Objectives (5 - 7 minutes)
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Conceptual Understanding of Gerunds and Infinitives: The main objective of the lesson is for students to understand the definition, use, and formation of gerunds and infinitives in the English language. This includes understanding the difference between regular and irregular verbs in these two verb tenses.
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Identification and Practical Application: Students should be able to correctly identify gerunds and infinitives in real-world contexts, such as in texts, songs, or dialogues. Additionally, they should be able to use these verb tenses correctly in their own written and oral productions.
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Development of Fluency: Finally, students should be able to improve their English language fluency through the proper use of gerunds and infinitives, enabling them to express themselves more accurately and naturally.
Secondary Objectives:
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Development of Critical Thinking: By analyzing the rules and uses of gerunds and infinitives, students will be encouraged to think critically about the structure of the English language and apply this knowledge to other grammatical contexts.
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Encouragement of Research and Independent Study: As part of the learning process, students will be encouraged to seek additional information on the topic, both in the classroom and at home, thus promoting the development of research and independent study skills.
Introduction (10 - 15 minutes)
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Content Review: The teacher begins the lesson by reminding students about the structure of verbs and the verb tenses they have already studied, such as the present simple and past simple. This review is essential so that students can understand the difference and importance of studying the gerund and infinitive. (3 - 5 minutes)
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Problem Situations: The teacher presents two problem situations that involve the use of the gerund and infinitive. The first could be a sentence from an English song that contains a gerund but, if translated literally, would not make sense in Portuguese. The second could be a sentence from an English dialogue in which the use of the infinitive is essential to understanding the central idea. These situations are intended to arouse students' curiosity and show the practical importance of what will be studied. (3 - 5 minutes)
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Contextualization: The teacher explains that the gerund and infinitive are widely used in various situations in the English language, whether in informal conversations, academic texts, song lyrics, among others. In addition, he emphasizes that the correct use of these verb tenses is essential for effective communication and for understanding texts. (2 - 3 minutes)
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Gaining Students' Attention: To arouse students' interest, the teacher can share curiosities about the gerund and infinitive. For example, he can mention that in English, unlike Portuguese, it is common to use the gerund after certain verbs, such as "enjoy", "like", "dislike", among others. In addition, he can mention that there are some verbs that change meaning depending on whether they are followed by a gerund or infinitive, such as "forget" (forget) and "remember" (remember). (2 - 3 minutes)
Development (20 - 25 minutes)
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Role-Playing Activity (10 - 15 minutes): The teacher divides the class into groups of 3 to 4 students. For this activity, each group will receive a dialogue script that contains several gaps to be filled with verbs in the gerund or infinitive. The dialogues can be about everyday situations, such as making plans for the weekend, discussing hobbies, or talking about past experiences. The goal is for students to correctly fill in the blanks, using the gerund and infinitive appropriately.
The teacher circulates around the room, assisting the groups as needed. After the activity is completed, each group presents their dialogue to the class, allowing all students to hear and practice the correct pronunciation of the sentences. The teacher should correct any errors and provide constructive feedback.
This activity promotes active practice of using the gerund and infinitive in a communicative context, in addition to developing students' speaking and listening skills.
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Story Creation Activity (10 - 15 minutes): Still in groups, students are invited to create a short story that must contain at least five verbs in the gerund and five in the infinitive. The story can be fictional or based on students' personal experiences.
The teacher provides a certain amount of time for the groups to create their stories. After the Completion, each group presents their story to the class. The teacher should encourage the other students to ask questions about the story, thus promoting interaction and continuous use of the verb tenses studied.
This activity aims to consolidate students' understanding of the use of the gerund and infinitive, in addition to promoting creativity and orality.
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Board Game Activity (optional, if time permits) (5 - 10 minutes): If time permits, the teacher may propose a fun and playful activity to review the concepts learned. The board game can be created by the teacher or downloaded from the internet. Each square on the board contains a question or challenge involving the use of the gerund and infinitive. The first group to reach the end of the board is the winner. This activity serves to consolidate learning in a relaxed and motivating way.
Feedback (10 - 12 minutes)
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Group Discussion (4 - 5 minutes): The teacher gathers all the students and promotes a group discussion about the solutions found by each team during the Role-Playing and Story Creation activities. The teacher encourages students to share their experiences, challenges and learnings. This may include any difficulties they had in identifying and correctly using the gerund and infinitive, what strategies they used to overcome these difficulties, and how the hands-on activity helped them better understand these verb tenses. The teacher should facilitate the discussion by asking open-ended questions and encouraging all students to participate.
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Connection to Theory (3 - 4 minutes): After the discussion, the teacher does a brief recap of the theoretical concepts related to the gerund and infinitive. For example, the teacher can highlight the specific rules for forming and using these verb tenses, and how these rules were applied during the hands-on activities. The teacher should emphasize that practice is essential for consolidating theoretical learning and for developing effective language skills.
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Final Reflection (3 - 4 minutes): To conclude the lesson, the teacher proposes that students reflect individually on what they have learned. The teacher can ask questions like:
- What was the most important concept learned today?
- What questions have yet to be answered?
- How can you apply what you learned today in everyday situations or in future English studies?
Students have one minute to reflect in silence and are then invited to share their answers with the class. The teacher should encourage everyone's participation and provide positive and constructive feedback.
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Teacher Feedback (1 - 2 minutes): Finally, the teacher provides general feedback on the lesson, highlighting the positive points and areas for improvement. The teacher also answers any unresolved questions and reinforces the importance of continued study and practice for mastering English verb tenses. The teacher encourages students to review the lesson content at home and to seek clarification for any questions that may arise.
Conclusion (3 - 5 minutes)
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Summary and Recap (1 - 2 minutes): The teacher summarizes the key points covered during the lesson, reinforcing the definition, uses and formation of the gerund and infinitive in the English language. In addition, he recalls the main rules and differences between regular and irregular verbs in these verb tenses. The teacher also highlights the main learnings from the hands-on activities, reinforcing the importance of the correct use of these verb tenses for effective communication in English.
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Theory-Practice Connection (1 minute): The teacher emphasizes how the lesson connected the theory, practice and real-world applications of the gerund and infinitive. He recalls the Role-Playing and Story Creation activities, which allowed students to practice using these verb tenses in real and meaningful contexts. He also highlights how the problem situations presented at the beginning of the lesson were solved through the application of the knowledge acquired.
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Supplementary Materials (1 minute): The teacher suggests additional materials so that students can deepen their knowledge of the gerund and infinitive. These materials may include websites, videos, online exercises, among others. The teacher may also suggest reading texts, songs and dialogues in English that contain the use of these verb tenses, encouraging students to identify and analyze them.
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Relevance of Content (1 minute): Finally, the teacher highlights the importance of the gerund and infinitive for effective communication in English. He explains that these verb tenses are widely used in everyday contexts, such as when talking about hobbies, future plans, past experiences, among others. He reinforces that mastering these verb tenses allows students to express themselves more accurately and naturally in English, whether in informal conversations, in academic situations, or even in proficiency tests and exams.
The teacher also points out that the study of the gerund and infinitive is not limited to the classroom but can be applied in various contexts of daily and professional life. Therefore, he encourages students to continue practicing and applying this knowledge in their daily lives, so that they become increasingly fluent and confident in the English language.