Giáo án Language

T activates prior knowledge of the past simple, the past continuous and article use, and introduces the lesson focus.

Ss look at three slide sentences and decide what each one shows:

• The company began in 1976.
• While the team was testing the design, the director called.
• Festivals bring people together.
  Ss answer: What tense is used in each sentence? Why? What does the zero article show in the third sentence?

Ss identify that 'began' is a completed dated event (past simple), 'was testing' is an action in progress in the background (past continuous), and 'Festivals' with no article is a plural noun used in general. Ss write the three ideas in their notebooks as the lesson's starting point.

Ss distinguish completed main events (past simple) from actions in progress or background (past continuous) in life stories.

Ss use Worksheet 1, Part A. Ss sort the sentences below into 'completed events' and 'background actions':

• She finished school and joined a studio.
• While the team was editing the film, the producer called.
• At nine that evening, the artist was drawing sketches.
  Then Ss answer: What is the difference between when and while? Does when or while decide the tense automatically?

Ss complete this summary in their notebooks:

• Past simple: finished, joined. These show a sequence of main completed events.
• Past continuous: was editing, was drawing. These show an action in progress at a past time.
• Two simultaneous background actions can both be continuous, e.g. 'While the team was testing the design, ...'
• When and while do not decide the tense automatically; the meaning decides.

Ss choose a/an, the or the zero article according to countability, specificity and sound.

T projects the article rules on the slide. Ss complete the sentences with a, an, the or zero article:

• We invited ___ exchange student.
• She studies at ___ university.
• ___ music can connect people.
  Ss answer: Why do we say 'an exchange student' but 'a university'? Why is there no article before 'music' here?

Ss write the key rules in their notebooks:

• A/an introduces a non-specific singular count noun; choose by sound: an hour, a university.
• The identifies a specific or shared referent, or a unique item in context.
• Zero article often marks plural or uncountable nouns in general: Festivals bring people together; music matters.
• Country names usually take no article, but the United Kingdom and the United States take the.
• Do not use a/an before an uncountable noun such as information.

Ss learn verb-preposition combinations as fixed units and use non-defining relative clauses with which correctly.

Ss study the combinations depend on, contribute to, deal with, apply for and protect from. Ss then read the example: 'We reused the boxes, which reduced waste.' T asks: 'What does which refer to? Why is there a comma? Can we write that instead of which here?'

Ss write in their notebooks:

• Verb-preposition units: depend on, contribute to, deal with, apply for, protect from. Learn each as one unit.
• In a non-defining relative clause, which refers to a whole preceding idea: We reused the boxes, which reduced waste.
• The comma is necessary; this clause evaluates the whole event, not a single noun.
• Do not use that after the comma.

Ss pronounce diphthongs within one syllable and final consonants clearly, and accept standard accent variation.

T models the words age /eɪdʒ/, brave /breɪv/, wrote /roʊt/, hero /ˈhɪroʊ/, choice /tʃɔɪs/, time /taɪm/, crowd /kraʊd/. Then Ss read aloud the sentences:

• The brave hero wrote a page about hope.
• We enjoyed the lively crowd outside.
• We care for the area near the school.
  Ss answer: Which sound glides within one syllable? Which final consonant must be clear?

Ss mark the glides and final consonants in their notebooks. Key points:

• Each diphthong glides within one syllable, not two separate vowels.
• Final consonants: choice must not sound like joy; crowd must keep its final /d/.
• The printed /əʊ/ is commonly /oʊ/ in American English; both are valid.
• Standard accent variation is accepted if the word is preserved.

Ss apply past simple, past continuous and article rules to six exercise items.

Ss complete Worksheet 2, items 1–6, in pairs. Then they check answers together with the key on the slide.
Exercise sentences:

1. The company ___ in 1976.
2. While the team ___ the film, the producer called.
3. At nine that evening, the artist ___ sketches.
4. She finished school and ___ a studio.
5. We invited ___ exchange student.
6. She studies at ___ university.

Answer key with reasons:

1. C (began) – a dated completed event takes past simple.
2. A (was editing) – editing was the ongoing background action.
3. A (was drawing) – an action in progress at a past time uses past continuous.
4. A (joined) – a sequence of main events uses past simple.
5. D (an) – exchange begins with a vowel sound.
6. B (a) – university begins with the consonant sound /j/.

Ss apply zero article, the and fixed verb-preposition units in four exercise items.

Ss complete Worksheet 2, items 7–10, using Numbered Heads Together. T calls a number, and the student with that number answers for the group.
Exercise sentences:
7. ___ music can connect people. (general)
8. We visited ___ United Kingdom.
9. Success depends ___ regular use.
10. The class contributed ___ the discussion.

Answer key with reasons:
7. B (zero article) – uncountable music in general takes no article.
8. B (the) – the United Kingdom is an established exception.
9. C (on) – depend on is the established combination.
10. B (to) – contribute to links the action and the object.

Ss produce a short life story about a person they admire, using the target structures in a personal context.

Ss write a short paragraph of 6–8 sentences about a person they admire (a real or fictional person). The paragraph must include:

• at least two past simple sentences for main events
• one past continuous sentence for a background action
• one sentence with a non-defining relative clause using which
• one verb-preposition unit (depend on, contribute to, deal with, apply for or protect from)
  Ss then read their paragraph aloud to a partner and check the pronunciation of glides.

Each S produces a written paragraph with the required structures and reads it aloud clearly. A sample sentence: 'She finished high school and joined a local charity, which helped many families. While she was working there, she learned to deal with difficult situations.'