‘This is just to say’ lesson plan Introduction Ask students if they've ever taken something they shouldn't have. For example, a sibling's jumper without asking, or perhaps a friend's chip during lunch while the friend wasn't looking. Try and elicit a few such examples and even offer (or invent) one of your own. Development Tell the students they are going to read a poem called 'This is just to say.' It is a note the poet wrote to say sorry to somebody for having taken something. They will first receive the poem with the 28 words mixed together. Their first task (seven minutes) is to arrange the words in the correct order. Before distributing the words, tell them that the poem is arranged in three four-­‐line stanzas. Put students in groups of two or three and distribute the words. © Education Umbrella, 2014 1 This is just to say I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold © Education Umbrella, 2014 2 After seven minutes, distribute or show the poem and read it together. Questions 1. Who is writing and to whom? (A man (William Carlos Williams) writing to his wife) 2. What has he taken? (The plums she was saving for breakfast) 3. Does he regret his actions? (Partly, partly not) 4. Why did he take the plums? (Perhaps he opened the fridge ("icebox"), saw the plums and couldn't resist) Grammar 1) Tenses Match the lines from the poem with the correct tense (1-­‐d, 2-­‐a, 3-­‐b, 4-­‐c) Line Tense 1) I have eaten the plums a) Past simple 2) there were in the icebox b) Past continuous 3) and which you were probably saving c) Imperative 4) Forgive me d) Present perfect simple Why does the writer say 'I have eaten' and not 'I ate'? ('I have eaten' (the present perfect simple) indicates that the action is recent and has an effect in the present. The past simple ('I ate') indicates that there is no connection to the present.) Can you think of examples of the present perfect simple in the news? (Two people have been arrested; Four people have died; Manchester United have won the Premier League) © Education Umbrella, 2014 3 When else do we use the present perfect simple? (To describe life experiences (e.g., I have never been there; He's already read it) and to connect the past and present (e.g., I've lived there for 10 years; We've always wanted to go there) 2) Parts of speech What are the three nouns in the poem? (plums, icebox, breakfast) What are the three subjective pronouns? (I, you, they) What is the one objective pronoun? (me) What are the three adjectives? (delicious, sweet, cold) Main activity Tell the students to write a poem in the form of a note that begins 'This is just to say' and apologises to somebody for having taken something. They can base the poem on a real or invented experience. The poem must include the following (but not the same as in the poem!): •
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the past simple tense the past continuous tense the imperative tense the present perfect simple tense at least three different subjective pronouns at least one objective pronoun at least three different nouns at least three different adjectives The students can choose their own form (the arrangement of lines, stanzas, etc.). © Education Umbrella, 2014 4