Countries and nationalities, to be forms
A1 Level, starter level
Materials
Main Aims
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Students will be able to understand information, texts and conversations about people's countries and nationalities; understand conversations in which people meet and greet others and do so themselves.
Subsidiary Aims
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Students use be (with I, you and we) correctly in positive and negative statements and questions; Students use this and these correctly; Students use a lexical set of nationalties correctly
Procedure (35-50 minutes)
The teacher asks students to talk in pairs about some countries and nationalities' names in the picture. Instructions: In pairs. Talk about the countries and nationalities' names in the picture. You have 3 minutes. ICQs: - Are you going to talk about countries and nationalities' names in the picture? (Yes) - Are you going to work in pairs or groups? (In pairs) - How long will it take? (3 minutes) Feedback: Open class discussion
The teacher shows a short dialogue or reading passage where different people introduce themselves with their country and nationality. For example: "Hi, I'm Maria. I'm from Spain. I'm Spanish." Students read/listen and follow the text. Pay attention to where people are from and their nationalities. ICQs: - Are you going to listen or write? (Listen) - What are you listening for? (Countries and nationalities) Feedback: Ask questions to check understanding. Example: - Where is Maria from? (Spain) - What nationality is she? (Spanish) - Is Carlos from Brazil or Mexico? (Brazil) Open class feedback.
The teacher writes or displays several examples from the previous the text/dialogue on the board. Example: - I'm from Japan. I'm Japanese. - She is from Brazil. She is Brazilian. The teacher underlines or color-codes the country and nationality words to show the form. Instructions: Look at the sentences: What do you notice about the words for countries and nationalities? ICQs: - Are you looking at verbs or nationalities? (Nationalities) - Are the words the same or different? (Different) Feedback: Elicit the patterns (e.g., country+nationality endings like -an, -ese, -ish). Open class feedback.
The teacher focuses on three key areas: 1) Meaning- Uses concept-checking questions to check understanding. Example sentence: She is from Italy. She is Italian. CCQs: - Is she from Italy?( Yes) - Is she Italian or Spanish? (Italian) 2) Form- The teacher writes example structures on the board: - Subject+be+from+country = I am from Canada. - Subject+be+nationality = I am Canadian. Highlights different nationality endings (-an, -ese, -ish, etc.) 3) Pronunciation- The teacher models and drills difficult words: - Japanese, Turkish, Brazilian - Uses choral and individual repetition, and marks word stress on the board. Instructions: Repeat after me. Listen and notice the stress. ICQs: - Are you repeating or writing now? (Repeating) - Are you listening to meaning or pronunciation? (Pronunciation) Feedback: Correct and support learners as they practice.
The teacher gives students a gap-fill or matching activity using countries and nationalities. Example: A. Match the country to the correct nationality. - Mexico=Mexican - Germany=German B. Fill in the blanks: - She is from____. She is____. (France, French) Instructions: Complete the worksheet individually, then check with a partner. ICQs: - Are you writing full sentences or just one word? (One word/full sentence depending on task) - Are you working alone or in pairs first? (Alone) Feedback: Teacher checks answers with the whole class. Correction and drilling if needed.
The teacher provides students with a guided speaking activity using prompts. Example: Students are given a table with names, countries, and blanks for nationalities. | Name |____| Country |____| Nationality |____ | Anna |____| Italy |____| Kenji |____| Japan | Students work in pairs to ask and answer questions: A: Where is Anna from? B: She is from Italy. She is Italian. Instructions: Work in pairs. Ask and answer questions using the table. ICQs: - Are you reading or speaking? (Speaking) - Are you making your own questions? (No, using the table) Feedback: Monitor pairs, take notes, and conduct quick feedback on common errorss.
The teacher sets up a pair-work activity where students ask and answer about real or imagined people. Example task: Students interview each other using the questions: - Where are you from? - What nationality are you? - Where is your friend from? - What nationality is he/she? They write short notes and later report to the class. Instructions: Walk around the class. Ask your classmates about their country and nationality. Take notes. ICQs: - Are you writing full sentences or short answers? (Short answers) - Are you talking to one person or many? (Many) Feedback: Ask a few students to share what they learned about their classmates. Correct major errors if necessary.
Put up some errors made in semi-controlled and free-practice stages on the board. Elicit the corrections from Ss.
