Profesor: Bălan Florentina-Mădălina Școala Gimnazială Nr1 Iepurești

Lesson Plan

Date: 25th of May, 2021

Class: 8th Grade
Level: Intermediate
Unit 7: Heroes
Topic: Memorial Day
Type of Lesson: Interdisciplinary ( English, History, Civics )

General Competences:
1. Understand oral messages in everyday communication situations
2. Speak in everyday communication situations
3. Understand written messages in everyday communication situations
4. Write messages in everyday communication situations
5. Develop the interest and knowledge of British/American History
Specific Competences:
1.1 Identify main information from recorded materials, referring to various
events, when the commentary is accompanied by images
1.2 Identify common features in own culture and studied culture
2.1 Participate in conversations in everyday communication situations
2.2 Express an opinion on a practical issue with the support of the interlocutor
2.3 Show a positive attitude towards participating in a verbal exchange
3.1 Extract necessary information while reading instructions
3.2 Research from suitable sources of reading to collect information
4.1 Participate actively in exchanging written messages
5.1 Show willingness to receive information about American History
Profesor: Bălan Florentina-Mădălina Școala Gimnazială Nr1 Iepurești

Aims:
Warmer
 To promote and motivate discussion
Pre-Reading
 To raise expectations and stir the students’ interest in Hisory of the USA
 To introduce relevant vocabulary
 To create emotional involvement and facilitate the reading
While-reading
 To introduce new information; to verify expectations
 To keep the students interested in the subject
 To develop active reading/listening skills
After-reading
 To promote and motivate discussion about Romanian and American
History and historical figures
 To motivate the students to interact and exchange ideas and feelings
 To develop writing skills: note-taking; paragraph-writing
Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students:
 Will have predicted the content of the lesson using guessing strategies
 Will have practised speaking spontaneously and fluently
 Will have responded to the text using their own life and emotions
 Will have understood the significance of Memorial Day and Romanian
Heroes’ Day as days for remembering those who gave their lives so we
might live in freedom
Profesor: Bălan Florentina-Mădălina Școala Gimnazială Nr1 Iepurești

I. Warm-up

Have students look at the picture. Elicit opinions. Who is in the picture? What is
that man doing? Where do we usually see this method of salute? What does his
gesture symbolise? ( respect, a feeling of admiration ).

II. Pre-reading
Present the students a series of pictures representing Memorial Day and Heroe’s
Day in Romania. After asking the students what do they know about this
Romanian National Holiday, teacher tells the students what Memorial Day
symbolise, and then have them watch a video about the US National Holiday.

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcmuA1UDnfs

III. Pre-teaching vocabulary

Have the students work with key-words from the reading text before reading
the text by giving them a pretest to assess their current knowledge of the selected
words. Students are asked to match each word with its designated meaning.
Profesor: Bălan Florentina-Mădălina Școala Gimnazială Nr1 Iepurești

IV. While reading

First, the teacher handles the students the text emptying eight words in each
of the two listening then listening and reading paragraphs. Students listen to the
recording given by the teacher and fill the missing words.
Students listen while they read the text to see if they were right about their
answers.
Tell the students to create questions about the text and ask their colleagues,
as in the example: When is Memorial Day? What does Memorial Day
commemorates? Allow students enough time to work on the task. Students
create questions, then ask their colleagues.
Students cover the reading text and work with a multiple choice exercise.

V. Post reading
Show the students the following picture and asks the students what does it
represent.

Could there be a connection between the lesson and this picture? Through
succesive questions, students are guided to draw the conclusion that the lesson
was about heroes who have died serving their country. What is a hero? What
makes a person a hero? Is it a quality he or she possesses? ( bravery, fearlessness,
strength, intelligence ). Do you know any heroes? Have you got a hero in your
lives? These people can be living or dead, people that the students know
Profesor: Bălan Florentina-Mădălina Școala Gimnazială Nr1 Iepurești

personally or people they have never met. Teacher encourages the students to
share with one another who their heroes are and what qualities those people
possess that make them heroic

VI. Follow-up
Creative writing
The students will write about their heroes, using some prompts from the
teacher:
1. Who are they? ( give some information about the person and his or her
personal life and history )
2. What did they do? ( explain the acts that clasify that person as a hero )
3. How do they measure up as a hero? ( point out what qualities that person
has that match those characteristics of a hero the students brainstormed
earlier )
4. Why is he or she your hero? ( explain why you admire that person’s actions
or character )
5. What would you say to your hero? ( if you could meet that person, what
would you say to him or her and why? )
Profesor: Bălan Florentina-Mădălina Școala Gimnazială Nr1 Iepurești

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday.

It commemorates the American men and women
who have died serving their country in the military.
It holds an important place in the hearts of
Americans as they remember sacrifices made for
their freedom. It is observed on the last Monday of
May. It first started to honour the Union soldiers
who died during the American Civil War. It took on
greater importance after American losses in World
War I. The U.S. government decided the day would
remember American casualties in any war, conflict
or military action. People visit cemeteries and war
memorials on this day. A special ceremony takes
place at Arlington Cemetery in Washington D.C. All
around the country, flags fly at half-mast until lunch
time.

There is quite a history to Memorial Day. A

Yale University professor said it was first celebrated
in 1865 by freed slaves in South Carolina. The
slaves buried dozens of Union soldiers in individual
graves. They all died in prison. Waterloo, New York
claims to be the official birthplace of Memorial Day,
Profesor: Bălan Florentina-Mădălina Școala Gimnazială Nr1 Iepurești

observing it every year from 1868. The name

“Memorial Day” came about in 1882 but was not
widely accepted until after World War II. The name
became official in 1967. In 1968, the U.S. Congress
decided the day should be part of a three-day
weekend. The last change came in 1971, when the
government moved Memorial Day to the last
Monday in May. It took a few years after that for all
U.S. states to follow.