Final Project

Topic: Phonics

Subject: English

Students’ Grade/Level: Primary, 5th Grade, Beginner/Intermediate

Summary: My final project is a representation of some of the tasks I do in class as a LA. The purpose of this particular lesson is to teach students the proper pronunciation of words containing “-ed” and creating a safe space to practice reading aloud with repetition and competition. The first part of the lesson is presenting a slideshow and teaching the students the proper pronunciation of English words containing “ed.” This is with depth, as there are various possible pronunciations depending on the spelling. It is also important to teach how to decipher the difference. Using a PowerPoint format on Google Docs is an easy-to-use and easy-to-present platform that can be shared to teachers in different classrooms. Phonics is adaptable to age and language level, as it is an important part of language learning. The style of this presentation is also interchangeable with other phonics.

Objectives: The objective is to increase understanding of proper pronunciation of English words containing “-ed.” The goal is also to help increase their confidence in themselves and their ability to read and speak English properly.

Multimedia/Material Used: Google Docs (Google Slides), projector to show to presentation, chalk board, timer (to use in the competition at the end of the class), flash cards for further use, classroom story books.

Timing: 40 to 45 minutes in total.

Minutes 0-5: introducing lesson topic, explaining or reminding the students what phonics are and why it is important, then explain the plan.

Minutes 5-15: presenting lesson to class and teaching “-ed” phonics, making sure to go slow and give them time to ask questions. Key note for presentation – explain to the students the difference between “voiced” and “unvoiced” – Put your hand against your throat (esophagus area) and say “buzzz.” The vibration feeling at the end of the word means it is voiced. Put your hand against your throat (esophagus area) and say “Bus.” The lack of a vibration feeling at the end of the word means it is unvoiced.

Minutes 15-20: practice reading the “tongue twister” sentences. Using repetition and proper pronunciation.

Minutes 20-35: make it a competition! 3 rounds, 4 different students in each round. Time each speaker and write their times on the chalkboard. At the end of the 3 rounds, there is a “championship round” where the winners of each previous round compete to see who can say the tongue twister the quickest while still pronouncing everything correctly.

Minutes 35-45: They will get into pairs to create their own “tongue twisters” with words that contain “-ed.” 5-7 minutes should be enough time for them to put together at least one sentence. Then use the rest of the time to have them share with the whole class the sentences they have created. Whatever time is left over at the end can be used to answer any final questions.

Teacher’s Role: The teacher’s role is to introduce the fact that I will be giving them a presentation about phonics. Their role is to help facilitate the asking and answering of questions if the are unable to do so in English, or if there is any uncertainty or misunderstanding.

My Role as LA: My role as Language Assistant is to give the presentation to the class in English. This will be done in a manner that is both clear and understandable to the class, so that the students of varying levels are able to benefit from the lesson.

Working Together: In this activity it is the LA that does all of the facilitating, but if the students lose their attention or have a difficult time with behavior, then the teacher can help to regulate behavior and help with class management.

What activities are the students going to do? The activities the students will be doing include listening and engaging in the Google Slides presentation, practicing reading aloud (sentences including the target words with ‘-ed’), participating in a tongue twister competition, and getting into pairs to create their own tongue twisters.

More activities down the line for further use and reinforcement: Working in small groups, playing games with flash cards containing actions where the students need to use sentences that include regular verbs in the past simple tense. Another option is to use some of the classroom’s English storybooks with the students in small groups, and have them practice reading aloud with proper pronunciation.

How will I be evaluating the activities? My evaluation of these activities are going to be based on how successful they are able to maintain proper pronunciation when they are reading aloud the sentences in the presentation. The general success of the lesson will also be reflected when the students get to read the sentences that they created (hopefully they will have proper pronunciation without reminder).

How will the students know they have achieved the learning objectives? The students will know they have achieved the learning objectives of proper pronunciation of words containing “-ed” through verbal confirmation and approval. They will also know their achievements when they have an increased confidence in their growing abilities to read English properly – especially regular verbs in the past tense.

It is important to remind the students that it is okay if they do not know the meaning of a word; it is important to not shy away from trying to read aloud so they are benefiting from pronunciation practice. Pronunciation is a place to start, even if the meaning behind the words take more time.

How will I respond to diverse learning styles and levels of achievement among my students? The most important part about reaching different learning styles and levels of English is to demonstrate patience and acknowledge the students that are attempting proper pronunciation even if they have a tough time. I ask for volunteers for this activity but then call on some people to “give it a try” and respond positively to their efforts in order to encourage more volunteers.