TECHNOLOGY LESSON PLAN: PROCESS ESSAY

Technology Lesson Plan: Process Essay

Janna Rice
Azusa Pacific University

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Technology Lesson Title: Introducing the Process Essay - A Task-based Lesson

Timeframe: 60 minutes
Context
The class is made up of 9 low-intermediate ESL adult Ss, taking a 4 week, 20 hour M-F reading/writing
class at a private English language school in an EAP program. There are 3 females and 4 males, ages
18-23, representing China, Japan, and South Korea. Classrooms are Smart board or projector equipped
with WiFI and all students own personal devices. This course requires students to write a 4 paragraph
process essay with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Students brainstorm ideas through presenting
a process photo collage, acquire necessary vocabulary through narrating collages and develop editing
skills through providing peer feedback.
Learning Outcomes
SWBAT present a pre-selected process with at least 4 steps through a photo-collage
SWBAT collaborate to produce written steps to describe classmate's photo collages
SWBAT use critical thinking skills to provide peer feedback to classmate's photocollages
SWBAT brainstorm an engaging intro idea for the sample photo collage presented by the
teacher.
Materials and Key Technology

Student personal devices - Ensure that all students possess a Smartphone. Students will use their
phones to create their photo collages and upload them a class account in Edmodo.com for ease of
presentation

Edmodo.com - Edmodo is a classroom management tool that can be used to facilitate student
collaboration, collection of homework assignments, and student presentations. Instructor should
create a teacher's account prior to this lesson and create a group for the class. After creating a
password for the group, students can create their own student accounts and join the group using
the teacher generated password. The instructor can then create the photocollage assignment for
the class where students can upload their photo collage creations. Classmates can then view the
collages in class and at home.

Smartboard or laptop and projector - The Smart board will be used to display student projects
for class discussion. Using the Smart board computer, the teacher can access the class Edmodo
account to display student picture collages

Online dictionary - Students will work in groups to produce descriptions of classmate's

presentations. An online dictionary is a useful tool for language learners to discover necessary
verbs they don't know to describe the steps shown in pictures
Sample How To Photo Collage (Appendix A)

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Process Essay Worksheet Photo Collage Steps (Appendices B and C) (Front and back side of
worksheet - Appendix C is used to model and complete as a class before independent group
work)

Preliminary Steps in a Previous Class

This lesson is designed to set up students for a task-based project that will help them begin the
brainstorming steps to write a process essay and lead them into thinking about their audience and
purpose for writing. It is meant to be followed up with future lessons focusing on the introduction,
adding in transitions, and then forming the conclusion paragraph. This task-based project as a whole
should prepare students for independent work on a culminating essay of their own at the end of the
course.

Ensure that class Edmodo account is created and that all students have created accounts and
joined the group

Ensure that all students have downloaded the free Photo collage app on their personal devices
and know how to choose a photo collage template, upload photos to the collage, and save their
creation to the photo gallery on their device.

Ensure that students know how upload their photo collage to the Edmodo assignment for future
viewing

Post the assignment in Edmodo with a sample photo collage (Appendix A) These are easy to
find on Pinterest if you would like to choose a different sample

Assign students to groups of 2 or 3 and explain that they need to collaborate to create a How TO
photo collage of a task of their choice. They should take pictures of each step in the task. The
photo collage should be a visual How To of a task of their choice with steps clearly
demonstrating how to complete the task. The HOW To must include 4-8 steps and be uploaded
to Edmodo prior to the date of this lesson. Students should be instructed not to label the collage
with any titles.

Warm-up: Schema activation (7 minutes)

Open the Edmodo Class Account and display the group photo collages that students have submitted
prior to the class. Have other groups view the projects and try to guess what task is being illustrated in
each collage. Distribute the photo collage worksheet (Appendix B) Scroll through the Edmodo account
on the Smartboard so that the sample photo collage is displayed. As a class, ask students to give the
main verb depicted in the first photo step in the collage. Write their ideas on the board as they shout
them out. Ask the groups to collaborate and try to write a sentence to describe the photo. Have each

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group post their sentence on Edmodo. Help the students to correct any mistakes and generate a model
sentence to clearly describe the first step in the photo story.
Activity #1: Vocabulary building - Describe the steps in your group photo collage (20 minutes)
Have the students sit with their groups. Ask the groups to collaborate to write 1-2 sentences to describe
each step in their photo collage. As they brainstorm verbs, prepositions and other vocabulary needed,
ask the students to write the words in the vocabulary builder section of the worksheet. Students can use
these as references in the future when they have to write their own process essay independently in a
future lesson. Once they have come up with their descriptions, they should post them in the Edmodo
account for whole class viewing.
Activity #2: Peer Editing (20 minutes)
Assign each group a another group for which they will provide peer feedback. Accessing their partner
group post on Edmodo, students should view the work and discuss any changes they want to suggest.
Students should discuss: 1) Do they think they can achieve the task demonstrated in the photo story?
Are there any missing steps? Do the sentences clearly describe each step? Groups can post their
feedback to each group for their review and editing in a future class.
Activity #3: (7 minutes) The Hook: Why would someone need this How To? Imagine a scenario
that would cause someone to search for this How To on the internet and use it.
This activity is meant to model the homework assignment and facilitate critical thinking skills necessary
for writing a successful introduction paragraph in the future essay students will create. It helps students
to understand that writing should communicate and connect with a specific audience. Ask students what
usually comes first in a paragraph (topic sentence). Explain to the students that an essay is like the
sentences in a paragraph. Each paragraph in an essay serves a purpose. The introduction paragraph is
like the topic sentence. The writer should state what he is going to write about and get the reader
interested in reading the rest of the essay. Explain that an introduction paragraph should have an
exciting hook to draw the reader in. One way to achieve this is to give an anecdote related to the topic.

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Show the sample photo collage of how to prepare a sushi roll. Ask the students to come up with a
scenario where someone would need this tutorial. Try to avoid giving an example and allow students to
discuss and create if possible. (Example: Boy wants to impress girl on first date. He decides to make
her sushi but doesn't know how to do it.) Write student ideas on the board and provide feedback as
necessary (ask pertinent questions to help students complete an underdeveloped idea).
Closing and Homework: For homework, brainstorm 2 scenarios you could use as a hook in an
introduction paragraph to the process shown in your group photo collage. Students should submit their
hook ideas in Edmodo. Explain to the students that tomorrow, they will learn how to write their
introduction and body paragraphs in a process essay using the worksheets they have filled out in class
today.

Appendix A Photo Collage Sample (How to make a sushi roll)

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(Matsumoto, 2012)

Appendix B: Photo Collage Worksheet (Front side of worksheet)

Name: ______________________
_________________________

Group Photo Collage Title:

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Photo Collage Work Sheet: Process Essay

Directions: Write a sentence to describe each step in your photo collage. Use your
team members and online dictionaries to discover words you don't know. Add the new
words in the boxes in the right column.
**You only need one sentence for each photo in your collage. 4 photos = 4 sentences
Verbs:
Step 1:
Step 2:
______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________
_____________________ _____________________
Step 3:
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Step 4:
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Nouns:

Step 5:
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Step 6:
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Prepositions:

Step 7:
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Step 8:
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Adjectives:

Step 9:
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Step 10:
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Adverbs:

Appendix C: Photo Collage Worksheet (Back side of worksheet)

Name: Example Worksheet

Sushi Roll

Group Photo Collage Title: How to Make a

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Photo Collage Work Sheet: Process Essay

Directions: Class room practice. Lets write each step together from the sushi roll photo
collage. The first step is written for us in the first box..
**You only need one sentence for each photo in your collage. 4 photos = 4 sentences
Verbs:
Step 1: Place a sheet of
Step 2:
Place
seaweed flat in the middle ______________________
of a sushi rolling mat.
______________________
______________________
______________________
_____________________
Step 3:
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Nouns:
Step 4:
sheet
of
seaweed
______________________
______________________ mat
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Step 5:
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Prepositional phrases:
Step 6:
______________________ in the middle of
______________________
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Step 7:
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Step 8:
______________________ Flat
______________________ rolling
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Adjectives:

Step 9:
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Step 10:
______________________ sushi
______________________
______________________
______________________
_____________________

Adverbs:

Resources
Matsumoto, K. 2012. How to make sushi with step-by-step breakdown [Photo collage]. PBS.
Retrieved at http://www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/how-to-make-sushi-with-step-by-step-breakdown/