Towards an approach to the teaching of grammar, which is both more learner-centred and more effective in terms of the learners' long-term acquisition and deployment of the structures concerned by Nicola Holmes

Lesson Plan - 3

Lesson procedure

Stage 1
Aims: to warm stds up & activate their vocabulary - esp. verbs - & schemata of weekend activities.

Materials: possibly an eggtimer for added sense of competition.

Time & interaction: 3 mins - stds-stds

Procedure: In two teams stds brainstorm typical weekend activities/verbs with a one min time limit.

Stage 2
Aims: to review verbs & expressions that will come up in the activities to follow/teach the verbs 'buy' & 'meet' (in the sense of 'meet some friends')

Materials: English File 1 coursebook p76, ex 1

Time & interaction: 5 mins - stds-stds

Procedure:
Working in pairs & looking at the pictures, stds fill in the verbs in the expressions on p76 of their books.

Stage 3
Aims: consolidation of above, with pronunciation and memorisation

Materials: As above

Time & interaction: 5 mins - tch-stds-stds

Procedure: Brief feedback and drilling for pronunciation where necessary, then, in pairs, stds cover the text and test each other's memory of the verbs using the picture cues

Stage 4
Aims: reminding stds of past simple question forms studied last lesson and giving them time to think about what they did last Saturday

Time & interaction: 2 mins - tch-stds

Procedure: stds close their eyes and tasks them to think about last Saturday, tch then asks a series of questions using the verbs from page 76: Did you stay in?' etc...

Stage 5
Aims: review of past simple question forms, combining them with the verbs and expressions on page 76

Materials: Blown up pic cues based on the pics on p76

Time & interaction: 5 mins - tch-stds-stds

Procedure: tch uses picture cues to drill past simple yes/no questions and short answers:
- choral drill
- across the class - student to student
- chain drill

Stage 6
Aims: further semi-controlled practice and consolidation of past simple yes/no questions and gathering of information to use in controlled practice of past simple positive forms at stage 14.

Materials: Class survey - parts A & B

Time & interaction: 5 mins - stds-stds

Procedure: stds mingle and ask each other questions on class survey, noting the answers with a tick or cross.

Stage 7
Aims: activation of schemata/pre-listening prediction and further practice of past simple yes/no questions

Materials: pics of Ronnie & Paolo & accompanying questions

Time & interaction: 5 mins - tch-stds-stds

Procedure: Change pairs so that stds are working with a partner who had different questions in stage 6. In pairs, stds look at the pictures of Ronnie and Paolo and the accompanying questions and make predictions about what they did last Saturday

Stage 8
Aims: Listening for specific information/initial aural exposure to past simple positive forms

Materials: English File One File 7B, tape 5 & handouts from stage 7

Time & interaction: 2 mins - std

Procedure: Students listen to check their predictions, ticking the verbs they hear for Ronnie and Paolo

Stage 9
Aims: Comparing of ideas/assistance of weaker students, who may have struggled with listening task

Materials: Handout as above

Time & interaction: 2 mins - stds-stds-tch

Procedure: In pairs, stds compare what they heard about Ronnie and Paolo's Saturday, giving as much information as possible

Stage 10
Aims: Checking of answers for listening and initial exposure to past simple positive forms and their sound/spelling relationship

Materials: Handout of tapescripts with past simple verbs highlighted, File 7B, tape 5 as above.

Time & interaction: 2 mins - std

Procedure: stds listen again to check their answers, following the tapescript on the handout

Stage 11
Aims: Focus on past simple regular forms in positive and negative

Materials: Whiteboard

Time & interaction: 5 mins - tch-stds

Procedure: Tch elicits past simple regular positive verbs from tapescript by means of gapped sentences on the board:

- After the children went to bed we _____ cards. Then, we_____ ____TV.

Ask concept questions to elicit concept of past simple and its form for regular verbs:

-When was it? -Last Saturday - Past Simple
-What's the verb in sentence 1? - play
-What's the past simple? - played

Elicit forms for positive and negative - put on board.

Stage 12
Aims: More detailed focus on past simple positive forms in 5 regular verbs and six irregular verbs from the text

Materials: Grammar analysis handout

Time & interaction: 4 mins - stds-stds

Procedure: In pairs, stds fill in the past simple positive and negative forms for the verbs on their handout

Stage 13
Aims: Feedback and checking of pronunciation

Materials: Whiteboard

Time & interaction: 5 mins - tch-stds

Procedure: Tch elicits past simple positive forms from stage 12 onto board, then elicits & drills pronunciation, crossing out the 'e' in the regular verbs & focusing on the vowel sound in 'saw' & the /e/ sound in 'read' & 'met'.

Stage 14
Aims: Controlled practice of past simple forms using personalised information

Materials: Class survey from stage 6.

Time & interaction: 5 mins - tch-stds-tch

Procedure: Teacher elicits information about the students' Saturdays, asking stds to look at the surveys from stage 6. Stds then tell their partner what information they have - they should have different questions.

Stage 15
Aims: Freer practice of past simple forms and of the question: 'What did you do….?

Materials: Past tense expression cue cards.

Time & interaction: 5 mins - tch-stds-stds

Procedure: Tch elicits other past time expressions from students (revision from a previous lesson), choral drills question 'What did you do..?' using time expression cue cards, then passes the cards round for the stds to ask and answer the questions in pairs.

Homework
Aims: Consolidation and personalisation of past simple positive, negative and question forms

Materials: English File Workbook - not included in the materials section here.

Procedure: Students do exercises on page 34 of their workbook - simple gap fill exercises - and write about their last Saturday - teacher reminds them to use sequencers: After that, then etc.

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