english-lesson

name: english-lesson description: Summarize English speaking lesson from recording/transcript. Extract vocabulary, categorize topics, highlight common phrases and pronunciation issues, generate practice exercises. Use when processing English lesson recordings, transcripts, or creating lesson summaries.

English Lesson Summarizer

When to Use

• User says "english lesson", "lesson summary", "summarize my lesson"
• User provides a transcript file, recording, or lesson notes to process
• User wants to create a lesson review note

Workflow

Phase 1: Extract Raw Content

If given a video/audio recording path:

1. Check if a transcript already exists (look for -transcript.txt alongside the file)
2. If no transcript, ask the user to provide one or use a transcription tool
3. Read the transcript file

If given a transcript or raw notes:

1. Read the full content
2. Identify speaker turns (teacher vs student) — teacher lines tend to be corrections, prompts, model sentences; student lines tend to have grammar errors and L1 interference

Phase 2: Analyze & Categorize

2a. Topic Extraction

• Identify 3-5 main topics covered in the lesson
• Label each topic concisely (e.g., "Shopping experiences", "Polite refusals", "Storytelling structure")

2b. Vocabulary Extraction

• Extract ALL new words and phrases the teacher introduced or corrected
• For each word/phrase capture:
  • English word/phrase
  • Chinese meaning (Mandarin)
  • Example sentence from the lesson (prefer teacher's model sentence)
• Group into: Lesson Vocabulary (new words) and Topic-Specific Vocabulary (if a sub-domain like relationships, work, etc.)

2c. Common Phrases & Expressions

• Extract natural English expressions taught (e.g., "you're all set", "I'm not really into that")
• These are high-value — highlight them prominently
• Include usage context and Chinese equivalent

2d. Pronunciation & Grammar Issues

• Extract ALL teacher corrections (student said X → should be Y)
• Categorize corrections:
  • Pronunciation: similar-sounding words confused (e.g., "slipped" vs "slept", "lag" vs "leg")
  • Grammar: structural errors (e.g., "I try to don't use" → "I try not to use")
  • Word choice: wrong word used (e.g., "describe story" → "descriptive story")
  • Article/plural: missing articles or plural forms
• Flag recurring patterns across lessons if memory exists (check ~/my_outside_mind/notes/english/ for past lessons)

Phase 3: Generate Practice Exercises

Create practice sections tailored to the student's weak areas:

3a. Pronunciation Drills

• List 5-8 minimal pairs or similar-sounding words from the lesson's problem areas
• Format: word1 vs word2 — meaning1 vs meaning2
• Include IPA pronunciation where helpful

3b. Sentence Correction Exercise

• Take 5-8 actual student errors from the transcript
• Present as "Fix this sentence" exercise with answers in a collapsed callout

3c. Translation Practice (Chinese → English)

• Write 8-10 Chinese sentences using the lesson's vocabulary and phrases
• Target the specific grammar patterns and expressions that were taught
• Mix difficulty: some straightforward vocabulary recall, some requiring the lesson's grammar patterns
• Include answers in a collapsed callout

3d. Speaking Prompts

• 3-5 questions the student can practice answering using the lesson's vocabulary
• These should be open-ended and personally relevant

Phase 4: Generate Flashcards

Create Obsidian-compatible flashcards using the :: separator format:

• Every new vocabulary word gets a flashcard
• Every teacher correction gets a flashcard (test the correct form)
• Key expressions get a "How to say X in English?" flashcard
• Format: front :: back — example sentence

Phase 5: Write the Note

Use the template at ~/my_outside_mind/templates/english-lesson.md (Templater template).

Write the completed note to: ~/my_outside_mind/notes/english/English Lesson {N} - {Topic Summary}.md

• Determine lesson number by checking existing files in ~/my_outside_mind/notes/english/
• Topic summary should be 2-4 words capturing the main themes

Output Structure

The final note follows this structure (matching existing lesson notes):

---
title: English Lesson {N} - {Topic Summary}
tags: [english, lesson, flashcards]
date: {YYYY-MM-DD}
---

# Lesson {N} — {Topic Summary}

## Lesson Notes

### Topics Covered
(numbered list of 3-5 topics)

### {Topic Section 1}
(exercises, discussions, teacher prompts in callouts)

### {Topic Section 2}
...

### Vocabulary from This Lesson
(table: Word/Phrase | Meaning | Example)

### Common Phrases & Expressions
(table with usage context — these are the high-value natural expressions)

### Teacher's Feedback & Tips
> [!tip] Key corrections
> (all student errors → corrections)

> [!info] Pronunciation issues
> (problem sounds, minimal pairs, recurring issues)

---

## Practice Exercises

### Pronunciation Drills
(minimal pairs and problem words)

### Fix These Sentences
> [!example]- Answers (click to reveal)
> (corrected versions)

### Translate to English (Chinese → English)
> [!example]- Answers (click to reveal)
> (English translations)

### Speaking Prompts
(open-ended practice questions)

---

## Flashcards #english
(word :: definition — example sentence)

Rules

1. Faithful to the lesson — only include what actually happened. Don't invent topics or vocabulary that weren't covered.
2. Chinese translations are mandatory — every vocabulary word and phrase needs Mandarin equivalent.
3. Use teacher's model sentences — prefer the teacher's corrected/improved versions over student's attempts.
4. Flag recurring issues — if a grammar pattern (e.g., -ed vs -ing adjectives) appeared in previous lessons, note it as a recurring issue.
5. Practice exercises target weak spots — don't generate generic exercises. Target the specific errors and patterns from THIS lesson.
6. Translation exercises use natural Chinese — write Chinese sentences a native speaker would say, requiring the student to produce the English patterns taught.
7. Match existing note style — follow the formatting of Lessons 3-5 in ~/my_outside_mind/notes/english/.
8. Lesson numbering — check existing files to determine the next lesson number.

Cross-Lesson Tracking

When processing a new lesson, quickly scan previous lesson files for:

• Recurring pronunciation issues (build a pattern)
• Vocabulary that reappears (mark as "review" not "new")
• Grammar patterns that keep coming up (escalate prominence)

This helps the student see their progress and persistent weak areas.