Gabriel Gabriel

Countable and uncountable nouns
Elementary level

Materials

Main Aims

  • To provide clarification and practice of Countable and uncountable nouns in the context of Food

Subsidiary Aims

  • To provide clarification of language used for Uncountable noun rules of thumb in the context of Food

Procedure

Warmer/Lead-in (3-4 minutes) • To set lesson context and engage students

Go to slide 2 Get Ss into breakout rooms and have them talk about: What is your favourite food? Do you make it often (linking to Selina´s lesson)? Before I send them out I answer the question for myself. My favourite food is "Budín verde", it is like "Budín azteca" but with different ingredients. I eat it only in special days, like my birthday. I might also add that it is some sort of Mexican lasagna, but I thing everyone knows what budín azteca is...unless the Argentinian girl actually comes this time.

Exposure (6-6 minutes) • To provide context for the target language through a text or situation

Go to slide 3. Get students on breakout rooms, switch to open class if 3 or less. Read the text and answer true/false in the google forms, you have 3 minutes. Discuss with your partner. OCFB on the answers.

Highlighting (1-2 minutes) • To draw students' attention to the target language

Go to slide 4. "Now please look at these words, see that they are not "rices, sugars, butters, etc". We will learn why today." This is just to draw their attention at the uncountable nouns.

Clarification (8-10 minutes) • To clarify the meaning, form and pronunciation of the target language

Go to slide 5. Explain the definitions of both types of nouns. M. Tell them things that make sense to count individually are countable (one rule of thumb). Tell them liquids are uncountable (another rule of thumb). Tell them granular (maybe use "very small") things are usually uncountable, like sand, sugar, salt. Go to slide 6 for F Tell them you refer to many countable nouns and much uncountable nouns. For P I would always repeat the words a couple times and have them all repeat them (this isn´t really the focus but more the broad concept these two of noun-types, but it´s important they learn it a little bit) Stress to Ss that uncountable nouns do NOT use the plural form. And mention countable nouns can use "a", whereas uncountable nouns don´t. Slide 7.

Controlled Practice (9-10 minutes) • To concept check and prepare students for more meaningful practice

Activity 2 is on slide 8, the reason it was not adapted to Forms is that most questions have two blanks, so the options I know exist would either confuse them (giving them the 9 possibilites) or would give them confusing feedback (have them set as open answers, it is case sensitive and the WAY you type it alters the result). "Fill in the gaps with a, an or -, you have 4 minutes". Split them into breakout rooms (again, should it be a smaller forum I´d switch to open class). "Discuss your answers with your partner/classmates, you have 3 minutes". We then do OCFB, 2-3 minutes.

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

Slide 9 will have two questions: What food or drink you you like? What food or drink do you NOT like? I give them a personal example and tell them they have 5 minutes to discuss with their partner/classmate. We then do OCFB.

Delayed Error Correction • To give students personalised feedback on their issues
Backup Activity • Just in case, have them do something sort-of related while the time runs out.
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