In early November, ETA Alyssa Guiang helped students at SMAN 1 Tomohon get into the “autumn spirit” through some fall-themed classroom activities. Though Indonesia traditionally has two seasons—dry and rainy—ETA Alyssa has been asked about the different seasons in America, such as fall and winter. To respond to students’ curiosity about American seasons and to promote a better understanding of how the current fall season in the US is celebrated, Alyssa crafted a fall-themed lesson for students to enjoy and learn from.

The lesson plan incorporated vocabulary, the alphabet in English, a spelling bee, and candy for all students who participated. First, Alyssa started the lesson by giving an overview of common fall activities and holidays celebrated during this season in America, such as Halloween and Thanksgiving. Alyssa then wrote down several fall-related vocabulary words on the whiteboard with some letters missing to get students thinking about these English words—for example, the letters “p_mp_in” spells pumpkin. Students could then volunteer to come up to the board to fill in the missing letters, earning a piece of candy for attempting to spell the word.

After that, Alyssa asked students to participate in a spelling bee where they would use the English alphabet to spell out vocabulary words of their choice. Finally, Alyssa asked students to use the fall-themed vocabulary words in a sentence for two pieces of candy! By the end of the lesson, students enjoyed the candy they earned while learning more about the fall season in America.

Alyssa Guiang is currently teaching at SMAN 1 Tomohon, North Sulawesi.