TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook

Observation Report
Forms for inclusion in the Observation Notebook must be typed

Name of Observer___Lin Li_______

Observation # _2__

Date

Observation Environment

Content

Class
Level

Teacher

2/9/15

http://www.finchpark.com/videos/practicums/middl
e-sch-practicums/2009-middle-schpracticum/index.html

Modal Verb
Can

Lower
intermediate

Bohyun
Hwang

Focus on relevant areas from the What Can Be Observed handout. Notice how the
teacher handles these areas during the class.
OBJECTIVE OF THE LESSON:
1. Student will be able to use the auxiliary verb can in declarative/ negative/
interrogative sentences.
2. Student will be able to describe friends abilities with Can.
Notes while observing:

Last Updated: 5/20/2015 12:41 a5/p5

Warm-Up
Bell, like a song, rings. Most Ss are seated in classroom and all Ss are boys.
T starts class by greeting with Ss, asking, Hello, everyone. How are you today?
S respond together, Im fine. How about you? T responses. T introduces class
gests to Ss and encourages Ss to do well in the following class. Ss say Hello to
the gests.
a. In a Q&A model, T leads Ss to review previous lesson. In this stage, T plays
pictures on the screen to ask questions; She uses body language and constant eye
contacts to interact with students. T also gives feedback, like Well done Good
job, after Ss answer questions.
b. There are both group answer and single student answer. Ss actively raise their
hands to answer questions.
c. Sample Q&A are, What can XX Robert do? He can
Presentation
T makes a sentence and presents the key contents they are going to learn. I am
very good at riding bicycle, so I say I can a ride bicycle.
On the screen, T shows the class goals: a. Describe friends abilities with Can
and Cant; b. Ask friends abilities by using Can you.

Practice
T shows Ss a funny move clip, in which two boys are doing several same actions.
Ss watch attentively. T asks Ss to make sentences based on the movie. T gives an
example, Jin-hyun can dance well by putting word cards in order on the board.
Ss were seated into small groups and each group was given a big envelope that
contains all the teaching materials for this class. T shows Ss the materials that
they are going to use for this activity. In this activity, Ss arrange word cards to
make up Can and Cant sentences. T picks a group of Ss to work front on the
board.
T goes to different groups checking progress. Ss are actively engaged in the
activity.
T gives answer checking with the whole class group. They go through each
sentence and Ss read sentences out aloud together. T Explains lift with actions.
Presentation
a. Analyzing the sentences they just created, T takes out word cards and asks Ss if
she can use dancing to replace dance, plays to replace play and why. T
Picks on several Ss to answer and encourages Ss to share their opinions by saying,
Its Ok Yes.
b. T comes to conclusion, you cannot use ing after can; you dont use -s
after can.

c. T asks, Can you find the rules? and states, you only use base-form after
can.
With the same strategy and cant sentences they created in the first activity, T
explains the correct word order in the can not sentence group and comes to
conclusion that you use not after can can not can be put as cant.
Practice
T asks Ss to use given cards to make dialogue sentences, Can you(do
something)? In small groups, one S asks the question and the rest answer Yes, I
can. Group members take turns asking question. T demonstrates Ss how to run
the activity.
T goes to different groups giving support and sometimes participates in the
activity. Ss seem happy and are actively engaged in the activity. Ss raise hand
when they finish.
T analyses a card that most Ss have questions with in class. T picks one S to
demonstrate the correct sentence and ask Ss to repeat the sentence several times.
T takes out another picture and asks Ss to make question sentences together.
Activity: Interview your friend (5 min).
a. With worksheet No.1, Ss are asked to find a partner in their group, interview his
abilities, and then write, Can Cant questions together with answers on
the worksheet.
b. T goes to different groups giving support and sometime participates in the
activity.
Production
Activity: Write about your friends abilities (4 min).
a. In this activity, Ss are asked to write their friends abilities that they just
interviewed. T explains the activity three times until gets feedback from Ss to
make sure Ss understand that they are going to use information from the interview
to complete the writing activity.
b. T reminds Ss not put their partners names on the writing sheet.
c. Ss are quite willing to share their writings and they raise hands high in the air.
When one student read his writing, others listen carefully and guess the person
described in the writing. When an error occurs, T lets S sustain the
communication.
T gives comment on Sss work, like Good job! T plays music and asks Ss to
move in classroom putting up their writing on the walls and read others work.
Wrap-Up
T uses worksheet No.3 to have Ss check what they learned today. There are three
kinds of test-like practice. The practice is from structured to open.
T shows Ss the answers on the screen and restates grammar rules they learned
today.
Bell rings. T finally summarizes the learning, how to use can and cant and
restates the goal of knowing how to describe your friends abilities. At the end
of the class, T encourages Ss by saying Good job Im proud of you guys.

(continue on back)
What did you learn about teaching or learning from this lesson? Discuss your
observation focus, and the theory you have studied in your TESOL classes. Consider
the three levels of teacher reflection (surface, pedagogical, critical). (100-200 words)
This video is a typical example of PPP lessons. The class proceeds in five phases:
warm up, presentation, practice, production, and wrap-up. In the presentation stage, the
teacher gives lectures and explains grammar rules. Activities are followed to practice new
learning. Presentations are broken down into two parts and each part follows a controlled
practice. The controlled practice aims to have students make bare minimum mistakes and
receive new stuffs correctly. In the practice stage, the teacher provides activities, guides
students through activities, gives feedback, checks students acquisition and goes back to
presentation stage, strengthening contents/grammar rules, like you only use base-form
after can. It is not until the teacher feels that students fully understand the learning
points, they go to production stage, in which students have free practice describe their

friends abilities with Can. PPP lesson is clear and well structured. It doesnt mean only
one presentation or practice for each class. Presentations and practice can be divided into
several sessions in order to meet the learning objectives.

What activities/techniques from this class do you want to remember for your own
teaching practice? Discuss specific ways in which you could apply the techniques and
methods you saw. Discuss your future teaching environment and your students needs
and goals. (100-200 words)
Based on the observation and understanding of PPP format, I would use PPP to
form classes in speaking or grammar-based lessons. For example, in a lesson that teaches
new vocabulary. I will begin with explanation and illustration on the new vocabulary. I
will use as holistic resources as I can, like pictures, video clips, and act-outs, in serving
better comprehension and recognition. After this, I will give controlled practice Level
appropriate sentences with blanks are given to students to allow them fill out blanks
within the new vocabulary. Then I will check answers and give students feedback. If
students do well in the practice, I will move to next phrase to provide them less
controlled exercise. Otherwise, I will go back to presentation stage to review vocabulary
with them, like repeating words, reviewing learning materials. More open and free
practice that suits production stage could be writing stories. Once students get familiar
with new vocabulary, I would let them make sentences, and later make coherent stories
within the learned vocabulary. Students will be encouraged to share their stories and give
feedback for each other.