Giáo án Communication

Ss activate prior knowledge about getting around a city and predict the topic of the lesson: how people ask for and give directions politely.

Ss look at the picture of a city and the question on the board: 'How do you get to school every day? Is it easy or difficult to get around in your city?'
Then T reads the dialogue aloud (Quang and Mai) and Ss listen with books closed, noting the question Quang asks first.
T asks: 'What does Quang want to know? Why does he use 'Would you mind telling me…' instead of 'Tell me…'?'

Ss predict that the lesson is about polite requests in an exchange about getting around the city.
Expected answer: Quang wants to know how to get to the library. He uses 'Would you mind telling me…?' because it is a polite request, not an order.

Ss identify the four purposes of a useful exchange (ask, respond, check, close) and the useful responses used to show politeness and understanding.

Ss read the text 'A purposeful exchange' in the textbook. Then they work in pairs with Worksheet 1 to:

1. Match each line of the dialogue to one stage: ask, respond, check, close.
2. Find the polite request in the dialogue and explain why it is better than an order.
3. Choose the best response when they are unsure: 'Could you explain that?' or pretending to understand.
   T models the pronunciation of the useful responses: Certainly. / Let me check. / Do you mean…? / Thanks for explaining.

Stages and matching key:

• 'Would you mind telling me how to get to the library?' – ASK
• 'Not at all. Take bus number twelve.' – RESPOND
• 'Does it stop near the entrance?' – CHECK (a follow-up question that confirms a detail)
• 'Thanks.' – CLOSE

Key ideas Ss write in their notebook:

• A useful exchange has a clear purpose: ask, respond, check and close.
• Use a polite question rather than an order when you need help.
• If you are unsure, ask 'Could you explain that?' instead of pretending to understand.

Ss understand the form and meaning of double comparatives (the + comparative clause, the + comparative clause) and use them to express linked change; Ss also learn the phrasal verbs get around, carry out and cut down on.

T writes the example sentences on the board:

• 'The more people use buses, the less crowded the roads become.'
• 'The more people walk, the fewer cars we need.'
  Pairs answer the questions on Worksheet 2:

1. What changes together in each sentence?
2. Which word is used with a countable plural noun: more or fewer? Why?
3. Why is 'more safer' wrong? Correct it.
4. Find the meaning of get around, carry out and cut down on.

Key answers:

1. Two things change together: the number of people using buses / walking and the level of crowding / number of cars.
2. 'fewer' is used with countable plural nouns (fewer cars). 'less' is used with uncountable nouns.
3. 'more safer' is wrong because we do not use 'more' with an -er form. Correct: 'safer'.
4. get around (travel); carry out (conduct); cut down on (reduce).

Grammar note Ss write:

• Form: the + comparative, the + comparative.
• Meaning: when one thing increases or decreases, the other changes too.
• Example: 'The more we cut down on cars, the cleaner the air becomes.'

Ss apply the useful responses, the purposes of conversational moves and the logical order of an exchange through guided exercises.

Ss complete four exercises in pairs and then check with the answer key:

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.
2. Match each expression to its purpose: 'Could you help me?' / 'Do you mean the morning session?' / 'Thank you for explaining.' / 'Let me check the timetable.' (request help; check understanding; express thanks; avoid guessing)
3. Put this exchange in a natural order: 'Do we need to bring anything?' / 'Could you tell me more about the activity?' / 'Just a notebook. Thank you for asking.' / 'Certainly. It starts on Saturday.'
4. Listen to a reply: 'Let me check the bus timetable first.' 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.

Answer key:

1. B – 'Certainly. Let me give an example.' (A polite request needs a cooperative explanation.)
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.
3. Correct order: '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.' (Question – answer – follow-up – answer.)
4. C – checking information before answering.

Ss record their score and write one correction in their notebook.

Ss use the target language (polite request, reply, check of understanding, linked change) in a realistic role-play about city life.

Ss work in pairs. Role A needs information about city life (for example, how to get to the park, the bus station or a public toilet). Role B gives one answer and checks whether it is clear. Then they swap roles.
The conversation must include:

• a polite request (Would you mind…?)
• a reply (Certainly. / Let me check.)
• a check of understanding (Do you mean…?)
• one double comparative (The more…, the…)
  After that, each pair writes one sentence about how to reduce congestion in their city, using cut down on.

Each pair performs a one-minute conversation with three communicative moves: request, reply and check.
Sample product:
A: Would you mind telling me how to get to the central park?
B: Certainly. Take bus number five and get off at the market.
A: Do you mean the bus that stops near the bank?
B: Yes, that is right.
A: Thanks for explaining. The more people use buses, the less congestion we have.

Ss also write one sentence: 'We can cut down on congestion by using public transport.'