Grade Level: 12 (ESL Students)
Duration: 45 minutes
Skill Focus: Reading
Topic: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram – "Life Stories We Admire"
Approach: Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
Objectives:

• By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

  1. Identify the main ideas and specific details from a reading passage.

  2. Express opinions and summarize information about an admired historical figure.

  3. Practice using past simple and past continuous tenses in context.

Lesson Stages:

1. Warm-up (5 minutes)

Objective: Activate students’ background knowledge and set the context.

• Activity:

  1. Show students the picture of Dang Thuy Tram (the image above) and ask:
     "Do you know who this is?"
     "What do you think her story might be about?"

  2. Elicit responses about Vietnamese heroes or historical figures students admire.

  3. Discuss briefly if students are familiar with Dang Thuy Tram.

Materials: Image of Dang Thuy Tram, questions on the board.

2. Pre-reading (10 minutes)

Objective: Introduce key vocabulary and help students predict content.

• Activity:

  1. Present key vocabulary from the reading passage:

     • volunteer

     • diary

     • resistance

     • enemy

     • field hospital

     • personal account

  2. Elicit meanings through examples and ask students to create sentences using these words in pairs.

  3. Ask students: "What do you expect to learn from a diary?" and list answers on the board.

Materials: Vocabulary on board or slides.

3. While-reading (15 minutes)

Objective: Students will read for the main idea and details using the text.

• Activity:

  1. Task 1: Listening and Reading

     • Play the audio of the dialogue in the image (scripted in the lesson).

     • Students follow along in their books (or provided text).

     • After reading: Ask comprehension questions:

       1. Who is Dang Thuy Tram?

       2. Where did she write her diary?

       3. What happened to her?

  2. Task 2: Reading for Specific Information

     • In pairs, students re-read the text and identify three key events in Dang Thuy Tram’s life.

     • Share their answers with the class.

Materials: Text from the book (or transcript), audio, comprehension questions.

4. Post-reading (10 minutes)

Objective: Enable students to summarize and express their views.

• Activity:

  1. Task 1: Discussion

     • In small groups, students discuss the following questions:
       "Why do you think Dang Thuy Tram’s story is admired by many people?"
       "What qualities of a person make them a hero in your opinion?"

     • Each group shares their ideas with the class.

  2. Task 2: Summarization

     • Students individually write a short paragraph (3-4 sentences) summarizing Dang Thuy Tram’s story.

     • Volunteers can read their summaries aloud.

Materials: Discussion questions on board or slides.

5. Wrap-up and Homework (5 minutes)

Objective: Review key points and provide additional practice.

• Activity:

  1. Quick review of key points:

     • Ask: "What are three things we learned about Dang Thuy Tram today?"

  2. Homework:

     • Ask students to write a short biography (100 words) about a Vietnamese or international figure they admire, focusing on key events in that person’s life.

Materials: None (students’ notebooks for homework instructions).

Assessment:

• Comprehension questions during while-reading activities.

• Group discussion and individual summarization in the post-reading stage.

Materials Needed:

• Projector for showing the image.

• Audio for the reading passage.

• Copies of the reading text for students (if not in their books).

Handout for While-Reading Activities

Unit 1: Life Stories We Admire
Topic: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram

Activity 1: Listening and Reading

Instructions:

• Listen to the conversation between Mark and Nam about Dang Thuy Tram's diary.

• Read along with the text. After the reading, answer the following comprehension questions.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is Dang Thuy Tram?
   A. A writer who lived in Hanoi.
   B. A doctor who fought against the U.S. army.
   C. A soldier in the Quang Ngai province.
   D. A teacher in Ho Chi Minh City.

2. Where did she write her diary?
   A. In Hanoi, during her studies.
   B. In her home in Quang Ngai Province.
   C. While working in a field hospital.
   D. After the war ended.

3. What happened to Dang Thuy Tram?
   A. She returned home after the war.
   B. She was killed while working in a field hospital.
   C. She wrote about her life experiences and became famous.
   D. She survived the war and lived in peace.

Language (Pronunciation, Vocabulary, and Grammar)

Grade Level: 12 (A2 Level ESL Students)
Duration: 45 minutes
Skill Focus: Pronunciation, Vocabulary, Grammar
Topic: Diphthongs /eɪ/ and /əʊ/, Life Stories Vocabulary, Past Simple vs. Past Continuous
Objectives:

• By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

  1. Correctly pronounce the diphthongs /eɪ/ and /əʊ/.

  2. Identify and use vocabulary related to life stories.

  3. Differentiate between and apply the past simple and past continuous tense.

Lesson Stages:

1. Warm-up (5 minutes)

Objective: Activate students’ interest in the topic and prepare for pronunciation practice.

• Activity:

  1. Show the students the title of the unit, "Life Stories We Admire."

  2. Ask them if they can think of any famous life stories or people they admire.

  3. Elicit some ideas and write them on the board.

2. Pronunciation Practice (10 minutes)

Objective: Help students practice the pronunciation of diphthongs /eɪ/ and /əʊ/.

• Activity 1:

  1. Listen and Repeat: Play the audio or say the words containing the diphthongs /eɪ/ and /əʊ/ (e.g., age, saved, soldier, wrote).

  2. Pair Practice: Students practice saying the words with a partner.

Handout 1: Pronunciation Practice
Listen to the pronunciation of the words and repeat. Then, practice the words in pairs.

/eɪ//əʊ/agesoldiersavedwrotetranslatedheroagainstshows

3. Vocabulary Activity (10 minutes)

Objective: Expand students’ understanding of life story vocabulary.

• Activity 2:

  1. Matching Activity: Students match the words/phrases from the vocabulary list with their definitions.

  2. Fill in the Blanks: Students complete sentences using the phrases from the matching activity.

Handout 2: Vocabulary Activity

1. Match the words/phrases (1-5) with their meanings (a-e).

• (to) attend

• (to) have a happy/difficult

• (to) be admired

• (to) have a long

• impressive

Meanings:
a. marriage
b. childhood
c. school/college
d. achievement
e. to be respected because of something

2. Complete the sentences using the correct forms of the phrases in 1.

• My father ______ in Ha Noi between the age of 19 and 21.

• Like so many people in their generation, my grandparents ______. They were together for 60 years.

• My friend ______ because his mother died when he was very small.

• Thomas Edison’s ______ in science include the invention of the phonograph and development of the light bulb.

• Uncle Ho was ______ his simple lifestyle.

4. Grammar Practice (15 minutes)

Objective: Practice using past simple and past continuous to describe past actions.

• Activity 3:

  1. Multiple Choice: Students circle the correct answer in each sentence (past simple or past continuous).

  2. Pair Activity: In pairs, students share stories of people they admire using both the past simple and past continuous tense.

Handout 3: Grammar Activity

1. Circle the correct answer to complete each sentence.

2. My dad watched/was watching a documentary about war heroes at 9 p.m. on 30th April.

3. It snowed/was snowing heavily, and icy winds were blowing/blew across the city. We lit a fire in the fireplace and sat next to it to keep warm.

4. She finished/was finishing school and applied/was applying to college at the age of 18.

5. My father started/was starting his own business in his youth and became/was becoming very successful.

6. Work in pairs. Tell the life stories of people you know and admire. Use the past simple and past continuous.

Example:
"My grandfather joined the army when he was 24. While he was fighting in the war, my grandmother was taking care of the whole family."

5. Wrap-up and Homework (5 minutes)

Objective: Review key points and assign homework for additional practice.

• Activity:

  1. Review the pronunciation of the two diphthongs /eɪ/ and /əʊ/ and some key vocabulary from the lesson.

  2. Homework: Write a short paragraph (5-6 sentences) about a person you admire using at least 3 vocabulary phrases from the lesson and the past simple and past continuous tenses.

Handout 4: Homework
Write a short paragraph about a person you admire using the vocabulary and grammar from today's lesson.

• Use at least 3 phrases from the vocabulary section.

• Use the past simple and past continuous to describe their life events.

Assessment:

• Students’ participation in pronunciation practice and pair discussions.

• Accuracy in completing vocabulary and grammar activities.

• Quality of the written homework assignment.

Materials Needed:

• Projector or board for displaying instructions.

• Audio for pronunciation practice (or teacher can model pronunciation).

• Copies of the handouts for students.