You are on page 1of 10

Frontrunner

Teacher Notes
Print
Collapse All

Book 2, Unit Two


Unit Aims
In Class

 Read emails and messages


 Talk about likes and dislikes
 Talk about abilities
 Make, accept and reject suggestions
 Use adverbs to talk about abilities
 Plan a party
 Become aware of register 
 Write an invitation
 Practice word stress

Online

 Learn about types of activities


 Study vocabulary related to planning
 Practice 'can' for ability

 
Target Language
Grammar

 Modals: 'can' and 'can't'


 'When …?' questions

Lexis

 Adverbs
 Vocabulary related to parties

Structures

 Subject + verb + adverb


 Let's + verb
Functions

 Making and responding to requests


 Making and responding to invitations
 Talking about likes and dislikes

Section A
Target Language:

 Grammar
o Modals: 'can' and 'can't'
 Lexis
o Vocabulary related to parties

In this section, the students will …

 be introduced to the modal verb 'can'.


 review talking about likes and dislikes.

Materials:

 Audio A.1
 Handout A
 Presentation 1

Preparation:

 Preview Audio A.1.
 Print Handout A (one copy per student).
 Preview Presentation 1.

Procedural Notes

 Display Presentation 1, slide 1 and ask: "What kind of party is this?" "Whose birthday is it?"
Have the students point to the person whose birthday it is. Point to the cake, candles,
balloons, cups and presents in the pictures and elicit what they are. Ask: "Do birthday parties
in your country look like this?" "How are they different?" "What do you sing?" "Do you have
birthday parties at school?" "What presents do you give?"
 Have the students read the evite (online invitation) in Activity 1. Ask: "Whose birthday is it?"
(Jen's sister's) "Are these people Jen's friends or her sister's friends?" "Why is she emailing
them?"
 Have the students answer the questions about the evite in Activity 2. Check the answers with
the class.
 Read through the definitions in Activity 3 and then have the students match them to the
words in pairs. Check the answers. Ask: "Do you like surprises?" "How about surpise
parties?" "Do your friends or family like surprise parties?"
 Look at the table and photo in Activity 4. Ask: "What does Robin like?" "What can she do?"
Write 'I can …' on the board. Say: "I can speak French." Elicit from the class three things that
everyone in the room can do (e.g. 'We can speak English', 'We can write' and 'We can read').
Write: 'I can't …' on the board. Say: "I can't speak French." Ask: "Can you speak French?"
"Can you paint?" Elicit negative responses. Write 'isn't = ?' on the board and elicit 'is not'.
Write 'can't = ?' on the board and elicit 'cannot'. Ask: "Is there a space in 'is not'?" "Is there a
space in 'cannot'?"
 Display slide 2. Ask: "Which is the best present for Robin?" Have the students work in pairs
and choose three items. Elicit what items each pair chose. Play Audio A.1 and have the
students fill in the table in Activity 4. Pause the audio if necessary. Check the answers. Ask:
"What does Robin like?" "What can she do?" "Can she paint?" "What does Alex want to buy
her?" "Is that a good present?" If necessary, explain the concept of a gift card. Elicit the
students' opinions about gift cards: "Would you like to get a gift card?" "Why?" "Why not?"
(e.g. 'You can buy what you want', 'You can buy something you like', 'The guest didn't have
time to go shopping' or 'The guest doesn't know you').
 Brainstorm a list of five easy and five difficult activities with the class (e.g. swimming, riding a
bike, driving a car, speaking Japanese, playing chess, ice skating, dancing, writing computer
programs). Write the words on the board. Have the students read out the words. Drill the
pronunciation of the words the students find challenging.
 Distribute Handout A. Have each student choose two activities from the list on the board
and write them down on the handout in the spaces next to 'Activity 1' and 'Activity 2'. Write
'swimming' and 'speak Japanese' on the handout on the board as examples. Point to them
and elicit the differences between the endings. Ask the student: "Do you like swimming?"
Mime circling the student's response. Continue with the second question. Have the student
make sure they used correct verb forms.
 Have the students mingle and interview 5 – 10 classmates. Ask: "Can anyone (ice-skate)?"
"Who likes (swimming)?"
 Have the students make 'can' and 'cannot' sentences in Activity 5. Check the answers.

Answers A.2:
a. three
b. Robin
c. Alex
Answers A.3:
invitation – when you ask someone to come to a party (example)
surprise – something nice you don't know about
decorate – to make something look beautiful
gift – something you give to someone; a present
strangers – people you don't know
Answers A.4:
Things she likes:
clothes
ice-skating
video games

Things she can do:


ice-skate
write stories
speak French
Answers A.5:
a. I can't speak German.
b. We can bake a cake together.
c. He can't ice-skate.
d. Can you make clothes?
e. Can he play soccer?
f. She can drive a car.

Section B
Target Language:

 Grammar
o Modals: 'can' and 'can't'
 Lexis
o Vocabulary related to parties
 Functions
o Talking about likes and dislikes

In this section, the students will …

 be introduced to expressions related to making, accepting and rejecting suggestions.


 practice speaking skills in a party-planning activity.

Materials:

 Audio B.1
 Presentation 2
 Paper (one small piece per student)

Preparation:

 Preview Audio B.1.
 Preview Presentation 2.

Procedural Notes

 Say: "You're planning a party." "What do you need to buy?" "What do you need to do?" Have
the students work in pairs and make a list of four things or activities. Elicit the answers from
the class.
 Pre-teach 'guests' if necessary. Have the students close their books and play Audio
B.1 Ask: "What things do they need to buy?" "What do they need to do?" Have the students
read the expressions in Activity 1. Play the audio again. Have the students tick the
expressions that were used in the dialogue. Check the answers.
 Have the students read 'Plan 1' in Activity 2. Tell the students that the final plans are different
to this. Play Audio B.1 again and have the students fill in the changes in 'Plan 2'. Check the
answers and elicit why the plan changed. ('Ross can't bake, but he can buy the cake', 'Jen
and Ross don't have balloons or streamers, but they can buy them', 'They don't have time to
decorate the living room, but the guests can help them.')
 Display Presentation 2, slide 1 and elicit the responses that would probably be used in
each situation.
 Repeat the process for slides 2 – 5. Have the students use a different expression for every
slide.
 Say three sentences about your likes, dislikes and abilities. (For example: "I like teaching. I
don't like watching TV. I can bake a cake"). Elicit similar sentences from one or two students.
Distribute paper and have each student write their name. Collect and shuffle the name
cards. Have each pair of students pick one name card. Tell the class that they will plan a
surprise party for the person they picked. Have the students brainstorm anything they know
about the person they picked (likes, dislikes, abilities). If necessary, the students can ask
other classmates about this person's preferences, but they must be discreet.
 Brainstorm a list of things needed at a party (e.g. streamers, balloons, cups, spoons, plates,
candles, tables, chairs, music, etc.) Next, have the students plan a party using the
expressions from the dialogue (see: Activity 1) and the prompts in Activity 3. Monitor and
make sure that the students are using the target language.
 Have each pair give their plan to the person whose name is on their card. Have these
students choose something they liked in the party plan and share it with the class.

 
Answers B.1:
All except: 

Maybe we can …?
That's not a good idea.
I don't think so.
Answers B.2:
Plan 2:
5:00 Ross buys the cake.
5:30 Ross and Jen go to the party store.
6:00 guests arrive and everyone decorates the living room.
7:20 Robin comes home, everyone shouts 'surprise!'

Section C
Target Language:

 Lexis
o Adverbs
o Vocabulary related to parties
 Structures
o Subject + verb + adverb

In this section, the students will …

 be introduced to adverbs.
 practice word stress.

Materials:

 Audio C.1
 Presentation 3

Preparation:

 Preview Audio C.1.
 Preview Presentation 3.

Procedural Notes

 Elicit information about Robin's birthday party that the students would remember from the
previous sections: "Who is planning the party?" "Who can't come to the party?" "What does
Alex want to buy Robin?" "What happens at 7:20?"
 Have the students read the email in Activity 1. Ask: "What happens after everyone shouts
'surprise'?" (Monica sings 'Happy Birthday') "What happens after the party?" ('Guests help
Jen and Ross clean.)
 Have the students read out the words in blue. Write them on the board and underline '-ly'.
Ask the class: "Who walks quickly?" "Who can draw beautifully?" "Who speaks quietly?"
Write one of the names give by the class on the board and elicit a full sentence ('Ann walks
quickly.') Write: 'Ann is quick.' Point to this sentence and ask: "Who is quick?" Underline
'Ann' and 'quick'. Point to the first sentence and ask: "What does she do quickly?" Underline
'walks' and 'quickly'. Ask: "Is Ann a person or an action?" Continue with 'walks'.
 Have pairs complete the adverb rules in Activity 2. Check the answers. Ask: "Is 'beautiful' an
adjective or an adverb? What about 'beautifully'?"
 Have the students complete the adjective/adverb table in Activity 3. Check the answers. Be
sure to explain why the table is broken into three sections (the rules are different for
converting different adjectives to adverbs).
 Have the students complete the sentences in Activity 4. Elicit the change in spelling for 'easy'
and 'happy' (both lose 'y' and end in '-ily'). Check the answers.
 Display Presentation 3, slide 1. Say 'quiet' aloud. Emphasise the stressed syllable (pink
letters). Say 'quietly' aloud and have the students think of the correct stress pattern. Reveal
the answers. Play Audio C.1 and have the students complete the table in Activity 5. Check
the answers.
 Display slide 2 and divide the class into two groups. Have the groups take turns reading out
the words. After a word is read out, reveal the answer. Elicit whether the students'
pronunciation corresponds to the word stress (represented by the pink letters). Award points
for each correctly pronounced word.
 Additional Practice: Have each student write a sentence about a classmate. The sentence
must contain an adverb. The students must not reveal their sentences to the class. Have the
students replace the name and personal pronouns used in the sentences with the phrase
'this person' (e.g. This person sings beautifully.) Have the students take turns reading out the
sentences. Have the class guess who the sentences are about.

 
Answers C.2:
quick + ly = quickly
adjective + ly = adverb
Adjectives describe things or people.
Rob is quiet.
Adverbs describe actions.
Rob speaks quietly
Answers C.3:
Adjectives Adverbs
quick quickly
bad badly
loud loudly
quiet quietly
beautiful beautifully
easy easily
happy happily
fast fast
good well
Answers C.4:
a. Sue is quick. > She walks quickly.
b. Mark is loud. > He speaks loudly.
c. His French is good. > He speaks French well.
d. They are happy today. > They are singing happily.
e. My English is bad. > I speak English badly.
f. This car is fast. > It can go fast.
g. The room looks beautiful. > They decorated the living room beautifully.
h. Making friends is easy is for Mike. > He makes friends easily.

Section D
Target Language:

 Lexis
o Vocabulary related to parties

 Functions
o Making and responding to requests
o Making and responding to invitations

In this section, the students will …

 practice making, accepting and rejecting invitations.


 become more aware of register.

 
Materials:

 A5 Paper (one sheet per student)

Preparation:

 None
Procedural Notes

 Ask the students who they would invite to their birthday party. Family? Friends? Teachers?
Strangers? Have them read the two invitations in Activity 1. Ask some simple comprehension
questions about them.
 Elicit the differences between the two invitations. If the students don't say, draw attention to
the language used. (Mr. Richardson's invitation is formal while the other note is an informal
one to a friend.) Have the students read the definitions of 'formal' and 'informal' in Activity 3.
Write: 'Hi, Sam' and 'Good afternoon, Ms. Jackson' on the board. Elicit which of these
greetings is formal.
 Have the students read the sentences in Activity 2 and decide if they are formal or informal.
Check the answers.
 Have the students look at the sample invitation in Activity 3. Invite different students to read it
and the labels next to it. Ask a few questions to check the students have understood what
goes into an invitation. You might need to spend more time explaining what we mean by the
'theme' of a party. Ask: "Do you wear your everyday clothes to a fancy dress party?" "What
can you wear?" "Do you paint your face?" "Do people in your country like fancy dress
parties?" Point to the word 'theme'. Say: "The theme of the party is [use a theme the
students are familiar with]." "What do you wear?" (Example theme: pirates; costume: earring,
large hat, big boots, white shirt, red scarf) Brainstorm other themes.
 Distribute paper. Have the students write an invitation to a theme party of their choice. Circle
and monitor, assisting where necessary.
 Have the students work in groups of four and make a list of four excuses for not attending a
party (example: 'I'd love to go, but I have a lot of homework', 'Thanks for the invitation, but
I'm busy'). Encourage the students to be creative. Monitor and assist as necessary.
 To demonstrate the next activity, invite a confident student to your costume party (e.g.
"Would you like to come to my party? It's a beach theme.") Have the student ask you when
and where the party takes place. Have the student refuse the invitation, giving an excuse for
doing so. Explain that each pair of students has to invite every classmate to their party. Each
student can only say 'yes' to one invitation and must reject the rest. The pair whose party is
the most popular (accepted by the most students) wins.

Answers D.2:
Hi. (I)
Dear … (F)
Do you want to come? (I)
Would you like to come? (F)
Thanks for the invitation. (I)
Thank you for the invitation. (F)
See you later! (I)
Goodbye. (F)

Focus
Target Language:

 Grammar
o Modals: 'can' and 'can't'
 Functions
o Talking about likes and dislikes
In this section, the students will …

 be creative and use persuasion to plan and invite people to a party.

Materials:

 A3 Paper
 Crayons or Markers
 Handout Focus 
 Postcard-Sized Sheets of Paper 

Preparation:

 Print Handout Focus (one per student).


 Bring one sheet of A3 paper and ten postcard-sized sheets per group.

Procedural Notes

 Ask the students if they have school parties in their country. Explain that in Western
countries, particularly America, children often go to a big party in their last year of school
called a 'prom'. Have the students speculate on what they think a prom is like and what the
students do at one (They may have seen a prom in a movie.) If the students are not sure,
explain briefly what a prom involves (e.g. dressing up, dancing, choosing Prom King and
Queen).
 Have the students open their books to the Focus page and read the title ('Prom Night').
Explain that the students are going to plan a themed prom for their school. Divide the class
into groups of 5 – 6 students who don't usually work together. Issue each group with a sheet
of A3 paper. Tell the class that they will have 2 – 3 minutes to brainstorm ideas for party
themes. Explain that at this stage all ideas are good ideas, so they should write down all the
ideas they have. If necessary, help them with a few suggestions, such as 'superheroes' or
'Kings and Queens'. Circle and monitor as they discuss and write down their ideas, assisting
where necessary.
 When the time is up, have each group present their list of theme ideas. Write them all on the
board, helping the students to describe themes they don't have the vocabulary to explain.
Once you have listed all of the themes on the board, discuss as a class which are the best
and which are least exciting. Have each group make their final choice of party theme – they
may choose a theme that another group suggested if they prefer it.
 Point to the 'costumes' picture and elicit what it shows. Tell the students you want to have a
party with the theme 'USA'. Ask for a few ideas of different costumes that fit this theme (e.g.
cowboys, baseball players, Hollywood actors). Encourage all students to participate. Repeat
with the remaining five pictures. (The 'games or activities' picture refers to a dance
competition.) Then have the groups brainstorm ideas for their own parties, following the
same pattern.
 Note: Not everything has to be thematically linked – the students can suggest anything they
want. 
 Display Handout Focus on the board. Explain to the students that they have to ask one
another questions to find out what they like to and can do. Using this information, they will
then decide who does what job to plan the party. Brainstorm a question or two with the class,
referring to the topics in Activity 2. For example, you could ask "Can you sing?" to find out
about someone's interest or ability in music.
 Issue each student a copy of the handout and give them a couple of minutes to write
questions that they think will help them find useful information. Circle and monitor, assisting
where necessary. Make sure the questions they are thinking of are relevant to the topics
(e.g. 'Can you make clothes?' or 'Do you like playing the piano?'). Discourage the students in
the same group from writing the same questions.
 When everyone has written their questions, have the students mingle within their groups and
interview one another. Monitor as they do the activity, ensuring the students are responding
to questions in full sentences. Encourage them to use adverbs to describe their abilities (e.g.
'I can't play the piano well.'). Remind them to record answers on their handouts. After
enough time has passed, have the students sit down together and discuss who should do
what job in planning for the party. They should refer to the information they have found out
about one another to justify their decisions (e.g. 'Sam likes playing the piano. He can choose
the party music.'). When the groups have decided, have them record their final choices in the
table in Activity 3.
 Finally, tell the students that they are going to write an invitation to the other groups to come
to their party. Have them look at the blank invitation in Activity 4. Elicit what information is
missing and, if necessary, fill in an example on the board for the 'USA' party. Give them a
few minutes to write their invitations and then have them present their final, complete plans
for their party to the class (What costumes will people wear? What food will they have? etc).
Have the groups say whether they'd like to go to the party and why. Take a class vote on
whose party sounds the most exciting.

You might also like