CLP Lesson Plan

Teacher: Joey Cheng-Hsun Hsu

Level: Advanced 2
Date/Time: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM, Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Goal:
As to grammar points, this lesson aims to enable students to identify relative clauses and
to combine sentences using a relative clause.
Objectives (SWBAT):
Students Will Be Able To
1. identify relative clauses from an article.
2. understand the form and the meaning of relative clauses.
3. combine sentences using a relative clause.
Theme: Unit 7 Feeling Left Out
Extensions: Students will practice relative clauses through storytelling in class.

Aim/Skill/Microskill

Activity/Procedure/Stage

Interaction

Review or Preview (if

applicable)

Linking & Transitioning to rest of

lesson:

(for example:
SS-T)

Frame class (write on the board)

Grammar: relative clauses

Activity 1:
Grammar: relative clause part 1 - understand and
identify relative clauses

1.1 Pre-Stage:

The teacher asks, What does a

T-SS
relative/adjective clause look like? SS-SS (pair)
What does it do? What does an
SS
adjective look like? What does it
do? In between each question the
teacher allows sufficient time for
students to give thoughts and
examples and writes down
students answers on the board in
the form of a table.
1.2. During Stage:

To transit and consolidate

students background knowledge,

Time

1 min

10
mins

5
mins

the teacher also compares and

contrasts the similarities and
differences between
relative/adjective clauses and
adjectives on the board with
examples.
Adj.
Adj.
clause
Form
svo
word
Meaning
to describe nouns
Placement after a
before a
head noun noun
T
The teacher concludes from the
textbook, A relative clause, also
called an adjective clause, follows
after a relative pronoun and gives
more information about a noun
preceding a relative clause. The
noun is called the head noun.
The teacher gives the examples as
illustrated in the following step.
T-SS
The teacher writes the following
SS
relative clauses on the board,
points students attention to these
relative clauses and head nouns
and has students identify. Students
are not expected to understand
how to form relative clauses at
this stage, but are expected to
correctly identify relative clauses.
I enjoyed reading the book
that/which was written by
Jodi Picoult.
I enjoyed reading the book
that/which you
recommended.
The book that/which was
written by Jodi Picoult was
fantastic.
The book that/which I
enjoyed reading was
written by Jodi Picoult.
The writer who wrote this
book is Jodi Picoult.

3
mins

10
mins

1.3 Post-Stage:

The teacher asks students to

identify the relative clauses and
the head nouns in the reading
passage of the textbook (pp. 84).

Students report their answers

back to the class and the class
reviews the answers together.

Transition to #2: Extending

the Activity 1
Activity 2:
Grammar: relative clause part 2 - understand relative
pronouns and form relative
clauses

T-SS
SS

10
mins

T-SS
SS-SS

10
mins

Tangible Outcome & T. feedback/peer

feedback:
Activity 1.3 is the tangible outcome.
Teacher and peer feedback is given
after the practice.
2.1. Pre-Stage:

The teacher elicits, From the

T-SS
sentences in the previous activity, SS-SS (pair)
a relative clause is preceded by a
relative pronoun. What are
examples of relative pronouns?
Who do they do? The teacher
writes down students responses
on the board.

To sum up, the teacher explains to T

the class that a relative pronoun
is to relativize a head noun and
bridge two clauses. That can
relativize either an animated or
inanimate head noun. Which
can only relativize an inanimate
head noun. Who can only
relativize an animate head
noun. The teacher revisits the
following sentences to illustrate
the concept.
I enjoyed reading the book
that/which was written by
Jodi Picoult.
I enjoyed reading the book
that/which you
recommended.
The book that/which was
written by Jodi Picoult was
fantastic.
The book that/which I

10
mins

5
mins

enjoyed reading was

written by Jodi Picoult.
The writer who wrote this
book is Jodi Picoult.

2.2. During Stage:

Students identify the relative

T-SS
pronouns and the head nouns of SS
the relative clauses in the reading
passage of the textbook ( pp.84 )
Students are called upon to say
their answers.

Students practice to form relative SS

clauses (see the worksheet and the
textbook, pp.86) on their own.
Instruction: Two sentences are
choppy. Combine the two
sentences using a relative clause.
Note: Make sure time is sufficient
for this practice!

10
mins

15
mins

Note: In reviewing the exercises, T

the teacher brings students
attention that a subject of a
relative clause cannot be omitted,
while an object of a relative
clause can be omitted.
2.3 Post-Stage:

Students write their answers on

the board. The class checks the
answers together.

T-SS
SS-SS

15
mins

T-SS

10
mins

Tangible Outcome & T. feedback/peer

feedback:
Tangible outcome is made available
during the activity. Teacher and peer
feedback is given after the practice.
Wrap-up
Review and Homework

Lesson Evaluation Procedures:

Review - The teacher elicits, In this
two-hour lesson, what did you learn?
The teacher bullet points students
responses and helps jog students

memories when necessary.

Homework - Students work in pairs to
find a picture or advertisement. One
image per pair. Next class, students
explain the image (or tell the story)
using relative clauses (minimum three
per person).

6
mins

Materials:
1. Textbook
2. Whiteboard and markers
Anticipated Problems & Suggested Solutions:
Students might have a hard time distinguishing and figuring out a subject/an object of a
relative clause.
Solution: Break down a sentence into two (i.e. show an underlying structure: main clause
+ relative clause) and explain from an underlying structure how a subject/an object of a
relative clause is formed.
Contingency Plans (what you will do if you finish early, etc.):
Continue the textbook, pp. 86 - identifying vs. non-identifying relative clauses

2016 Spring CLP ESL A2

Instructor: Joey Cheng-Hsun Hsu

Exercise: Forming relative clauses

Name: ______________________
Instruction: Combine the sentences using a relative clause. Place the relative clause in
parentheses and indicate the head noun that is modified. Mark the relative pronoun and
indicate whether it is the subject or the object of the relative clause. Put the relative pronoun
in brackets when it is the object of the relative clause because it can be omitted.
Example:
Ann wrote the story. You like the story. (OO)
Ann wrote the story ([that] you like).
O.
1. I know the girl. The girl speaks French. (OS)
_________________________________________________________________
2. I arranged the flowers. The flowers were in the vase. (OS)
_________________________________________________________________
3. I read the book. You recommended the book. (OO)
_________________________________________________________________
4. I know the place. You spoke about the place. (OO)

Note OS: The subject of the embedded

sentence (= relative clause) refers to the
object of the main clause.
OO: The object of the embedded
sentence refers to the object of the main
clause.
SS: The subject of the embedded
sentence refers to the subject of the
main clause.
SO: The object of the embedded
sentence refers to the subject of the
main clause.

_________________________________________________________________
5. The girl is my cousin. The girl speaks French. (SS)
_________________________________________________________________
6. The flowers need some water. The flowers are in the vase. (SS)
_________________________________________________________________
7. The report was excellent. You gave us the report. (SO)
_________________________________________________________________
8. The man is my teacher. You met the man. (SO)
_________________________________________________________________

Reference
Celce-Murcia, M. & Larsen-Freeman, D. (2015). The Grammar Book: Form, Meaning, and Use
for English Language Teachers (3rd ed.). Boston: Heinle ELT.