Simulated English Lesson: The Festivity of the New Year Across Different Cultures
Teaching Situation:
Third year linguistic high school class with a total of 20 students, including one with Down syndrome and dyslexia, one Mexican student, and one Chinese student.
Lesson Objective:
Use English to explore and understand different New Year celebrations across various cultures.
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Phase 1: Pre-listening
1. **Step 1: Brainstorming**
– **Objective:** Introduce the topic of New Year celebrations and cultural diversity.
– **Interaction:** Whole classroom.
– **Time:** 20 minutes.
– **Example:**
– Teacher: “Good morning, class! Today, we are going to talk about New Year celebrations around the world. What are some New Year traditions in your family?”
– Students share their experiences in English. The teacher writes key words on the board (e.g., fireworks, special food, family gatherings).
– Teacher: “That’s great! I see that many of you have different traditions. Let’s see how people celebrate New Year in other countries.”
**Mediation Activity:**
– **Cultural Sharing:** This initial discussion allows students to act as cultural mediators by sharing their own traditions, promoting cultural awareness among classmates.
2. **Step 2: Visual Introduction**
– **Objective:** Prepare students for listening by activating prior knowledge and vocabulary.
– **Interaction:** Pairs and small groups.
– **Time:** 45 minutes.
– **Example:**
– Teacher shows videos or pictures of New Year celebrations from different cultures (e.g., Chinese New Year, Día de Año Nuevo in Mexico).
– Teacher: “In pairs, discuss what you see in these videos. What are some common elements? What are some differences?”
– Students discuss in pairs and then share with the class.
– Teacher distributes worksheets with key vocabulary and cultural information about the celebrations.Online Chart
**Mediation Activity:**
– **Visual Aids:** The use of pictures and videos helps mediate understanding for all students, including those with special educational needs, by providing visual context to support their learning.
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**Phase 2: While-listening**
3. **Step 3: Guided Listening**
– **Objective:** Identify similarities and differences in New Year celebrations.
– **Interaction:** Pair work with worksheets.
– **Time:** 50 minutes.
– **Example:**
– Teacher: “Now, we will listen to a conversation between a Mexican student and a Chinese student discussing their New Year celebrations.”
– Teacher plays the audio recording. Students listen and take notes.
– Teacher: “Work with your partner to complete the worksheet. What do they eat during New Year in Mexico? And in China? What other traditions do they mention?”
– Students work in pairs to complete the worksheet, then discuss their answers with the class.
**Mediation Activity:**
– **Peer Discussions:** Pair work allows students to mediate understanding by discussing and clarifying information with each other, fostering collaborative learning.
4. **Step 4: Peer Sharing**
– **Objective:** Facilitate peer-to-peer learning and cultural exchange.
– **Interaction:** Group discussion.
– **Time:** 30 minutes.
– **Example:**
– Teacher: “Now, let’s hear from our classmates. [Name], can you tell us about how you celebrate New Year in Mexico?”
– Mexican student shares their experience.
– Teacher: “Thank you! [Name], can you share how you celebrate New Year in China?”
– Chinese student shares their experience.
– In small groups, students discuss what they learned and create a summary of key points, which they then present to the class.
**Mediation Activity:**
– **Cultural Sharing:** Students from different cultural backgrounds act as cultural mediators, sharing their personal experiences and enhancing their peers’ understanding of diverse New Year traditions.
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**Phase 3: Post-listening**
5. **Step 5: Collaborative Activity**
– **Objective:** Use new vocabulary and synthesize information in a creative task.
– **Interaction:** Small groups.
– **Time:** 25 minutes.
– **Example:**
– Teacher introduces new vocabulary related to cultural celebrations.
– Teacher: “Now, let’s do a fun activity! In your groups, create a collage or presentation of your favorite New Year celebration. Use the new vocabulary we learned today.”
– Students work in small groups to create their collages or presentations. They then present their work to the class, using English to describe and explain their chosen celebration.
**Mediation Activity:**
– **Collaborative Projects:** Creating collages or presentations helps mediate knowledge by allowing students to synthesize and present information in an engaging, understandable format.
6. **Step 6: Reflection**
– **Objective:** Reflect on the lesson and share insights.
– **Interaction:** Whole classroom.
– **Time:** 20 minutes.
– **Example:**
– Teacher: “Let’s reflect on what we have learned today. What did you find most interesting about New Year celebrations around the world?”
– Students share their thoughts and feelings about the lesson, fostering a reflective and inclusive classroom environment.
– Teacher: “Great job, everyone! You all did an amazing job exploring different cultures and sharing your insights.”
**Mediation Activity:**
– **Reflective Sharing:** Encouraging students to reflect and share insights helps mediate their understanding of cultural diversity and fosters an inclusive environment.
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**Final Assessment**
**Summative Assessment:**
1. **Presentation and Collage**
– **Criteria:**
– Clarity and creativity of the presentation
– Use of new vocabulary
– Accuracy of cultural information
– **Rubric Example:**
– **Excellent (5 points):** Clear, creative, uses vocabulary accurately, and provides detailed cultural information.
– **Good (4 points):** Clear and creative, uses most vocabulary accurately, provides good cultural information.
– **Satisfactory (3 points):** Somewhat clear and creative, uses some vocabulary, provides basic cultural information.
– **Needs Improvement (2 points):** Lacks clarity and creativity, uses little vocabulary, provides minimal cultural information.
– **Unsatisfactory (1 point):** Not clear or creative, uses incorrect vocabulary, provides incorrect cultural information.
2. **Worksheet Completion**
– **Criteria:**
– Accuracy in identifying similarities and differences
– Completeness of answers
– **Rubric Example:**
– **Excellent (5 points):** All answers are accurate and complete.
– **Good (4 points):** Most answers are accurate and complete.
– **Satisfactory (3 points):** Some answers are accurate and complete.
– **Needs Improvement (2 points):** Few answers are accurate or complete.
– **Unsatisfactory (1 point):** Answers are mostly inaccurate or incomplete.
**Formative Assessment:**
1. **Participation in Discussions**
– **Criteria:**
– Active participation
– Relevance and depth of contributions
– **Rubric Example:**
– **Excellent (5 points):** Actively participates, contributions are relevant and insightful.
– **Good (4 points):** Participates often, contributions are relevant.
– **Satisfactory (3 points):** Participates sometimes, contributions are somewhat relevant.
– **Needs Improvement (2 points):** Rarely participates, contributions are rarely relevant.
– **Unsatisfactory (1 point):** Does not participate, contributions are not relevant.
2. **Reflection Sharing**
– **Criteria:**
– Thoughtfulness of reflections
– Ability to connect learning to personal experiences
– **Rubric Example:**
– **Excellent (5 points):** Reflections are thoughtful, well-connected to personal experiences.
– **Good (4 points):** Reflections are thoughtful, somewhat connected to personal experiences.
– **Satisfactory (3 points):** Reflections are basic, with minimal connection to personal experiences.
– **Needs Improvement (2 points):** Reflections lack depth and connection to personal experiences.
– **Unsatisfactory (1 point):** Reflections are superficial or absent.
**Grading Grid Example:**
| Activity | Excellent (5) | Good (4) | Satisfactory (3) | Needs Improvement (2) | Unsatisfactory (1) |
|———————-|—————-|———-|——————|————————|——————–|
| Presentation & Collage | | | | | |
| Worksheet Completion | | | | | |
| Participation in Discussions | | | | | |
| Reflection Sharing | | | | | |
| **Total Score** | | | | | |
By clearly outlining these steps and including detailed assessment criteria, the lesson plan ensures that mediation activities are integrated throughout, enhancing understanding and fostering an inclusive and collaborative learning environment.
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