Language goal

In this unit students learn to describe people.

New language

What do you look like? I'm short. And I have curly hair.

What do they look like? They're medium height.And they have short hair.

What does he look like? He's heavy and he wears glasses.

What does she look like? She's thin and she has long hair.

Section A

Ask students to name some ways of describing people. You can start students off with examples such as tall and short. Point out various students in the class and ask students to say if they are tall or short.

Continue with examples of students who have long hair and short hair. Write the words on the board and ask students to repeat these words. Then point at different students' hair and ask the class, Long hair or short hair?

Culture note

In some cultures, it is impolite to point at other people or to touch other people, particularly on the head.

la This activity introduces the key vocabulary.

Focus attention on the words. Ask students to read the list of words. Then say each word and ask students to repeat it.

On the board, make a simple drawing to illustrate each of the words. As you complete each drawing, point to it and ask students what it shows. If they don't know, say the word and ask students to repeat it. For example,draw a stick figure with very long legs and a long body,When you point to the figure, students say tall.

Call attention to the picture. Point to the letters next to the people in the picture.

Say, Use the letters to match the people in the picture with one of the numbered words. Write each letter next to a numbered word. You can use some letters more than once. Point out the sample answer.

Check the answers.

1 b This activity provides guided listening and writing practice using the target language.

Call attention to the speech bubbles in the picture.Read the dialogue, saying blank when you come to a blank line.

Say, You will hear a conversation between Amy and her friend. Fill in the blank lines in their conversation.Then look at the picture and find the boy Amy is talking about.

Play the recording the first time. Students only listen.

Play the recording a second time. This time, students fill in the blanks in the speech bubbles.

Say, Who are they talking about?

Correct the answers.

1 c This activity provides guided oral practice using the target language.

Call attention to the various people in the picture.Say, One of these people is your friend.

Point out the sample conversation. Ask two students to read it to the class. Then ask the class to point to the girl in the picture who has long hair and a medium build.

Say a dialogue with a student. Have the student ask you the question. You then answer it using a description of one of the people in the picture. Ask the student to point out the person you described.

Say, Now work with a partner. Ask and answer the questions.

Then have students work in pairs. As they talk,move around the room monitoring their work.Offer language or pronunciation support as needed.

2a This activity provides guided listening practice using the target language.

Point to the list of nine phrases and ask a student to read them to the class.

Say, Now you will hear three conversations. The people are talking about friends. They are using these words to describe their friends. Some of these words go with "has" and some go with "is".

Point to the circle around the word "circle". Say, Circle the correct word, either is or has, when you hear it in the conversation.

Play the recording the first time. Students only listen.Point out that there are three different conversations about three different people.

Play the recording a second time. This time say, Circle "has" or "is". You may wish to play the recording a third time to allow slower students to complete their work and to let other students check their answers.

Correct the answers.

2b This activity provides listening and writing practice using the target language.

Point at the chart with space for two words used with is and two words used with has after each name

Call attention to the sample answers. As you point to the word is, say a sentence using the sample answer tall:He's tall. Point to the word has and say a sentence using the sample answer curly hair: He has curly hair.

Play the recording. Ask students to listen to the descriptions and write the words in the correct column after cad person's name.

3 This activity provides guided writing practice using the target language. J

Call attention to the dialogue in the box and the picture. Explain that students have to complete the dialogue with words to describe Nancy's appearance.

Have students do the activity individually. As they work, move around the classroom offering help as necessary.

3a This activity provides reading practice using the target language.

Draw attention to the pictures and the descriptions.Explain that students have to match the pictures with the correct descriptions.

Point out the example. Have a student read the first description.

Students do the activity individually.

3b This activity provides oral practice using the target language

Call attention to the picture and the names in the box. Say, Student A has to write the names in the box next to the people in the picture. Then Student B has to ask questions to find the people. Remind students that they should not look at each others' textbooks when they do this activity.

Have two students read out the example dialogue in the speech bubbles. Then ask students to do the activity in pairs. As students talk, walk around the classroom listening and offering assistance as necessary.

After several minutes, stop the activity and have several pairs present their dialogues to the class.

4 This activity provides open-ended oral practice using the target language.

Give a sample description of someone in the class and ask the class to guess who you are describing.Use only words and sentence patterns from this unit.For example, She's short and thin. She has curly hair.

Ask some students to describe a person while their classmates guess who it is.

Section B

New language

beard, mustache, black, blonde, bald Additional materials to bring to class:

large scrap paper for the drawing activity in activity 4

1 a This activity introduces the key vocabulary.

Focus attention on the six pictures. Ask students to tell what they see in each picture. Confirm each correct answer and supply any words students don't know.

Point at the numbered list of words. Say each word and ask students to repeat these words.

Then ask students to match each word with one of the pictures. Say, Write the letter next to the picture in front of one of the words. Point out the sample answer.

1 b This activity provides oral and writing practice using the target language.

Point at the incomplete sentences and read the completed sample sentence to the class.Ask students to work alone or in pairs. Have students write the name of a famous person in each blank.

Ask some students to read the sentences they completed. Have other students say whether the sentences are right or wrong.

2b This activity provides listening and writing practice using the target structures.

Say, You will hear Maria and Danny talking about Tina Brown and Johnny Dean again. This time your job is to write what each person looks like. Point to the heading "looks like".

Play the recording. Ask students to fill in the blanks next to the words "looks like" on the chart.

Correct the answers.

2a This activity provides listening and writing practice using the target language.

Point out the picture of Johnny Dean and Tina Brown and Maria and Danny. Say, You will hear Maria and Danny talking about Tina Brown and Johnny Dean.Your job is to write the job each person does. Point to the heading "Job" on the chart.

Play the recording the first time. Students only listen.

Play the recording a second time. This time ask students to fill in the blanks in the chart.

Correct the answers.

2c This activity provides oral practice using the target language.

Name a famous actor, musician or athlete and describe that person. For example, My favorite actor is Leonardo DiCaprio. He's medium height and he has brown hair.

Ask students to work in small groups. Have students describe a famous person to the group. Ask others in the group to add information to each description, if possible.

3a This activity provides reading and writing practice using the target language.

Call attention to the two pictures of Johnny Dean.Ask students if they are pictures of one person or two different people. Lead students to understand that they are before and after pictures.

Ask students to read the magazine article individually.Move around the room answering any questions students may have.

Read the magazine article to the class. Answer any further questions about the words in the story students may have.

Point out the blanks in the chart. Say, Under "Before"write words that describe Johnny before be changed. Under "Now" write words that describe Johnny after be changed. Point out the sample answer.

As students work, move around the room monitoring progress.

3b This activity provides guided writing practice using the target language.

Call attention to the passage and the pictures below.Explain that the passage describes how Gloria Green's look has changed. Point out the sample answer, and ask a student to provide the second answer (short hair).

Point out the numbered blanks in the paragraph. Say,Write words describing Gloria's appearance in each blank.

Ask students to finish the activity on their own.

3c This activity provides writing practice using the target language.

Ask students to name their favorite actors or musicians. Write some of the names on the board.

Ask each student to choose an actor or musician and write a short description of the person.

Ask what new words students want to use in their descriptions. When you understand what a student wants to say, write the word on the board, explain it to the class and have the class repeat it. Limit this to two or three new words.

As students write, move around the room answering questions and offering language support.

Read some of the completed descriptions to the class and have students guess who the person is.

4 This activity provides listening and speaking practice using the target language.

Read the instructions. Check to see that students understand how the game is played.

Ask each student to draw a picture without letting ,anyone else see it.

Have students get into groups of four. Tell the students in each group to give themselves numbers from 1 to 4.

Ask the other three students in each group to listen to the description and draw the person. You may wish to have them listen to the description several times.

Ask each group to swap its pictures with another group. That group votes to decide which of the three copies looks most like the original picture. The student who drew that copy is the winner.