152

TOPIC 8



LESSON PLANNING

SYNOPSIS
This unit will cover some general matters about lesson planning: the whats, whys and
hows about this essential component of teaching. It will be followed by incorporating
these matters into a lesson for teaching the reading skill. A sample lesson plan is
provided to illustrate and consolidate what has been discussed.

FRAMEWORK OF TOPIC:






What is a lesson plan?
A lesson plan is a framework teachers use to deliver their lessons. It gives an overall
shape or idea of the content and the activities teachers want to carry out in the
lesson. These content and activities are bound by the learning outcomes teachers
hope to achieve at the end of the lesson.
A plan helps teachers to think about where they are heading, and ideas of what to do
the next day and the following day or week. Having a plan will also pull teachers back
on track if they have deviated or distracted momentarily in the classroom. A plan also
gives the learners confidence: they know immediately whether a teacher has thought
about the lesson and enables them to respond accordingly. It may also suggest the
teachers professionalism and commitment to their job and charge.
A lesson plan is not and will never be a prescription carved on stone. It is a versatile
document peppered with possibilities for the lesson. It may work or not work
depending on the real-time scenario in the classroom. All sorts of things can go
wrong or happen during a lessonthe equipment not working, a power failure, pupils
called up for some unexpected event, etc. Of course, everyone is happy when
everything goes according to plan. So what happens if things dont work as planned?
LESSON
PLANNING
General matters
about lesson
planning

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This is when the teacher has to be flexible and think on the spotto leave the plan to
satisfy or deal with the immediate needs of the pupils (reflection-in-action).
Sometimes, the plan may have to be abandoned completely. Then after the lesson,
the teacher can look back at it and see why it did not work (reflection-on-action) and
devise ways to save the lesson for a later date, albeit with necessary changes made.

What makes a good lesson plan?
A good lesson plan should reflect a judicious blend of coherence and variety. There
should be a logical pattern and smooth transition of activities from one stage to
another ending up with activities that culminate with the learners exhibiting
behaviours outlined in the learning objectives of the lesson. Even if there may be
three different activities incorporating different language skills, they should be some
connection between them. It does not make much sense if you start off the lesson
asking pupils to listen to something, ask a few comprehension questions and then
get them to do some drills or do an activity that is unrelated to the listening task.
Spending 20 minutes of a half-hour lesson on relentless mechanical drills is nothing
but boring. Worse still, it is damaging. The lack of variety kills the learners interest in
the lesson and does not engage them in real-life learning. There has to be some
variety in a lesson
A lesson must have an overall theme and the activities are all built around the theme.
The same principle applies to a sequence of lessons that stretch over a few days or
weeks. There needs to be a coherent pattern of progress and topic-linking so that
there is a connection between lessons which are bound together by the overall aim
and objectives.
However, Harmer (1998) cautioned against two dangers that may prejudice the
success of a sequence of lessons. He talked about predictability and sameness.
When learners can predict what is to happen in the next lesson, they will be less
motivated to learn. Similarly, if the same kind of activity is presented day-in-day-out,
or the activity for day two is exactly the same as the one carried out the day before
the learners will lose their enthusiasm.
So remember to thread your lessons with activities which bring variety and interest to
the learning process.




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What if?
What if you have pupils of different levels? What if the class is too large or extremely
small? What if the pupils do not understand English? Or use their mother tongues?
What if the pupils cannot understand what they read or cant read? These scenarios
are not uncommon in our classrooms. So how do we cater to the different needs of
our pupils? What are the possible ways to deal with these problems and situations?
Obviously, one size does not fit all!
There is no clear-cut solution to these problems but differentiated learning could be
an answer to some of them. Below are some tried out suggestions.

Pupils of different levels

1. Use different materials
This is similar to the discussion in the previous topic: attending to remedial and
able readers. When the better group is doing a more advanced exercise, the
weaker ones can be doing something else with or without the teacher
facilitating the task.

2. Doing different tasks with the same material
Set different tasks for pupils of different abilities. For example, set questions of
different levels from the same reading text.

3. Use the pupils
Get better pupils to help the weaker ones. They can work as pairs or in
groups, explaining vocabulary, completing reading tasks or modelling good
reading strategies.


Large class
1. Use pair work and group work
2. Use group leaders


Do not understand English/use the mother tongue
1. Only respond in English using the mother tongue is permissible in the
beginning stages but wean the pupils from their dependence on it over
time.
2. Create an English environment put up materials used in the lesson so
that an English-language rich environment will be created over time.

155

3. One task at a time give them a straightforward task which does not
demand too much detailed understanding.

4. Talk with the pupils how they should feel about using English. Remind
them that overuse of the mother tongue means that they have less chance
to learn English; that using their own language denies them chances of
practising and using English.

What should be in a plan?

A lesson plan must be complete with who the target pupils are, what is going to be
taught or learnt, how is it going to be learnt, or taught and with what. In other words, a
good lesson plan must outline in detail all this information. Also, the lesson plan
should include the objectives of the lesson and on the side, why are these
procedures used, what is the guiding teaching-learning theory behind them.


Some final notes about lesson planning

Planning is a thinking skill. Before you go into a lesson, it helps to be clear about
what you want to do. A lot is going to happen on the spot in the classyou cannot
predict how your learners will learn and respond to your teachingbut the better
prepared you are, the more likely you will be able to cope with whatever happens.

Planning is imagining the lesson before it happens. It involves prediction,
anticipation, sequencing, organising and simplifying (Scrivener, 2005).

A written plan is evidence that you have done that thinking. It can also be a useful in-
lesson reminder to you of your pre-lesson thoughts. Remember your plan is not set in
concrete. As a general rule: Prepare thoroughly, but in class, teach the learners
not the plan. What that means is that you are prepared to respond to the learners
and adapt what you have planned as you go along, even to the extent of throwing the
plan away if it is inappropriate. A carefully worked-out plan is the end result of
thinking logically through the content of the lesson before the lesson. Thinking
through possible content and problems before class provides you with informed
choices that set you free in the class. However, a teacher who is mainly concerned
with following the lesson plan to the T is unlikely to be responding to what is actually
happening in class.
The two key questions that need to be considered when planning a lesson are:

what are the aims of the lesson?
what is my procedure?
156



If you can answer these two questions, you can be clear about what you hope your
learners will have achieved at the end of the lesson.



That is a brief insight on some general matters that can be used to guide us when we
plan a lesson.


Task



Individual teachers vary in the amount of planning they do. Look at the diagram
below of lesson planning areas. In pairs, rank these areas in order of importance, and
discuss the reason for your decision. Discuss the ranking with the rest of your group,
and add to the diagram any other points which have come up in your diagram.






















Writing a lesson plan for teaching the reading skill

Lesson
Planning
Content
(textbook materials,
supplementary materials)

Aims/Objectives
Timing
Teaching aids
Procedures
(how/when)
Interaction formats
(group, whole class,
individual)


157

When we write a lesson plan, we are in some way or other guided by the principles
and procedures of the skill to be taught. For example, the procedure for a grammar
lesson will be different from that of a writing lesson or that of a reading one. What
makes them all different is very much dependent on the skill to be taught and the
purpose of the lesson.

A reading lesson is to develop a number of sub-skills of reading. So the lesson will
contain activities that will lead eventually to achieving those sub-skills. A reading
lesson will then typically consist of the three main phases of pre-reading stage, while-
reading and post-reading.


What goes into each of these stages and how do they differ from one another?


Pre-reading

This stage is to

arouse the pupils interest
help predictions
provide some language preparation for the text (key words or phrases).

So the activities that teachers carry out to address the first aim is to encourage the
pupils to think about and discuss what they are going to read or the teacher can
introduce some background information about the content of the text to prepare them
for a later activity.

Using relia, visuals, and other references to the pupils experiences can help to
arouse interest and to activate any knowledge they have about the topic. The teacher
can use questions to help them predict what they are going to read.

Then the teacher needs to consider whether there are any key words which may
need to be taught before reading the text. Introducing the words may make
understanding the text easier. In any case, language preparation does not mean that
the teacher should explain every possible unknown word and structure in the text.








158

While-reading

This phase draws on the text, that is, the learners work with the text to fulfil various
goals. Among the aims of this phase are to

understand the writers purpose
understand the text structure
clarify text content focusing on meaning

The traditional comprehension exercise at the end of a text is a typical example of a
while-reading activity. Other examples include finding answers to questions asked at
the pre-reading stage, transferring information to graphic form, completing lists,
sequencing pictures or short summaries, etc.

Generally, coursebooks and textbooks provide lots of exercises for the while-reading
stage. What the teacher needs to do is consider the effects of these exercises and
whether they answer the aims of the reading lesson or curriculum. Also do these
exercises help the pupils to master the reading skill or sub-skills that they lack.

Williams (1993) provides a list of questions teachers can use as a guide in selecting
or designing suitable while reading activities.

a. What is the function of the text?
b. How is the content organised or developed?
c. What content or information is to be extracted from the text?
d. What may the reader infer or deduce from the text?
e. What language may be learnt from the text?
f. What reading styles may be practised?

The answers to these questions will reflect the three aims listed above.

As a general rule, while-reading work should begin with a general or global
understanding of the text, and then move to smaller units such as paragraphs,
sentence and words. The reason for this is that the larger units provide a context for
understanding the smaller unitsa paragraph or sentence, for example, may help
the reader to understand a word.






159

Post-reading

The activities for this stage of the lesson does not directly refer to the text (we are
done with the text at the while-reading stage). The work done here is often referred to
as a lift-off or grows out of the content of the reading text. For that, the aims of this
phrase are to

consolidate or reflect upon what has been read
relate the text to the learners own knowledge, interests or views.
Hence, some of the activities that can be carried out is asking the pupils their reaction
to the text or ask the pupils to draw a picture or diagram or make a list of suggestions
to the problem relayed in the text.
The type of activity at this stage depends very much on the objectives of the lesson.
The post-reading work should contribute in a coherent manner to the rest of the
reading activity.

The information below presented by Scrivener (2005) is an overview of the three-
stage approach discussed above.
Pre-reading 1 Introduction and lead-in, e.g. get the learners interested in the topic,
initial discussion of key themes, make an explicit link between the topic
of the text and learners own lives and experiences, focus on important
language that will come in the text.
2 First task (pre-reading), e.g. predict from some extracted information
(illustration, key words, headlines, etc.), read questions about the text,
learners compose their own questions.
While-reading 3 Tasks to focus on fast reading for gist (skimming), e.g. check text
against predictions made beforehand, guess the title from a choice of
three options, put events (or illustrations) in the correct order.
4 Tasks to focus on fast reading for specific details (scanning), e.g. find
single items of information in the text.
5 Tasks to focus on meaning (general points), e.g. answer questions
about meaning, make use of information in the text to do something
(make a sketch, fill out a form, find out which picture is being described,
etc.) discuss issues, summarises arguments, compare viewpoints.
6 Tasks to focus on meaning (finer points, more intensive comprehensive
understanding)
7 Tasks to focus on individual language items, e.g. vocabulary of
grammar exercises, use of dictionaries, work out meaning of words from
context.
Post-reading 8 Follow-on task, e.g. role-play, debate, writing task (e.g. write a letter in
reply), personalisation (e.g. Have you ever had an experience like this
one?
9 Closing, e.g. draw the lesson to a conclusion, tie up loose ends, review
what has been read and what has been learned.



160

Final notes on the three-stage approach

The three phases offer teachers a framework to help them develop the reading skill
among the pupils as well as to answer some problems related to motivating the
pupils, carrying out reading-based activities and devising reading-related activities.

The aim of the pre-reading is to arouse interest in the topic by drawing the learners
prior knowledge of the world and their opinions. It can also generate relevant
vocabulary. It is carried out before the learners have seen the text. The while-reading
phase is to help the learners understand the structure and content of the text and the
writers purpose. It may involve language work, and it should try to give the learners a
purpose for reading. Finally, the post-reading is aimed at helping the learner to
consolidate and reflect upon what has been read.

The pre- and the post- reading phases generate activities which call on the use of
other skills and help to integrate these skills to make the lesson a coherent whole.


We have gone through some of the basics about lesson planning both in general as
well as a reading lesson. Lets now look at an example of a lesson plan for teaching
the reading skill.


The following lesson plan is drawn with some specific curriculum specifications in
mind. There are several alternative sets of activities for the pre-reading, while-reading
and production stage although they may share the same activities for the set
induction and the closure.

The purpose of presenting these alternatives is to exemplify the notion that one text
can be exploited in various ways to teach reading and that checking understanding of
a passage need not always be the mundane comprehension-type questions. With
that purpose in mind, the curriculum specifications and objectives of the lesson may
need to be adjusted accordingly.

Please read the lesson plan with an open-mind that this is just a plan and may not be
the best of plans. It is open to changes and adaptations.

Alternative activities are clearly marked. Teachers have the liberty to choose the
activities that best suit their pupils.





161

Lesson Plan
Date :
Class : Year 5
Enrolment : 37
Time : 7.20 a.m. 8.20 a.m.(1 hour)
Theme : World of Knowledge
Topic : Culture and Traditions
Main skill : Reading (Comprehension / Vocabulary words)
Integrated skill (s) : Writing
Curriculum Specifications:
Learning Outcome(s) Specification(s)
3.8 Read and understand simple factual texts
for main ideas, supporting details,
sequence and cause and effect.
3.8.2 Scan for specific information in texts.
3.8.4 Read and understand simple factual texts by
answering comprehension questions in relation
to:
- main ideas
- details
4.4 Construct simple and compound
sentences with guidance and
independently.
4.4.3 Construct simple and compound sentences
independently by looking at pictures.


162

Learning outcomes / objectives:
By the end of this lesson, pupils will be able to:
i. scan for specific information in the text to answer comprehension questions
ii. construct simple or compound sentences to answer comprehension questions.
Previous knowledge : Pupils know about badminton and they know how to play badminton.
Language focus : Vocabulary: racquet, singles, doubles, net, indoors, outdoors, shuttlecock,
opponents, court, outstanding
Teaching aid(s) : Picture, realia, power point slides, worksheets
Educational Emphases/
Thinking skills
: Knowledge acquisition, reasoning
Moral value(s) : Respect and diligence










163

Stage/Time Content Teaching/Learning Activities Rationale Remarks
Set Induction
(5 minutes)

Teacher shows pupils pictures of
Datuk Lee Chong Wei and asks
who he is and what they know
about him.
Teacher asks them if they want to
be like him and play as well as him.
Teacher tells pupils they are going
to read about badminton.
To arouse pupils interest
on the topic that they are
going to learn.

To relate the topic to the
pupils prior knowledge.
Who is this
person?
What do you
know about
him?
Do you like to
play like him?

Pre-reading
(25 minutes)
Vocabulary

racquet, singles,
doubles, net, indoors,
outdoors, shuttlecock,
opponents, court,
outstanding


Reading with the correct
pronunciation and
intonation

Locating specific
information
Teacher shows word cards
and drills pupils to read with the
correct pronunciation.
Teacher explains the meaning of
the words by showing them
pictures or actions.
Teacher models reading the
passage paragraph by paragraph
with the correct pronunciation and
intonation
Pupils read after teacher.
Next, pupils read in groups.
Teacher monitors the reading and
corrects when there are errors in
pronunciation.
Teacher asks pupils several
questions to check their overall
understanding of the text by
guiding them how to locate the
answers in the passage
Pupils answer the questions orally.
To introduce vocabulary to
pupils.




To model reading and to
guide pupils to read with
the correct pronunciation.









To check overall
comprehension


The passage is
on power point














What do
players use to
play
badminton?
164

Teacher guides pupils to answer in
complete sentences.
Teacher shows them examples
before asking them to do their
written task.

*** alternative activity 1

Teacher distributes the K-W-L form
and asks the pupils to complete the
K column with what they know
about badminton.
To teach pupils how to
locate specific information
and to answer in complete
sentences




Linking prior knowledge to
the content of the passage.

Where do
people play
badminton?





This activity is
more suitable
for pupils who
have an above
average ability.
While-Reading
(15 minutes)
Answer comprehension
questions

Teacher distributes the worksheet
and instructs the pupils to answer
the comprehension questions using
simple and compound sentences

*** alternative activity 1(see sample)

Teacher asks pupils to complete
the W column with what they want
to find out about badminton.
Teacher asks pupils to read the
passage and find answers to the
questions they wrote in the W
column.





To locate specific
information and to answer
in complete sentences
using simple and
compound sentences














165

*** alternative activity 2 (see sample)


Teacher distributes the worksheet
and instructs pupils to complete the
graphic organiser with information
gleaned from the text.

*** alternative activity 3 (see sample)

Answer true/false statements





To transfer information
from linear to non-linear
form
Post Reading
(10 minutes)
Jazz Chant
Teacher tells pupils they are going
to do a jazz chant.
Teacher shows pupils the chant on
the power point.
Teacher models to pupils how to
do the chant.
Pupils chant in groups

*** alternative activity 1

Pupils complete the L column with
what new information they have
learnt about badminton.
This can be followed by a class
discussion on what new
information they have found out
about badminton.
Then the jazz chant activity can be
incorporated into the rest of the
To extent the topic to a
chant

For enjoyment






To add new knowledge to
existing ones



















166

lesson.


*** alternative activity 2

Get pupils to design a
Congratulations card for Datuk
Lee Chong Wei congratulating him
for his silver medal in the Olympics.

*** alternative activity 3

Word search (see sample)

*** alternative activity 4

Small words from BIG words (see
sample)






To link learning to real life
experience
To enable pupils to
express themselves.

Closure
(5 minutes)
Brief evaluation and
integration of moral
values
Teacher evaluates the days lesson
by asking a few questions.
Teacher integrates the moral value
by asking pupils what makes a
champion like Datuk Lee Chong
Wei?.
To check pupils overall
comprehension of the text
and how the content is
related to their lives.


How did Datuk
Lee Chong Wei
become so
good?
Adapted from Amelia Soons lesson plan (2011)
167

Reading passage:




















Jazz Chant:


BADMINTON


Whats this game?


Where do you play badminton?



What do you need?









Badminton! Badminton! Its badminton!


Badminton court! Badminton court! At the
badminton court!


A racquet and a shuttlecock! A racquet
and a shuttlecock! A racquet and a
shuttlecock!


Badminton is a racquet sport played by two players or two pairs of players.
They are called singles or doubles game respectively. Badminton is played at a
badminton court either indoors or outdoors. The court is divided into halves by a
net.
Players score points by hitting a shuttlecock with their racquets to pass it
over the net to land in the opponents half of the court.
There are international competitions like the Thomas Cup for the men and
the Uber Cup for the women. The competitions take place once every two years.
Other competitions include the All-England, Sudirman Cup and the Malaysian
Open. These international competitions attract many outstanding players from all
over the world.
Datuk Lee Chong Wei is one of the greatest badminton players in our
country. He has won many competitions like the Malaysian Open, Singapore
Open, Japan Open, and the All-England.

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Sample K-W-L table


BADMINTON

WHAT I KNOW WHAT I WANT TO FIND
OUT
WHAT I HAVE LEARNT















Sample Graphic Organiser

Complete the chart below.




















BADMINTON International
competitions
the game
famous
Malaysian
player
equipment
i. ________________

ii. outdoors
i. racket

ii. _______________

iii. _______________
court
i. Thomas Cup
ii. _________________
iii. _________________
men

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Sample True or False statement.

Read the following statements about Badminton. Put a tick () for statements that
are TRUE, cross (X) for statements that are FALSE and write (NA) for information
not found in the text.


1.

Badminton can be played in a hall or in the open.


2.

Badminton must be played with someone.


3.

Most people play badminton indoors.


4.

The Thomas Cup and the Uber Cup are important badminton
competitions.


5.

The Sudirman Cup is played every two years.


6.

All outstanding players are from Malaysia.


7.

Datuk Lee Chong Wei has won many international competitions around
the world.





Sample: Wordsearch

Find these words about BADMINTON in the maze.
















D N A L G N E L L A S P
A D E T A Y W N S H I U
T H E P I R E I U R N C
R N Q X O M A T X B G S
U C P U S N T C A V L A
O E H E A L A M Q M E M
C T N T E J E P S U S O
J I Z C S O T R A N E H
L A O R U Y E Y I J B T
M C D O U B L E S P Y W
K P U C R E B U B N M C
T M G G R R X O A C Q U


All England
court
doubles
Japan Open
linesmen
net
racquet
umpire
sot
shuttlecock
Singapore Open
singles
Thomas Cup
Uber Cup
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Sample: Small words from BIG words


How many small words can you form from BADMINTON?


Example: bad, ton, in, on, mind, tin, etc.




Task



Task 1: Read the text on The Stages of a Reading Lesson and then complete the
task the follows.




























The stages of a reading lesson
A reading lesson is often divided into three phases: pre-reading, while-reading and post-
reading. The main purposes of each of the three phases are indicated below.
PRE-READING
to stimulate interest in the topic and to motivate pupils by providing a reason for
reading
to activate pupils prior knowledge of the topic
to provide language preparation for the text
WHILE-READING
to clarify content and vocabulary in the text
to help pupils understand the writers purpose
to help pupils understand the structure of the text
POST READING
to consolidate and reflect upon what has been read
to relate the text to the pupils own knowledge/interest/views
to provide a stimulus for other language activities



171

Each of the following tables represents a stage of a reading lesson. The steps
in each phase is logically arranged.

Identify the phase of each table and write the rationale for the activities.


Table 1

Lesson
Stage
Teaching Steps Rationale


1. Teacher tells the class to work on the
vocabulary and grammar exercises in the
worksheet.

a) Find the words in the text (para 1) that
have the same meaning as the words in
bold in the sentences below.

i. No one dares to bully the lion.
ii. All the villagers fled ...

2. Teacher tells the class to discuss in groups
a situation related to the topic.

e.g.
What advice would you give to the farmer so
that he will take better care of the donkey?



Activity 1:










Activity 2:


Table 2

Lesson
Stage
Teaching Steps Rationale





1. Teacher tells the class that they are going to
read a story about a donkey.

2. Teacher then asks the class a general
question about donkeys.

e.g.
How are donkeys helpful to man?


Activity 1:



Activity 2:







172

Table 3


Lesson
Stage
Teaching Steps Rationale


1. Teacher shows three questions on the board
and tells the pupils to find the answers to them
as they read the text.
e.g.
i. Why did the donkey run away from the
farm?
ii. Where did the donkey go to find food?
iii. Was the donkey clever or foolish?

Pupils read the text and answers the question.
Teacher checks the answers with the pupils.

2. Teacher then distributes the worksheets to the
pupils.
Teacher tells the pupils to read the text silently
a second time. As they read, they are to
number the sentences according to the
sequence of the events in the story.

After they have finished the reading, teacher
goes through the answers with the pupils.

Activity 1:











Activity 2: