Unit 4: Finding Your Way Around

Hilary L Chow Page 6

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Unit 4: Finding Your Way AroundClass: 4B Length of lesson:

35 minutes + 70 minutesClass profile:This is a class of 35 students aged 9-11 with 21 boys and 14 girls. A school in the sub-urban area of the New Territories with the majority of students coming from local middle-class families. Their proficiency in English is above the average of the city and that of the form. They are all in all motivated to learn and are behaving somewhat properly.Theme:Finding Your Way AroundObjectives:To enable learners to build-up on previously learned vocabulary, expressions, and grammatical items.To enable learners to get directions from another person.To enable learners to give directions to people.Language foci: Language functions and foci

Use prepositions or prepositional phrases to indicate directionsUse prepositions or prepositional phrases to indicate positionsUse formulaic expressions to get attention

Communicative functionsMake excuses & give responsesAsk for & give directionsTalk about locationsMake & respond to simple suggestions

Text typesMapsDirectionsConversations

Language skillsListeningListen for specific informationAsk for clarification when necessarySpeakingProvide specific informationRespond to enquiries & requests for clarificationReadingRead simple instructionsRead for specific informationWritingWrite simple (spoken) instructions

Assumed knowledge:Use imperatives to give instructions & directionsUse the interrogative adverb “how” to ask about ways of doing somethingUse the interrogative adverb “where” to ask about locationUse formulaic expressions to make & respond to suggestionsPotential problems and solutions:They get rather talkative (among themselves, in Cantonese) at times, which means the classroom might be undesirably noisy and my instructions may not be respected, or even heard. To cope with this, I will need to have different stages in the lessons and a variety of tasks to keep them interested. If necessary, I will also need to adopt some D

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strategies to get their attention such as clapping or scolding.Procedural stages

TimeInteraction

Procedure Purpose

5 minutes

T SsSs T

Pre-Lesson Preparation:Setting Up a Context

Greetings: Ask about their mood & energy level.Tell students that we are going toplay a game today, and will have some physical movements.Introducing the Make-Believe Game:That the classroom is a city, the tables are establishments. And they have to find their way aroundthe “town”.

To prepare learners for the lesson.To contextualise the lesson with a task-based approach.To familiarise learners with the task.

5 minutes

T SsSs T

Recycling Previous Knowledge:Practice 2 on Textbook

Ask questions:How do you initiate a conversationwith a stranger to ask for directions? (“Excuse me”, “I’m sorry”, “How are you?”, etc.)How do you ask someone for directions? (“How do I get to…?”, “Where…”, etc.)How do you give directions? (Use the two examples on P.15 of the textbook)

To prepare learners for the task.To remind learners of previously learned knowledge.

5 minutes

T SsT S

Pre-Speaking Preparation:Introducing the Background of the Game

There are 35 students, 9 groups inthe class (8 groups of 4, 1 group of 3). One from each group representing a destination (Post Office, Police Station, News-stand, MTR Station, Bakery, Clinic, Sports Centre, Department Store, Health & Beauty Store, Convenience Store), and the other 2/3 students will be given a card each to show the establishments they need to visit. The ones who represent the establishments also have a classroom map showing wherethe establishments are. The other students have to ask for

To prepare the game/task.

To allow learners to understand thetask’s demands & procedures.

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directions to reach those points.

Will demonstrate it once with the group of 3.

15 minutes

Ss Ss

While-Speaking Stage:Game

Students will play the game by interacting with each other.

To allow learners to apply the knowledge they learned and enable them to understand the communicative function of language.

5 minutes Post-Game:Conclusion & Further Exercises

Invites a student to express verbally how he or she gets to thepoint she is standing.

Takes out the workbook and show the similarities, so they understand the demands for it.

Asks students what they have learned today.

To conclude the lesson with a product.

To allow learners to apply their knowledge further and turn the language from spoken to written as a reference for them in the future.

TimeInteraction

Procedure Purpose

2.5 minutes

T SsSs T

Pre-Lesson Stage:Warming Up

Teacher asks students what they have done the day before. Expectedanswer(s): Played a game, went around the classroom

Teacher reminds students of the skills they have acquired: Giving directions.

To prepare learners for the lesson.To recycle previously learned knowledge.

2.5 minutes

T Ss

Before Pre-Task:Introducing the Background

Teacher tells students he will have a friend visiting from Singapore, and would like studentsto assist him in responding to hisfriend’s needs.

But before working on the real e-mail, teacher asks students to go to P.16-17 on the textbook for an example first.

To contextualise the task-based lesson.

To scaffold learners to complete the ultimate writing task.

5 minutes Pre-Task:D



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T SsSs T

Task: P. 16

Read the e-mail together. Teacher asks questions about the e-mail: Its content & form (What is it about? Who was it sent to? Anything special about the e-mail?What do we have to do now?)

Elicits suggestions from students:Where do you think Gary should go?Why? (Brainstorm places in Hong Kong – They learned about this in the previous chapter)

Points students to the example andasks them what suggestions had been recommended there.

To enable learners to understand the text-type.To enable learners to understand the task’s demands.

To enable learners to exchange ideas among themselves later.

To enable students to read for specific information and understandthe text-type.

5 minutes

T Ss

P.17

Teacher fills in the first two blanks with students. Reminds themthat in the third paragraph they had to give directions based on the map attached below.

Teacher gives students three minutes to complete the rest of the e-mail.

Checks the answers with students.

To enable learners to understand the task’s demands.To enable learners to recycle previously learned knowledge.To enable learners to complete tasks independently.

5 minutes

T SsSs T

Preparation for Writing

Teacher takes out an example map and writes a few sentences with the students to show how to write directions for someone.

To enable learners to complete the writing task.

5 minutes

T SsSs T

Preparation of Task

Teacher expresses appreciation towards students.

Teacher distributes worksheet & reads the e-mail with students together. Asks questions about the“schedule”, i.e. which ones are the free slots?

To encourage learners.

To enable learners to understand the task’s demands.

10 minutes

Ss Ss

Discussion Activity

Pair share to explore ideas. Demonstrates it once.

To enable learners to exchange ideas.

5 minutes Conclusion on Discussion ActivityD



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T Ss Teacher invites students to come out to demonstrate their discussion, i.e. to share their ideas to the class.

To enable students to realise the outcomes of the activity.

5 minutes

T Ss

Task

Teacher shows the e-mail and elicits answers from students for the first three blanks, and the first 1-2 lines of “directions” part.

To enable learners to write personal letters.To enable learners to express ideasin writing.

20 minutes

Ss Ss

Writing

Gives students 20 minutes to write. They can write with their partners if necessary.

To enable learners to write independently.

5 minutes

T SsSs Ss

Conclusion

Invites 1-2 student(s) to present their ideas to the class, and for them to invite their classmates tocomment on their performance.Asks students what they have learned today.

To enable learners to speak in public.To enable learners to peer evaluate.To make the lesson meaningful to learners.

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Hilary L Chow

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Task: Planning a trip and writing an email to a friend

My friend Alvin from Singapore is coming to Hong Kong! I need your help to write him back.

Hey there!

I’m coming to Hong Kong this Easter, we will finally get to meet!I’m staying for three days, some place called…Nina Tower? I think it’s in Tsuen Wan. Below is my schedule:

Date Morning Afternoon Night29 March (Friday)

Flying on theaeroplane…

We can meet after 2pm

Dinner together?

30 March (Saturday)

Should be sleeping…

Free Free

31 March (Sunday)

Free Packing Bye!

I know nothing about Hong Kong, so can you tell me where I should visit?Many thanks! Oh and, where can we meet?

Best,Alvin

Please use your ideas to complete my e-mail. Thanks!

Step 1: PlanWhere should Alvin visit? Brainstorm ideas in pairs!Date Morning Afternoon Night29 March (Friday)

/___________ _ ______ ___________________

30 March (Saturday)

/__________________ ___________________

31 March (Sunday) ___________________

/ /

Step 2: Complete the E-mail

________________,

So happy to know that you’re coming! Thanks for letting me know.

I think we can go to _________ on Friday afternoon and have dinner in/at________. Let’s meet at school at 2pm. You can walk from your hotel. You

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can see from this map attached that your hotel is at point ‘A’ and the school is at point ‘B’:

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________.

For Saturday, I think you can visit _________ in the morning and

_________ at night because _____________________; and you can go to

______________ on Sunday morning to

________________________________________________________________________

_____________.

Tell me what you think, write soon!

Yours,Hilary

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Unit 4: Finding Your Way Around

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Transcript of Unit 4: Finding Your Way Around