Learn the basic vocabulary needed to read classified ads for apartments and to speak with an apartment manager
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Week of June 22/26
This lesson plan focuses on Canada’s role in World War II. The lesson includes warm-up activities, vocabulary exercises, reading passages, a short video, and reflection questions to increase your students’ understanding of Canadian history.
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Lesson plan overview
| Task | To learn some of the vocabulary used in ads for apartments and to discuss an advertised apartment with an apartment manager. |
| CLB level | CLB Stage I (CLB 2-4) |
| Delivery method | Online |
| Class size | 10-15 students (vary the number of activities according to your class size) |
| Estimated time | 1.5-2 hours (depending on class size) |
| CLB Skills and Competencies | Speaking: Interacting with others Getting things done Sharing information Listening: Interacting with others Comprehending instructions Getting things done Comprehending information Reading: Comprehending information |
| Language focus | Learn the vocabulary needed to understand this topic. Practice formulating and responding to questions. Use the appropriate grammar structures and vocabulary to respond personally to the reflection questions. (Encourage students to respond in full sentences.) |
| Cultural focus | Students understand politeness formulas (e.g., standard greetings and farewells, ways to phrase questions) expected in Canadian exchanges. |
| Specific task learning objectives | Students learn basic words and phrases related to renting an apartment in Canada. Students watch, listen to, and practice a sample role play. Students discuss their own experiences renting apartments here and in their home countries. |
| ESL Directions original video (🎥) and audio (🔊) activities? | This lesson includes original 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 how to understand ads for apartments. We’re also going to practice asking an apartment manager about an advertised apartment.
- What is an apartment?
- What is an ad?
- Where do you see ads for apartments?
- What are some words you might see in these ads?
Skill-building activities
- Vocabulary flashcards*
- Listen to the vocabulary again* 🔊(Pay attention to how to say the words and phrases and what they mean.)
Skill-using tasks
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- Let’s look at some sample ads for apartments:
- Pair or no pair*
- Finding an apartment: Talking with an apartment manager* 🎥
- Audio, role play, and comprehension questions* 🔊
- Who says what?*
Assessment/review tasks
- Open-ended dialogue* (Answer Sarah’s questions about the apartment in your own words.)
- Let’s try to understand some real ads (using the Kijiji site) (Depending on the time available, pick one or two real ads for the class to work on together.)
- Open the box quiz*
- What sticks?* (Ask students to suggest two or three things they remember from the lesson.)
Reflection questions
- Do you live in an apartment or a house?
- Have you ever rented an apartment in Canada?
- How did you find the apartment?
- Do you use the ads on online services like Kijiji?
- Are there areas of town that you would most like or not like to live in?
- What is most important to you in finding an apartment? Examples might include location, parking, closeness to the LRT, number of bedrooms, etc.
- Is finding an apartment different here from in your home country?
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Kathy Garnsworthy, the creator of ESL Directions, is an 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, she specializes in teaching online classes of beginner ESL students.
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