John Zacharias Crist John Zacharias Crist

There is / There are
A2 level

Description

In this lesson, students learn vocabulary for common places in a city and practice the grammar structure there is / there are. The lesson begins with a vocabulary discovery activity using images of city places. Students then match definitions and share examples from their own towns. Next, they are introduced to there is / there are through guided discovery and controlled practice. Finally, students use the new vocabulary and grammar in freer speaking activities, describing their own towns and asking questions about each other’s towns.

Materials

Abc Empower Elementary A2
Abc Places in a City (Kahoot)

Main Aims

  • To provide students with vocabulary for common places in a city so they can recognize and use these words in context.
  • To give students controlled and freer practice of the structure there is / there are (affirmative, negative, questions, short answers) so they can describe and ask about towns and cities.

Subsidiary Aims

  • To develop students’ speaking fluency by encouraging them to ask and answer questions about their own towns in pairs.
  • To raise awareness of word stress and pronunciation in city-related vocabulary to improve intelligibility.

Procedure

Warmer/Lead-in (5-7 minutes) • To provide context for the target language through a text or situation

Students review and reinforce the newly learned words for city places by having them play Kahoot.

Exposure (3-4 minutes) • To set lesson context and engage students

Show the Vienna photo (p. 51) and ask: “What can you see? Is there a stadium? Are there any cafés?” — elicit quick examples to introduce the structure naturally.

Highlighting (2-4 minutes) • To draw students' attention to the target language

The teacher focuses attention on the grammar box on p. 146 (Grammar Focus), drawing out examples of there is / there are in context.

Clarification (4-5 minutes) • To clarify the meaning, form and pronunciation of the target language

Use CCQs (e.g., If I say “There is a river,” is it one or many? / If I say “There aren’t any cafés,” how many cafés are there?) to check meaning. Board form: There’s a… / There are… / There isn’t a… / There aren’t any…

Controlled Practice (8-10 minutes) • To concept check and prepare students for more meaningful practice

Students complete p. 147a, writing sentences about the small town (e.g., There isn’t an airport. There are six cafés.). Peer check, then teacher feedback.

Semi-Controlled Practice (8-10 minutes) • To concept check further and prepare students for free practice

Students work in pairs with p. 147b, asking and answering about the small town. Example: “Is there an airport?” – “No, there isn’t.” / “How many cafés are there?” – “There are six cafés.” Teacher monitors for accuracy.

Mini-feedback (2-3 minutes) • To give quick correction and prepare students for more accurate practice

Teacher quickly checks common errors and reformulates correct examples on the board.

Free Practice (8-10 minutes) • To provide students with free practice of the target language

Students describe and compare their own towns using there is / there are. Prompts on the board: Is there a stadium in your town? Are there any good cafés? What places are there for young people?

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