Integrated Skills Lesson Plan: Personal Problems, Giving Advice

Koray Haki Akyazi, Turkey

Koray Akyazi is an English Instructor and member of the academic and professional development center in the Foreign Language Preparatory school at Gediz University, Turkey. He holds a BA in Business Management from Huddersfield University, England; a TESOL certificate from I-to-I, England, and CELTA from Izmir Economy University, Turkey. E-mail: korayakyazi@gmail.com

Length: 60 min
Level: Elementry - Intemediate

Main lesson aims
By the end of the lesson, students will have had the opportunity to practise all four language skills within the context of talking about personal problems and giving advice. Materials

Hand outs of the doctored lyrics, student A & B

The Beatles song ‘I get by with a little help from my friends’

Pictures of people with various problems (Obesity, heart break, stress, financial issues etc.)

Lesson Procedure

Enter the class looking sad, tell the students that you have many problems but you have listed the top 10.

In small groups, students write down 10 possible problems that the teacher may have. Teams get 2 points for every matching unique answer, 1 point if another group has the same answer.

Check instructions with ICQs Whose problems will you write? etc.

Teacher shows answers to compare

Listening for gist

Introduce the Beatles, show some album covers and elicit songs from students

Board gist questions

• What is the song about?
• Is the singer happy or sad?
• How does it make you feel?
• Where would you like to listen to this music?

Play the song once and ask students to answer the questions in pairs.

Pairs check with other another pair followed by whole class feedback

Listening for detail

Tell students that they will listen to the song again but will also try to fill in the blanks. Teacher can demonstrate.

Remind the class that you will play the song without stopping, so if they miss a word, they should continue with the next.

This is done individually

Once you have checked instructions with ICQs, give hand outs A B A B so that students are sitting next to someone with a different letter. Play the song once again.

Students fill in gaps.

Communicative co construction

Students may not have been able to fill in all the blanks. So they have to work together (A&B) to complete the task. Tell students not to cheat by showing their papers, the objective is to speak.

Task Based Language

If you want students to do this without cheating, and without L1, you may find that giving task based language may help.

In the 1st /2nd /3rd line, which word comes after/before/between...

How do you spell that?

So that’s ........, is that correct?

Check instructions

Pairs can group with other pairs to peer check before displaying the full version on the board (Powerpoint or web page) Allow some time for self correction, cutting down on TTT

Writing practice

5 mns

Display a picture of a friend who has just broken up with his girlfriend.

Elicit who the person/people in the photo are, what’s the problem?

Have they ever had a friend who has come to them with a similar problem?

What advice did they give them?

Board ‘I’ve got a problem ... elicit some problems from the beginning of the lesson ie. I broke up with my boyfriend, I need money to repair my car etc.

Continue to board the problems which the students come up with.

Elicit the language for giving advice and board

Why don’t you ....

I think you should ....

You could....

Enable accuracy in pronunciation for following speaking activity

Drill - Chorally and then individually

Free practice mingling

Students will write sentences with problems (at least 3) on paper with space for advice.

check instructions

give out paper if needed

students write sentences

Tel students to fold their sentences and throw them onto the floor in the centre of the class.

Students choose a problem from the floor and ask another student for advice.

Once they have received advice, the partners swap papers and find a new partner to continue with asking and giving advice.

Feedback what problems did the students have and what was the best / worst advice they received?

Warm down

Karaoke preferably ‘I get by with a little help from my friends’ or a song of the students’ choice

http://lyricstraining.com/
http://www.lyricsgaps.com

What would you think if I sang out of tune Student A
Would you stand up and ¬¬_______ out on me?
_______ me your ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to _______ out of key

Oh I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm I _______ high with a little help from my _______
Mm going to try with a _______ help from my friends

What do I do when my _______ is away?
(_______ it worry you to be _______?)
How do I feel by the _______ of the day?
(Are you _______ because you're on your own?)

No _______ get by with a little help from _______ friends
Mm I get high with a little help _______ my friends
Mm _______ to try with a little _______ from my friends

(Do you _______ anybody?)
I need somebody to _______
(Could it be anybody?)
I _______ somebody to love

(Would you _______ in a love at first sight?)
Yes _______ certain that it happens all the time
(What do you _______ when you turn _______ the light?)
I can't tell you, but I _______ it's mine

Oh I _______ by with a little help from _______ friends
Mm I get high _______ a little help from my friends
_______ I'm going to try with a little help from my _______

(Do you need _______?)
I just need somebody to love
(Could it _______ anybody?)
_______ want somebody to _______

Oh I _______ by with a little help from _______ friends
Mm _______ to try with a little help from my _______
Oh I get high with a little help from my friends
Yes I get by with a _______ help from my friends
With a little help _______ my friends

What would you think if I sang out of _______ Student B
Would you stand up and walk out on _______?
Lend me your _______ and I'll sing you _______ song
_______ I'll try not to sing out of _______

Oh I get by with a little _______ from my friends
_______ I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm going to try with a little help from my _______

_______ do I do when my love is _______?
(Does it _______ you to be alone?)
How do I feel by the end of the _______?
(Are you sad _______ you're on your own?)

No I get by with a _______ help from my friends
Mm I get _______ with a little help from my friends
Mm going to try with a little help _______ my friends

(Do you need _______?)
I need somebody to love
(Could it be anybody?)
I want _______ to love

(_______ you believe in a love at first _______?)
Yes I'm _______ that it happens all the _______
(_______ do you see when you _______ out the light?)
I can't _______ you, but I know it's mine

Oh I get by with a _______ help from my friends
Mm I get high with a little _______ from my friends
Oh I'm going to _______ with a little help from _______ friends

(Do _______ need anybody?)
I just need somebody to _______
(_______ it be anybody?)
I want _______ to love

Oh I get by _______ a little _______ from my friends
Mm going to try with a little help from _______ friends
Oh I get high with a little help _______ my friends
_______ I get by with a little help from my friends
_______ a little help from my friends

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