TLE 2

Janet Person
University of Southern California
EDUC 540A: Practicum in Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Languages
March 17, 2015
Dr. Janis Margolis

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Classroom Setting and Background

Teacher: Janet Person

Host Teacher: Kendall Nelson
Lesson Title: Can you modal a verb for me?
Topic: Modal verb: possibility and necessity
Learner Level: Level 2 Beginning Conversation
Age: 19-24, 1 student is in her 40s
Location: American English College, Monterey Park, California.
Number of Students: 7
Date: March 4, 2015
Duration: 30 minute
Theoretical Basis
The foundation behind this lesson plan is fashioned according to the social cognitive
theory, a theoretical perspective in which learning by observing others is the focus of study.
Social cognitive theory is grounded by several basic assumptions: model; goal directed behavior;
and self-regulation, which are some key components to this lesson plan. The teacher will model
for students the concept and process of using modal verbs in sentences. Studentswillbeableto
practicehowtorecognizeandusethedifferentformsofmodalsinthepresentandpasttenses.
Additionally,theywillbeenabledtousemodalscorrectly.This lesson plan also adopts the
constructivist view that learners are active creators of their own knowledge, as opposed to having
students process and reprocess given information without being able to personalize the outcome.

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It is important for both teachers and students to collaborate in order to build new ideas and
knowledge and insure a greater understanding of the concepts, as well as a more comprehensible
end product. Also, the use of scaffolding techniques, in which assistance is given and than
gradually removed, will be implemented by the teacher within this lesson plan (Ormrod, 2010).
Learning Outcome
By the end of the lesson, learners will be able to differentiate among various modals, use
different modal verbs, and be able to frame sentences using modals.
Lesson Activities
LessonPlanWednesday3/4
Warmup:GrammarReview
Teacherbeginsbywalkingaroundtheroomusingsentenceswithmodalverbs:

Pan,Anniecandrivearacecar?

Wemightgoseeherdrive.

Ruth,shallwegoforicecream?

WeshouldtakethePanscar.

Teachersaystotheclass:thesearesentencesthathavemodalverbsinthem
ModalIntroduction:
Teacherintroducesmodalsandpassesoutsheetwithdefinitions(Appendix1)
Teacherwritesadefinitionontheboard(e.g.,can=possibility)
(10mins)
ClassExercise:
Teacherholdsupacanandabagofcoins(chocolate)

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Teacherexplains:wearegoingtoplayagame:Iwillstartbyaskingyouaquestionusingone
ofthemodalverbsforpossibilityornecessity.Youmustgivemearesponseusingasimilar
phrase.Whoevercomesupwithasentenceorphrase,getsacoin.
Teacherscaffoldsasnecessary
Studentssayaphraseorsentenceandpassthecanontoanotherstudent.
(10mins)
GroupExercise:
Studentsareplacedingroupsandgivenasheetwithsentencesandmodalverbs(Graphic
Organizer)
Eachgrouphastocomeupwithsentences,oncecomplete,theyrushtowritetheirsentenceson
theboard;firstgrouptowriteallcorrectsentenceswins.
(10mins)
Materials:Handoutsandgraphicorganizer,canandbagofchocolatecoins
Assessment
Formativeassessmentofthislessonplanistoenablestudentstodifferentiate among
various modals, and be able to frame sentences using modals. Moreover,thecollaborative
natureofthelessonplanpromptsstudentstoactinacooperativewayinordertobuild
participationofmoreclassroominteraction.Also,thestudentsaregivenaGraphicOrganizer,
whichwilltesttheirunderstandingoftheobjectiveofsentenceorganizationusingtheproper
modalverbs.

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Extension Activities
This is a post-lesson to the students grammar assignments. Students will also use this
product to study in future class lessons. The lesson was intended to help students, of beginning
ESL basic conversation level 2, connect with modals on a fundamental level: text-to-text,
examples in handouts; text to self, personal stories; and self to the worldreal life examples.
The students have been learning basic conversational skills, and this lesson reinforces the various
sub-skills that the students have already acquired relating to reading, writing, listening and
speaking. Also, the teacher will encourage and initiate interaction among the students. A simple,
yet important way to initiate more interaction among the students is a gradual release of
responsibility. In other words, gradually enabling the students from a role of total dependence to
a role of relative dependence. Therefore, implementing more group activities into the lesson.
This allows for students to develop their independence, and it encourages them to participate in
more classroom interaction (Brown, 2007).

Differentiation
By the end of the lesson, learners various sub-skills relating to reading, writing, listening
and speaking will be reinforced using creative activities. More importantly, the alternative
medium, such as the graphic organizer, allows students to be creative in writing sentences using
modals by themselves. Students will learn how to recognize and use different forms of may, can,
will and shall in present and past tense. The activities are designed to assist student with their
basic cognitive process the process involved in obtaining and storing knowledge while also using
a deductive approach to instruction.

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References
Brown,H.D.(2007).Chapter13:Initiatinginteractionintheclassroom.InTeachingby
Principles:Aninteractiveapproachtolanguagepedagogy(3rded.,pp.211222).
NewYork:PearsonLongman.
Brown,D.&Abeywickrama,P.(2010).LanguageAssessmentPrinciplesandClassroom
Practice.(2ndedition).PearsonLongman,NY.
Ormrod, J. E, (2010) Chapter 10, from Educational Psychology: Developing Learners
(7th ed.). Pearson. Pgs. 323-352.

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Appendix1
Definitions
Somecommondefinitionsofthemodalverbsare:

canability,permission,possibility,request

couldability,permission,possibility,request,suggestion

maypermission,probability,request

mightpossibility,probability,suggestion

mustconclude,necessity,obligation

shalldecision,future,offer,question,suggestion

shouldadvice,necessity,predictionorforecast,recommendation

willdecision,future,intention,offer,prediction,promise,suggestion

wouldconditional,habit,invitation,permission,preference,request,question,
suggestion

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9
Appendix 2