Direct Method

Teacher: Florea Maria-Cristina

Grade: 8th
Textbook: High Flyer
Lesson: In the dead of the night
Type of lesson: acquiring new vocabulary; practicing reading comprehension and
communication skills
Skills: reading, speaking, listening
Purpose: The lesson aims at assuring communication directly in the target language, without
going through the translation process, but rather through enabling the Ss think in the target
language as they speak, by assessing meaning to the structures in the spoken language.
Didactic Strategies:
Methods: Direct Method.
Techniques: reading aloud, question and answer exercise, conversation, fill-in-theblank exercise.
Organization: individual work, pair-work
Materials: textbook, notebook, board
Objectives:
O1. to create a communicative and interactive environment
O2. to approach language from an inductive point of view
O3. to practise reading comprehension
O4. to practise new vocabulary so as to be able to use it appropriately
O5. to complete the text with the missing information
O6. to ask and answer questions about the text
O7. to freely discuss on the topic of the text
Timing: 50

PROCEDURE
Warm-up

Interaction: T-Ss

Speaking

Timing:
5

The T greets the Ss and they greet the T back.

The T checks the Ss homework orally, encouraging them when it is required and
allowing them to self-correct if necessary.

Lead-in

Interaction: T-Ss

Timing:

Speaking:

O1. to create a communicative and interactive environment

The T states the objectives and the subject matter of the lesson, raising the Ss
curiosity this way.

Then the T asks the Ss if they ever dream, sleep walk, have nightmare, snore or suffer
from insomnia.

Afterwards, the T asks the Ss how much they know about dreams and the process it
involves. To prove that, they are told to mark the sentences in exercise 2 True or False
according to their own knowledge, before they get to read the text.

Activity 1: Reading aloud

Interaction: T-Ss

Reading, listening

Timing:
15

O2. to approach language from an inductive point of view

O3. to practise reading comprehension

The T names Ss telling them to take turns in reading aloud two sentences from the text
Sleeping like a baby on page 70.

When the Ss mispronounce a word, the T interferes by pronouncing the word exactly
the same, but using a different intonation, so that the Ss know the word has been
pronounced incorrectly. This way, the Ss are given the opportunity to self-correct or to
correct each other. If the Ss try a few times and still cannot pronounce the word
correctly, the T interferes, asking all the Ss to repeat after her. After they have read the
text, the Ss are asked if they have any questions.

Activity 2: Question and answer

Interaction: T-Ss, S-S

Speaking, listening

Timing:
8

O3. to practise reading comprehension

O4. to practise new vocabulary so as to be able to use it appropriately
O6. to ask and answer questions about the text
O7. to freely discuss on the topic of the text

In order to make sure that the Ss have understood what the text is about, the T asks the
Ss too check if their previous assumptions about the questions have been correct.
Then, with the same purpose in mind, she asks a few questions about the text, starting
with Who sleeps?. She names different Ss to answer the questions. Those who
answer are supposed to do it in full sentences, trying to use as much of the vocabulary
encountered in the text as possible. At the same time, Ss have to self-correct if
necessary, with only a slight intervention from the T, and only when needed.

Then she tells the same S to ask another question about the text to another S, who,
after answering it, has to repeat the same operation. If one S does not give the correct
answer, he or she loses the right to ask a question himself or herself. This way, the T
checks the Ss comprehension of the text, as well as their ability to converse and ask
intelligible questions.

Activity 3: Fill-in-the-blank exercise

Interaction: T-Ss, S-S

Speaking

Timing:
7

O2. to approach language from an inductive point of view

O5. to complete the text with the missing information

The T announces that the Ss next activity implies their completing the slots, blanks in
the text with the missing information given in exercise 3. After they have done this
individually, the Ss are told to compare their answers to that of their direct desk-mates,
and, if their answers are different, to decide upon a final answer together.

Activity 4

Interaction: T-Ss, S-S

Speaking

Timing:
8

Ss are asked whether they know what a connector is. After the meaning of the word
has been assimilated by the Ss in the target language, they are required to give some
examples of connectors from the text, trying to explain what they connect and every
connectors individual meaning.

In order to assure the consolidation, the Ss are supposed to underline all the connectors
in the text and to complete the sentences to see if their assumption has been correct.

Follow-up: Homework

Interaction: T-Ss

Timing:
2

The T tells the Ss that they are supposed to do exercise 5 on page 71. Ss have to read
the text again and write three things they did not know about sleeping and dreaming,
as well as about what they consider to be the most interesting thing and aspect about
the topic of the text.