Giáo án Reading

Ss activate prior knowledge about the generation gap and get ready to read the text about Minh and his grandmother.

T shows a picture of a family at dinner, with some members looking at their phones. T asks: 'What do you think this family argues about?' and 'Do you and your grandparents ever disagree about technology? Why?' Ss discuss in pairs for two minutes, then share with the class.

A short list of common family disagreements on the board, for example: phones at meals, screen time, privacy, music, and the way young people and older people use social media. Ss also state one reason for their view, such as 'Phones can interrupt conversation at dinner.'

Ss understand and use the six key words generation, conflict, permission, privacy, compromise and viewpoint before reading the text.

Ss match the key words with their definitions on Worksheet 1, Part A. Then T reads the sentences from the text aloud and Ss find the key word that fits each gap, for example: 'Their disagreement did not disappear, but it became easier to discuss' (conflict). Ss use the words in a short sentence about their own family.

Answers to Worksheet 1, Part A:

• generation = a group of people who were born and grew up at about the same time
• conflict = a serious disagreement between people
• permission = official agreement that someone may do something
• privacy = the state of keeping personal life away from other people
• compromise = an agreement in which each side gives up something
• viewpoint = a way of thinking about or looking at a subject
  Ss also write one sentence with each word about their own family or school life.

Ss identify the central question and the main ideas of the text, and locate specific details about Minh, his grandmother and their agreement.

Step 1: Ss read the text once quickly to answer this question: 'Why did Minh think his grandmother disliked technology?' Step 2: Ss read again and answer the questions in Worksheet 1, Part B: a) Why did the grandmother ask Minh to put his phone away? b) Why did Minh use his phone? c) What exception did they agree on? d) What did the grandmother ask Minh to do in return? e) What did Minh learn about his grandmother's childhood routines? Ss underline the sentences that support each answer.

Main idea: The generation gap in this family was not only about age; it was also about unspoken expectations, and both sides learned to replace labels with specific examples.
Details:

• The grandmother wanted to hear about Minh's day without competing with messages.
• Minh admitted he used his phone partly to avoid awkward silence.
• They agreed to try phone-free meals for a week, with an exception for urgent calls.
• In return, the grandmother asked Minh to show her how the family photo folder worked.
• Minh learned that his grandmother's childhood routines had changed over time, so she did not represent every person of her age.
  Key sentence: 'Both began replacing labels such as old-fashioned or careless with specific examples.'

Ss distinguish a stated fact, a reasonable inference and an unsupported claim, and justify each judgement with evidence from the text.

T shows six statements on the projector and Ss sort them on Worksheet 1, Part C into three columns: Fact (stated in the text), Reasonable inference, or Unsupported claim. Ss write the evidence sentence or explain why the claim is not supported. Statements:

1. Minh used his phone partly to avoid awkward silence.
2. The grandmother was interested in the photo folder because it served a clear purpose.
3. The grandmother probably saw the family photo folder as useful for the family.
4. All older people in the text reject technology.
5. The disagreement disappeared after they talked.
6. The family's generation gap was only about age.

• Fact: 1 (Minh admitted that he used the phone partly to avoid awkward silence.)
• Reasonable inference: 3 (She was interested in technology when it served a clear purpose, so she probably saw the photo folder as useful for the family.)
• Unsupported claim: 4 (The text says she did not represent every person of her age.)
• Unsupported claim: 5 (The text says the disagreement did not disappear, but it became easier to discuss.)
• Unsupported claim: 6 (The text says that in this family it was also a problem of unspoken expectations.)
• Statement 2 is a stated fact about her interest, and its evidence is: She was interested in technology when it served a clear purpose.

Ss understand the meaning and use of must, have to, should, must not, don't have to and had to, and pronounce contracted forms correctly.

T writes four sentences on the board and asks Ss to decide which modal fits the meaning:

1. You ___ put your phone away at dinner. (the speaker's strong obligation)
2. The school ___ give students permission for the trip. (external requirement)
3. You ___ turn off your phone during the test. (prohibition)
4. We ___ wait for the bus because it is Sunday. (no necessity)
   T then reads the contracted forms aloud: I'm /aɪm/, we've /wiːv/, don't /doʊnt/, can't /kænt/ and asks Ss to repeat. T says: 'Expanded forms are equally grammatical unless a task asks for a contraction.'

Answers:

1. must (strong obligation judged by the speaker)
2. has to (external requirement)
3. must not (prohibition)
4. don't have to (no necessity)
   Grammar notes Ss write in their notebooks:

• must = strong obligation from the speaker
• have to = external requirement
• should = advice
• must not = prohibition
• don't have to = no necessity
• had to = past obligation
  Pronunciation: I'm ready, but I haven't finished. We've got a plan. I don't want to go. I can't wait.

Ss apply the skills of reading for main ideas, details and evidence to answer multiple-choice questions based on the text.

Ss complete Worksheet 2 with questions 2–5. Each pair answers the questions by finding the evidence in the text, then they check the answers together. After that, T asks: 'Which answer does not match the evidence? Why?'
Questions:
2. Why did the grandmother want phones away? A. She wanted uninterrupted conversation; B. She could not see screens; C. She banned all photos; D. She disliked every invention.
3. Why did Minh use his phone? A. Only to call emergency services; B. To repair a folder; C. To order dinner; D. Partly to avoid awkward silence.
4. What exception did they agree on? A. All games; B. No exception; C. Urgent calls; D. Every new message.
5. What helped their discussion? A. A permanent ban on technology; B. Specific examples instead of age labels; C. Assuming all older people agree; D. Stopping all conversation.

Answers and evidence:
2. A – Her reason concerns attention at dinner: she wanted to hear about his day without competing with messages.
3. D – He acknowledges a social reason: partly to avoid awkward silence.
4. C – The agreement includes emergencies: urgent calls.
5. B – They replace stereotypes with concrete expectations.
Wrong options are rejected because they are not stated in the text, for example 'She banned all photos' or 'She disliked every invention', which the text contradicts.

Ss use modal verbs and specific examples to discuss a real family rule about phones or devices, and write a short paragraph that avoids age stereotypes.

In pairs, Ss discuss a family rule about phones or devices, for example phones at dinner, homework time or bedtime. Each pair decides on a compromise that gives both generations a clear reason and an exception. Then each student writes a paragraph of 4–5 sentences that uses at least three of these: must, have to, should, must not, don't have to, had to. Ss avoid general labels such as old-fashioned or careless and use specific examples instead.

A short paragraph, for example:
'In my family, we agreed that phones should stay in the kitchen during dinner. My grandmother and I must talk about our day without messages. We don't have to put phones away for urgent calls, but we had to explain the reason last week. This compromise helped us listen to each other more.'
The pair's compromise is written in one sentence on a sticky note and shared with the class.