Fantasy Island - 1 Qayyim

A listening-speaking lesson with 1 Qayyim yesterday. I am so proud of them! Each and everyone of them tried their best to use English in their presentations. Well-done to all and this won't be the last lesson of course. We will have more exciting ones in the future :)

1 Qayyim in action...

Winners as adjudged by their peers:


1. First Place: Cikus
2. Runner-up : Mangosteens
3. Third          : Papayas


Here's the lesson plan in case you want to try it out.

Title: Fantasy Island
Class: Form 1
Duration: Two double-periods (you may need less with older pupils)
Skills:  Listening, speaking, agreeing and disagreeing, writing, presentation skills
Preparations:    1. mahjong papers
                        2. marker pens
                        3. masking tape
                        4. ss colour pencils

Procedures:

1. Teacher explains the task for the day and ss roles.
2. Divide ss into groups of four. ( I used names of fruits and one ss earnestly asked.."Teacher, must we introduce ourselves with the name of the fruit?" Hehehe..)
3. Get one student from each group to get a mahjong paper and marker pens from the teacher.
4. In groups ss draw their fantasy island and what they would like on the island. (I had to give them a double-period as they needed more time.)
5. In the next period, get two students to present their island. (Other ss in the group will get the chance to present and practice their English in the next lesson).
6. Allow the others to ask a few questions based on the presentations.
7. Peer-evaluation and votes tallied to find the best three.



My thoughts on the lesson:

1. Classroom management-  something I can improve upon. ss were used to group work but discipline was lacking. I had to remind them not to drag but carry their chairs and to sit in a circle facing their friends.
2. What can I do with the passive ones? Some were very quiet and did not make any effort to speak the language. But am so proud of Iffah...she really tried her best and it wasn't a bad presentation. She was well-prepared. Fikri and Zamri too deserve praise for their efforts. Perhaps the fear of using English was still strong.
3. Creativity and imagination- There were two groups that (almost) convinced me the volcano on their islands would spew strawberry ice-cream and chocolates!! Oh my!!! Whatever would they think of next :) I love their creative pieces.
4. Confidence- I think I raised their confidence level to use English today and this is surely something positive. A lot more has to be done before they can take off on their own confidently.
5. Potential? A lot! I must tap into that potential...that's for sure.


I rewarded the winners with Van Houten chocolates, eclairs and wafer chocs today and they were ecstatic!

Did we have fun? Yesss!!!

The Thinking Teacher