Lesson script 3rd educational stage (III.1), English Grade:

Lesson script

3rd educational stage (III.1), English

Grade:

3

Content area:

Developing learning strategies and student autonomy in foreign language classes

Detailed requirements:

Student (9) carries out self-assessment (e.g. using a language portfolio) and uses independent language learning techniques (e.g. using dictionaries, correcting errors, taking notes, memorising new words, using cultural texts in a foreign language).

Topic

: Olympic sports

Duration

: 45 minutes

Detailed goals regarding the range of information

Student:

● Knows the names of popular Olympic sports;

● Knows the basic sports vocabulary;

● Knows the typical structure of monolingual dictionary entries.

Detailed goals regarding the range of skills

Student:

● Can use monolingual dictionaries;

● Can read and understand simple definitions;

● Can listen for specific information in audio-visual materials;

● Can talk about favourite sports.

Detailed goals regarding attitudes

Student:

● Develops more independent attitude towards learning;

● Becomes familiar with monolingual dictionaries as a learning tool.

Methods

Elicitation; multiple matching; listening for specific information; note taking; personalisation;

whole class, small groups, pairwork, individual work.

Interaction forms and venue

Interaction forms: whole class, small groups, pairs, individual work.

Classes are to be held in the classroom.

Materials and teaching aids

Multiple matching task for every student (Supporting Material 1); audio recording;

interactive quiz Memory; computer with an internet connection; multimedia projector;

board; monolingual dictionaries (printed or online) [Note: Cambridge Online Learner’s Dictionary is recommended.]

Multimedia resources

● Audio recording: Sports news

● Interactive ‘Memory’ game

Lesson plan/procedure

1 Warm-up

Interaction forms: whole class Duration: 2 minutes

The teacher asks the students if they like sports. What is their favourite sport? What are the most popular sports events in the world (summer and winter Olympic Games, football World Cup).

At this stage of the lesson the teacher has a chance to check which sports disciplines the students know in English, but he/she doesn’t help with those that they don’t know.

The teacher tells the students that in this lesson they will talk about some popular Olympic sports and learn new words related to them. They will also be shown how to use learner’s (English-English) dictionaries.

2 Main stage

2.1. Introduction – audio recording Interaction forms: individual, whole class Duration: 6 minutes

The teacher tells the students that now they will listen to a few short pieces of sports news.

Their task is to determine which sport is the subject of the news. The students also have to note down the key words that helped them understand the commentary.

Note: All the sports in this task should be known to students at this level. If not, the teacher can provide the four names (football, hockey, tennis, volleyball) beforehand to simplify the task.

The teacher can pre-teach score, beat, win, lose and tie, if necessary.

The recording is played twice. After the first listening, the students should be able to name the sports. They can then compare their guesses with a partner. The second listening should give them a chance to write the key words.

Finally, the answers are checked in open class.

Answers: 1 hockey (third period, ice, two minutes penalty), 2 tennis (set, tie-break, serve, tournament, 6-2 score), 3 football (goal, goalkeeper, second half, European Championship), 4 volleyball (two hours, set, tie-break, match point, 3-2 score)

2.2. Target language presentation – multiple matching Interaction forms: individual/pairs

Duration: 6 minutes

The students are given English definitions of some Olympic sports and a list of those sports (Supporting Material 1). Their task is to match the definitions to sports.

Students can work individually (in stronger classes) or in pairs (to offer peer support).

After a few minutes the answers are checked in open class.

Answers: 1d, 2a, 3f, 4e, 5c, 6b

2.3. Introduction to using learner’s dictionaries Interaction forms: individual, whole class

Duration: 6 minutes

The teacher tells the students that the matching task was based on actual learner dictionary entries. He/She directs the students to the Cambridge Online Learner’s Dictionary (which was used as the basis for the matching definitions).

Note: Another dictionary can be used, at the teacher’s discretion. If the teacher decides to use dictionaries in the book form, there should be at least one dictionary per pair of students.

The teacher should explain or remind the students how to use monolingual dictionaries He/She could demonstrate how to find an entry by asking the class to find, for example, boxing, which is defined as a sport in which two people hit each other while wearing big, leather gloves (the students have already seen this definition in the matching task). The teacher should explain that a dictionary entry always gives information about the part of speech (boxing = noun), followed by a definition and, typically, some common collocations and/or example sentences.

If an online dictionary is used, the students should be encouraged to listen to the proper pronunciation.

Then, the teacher should explain that sometimes a word can have more than one meaning and the students will have to choose the one that is correct in the given context. At this point fencing should be looked up, as most dictionaries offer two definitions, i.e. (i) fences, or the materials used to make fences or (ii) the sport of fighting with long, thin swords (the latter was used in the matching exercise).

Finally, the students should be told about the advantages of using English-English dictionaries specifically designed for learners, rather than bilingual ones (for example, they provide more exposure to English, offer a natural context, etc.).

2.4. Extension of the target language – dictionary definitions Interaction forms: individual/pairs

Duration: 9 minutes

The students are given six more sports (of not obvious names) for which they need to find definitions in English-English dictionaries: hurdles, pentathlon, pole vault, relay race, weightlifting and wrestling. The students should write down the definitions in their notebooks.

The teacher distributes dictionaries or asks students to use an online dictionary.

At this stage they can work individually or in pairs.

2.5. Target language consolidation and practice – interactive quiz Interaction forms: individual/pairs

Duration: 7 minutes

The students have a chance to check how well they have remembered sports disciplines introduced in the lesson by doing an interactive quiz – Memory (Pairs) game. Students’ task is to match pictures of sports 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 student has to locate (open) all the corresponding pairs.

The game can be played several times, as different pairs appear on the screen in each round.

This should give students ample time to practise sports vocabulary, as well as train their perceptiveness and memory.

The quiz can be used again in the subsequent lesson, to let the students check the new vocabulary retention.

2.6. Consolidation of the target language – personalisation Interaction forms: small groups

Duration: 7 minutes

The students work in small groups of 3. The teacher asks them to exchange ideas about the sports they like most. How often do they practise/watch the given sport? What equipment is needed? Is it a team sport or individual sport?

The teacher monitors and helps with vocabulary, if necessary.

3 Closing stage

Interaction forms: whole class Duration: 2 minutes

The teacher elicits from the students the Olympic sports they talked about in the lesson and makes sure that the students can pronounce them correctly.

Olympic sports

Supporting Material 1

Match the sports 1–6 with their definitions a–f.

1. archery ___

2. boxing ___

3. diving ___

4. fencing ___

5. long jump ___

6. shot put ___

a. a sport in which two people hit each other while wearing big, leather gloves

b. a sports competition in which a heavy metal ball is thrown from the shoulder as far as possible

c. a sports event in which a person runs up to a mark and then jumps as far forward as they can

d. the art or sport of shooting arrows

e. the sport of fighting with long, thin swords

f. the sport of jumping into water, especially with your head and arms going in first, or of swimming underwater