My  Weekend

----- The Third Conditional

By Tracy （陈翠霞）

  

Type of teaching: A Grammar Lesson

Topic: The Third Conditional

I. Analysis of the students

My class is a newly formed one. The students are not very good at English, especially in grammar, but they are active and have vivid minds. They have shown great interest in English. They are eager to learn anything new, and like to express themselves. So they must be curious about this grammar lesson.  

II. Analysis of the teaching material

The main grammar in this unit is the third conditional. This is the first grammar lesson in this unit. Actually, the students have learned the First and the Second Conditionals, but it’s very difficult for them to grasp the Third Conditional. Through the teaching activities in this lesson, the students are supposed to use the Third Conditional of the initial stage, with better master of the Second Conditional as a side product. And they’ll learn more about it in the following lessons through the texts in this unit.

III. Teaching Aims

1. Knowledge aim 

The students learn to apply the pattern of the Third Conditional initially.

2. Ability aim 

The students learn to apply the Third Conditional in some comprehensive practical activities in listening, speaking, reading and writing.  

3. Emotional attitude aim

To develop the students’ team spirit in the course of discussion.

4. Learning strategy aim

 To help the students improve their abilities of finding out the rules in the language materials and having a go at them.  

IV. Important and difficult points

Form and function of the Third Conditional

V. Teaching methods: TBL

 

VI. Teaching Procedures 

Step 1 Lead-in

Task 1 (Pair work): What would you do if you had no lessons at weekends? 

Task 2(Individual work): If I did/were … this weekend, I would ....

    (Purpose: To get the students to revise the grammar---the Second Conditional learned in Senior1, which will help the students get much background knowledge about The Third Conditional, so that they will have less difficulty in learning.）

 

Step2 Approaching the grammar

Task 1(Discussion---Group work):

    T: Last Saturday, you had much homework and it was difficult. If it had been easy, you would have finished it before going home. Please complain about it with two or three sentences to your friends, using this pattern: “If I had done..., I would have done...”.

    (Purpose: To make the students get an initial contact and understanding of the grammar through some real activities close to the students’ life, which arouses their interest and desires in learning it. The purpose to do so also helps the students make a good preparation for the exploration and discovery of the rules of the Third Conditional.)

 

Step 3 Discovering the grammar

Task 1: T: Let’s analyze

     1. If I had finished it before going home, I would have played football till my legs were broken in the afternoon.

2. If I had played football all the afternoon, Daddy might have beaten me black and blue in the evening.

3. If Daddy had not beaten me black and blue in the evening, I could have watched TV throughout the night.

T: How about these three sentences, real or unreal in the past? Of course unreal. If they had been real, you would have been with bad manners.

    (Purpose: To guide the students to observe the grammatical phenomenon in the three sentences carefully and think about them actively; To let the students finish it through their independent thinking and cooperative learning. At this stage the students' divergent thinking abilities and observing abilities can be cultivated.)

 

Step 4 Defining the grammar

 T: This is what we are going to learn ---- the Third Conditional. Now Turn to

page 93. Let's see what we have been playing with.

    (Purpose: To guide the students to summarize the rules of the grammar .)

 

Step 5 Understanding the grammar

Competition 1: Read and answer.

 1. Last weekend, if he had arrived a few minutes earlier, he would have met John.

   Question: Did he meet John? Why? Or why not?

 2. If the weather hadn't been so bad, we would have gone to the park last weekend.

   Question: Are the following two sentences True or False?

            1)The weather was good last weekend.

            2)We didn't go to the park.

 3. If he had not studied hard, he would have failed the exam.

   Question: What's the real situation?

Competition 2: Talk about some pictures with the students and get them to complete

the sentences using the Third Conditional learned in class.

 1. Last weekend, if I ________ no lessons , I ________________ to Foshan Forest Park with my friends.

 2. Last weekend, if I ____________ my homework, I _______________ together with my friends .

 3. Last weekend, if I _________ my foot, I ___________ the  bicycle racing game.

Competition 3: Make up a sentence using the Third Conditional, according to the real situation.

Situation 1: He didn't remember his girlfriend's birthday., so she got angry.

Situation 2: We didn't go to the beach last weekend, because it rained heavily.

Situation 3: Tom quarreled with Jack last weekend, so they didn't play

          football together.

    (Purpose: To help the students further understand the form and meaning of the grammar by analyzing some pictures and sentences and make them quick at English in use.)

 

Step 6 Applying the grammar

Task 1 Individual work:

Choose the correct answers to complete the sentences(1-3) and use the correct form of the verbs in the brackets to fill in the blanks (4-7).

1.If he _____ a robot, everything would be all right.

A. was    B.  is    C. are    D. were

2. If you hadn't had your hair cut last weekend, your headteacher __________ you.

A. would have scolded B. scolded  C. had scolded  D. would have been scolded

3.Without electricity, we ____ a party last weekend.

A. is   B.  will be     C. wouldn't have had  D. would be

4. I was busy last weekend, otherwise I __________ (attend) his wedding.

5. She won’t come next weekend. If she _________(come), I would ask her for help.

6. If he __________(prepare) well for his lessons last weekend, he wouldn't have been so busy.

7. But for（要不是）you, I __________ (not buy) such a pretty dress last weekend.

Task 2 Group Competition:

Choose one of the two pictures to tell a short story with at least 5 sentences, using the following patterns:

1) If sb. did/were (not)..., sb....would/could/might (not) do...
    2) If sb. had (not) done..., sb. would/could/might (not) have done....

 

(1)Tips(提示）: go travelling; go to the beach; be too excited; swim in the sea;

              get burnt(晒黑); recognize...

(2)Tips(提示）: birthday; study; go shopping; meet a foreign friend; go to play karaoke;

              a happy and crazy weekend;...

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

           (1)                             (2)

    (Purpose: To test the students’ levels about the grammar from the form, meaning and use. The competition among the groups motivates the students’ creativity.)

 

Step 7 Summary

 

	If条件句(v.)	主句(v.)
与现在事实相反 The Second Conditional	did / were (not)	would/could/might(not) + do
与过去事实相反 The Third Conditional	had (not) done	would/could/might(not) + had done
与将来事实相反 The Second Conditional	did / were(not) should do were to do	would/could/might (not) + do

 

(Purpose: Revise before forgetting.)

 

Step 8 Homework:

      Write an humorous composition My Crazy Weekend, mainly using the 3^rd Conditional. See if you can make a serious person laugh.

 (Purpose: To cultivate the students’ comprehensive language ability by writing a

composition using what they have learned in class today.)