Unit 4 Pronouns Introduction Before you begin working with this unit, ask the students a series of questions; for example: Mary, what s your last name? Humberto, what did she say her last name is? Kim, Is he right? Is her last name? Jacques, do you know my first name? After they answer your questions, write the questions on the board and underline each pronoun. Now ask the same questions without using pronouns; for example: Mary, what is Mary s last name? Humberto, what did Mary say Mary s last name is? Kim, is Humberto right? Is Mary s last name..? Ask students which sentences are easier to say and listen to, and listen for someone to use the word pronoun. If no one does, point to the pronouns on the board and, calling them pronouns, ask students what they think pronouns do. Then ask them to open their books to page 56. Student Book pages 56-57 Using Subject Pronouns Instructor Alert Now is a good time to introduce a challenging word antecedent. Write it on the board and ask if there are any students of Latin or any Romance language who might be able to figure out what this word means from its Latin roots. If not, tell them that ante means before and cedent is from a Latin verb meaning to go so an antecedent is what goes before the pronoun; it s the noun the pronoun is talking about. Write this example on the board: Martin is sick He isn t here today. Ask: What is the pronoun? (He). Yes, and what is the antecedent for he? Right. It s Martin. Martin is the noun the pronoun is taking the place of. The important thing to remember is that the pronoun must agree in number and gender with its antecedent. Using the same base sentence, write: She isn t here today. Ask: What is the antecedent for she? We don t know. It can t be Martin because Martin is masculine and she is feminine. Elicit from them the basic rule that the pronoun must agree in number and gender with the noun it represents. If no one has suggested it yet, remind students that a pronoun takes the place of a noun. Review their concept of noun and remind them a noun is a person, place, or thing. As in many of their languages, a pronoun can be used wherever the noun it replaces can be used. Tell them: A pronoun can be the subject of a sentence; for example: She is very nice. Together, read the information under Using Subject Pronouns, answering any questions, and directing their attention to the Forms of Subject Pronouns blue box. Remind them again that you is singular and plural second person. Ask volunteers to create sentences using the various subject pronouns. Using Object Pronouns Ask: Who has a pencil? Give it to Tomas, please. Write the sentence on the board. Ask: What is the object (name) gave to Tomas? A pencil, yes. And what is the pronoun that takes the place of the noun? Right it is the object pronoun. It is the object that receives the action. Give them another sentence: Mary wants my book. I gave it to her. Ask: What objective pronouns to do you see in the second and fourth sentences? When they respond with it and her, ask for the antecedent of each, making sure they know that Mary is the antecedent for her as the computer is for it. Read the information under Using Object Pronouns. Together, study the blue boxes to be sure students understand the objective pronouns, reminding them that second person doesn t change. Invite volunteers to offer their own sentences using object pronouns. It might be fun to have them work in pairs and one partner to guess the antecedent for the other partner s pronoun use. Using Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns Possessive adjectives and pronouns are easily explained. Since students know an adjective is a descriptive word, they can understand easily that the possessive adjective describes something someone possesses. Look at the examples together. Possessive pronouns can be used, as the blue box indicates, to take the place of a possessive adjective and noun. They cannot be used with a noun after the pronoun because they take the place of the noun. The error examples given are typical of many new language learners so this should be stressed. If you have the possessive pronoun, you don t need the noun again. Ask students to learn the possessive adjectives and pronouns and to make them an integral part of their vocabulary. They will be using them constantly. If they do forget, they can refer to the blue boxes. They should pay particular attention to the very last comment in the box. One of the biggest errors of 32 Pronouns
native writers of signs, menus, etc. is the use of it s when its is required. Remind them again that it s is a contraction for it is. Its is a possessive adjective. In Unit 1 students learned that apostrophes replace a missing letter in contractions, so it s has to be two words combined into one, with the apostrophe taking the place of the missing letter: it is. A rule that is very helpful to many native speakers is to realize that the possessives hers and his don t take apostrophes, therefore neither should the possessive its. Student Book pages 58-59 n 4-1 Capitalization Read the directions together. Look at the example and do the first pair of sentences with the group. Then have students work on their own. When they complete the activity, have them work in pairs to see if they are in agreement. Ask: Which sentences required a capital letter for the pronoun? If there are any disagreements, discuss them with the students and together come to the right conclusion. Remind them they should always be able to tell why they feel a sentence is correct or not. Answer Key 1. Hana and I are going to the movies tonight. In fact, we are going right now. 2. Later, we re going to visit Ines. She lives near the movie theater. 3. Are you going to call Hiro? Yes, I m calling him now. 4. Are Lin and I invited to the party? Yes, you are. 5. How are you today? O.K., but I am a little tired. 6. I m sending you something. What are you sending us? 7. Are you going to be home tonight? Yes, call me. 8. Where is Sara? She s in the library. 9. When are you working? We re working Friday evening. 10. Are you calling Lupe next week? Yes, I m calling her on Monday. n 4-2 Cloze Ask if students remember what Cloze means and then read the directions with them. Besides the sample sentence, fill in the first blank with the class, asking a volunteer to complete the sentence. Depending on the level of proficiency of your class, you might want to have them do the cloze orally before writing the missing words. Otherwise, have them read the story, fill in the blanks, and then go over the story orally as a class or in small groups. Make sure they check their spelling, especially of possessive pronouns and adjectives. Answer Key Today is my grandfather s birthday. (1) He is 80 years old today. My family and I are having a party for (2) him this evening. (3) We are taking (4) him to his favorite restaurant, The Seaside Restaurant. My aunt plans this party every year. (5) She is making a cake as usual. I am helping (6) her, too. My uncle is the chef at the restaurant, so (7) he is cooking the dinner chicken in mushroom sauce. (8) It s my grandfather s favorite dish. My uncle serves (9) it with pasta and fresh vegetables. After dinner, my brothers and I bring my grandfather his gifts. (10) We sing, too. When he gets the cards and gifts, he thanks (11) us. He opens (12) them slowly and tells (13) us some jokes. (14) We all laugh. My brothers usually go outside to play. (15) They don t like to sit around or dance. I don t go with (16) them. I like to stay inside and listen to the music. There s always music at my grandfather s birthday party. I love my grandfather a lot. I hug (17) him, and he gives (18) me a kiss when I leave. My grandfather says to me, (19) You are very special. It makes (20) me feel good. Student Book pages 60-61 n 4-3 Sentence Writing Pre-Activity Discussion: Ask for the definition of a sentence: What are the three main ingredients of a sentence? When students answer, ask what part of speech can be the subject of a sentence, eliciting noun and/or pronoun. Tell students they re going to be writing sentences using subject and object pronouns and that they can use their imaginations when writing. Ask: Does anyone remember the challenging word that means the noun before the pronoun? Can you tell me how the pronoun and its antecedent must agree? Write antecedent on the board and elicit that the pronoun must agree in number and gender with its antecedent. Look at the example together, asking what the antecedent for He s is. Who is being talked about here? Together go over all the examples and directions for A through E, then, depending on time options, have students write two sentences in each category now, assigning the rest for homework, or have them complete the page. Either way, when they are finished, have several sentences read aloud as others write their sentences on the board. Discuss noun-pronoun agreement in each one. Ask: Any questions? n 4-4 Description of the Illustration Pre-Activity Discussion: Ask how many students play or have played soccer. Talk about soccer as an international sport. Because there may be some who Creative Grammar Teacher s Guide 33
are not familiar with the sport, look at the directions together and start to make a list of the people who would be involved in the game, asking volunteers to name them. Be sure students understand the task, then divide them into pairs. Try to pair students with a new partner if possible. Tell students to complete Exercise A in preparation for the next steps, Exercises B and C. Remind pairs to make a list of people, verbs, and things and then to take turns asking and answering each other s questions in Exercise B, making sure they take the time to write their answers in their notebooks as per the instructions in Exercise C. Post-Activity Discussion: Try something different. Ask someone from one pair to read their answer and someone from another pair to decide what the question was; for example, if the answer is He s kicking it, the question might be, What s he doing with the ball? Get as many answers and questions from different pairs as you can, making sure they re using correct pronouns. Then ask someone to give his/her description of the picture in general, noting the use of nouns and pronouns. Student Book pages 62-63 n 4-5 Vocabulary Development: Nouns and Pronouns Pre-Activity Discussion: Together, look at the picture and ask what students see. Make a list on the board of items they point out. Ask: Does everyone know the English word for each of these items? Elicit as much specific vocabulary as possible, making sure they know the vocabulary for the jewelry, clothing, and accessory items pictured. Then have them complete Exercise A. A. Read the directions together. Tell students there are no right answers or wrong answers. They need to write what they like and what they don t, so their answers may be different from other students. B. Working in pairs, have students follow the directions after reading the example. Remind them to listen to each other carefully because they are going to need their partner s information for Exercise C. Suggest that they take notes to help them prepare for the last exercise. When they are finished taking turns asking and answering each other s questions, have them complete the last task. C. Following the example, students are to write two sentences about six of the items their partner listed in Activity B. Remind them to use different subject and object pronouns. Tell students to underline the pronouns and antecedents in each pair of sentences to reinforce the concept. Post-Activity Discussion: Invite several volunteers to read the list of items their partner likes. You might want to make a graph on the board showing favorite class items, least favorite, etc., based on the information given. n 4-6 Theme-based Discussion Pre-Activity Discussion: Talk about friendship with the class. Ask: Do you have a best friend or a special group of friends? Are you very much alike or very different? If they say they re very different, ask students what makes the friendship work. Ask how many of them have friends who are mostly the same age, ethnic background, and live in their neighborhood. You might want to tell something about your friendships those you ve had for a long time and those you have through your profession or a particular outside interest. A. Look at the picture of King Kong with the class. Ask if any students have seen a King Kong movie. Read the directions together, then divide the class into groups to discuss their friends according to the directions. Remind them to choose a spokesperson for the group. Post-Activity Discussion: You might want to create a class graph on what students like and what they like to do according to the answers in Exercise A. B. Change the groups accordingly for a discussion of how students and their friends help each other and where they like to go together. C. Be sure students understand expressions like What do you use to play? meaning equipment, etc. When do you win? has to do with scoring. You might want to explain that in the game of baseball, for example, the team that has the most runs after 9 innings wins the game. In football, the team with the most number of points after 4 quarters wins. Before they tackle this exercise, ask if there are any questions. If students are unfamiliar with the terminology of a particular sport, let those who play the sport discuss the basic information, with those most interested in learning about it. You can make a list of the sports discussed and have students who are particularly interested in that sport form a group to have their knowledgeable classmates explain. D. Because it is not uncommon for Americans to give gifts for different occasions, it might be interesting to find out if students from other cultures also exchange gifts, and if so, on what occasions. Ask: Do you give gifts on birthdays or anniversaries? When people move into a new home or apartment? If you give gifts, what kind do you usually give? 34 Pronouns
Post-Activity Discussion: Ask about gift giving in students native countries or among their particular ethnic group. Ask: When do you give gifts? What kinds of gifts are considered appropriate? If necessary, explain appropriate. You might also want to ask if the amount of money spent on a gift is important. Ask: Do you feel bad if someone gives you a gift that isn t expensive? Are you embarrassed if you can t give an expensive gift? Explain the idiomatic expression It s the thought that counts and ask if they believe that. Student Book pages 64-65 n 4-7 Grammar in Action Pre-Activity Discussion: Ask students if there is anyone in particular they would like to meet. Tell them not to think about whether the meeting is possible but just to think of someone they d really like to meet. Say: Think about who you want to meet, why you want to meet that person, what you would say to that person, what you want that person to do, for example. A. Together with the class, look at the questions for partners to answer. Remind them their answers do not have to be very long. Suggest partners take turns asking each other questions and writing down the answers. Remind them that they are going to work with the answers later. B. Point out to students that they are going to write sentences in their notebook about their classmate s meeting. Read the example together so they see that they are now writing in third person about their partner s choice. Give them an example: have a student read a sentence in first person, then write the corresponding third person sentence on the board so you can discuss it together and answer any questions. You might want to have some of the other sentences read in class. Post-Activity Discussion: It s very easy to say we d like to meet someone, and we may even have an idea of why we d like to meet that person. A good question to ask the class might be: Now that you ve had to think about why you would like to meet that person and what you would say to him/her, etc., do you have a clearer picture in your mind of the real reason you would like to meet that person? Are you comfortable telling that person your suggestions? Does thinking about and answering these questions make you wonder (think) about your choice, or is it even easier now for you to know why you chose that person? The idea is to see if an exercise like this makes students more introspective. n 4-8 Error Correction Instructor Alert This might be a good time to review subject and object pronouns. Suggest students refer to the unit introduction before completing this activity. Ask a student to read the directions to the class, then ask: What must you do when you find a mistake? The next step is to..? And finally, what must you make sure of? Read the example together and ask what step 1 was. Have them read step 2 (the corrected sentence). If there are no questions, have them complete the activity in a timed period, depending on the proficiency of the class. When the exercise is completed, have students write some of the correct sentences on the board as others read the rest of the sentences aloud. As a class, or in small groups, have students identify the errors and explain why they are wrong. For example, in sentence 2, ask why she is wrong here. Be sure students know the difference between subject and object pronouns. Answer any questions if someone isn t sure about an answer. Answer Key 1. Paula isn t inviting us to her party. 2. I m getting a new backpack for her because it s her birthday. 3. She doesn t like him any more. 4. The weather? It s too hot and sunny. 5. Lin sits next to me in class. 6. In the morning, we always listen to the radio. 7. The radio? I never listen to it. 8. Are they sending the package to us? 9. No, but they are sending it to Singh. 10. My parents? I think about them all the time. Student Book pages 66-67 n 4-9 Sentence Structure Have one student read the Example question and another student respond. Ask volunteers what other answers they might give to that question. When they complete the exercise, have random students read their answers to the various questions, instructing everyone to listen for subject and object pronouns. n 4-10 Sentence Stems Pre-Discussion Activity: Review the concept of sentence stems, reminding students they re like the crust of the pizza; now they have to add the other ingredients to make it whole. In this activity, students need to think about what they do for other people. You might want to give a personal example of something Creative Grammar Teacher s Guide 35
you do, like walk a friend s dog or take in the newspaper if friends go away or are sick, etc. Look at the Example together and ask them how they would complete that sentence. Then have them complete the stems and work in pairs or small groups to share their answers. Post-Activity Discussion: Ask: What did you find out about each other? What does this activity tell you about yourself and/or your classmates? Are you thoughtful people, thinking of others before you think about yourself or are you selfish you come first and everyone else comes after you? n 4-11 Sentence Conclusions Read the instructions together and have students complete the activity using subject or object pronouns. Again, you might want to ask: What does this activity tell you about your friends? n 4-12 Communicative Activity: Who or What Is It? Pre-Discussion Activity: Ask students if they remember playing Charades. Ask: What must you not do when you play Charades? Right, you must not speak. You have to give all your clues through your actions. In this activity, you give verbal clues to help classmates discover what you are describing. Remember, do not use the word itself. First look at the list. Are there any words you don t know? Who will be our first volunteer? Read the example together and ask who could give shorter clues to help people guess soccer ball, then continue with the activity. Tell them it s okay for more than one person to choose the same word to describe. It would be fun to have a timekeeper see how long it takes before someone guesses the clue and another person to see how many hints or clues the speaker has to give before the word is guessed. Post-Activity Discussion: Stimulate a discussion: Do you think it is easier to give clues through charades or to be able to speak the clues? Is it easier for you to guess from charade clues or verbal cues? Why do you think that is? Do you think vocabulary is important in guessing the answers? Why or why not? See if there is a general consensus. Student Book pages 68-69 n 4-13 Description of the Illustration Instructor Alert Some cultures may not bring/exchange flowers. Also, in some cultures, an odd number of flowers is considered appropriate; an even number is bad luck. Before beginning the assignment, ask students about the use of flowers as gifts in their native cultures. Pre-Activity Discussion: Students are to study the illustration and answer the questions, but before they are paired, they should think about what they re looking at, how it makes them feel, what they think is happening in the picture. Then they are ready for Exercise A. Depending on your students proficiency level, you may want to do this as a class discussion. A. Pairs should exchange views on what the picture says to them and how it makes them feel. If there are big differences in concept, it might be interesting to have a class discussion about how differently people can perceive what they see. You might want to begin by telling what the picture says to you. B. Students follow the directions and write a paragraph about the person using subject and object pronouns. Remind them to use their imaginations. C. Perhaps your students don t bring flowers to others. They may receive flowers from others. Using their knowledge of customs in their native country or countries whose cultures they may have studied, have students discuss when flowers are appropriate in a particular culture and what color flowers would be used. The number of flowers is also interesting. In the United States, people often buy a dozen roses, whereas in the Baltics, only odd numbers of flowers are appropriate. Have various sentences read aloud for discussion. n 4-14 The Writing Page Pre-Activity Discussion: Discuss with students what kinds of parties they like to go to. Ask: Do you like to give parties for other people? Why or why not? Ask what is involved in planning a party. You might want to draw a cluster chart on the board with party in the center circle, encouraging students to remember they need invitations (either verbal or written), what they want to serve, how many people, chairs, etc. Then go on to Exercise A. A. As they respond to the questions, remind students to check back at the chart on the board to see if they ve covered all the necessary items. B. Here students are to write five sentences about their plans, using subject and object pronouns, and again having the chart to fall back on. Do they need ice, for example? C. Finally, classmates share with a partner telling about their plans. The partner will tell the class about them, so that everyone will have had a chance to speak in first person, second person, and third person. You might want to do a role-play first. Invite a student to be your partner. Ask your 36 Pronouns
partner (second person): Are you having a party for your friend? Your partner will respond in first person, for example, with Yes, I am. Ask another simple question about your partner s plans. When you get the response, turn to the class and say: Sean is having a party for his friend Dario. He is inviting Dario s family and closest friends. They are all cooking something special. (Third person.) Post-Activity Discussion: It might be interesting to see how many people chose each party from the pictures. Was any party left out? Why do they think that is? Student Book pages 70-71 n 4-15 Unit Review Pre-Activity Discussion: Review with students the process of writing a paragraph: prewriting, first draft, revision, final draft, leading to evaluation. Discuss each aspect separately, asking: What is the first step in constructing a paragraph? If they ve forgotten or aren t sure what you re looking for, suggest that before the writing comes the drawing, and draw a Venn Diagram in the middle of the board. Then ask: What is the purpose of the diagram? Once this is clear, go on to the next step, asking how prewriting and the diagram are connected. Finally, in connection with their first draft and revision, ask students to name an important part in the revision step and write on the board: p - - o - - e d - - g. Ask volunteers to fill in the missing letters. Then elicit a definition of proofreading and why it is so important. From there, the importance of listening to others suggestions and revising their work should become second nature to students. Tell them: The last step is up to you. How I evaluate what you ve written has to do with how carefully you ve followed the previous steps. It s as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4. Prewriting The students task is to write about themselves and a best friend. After the pre-discussion, it should be easy for them to get to work on the prewriting, making notes and using their own diagram. When they complete their prewriting, they should proofread to be sure they ve matched their notes with their writing. First Draft Read the directions for the First Draft together, suggesting that students refer to the beginning of the unit if they need help with using possessive pronouns correctly. Together, read the model paragraph so they have an idea of what is expected and remind them they can use the suggested verbs in their paragraph. Tell them: Remember, when you finish your first draft, proofread it before the next person does! This might be a good time to tell students that just as the last thing they probably do when they leave their house is to check to see that all their buttons are buttoned and their zippers are zipped, the mirror reflects the best they can do, so they should check out their work to make sure it s as good as they can make it. Revision Ask students to read the directions silently. Then ask: What are you to check for as you read through your paragraph? Remember, your partner will be looking for those things. Invite students to exchange papers and tell readers to make notes on separate paper or sticky notes to go over with the writer. Final Draft Have students discuss their papers with their partners, making note of suggested changes and corrections. If there is any dispute, have the problem presented to the class for solution before making the final decision. Evaluation When they finish their completed final draft, collect it for evaluation, reminding them of what the evaluation criteria are. Students should be collecting their final papers in a portfolio so they have a record of their progress by the end of the semester. You might want to read some model paragraphs when you ve evaluated them all and ask why they think you chose the paragraphs you did. Creative Grammar Teacher s Guide 37
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Name Class Unit 4 Writing Task: Write a Paragraph About You and Your Best Friend Rubric Score 1 Score 2 Score 3 Needs improvement Shows progress Good understanding Detail level to No details given Gave two details Gave three or more details support main idea Correct use/forms Little understanding Only two errors One or no errors subject pronouns of subject pronouns Correct use/forms Unsure of correct Only two errors One or no errors object pronouns form of object pronouns Correct use/forms Needs to review Only two errors One or no errors possessives possessives Overall style Many grammatical Few errors that do Appropriate use of and lexical errors that not interfere with pronoun forms, subject, interfere with meaning understanding objective, possessive Creative Grammar Teacher s Guide 39