Unreal Conditionals
Upper Intermediate level
Description
Materials
Main Aims
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To provide clarification and practice of unreal conditionals in the context of dreams
Subsidiary Aims
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To provide fluency speaking practice in a conversation in the context of unreal situations in their lives
Procedure (44-68 minutes)
Teacher welcomes students and starts reflecting three questions on the WB. The questions are: What would you do if you woke up one morning and spoke perfect English? What aspect of your appearance/ personality would you like to change if you could? What period in history/country would you like to have been born in? Teachers ask the first students to all class. After eliciting some answers, teacher wants them to write the answer the others on the paper. Teacher monitor to see where any difficulties lie. Peer-checking. FB.
Teacher shows two different meanings of 'dream'- those you have when you sleep and the conscious, ambitions or hopes a person might have. Teacher elicit two different meanings. Then teacher gives a handout about dream quotes from Oscar Wilde, Emily Bronte, Bernard Shaw, and F H Hedge. Students work in pairs and talk about what kind of dreams they are and also talk about what they have understood from the quotes. 1) ambitions and hopes 2) both 3) both, but more likely 'sleep'dreams 4) 'sleep' dreams Teacher nominates some students to talk about their opinion. FB.
Teacher writes a sentence from the last quotation: If it were available in waking, (it) wake every man a Dante or Shakespeare. Teacher asks: Look at the coloured clause. What form is the first verb? ( Past simple) 2) Is this real or unreal situation ( unreal) 3) What is the verb form in the second part of the clause in italics? Would+ infinitive (without to ) 4) What other verbs can we use instead of 'would' here? How does it change the meaning? ( other modals e.g. might, may,could indicate that the speaker is less certain) Nominate students to answer the question. FB.
Teacher reflects three sentences: 1) If I dared to dream, my life would be different. ( The speaker talks about her life at the time of speaking and doesn't think this fear will lessen o change) 2) If I had dared to dream, my life would be different.( it is about past, but the result is now: she did not dare in the past and her life is not different now) 3) If I had dared to dream, my life would have been different. ( it is about the past and the result is also past, It has already been experienced. It is perhaps spoken by and older person, towards the end of her life.) First, ask students if they know the word 'Dare'( to have courage to do something) The teacher clarifies the meaning using CCQs and then ask the students the form. Teacher shows a sentence : If I would dare to dream, my life would be different ( asks what is wrong with this sentence) Elicit answers.
Teacher reflects three sentences and students complete the sentences with their own ideas. The questions are, If I ...... my life would be different. If I had..... my life would be different now. If I had........ my life would have been different. Teacher monitors and if there are any mistakes delayed error correction.
T gives HO from the Global Upper intermediate book and wants students to work cooperatively. It is a gap fill activity using correct form of conditionals. Teacher gives the key and asks if there is any mistakes. Error correction. Teacher gives another HO and the students are supposed to complete the second sentence which will have the same meaning with the first sentence. Students work in pairs. Teacher monitors. FB.
Meanwhile, teacher sticks IF clause sentences on the wall. They are separated and she wants the students to stand up and match the if clause with the sentences. The students work with their pairs and combine the words on the boards. There will be 7 sentences to complete.
Teacher want the students speak about unreal conditionals in a personalised way. I will give the instructions orally. I will say: take a piece of paper and write the numbers 1-7 on it. For the first number: Write the name of a country you wonder a lot. 2) Choose one of the following words : Brother/ Sister/Uncle/Aunt/ grandparent 3) Write a large sum of money 4) Write an number between 7 and 15. 5) Write the name of your wife/husband/bf/gf or a very important person for you 6)Write the name of a famous person who is currently alive 7) Write the name of a famous person who is not alive. Teacher gives ss a HO with the questions of these statement. They work in pairs and exchange their paper and ask each other the questions using the information in the paper. Teacher monitors and write the wrong sentences she hear. Delayed error correction.