Lesson script
1st educational stage, English
Grade:
3Content area:
Learning strategies and student autonomy in foreign language classesDetailed requirements:
Student (7) can use picture dictionaries, booklets and multimedia resources.Topic
: AnimalsDuration
: 45 minutesDetailed goals regarding the range of information
Student: Knows the names of selected animals;
Knows simple differences between animals;
Knows different places where animals live.
Detailed goals regarding the range of skills
Student: Can use a picture dictionary to find words he/she needs;
Can match simple descriptions to the terms provided;
Can group terms according to particular characteristics;
Can match words with pictures;
Enhances memory.
Detailed goals regarding attitudes
Student: Learns to effectively manage lesson time himself/herself;
Develops autonomy in using language resources;
Becomes aware of the richness of the animal world.
Methods
Presentation; elicitation; categorisation; guessing game; memory game; active learning teaching; whole class, small groups, pairs, individual work.
Forms and venue
Forms: individual, pairwork, small groups, whole class.
Classes are to be held in the classroom.
Materials and teaching aids
Picture dictionary for each student; worksheets for each student (Supporting Material 1, for stage 2.2.); worksheets for each pair of students (Supporting Material 2, for stage 2.3.);
interactive game; computer and multimedia projector; board.
Multimedia resources
Picture dictionary: Animals
Interactive ‘Memory’ game
Lesson plan/procedure
1 Warm-upInteraction forms: whole class Duration: 4 minutes
The teacher asks the pupils if they like animals. What is their favourite animal? Why? Does anyone have a pet?
The teacher tells the pupils that in this lesson they will talk about animals, using a picture dictionary.
2 Main stage
2.1. Introduction of the target language – picture dictionary Interaction forms: whole class, individual
Duration: 6 minutes
The teacher distributes picture dictionaries to each pupil. He/She presents animals one by one, naming them out loud. The pupils repeat the names of the animals after the teacher.
Then the teacher points to some animals in the dictionary at random and asks the class to name the animal shown.
2.2. Target language practice – categorisation part 1 Interaction forms: individual, whole class
Duration: 8 minutes
To give the pupils a chance to actively interact with the new vocabulary, they are given a categorisation task.
The teacher explains that the pupils will have to divide all the animals from the picture dictionary according to the number of legs they have (no legs, two legs, four legs, and more than four legs). Each animal has to be put in one of the categories.
The teacher distributes worksheets (Supporting Material 1) to each pupil. To demonstrate the task, the teacher points to the first animal (bat) and asks: How many legs has it got?
(two). The teacher explains that the pupils should write ‘bat’ in the second column.
The pupils work individually. The teacher monitors and helps if necessary.
Early finishers should be asked to note down animals in one or two extra categories, i.e.
those that can swim and/or those that can fly. The teacher should ask, e.g.: Can the sheep fly? No, it can’t.
At the end of the activity the answers are checked in open class.
Answers: (0) dolphin, fish, snail, snake; (2) bat, bird, duck, kangaroo, monkey; (4) cat, cow, crocodile, dog, elephant, giraffe, horse, lion, panda, pig, zebra; (more than 4) butterfly, spider Extra categories: can swim – crocodile, dolphin, duck, fish, (dog, horse);
can fly – bat, bird, butterfly
2.3. Target language practice – categorisation part 2 Interaction forms: pairs, whole class
Duration: 8 minutes
The teacher asks the pupils: Does a whale live on a farm? and elicits the answer: No, it doesn’t. Then he/she asks: Does the cat live at home? Yes, it does.
Then the teacher explains that now the pupils have to use their dictionaries to find some animals that live at home, in the garden, on a farm and in the zoo. The pupils have to write down three examples for each category.
At this stage of the lesson the pupils work in pairs. The teacher distributes worksheets (Supporting Material 2) to each pair of students.
The teacher monitors and helps the pupils if necessary. The pupils who work faster should be encouraged to write down more animals in each category.
Answers: at home – bird, cat, dog, fish, spider; in the garden – bird, butterfly, snail, spider;
on a farm – cat, cow, dog, duck, horse, pig; in the zoo – bird, butterfly, crocodile, dolphin, elephant, fish, giraffe, kangaroo, lion, monkey, panda, snake, zebra
2.4. Target language consolidation and practice – guessing game Interaction forms: small groups, whole class
Duration: 9 minutes
The teacher tells the pupils that they will play a guessing game – it will be a whole class competition. The teacher puts the pupils into teams of 3 or 4. On the board, he/she draws a scoreboard for all teams. The teacher explains that he/she will describe an animal and pupils’
task is to guess what animal it is. The team who guesses first wins three points. However, if the guess is not correct, that team loses one point.
Sample quiz questions (pupils may not need the whole description to identify the animal):
It has four legs. It lives in Africa. It is green. It can swim. It eats other animals. (crocodile)
It is black. It lives at home or in the garden. It has a lot of legs. (spider) It has four legs. It lives in Africa. It is grey. It is very big. (elephant) It has four legs. It lives on a farm. It is pink. (pig)
It has two legs. It lives in Australia. It jumps really high. (kangaroo) It has two legs. It likes water. It goes ‘quack, quack, quack.’ (duck).
If the pupils enjoy the game, the teacher can continue to ask similar questions. After each question, the teacher records the points won on the board. At the end of the activity, the score is determined and the teacher announces the winning team. They can be awarded pluses or good marks for active participation.
2.5. Target language consolidation and practice – memory game Interaction forms: individual
Duration: 7 minutes
The teacher tells the pupils that they will have a chance to play the interactive ‘Memory’
(‘Pairs’) game. Pupils’ task is to match pictures of animals with their names. In each turn, they uncover two cards on the screen. If it’s a match (i.e. a picture and the corresponding name) the cards remain open; otherwise, the cards get covered again. The pupil has to locate (open) all the corresponding pairs (six in total; all from the picture dictionary).
The game can be played several times, as different pairs appear on the screen in each round. This should give pupils ample time to practise animal vocabulary, as well as train their perceptiveness and memory.
The teacher should monitor pupils’ work and check if they have mastered the target vocabulary.
Note: The guessing game with the picture dictionary and/or the ‘Memory’ (‘Pairs’) game can be used repeatedly as a warm-up or filler in other lessons to recycle the vocabulary.
3 Closing stage
Interaction forms: whole class Duration: 3 minutes
The teacher holds up his/her copy of the picture dictionary and shows the pupils the two empty spaces at the bottom of page 2. He/She asks the pupils to choose two animals (other than already shown in the dictionary) and draw them (or paste small pictures) within these spaces at home. They should also write the names of these animals below the pictures.
Animals
Supporting Material 1
Put all the names of animals from the picture dictionary into the correct category.
Number of legs
0 2 4 More than 4
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Animals
Supporting Material 2
In the picture dictionary, find three animals in each category.
Animals
at home in the garden on a farm in the zoo
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