FSU TEFL 120 Summer 2_2022

My lesson plan for the day was to review phrasal verbs. First, we discussed the definition of a phrasal verb, reviewed an example and discussed how there are separable and inseparable phrasal verbs. Next, we reviewed nine written phrasal verbs in detail. I read the phrase aloud and provided the written text for AA. I stated each phrase in context with inflection and facial expression and even physical movement when appropriate (as in get up). AA would ask a question or provide an example of his own which we discussed whether it was an accurate use of the phrase. Lastly, I set out 18 handmade cards written with (10) verbs and (8) prepositions. AA selected a verb card and a preposition card to create a phrasal verb. With some of his created phrases, I asked him to give an example. To apply this lesson to daily life, we had good discussion about what the phrase could mean and how it may be used. After our lesson, AA told me he had  bumped into  his friend earlier in the day....

Date/Time/Location: Tuesday, 28 June at 5:00am AEST (Zoom) Student: Dongwoon Kang Despite the Zoom technical issues, Dongwoon came prepared to learn!   During this third session, I was pleasantly surprised to see him demonstrate his grammatical prowess by properly identifying and introducing preposition to change sentence structure which involved the coverage of verb tenses.   I opened the session with a brief recap of the concepts from last week’s session to reinforce progressive learning and to “test”  his ability to retain the concepts.  Further, I expressed my confidence in Dongwoon’s skills and how quickly he learns, irrespective of the lack of confidence displayed in the initial session.   He is eager to learn and I am extremely confident that will be “firing in all directions” during the next session! 😅

Date/Time/Location: Saturday, 25 June at 4:00am AEST (Zoom) Student: Youngsun Kim Awesome first session with Youngsun!  Her tenacity and eagerness to learn is inspiring.  She indicated that her writing and reading skills were great; however, she’s experiencing some challenges with listening and speaking.  Moreover, we were able to delve into more a conversation approach “straight away” (Aussie idiom).  Youngsun’s interest lies in music composition and my aim is to leverage her interest to cultivate an entertaining learning environment going forward.   To that end, I am excited to see how the next scheduled session flows this week! 

AK arrived on time and had done the "homework" I had asked him to complete. We discussed what he had discovered about various master's degree programs and the GRE.   It was the GRE that was most surprising to him and caused him to realize his need to expand his English vocabulary.   I think that is a win! It gives him a purposeful goal and gives me a teachable focus. Today's lesson was on idioms.   This is a topic AK wanted to work on. We reviewed six different idioms.   I was pleased he had a decent understanding of two, didn't understand two, and had heard two but didn't quite understand them. Together, we reviewed the meaning of each, watched a video for one, used each idiom in an oral exercise where he had to respond to a question using the correct idiom, and he wrote sentences using the idioms. After this, we searched for some of the vocabulary words used in the GRE.   Together we selected a word, I defined it, looked it up via an online dictionary an...

Date/Time/Location: Saturday, 25 June at 5:00am AEST (Zoom) Student: Dongwoon Kang This second session went extremely well and was jam packed with learning new vocabulary words, idioms, and improving speaking and writing skills.  I leveraged Dongwoon’s interest in tennis to engage him in an entertaining way.  Surprisingly, I used a sentence example to show him how he DOES understand idioms as he crafted a sentence using his very own!  Haha, it was a proud moment for both of us!  After that moment, Dongwoon’s confidence in learning the concepts skyrocketed…along with his tenacity. Overall, it was interesting to witness how quickly he grasped the grammatical concepts.  Dongwoon provided immediate feedback on how great the session was and how much he learned!  Our third session is underway…in about an hour from now.  

Date/Time/Location: Thursday, 23 June at 5:00am AEST (Zoom) Student: Dongwoon Kang My very first “breakthrough” session has been accomplished.  It was a bit on the emotional side for me because it is has been my dream to teach! Ok, back to the student now. 😂 Dongwoon was very excited and motivated to be in the session. We both were able to effectively communicate our expectations for the sessions.  To that end, Dongwoon indicated that he was experiencing grammatical challenges in understanding idioms and engaging in conversation.  In his endeavors to become a tennis coach, Dongwoon intends to use these new skills for career progression.   Moreover, I observed that there were also some challenges with respect to, speaking English fluently.  My aim is to engage Dongwoon in more real-world conversational exercises that he can deploy to enhance his grammar skills.   Overall, it was a great session! Chassity

Date/Time/Location: Thursday, 23 June at 5:00am AEST (Zoom) Student: Nikita Popov I had so much fun during my first session with this student!  He seems eager and ready to learn.  Through conversation, I concluded that his ability to speak was more refined than his writing skills.  Nikita indicated that he was encountering some grammatical challenges, with respect to, sentence structure during his academic course assignments.   My aim is to continue to help Nikita refine his speaking and  grammar skills by incorporating entertaining exercises and assigning HW to reinforce the concepts.  I was pleasantly surprised to witness his excitement to learn and to hear Nikita express what motivates him to learn English.   Lastly, I have given Nikita advanced notice of the forthcoming HW assignment and in-session exercise for next week. Chassity 

 AA and I began with introductions and sharing information about each other.  AA is from  Kazakhstan , is 18 years old and English will be his fourth language.  AA is fluent in  Kazakh , Russian and Chinese.  He has been in the US about two and half months and has applied to multiple US universities. His goal is to earn a degree in aerospace engineering.   I can't help but believe AA is a very focused person who has every intention of achieving his academic and professional goals. To get an idea of his skill levels, I asked him three questions:  What are the cardinal directions, what is your opinion of American grocery stores and can you tell me how to get to the Florida Capital Building. He did not know the cardinal directions or about the government systems or the capital building.  He had experienced the grocery, but was a bit confused about the taxes. This gave me great information on ideas for our tutoring sessions.  I then ask...

Is the sentence correct or is there a beautiful mistake?  What's your vote, thumbs up or thumbs down?  This is how Dr. Ciappetta brought her students to the day's grammar lesson. The class began with the discussion of the prior class lesson and the use of past perfect and past perfect continuous tenses.  I'm still amazed at how the students know this information so well.  For example, they knew the past perfect continuous tense would serve to emphasize time.  (I'll bet most native English speakers couldn't tell you that on a dime!)  The remainder of the class focused on phrasal verbs, a verb followed by a preposition and requires an object.  For example, take off, hit on, stand up for, black out, go through with, put up with and get out of.  Dr. Ciappetta discussed these examples with student participation and then had the students match them to their meaning.  Next the class had to write 8 to 10 sentences about something they promised to do ...

In Ms. James' Composition class, students were working on drafting a working title for a narrative essay.  Ms. James explained how a "working" title may change while you write your composition, but it provides a focus for your writing. Students were provided two titles:  What in the World am I Doing here? and What was I Thinking?.  They were   allowed to use one of these titles or to create a unique title from a combination of the two. The composition was to be written as a narrative, meaning a true event that happened to the author.  Ms. James explained the key to the narrative is a clear sequence of events that brings the reader along with you, illuminates the senses, and helps the reader feel or imagine things as they read. To show this, Ms. James read two separate passages and then guided a discussion of each following the reading. This helped students understand the concept of a narrative and how to capture and retain the reader's attention. From the examp...

I began our tutoring session with introductions.  Using the non-academic and academic questions I learned AK is a well-educated young man from Kazakhstan, English is his fourth language, and he has been in the US for a few weeks. We discussed his goals, which proved a bit challenging for him to express. He wants to attend FSU for another master’s degree and he wants to work. So, we determined tutoring goals should build skills to prepare him for the GRE, expand his vocabulary with a focus on idioms and functional terms to navigate city life, and to review/edit his resume to ensure it is compatible with US expectations. In our first session, we began working on building vocabulary.  As we discussed his goals and his situation, AK was provided with a new term relevant to the topic.   For each term, I would state the word, spell the word, and provide a definition and an example. AK then practiced speaking and using the word in a sentence. The words were: Lenient,...

For today's class, Dr. Ciappetta reviewed the last part of the prior lesson regarding various American accents. The students were in group four, thus all rather proficient in their comprehension of formal English, but wanting to understand American idioms and "community" terms. Dr. Ciappetta provided the students with a written copy of an audio text.  The copy had spaces where the student was expected to fill in the term/word the speaker used. The selected word would be considered unfamiliar to non-native English speakers. Dr. Ciappetta played the audio.  The speaker spoke swiftly and used a southern accent with a little colorful language. The students listened and wrote their answers. Dr. Ciappetta discussed  what was spoken as well as Reductions  such as 'em, goin', ain't, eatin', and gotta. The students all seemed to catch the pattern of dropping the “g” in the Reductions . In the back of the room, three students discussed a word, one student being quit...

I found “ Speaking ” class interesting, entertaining and engaging. Mr. Fleming's Speaking class was full, with 10 - 12 students, all male and from learning groups two, three, and four. His lesson began with stating the expectations for the students and for him, as the teacher.  I appreciated how he said, "I Promise... to start class on time, to be prepared, to be respectful and to return feedback quickly.”  This set the stage for his class and showed the students his commitment to their learning.  The lesson was about using superlatives. Mr. Fleming provided an outline, showed a great example of using superlatives, and then had the students brainstorm. Their task: to write five potential topics, ultimately choosing one of the five topics to write an illustrative thesis using superlatives such as the worst, the greatest, the best, the most or the least. The students were engaged, attentive, respectful and they got it! My takeaway, b eing prepared is one of the keys to suc...

I observed Dr. Felicia Ciapetta's composition class this morning with group 3 students. The teacher began the class with a 5 minute self-review of the subjects that would be on the quiz next class. The topic of todays class was different parts of an essay. Some examples of the vocabulary covered today is: supporting ideas, topic sentence, thesis statement, outline, compound sentence, etc. During the class Dr. Ciapetta would a lot a certain amount of time to the students to complete the reading or questions they were individually working on from the textbook. Then she would follow-up with questions for them relating to the material they just read or worked on. I learned from observing her class that EFL teachers need to constantly be asking questions to the students.