CHANGING LIVES

A. AIMS  

1. Knowledge 

- Grammar: present perfect + for I since, present perfect continuous

- Pronunciation: sentence stress

2. Skills 

- Listening: interview with Jane

B. MATERIALS, FACILITIES AND METHODS 

- Materials: English File intermediate 3rd edition (SB and WB) 

- Facilities: chalk, board, draft paper 

- Methods: pair and group work, game, role play, presentation 

C. PROCEDURE 

1. Class stabilization: 

- Check class attendance: ………………………… 

+Absent students: ………………………………………………………………………

- Ask some questions:  

What day is it today? 

What is the weather like? 

How are you today? 

2. New lesson  

WARM-UP 
• Revise the present perfect with for and since by writing these prompts on the board.

1. HOW LONG / BE A TEACHER?

2. HOW LONG / WORK AT THIS SCHOOL?

3. HOW LONG / LIVE IN THIS TOWN?

4. HOW LONG / KNOW YOUR BEST FRIEND?

• Give the class two minutes in pairs to decide how to make the questions and then get
them to ask you. Make sure Sts use the present perfect tense and not the present simple
(How long are you a teacher?).

1. How long have you been a teacher?

2. How long have you worked at this school?

3. How long have you lived in this town?

4. How long have you known your best friend?

• Answer the Sts' questions using for and since and elicit from the class when you use
these words (for= period of time, since= a point in time).

• Finally, you could get Sts to ask each other questions 3 and 4.

! If a student (who already knows the tense) uses the present perfect continuous to ask
question 3, point out to the class that this is another forn1 of the present perfect which
they are going to study in this lesson.

1. LISTENING

1.a. Books open. Focus on the photos and do the questions as an open-class activity.

1.b. Tell Sts to look at the photos whilst they listen to Jane describing her trip. They
should answer the two questions. Emphasize that this is a true story and that the person
being interviewed is the real person.

- Play the audio once the whole way though. Play again if necessary.

- Get Sts to compare with a partner, and then check answers.

Extra support
Before playing the audio, go through the listening script and decide if you need to
pre-teach / check any lexis to help Sts when they listen .
! Jane uses the term headmaster which is a little old-fashioned, as head teacher is
more common nowadays.

1.c. Give Sts a few minutes to go through the items in 1-6 and to compare with a
partner to see what they remember.

- Then play the audio again for Sts to make notes about why Jane mentions those
items.

- Check answers.

1.d. Tell Sts they are now going to listen to Part 2 of the interview and they need to
correct the mistakes in sentences 1-9.

- Give Sts tin1e to read the sentences and then play the audio once the whole way
through.
1.e. Get Sts to co n1pare with a partner and then play the audio again.

- Check answers.

Extra support

If there's time, you could get Sts to listen again with the scripts on pp. 123-124, so they
can see exactly what they understood / didn't understand.

- Translate / explain any new words or phrases.

2. GRAMMAR

2.a. Focus on the task and get Sts to match questions 1- 3 with answers A-C.

- Check answers.

2.b. In pairs, get Sts to answer questions 1 and 2 by referring to the questions and
answers in a. You could do this in pairs or as a whole-class activity.

- Check answers.

2.c. Tell Sts to go to Grammar Bank 2B on p.135. Focus on the example sentences
and play the audio for Sts to listen to the sentence rhythm. You could also get Sts to
repeat the sentences to practice getting the rhythm right. Then go through the rules
with the class.
Additional grammar notes

Present perfect (How long... ? and for/ since)

• This use of the present perfect was presented in English File Pre-intermediate and
should be revision for most Sts. Sts will need reminding that the present si1nple tense
cannot be used here.

(NOT How long do you live in this town?)

• Remind them how for and since are used and the different words or phrases which
can be used after them, e.g. for two months, three years, a long time, ages; since
October; I was born, last summer; I was a child, etc.

Present perfect continuous (with How long...? and for / since)

• For many Sts, including those who used English File Pre-intermediate, this will be
the first time they have seen the present perfect continuous.

• Point out to Sts that in the same way that there is a simple and continuous for1n of
the present and the past, there are also two forms of the present perfect (simple and
continuous).

• The most important difference between the two forms for Sts at this point is that with
How long...? and for/ since we normally use the continuous form with action verbs
(e.g. learn, go, play, do, wait, etc.) and the simple forn1 is used with non-action verbs
(e.g. be, have, know).

• Some typical mistakes include:

- getting the form wrong, e.g. (forgetting to include been) How long have you learning
English?

- depending on their Ll , using the present tense instead of the present perfect
continuous, e.g. I am learning English for a long time.

- using the continuous form of the present perfect with non-action verbs, e.g. I've been
knowing my best friend for 15 years.

- confusing for and since.

Present perfect continuous (for continuous or repeated recent actions)

• We also use the present perfect continuous to talk about recent continuous actions
which have either just stopped or arc still continuing, e.g. A You look tired. B Yes, I've
been cleaning the house all afternoon ( = I've just finished).

A You look tired. B Yes, 1 haven't been sleeping well recently (= I still have problems
sleeping at night).

Focus on the exercises and get Srs to do them individually or in pairs. You might want
to tell Sts that a only focusses on the present perfect.

- Check answers, getting Sts to read the full sentences. Tell Sts to go back to the main
lesson 2B.

3. PRONUNCIATION

3.a. Tell Sts that they are going to hear a dictation of three present perfect continuous
questions and three answers. The first time they listen they should try to write down
the stressed words they hear. Play the audio, pausing after each sentence to give Sts
time to write.
3.b. Now tell Sts to look at the stressed words they have written and try to remember
or guess what the complete question or sentence is.

- Tell Sts they will listen to the audio again and they should try to complete any gaps
they have. Play the audio again.

- Check answers and write the sentences on the board.

3.c. Play the audio again, pausing after each question and sentence for Sts to listen and
repeat, copying the rhythm. Encourage them to pronounce the stressed words (in the
large pink rectangles) more strongly and not to stress the other words. Remind Sts that
unstressed words are often contracted and are often weak forms, e.g. been becomes
/bin/ and for becomes /fə/.

- Then repeat the activity eliciting responses from individual Sts. In pairs, Sts practice
saying the sentences.

- Finally, get some Sts to say the sentences to the class.

3.d. Focus on the instructions and example.

- Play the audio, pausing after each sentence for Sts to listen and form the question.

- Then repeat the activity eliciting

the questions from individual Sts.
3. Homework

HOMEWORK: Ex.1 p.14; Ex.2 p.15