Allison Herries
Student level
Intermediate
Course lessons
10 lessons
Course location
Skype
Course duration
12 hours
Topic
English use in a small business setting
Progress expectation
My student currently works as a bartender in a popular bar for
travelers. In the future he wants to run his own small restaurant in
Cusco, Peru that will cater to both local and foreign clientele. For
this reason it would benefit him greatly to learn English. By the end
of this course the student should be able to communicate more
effectively with foreign travelers in a formal setting.
Subject
Review of the past and future tenses; Expansion of his vocabulary;
Issuing polite requests; emphasis on communication and
pronunciation.
Aim
The overall purpose of this course is to have Franklin feel more
comfortable communicating to clients in his bar by reviewing basic
tenses that he has been exposed to in the past and focusing on
pronunciation so that he can make himself better understood. The
student also reports having trouble understanding different English.
Therefore, I would like to expose him to different types of accents
through the use of audio lessons and video clips.
Objective
Lesson 1: Review of the past simple tense with focus on irregular
verbs and use of the past simple in conversation.
Lesson 2: Present perfect tense and how long, for, since, ever,
recently, lately, already, and yet.
Lesson 3: Issuing polite commands and suggestions;
recommendations
Lesson 4: Food vocabulary; Some/any and quantifiers with a focus
on uncountable/countable nouns using food
Lesson 5: Review of future tenses “will” and “going to.” Review
appropriate ways to use the future tenses; Help student talk about
the future in normal conversations to develop communicative skills.
Lesson 6: Spice up his story-telling and writing using vocal verbs
and adverbs; Help the student use more vocabulary when telling and
writing stories.
Lesson 7: Communicating over the phone using simple tricks to
make a native English speak in a more understandable manner
Lesson 8: Future continuous tense
Lesson 9: Expressing opinions with a focus on conversation
Lesson 10: First Conditional Tense
Material &
equipment
Audio lectures in a variety of accents, video clips to introduce new
vocabulary, flashcards to teach vocabulary and other activities,
worksheets for certain lessons.
Written homework assignments that correlate to the spoken or audio
lessons in class and will allow the student to practice English writing
skills while at the same to committing new vocabulary to memory
outside of class.
Learning
assessment
Lesson
Duration
Topic
1
15 minutes
Past Simple
Introduction
(The student has
already learned
the simple past
so this should be
a review and a
way to gauge
how many
irregular verbs
the student has
retained)
25 minutes
Grammatical
breakdown of
the simple past
tense. How the
simple past is
used. How to
form
positive/negative
sentences and
questions.
Teacher activity
Student
Activity
Give fill in the
Student needs to
blank handout
turn sentences in
with sentences
the simple
in the simple
present into
present and have sentences in the
him change the
simple past.
sentences to
When he is done
past tense. Help the student
student with
should read the
irregular verbs.
new sentences
out loud to
practice
pronunciation.
Use a timeline to
express that the
simple past
tense is used to
talk about an
event that began
and ended in the
past. Write down
formulas for
forming
positive/negative
Resources
Worksheet
The student
Whiteboard
should be asked
to provide follow
up examples
using the
positive/negative
and question
forms of past
simple.
sentences and
questions.
30 minutes
Card Game
Hand out cards
that contain
infinitive verbs.
As the student
conjugates the
verb on the card
make a list on
the whiteboard
of irregular and
regular verbs in
the past. Try to
encourage
natural
conversation
rather than just
moving from one
card to the next
The student
needs to think of
a sentence using
the verb on the
card in the past
simple tense.
The verbs are a
mix of regular –
ed endings and
irregular verbs.
The sentence
should be
something the
student recently
did in the past or
pulled from a
real-life.
20 minutes
Audio Activity
Have the student
listen to an audio
clip of a person
describing a past
event. Have him
listen two or
three times. The
last time give
him a transcript
of the audio and
have him
underline all of
the times the
past simple is
used.
Give homework
assignment
instructions
Student listens
Audio
to the audio. On
the last listen he
underlines all the
times the past
simple is used on
the transcript.
Homework
assignment
Write a story
about what you
did last
weekend.
Cards with
infinitive
verbs
Lesson
Duration
Topic
Teacher
activity
Play the audio
one or two
times. After
the second
listen write the
sentences on
the board that
contain. Then
write
sentences that
first contain
either past
simple or past
perfect.
Student
activity
Ask the
student to
read each
sentence
aloud. Then
ask him if he
understands
how the
tenses change
the meaning
of the
sentences.
Resources
2
15 minutes
Audio Clip of a
couple arguing.
The clip is full of
present perfect
tense, especially
in accusations.
“You’ve been at
the supermarket
all this time,
have you?” and
“I’ve only had
one beer in the
last week!”
Used as an
introduction of
present
continuous with
a focus on how it
is used and how
it compares to
the past simple
and past perfect
tense
30 minutes
Uses of present
perfect.
Formation of
present perfect
in
positive/negative
sentences and
questions
Handout
worksheets to
assist in
teaching the
uses and
formation
Student
completes the
worksheet and
fills in
examples of
present
perfect
Worksheet
20 minutes
Forming
distinctions
between finished
and unfinished
time with
timelines and
vocabulary
On the board,
draw two
columns. On
the left column
write examples
of phrases that
go with
finished time:
yesterday, last
week, last
month, last
year, 1990,
The student
will be given
example
sentences.
Once he
understands
how the
present
perfect is
formed have
him give
verbal
Whiteboard
20 minutes
Timetable
activity in order
to introduce how
long, for, since,
ever, recently,
lately, already,
and yet
etc...On the
right column,
write those
that go with
unfinished
time: today,
this week, this
month, this
year. Draw a
corresponding
timeline.
examples in
past simple
and in present
perfect.
Write a
fictional
timetable of a
family’s
vacation plans
on the board.
Repeat
exercise with
the fictional
timetable of
someone’s life.
Finish the
activity by
having the
student
complete his
own timetable
and have him
give verbal
examples using
present
perfect.
Have the
student make
up sentences
about the
families plan
and the man’s
life based on
dates and
events that
appear on the
timetables.
Finally the
student should
make his own
timetable and
be able to
verbalize
events in his
life using
present
perfect.
Lesson
Duration
Topic
Teacher activity
3
20 minutes
Issuing polite
commands with
modal verbs
could/would and
Please…
I’d like…
Do you mind…
May I…
Shall we…
Begin lesson with
often used
English phrase of
“It’s easier to
attract bees with
honey than with
vinegar.” Follow
by giving
examples of use
could/would
Timetables
written on the
whiteboard or
on a handout.
Student
Resources
Activity
Listening to
Whiteboard
examples and
then giving his
own examples.
when issuing
commands until
the student is
comfortable using
them. Then add
other polite
phrases such as
may I.
20 minutes
Issuing polite
command activity
Set out a pile of
cards in the
center of the
table. Start by
drawing a card
and form a
request based on
the word on the
card such as
“Could you please
pass the salt.”
Have the
student draw
the next card
and form a
sentence using
a polite
command
phrase.
Continue until
all the cards
are gone.
Vocabulary
cards
30 minutes
Giving
recommendations
with modal verbs
should, could,
might, must, have
to or have got to.
Distinguishing
differences
between it is
good idea and it is
absolutely
necessary.
Distinguish
between giving
recommendations
between what
the user thinks is
a good idea and
what the users
thinks is
necessary by
using examples
with the modal
verbs.
Fill in the
blank activity
and reading
newspaper
articles of
proposed
government or
local projects
that highlight
use of these
modal verbs
for reading
and
pronunciation
Worksheets
and
newspaper
articles
Homework
assignment
Give instructions
about the
homework
assignment
Writing
exercise about
noteworthy
places to visit
in Cusco, Peru
Lesson
Duration
Topic
4
20 minutes
Food
Teacher
Student
activity
activity
Begin by asking Answer the
Resources
Food pictures
vocabulary
with a review
of countable
versus
uncountable
verbs.
What is your
favorite food?
What are your
favorite types
of foods?
question in
order to
practice
speaking.
Hand out slide
pictures of
different food;
Chinese,
vegetarian,
vegetables,
fruits, junk
food, and
seafood.
Ask the
student to list
the individual
items that he
sees and then
form a title for
each category
of food. From
there have the
student
separate
words into
countable
versus
uncountable
noun
Listing food
vocabulary.
Form a list of
countable
versus
uncountable
nouns. He
should notice
that many of
the titles of the
categories are
uncountable
nouns.
Give the
student a
survey activity
where he
answers
questions that
have different
meanings
because of the
use of some or
any. Ask him
what gives
these
sentences
different
meanings.
Define some
and any.
Student takes
a survey that
uses some or
any as well as
food
vocabulary. He
marks the
answers that
apply to him in
order to check
to see if he
understands
the difference
between some
and any or at
least that
some or any
can change the
meaning a
sentence
Bring the focus
back to the
food pictures.
Student is
looking for a
second time at
25 minutes
Some and any
survey activity
and definitions
40 minutes
Quantifiers
(few, a few,
either printed
or on a
computer
slides
Food pictures
or slides
several few,
several, a little,
little, not
enough,
enough, too
much/many,
not enough)
Order
quantifiers
from least and
greatest.
Quantifier
activity. A
picture of
someone
preparing for a
party. In the
picture is a
table with all
the party
essentials
including
foods, drinks,
and utensils.
Attached to
the picture is a
list of the
people coming
including kids,
Ask the
student to
make
statements
about the
amount of
food items that
he sees in the
pictures.
Prompt him by
adding
quantifier
vocabulary to
the
whiteboard
the pictures of
food. He
should
comment on
the amount of
food using
phrases such
as “there are a
few bananas”
Hand out cards
of quantifiers
and have the
student order
them from
least to
greatest. Refer
back to the
examples
involving food
if he has
trouble.
The student
receives cards
with the
quantifier
words. He
needs to put
them in order
from least to
greatest.
Give the
student the
picture of the
party. Read
instructions
and questions
out loud.
End the
exercise by
asking the
student if he
notices which
quantifiers are
used with
countable
nouns,
uncountable
nouns, or both.
Have the
Quantifier
student
picture activity
answer
questions
about the
party using
quantifiers and
some and any.
For example,
there are too
few cups or
there are too
many hot dogs.
Have the
student make
a list of
quantifiers
that are used
with countable
Quantifier
flash cards
vegetarians,
and people
with dietary
restriction.
nouns,
uncountable
nouns, or both.
5 minutes
Homework
assignment:
Have the
student make
a shopping list
for a party he
is planning.
Explain to the
student that
the homework
needs to
include the
quantifiers and
should be 10
lines long.
Lesson
Duration
Topic
Teacher activity
5
20 minutes
Introduction to
future tenses and
what the student
already knows
about the future
tense.
Begin the class by
proposing the
following
questions:
What are your
plans for the
weekend? What
are your plans for
the year? What
are your
predictions for
the year 2025?
Encourage
natural
conversation. Try
to encourage
natural discourse
and correct
mistakes during
the grammar part
of this lesson
15 minutes
Grammar of the
future tenses
Going to +
Infinitive
Will + Infinitive
Have examples
prepared in order
to demonstrate
use of both types
Student
Activity
Have the student
answer these
three questions.
What are your
plans for the
weekend? What
are your plans for
the year? What
are your
predictions for
the year 2025?
Resources
Concept check
questions to
check if the
student
understands the
concept of plans
made before the
moment of
speaking and
plans that are
Whiteboard
and markers
Whiteboard
and markers
made at the
moment of
speaking.
20 minutes
Audio activity
involving true and
false and concept
check questions.
The audio is
about an English
tourist that is
outlining his
upcoming
vacation to Peru.
In this audio there
are clearly plans
that are
impossible and
any person from
Peru will see
them to be
impossible. In this
way we can tie
together the class
on making
suggestions and
recommendations
while learning the
future tense.
Write key/ new
vocabulary on the
board and check
to make sure he
understands all
new vocabulary
words. Play audio
at least two
times. Have him
complete true or
false questions.
Ask short answer
questions about
this person’s
plans for the
future to check
understanding.
Ask him if he
thinks these plans
are possible.
What suggestions
or
recommendations
would he make?
Listening to the
Audio.
audio. Answer
Transcript of
true and false
the audio.
questions.
Answer concept
questions and
make
recommendations
or suggestions for
this traveler.
Especially
focusing on
language he could
use if this person
a real traveler
who came into his
bar.
5 minutes
Homework
assignment. What
do you think you
will do in the next
5 years?
Check writing
exercise next
class.
At least ten lines
using the future
tenses.
Lesson
Duration
Topic
6
15-20 minutes
Vocal verbs
and adverbs as
used for storytelling
Teacher
activity
Begin by telling
a story about a
heated
situation
taking place
between two
people.
However, in
place of other
Student
Resources
activity
Ask the
student to
compare the
first and
second stories.
Begin by asking
him how the
second story
changed by
Review a chart
(Figure 1) of
commonly
used vocal
verbs and
adverbs
verbs use only
“he or she
said” or he/she
replied. Then
re-tell the
story replacing
he or she said
with vocal
verbs.
.
Use synonyms
or examples of
words in a
sentence for
any new
vocabulary.
way of feelings
and over-all
context and
then elicit the
new verbs that
were used.
Student reads
chart aloud to
practice
pronunciation.
Vocal verb and
adverb chart.
Activity
worksheet
20 minutes
Writing/
Reading
activity
Give the
student an
activity where
multiple
sentences are
written
describing
different
scenarios. Each
scenario will
use a basic
verb such as
“said.” The
student then
has to re-write
the sentence
using vocal
verbs. He will
then read his
improved
sentences out
loud.
Complete the
worksheet.
5 minutes
Homework
assignment. At
least 10 vocal
verbs or
adverbs.
Give
instructions
verbally.
Write a story
about an
encounter that
you recently
had with a
friend or family
member. What
happened?
What did each
person say?
How did they
act? Make sure
to use at least
10 vocal verbs
or adverbs.
Lesson
Duration
Topic
7
5 minutes
Warm-up: 10
years from
now. What will
you have been
doing?
20 minutes
Formation of
future
continuous
tense. Positive
and negative.
Teacher
activity
Pose the
question: 10
years from
now what will
you have been
doing? Explain
that this is an
activity started
in the present
and continued
to the future.
Use timelines
on the
whiteboard.
Examples
include: 10
years from
now I will have
been speaking
English
fluently.
Student
Activity
Answer the
question as
best as
possible using
the formula I
will have been
doing
Subject +
auxiliary verb
will (not)
+auxiliary verb
be + main verb
present
participle
Ask the
student to
make a list of
examples using
positive and
negative
formations as
well as the
abbreviations
Introduce
abbreviation of
will for ‘ll or
won’t
Use a timeline
to express
Resources
future
continuous
represents an
action that will
start before
the moment
and will not
end before
that moment.
‘
15 minutes
Future
Continuous
activity
Ask the
student to
write down his
schedule for
next week. Ask
him questions
about what he
will be doing at
certain times
throughout the
week.
Student writes
down his
schedule for
the week. He
then answers
questions
using the
future
continuous.
5 minutes
Future tenses
challenge
On the board
write: In two
weeks time,
we'll be
enjoying our
vacation.
and
In two weeks
time, we'll be
on vacation.
or
We're going to
leave on
vacation in two
weeks time.
Have the
student
distinguish the
different
meanings
Student should
try to give an
explanation
between the
future
continuous
and simple
futures. How
does the
meaning of
each question
differ?
15 minutes
Future tense
quiz. The
student will
need to choose
between:
Hand out the
quiz. Go over
the answers
with him.
Based on the
Student takes
the quiz. Read
answers aloud.
Quiz
Future simple,
Future with
'going to,'
Future
continuous,
and present
continuous for
the future. He
has learned all
of these and
reviewed some
in this syllabus.
This will be
challenging but
also is a good
way to
determine
which tenses
need some
review
results it might
be a good idea
to form a
review class in
the future for
one or more of
these tenses.
Homework
assignment.
Write a letter
to your future
self.
Explain
instructions for
homework
assignment.
Give an
example
sentence. “We
will have been
dating so and
so for 5 years
now. I do hope
we are still
with her.”
Write a letter
to your future
self using the
future perfect
continuous
tense.
Teacher
activity
Begin the
lesson with a
video clip of a
person making
a phone call in
which they
cannot see the
person on the
other line.
Student
Activity
Student
watches the
video and then
answers your
follow-up
questions.
Lesson
Duration
Topic
8
15 minutes
Phone
Conversation
video clip
Resources
Phone call
video clip
After the video
is done ask the
student what
they noticed
about the
phone call.
Was it harder
for the person
to
communicate
when they
could not see
the person
they were
talking to? Is
body language
important to
understand
English?
15 minutes
Tips to make a
native English
speaker slow
down on the
phone
Give a handout
with tips about
how to make a
native English
speaker speak
more clearly.
Tips include
repeating
phrases back
to the person
which often
prompts a
person to
repeat
themselves
without being
told.
The student
reads the
handout aloud
to practice
pronunciation.
25 minutes
Phone
conversation
practice
Ask the
student to
write down
situations of
phone
conversations
they have had
in the past. Try
to have a
variety of
Student writes
down phone
conversations
from their
past. During
the acting
portion of the
exercise he will
try to employ
the tips from
Handout
5 minutes
Lesson
Duration
Homework
Assignment
Topic
conversations
from family to
work
situations. Act
out the
situations
while sitting in
chairs with
backs turned.
Speak at a
natural pace.
the handout in
order to slow
down the
speaker.
Give
homework
assignment
instructions.
Listen to
phone
conversations
that people
have in office
settings. For
example, in
the office of an
English school.
What kind of
language do
they use? How
do they ask
people to
repeat
themselves?
How do they
convey
important
points of their
conversation?
Teacher activity
Student
Activity
Resources
9
5 minutes
Warm-up
Read website
reviews for
popular/unpopular
(they are usually
funnier) products
aloud. Elicit key
language from the
article for
expressing opinion
Student should Article
listen try to
focus on key
language for
expressing
opinions
10 minutes
Vocabulary for
expressing
opinions
Hand-out
vocabulary list and
read each phrase
aloud
Have student
practice
pronunciation
of all the
opinion
vocabulary
Expressing
opinions
vocabulary list
20 minutes
Reading
activity:
Opinion
section of the
newspaper
Have the student
read the opinion
section of a recent
newspaper article
aloud. Check for
new vocabulary
and concept check
by asking
questions about
the different
issues being
discussed.
Student reads
the opinion
section of the
newspaper.
Does he agree
or disagree
with people
offering their
opinion. Is
there an issue
in particular
that he feels
strongly
about?
Newspaper
30 minutes
Conversation
activity: Spark
a debate using
topic cards
Have the student
pick a
conversation card.
After he gives his
opinion you give
yours. Encourage a
debate.
Student picks a
conversation
card and gives
his opinion
about the
topic.
Topic cards.
Some of the
topics should
be lighthearted while
others should
be about
more serious
issues.
5 minutes
Homework
assignment
Write an
opinion article
for a
newspaper.
The article
should be
about
something
that happens
in your town
that makes
you very angry
or upset.
Lesson
Duration
Topic
10
10 minutes
Audio clip of
various people
talking about
things they will
do if they have
the time.
20 minutes
Breakdown of
audio and
grammatical
look at 1st
conditional
Teacher
activity
Play audio at
least two
times.
Student
activity
Have the
student follow
along with a fill
in the blank
worksheet
with blanks for
important
parts of the
first
conditional
tense
Resources
Split the
whiteboard
into two
columns. In
the first
column write
Fact and in the
second write
Result.
Have the
student
analyze the
sentences
from the audio
(present
simple in first
clause and
future simple
in the second).
Then have him
split the
sentence into
the two
columns
(result/fact).
Have the
Whiteboard
Write a
grammar
breakdown on
the board
along with
more
examples. Ask
the student if
these
situations have
a real chance
of happening.
student tell
you which part
of the
sentence is the
fact and which
is the result
20 minutes
Watch a movie
clip about
superstitions
and their
histories.
Play movie two
times. Ask the
student “what
will happen
if…” for each of
the
superstitions
he just saw in
the movie.
Have him
answer in full
sentences.
Have the
student tell
you what will
happen if for
each of the
superstitions
he saw in the
movie. For
example “If I
break a mirror,
I will have 7
years bad
luck.”
Student works
on the true or
false
worksheet
during the
second viewing
of the video.
Movie clip of
superstitions.
True or false
worksheet.
10-15 minutes
Conversation
Ask the
student if
there are any
superstitions in
his country?
What will
happen if…?
Tells a story
about
superstitions in
his country to
practice 1st
conditional
and to practice
conversing.
Vocal cords.
Student Details
Name: Franklin Concha Flores
Age: 29
Level: Intermediate
Notes: The student is upper-intermediate to advanced in some areas of English and intermediate in
others. He possesses a large amount of vocabulary that is very useful for reading English literature and
most definitely came from reading fictional books in English. However, he still lacks some basic
vocabulary that will help him communicate with clients at the bar. He could also use a review in some
of the more basic tenses. I believe he learned them such a long time that he has forgot many things and
would benefit from a review. I noticed that he has a hard time expressing himself because he thinks in
complex thoughts and then attempts to translate them to English. He needs to be taught how to find
separate avenues that can be used to convey the same message or the simplest way to make his point
understood. Another reason why some review would be beneficial. He also appears uncomfortable
when speaking in English. I think the use of games or conversation starters in a one on one manner can
make him feel more comfortable expressing his thoughts naturally.