You Are The Course Book Notes for Teachers T stands for ‘teacher’ and SS for ‘student’ or ‘students’ throughout this book In You Are The Course Book Method there are some conventions that occur repeatedly and appear throughout the lesson plans in this book, for example: General: • This is topic-based learning – the topic gives a context to the language as it is used • Activities can be adjusted to suit different levels – more or less, with harder or easier constructions and vocabulary • Activities can be adjusted to fit different time slots – more or less T can edit the lesson plan as they go, choosing from a range of activities that suit the mood of the SS on the day, e.g in a Mode lesson T can cut short a vocabulary session by missing out the stressed syllables and sounds element, to make more time for the text activity • Activities often end with group feedback – T elicits corrections to errors Teacher: • T elicits rather than tells; T wants SS to think and tell them the answers In general, T will know the answers but wants SS to think of them, rather than T telling them The process of eliciting encourages SS to think of the answers, or if they cannot, to learn from their peers, rather than from T or a book This process inevitably takes longer and requires T to give up a little bit of ego and go from the ‘grand giver of knowledge’, dishing out answers and advice, to guide – pointing SS towards the answers down the road of independent learning • T sets up short activities, each with their own achievable objective, then withdraws to let SS get on with their work (The clockwork mouse principle – wind them up and watch them go!) Group feedback often follows a stage Ideally, activities would build up into a longer sequence so that SS achieve a super objective too, e.g a Mode process has been completed • T monitors, checks, and corrects • Where preparation is required, e.g Text with 20 Different Words (p.55), or Using an Audio Text (p.57), it is time invested, because the lesson can be repeated/reused with other classes Students: • SS work in pairs or small groups; they sit facing each other rather than T • SS make up their own activities, rather than using ‘pre-bought’ ideas from professional writers • Often what T does in the classroom can be done by the SS, e.g writing on the board; thinking up discussion questions, etc It may take longer but SS will learn more from the process, because we learn more by doing When T starts working with a group, model everything, then gradually let them take over until they are doing almost all of the work during class time Other tips: • SS need to trust T and T needs to respect the SS – otherwise “do the book”! • Clear Alphabet is a new phonetic alphabet for English which uses the normal Roman alphabet rather than any unusual characters The chart is on p.107 You can find our more by downloading the free Clear Alphabet Dictionary Purland, Matt Clear Alphabet Dictionary Ostróda: English Banana.com, 2012 Hardback Available for free download: http://englishbanana.com/resources/free-books/elementary/clear-alphabet-dictionary/ You Are The Course Book – Lesson Plans 17 You Are The Course Book Notes for Teachers • Every activity can be done with individual students in one to one classes, e.g online They will have to a lot more work – the work of the whole class So they will get a good workout, which is probably what they have paid for • One of T’s most important roles is to be timekeeper – to control the time so that a range of skills are practised and lesson objectives are met You will have enough lesson material – probably too much! – so T must keep an eye on the clock and move the lesson along • SS may need time to adjust to a method that demands them to practise English in an active way, rather than passively reading a course book and filling in gaps Building a Lesson Process: On p.21 you can see an overview of the different activities which are described in the lesson plans in this book In the past, YATCB consisted of three Modes – 1, 2, and (see p.20) Now, T can choose to one of these Modes or build their own lesson process (or Mode) from any of the activities listed on p.21 – in any order For example, to a straightforward Mode process 2, use the following lesson plans: WARMER: VOCABULARY: TEXT: GRAMMAR POINT: VERB FORMS REVISION: PRONUNCIATION: FREE PRACTICE : Personal Study – set homework Choose from list Mode Vocabulary Session, p.26 Make a Group Text, p.46 Based on SS’s errors Make Questions from a Text, p.61 Choose either or both, pp.69-71 Choose from list Choose from list – or use your own To a straightforward Mode process 3, use the following lesson plans: WARMER: VOCABULARY: TEXT: GRAMMAR POINT: VERB FORMS REVISION: PRONUNCIATION: FREE PRACTICE : Personal Study – set homework Choose from list Discussion Words (Standard Lesson), p.27 Choose from list Based on SS’s errors Choose from list Choose either or both, pp.69-71 Choose from list Choose from list – or use your own See Purland, Matt You Are The Course Book Ostróda: English Banana.com, 2012 Hardback Available for free download: http://englishbanana.com/resources/free-books/teacher-training/you-are-the-course-book/ p.26 for a full description See Purland, Matt You Are The Course Book (as above) p.41 for a full description You Are The Course Book – Lesson Plans 18 You Are The Course Book Notes for Teachers To a straightforward Mode process 4, use the following lesson plans: DISCUSSION: VOCABULARY: VERB FORMS REVISION: SENTENCE BUILDING: PRONUNCIATION: Personal Study – set homework Improvised based on the topic Discussion Words (Standard Lesson), p.27 Q & A, p.66 Sentence-based version of Stages 2.2 and 2.3 of Mode (see p.46) Choose either or both, pp.69-71 Choose from list – or use your own Aside from that, T is free to mix and match activities The order of activities generally works and makes logical sense (see p.20) but T can change the order, or choose to try one or a handful of activities as part of one of their regular lessons – rather than a full process This method is flexible! Because it does not always require a lot of reading, You Are The Course Book Method is great for teaching beginner-level SS – even zero beginners I would recommend following the outline of lesson plans below for this kind of learner, before moving on to Modes 1, 2, and 3, and other activities when they feel more confident – although of course you are free to try ‘whatever works’! WARMER: VOCABULARY: VERB FORMS REVISION: PRONUNCIATION: FREE PRACTICE: Choose from list Discussion Words (Standard Lesson), p.27 Beginner Level Verb Forms Revision, p.67 Stress, Reduce, Merge Part – Sentence Stress, p.69 Choose from list See Purland, Matt You Are The Course Book 2: In Practice Ostróda: English Banana.com, 2013 Hardback Available for free download: http://englishbanana.com/resources/free-books/teacher-training/you-are-the-course-book-2-in-practice/ p.337 for a full description You Are The Course Book – Lesson Plans 19