Adjectives lesson
Intermediate level
Description
Materials
Main Aims
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To practise adjectives to describe qualities using appropriate stress.
Subsidiary Aims
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To listen to descriptions using the vocabulary presented.
Procedure (40-48 minutes)
The teacher informs the students that the lesson will build upon the previous lesson on relationships taught by Ghita. Before being given the handout, the class will first listen to recordings of people describing their ideal partner, to test solely their listening skills. They will be asked what is being described and what sort of words are being used to describe these people. After briefly discussing this, the students will receive the handout with the text of the recording, and listen to the recording once more. The teacher asks the students which person is most/least like them and why, encouraging them to use some of the adjectives they just encountered.
The teacher points out the different columns in the second exercise and tells the class to match the words from the previous exercise with the appropriate synonym/antonym. The teacher demonstrates the first few words and then divides the class into pairs to complete the rest of the exercise. Upon completion, students check their answers with the pair next to them, while students who have finished early can write some of their answers on the whiteboard.The teacher then goes over these answers with the whole group, asking different students to give an example of how they could use the word appropriately, to make sure they understand the meaning.
Before starting the listening exercise, the teacher checks whether the class understands what is meant by 'stressed syllable'. The teacher plays the recording and pauses after each group of words, first repeating the words himself and then having the class repeat them with him to practise pronunciation. For emphasis, individual students are also pointed out to repeat the word. The teacher plays the recording a second time, and this time students are asked to underline the stressed syllable while listening. The teacher pauses to ask which syllable was stressed and, if needed, uses the whiteboard for clarification.
Students are divided into new pairs to discuss the qualities they look for in their ideal partner/friend, while the teacher monitors and encourages them to use the recently encountered vocabulary. Pairs are then joined up and asked to list the six most important qualities, with the results of the different groups being compared and debated, leading to a final top six on the whiteboard. If there is any time left, the class can also discuss the worst or most annoying qualities in a prospective partner or friend, perhaps by making use of the antonyms they encountered in the second exercise.