How I plan a sample lesson

3/31/2015

In 90 minutes I'll have a group of 8 Five year olds and their moms come over for a sample lesson.

Basically everyone has decided already to join~but that doesn't take the pressure away.

Sample lessons are important: atmosphere, my voice, the lesson plan~ well, I always care about these more than 100%, still for a sample lesson it is even more.

So, I got everything ready~
TPR warm up
What's your name (with a silly quiz, using famous dolls to make the kids laugh a lot)
And a very quick Superhero in the end.

30 minutes~ just enough to want more!

The kids can choose a sticker for their brand-new passport, and then they can play on their own with a huge box of Kapla blocks, while I talk to the moms.

It can be amazing, what kind of questions come up here~but I must say meanwhile I am getting good at this.

When and how do you hold your sample classes?
What do you care about most?

OK, I should sit back and relax for the biggest smile in a while~ and then:
I'll be off on a holiday to the sweet and beautiful Ishigaki Island.
I can't believe to not have to freeze for a few days!

2 コメント

Dacha

4/1/2015 06:46:24 am

Hello Margit,
first of all- have a great vacation!
I haven't done that many demo lessons yet- but lately I've been doing a workshop in a local kindergaten. I've had 3 sessions of about 30 minutes each and the idea was to acquaint kids with learning english. They also made lapbooks with their teachers. Anyhow the format is similar and I've also used " Superhero" and "What's your name?". The superhero theme tied together all of 3 sessions. I've found that I really need to plan these sessions (even more so than my regular lessons)- up to transitions. Even though I can improvise later... I'm wondering what do you mean by preparing your voice and the atmosphere? What kind are you aiming to achieve with these?
Thank you
Dacha

返信

Margit

4/5/2015 01:43:18 pm

Hi Dacha,

thanks a lot~I'm back (Yes! Japanese vacations are short~still wonderful!)

>>atmosphere, voice, ...

I often teach classes "for the first time", about once a month there is at least one class of kids who meet me for the first time, BUT this is at public school, so: about 30 kids all different needs and interests;
here I have to use all those tricks I have learned from Richard to motivate, get attention, make them use their voice, etc. Usually I have to be pretty high tension and I have to use a big voice in these first classes here.

But I cannot go into my own school's sample classes with this same tension, I need to care that I use silence and a quiet still lively voice.
This is hard for me as unfortunately from nature I am rather loud.

Well, and as I use many dolls in these sessions, with one goal of making them love and happy, I have to practice to change my voice from character to character. I can't talk like Mickey or Stitch, but at least I can change between some weird funny voices~still, only if I've practiced. This makes them laugh and laughing releases anxiety and tension!

Also, usually I have kids for a sample class who all know each other; in this case it is easy as they create the atmosphere themselves.
Once though I had a class with kids from all over, and they were all anxious as were their moms who were observing.
As a result, only 40% of them signed up (usually I have 100%).

The class I blogged about was very mixed again, so I made sure that they didn't have to intertwine too much, no loosing just winning for everyone, a lot of talk with each of them and some dolls, so they didn't have to be afraid.

Hope this helps.

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