Class level: Elementary – High school / Lesson Time: 55 minutes
English level: Beginner to Advanced / Expected number of students: 20 - 40
Context: Understanding and recognizing selected Verbs.
Teaching aids: Teaching aids: White/chalk board. Verbs diagram page (this can be reused on subsequent lesson as a learning reference), verb flashcards, and a soft foam ball for playing conversation hot-potato
Learner objectives:
For all students to speak in English using the verbs studied and for advanced students to also use English to describe how the verbs are done, when they are done and who does them. Students should also have the opportunity to practice correct pronunciation. / Teacher aims:
Involve all students in an engaging lesson.
Teach a fun lesson with a game that adapts to the learner’s abilities.
Procedure / Phase / Timing
Before class starts, the teacher will need to write the names of the verbs you will use during your lesson. You should cover the words and reveal them as you introduce them during the lesson.
Ask the students what verbs they know. Also ask them to describe the verbs.
Review the verb flashcards one verb at a time with the class to draw upon prior knowledge of verbs for this lesson.
(1) Ask the class to say the verbs displayed on the diagram page.
(2) The teacher models the correct pronunciation by reading the verb.
(3) The class re-reads the verb.
(4) The teacher asks the class as a whole or calls one student to demonstrate the verb. (For students who need a lot of attention from their classmates or adults, this is a great way to have them focused on the lesson, yet at the same time get the individual attention they crave.)
The diagram activity:
Distribute the diagram to the students. Begin by asking the students what verbs in the drawings they recognize. As the students say what actions they think the pictures are of the teacher will acknowledge answers by confirming correct answers and exploring with class other terms for the pictures which are also used, such as “taking a picture” or the act of “photography” being the same to “photograph” something.
Ask the class to work in pairs to try and complete the diagram by writing the number of the picture in the box to the correct corresponding label and on the blank space the students will write the translation of the verb in their own language. (You should ask your mentor teacher or other teacher to write the correct words in the native language where you are teaching. So you will know.) * Even if you do not know the words in the student’s native language, the students will correct each other.
Next have the students report their findings. Assign one or two verbs to translate to each of the student pairs until all of the verbs have been accounted for. Have four students, one from each pair, come to the board at once to write the translation next to the verbs in English that you wrote before class began. Once all of all of the verbs have been translated on the board, the teacher will review the list with the class. Have the students read the verb in English and then in their native language. It might be that the majority of the students in the class will say a few of the words have been incorrectly translated. If the majority of the class feels a word has been translated incorrectly, ask a student who is disagreeing with the original translation what he/she feels it should be. Ask the class if they agree. If they do ask the student who gave the correction to come to the board and write the correction.
One all of the words have been reviewed.
+ For beginner classes: have the class look at the verb diagram and report on what is happening in the scenes (“The woman is eating lunch,” “The man is reading the newspaper”) If the students cannot make their own simple sentences the teacher will explore the diagram with the students and make the sentences while explaining slowly and clearly what is happening in the diagram. The students repeat the descriptive sentences that the teacher constructs.
+ For intermediate classes: Have the students make short sentences with the class using the verbs studied.
+For advanced classes: Make a short chain story. The teacher leads by saying something such as “Yesterday I had a very strange day. I walked to school, but as soon as I got to there I had to jump… (ask any student to make up the rest of the sentence where the vocabulary verb left off. They will say one or two sentences and leave off in the middle of a sentence with a vocabulary verb for the next student to continue the chain story.
Closing Activity
1. The teacher demonstrates a verb studied and asks the class “What am I doing?
2. The teacher, gently toss the foam ball to a student to answer the question.
3. If the student responds correctly the teacher says “Yes, you are right, I am _(names the verb demonstrated)_. If the student does not answer correctly the teacher says “No, sorry I am _(names the verb demonstrated)_.
4. The student who answered then demonstrates a verb studied and asks the class “What am I doing?”
5. The student doing the action tosses the foam ball to a different classmate who did not yet answer and.
6. Again, if the responding student responds correctly the student doing the action says “Yes, you are right, I am _(names the verb demonstrated)_. If the responding student does not answer correctly the student doing the action says “No, sorry I am _(names the verb demonstrated)_.
7. The process repeats itself with the responding student then taking a turn at doing an action and asking the class to name the action.
Continue to toss the ball until all students have taken a turn
The point of the activity is to have students attempt speaking in English and become familiar with the verbs studied. If the students do not respond correctly it is still okay as long as they are gently corrected and the class can hear the correct answer.
+If students decide they want to do an action not in the cards (dancing, cooking, driving, skiing, swimming, etc.) that is okay also. Just inform the class that the student will be doing a new verb for them and challenge the class to try to guess what the action is demonstrating. / Engage
Study
Activate
Closure/
Study / 5 minutes
15 minutes
15 minutes
10 min minutes
See next page for Verb Diagram Resource and Activity Page.
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