TESOL Certificate Programs

Observation Notebook

Observation Report Form

Name of Observer SHIMENG CHEN Observation # ____4____

Date Observation Class Skill/Content Level Teacher
Environment*
02/03/201 Onsite Grammar Count/Noncoun 331 Karen Lindwall
6 t Nouns

*Include the URL if the class was online

WRITE THE OBJECTIVES ACCORDING TO THE OBSERVATION GUIDELINES:

Students will be able to identify the differences among too much, too many and enough
with 100% accuracy.
Students will be able to distinguish noncount nouns with measurement words, including
containers, portions, measurements, and shapes with 100% accuracy.
Students will be able to fill in the blanks with correct units of measure in different context
with 100% accuracy.

Notes while observing:

11:00 Class began.
T said, We are gonna to review what we did yesterday about measurements, and then we
will start Unit 8. Ok, so you had your quiz. Not bad. Pretty good. Now also you know
what you need to study if you didnt get 100%. You know why. If I wrote this [T wrote a
sign OTB], that means you got wrong because it was an uncount noun. This was a quiz
about uncount nouns. Ok, lets go over page 89. Check your answers with your partner
and then we check together.
11:02 T said, Ok, the first one is about much and many. We talk about count and
noncount. So No.1, what is the noun? [Ss answered, computer] No. [Ss answered,
experts] Yes, experts. Everybody circle experts. Security experts tells me what kind
of experts. Computer security experts tells me what kind of security experts. So we talk
about experts. Is that count or noncount? [Ss answered, count] Yes, count, so I must
choose many. No.2 whats the noun? [Ss answered, websites] Go ahead, circle
websites. So is that count or noncount? [Ss answered, count] Count. So the answer
is? [Ss answered, a lot of] Good job. T checked all answers. [See Figure 1]
11:05 T said, Any questions there? Ok, so the next thing we are going to do is going to
talk about too. [T wrote too OTB] What does too mean? [Ss answered] Ok, so this is
my limit. This is my maximum. [T drew a line OTB] Do you understand maximum? [Ss
answered, Yes] Thats the top, right? Is too under the line here? Does too go here? Is
it limited? [Ss answered, No] No, does it go under the line? [Ss answered, No]
Where does it go? [Ss answered, above] Above, so too is here. Ok, we can say too

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Observation Notebook
many or too much. We can use too with count nouns or uncount nouns. [See Figure
2]
11:8 T said, Now I wanna go to talk about enough. Is it over the limit? Is it on the
limit? Or is it under? [Ss answered, on] It is on the limit. I am gonna use a different
pen. Enough means here. Ok, let me give you an example. You tell me too or
enough. I dont have my wallet, and I dont have my lunch. Too or enough? Do I
have money? [Ss answered] So I have not enough. Here. [T pointed at board] Do I have
what I need? [Ss answered, no] No, this is ok. [T pointed at board] Is it ok for me to
buy a lunch? [Ss answered, no] No. Then I go through my pockets in my jacket and
my desk, and I ask a friend for one dollar, so now I have 7 dollars. Do I have money? [Ss
answered, yes] Yes. Which one? [Ss answered, enough] Enough. Good. But my
friend gives me 3 more dollars. I have too much for 7 dollar lunch. Great. Let me give
you another idea. T gave other examples. [See Figure 2]
11: 13 T said, To go from Riverside to Las Vegas, how many hours by car? [Ss
answered, three hours] Oh, you are professional. Ok, I want you to make two
sentences. I am going to give you some words. Using these three words. [T wrote OTB]
Ok, talk with your partner and make two sentences about gas. You are going to use too,
enough or not enough to make sentences.
11:18 T said, Ok, anybody can give me a sentence? [Ss answered] Ok, 5 liters of gas is
not enough to get me to Las Vegas. Good job.
11:19 T said, Ok, we are going to talk about one hour. Can I see a movie in one hour?
No. Can I read a paper? Yes. Two spoons of sugar. Can I make a cup of tea? Can I make
a cake? Ok, talk with your partner and make sentences.
11:21 [Ss was talking.] T found some Ss using wrong form, and said, Start with this: I
have ___.
11:23 T said, Ok, lets start. XXX, you give me the first sentence. [Ss answered, I
have enough time to watch a movie.] In one hour? You have enough time? [Ss
answered, No no.] Ok, so try again. I? [Ss answered, I dont have enough time to
watch a movie.] Good. XXX, No.2. T called Ss to make all sentences.
11:27 T said, Good job. Ok, lets go back to page 89. At the bottom, we work with too
much, too many or enough plus a noun. So, No.1: too much time. No.2: she didnt
spend? [Ss answered, enough time] Good, enough time. No.3? T checked all answers.
[See Figure 3]
11:29 T said, Any question here? No? Ok, we are going to have a little quiz: Find
whats wrong. [T sent the handout] We did this before: Find the mistake and fix it. No.1,
where is the mistake? Lets look. There are two nouns. [Ss answered, password and
accounts] Password. How many? [Ss answered, one] Accounts. How many? [Ss
answered] So, I dont have any Any is that one or many? [Ss answered, many] Oh,
so whats gonna change? [Ss answered, passwords] Passwords. Ok, go ahead. Do
No.2-7 with your partner. [See Figure 4]
11:31 T said, So we know that No.1 is any passwords. No.2: After I quit, I must
shred some? [Ss answered] document is count or uncount? [Ss answered, count] How
many? [Ss answered, many] So? [Ss answered, documents] Great. Some important
documents. T gave other extra examples to distinguish count nouns and noncount nouns,
and checked all answers.

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Observation Notebook
11:35 T said, Good job. I want to teach you one more thing. Lets look here (board). I
have ___ water. Is water count or nonount? [Ss answered, nonount] It is nonount.
Good job. I have ___ paper. Is paper count or nonount? In this sentence. [Ss answered,
nonount] Nonount. Ok, with your partner, make them count. Change the sentence and
make them count.
11:37 T said, Ok, so how do you make them count? [Ss answered, I have two cups of
water.] Anything else you can say? [Ss answered, I have two bottles of water.] Does
somebody can give me a sentence with a[Ss answered, I have a glass of water]
Good job. Ok, so what these three words here? First, how many? [Ss answered, two,
two, one] Then we say what container. [T gave examples by pointing a real bottle and
other containers] We can count water if it is in a container. So we can magically turn
noncount nouns into count nouns if we show what container and how much that
container. T presented I have ___ paper in the same way.
11:41 T said, Look at page 88 in your book. You have containers, portions,
measurements and shapes. Take a look at that quickly, and if any words you dont
understand, please let me know. [Ss asked some words] [See Figure 5]
11:42 T said, So we will go to next page. Think about is it a container, a portion, a
measurement or a shape. Tell me which one. No.1, a piece of ? [Ss answered, cake] A
piece of cake. What is that? A container, a portion, a measurement or a shape? [Ss
answered, a container] What is a container mean? [T explained what is a container,
what is a portion, what is a measurement, what is a shape, by using examples] Ok, No.1:
a piece of cake, what is it? [Ss answered, a portion] A portion. T checked all answers
with Ss. [See Figure 6]
11:44 T said, Ok, we are going to do more exercises. [T sent the handout] There is a
box at the top. Take the words from the top. The first one we have bag, bottle, box, can
and jar. When you go to the store, what you will buy. Do you know what jar is? [T
explained by showing a real jar] Everybody understand jar? Ok, No.1 is a can or a jar of
olives. No.2 is a box of crackers. No.3 is? [Ss answered, a bottle] A bottle or? [Ss
answered, a can] Good job. No.4 is ? T checked all answers with Ss. [See Figure 7]
11:46 T said, Ok, finish Prat 2 with your partner. [See Figure 8]
11:47 T said, So No.13 is? T called Ss to give answers.
11:48 T said, Good job. Lets move to next page. Finish Part 3 with your partner. [See
Figure 9]
11:49 T said, XXX, No.21. [Ss answered] Good. No.22 is? T checked all answers
with Ss in a same way.
11:50 T said, Good job, class. T assigned homework.
Class dismissed.

What did you learn about teaching or learning from this lesson as it relates to the
theory you have studied in your TESOL classes? Include at least one reference (with
an in-text citation) to support your response. (250-500 words)
In this observation, I focused on 8 steps, according to grammar recipe, to teach
grammar: present the pattern in context, comprehension check, identify the pattern,
formal explanation, mechanical exercise, functional explanation, meaningful exercise,

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Observation Notebook
and communicative exercise; however, since it was one of classes aimed to teach count
nouns and nonount nouns, the teacher just presented several steps.
At beginning, the teacher reviewed what they leant yesterday, and checked the
answers of their homework. During this period, the teacher spent a lot time explaining the
differences among too much, too many and enough, which she told me after class that it
was not on the lesson plan but many students made mistakes, such as enough sugar and
sugar enough. For this reason, the teacher made a mini-lesson to let students have a
good comprehension. Later, the teacher started to present main content.
The teacher just wrote two sentences on the board, and figured out how to change
noncount nouns into count nouns without comprehension check, which combined first
four steps together. Even though the teacher didnt follow the steps completely on the
recipe, I think she showed a clear explanation about the pattern by using question and
answer drill. The next step the teacher did was functional explanation. When students
were supposed to make sentences in order to change nonount nouns to count nouns, the
teacher made a comparison among two piece of paper, a piece paper, a piece from paper,
and a piece of paper. The teacher told students that when you use a, you should say a
piece of paper; if you want to use two, you should say two pieces of paper, and you
cannot use from or about due to of is the only correct one in the form of a piece
of. Then the teacher let students do some mechanical exercises which changed the order
to teach grammar based on recipe, and meaningful exercises. Due to lacking of
communicative exercise, I asked the teacher after class, and she said they would do
communicative exercise in next class. (Paulston & Bruder, 1976)
From this grammar class I observed, I know better about the steps to teach a
grammar class, and, specifically, I learnt how to present functional explanation which I
was not sure before. Furthermore, the mili-lesson about too and enough showed me
that if I meet some important points that were not included in lesson plan, I still need to
teach students even I didnt prepare before.

Paulston, C. B., & Bruder, M. N. (1976). Teaching English as a Second Language:

Techniques and Procedures. Winthrop publishers, Inc. Cambridge, Massachusetts
02138.

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Observation Notebook

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 3

Figure 4

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Figure 5

Figure 6

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Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

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