Staying in touch, Correcting mistakes
Intermediate, B1 level
Description
Materials
Main Aims
-
To develop students’ listening and reading skills for gist and specific information in the context of staying in touch with others, with a focus on understanding the use of adverbs of frequency.
Subsidiary Aims
-
To provide speaking practice using adverbs of frequency in the context of staying in touch and to raise students’ awareness of common writing mistakes related to grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Procedure (67-90 minutes)
The teacher asks students two personalized questions: “How many texts have you sent today?” and “How many texts have you received today?”, then instructs them to write down their answers individually. Once students finish, they discuss their responses in pairs to find out who sent or received the most messages. The teacher then conducts brief whole-class feedback by asking a few students to share their answers aloud.
The teacher highlights key phrases from the exercise and writes them on the board, then explains their meanings using simple definitions and example sentences. After clarifying all the vocabulary, students answer a question from the exercise that helps them use and understand the target phrases in the context of communication.
The teacher plays the recording while students listen and identify who is better at keeping in touch. After the recording ends, the teacher checks the answer with the whole class by eliciting responses and confirming the correct answer together.
The teacher asks students to read the comprehension questions aloud together as a class. Then, the teacher plays the recording a second time while students listen and answer the questions individually. After the listening, the teacher elicits answers from students one by one, with students taking turns to give their response.
The teacher asks students to write down a list of adverbs of frequency they know. Then, the teacher instructs students to listen to the recording again and put a tick next to each adverb whenever they hear it. After the listening, students take turns reporting how many times each adverb was used (Sometimes was used four times), while the teacher confirms the answers and writes the final counts on the board.
After writing down the adverbs on the board, the teacher asks students one by one which adverb best describes how often they keep in touch with their family and friends. As students respond, the teacher puts a tick under the matching adverb on the board. Once everyone has answered, the teacher initiates a whole-class discussion, prompting students to explain the reasons for their choices and compare habits using the adverbs. At the end of the discussion, the teacher provides delayed feedback.
The teacher tells students to read the sentences provided in the exercise, which include prompts such as sending texts, talking on the phone, and making video calls. Students work in pairs and use adverbs of frequency to make their own sentences based on these topics. After pairs complete the task and have discussed each point, the teacher provides immediate feedback on their use of adverbs, pronunciation or any common errors observed during the activity.
The teacher asks students to look at the pictures related to the reading text and describe what they can see. Then, the students read a few preview questions provided in the exercise and share their own ideas and interpretations based on the pictures.
The teacher gives students 2 minutes to read the three emails individually. After reading, the teacher asks students to briefly summarise what each email is about, focusing on the main idea or purpose of each message.
Students orally complete Exercises B and C based on the content of the three emails, answering comprehension questions and identifying which email refers to a different person. The teacher monitors and facilitates the discussion, and once students have responded, the teacher checks their answers using the answer key, clarifying any misunderstandings if necessary.
Students complete Exercise A, where they look at pairs of sentences and identify what type of mistake it has such as grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Then, in Exercise B, students match the relevant grammar or writing rules to the examples. Based on their answers, the teacher asks follow-up questions such as “Which words do we write with capital letters?” or “How is the present continuous formed?” to check understanding and reinforce language awareness.
At the end of the lesson, the teacher asks students to write brief reflections in response to a few guiding questions on the board, such as: “What did you learn today?”, “What was new or interesting for you?”, and “How confident do you feel about using adverbs of frequency?” Students write their answers individually. This helps them consolidate what they’ve learned and provides the teacher with insight into their perceptions and progress.
