Teaching Portfolio

Early literacy · Ages 5–8 · Pre-A1 to A1 · 35 minutes

1. Lesson Overview

• Topic: Letters and first sounds

• Learners and context: Young learners aged 5–8 in Vietnam

• Level: Pre-A1 to A1

• Time: 35 minutes

2. Learning Objectives

• I can find the letter a word starts with.

• I can match a picture to its first letter.

3. Target Language and Content

• Letters A–Z and their sounds

• Simple words: apple, ball, cat, dog

• “It starts with A.” “A is for apple.”

4. Materials and Scaffolds

• Large letter cards or an alphabet mat taped to the floor

• Picture and word cards (A – apple, B – ball)

• A word list for the teacher

5. Approach

Children show that they understand spoken English by moving, in the style of Total Physical Response (Asher, 1969). The task builds up step by step, from single letters to whole words.

6. Lesson Stages

• Engage (5 min): Quick questions: “What is the first letter of your name?” “Can you name a fruit that starts with A?”

• Explore (5 min): The teacher spreads the letters on the floor, puts the picture cards nearby and models one round.

• Practise (10 min): The teacher says a word (“Apple!”). Children find its first letter, stand on it and say it aloud.

• Apply (5 min): Children pick the matching picture and place it on the letter. Stronger learners call out words for the group.

• Debrief (5 min): Gentle correction: “Good try! ‘Apple’ starts with A, not B. Can you find A?”

• Closure (5 min): “Which letter was the hardest to find? Why?”

7. Differentiation

• Support: letters and pictures only (“Find B and stand on it.”)

• Extension: longer words or short phrases (“big ball”) and simple riddles (“Find the first letter of something you eat for breakfast.”)

8. Assessment

• Do children recognize the letters quickly?

• Do they match pictures and letters correctly?

• Do they help each other in their group?

9. Teaching Notes

• Tape the letter cards down and space them well, so children can move safely.

• Start with six to eight letters and add more once children are confident.

• Let less confident children move in pairs, so no one is left standing alone.

Reference: Asher, J. J. (1969). The total physical response approach to second language learning. The Modern Language Journal, 53(1), 3–17.

Listening and speaking · Ages 7–12 · A1 to A2 · 35 minutes

1. Lesson Overview

• Topic: Shapes, colours and positions

• Learners and context: Primary learners aged 7–12 in Vietnam, working in small groups

• Level: A1 to A2

• Time: 35 minutes

2. Learning Objectives

• I can follow instructions to draw shapes in the right place.

• I can give my group clear drawing instructions.

3. Target Language and Content

• Shapes: circle, square, triangle, rectangle

• Colours and size: red, blue, big, small

• Positions: in the middle, on the left, next to, under, inside

• Instructions: “Draw a big red circle in the middle.”

4. Materials and Scaffolds

• Coloured chalk or non-toxic markers

• A safe floor space or large sheets of paper

• Flashcards with shapes

• Sentence frame: “Draw a ___ ___ ___ the ___.”

5. Approach

The drawing is the task, and the language grows out of doing it, following a task-based approach (Willis, 1996).

6. Lesson Stages

• Engage (5 min): Flashcards: “What shape is this?” “It’s a square.”

• Explore (5 min): Groups of 3–4 get chalk and a drawing space. The teacher models one instruction.

• Practise (7 min): The teacher reads each instruction twice (“Listen carefully. I will say it twice.”) and students draw.

• Apply (8 min): Students take turns being the “teacher” and give instructions to their group.

• Debrief (5 min): The teacher points out common errors with guiding questions: “Can you check if the circle is in the middle?”

• Closure (5 min): Groups show their drawings, and each student says one thing they can now describe.

7. Differentiation

• Support: short instructions (“Draw a blue square.”), with the teacher modelling first

• Extension: longer instructions (“Draw a green triangle next to a yellow rectangle.”), and students write their own

8. Assessment

• Observation of participation and responses

• Checking the drawings against the instructions

• Self-assessment: “I can describe shapes!”

9. Teaching Notes

• Say each instruction twice, with a short pause. Pausing helps more than repeating faster.

• Give the “teacher” role to quieter students early, with a card of ready-made instructions.

• Photograph the drawings and use them to review vocabulary in the next lesson.

Reference: Willis, J. (1996). A framework for task-based learning. Longman.

Project-based learning · Cambridge A2 Flyers · Four sessions

1. Lesson Overview

• Topic: Exploring dinosaurs and their habitats

• Learners and context: Young learners at Cambridge A2 Flyers level, during a project week

• Level: A2

• Time: Four sessions

2. Learning Objectives

• I can read a short text and summarize it as an infographic.

• I can plan a short story about how the dinosaurs died out.

• I can work in a team and share our final product.

• I can write a short reflection on what I learned.

3. Target Language and Content

• Dinosaur vocabulary: names, habitats, extinction

• Language for summarizing and storytelling

• Cross-curricular content from history, biology and art

4. Materials and Scaffolds

• Short texts: Group 1 uses Wikipedia; Group 2 uses Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs (Hughes, 2011)

• Slides on making a stop-motion video

• Phones with Adobe Spark Video and VivaVideo

• Dinosaur models, sand, model trees, glitter and modelling clay

• Students bring highlighters, sticky notes, a draft film plan, a profile of each member’s strengths and a task chart

5. Approach

Project-based learning: students work towards a final product over several sessions and use English to learn about history, biology and art.

6. Lesson Stages

• Engage (Session 1): A “mystery topic” activity, then “speed dating” so group members learn each other’s strengths. Each student gets a role.

• Explore (Session 1): Groups read and summarize their text, then turn it into an infographic.

• Practise (Session 2): Groups build an idea web about how the dinosaurs died out, list key words and turn them into sentences.

• Apply (Sessions 2–3): Students make a stop-motion animation, then an individual art piece about dinosaurs.

• Debrief (Session 3): The class reviews the products and shares what they learned.

• Closure (Session 4): A field trip to a dinosaur park with life-size models. Students take notes and list questions for the next project.

7. Differentiation

• Roles: matched to each student’s strengths

• Grouping: group work in Sessions 1–2, individual final products

8. Assessment

• Infographic summary

• Stop-motion video and art piece

• End-of-project written reflection

9. Teaching Notes

• Assign roles by strengths from the start, so every group member has a clear job.

• Allow extra time for the stop-motion video, as filming and editing can take longer than planned.

• Use the questions from the field trip to start the next project.

Full project write-up and photos

Reference: Hughes, C. D. (2011). National Geographic little kids first big book of dinosaurs. National Geographic Kids.

Grammar · Teenagers · A2 to B1 · 45 minutes

1. Lesson Overview

• Topic: Active and passive voice

• Learners and context: Teenagers at a language centre in Vietnam

• Level: A2 to B1

• Time: 45 minutes

2. Learning Objectives

• I can tell if a sentence is active or passive.

• I can rewrite a sentence from active to passive, and back.

• I can explain why we sometimes choose the passive.

3. Target Language and Content

• be + past participle (present simple and past simple passive)

• by + agent

• “The bridge was built in 1990.” “English is spoken in many countries.”

4. Materials and Scaffolds

• Sets of game cards, one sentence per card, with active and passive sentences mixed

• Answer key and scoreboard

• A list of common irregular past participles

• Sentence frame: “This sentence is passive because…”

5. Approach

Grammar through a game: students work out the rule from examples, then use it with a partner.

6. Lesson Stages

• Engage (5 min): Two headlines on the board: “Someone stole the painting.” / “The painting was stolen.” Students say what is different.

• Explore (8 min): In pairs, students sort sentences into active and passive and work out the form (be + past participle).

• Practise (15 min): The card game: shuffle the cards face down; take turns picking a card and reading it aloud; decide if it is active or passive; rewrite it in the other voice; explain the change; keep score.

• Apply (10 min): Teams write three cards about their school or town and swap them with another team.

• Debrief (4 min): Common errors go on the board, and the class corrects them together.

• Closure (3 min): Exit ticket: one active and one passive sentence about today’s lesson.

7. Differentiation

• Support: the list of past participles and the sentence frame

• Extension: the passive with modals (“can be recycled”) and other tenses

8. Assessment

• Game scores

• Accuracy of the rewritten sentences

• Exit tickets

9. Teaching Notes

• Mix easy and harder cards in each set, so every team can score.

• Ask students why the passive fits (“We don’t know who did it.”), not only how to form it.

• Keep the list of irregular past participles on the board for the whole lesson.

Teacher development · Mentoring Program for Professional Development of Educators (2021) · 60 minutes

1. Lesson Overview

• Topic: Giving useful feedback and reducing teacher talking time

• Participants and context: Early-career English teachers in the Mentoring Program for Professional Development of Educators (2021)

• Level: Teacher development

• Time: 60 minutes

2. Learning Objectives

• I can give feedback that is specific, kind and useful.

• I can notice when I talk too much and plan ways to give the talking to students.

• I can plan one student-centred activity for my next class.

3. Target Language and Content

• Teacher talking time and student talking time

• Short instructions and instruction-checking questions (ICQs)

• Feedback in three parts: what worked, what to change, one next step

4. Materials and Scaffolds

• A short classroom video or lesson transcript

• A talking-time observation sheet

• Feedback sentence starters: “One thing that worked well was…” “Next time, you could try…”

5. Approach

Hands-on, reflective practice: teachers try each idea in a short micro-lesson and get feedback from their peers.

6. Lesson Stages

• Engage (5 min): Teachers recall the most useful feedback they have received and why it helped.

• Explore (10 min): The group watches a short lesson clip and counts who talks more, the teacher or the students.

• Practise (15 min): In pairs, teachers shorten long instructions, add ICQs and practise giving feedback with the sentence starters.

• Apply (20 min): Each teacher teaches a 5-minute micro-lesson. Peers observe with the sheet and give feedback.

• Debrief (5 min): The mentor shares common patterns from the observations.

• Closure (5 min): Each teacher writes one change to try in the coming week.

7. Differentiation

• Support: newer teachers use the sentence starters

• Extension: more experienced teachers lead a feedback round

8. Assessment

• Peer observation sheets

• A follow-up check-in on the change each teacher tried

9. Teaching Notes

• Keep micro-lessons to five minutes, so everyone gets a turn and feedback stays focused.

• Ask each teacher to choose one change only. Small changes are easier to try and review.

• Check in a week later to ask how the change went.