SPECIMEN PLAN

CLASS DESCRIPTION
The students in this upper intermediate class are between the ages of 18-31.There are 21 women and 9 men. There are PAs/secretaries, 5 housewives, 10 university students (3 of these are postgraduates), teachers, 2 businessmen, a musician, a scientist, a chef, a shop assistant and a waiter. Because the class starts at 7.45 in the evening, students are often quite tired after a long day at work (or at their studies). They can switch off quite easily, especially if they are involved in a long and not especially interesting piece of reading, for example. However, if they get involved, they can be noisy and enthusiastic. Sometimes this enthusiasm gets a little out of control and they start using their first language a lot.

TIMETABLE FIT
The lesson takes place from 7.45 to 9 pm on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. In the past three lessons the students have been discussing the issues of journeys and travelling-how people adapt to different travelling environments. They have listened to an interview with someone who lives in a bus and travels around the country looking for places to park it. They have been looking at vocabulary and expressions related to travelling. They have revisited a number of past tenses, including hypothetical past (third) conditionals (If he hadnt lost his job, he wouldnt sold his house.). Next week the class will start working on a crime and punishment unit which includes a courtroom role-play, with work on crime-related lexis, and passive constructions.

AIMS
1. To allow students to practise speaking spontaneously and fluently about something that may provoke the use of words and phrases they have been learning recently. 2. To give students practice in reading both for gist and for detail. 3. To enable students to talk about what people have done wrong in the past, using the should (not) have + done construction. 4. To have students think of the interview genre and list the kinds of questions which are asked in such a situation

ACTIVITIES, PROCEDURES, AND TIMING

1 Activity/Aids Group decision-making Interaction a. TC Procedure Timing T tells students to list 1 five things they would take into space with them (apart from essentials). SS make their lists 2 individually. In pairs students have 3 to negotiate their items to come up with a shared list of only five items to take to a space station. Pairs join with other 4 pairs. The new groups have to negotiate their items to come up with a shared list of only five items to take to a space station. The T encourages the 3 groups to compare their lists.

Pen and paper b. S, S, S

c. SS

d. SSSS (GG)

e. TGG

Specific language to be focused on should be also included, as in: Activity/Aids Language study Interaction a. TC Procedure Timing T elicits sentences 10 based on the previous problem identification session e. g. She shouldnt have been rude to Cathy. She should have looked at the record book. T has SS say the sentences and may do individual/class work on the pronunciation

b. TS,S,S

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS
Anticipated problems Students may not be able to think of items to take to a space station with them for activity 1. Possible solutions I will keep my eyes open and go to prompt any individuals who look vacant or puzzled with questions about what music, books, pictures, etc. they might want to take. Students may have trouble contracting I will do some isolation and distortion should not have in Activity 4. work until they can say / /.

ADDITIONAL POSSIBILITIES
Extra speaking: News broadcast: If some groups finish first they can quickly discuss what three things from home they would most miss if they were on a space station. Students could write an earth newsflash giving news of what happened at the space station starting We interrupt this programme to bring you news of.. If theres time I can show the class an extract from the Future of Space Exploration programme. Interview Cathy years later to find out what happened to her.

Video clip: Interview plus: