Lesson Plan | Active Learning | Connectives: Conjunction and Preposition

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 crucial to establish the focus of the lesson and ensure that both the teacher and the students have clarity on what is expected to be achieved. In this section, the main objectives are outlined to guide learning activities in the classroom, ensuring that students can apply their prior knowledge of conjunctions and prepositions in a practical and contextualized manner. By the end of the lesson, it is expected that students will be able not only to recognize these elements but also to use them effectively in constructing and interpreting texts.

Main Objectives:

1. Identify and differentiate the main conjunctions and prepositions used as connectives in a text.

2. Understand the function of each conjunction and preposition in connecting ideas and information in sentences and texts.

Side Objectives:

1. Stimulate active participation of students through discussions and analyses of practical examples.
2. Encourage critical thinking by exploring how the choice and use of connectives affect text clarity and coherence.

Introduction

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

The introduction serves to activate students' prior knowledge about conjunctions and prepositions, as well as to contextualize the importance of these elements in effective communication. Through problem-based situations, students are challenged to apply their understanding in practical contexts, laying the groundwork for more in-depth classroom discussions. The contextualization seeks to demonstrate the relevance of the topic in daily life and in producing high-quality texts, motivating students to engage with the content in a more meaningful way.

Problem-Based Situations

1. Ask students to identify and correct connectivity errors in a series of sentences presented on the board, such as: 'I prefer to study for the exam, than to go out with my friends.'

2. Present a short text in which some conjunctions and prepositions have been intentionally omitted and ask students to rewrite the text by adding the appropriate connectives so that the ideas become clearer and better connected.

Contextualization

Explain the importance of connectives in everyday life and in formal situations, such as in writing essays and reports. For example, show how a simple change, like replacing 'but' with 'and', can significantly change the meaning of a sentence. Additionally, relate how renowned authors creatively use connectives to create effects of meaning and nuances in literary texts.

Development

Duration: (70 - 75 minutes)

The Development stage is designed to allow students to practically and interactively apply the concepts of conjunctions and prepositions learned previously. Through playful and contextualized activities, they will have the opportunity to explore the functionality of connectives, developing skills of textual analysis and synthesis, as well as promoting cooperation and creativity in groups. This section is crucial for solidifying knowledge and ensuring a deep and applied understanding of the topic.

Activity Suggestions

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

Activity 1 - Connectives on Stage: The Drama of Coherence

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Develop the ability to use connectives creatively and understand their function in textual cohesion.

- Description: In this activity, students will be divided into groups of up to 5 people. Each group will receive a set of cards with words that can be conjunctions, prepositions, or neither. They will then create a short theatrical play of 3 minutes that tells a story using these cards to build dialogues. The challenge is to include the words in such a way that the story is coherent and engaging, demonstrating the importance of connectives in linking ideas.

- Instructions:

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

• Distribute the cards containing words that may be conjunctions, prepositions, or neutral.

• Each group should randomly choose 10 cards and use all of them in constructing a small dialogue.

• Students should create a short theatrical play, lasting no more than 3 minutes, that uses the dialogues constructed with the cards.

• After preparation, each group presents their play to the class.

• At the end of each presentation, the other groups should try to identify which words were connectives and discuss their effectiveness in the text's cohesion.

Activity 2 - Map of Connectives

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Visualize and understand the different functions of connectives in a specific thematic context.

- Description: Students, in groups, will receive a large sheet of white paper and colored markers. Each group will choose a theme and should map the relationships between ideas using different colors to represent conjunctions and prepositions. For example, in a map about 'Travel', 'because' may be used to connect reasons, while 'through' may show means of transport. The aim is to create a visual map that demonstrates the diversity and importance of connectives in different contexts.

- Instructions:

• Divide students into groups of up to 5.

• Provide each group with a large sheet of white paper and colored markers.

• The groups choose a theme (like 'Family', 'School', 'Technology', etc.).

• They should discuss and list ideas related to the theme, using connectives to form sentences.

• Each connective should be marked with a specific color, and arrows should indicate the direction of the connection.

• After completion, each group presents their map to the class, explaining their choices of connectives and colors.

Activity 3 - Grammar Investigation: The Case of the Disappeared Connectives

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Enhance the ability to identify and correct the use of connectives in texts, as well as to understand their role in textual clarity.

- Description: Students, in groups, will receive a short text that contains intentional errors of omission of connectives. They should identify the errors, insert the correct connectives, and explain how their inclusion improves the clarity and cohesion of the text. Each group will present their findings to the class, justifying their choices.

- Instructions:

• Divide students into groups of up to 5.

• Distribute a short text with errors of omission of connectives to each group.

• Students identify the errors, insert the correct connectives, and discuss the changes made.

• Each group prepares a brief presentation for the class, explaining the errors found and the corrections made.

• The presentations are followed by a class discussion about the impacts of connectives on understanding a text.

Feedback

Duration: (10 - 15 minutes)

The purpose of this stage is to enable students to reflect on the practical and theoretical learning acquired during the group activities. The discussion helps to consolidate knowledge, allowing students to articulate what they understood and what may still be confusing. Additionally, this stage aims to reinforce the importance of connectives in text structuring and clarity of communication, preparing students to apply these skills in future writing and reading contexts.

Group Discussion

Upon completion of the activities, organize a group discussion with all students. Begin the session with a brief recap of the activities performed, highlighting the importance of connectives in textual construction. Encourage each group to share their experiences, highlighting the challenges faced and the discoveries made. Prompt students to discuss how the application of connectives modified the clarity and cohesion of the texts created and analyzed. Use open-ended questions to foster in-depth reflection and a rich exchange of ideas among the groups.

Key Questions

1. What were the main challenges in using connectives in the construction of texts or maps?

2. How does the choice of different connectives alter the meaning and structure of a sentence or text?

3. In what way can knowledge about conjunctions and prepositions help in writing clearer and more cohesive texts?

Conclusion

Duration: (5 - 10 minutes)

The purpose of this stage is to consolidate the knowledge acquired by students, ensuring they can connect theoretical content with the practices carried out during the lesson. Additionally, it aims to highlight the importance of connectives in effective communication, preparing students to apply these skills in their future academic and professional activities. The conclusion serves as a moment of reflection and reaffirmation of learning, ensuring that students can value and utilize acquired knowledge.

Summary

To conclude, it is essential to recap that connectives, both conjunctions and prepositions, play a fundamental role in the organization and clarity of texts. During the lesson, we explored practical and theoretical examples that demonstrated how these elements connect ideas and structure sentences and paragraphs, which are essential for text cohesion.

Theory Connection

Today's lesson was structured to integrate theory with practice, allowing students to apply prior knowledge in dynamic and contextualized activities. This approach not only facilitates understanding but also demonstrates the relevance of connectives in various communicative situations in everyday life and in academic and professional contexts.

Closing

Understanding and knowing how to use conjunctions and prepositions effectively is a skill that transcends the classroom, being crucial in everyday tasks such as writing and interpreting texts, preparing presentations, among others. Mastery of these elements not only enriches written communication but also verbal communication, becoming an essential competence for academic and professional success.