Improving listening and speaking skills / C class of 1st Experimental Lyceum of Athens. Teacher: Barbara Crespi
Today I was teaching at Plaka because the class teacher was ill. Transport strike another problem, though I managed to get there by tram, other teachers had to drive or take a taxi for which I thank them. Half the class missing but still an enjoyable day with excellent cheese pies supplied by school and my long time colleague Emily kalfa .
1st Experimental lyceum of Athens
Teacher: Barbara Crespi
Class: C 2
Number of students: 8 out of 25
Mode of work: group tasks / whole class discussion
Equipment: laptop, loud speakers, video projector, grids, 2 YouTube songs converted to MP4
Lesson: Developing listening and speaking skills related to social issue of stress and its management.
Date: 2nd February 2011
LESSON PLAN
Warm-up stage
Objectives:
- to stimulate discussion about stress, it causes and management
- to encourage students to work collaboratively
Procedure: Teacher asks Ss for their definition of stress. Then each group is given a small grid to fill in after discussing the causes, results and management of their own stress. Followed by whole class discussion of their findings
| YOUR STRESS | |||||
| causes | |||||
| results | |||||
| management |
Time: 10 min.
Presentation stage
Objective:
- to improve listening and observation skills,
- to broaden their horizens on social issues
Procedure: Students given while-listening task and then asked to watch a video while listening to a song twice, sung by Carrie Underwood called ‘Jesus take the wheel ‘ See YouTube URL below https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lydBPm2KRaU They complete the task of filling in another small chart with what they observed on the video about other groups of people's stress in their group ( fears of the elderly, stress of mother caring for baby, a young couple quarreling etc) and then present their findings to the class. The words of the song are not focussed on except as a general message about finding ways to manage stress. In this case through prayer.
Time: 20 min.
Practice stage
Objective:
- to present their group’s approach to the specific task on the management of stress
Procedure: Groups given a specific stress problem and decide how they would help a friend (with that problem) to overcome it. Then discussed in whole class with aid of power point presentation (too big to attach here).
Time: 10 min.
PRACTICE STAGE TASKS
1) Job related stress
Your friend has lost his job and is feeling terrible. What do you say and do to help him /her ?
2) Health related stress
Your friend has suddenly put on a lot of weight and is feeling terrible. What do you say and do to help him /her ?
3) Relationship problems
Your friend has just broken up with her boyfriend / his girl friend. What do you say and do to help him /her?
4)Living conditions
Your friend has to change flats she can’t afford to pay the rent. What do you say and do to help him /her?
5) Trouble with the law
Your friend has got into trouble with the police. She/he is too frightened to tell her/his parents. What do you say and do to help him /her?
FOLLOW UP
An amusing song about a mother’s ‘stress’ played with English subtitles to be read and listened to before ending lesson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXgoJ0f5EsQ (Mom's song)