Interview Morals, Antonyms with Prefixes, Direct and Indirect Speech Questions and Writing Autobiography for Primary 6

Class: Primary 6
Term: 3rd Term
Week: 10
Age: 11 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: English Language Studies
Curriculum Theme: English Studies
Previous Lesson: Audition Interview Role Play, Personification, Identifying Similes and Writing Biography.
Topic: Good morals at interviews, antonyms using prefixes, direct and indirect speech in questions, autobiography writing
Subject Matter: Speech — good morals and behaviours at interviews and role play, Vocabulary Development — forming antonyms using prefixes and sentence use, Reading — direct and indirect speech questions review and transformations, Writing/Continuous Writing — autobiography meaning and contents and practice writing

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain:

• Define an autobiography and identify its key contents.
• Explain the importance of good morals and behaviours during an interview.
• Identify common prefixes used to form antonyms.
• Transform direct speech questions into indirect speech using ‘if’ or ‘whether’.

Affective Domain:

• Appreciate the value of demonstrating good morals and behaviours in formal settings.
• Show willingness to use prefixes correctly to expand their vocabulary.
• Participate actively in discussions and group activities related to speech transformation.

Psychomotor Domain:

• Role-play interview scenes demonstrating appropriate behaviour.
• Form antonyms using given prefixes and use them correctly in sentences.
• Convert direct speech questions into indirect speech accurately.
• Write a short autobiography about themselves.

Social Domain:

• Collaborate effectively in groups during interview role-play and sentence transformation tasks.
• Share their written autobiographies with peers.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 9 Years Basic Education Curriculum for Primary 6 English Studies
• State Unified Scheme of Work for Primary Schools
• Effective English for Primary Schools Book 6
• https://www.studyandpass.co.uk/blog/direct-and-indirect-speech
• https://www.grammarly.com/blog/autobiography/

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Textbook and workbook
• Oral English manual
• Sound recorder (optional, for recording role play)
• Essay manual
• Whiteboard or chalkboard
• Markers or chalk
• Charts showing examples of prefixes and antonyms
• Charts illustrating direct and indirect speech transformations

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson helps pupils understand how to present themselves well in formal situations like interviews, which is important for future interactions. It also improves their vocabulary and writing skills, enabling them to communicate more effectively in various contexts.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have basic knowledge of parts of speech, simple sentence construction, and have been introduced to direct and indirect speech in previous lessons.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Good Morals, Antonyms, Direct/Indirect Speech, and Autobiography

Good Morals and Behaviour at Interviews

An interview is a formal meeting at which someone is asked questions to see if they are suitable for a job, a course, or for admission into an institution.

The following are important good morals and behaviours to demonstrate at interviews:

• Punctuality: Arrive on time or a few minutes early.
• Neatness: Dress smartly and be well-groomed.
• Politeness: Greet the interviewer respectfully and use polite language.
• Confidence: Speak clearly and maintain eye contact.
• Good Listening: Pay attention to questions and answer thoughtfully.
• Honesty: Provide truthful answers.
• Gratitude: Thank the interviewer at the end.

Vocabulary Development: Forming Antonyms Using Prefixes

An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word. A prefix is a letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning.

Many antonyms can be formed by adding prefixes to words. Common prefixes for antonyms include:

• dis- (e.g., agree → disagree)
• mis- (e.g., understand → misunderstand)
• un- (e.g., happy → unhappy)
• in- (e.g., complete → incomplete)
• im- (used before ‘p’ or ‘m’; e.g., possible → impossible)
• ir- (used before ‘r’; e.g., regular → irregular)
• il- (used before ‘l’; e.g., legal → illegal)

Examples of words with their antonyms formed by prefixes and their use in sentences:

• appear → disappearSentence: The magician made the rabbit disappear from the hat.
• behave → misbehaveSentence: The children were told not to misbehave in class.
• kind → unkindSentence: It is unkind to laugh at someone’s mistakes.
• correct → incorrectSentence: Your answer is incorrect; please try again.

Direct and Indirect Speech in Questions

Direct Speech: Reports the exact words spoken by someone, enclosed in quotation marks.

Indirect Speech (Reported Speech): Reports what someone said without using their exact words, often with changes in tense, pronouns, and time expressions.

When changing direct speech questions to indirect speech, especially Yes/No questions, we use ‘if’ or ‘whether’.

Rules for transforming Direct Questions (Yes/No) to Indirect Questions:

1. The reporting verb (e.g., ‘said to’) changes to ‘asked’, ‘enquired’, ‘wondered’, etc.
2. Remove the quotation marks and the question mark.
3. Use ‘if’ or ‘whether’ to introduce the reported question.
4. Change the question into a statement form (subject + verb).
5. Adjust the tense of the verb (e.g., present simple to past simple).
6. Change pronouns and time/place expressions as needed.

Examples:

Example 1:

Direct: My mother asked me, “Have you finished your homework?”

Indirect: My mother asked me if I had finished my homework.

Guided Steps:

1. Identify reporting verb: The reporting verb is “asked”.
2. Identify question type: This is a Yes/No question.
3. Use ‘if’ or ‘whether’: Replace the comma and quotation marks with ‘if’.
4. Change to a statement: Convert the question part “Have you finished your homework?” into a statement: “You have finished your homework.”
5. Adjust pronouns: “you” changes to “I” (referring to the person being asked).
6. Change verb tense: “Have finished” (present perfect) changes to “had finished” (past perfect).
7. Remove question mark: End the indirect speech with a full stop.

Example 2:

Direct: The teacher said to John, “Do you understand the lesson?”

Indirect: The teacher asked John whether he understood the lesson.

Guided Steps:

1. Identify reporting verb: “said to” changes to “asked”.
2. Identify question type: This is a Yes/No question.
3. Use ‘if’ or ‘whether’: Insert ‘whether’ after the reporting clause.
4. Change to a statement: Convert “Do you understand the lesson?” to “You understand the lesson.”
5. Adjust pronouns: “you” changes to “he” (referring to John).
6. Change verb tense: “understand” (simple present) changes to “understood” (simple past).
7. Remove question mark: End with a full stop.

NOTE: The word order in indirect questions is always like a statement (subject + verb), not a question.

Autobiography Writing

An autobiography is a story of a person’s life, written by that person. It tells about their experiences, achievements, and feelings.

Key contents of an autobiography:

• Personal Details: Full name, date and place of birth.
• Family Background: Information about parents, siblings, and early family life.
• Education: Schools attended, important teachers, and learning experiences.
• Significant Events: Important childhood memories, challenges, successes, or turning points.
• Achievements: Awards, accomplishments, or things the person is proud of.
• Interests and Hobbies: Things the person enjoys doing.
• Future Aspirations: Hopes, dreams, and plans for the future.

Tips for writing an autobiography:

• Write in the first person (using ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘my’).
• Organize events in chronological order (the order in which they happened).
• Use descriptive language to make the story interesting.
• Include feelings and reflections.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Lecture, Demonstration, Question and Answer, Visual Aids

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Set Induction

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and asks them if they have ever imagined what it would be like to apply for something important, like a scholarship or a school prefect position, and how they would behave. The teacher also reminds them about past lessons on parts of speech and sentence structure.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the teacher’s questions and recall previous knowledge.

Learning Point: Pupils are prepared for the lesson and connect new information to prior knowledge.

Step 2: Good Morals at Interviews

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains what an interview is and discusses the importance of good morals and behaviour during interviews, listing key points on the board. The teacher then demonstrates a short interview role-play scene, highlighting positive behaviours.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, take notes, and observe the role-play. Some pupils volunteer to participate in short role-play scenes to demonstrate good interview behaviour.

Learning Point: Pupils understand what an interview is and can identify and demonstrate appropriate behaviours.

Step 3: Antonyms Using Prefixes

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Drill

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher defines antonyms and prefixes. The teacher introduces common prefixes used to form antonyms (dis-, mis-, un-, in-, im-, ir-, il-) and provides examples, writing them on the board. Pupils are guided to form more antonyms and use them in simple sentences.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, identify prefixes, form antonyms for given words, and construct sentences orally and in their notebooks.

Learning Point: Pupils can form antonyms using prefixes and use them correctly in sentences, expanding their vocabulary.

Step 4: Direct and Indirect Speech in Questions

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Guided Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher quickly reviews direct and indirect speech. The teacher then focuses on converting direct speech questions (Yes/No questions) to indirect speech using ‘if’ or ‘whether’, explaining the rules and providing step-by-step examples from the board summary. The teacher guides pupils through several transformation exercises.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the explanation, follow the examples, and practice transforming direct questions to indirect questions in their notebooks and orally.

Learning Point: Pupils understand the rules for transforming direct questions to indirect speech and can apply them correctly.

Step 5: Autobiography Writing

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Facilitation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains the meaning of an autobiography and discusses its key contents. The teacher provides a simple outline and encourages pupils to think about their own life events. Pupils are guided to start writing a short autobiography about themselves.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, ask questions, and begin to brainstorm and write a short autobiography based on the teacher’s guidance.

Learning Point: Pupils understand what an autobiography is and can begin to write their own personal stories.

Step 6: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. Mention three good behaviours expected at an interview.
2. Form the antonyms of ‘happy’ and ‘agree’ using prefixes and use them in sentences.
3. Change the following direct speech question to indirect speech: The boy asked, “Are you a student?”
4. What is an autobiography?

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 7: Conclusion

Time: Remaining time (approx. 2 minutes)

Teaching Skill: Summarization

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher summarizes the key points of the lesson, emphasizing the importance of good conduct, expanding vocabulary, correct speech usage, and personal expression through writing. The teacher assigns homework.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the summary and copy down the homework.

Learning Point: Pupils consolidate their learning and are given tasks to reinforce understanding.

Home Task: Write four correct English sentences that demonstrate the main language skill in Good morals at interviews, antonyms using prefixes, direct and indirect speech in questions,….

Lesson Keywords

• Interview – A formal meeting where questions are asked to assess suitability.
• Morals – Principles of right and wrong behaviour.
• Antonym – A word opposite in meaning to another.
• Prefix – A letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning.
• Direct Speech – Reporting the exact words spoken, in quotation marks.
• Indirect Speech – Reporting what was said without using the exact words.
• Autobiography – The story of a person’s life, written by that person.

Differentiation

For struggling learners, the teacher will provide simpler words for prefix exercises and offer more guided practice with direct/indirect speech transformations. Advanced learners will be encouraged to create their own interview scenarios for role-play, find more complex words for antonyms, and write a more detailed autobiography.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Encourage active participation in role-play activities to make the lesson engaging. Provide ample opportunity for pupils to practice forming antonyms and transforming speech. Ensure pupils understand the structure and content required for an autobiography before they begin writing. Visual aids like charts are highly recommended for clarity, especially for prefixes and speech transformations.