Giáo án Communication

Ss activate prior knowledge about electronic devices and become aware of the aim of the lesson: taking turns and responding politely.

T writes four words on the board: tablet, portable charger, touchscreen, battery life. T asks Ss two questions:

• “Which electronic device do you use most often?”
• “What problem do you sometimes have with your device?”
  Ss answer in pairs first, then some pairs share with the class.

Ss name at least two devices and describe one problem, for example: “I use my phone most often.” / “The battery life of my phone is short.” Ss know the lesson will focus on asking for help, responding politely and checking understanding.

Ss identify the forms that follow suggest, recommend and advise and avoid the common error “suggest you to check”.

T writes three sentences on the board:

• I suggest checking the settings.
• I recommend that you should back up your work.
• I advise you to check.
  T then gives the example: “I suggest {{1}} the settings. (check)” and asks Ss to complete it. Ss copy the rule into their notebooks and do the Example in pairs.

Ss write the rules in their notebooks:

• Suggest and recommend can take V-ing or a clause with should: I suggest checking the settings. I recommend that you should back up your work.
• Advise can take V-ing, a should-clause or object + to-infinitive: I advise you to check.
• Do not use “suggest you to check”.
  Example answer: I suggest checking the settings. (Suggest + V-ing)

Ss understand the four stages of a useful exchange (ask, respond, check and close) and the function of a polite question.

Ss read the dialogue in their books, then listen to the teacher read it aloud:
Duc: Could you suggest a way to reduce distractions?
Teacher: I recommend turning off unnecessary alerts.
Duc: Thanks. Should I also keep a separate backup?
T asks Ss the questions: “Which sentence is the request?” “Which sentence is the response?” “Which sentence checks or continues the exchange?” Then T reads the text “A useful exchange has a clear purpose…” and explains the phrase “Could you explain that?”

Ss identify the four stages:

• Ask: “Could you suggest a way to reduce distractions?” (polite request, not an order)
• Respond: “I recommend turning off unnecessary alerts.”
• Check: “Should I also keep a separate backup?” (a follow-up question)
• Close: “Thanks.”
  Ss conclude: when unsure, ask “Could you explain that?” instead of pretending to understand.

Ss use useful responses to accept requests, buy time, check understanding and thank the speaker.

T writes four phrases on the board: “Certainly.” “Let me check.” “Do you mean …?” “Thanks for explaining.” T models each phrase with a short example and asks Ss to match each phrase with its function in Worksheet 2, Part A: agree to help, buy time before answering, check understanding, or thank the speaker.

Ss complete Worksheet 2, Part A:

• “Certainly.” – agree to help
• “Let me check.” – buy time and avoid an unsupported answer
• “Do you mean …?” – check understanding
• “Thanks for explaining.” – thank and close the exchange

Ss practise the grammar of suggest, recommend and advise, the functions of exchange language and the reading and listening skills of the lesson.

Ss do Worksheet 1 (Parts A–D) in pairs:

• Part A: gap-fill with suggest, recommend and advise (Ex. 1–4 from the grammar section)
• Part B: match conversational purposes (Ex. 2)
• Part C: choose the helpful response (Ex. 1 and 4)
• Part D: put the short exchange in order (Ex. 3)
  T reads one reply aloud for Exercise 4 and asks the class what the speaker is doing.

Answer key:

• Part A: 1. turning off (I recommend turning off unnecessary alerts.) 2. to check (I advise you to check.) 3. back up (I recommend that you should back up your work.) 4. using (I suggest using a portable charger.)
• Part B: “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
• Part C (Ex. 1): B. Certainly. Let me give an example. (A polite request needs a cooperative explanation.) (Ex. 4): C. Checking information before answering
• Part D (Ex. 3): 1. Could you tell me more about the activity? 2. Certainly. It starts on Saturday. 3. Do we need to bring anything? 4. Just a notebook. Thank you for asking.

Ss ask relevant follow-up questions and report a partner’s idea accurately in polite English.

Ss complete Exercise 5 and Exercise 8 with Worksheet 2, Parts B and C:

• Exercise 5: Add a follow-up question related to the Duc–Teacher exchange. A relevant follow-up asks for a missing time, place, method or reason. Example: “How long does the backup take?”
• Exercise 8: After your partner speaks, report one idea accurately and ask one question that develops it. Use the frame: “You suggested … because … . How could we …?”

Sample answers:

• Exercise 5: “How often should I back up my files?” (Scoring: relevant follow-up 0.5; polite form 0.3; clear pronunciation 0.2.)
• Exercise 8: “You suggested turning off alerts because they distract you. How could we reduce other distractions?” (Scoring: accurate listening 0.5; useful question 0.3; respectful delivery 0.2.)
  Ss use only their partner’s actual ideas, not invented ones.

Ss use requests, suggest/recommend/advise, responses and checks of understanding in a realistic device problem, and express a respectful disagreement.

In pairs, Role A describes a real or imagined device problem (for example, a short battery life or too many distractions from alerts). Role B gives one suggestion or recommendation, checks understanding with “Do you mean …?”, and then swaps roles. Pairs perform a one-minute role-play with a request, a reply and a check of understanding (Ex. 6). Then Ss read the claim: “There is only one possible solution or choice.” and respond politely with a topic-specific reason (Ex. 7). Sample: “I see your point, but different people may need different choices.”

Each pair performs a one-minute role-play with three communicative moves (request, reply, check of understanding) and a polite disagreement with a reason linked to electronic devices. Possible sample: Ss: “Could you suggest a way to extend battery life?” / “I recommend turning down the brightness.” / “Do you mean the screen brightness?”