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ENITROES

Module 3 - Teachers' self-assessment

Table of Contents

Unit 4: Planning a CLIL lesson / unit

Planning is indeed a crucial aspect of preparing a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) lesson. For an effective CLIL lesson you need to first take into consideration some aspects that are essential for a good development of the lesson regardless of the model plan choses.

Which of the following would you consider a stage in the preliminary acts which focus on different aspects of the task design process? Re-arrange them in the natural order:

  • Drafting of tasks for CLIL pupils in order to promote language acquisition and content comprehension simultaneously
  • Selection of written texts, audios, videos that are relevant to the content being taught
  • Organization of facts through diagrams or frameworks to facilitate comprehension and help pupils grasp the key information or concepts presented in the text
  • Organization of facts through diagrams or frameworks to facilitate comprehension and help pupils grasp the key information or concepts presented in the text
  • Adjustment of activities and categorization of communicative functions so that they are suitable for recognizing and understanding the vocabulary used in the text

Answers and points to keep in mind:

  1. Selection of written texts, audios, videos that are relevant to the content being taught
  2. Organization of facts through diagrams or frameworks to facilitate comprehension and help pupils grasp the key information or concepts presented in the text
  3. Adjustment of activities and categorization of communicative functions so that they are suitable for recognizing and understanding the vocabulary used in the text
  4. Drafting of tasks for CLIL pupils in order to promote language acquisition and content comprehension simultaneously

This four-stage framework provides a systematic approach to designing tasks for CLIL pupils, ensuring that the selected text, and activities effectively support language development and content learning.

To plan an effective CLIL lesson, you need to follow some steps.

Re-arrange the following in the order in which they should occur.

  • Outline the Structure
  • Define language objectives
  • Assess learning
  • Reflect and evaluate
  • Select appropriate materials
  • Identify the Content
  • Integrate skills
  • Provide extension activities
  • Differentiate instruction
  • Plan language support

Answers and point to keep in mind:

  1. Identify the Content: Determine the specific content or subject you want to teach in the lesson. This could be a science topic, a historical event, or any other subject area.
  1. Define Language Objectives: Clearly outline the language objectives you want your pupils to achieve during the lesson. Consider the vocabulary, grammar structures, and language functions relevant to the content.
  2. Select Appropriate Materials: Gather or create materials that support the content and language objectives. These may include textbooks, articles, videos, interactive activities, or real-world objects.
  3. Outline the Structure: Divide your lesson into sections such as warm-up, introduction, content development, language practice, and conclusion. This provides a clear structure and flow to the lesson.
  4. Plan Language Support: Determine the language support strategies you will employ to help pupils understand and use the target language. This can include pre-teaching vocabulary, providing visual aids, or scaffolding language tasks.
  5. Integrate Skills: Incorporate activities that promote the development of all language skills—listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Design tasks that allow pupils to interact with the content using language.
  6. Differentiate Instruction: Consider the diverse needs and abilities of your pupils. Provide opportunities for both lower-level and higher-level language learners to engage meaningfully with the content.
  7. Assess Learning: Plan formative assessment tasks throughout the lesson to gauge pupils' understanding of the content and language. This can be done through quizzes, discussions, group work, or individual assignments.
  8. Provide Extension Activities: Prepare extension activities that allow pupils to delve deeper into the content or apply their language skills in a more challenging context. This caters to the needs of advanced learners and encourages critical thinking.
  9. Reflect and Evaluate: After implementing the lesson, reflect on its effectiveness and make notes for improvement. Consider pupils' engagement, language development, and understanding of the content.

Remember, flexibility is key when executing CLIL lesson plans. Be prepared to adapt and modify your plan based on pupils' needs and responses during the lesson.

Study the following lesson plan models and consider how they fit into the CLIL pattern:

Lesson Plan models