Unit 8 ESL: Pulling it All Together and Preparing for More

It's the end of the academic year and we have made it through the entire Great Writing 1 textbook, having ordered it late. I am very proud that we muscled through it. I believe the students' writing has improved the past two years I taught these kids and they are now prepared for their writing class next year with a different teacher.

Our previous lesson, Unit 7 was our most difficult with writing complex sentences using adjective clauses. One of my co-teachers told me they don't learn that until 9th grade. The hardest part of teaching them is weaning them off of relying on writing everything with simple sentences. I have to require using at least one compound and one complex sentence. I told them good English has variety, not repetition. That's very hard to reinforce when they read so little English. I think writing has to be reinforced by reading literature and they just don't have the time the way their curriculum and education system is organized.

May/June 2019

WEEK 1 Reviewing Parts of a Paragraph
Class 1: pg. 208-211
Class 2 pg. 212-214

WEEK 2 Combining Sentences with a Connector
Class 1: pg. 215-218
Class 2: pg.219-221

WEEK 3 Peer Editing
Class 1: pg. 222-224a
Class 2 pg. 224b-226

WEEK 4 Original Student Writing
Class 1: pg. 227 (Activity 22)
Class 2: pg. 227 (Activity 23)

The ppt is a work in progress at the moment:

Unit 7 ESL: Writing Complex Sentences with Adjective Clauses

April 2019

WEEK 1 The Importance of Sentence Variety
Class 1: pg. 1182-184
Class 2 pg. 185-187

WEEK 2 Adjective Clauses in the Middle
Class 1: pg. 188-190
Class 2: pg.191-193

WEEK 3 Using Modals
Class 1: pg. 194-196
Class 2 pg. 197-199

WEEK 4 Review Fragments, Sentences Types, and Editing
Class 1: pg.200-203
Class 2: pg. 205 (Timed Writing)

ESL Unit 6: Writing in the Future Tense

Two of my A-Classes are starting Great Writing Book 1's Unit 6 this week, while one is still behind because of holidays. My B class is finishing Unit 4, starting Unit 5.

In Unit 6 they will make future predictions, and know the difference between "going to" and "will".



March-April 2019

WEEK 1 Going to+ Will
Class 1: pg. 154-156
Class 2 pg. 157-159

WEEK 2 Practicing With Paragraphs, Negatives and Complex Sentences
Class 1:pg. 160-163
Class 2: pg.164-166

WEEK 3 Articles and "Because" Review
Class 1: pg. 166-169
Class 2 pg. 170-173
WEEK 4 Editing and Orignal Student Writing
Class 1: pg.174-176
Class 2: pg. 179 (Timed Writing)

The ppt is a work in progress at the moment:

ESL Unit 5: Writing in the Present Progressive

After the Lunar New Year, week one was a little hard to get everyone back into the grind. Week one of the second semester, my A-Classes are wrapping up Great Writing Book 1's Unit 4's timed writing, while my B level class has just started Unit 4. Next week, my A classes will start Unit 5.

February-March 2019

WEEK 1 The Present Progressive Tense: Machu Picchu and Writing from Pictures
Class 1: pg. 130-133
Class 2 pg. 134-137

WEEK 2 Writing From Pictures + Complex Sentences Review
Class 1:pg. 138-141
Class 2: pg.142-145

WEEK 3 Editing and Vocabulary Building
Class 1: pg. 146-149
Class 2 pg. review and quiz

WEEK 4 Orignal Student Writing
Class 1 and 2: pg. 149-151

ESL 2018-2019

For the 200 level classes (8th grade), we finally have a book! We will be using Great Writing (Book 1), which focuses on writing a paragraph while reviewing grammar from last semester.  (I taught 8th grade ESL a couple of years ago, here is my previous course outline.)

Until their textbook arrives, the A level classes will learn about International Suicide Prevention Day which is September 10th. The B class, who are new students for me, will focus on me getting to know their level and a review of phonics.

205(B) Class Rules, Never Have I Ever (Game), Phonics and Parts of Speech Review
Reading: The First Day of School
Dialogue: School Items

October: (Unit 1) Basic Sentence Structure
Topics: 

1. Parts of a Sentence/Punctuation, 
2. Fragments
3. The Verb “to Be"
4. Prepositions (At, On, In)

Writing Output: 

• Write about a country you visited. 
• Write about a personally important place.

November: (Unit 2) Paragraph Basics

Topics:

1. Parts of a Paragraph 
2. Word Order
3. Be+ Adj.
4. Pronouns
5. Possessive Adj.

Writing Output:

• Write about an interesting person you know.
• Describe a hobby or enjoyable activity.

December: (Unit 3) Present Tense

Topics:

1. Simple Present Tense Statements
2. There is/There are
3. Negative Statements
4. Compound Sentences and connecting words
5. A/An

Writing Output: 

• Describe a typical “free day.”

January: (Unit 4) Past Tense

Topics:

1. Verb to Be
2. Regular Verbs
3. Irregular Verbs
4. Time Phrases
5. Negatives
6. Using ‘But’Complex sentences and Time Order

Writing Output:

• Write about an important person
• Describe an event or time from your past.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

February: (Unit 5) The Present Progressive

Topics:

1. Writing From Pictures
2. Compound  Sentences: And + So
3. Complex Sentences
4. Adverbs of Manner

Writing Output:

• Describe an ongoing activity you are doing at the moment.

March: (Unit 6) The Future Tense

Topics:

1. Be going to/ Will
2. Making Predictions
3. Negative Simple Future Tense
4. Articles (review)
5. Sentences and Fragments (review)

Writing Output:

• Describe something you want to do next year.

April/May: (Unit 7) Writing Complex Sentences with Adjective Clauses

1. Why sentence variety matters
2. Adjective Clauses
3. Common Spelling Problems
4. Modals to Add Meaning
5. Review time phrases, fragments, and sentence types

Writing Output:

• Describe something that is important to you.

May/June (Unit 8) Pulling It All Together

1. Parts of a Paragraph Review
2. Verb Tenses Review
3. Using Articles Review
4. Combining Sentences with a Connector
5. Adjective Clauses: Who and That
6. Expressing an opinion
7. More Peer Editing Practice

Writing Output:

• Write about an important invention in history.
• Write about if you support or oppose smoking in public places.
• Write a paragraph that states your opinion

SUMMER BREAK!

Summer School: Human Rights