Giáo án Looking back

Ss recall the main language of Unit 1 and identify the lesson focus: tense choice in life stories, diphthong pronunciation, and topic vocabulary.

Ss look at the slide with three past-time sentences and answer the question: 'Which verb tells a completed event, and which shows an action in progress?'
Sentences on the slide:

• Walt Disney moved to Hollywood in 1923.
• While the team was testing the design, the director called.
• The phone rang while he was speaking.

Ss say that 'moved' and 'rang' describe completed events, while 'was testing' describes an action in progress or background. Ss state the aim of the lesson: to use past simple and past continuous in a connected life-story product.

Ss understand that tense is chosen by meaning: completed main events take the past simple, while ongoing or background actions take the past continuous; 'when' and 'while' do not decide the tense automatically.

Ss read the Walt Disney model text (slide) and do the following:

1. Underline the past simple verbs for completed events (for example: was born, became, moved, appeared, premiered, opened, died).
2. Identify any continuous verbs in the text. Ss find that the text contains no past continuous, so T asks Ss to make one sentence from the text using 'while' with a past continuous verb, for example: 'While Disney was developing his production business, Mickey Mouse appeared in 1928.' (T checks that this is a meaning-based choice and not an automatic one.)
3. Complete the rule on the board: 'When and while do not determine the tense automatically; choose the meaning.'
   T also points out the example 'Two simultaneous background actions may both be continuous.'

Ss list at least six past simple verbs from the model text as completed events: was born (1901), became, moved (1923), appeared (1928), premiered (1937), opened (1955), died (1966).
Key understanding: 'While the team was testing the design, the director called.' uses the past continuous for the background and the past simple for the interrupting event. Two simultaneous background actions may both use the past continuous, e.g. 'While Lan was reading, Nam was taking notes.'

Ss pronounce the diphthongs /eɪ/ and /əʊ/ as one glide within one syllable and accept both /əʊ/ and /oʊ/ as valid in en-US narration.

T models the words: Age /eɪdʒ/, brave /breɪv/, wrote /roʊt/, hero /ˈhɪroʊ/. T explains that the printed /əʊ/ is commonly /oʊ/ in American English and both are valid. Ss repeat the words chorally and in pairs, then read the sentence: 'The brave hero wrote a page about hope.'

Ss pronounce 'age', 'brave', 'wrote', 'hero' with a single glide in each syllable (not two separate vowels). Ss understand that a non-British vowel start in en-US narration is acceptable when the meaning is clear.

Ss recognise and use the six topic words of the unit (achievement, biography, determination, career, admire, collaboration) in meaningful context.

Ss match each word with its Vietnamese meaning and then use each word in one short English sentence about the people in the lesson (no invented facts). Words:

• achievement: thành tựu
• biography: tiểu sử
• determination: sự quyết tâm
• career: sự nghiệp
• admire: ngưỡng mộ
• collaboration: sự cộng tác
  T reminds Ss that 'admire' is the personal evaluation, while 'achievement' is a verified result.

Matching key:

• achievement – thành tựu
• biography – tiểu sử
• determination – sự quyết tâm
• career – sự nghiệp
• admire – ngưỡng mộ
• collaboration – sự cộng tác
  Sample sentence from Ss: 'I admire the determination of Võ Thị Sáu, who was only 19 years old when she died at Côn Đảo in 1952.' (Note: Võ Thị Sáu was born in 1933, so age at death is 19; the sentence is accepted only if Ss can show the calculation from verified dates.)

Ss apply the rule of completed events and background actions to choose the correct past simple or past continuous form in short sentences.

Ss complete Worksheet 1 (Past Simple or Past Continuous?). Items 2–9 are multiple choice. Ss work individually for 4 minutes and then check in pairs. T then reviews the answers with the class and asks Ss to explain their choice in one sentence.

Answer key for Worksheet 1:
2. A (began) – A dated completed event takes past simple.
3. B (was editing) – Editing was the ongoing background.
4. D (was drawing) – A past-time action in progress uses was drawing.
5. B (joined) – A sequence of main events uses past simple.
6. B (was taking) – Both actions are simultaneous past background.
7. C (rang) – A completed interruption takes rang.
8. D (opened) – The dated main event uses simple past.
9. B (were rehearsing) – Plural 'they' takes were + -ing.

Ss use the past simple, past continuous, topic vocabulary and the verified notes to write a short, connected comparison of two historical figures without inventing dialogue.

Ss work in groups of four using a jigsaw-style plan. Each pair takes one person:

• Pair A: General Võ Nguyên Giáp – born in Quảng Bình in 1911; died in Hà Nội in 2013; military leadership associated with the victory at Điện Biên Phủ in 1954.
• Pair B: Võ Thị Sáu – born in 1933 in Bà Rịa Province; died at Côn Đảo in 1952.
  Each group writes a short comparison (about 80–100 words) with: (1) a timeline of verified dates, (2) one sentence on each person's contribution using the past simple, (3) one sentence using the past continuous with 'while', and (4) one personal evaluation sentence using 'admire'. Ss must not invent conversations or add dates not in the notes.
  T gives Worksheet 2 (Comparison Plan) to guide the writing.

A group comparison paragraph of about 80–100 words, containing:

• a timeline with the verified dates for both people;
• a sentence on each person's contribution (for example: 'Võ Nguyên Giáp led the army to victory at Điện Biên Phủ in 1954.');
• one past continuous sentence with 'while' (for example: 'While Võ Thị Sáu was imprisoned on Côn Đảo, she was still a symbol of courage for many people.' — accepted only if Ss can show the source);
• one personal evaluation sentence using 'admire', clearly labelled as opinion.