Unit 2
Introduction
This unit features the language function ‘Asking for and giving permission”. Teachers can either
follow the suggested activities to facilitate language learning or modify the activities suggested
here according to their specific classroom context and need. The table below lists the topics and
tasks covered in Unit 2.
S. N. Topics Tasks
1 Getting Started Act out a dialogue
Listen and sing
2 Reading I: The Small Discussion on pre-reading questions
Bird’s Wisdom Find the words for given meanings
Write true or false
Rearrange the sentences in correct order
Retell the story
3 Pronunciation Pronounce vowel sounds
4 Grammar I Identify countable and uncountable nouns
Complete the sentences using a, an, or some
5 Listening: Conversation Discussion on pre-listening questions
about a Workplace Fill in the blanks
Write questions from the audio
6 Speaking: Asking for Match the expressions with the given situations
and giving/withholding Identify the expressions used for giving or withholding
permission permission
Give and refuse permissions in the given situations
7 Reading II: May I go Discussion on pre-reading questions
now? (Poem) Find the rhyming words
Find the words for the given meanings
Write true or false
8 Grammar II Study the sentences with a/an, some, any, many
Complete the sentences with a/an, some, any
9 Writing Complete an email with missing information
Sing a letter song
Write a letter of permission
10 Project Work Write a request letter to the head teacher
11 Extra Bit Learn the homophones
Total time for the unit 8 hours
Detailed classroom procedures for each task are presented below. Teachers can follow the given
section wise activities to involve students in the learning tasks. There are still possibilities for
creativity to make the suggested activities even better and more interesting. In addition to the
activities presented here, teachers can introduce some other tasks to assess language skills and
aspects throughout the unit.
19
2.1 Getting started
This is the first task of the lesson. There are two sub-tasks. Follow the procedures given below to
facilitate these tasks. Learn a tune for the song before the lesson starts.
Objectives
a. Act out the given dialogue
b. Sing the song and identify countable and uncountable nouns
Follow these steps:
A. Act out the dialogue.
a. Show students the picture and ask questions like: How many people are there? Who do you
think they are? What do you think they are talking about?
b. Elicit the responses such as: There are two people. They look like a mother and a daughter.
c. Invite one of the students to come to the front of the class. Perform the dialogue with the
student. Switch your roles when you perform the dialogue once.
d. Again ask the other two students to perform the same dialogue.
e. Next, get students into pairs and let them practise the conversation.
f. While working on the dialogue, try to make it as realistic as possible. Ask questions such as
What is the girl asking with her mother?
B. Listen and sing.
a. Ask students if they have listened to this song before.
b. Sing the song once and ask students to point to the lines you are singing. Make sure that
everyone pays attention.
c. Sing the song line by line once again and ask students to follow you. Next time, let students
sing the song on their own.
d. Ask them to identify the countable and uncountable nouns mentioned in the song.
e. Collect their oral responses and provide feedback on their responses.
Answer
a. Things I can count: fish, glasses, slices of bread, subjects, fingers, and people
b. Things I can’t count: food, water, bread, and money
2.2. Reading I
This is the first reading text in this unit is a fable “The small bird’s wisdom”. It teaches students a
valuable moral.
Objectives
a. Learn the words: freedom, impossible, overhear, beating, starve
b. Read the text and do the comprehension tasks
Follow these steps:
20
Pre-reading activities
a. Show the picture in the text to students. Read the questions one by one, making sure that
students understand them.
b. Ask students what the man in the picture is doing. Elicit the responses such as: holding a
small bird in his hand.
c. Then, ask them the next question:
Do you think the bird wants to be free? Why or why not?
d. Encourage students to speak up, even if they are shy. Accept and acknowledge any answers,
such as:
Yes, the bird wants to be free because it has its own world to explore.
No, the bird does not want to be free because it is comfortable being in the hands of a human
being.
The bird might not want to be free right now, but it might want to be free later on.
e. Ask students to preview the text and pay attention to the words in red. Ask them to read the
words and write the words on the board. If there are any other unfamiliar words, ask students
to underline them in their textbooks. Write these words too on the board.
f. Teach all the words that have been written on the board. When teaching the meaning of
words, start by asking students to guess the meanings from the context. This will help them
to use their critical thinking skills. If students are unable to guess the meaning of a word,
you can then provide them with the definition.
g. Use the form-pronunciation-meaning model (FPM). For words that are introduced for the
first time, you can also download and play the correct British and American pronunciation
from online dictionaries.
While reading activities
a. Write the title of the story on the board. Ask students to guess what the story is about/what
the text is about.
b. Read the text for the first time at a normal speed and ask the students to point the lines.
c. Ask 2-3 students to read the text once again; choose the students randomly.
d. Next, ask students to read the text individually. Move around the classroom and provide
individualized support to the struggling readers while others read the text independently.
e. Hold a short discussion on the text in the form of question and answer.
f. Ask 2-3 students to retell the story.
g. Summarize the story briefly and discuss its moral.
A. Write the words from the text which have the following meanings. The first letter of each
word has been given.
a. Ask students to read the instructions for Activity A and complete the task. Remind them that
the first letters of the words are given.
b. Once they complete the task, have some students read their answers aloud to the class.
c. If a student's answer is wrong, correct the answer and explain why the answer is wrong.
d. Provide the correct answers and ask students to make corrections if needed.
21
Answers
a. Impossible b. Overhead c. Freedom d. Beating e. Starve f. Diamond
B. Complete the following sentences with the words from the previous task.
a. Ask students to read the answers (words) of Activity A once again.
b. Instruct them to complete the sentences from a-f using those same words. Make sure that
all students have clearly understood what they are expected to do.
c. Ask students to do this task individually.
d. Once they complete the task, write the correct answers on the board.
e. Let students review their answers and make necessary corrections.
Answers
a. starve b. impossible c. overhead d. diamond e. beating f. freedom
C. Read the story again and write True or False for the following statements.
a. Ask students to read the statements from a-f.
b. Tell them to go back to the text again and decide whether the given statements are true or
false.
c. Have some students share their answers to the class.
d. When they complete the task, instruct them to do peer checking.
Answers
a. True b. False c. True d. False e. True f. True
D. Read the story again and put the following sentences in the correct order.
a. Divide students into groups.
b. Ask each group to read the story again, discuss, and rearrange the sentences from a-f in the
correct order.
c. Let one student from each group read aloud the answer to the class.
d. After each group shares the answer, invite other groups to provide feedback. This will ensure
that all groups are on the same page and everyone will get a chance to learn from each other.
Answers
a. A man saw a bird caught in a net.
b. The small bird talked to the man.
c. The small bird gave him three suggestions.
d. The man requested the bird to come back to him.
e. The bird laughed for the third time and flew away.
Post-reading activity
22
a. Ask students to retell the story in their own words. They can choose to tell it as the man or
the bird. They can begin their story with the starting sentences given in the exercise.
b. Select two or three students, and ask them who they want to be (the bird or the man). Then,
ask them to retell the story from their chosen perspective.
c. After each student has finished retelling the story, ask the other students to discuss who they
thought was the better storyteller.
d. Pair up students and ask them to practice retelling the story to each other.
e. Move around the classroom to ensure that students are staying on the topic.
2.3. Pronunciation
This is a pronunciation task where the students practice the pronunciation of the given words.
Objective
Pronounce the target words correctly
Material
Audio recording of the pronunciation of the target words
Follow these steps:
a. Learn to pronounce the words in advance.
b. Either pronounce the words yourself or play the audio recording of the pronunciation of the
words and ask students to repeat after you. This is called a "whole class drill."
c. Repeat the words a few times, and make sure that the students are able to pronounce them
correctly.
d. Ask individual students to pronounce the words. This is called a "one-on-one drill."
e. Identify students struggling with the pronunciation of the words, and give them individual
attention.
f. Listen to their pronunciation and provide feedback.
2.4. Grammar I
This is the first grammar activity of the unit. Students will identify countable and uncountable
nouns and the quantifiers (a/an/some) used with the nouns.
Objectives
a. Identify countable and uncountable nouns
b. Use 'a', 'an', or 'some' correctly
Follow these steps:
A. Read the story 'A Small Bird's Wisdom' again and write down all the nouns in the correct
columns below.
a. Present some examples of nouns and ask students to decide whether they are countable or
uncountable.
23
b. You can make it a fun activity. Write a list of the nouns (at least 20) on the board.
c. Divide students into two groups; countable and uncountable.
d. Ask each student from the group to come to the board and circle their respective nouns.
e. Score for the correct responses and declare the winner.
f. Now, ask students to read the story once again and underline all the nouns.
g. Next, ask them to write the nouns under the correct headings. For example:
Things that you can count Things that you cannot count
man, garden, … surprise, freedom, …
B. Countable or uncountable? Look at the sentences below. Are the nouns highlighted in the
following sentences countable or uncountable?
a. Ask students to read the sentences carefully and pay attention to the words in red.
b. Pair up students and ask them to discuss and decide whether the nouns in each sentence are
countable or uncountable.
c. Write correct answers on the board and let students correct their answers.
Answers (U= Uncountable, C= Countable)
a. C b. C c. U, U d. U e. C f. U, U g. U h. C i. C j. C, C
C. Complete the sentences with a, an or some.
a. Present some example sentences with the quantifiers a, an, and some. For example,
b. There is a sheep in the shade.
c. I need an onion. I'm going to prepare lentils.
d. She always gets some milk from the dairy.
e. To prepare a cake, you need some eggs.
f. Hold a discussion on the use of these words; make sure everybody understands them.
g. Explain with sufficient examples that 'a' is used with the singular countable nouns that start
with consonant sounds, 'an' is used with the singular countable nouns starting with vowel
sounds, and 'some' is used with both countable and uncountable nouns referring to quantities.
h. Ask students to complete the sentences in Activity C with the quantifiers.
i. Once they complete the task, ask them to exchange their work with their partner sitting next
to them for peer correction.
j. Finally, tell the correct answers so that students can check their work.
Answers
a. an b. a c. a d. an e. some f. a, some g. a
h. some i. an j. a
2.5. Listening
24
In this task, students listen to a conversation where a woman asks for permission and another
person either grants or denies it.
Objective
Listen to the audio and do the comprehension tasks
Materials
Audio file and audio player
Follow these steps:
a. Ask students to look at the picture and guess the answers to the given pre-listening questions.
Make sure that they understand the questions.
b. Encourage each student to speak.
c. Elicit the responses such as:
They are in the office.
They work in a company.
They are talking about what they are allowed to do and what they are not allowed.
d. Acknowledge students for their responses. Say something positive such as "Good job!" or
"That's a great answer!"
e. Tell students that they are going to listen to a conversation. Before playing the audio file, ask
students to read the sentences in Activity B carefully. Allow them 2-3 minutes for this.
f. Play the audio for the first time and ask students to listen to it to familiarize themselves with
the audio.
g. Play the audio for the second time. This time, have them complete the exercise.
h. Pause for a while. Play the audio for the third time and ask them to check their answers.
i. Make sure that everyone has completed the exercise.
j. Have some students share their answers with the class. If any answer is incorrect, correct the
answer and explain why it is incorrect.
k. Ask students to write as many questions as they can from the audio they have just listened
to.
l. Monitor while they are doing the task.
m. Once they complete, ask them to compare their list of questions with that of their friends to
see who has remembered more questions.
n. List all the questions from the audio on the board and let students review their answers.
B. Answers
a. thirty b. early c. eight d. time e. dress f. notice
2.6. Speaking
25
This is the speaking activity focusing on 'asking for, giving and denying permission'. It consists of
three activities. There are several situations in which students can ask for permission, accept or
deny them.
Objectives
a. Ask for permission
b. Accept or deny the permission
Follow these steps:
a. Divide the class into groups comprising of mixed ability students.
b. In each group, ask students to pair up the situations with the expressions from the box.
c. Ask each group to read the situations and expressions they paired up and ask the class to
assess whether they did it correctly.
d. Next, ask students to study the expressions given in Activity B.
e. Ask them to work in pairs and group the expressions under the correct headings.
f. Monitor students while they are doing the exercise.
g. After they complete the task, ask them to read their expressions one by one and provide
positive and constructive feedback.
h. Ask students to observe the pictures and study the corresponding phrases in Activity C
carefully.
i. Write the situations on separate pieces of paper. Fold them and put them in a basket/box.
j. Form pairs of students and ask each pair to pick up one situation randomly.
k. Have them practise asking for permission and giving/refusing it. Ask students to switch their
roles. Ask them to give permission once and reject it the other time (when the roles are
reversed) so that they practice both the structures.
l. Assess them while they perform the task and provide them with necessary feedback.
2.7. Reading II
The second reading in the unit is a poem entitled "May I go now?". Please learn the tune of the
poem in advance.
Objectives
a. Learn the words: lonely, might, draw, spirit, hold
b. Find the rhyming words used in the poem
c. Extract the required information and complete the comprehension tasks
Follow these steps:
Pre-reading activities
a. Ask the pre-reading questions to students.
b. Listen to individual students for their answers (Don't forget to encourage the introverts to
speak).
c. Acknowledge all responses, even if they are different from your opinion.
d. Encourage students to share their personal experiences.
26
e. Ask them if they have elderly people at home. Ask them how they feel and how they care for
them or address their needs.
f. Discuss the problems/issues of elderly people and provide suggestions for making the
situations better.
g. Get students to guess the meanings of the words in red.
h. Instruct them to look up the meaning of the words in the glossary.
While reading activities
a. Tell students to read the title of the poem and the name of the poet.
b. Ask them to share their thoughts on what the title might mean.
c. Ask them to guess the content of the poem based on the title. This will help students to
engage with the poem and think about its meaning before they read it.
d. Recite the poem with rhythm. Clap while reciting it and ask students to clap.
e. Recite the poem again and ask students to follow you. Ask individual students to recite the
poem later.
f. Hold a short discussion on the theme of the poem.
g. Explain that the poem is an appeal of an elderly person who wants to die forgetting all the
pains he/she has to bear when alive. S/he wants to thank the person who has taken care of
him/her. Even if s/he dies, the spirit would be there together with the dear ones who provided
necessary services to the elderly person.
h. Ask students to find the words from the poem that rhyme with the words given in Activity A.
i. Monitor them while they are engaged in the activity. After they finish, let them share their
answers to the class.
j. Next, have students find the words for the given meanings in Activity B from the poem.
Instruct them to consult only the coloured words.
k. Provide them with feedback after they complete the task.
l. Ask students to read the poem once again and decide whether the given sentences are true or
false.
m. Tell the correct answers and let students review their answers.
A. Answers
a. be – free
b. might – light
c. stay – day
d. know – go
e. say – today
B. Answers
a. lonely b. might c. spirit d. draw e. hold
C. Answers
a. True b. False c. True d. False e. False
Post-reading activity
Do you think death is as easy as the poet says? Why?
27
a. Start by sharing your thoughts and feelings about death with the class. This will help to
create a safe and supportive environment where students feel comfortable sharing their own
thoughts and feelings about life and death.
b. Pair up students and ask them to discuss whether they think death is as easy as the poet says.
This will help students to share their ideas and perspectives with each other.
c. Guide students in brainstorming ideas about life and death. This will help students to explore
the different aspects of death and dying.
d. Let students discuss in pairs and share the main points of their discussion with the
class. This will help students to share their learnings with each other and to get feedback
from their peers.
2.8. Grammar II
This grammar section will allow students to review the use of a/an/some/any, which they learned
in Grammar I.
Objective
Use 'a', 'an', 'some' or 'any' in the sentences correctly
Follow these steps:
a. Ask students to read the example sentences in Activity A. Tell them to pay special attention
to the coloured words.
b. Remind them about the use of quantifiers. 'Any' is introduced for the first time. So, discuss its
use with examples. Explain with sufficient examples that 'any' is used with plural countable
nouns and uncountable nouns in questions and negative statements.
c. Ask students when and where 'how much' and 'how many' are used.
d. Get ideas from them and tell them that they are used to ask questions about quantities. 'How
much' is used to ask about the quantities of uncountable nouns and 'how many' is used to ask
about the quantities of countable nouns.
e. Give more examples and clarify the use of how much and how many.
f. Ask students to work individually and complete Activity B.
g. Move around the class, identify students who need help, and help them find the answers while
others work independently.
h. Provide the correct answers and ask students to make corrections if needed.
Answers
a. a b. any c. some d. any e. an f. some g. any
2.9. Writing
Writing section in Unit 2 consists of two tasks: completing an email with the given words and
phrases, and writing a personal letter asking for permission.
Objectives
a. Compose an email with appropriate format and layout
b. Write a personal letter
Follow these steps:
28
A. Below is the format of an email. Fill up the blanks with the phrases from the box below to
complete the email.
a. Ask students the following questions:
b. Have you ever written an email to anyone?
c. What are some of the purposes for which people write emails?
d. How are emails similar to letters?
e. Present a sample of a real email in class and discuss the parts of an email. Talk about the “To”
field, the “From” field, the subject line, the email body, and the closing.
f. Ask students to complete the incomplete email given in Activity A using the phrases in the
box. Monitor students while they are engaged in the activity.
g. Have 2-3 students read aloud the completed email to the class.
h. Tell other students to correct their answers if needed.
Answer
To: samjhana@[Link] Cc/Bcc
Leave application
Dear Ma'am,
Namaskar! I hope my email finds you in good health. I am Sanskriti, your student of grade 7B.
I am writing to you to request seven days' leave from 15th to 21st April, 2021. It is because I have
to attend my sister's wedding in my village. It is very important.
Thus, I will be highly obliged if you kindly grant me your permission for the same. I assure you
that when I come back, I will cover all my missed lessons.
Looking forward to your positive reply.
Yours sincerely,
Sanskriti Rai
B. A friendly, personal or an informal letter is written to our friends, family or relatives. Try
singing the friendly/personal letter song together in your class.
a. Learn the tune of the song in advance.
b. Ask the students the following questions:
Have you ever written or read letters?
What kind of letters do you know (formal or informal)?
For whom have you written letters?
For what purpose do people write letters?
c. Tell students that they are going to sing a friendly letter song. First, sing the song and ask
students to follow the lines. Next time, sing the song together with students.
d. Ask some 2-3 students to model/sing the song and have the rest of the class follow them.
e. Discuss the main points mentioned in the song.
f. Remind students of the parts of a letter based on the labeled diagram given on the page.
29
C. Your school is going to organise an educational tour to Lumbini. You also want to go with
your school friends. Write a letter asking your sister, who lives away from home, for
permission to go on the trip.
a. Remind students of the parts of a letter that they learned in Activity B.
b. Write the following questions on the board and ask students to answer them orally:
c. Who is going to write the letter?
d. Who is s/he writing the letter to?
e. Why is s/he writing the letter?
f. Assign this task as homework.
g. Correct students’ written work and provide them with individual feedback.
Sample Answer
Phungling – 3, Taplejung
5th May, 2023
Dear sister,
I am fine here till date and hope that this letter finds you in good health.
I am writing this letter to inform you that our school is going to organise an educational tour to
Lumbini which is a two-day visit. It will begin on 15 th of May. All students of grade 7 together
with three teachers are going there. Shall I go with them? You know well that visiting a new
place helps us broaden our minds and gives us new experiences about the culture, locality, food,
and people of that place.
I hope you will allow me to go on the tour.
Yours,
Ranjita
2.10. Project work
In this project, students will be writing a letter to the head teacher requesting permission to use the
football ground to organize a science exhibition in their school.
Objective
Write a formal request letter
Follow these steps:
a. Get students into groups of four.
b. Instruct students to work in a group to discuss and write a request letter to their head teacher
asking to use the football ground to organise a science exhibition.
c. After they complete the task, ask all the groups to read each other's letters. This will help them
to see how other groups have approached the task.
d. Have each group provide feedback on each other's tasks.
30
e. Finally, let the groups vote for the best letter. This will be a fun way to end the unit and
celebrate students' hard work.
31