LESSON PLAN

Name: Jacob Choi Grade Level: Senior 1 Date: October

Objectives: SWBAT define what a simile and idiom are and use them in conversation.

Vocabulary: Simile, Idiom

Grammar:None

Materials Needed:PPT

Lesson Opening

  • Quote of the Day:

Friendship is not something

you learn in school.

But if you haven't learned

the meaning of friendship,

you really haven't learned anything.

-Muhammad Ali

  • Start with “How Do You Feel?”
  • Students respond with “I feel good, Oh I feel so good, UHHH!”
  • Introduce Idioms and Similes using tongue twisters and a relevant video

Introduction of New Material

  • Introduce and define an idiom
  • Idiom (noun)-
  • Group of words which has a meaning different than expected
  • chéngyǔ
  • Check for understanding using multiple choice
  • Chinese Example
  • Literally: Reading ten thousand books is not as useful as travelling ten thousand miles
  • Meaning: Real life experience is more useful than theory (Lǐlùn)
  • Literally: Things of today, accomplished today.
  • Meaning: Don't put things off until tomorrow.
  • English Example
  • “A dime a dozen”
  • Meaning: Anything that is very cheap and easy to get
  • Ex) chopsticks, pencils, dumplings
  • “Can I give you money for a pair of chopsticks?”
  • “Have them for free, they are a dime a dozen.”
  • “A drop in the bucket”
  • Meaning: A very small part of something big
  • "I'm sorry I scratched your car.”
  • "Don't worry about it. It's just a drop in the bucket. That car has more scratches on it than I can count."

Guided Practice

  • Activity
  1. I will show an Idiom
  2. With your partner, guess what it means
  3. I will ask one team what they think the idiom means
  • “Finger Licking Good”
  • Meaning: Something very tasty
  • “These chicken feet taste very good.”
  • Yes, they are finger licking good.”
  • “Add Fuel To The Fire”
  • Meaning: To make a bad situation even worse
  • “Bite Your Tongue”
  • Meaning: To stop talking
  • “Your friend is not very smart.”
  • “Bite your tongue!”
  • “Go The Extra Mile”
  • Meaning: To go above and beyond
  • “Keep An Eye on Him”
  • Meaning: To watch very closely
  • “Lend Me Your Ear”
  • Meaning: Listen to him speak
  • Introduce Similes
  • What is a Simile??
  • Simile (noun)-
  • Comparison of one thing to another using “like” or “as”
  • Simile Using “As”
  • Cute as a kitten
  • Busy as a bee
  • As black as coal
  • As blind as a bat
  • Brave as a lion
  • As cold as ice
  • Light as a feather
  • Tall as a giraffe
  • As sweet as sugar
  • Simile Using “Like”
  • They fought like cats and dogs
  • Last night I slept like a log

Independent Practice

  • Have students write sentences with similes
  • Simile Using “As” Examples
  • Today, I moved 50 bags of rice.
  • I am as strong as a ______.
  • Simile Using “Like”
  • Yesterday, I ate 4 bowls of noodles
  • Yesterday, I ate like a ______.

Lesson Closing

  • Provide a conversational idiom for the students to actually use in the real world.
  • Final Quote
  • "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, which is why we call it the present." – Kung Fu Panda
  • Have students write and repeat, “If I work hard, I will be successful!”

IMMEDIATE REFLECTION

Complete within 24 hours after teaching the lesson

  1. Please provide a description of the students you taught (e.g., grade level, number of students, special characteristics, etc.).

I teach Senior 1 students in the 14-15 year old age range. I teach 21 classes of these students totaling over 1200 students. The classes contain roughly 50-60 students. In addition, I teach 3 classes of Junior 1 students who are 11-12 years old. Since the vast majority of my students are seniors, I will provide lesson plans from this grade level.

  1. How many of your students fully achieved the lesson objective (please provide the number of students)? How do you know?If not, what are you going to do during the next class period with these students to ensure that they achieve, or work toward achieving, the objective?

I hope every student (50-60) in the class understands what an idiom and simile are. Hopefully half of the students (25-30) will be able to remember a few idioms. Maybe around a quarter of the students (10-15) will use an idiom or simile in conversation. I’ve had 1 student use an idiom in conversation outside of the classroom. He lied to me and then said he was pulling my leg.

  1. What did you do to ensure that all students were able to participate during the lesson? How did you target lower-level students? Shy students? Advanced students?

My guided practice of having students guess the meanings of different idioms was extremely fun and engaging. I found shyer students participating once they got over the fear of being wrong. As more and more students guessed incorrectly, the whole game got more fun. The students would slowly get closer and closer to the real meaning of the idiom with the help of some hints from me. I was extremely happy to see Chinese students being okay with incorrect guesses.

  1. Which one part of the lesson was most successful? Why? How do you know?

I think the guided practice was most successful since it got widespread participation and measurable understanding. Correct answers along with incorrect answers both signaled success. I could detect understanding by the proximity of incorrect answers to the right answer.

  1. Which one part of the lesson needed the most improvement? How do you know? How would you improve it if you could teach the lesson again?

My opening was weak and not cohesive. It failed to properly introduce the material and grab the attention of the students especially at the end of a long day of classes for them. The opening needs to introduce all materials early in the lesson so the students know what to expect.

  1. Did you need to modify your lesson plan during class? If so, why? How did you modify the plan?

I also failed to leave enough time at the end of the lesson for independent practice. Guided practice allows students to rely on the help of the teacher and each other. Independent practice challenges the student to see whether they individually understood what was taught and to apply it to the activity given.

  1. What patterns in your preparation/teaching can be improved?

I was satisfied with my teacher presence during the class period. My diction may have been too simple, but it was difficult to guess at what words students could understand. My tone sounded pretty good, but I may need more enthusiasm at times to keep the students’ attention especially near the end of long days. My movement around the room was pretty good because of the presentation remote I had. My gesturing was okay, but could probably add a little more to explain things in class.

  1. What was your favorite part of the lesson? What was your students’ favorite part of the lesson?

I think PowerPoint media can be extremely practical in the classroom when used properly. I made sure to keep the slides underwhelming. That meant not including too much text, including lots of pictures, and slowly presenting information so it could be easily absorbed. Pictures, videos, and diagrams really seemed to grab the attention of the students. I made sure to include pictures with all of the idioms to make sure the students understood their meaning. I think the students enjoyed this.

  1. After teaching this lesson, do you have any questions you would like addressed regarding teaching methodologies, strategies, or activities?

No.