Giáo án A Closer Look 1

Ss activate prior knowledge about rubbish and environmental habits, and get ready to learn the topic words of Unit 11.

Ss look at the pictures of a plastic bottle, an old box and a paper recycling bin, then answer the teacher's questions: What do people do with empty plastic bottles? What can we do with old boxes? Why is it important to protect the environment?

Ss give 3 to 5 ideas in Vietnamese or simple English, for example: throw bottles in the bin, use old boxes to store things, collect paper for recycling. The teacher writes the ideas on the board and links them to the topic of the lesson.

Ss understand the meanings of eight topic words and distinguish reduce, reuse and recycle through example sentences from real life.

Ss read the eight words with their meanings: reduce (giảm bớt), reuse (tái sử dụng), recycle (tái chế), rubbish (rác), reusable (có thể dùng lại), pollution (ô nhiễm), plastic (nhựa), environment (môi trường). Then Ss read and discuss the example sentences:

• Nam brings a reusable water bottle to school, so he reduces plastic waste.
• Lan reuses an old box to store her pens.
• Our school collects paper to recycle.
  Ss work in pairs to complete Worksheet 1 by matching each word to its meaning and deciding which of the three Rs each example shows.
  Question for Ss: Is it reduce, reuse or recycle? Why?

Ss can explain the three Rs in English: reduce means use less from the start, for example bringing a reusable water bottle instead of buying plastic bottles; reuse means use again something that is still usable, for example using an old box to store pens; recycle means process materials into new products, for example collecting paper to make new paper. Ss note that recycling depends on the local collection rules. Ss complete Worksheet 1 correctly.

Ss identify the content words that usually carry the main information in neutral sentences and practise saying the sentences with a smooth rhythm.

T models two sentences: We reuse old bottles. The children collect clean paper. T taps the table at the stressed words reuse, bottles, children, collect and paper, and says the function words we, the lightly. T explains that content words such as nouns, main verbs, adjectives and adverbs are usually stressed in neutral sentences, while words like a, the and to are often lighter. T notes that the rhythm can change with the speaker's intention.
Question for Ss: Which words do you tap? Why are we and the lighter?

Ss can mark the stressed words in the two sentences, for example: We reuse OLD bottles and The CHILDREN collect CLEAN PAPER, and they can explain that content words carry the information and function words are lighter. Ss complete Worksheet 2 by marking the stressed words in three new sentences.

Ss check their understanding of the topic words and the sentence stress through matching, choosing and completing exercises.

Ss do Exercises 1 to 6 from the textbook:

1. Listen to the neutral statement. Which words carry its main information? A. only the word we; B. REUSE and BAGS; C. we and the.
2. In a neutral reading of “The pupils are planting trees”, which words are usually prominent? A. PUPILS, PLANTING, TREES; B. THE, ARE; C. Only THE.
3. Match the topic words to their meanings: rubbish, reusable, pollution, plastic.
4. Which word means giảm bớt? A. reuse; B. recycle; C. reduce.
5. Choose from the word bank. Complete the word from its Vietnamese meaning: nhựa = ______.
6. Choose the correct meaning of environment. A. có thể dùng lại; B. môi trường; C. ô nhiễm.
   For Exercise 1, T reads the statement We reuse old bags aloud. Ss listen and choose.

Answers:

1. B (The action reuse and the object bags carry the main content.)
2. A (Content words are normally prominent; the and are are usually lighter.)
3. rubbish – rác; reusable – có thể dùng lại; pollution – ô nhiễm; plastic – nhựa
4. C (reduce – giảm bớt)
5. plastic
6. B (environment – môi trường)
   Ss check their answers and correct their mistakes with the teacher's explanation.

Ss write two original sentences using target words and say the neutral statements with a smooth rhythm.

Ss do Exercise 7: Write two original sentences using two different words from this lesson.
Ss do Exercise 8: Say these neutral statements aloud: We reuse old bottles. The children collect clean paper. Tap the main information words, then say the sentences smoothly.
T's question: Can you write a sentence about a place or an object in your school or home?

Sample answers for Exercise 7: We reuse clean boxes. This habit reduces rubbish.
Scoring for Exercise 7: 1 point for each sentence with correct meaning and grammar.
Scoring for Exercise 8: 1 point for highlighting the main information words (reuse, bottles, children, collect, paper); 1 point for smooth and clear sentences. Ss may use other stress patterns if they can explain the context.

Ss apply the three Rs and the topic words to propose realistic actions to protect the environment at school.

Ss work in groups of four to create a poster titled Our Greener Class. Each group chooses three actions, one for each R: reduce, reuse and recycle. Each action must be written in one sentence using at least two target words. Example questions for Ss: What can we do to reduce plastic at school? How can we reuse old materials? Where should we put paper for recycling?
After the group work, each group presents its poster in one minute.

A poster with three sentences, for example:

• Reduce: We bring reusable water bottles to reduce plastic rubbish.
• Reuse: We reuse old boxes to store books in our classroom.
• Recycle: We put used paper in the blue bin for recycling.
  Each group presents its poster and the class gives feedback on the use of the target words and the sentence stress.