Design and implementation of a reading

lesson plan

Joel Bueno Tapia

NIP: 818110

Prácticas Escolares IV Mención de Lengua Inglesa

Tutor: Enrique Lafuente Millán

Index

- Index…………………………..1

- Design…………………………2

- Justification……………………11

- References……………………..15

- Appendix……………………….16, 24

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Design

Lesson Plan: Let’s adopt a pet

Introduction

This reading session is designed for first-grade primary students.Serving as a review

session, the primary aim is to foster students to engage in reading by presenting an
appealing and authentic scenario The focus is on fundamental language structures and
vocabulary acquisition. A crucial aspect is differentiation, offering various worksheet
models to cater to individual learning requirements. It is important to recognize the need
for extensive support and scaffolding, visual aids and gestures facilitate understanding,
while the excitement of potentially adopting a pet serves as a motivational factor.

L2 exponents

- Lexis: animals (pets: dog, cat, fish, bird, hamster, lion, monkey, crocodile,
shark, elephant), parts of the body (legs, ears, wings, whiskers, tail, fins, beak, body,
fur, scales, feathers), adjectives (small, big, medium size, noisy, funny, quiet,
boring), action verbs (walk, fly, swim, climb, run, jump, hide), types of animals (pet,
farm, farm animal, wild animal, carnivore, meat, herbivore, plants, omnivore) and
types of enclosures used to house different types of animals (cage, fish tank,
terrarium, everywhere).

- Grammatical structures: present simple (3 rd person singular using the verbs “to
be”, “to have”, “to live”, “to can” and “to eat” with the vocabulary and adjectives
attached. Example: It has got whiskers, the dog is noisy).

- Linguistic functions: recognize with pointing gestures (an object or person) and
where pointing impossible for reporting (describing and narrating), asking for
confirmation, asking for information, seeking identification, answering questions for
confirmation information and identification, expressing agreement and disagreement

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 with a statement, enquiring about agreement and disagreement, denying something,
stating whether one knows or does not know something, someone or a fact, asking
for something, expressing gratitude, signaling non-understanding, asking for partial
repetition, asking for clarification, expressing ignorance of an expression, appealing
for assistance.

Objectives

At the end of the lesson students will be able to:

- Associate visual representations with written words of the animals vocabulary

throughout visual aids (fish and the flashcard of a fish).

- Produce orally a sentence using the 3rd person singular of the present simple. (It
is small).

- Interact in a dynamic conversation question-answer with the teacher using the

vocabulary about animals and the grammar structures of the 3 rd person singular and
action verbs about adopting a pet.

- Distinguish vocabulary and action verbs related to how animals are and what
they can do (wild, big, feathers, omnivores, fly, run…)

- Classify animals depending on their type and physical descriptions using the
vocabulary about animals.

- Attribute characteristics to their pet’s group depending on the picture of it using

the vocabulary about animals and action verbs.

- Develop their digital competences by using technological devices in order to

complete the task effectively.

- Collaborate using group work as an opportunity to resolve doubts and gain a

better understanding.

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 Materials

- Virtual presentation made with “Canva”full of visual aids.

- Interactive online “Wordwall” games linked in the “Canva” presentation using

“Padlet” as the webpage of reference.

- Handouts with reading and writing exercises according to the presentation topic
(the animal adoption application form).

- Flashcards containing pet vocabulary.

- Self-reflection checklist.

Activities

Pre-reading stage (10 minutes)

Activity 1

During the pre-task, the teacher presents the topic about adopting a pet, as an
introduction of the lesson, generating a brainstorming through asking students several
types of questions. Example: “Do you have a pet?” “Is your dog big or small?”
Activating previous knowledge from vocabulary and grammar they already know
provides students with an interactive powerpoint as a visual support.

The teacher starts introducing the topic about adopting a pet for the classroom and that
they will need to use their English skills to complete it.

The teacher will be asking questions to activate students. Uses gestures as a technique to
foster students to formulate simple sentences. Extending the closed right hand to the
front while saying the subject (for example: It), then moving the same hand under the
chin saying the main or modal verb (for example: is) and finally saying the adjective,
part of the body, or the action verb to finish the sentence (for example: big). Example: It
– is – big.

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T: Class class

Ss: yes, yes.

T: First mirror me; yes perfect, following my hands, now we change direction, it’s
enough…so today I’m going to be your English teacher and we are going to adopt a pet
for the class.

How many of you have got a pet? Really? What is the name of your pet?

Teacher shows different animal pictures and asks several questions while using
scaffolding.

T: it is a…

Ss: cat!.

T: Amazing! and at the right we can see a ffffish (scaffold)

T: it is small

Ss: it is small

Activity 2

A brainstorming is generated by the teacher in which students make suggestions about

what they know of concepts like “to adopt” or “to buy” an animal, they are encouraged
to hypothesize the difference between both verbs letting them think. Example: “What do
we use money for?” “What do we use to buy an apple in the supermarket?” “What do
you think it’s a better option; to buy a pet or to adopt a pet?” Brief introduction of
critical thinking while pre-teaching.

Then, the teacher starts a brief brainstorming to introduce the concepts of “to buy” and
“to adopt”. While using the powerpoint as a visual aid and gestures to indicate “money”

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or when something it’s negative or positive, with thumbs up and down, for check
comprehension. Giving examples, unfinished sentences as scaffolding

T: Can you remember what buy means? What do we use to buy things?

Ss: Mmmmmoney! (gesture of money)

T: Yes, correct, and we use money to buy food, clothes…or pets. What about adopting a
pet? Do we pay?

Ss: Nooo

T: All right, for buying a pet we use (money) and for adopting we don’t. What do you
think it’s a better option? Buying or adopting a pet?

OK, is everything clear at this point? Thumbs up or thumbs down.

Activity 3

Then students engage in answering questions formulated by the teacher about the
information they will require for adopting a pet. Briefly revising the content, the
grammar and vocabulary they already know about animals using visual aids, scaffolding
and gestures along all the questions. Focusing on structuring sentences to express what
and how animals are (using adjectives), what they can do (using action-verbs), what
they eat and where they live (applying the attached vocabulary). Example: “Birds can…
fly.” “What does the dog eat?”

After that, the teacher explains to students that for adopting an animal they will have to
complete a sheet of animal adoption application form using all they know in English
about animals. Teacher revise briefly all those points (what/how animals are, what they
can do, what they eat and where they live) interacting by questions to engage using
unfinished sentences, scaffolding, the power point as a visual aid, gestures for
accompany the part of the body or the action letting students to answer and stand up to
do the gestures too.

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Students try to guess the meaning of words in case they don’t know or remember.

T: so, what do we need to know to adopt a pet? If they are pets or ... (wild)

Ss: animals!

T: if they have got (gesture of tail) or (gesture of whiskers)

Ss: a tail, whiskers!

A bird can…(gesture of fly) everybody flying.

And a monkey can… (gesture of climb) climb for eating the fruit of the trees, right?
Everybody repeat with me “climb”

Ss: climb

T: tigers eat….

Ss: meat!

T: well done, and cows?

T and Ss: cows eat plants

T: And where do the cows live?

Ss: farm

T: They live in the farm perfect, and the lion?

Ss: in the jungle.

Ss:What’s the meaning of “fishtank”?

T: let’s analyze the word, what means” fish”

Ss: pez

T: Ok, and as fish are pets, where do you put the fish in your house? in the bathtub?

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While-reading stage (15 minutes)

Activity 4

For the task, students will complete some interactive and virtual games made with
program “Wordwall” based on matching and classifying animal pictures depending if
they are pets/wild animals and their characteristics described on short texts. Taking
turns while using the virtual whiteboard.

Students are encouraged to interact through the virtual whiteboard from the classroom
playing games by taking turns motivated by the use of Disney and Pokemon characters.
Teacher encourages them to participate by repeating that it’s time to play a game. Every
student is able to stand up and solve a question on the whiteboard by the call of the
teacher using a box with as many wooden sticks as students are in class with their
names written on them, as a strategy from classroom management. The rest of the
students are seeing how answers are completed, helping the chosen student if they have
problems by the supervision of the teacher and the automatic correction of the online
game at the end.

T: Let’s play a game! Who wants to start?

Ss: yes, yes, yes, me, me!

T: Let me see… (taking one wooden stick from a box with the name of one student
written on it) Mateo it’s your turn! (the student takes the wireless pencil and completes
one question, gives the pencil back and sits down in his place.)

T: yes, monkey it’s a wild animal thank you, let’s see who it’s the next one.

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Post-reading stage (20 minutes)

Activity 5

Finally, in the post-task, students will be grouped in groups of 4 divided by 4 different

pets for each group. Students will be given a handout they will have to complete
according to the characteristics of their animal’s group, give it a name and write their
signature to complete the adoption. They will complete it individually although they can
discuss and negotiate some words while the teacher will be reading, helping them to
guess the meaning of some words they might not understand and completing the first
questions of the handout with them. Then, students will complete the activity in their
groups while the teacher is moving around the class solving doubts and checking
understanding and their attitude on the cooperative groups. To foster creativity students
will draw their pet’s group at the back part of the handout to develop their spatial
intelligence. The aim of this activity is for students to be able to analyze the main
characteristic their adopting animal has by crossing out all the multiple correct answers.

Teacher gives a handout to every student, divides the class into 4 groups of 4 students
in each group. Teacher gives them a flashcard of the animal (a pet) they are going to
adopt (a fish, a dog, a cat and a bird).

Teacher presents the animal adoption application form students have to complete at the
same time they have it in their hands, it starts reading the instructions and modeling
completing the first questions all together, reading all the options, asking the groups to
look carefully every sentence, also the picture of their animal group to think what they
should mark on it depending the characteristics of their pet. Text’s sentences are
enhanced focusing on the action verbs and the animal vocabulary by salient words and
some pictures.

Students complete their own handout at the same time they can ask and negotiate the
meaning of words or at the time of choosing an answer. Groups are balanced, giving the
opportunity to low language proficiency students to engage and express their thoughts
about the topic, at the same time that high language proficiency students help them to
develop their knowledge by negotiating the meaning.

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T: So for adopting your pet the last thing you have to do it’s to complete this official
document. Are you ready?

Ss: yes!

T: work in groups and let’s start together. Pencil up, up, up, up, pencil up, up, up, up.
First question, think about your pet, it is small? (doing the gesture approaching both
hands together) or it is big?

T: Let’s continue with the second question, hands and eyes, hands and eyes, look at me
please. There are sometimes more than one correct answer in some of the questions,
ok? T:Your pet has got four, two or no legs? Look carefully, “fish group” . How many
legs does your pet have? And you “bird group”?

Bird group: 2 legs!

T: Perfect, let’s continue class.

Ss: what’s the meaning of cage?

T: Class class

Ss: yes yes

T: please look carefully in this question, it’s written the word “cage”, repeat with
me:”cage”

Ss: cage

T: Does anyone know what “cage” means? Can you look at the picture next to it?

Which animal lives there? A dog? Or maybe a cat? Birds can live there?

Ss:yes, es una jaula, jaula.

T: it’s correct, if you have more questions just rise up your hand please

Activity 6

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Finally, students complete a self-assessment checklist reflecting what they learnt during
the session.

Justification

1. Contextualization

I completed my School Practices IV course in English language at CEIP Josefa Amar y

Borbón, a public school located in the Actur-Rey Fernando neighborhood of Zaragoza,
specifically at 50 Julio García Condoy Street. This CEIP institution offers Preschool,
Second Cycle of Preschool Education, and Primary Education, alongside daycare and
lunch services. It holds a TEA-preferred status, equipped with resources and
methodologies to cater to the educational needs of students with autism spectrum
disorder, featuring a specialized "forest classroom" staffed by professionals. Notably,
CEIP Josefa Amar y Borbón implements the BRIT-Aragón bilingual program,
following the CLIL approach, integrating language and content instruction concurrently.
This program diverges from traditional English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes,
offering two additional hours to foster English language proficiency

The 1ºB class exhibits notable diversity and uneven educational development,
particularly in literacy. Multiple student profiles coexist, including a student
with Down syndrome requiring adaptations in most subjects, a student with
autism spectrum disorder needing routine and socialization support, and students
from diverse backgrounds, including divorced families and ethnic minorities.

Academic foundations vary, with some students positively influencing peers.

Challenges include limited psychomotor skills and understanding of instructions,
but notable progress in literacy and language learning, albeit slower for English.
Overall, the class shows cooperation, energy, and occasional behavioral issues,
managed through positive reinforcement and family involvement.

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2. Lesson plan design

This reading lesson plan is structured in alignment with the curriculum according to the
LOMLOE law of education in Aragón, presenting a model session that incorporates
various approaches. Experts advocate for the Communicative Approach, such as Merrill
Swain (Swain, 2000), which emphasizes real-life communication as the primary means
of language acquisition. Therefore, the session includes communicative activities on the
topic of adopting a pet, aiming to contextualize vocabulary and engage students in
meaningful communication. This approach promotes not only linguistic competence but
also pragmatic and sociolinguistic development, as emphasized by the Common
European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Furthermore, the lesson plan follows the Task-Based Learning Approach

advocated by Rod Ellis (Ellis, 2003), configuring three main activities to engage
students in meaningful tasks related to adopting a pet. By integrating implicit
instructions and explicit teaching, the lesson plan aims to raise awareness and
provide guided practice, fostering accuracy and fluency in language use. The
activities are designed to occur in a meaningful and authentic context, it
provides rich comprehensible language input animal topic, using the real-
scenario of adopting a pet. It results in motivating students to use their
interlanguage and produce output through exposure to comprehensible input,
such as engaging in activities like brainstorming discussions and completing an
adoption form. Drawing on Krashen's Input Hypothesis and Long's work on the
linguistic environment, it provides rich language input in authentic contexts.

Throughout the session, the teacher uses different learning styles and scaffolding
techniques, drawing upon the insights of Michael Long (Long, 1996) regarding
the role of the linguistic environment in language acquisition. The use of
gestures, visual aids, and scaffolding strategies such as unfinished sentences and
enhancement of sentence words supports students in revising previous
knowledge and effectively completing tasks. Moreover, differentiation is highly
implemented through 3 level adapted handouts tailored to the specific needs of
students, and the general use of capital letters and ARASAAC pictographs,
catering to diverse learning styles and intelligences.

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 According to Dörnyei, incorporating online interactive games and activities
enhances engagement and motivation in language learning. By integrating such
activities into the lesson plan, students are motivated to apply the content in
achieving the goal of adopting a pet, keeping them interested and engaged
throughout the session. Furthermore, spatial intelligence is considered, providing
opportunities for fast finishers to engage in drawing and coloring the animal they
are going to adopt and giving it a name.

Feedback is provided continuously throughout the session, as recommended by

Stephen D. Krashen (Krashen, 1981), even given by the app of Wordwall while
doing the online games, starting with positive reinforcement during activation
questions and direct feedback on vocabulary pronunciation. Additionally,
formative feedback is given through auto-evaluation checklists, for promoting
metacognition and fostering the competency of "learning to learn" as outlined in
the Aragón education curriculum.

3. Conclusions

This reading lesson plan demonstrates a comprehensive approach by incorporating

various language skills beyond reading, including speaking, listening, and to a lesser
extent, writing, providing a multifaceted language learning experience. Clear and
measurable objectives aligned with the theme of "Let's Adopt a Pet" enable both
students and teachers to understand the expected outcomes of the session. The
structured session progresses through activities of increasing complexity, allowing
students to progress and adapt to their learning needs with the aid of a variety of visual
and gestural supports. The use of flashcards, projected images, and teacher gestures
enhances comprehension and active participation, particularly for students with lower
proficiency levels.

Through the use of questions, interactive games, and some group work, student
interaction and active participation are motivated, creating a dynamic and
participatory learning environment. Differentiation and attention to individual
student needs are evident through a variety of adapted worksheet models,

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ensuring all students have the opportunity to participate and progress.
Additionally, the integration of technology through digital tools such as Canva,
Wordwall, and Padlet promotes the development of digital skills among
students, aligning with the current demands of the modern world.

However, the lesson plan may face challenges such as possible time constraints
compared to the allotted time for each activity and an excessive dependence on
technology. In case of internet access difficulties or technical issues, the planned
session could be affected. There could be a greater focus on areas such as
grammar or verbal fluency, as well as a need for more emphasis on critical
comprehension. While concepts like "adopting" and "buying" pets are
introduced, additional opportunities to foster critical reflection and analytical
thinking among students could be suggested.

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References

Council of Europe. (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages:

Learning, teaching, assessment. Madrid: Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.

Dörnyei, Z. (2001). Teaching and researching motivation. Harlow, England: Longman.

Ellis, R. (1997). Second language acquisition and language pedagogy. Clevedon:

Multilingual Matters.

Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.

Krashen, S. D. (1981). Second language acquisition and second language learning.

Oxford: Pergamon Press.

Krashen, S. D. (1985). The input hypothesis and its rivals. In S. M. Gass & C. G.
Madden (Eds.), Input in second language acquisition (pp. 161-176). Newbury House.

Long, M. (1983). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition:
Theoretical principles. In H. Winitz (Ed.), Native language and foreign language
acquisition (pp. 245-301). New York: New York Academy of Sciences.

Long, M. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition.
In W. C. Ritchie & T. K. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition (pp.
413-468). Academic Press.

Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte de Aragón. (s.f.). Normativa de primaria.

Recuperado de https://educa.aragon.es/-/normativa-primaria

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Swain, M. (1985). The output hypothesis: Theory and research. In S. M. Gass & C. G.
Madden (Eds.), Input in second language acquisition (pp. 105-111). Newbury House.

Swain, M. (2000). The output hypothesis and beyond: Mediating acquisition through
collaborative dialogue. In J. P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language
learning (pp. 97-114). Oxford University Press.

Appendix

Appendix 1: (Link powerpoint of the session)

https://www.canva.com/design/DAF_-atJvn4/mxoy72kBgoledNJMuMa7xg/view?
utm_content=DAF_-
atJvn4&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor

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Appendix 2: (Example of animals flashcards)

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Appendix 3: (Handout 1)

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Appendix 4: (Handout 1)

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Appendix 5: (Handout 1)

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Appendix 6 (Handout 1)

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Appendix 7: (Links to Wordwall interactive games)

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https://wordwall.net/es/resource/70331811

https://wordwall.net/es/resource/70333700

Appendix 8 ( Self-reflection checklist)

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