Giáo án Reading

Ss activate prior knowledge about admired figures and predict what a biography usually contains before reading.

Ss think about one person they admire and what they know about that person's life. Ss then predict what information a life story usually includes (for example dates, achievements, challenges, people who helped).
Teacher's questions:

• Who is a person you admire? Why?
• What information do you usually find in a biography?
• Do you think a life story should only show success? Why or why not?

• Ss name 2–3 admired figures and give one reason for each.
• A class list of expected content of a biography, for example: dates and events, achievements, determination and difficulties, the contribution of other people.
• A prediction of the topic: a life story shows a career over time and the role of other people.

Ss understand and use six key words (achievement, biography, determination, career, admire, collaboration) before reading.

Ss match each word with its English definition, then complete the sentences with the correct word.
Matching task:

• achievement, biography, determination, career, admire, collaboration
  Sentences to complete:

1. Learning about a person's life is reading a ______.
2. Her ______ to finish the project helped her succeed.
3. Many people ______ the scientist for her hard work.
4. The engineers worked in ______ to build the computer.
5. Winning the national prize was a great ______.
6. His ______ included several jobs in the technology industry.

Answer key:

• achievement: something successfully done after effort (thành tựu)
• biography: a written account of a person's life (tiểu sử)
• determination: a firm will to achieve a goal (sự quyết tâm)
• career: a person's working life and progress (sự nghiệp)
• admire: to respect and approve of someone (ngưỡng mộ)
• collaboration: working together with others (sự cộng tác)
  Sentence answers: 1. biography; 2. determination; 3. admire; 4. collaboration; 5. achievement; 6. career.

Ss identify the central question, locate the exact sentences that support answers, and distinguish stated facts, reasonable inferences and unsupported claims.

Step 1: Ss read the text once for the central question: Why does a life story need both a timeline and a wider view of collaboration?
Step 2: Ss scan for the dates 1976, 1984, 1985 and 1997 and say what happened in each year.
Step 3: Ss complete Phiếu học tập số 1 in pairs by classifying each statement as stated fact, reasonable inference or unsupported claim, and by writing the exact sentence from the text as evidence.
Teacher's questions:

• What is the central question of the passage?
• Which sentence tells us that Wayne left the partnership?
• Is the statement 'Jobs alone designed every component' supported by the text? Why not?

Expected answers:

• Central question: why a life story needs both a timeline and a wider view of collaboration.
• 1976: Jobs, Wozniak and Wayne founded Apple Computer Company as a partnership.
• 1984: Jobs presented the Macintosh. 1985: Jobs left Apple and started NeXT. 1997: Jobs returned to Apple after Apple acquired NeXT.
• Phiếu 1 answer key: Statement 1 = stated fact (sentence: 'In 1976, Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne founded Apple Computer Company as a partnership.'); Statement 2 = stated fact (sentence: 'Wayne soon left, while Jobs and Wozniak continued developing the business.'); Statement 3 = unsupported claim (the text says products were made by teams and that admiring a leader does not require pretending one person invented every component); Statement 4 = reasonable inference (the text says a reader may admire persistence while asking how colleagues contributed, which suggests a balanced view).

Ss pronounce the diphthongs /eɪ/ and /əʊ/ (/oʊ/) accurately and choose between past simple and past continuous according to meaning in a life story.

Part A: Pronunciation. Ss listen to and repeat: age /eɪdʒ/, brave /breɪv/, wrote /roʊt/, hero /ˈhɪroʊ/. Then Ss read the sentence: The brave hero wrote a page about hope.
Part B: Grammar. Ss read the example: While Jobs and Wozniak were developing the business, Wayne left the partnership. Ss complete Phiếu học tập số 2 by identifying the background action and the completed event.
Teacher's questions:

• Which action is in progress in the background?
• Which action is a completed event?
• Can 'while' always mean the past continuous? Why not?

Part A key: the diphthongs glide within one syllable. /əʊ/ may be pronounced as /oʊ/ in American English; both are accepted.
Part B key:

• Background action in progress: 'were developing' (past continuous).
• Completed event: 'left' (past simple).
• Meaning: 'while' does not decide the tense automatically. The tense depends on whether the action is an ongoing background or a completed event.
  Model sentence: While the team was testing the design, the director called.

Ss answer multiple-choice questions by locating evidence in the text and justify each answer.

Ss read the reading text again and answer Questions 2–5 individually, then check with a partner.
Question 2: Who founded the partnership in 1976? A. Jobs and Walt Disney; B. Jobs, Wozniak and Wayne; C. Jobs alone; D. Only Wozniak.
Question 3: What happened in 1985? A. Apple acquired NeXT; B. Jobs left Apple and started NeXT; C. The partnership began; D. The Macintosh first appeared.
Question 4: Why mention team members? A. To deny that leaders contribute; B. To advertise a course; C. To change the dates; D. To avoid attributing every invention to one person.
Question 5: What makes the biography thoughtful? A. Invented private conversations; B. Evidence, chronology and a distinction between fact and judgement; C. Only a list of products; D. Only praise.

Answer key:

• Question 2: B (the passage names all three partners).
• Question 3: B (the dated sequence separates these events).
• Question 4: D (the wider view credits collaboration).
• Question 5: B (the final discussion explains responsible biography).
  Each answer must be supported by the exact sentence from the text.

Ss analyse the model text's purpose, opening, supporting details and summary, and evaluate what makes a biography responsible.

Ss answer Questions 6–9 in pairs, then write a three-sentence summary using only information from the text.
Question 6: State the purpose and audience of this passage on 'Life stories we admire'. Support your answer with one detail.
Question 7: Explain how the opening introduces the topic. Identify the actual opening sentence.
Question 8: Select two useful details from the model and explain why including them is better than saying only that the topic is important.
Question 9: Write a three-sentence summary using only information in the model. Keep any condition or limit that is essential to its meaning.

Sample answers (teacher assesses; accept equivalent wording):

• Q6: Audience: students reading about life stories they admire. Purpose: to show how a sourced timeline and credit for collaborators support a responsible biography. Evidence: 'Steve Jobs's career shows why a life story needs both a timeline and a wider view of collaboration.'
• Q7: The opening sentence is: 'Steve Jobs's career shows why a life story needs both a timeline and a wider view of collaboration.' It introduces the specific subject, Steve Jobs, before the supporting dates.
• Q8: (1) 'In 1976, Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne founded Apple Computer Company as a partnership.' (2) 'A reader may admire persistence or attention to design while still asking how colleagues contributed.' Both give specific information, unlike a general claim that the topic is important.
• Q9 (sample): Steve Jobs's career shows why a life story needs both a timeline and a wider view of collaboration. In 1976, Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne founded Apple Computer Company as a partnership. Admiring a leader does not require pretending that one person invented every component.
  Scoring guide: content accuracy 5 points; keeping essential conditions and not adding new results 3 points; coherent three sentences 2 points.

Ss apply the principles of responsible biography to write a short paragraph about a person they admire, with dated facts, sources and a clearly marked personal judgement.

Ss choose a person they admire (a real person whose information they can check). Ss write a paragraph of 4–5 sentences that includes:

• two dated events with a source (for example a website name);
• one achievement and one challenge the person faced;
• one personal judgement, clearly marked with 'I admire...' or 'In my opinion...';
• one sentence about the contribution of other people.
  Teacher's questions:
• Which sentence is a fact and which is your judgement?
• Did you use the past simple for completed events? Did you use the past continuous for background actions?

A short paragraph (4–5 sentences) that:

• uses at least two dates with a source;
• separates facts from personal judgement;
• uses past simple for completed events and past continuous for background actions;
• includes at least one word from the key vocabulary list (for example achievement, determination, collaboration).
  Example: In 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple as a partnership, according to the Computer History Museum. While the team was developing the business, the founders faced many challenges. In my opinion, his determination is admirable, but the team also deserves credit.