Kindergarten English Lesson Observations

Trainee’s name: Natalia Rodrigues
Practicum level: First period
Group: 5 - Kindergarten
Date: Tuesday, 21st April
Observation number: 1
Today I started with the observations. I arrived at the school have an hour before the class, in
order to meet the English teacher and see the classroom before the kids start the lesson. Kids
were in their P.E class and so I could see them for some time. I realised what the teacher had told
me before, that they are noisy and they don’t pay attention to the teacher´s instructions.
When kids entered the classroom, the teacher in charge was waiting for them and she asked them
to sit on the floor at the front. Then, she left and the English teacher said “Hello” to the kids and
she introduced myself. She told them that I was going to stay and work with them for some
classes. I said “Hello” to them and asked them how they were. They were too noisy and excited, and
the teacher told me they were always like that. She asked for silence many times but without much
success, so she used a technique that she told me she had introduced the previous class in order to
ask for silence, as they were all shouting (she said “Give me five” while closing her right hand finger
by finger while kids inhaled and then they exhaled as the teacher opened her hand finger by
finger). Once they were in silence they sang the “Hello” song and they all sang and danced with the
teacher. I realised they really loved the song. I could see that the teacher used Spanish during
most of the class, even when she gave simple instructions. After the song she asked them to sit on
their chairs. They sat in three groups of five. The lesson was all very noisy. The teacher had
already warned me about this, so this was their normal behaviour.
The teacher showed the kids a picture of a clown but without the arms and legs, i.e., there were
blank spaces between the body and the hands and the body and the legs. They were revising the
parts of the body: arms and legs. The teacher asked students in Spanish: “¿Qué le falta al payaso?”
but the kids couldn´t answer. She gave them the first letters of the words and only two or three
kids were able to answer. Then, she gave them pieces of wool and asked them to stick two pieces of
wool per leg and arm. She asked in Spanish: “¿Cuántas tengo que poner?”, and they asked in Spanish
“Una, dos”, so she said the word in English for them to repeat “Two”. One of the kids delivered the
glue sticks and they started working but some of them didn´t understand that they had to stick
two pieces of wool, so I walked around the classroom to explain to them what they had to do and
help them with their work. The teacher also asked me for help in many situations. I really felt
worry because I talked to students in English and they said that they didn´t understand, even when
I said simple words or phrases. They only asked me why I spoke English all the time. This situation
Comentario [1]: Good technique. It's
important to think of such techniques
that help students be aware they have
to calm down.
Comentario [2]: What do you think
about it?
Comentario [3]: Were students
involved in the activities the teacher
suggested? Sometimes noise is
productive when it means students are
working.
Comentario [4]: This is a
characteristic of young learners.
Comentario [5]: It could have been
asked in English.
Comentario [6]: asked or answered?
Comentario [7]: Did the strategy of
asking them to repeat the word in
English work? It may not be that useful
if they are not used to listening to
English.
Comentario [8]: worried
Comentario [9]: Don't worry. This
reaction is usual when students are not
used to the target language but they
are certainly able to learn and they
deserve to be given the chance.

makes me feel that they will not be able to understand me when I give my practicum. I don´t know
how I am going to deal with this, and I´m really worried. The whole class was devoted to this
activity. Once they finished, I helped them to hand in their works and the teacher in charge
entered the classroom. The English teacher and I said Goodbye and we went out of the classroom.
The teacher didn´t use a Goodbye song, she told me that she didn´t normally use a song because
she never had time to do it.
I think that I couldn’t find coherence or understand the logic of the lesson. I was expecting to see
a context for the activity but there wasn´t. I think that a game could have been suitable to revise
the vocabulary and then start the activity. I felt that the kids were interested but because there
were asked to work with wool and glue stick. Besides, there were no transitions.
I have to wait until next Tuesday for the second observation. I have to start planning my own
lessons and I feel really nervous. As I said before I am worried about talking to them in English the
whole class as they are not used to that, and their behaviour also worries me. They are too noisy
and it is difficult to make them calm down, especially if I consider that they come from the P.E
class.
Date: Tuesday, 28th April
Observation number: 2
Today was my second observation. I thought that I was going to feel more relaxed after this
second observation but it was the other way around! This class was totally different from the
previous one. The teacher introduced a new topic: the senses, which she related to the parts of the
face within “The body” thematic unit. The class was all based on introducing senses through a
poster in which the teacher asked kids to match the part of the face with the correct sense (which
was next to a picture related to that sense. For instance, the sense “taste” was next to a picture of
an ice cream). After that she showed them a video related to senses and she asked them to repeat
the words. Then the class was over.
I felt really worried and “terrified” during this class as I could see that none of the children were
paying attention to what the teacher was explaining. Most of them were talking or playing with the
chairs or on the floor, and they didn´t recognise any of the new words. The teacher called their
attention but without success. Again, I could see that the teacher used Spanish during most of the
Comentario [10]: There are different
strategies, such as modelling, using
visual aids, miming, among others that
you can resort to. Your feeling is also
reasonable. It will first be a challenge,
which you will be able to turn into an
achievement.
Comentario [11]: Good observation.
Comentario [12]: calm them down
Comentario [13]: Why do you think
this happened? Perhaps the teacher
designed a teacher-centred activity. Do
you think it would have made any
difference if she had asked them a
more interactive activity and/or if she
had sat suggested another seating
arrangement (for example, sitting
together with the children in a circle, for
instance) and had engaged the children
in "doing" rather than listening to her or
answering questions?
children did not pay attention to the
teacher? Perhaps the class was
teacher-centred. Did she ask them to
participate while they were watching the
video? Was this resource interesting?
Planning activities to exploit the
resource chosen is essential.

class, even when she gave simple instructions. Besides, I felt that kids were not interested in what
the teacher showed them, they did not feel engaged or motivated. Perhaps a game after the
presentation would have been appropriate today. The class was not engaging for the children, I
could see it in their attitude towards the class presented. There were no transitions between
activities and the vocabulary was not reinforced. The teacher only asked students to repeat the
words, but only a few of them really did it, the rest were not listening to her.
Next week (on Thursday 7th
May) I start delivering my classes and I have to teach a new topic. I
don´t really know how I will manage students’ attention and, as I said in my previous journal entry,
I am worried about talking to them in English the whole class as they are not used to it. I hope the
games, songs and activities that I will plan for my classes really motivate them to learn and have
fun with me.
Dear Natalia, you have provided a detailed description of the lesson you observed. You are aware of
the aspects you need to pay attention to when planning your lessons, which is essential so good for
you!
As you stated, using different resources and designing activities that appeal to children will help
you engage them. Think of different techniques to calm students down but, above all, to get them
involved.
As regards the use of the target language, think of those strategies that can help students
understand it. We hope the comments and suggestions made on the side of the text give you some
insights into those aspects you are not sure about.
Good work!
Date: Thursday, 7th May
Lesson number: 1
1. What pedagogical principles supported the planning and delivery of this lesson?
Comentario [15]: Try to be as
relaxed as possible when using the L2
and be patient. Students may be
reluctant at first but they will soon start
to accept being exposed to it. Go little
by little without forcing students.
Sometimes you may need to resort to
the L1, which does not mean you will
not be able to use the target language.
With the different techniques I
mentioned in the previous entry, and
some others you can think of, students
will be able to understand you.

The pedagogical principles that supported the planning and delivery of this lesson were:
♦ Offer learners enjoyable, active roles in the learning experience;
♦ Provide appropriate input according to the students´ age. Young learners learn differently from
older learners and they need different learning environments;
♦ Provide a variety of opportunities for recognising, practising and using the language;
♦ Offer activities in order to motivate, stimulate curiosity, encourage participation and create a
desire to continue learning.
♦ Model behaviour I would like children to adopt.
2. What teaching strategies did you use? Which ones were effective? Why / why not?
I applied strategies related to activating students’ previous knowledge on the topic, questioning,
checking for understanding, modeling, showing, pointing, explaining and oral drill and practice. I
believe that students felt actively engaged during the class as they were really curious and
motivated most of the class. I took different learning styles into account when I decided on the
appropriate teaching strategies for the group, as not all children learn the same way. In this class I
considered auditory, visual and kinaesthetic learning styles.
3. How did the students react to your teaching, to the activities and the materials? How did
they react to the lesson?
They reacted really well. I think that they were surprised to see me delivering the class and
speaking in English from the very beginning. Students were noisy when they entered the classroom
but they made silence when they heard my voice. They paid attention to my instructions during the
whole class. Some of them got distracted at times but I called their attention and then they were
involved in the activity as the rest of the classmates. I felt that they really loved the song and
game that we played, they were really happy. I used flashcards and realia (pencils, crayons, pieces
of papers and books) and they enjoyed playing with them.
4. What aspects of the lesson do you consider successful?
I was really worried after the observations because the English teacher used Spanish during most
of the class, even when she gave simple instructions. As I said in my previous journals, I was
worried about talking to them in English the whole class as they were not used to it. Fortunately, by
Comentario [16]: Good! What
learning theory are these principles
grounded on?
Comentario [17]: What kind of
behaviour do you refer to? This is a
strategy rather than a pedagogical
principle.
Comentario [18]: How did you do
so? What do you mean by
"questioning"?
Comentario [19]: These strategies
may have been suitable for students.
Comentario [20]: What were the
explanations about? How was drilling
carried out in order to motivate
children?
Comentario [21]: Good!
Comentario [22]: How?

using different resources and designing appealing activities to children, they were engaged and
they could understand most of the instructions. Perhaps, they found it a little bit difficult to
understand the instructions for the game, but I believe this reaction is usual when students are not
used to the target language. I found it challenging to make them understand instructions using
miming, modelling and visual aids, but I need to be patient and go little by little without forcing the
kids, as it was suggested in the previous journals´ feedback.
I also considered that my voice was loud and appropriate for this level, and this helped
me attract students´ attention easily. Besides, the relationship that I established
with the kids was really good. I congratulated them for their job, giving them encouraging
messages. The song and game that I chose were really successful.
5. What aspects of the lesson require change / improvement?
When I finished delivering the class I realised that I had three minutes left. I considered that
this happened because it was my first lesson and I didn´t feel relaxed at all, I was nervous and
that made me work quickly with students. Students felt engaged during most of the class because I
didn´t give them time to get distracted! I should try to relax next class and speak at a slower
pace.
6. What do you find useful of this lesson that will help you plan the next one?
I have already planned and uploaded the following two classes, but I made an audio recording of
this class so I will listen to it once again to see if there is something that I have to consider for
the next lesson even though I haven´t included it in the plan.
Date: Tuesday, 12th May
Lesson number: 2
Comentario [25]: An achievement
that is worth stressing.
Comentario [26]: Understanding
instructions may be difficult even in the
L1. They should be as simple as
possible.
Comentario [27]: Excellent!
Comentario [28]: Good! Intonation
also helps.
Comentario [29]: Excellent! Creating
bonds is essential.
Comentario [30]: Well thought

I used the Communicative Approach, developing activities in meaningful contexts and encouraging
students to participate during the whole class.
The pedagogical principles that supported the planning and delivery of this lesson were very similar
to the previous class:
♦ Provide appropriate input according to the students´ age.
♦ Provide a variety of opportunities for recognising, practicing and using the language;
♦ Offer activities in order to motivate and stimulate curiosity.
I applied strategies related to activating students’ previous knowledge on the topic, questioning,
modeling, showing, explaining and oral drill and practice. I considered different learning styles when
I decided on the appropriate teaching strategies for the group. Again, in this class I considered
auditory, visual and kinaesthetic learning styles.
They reacted very well. When I was delivering the class, I thought that it was not as good as the
first one, but then I watched the video and everything was quite good! Maybe I felt nervous
because it was the first lesson that I used the camera to record the lesson, and I didn´t realise at
all that everything was going on as expected. Students were noisy when they had to work on the
worksheet but I think this is common for the age and I have to consider that this was the last
activity that they did in this lesson, and they really paid all their attention to me during the
previous 20 minutes of class! So I think this attitude was understandable. Some of them got
distracted at times but I called their attention and then they were easily involved in the activity as
the rest of the classmates. I felt that they really loved the video that we watched, they were
watching attentively, and they answered to the questions correctly during the video. In this lesson
I used realia (pencils, crayons, pieces of papers, books, a glue and a bag) again and they enjoyed
playing with them.
Comentario [31]: Good! Can you
explaing why? This would reflect the
value of these principles?
Comentario [32]: Same observation
as in the previous journal entry.
Comentario [33]: Same observations
as before.
Comentario [34]: Noise, in this case
was not disruptive. Students were
engaged in the activity. In these
situations noise is not only natural but
also healthy.

In this lesson I felt much more relaxed about talking to them in English, because I could see that
they really understood what I said. Going little by little was the key, and I believe I am achieving
the aim, with patience and different resources. Perhaps, they found it a little bit difficult to
understand the instructions for the worksheet, but I repeated them several times and they could
get the meaning. I used miming, modeling and visual aids.
My voice was loud and clear again, and this helped me attract students´ attention easily. Besides,
the relationship that I established with the kids was really good. I congratulated them for their
job, giving them encouraging messages.
I still feel that I need to relax a little bit. At moments I felt that everything was going wrong, or
not just as I expected it, but then I realised that they are little kids and they react differently to
activities and instructions. After watching the video, I could say that they behaved really well and
they were always willing to work and have fun!
I find the type of activities really useful, so I consider that I will continue planning in the same way
because students are really engaged with the games and songs.
Date: Thursday, 14th April
Lesson number: 3
Comentario [36]: Sometimes
rephrasing is also helpful.
Comentario [37]: Good observation!

students to participate during the class.
The pedagogical principles that supported the planning and delivery of this lesson were the same as
the ones from the previous lessons:
♦ Provide a variety of opportunities for recognising, practicing and using the language;
I adopted the same principles because I know the group and how they react to the lesson, to my
presence, to the activities that I deliver and to the language itself.
I applied strategies related to activate students’ previous knowledge on the topic, questioning,
modeling, showing, explaining and oral drill and practice. I considered different learning styles when
I decided on the appropriate teaching strategies for the group. In this class I considered auditory
and mainly kinaesthetic learning styles. During most of the lesson, learning took place by the
students carrying out physical activities. Students at this age learn through moving, doing and
touching, that´s way I tried to include activities that help students remember and process
information through interacting with the space around them
They reacted well, but I could see that they were really noisy at the beginning. They came full of
energy from their P.E lesson. After the “Hello song” it was difficult for me to call their attention in
order to start with the game. Finally, I could manage the situation. When I was delivering the
class, I perceived that it was not good at all. Then I watched the video and I saw that they were
really noisy, but this is a characteristic of young learners. However, I consider that kids were not
involved or engaged easily in the activities. The game that we played at the end of the class was
Comentario [38]: Same comments
as above.
Comentario [39]: What about the
activities? Didn't you take account of
learning styles through the activities
you designed?
Comentario [40]: Good! It also
makes learning meaningful.
Comentario [41]: How? What about
resorting to a teachnique that surprises
students? For example, clap out a
rhythm ad ask students to follow you.
Once you've called their attention, you
can involve them in the activity.

nice because it involved music, but it was difficult to make students follow the game in order. They
clearly understood the game and how to play but many of them were rather restless.
Again, in this lesson I felt relaxed about talking to them in English, but I said just few words in
Spanish, when I saw that they couldn´t understand the instructions for the game. I repeated
instructions several times and I used miming, modeling and visual aids.
My voice was loud and clear again, and this helped me attract students´ attention easily.
After watching the video, I could realise that I need to let them move more freely, i.e they are
used to behave differently in class as I want them to behave and I can´t change things in three
classes. Next class I will try to change my reaction towards their behavior, especially during the
games.
The games are engaging for this group so I will continue including them in my plans. In this lesson
kids were noisy and restless during the last game, but I think this doesn´t mean that I have to stop
considering games. Kids were maybe tired after their P.E lesson and, as I stated in my previous
journal, they are little kids and they react differently to activities and instructions every day.
this was so?
Comentario [43]: You may be right.
You can try to change what you think
does not work to motivate students or
help them work. Always bearing in mind
that they are little kids.
Comentario [45]: Right! This is what
makes teaching challenging and
motivating. Games with a clear purpose
are likely to engage students.

Date: Tuesday, 19th May
Lesson number: 4
to the previous classes:
♦ Offer learners enjoyable, active roles in the learning experience; through the use of games.
♦ Provide a variety of opportunities for recognising, practising and using the language;
♦ Offer activities in order to motivate, stimulate curiosity and encourage participation.
I applied strategies related to activating students’ previous knowledge on the topic by asking
questions using flashcards before starting the game; checking for understanding by using questions
such as “What is this? Do you understand? Is it clear? Is it ok?; modeling, showing and pointing
while I was introducing new vocabulary; explaining the rules of the games or instructions of the
activities; and oral drill and practice through games. I believe that students felt actively engaged
as they were really motivated most of the class. I took different learning styles into account when
I decided on the appropriate teaching strategies and the activities to develop for the group, as not
all children learn the same way. In this class I considered visual learning style (when students
needed to look at different flashcards in order to play the guessing game and also when we played
the game on the floor as they need to look and classify) and kinaesthetic learning style (when kids
played the game at the end of the class and they needed to move within the circle to find the
corresponding flashcard and place it in the correct shape). Students at this age learn through
Comentario [46]: Teté has already
pointed out that these are not
principles, but what you did, teaching
strategies.
What theories of learning supported
your teaching, apart from CLT? Socio-
constructivism? Cognitivistm? A
teacher-centred approach? etc.
Comentario [47]: And the auditory as
well, as oral interaction prevailed.

moving, doing and touching, that´s way I tried to include activities that help students remember
and process information through interacting with the space around them.
They reacted really well. I think this was one of the most motivating lessons for them, as they
demonstrated it in the way they got involved in every activity or game. I could see that they were
enjoying the class and this made me feel proud during the class. They paid attention to my
instructions during the whole class. I could also see how much they have learnt during all my
lessons. I started a new thematic unit with them (The classroom) and today was my fourth lesson
and I realised how much they have learnt! This made me feel I´ve made a good work!.
They could understand the instructions for the games without problems, as I used very simple
instructions as well as miming, modelling and visual aids.
My voice was loud and clear again, and the intonation that I used was proper for the kids. These
factors helped me a lot in order to attract students´ attention. Besides, the relationship that I
established with the kids was really good, I think that they feel more comfortable with my
presence in the classroom and they enjoy a lot!
Something very important to highlight here is an aspect that I found as negative or that needed
change or improvement in my previous journals and that now can be considered as a successful
point. I am referring to my attitude towards students´ behavior. During this class I tried to relax
and let the kids move and talk a little bit more. Kids were really enjoying the lesson and they
behave really well. I only tried to call their attention less when they were talking to a partner or
moving from their places. I understood these reactions are common in kids. I also spoke to them at
a slower pace and I was not nervous any more. I can say that I really enjoyed the lesson as kids did.
Fortunately, I didn´t find any aspect that requires change or improvement in this lesson.
Comentario [48]: Good decision!
Comentario [49]: How did you realize
this? Did they produce the language on
their own? Did they develop autonomy?
Comentario [50]: Ditto. How did they
show this?
Comentario [51]: Great Natalia!! :)

I have already planned and uploaded the last lesson, but I will work in the same way as this morning.
I have included songs and different games which they love!
Date: Thursday, 21st May
Lesson number: 5
to the previous classes:
♦ Offer learners enjoyable, active roles in the learning experience; through the use of a video and a
song in which kids were physically involved.
♦ Provide a variety of opportunities for recognizing and practising the language;
♦ Offer activities in order to motivate, stimulate curiosity and encourage participation, especially
the video that they watched and the song they sang and performed.
I applied strategies related to activating students’ previous knowledge on the topic by listening,
singing and performing actions in a song; checking for understanding by using questions such as
“What is this? Is it clear? Is it ok?; modeling, showing and pointing while I was introducing new
Comentario [52]: ditto

vocabulary; explaining the instructions of the activities; and oral drill and practice through a song
and a worksheet. I believe that students felt actively engaged as they were really motivated,
especially when they listened and performed the actions in the song and when they watched the
video. They really loved it and they could see what they learnt clearly. I took different learning
styles into account when I decided on the appropriate teaching strategies and the activities to
develop for the group. In this class I considered visual learning style (when students needed to
watch a video in order to be able to complete the worksheet next), kinaesthetic learning style
(when kids performed the actions while they sang the song) and auditory learning style (when kids
listened to the song and recognised the vocabulary and actions). Again, I tried to include activities
that help students remember and process information through interacting with the space around
them.
They reacted really well. Kids got involved in every activity. They really loved the video that I
showed them and they clearly understood the vocabulary displayed there. I could also see how
much they have learnt during all my lessons as they repeated the words they learnt with me while
they were watching the video! There was a nice atmosphere in the classroom.
They could understand the instructions for the song without problems, as I used very simple
instructions as well as miming and modelling.
My voice was loud and clear again, and the intonation that I used was proper for the kids. These
factors helped me a lot in order to attract students´ attention. Besides, the relationship that I
established with the kids was really good. Unfortunately, this was my last lesson in the
kindergarten and so I will not teach them anymore, but I´m sure they have learnt a lot from me as
well as I learnt from them. It was an enriching and positive experience for me.
Fortunately, I didn´t find any aspect that requires change or improvement in this lesson. I felt
relaxed during the lesson and I believe that all went on as expected.
Comentario [53]: Well done!
Comentario [54]: :) Here you
describe how you noticed SS had
learnt.
Comentario [55]: Great!

This was my last lesson in kindergarten and I will consider everything that I learnt during this
great experience if I have the possibility to work with little kids in the future.
Dear Natalia
Your performance during this practicum period has proved you have got acquainted with the
way very young children learn and behave. You have devoted time to reflection and have
gained deep insights into what teaching this age group implies. Please, take this feedback and
all the comments on the side into account when planning your future lesson and writing your
journal entries.
You may now upload this file (with comments) to the campus.
Congratulations on your work!!! Keep it up!
Cecilia
Comentario [56]: :)

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