Rasha Rasha

Used to
Upper intermediate level

Description

In this lesson, students learn how to use "used to" to talk about past states and past habits through guided discovery based on comparing two pictures of a woman in the past and the present. It's followed by controlled practice through fill-in-the-gap activity and a freer one in which they talk about one of their past habits which they are no longer in.

Materials

Abc pictures / handouts

Main Aims

  • To provide clarification of used to in the context of talking about past states and past habits that no longer exist

Subsidiary Aims

  • To provide practice of previously taught adjectives like fit, fat, fair, young, old

Procedure

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

The teacher shows students a picture of an old woman looking at her younger reflection in the mirror reminiscing about the good old days. T asks Ss to look at the picture for 30 seconds, then describe what they saw to their partners in a minute. T gets feedback from Ss.

Exposure (8-10 minutes) • To provide context for the target language through a text or situation

T tells Ss that they will be given handouts in which there are pairs of sentences about the picture and that they have 2 minutes to work individually ticking the correct ones and crossing the incorrect ones. In the handout, there are these pairs of sentences: "Mrs. Lee was fit / She's no longer fit." "Mrs. Lee had fair hair / She doesn't have fair hair now." "Mrs. Lee was fat / She is still fat". Before handing them the handouts, T asks ICQs: Are you going to work in pairs or individually? How long will you take to finish the activity? T gives Ss the handouts. T asks Ss to peer check. Then, T checks the answers with the whole class.

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

T shows the correct pairs of sentences on the board, draws the timeline and asks Ss, Mrs. Lee being fit is a past state or a present state?" "Did it last for a long time or happen once?" "Is she still fit?" T says "Mrs. Lee used to be fit" and drills more than once. T asks Ss, "Mrs. Lee having fair hair is a past state or a present state?" "Did it last for a long time or happen for once?" "Does she have fair hair now?" T says, "Mrs. Lee used to have fair hair" and drills for three times.

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

T writes the sentences on the board: "Mrs. Lee used to have fair hair" & "Mrs. Lee used to be fit" and draws Ss' attention to the structure of the target language, "used to + inf". T draws Ss' attention to the correct pronunciation of "used to" and shows the transcription of the word. T stresses that "used to + inf" is used to talk about past habits and states that no longer exist.

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

T tells Ss that they have to do the next activity in pairs filling in the gaps with the correct form of the verb between brackets. Ss have 3 minutes to finish it. T gives Ss handouts with the following sentences: "1- Mrs. Lee used to........(have) fair hair. 2- Mrs. Lee.......(use) to have long hair. 3- Mrs. Lee used to..........(is) fit." After 3 minutes, T shows the sentences on the board and checks the answers with the whole class.

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

T tells Ss that they will see 3 pictures of old people recollecting past memories and they have to write a sentence about each one of them using "used to". T tells Ss that they have to work individually and that they have 4 minutes to finish it. T shows the pictures on the board: 1- a picture about a bald man who had long hair in the past / 2- a picture about a thin man who was fat when he was younger / 3- a picture about an old woman who was in the habit of smoking but no longer smokes". T asks Ss to peer-check the answers. T checks Ss' answers and gives feedback.

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

T asks Ss to work in pairs. One of them plays the role of an old grandparent and the other one plays the role of a grandchild. The grandparents are to talk for 3 minutes about their past habits and states to their grandchildren. Then the grandchildren are to tell the others what their grandparents have told them. T asks ICQs before they get started: "Are you going to work in pairs or individually? / Are you going to tell the truth or is it an imaginary situation? How many minutes do you have?" After 3 minutes, T asks grandchildren to tell the others what their grandparents have told them.

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