The cup final!
Aims
Learning goals:
Understanding and producing a simple
narrative
Using time connectors to put events in
chronological order
Contents
Year 9
Lesson 14
Skills: Writing
Keywords
accurate, at last, attacker,
chronological, cup final, defender,
finally, first, midfield, narrative, order,
title, today, read out
Language Analysis
Understanding and producing a simple narrative
A narrative is often a synonym with a story and it is a text which usually focuses on past events. It can
be fiction or non-fiction with a narrator or written by the author as the narrator. We use the narratives to
tell the stories of our personal experiences so they are a very important form of text.
We usually use the past tense to describe events in chronological order, that is the order in which they
happened.
We use time connectors to link the events in a chronological sequence.
We can use: first of all, next, then, finally and in the end to put events in order.
First of all, he read out the names of the attackers.
Next, he read out the names of the midfielders.
Then, he read out the names of the defenders.
Finally, he said that Adam was the captain.
In the end, Adam scored a goal in the cup final.
It may be helpful to suggest students the following structure of a narrative story if they find it difficult to
start with:
1 general statement – introduction
2 body that answers the questions of: what happened, when, to whom, why, where etc.
3 summary – where everything is pulled together e.g. how important the experience was
accurate /ˈækjʊrət/
at last /æt lɑːst/, compare least: /liːst/
attacker /əˈtækə(r)/
chronological
cup final
defender /dɪˈfendə(r)/
finally /ˈfaɪn(ə)li/
first /fɜː(r)st/
midfield /ˈmɪdˌfiːld/
narrative /ˈnærətɪv/
order /ˈɔː(r)də(r)/
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
title /ˈtaɪt(ə)l/
today /təˈdeɪ/
read out /riːd aʊt/
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Procedure
Lead-in
Key:
1 Defenders
2 Attackers
3 goalkeeper
4 captain
5 midfielder
6 cup final
Ask students to read and complete. Ask: How
much do you know about football.
Extension: If possible, ask students to go online
and find their favourite team, player, match etc.
Give them two to three minutes to prepare very
short presentations of their favourite football
players and matches. Alternatively, display a few
photos of famous footballers on the board and
ask students to guess their names, and the team
they play for.
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Main input
Audio:
First of all, he read out the names of the
attackers.
Next, he read out the names of the midfielders.
Then, he read out the names of the defenders.
Finally, he said that Adam was the captain.
In the end, Adam scored a goal in the cup final.
Key:
1 False
2 True
3 False
4 False
5 True
6 False
Ask students to read the short story Adam wrote
and choose True or False.
Note:
The text is short because the aim of the exam
task is to write a text of about 100 words, so the
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
model text needs to be that length.
Extension: Encourage students to correct the
false sentences.
3 False
First of all, the teacher read out the names of the
attackers.
4 False
He read out the names of the defenders after he
read out the names of the attackers.
6 False
In the end, he played in the cup final.
Cover the screen and ask students to practise
telling the story in pairs. Alternatively, ask
students to spend two minutes and write
questions to the text. Then students work in pairs,
ask and answers the questions. Focus students
attention on the connectors:
First of all,
Next,
Then, …
Finally,
In the end, …
Ask students to find the connectors in the text and
point to them:
Today, I was going to find out if I had been
chosen to play in the football team for the cup
final. I was your average eleven year old, a
defender and a Manchester United fan and all I
have ever wanted to do is play in a cup final.
First of all, Mr Malcolm read out the names of the
attackers. Next, he read out the names of the
midfielders and then, he read out the names of
the defenders. I realized he hadn't read out my
name. I was in shock, I realized I'd never play in a
cup final. But, finally, through my sadness, I heard
him say, 'Adam you are the captain!' In the end, I
scored the team's only goal, but it won us the cup!
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Practice 1
Audio & Key:
1 First of all, he read out the names of the
attackers.
2 Next, he read out the names of the midfielders.
3 Then, he read out the names of the defenders.
4 Finally, he said that Adam was the captain.
5 In the end, Adam scored a goal in the cup final.
Ask students to put the words in order. Then
listen and check.
Extension: ask students to practise saying the
sentences and focus on the connectors.
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Practice 2
Audio:
Today, I was going to find out if I had been
chosen to play in the football team for the cup
final. I was your average eleven year old, a
defender and a Manchester United fan and all I
have ever wanted to do is play in a cup final.
First of all, Mr Malcolm read out the names of the
attackers. Next, he read out the names of the
midfielders and then, he read out the names of
the defenders. I realized he hadn’t read out my
name. I was in shock, I realized I’d never play in a
cup final. But, finally, through my sadness, I heard
him say, ‘Adam you are the captain!’ In the end, I
scored the team’s only goal, but it won us the cup!
Key:
1 First of all, he read out the attackers
2 Next, he read out the midfielders.
3 Then, he read out the defenders.
4 Finally, he said that Adam was the captain.
5 In the end, Adam scored a goal in the cup final.
Ask students to put the sentences in
chronological order. Then listen and check their
answers.
Point out that next and then are interchangeable.
Give out Handouts. Ask students to fill in the
missing words.
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Key:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
today
cup
first of all
next
then
finally
in the end
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Practice 3
Key:
1 True
2 False
3 False
4 True
5 True
6 False
Tell students to read about writing a narrative and
choose True or False.
Extension:
Encourage students to correct the false
sentences:
2 False
It matters how long your story is.
3 False
You cannot change the title or the sentence you
are given in the exam question.
6 False
The focus is usually on past events.
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Practice 4
Key:
Students’ own answers.
Tell students to look at the exam question.
The aim of the screen is to prepare students for
the next free writing activity. Ask students to take
notes in their notebooks:
Who is the story about?
Where does it take place?
How did the story start?
What happened to the main character?
How can you make a good ending to the story?
In weaker groups practise answering the
questions with your students before doing the
writing activity.
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
English to take away
Key:
Students’ own answers.
This is a free writing stage and the aim is to
practise writing. Give students the following
instructions for this activity:
Read the exam question. Follow the instructions
and write about a 100-word story in your
notebooks.
Students should use their notes from the previous
screen to support their writing.
Extension: Before doing the activity you can
explain to students what narratives are and why
they are so important. Please see Language
Analysis for help.
If appropriate, ask students to read their stories
aloud to their classmates in pairs or small groups.
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide
Handout
cup
in the end
finally
next
first of all
then
today
(1) ______________, I was going to find out if I had been chosen to play in the football
team for the cup final. I was your average eleven year old, a defender and a
Manchester United fan and all I have ever wanted to do is play in a (2)
______________, final.
(3) ______________,, Mr Malcolm read out the names of the attackers. (4)
______________,, he read out the names of the midfielders and (5) ______________,,
he read out the names of the defenders. I realized he hadn't read out my name. I was in
shock, I realized I'd never play in a cup final. But, (6) ______________,, through my
sadness, I heard him say, 'Adam you are the captain!' (7) ______________,, I scored
the team's only goal, but it won us the cup!
© Young Digital Planet 2015 – Core Curriculum for English – Teacher’s Guide