Title Page

Unit Plan

7th Grade English Conversation

七年級會話課

Written by XXXX XXXX

Taitung County Dong Hai Middle School

臺東縣臺東市東海國民中學

February 24, 2008

Introduction

        This unit has been designed for use in public middle schools, with 7^th grade beginning English students - in Taiwan.  It is for the first semester.  Please consider it as an example of what could be done, but not what must be done.  Everyone comes into this job with his or her own attitudes and beliefs, and if something doesn’t work for you it is always better to throw it out and start again.

        I will also be using my own work experience as a background for what follows.  Individual work environments will of course vary.

        Lastly, I have deliberately avoided the use of what I call teacherspeak here.  By teacherspeak I am referring to words such as assessment, multiple intelligences, constructivism, and other such abuses of the English language.  We are, after all, teachers, and communicating what we do – in plain language – is a skill essential to our profession.  This is doubly true for those of us teaching English in Taiwan, where we are often communicating what we do to those of another culture and linguistic background.

Rationale

        When I started this job I had no idea what to do.  I had never taught middle school before.  I had never taught in a Taiwanese public school.  I hadn’t even been to one of those orientation sessions up in Sanxia.  I went through the Taidong County Government, got hired, disappeared back to the States for a month, and then returned to work with both a bad case of jet lag and extreme anxiety.

        Sure, coworkers offered vague suggestions.  “Just let them play games,” said one person.  “Just make it fun,” said another.  It took time to find a structure that worked for me.  After a couple of disastrous lessons I started to figure out what did work by discovering, the hard way, what didn’t work.  I slowly became aware of the following points:

1.      Class should be fun, at least some of the time.

2.      Learning English can’t always be fun.  It’s also hard work.

3.      Being silly makes things easy.

4.      Coming into the job with realistic expectations helps a lot.

5.      Don’t do anything longer than 10 minutes unless it’s really working.

6.      Switching between different kinds of activities is very important, i.e. playing games, listening, speaking, writing, reading, dancing, singing, moving, etc.

7.      There are some things you will never be able to change about your job.  Focus on what you CAN change.

8.      It is best not to be oversensitive.  Many of the comments and questions you receive are not always meant the way they are interpreted.  This is as true of your coworkers as of your students.

The above points probably seem very obvious.  They are presented because they form the backbone of this unit, and they are also good to remember.

Beyond the above-mentioned points, our focus is… you guessed it… Basic English vocabulary and grammar.  Please also remember that “Basic” here means REALLY Basic.  If you expect your students to be able to write a 1000 word essay on Shakespearean drama by the end of the semester – YOU will be sorely disappointed!

Moral and Ethical Considerations

The study of the English language in other countries tends to present the subject exclusively in relation to Western environments.  For instance, a unit on “places in the city” would begin the chapter with a map of Washington D.C., or a unit on personal information would only include types of addresses found in the U.S. or Canada.  I think that to truly present English as an international language we need to present it in relation to a variety of non-Western environments.    This not only adds interest for students, but it makes English more relevant to their daily lives.

        With this in mind I have incorporated elements of my student’s physical environment into the unit.  Rather than using the map of Washington D.C., for example, we use a map of Taiwan to talk about places we know and live in.  Rather than discuss mythical addresses that could only exist in the West, we talk about how to translate our own addresses into English.  By doing so I am reemphasizing the true function of English (or any other language), which is communication.

Learning/Teaching Context

New to Taiwan?  Never been outside of the States?  Canada?  South Africa?  Somewhere else?  I’m sorry, but it is beyond the scope of my superhuman powers to offer a comprehensive overview of Taiwanese culture, history, and educational practice.  I’ll try my best, however - starting from the general (Taiwan), to the more particular (the school where I worked) - to offer some pointers.

        I should probably start by mentioning that I have been in Taiwan 7 years, and that I am married to one of those rascally Taiwanese folks you see driving around on scooters outside.  These two factors, in some ways, afford me a “window” into this place that others wouldn’t have.  At the same time, there are as many points of view as there are people, and Taiwan is something different for everyone you meet.  In other words, much of what follows is my personal opinion.

        I first came to Taiwan in 1999, just before the famous 9-21 earthquake.  I found it fascinating and a little bit scary.  I wanted a Taiwanese girlfriend.  I also wanted money, which was one of the reasons I came here in the first place.

        Taiwan can be a great place to live if you have found more Western environments to be “confining.”  Since you are (in most cases) viewed as a foreigner, many social conventions will not be applied to you.  The law is also enforced rather selectively, and some things that would be dangerous or illegal in the States can be done freely here.  All of this can add up to a great feeling of euphoria, but be careful!  Don’t think you are Superman just because beautiful young girls (or boys) are suddenly all over you in nightclubs.  As somebody once remarked, “Pride comes before a fall.”

        This said, your main obstacles in this country will likely be language, food, and weather.  Start learning Chinese as soon as possible, and do so in a classroom environment, since “language exchanges” are usually code for dating.  Try new foods, and don’t be one of those people who spend half their paycheck at KFC.  Get used to the weather, walk around, and see new things.  One of the great things about Taiwan is that there is something interesting around every corner.  You just have to look!

        With the general stuff out of the way, I ought to introduce the place this unit was intended for.  At the time of writing/typing I live in Taidong (also spelled Taitung), which is a city of about 100.000 people on the east coast.  Before I lived here, I also lived in Taichung and Hsinchu, on the west coast, for five years.  I know both halves of the island fairly well, though I must admit that I know next to nothing about Jia Yi.

        The western half of the island is a lot more crowded and industrialized than the eastern half, though this is not always true.  There are big factories in Hualien, just like there is great scenery in Taipei County.  Generally, there are a higher percentage of aboriginal peoples on the east coast, and also a higher percentage of people engaged in agriculture.

        Where I live, Taidong, most families are either involved in farming or small businesses.  The majority speaks Taiwanese as a first language, and learns to refine their Mandarin as they go through school.  All of the schools have several hundred or so students from the A-mei tribe, which is the biggest of the aboriginal tribes around here, and there are smaller percentages of the Bu-lun, the Tai-ya, and other groups in every school.

        The middle school where I worked is Dong Hai Middle School, located next to the ocean (great view).  It has almost 2000 students in the 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th grades.  It’s the newest middle school in the county, but that doesn’t exactly mean that it’s “modern.”  Every class has a TV, a DVD player, a CD player, and of course a blackboard.  Let me just say that you can always depend on the blackboard – it is ALWAYS working.