GENERAL ENGLISH

LESSON PLAN
CHRACTER
APPEARANCE
 Objectives:
Practical: to practice students in describing people’s
appearance and character,
to consolidate and train modal verbs.
Educational: to develop students’ speaking and listening skills.
Upbringing: to teach students to respect other individuals.

Resources\Materials:
• Pictures, portraits
• Audio –Script
• Cards
 Vocabulary practice

• Look at the list of adjectives and divide them into two categories:
• 1) adjectives describing a person’s appearance,
• 2) adjectives describing a person’s character
• Attractive, boring, educated, fragile, independent, unhappy, boring, famous, greedy, noble, lonely, smart, cheerful,
attentive, stupid, short, progressive, small, gloomy, strong, flat, curious, young, wicked, tall, serious, ugly, clever,
polite, brave, honest, brave, wise, great, thin sad, poor, pleasant, shy, careless, lazy, free, dull, lovely, slow, firm,
inquisitive

•
Appearance Character
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 Listening and comprehension

• AMELIA EARHART

• Amelia Earhart was a famous woman in her time. In 1928, she became the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean
as a passenger in an airplane. In 1932, she became the first woman pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic. Later that
year, she was the first woman to fly across the United States from New Jersey to California. Earhart set records in
flying times and won many awards.
• Earhart had great courage and ambition. As a child, she was very inquisitive, kind, and always interested in
learning. This interest led her to have as many as twenty-eight different jobs in her lifetime. She was a volunteer
nurse during World War I. She was an English teacher and social worker at Purdue University in Indiana. She
wrote poetry and books and gave many interesting lectures. She encouraged others, especially young women, to
follow their dreams.
•
•
•
•
•

• Amelia Earhart’s dream was to fly around the world. Many people gave money to help her. Purdue University gave
Earhart her plane. It was the newest type. Earhart began her around-the world flight on June 1, 1937. She had one
crew member, Fred Noonan. On July 2, 1937, they were flying over the Pacific when radio contact with her
airplane, the Electra, suddenly stopped. To this day, no one knows what happened to Amelia Earhart, Fred
Noonan, and the Electra.
 Work at vocabulary.
Complete the definitions.
Circle the letter of the correct answer.

• 1. In 1932, Amelia Earhart became

the first woman pilot to fly solo
across the Atlantic.
• a. She was flying alone.
• b. She was flying with someone
else.
•
• 2. Earhart set records in flying times.
• a. No one else was flying as fast or
as long as Earhart.
• b. Many other people were flying
as fast or as long as Earhart.
•
• 3. Earhart won many awards.
• a. People gave Earhart many jobs.
• b. People gave Earhart many
prizes.
• 4. Amelia Earhart had great
ambition.
• a. She wanted to do many things.
• b. She was very smart.
•
• 5. She was very inquisitive.
• a. She studied hard.
• b. She asked many questions.
 Looking for Main Ideas

Write answers to these questions:

• Why was Amelia Earhart famous in her time?

• What kind of woman was Amelia Earhart?
• Why is Amelia Earhart's last flight a mystery?
 Looking for Details
Circle the letter of the best answer:
• Amelia Earhart disappeared while
she was flying_....________________
•
• a. solo across the Atlantic
• b. from New Jersey to California
• c. her plane around the world
•
• 2. In 1928, Amelia Earhart became____________
•
• a. the first woman pilot
• b. the first woman to cross the
Atlantic as a passenger in an
airplane
• c. the first woman to fly from the
East Coast to the West Coast
• 3. As a child, Amelia Earhart was always interested in_________
•
• a. flying
• b. learning
• c. teaching
•
• 4._________, Amelia Earhart worked as a nurse.
•
• a. While she was at Purdue
University
• b. After she learned to fly a plane
• c. During World War I
• 5. Earhart's dream was to
•
• a. fly around the world
• b. build a modern airplane
• c. teach young women how to fly
 Grammar work
Revision of modal verbs
• We sometimes use be able to instead of can and could to talk about ability. However, we avoid able to –
• - when we talk about something that is happening as we speak:
• Watch me, Mum; I can stand on one leg. (not ...I'm able to stand on one leg.) before passives:
• If we talk about a single achievement, rather than a general ability in the past,
• we usually use able to rather than could. Compare:
• Sue could play the flute quite well, (or ...was able to...; a general ability
• However, could is usually more natural
• - in negative sentences:
• □ I tried to get up but I couldn't move- with verbs of the senses - e.g. feel, hear, see, smell, taste - and with verbs of
‘thinking’
• - e.g. believe, decide, remember, understand:
• □ I could remember the crash, but nothing after that, (rather than I was able to remember…)
• - after the phrases the only thing/place/time, and after all when it means 'the only thing’:
• □ All we could see were his feet, (rather than All we were able to...)
• - to suggest that something almost didn't happen, particularly with almost, hardly,just, nearly)
• □ I could nearly touch the ceiling, (rather than I was nearly able to...)
• Can and could: talking about possibility
• C.To talk about the theoretical possibility of something happening we use could, not сan. However, we use can, not
could, to say that something is possible and actually happens
• We use can't, not couldn't, to say that something is theoretically or actually impossible:
• There can't be many people in the world who haven't watched television.
• Could and be allowed to: talking about permission
• E.To say that in the past someone had general permission to do something - that is, at any time - we can use either could or
was/were allowed to. However, to talk about for one particular past action, we use was/were allowed to, but not
could.
 Underline the correct or more natural answer.
If both answers are possible, underline them both

• Valuables can/ are able to be left in the hotel safe. Please ask at the reception
desk.
• We could/ were able to finish the football match before it started snowing too
heavily.
• 3. The rebels could/ were Me to draw on the support of over 20,000 soldiers.
• 4. Could you/ Were you able to understand Professor Larsen's lecture? I found
it really difficult.
• 5. 'Do you want a game?' 'Sorry, I can't/ 'm not able to play chess.
• 6. ' Look at me, I can / 'm able to ride my bike without any help.
• 7. When the fire officers arrived they could/ were able to put out the flames in
a couple of minutes.
• 8. The air was so polluted in the city centre, I could hardly/ was hardly able to
breathe.
• 9. I knew John had been smoking. I could/ was able to smell the cigarettes
when I came into the room.
• 10. Can you/ Are you able to drive without your glasses?
 Complete these sentences using
can, could, be able to, and be allowed to.

• As a child, Amelia Earhart … be idle, but she was very inquisitive, kind,
and always interested in learning.
•
• In 1932, she … to fly solo across the Atlantic.
•
• Amelia Earhart … continue working as an English teacher at Purdue
University, but she was determined to be a pilot.
•
• She encouraged others, especially young women, saying, “Follow your
dreams! You … give up them!”
•
• She … to take one crew member with her.
•
•
• The Electra … return from its last flight in 1937.
 Speaking
Describing people
• Divide the class into groups of three. Each group should be given a picture
showing a person in close detail. Some of them might be pictures of ordinary
people in unusual surroundings, others of people with marked traits of
character. It is best to avoid photographs of well-known public figures. Each
group should study its picture for five minutes and then decide:
• How old the person might be,
• What his\her profession might be,
• Whether he\she is married,
• What he\she likes doing,
• What kind of person he\she is.
• Try to use the modals can, could, be able to, and be allowed to as
much as possible. One person of each group should take notes. When one or
two possible interpretations have been agreed upon, the groups should
exchange pictures with another group. After each group has worked on 3 or 4
pictures, call the class together and get them to pull their impressions.