Subject: English

Grade: 2nd grade of ESO

Materials needed: Computer, Projector, Whiteboard, Internet connection

Technologies used: Youtube.com, Internet, PowerPoint slideshow

Objectives of the lesson plan:
1) To get acquainted with the Vikings' life style, history, and culture.
2) To practice speaking
 

Timing: Two lessons (2 x 55 minutes)

The language assistant's role
On a practical level, my role was to prepare the materials for the lesson and teaching the students about the history, culture, and lifestyle of the Vikings. Also, as they were answering the follow up questions at the end of the lesson, I talked to them one on one to help them practice as well as make sure they were not switching into Spanish. On a more fundamental level, my role was to be an ambassador for Denmark by teaching the students a fundamental part of the history of my country. Since many people associate the Nordic countries with the Vikings yet know very little about them, I believe it's my job to give the students some insight into my cultural heritage.

Cooperation between the teacher and the language assistant
In class, I was in charge of presenting the information about the Vikings and preparing the activities, however, as mentioned before, the teacher did ask follow up questions throughout the lesson and translated certain words to Spanish when necessary, either verbally or by writing them on the board. He would also discipline the students if they were not paying attention. Apart from that, he helped me solving any technical issues that occurred during the lesson. This dynamic worked very well.

Evaluation and meeting the learning objectives
The follow up questions from activity 4 can be used to evaluate the lesson, especially question 1 and 2 since the objective for the students is to repeat what they have learned. These questions are a helpful way for the students to know if they have achieved the learning objectives. Activity 5 can be used for this purpose as well.

Responding to different learning styles and levels
The PowerPoint accommodates to auditive and visual learning styles since it includes lot of pictures and key words as well as a video clip. Activities 3 and 5 accommodate students who need to engage in a creative way in order to learn. During the follow up questions in activity 4, the teacher can help the language assistant pair up the strong students with the weaker ones so that they can help each other.

This project is a little information dense and mostly useful for students from 2nd grade and above, nevertheless, it can be adapted to students of 1st grade by shortening the presentation and including fewer activities, such as only activity 1, 4 and 5. Also, for 1st graders, the video from YouTube might be too graphic.

Please find the links used for this project below or in the PowerPoint presentation.