Giáo án Getting Started

Ss activate their prior knowledge about school and family memories in the past, and get interested in the topic of remembering the past.

Ss look at the title Unit 4: Remembering the past and answer the teacher's questions in pairs: What was school like when your parents or grandparents were young? What is one family tradition you remember?

A short list of 3 to 4 ideas written on the board, for example: 'They walked to school barefoot', 'They memorised long lessons', 'Families cooked together for festivals'. These ideas preview the words barefoot (chân trần) and memorise (ghi nhớ) and the topic of the lesson.

Ss understand the topic and the purpose of a short exchange, and learn the key vocabulary heritage, preserve, generation, traditional, festival, communal, memorise, barefoot.

Part 1: Ss read the exchange once for the setting: 'Could you tell me what school was like in the past?' / 'We shared books, but we helped each other.' / 'Thank you. What activity do you remember most?'. Ss answer: What does the first speaker do? A. Makes a polite request or asks for information; B. Offers help before anyone asks; C. Checks whether an apology is accepted; D. Thanks someone for a completed activity.
Part 2: Ss read the longer text about Hoa at the community kitchen in pairs and answer: Where did Hoa go? Who taught the young people? Why does Mrs Mai say a recipe survives? How did the volunteers record different family versions?
Part 3: Ss match the four words with their meanings: heritage – di sản; preserve – gìn giữ; generation – thế hệ; traditional – truyền thống.

Part 1 answer: A (The opening question seeks help or information politely).
Part 2 answers: Hoa went to a community kitchen. Older residents taught young people to make a traditional rice dish. A recipe survives when someone practises it, not only when it is kept in a book. The volunteers wrote down different family versions rather than deciding that only one was correct and recorded the reasons for each step with permission.
Part 3 answers: heritage – di sản; preserve – gìn giữ; generation – thế hệ; traditional – truyền thống.
Key idea Ss rub out: preserving a tradition can welcome new learners without freezing the past.

Ss understand the form and use of the past continuous (was/were + V-ing) with a past simple interruption, and the structure wish + past simple to express unreal present wishes.

T writes the Language focus on the board:

• Past continuous: was/were + V-ing describes an action in progress at a past time.
• Past simple can interrupt it: While Grandma was cooking, I arrived.
• Wish + past simple expresses an unreal present wish: I wish I knew the recipe.
• With be, were is a standard form for all subjects in wishes.
  T asks: 'At eight last night, what was Grandma doing?' and 'What is the difference between was cooking and arrived?'

Ss can state the rules in their own words:

• Form: was/were + V-ing for action in progress at a past time.
• Interruption: past simple for the sudden action (I arrived), past continuous for the longer action (was cooking).
• Wish: wish + past simple (I wish I knew the recipe) for a present situation that is not true.
• Be: use were for all subjects in wishes (I wish I were younger).
  Example answer: At eight last night, Grandma was cooking dinner.

Ss consolidate the vocabulary and the past continuous structure through matching and gap-filling exercises.

Ss complete Worksheet No. 1 in pairs, then check on NeoEdu:
Exercise A: Match the topic words to their meanings (heritage, preserve, generation, traditional).
Exercise B: Complete the word for 'di sản': ____ (heritage).
Exercise C: Use the past continuous of cook: At eight last night, Grandma ____ dinner. (was cooking)
Exercise D: While Grandma ____ (cook), I ____ (arrive).

Answer key:
Exercise A: heritage – di sản; preserve – gìn giữ; generation – thế hệ; traditional – truyền thống.
Exercise B: heritage (The topic word is heritage.)
Exercise C: was cooking (At a past time, was + cooking shows an action in progress.)
Exercise D: was cooking / arrived (The longer action is in progress; the sudden event is in the past simple.)

Ss use the topic words and the polite exchange pattern to write a short, personal reply and to express their own opinion about remembering the past.

Ss complete two tasks in pairs or individually:
Task 1: In two or three connected English sentences, explain why remembering the past matters. Use at least two of these words or phrases: heritage, preserve, generation, traditional.
Task 2: Continue this exchange with one useful reply and a polite closing:
Hoa: Could you tell me what school was like in the past?
Grandfather: We shared books, but we helped each other.
Hoa: Thank you. What activity do you remember most?
Homework preview: Ss interview a family member about a memory (see Homework).

Sample answer for Task 1: Recipes are part of cultural heritage. Families preserve recipes by teaching children. These ideas help us remember the past and keep traditions alive.
Sample answer for Task 2: I remember working in the garden with my friends most. Thank you for asking about those days.
Assessment criteria: the reply answers the question; a polite closing is used; grammar is appropriate; at least two topic words are used naturally.