Learn some different ways to tell the time in English
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Lesson plan overview
| Task | To learn some different ways to tell the time in English. |
| CLB level | CLB Stage I (CLB 1-3) |
| Delivery method | Online |
| Class size | 10-15 students (vary the number of activities according to your class size) |
| Estimated time | 1.5 hours (depending on class size) |
| CLB Skills and Competencies | Speaking: Interacting with others Sharing information Listening: Interacting with others Comprehending information Reading: Comprehending information |
| Language focus | Learn the vocabulary needed to understand this topic. Practice answering questions about their daily routine using full sentences. Understand the use of the preposition “at” in expressions of time (e.g., at 7 pm, at midnight). Use the appropriate grammar structures and vocabulary to respond personally to the reflection questions. (Encourage students to respond in full sentences.) |
| Cultural focus | Students learn about traditional daily routines in Canada (e.g., times for lunch and dinner) and compare these with their own daily routines. |
| Specific task learning objectives | Students will learn basic vocabulary for different times of day. Students will learn some different ways to express time (e.g., 7:15 am, a quarter after seven). Students will practice answering open-ended questions about their daily routine as a way to practice saying the time. |
| ESL Directions original video (🎥) and audio (🔊) activities? | This lesson plan includes video (🎥) and audio (🔊) activities. |
| Resource attribution | ESL Directions original resources are marked below with an asterisk (*). Feel free to use these, but please give credit to ESL Directions. |
Lesson plan
Warm-up: Introducing the topic and defining our terms
- Today, we’re going to learn about telling time in English by connecting times of day to our daily routines.
- What does time mean?
- What is telling time?
- What are some examples of times of day?
Skill-building activities
- Vocabulary flashcards*
- Listen to the vocabulary again* 🔊 (Ask students to pay attention to the pronunciation and meaning of the words. You can also ask the students to share the meanings verbally.)
Skill-using tasks
FEATURED CONTENT
- Telling the time* 🎥
- Video quiz*
- Audio, role play, and comprehension questions* 🔊
- Open-ended questions and answers* (Let students know that they can make up times if they’d rather not answer with real times. Ask them to use “at” with expressios of time.)
Assessment/review tasks
- Open the box*
- Telling the time quiz* (Match each time with another way of saying it.)
- Pair or no pair*
Reflection questions
- What time do you wake up?
- What time do you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
- What time do you go to bed?
- Do you eat the same kind of food shown in the video? Do you eat at the same times?
- Are there differences in how Canadians think about time compared with how people see time in your first country? For example, is it as important to be on time in your first country?
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ESL teacher, movie buff, constant reader, and former editor and communications pro. Now a graduate of the Teaching English as a Second Language program at the University of Manitoba and an ESL teacher in Edmonton, Alberta, I specialize in teaching online classes of beginner ESL students.
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