82 Part II: Putting Your Lesson Together
Use a little caution when using synonyms and antonyms because they some-
times fit only in particular circumstances. For example, synonyms of ‘buy’ are
‘get’, ‘acquire’ and ‘purchase’. However you can’t really ‘purchase’ time. Only
‘buy’ fits in that expression.
Presenting Grammar
When you present grammar, usually one of the tenses in English, you include
points such as:
✓ Form: Show what the grammar actually looks like even when you manip-
ulate it in different ways. For instance:
- Positive: He had written it.
- Negative: He had not written it.
- Question: Had he written it?
- Contraction: He’d written it.
✓ Pronunciation: Consider any features that you need to highlight and
drill.
✓ Function: Demonstrate exactly when you use the grammar by putting it
in context. Timelines help to represent this visually.
✓ Examples: Use realia or pictures as well as sentences to explain.
✓ Concept check questions.
✓ Comparison with other grammar if necessary.
A Presentation for a grammar lesson on bodies of water to meet certain crite-
ria might consist of:
✓ Class profile: Mixed nationality class of six students studying English for
higher education.
✓ Level: Pre-intermediate.
✓ Materials: Diagrams showing simple processes.
✓ Problems: Remembering the difference between active and passive
forms.
✓ Lesson aims: To teach the present simple passive for describing a pro-
cess; to continue the theme of the week ‘Water’; to aid project work.
