Lesson Project

Teacher: Blaj Alina Simona

Highschool: Liceul tehnologic "Sfântul Ioan de La Salle" Pildeşti
Grade: 10-th
Level: Upper-Intermediate
Topic: Expressing ability
Unit 5: Things that matter
Textbook: Going for Gold
Time: 50 minutes

Type of lesson: acquisition of new knowledge

Skills: Writing, speaking
Materials: students’ book, handouts, blackboard
Techniques and methods: conversation, explanation, individual work, pair work

Information about the language to be used:

- vocabulary: words related to abilities
- grammar: modals expressing abilities

Objectives of teaching

By the end of the lesson students will be able:

- to express present abilities
- to talk about past abilities
- to write about future abilities

Stages of the lesson activities:

Warmer (5’)

The teacher greets the students and asks them if anybody is missing. The teacher asks the
students if they had any homework and then she checks it. The teacher asks the students how are
they feeling in that moment. After the students have answered she asks them what do they like to
do in their spare time. After each answer the teacher reformulates their sentence using modal
verbs that express abilities.
e.g. Student: I like to dance
Teacher: So, you can dance.
Student: I like to sing.
Teacher: So, you are able to sing.

I. Checking previous knowledge (2’)

The teacher announces the title of the lesson: Expressing abilities.

The teacher asks the students if they know ways of expressing abilities in English.
The students should answer that some ways of expressing abilities are: can/can’t, could/couldn’t,
manage to, be able to. If the students don’t know the answer I will provide the answers for them
and I will write them on the blackboard.
II. Formulation of the subject (1’)

The teacher explains to the students that the words written on the blackboard are modal verbs.
Each of them is used to express abilities at a certain point in time.

III. Presentation of the new lesson (12’)

The teacher tells the students that the modal verb can expresses present abilities. The teacher
asks students to give an example of a sentence that expresses present abilities. If the students
can’t provide an example I will provide an example to them then I am going to ask them to give
other examples.

Can/can’t- present ability

I can speak two foreign languages.
Elena can sing and dance.
I can’t tell you my secret.

The teacher tells the students that the modal verbs could and manage to express past abilities.
The teacher asks students to give an example of a sentence that expresses past abilities. If the
students can’t provide an example I will provide an example to them then I am going to ask them
to give other examples.

Could/couldn’t - past ability

George could walk when he was two years old.
When I was younger I couldn’t wait to do grow up.

Manage to- past ability

He managed to make dinner.

The teacher tells the students that the modal verb be able to can express present, past and future
abilities. The teacher asks students to give an example of sentences that show present, past and
future abilities using the modal verb be able to. If the students can’t provide examples I will
provide examples to them then I am going to ask them to give other examples.

Be able to
Present ability
John was able to start the car.

Past ability
When he was 7 he was able to ride the bike.

Future ability
I will be able to buy whatever I want when I will have my own money.

IV. Practice (28’)

The teacher tells the students that they are going to do some activities. She gives them a
worksheet that contains the tasks of the activities. She will give a time for each activity and will
check their answers after each activity.
Task 1 (5’)

Write 5 abilities about you using can or be able to

Task 2 (8’)

The teacher explains that they for this activity are going to work in pairs.

Write 3 sentences about what your desk mate could/managed to do in the past.

Task 3 (15’)

Imagine how life will be in ten years’ time. Write a small composition about what you and
the rest of the world will be able to do.

V. Setting homework (1’)

The students that will not finish their composition in the classroom will have to finish it at home.
They will also do exercise 2 page 49.

VI. Ending the lesson (1’)

The teacher appreciates the students’ performance by encouraging, praising and giving them
marks.