Teaching Journal

Class: 40 students of 1-1 in HSHS
Date: November 29th, 2005
Textbook: Brushup your English grammar p/b CHART INSTITUTE
Allotment: Review of Relatives (1)-(3)

Lesson objectives

1. To review the relative pronouns and adverbs, using the handout.
2. To help ss to check their understanding through the selected exercises and T's explanation.

Teaching objectives

1. To look at each of ss while they are answering the handout.
2. To keep walking along the aisles during the explanation.

Post-class reflections

I have three more grammar lessons in this semester, though I have finished the textbook. So, these lessons will be the review and preparation for the term-end exam. These lessons are more difficult to motivate ss than normal ones, because ss tend to think that there is nothing new to learn. I believe that the point is how T can present useful materials and information for ss.
I started this lesson with a 10min test, using the same handout I gave ss in the previous lesson. It was their assignment to memorize the handout. Ss with less than 70% had to write down all the sentences in the handout and hand it in. I had not given ss this sort of 'penalty', because checking it was time-consuming. However, from the interactive point of view, now I realize that this is necessary. Giving the penalty to low-motivated ss can be one of my messages to ss, which I believe will improve ss' motivation.
After the test, I gave ss another handout, which was from a workbook of the textbook. I picked up important exercises from the handout, and made ss answer them in 10min, and then I explained them. As a result, this part of the lesson was a failure. I had believed that the handout could be an effective preparation for ss and thus motivating to them, but ss did not seem interested in this exercise so much. This may be partly because relatives still look too difficult to ss, or because the test at first and the exercise had the similar activity: individual, on-the-paper one. In short, I felt something monotonous, one-sided about my lesson. Maybe I should have put some more interactive activities such as a brief summary on the blackboard, so that ss can look up and interact with me directly.
I will have two more review lessons from now. I will think of it more deeply.