Let’s start with the main aim of the lesson and how we’ll know if this aim has been achieved:
Main aim
To develop students’ ability to talk about obligation and necessity, using modals of obligation in the context of explaining rules of sports.
We’ll know if this has been achieved if, during the fluency practice stage, students use modals of obligation to discuss the rules of different sports.
Materials
Here’s what we’ll need:
- Names of different sports on cards, one set of cards per pair/group
- Some pictures of your chosen sport (we use “chess boxing” for this lesson, but you can adapt the text to a different “unusual” sport if you like)
- A copy of the Guided Discovery worksheet for each student
Download the lesson plan and materials
The lesson
Okay, on to the lesson itself. Here are the different stages with the aim of each stage, the approximate timing, and what to do:
Lead in
To set the context and generate interest (8-10 minutes)
To set the context for the lesson, ask your students to think of their favourite sport and describe it to a partner without mentioning the name of the sport. Their partner has to try and guess what it is. Feed back on this to find out which sports were being described and who guessed correctly.
Vocabulary
To activate students’ existing vocabulary knowledge around sports (10-12 minutes)
Next, divide your students into pairs or small groups and give each pair/group a set of cards with the names of sports written on them. Ask them to categorise the sports in any way they wish. This activates their existing vocabulary knowledge of sports.
When you do feedback on the board, accept all reasonable ways of categorising, and then suggest your own if they haven’t come up with it: which sports we “play”, which we “do” and which we “go” (for example play football, do karate, go swimming). Elicit any patterns they see in this categorisation, prompting if necessary (play – usually with a ball or other equipment; go – usually individual sports / those ending in “-ing”; do – martial arts and disciplines such as yoga and pilates.)
Reading
To prepare for the guided discovery questions which follow (10-12 minutes)
This next part of the lesson is to prepare for the guided discovery questions which follow. Show your students the pictures of “chess boxing” and ask them, in pairs, to predict what they think the rules of this sport are.
Feed back their ideas, and then hand out the text, asking them to check to see if their predictions were correct.
You can find a printable version of the reading text in the downloadable lesson plan.
Chess Boxing combines two traditional sports, chess and boxing. Competitors alternate between a round of boxing and a game of chess. It was invented by a Dutch performance artist.
Although it started as art, it quickly became a fully developed competitive sport. It is popular in Germany, the UK, India and Russia. The first competition took place in Berlin in 2003.
Objective:
A player must beat his opponent either at boxing or at chess before the end of the match.
Rules:
- Players have to box for 3 minutes and then play chess for 3 minutes, for a maximum of 33 minutes.
- Players must play chess 6 times and box 5 times in one match.
- Players must understand the rules of boxing and chess.
- Players can win either in chess or in boxing.
- Players don’t have to wear protective helmets.
- Players mustn’t wear their boxing gloves when playing chess.
- Players should stay calm and concentrate when playing chess.
- Players have to be more than 17 years old.
- Players should be physically fit.
- Players shouldn’t argue with the referee.
Guided discovery
To introduce and check understanding of the target language (10-12 minutes)
Ask your students now to answer the guided discovery questions under the text. The questions are designed to check their understanding of each of the modal verbs of obligation, which they then need to categorise into the four columns of the table.
Monitor as they work to check they are on the right track, and then do feedback as a class.
You can find a printable version of the guided discovery worksheet in the downloadable lesson plan.
Read the text and answer the questions:
- Look at rule 3. Players must understand the rules of boxing and chess.
Is it OK if players don’t understand the rules of boxing and chess? YES / NO - Look at rule 6. Players mustn’t wear their boxing gloves when playing chess.
Is it OK if players wear their boxing gloves when playing chess? YES / NO - Look at rule 8. Players have to be more than 17 years old.
Is it OK if players are less than 17 years old? YES / NO - Look at rule 5. Players don’t have to wear protective helmets.
Can players wear protective helmets if they want to? YES / NO
Is it necessary for them to wear protective helmets? YES / NO - Look at rule 9. Players should be physically fit.
Is it necessary for players to be physically fit? YES / NO
Is it a good idea for players to be physically fit? YES / NO - Look at rule 10. Players shouldn’t argue with the referee.
Can players argue with the referee? YES / NO
Is it a good idea for players to argue with the referee? YES / NO
Now put the verbs into the correct columns:
must – mustn’t – have to – don’t have to – should – shouldn’t
| Necessary | Not necessary | Forbidden | A good idea |
|---|---|---|---|
Restricted practice
To provide restricted practice in using the target language and standardise pronunciation (6-8 minutes)
Drill the target language, focusing on the weak form of “have to” (/hæftə/).
Next, to mix up the pairs in an interesting way, ask your students to order themselves in a line according to when they last did a sport, and then sit down in pairs with the person next to them in the line. Now ask them to think once again of their favourite sport and describe the rules to their new partner without saying the name of the sport.
Here, you are giving them the opportunity to use the target language, carrying out the same exercise as in the lead-in. Do feedback as a class, asking who guessed the sport correctly, and having a few students to describe a few rules of their partner’s sport.
Fluency practice
To give students fluency practice in using the target language (10-12 minutes)
Finally, divide your students into small groups and give them a list of some more unusual sports. You can write the list on the board, or give it to them on a handout. The choice of sports is up to you – whichever you think would be interesting for your students to discuss. Here are some examples:
- Octopush
- Shin kicking
- Fireball soccer
- Toe wrestling
- Cycle ball
- Tuna tossing
- Worm charming
- Wife carrying
Ask the groups to pick two or three and discuss what the sport might be about and what the rules might be. Do feedback as a class, asking a few students to share their ideas about the sports, then highlighting good use of language / recurring errors.
———-
That’s it. Feel free to download a printable version of the whole lesson plan and all the materials.
Any comments, or suggestions of other ways to teach modals of obligation are welcome below…
Got a teaching idea to share?
Share your activity or lesson plan with your fellow teachers. You'll be helping our community and contributing to a hub of valuable resources for teachers everywhere.
Looking for a job? Add your CV
Get ahead of the game: Be found by employers.
