Giáo án Language

Ss activate prior knowledge about looking for a job and preview the six key vocabulary items of the unit.

Ss look at the six words on the board: vacancy, applicant, qualification, reliable, shift, reference. In pairs, Ss discuss: 'What do you need to apply for a job?' Then they match each word with its meaning: vacancy (vị trí tuyển dụng), applicant (người ứng tuyển), qualification (trình độ, bằng cấp), reliable (đáng tin cậy), shift (ca làm việc), reference (người hoặc thư giới thiệu).

Ss' matching key:

• vacancy – vị trí tuyển dụng
• applicant – người ứng tuyển
• qualification – trình độ, bằng cấp
• reliable – đáng tin cậy
• shift – ca làm việc
• reference – người hoặc thư giới thiệu
  Ss' short list of 2–3 things needed to apply for a job, e.g., 'a qualification, a reference letter, a reliable character'.

Ss recognise that a normally weak auxiliary or modal verb can carry contrastive stress, and explain how the stress changes the focus of the sentence.

T models three sentences: 'I CAN help on Saturday' (correcting 'I cannot'), 'She HAS completed the training' (contradicting a doubt), and 'You MUST check the safety rules' (strong necessity). Ss read each sentence neutrally first, then read it with the correction. Ss then answer: 'Which word is stressed in each sentence? Why does the stress change the meaning of focus, not the words?' Ss practise with chain drilling.

Ss' key understanding:

• Neutral reading: 'I can help on Saturday.' – stress falls on the content words help and Saturday.
• Contrastive reading: 'I CAN help on Saturday.' – stress falls on CAN to correct the idea 'I cannot'.
• 'She HAS completed the training.' – HAS is stressed to contradict a doubt that she has finished.
• 'You MUST check the safety rules.' – MUST is stressed to show strong necessity.
• Ss' rule: a normally weak auxiliary or modal verb can carry contrastive stress; the words stay the same, only the focus changes.

Ss identify simple, compound and complex sentences and choose a suitable connector for the intended relationship.

Ss work in groups of four. Each group receives a set of sentence cards and sorts them into three piles: simple, compound and complex. Sample cards include: 'Mai and Nam applied.' / 'Mai applied, and Nam prepared the display.' / 'Although she was inexperienced, she prepared carefully.' Ss then complete the rule: 'A simple sentence has one independent clause, even if it has a compound subject or verb. A compound sentence joins independent clauses with coordination. A complex sentence includes a subordinate clause. A sentence with and is not automatically compound if and joins only words.'

Ss' sorting result:

• Simple: 'Mai and Nam applied.' (compound subject, one independent clause); 'He read and signed the form.' (compound verb, one independent clause)
• Compound: 'Mai applied, and Nam prepared the display.' (two independent clauses joined by and)
• Complex: 'Although she was inexperienced, she prepared carefully.' ; 'Because the deadline was near, we checked the forms.'
• Ss' rule: a sentence with and is compound only when and joins two independent clauses; if it joins only words, the sentence is still simple.

Ss apply the unit grammar and the stress rule in controlled exercises and check their answers against the key.

Ss complete the following exercises individually, then check in pairs.

1. 'Mai and Nam applied.' is ___. A. a fragment; B. compound; C. complex; D. simple.
2. 'Mai applied, and Nam prepared the display.' is ___. A. simple; B. compound; C. a fragment; D. a phrase.
3. 'Because the deadline was near, we checked the forms.' is ___. A. an imperative only; B. complex; C. a noun phrase; D. simple.
4. She was inexperienced, ___ she prepared carefully. A. unless of; B. because of; C. but; D. despite.
5. Choose a complete sentence. A. Although he was nervous.; B. Although he was nervous, he answered clearly.; C. Despite he answered.; D. Because of he was nervous.
6. 'He read and signed the form.' has ___ independent clause(s). A. zero; B. two; C. one; D. three.
7. We arrived early ___ we could ask questions. A. so that; B. despite; C. because of; D. however.
8. Choose the meaning-preserving combination: The task was hard. She finished it. A. The task was hard because she refused.; B. She did not finish the hard task.; C. Although the task was hard, she finished it.; D. Because she finished it, the task was easy.
   Then Ss read the sentences in Item 10 aloud twice: first slowly, then at a natural pace, with the contrastive stress from the explore stage.

Answer key:

1. D (And joins subjects, not two independent clauses.)
2. B (Two independent clauses are coordinated.)
3. B (A because subordinate clause makes it complex.)
4. C (The independent clauses contrast.)
5. B (The subordinate clause needs a main clause.)
6. C (And joins verbs sharing a subject.)
7. A (So that introduces purpose.)
8. C (Concession preserves both facts.)
9. Ss read the three sentences with the correct stress on CAN, HAS and MUST, and explain the changed focus.

Ss use the unit vocabulary, the three sentence types and the contrastive stress to write and say a short job-application paragraph.

Ss work in pairs. Each S writes a short paragraph of 4–5 sentences about a job they would like to apply for. The paragraph must include: at least one vocabulary item from the unit (vacancy, applicant, qualification, reliable, shift or reference); one simple sentence; one compound sentence with and or but; and one complex sentence with although or because. Each S also chooses one auxiliary or modal verb to stress (e.g., 'I CAN work any shift'). Partners read each other's paragraph aloud and identify the stressed word.

Ss' paragraph example:
'I want to apply for the vacancy at the library. I am a reliable student, and I have a good qualification in English. Although I am still young, I can work on Saturday shifts. I CAN work on Saturday, so please contact me for a reference letter.'
Ss' checklist: vocabulary used (at least 1); simple sentence (1); compound sentence (1); complex sentence (1); one contrastively stressed auxiliary or modal verb.