Dafne Ria A.

Alban
Eng 306
An Evaluation of an English Language Material

Directions: Evaluate Lesson 1 of a Grade 7 book based on your instructor's lecture,

Dr. Barrot's webinar, and Dr. Gutierrez's criteria for evaluating English language
materials.

An Evaluation of an English Language Material

According to Schon 1983, to attain successful language teaching, it is

integral that as the dispenser of knowledge we must evaluate the language
teaching and learning materials use in the teaching-learning process.

The lesson 1 of the Grade 7 book starts with perceiving ideas wherein the
suggested activity and learning material is the KWL Chart where K-W-L is an
acronym that stands for “Know,” “Want to Know,” and “Learned.” The KWL chart is
divided into three columns—one for each letter—under which students record:

1. What they already know about the topic

2. What they want to know (or questions they have) about the topic
3. What they learned (after the lesson or assignment)

In this case, the learners need to fill out that chart about what they know
during the years when the Philippines and Japan were at war. This certain
material is presented before delving or introducing the main lesson of the day.
By recording each stage of the learning process (current knowledge, questions
or gaps, and outcomes), KWL charts help teachers identify student needs and
deliver lessons specifically catered to each class. Moreover, this help keep
learners and teachers on the same page and encourages learner to engage with
the material and take ownership of their learning.

After the brainstorming, a poem particularly a sonnet is presented to the

class entitled “To My Native Land by Trinidad Tarrosa-Subido”. I liked the poem
choice since it is written by a Filipino poet; therefore, a contextualization is
being harnessed here. However, I am doubting whether a Grade 7 could
understand the message that the poem wanted to convey since it uses a
language that is very figurative in the sense that the lines are so deep (words
used are unfamiliar) that it needs second, third, or even a fourth reading to sink
in the mind what the poem is all about. Considering we have a Grade 7, a
freshman; thus, it would be very time-consuming for them just in the translation
of the lines only. I would suggest, to present another poem that can be easily
understood by the learners. In that way, we are making the content suitable to
the learner’s level of development, needs, and experiences.
Dafne Ria A. Alban
Eng 306
An Evaluation of an English Language Material
Contrary to what I assumed; the second poem presented is very nice. It
supports the message that what the first poem carries which is about the
native land. It is a lyric poem by N.V.M Gonzalez which highlights on the feeling
the poet wanted to express. The two poems being used encapsulates the
concept of the “tone” of the poem based on the questions asked after reading
it.

Now here is the twist, the next procedure of the lesson is digging the
word meanings wherein the learners need to choose three words from the
poem that they find difficulty in comprehending. Now, I would like to take back
what I said earlier about the structure of the poem. I finally understood why
such poem is used because it would serve as springboard to the unlocking of
difficulty. Hence, we are on the right track in following one of the criteria/
guidelines which states that the material should provide for the development of
higher cognitive skills such as critical thinking, creativity, learning by doing,
inquiry, problem solving, etc. and the poem selection is targeting these. Aside
from that, the poems or the materials is aligned with the criteria that says
“materials should enhance the development of desirable values and traits such
as pride in being a filipino” because of the message of the two poems.

In our lesson plans for teaching reading, we follow the unlocking of

difficulty first before the presentation of the material or medium which is a
story or a poem. A graphic organizer is used in this certain part of the lesson
where learners need to fill out the columns on unfamiliar words, what they think
the words meant, and the dictionary meaning of such words.

Here comes the Literary Activities. The three Literary Activities given are
differentiated or varied and therefore considers the learner’s diverse learning
styles and interests. The Literature Activity 1 is trickier because it involves the
art of questioning. The questions formulated are appropriate, really elicits the
learner’s higher-order thinking skills. Literature Activity 2 includes graphic
organizer as its material. I liked it because it captures the information about
the setting and imagery of the poem entitled “song”. Also triggers the learner’s
critical thinking skill. The last Literature Activity involves the use of a
newspaper and the article written on it about the Japanese occupation in
Bataan which also in relation to the two poems given prior.

Next part is what I assumed to be enrichment activities. First, learners

are working in a group to choose a movie that depicts the Philippine Heroes
wherein they are directed to study the life of a hero they have chosen and
supply the information learned on the graphic organizer. Secondly, they are
going to interview a relative or a veteran from the war about his/her life during
Dafne Ria A. Alban
Eng 306
An Evaluation of an English Language Material
that time. Here, students are given the prerogative whether they would be
creating a narrative story or a fictional story. In this way, we are enriching or
reinforcing the concept even more to the students at the same time, targeting
their affective domain which focuses on internalizing the values and traits
acquired from the poem.

In summary, the lesson presented is very holistic. It really captured the

target objectives of the day. The materials being used reinforces the concept
while maintaining its very own purpose which is consistent to the criteria or
guidelines to take into consideration on selecting the materials. Overall, I am
pretty sure that the teaching-learning process is successful.