My grandfather's clock: Pop-up notes

All the pop-up screens from this PrimeTeach file have been copied here so that you can print them out easily.

Overview

Example:

	What was your favourite possession?
	When did you buy it?
	What did you do for many hours when you were young?

Glossary:

As readers we draw on a variety of contexts to make sense of what we are reading:

	What we know about the world.
	What we understand from the graphics which support the text.
	What we already understand in the text.

Students for whom English is a foreign language need activities which encourage them to get meaning from context if they are to develop reading strategies for making sense of texts which contain unfamiliar language items.

Glossary:

Reading for detail involves reading carefully to find specific information. It is different to reading for gist, which requires a more general understanding of the text as a whole.

Example:

born	died	parents
bride	floor	possession
clock	grandfather	shelf

Example:

	His parents bought it on day that he was born.
	His clock was always his treasure and his pride.
	He watched its pendulum swing from side to side.
	He carried through the door his laughing and beautiful bride.

Materials

Note:

This song has been recorded for you. If you have Internet access in your school, you can play the song to the class on your computer. Remember that PrimeTeach is a teacher's resource and your students cannot access it on their computers. If you do not have Internet access, you will need to sing and record the song onto a tape so that you can play the tape to the class on a tape-recorder.

Note:

To save time, ask students to cut these up as one sheet is needed for each student.

Steps

Note:

This is the true story of how the grandfather clock got its name:

The writer of the song, Henry Work, often stayed in the same hotel. The hotel had a tall clock like the one in the picture. The clock belonged to the manager who was quite old. One time when Henry Work went to the hotel, the clock had stopped. The hotel staff told him that when the manager died, the clock stopped. No one could make it work again. Henry Work then wrote the song and called it My grandfather's clock. It became very popular. From that time on, people have called these clocks grandfather clocks.

Example:

1.	Who bought the clock?
2.	Why did the clock stand on the floor?
3.	How old was the grandfather when he died?
4.	How does a pendulum move?
5.	What did the clock do when the grandfather married?

Key:

1.	The grandfather's parents bought the clock on the day that the grandfather was born.
2.	The clock stood on the floor because it was too large to keep on a shelf.
3.	The grandfather was ninety years old when he died.
4.	A pendulum swings from side to side.
5.	When the grandfather married the clock struck 24.

Note:

Plan your board to look like this:

slumbering
numbering
striking
joy

making a noise like a bell
feeling happy
sleeping
counting

Key:

Word in song		Meaning
	slumbering		sleeping
	numbering		counting
	striking		making a noise like a bell
	joy		feeling happy

Theory:

Monitoring helps the teacher to identify problems that need to be dealt with on an individual basis. It also enables the teacher to make a note of problems that are common to many students. These problems can then be focused on during whole-class feedback.

Key:

	1 c
	2 d
	3 e
	4 b
	5 a

Key:

Question: Answer:	What was the grandfather's favourite possession? His clock was always his treasure and his pride.
Question: Answer:	What was the clock like? It was twice as tall as the old man himself.
Question: Answer:	When did his parents buy the clock? His parents bought it on the day that he was born.
Question: Answer:	What did he do for many hours when he was a boy? He watched its pendulum swing from side to side.

Example:

1.	Put up your hand if your grandfather is living.
2.	Your grandfather is one of your relatives.
3.	Put up your hand if your grandfather or other older relative lives with you or nearby.

Example:

Note:

Students can ask any older person that they know. This need not be a relative. They can call this person their 'friend' in the report.

Theory:

It is important for students' motivation to get them to give personal information using English. This provides an authentic purpose for communicating, ie because no one else knows about their relative or friend. It also provides a purpose for listening and makes the content more interesting for the listeners.

Example:

What is ...?	the answer must be	a thing
When did you ...?		a date or a time
What did you do ...?		an action
Where is ...?		a place
Who ...?		a person

10.

Note:

The first question on the Interview sheet is given to students as there was no information about when the grandfather was born in the song. Note also that the question must use the passive voice. This is unavoidable. However, it is not necessary for students to learn the term for the passive voice, how it works or what it is used for. Students can learn this question as a formula rather than knowing how it is formulated.

12.

Note:

If the older relative knows any English, this is a good chance for students to show the family what they can do in English. However, it is accepted that most students will need to use the mother tongue for this activity. Since the final product of the activity (the report) will be in English, this is acceptable use of the mother tongue.

13.

Example:

13.

Theory:

Give students a feeling of pride and satisfaction in what they have achieved in English by displaying their work in the classroom or other places in the school. This will enhance students' motivation to learn English.

Grammar notes

For more information on using the past simple, look at the following in PrimeGram:

Grammar: Groups & phrases: Verb group: Time & tense: Past simple

For more information on using interrogatives, look at the following in PrimeGram:

Grammar: Word classes: Pronouns: Interrogative pronouns (who)

For more information on using communicative functions for asking for information, look at the following in PrimeGram:

Communicative functions: Interacting with others: Asking for information

For more information on using communicative functions for talking about who or what is involved, look at the following in PrimeGram:

Communicative functions: Talking about experience: Who or what is involved?

For more information on using communicative functions for talking about what is happening, look at the following in PrimeGram:

Communicative functions: Talking about experience: What is happening?

For more information on songs as a text type, look at the following in PrimeGram:

Text types: Texts for fun & leisure: Songs