“Example of differentiation in EAL class”

Teaching English language to EAL students is not an easy issue when you should deal with students with different needs, learning styles, cultural backgrounds and level of English. Due to there are beginners, intermediate and advanced students, you as a teacher should spend more time organizing and planning how the differentiation process will carry out during the lesson; so all the pupils in your class will be encourage to participate and learn, no matter what level of English they have. 

When planning every single lesson, you should take in to account those issues

This is a lesson planning that shows how EAL teachers can differentiate the activities when having students with different English level in class.  

Session title

Healthy habits: Working with a song.

Aim	Decode sounds (th) and (s) Reinforce vocabulary Get new words related to the topic Give opinions about health problems and healthy habits Design a poster in groups of 4.

Learning objectives

Main learning objectives: Give opinions about health problems and healthy habits mentioned through the song. Analyze the song in order to answer some comprehension questions. Additional Learning Objectives: Work independently, in pairs and in groups of 4 students.       Reinforce prior learning of the body parts

 Plan

Time	Activity	Content	Materials	Resources	Differentiation
approx. 2 minutes	Warming up	Greet the students Making a review about what students have been learning through the Unit. -       Part of the body -       Health problems	The board The marker		Open questions
approx. 3 minutes	Match activity (individual work)	Task1: Match activity (based on a group of some difficult words). Teacher will check the activity orally.	Lap top Projector Power Point		The teacher provides a group of words through a Match activity, for checking if the students already know the meaning of some difficult words mentioned in the song.
approx. 5 minutes	Direct teaching activity (working individual)	Task2: Understanding activities only by listening to the song. (Differentiation presented) The students will listen to the song in order to get a general understanding of it. Then, in order to achieve some tasks, they will only listen to a fragment of a song. Beginners: Ø  Identify the health problems you hear through the song. Intermediates: Ø  Copy the health problems you hear through the song. Advanced students: Ø  Complete the following sentences taken from the song. The teacher walks around the class checking the students’ answers.	Extra piece of paper with the tasks according to the level of each student.
approx. 5 minutes	Direct teaching activity (working in pairs)	Task3: Expressing opinions about the content of the song. The students will listen to the song again without watching any images. Then, they will interact in pairs giving their own opinion about its content. The teacher checks the activity orally. Teacher: So, we can state that the song is about health problems and healthy habits.	Lap top Projector Power Point DVD Squibs by Ignite Learning. Science multimedia for growing brains Board Markers
approx. 10 minutes	Direct Teaching Activity  (working individual)	Task5: Agree or disagree? Analyze the suggestion given by the author in the first part of the song.  “Washing your hands kills pathogens, so I think one good defence begins at the sink!” Decoding sounds: th / s (Saying words with those sounds) The students will listen to the song, but this time, they will watch the images and also will read the lyrics. They will explain in their notebooks if they agree or disagree with that suggestion.	Lap top Projector Power Point DVD Squibs by Ignite Learning. Science multimedia for growing brains Jolly Phonics Method
approx. 15 minutes	Direct Teaching Activity  (working in group)	Task6: A question for discussion. What could happen if we don’t keep daily healthy habits like washing our hands? Students answer that question orally. Teacher asks: Do you know any other healthy habit?                       The students will work in group of 4, discussing about this issue orally and they will start designing a poster based on those ideas. They will be working on a poster until Wednesday afternoon when they should present it in class. These are some examples of healthy habits. (The teacher will give some time to students to think about the topic and write their own ideas, if any one needs some help, then, she will present the information below through a power point) -       Wash your hands before eating -       Eat healthy food -       Practice sports -       Don’t listen to very loud music -       Don’t put your hands inside your mouth -       Brush daily your teeth -       Wash all vegetables and fruits -       Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing -       Drink plenty of water or any natural juice -       Get plenty of sleep	Colored card board Markers (fine and broad tip) Scissors Solid or white glue Glitter Power Point (if the students need it as a support)		In each group of 4 students, there will be beginner, intermediate and  advanced students working all together.
approx. 5 minutes	Conclusion	At the end of the lesson, each student will be provided with a Self Assessment sheet in order to reflect on what they learned during the lesson and their participation in class.		Self Assessment sheet about the lesson

Activities:

Task: 1

     Match column A with column B

                A                                                                                    B

1. vector                                                      a. anti-bacterial medication
2. dangerous                                               b. harmful
3. pathogen                                                 c. at risk
4. antibiotic                                                  d. extend                       
5. at stake                                                    e. a specific cause of disease  as a bacterium or virus

   6.   spread                                                      f. an organism that spreads  infection from 

                                                                             one person to another one. (Ex. Mosquito)

                             

                                                                                        

Task 2:

Understanding Activities only by listening to the song. (Differentiation presented)

(Beginner students)

1.    Identify the health problems you hear through the song. 

      

a)    backache

 

b)    earache

c)    cold  

d)    dengue

e)    flu 

(Intermediate students)

1.    Copy the health problems you hear through the song.

a)    ______________________

            b)_______________________

(Advanced students)

1.    Complete the following sentences taken from the song.

a)    They attack the ____________ cells that are inside of us.

b)    The ____________ ____________ is a virus, and so is _______ ________.

c)    But they _____________ be___________ with an ___________, that’s true.