Lesson Plan: New Year Resolutions (Junior Version)

Lesson Level: Junior 1                       Duration:  45 Minutes

Lesson Title:     New Year Resolutions

Grammar and Vocabulary

Resolution, Promise

words arising from lesson

I will, I will not¹   

He/She should/shouldn’t

Lesson Objectives

Students will identify various bad habits from pictures and create resolutions for them using “I will”/”I won’t” 

Materials Required

A4 pictures representing the following (funny cartoons are best and can easily be found on the internet)

Someone very overweight

Someone lazily sleeping on a couch

Children talking in class

Someone who looks very tired

Someone smoking

Someone studying very late at night.

Someone eating junk food

Someone with no money

Someone drinking beer

Someone playing computer games

Someone dropping litter

Two children arguing 

Preparation

Prepare the pictures.

Procedure

1 Wish the class “Happy New Year”

Write “New Year Resolutions” on the board

Explain that a “resolution” is a promise you make to yourself. (May need to also explain “promise”)

2 Write and drill “I will”/”I will not”/”He should”/”He shouldn’t”/”She should”/”She shouldn’t”

3 Put the pictures on the board one at a time and elicit sentences using “should” or “shouldn’t”. Write the sentences at the side of the pictures. Leave space by each one to add another sentence later.

4 When all pictures are done in this form use the first two pictures to illustrate how THE PERSON IN THE PICTURE would make his resolution.

“This year, I will…”

“This year I will not…”

5. Put class into groups of four or six.

Tell groups to write similar sentences for the other pictures.

Monitor and assist as necessary.

6 Feedback suggestions using ball toss to choose students.. Correct as necessary.²  Write corrected versions on board.

6. Tell class that all students (not groups) must now write two things that they will or will not do this year.

Monitor and assist as necessary.

7. Feedback some of the ideas. (Use ball toss to get ideas.)

8 Tell class their homework is to do the things they wrote on the paper for the whole year.

 Notes

1. I use “will not” rather than “won’t” because junior students tend to confuse “won’t” with “want” and explaining it can take a good part of the lesson.

2. The most common mistake is to say things like “I will not smoking”. Be prepared to explain that you never use “ing” with “will” or “will not”.

Lesson Plan: New Year Resolutions Senior Version

esson Level: Senior 1                       Duration:  45 Minutes

Lesson Title:     New Year Resolutions

(Should be done as first lesson after New Year)

Grammar and Vocabulary

Resolution, Promise

words arising from lesson

I will, I won’t.

Lesson Objectives

Students will identify various bad habits from pictures and create resolutions for them using “I will”/”I won’t” 

Materials Required

A4 pictures representing the following (funny cartoons are best and can easily be found on the internet)

Someone very overweight

Someone lazily sleeping on a couch

Children talking in class

Someone who looks very tired

Someone smoking

Someone studying very late at night.

Someone eating junk food

Someone with no money

Someone drinking beer

Someone playing computer games

Someone dropping litter

Two children arguing 

Preparation

Prepare the pictures. 

Procedure

1 Wish the students Happy New Year

Write “New Year Resolutions” on board.

Elicit meaning of “Resolution” (A promise you make to yourself - may need to also describe meaning of “promise”)

2 Explain that there are different things we can make resolutions about.

Write “Health” on board and elicit a resolution that we can make about health (e.g. This year I will exercise every day.)

Repeat for Study (This year, I will always listen in class.)

Repeat for Family ( This year, I will help my mother with the housework.)

Repeat for Community (This year I will not drop litter.)

Repeat for Other (This year I will practice my guitar every day,)

Write the suggestions on the board.

3 Put the pictures on the board one at a time and elicit what resolution the person in the picture should make. Write the suggestion next to the picture. For each one ask which category it falls into (in a different colour if available).

4 When all pictures are on the board with the suggested resolutions put the students into groups of four.

Tell groups to look at the suggestions for all of the pictures and discuss which resolutions they consider most important.

5. Walk around and monitor. Join groups one at a time to ask their opinions. (I like to play devils advocate and suggest other resolutions.)

6 Elicit feedback from class. 

7 Tell students that EVERY student must now write five resolutions that they will keep this year - One for each category.

8. Monitor and assist as possible.

9 Tell students that their homework for the year is to do all the things they just wrote on the paper.

Notes

Lesson Plan: Another Christmas Lesson

Lesson Level:    Senior 1                   Duration:  45

Lesson Title:     Christmas Lesson 2

Grammar and Vocabulary

20 Christmas words chosen from this list

Robin,Tree,Star,Candle,Decorations.Lights,Card,Carol,Cake,Sleigh,Chimney,

Snowman, Snow,Snowball,Toys,Bells,Gift,Turkey,Cracker,Lantern, Reindeer,

Santa,Stocking,Tinsel,Holly, Eve

(religious words .can optionally be included Jesus,God,Church)

Lesson Objectives

Students will learn Christmas vocabulary and practice pronunciation by singing a song. (I use Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody. Any Christmas song will do but it must include some of the chosen words from the above list) 

Materials Required

Twenty large cards each with one of the chosen words on one side and with the numbers 1-20 on the other side. Means to fix them to the board.

A list for the teacher of which words go with which numbers.

Audio of chosen song.

Enough copies of printed lyrics for song to share so that everyone in class can see them. 
^{Should also include a picture of a family (I use the Simpsons) for extension task if needed.} 

Preparation

Prepare all materials as above. 

Before start of lesson fix the cards to the board with the number side showing. (In order, highest first)

Procedure

1 Wish the class Merry Christmas.Tell them that the lesson is in two parts - a game and a song. Break the class into groups of four or six.

Give each gfroup a number and write the numbers on the board.

2 Explain the game.

Groups have two minutes to make a list of Christmas words.

After that you will go to each group in turn and ask for ONE word. When the group gives a word they will get a point if it is connected with Christmas PLUS the points from the card if it is one of the words on the cards. Turn over the relevant card.

Check that whole class understand the word. Explain or draw if necessary.

Repeat for each group.

Then go round all groups for a second word.

At the end the group with the highest combined total from the two rounds is the winner.

2 Turn over remaining cards one at a time explaining new words as needed. 

3 Tell groups that you will now play a song. They must listen and write down any words from the board that they hear in the song.

Play the song.

4 Elicit the words that they heard. Put ticks next to them on the board. Also tick (in a different colour if available) any words they missed.

5. Hand out the lyric sheets. Tell students to read them and find the words you ticked on the board.

6 Tell students you will play the song again and they must all sing along.

7 Play and sing.¹    

Extension task

8. Tell students to look at the family picture and decide what they would buy for each person in the picture for a Christmas gift.

Notes

1. Depending on the enthusiasm of the class for singing there may be several false starts for the song. Most classes will have a pretty good try at  it in the end.

2. This lesson could be adapted to work on a computer presentation but I prefer the old fashioned way as the technology in my classrooms is unreliable.