TP-6 Functions Lesson
Upper Intermediate level
Description
Materials
Main Aims
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By the end of the lesson students will have been introduced to and have had practice of functional language used for offering opinions and giving examples in the context of mini debates on topical issues
Subsidiary Aims
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To provide fluency speaking practice through mini debates on different topics so as to put the functional language learned to practise
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To provide gist listening practice using a text about intelligent people in the context of importance of considering real life experiences over qualifications
Procedure (36-47 minutes)
The teacher will ask students to consider intelligence in animals and give their opinion on the following question: "Are animals intelligent or is it a matter of instinct?" The teacher will include his opinions at some point whilst listening for the expressions used by the students to give opinions and examples and draw their attention to them in the following stage.
The teacher will share the expressions used by the students for opinions and examples and ask in general "In what situation do we use these expressions? (Giving opinions and examples). Students will then listen to a recording and answer two questions as a gist task. "What do they talk about" "What is the specific topic of the discussion" The teacher will then check the answer in OCFB. If students are reluctant to answer the teacher will do nominatiing.
Students will listen to the audio a second time and complete the google forms by selecting the expressions for offering opinions and examples mentioned in the text. The teacher will then check the answers in OCFB by nominating some students, and draw attention to the six (6) expressions to be analyzed in the class.
The teacher will systematically analyze each market sentence for opinions and examples individually looking at the meaning, form, pronunciation, and appropriacy in detail. The teacher will employ eliciting and exemplification for the Meaning. The Form will be shown in the presentation along with other versions of the expression. The Pronunciation stage will analyze sentence stress, connected speech, and intonation. Finally, students will be asked if these expressions have an informal, neutral, or formal tone in order to check appropriacy.
Students will be introduced to the productive task of speaking where they will conduct mini debates on different topics. Students will be given 1 minute to prepare their ideas for each topic and then in break-out rooms will share their opinions with their classmates and give examples. Students will be reminded of the expressions which are to be used during the debate. The teacher will use the first topic as a model and have a discussion with a student. Students will speak for around 5 minutes in breakout rooms and then return for OCFB on the content that was discussed. This step will be repeated twice or maybe three times if time allows.
After every mini-debate there will be reporting in OCFB, however, the teacher will monitor the interaction in the breakout rooms during the debates and note all errors made. At the end of the class, in the last 3 minutes or so general comments will be given and delayed error correction conducted.