New lesson plan: Yellowstone Park

Amin

Yellowstone Park - Lower Intermediate level

Yellowstone Park
Lower Intermediate level

Description

In this lesson, students will learn vocabulary related to nature and national parks, practice reading comprehension skills through scanning and matching texts about Yellowstone National Park, and engage in speaking discussions.

Materials

Prepare 9th grade

Prepare 9th grade

Main Aims

To develop reading comprehension and specific information scanning skills through a text about Yellowstone National Park.

Subsidiary Aims

To provide practice and clarification of geographical and nature-related vocabulary (volcano, geyser, biosphere reserve, canyon). To encourage communicative speaking practice about national parks and outdoor environments.

Procedure (34-45 minutes)

Warmer (3-5 minutes) • To set lesson context and engage students

T directs Ss' attention to the "Fact File" box at the top right. T has a student read it aloud. T puts students in pairs to discuss Exercise 1 (What is a national park? Have you ever been to one?). T elicits quick answers from the room.

Pre-Reading (5-7 minutes) • To prepare students for the text and make it accessible

T directs Ss to Exercise 2 (Where is Yellowstone National Park? What do you know about it?). T elicits ideas and introduces/clarifies key terms needed for the text (supervolcano, geyser, biosphere reserve, park ranger).

While-Reading #1 (10-12 minutes) • To provide students with less challenging gist and specific information reading/listening tasks

T asks Ss to read short paragraphs 1–5 about Yellowstone National Park independently. T has Ss complete Exercise 3 (match texts 1–5 with photos A–E). T has Ss check in pairs before a whole-class check.

While-Reading #2 (8-10 minutes) • To provide students with more challenging detailed, deduction and inference reading/listening tasks

T divides the class into small groups and assigns specific paragraphs: Group 1 covers unique geography/history (paragraphs 1 & 2); Group 2 covers visitor experiences, wildlife, and rules (paragraphs 3, 4 & 5). Groups report back.

Post-Reading (5-7 minutes) • To provide with an opportunity to respond to the text and expand on what they've learned

T has students discuss the remaining questions from Exercise 1 in small groups (Can you name a national park in your country? What can you see there?), comparing local nature reserves to Yellowstone.

Wrap-up (3-4 minutes) • To review learning and assign practice

T praises student participation and corrects any recurring pronunciation or vocabulary errors on the board. T assigns homework: write a short paragraph describing a natural park using target vocabulary.