Documenti di Didattica
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Description of Learners
Grade Level: postsecondary, pre-college adults
Ages: 18-20 years old
Proficiency Levels: high beginner low intermediate
Number of Students: 4
Materials
Board and markers/chalk
Textbook: NorthStar Reading and Writing 2 with MyEnglishLab (Pearson Education); Unit 1
Logic Grid Puzzle (worksheets and/or projected on screen)
Audio Recordings of Reading One and Reading Two
Paragraph Structure PowerPoint (slides on topic and controlling idea)
Sentences from Practice! Identifying the Topic and Controlling Idea slide on slips of paper
Topic Sentence Cards + Bags
True/Not True Hold-Up Cards
Topic Sentence Practice worksheet
Language Standards
The Global Scale of English: 4350 and 51-58
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): Level B1 and Level B1+
The Commission of English Language Acquisition Standards for English Language Programs and Institutions: Curriculum
Standard 1-3
Lesson Objectives
(Content) Students will identify topic sentences and main ideas in a reading.
(Language) Students will practice writing topic sentences.
Instruction Theory
Warmer/ Logic Grid Puzzle: Basic Interpersonal Conversation Skills (BICS)
On the topic of jobs and careers, use the following logic grid puzzle to Provides students to participate in conversational
engage students thinking: fluency.
There are 3 people: Mr. Bob, Mr. Jim, and Mr. Smith. Each one of them Socio-linguistic Communicative Competency
has a different job. The jobs are a firefighter, a police officer, and a (Hymes) Allows students to participate in social
nurse. Each one of them has one day off: Monday, Thursday, or rules of a classroom and observe non-verbal
Sunday. Using the clues below, find out who does what job, and what behaviors of other students during conversation
day they have off. and brainstorming.
1. Mr. Jim wishes he was a nurse because it pays more money than his Strategic Communicative Competency (Hymes)
current job. Helps students negotiate communication
2. Mr. Smith has a weekend day off. breakdowns, silence breaks and pauses, and
3. The person who has Thursday off, is not a firefighter. remove themselves from conversation during
4. Mr. Bob is a firefighter. discussion.
Answer Constructivist Theory (Vygotsky) Provides
Mr. Jim is a police officer, and he has Thursday off. students with the opportunity to develop language
Mr. Bob is a firefighter, and he has Monday off.
Mr. Smith is a Nurse, and he has Sunday off. [10 minutes] through social interaction in a supportive
environment.
Main Ideas
(pg 7) Have students mark their answers true or false in the Exercise 2 Basic Interpersonal Conversation Skills (BICS)
and discuss their choices with a partner. Students should be willing to Exposure to conversational discussion prepares
debate and discuss any disagreements. Go over the answers as a class. students to reach proficiency.
Have students back up their answers, explaining where in the text they Variable Competence Model (Ellis) Debate and
found the relevant information. [10 minutes] discussion allows students the opportunity to
negotiate meaning by experiencing language
between the student, peers, and advanced
speakers.
(Pg 10-11) Reading Two: The Ideal Job
-Do you know anyone who loves his/her job? Common Underlying Proficiency (CUP) Learners
-What kind of job is it? can draw upon L1 skills such as previewing and
-What does that person love about it? identifying visuals to expand on L2 learning.
Elicit answers. Then introduce the reading by telling students that Linguistic Communicative Competency (Hymes)
Reading Two is an interview with three people (Ryan, Amanda, Don) Provides students with the opportunity to read
who love their jobs. The purpose of this reading is to look at ideal jobs through grammar rules, vocabulary, structure, and
from a personal perspective. [5 minutes] syntax.
Have students read the passage individually. Move around the room
and explain any unfamiliar vocabulary. (For lower-level students, play Discourse Communicative Competency (Hymes)
the recording of the reading and have students listen as they read.) [10 If students listen to the audio recording, this task
minutes] helps students acknowledge spoken content and
rhetoric.
Comprehension
(Pg 12) As soon as students are finished with the reading, ask them to Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)
complete the sentences that follow the text. Review answers with the Provides support by using academic language so
class. [5 minutes] students can build on academic proficiency.
(Homework) Make the PowerPoint available to students and have them practice identifying topic and controlling ideas and
topic sentences. Students should take notes and prepare to discuss answers in class.
Evaluation and Assessment
Informal observation during pair work and group work
Assign homework on MyEnglishLab, the online component to the textbook. Students can submit their work online and
teacher can view assignment report, leave comments, and grade work.
Level 2 Level 3
Beginning Developing
Listening Match or classify oral descriptions to real- Evaluate information in academic
life experiences or examples conversations
Sort oral language statements according
to time frames
Speaking Describe persons, jobs, and days of the Suggest ways to resolve issues or pose
week solutions when disagreeing with a peer
Ask WH- questions to clarify meaning in
conversation and academic discussion
Reading Locate main ideas in a series of related Identify topic sentences or main ideas in
sentences and questions paragraphs
Answer questions about main ideas in texts
Writing Formulate topic sentences from models Complete topic sentences from templates
Artifacts