Paula Schulze summarizes 4 English lessons taught to Kindergarten students. In each lesson she focused on Total Physical Response and Natural Approach methods. Students responded positively to activities and materials. While time management and most strategies worked well, student behavior and lack of attention required improvement. Lessons helped Schulze learn to better plan activities tailored to students' needs and manage the classroom.

1. SCHULZE - Kinder – 4 Journals
Trainee´s name: Paula Schulze
Practicum Level: Nivel Inicial
Group: Kinder 5 “B”
Date: 13-05-15
Lesson Number: 1
1. What pedagogical principles supported the planning and delivery of this
lesson?
I tried to focus myself on the Total Physical Response Method as well as the
Natural Approach: the first one because I wanted the children to coordinate
their speech with an activity so as to promote the learning of the target
language. The latter, because as Krashen suggested, it is better to learn the
target language understanding the message that is put through as the native
language is learnt.
2. What teaching strategies did you use? Which ones were effective?
Why/ why not?
Depending on the different aims I had in mind during the lesson, I used
different teaching strategies, for example, demonstration at the time of
explaining the game or giving the instructions for the students to do the
graphic activity. I also model the answer when students were doubtful about
how to say a word or phrase. Translation and repetition were other techniques
I had to use frequently as many of the students kept saying words in Spanish.
So, I translated them and repeated the new word or the chunk a couple of
times for the students to get used to the new word. Finally, students were
asked to play so as to hold the new lexis they were being taught. I think that
all of them were effective but I wouldn´t say that to all the students equally,
I mean for some students it was not necessary for me to translate because
he/she understood the word at once. For others, repetition, as it was
expected, was necessary to get the English word.

2. 3. How did the students react to your teaching, to the activities and the
materials? How did they react to the lesson?
They were very enthusiastic at the time of reacting to my teaching but they
did most of the comments in Spanish and I did not expect it to be like that.
Even the attention span was so short that I found it difficult to finish what I
had in mind, so I jumped to the following stage of the lesson. They enjoyed
the material presented and I loved seeing their surprise faces when I was
taking some elements from my bag in an “captivating” way.
4. What aspects of the lesson do you consider successful?
I could do all the stages I had planned and on the following class I´m eager
to see if they remember some of the words I taught them today. I was
quite good as regards the time management but I felt the time flew.
I had planned to do an activity with the whole class while they were sat at
their tables but it turned out to be a mess because they did not pay
attention to the instructions. So I changed what I had planned on the spot
and I gave the instructions table by table, in this way then we could play. I
also think that it was very useful when I changed the tone of my voice to
call the learner´s attention
5. What aspects of your lesson require change / improvement?
I feel the discipline aspect was not that good. I think it was because of course
they had only seen me twice before, during the observations and at that time
I just spoke a little, although I said some words in English. Besides, students
are not used to be given instructions in English so when I asked them to sit in
a semi- circle, they didn´t do it. They just sat and it was difficult even in
Spanish to make them sit looking at me.
I´m used to have autonomous learners so when some students came to ask me
if they could paint some objects with this or that colour I found it surprising
or shocking!
Finally, I found myself a bit silly making some strange sounds or jumping with
the kids, but of course I understand this really enjoys them and they are not
judging me or they won´t laugh at me because I´m sort of acting like a clown.
I will have to work on my self-esteem!! 

3. 6. What do you find useful of this lesson that will help you plan the next
one?
The experience of teaching young learners and specifically this group will
help me to plan more realistic classes, in a way more tailored-made lessons.
As always, one thing is to watch a class and another one is to stand at the
front teaching it.
7. Any comments or observations you would like to share may be added
here.
I was like dubious when the students asked me questions like: Can I drink
water from my bottle? Can I sharpen my pencil? Or I´m hungry, can I eat a
cookie? They were like unexpected questions and I did not know which the
steps to follow were, I mean, if they were allowed to drink or eat in class. If
they had a class- sharpener, if they had a pencil-box or if they have to do it
with the teacher´s help. Being recorded and observed by colleagues in a way
frozen me! I found it was not the usual me, the confident teacher, giving the
English class but hopefully it is a feeling I will overcome!
Trainee´s name: Paula Schulze
Practicum Level: Nivel Inicial
Group: Kinder 5 “B”
Date: 18-05-15
Lesson Number: 2
1. What pedagogical principles supported the planning and delivery of
this lesson? ppp
As in the first class, I tried to focus myself on the Total Physical Response
Method as well as the Natural Approach: the first one because I wanted the
children to coordinate their speech with an activity so as to promote the
learning of the target language. The latter, because as Krashen suggested, it
is better to learn the target language understanding the message that is put

4. through as the native language is learnt. But this time it was also clear that I
used the PPP procedures since those stages in the class were very clear.
2. What teaching strategies did you use? Which ones were effective?
Why/ why not?
Depending on the different aims of this class, I used diverse teaching
strategies: demonstration when giving the instructions for the students to do
the graphic activity. I also model the answer or the word in the target
language when students used Spanish. Finally, I had to demonstrate how to
do the shapes with my hands at the time of doing the figures with their hands.
I think that all the strategies were effective but I wouldn´t say that to all
the students equally, I mean for some students it was not necessary for me to
translate because he/she understood the word at once. For others, repetition,
as it was expected, was necessary to make them produce the English word.
3. How did the students react to your teaching, to the activities and
the materials? How did they react to the lesson?
As I was not very happy with the result of the previous class in relation to
the students’ behaviour, this time I decided to be stricter with that
aspect. Therefore they were more attentive at the time of listening and
following the instructions. They were even more responsive and they really
got involved at the time of doing the hand gestures to form shapes.
4. What aspects of the lesson do you consider successful?
At the beginning of the class, the students were thrilled when their puppet
appeared in the hot-air balloon. They recognized the puppet and my
drawing of the balloon. In fact, I was a bit scared they did not know what
it was. Finally, the students really enjoyed and participated a lot when
doing the hand gestures.
5. What aspects of your lesson require change / improvement?
This time, as I said before, the discipline was much better, I felt I had the
control of the group. In this opportunity, the Spanish teacher did not call the
students’ attention like in the previous class. In reference to the material

5. used, there are two aspects to be improved: I forgot to have the glue ready at
the time the sts had to decorate their hot-air balloons sticking shapes on it so
the teacher had to help me and the teacher also advised me a few minutes
before starting the lesson to have the poster with the paper scotch already
stuck behind it so as to be quick at the time of placing it on the board. Both
aspects will be taken into account for the next class.
6. What do you find useful of this lesson that will help you plan the
next one?
Well, I feel I had better time management and the activities were really
motivating, the sts wanted to participate. Before doing the last activity in
which they had to decorate the balloon, some sts even asked me if they
could draw Cookie, I felt that some of them really enjoyed the class!
7. Any comments or observations you would like to share may be added
here.
When the overhead projector and my computer were set and the sts were
ready to watch the video on shapes, we realized the internet service was out
of work and I had not downloaded it to aTube Catcher, for example. Those
were seconds, in which I felt like disoriented, but quickly I noticed the kids
were having fun with the light shown or projected from the projector. So, I
did not turn off the projector and instead I sang the shape song, modelling
the figures with my hands and at the same time doing sort of shadow plays
(sombras chinescas). The kids were delighted and they were eager to come to
the front to do the same I had done.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Trainee´s name: Paula Schulze
Practicum Level: Nivel Inicial
Group: Kinder 5 “B”
Date: 18-05-15
Lesson Number: 3

6. 1. What pedagogical principles supported the planning and delivery of
this lesson?
Like in the previous classes, I tried to focus myself on the Total Physical
Response Method as well as the Natural Approach: the first one because I
wanted the children to coordinate their speech with an activity so as to
promote the learning of the target language. The latter, because as Krashen
suggested, it is better to learn the target language understanding the
message that is put through as the native language is learnt.
2. What teaching strategies did you use? Which ones were effective?
Why/ why not?
In this class, the instructions were given specially pointing to the different
family members which was the teaching point for this class. I had to use this
technique twice, at the presentation stage when sts were listening to the
story and the members of the family were mentioned and also in the 2nd
activity when they had to color the specific member. In this case, it was a
sort of dictation and sts had paint just the members I had mentioned. As
there were 6 members in the worksheet, some sts wanted to color the whole
family, not only the ones mentioned.
3. How did the students react to your teaching, to the activities and
the materials? How did they react to the lesson?
In the first stage of the class, in which the sts had to make some
onomatopoeic sounds related to the weather conditions, some of them were
not as involved as I had expected. Then, at the time of introducing the
teaching point, they remained silent when I first read the short poem
pointing at the family members but the second time I tried to read most of
them were not willing to listen to it. However, on the guided practice stage,
when we had to play STOP, in which somebody is pointing to a picture but
not looks at it (with the family members) and somebody else says STOP and
the st has to say who family member he is pointing to, it was much more
engaging.
4. What aspects of the lesson do you consider successful?

7. In this opportunity, the time management was almost perfect as well as the
pace of the activities. Although in the last stage, in which sts only had to
colour the members of the family I had dictated, they did not want to
paint only those and instead they wanted to kept on colouring. The Spanish
teacher was already waiting with the morning snack, but sts did not want to
sing the goodbye song.
5. What aspects of your lesson require change / improvement?
I still get nervous when sts do not look at me or ask me questions such as, Can
I use a crayon instead of the marker?, Can I go to the bathroom to drink
water? Or when they say Miss, X moved my chair, for example. I´m used to
teach in secondary level and these things like in a way make me feel
overwhelmed at times. I know this is expected at this age, and I also saw
these aspects when I observed the classes, but it is still difficult for me to
manage.
6. What do you find useful of this lesson that will help you plan the
next one?
When we were playing STOP, it is important to take to the front two or
three sts, one by one, as models and once the other see what the activity is
like they are more willing to participate.
7. Any comments or observations you would like to share may be added
here.
Once again when the classroom puppet is used, in this case he “brought” the
picture of the family, sts get really involved, and they become curious as well.
This is so because at this stage they have great imagination and fantasies as
well.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Trainee´s name: Paula Schulze
Practicum Level: Nivel Inicial
Group: Kinder 5 “B”

8. Date: 29-05-15
Lesson Number: 4 (last one)
1. What pedagogical principles supported the planning and delivery of
this lesson?
Like in the previous classes, I tried to support my planning and the delivery of
the lesson in the Total Physical Response Method and the Natural Approach:
the first one because I wanted the children to coordinate their speech while
engaging in the activities so as to promote the learning of the target language;
learning through play. The latter, because as suggested by Krashen, it is
always more effective to learn the target language understanding the message
that is being put through. In both cases the idea was to promote the second
language acquisition.
2. What teaching strategies did you use? Which ones were effective?
Why/ why not?
In this class, the instructions were given specially pointing to the different
parts of the face (eyes, nose and mouth) which were the teaching points for
this class. I had to use this technique twice, at the presentation stage when
sts were listening to the orders provided by the puppet of the class “through
myself” such as “Touch your eyes” and also in the 2nd
activity when students
had drawn the parts of the ugly monster´s face and I walked through the
tables pointing to and asking about the different parts of the face they had
drawn. Providing prompts was another useful tool, especially when sts were in
doubt when expressing themselves in the target language
3. How did the students react to your teaching, to the activities and
the materials? How did they react to the lesson?
In the first stage of the class, sts were encouraged to make some
onomatopoeic sounds related to the weather conditions we had already
done in the previous class. But students did not remember any of the 4
sounds I had taught, so I focus on only one and expected them to produce
the sound of only that one (it´s a rainy day). After that, I was supposed to
teach a song using the 4 weather conditions we had seen. But instead of

9. teaching the four, I taught them only the part with the single weather
condition we had focused on in the previous activity and it really work quite
well. I asked the question What´s the weather like? And they had to
answer first only once ”it´s rainy”, but then I asked again and they had to
answer twice and then with the same procedure they had to answer 3
times.
After that, at the time of introducing the teaching point, the sts remained
silent when I displayed the poster with the outline of an ugly monster, it
was “brought” by the puppy Cookie the cat. However, on the guided
practice stage, when students in turn had to come to the front to draw a
part of the face, as they take their time to draw, the other students
began to behave disruptively so I said that the ones who were not properly
sat could not go to the front to draw. This order helped me to engage them
and some of them participated more.
4. What aspects of the lesson do you consider successful?
In this opportunity, the time management was again almost perfect as well
as the pace of the activities. I found that the scaffold of the activities
was ok to support the learning of the new words. Besides, the thematic
chosen, the monster´s face, was really appealing to the young learners.
5. What aspects of your lesson require change / improvement?
The group management was more or less the same as in the previous classes
but I was a bit more relaxed probably knowing that the students’ misbehaviour
was expected or that I could not get the attention from the whole group
during all the subsequent activities.
As regards space organization, I have noticed that when sts are sat on the
carpet they start playing and moving all around, especially boys who prefer
sort of play-fighting games. On the other hand, when they are given a
worksheet and are asked to go to their tables they remain sat for longer
periods and stand up only when they have finished with the task.

10. 6. What do you find useful of this lesson that will help you plan the
next one?
While walking around the tables, while the sts were drawing the monster´s
face, I kept on asking them questions about their drawings: number of
eyes, colour of the parts of the faces they have drawn, etc. that really
worked ok and they were willing to answer. As I mentioned before I had to
prompt the answers, such as: is this an eye or a nose? while pointing to my
eye or nose. But they understood and were ready to answer and show they
scary or ugly monster´s face.
7. Any comments or observations you would like to share may be added
here.
Once again when the classroom puppet is used, in this case he “brought” the
poster of the monster’s face, sts get really involved, and they become curious
as well. This is so because at this stage they have great imagination and also
fantasies. During this class I also asked one of the most dynamic students to
help me collect the worksheets once his classmates had finished. It worked
really well because the boy was very responsible at this task and because he
was not misbehaving or bothering his classmates. Besides, when we were about
to finish the class, I pretended I had forgotten the lyric of the goodbye song.
This also engaging because the learners were eager to sing it “to make me
remember” the song.