The Big Board

In any language class, the presentation stage of a lesson is key to effectively illustrating to learners important language features.  There are many ways to do this:

• PowerPoint
• Graphics

But my personal favorite is the trusty (and dusty) blackboard.

However, for something that is often the focal point of a lesson, we can sometimes find ourselves not giving sufficient planning to it.  What follows is a few key guidelines I use for developing my boards:

• N - Neat: Make sure your board is not overly cluttered
• I - Informative: The board should hold the relevant information
• C - Color: Effective use of color can clarify and interest
• E - Easy to Understand: Learners should be able to quickly comprehend the board

Here is a sample board I used for a recent lesson on the present perfect.

Now, once the board is set for class, we can use it for the presentation stage of our lesson.  However, simply ending there and erasing might be a waste.  I like to have my learners interact with the board and add either examples of the target language or what what they perceive to be relevant information.  In this way, learners engage with the board and become involved in the presentation stage of the lesson.