Final Exam: Video News from Yoobin Cha

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http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&videoId=82461" />

A man who is rebating to set of formal shape, Mexican who recorded fattest person in the world.
He is the heaviest living man, 560kg in January 2006.
He is going to size small 325kg, combining three well man.
His rebating target is around 313kg next couple of years.
He want to another record who is losing the most weight in the world.
"I used to eat a lot of carbohydrate, pizza, Junk foods,
Hamburgers, French fries, lots of beans and rice.
All food have a lot of carbohydrates I now know about more
how much food influence in your body."

He has had US aid to lose weight by eating fish, vegetables.
It is going to be massive and permanent.
To weigh down and rebate living his bed and go outside world again are going up.

Yoobin Cha wrote:



http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&videoId=82398" />
http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&videoId=82461" />

Pre-listening activity: First, teacher let students in groups, and give them a sheet which is on pictures related to the video clip.
The teacher mentions what topic is going on this class to her/his students and
give them background information.
The teacher explains some words which are unfamiliar with students.
Students have a chance to imagine or conjecture about today topic and share their thoughts with classmates.

For example, Why did this man become fat? What is his problem?


Post-listening comprehension activity: The Teacher needs to give each group a sheet with some questions to confirm how many students can understand this topic.

★I think that the teacher just look around student's sheets and don't ask them the answers individually. It gives them much stress to answers correctly and makes restrict their imagination.

Studetns can share answers with group members and discuss about anything related today topic.

The teacher ask students that if you gain a lot of weight, what do you think the best way to lose weight , What kind of food make people fat?
Is there any good way to live in good health?
Do you know another the Guinness world records? etc.

Each group members get a lot of time to speak their dicisions in English.
The teacher is a just watcher , not a speaker.
If there are negative, shy students who can not participate in discuss, the teacher come to them and make them encouraged by asking "** , What do you think?
That's great idea"

Post-listening productive activity: the teacher ask students that effective stretching or yoga to make bodies limber and let them explain it in English.
Each group can share their idea and do act by peers explanation.

The teacher posts big papers on the wall and let students draw a picture about
what will happen the haviest man in the next?
The teacher prepares pastel crayons.

The teacher gives diaries to each group and let them write on dairies when if they are in his shoes, how they feel about.

Nowadays obesity is getting bigger problem in Korea. So our young students will come to know that how healthy diet is important to them.

I think guessing before listenig is good way to make students pay more attention to what they are listenig and give them a purpose to listen.
I recommend that you'd better include more sepcific and detailed way of teaching new expressions and vocabulary to help their comprehension.

You are very conscious of how manage the activity which is one of the most needed in classroom.
I agree that teacher should give more initiatives to their students and provide proper help.

About production activity, I think you need to change a little bit your activity. Because you must make the students use the English, you'd better include lore liguistic-based activity, not just drawing the picture.

I saw the news article on the TV a few days ago, and I felt surprised at the weight first and his effort to lose his weight then. It's no more the serious problem only in U. S. A. In Korea more and more people suffer from the obesity, so it's proper choice for the students.
I like your pre-listening activities, because they have useful information for the discussing with other students, such as vocabulary and background knowledge. Also, it's a good idea for the students to find out the right answers for themselves in the post-listening comprehension activity.
However if I have any chance to add something I'd like to recommend this for your lesson plan.
Nowaday almost everyone has experiences to effort to lose his or her weight. So I think for the post-listening you'd better give them some time to write about their own experiences. Because it is a good chance to practice and develop one's writing ability. And if they can apply the vocabulary they learned in the class to the writing, there is no better chance to review what they learned in the class.

Hey~ Yoo-Bin, Hello.^^ What an amuzing topic you've chosen! By just glancing the paused screen, I couldn't help being curious about the news. This seems like a suitable topic for students at any level even though it's up to you how you manage the class to make it effective for students. If I were your student, I would be willing to take part in your class positively for it is absolutely a entertaining topic that provides a number of things to talk about.

I am fond of most of your activities as well. In particular, it appears to be effective that you get the students in groups for the problem-solving activity after listening. I agree with the opinion of yours that teacher's walking around causes a lot of burden as well as stress when doing an individual job. It looks like she is trying to check out who's got the right answers. Since only a few students will be sure about their answers, that kind of behaviour can make the rest of them feel too anxious. Too much usually doesn't help anything, right? Some students, in addition, will possibly be doing nothing, successfully avoiding the teacher's supervision. Accordingly, to let them solve the questions with cooperation will help them lessen their tension and actually study by themselves. But, be careful of the possibility that one student does everything alone while the others just chat in Korean. It would be nice to keep motivating them by watching each group for some time. If you do so, your plan won't be able to be better.

Hello~*

My video was also about overweight/obese problem especially focused on young kids. It's a sad reality that more and more people will have to suffer from being overweight in future. But hopefully, many people will acknowledge the seriousness of overweight problem and start going on healthy diet because it's not too late yet. I feel really sorry for the man in the video and hope he'll succeed his goal and have opportunity to go out on foot.

After looking at your lesson plan, I thought it was well made and could sense that you really adjusted the level to the students. I especially liked the way you continuously encouraged their imaginary starting from pre-listening activity. And there were many parts where students get to talk to each other(or in a group)in English and useful tips such as stretching and yoga were included as well.^^

I thought maybe I could add just add one helpful? or fun question to post-listening activity. In your lesson plan, there's a discussion part...

The teacher ask students that if you gain a lot of weight, what do you think the best way to lose weight , What kind of food make people fat?Is there any good way to live in good health? Do you know another the Guinness world records? etc.

Here, maybe students can tell their own eating habits and share opinions about what might be wrong or dangerous for one's health. In this way they can have an English conversation and find some solutions for each other as well. Students might recognize his/her problem like the man in the video. (he ate much food with carbohydrates and found that influenced his body a lot.)

Hope my reply helped you!

1. I think the story is really interesting. Sometimes whenever I search around the Internet, I can meet heavy guys like him, but this guy looks lighter than the ones that I used to see. I sometimes wonder how those kind people became so fat that they cannot lead a normal life. I think students will like this story because of the big guy.

2. Your lesson plan seems really interesting and fun because there are many activities that students can do after listening to the news. I believe those activities will make students think about the topic and feel fun about learning English. Also, you care about students' affective factors so that students can learn English without much burden. I think those two things are good things from your plan.

3. After the post-listening productive activity, writing diary in the heavy guy's shoes, are you going to assess their writing? Or, do you just want them to write their thinking freely?

4. I think you can add vocabulary games like "bingo" to one of post-listening productive activities. Since you seem to emphasize fun during the lesson, I guess that kind of game will also help students feel excited about the lesson.

1. This story is a kind of one's strenuous working. Despite his horrible figure, it must be going to the far better state than before. In korea, the number of students has been increased since many western food come into our dinning table. Because of that reason, students might think the need of improvement in their eating habits by watching the video clip. It's a well motivating story to students. Also, It is concerned with the realistic problem in life.

2. I like your indirect approach to the right answers during a group discussion. Also, the open-ended questions which have many acceptable answers are good ideas. You much considered the affectivity of student.

3, 4. I fully understand and agree with the aims of your lesson. However, if you are in the difficult situation that your shy student is reluctant to discuss in English, what will you do? I think that shy personality has a bad effect on studying and also that characteristic is resistant to change. Open-ended questions have both strong points and weak points. I thought more specifically detailed activities are needed to the shy students. In this case, I recommend working in pairs or skimming questions.

I think that your lesson is interesting enough to get much attention and you lead a class to a warm-hearted activities. ^^

I like the idea of having students describe good yoga positions and stretching poses in English, because it can make students think about words and ways of expression when you want to describe something.

Here in Korea, we don't have many opportunites to use English in a daily life, so I'm not quite good at describing something in English. I think we practice a lot giving our opinion on a specific issue, but we don't practice quite often giving a desription about something. I remember I was quite embarrassed when I was in a hair salon in America, because I simply didn't know how to describe the hair style that I wanted in English.

So I believe giving students opportunities to desribe something in Engish is important, and your post-listening productive activity can be a good example.

1. Although he have made his body so big, he decided to lose his weight. This is good for him.
2. If you teach students really, the class will be exciting, I believe. Nowaday, there are so many people who care their apperance, and a lot of students do, as well.
3. It is good way to use pictures in order to give students background information, and your thinking that let them stressful at the begining made me smile.^^ In addition, it is also good to write aboout how he feels like. Because it is not a serious situation, it is easy to compose their essays.
4. One More! When I saw your class materials, I remind the movie, "Shallow Hal(내겐 너무 가벼운 그녀 in Korean)" in my mind. Therefore, if you have opportunity to see, the movie might be good for your students to understand and sympathize.

Hi~Yoobin !!!^^ This topic is really interesting. Nowadays Young people as well as old people, who are females and even males, are interested in obesity and diet. Many people want to lose their weight. A few weeks ago, I heard from the news that in Korea, people who are fat are increasing. This is a serious problem not just in Koreak but in other countries as well. So i'm sure this topic will have students interesting.

After listening to the news, it is fun to discuss the problem, such as, what is the best way to lose weight or what kind of food make people fat etc. Most students are interested in losing weight , whether they are fat or not. In addition, maybe they know about the questions related to obesity. So I think they feel less stressful to speak in English.

However, I wonder that if students are not obese, is it okay not to write a diary? Students can choose if they keep a diary or not? I think mose students are afraid of writing in English. So many students don't want to write it. How can you make them keep a diary? I think you should get every student or each group to keep a diary, even if they are not overweight. And then How about evaluateing their wriing submitted ?

Today is the last class. See U soon.^^*

Wow, I couldn't see that kind of person face to face in my life. I think we, Koreans, are much healthier compared to the West contry people(average). I am not sure whether he can lose his weight or not. Because as far as I know the best way to lose weight is
exercise. But I don't think he can do exercise hard with that heavy body. Maybe he need a surgery to cut off his stomach a little bit first. Anyway I hope he can make his dream
come true.

In terms of your lesson plan, I think your pre-listening activities which ask students some questions and let them answer the questions is good idea. I think eventhough it can be a little boring, teaching them new words and expressions and activating their knowledge is
important task. By using questions like you suggest, we can help them to imagine and
think about the topic.

But I can't perfectly understand your post-listehing comprehension activity. You said
teachers should not give students ant anxiety. I can agree with that idea. But not giving the right answer about the comprehension questions, well, I am not sure about its effect.
Can you tell us the impact of that method more specifically if possible? ^^

And in post-listening productive activity, teaching the effect of stretching and yoga is
very meaningful activity, eventhough it has no perfect relation with topic and listening.
You mean, you will teach those exercises in English, don't you? If then, I think
it is very realistic. But I think it can be a totally another activity. Because to do that, we need new words and expressions. So, if you change topic of task a little which has some relationship with the original topic, it also can be better, I think.