Aprendizaje y enseanza de una lengua extranjera: Unidad didctica para 1 de Bachillerato Master en profesorado en secundaria

Por Eloisa Barranco Ruiz Profesor: Sagrario Salaberri

TITLE: FAMILY AND FRIENDS INTRODUCTION: Here is presented a didactic unit of work of the English subject for the first course of Bachillerato LOGSE. This is the second unit of the program, which corresponds to Family and friends, and carried the main aims of describing persons and past events and states. At the end of this unit, the student may be able to describe persons, to talk about past events, and to use descriptive adjectives properly. According to listening and speaking skills, the student would improve his listening skill by some listening activities related to past events, to later train the pronunciation of the final /ed/ endings. Our Students Book trains the five skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking and talking), where each unit has six sections, divided on Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing, respectively. As this is one of the first units after the summer break, we must have in consideration that pupils may need a review of previous contents, as for example, a brief remembering of irregular verbs, and especially talking activities are highly recommended to be performed first to start with this unit. BASIC COMPETENCES: The basic competences used to elaborate this unit are always according to the law. This unit has been thought to follow the Spanish Education Laws or LOGSE, following decrees as the 12 article decree 200/1997, 3 October, where the Ordenacin General del Sistema Educativo Espaol or LOGSE establishes the necessity of a teaching organization on each stage of learning, which must attend the plurality of necessities, aptitudes and interests of the students, (known as ley de atencin a la diversidad); or the articles 26 and 27 decree 1/90 in the LOGSE, about the basic competences on bachillerato that demand the learning of a foreign language as a basic module to be taken along bachillerato, making the students able to express themselves fluently in a foreign language, ( English, in most cases). Our unit will follow the commands of the Ministerio de Educacin y de la Consejera de Educacin de las Comunidad Autnoma de Andaluca. The basic competences to be developed in this units are the following: A competence in linguistic communication, given the capacity of expression and comprehension when describing, for example, physical appearance in English. A learning to learn competence empowers the student with achievement strategies, regarding word order, for example, when using past interrogative statements. Learning to learn deals with the students reflections about their own learning processes throughout their own resources, such as observation, self-correction and evaluation, with the purpose to motivate the pupil to continue studying a foreign language. Social and civic competences are also involved in this unit, from the point that it ponders on family relationships and the paper that friends have got in a teenagers life. Some of the activities proposed, as the reading for instance, inquire with questions such as how important are friends to you? and why. All along the unit, family and friends relationships are analyzed, with a vocabulary topic called Are you a good friend? and a listening based on a radio interview about a mother-son relationship. The social aim of the unit is making the teens reflect on their family relationships, to get them closer to their families, in a stage of life on which students normally tend to be centered on friends.

OBJECTIVES: To be able to understand, read, and produce texts about past events, as long as to express past habits and events orally. Students will develop their writing skill by describing a persons personality and appearance, being able to elaborate a short composition describing a friend at the end of the unit. Familiarized the students with some vocabulary, mainly descriptive adjectives, making them command the terms to describe a persons appearance. Students may also difference between be used to and get used to in this unit, and a brief introduction to phrasal verbs is provided. To listen and understand past stories and events, to later express their own opinions and feelings about past events related to family relationships, as for example, When I was a child, I used to go to the park with my mum. The talking skill is trained and analyzed when practicing short dialogues about a recent past event, with a little schedule with useful phrases that they can repeat aloud, such as Did you have a good weekend?, or How was your day?. To improve students pronunciation of the vocabulary studied, distinguishing between voiced and voiceless final /-ed/ pronunciation in adjectives and pasts of regular verbs. This unit capacitates the students to express past situations using the four skills reading, writing, speaking, and listening and to describe the people around them.

CONTENTS: - First of all, it is recommended a little Recycling procedure, with tasks to remember past basic contents, as describe general truths and permanent states, or a brief review to remember the irregular verbs. Reading, writing: A reading section is proposed at the start of the unit. This section starts with a reading text, The wedding trip and many activities related to it, as matching words of the texts with their definitions, or the so important comprehension tasks, consisting in questions about the texts. Regarding the writing part, our unit let it for the last section. This way, the student may familiarize firstly with the vocabulary and grammar of the unit; to later on training these new acquired learning by writing a little assignment. With this assignment the student is guided with some pre-writing tips, such as brainstorming, planning his writing, or thinking about the language he is about to write down. A little template with useful language is provided, to start writing, to later on write the composition without help. Listening, speaking, and talking: The listening part of this unit consists on listening to a radio interview about family relationships. This interview is a section of an advice program, where a sixteen years old teen and his mum call to speak about their problems. According to the speaking part, it is proposed a repeating activity to train the /ed/ endings in many words. When the students repeat these sounds, they would come to difference between voice and voiceless final /ed/ pronunciations. Our unit also attends to the talking skill, and has got a talking section with dialogues to practice in pairs, with the aim to talk about past events, as for example what did you do last weekend?. A guide line is given to start, and then, pupils may talk about their own experiences.

Language knowledge: -The next section is linked to linguistic knowledge. Due to this we find the vocabulary part, which in this unit is focused on descriptive adjectives and adverbs. Students are expected to command the following terms: parents, argument, sympathetic, relationship, advise, reason, disagreement, understanding, nice, terrible, thankful, lots, suggestion, help, when, while, used to, boring, cheerful, confident, generous, happy, intelligent, interesting, impatient, kind, mean, moody, polite, rude, sensible, silly, look like, brilliant, tall, slim, short, fat, lovely, friendly, talkative, quickly, average, height, get on, count on, fall out, go out, break up, sort out. -Functions of language are also connected with language knowledge aspects. It is important to have in consideration that in the learning process all the functions of language are involved. Namely, the referential function of language is very important for this unit, since, as we have mentioned before, it is centered on description. Between the main goals of the unit we find describing peoples appearance and personality, expressing past events and states, or expressing actions in progress in the past, as for example At seven oclock last night, Clara was talking to her friend or I was really unhappy at school. Pronunciation is come to be practiced especially with the final verb /ed/ endings, but without forgetting stress, rhythm and intonation. Thus, intonation may be trained making different statements, as questions, negative and affirmative sentences, so that pupils could appreciate the different intonation patterns. In addition, we can notice that pronunciation is directly connected to the expressive function of language, as sound changes may add emotiveness to the message. The metalinguistic function of language is also to be touch, as it will arise when students reflect on how to express past actions and events, how to state past actions in progress, or simply when thinking on how to express themselves in English.

Learning strategies: Due to learning strategies in this unit, we have a strong direct strategy, since our Student Book counts with a grammar extra unit at the back of the book, for students that, at some point, may need review on a particular point. Together with this, we find essential grammar explained in boxes, which may promote an independent learning. In the other hand, indirect methods have been used to motivate the students. Consequently, the topics of the different parts of the unit, as the horoscope, or a radio interview, for example, are carefully chosen, to be funny and close to teenagers interests. Role plays, based in real situations are also a source of motivation, and are highly recommended, together with the use of TIC resources, or new technologies in the English classroom.

Sociocultural aspects and intercultural awareness: The main sociocultural aspect to treat in this unit deals with family relationships, in contrasts with friendship, and the importance that a teen may give to these relationships on his life. ACTIVITIES All the activities performed in class will be consider for the evaluation process, that means that all the tasks are important, when work and class participation will be always listened, analyzed and taken as a part of the final unit mark. Students should be aware of this, and use participation and work class as a tool to arise their marks. This unit is divided in 8 sessions, of 50 minutes each:

Session 1: Introduction of the unit and reading the text Family and friends aloud (10), students debate and give opinion about family and friends relationships (5), comprehension activity What do you think the texts is about? (5), finding definitions of these words in the text: parents, argument, and sympathetic (5), comprehension tasks related to the text, as a true or false exercise, where students may distinguish what is said in the text (5), and an answering questions task about the text, as Did Tom like school? Why? using their own words (10), match this terms 1-5 (terrible, thankful, lots, suggestions, help) with words in the text (5), answer questions with their own experiences as How often do you go out with friends?, Who do you prefer to spend time with, your family or your friends? and Who do you ask for advice, your family or your friends? (5) Session 2: Presentation of the use of language section, with an explanation of the past tenses. With examples, past simple and past continuous are introduced, together with the structure used to. Students should take notes and elaborate 3 sentences with their own words, using the verb structures explained (15), practice of past simple and continuous with activities as a choose the correct alternative (5), and a completing sentences activity changing the verbs in brackets (5), join sentences using when or while and putting the verbs in the past simple (5), writing questions activity with disordered sentences, to form a dialogue using past tenses (5), perform the resulting dialogue aloud in pairs (5), writing true sentences about their childhood using used to and didnt used to (5), share this sentences with the class (5). Session 3: Look back at the language in use section and ask students if the past tenses use is clear (5), complete one more activity on this, by choosing the correct alternative past tense of each sentence (5), then, as a reinforce for this grammar point a get it right activity is performed, consisting on correct mistaken statements given by the book, as for example I was doing my homework when my friend was sending me a text message (5). Then, the topic vocabulary, concerning to adjectives, is introduced with a short text about the horoscope. Students may read it aloud, and classified the underlined adjectives from the text in positive and negative adjectives (10). A list of vocabulary is given, and students should copy it and find in a dictionary the words they dont know (5), then, students may match the adjectives of the text (generous, boring, sensible, moody) with their opposites (silly, happy, mean, interesting) (5), choose adjectives from the text to describe people, as for example Ana always talks about the same topic boring, (5), choosing two adjectives and elaborate a brief description of a friend (5), sharing descriptions aloud with the class (5). Session 4: Refreshing last sessions vocabulary and sharing more friends descriptions aloud (10), explanation about be used to and get used to difference (5) and comprehension questions about a little attached texts using this structures (5). Elaboration of two sentences using past tenses and be used to and get used to structures (5). Introduction of phrasal verbs, reading aloud a little text full of these special verbs (5), and asking students what they have understood of the text (5). Matching activity with phrasal verbs and their definitions, for example, get on with have a good relationship (5) correction of the activity and copy phrasal verbs definitions (5), collocations of prepositions trained by a completing the sentences activity (5). Session 5: Vocabulary review accompanied by a get it right activity, where students should correct misspelled adjectives and phrasal verbs (10), elaboration of a brief story using the phrasal verbs given (get on, count on, fall out, go out, break up, sort out), as for example John is a friend I can always count on, he gets on well with everyone in the class. One day, we fell out, but now we are fine (10), sharing compositions aloud with the class (5). Introduction to the writing section, reading aloud an essay text describing a friend (5), activity on a second reading of the text, where the student may separate paragraphs by topics, differencing between personality and interests, writers opinion, and appearance (5). A little comprehension activity to describe the writers friend (5), separating adjectives from adverbs (5). To finish, an activity completing sentences with adjectives or adverbs of the text (5).

Session 6: The main task of this session is the elaboration of a short essay describing a friend. To

avoid insecurities and the common fear of the blank paper, the first essay will be made in class. Firstly, students count with an explanation of how to write a little composition step by step, and a template to base their own essays (10), then, we will focus on a brainstorm exercise, consisting on describing a person thinking on three things about his personality and three about his appearance, and putting them on separate columns, such as appearance: blue eyes, curly hair, medium height and personality: serious, kind, impatient (10). The next step would be planning of the composition by paragraphs, making a draft of what are they going to write, for example, paragraph 1, -who is the friend to be describe, and description of his appearance (10). The last step before to write is where the students may think about the language, choosing sentence patterns for their essay such as He has got or He is a bit (5). At this point, each student may start to elaborate his composition, and the teacher should check that everyone has separated paragraphs by topics, a lists of adjectives and adverbs to use, and an example short description to support his writing (10). Students may share parts of this first draft aloud if they want (5). Session 7: This section is dedicated to listening activities. Reading the introduction of the programme aloud and answer the question What type of programme are you going to listen? (5) a listening to a radio interview about family relationships is the first activity (10), students may listen carefully twice and circle the correct answer about what are they listening to (10). Another activity on choosing the correct answer about the listening (5), followed by an use of the dictionary activity, where students then should search the following terms trust, embarrassed, behave (5). To finish, a little dictation with phrases of the listening, as Craig believes that his mum thinks he is still a child, is performed, (10), and the reading aloud of some of the phrases (5). Session 8: The last section of the unit is owing to talking about past events and pronunciation. A disorder text is given, and the activity deals with composing it right (5), then, students will perform the text aloud (5). A comprehension activity for the text, searching where in the text they speak about someones news (5), followed by an activity about responding phrases with suitable answers of the text (5). Every student should read aloud one of his phrases (5). Then, in pairs, students may prepare a short dialogue about what did they do last weekend, and talk aloud (10). At this point, a pronunciation exercise may be done, listening to how we pronounce the final /-ed/ endings in some words, and repeating, (5). Students may do a table of contents separating voiced and voiceless final /-ed/ , separating the words that sounds in /t/, /d/ or /id/, (5). Every student may read aloud the final table of final /-ed/ words. (5).

DIFFERENCIATION Due to the fact that diversity is an unavoidable characteristic of any human group, teachers need to have in consideration that every student would show a different level and a different development in the learning process. Therefore, our unit should be adapted for those who are advanced in the subject and may ask a bigger loan of work, and for those who are behind in their studies and would need extra support of their teachers. From this point, reinforcement and extension activities are proposed in the Student Book, almost in any section of the unit: Reinforcement activities are thought for the students that need extra support, and in our book are called Focus on and come in a pink box. With this activities students that find difficulties with past tenses, for instance, may do some extra practice to improve their use of English. Also, the get it right activities may help students with spelling and grammar problems, when reinforcing the material studied before in the section. Extension activities are also proposed along the unit, and every section counts with extra tasks, such as Recording vocabulary in the vocabulary section, that propose composing an agenda with opposites and examples of vocabulary, or a writing task in the writing section that aim advanced students to improve their writing with tips to make it more interesting.

ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES AND INSTRUMENTS The assessment procedures will be based on the class work and participation of every student. Apart from this, the composition describing a friend would have an extra importance (30%) for the evaluation of the unit. A command of the past tenses and phrasal verbs would be evaluated in a brief test at the end of the unit, together with some vocabulary activities. Speaking and talking sections would be evaluated when performing the classroom tasks, as an unconscious process to the student, that is, without telling them that they are being evaluated, in order to make them more comfortable when speaking in English. Active participation and speaking is required to pass the module. Besides, the instruments needed to carry out this unit are mainly the Student book and the Listening activities CD room. The environment to develop the unit is, clearly, the one of a classroom, with a blackboard and student tables. Students may need a notebook and pens to elaborate their own materials, with class notes and tasks. RESOURCES AND MATERIALS Bibliography: Sylvia Wheeldon and Colin Campbell, Get it Right: students book 1 Bachillerato. 2008, Oxford University Press Get it Right CD room for 1 Bachillerato http://www.ego4u.com/