Saturday Morning ESL Class: Community

As I was attending fall semester in Front Range's TESOL program, I was also co-teaching the Saturday morning ESL class. This class originated about two years prior via the Latino Chamber of Commerce and was originally designed to be a business English class. By the time I got involved with this group of students, it had become a general English class -- not business oriented. Our fall term was eight classes long, and the topic of the term was "community." The students are high beginner/low intermediate level.

Over the course of the eight classes, we talked about community -- what it means, the different kinds of communities we are part of, the amenities that are found in our communities. We learned the names of "things around town," like the fire station, post office, coffee shop, etc. Through this, we also learned some prepositions of place (on, across, at, around, near, between) to describe where things are located in relation to one another. 

Throughout our term, we read The Great Kapok Tree. It is the story of a man who goes into the Amazon jungle to chop down a tree but is convinced by the animals of the forest not to do so because it is their home, their shelter, their source of food, and their shade. For a final project, my co-teacher and I planned to have the students work in the computer lab and type up their thoughts on how the book tied to the theme of community.  My co-teacher was unfortunately unable to attend our last class due to an emergency, and I made the decision to offer students a choice on their final project: Would they like to work in the computer lab to type their papers, or would they like to work together as a group and create a poster about the book and about community? The students opted for the latter and created a wonderful poster. 

At the end of every class, we gave an exit ticket so that students could tell us one thing they learned that day and how they felt about class. We also gave homework at the end of each class: (1) Read the next portion of The Great Kapok Tree and (2) tell us how you practiced English outside of class this week. 

Here is one lesson plan from our term:

Day 3 Lesson Plan

 

Goals:

 

Students will be able to use prepositions of place to describe locations.

Students will read part of a story aloud and define vocabulary together.

Students will be able to describe their neighborhood.

 

Materials:

 

Cups and small objects like dice

Printouts of the next 4 pages of The Great Kapok Tree

Homework handouts

Exit ticket printouts

Example of “my street” paragraph

Preposition worksheets

 

 

Scaffolded activity 1 (10 minutes):

 

1. TAs (TESOL students) will give directions to ESL students to practice prepositions (“the ball is on the cup”) and the student will model it with props.
2. The ESL students will direct the TAs to place objects in a certain configuration (“the ball is next to the cup”)

 

Scaffolded activity 2 (10 minutes):

 

Students will work on a preposition worksheet, filling in the correct words. Work in partners and then go over answers together.

 

Less scaffolded activity (20-30 minutes):

 

The teacher will provide a paragraph describing their street using prepositions of place. Students will each read one sentence aloud. Then students will write a similar paragraph describing their street or neighborhood using the example as a model. Students will share in partners and then with the whole class.

 

 

Homework and The Great Kapok Tree reading

 

Teachers will go over homework first and ask what students did to practice English during the week. Share in partners and then discuss as a class.

 

Then teachers will ask students for the vocabulary words that they weren’t sure about from the reading and write a list on the board. Let the students know that right now we are just making a list and will come back to the words.

 

Pair or group students with a TA. The students will read the text aloud. The TA should give guidance about pronunciation and answer any questions that the student has (including about vocab).

 

Then the class will come back together and look at the list of vocabulary words and define the words together. Have the students write down or draw what the words mean.

 

The teachers will ask open-ended questions about the story.

What do you think will happen next?

What do you think it feels like in the jungle?

Why do you think the animals got quiet?

 

Wrap-up:

 

Pass out homework and explain it: 4 pages of the book. Circle words you don’t know.

 

Pass out exit tickets.

 

Invite students to stay if they wish and do homework or ask questions.

 

 

Teaching Philosophy

As a teacher, I believe it is important to remember that I am also a student. I am there to learn what my students need and what their story is. 

My role as a teacher is to facilitate discovery rather than to lecture; to guide rather than act as an authority. My approach to teaching places the students in a central role. My duty is to focus on their progress, development, and journey through each lesson and through the course as a whole. I endeavor to keep the students' needs in sight and create activities around their goals. 

I believe strongly in creating a welcoming, safe, and fun class where all students feel free to participate without judgment or fear. I strive to offer support and encouragement by celebrating all progress and ensuring students are seen.

When planning lessons, I incorporate activities that bring about authentic communication through reading, writing, listening, and speaking, with a foundation in brain-based learning. Allowing students to talk about topics relevant their lives in a genuine way reinforces their central role in class and deepens cohesion with their peers, which in turn builds trust. Without trust in the classroom, it is difficult to feel safe and to feel free to make mistakes.

Mistakes are good. That's what I want students to hold onto. Mistakes are where the learning happens. We all make mistakes. Native speakers of English make mistakes all the time. It's not about perfection. It's about communication.

 

Volunteerism

Serving my community by helping both animals and people is very important to me! Here is my volunteering experience:

 

Intercambio

Teaching Assistant, Intro Level English

Spring term, 2023

Lead Teacher, Level 2 English

Fall term, 2023

Lead Teacher, Level 4 English

Spring term, 2024

Open Door ESL

Student Registration Assistant, 9/9/24

Longmont Humane Society 

Small Mammal Volunteer 

2014 to present

Luvin' Arms Animal Sanctuary

Animal Care Volunteer

2018 through 2023

Stichting Bedenk, Haarlem, Netherlands

Animal Care Volunteer

June-August 2017

About me

Welcome to my online portfolio! 

My name is Julia O'Sullivan, and I recently completed the TESOL certificate program at Front Range Community College. While entering my second semester, I was presented with the opportunity to become an instructor at Front Range and co-teach a Saturday morning adult ESL class for my practicum. Being a student and a teacher at the same time was rewarding, hard work, and the best way to put theory into practice in the most hands-on way possible.

I've had a lifelong interest in languages and cultures, and started studying French when I was 13. I graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor's degree in French Literature. I am currently studying German and Spanish (and continuously polishing my French) and enjoy any opportunity to learn words and phrases in other languages. I feel that my background as a language learner gives me some insight into what my students may be experiencing as they go through their English-learning journey.

After graduating from UW, I began a program to earn a certificate to teach ESL, but it wasn't the right time for me back then. The reason? I had a crippling fear of public speaking. I walked away from teaching ESL then, but it never left my mind. After spending nearly 20 years in the transcription field and gaining a lot more life experience, public speaking was no longer a debilitating phobia, and I trained to be a volunteer ESL teacher with Intercambio in Longmont, Colorado. It was the perfect combination of language teaching, intercultural communication, and serving my community.

My time as a volunteer teacher was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life, and it turned out to be the most fantastic way to prepare for a career I could imagine! Teaching classes at Intercambio turned the ship of my life into a new direction, and I enrolled at Front Range. 

Please explore my page to learn more about my teaching experience, volunteerism, philosophy, and lesson plans!

Lesson Plan Example: Advice

Lesson Plan: “Advice”

 

This was a lesson plan I created as the final project for my first semester in the TESOL program at Front Range Community College. I have not yet used it with any of my classes but would like to at some point!

 

ESL class level: Intermediate

Unit theme: Relational Interactions

Learning objectives: Students will be able to read advice-related text, discuss possibilities and consequences, and ultimately write about a time they (or someone they know) faced a dilemma.

Language objectives: Students will be able to identify common words of advice such as should, could, would, can, might, will, must, do/don’t, and other imperative verbs, and observe their meanings and functions.

How will students build background knowledge for this lesson? Students will practice reading and discussing advice in the context of advice columns.

Essential questions:

●          Can you think of a time you gave or received advice for a problem in life?

●          Do you think seeking advice is helpful, or do you prefer to solve problems on your own?

●          Why would someone ask a stranger for advice versus a friend or family member?

 

Materials needed: white board, projector (optional), advice columns printed out and cut up for match activity.

 

Warm-up:

The instructor will introduce the word “advice” and check for understanding of its meaning. Then they will model a brief example of a time they looked for advice and ask the following questions of the class. (Questions will be posted on the board or projector for reference.)

Discuss with a partner:

Can you think of a time you needed advice for something important? Did you ask a stranger or someone you know? Do you think seeking advice is helpful, or do you prefer to solve problems on your own?

After partner discussion, students will be asked to share with the class.  

The instructor will then introduce the concept of the “advice column” and the class will read a couple of questions and answers together (go around and read portions aloud one at a time). Students should underline or circle words they are not familiar with (meaning and/or pronunciation).

Example 1 (from “Ask Erin” by Erin Khar; edited.)

Q.

I let my boyfriend of almost two years move in, due to him getting kicked out of his brother's place. I wasn't sure of the idea but the thought of paying half of everything seemed nice while trying to rebuild our relationship.

It's been about a month and I feel like his mom.

And I don't trust him.

He lies about dumb things like who is dropping him off at work or picking him up. I pay for all the groceries and pick up the house and do our laundry, etc. I feel more like his mother than his girlfriend.

I want things to work, but I'm tired of the lies and feeling like this. What should I do?

A.

Stop doing his laundry. Stop cleaning up after him.

I know how hard it can be to let go of that control. I struggle with this. But almost invariably, people will do these things for themselves when they are forced to do so. And if he does not, then you can have boundaries in place for that as well.

Tell him you cannot live with him if he does not contribute to the expenses and household chores. Make a list of what your shared expenses are, so it is clear what he is required to contribute. Likewise, make a list of daily and weekly chores and divide them up. Allow him to be a part of that decision making. Maybe he hates doing laundry, so let him be in charge of trash and dishes.

No matter how much you want this to work or how much you love him, you don’t deserve to be lied to or forced into the role of mommy.

Communicate, set those boundaries, and, if he doesn’t change, get him out of your home and move on.

Example 2 (from “Ask Amy,” by Amy Dickinson; edited.)

Dear Amy, I’m a 45-year-old woman, married to my wife for five years. My issue is my 21-year-old son, who lives with us. He’s a good kid but he’s now unemployed (for four months) and spends his days playing video games.

My son is very book smart, had a full ride to a prestigious university, but only stayed for a year and a half.

He recently applied for the police academy, but he never really follows through with anything. He also dropped out of the fire academy – because he was bored.

He was working as a forklift operator while in school. He’s always done very well in school, but he’s lazy.

I’m always trying to get my ex-husband to motivate him.

My wife and I have never lived alone our entire marriage, and she’s getting frustrated. I feel like I have to choose my wife or my son. Honestly I’m torn and now they are starting to argue more with each other.

Please help.

– Torn in Wisconsin

Dear Torn: Your unemployed adult son living at home is not “your” issue. Overall, this is everyone’s issue, but mainly it is his – and his main task right now should be to solve his own problem.

Don’t count on his father to motivate him – he is not living in his father’s house.

You and your wife should approach this as equal partners in your household, and you should present a united strategy for how to parent him into adulthood.

He needs to get a job. At a fast-food drive-thru, a landscaping crew, the Walmart warehouse, or wherever he can get hired.

Working a full day will give him a skill set, some money in his pocket, and self-esteem.

I would cut the wireless at your house during the day, stop paying for his cellphone, and offer him only a roof over his head and nourishment until he can afford other housing. I know this is tough, but your marriage is on the line, and so is his future.

 

After reading through the advice, check for vocab/pronunciation understanding!

Discussion question: Why do you think some people want to ask a stranger for advice?

 

Direct instruction:

The instructor will take printed-out advice columns that have been cut into advice-seeker and advice-giver portions.  The instructor will then divide the class into two “teams” (seekers and responders) and distribute the advice column portions to the appropriate sides. A student from the “seeker” team will read their portion of the text – the letter asking for advice.  The student on the “responder” team with the corresponding answer must recognize the appropriate response and read it aloud in answer to the seeker.  Once everyone has gone, distribute different answers/responses and have the teams switch roles.  

Example of an advice column that can be printed and cut up (from https://languagesnaps.com/english/material/advice-column-esl/):                                                                             

Dear Language Snaps,

I just moved to a country where I don’t speak the language or know a single person. You might ask, what could have brought me to this new country and the answer is my job. When the offer presented itself, I was skeptical because I’ve never left the city I was born in! I knew it might be a risk, but I took the job and moved. Now that I’m here I feel so blue! I have no friends, and, without the language, I can’t communicate with anyone! I’ve never been so lonely in my life. The job assignment is a whole year and I’ve been here for three long months already. What should I do?

Thanks,

Lonely

Dear Lonely,

You sure do seem lonely! You knew it was a risk when you took the job that you might be lonely. Without the language, you’re in a pickle. You should sign up for language courses and delve into the language. You should also take this time to become your own best friend- get to know yourself better. As soon as you come to terms with your new situation everything will feel better.

Sending a hug,

Lonely

                                                                                   

 

The instructor will ask the students what they notice about the common words used by the person giving advice.  How do they tell the advice-seeker what to do? As the students point out common words, the instructor will write them on the board and check for meaning and function. 

What kinds of words do advice-givers use? What about people looking for advice?

 

Guided practice:

The instructor will post a dilemma on the board or projector and provide structured sentence prompts:

 

You must feel ____________.

 

I think you should __________________.

 

If you __________, you would/will ____________________.

 

You could _______________.

 

You might _____________.

 

You can ____________.

 

Don’t ________________.

 

Students will write 2 to 3 sentences of advice using any combination of sentences above, or come up with their own.  They will share their responses with a partner, and then responses will be discussed together as a class. 

Student responses will be written on the board. They can copy these to have for reference later.

Evaluation:

Students will write about a time they gave or got advice and share with the group. They can use the sentence structures posted earlier or come up with their own.

Expansion/Homework (choose one):

Option 1: Students will draw a word from a hat.  Examples: cooking, home, family, work, pets, kids.  They will pretend to be someone with a problem about their prompt word and write a letter/e-mail to an advice columnist. 

Option 2: Write about different places people go for advice.