Lesson Plan

Teacher: Carolyn Dunn

Class: Writing 4.3
Date/Time: Monday, November 16, 11AM 12:45PM
Class Website: http://telcwritingfall2015.weebly.com
Goals:
1. Grammar Goal: To learn the form of the 1st conditional and use it to talk about
the potential consequences of contingent events
2. Composition Goal: To begin to approach persuasive/argumentative writing in
preparation for Level 5
Objectives (SWBAT):
Students Will Be Able To
1. Correctly use the first conditional (If+S+(present tense verb), then S+(future
tense verb)) in a mini-debate about the construction of a new factory in a
beautiful, but poor, rural town
2. Create a list of arguments for and against the construction of the factory
3. Use the lists of arguments to begin to create a mind-map and/or outline for a
logical and well-organized persuasive paragraph or essay (may be done as
homework or in class Wednesday, depending on how challenging the lesson is for
students)
Topics: First Conditional and Introduction to Persuasive Writing
Extensions:
1. Students will complete the mind-map for homework or in class on Wednesday,
depending on how much support they need when we start the activity.
2. If students complete the mind-map and outline easily, we will compile a list of
arguments on the board, and, as a class, determine which position we are taking:
for or against the construction of the factory. We will work together to choose
two arguments for our position and one against, with a counterargument. In
groups, students will begin to brainstorm supporting details for each argument.
We will continue the activity on Wednesday and work in groups to make outlines
for each of the 5 paragraphs in a standard 5-paragraph essay (each group
responsible for one paragraph). We will assemble the paragraph outlines into a
complete outline for a five-paragraph essay and post it under Class Projects on
the website
3. There are additional real world factory construction/neighbor debate video
news segments posted on the website (bakery, egg farm, Siracha) that students
may optionally view at home

Aim/Skill/Microskill

Activity/Procedure/Stage

Interaction

Time

Announcements/Homework Announcements/Attendance/Homework T-Ss

Collection/Preview - Lesson Collection and other admin
Goals and Agenda
T directs student attention to the lesson
goals and agenda on the website

Start: 11am
Finish: 11:10
(10m)

Warm-Up and Schema

Activation

Start: 11:10
Finish:11:30
(20m)

Schema Activation Pre-Stage:

T directs Ss attention to class website.

T-Ss

T Asks: What do you worry about?

Why?
T elicits some ideas and writes them on
the board. T directs Ss attention to
additional examples on the website
Schema Activation During Stage:

Ss freewrite about things that they

worry about or the last time they felt
worried (10 mins)
Schema Activation Post-Stage:

S-S

Students briefly share their writing with

their teams
Activity 1: Introduction to
the First Conditional form
and use

1.1 Pre-Stage:
Using pictures, T elicits that a mother is T-Ss
worried about her son traveling around
the world. T shows pictures illustrating
the mothers concerns (e.g. he might get
sick, he might run out of money, etc.)
and elicits 1st conditional responses
from the son from Ss, (e.g. If I get sick,
I will go to the doctor) Using the
model sentences, T elicits the form of
the 1st conditional from Ss:
If+S+present verb, S+will+base verb
T points out that clauses can be

Start: 11:30
Finish: 11:40
(10m)

Transition to #2:

reversed, and that there is a comma

when the if clause comes first

Now that youve seen some

of my if sentences, its
1.2. During Stage:
your turn to write your
Ss complete a worksheet of first
own.
conditional sentences about travel

Start: 11:40
Finish: 11:45
(5m)

S-S
T-Ss

Start: 11:45
Finish: 11:50
(5m)

2.1 Pre-Stage: T directs Ss attention to

the class website, and shows a model
chain story. T models chain story
procedure.

T-Ss

Total Time:

2.2. During Stage:

Ss-Ss

1.3 Post-Stage:
Ss pair check answers in teams; T
answers questions
Tangible Outcome: T will see the Ss
correctly completing the worksheets
Peer/T Feedback: Pair checking; T
monitoring; T answers questions
Activity 2: Practice writing
simple first conditional
sentences

Start: 11:50
Finish: 12:05
(15m)

Each team creates chain stories

Transition to #3:

2.3 Post-Stage:

Great stories everyone!

Now well get back to travel
and get up and moving.

Each team shares the final story from

their chain story, i.e. connecting the first
if clause with the final result clause
Tangible Outcome & T. feedback/peer
feedback: Chain stories; peer reading of
previous sentences; T monitors and
assists; share of final stories

Ss-Ss-T

Activity 3: Additional
practice writing first
conditional sentences and
practice using the first
conditional orally

3.1 Pre-Stage:
T tells Ss they are traveling for the first
time. Group brainstorm of things that
might happen. T writes ideas on the
board.

T-Ss

Start: 12:05
Finish: 12:20
(15m)

T passes out index cards. T models

S
writing a first conditional sentence
about travel worries on an index card.
Now that weve worked
Ss write their own sentences, using
with what ifs and worries, ideas from the brainstorm or making up
lets help out some people
their own. T monitors and assists.
who are really worried.
3.2. During Stage: T models mingle
S-S
activity. T has partner S read the
sentence from her card, T responds
orally with a first conditional sentence.
T models switching roles, then
switching cards, then finding a new
partner. Ss stand up and find a partner
and mingle. T monitors and assists.
Transition to 4:

3.3 Post-Stage:
T addresses any common errors she
heard while monitoring

T-S

Tangible Outcome & T. feedback/peer

feedback: Index card questions; T
monitoring; peer-to-peer work/feedback
Activity 4: Practice using
the 1st Conditional in a
Real World roleplay and
using the grammar point as
a springboard to
approaching
argument/persuasive
writing

4.1 Pre-Stage:
T tells Ss about the problem in
Perfectville Acme XXX Co. wants to
build a factory in this pristine, but poor,
mountain town. On the one hand, the
factory may destroy the beauty of the
town. On the other hand, it will create
jobs and bring money to the town.

Transition to Wrap-Up:

T assigns each team a role

townspeople or factory. Each team
brainstorms arguments for and against
the factory.

Great job everyone! We

will continue working on
this on Wednesday. Now, its
time to fill out Exit Tickets. 4.2. During Stage: T regroups Ss

Start: 12:20
Finish: 12:40
(20 m)

jigsaw-style, so each new group has two

townspeople and two factory
representatives. Ss debate.
4.3 Post-Stage:
Each new team compiles a list of the
three best arguments FOR the factory
construction and the three best
arguments AGAINST the factory
construction on butcher paper. Ss walk
around to read the other teams posters,
and T posts pictures of the posters to
website.
IF TIME: Ss begin working on a
persuasive essay mind-map individually.
They may finish for homework.
Tangible Outcome & T. feedback/peer
feedback: Butcher paper posters; mindmaps; peer to peer work/feedback; T
monitoring and assisting
Wrap-up

EXIT TICKETS Students complete

Exit Tickets- anonymous cards with
one thing they learned, one thing they
are still confused about and any
additional feedback/comments

Start: 12:40
Finish: 12:45
(5m)

T directs Ss to website for the evenings T-Ss

homework assignment finish mindmaps and/or outlines from in-class
debate and work on final projects
Lesson Evaluation Procedures: Exit
Tickets; continuous in-class monitoring
and adjusting of the lesson based on
student needs
Materials: Class website; pictures; travel sentence/1st conditional worksheets; chain story
worksheets; index cards; argumentative writing mind-maps and/or outlines; butcher
paper; markers; camera

Anticipated Questions, Problems & Suggested Solutions:

1. If clause/present forms the students may ask if other forms of the present are
acceptable in the first conditional; I will explain that they are and show examples
such as:
a. If he is reading when I get there, I will be quiet. (present continuous)
b. If she has not heard the bad news yet, I will tell her. (present perfect)
2. Other forms that are acceptable for the future clause the students may ask
about the going to future construction, the future perfect, and/or modals, which
can be used in the place of the future simple, e.g.:
a. If I see my ex-boyfriend at the party, I am going to be nice.
b. If she doesnt come to dinner, I will have wasted a lot of time preparing it.
c. If I ask my boss, I can get time off from work.
3. NEGOTIATIONS: The use of the first conditional here is to talk about
contingent events. It can also be used for negotiations, e.g.:
a. If you rub my back, I will cook you dinner.
If students ask any of the anticipated questions below, I will address them briefly and let
the students know we will cover them in more depth later, to keep the focus and flow of
the lesson.
4. SECOND CONDITIONAL - The students may ask about the second or unreal
conditional construction and the difference between real and unreal
situations. I will explain that the unreal construction (If+S+simple past,
S+would/could/might) is used for impossible situations (e.g. If I were you) or
highly unlikely situations, and that the determination of the unlikelihood is
often a matter of attitude on the part of the speaker rather than an objective
determination of unlikelihood, e.g. If I won the lottery, I would travel the
world (speaker thinks it is very unlikely) vs. If I win the lottery, I will travel the
world (speaker may have bought a ticket and is an optimist!)
5. THIRD CONDITIONAL The students may ask about the third conditional,
especially considering they have been writing a lot of narrative paragraphs in past
tense. They may be concerned about how to use the conditional for past events. I
will explain that the use of the conditional to talk about events in the past requires
past perfect, and we will discuss it further when we cover past perfect.
(S+had+pp (past perfect) + would have+pp)
a. If I had known it was raining, I would have brought an umbrella.
6. Potential Problems: The timing and content of this lesson is ambitious. I will
continuously monitor and adjust the lesson as necessary to take into account Ss
learning speed. The lesson is designed to continue through the week, so some of
the activities may spill over. If necessary, the entire debate portion may move to
Wednesday.
Contingency Plans: In the unlikely event that we finish this lesson early, we will move
on to working on outlines for an argumentative paragraph or essay (depending on ease of
student learning) as outlined in the Extensions section of the lesson plan.

Complete the sentences:

1. If I do not know the language, ___________________________ (use a
dictionary)

2. ________________________________, I will go to the embassy. (lose

my passport)

3. If I miss a flight, ______________________________ (stay in a hostel)

4. _____________________________ if I cant find a restaurant. (eat

ramen)

5. ____________________________ if I cant use my phone. (use email)

6. I will meet new friends _______________________. (feel lonely)

If I go to a concert tonight, I will dance.

If I dance, I will feel happy.
If I feel happy, I will smile a lot.
If I smile a lot, I will make new friends.
If I make new friends, my life will be better.
FINAL STORY: If I go to a concert tonight, my life will be better.

If I go to a concert tonight, I will dance.

If I go out to a restaurant tonight, I will

__________________________________

If I finish all my homework early, I will__________________________________

If I go shopping this weekend, I will __________________________________

If I go to the gym today, I will __________________________________

If I travel this summer, I will __________________________________

If I go out to a bar tonight, I will __________________________________