LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

• discuss life and work one hundred years ago;
• explore phrases for expressing past ability and obligation;
• read and talk about professions in the past.

With this lesson, students think of how things were one hundred years ago. They discuss the 1920s, learn and practise phrases for past ability, permission, and obligation, and talk about the advantages and disadvantages of some things in the past. Students also read about some profession in the past and discuss changes in jobs and work life.

WARM-UP AND GRAMMAR

This lesson starts with a warm-up. Students give an example of what they think some things (e.g. work, relationships, communication) were like one hundred years ago. They then decide which 1920s facts are true (e.g. People could travel by train, boat and aeroplane.). Afterwards, students complete a table with phrases for expressing past ability and obligation (e.g. were allowed to, couldn’t, had to) from the previous task. Following that, they choose the correct phrases to complete sentences about the 1920s (e.g. In the Soviet Union, people couldn’t/didn’t have to/wasn’t able to leave the country freely.). Next, students think of one advantage or disadvantage for some things from the past (e.g. travel was much slower). They use structures for expressing ability, permission and obligation.

DISCUSSION

At this point in the lesson, students read texts about the lives of three people in the past. They then guess what their profession was (shop assistant, telephone operator, milkman). Afterwards, students look at the texts again and decide if some statements (e.g. Milkmen were allowed to use cars.) are true or false. Following that, they discuss questions about changes in jobs and work life. Finally, students look at professions (e.g. accountants, musicians, doctors) and discuss how things were different for some of them one hundred years ago. They also use structures for expressing past ability and obligation.

HOMEWORK/REVISION

This lesson plan also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students complete gaps with phrases for expressing past ability and obligation. They then add more details. The task is available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. You can print it and hand it out to your students. It’s also included in the e-lesson plan.