BLOGGING

Objective: At the end of the activity, students should have:

            - completed the blog post entry for 10 weeks.

            - given comments to other posts.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Language : Writing skill

Skills : How to write a blog entry and to comment on others’ post

Control : Guided

Level : Beginner and Intermediate

Time : 10 weeks

Materials : Laptops, internet connection and blogging platform

Introduction

What is a blog?

A blog is a frequently updated online personal journal or diary. It is a place to express yourself to the world and also a place to share your thoughts and your passions. Blog is a short form for the word weblog and the two words are used interchangeably.

What is blogging?

Blogging is an activity of running and managing a blog. Some people use blog for business, education and some for personal purpose. Blogging can improve your writing skills because as you update your blog you also practice your writing skills.

Preparation

You might want to learn more about blogging. Visit http://startbloggingonline.com/ for more information regarding blogging.

How to Start A Blog Community

1.      Choose a class representative to create the class weblog. Use blogger.com free blog service for this purpose.

2.      He/she will be the admin of the blog. If you are not familiar on how to make a blog, you can refer to http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Blog for more information.

3.      The admin of the blog will invite other students via email to participate as authors for the blog.

4.      The link of the class blog will be given to the lecturer for monitoring purpose

Procedure

General Instructions

1.      You need to write an entry in the class weblog every week for 10 weeks.

2.      Each entry should consist of at least 100 words.

3.      For each weblog entry, you may write about:

a)      your expectations on what you are going to learn in the next class,

b)      your reflections on what you have learnt in class, or

c)      how you spend your weekends.

Things to Remind

1.      Students are forbidden from plagiarizing other students’ work or from other source of information.

2.      Students are advised not to use proper name in their writing to ensure privacy.  

3.      Students are encouraged to use appropriate language in their writing to avoid misunderstanding.

4.      Students are advised to reread their writings before submitting.

Variation 1

a)      Interact with other writers by giving comments and feedbacks on others’ entry.

Variation 2

a)      The best author is awarded to a particular student who receives the most comments from other students.

b)      The best article is awarded to the entry that receives the most comments and feedbacks from other students.

Resources

1.      Tips and tricks for blogging  : http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/100-tips-tricks-professional-bloggers-use-list

2.      What is blog?  : http://blogbasics.com/what-is-a-blog/

3.      Create your own blog : https://www.blogger.com/

4.      Blog in education  :  http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2009/04/blogs-in-education.html

Prepared by:

Mohamad Khairul Anuar b. Abu Bakar

Wan Muhammad b. Wan Abdul Samad   

Writing A Lesson Plan For Mr. G

FINAL EXAM 2:30pm 6 JAN 2015 Venue C15 206

For me, an A+ lesson plan should look like a chapter in a book, perhaps, entitled "Games for Language Learners" or "Fun Activities in English Classes." Here are some tips:

1. The lesson plan should be communicated to a teacher as the audience. Not the students.
2. The objectives of the lesson should be written in complete sentences. Not fragments.
3. The skills the students will practice should be indicated clearly.
4. The lesson plan should be able to guide teachers to execute the game with ease. Unclear instructions will confuse the teachers.
5. Diagrams and sample works by students are helpful in explaining the instructions.
6. A paragraph of introduction and commentary are also needed to orientate the reader with the lesson.

Suggested Headings in a Lesson Plan

1. Introduction
2. Objectives
3. Skills
4. Level
5. Duration
6. Materials
7. Preparation
8. Procedure
9. Rules
10. Variations
11. Comment

Take time to read these lesson plans (search in this blog). They are good lesson plans.

1. Win. Lose, or Draw prepared by Cheang Ai Nee and Fatin Nur Alia Mohd Sazali
2. King of Comedy prepared by Tan Yuan Yi and Teh Peng Chuan
3. Blogging prepared by Mohamad Khairul Anuar Abu Bakar and Wan Muhammad Wan Abdul Samad

Language Camp C : Scream the Message!

SCREAM THE MESSAGE

Objectives:

1.      To encourage students to speak louder

2.      To challenge the students’ memory

3.      To promote teamwork among the students

Language Skills:

1.      Speaking skills

2.      Listening skills

3.      Reading skills

Level: Intermediate

Duration: 20 minutes

Materials: Paper strips

Procedures:

Briefing (3 minutes)

1.      Students are divided into groups of 4 or 5 (if bigger, not more than 10 per group)

2.      The teacher introduces the game “Scream the Message” to the students.

3.      Students are needed to sit in rows according to groups and number themselves in their own group. The person sitting in front is number one.

4.      The teacher explain the rules to the students:

a.       Student number one will have to take 20 steps forward.

b.      Student number two will take 10 steps forward.

c.       The rest of the group mates will take 5 steps backwards.

d.      Teacher gives student number one a strip of paper. Students are not allowed to look into it unless told so.

e.       Student number one will be given 15 seconds to memorise the message in the strip paper given.

f.       After the 15 second end, the students will have to throw the paper away.

g.      The teacher will blow the whistle and student number one will start shouting the message to student number two in 20 seconds.

h.      When the 20 seconds end, the teacher will blow the whistle and student number one will have to stop shouting and take 10 steps backwards and sit facing the other way.

i.        Student number two will then take the place of student number one. Student number three will take the place of student number two.

j.        This time, student number two will shout the message he/she has gotten from student number one.

k.      Once the whistle is blown, student number two will shout the message to student number three.

l.        This continues until the last student gets the message.

Demonstrate (1 minute)

1.      The teacher demonstrates the game by demonstrating the positions and shouting the message.

Playing the Game (15 minutes)

1.      The students will start the game in groups.

2.      At the end of the game, the last student will shout the message he/she has gotten.  

Debriefing (5 minutes)

1.      The teacher asks the students on what they have learnt from the game.

Variations:

1.      The students can have more than one go on shouting the message.

2.      The message can be song lyrics.

Prepared by, 

Amira Syafiqah Ameruddin

‘Alyaa Razali

Nur Ashikin Abdul Gani

MESSAGE ON BACK

MESSAGE ON BACK

1.                   1.  Objectives:

a)  To encourage students to be more alert in delivering information or message
b)To teach students in identifying compound words 

2. Level: Intermediate to high

3. Language skill:

  a)    Focus 
  b)    Vocabulary (compound noun)

4. Duration: 10 minutes

5. Materials:

a) Paper and pencil

6.  Procedure:

            a) Briefing:

A.      Facilitator divides students into several groups.

B.      Each student needs to make one line and there’s a gap between each member of the group.

C.      The last student will be given one word on complex noun.

D.     Within the given time, the last person needs to transfer the message either by draw or write the message on friends’ back.

E.      Students are not allowed to speak or make any noise while playing the game. 

F.       The next person needs to pass the message till the end of the line.

G.     The last person needs to transfer the message on a piece of paper.

H.     The facilitator needs to recheck the message with the original answer.

b)      Demo

A.      Facilitators explain the instructions to all groups.

B.      Facilitators will show demo to all students

c)      Playing the game

A.      1 minute will be given for each student to deliver the message

d)      Debriefing

A.      Facilitator need asks for students’ feedback about the game they played.

_________________________________________________________________________________

STATEMENT

1.    Objectives:

a)   To bring out students’ creativity in constructing statement according to situation given by facilitator

2. Level: Intermediate to high

3. Language skill:

  a)    Speaking skill

  b)    Giving statement

4. Duration: 30 minutes

5.  Procedure:

            a) Briefing:

a. Facilitator divides students into several groups.

b. Facilitator gives situation. First pair is from different group respectively and they need to compete with each other, giving statement according to the situation given.

c. Any group that does not have any member to continue the competition win.

b)      Demo

A.      Facilitators explain the instructions to all groups.

B.      Facilitators will show demo to all students

c)      Playing the game

a.      There will be 2 sections with 4 groups. In the end, only one group from each section will compete in final round.

d)      Debriefing

a.      Facilitator need asks for students’ feedback about the game they played.

 Group members:

  Nurul Shuhada Bt Azman

  Norain Diyana Bt Mohd Nasir

  Ekma Syuhada Bt Abdul Rashid

  Nurul Alia Bt Azahar

  Noor Hafifah Bt Nordin

  Nur Amira Bt Mustafar

TEH PENG CHUAN- Reflection AFTER language game class.

     For me personally, the biggest difficulties I experienced when conducting language game class was to attract the attention of the students. Some of the students may have low interest in learning English. To motivate them to learn, I need to create an authentic learning atmosphere for them to use English in the most relaxed manner. As a whole, I think language game is an effective way of indulging students and language lesson. I learn a lot from this course and hoped to apply it later on when I go for my posting 

Language Camp C: Truth Or Lie

Game Title:

Truth or Lie

Game Type:

Questioning Game

Objectives:

1)      To enable students to apply their understanding in questioning skill.

2)      To enable students to have fast response with the correct guessing whether the performers are telling the truth or lying by the tips given when they ask them questions.

Rules:

1)      Students should be aware about what the other group members (Performers) performed.

2)      The students need to guess whether the Performers are telling the truth or lying by asking them questions.

Group Size:

 46 students divided into 4 groups (11/12 members each)

Language Skills:

a)      Questioning (Wh- Questions etc)

Preparation:

There is not much preparation needed. Teacher must be clear with students’ level of proficiency and motives in learning.

Level:

High and Intermediate

Procedure:

1)        Facilitator explains the rules of the game by giving a brief demonstration.

2)        Students are divided into four groups (11/12 members).

3)        Each group of students is required to write down 6 different questions.

4)        Students are asked to draw lots for deciding the 4 students (each per group) as the “Performer” of their group.

5)        The performer from the 1^stgroup is asked to pick one of the questions set by the students.

6)        That particular student decides whether he or she should be telling the truth or lie based on own experience with the question he or she picked as the student must answer “Yes, I have.” for that particular question chosen.

7)        Facilitator reads out loud the question chosen and the student must answer “Yes, I have.” as a reply.

8)        Students from other groups are given chance to question the Performer one by one (everyone has chance), as the members same group with the performer are forbited to ask questions.

9)        Students from other group have to guess whether that particular student is telling the truth or lying through the information gave by the students during the questioning session.

10)    Student who knows the answer raises his or her hand and given chance to speak up his or her opinion.

11)    The interrogated student (Performer) announces whether he or she is telling truth or lying.

12)    10 marks will be given to the group if the student guesses the correct answer whereas 5 marks will be deducted for that group if the student guesses wrongly. 

13)    Method 5) till 12) are repeated by exchange the 2^nd group performer.

14)    Method 5) till 12) are repeated by exchange the 3^rd group performer.

15)    Method 5) till 12) are repeated by exchange the 4^th group performer.

16)    Method (4) till 15) are repeated for the second round.

17)    Facilitator counts the marks based on students performances and announce the winner of the game.

18)    Facilitator reinforces the students’ confidence and participation by praising “Good Job” and the students are asked to give themselves claps as an encouragement.

Duration:

20 minutes

Variation:

The communicative skill is limited to questioning and answering questions only.

Materials:

1.          Paper sheets

2.          Pencil

Comments:

            This is a simple game that can help in hyping up the students’ learning. It is suitable to be used to enhance students’ interest in learning English in order to give the concept of learning English is fun. Moreover, it is also suitable acts as an output game for the students to test and examine students’ understanding in Questiong (Wh- Question) after the teacher gives out the input. However, there is less new input for the students throughout this game but the students are able to experience how and the techniques use in Questioning as this acts as one of the most important communication skill.

Prepared by:

Alison Chin Vui Tze

Kew Si Na

Stephanie Young Siew Ling

Tan Yuan Yi