Giáo án Communication

Ss activate prior knowledge about wetlands and nature, and get ready to talk about planet Earth in English.

Ss look at the photo of a wetland with birds and answer two questions: 'What can you see in this picture?' and 'Why do people need places like this?' Ss call out words and short phrases, and T writes them on the board.

A class list on the board of 4–6 words or phrases, for example: birds, water, plants, habitat, rain, protect. Ss say one full sentence, for example: 'Wetlands are homes for many birds.'

Ss identify the four stages of a useful exchange (ask, respond, check, close) and the polite responses that go with each stage.

Ss read the ranger-pupil exchange in pairs:
Pupil: Could you explain why this wetland matters?
Ranger: It provides habitat and stores water after rain.
Pupil: How can our class help without disturbing wildlife?
Then Ss match each stage with a line from the exchange and find useful responses: 'Certainly.' 'Let me check.' 'Do you mean ...?' 'Thanks for explaining.' Ss use Worksheet 1 to record their answers.
T asks: 'Why do we use Could you ... instead of an order?' and 'What do you say if you are unsure?'

A completed chart on Worksheet 1:

• Ask: 'Could you explain why this wetland matters?' (polite request, not an order)
• Respond: 'It provides habitat and stores water after rain.' (clear answer with a reason)
• Check: 'Do you mean ...?' or 'Could you explain that?' (checks understanding instead of guessing)
• Close: 'Thanks for explaining.' (ends the exchange politely)
  Key idea written in notebooks: A useful exchange has a clear purpose: ask, respond, check and close.

Ss notice how a non-defining relative clause adds extra information, and explain the use of commas and the relative pronouns who, which and whose.

T shows two sentences on the slide:

1. This wetland, which stores floodwater, needs protection.
2. The ranger, who works here, answered our questions.
   T asks Ss in pairs: 'Is the clause in commas necessary to know which wetland we mean?' 'What happens if we remove the clause?' 'Can we write that instead of which?'
   Ss then complete the grammar box on the slide and test the rule with: 'This wetland, ___ shelters birds, needs clean water.'

Rules Ss write in their notebooks:

• A non-defining relative clause gives extra information about a noun that is already clear.
• It is set off by commas: This wetland, which stores floodwater, needs protection.
• Use who (for people), which (for things) or whose (to show possession). Use which, not that, in this clause.
• Do not omit the relative pronoun.
• The sentence still identifies its subject if the clause is removed: This wetland needs protection.
  Answer to the test sentence: 'This wetland, which shelters birds, needs clean water.'

Ss understand and use the words habitat, flora, fauna and biodiversity in sentences about nature.

T presents four words with example sentences:

• habitat (môi trường sống): A wetland is a habitat for many birds.
• flora (hệ thực vật): The park has rich flora.
• fauna (hệ động vật): Its fauna includes many small mammals.
• biodiversity (đa dạng sinh học): Biodiversity supports healthy ecosystems.
  Ss match each word with the picture cue on the slide, then say each word aloud and repeat after T.

A four-line mini-glossary in Ss' notebooks:

• habitat: where animals or plants live (A wetland is a habitat for many birds.)
• flora: plants of a region (The park has rich flora.)
• fauna: animals of a region (Its fauna includes many small mammals.)
• biodiversity: the variety of living things (Biodiversity supports healthy ecosystems.)

Ss apply the functional language, relative clause rule and vocabulary to answer multiple-choice and matching questions.

Ss complete Worksheet 2, Parts A and B, individually, then compare with a partner. The worksheet contains the following exercises from the textbook:

• Exercise 1: Someone says 'Could you explain that again?' Choose a helpful response: A. Thank you for inviting me. B. Certainly. Let me give an example. C. I agree with your conclusion. D. You are welcome; I enjoyed the trip.
• Exercise 2: Match the expressions with their purposes: 'Could you help me?' / 'Do you mean the morning session?' / 'Thank you for explaining.' / 'Let me check the timetable.'
• Exercise 3: Put the exchange in a natural order. The lines are: 'Certainly. It starts on Saturday.' / 'Could you tell me more about the activity?' / 'Just a notebook. Thank you for asking.' / 'Do we need to bring anything?'
• Exercise 4: Listen to a reply: 'Let me check ...' What is the speaker doing? A. Asking the listener to repeat a question B. Making an immediate promise C. Checking information before answering D. Politely declining an invitation.
• Example: This wetland, ___ shelters birds, needs clean water. (which)

Answer key:

• Exercise 1: B (A polite request needs a cooperative explanation.)
• Exercise 2: 'Could you help me?' – request help; 'Do you mean the morning session?' – check understanding; 'Thank you for explaining.' – express thanks; 'Let me check the timetable.' – avoid guessing
• Exercise 3: Could you tell me more about the activity? → Certainly. It starts on Saturday. → Do we need to bring anything? → Just a notebook. Thank you for asking.
• Exercise 4: C ('Let me check ...' avoids an unsupported answer.)
• Gap-fill: which

Ss take turns in a short conversation about planet Earth, using a request, a response and a check of understanding.

Ss work in pairs. Role A is a pupil who needs information about planet Earth. Role B is a ranger who gives one answer and checks whether it is clear. Ss use the model:
Pupil: Could you explain why this wetland matters?
Ranger: It provides habitat and stores water after rain.
Pupil: How can our class help without disturbing wildlife?
Then Ss swap roles, add one follow-up question (Exercise 5) and explain one reason for their choice. Ss use the useful responses: 'Certainly.' 'Let me check.' 'Do you mean ...?' 'Thanks for explaining.'

A one-minute role-play with three communicative moves: a polite request, a clear reply and a check of understanding (for example, 'Do you mean the wetland near our school?').
A relevant follow-up question asks for a missing time, place, method or reason, for example: 'Where should we go to observe birds safely?'
Self-assessment checklist (each item 0.5 point, out of 3):

• Polite request, reply and check used correctly
• Topic vocabulary used (habitat, flora, fauna, biodiversity)
• Clear pronunciation and smooth turn-taking

Ss use polite disagreement, relevant questions and non-defining relative clauses to talk about a real place that matters to them.

Ss do two tasks:

1. Politely disagree with the claim: 'There is only one possible solution or choice.' Link the answer to planet Earth. Model: 'I see your point, but different people may need different choices. We should compare the benefits and difficulties before deciding.'
2. Write three sentences about a local park, lake or wetland that they know. Each sentence must include a non-defining relative clause (who, which or whose) with commas. Example: 'Our local lake, which provides water for farms, needs protection.'
   For homework, Ss plan a short visit with a question and report one idea from a partner accurately, using the frame: 'You suggested ... because ... . How could we ...?'

• A short paragraph (3–4 sentences) of polite disagreement with a topic-specific reason.
• Three sentences with correct non-defining relative clauses and commas.
• One question asking for a missing detail (time, place, method or reason).
  Sample sentence: 'The park, which has rich flora and fauna, should be protected by the whole community.'