Lesson planning

[kmorgan]

Hi Lucy,

I have two questions!

I am a new teacher teaching an elementary class present simple and present continuous. They have had 4 lessons (of 2.5 hours each lesson) on this so far and are still struggling with the differences. I started teaching them recently and unfortunately all the resources in the text books had already been used by the previous teacher. I am struggling to know how to expand the topic into another lesson (which they need) without just making it a series of quite dull exercises cobbled together from the internet and my own materials which, as well as being boring for them, I am finding very time consuming to plan. I am spending as long planning as I am teaching! Once course book resources are used up, how do you go about planning a coherent lesson without it taking forever?! Course books only seem to cater to one or two lessons on a tense and my group need at least a week on anything new.

My second question is that I have a student who is clearly more advanced than the others and she is getting very frustrated at the pace of the classes. She should be moved up a level but cant because of the timetable. How can I stop her mutinaeing?! There are only 3 students in the class so it is almost a one to one with the slower ones.

Any help / advice gratefully received!

[Lucy]

Hello,

I fully understand what you are talking about. It often seems that course books don't provide enough practice in language points.

I agree that it isn't a good idea to do a battery of language exercises. What your students need now is practice in using the language communicatively. Try to find a text or listening activity where the students can read or listen to the language in context. Use the text or some phrases from the recording to highlight the tenses and briefly explain their use. YOu could also elicit meanings from the students. Then use some speaking activities that will get the students using the language.

You'll find this type of exercise in English File and in Headway. You can also take a look at books written specifically for skills practice.

I'll answer your other question soon.

Lucy