The document provides an ethnographic narrative of the observer's experience observing an English language class at a primary school in Argentina. Some key details include: - The class has students aged 10-11 and uses a variety of songs, games, and activities to keep students engaged in English. - On the first day, the students were enthusiastic about English class and asked questions of the observers. - The teacher manages the classroom well, using routines, behavior management strategies, and a variety of activities and materials to teach pronunciation, listening, speaking and other English skills.

1. EthnographicNarrative
My observations as regards Practice II, Didactics of ELT revealed how much rich and
stimulating need to be a classroom to keep learners engaged, and how important is to
learn theory to apply in the teaching-learning process. I observe a Sixth Grade (6º D) at
Primary School Nº 180 – Mariano Moreno, which has English classes every Tuesday
and Thursday for 40 minutes, with Claudia Loza, my pedagogical partner. Students are
between ten and eleven years old and the teacher is Joanna Herrán.
In the school, it is amazing how many students’ productions are in the hall, about
different issues like Games, Art, 25 de Mayo, Science Fair, and also there is a small
garden with diverse plants in a corner near the secretary office – this last thing calls my
attention because I think children have worked on that, planting and how to care the
seeds and the importance of them. At the entrance hall you can find a welcome mural
which is very attractive and friendly, there are sublimated curtains which I suppose
where made by teachers and students, they have different drawings and emotional
phrases related to the school.
The first class, what calls my attention was children’s enthusiasm about English lesson;
the teacher introduced us to the children and they immediately started to ask questions
in L1 about us. We say hello and our names, the teacher encouraged them to ask about
our ages in L2, and so they started to ask how old are you? And we asked them too.
Then, we sit in different areas and they continue with their routine, the teacher uses a
song with TPR to say hello and to say the day and to ask how they are. It is really
interesting how children share their feeling in the L2. Since that moment, I felt that in
every lesson I would learn something new about education.
Regarding the organization, children sit in pairs according to teacher’s decision and they
have to keep their positions in every subject. Other situation is when in the previous
subject, they worked in groups of four and they continue in groups for the next subject,
unless the teacher has a different idea for the lesson and decide to reorder the benches.
There are many posters on the walls of other areas, but as they changed from one
classroom to the other according to the subject (Language and Social Sciences or Maths
and Natural Sciences) the English teacher has decided to not make posters.
On my first observation, Juan behaves in a rebel way, he bothers his partners and he
interrupts the teacher as she explains. So, Joanna called her attention several times using
English and a different tone of voice so as he could realise his behaviour was not
appropriate. After a while, when he continued to disturb the lesson, she asked him in
Spanish to go outside and calm down or go to the bathroom and return when he was
ready to work. As the teacher did, it is important to give a chance to students to
recognize how they have to behave during lessons.
On Tuesdays, students arrive so excited after the break that it is hard to control their
adrenaline and start working. But the teacher manage them with the routine which is
very useful to start the lesson; she starts singing with physical movements asking
children about day and then she choose a student to complete the calendar.
The material is prepared according to teacher’s plans, they work with a book “Howdy
Friends” – editorial Santillana - and she also prepares photocopies and she uses visual

2. aids to catch their attention. The activities design include all the macroskills and
children respond positively to them, they enjoy pronunciation, saying words after the
teacher as she uses a caretaker speech so as to not frustrate students when she recasts.
Also listening activities and watching videos make them participate in an active way
when they check. Some of them are shy but the rest are very extroverted and willing to
learn - it is a fact that some of them attend English Private Institutes.
The school has thirty computers available to work, two projectors (but one is on
maintenance) and music players, so it is well equipped as regards ICT resources and the
teacher told us that they are ready to use, we only need to ask for them in advance.
On Thursdays, students have English in the last hour before school finishes. After the
greeting and the routine, the teacher asks genuine questions in order to activate children’
knowledge about what they have learnt previous classes, during this revision she
reinforces not only pronunciation and understanding but also children participation. It is
interesting how she pushes them to be critical asking questions for example, last class
revising activities a picture says making a barbecue, she asked them if it was the same
barbecue and asado, when they say no, she asked who does asado at home?, some
students answer father, others choose the L1, a girl said that her uncle does asado now
because her grandpa has died, but a girl answered that her grandma does asado, and the
teacher said to the girls in the class that we can be the change, we as women can also do
asado.
Every time the teacher explains an activity children listen and then repeat the task in
Spanish, showing that they understand, then they have a timework to do it and check.
As every classroom, there are fast-finishers and slow workers, so the teacher always ask
to wait until everyone finishes the activity to check but sometimes they are anxious and
she goes and monitors their works. Activities checking is oral, and at the same time, the
teacher uses the board to write the answer so everyone can follow the corrections,
sometimes she asks for volunteers to write the correct answer. As regards feedback,
when she recognizes a mistake, she uses recast in order to reformulate and look for
learner’s understanding, and she uses repetition showing with intonation the mistake
and waiting the recognition of the wrong form and a reformulation. The teacher
provides praises and congratulations when students give correct answers and participate.
Besides, she shows how much she cares about them using nominalization every time
she wants to talk with them, she knows little things about them, if they play instruments
or if they attend clubs and students notice this attitude.