Section 2. Assessing Needs. Antonio Mora G.

Part I. Initial Assessment suggested activities

Activity 1

Activity 2

GENERALITIES
Target Group

Fourteen Level II CEIC Fourteen Level II CEIC

students
students
Name of the activity Minute to Win It Jeopardy
How I Met Your Mother
Pilot" Activities
Purpose
of
the Recognizing students Multiple Watching a HIMYM episode to
activity
Intelligences (MI).
assess comprehension.

Outline

1.
The teacher explains
the students that the activity
Minute to Win It Jeopardy
consists of seven different
categories (MI) with four
challenges each.
2.
The
students
are
divided in two or three groups,
and each one of the members
(one at a time, and taking turns
form group to group) of the
group will choose any given
category and complete the
challenge in the minute of time
given for the activity.
3.
If the students complete
the challenge in a minute as he
or she is supposed to, he or
she get the point that were
selected for the category. If
they fail to complete the
challenge, they will lose the
points that were selected.
4.
No Spanish or use of
cell phone is allowed during
this activity.
5.
At the end the group
with most points wins the
game.

1.
The teacher explains
the students that they will
watch an episode of a sitcom
called How I Met Your
Mother in order to solve some
tasks.
2.
The students are given
a handout with the tasks that
they will have to complete
while and after watching the
episode.
3.
The teacher will check
the tasks along with the
students and will answer any
possible questions students
might have.

Section 2. Assessing Needs. Antonio Mora G.

or Minute to Win It Jeopardy
PowerPoint
Presentation,
computer,
projector,
and
speakers.
At the beginning of the first
class of the course.
Duration: 40 minutes.

Handout,
HIMYM
Pilot
episode, projector, computer,
and speakers.

What
information It can collect what kind of
does it gather?
activities students prefer to do
for learning or feel more
comfortable doing in classes.

It can demonstrate listening

comprehension of different
English structures (especially
past tense that is often used in
the episode and reviewed in
this course).
It might give an idea of the
prior knowledge of past tense
as well as to how they are
doing
with
listening
comprehension.
Yes, because past tense is
reviewed in this course and
students should be able to
handle it pretty well.

Instruments
materials

Moment

During the first class, possibly

before ending.
Duration: 30 minutes.

RATIONALE

Does the activity

identify
problems
and
possible
solutions?

It can help adapt the course

material and activity choices
to their preferences according
to the MI.

Does the activity Yes, because knowing the

identify priorities?
students MI preferences can
help the preparation of a more
personalized course for these
specific students.
Do students reflect Definitely, since they can
on
their
own realize which activities are the
learning process?
ones that would make it easier
for them to learn as well as
which ones are supposed to
be developed.
How will you and the In order to decide what kind of
students use this activities might be more
information?
suitable for the group.

Yes, because the episode

might represent a more
realistic use of the language
than, for example, the audios
included in the textbook.
In order to have a better idea
of how well they are doing with
their Listening, and improve if
needed, or enhance it is
possible.

PROBLEMATIZING
Are the students They might have tried a
familiar with this Jeopardy game before with
type of activity?
another professor, but not one
that includes the MI as part of

They might be familiarized with

the use of videos, or audios, in
order to complete similar tasks
like
True/False,
Multiple

Section 2. Assessing Needs. Antonio Mora G.

the tasks they need to
complete.
Do they have to be They will be explained how
taught how to do it? play it. But each category and
task
will
provide
an
explanation of what the
student needs to do.

choice, matching, Who said

it?, etc.
No, as mentioned before, they
have carried out similar tasks,
just that in this case, they will
do them with a sitcom as the
input.

Part II. On-going Assessment suggested activities

Activity 1

Activity 2

GENERALITIES
Target Group

Fourteen Level II CEIC

students
Name of the activity Murder in the classroom!
Purpose
of
the Practicing the past tense
activity
structure in questions and
sentences.
1.
The teacher explains
Outline
the class that they are going to
play a murder mystery game.
And plays Beethovens Ninth
Symphony to provide a more
thematic
environment.
Everyone will be a character in
the game and one of them is
the murderer!
2.
The teacher tells them
the background information
(included in the teachers
notes handout).
3.
The teacher provides
the character cards that
contain clues to working out
the
mystery
and
the
worksheets that the students
will use to collect all the
information about the other
characters.

Fourteen Level II CEIC

students
Guess the video!
Creating
sentences
to
describe sequences using the
speaking skill.
1.
The students get in
pairs or trios. They position
themselves facing each other,
with one of them giving his
back to the screen where a
video of a movie trailer is
projected. Meanwhile, the
other person who can see the
video describes the videos
projected on the board with the
projector.
2.
The students have only
one minute to guess the
movie.
3.
The teacher plays a
movie trailer (with no sound)
that the student facing the
projection will watch and
describe to his partner so he or
she can guess what movie is.
The student describing cannot
use proper names to describe
the videos.

Section 2. Assessing Needs. Antonio Mora G.

Instruments
materials

Moment

4.
The students will ask
each other questions (What is
your name?, Why were you at
the party?, What was your
relationship
with
Ms.
Ramirez?, When did you last
see Ms. Ramirez?, What were
you doing when you heard the
scream?)
to
get
more
information that will help them
solve the mystery.
5.
The students will use
the information collected in
order to come up with the
murderer and the motive.
3.
The teacher will read
the solution (included in the
Teachers notes) for the
student to confirm or dismiss
their conclusions.
or Teachers notes, worksheet for
all students, character cards,
Beethovens
Ninth
Symphony,
speakers,
computer.
In the middle of the course

4.
The students will take
turns to describe videos and to
guess the movie as well.

Projector, computer, movie

trailer videos (or Internet
connection
to
access
YouTube).
In the middle of the course

(during the fifth week).

(during the sixth week).

Duration: 40 to 50 minutes.

Duration: 10 to 20 minutes.

RATIONALE
What
information It can provide information
does it gather?
about the use of past tense
structure
in
more
contextualized way.
Does the activity Yes, because it is possible to
identify
problems notice if the structures are
and
possible being used in an appropriate
solutions?
way.

It can demonstrate listening

comprehension of different
English structures as well as
the accuracy in Speaking skill.
Yes, because by taking turns
to describe and guess, it can
be seen where the student has
more difficulty, if in the
Speaking
of
Listening
comprehension.
Does the activity Yes, the activity promote Yes, it does. It provides the
identify priorities?
critical thinking as well as opportunity to see if the

Section 2. Assessing Needs. Antonio Mora G.

Do students reflect
on
their
own
learning process?

How will you and the

students use this
information?

deduction, and it definitely students are able to provide a

engages students to use the coherent input for their
past tense structure.
classmates to make an
accurate guess about what
they are talking about.
Definitely, because they are By being under a time limit,
not only using the language, students will realize that there
but they also have to analyze are some words they do not
information
they
have handle easily since when they
collected themselves.
are under pressure, they are
not able to use it easily.
For reflecting and improving For practicing more the
learners critical thinking.
language
in
a
more
impromptu-speech kind of way
in
order
to
promote
spontaneity.

PROBLEMATIZING
Are the students No.
familiar with this
type of activity?

Maybe something similar, like

Taboo, where they have to
avoid
giving
the
main
information away.
Do they have to be No, because they will be giving No, only some brief directions
taught how to do it? character cards in order to are required.
know their role, and the
worksheet to know what kind
information ask and collect.