My Family Tree In English

Subject(s): Family Relationships Grade level(s): 6th and 7th graders Author(s): Ellen Rochford, Josie Parent, William Shifrin The learners are 6th and 7th graders from Bogota, Colombia with 2-3 years of English experience, including class work, speaking, and comprehension. Overview The first part of the lesson focuses review of English. The students will be learning family relationships in English. They will make a family tree and present the family tree in front of the class. Given their basic knowledge of English, the students will be able to introduce themselves to their classmates. Given their basic knowledge of English, the students will be able to construct a journal entry about their weekend in English. Given a lesson on basic family relationships in English, the students will be able to correctly identify relationships in their family using English. Given their family tree that they created, the students will be able to speak to the class in English about their family tree.

Objectives

Standards

ELP.6.4.1 2003 Write a simple paragraph or essay that identifies a main idea and express nonverbally (e.g., picture, charts, tables, graphic organizers) or with simple spoken or written phrases or sentences ELP.6.4.12 2003 Use a graphic organizer or outline to demonstrate main purpose1

Materials

Journal for entry about weekend. Poster board to use for family tree. Markers to construct family tree. 1. Have agenda on board of the activities for the day. 2. Instruct students as they come in to start journaling about their weekend. 3. Begin class by having students introduce themselves to each other in English. (Name, How are you, etc.) 4. Start lesson.

Procedures

https://learningconnection.doe.in.gov/Standards/Standards.aspx?st=&sub=15&gl=8&c=0&stid=0

a. Have our family tree on board for a visual. b. Introduce new key vocabulary words. i. Utilize family tree ii. Have students repeat words back to reiterate. iii. Use words in context to further their understanding of the meaning. 5. Activity a. Explain instructions i. Construct family tree for your family like example. b. Pass out materials i. Poster ii. Markers c. Monitor Work 6. Presentation a. Teacher shows example of how to present using their family tree. b. Students begin to present.

Assessment

Oral Assessment Students must use only English and demonstrate knowledge of their vocabulary and grammar usage. Grammar and Vocab in Journal Journal entry must be grammatically correct and have a clear idea that continues throughout journal entry. Presentation Students must work together and use English to show what they have worked on. Participation Throughout all parts of class, the student must be focused and following instructions as well as participating in class discussion.

Learning Environment: The ideal learning environment that we are going for is one that promotes group learning and creativity. We will have the desks set up in groups instead of rows that way the students can work together. We will keep the examples that we do on the boards so that the students can have those to refer back to as well.

References/Reference Materials

The lesson plan was inspired by personal experiences. Each group member is currently or has taken a foreign language class. We pulled from what we learned in those classes. We reflected on what we learned first in those classes, how the classes were set up, and what was emphasized in the class. We also researched the school to see what kind of environment to expect. To figure out exactly what to teach we found the Indiana State Standards on the Department of Educations website listing all the standards for English Language Learners for the state of Indiana. In combination with the standards and personal experience we were able to decide on teaching how to describe ones family and to make the family tree.

http://www.familyholiday.net/family-tree-craft-template-ideas

Journal Articles Lys, F. (2013, October). The Development of Advanced Learner Oral Proficiency Using Ipads. Language Learning and Technology. Retrieved February 16, 2014, from http://llt.msu.edu/issues/october2013/lys.pdf This article was written specifically after using it with a German class, but it says it can also be used for other languages that are trying to be taught. I thought it would be helpful because it says that using the ipads helped to speed up the learning process by keeping the students involved. With foreign languages being difficult to teach anyways, anything that can speed it up should be looked into. Lai, C. (2013, June). A Framework for Developing Self-Directed Technology Use for Language Learning. Language Learning and Technology. Retrieved February 16, 2014, from http://llt.msu.edu/issues/june2013/lai.pdf This article, similar to the previous one, shows ways to not only help teach a second language, but to use technology to do so. This article makes the argument that learning outside the classroom is equally as important as the learning that is done inside the classroom. I fully agree with this idea so I thought referencing this article would be helpful. If students can have the framework to develop these skills then teaching them will be a much easier process.