Lesson Plan | Active Learning | Pronouns: Object and Subject

Assumptions: This Active Lesson Plan assumes: a 100-minute class, prior student study with both the Book and the start of Project development, and that only one activity (among the three suggested) will be chosen to be conducted during the class, as each activity is designed to take up a significant portion of the available time.

Objectives

Duration: (5 - 10 minutes)

The Objectives stage is essential to establish the learning goals of the class. By clearly defining what is expected to be achieved, students can prepare adequately and direct their focus to the most relevant aspects of studying pronouns. This moment also serves to align the teacher's expectations with those of the students, ensuring greater effectiveness during practical activities in the classroom.

Main Objectives:

1. Enable students to identify and use pronouns in different contexts, especially as subjects or objects in sentences.

2. Develop the ability to perform syntactic analysis and comprehension of texts in English, emphasizing the importance of pronouns for textual cohesion.

Side Objectives:

1. Encourage active student participation through discussions and practical exercises.

Introduction

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

The Introduction stage serves to engage students with the content they studied at home and to contextualize the practical importance of pronouns in English. Problem situations encourage students to think critically about how to apply prior knowledge in real scenarios, preparing them for practical application in class. The contextualization, in turn, broadens students' perception of the relevance of pronouns in language and English culture, fostering greater interest and curiosity about the subject.

Problem-Based Situations

1. Imagine you are in a job interview in English and need to talk about your past skills. How would you use pronouns like 'I', 'he', 'she', 'it', and 'they' to avoid repetition and make your speech more fluent?

2. Think of a situation where you are helping a lost tourist in your city. How would you use pronouns like 'you' and 'me' to refer to yourself and the tourist, and 'he', 'she', 'it', 'they' to describe other people or objects in the conversation?

Contextualization

Pronouns are crucial tools in daily communication, saving us from repeating names and helping to maintain fluency in conversations. For example, the phrase 'What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet' could be quite cumbersome without the use of the pronouns 'we' and 'which'. Additionally, understanding pronouns in English can facilitate comprehension of texts and conversations, avoiding common misunderstandings in literal translations.

Development

Duration: (65 - 75 minutes)

The Development stage is designed for students to practically and interactively apply the prior knowledge about pronouns studied at home. By working in groups, students are encouraged to discuss and collaborate, promoting an active and participatory learning environment. Each proposed activity aims to solidify the understanding of pronouns as subjects and objects in different contexts while developing writing, reading, and speaking skills in English.

Activity Suggestions

It is recommended to carry out only one of the suggested activities

Activity 1 - Cinegrammar: The Pronoun Adventure

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Practice the use of pronouns as subjects and objects in a fun and collaborative context, promoting fluency and understanding of the role of pronouns in communication.

- Description: In this playful activity, students will be divided into groups of up to 5 people, and each group will receive a short movie script without dialogues, only with scenes and described actions. The challenge will be to write a complete dialogue, correctly using subject and object pronouns, for each scene. The scenes vary from everyday situations to humorous ones, such as a café scene where a student spills coffee on their crush's shirt, or a superhero scene saving the day.

- Instructions:

• Divide the class into groups of no more than 5 students.

• Distribute the scripts to each group.

• Ask each group to watch the 'scene' and identify the necessary pronouns.

• Students should then write the complete dialogue, focusing on the correct use of pronouns.

• Each group presents their version of the dialogue to the class, which analyzes and discusses the successes and errors.

Activity 2 - Pronoun Detectives

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Enhance the ability to recognize and use pronouns correctly as subjects and objects, as well as develop argumentative skills by justifying the choices made.

- Description: Students, grouped together, will take on the role of linguistic detectives. They will receive a set of sentences where some pronouns are missing or swapped. Using prior knowledge, they should identify, correct or complete the pronouns, and justify their choices based on the grammatical rules studied.

- Instructions:

• Form groups of up to 5 students.

• Distribute the sets of sentences to each group.

• Students will work together to identify and correct the wrong or missing pronouns.

• Each group will present their corrections and justifications to the class.

• Promote a discussion about the different pronoun choices made by the groups, reinforcing the grammatical rules.

Activity 3 - Story Builders

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Encourage creativity and practical application of knowledge about pronouns in a fun and visual format, while working on written and oral fluency.

- Description: In this activity, groups of students will construct a comic strip using subject and object pronouns correctly and creatively. Each group will receive a set of photographs that must be used to create the story, and they will need to write speech and thought bubbles for the characters, effectively incorporating pronouns.

- Instructions:

• Divide the class into groups of up to 5 students.

• Give each group a set of photographs that will serve as a basis for the comic strip.

• Students should develop the story, writing the dialogues and thoughts of the characters, using pronouns correctly.

• Each group presents their comic strip to the class, explaining the use of the pronouns.

• Hold a vote for the most creative and well-constructed story.

Feedback

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

This feedback stage is crucial for consolidating the learning acquired during practical activities. The group discussion allows students to articulate what they learned, reflect on their experiences, and hear different perspectives from their peers, which is fundamental for developing a deeper and more critical understanding of the use of pronouns in English. Additionally, the key questions help guide reflection and evaluation of learning, ensuring that students can apply what they learned in future situations.

Group Discussion

At the end of the activities, gather all students for a group discussion. Start the discussion with a brief introduction: 'Now that everyone has had the chance to explore and apply the use of pronouns as subjects and objects in different contexts, I would like you to share your experiences. What was most challenging? What did you find most interesting about applying pronouns in the activities you carried out?' Encourage all students to participate by asking direct questions to each group and promoting an open and collaborative dialogue environment.

Key Questions

1. What are the main differences you noticed in the use of subject and object pronouns during the activities?

2. How can knowledge about pronouns assist in understanding texts in English?

3. Was there any situation where the use of pronouns led to misunderstandings? How did you resolve it?

Conclusion

Duration: (10 - 15 minutes)

The Conclusion stage is vital to ensure that students have a clear and consolidated understanding of the topics addressed during the lesson. By summarizing and reinforcing the content, the teacher helps students link theory and practice, ensuring that learning is effective and lasting. Moreover, by highlighting the relevance of the topic for everyday and professional situations, this stage motivates students to continue exploring and applying their knowledge of pronouns in various contexts.

Summary

To conclude, the teacher should review the main points addressed in the lesson, reiterating the importance and use of pronouns as subjects and objects in English. The activities carried out should be recapped, highlighting the strategies employed by students to apply pronouns in various contexts, such as in movie dialogues, sentence correction, and comic strip construction.

Theory Connection

During the lesson, the connection between theory and practice was effectively established. Students applied the concepts studied at home in practical activities that simulated real communication situations, which helped solidify the knowledge and understanding of the pronouns. The proposed scenarios in the activities were carefully chosen to reflect everyday situations, facilitating the transfer of learning to real contexts.

Closing

Finally, it is essential to emphasize that mastering pronouns is crucial for fluency and clarity in communication in English. Understanding and correctly using subject and object pronouns not only enriches students' linguistic ability but also facilitates interaction in environments where English is the predominant language, such as in international travel, studies, or in the globalized job market.