MONDAY
(25/3/19)
5:30pm – Pet (B1 Level)
Today, the class were to complete two booklets. One on filling out a form – expanding on what they learned last week – and another comparing the similarities and differences between the culture in America, South Africa and the United Kingdom. The class managed the first exercise very easily as the have had practice completing different types of forms over the past two lessons.
The second booklet inspired a lot of conversation, which is great for this level. B1 students can read and write to a high standard but often they need encouragement to speak and be involved in conversation due to a lack of confidence. We started by looking at the 4 pictures of the front of their workbook and trying to identify which country the photos were taken. We then discussed what existing knowledge we had of each country and compiled a list on the whiteboard. I think this was very successful as the students seemed to enjoy discussing their past experiences to create a list. Lastly, we read through two emails sent by pen-pals and had to compare their typical day. We didn’t finish the booklet completely so we will continue with it next week.
TUESDAY
(26/3/19)
5pm – Starters (A1 level)
Today, the starters were revising ‘toys’. We started off by completing two pages in their workbooks. They had to compare their cartoons of a toy shop and tell a story about what is happening from one to another. After, I asked them to identify toys which begin with a particular letter or are a certain a colour.
After, completing the various exercises in the workbook, we played games using the toy flashcards. We played Simon Says, missing object line-up and pass the parcel. The girls in this class are very well behaviour and I can tell they enjoy coming to class. The are able to stay on task for the majority of the lesson but towards the end the tend to be quite restless. Therefore, I thought it would be good to stay on task by using the flashcards but have some fun playing a game.
6:30pm – Ket (A2 Level)
This week, we had to continue with the same booklet as last week as they didn’t finish. This class is the most difficult I have experienced. They are 12 years old and unlike the first class, I can tell they do not look forward to coming to the school. They continually speak over me in Italian, despite being asked to always speak in English when they are in the school. I hope this will improve over the weeks once we get to know each other better but they only come once a week so it is hardly to build a relationship.
WEDNESDAY
(27/3/19)
5pm – Eagles (A1 Level)
On Mondays and Wednesday, there are two Eagles classes at the same time. A boys class and a girls class. However, the ability levels are extremely varied and so today we decided to mix up the class to make one higher ability and one lower ability class. We hoped this would also help to improve the boys’ behaviour.
Today, we were revising rooms within the house – specifically the bedroom. The class completed a listening/colouring task. I would say, for example: “Colour the bed red, colour the teddy bear brown, colour the table green”. Most of the class, managed this very well as they have previously learned the necessary vocabulary (bed, chair, table, flower).
Then, we completed a talking activity. I wrote on the board possible question starts:
How many …?
Where is the…?
and asked the children questions about the picture.
How many socks are there?
Where is the teddy bear?
We discussed different positional words such as in, on, behind, between, under etc. to help them to answer my questions.
6pm – Pet 2 (B1 Level)
This lesson focused on booking something online and the process of filling out a booking form. The worksheets given followed Soren Hedegaard and his journey from booking a flight to arrival and booking a rental car. First we discussed the necessary information for booking a flight (departure date, one way/return trip, etc) and also the different fare types e.g. economy, executive, first class etc. Then, when the rental car the students had the opportunity to practice filling out a booking form and difference between essential and non-essential information (essential is marked with an asterisk).
THURSDAY
(28/3/19)
4pm – Puppies (pre A1)
Today, the puppies were carrying on with their topic of transport. On Tuesday, Lisa taught them about buses then they made a double decker bus. I taught the students about taxis and school buses today.
6pm – 1-2-1 lesson with Elisabetta.
Last weeks lesson with Elisabetta was very successful so I was looking forward to todays. Global tourism was the topic of todays class.
FRIDAY
(29/3/19)
6pm – Pet (B1 level)
At the beginning of todays lesson we finished off the activity that was started at the end of Wednesdays’ class. The booklet was called ‘Everyday Life’ and a description of the task can be found under Monday’s Pet class. This class were not as interactive as the class on Monday. They are slighter older and therefore tend to be a bit more reserved and focused than the other class. This is very handy when completing a piece of writing or an exercise that requires concentration, however during conversation or speaking activities it can be difficult to elicit a discussion from the class.
Later, we started a different activity from their workbook talking about ‘risks’ and ‘risky behaviour’. The unit started by comparing the age restrictions from British and Italian laws. The class became more lively as they had to discuss what age you could legally drive or drink etc. in Italy.
SATURDAY
(30/3/19)
10am – Puppies (pre A1)
This morning, the puppies were learning about food. I started by using the flashcards to introduce the vocabulary. Followed by comparing a stereotypical English and Italian breakfast by colouring in breakfast foods and gluing them onto a paper plate.
