TEACHING PRACTICE YEAR 3 YOUNG LEARNERS

Klasa 1b, Zaginione przedmioty, suchanie ze zrozumieniem.

Observation sheet 2
For this assignment you will need to observe an English lesson with a group of under 9 year olds.
The focus of the observation is spoken language in the classroom. As the lessons with children tend to
move at a rapid pace, it might be difficult to make notes so it is suggested that you fill in this chart very
briefly and then expand on it after the lesson.
Before the lesson fill in the following details:
Age of chidren: 1 class (7)
Number of pupils in the class: 21
How long they have been learning English: some started this year, some in pre-school
How many hours per week:5 hours
Name of coursebook followed (if any): Young Treetops
During the lesson:
At five minute intervals write down what is happening in the class language wise. The chart should help
you to do this. Indicate what language is being spoken. If some children are speaking English an others
Polish note this down.
After the lesson:
Make any additional notes you want to make immediately after the lesson. Later reflect on how the
teacher and the children were using oral language. If there was a predominance of Polish, try to work out
why this was so. Think about what the teacher did to encourage and support children in speaking in
English. Consider what provision was made for children to experiment with new language and what
opportunities there were for children to use language for a real communicative purpose.
Tick which boxes are relevant at five minute intervals. Indicate what language Polish P) or
English (E) is being used.
Timing 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 Notes/details
Teacher speaking x x x x English/Polish, a routine time (puppets
in English), the ss use English, some
Polish, the teacher uses English( simple
instructions- listen and point), then
explains in Polish
Silence
Cassette (listening), x x The ss listen to the song, they sing in
singing a song English repeating the words
Cassette (speaking x The ss repeat after the speaker in English
with it)
Teacher and ss x x x The teacher speaks English and clarifies
speaking together in Polish, she uses Polish more often, the
ss try speaking in English but athere is
dominance of Polish
Drill x x In English

Controlled practice x x x x English, only few ss using Polish

(whole class)
Controlled practice
(pairs)
Free practice (pairs)

Free practice (groups)

Free practice (class) x English, but very often Polish as well

Ss playing a game x The teacher uses English, the ss English

x as well, some ss use Polish to ask
clarifying questions
Other casette x The ss repeat after the teacher, some ss
listening and point, use Polish (mainly when they do not
match characters to understand the teachers directing)
After the lesson: the teacher used English to get the ss acquainted with the melody of language
and help the ss link the melody of certin words with the spelling ( 1 class, the ss cant read
properly yet). The teacher used English to introduce a routine ( greeting time, fixed expressions
and questions, for instance: how are you?) and to give short instructions ( listen and point, right
after that she always repeated in Polish to prevent the ss confusion or misunderstanding), she
used Englsh to recycle vocabulary items (squirrel, nut or umbrella), English words spoken very
carefully and slowly to focus the ss attention on pronunciation. Polish was used often to explain
any doubts, give a warning (praising in English-well done). The ss used English while practising
vocabulary, repeating after the teacher (controlled practice), during routine time as well. While
singing a song, the ss used English, they used yes/no for answers. Polish used often by the ss to
ask for clarification so as to prevent misunderstanding. During activities, such as listening and
point or match characters to..there was a predominance of Polish only to ask for clarification, how
the task should be done. The use of Polish in such activities is natural for children, they feel more
comfortable and at ease asking in Polish. The ss are too young to produce complex sentences in
English (formulating questions, tell the teacher why they have problems with doing a task),which
is also a reason for their using Polish.The teacher took advantage of puppets, a colourful
poster,flashcards and a song to encourage the ss to speak in English. She was friendly and positive
maintaining an eye-contact with the ss. By singing a song, repeating, interacting with puppets, the
ss could experiment with language and feel freely during classes.The ss were asked to act out a
mini-dialogue ( whats your name, my name is..) to practise the use of language for
communicative purposes.