Giáo án A Closer Look 1

Ss activate prior knowledge about natural wonders and become familiar with the topic of the lesson.

T shows four pictures: a limestone cave, a valley, a landscape with mountains and rivers, and a snowy mountain peak. T asks Ss: 'What do you see in these pictures? Which of them would you like to visit? Why?' Ss work in pairs and list as many natural wonders as they can in 1 minute.

A pair list of 3–5 natural wonders (e.g. cave, mountain, river, valley) and one sentence each about a place they would like to visit, such as: 'I want to visit the cave because it looks dramatic.'

Ss understand the meaning and use of eight topic words through meaningful sentences and word groups.

T presents the eight words in three meaningful groups: (1) Landscape and rock: limestone, formation, landscape; (2) Places and visits: destination, magnificent, preservation; (3) Mountain features: slope, snowy. Each word is shown with its example sentence, for example: 'Limestone can form dramatic caves.' 'The cave entrance is magnificent.' 'Stay on the path on a steep slope.' Ss work in groups of four to draw a mind map showing the three groups and one example sentence for each word.

A group mind map with three branches and eight words, each with its Vietnamese meaning and example sentence, for example: 'destination (điểm đến) – The valley is a popular destination.' 'snowy (phủ tuyết) – The mountain has a snowy peak.'

Ss pronounce the consonant clusters /sl/ and /sn/ clearly and move from the /s/ to /l/ or /n/ without inserting a vowel.

T models the words slow, slope, snow and snowy. T explains that both clusters begin with /s/ and then move directly to /l/ or /n/. T compares slow and snow: they differ in the initial cluster but end in the same vowel. T then models the sentence 'Snow covers the slope.' Ss practise in choral repetition, then in pairs with chain drilling.

Ss pronounce slope, slow, snow and snowy clearly and read the sentence 'Snow covers the slope.' without adding an extra vowel between /s/ and /l/ or /n/.

Ss form reported yes/no questions with asked + if/whether + subject + verb in statement order.

T writes the question 'Is the path open?' on the board and asks Ss to report it. T shows the reported form 'She asked if the path was open.' T explains: (1) use asked + if/whether + subject + verb in statement order; (2) do not keep do/does/did and do not invert the subject; (3) in a past reporting context, change present to past (is → was) and can to could; (4) change pronouns and time expressions when needed. Ss transform the question 'Is the cave open?' → She asked ___.

Ss complete the example: 'Is the cave open?' → She asked if the cave was open. Ss also transform 'Is the path open?' → She asked if the path was open. Ss state the rule: asked + if/whether + subject + verb, in statement order.

Ss consolidate the topic words, identify target words from listening and recognise /sn/ and /sl/ in multiple-choice items.

Ss complete Worksheet No. 1 in pairs. Exercise 1: match four words with their meanings. Exercise 2: match the remaining four words with their meanings. Exercise 3: write the English word meaning 'điểm đến'. Exercise 4: choose the word beginning with /sn/. Exercise 5: listen and choose the word you hear. Exercise 6: listen to the sentence and choose the vocabulary item it contains.

Answer key: 1) limestone – đá vôi; landscape – cảnh quan; magnificent – tráng lệ; formation – cấu trúc hình thành. 2) destination – điểm đến; preservation – sự bảo tồn; slope – sườn dốc; snowy – phủ tuyết. 3) destination. 4) C (snow). 5) C (limestone). 6) B (magnificent).

Ss use the target words preservation and snowy in two connected sentences and relate them to a natural wonder they know.

T gives the task: 'Write two connected sentences using preservation and snowy. Then write one more sentence about a natural wonder you know, using one target word from this lesson.' Sample connected sentences: 'Preservation protects the valley for the future. The mountain has a snowy peak that attracts many visitors.' Ss share their sentences with a partner, and the partner gives feedback on meaning, logic and sentence form.

Two connected sentences using preservation and snowy, for example: 'Preservation protects the valley for the future. The mountain has a snowy peak that attracts many visitors.' Each sentence is grammatically correct and logically linked.