Wh-questions with Service-oriented Content

I. Basic Information of student group: This lesson is for a grammar class with students at
a university-owned English learning center (ELC). It is for intermediate-mid level
learners. There are 15 students in the class and they are from different parts of the
world. They are between ages 18 and 30. They are learning English to pass the TOEFL
and hope to be admitted to a university or community college in the US. They have
either learned some English in an EFL setting in their home countries, or taken lower-
level classes at the ELC. They are full-time English language students and take several
different classes throughout the day, four days a week.

II. Limitations of the class: The grammar class meets for 1 hour and 5 minutes, four days a
week. This lesson is to fill one session. The students are able to produce uncomplicated
communicative tasks and understand straightforward communication. They are able to
share personal information by creating with known phrases and expressions. They have
previously learned yes/no questions and Wh-questions. This lesson is for further
reinforcement and practice of Wh-questions.

III. Topic/Content: This is a content-based lesson about how to be a good citizen, or

neighbor, by serving others. Wh-questions will be reviewed and practiced. The content
is appropriate for intermediate-mid level students according to the ACTFL guidelines.

IV. Performance objectives: Students will be able to talk about how to serve their
neighbors in class discussion and in partners. They will be able to ask different types of
Wh-questions related to the content by using a picture to stimulate questions. They will
be evaluated with a worksheet at the end of class to see if they can form Wh-questions
from simple statements. They will leave class motivated to be more mindful of service
opportunities in their everyday lives. They will have an assignment to do something kind
for someone else and report back the following day.

V. Materials used: Blackboard, chalk. Computer, screen, projector. Powerpoint with

pictures of acts of service (Appendix B). Links to service video (Appendix C). Sentences
cut into strips to teach Wh-questions (Appendix D). Photocopies of coloring picture of
service (Appendix A).

VI. Procedure for the lesson:

a. Warm-up: Ask students what it means to be a good neighbor. Ask what it means to
serve in your community. Express that a concerned and active citizen today might serve
at a local food bank, donate blood, or organize neighborhood gatherings and activities.
Simple acts of caring and service could also include taking a meal to a sick neighbor or
helping an elderly neighbor with yard work. Volunteering in cleanup efforts after a
disaster, or serving in hospitals or nursing homes also make the community a better
 place to live. After a brief discussion, show a video of people serving others in daily
interactions (video 1, appendix C). Have a short discussion about the video. What was
happening? How did it make you feel?

A. Instructional Sequence:

Teacher Focus Student Focus

Discuss ways we can serve in our Students help contribute to the conversation
communities or our neighbors. Project by offering examples.
pictures on screen with examples and teach
unfamiliar vocabulary. Write words on the
board. (Appendix B)

Review Wh-questions with students. When Ss give examples of Wh-question words while
questions are asked that require more than a T writes on the board.
yes/no answer we use Wh-questions, i.e.,
who, what, when, where, why, how.
Ss take notes and ask questions for
Use Appendix E as a guide and write a similar clarification.
chart on the blackboard. Writing, rather than
projecting, will give students time to process
and write their own notes.

Pass out drawing page (Appendix A). Discuss Ss help identify what is going on in the
some of the things that are happening in the pictures.
picture, i.e., “A woman in a wheelchair is on
the porch.” “The man and boy are raking
leaves.”

Ask students to work in pairs and practice Ss work in pairs to practice asking and
Wh-questions. Try to use as many Wh words answering Wh-questions about the picture.
as they can:
For example
S1: Who is sitting on the porch?
S2: The grandmother.
S2: What are the girls doing?
S1: Picking vegetables.
Walk around classroom to see if students
need help.

Class discussion about the questions the Ss share questions they asked each other.
students used in the activity.

Pass out worksheet (Appendix D). Ss work in pairs to write down Wh-questions
Explain that these are statements about about the sentences on the worksheet.
different people doing some kind of service.
Ss are to work in pairs to write down Wh-
questions about the statements. Try to use
different Wh-question words.

Show video 2 about a man who finds ways to Ss watch carefully and write down a few
help people he comes into contact with every things that happened in the short video.
day. Tell students to pay attention to the
effect the man’s actions have over time.

Ask students to be prepared to answer

questions.

After the video ends ask students to write

down a few things they remember about the
video.

Ask Wh-questions:
What did the man do with the plant? Answer T’s questions about the video.
How did he help the woman with the cart?
Who did he help?
What happened to the little girl?
How did the man feel?
How did the people he helped feel?

Closing: Talk about service in the community. Ss will think about someone they can serve
Discuss the happiness it brings to not only the and plan to do it.
person being served, but to the one doing the
service. Assign students to find someone to
serve in some small way and come prepared
to share tomorrow.
C. Evaluation of students: Students should demonstrate better understanding of Wh-questions and the
ability to creatively produce Wh-questions. This can be determined by observing the students as they
work together on the various activities. They should also feel motivated to find ways to serve in their
community.
D. Reinforcement/follow-up activities. Students will be encouraged to find some way to volunteer or
perform an act of service for a neighbor.

VII. Next topic to cover: Tag questions.

References:

“Questions.” EnglishClub - to Learn or Teach English, www.englishclub.com/grammar/questions.htm.

Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix B (Cont.)

Possible vocabulary: Donate, Blood Drive, Volunteer,

Food Bank,block party, nursing home etc.
 Appendix C

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=10&v=eRnRs7QU_Cc
Video of people helping each other in simple, daily interactions. Someone
observes the service and is inspired to help someone themselves. 1:49

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=91&v=zcruIov45bI
Video of young man helping many different people who he comes in contact on a
daily basis. It shows the effect on those he serves and how happy it makes him. 3:06

Appendix D
Wh-questions
Rephrase the sentences to make Wh-questions. There is more than one correct answer.
Example: The man swept his neighbor’s sidewalk.
Who swept the sidewalk? or Whose sidewalk did the man sweep? or What did the
man sweep? How did he sweep?

1. Jane read a book to the children at the school on Monday.

2. The girls are raking the leaves for their elderly neighbor.

3. I took a meal to my sick friend who recently came home from the hospital.

4. We served lunch at the homeless shelter yesterday.

5. Mike shoveled the snow off his neighbor’s sidewalk.

6. Sarah and Tyler planned a fun block party for next Saturday afternoon.

Appendix D (Cont.)
Possible answers:
1. Where did Jane read the book? To whom did she read the book?
2. Who raked the leaves? What tool did they use?
3. Where was the sick friend? What did you take to your friend?
4. Who did you serve lunch to? Where is the homeless shelter?
5. Why did Mike shovel snow?
6. When is the block party? Who planned it?
 Appendix E

Question-word questions
Sometimes we want more than yes or no for an answer. When asking for
information, we usually place a question-word at the beginning of the
sentence. The question-word indicates the information that we want, for
example: where (place), when (time), why (reason), who (person). Look at
these examples:

answer:
question auxiliary main
word verb not subject verb information

Where do you live? In Paris.

When will we have lunch At 1pm.

?

Why has n't Tara done it? Because she

can't.

Who(m) did she meet? She met Ram.

Who* has run out? Ati has run out.

Who** ran out? Ati ran out.

*When the question-word is who, it acts as the subject.

**In Present Simple and Past Simple tenses, there is no auxilary verb with
who.

https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/questions.htm