There are many things that go into the consideration of a lesson plan, but perhaps the most important thing is encouraging young students to be both creative and risk-taking with language. Students who are happy to memorize but unwilling to speak in English are not the students who develop the most effective communication skills; perhaps the most important thing in the course of teaching these students is encouraging this creativity in them. Students who are afraid or too embarrassed to speak in class must be treated carefully and encouraged to speak up; this will give them a confidence boost that is greatly needed insofar as encouraging student participation and creativity are concerned.
Teaching ESL learners in Hong Kong can be exceptionally difficult based on the cultural and language differences between Hong Kong’s Cantonese and the English language. Students in Hong Kong have a tendency to struggle in an array of very predictable areas; one of these areas is, of course, pronunciation. In particular, phonological blends can be difficult, especially when they are the initial consonant sounds at the beginning of a word (Yeung, Siegel and Chan, 2012). Yeung, Siegel and Chan (2012) note that a phonological awareness program is likely to be excellent for young Cantonese children who are just beginning to learn English. Yeung, Siegel and Chan (2012) write, “The children were assigned randomly to receive the instruction on phonological awareness skills embedded in vocabulary learning activities or comparison instruction which consisted of vocabulary learning and writing tasks but no direct instruction in phonological awareness skillsThe results indicated that children who received the phonological awareness instruction performed significantly better than the comparison group on English word reading, spelling, phonological awareness at all levels and expressive vocabulary on the posttest when age, general intelligence and the pretest scores were controlled statistically. The findings suggest that phonological awareness instruction embedded in vocabulary learning activities might be beneficial to kindergarteners learning English as a second language” (Yeung, Siegel and Chan, 2012). For this reason, the lesson plans have included portions where children must develop words based on their phonology; phonics must be reviewed repeatedly for maximum retention.
Oracy development for this stage of primary school learning should begin with the teacher introducing the topic and reviewing what was learned in previous lessons; this will warm the children up and introduce them to the new topic of the day, encouraging some creativity and interest in the classroom (Chiu, 2009). Copper (2002) suggests that while visual information may be absorbed differently by children of different cultures, it helps children of all cultures retain language information more readily (Copper, 2002). It should be noted that all the lesson plans here contain extensive visual stimuli for children to look at while they learn new words; this will help them remember the words for a longer period of time.
Another issue focused on heavily in these lessons is constant involvement with the class. The teacher’s involvement with the children allows the instructor to constantly assess the skill level of the class; when the class is moving too quickly through the lesson, it is important to move on to ensure that students do not become bored with the repetition. However, it is similarly important not to move through the material too quickly, because students need to remember the material as they go forward (Chan, 2013).
A native Cantonese speaker organizes their words very differently than the native English speaker, and as a result, the lessons for English as a Second Language (ESL) should reflect that difference. Hsia, Chung and Wong (1995) write, “As organised words are easier to store in, and retrieve from long‐term memory (Thompson, 1987), investigating young learners’ word organisation strategies will help teachers and researchers identify factors related to such strategies: Graeco‐Latin words, word hierarchy, word shapes, word sounds, cognates, etc. This paper reports data collected by BA TESL students supervised by their instructor. The first year students” (Hsia, Chung and Wong, 1995). As a result, as an instructor, supplying the students with this structure is very important. That is why these lessons have been grouped together; the second lesson builds off the information that was contained in the first lesson, which also includes reviews to other lessons.
The grammar in these sections is also important. These grammar lessons teach commonly used grammatical structures, but they also teach grammatical structures that are common in English but do not necessarily follow the proper English grammatical pattern. For instance, “Would you like to bike?” can commonly be answered “No, I would rather swim.” The introduction of the idea of “rather” into the sentence is different from other grammar patterns, but it is a very common statement in English. If this were not introduced to children, they might lose the context of a sentence when someone answered them in the negative using this almost-colloquial turn of phrase.
The lesson plans in the “We Love Hong Kong” unit are especially wonderful for linking together all of the information previously studied by the students. This unit provides the students with vocabulary that is excellent for reviewing other grammatical forms, as well as an introduction into new, more complex grammatical structures. These may be slightly more difficult than other lessons were previously, but they are meant to be a bridge into the next level of difficulty in the study of the English Language.
The development and support of listening and speaking skills is very important, particularly in Hong Kong, where businesses commonly require that their employees speak English to deal with the international markets and the large population of expatriates in the region. For this reason, the instructor is encouraged to enlist a holistic approach to learning in the classroom, encouraging children to learn to read, write, and speak with confidence and fluency. Chiu (2009) writes, “According to the New Zealand Ministry of Education, holistic education is defined as an approach to teaching to include the physical, social, emotional, cultural, and cognitive dimensions of a person’s growth. Education reform in Taiwan has adopted a Western constructivist approach. However, in Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC), open teacher–student and student–student interactions are not as common CHC values social harmony, teachers’ authority, and silence to avoid confrontation. Without understanding the affective and social environment in the Western context, holistic education is unlikely to be successfully implemented in Taiwan. The purpose of this research is to understand the contextualization of the holistic environment and pedagogical strategies that nurture student–teacher and student–student interactions” (Chiu, 2009). However, Chiu (2009) also notes that it is an effective way to engage students in their learning, regardless of cultural differences. This holistic approach to language education may be especially important, as it encourages students to break out of their traditional comfort zone in education and participate in their education in a completely different manner.
In the ESL classroom, the abilities of students may differ completely-- some students may be extremely competent in English, particularly in spoken English, but others may have little to no background in the language. It is important, therefore, to have lesson plans that encourage these differences, utilizing students who are more advanced than others as a way to help the students in the classroom express themselves more thoroughly and comfortably in English. It is important for ESL teachers to connect with and communicate with their students in English as frequently as possible, and this includes inside and outside the classroom, both through the structural necessity given by the lesson plans and the normal, everyday communication that must take place between the instructor and the learners in the ESL classroom environment.
One thing or major issue that should always be made clear when working with ESL students is the instructions and the expectations for the class. Students who are unable to comprehend instructions and expectations are students that will often underperform; these lessons are structured in such a way that the instructor can continuously make the expectations for grammar knowledge and vocabulary knowledge clear to the class. It also allows the instructor to determine which students are struggling with the grammar or vocabulary, and how best to proceed with the lesson if many of the students are struggling or seem to be falling behind in the instruction. Students who fall behind are students who are more likely to lose interest in the subject and fail to catch up later in the process.
Finally, one of the last things that should be used in the English as a Second Language classroom are sheltering techniques. These techniques are used to protect students from the complex and complicated structures that they might not understand in the language, providing them with an environment in which they can comprehend almost everything that is said. For young students, this is an excellent way to build confidence in speaking and listening in the classroom. The classroom has built-in support systems for these students that provides them with the confidence they will need to be successful in their language learning.
Appendix I
Lesson Plan I
LESSON PLAN: We Love Hong Kong
Vocabulary: Modes of Transportation
Grammar: Interrogative Adverbs; Describing the manner in which people carry out specific actions
Objectives:
General: Students should be able to ask and answer questions using interrogative adverbs “how” and “when,” to discuss modes of transportation in Hong Kong.
Specific:
(a) Language Use:
Using “how” and “when” to formulate questions and appropriate verb forms to answer these questions.
(b) Language Form:
(1) How do you/How do they + go to +(specific place)?
(2) I/we/they + go to + (specific place) + (mode of transportation).
(3) When do/does + you/they/he/she + arrive at + (specific place)?
(4) Review of time words-- specific times (He/she/you/I arrive at 7:00) and generalized time words (He/she/you/I arrive in the morning).
Learner Activities:
1. Generate the meaning of each mode of transportation that will be discussed in the lesson
2. Review time words like morning, afternoon, evening as well as specific times of day (ex. seven o’clock, six thirty).
3. Work in pairs. Students will be using the flashcards and clock made available by the instructor to present the language
4. Tell how partner gets to school, including what time.
5. Write a description of how they would get to somewhere far away based on the language learned during the class.
Materials and Teaching Aids:
1. Blackboard
2. A picture of a rocket
3. Posable clock
4. Pictures of various modes of transportation
5. Photos of various famous locations
Previous Learning:
Procedures
Lesson Plan II
LESSON PLAN: We Love Hong Kong
Vocabulary: Places in Hong Kong
Grammar: Expressing ability using “can” verbs, expressing preferences for one activity over another. Review of prepositions of place.
Objectives:
General: Students should be able to use language to discuss their preferences for one activity over another, and be able to express where in Hong Kong they can find certain activities.
Specific:
(a) Language Use:
Using “where can I/where can we” and “I would like” to express information about Hong Kong and preferences for certain activities, respectively.
(b) Language Form:
(1) Where can I/ Where can we + (activity)? We can shop in Mong Kong.
(2) Where can I/ Where can we + see + (specific place)? We can see the Buddha on Lantau Island.
(3) Would you like to + (specific activity)? Answer: Yes, I would like or No, I would rather + (specific activity).
(4) Would you like to + see + (specific place)? Answer: Yes, I would like to see or No, I would rather see + (specific place).
Learner Activities:
1. Generate the meanings for a number of activities.
2. Identity specific places in Hong Kong, and generate the English names for these locations.
3. Work in pairs. Each student is given a set of pictures of furniture items/things and describes his/her ideal bedroom to his/her partner. His/her partner has to stick the pictures on a piece of paper according to his/her description.
4. Show and describe his/her partner’s ideal bedroom to the whole class
5. Write a description of his/her partner’s ideal bedroom according to the pictures they make
Materials and Teaching Aids:
1. Blackboard
2. Pictures of famous landmarks of Hong Kong
3. Pictures of modes of transportation
4. Pictures of leisure activities that one can do in Hong Kong
5. Powerpoint with slides of leisure activities/famous places
6. Printed maps of Hong Kong, famous places in Hong Kong, and leisure activities to stick on the map.
7. World map printouts
Previous Learning:
Procedures
Appendix 3
- A picture of a rocket
- Posable clock
- Pictures of various modes of transportation
- Photos of various famous locations
- Blackboard
- Blackboard writing utensils
- Pictures of famous landmarks of Hong Kong
- Pictures of modes of transportation
- Pictures of leisure activities that one can do in Hong Kong
- Powerpoint with slides of leisure activities/famous places
- Printed maps of Hong Kong, famous places in Hong Kong, and leisure activities to stick on the map.
- World map printouts
Appendix 4
References
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Chan, A. (2013). The Discrimination of English Vowels by Cantonese ESL Learners in Hong Kong: A Test of the Perceptual Assimilation Model. Open Journal Of Modern Linguistics, 03(03), 182-189. doi:10.4236/ojml.2013.33025
Chiu, Y. (2009). Exploring pedagogical strategies to integrate a holistic approach to education into ESL classes. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev., 10(2), 261-270. doi:10.1007/s12564-009-9022-3
Copper, L. (2002). Cross-cultural preference of visual information in primary school ESL children.Proc. Am. Soc. Info. Sci. Tech., 39(1), 359-364. doi:10.1002/meet.1450390139
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Mak, B. (2010). The professional development needs of Hong Kong ESL teachers. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev., 11(3), 397-410. doi:10.1007/s12564-010-9073-5
Meehan, W. (1986). The organization and management of an open‐plan team teaching primary school.School Organisation, 6(2), 185-192. doi:10.1080/0260136860060202
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Sardareh, S., & Saad, M. (2012). A Sociocultural Perspective on Assessment for Learning: The Case of a Malaysian Primary School ESL Context. Procedia - Social And Behavioral Sciences, 66, 343-353. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.11.277
Yeung, S., & Ganotice, F. (2013). The Role of Phonological Awareness in Biliteracy Acquisition Among Hong Kong Chinese Kindergarteners Who Learn English-as-a-Second Language (ESL).The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 23(3), 333-343. doi:10.1007/s40299-013-0108-7
Yeung, S., Siegel, L., & Chan, C. (2012). Effects of a phonological awareness program on English reading and spelling among Hong Kong Chinese ESL children. Read Writ, 26(5), 681-704. doi:10.1007/s11145-012-9383-6
