursally and have students read the whole text first, then study paragraphs, then sentences, and then look at the use of specific words, students may learn more about the new language context and its pragmatic purpose.

When presenting the text, teachers not only need to present new pronunciation, new words, language knowledge, language function, etc., but also need to present the context and the pragmatic purposes of the new language used. One presentation may not be enough. Sometimes, many presentation activities may be required of the same language point and skill before students understand and grasp the lexical items and their pragmatic functions in their authentic context.

If there is a lot of language content, teachers can do a lead-in and then a presentation and encourage student learning, and then repeat the cycle again for the next item of language content.

3.Task presentation

Those who advocate task-based language teaching and learning believe that the process of finishing tasks is the process of learning language. Therefore, task presentation is in the pre-task stage. It is very important to help students become familiar with task context and understand the task requirements. This is the key to the success of task-based language teaching. Skehan (1996) claims there are two main points for pre-task activities. One is the need for the overall cognition in the task; the other is the language focus. He believes that if the learner's cognitive load at the pre-task stage can be reduced, learners will have more energy to focus on language. Therefore, at the stage of task presentation, teachers should lead students to connect new information with their existing knowledge and activate prior knowledge in the task context so as to alleviate students' cognitive pressure at the post-task stage. Teachers should also give clear information so students understand the specific requirements of the task, especially the requirements in relation to outcome so they can participate in the task activities in a relaxed state.

Gong Yafu and Luo Shaoqian (2006) claim that teachers, when presenting new content, can design classroom activities and provide input on language pronunciation, meaning and language use context by doing the following: (1) playing videos which are similar to the task so as to provide a demonstration on how to complete the task; (2) asking students to finish simple activities which are relevant to the task so as to activate existing cognitive schema; (3) providing enough time to allow students to plan and prepare well for the following task.

4.New language learning

New language learning usually includes teacher explanations and illustrations and student drills and consolidation.

Explanations are instructions on different levels about new language after students have had their first contact with new language at the stage of text presentation. Explanations can be about vocabulary, structure, semantics, context, or pragmatics. Explanations can be achieved through self-learning, teacher's guidance or direct transmission, etc. Teachers connect all these with a view to developing linguistic and communicative competence.

Illustration refers to teachers providing more example sentences based on the new language so as to help students learn more about the new language and fully understand the text. During the illustration, teachers should use example sentences in context with clear pragmatic functions so students are more likely to use language with clear meaning, in real context and with appropriate pragmatic purpose. Teachers should, therefore, avoid using artificial example sentences.

Drills refer to simple usage practice under the guidance of the teacher after students have understood the meaning, context, and pragmatic purpose of the new language. Drills are not simple mechanical repetition. Drills are direct, do not involve much thinking, and are designed so the response becomes second nature. Rather than relying on mechanical drills, teachers should try to use contextual drills to cultivate language use.

Consolidation is the key to transforming teaching content into student competence. Consolidation can be in the form of extracurricular activities, but classroom consolidation is also very important since it can strengthen real language use. If students make mistakes in the target language in the process of consolidation, teachers should help students correct them immediately. If students make mistakes unrelated to the target language, teachers can choose whether or not to correct them based on the acceptable degree of error, whether there is teaching time available, or whether mistakes will influence the students' fluency.

When there is a lot of new language content, teachers can carry out lead-in, presentation, explanations, drills, and consolidation in turn, i.e. leading in and presenting some language, then explaining, illustrating, drilling, and consolidating the new language content. After this, teachers can present another piece of new language, then explain, illustrate, drill, and consolidate it. These activities can be chosen according to the teaching needs, without having to preserve a particular order in the lesson.

In addition, effective new language learning is related to emotional intelligence, learning strategies, and cultural awareness. According to the National Curriculum Standards, emotional intelligence, learning strategies and cultural awareness should be components of English teaching in elementary and middle school. Teachers can use explicit teaching methods to instruct in emotional intelligence, learning strategies, and cultural awareness. Teachers can also use implicit teaching methods to cultivate emotional intelligence, learning strategies, and cultural awareness. Explicit direct instruction should be carried out in class while implicit indirect cultivation can be covered in the broader design of the teaching materials. If implicit indirect cultivation is to be carried out in the classroom, attention needs to be given to the design of it.

V.Language Performance

Language performance refers to classroom activities that cultivate student language competence.

1.Practice

Practice is teaching activities carried out before production and after students have learned new language content. The aim is to have students use language they have just learned in a new context and for a new pragmatic purpose in preparation for authentic production. This practice is actually a guided task.

Practice refers to having students practise after teachers have presented teaching content to students. Practice is different from drills. Practice is to make students attempt to use what they have learned based on a certain context and a certain pragmatic purpose, while drills are to make students practise mechanically in order to help them use a certain language form in a skillful way.

2.Production

Production is a clear measure of whether students can use the new language to finish tasks. It symbolizes that students have gained new language use skills. Production is equal to post-task activities in task-based language teaching. Production includes demonstration and development.

In order to make students familiar with the rules and procedures for completing production activities and completing them successfully, teachers should organize demonstrations to show students how to finish production activities at the beginning of the post-task stage. Teachers can do this alone, or have a student, or a group of students do the demonstrations. It is better to choose students who have difficulty in learning to do the demonstrations in order to identify problems and give immediate feedback. This way we can also find out whether the students can complete the production activities successfully. After demonstrations, teachers should organize their lesson in such a way that all the students complete the production activities.

If students make mistakes in the target language in production, teachers should help students correct them immediately. If students make mistakes unrelated to the target language, teachers can choose to correct them based on the acceptable degree of error, whether there is teaching time available, or whether mistakes will influence students' fluency.

VI.Summary

Summary is very important for English classroom teaching in elementary and middle school. Since it can help students form a clear understanding of the new language, it has the obvious benefit of consolidating new language which students have learned.

1.Summary

Teachers can make a summary of the teaching content of the class when class ends. Teachers can make a summary with the students, or ask students to do a self-summary in the form of a “five-minute-reflection”. Doing reflections in the process of summary can cultivate self-reflective awareness and autonomous learning skills. Teachers can, for example, ask students to reflect on the main content of the class and raise questions through writing a self-summary. Teachers can collect self-summaries with a view to understanding what students have learned and identifying problems and solving them immediately. Teachers can also put self-summaries into student portfolios and make it part of student formative assessment. This method can help students develop clear language awareness and strengthen their memory for new language. In the process of making a summary, teachers can make students clear about the revision objectives and the lesson's main points.

2.Assignment and ending

Homework is an effective activity for consolidating what students have learned in class. Consolidation after class is key to transforming classroom activities into student knowledge and skills. Homework can be in written or oral form, and include a range of tasks including games.

If there is a lot of teaching content, teachers can assign homework after each teaching step has been finished instead of doing it at the end of the class. Teachers should end the class in a gentle and natural way and should not make students feel burdened and worried about the next class.

After ending the class, teachers should not immediately leave the classroom. They should check to see if students have any questions and be particularly aware of students who have difficulty in learning and ask them if they need any help. Teachers also need to make note of any formative assessments they may have done in the course of the lesson.

【Practice Analysis】

The following is a lesson plan done by Ms Yang from No. 2 Middle School Attached to the Normal College of Shenzhen University. Please talk about what teaching activities are included in the process of teaching and comment on them.

No. 2 Middle School Attached to the Normal College of Shenzhen University Shenzhen University

Yang Liyun

Grade 1

Unit 5 Getting to Know Steven Spielberg

People's Education Press

45 minutes

Teaching process

1.Pre-class preparation

The teacher and students search for pictures about movies and movie heroes on the Internet and find information about the famous director Steven Spielberg. The information should include his background, main works, still pictures, and videos. The teacher and students have a discussion with each other about the websites and information about Steven Spielberg.

2.Warm-up

(1) The teacher elicits or comments on words concerned with movies: actor/actress, director, producer, photographer, script, studio, scene, role, Hollywood, Oscars, award, etc.

(2) The teacher shows the students some pictures from movies and TV shows directed by famous directors and asks them:

— What are the names of the films and TV shows?

— Who directed these films and shows?

— Why are these films and shows so famous?

— Who plays the most important part in making a film or a TV show? (a director)

3.Pre-reading

The teacher shows students pictures of Steven Spielberg. All of them know who he is.

They begin to discuss and exchange information they have got from the Internet before class.

4.Reading

(1) Skimming: While reading, please divide the text into parts and determine the main idea of each part.

(2) Reading for details: Enrich each part by providing details in the form of a resume.

After this, the students are invited to raise questions about phrases and sentences they can't understand. Explanations are given to them.

(3) Post-reading: Finish the exercises in part 1 and part 2 of Post-reading.

(4) Retelling: Use the words and phrases learned in this unit to retell the story of Steven Spielberg with the help of his resume.

(5) Enjoying: Enjoy a clip from the movie E .T . and identify its main point.

5.Writing skill and affective factors

(1) Writing skill:

(2) Affective factors

What can you learn from Steven Spielberg?

—Love of life and hatred of war

—Passion for the cinema and hard work

—Perseverance

Encourage the students to overcome difficulties by giving them some maxims and quotes:

—If you would be loved, love and be lovable. (Benjamin Franklin)

—I will greet this day with love in my heart. For this is the greatest secret of success in all ventures. (Mandino)

—Love makes one fit for any work. (George Herbert)

—Love and interest can make every student a good student of English！ (Miss Yang)

6.Homework

(1) Write a passage about an actor or actress.

Paragraph 1: Introduce the actor/actress.

Paragraph 2: How did he/she become an actor/actress?

What films has he/she made?

(2) Continue to collect more information about Steven Spielberg and create a website about him.

(Huang Xiuping　& Huang Zicheng, 2005: 115)

Practicing

【Questions】

1.What are the features of classroom teaching activities?

2.What should teachers pay attention to carrying out classroom teaching activities?

3.Please talk about the difficulties of designing classroom teaching activities and ways to overcome these difficulties based on your own teaching practice.

【Designing】

Please design classroom teaching activities for attributive clauses based on the following material.

In July, 1976, strange things were happening in the countryside in Tangshan. For a few days, water in the wells rose and fell. A smelly gas came out of a well whose walls had developed deep cracks. Mice, chicken, pigs and even fish became anxious. But people of the city, who thought little of these events, went to bed as usual. At 3: 42 am everything began to shake. The noise was even heard in Beijing which was 100 kilometers away. A huge crack that was eight kilometers long and thirty meters wide cut through houses and roads. The number of people that were killed or injured reached more than 400, 000.It seemed that the city had come to an end. But all hope was not lost. The army sent 150, 000 soldiers to help. They built shelters for survivors whose homes had been destroyed.