Ali Pravda

ECUR 393: Advanced Methods of Teaching English as a Second Language (X02)

Assignment 2: Using Three Methods to Teach Subject-Verb Agreement
Instructor: Rena De Coursey
Student Number: 11081138
NSID: alp993
Date submitted: March 8th, 2016
Introduction:
There are numerous methods of teaching that can be used to reach the same
or similar objectives. The methods chosen are often dependent on a teachers style,
the resources available, the student profiles, and the main objectives. In the
following three lessons, the target audience will consist of twenty-two students who
are ages thirteen to seventeen (i.e. high school) and have beginner to advanced
language skills (i.e. A1.2 to B1.1). These students are mostly from the Philippines,
but also from Vietnam, Ukraine, Mexico, Israel, Belarus, and different African
countries (i.e. Tanzania, Eritrea and Sudan). Their first and second languages consist
of Tagalog, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Russian, Spanish, Tigrinya, Swahili, and Arabic.
The methods chosen to teach subject-verb agreement with this group include Total
Physical Response, Task-Based Teaching, and Content Based Instruction.
Lesson 1: Total Physical Response
Terminal Goals:
-The student is able to speak sentences using proper subject-verb agreement.
-The student is able to speak sentences using first, second, and third person
pronouns.
-The student is able to speak using root verbs and with the suffix s.
-The student acts out proper sentences (i.e. listening comprehension assessment).
Enabling Goals:
-The student identifies singular or plural groups of people.
-The student interchanges names with personal pronouns and vice versa.
-The student reads and copies down information.
-The student speaks using proper subject-verb agreement when the subject is a
mutated/irregular plural noun.
-The student speaks using proper subject-verb agreement when the subject and
verb is separated by one or more words.
-The student reads pronouns and verbs and instructs students to perform actions
(i.e. by speaking).
Procedures:
Students will sit in their desks in their normal seating arrangement (i.e. six
rows of fourthree on the left side of the room, three on the right). Ask student to
write the following notes:

The subject of a sentence affects the verb.

(subject, verb) or use different coloured pens/markers to identify the subject
and verb.
Example 1:
I am
You are
He/she/it is
We are
You are
They are

Example 2:
I sit
You sit
He/she/it sits
We sit
You sit
They sit

Example 3:
I stand
You stand
He/she/it stands
We stand
You stand
They stand

Write and talk about one example at a time. After example one is written
down, point and demonstrate to yourself and students: I am Ms. Pravda, You are
Carlos, He is Marc, She is Paulene, It is a blue marker, We are in a
classroom, and They are brothers. Have students, in partners, do the same (i.e.
use the sentence structure to name their classmates) while pointing to each other.
Do the same two activities after having written the second example of the
conjugated verb to sit.
After students copy down the third example conduct the students to stand
and sit, commanding them to sit or stand, then referring and motioning to them:
Vlad and Ramille stand. They stand. The students stand. We stand. You sit. Hao
sits. Have students repeat each sentence aloud.
Next, write with the following rules and causes of errors and confusions on
the board, stopping to do activities after each one:
1. Sometimes the subject does not look plural, but it is (e.g. people, children,
men, women, etc.). Continue with the following activities, noting the subject-
verb agreement: (A) all students raise their hand, and say The children raise their
hand; (B) all boys touch their nose, and all girls touch their shoulder, and say The
women touch their shoulders. The men touch their noses, Note that the body
parts are also pluralized; (C) all students put their hands on their heads, and say
The people put their hands on their heads. Vocalize the incorrect form once so
that students understand the difference.
2. When words come between the subject and the verb then you forget what the
subject is. Continue with the following activities: (A) have students stand in different
corners, marking the corners in some way (e.g. by colours). Have students choose a
corner at random. Say commands and have students do the action in order to
indicate their corner while they repeat the sentence. For example, The students in
the blue corner are waving their hands, The students in the red corner are
jumping, The students in the green corner are dancing, The students in the
yellow corner are spinning. If there is only one student ensure that you say The
student in the [colour] corner is standing on one foot, and if there is no one in a
corner say Nobody is in the [colour] corner. Tell students that we will come back to
that example later in the lesson. (B) Have students sit in their seats. On the board,
write the following sentences and ask students the answers and actions if
applicable, The students in her class is/are sitting in their desks, The fingers on
his hand is/are wiggling, People sometimes come/comes to the front of the class,
and The paper under the pens has/have the notes. (C) Arrange students as
necessary and have the students repeat the sentences back to you: The desk
behind the boys is/are broken, The student standing in between the girls is/are
Thuc, and Jan Rhelle, while sitting between his two friends, like/likes to talk.
The last activity for the first section of this lesson plan is to have students
make groups of four to six people. Each group has to draw a verb out of a box/hat
and roll a dice (i.e. a pre-made paper dice) that has the words I, you (sg.), he/she,
we, you (pl.), and they on it. One student picks a combination and must instruct the
group to perform the action so that the sentence holds true for the person who drew
the verb. Verbs include: jump, walk, jog on the spot, kneel, sit, laugh, make noise,
cover [my/his/your/her/their] eyes, dance, hop, gallop, clap, march, swim, yawn,
and bend.

Lesson 2: Task-Based Language Teaching

Terminal Goals:
-The student is able to write sentences using proper subject-verb agreement
grammar.
-The student is able to write sentences using first, second, and third person
pronouns.
Enabling Goals:
-The student identifies singular or plural nouns.
-The student interchanges nouns with pronouns (i.e. which, who).
-The student uses verbs with s verb endings.
-The student is able to read and/or interpret the story of Cinderella.
-The student is able to write basic sentences and identify personality traits
contingent on their basic reading comprehension.
Procedures:
First, read and watch the story of Cinderella
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i59QiuRpzTg). Ask students what happened in
the story. Write jot notes of the events on the board: Cinderellas mother died, her
father married another woman, the woman had two daughters, Cinderellas step-
mother and step-sisters were mean to her, she had to do all of the chores, she
wanted to go to the ball, her step-mother said no, her fairy godmother made her a
dress and carriage to go to the dance, she danced with the prince, she left her shoe,
the princes men searched for Cinderella using the shoe, the shoe fit her foot, they
knew she was the Princes bride, and they lived happily ever after. Ask students to
write two to five sentences answering Who is Cinderella?
Once students are done explain that this paragraph is a start to a character
analysis/sketch. Using the following chart as a template show that a character
sketch is not only about who someone is, but about what their actions say about
their character. Note to the students that most sentences have subjects that are
third-person singular.

Action / Event Trait / Personality

Cinderella does the chores (like dishes, She is helpful, clean, and considerate.
washing the floor, etc.).
Cinderella does not say bad things or She is respectful and kind.
complains to her step-mother or step-
sisters.
The birds had helped her with her work. She is gentle and quiet.
They are not scared of her.
Cinderella wants to go to the ball. She is young and wants to have fun.

Project the following paragraph. This will help lower level students and for those
who have made mistakes or did not finish. Let them use the example or their own
work for the next activity.
Cinderella is a nice girl. She does all of her familys housework. She is
helpful. She does not complain about her work. She is kind. The pigeons help her do
her work. She is gentle.
After one paragraph has been written, go through the following rules/confusions and
practice as a whole class on the next exercise.
3. The verb comes before the subject: the verb and subject must still agree.
4. The subject is who or which: these words are always third person but may
refer to a subject that is singular or plural. Understand what noun who or which is
referring to and then have it agree. Continue with the following exercise based off of
the last paragraph (i.e. character sketch).
Exercise:
 There is/are a girl named Cinderella. Cinderella is a nice girl who has/have a
mean step-mother. She does all of her familys housework which include/includes
the dishes. In her family is/are her dad, step-mother, and two step-sisters. She
do/does the chores, which is/are helpful. She would not complain about her work
which was/were kind. There is/are pigeons who help/helps her do her work. Why
is/are Cinderella so gentle? Why does/do she help with the chores?
Ask students to write a character sketch of the step-mother or another
fictional novel. Give additional sentence frames if necessary.
Lesson 3: Content Based Instruction
Terminal Goals:
-The student is able to write sentences using proper subject-verb agreement
grammar.
-The student is able to write sentences using school vocabulary.

Enabling Goals:
-The student identifies singular or plural nouns.
-The student lists count and non-count nouns.
-The student uses verbs with the suffix s.
-The student identifies a subject, verb(s), and/or an object in a sentence.
-The student identifies an indefinite pronoun and uses a third person singular verb.
-The student uses third person singular verbs with non-count nouns.
Procedures:
Introduce the theme of school to students. Create a word web on the board
and have students contribute vocabulary words. Briefly explain the concept of count
and non-count nouns (e.g. Count nouns are items that can be counted like pencils or
markers; non-count nouns are things that cannot be counted like water or
happiness). Help students in groups of five to six distribute their vocabulary words
into these two categories. Write on the board: 5. A subject in a sentence can be a
non-count noun and is then treated as a third-person singular noun. Project the
following notes for reference:

Count Nouns (i.e. can count them; 1, Non-Count Nouns (i.e. materials and
2, 3, 4) resources)
Pencil Glue
Pen Paper
Eraser Sand
Desk Water
Ruler Scissors (always plural; verb is always
Binder plural)
Knapsack / backpack White-out
Stapler Chalk
Board (i.e. white board, chalk board) Paint
Map
Pencil Sharpener Cannot use the article a.
Calculator Is treated as a third-person singular
Book (i.e. Note book, text book, reading noun.
book)
Calendar

Have students work in partners to complete the following exercise.

Exercise: (Prompt and answer)
The marker is/are black. The marker is black.
The pens is/are blue. The pens are blue.
The glue is/are empty. The glue is empty.
There is/are paper on your desks. There is paper on your desks.
The sand is/are wet. The sand is wet.
The pencils is/are sharpened. The pencils are sharpened.
The binders on the desk is/are full of paper. The binders on the desk are full of
paper.
The staples need/needs to stay in the classroom. The staplers need to stay in the
classroom.
Once complete continue with the following notes: 6. The subject can be
confusing if it is an indefinite pronoun like each, anybody, or both. Indefinite
pronouns include: one, both, anyone, anybody, everyone, everybody, someone,
somebody, nobody, nothing, anything, everything, something, each, either, and
neither. These words are treated as mostly as third-person singular nouns. Both is
treated as plural.
Example 1: Each of us is/are a student. Each of us is a student.
Example 2: Everyone need/needs to go to the bathroom before we leave. Everyone
needs to go to the bathroom before we leave.
Have students continue the next exercise in small groups.
Exercise (prompt and answer)
Each person has/have a pencil. Each person has a pencil.
Each of us has/have a pencil. Each of us has a pencil.
We each has/have pencils. We each have pencils. N.B.: We is the subject.
Nothing is/are due tomorrow for homework. Nothing is due tomorrow for homework.
Everyone is/are going to the gymnasium. Everyone is going to the gymnasium.
Everybody is/are reading. Everybody is reading.
Nobody like/likes to do homework. Nobody likes to do homework.
Everyone think/thinks this teacher is/are the best. Everyone thinks this teacher is
the best.
Everybody study/studies the bight before an exam. Everybody studies the night
before an exam.
Somebody has/have to collect the papers. Somebody has to collect the papers.
Both was/were late. Both were late.
Both of the girls is/are sitting in the library. Both of the girls are sitting in the library.
Bother teachers give/gives a lot of homework. Both teachers give a lot of
homework.
Both [binders] is/are full of paper. Both [binders] are full of paper.
Has/have everyone went to the bathroom? Has everyone went to the bathroom?
Has/have both been to the library? Have both been to the library?

Finish the entire lesson with an exit slip. The exit slip can be divided and used
during each step of the three lessons. Keep the main rules of each section outlined
on the board or a poster for students to refer back to. Have students write proper
subject-verb agreement sentences from each section. For beginner students, give
them sentence frames and/or have them work in partners.
Section 1. Write a sentence where the subject is plural but does not end with an s
(e.g. people, children, men, etc.).
Section 2. Write a sentence where the subject and verb is not beside each other.
Section 3. Write a sentence where the verb comes before the subject.
Section 4. Write a sentence where the subject is who, which, or that.
Section 5. Write a sentence where the subject is a non-count noun.
Section 6. Write a sentence where the subject is an indefinite pronoun like each,
anybody, or both.
Conclusion:
Each lesson targeted different subject-verb agreement rules through a
different approach. Because of the differences in the approach the lessons did not
overlap with resources or concepts; instead, students learnt about subject-verb
agreement through actions, completing a project, and while learning about one
topic. Lessons can be shortened for the beginner students while the advanced
students continue with instruction and exercises in each section. Each lesson used
completely new activities and ideas because they are each meant to be used to
approach a lesson in different ways. They each had a portion of lecture-based
instruction, which would be vastly different from The Silent Approach. Each lesson
and activities could be used as to only practice basic subject-verb agreement, but
the lessons were constructed in a way to touch on different rules or and the
common errors that are made with subject-verb agreement grammar.
Works Cited:
"Fairy Tale Cinderella with Subtitles." YouTube. YouTube, 13 Apr. 2014. Web. 02 Mar.
2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i59QiuRpzTg
Robinson, J. "Subject/Verb Agreement." Douglas College, 2005. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.
https://www.douglascollege.ca/~/media/64032116279C498EAE4723A68D1ED4
FA.ashx