Lesson Plan of Use of Articles

Lesson Plan of Use of Definite and Indefinite Articles

Students’ Learning Outcomes

·         Recall and apply the rules for the use of and an.
·         Choose between a or an before words that start with mute /silent consonant letters.
·         Identify and use the definite article ‘the’.
·         Differentiate between use of definite and indefinite articles.

Information for Teachers

·         Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns. English has two articles: The and a/an.The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns; a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We call the definite article and a/an the indefinite article.
o   the = definite article
o   a/an = indefinite article
·         There are three articles in English Language: a, an, and the.
·         The definite articles (the) are used with singular and plural, countable and uncountable nouns when both the speaker and the listener know the thing or idea already.
For example:
o   The car over there is fast.
o   The teacher is very good, isn’t he?
·         The first time you speak of something use a or an, the next time you repeat that object use ‘the’.
For example:
o   I live in a house. The house is quite old and has four bedrooms.
o   I ate in a Chines restaurant. The restaurant was very good.
·         The definite article is used:-
a)      Before seas, rivers, hotels, theaters/cinemas, museums and newspaper, the pacific, the Sindh, the Lahore museum, the news, the Pearl Continental, the Grand theater
b)      If there is only one.
For example:
o   The sun, the moon, the world, the president.
c)        With superlative adjectives:
For example:
o   He is the richest man in the world.
o   Farooq is the oldest in the class.
·         Remember, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word. So…
o   a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog
o   an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan
o   a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like ‘yoo-zer,’ i.e. begins with a consonant ‘y’ sound, so ‘a’ is used); a university; a unicycle
o   an + nouns starting with silent “h”: an hour
o   a + nouns starting with a pronounced “h”: a horse
·         Time division is tentative and can change as per need of the activity.

Material / Resources

Chalk/marker, board, textbook

Worm up activity

·         Start the lesson by asking students about the definite article ‘the’. Ask them when definite article is used. Write a few examples on the board.
·         Reinforce the previously taught rules of using ‘the’ with examples.
·         Write ‘the sun’, ‘the world’, ‘the moon’, on the board. Teach students that ‘the’ is also used when we talk about objects which are only one.
·         Write ‘the president of Pakistan’ on the board.
·         Teach students that because Pakistan has only one president and one prime minister, ‘the’ is used before them.
·         Ask students to give examples of presidents of other countries e.g. ‘the president of USA etc.
·         Teach the use of ‘the’ with superlatives adjectives only if students have been taught superlative adjectives previously.

Development

Activity 1

·         Write 5-7 sentences on the board. Like follow:
v  Read the sentences and underline the correct article.
1.       What is a/the name of this street? (the)
2.       The/A sun is shining.                          (the)
3.       Paris is a/the capital of France.       (the)
4.       Where is Ali? He, ‘he is in the/a bathroom’. (the)
5.       Who is a/the president of Pakistan?               (the)
6.       We are going to a/the Lahore museum’.       (the)
7.       I read the/ a Jung every Sunday.                      (the)
·         Tell the students that they have to select ‘a’ or ‘the’.
·         Tell the students that they have to keep in mind the rules for using ‘a’ and ‘the’.
·         Repeat the instructions if necessary.
·         Provide necessary support to the students while they are doing their work.

Activity 2

·         Write on the board two sentences like as:
1.       I bought ____ cap and ___ shirt at ____ shop. ____ Shirt isn’t of my size. I will change it tomorrow.
2.       Where are ____ children? ‘They are in _____ garden’.
3.       Where are my shoes? ‘On ____ floor, in ___ kitchen?
4.       I went to ______ hotel last night.
5.       What is ____ name of _____ hotel we went to last night?
Answer key:
1.       A, a, a, the 2. The, the 3. The, the 4. A 5. The, the
·         Ask one student to read aloud the sentence. Ask from the students what articles should be used in the blanks.
·         Help the students by explaining the rules to them.
·         Choose students to come to the board and fill in the blanks.
·         Do all the sentences one by one on the board. Try to involve maximum students.

Sum up / Conclusion

·         Quickly review the lesson by asking the students questions:
o   What are ‘a’ and ‘an’ called?
o   What is ‘the’ called?
o   What are the rules for using ‘the’? etc.

Assessment

·         Assess students’ ability to recall the rules for the use of articles “the” through their correct responses during worm up activity.
·         Assess students’ ability to choose between a or the through the correct choices made in the activity1 and 2.
·         Assess students’ ability to use the definite article through the follow up activity.
·         Teacher is required to involve the student in solving the problems given in the exercise at the end of unit/chapter.

Follow up

·         Ask the student to make 5 sentences using ‘the’. 

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