Speaking about 'Firsts'
Pre-Intermediate level
Description
Materials
Main Aims
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By the end of this lesson, students will have been provided fluency speaking practice in a conversation in the context of important firsts in their lives.
Subsidiary Aims
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To provide clarification, practice and review of the adjective 'first' in the context of personal life events.
Procedure (40-48 minutes)
Show the students the four pictures of me through Google Slides. Break into groups and allow 2 minutes for them to discuss what the pictures remind them of their own past. Regroup and discuss some of the memories.
Provide the text to the students through Google Slides. Have them read individually and answer the question regarding the gist of the text. (2 min) Students discuss their answers in groups. (1 min) Regroup and discuss answer. (1 min) (The text talks about the pictures from the lead-in. It describes 'firsts' in my own life that are shown through the pictures.)
Students will break into groups and underline any phrases in the text that led them to the answer in the gist task. (5 min) Regroup and discuss with students what they underlined. See the attached Word document for the key phrases. (2 min)
Use Google Slides to type the discussions of MAFP. Meaning: Quickly review the meaning of first by asking the students. 'When something happens but has never happened before.' Appropriacy: The majority of target phrases are neutral, but 'I was six years old at the time' could be made more informal. For example: 'When I was six...' or 'I was six when...'. Ask the students what sounds more formal and informal. Form: Students will break into groups and complete the Google Slides word scramble. (3 min). Regroup and have students explain the relationship between the adjective 'first; and the noun it describes. The word 'first' should always come directly before the noun it describes. Pronunciation: Have the students notice the linking of the Y and O in the phrase 'My first day of...'. Chorus the linking sound. Have the students notice the stress of the words 'NEVer', 'forGET', and 'reMEMber'. Have the students notice the waving intonation of the longer phrases: 'I'll never forget the first time...' 'I remember the first time...'
Students will break into groups and discuss memories of 'firsts' in their lives. Show students the Google Slide with the target phrases and ideas they can use to speak to each other. Allow students to talk for 5-6 minutes before changing the groups. Have them speak in a total of 3 groups.
Listen throughout the student's conversations and recognize any mistakes that need correction. Use Google Slides to show them corrections if needed.