Unit2. Planning a unit of work

[Cristina Vallcorba]

1. Paolo’s planning style is the most similar to what I usually do with my groups. Like him, I tend to plan the lessons of the week together, getting a balance of different activities over the three lessons of the week. Variety of activities is important if you want students not turn off in class, specially with teenagers. I combine the different skills ( reading, listening, grammar and vocabulary) in different lessons, though I try to do speaking practice with them in every lesson.

2. In planning a unit of work balance of activities and skills practice is one of the most important to make sure the students get to practice the different aspects of the language.Working with teenagers, variety of activities is also important to make them get involved in the lesson in an active way. Cohesive lessons (usually basing the lesson on a topic ) also helps them relate the different activities they do.


3. I plan the three lessons of the week at a time, trying to work on different skills at different lessons if possible. I plan them having the aims of each lesson in mind. As for the use of the coursebook, I use it to work on its readings, listenings and some speaking activities but I prefer to teach grammar and present vocabulary in a different way from the one suggested in the book. I usually plan the lessons in detail, with all the activities prepared beforehand, but there’s always times when you end up doing things you hadn’t planned because the mood or the pace of the class requires it.


4. First, make sure in this scheme of work the students practice all the different skills and distribute them in the different lessons. What are the aims of each lesson? get them established and find activities (in the same coursebook or from other sources) that they think will work with their students. Once they have gone through the scheme of work with the group, analize how the lessons worked and make changes and improvements for the next one.

[Admin]

Sounds good Cristina! I like the fact that you try to include speaking in every lesson - seems to me the most important thing and also the thing they can't do alone at home. Nothing more disheartening than an hour's reading skills lesson -that surely is something students can do for homework, no?