Description

In this lesson, students learn about the passive voice in different tenses through PPP based on a text about
Mars.

Main Aims
 To provide clarification, practice and review of the passive voice in the context of exploring planet Mars.

Subsidiary Aims
 To provide process writing practice in the context of planets.

Please see the following page for the lesson procedure

 Interaction
Stage Procedure Materials Time Comments
Pattern
Warmer/Lead-in Teacher distributes part of an article from a newspaper to the students and
To set lesson context asks questions about it such as "Do you think life on Mars will be possible?
Would you like to live there? What could it be like to live there?". Ss discuss
T-S, S-S, WC 3–5
and engage students
answers first in pairs and then they share their ideas with the class.
Exposure T shows a picture of Mars and asks ss "Which planet is this? What do you know
To provide context about it?
for the target and elicits answers. Then she says that she wants to give more information T-S, WC 8 – 10
language through a about it and shows the sentences that are about the exploration of Mars along
text or situation with related pictures.
Highlighting T highlights the target language by asking if the sentence "Mars is known as
To draw students' the Red Planet." is in passive or active voice.
T-S, WC 2–4
attention to the
target language
Clarification T focuses on the sentence "Mars is known as the Red Planet." and asks
To clarify the concept checking questions about the sentence such as "Who knows Mars as
meaning, form and the Red Planet? (People) Why don't I say "People know it as the Red Planet?"
pronunciation of the (Because the doer is not important) Is it in the present or in the past?
target language (Present). She elicits and highlights the structure and practices pronunciation
through drilling. She moves on to the next sentence "Mars was first observed
by Babylonians in 400 BC." and asks "Who observed Mars for the first time? T-S, WC 8 – 10
(Babylonians) Which preposition do we use when we want to include the
person who does the action? (By) Is it in the present or in the past? (Past).
Then, she elicits and highlights the structure and practices pronunciation
through drilling. T elicits the other sentences in passive voice in different
tenses. Then she elicits the structures for the present perfect passive, the
passive in the future and the passive with a modal verb.
Controlled Practice T distributes the handouts and answers the first question with the class as an
To concept check and example. Ss works individually to complete the other sentences. They compare
prepare students for answers with each other, then T does whole class feedback and corrects errors. T-S, WC 8 – 10
more meaningful
practice
Semi-Controlled T divides the students into groups and explains that ss will take turns to pick
Practice one sentence from the pile of cards and change it to passive voice. If they can,
To concept check they keep the card. The student with the most cards will win the game. T
monitors and gives feedback at the end of the activity. T-S, S-S 8 – 10
further and prepare
students for free
practice
 Interaction
Stage Procedure Materials Time Comments
Pattern
Free Practice T divides the class into groups of 4-5 ss and explains that they will work
To provide students together to make a poster of a planet using sentences in the passive voice. T
with free practice of monitors and helps. She corrects mistakes after they finish the poster. At the T-S, S-S, WC 8 – 10
the target language end of the activity, the posters are hung on the wall and ss walk around the
classroom to check the posters.