Vietnam National University-HCMC Group ….: ……………………………….

University of Social Sciences and Humanities ……………………………….

Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature ……………………………….
Department of English Language Teaching ……………………………….

LESSON PLAN
UNIT 12: QUOTED SPEECH
(The focus: Grammar)

A. Description of the class

Level: Intermediate
Description of the students: All the students in the class are teenagers (13-19 years old) who have been
learning with each other for more than one year. Because the class starts at 7:30 in the evening, students
are often quite tired after a long day at their studies, which affects their concentration in the evening
class, especially if they are involved in a long and not especially interesting piece of reading or exercise.
However, if they get involved, they can be very enthusiastic and creative.
Class size: 20 students
Schedule: The students meet three evenings a week. Each class starts from 7:30 PM and ends at 9:00
PM.
B. Lesson background
Students already know how to write grammatically correct sentences, including statements, questions,
and exclamation and can use tenses correctly and flexibly.
This week, students are expected to learn about Noun clauses (Chapter 12). In the previous lesson, they
practiced the use of Noun clauses with Question words, whether/if, and Noun clauses with that. The current
lesson plan allows students to recycle what they learned before and highlights a new aspect of Noun clauses,
which is Quoted speech, or Direct speech. After this lesson, students will learn about Indirect speech, or
Reported speech.
C. Aims and Objectives
Main aim: to practice using quoted speech in story-writing
Subsidiary aims: to read for detail
to write a fable
Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
- explain the significance of quoted speech in stories,
- choose the correct punctuation marks for the quoted speech in different cases,
- explain when to use capitalization in the quoted speech in different cases,
- create a dialogue, using quoted speech, in a story.
- write their own fable, including quoted speech.
D. Materials and Sources
Textbook
 Azar, B. S. & Hagen, S. A. (2016). Understanding and Using English Grammar (5th ed.), pp.
260-261. Pearson Education ESL.
Supplementary materials
 Detlor, T. (2001). Teaching with Aesop’s fables. New York: Scholastic.
 Ylvis - The Fox: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=jofNR_WkoCE&list=PLykLtTpmU8JH4Eyr8W4ewE3HGB1tpNhtm&index=3

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E. Methodology
The teaching method adopted in this lesson is, to some extent, influenced by the Communicative
Approach. Although the focus of the lesson is grammar, the mastery of the target grammatical point is not
an end, but simply a means to an end. In other words, the main aim of the lesson is not to learn by heart the
structure of quoted speech, but to develop students’ written fluency, specifically to use quoted speech
accurately and effectively in their own story. In the lesson, the teacher guides the students to discover the
functional and communicative use of the grammatical structure, highlighting the significant importance of
quoted speech in storytelling. In general, the activities in the lesson provide opportunities for students to
develop both accuracy and fluency, linking the different skills such as speaking, listening, reading and
writing together, for they usually occur together in the real world.
The PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production) procedure is applied to teach the target grammar
point. In the Presentation stage, rather than explicitly explaining the grammatical rules to the students
followed by a list of examples, the teacher will adopt the inductive approach, supported by the guided
discovery method. Specifically, the teacher will provide learners with authentic language data and induce
the learners to discover the grammar rules on their own. However, unlike the inductive approach at the
extreme, the process of the discovery in this lesson is going to be carefully guided and assisted by the
teacher, and then the rules will be elicited and taught explicitly to ensure that all the students have a proper
understanding of the target grammar point. Thanks to the use of the guided discovery method, the students
will not rely on the teacher as a transmitter of knowledge; instead, they are expected to play a more active
role in their own learning, which facilitates better retention and comprehension, thereby remedying the
shortcomings of the PPP procedure.
Another important feature of the instruction in this lesson is that the target grammar point is not
taught in isolation or exemplified in a list of unconnected examples, but it is presented in meaningful
contexts thanks to the use of engaging authentic materials, bridging the gap between classroom language
and real-life language and offering variety to the lesson. It is noticeable that the teacher has adapted the
activities provided in the textbook to offer students more chances to be exposed to authentic language input
rather than textbook language. Besides, most of the students in the class are teenagers or very young adults;
they tend to love pop music, stories and interactive activities, and they also would love to have the
opportunities to express their viewpoints and beliefs. Therefore, in this lesson plan, the teacher selects a pop
song for the warm-up activity instead of Exercise 27 in the text book to introduce the target grammatical
point, i.e. quoted speech, in a pleasant way. After that, Aesop’s fables are utilized to contextualize the target
grammatical item and students are then guided to discover the form and use of quoted speech. In the next
stage, they practice using quoted speech to write a dialogue to complete the given story and then join in the
Gallery Walk to read their classmates’ written dialogues and vote for the best one. Finally, they are given
the opportunity to create their own fable, including quoted speech, and take part in the Fable Festival as
presenters and/or participants.
Fables are selected for students to learn and practice grammar in context because of three main
reasons. Firstly, dialogues are a common component in a fable. The author of the textbook suggested using
a fable for students to observe how quoted speech is used and at the end of the lesson giving students the
chance to create their own fable, using quoted speech in the story. This lesson plan is, in fact, inspired from
that very idea. However, the teacher does not choose the fable, “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” given in the
textbook to teach the class, for that fable does not provide enough examples about quoted speech.
Specifically, the quotes in the story are simply statements; there is no question or exclamation for students
to find out how to quote such types of sentences. Therefore, the teacher has chosen another fable, “The
Tortoise and the Hare” from a different book, making sure that the story has as many examples of the target
grammatical item as possible. Although the activities provided in the textbook have been adapted to be
more suitable to the class, the teacher does not change all but still keeps the idea of using fables when
teaching quoted speech to ensure that the content and the theme of the lesson are not changed in
comparison with other classes taught by other teachers and there is no mismatch between what is taught and
what is tested in the final examination. Another reason for the choice of fables is that fables are generally
very short, so it does not take much time for students to read a fable in class, understand the content,
analyze the target grammar used in the story and even create a new one. Last but not least, a fable typically
conveys a moral; therefore, teaching fables can stimulate students’ ethical and moral development. All in
all, thanks to the use of fables in a grammar lesson, students can learn grammar and beyond.

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 F. Procedure
Stages & Anticipated problems &
Stage aim(s) Teacher’s activities Students’ activities
Timing Solutions

Warm-up Activity 1: (Warm-up) Listening to a song & Playing the Punctuation 1) Ss may not understand
& o Get Ss’ Game the meaning of the verb
Objective attention and The song The Fox (YLVIS)  Answer T’s “go” in the song. E
discussion arouse their  Show 4 pictures of animals (Appendix 4, Slide 1) and ask Ss if they know question, using  T tells Ss beforehand
(7 minutes) curiosity how each animal sounds. Noun clauses with that “go” means
o Activate Ss’  Encourage Ss to use Verb + that-clause and/or Person + be + Adjective + that in their answer saying when it is used
background that-clause when giving the answers to review what they have learned to express their to tell a story in
knowledge previously (Appendix 1, page 257; Appendix 4, Slide 4). opinion more informal English
o Recycle  Tell Ss that they are going to find out the answers about the animal effectively. (Appendix 4, Slide 5).
previously sounds in the first part of the song The fox (What does the fox say?)  Listen to the song, 2) Some Ss who were
learnt (YLVIS) (Appendix 3, page 1; Appendix 4, Slides 2-3). Play the song. check their absent from the previous
language Punctuation Game answers. class or some weak Ss
enjoyably  Divide the class into 2 groups. may not clearly
 Divide the board in half. Each half is for each team. Write one of the understand or remember
sentence in the song, i.e. Dog goes woof, without any punctuation mark how to use Noun clauses
on each half. with that.
 Put a box of punctuation marks on a table in the middle of the class.  T shows the list of
Verb + that-clause
 Ask Ss to discuss in groups to decide in advance which punctuation marks
 Work in groups to and/or Person + be +
should be used and where to put them. After that, one member will run to
o Bring up & find out the right Adjective + that-
the box, choose one punctuation mark and run to the board to stick it to
introduce the punctuation marks clause on the screen
the right place. Each student is allowed to choose only one punctuation
new target for the given and gives one or two
mark, so another member in the group must be ready to run to the box and
grammatical sentence. examples of how to
take another punctuation mark right after the first one has left this
point  Participate in the use this grammatical
position.
game. structures to express
 To make the game more challenging, inform Ss that the number of
their opinion
punctuation marks in the box are very limited, and there may be not
(Appendix 4, Slide 4).
enough marks for two teams, so each team must be quick to take the right
marks.
 Give Ss 1 minute to discuss, and 2 minutes to take the punctuation marks
and stick them to the board.
 The winner is the team with the most correct punctuation marks.
 Show the correct answer on the slide (Appendix 4, Slide 6) and give 1
bonus point to the group with the best answer. Reveal that each sentence

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 in the first part of the song has the same punctuation pattern, so they only
need to find out the pattern of the first sentence and then apply this to the
other sentences (Appendix 4, Slide 7).
 Tell Ss that these sentences are called quoted speech, or direct speech.
Briefly explain that quoted speech reveals the exact words somebody said,  Listen to T.
adding that quoted speech is frequently used in stories.
Objective Discussion
 Tell Ss that they are going to learn how to use quoted speech accurately
o Clarify the and meaningfully. At the end of the lesson, they will know how to use  Listen to T.
objective of quoted speech effectively in their own story (Appendix 4, Slides 8-9).
the lesson

PRESENT Activity 2: (Guided Discovery) Discovering the use of quoted speech

ATION o Highlight the  Distribute the lesson handout to each S. (Appendix 3).
(Instruct & significance of  Draw Ss’ attention to two versions of “The Tortoise and the Hare”  Read two versions
Model) using quoted (Version 1: Include no dialogue; Version 2: Include a dialogue), ask of the fable
(17 minutes) speech in them to read within 5 minutes and find out which version they prefer and  Tell their friend
storytelling. why and share their answer with their partner (Appendix 3, pages 1-2). about the one they
o Provide the prefer.
reason why it  Elicit answers from the class.  Volunteer to share
is important to their ideas with the
learn about class.
quoted speech.  Say that thanks to the use of dialogues, the reader feel as if the tortoise  Listen to T and take
o Present the and the hare were right there in front of their eyes, arguing and notes.
target challenging each other. In other words, great dialogues can transform the
grammar point characters into truly believable people by showing what is happening,
in meaningful what the characters are saying and behaving rather than just telling the
contexts reader about them and therefore make the story more vivid, more
thanks to the dramatic and more realistic. In short, dialogues bring the characters
use of closer to the reader so that they can be more easily understood and loved.
engaging  Emphasize: To be a good story-teller, SHOW. DON’T TELL! and one of
authentic the ways to “show” is to use quoted speech (Appendix 4, slides 10).
materials.  Explain that in a direct speech, there are two essential clauses: the
reported clause and the reporting clause, and write the following
sentence on the board/show it on the PPT slide as an example.

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 “I will race you,” said the tortoise. (Appendix 4, slide 11)
Activity 3: (Guided Discovery) Discovering the form of quoted speech 3) Some Ss may not be
o Promote active  Have Ss work in groups of 4, answering the questions in the handout  Work in groups to able to read as fast as their
learning. (Appendix 3, page 3). discover the target peers.
o Encourage Ss  Ask Ss to share their answers. Listen and take notes. grammatical point.  T should ask them to
to discover the  Each group take focus more on the
grammar rules turn to answer the sentences that are
on their own questions. underlined, figure out
for better  Give feedback and highlight important points (Appendix 4, slides 12- their meaning and write
retention and 16).  Take notes of punctuation marks for
comprehension - Reporting clause/ Reported clause: “I will race you” is a reported important these sentences.
. clause, for it is something that is reported. The reported clause gives information.
o Summarize the exact words that somebody says and is placed inside quotation
important marks, or speech marks. On the other hand, a reporting clause tells the
points about reader who is speaking, so “said the tortoise” is a reporting clause, 4) Some Ss are not good
quoted speech which includes a reporting verb, e.g. “said”. at note-taking or listening
to ensure that - Reporting verbs: “Say” is the most common reporting verb. Other skills and may miss
Ss have a verbs are “ask,” “answer,” “suggest,” “explain,” “shout,” “whisper,” important information.
proper etc.  T should summarize
understanding - Positions of the reporting clause: The reporting clause may come first, the main information on
of the target (before the reporting clause) or second (after the reporting clause). It the PPT slide, reminding
grammar point may sometimes come in the middle of the reported clause, especially Ss that there is also a
after their in literary styles. It can also be used to separate the speech of one summary of quoted
discussion character when we quote more than one sentence. speech available in the
- Position of the verb and the subject in the reporting clause: In textbook.
narratives, especially novels and short stories, when the reporting
clause comes second, we often invert the subject and reporting verb.
We rarely do so when the subject is a pronoun.
- Punctuation:
A comma can be used before the quotation if we start the sentence
with the reporting clause. In this case the terminal full stop (.) comes
before the closing quotation mark:
The Tortoise said quietly, “I accept your challenge.”
The comma is used at the end of the quotation, before the closing
speech mark when the reporting clause is placed after the quoted
sentence.
“I’m faster than the wind, quicker than nightfall,” he said.

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 If the quotation is a question or an exclamation, just put the question
mark or the exclamation mark before the closing speech marks
instead of the comma or the full stop.
“Shall we race?” asked the tortoise.
All the animals shouted, “Tortoise won, tortoise won!”
Note that in British English, single quotation marks (‘ ’) are used for
the reported clause instead of double quotation marks (“ ”) which are
commonly used in American quoted speech.
- Capitalization: Capitalize the first word of the quoted sentence even if
the quote is placed after the reporting clause.
All the animals shouted, “Tortoise won, tortoise won!”
“It’s freezing,” he shivered.
o In literary styles:
"I have never yet been beaten," he said, "when I put forth my full
speed."
If the quoted sentence is divided by the reporting clause, use a comma
after the first part of the quote. Do not capitalize the first word after
the reporting clause.
"I have no time to make music," said the ant. "I’m gathering food for
the long winter ahead."
The reporting clause can come between two quoted sentences. In this
case, the second sentence begins with quotation marks and a capital
letter.
 Use Concept-Checking Questions (CCQs):
o Check Ss’ - Why is quoted speech commonly used in stories?
understanding - In a direct speech, there are two essential clauses. What are they?
of the target - What are 3 different positions of the reporting clause?  Be ready to answer
grammatical - When the subject is a pronoun, is there any inversion in the reporting the questions when
item, clause? being called.
emphasize key  Call on Ss at random to answer the questions.
points

PRACTICE o Provide hands-
(Guided on practice to
Practice) ensure that Ss
(17 minutes) have time to
comprehend &
Activity 4: (Guided Practice, T-led activity) Punctuating the dialogue in
a fable 5) Some Ss may not be
 Ask Ss to skim the fable “The City Mouse and the Country Mouse” to get  Read the fable able to read as fast as their
its main idea (Appendix 3, page 4). quickly to peers.
 Draw Ss’ attention to the first half (the first two numbers) of the dialogue, understand the main  Ask them to focus

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 process the asking questions to help them think on the right track and find out the idea. more on the sentences that
material before answers more easily.  Focus on the are underlined, figure out
trying on their (1) underlined quoted their meaning and write
own - What is the reporting clause in this sentence? Where is it placed? speech. Answer T’s punctuation marks for
- How about the quote? Is it a statement, a question or an exclamation? guided questions to these sentences.
o Guide Ss - When the reporting clause, e.g. he said, is placed after the quote and the
figure out the right
quote is a statement, which punctuation mark should be used before the
through each final quotation mark? Is it a period or a comma?
punctuation marks
stage so that - What if there are two quoted sentences and the clause he said comes for each number.
they know how between two quoted sentences?
to punctuate - What if this is only one long sentence which is divided into parts by the
quoted speech reporting clause? Do we need a full stop after he said?
correctly. (2)
- What is the reporting clause in this sentence? Where is it placed?
- How about the reported clause or the quote? Is it a statement, a question or
an exclamation? So, which punctuation mark should be placed at the end of
this type of sentence?
- Should the question mark be placed before the second quotation mark?
etc.
 Work in pairs to
 Allow Ss to work in pairs to punctuate the rest of the dialogue.
deal with the other
 Call on individual Ss to give their answers.
two numbers.
 Give correction (Appendix 4, slides 17-19) and feedback.
 Share the answers
to the class and
receive feedback.

o Provide Ss Activity 5: (Less-Guided Practice, Group-directed activity) Creating a

with an in- dialogue for a given story
 Work in groups of
class  Have Ss work in groups of 4.
4.
opportunity to  Explain that Ss are going to complete a fable by adding no more than 5  Discuss and agree
create quoted sentences to make the story meaningful and interesting. Remind Ss to use
on the content of
speech on their quoted speech to make the characters more believable. Clarify that they
the dialogue.
own with little can choose the given moral and develop the plot based on this moral, or
 Each member
intervention they can think of another moral. The first and the last sentences of the
writes 1 sentence
from T except story have already been written (Appendix 3, page 5).
and punctuate it
when they ask  Ask Ss to write the story on a cardboard and hang it on the wall.
before sharing their
for help or  Tell Ss that they will be going on a Gallery Walk, which is usually done sentence with the
when T finds in a museum where art is displayed, but this time instead of art, they will others and combine
out that the be looking at their friends’ written dialogues. them into 1
group is  Walk around and give support if needed.

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 Gallery Walk meaningful
making a  Make sure that all the cardboards are displayed in the gallery style, i.e. in dialogue.
serious a way that allows students to disperse themselves around the room.  Hang the group’s 6) There may be
mistake or  Have all the Ss walk around at the same time and draw a star for the dialogue on the significant crowding in
misunderstand dialogue they like the most (they are not allowed to choose their own). wall some positions.  T
the Make sure that each S in each group has to read all the 4 dialogues from  Walk around and should have Ss travel in
requirements. the other 4 groups and draw a star once only for their favorite one. draw a star for their small groups, announcing
 The group with the most stars is the winner. favorite dialogue. when groups should move
 Give feedback and correction. to the next piece in the
exhibit.

o Provide Ss Activity 6: Writing a fable 7) Ss may not be able to

with further in-  (Most likely to be given as homework) come up with any ideas
class or out-of-  Tell Ss that they are going to work in groups to write a fable.  Work in groups of 3- about moral lessons they
class  Clarify that each of the stories used in the lesson is an example of a fable. 4 members. can teach the reader via
opportunity to A fable is a traditional short story that teaches a moral lesson, especially  Determine the moral their story.
complete the one with animals as characters. Original fables usually have a simple plot, of the story.  Give examples of
PRODUCTI work by succinct language, and animal characters acting like humans, and that  Pick the characters. morals for them to
ON themselves characters are usually impersonal and called by their generic name, such  Develop the plot: choose so that they
(Independen with no as “the grasshopper.” setting, can start thinking
t Practice) intervention  Draw Ss’ attention to 4 questions and the Fable Graphic Organizer in the conflict/problem, about the plot.
from T handout (Appendix 3, pages 6-7) when they brainstorm ideas, decide on solution (Appendix 4, slide 20)
the moral they want to convey, choose the characters, and build up the  Include a dialogue.
plot. Make sure that a dialogue is included in the story. Also encourage Ss  Write up their notes
to add illustrations to help tell the story, for “A picture is worth a to have a complete
thousand words.” The deadline to submit the first draft is next Monday. fable.
 Add illustrations.

Wrap-up o Check for  Redirect Ss’ attention to the learning targets.  Use thumbs-up or 8) Some Ss may have
(4 minutes) understanding  Read each lesson objective aloud, pausing between to allow Ss to show a thumbs-down peer pressure and show a
of the form thumbs-up or thumbs-down to demonstrate their level of mastery toward signals to inform T thumbs-up even when
and use of each target. of what they are they still feel confused of
quoted speech  Take notes of what Ss are still confused about to make it clear right away able to do well and some grammar points.
o Encourage Ss (if it can be done quickly) or provide further material/ assistance after the what they are  To eliminate peer
to reflect on class or at the beginning of the next lesson. uncertain about at pressure, T should have

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 the material the end of the everyone close their eyes.
they have lesson.
learned

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G. Additional possibilities
 Independent Practice:
- If time permits, ask each group to discuss the content of the fable which they are going to write and make an
outline right in class. Use Editing-My-Fable Form for independent editing (Appendix 3, page 8).
- When they have finished the first draft, ask each group to share their draft with another group and give feedback
using the PQP Peer‐review Model (Appendix 3, page 9).
- Upon completion, ask Ss about the problems, especially the mistakes in using quoted speech, which they noticed
most while reviewing another group’s story and discuss how to fix those problems.
- Explain that they are to use these comments to make final edits/changes to their fable before writing their final
version and adding illustration(s), which will be on special paper for next week’s Fable Festival.

 Wrap-up activities:
 Kahoot!
Create a Kahoot! quiz to challenge Ss in an enjoyable way and highlight all the important points in the lesson. Have
Ss play in teams.
The Minute Paper
Give each S a small piece of paper and write down their answers to these two questions:
“What was the most important thing you learned today?”
“What question still remains in your mind?”
These two simple questions require students to recall information they have learned during class and reflect on gaps
in their knowledge.
Other questions that can be used in other lessons to avoid repetition: What one thing did you learn today?
- How does today's lesson impact your understanding?
- How would you summarize today's lesson for someone who wasn't here?
- What was the most significant learning from today?
- What "a-ha" did you have today?
- What was the most difficult concept in today’s lesson?
- What should I review further in our next lesson?
 Lesson Rating
On a scale of 1-5—using your fingers—rate today's lesson. To eliminate peer pressure, T should have everyone close
their eyes.
 Exit Ticket:
Ask Ss to write down one potential TEST QUESTION from today's lesson. Collect them as Ss leave the room, a
ticket out of class, if they will. Hang on to them. T might want to use one or two on an upcoming unit exam. This
also provides a chance to personally connect. Saying goodbye is an opportunity to build up individual relationships
with your students which, in turn, helps build up a positive classroom culture.

 Next week’s activity:

Fable Festival
 As a class, make invitations and practice presentation techniques. Each child can read his or her fable aloud to
an audience of classmates, students from other classes and even their parents. Send invitations home inviting
parents to come to the fable readings. Students from other classes can also be invited. Allow Ss a day or two
of practice readings in which presentation techniques are emphasized (speaking loudly and slowly, reading
with expression, sitting with a still body, and making eye contact).
 At the festival, introduce each S one at a time to sit in a special author’s chair and read the fable to the
audience. Display the finished fables on a bulletin board outside the classroom to share with the school
community. T might make copies of all the fables and bind a full class copy along with a title page with the
words “Our Fables for Our Times” for each S to take home. Keep a copy of this book for the class library and
donate another to the school library!
Homework/ Further work
Ss are required to write their own fable, using quoted speech to make the story more interesting and the characters
more believable.
H. Appendices
Appendix 1: Extract from the textbook, Part 12-5: Noun Clauses with That (Previous lesson)
Appendix 2: Extract from the textbook, Part 12-6: Quoted Speech (Current lesson)
Appendix 3: Class handout
Appendix 4: PowerPoint slides

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 Appendix 1: Extract from the textbook, Part 12-5: Noun Clauses with That (Previous lesson)

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 Appendix 2: Extract from the textbook, Part 12-6: Quoted Speech (Current lesson)

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 Appendix 3: Class handout

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 Appendix 4: PowerPoint slides

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