Heather Mitchell Heather Mitchell

Observation 6.9.17
Pre-Int 2 level

Description

1st conditional

Materials

Abc Most materials are from English File Pre-Int with supplements from other sources, online and books

Main Aims

  • To introduce the first conditional through the context of a short text designed to support a communicative activity, and provide learners the opportunity to and support to find meaning in the examples provided (general context is daily life: text starts specifically with a train journey but expands to other parts of daily life to give students full exposure to the grammar point)

Subsidiary Aims

  • To provide clarification of the first conditional within the same context
  • To provide practice with the first conditional
  • To provide students opportunity to practice accuracy (and possibly fluency if time permits) in Speaking using the first conditional

Procedure

Warmer/Lead-in (3-7 minutes) • To set lesson context and engage students

Ask students about lending things to strangers (context for text that lesson is built on) Board question with lots of support for discussion in pairs/ threes. "Do you think it's okay to lend something to a stranger?" Board suggestions for items that students may lend or be asked to lend a stranger (range from reasonable to ridiculous to encourage more ideas and discussion i.e. a newspaper- your car) Board suggestions for places/ context that may affect answer (e.g. at church, at a bar, on a train, etc) *newspaper and train relate directly to text. Allow warmer to become extended if good discussion results.

Slow Exposure, Incorporating Prediction Stages (15-20 minutes) • To provide context for the target language through a text or situation, to give practice in prediction

Give students (in pairs/threes) printed copy of text in 2 parts, as for prediction (discussion in pairs/groups) Give students accompanying pictures, ask if they change students' predictions (Russian man doesn't want to lend his newspaper to American man on the train). Allow further discussion, which probably won't last long, but regroup if necessary to encourage speaking). Listen for emersion of conditionals, and board if this occurs. Ask students to turn to page 10 of booklet (I've numbered the photocopied pages with my own numbers as there is no book, and will provide you with copies of the materials we will be using. This is page 231 of the TB for English File Pre-Int). The story and pictures are there along with a task that provides several examples of first conditional, and asks students to put them in order. If students are not using the target language except to check their answers, ask them to cover examples of language and recall story/ paircheck multiple times.

Highlighting (5-10 minutes) • To draw students' attention to the target language

If emerging language provided no examples to board, ask some students to suggest some examples from the text and then board them. Highlight the part of the form that I assume they are familiar with and ask them to discuss what they think the sentences mean based on what they know. Monitor closely to nominate effectively.

Clarification (15-20 minutes) • To clarify the meaning, form and pronunciation of the target language

Use CCQs to clarify meaning and elicit to clarify form. (real/probable or imaginary, past present or future, cause/effect-result or action/reaction, etc) Students may continue to sit in small groups/confer for more confident responses to CCQs and elicitation Pron work will probably be about contractions and connected speech rather than specific words. Board positive, negative, and question structures. If clause and main clause switch places, affects need for comma Can't change part of clause because meaning changes (clauses can move positions but must bring entire clause and must keep tense the same). Depending on students' prior exposure to grammar point and comfort level: Possibility of eliciting/ introducing other modals, not just will (can, must, may, might) Possibility of eliciting/ introducing imperative in main clause

Controlled Practice (15-20 minutes) • To concept check and prepare students for more meaningful practice

In pairs/ threes, students will complete some workbook and students book exercises for controlled practice. Students will do page 4 parts a and b (match if clauses with main clauses and choose/circle the correct form) and page 15 grammar bank 8B a (match more if clauses and main clauses, including negatives and questions. Additionally, clauses are mixed up not divided into if clauses and main clauses.) and b (complete sentences with correct forms of provided verbs). If students don't require both pages of practice and are up for the challenge, I'll just give them page 15 but activities are short and students may want more practice. Here's where I anticipate having to supplement with extra activities for fast finishers. I have additional worksheets/ practice activities for students, but also feel that activity a on page 15 is particularly adaptable to a semi-controlled practice. Will try to regroup for fast finishers if possible and let students begin with some semi-controlled practice. Feedback as needed at the end of this stage.

Semi-Controlled Practice (15-20 minutes) • To concept check further and prepare students for free practice

Using pg 15 activity a, ask students to provide their own main clause or if clause to go with the half of the sentence provided (ignore matching answer and start to construct own sentences). Groups will be given either 1-6 or A-G to complete. While monitoring, if it would benefit, students may switch and do others half, change groups, etc, Additional semi-controlled practice activity is available. Students are prompted with if and main clauses. No option to complete, students must complete on their own. Topics are all related to daily life but not specific to the narrow context of the text. Feedback as necessary at the end of this stage.

Free Practice (20-25 minutes) • To provide students with free practice of the target language

Worksheet with conditonal questions for students to engage in discussions. Will provide model myself or with a particularly strong student, as students have been dealing with positive and negative for the most part, and may not immediately associate the positive and negative structures to potential answers to the questions posed. Students will work in pairs or threes and be asked to employ speaking strategies, such as asking follow-up questions and giving support, reasons, and details. Teacher will monitor closely for feedback and ask students to regroup to encourage more conversation. Delayed Feedback, using small white boards for students to correct mistakes, if time permits. If it doesn't, feedback will be boarded by teacher and addressed as a class.

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