Lighthouse for Hong Kong: Book 9

📋 Content Summary

A comprehensive English language practice book designed for upper primary students in Hong Kong. It covers diverse themes including global cuisine, future technology, social events, detective mysteries, and classical fairy tales, focusing on reading comprehension, thematic vocabulary, and essential grammar structures.

Build a strong English foundation through immersive thematic reading and practical language exercises.

🗓️ Syllabus Roadmap

📚 Lesson 1: Exploring Global Flavours

📖 Overview

The "Exploring Global Flavours" lesson invites students to discover the diverse and sometimes unusual culinary traditions of the United Kingdom while developing essential English language skills. Students will start by reading about specific British delicacies, such as raw oysters, the history-rich Cornish pasty—originally designed as a portable two-course meal for miners—and the savory black pudding of Northern England. These readings provide a cultural context that helps students understand how ingredients like pig's blood, turnips, and shellfish are used differently across the globe.

To support these cultural insights, the lesson includes a robust vocabulary focus on cooking verbs and nationalities. Students will learn to identify and use verbs such as chopping, peeling, stir-frying, and boiling through visual matching tasks and mazes. They will also practice identifying countries and their corresponding flags and dishes, bridging the gap between geography and gastronomy. A practical cloze passage reinforces these terms by placing students in a kitchen setting, where they must identify the correct tools and actions needed to prepare a meal.

The grammatical heart of the lesson focuses on functional usage and quantifiers. Students will learn to distinguish between the verb need when followed by a noun (objects required) and need to when followed by a verb (actions required). Additionally, the lesson teaches students how to express sufficiency and abundance using enough and plenty of. By comparing "Things we need" with "Things we have" in a inventory-style worksheet, learners will gain the logical and linguistic tools necessary to discuss recipes, shopping lists, and meal preparation with precision.

🎯 Learning Objectives

• Describe the ingredients, preparation methods, and historical backgrounds of traditional UK dishes like the Cornish pasty and black pudding.
• Identify and correctly use common cooking verbs including slicing, frying, boiling, stirring, chopping, and peeling in a variety of contexts.
• Demonstrate the correct grammatical usage of "need" followed by an object and "need to" followed by an action.
• Distinguish between "enough" and "plenty of" by analyzing inventory lists and determining if supplies meet or exceed requirements.
• Match countries with their respective nationalities, flags, and signature global dishes.

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📚 Lesson 2: Dining in the Digital Age

📖 Overview

This lesson, "Dining in the Digital Age," invites students to explore the diverse world of culinary traditions through the lens of modern documentation. By examining various texts—including letters, digital reviews, and personal food journals—students will learn how food experiences are shared and preserved. The core reading material focuses on unique dishes from the United Kingdom, such as raw oysters, Cornish pasties, and black pudding. Students will discover the historical roots of these foods, such as how the Cornish pasty was designed as a portable, two-course meal for miners, and how regional ingredients like pig’s blood and oats are used to create the famous black pudding of Northern England.

The curriculum transitions from cultural discovery to practical language application, focusing on the vocabulary of the kitchen and the restaurant. Students will master essential cooking verbs like slicing, chopping, frying, and boiling, which are crucial for following recipes or describing food preparation. Through the study of restaurant reviews by Evan Chan and Mark, learners will also gain the specific terminology needed to evaluate dining establishments and express their opinions on service, atmosphere, and flavor. This vocabulary provides the foundation for students to create their own food-related content, whether for a school project or a personal blog.

Grammatical precision is a key focus of this unit, ensuring students can communicate their needs and preferences accurately. The lesson covers the distinction between "need" (followed by a noun) and "need to" (followed by a verb), as well as the correct usage of "another" for singular alternatives and "other" for plural additions. Furthermore, students will practice using quantifiers like "enough" and "plenty of" to manage inventory during meal preparation. Finally, the lesson teaches students how to express clear choices using the "prefer... to..." structure, enabling them to engage in sophisticated discussions about their favorite cuisines and dining habits.

🎯 Learning Objectives

• Identify and describe the ingredients, origins, and preparation methods of traditional UK dishes such as Cornish pasties and black pudding.
• Distinguish between the grammatical usage of "need" for objects and "need to" for actions within the context of cooking and dining.
• Correctly apply the quantifiers "enough" and "plenty of" and the adjectives "other" and "another" to describe food items and quantities.
• Use specific cooking verbs and restaurant-related vocabulary to express personal food preferences and write a basic dining review.

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📚 Lesson 3: The Art of Celebration

📖 Overview

This lesson, "The Art of Celebration," explores the diverse ways individuals commemorate special occasions, ranging from dining at themed restaurants to organizing elaborate birthday parties. Students will begin by analyzing restaurant reviews of "The Superhero" and "The Green Café," focusing on how atmosphere and food quality contribute to a celebratory experience. By comparing Evan Chan’s and Mark’s perspectives, learners will identify key descriptive language used to evaluate service and setting.

The curriculum transitions into the logistical aspects of event planning through the study of promotional leaflets for "Clown Around" and "Party Buddies." Students will examine the persuasive techniques used by professional party planners and evaluate the specific services offered, such as balloon twisting and mirrorball rentals. The dialogue between Jessie’s parents serves as a case study for decision-making, highlighting the importance of word-of-mouth reputation and the practical considerations of hosting a DIY party at home versus hiring external vendors.

In addition to planning and reviews, the lesson incorporates narrative storytelling through Annie’s account of her sister’s birthday and two mystery texts: "Brad the Detective" and "The Case of the Stolen Painting." These detective stories challenge students to apply critical thinking and observation skills—essential traits for both solving mysteries and organizing successful events. By identifying inconsistencies in witness statements and physical evidence, such as the placement of broken glass or the timing of a robbery, students will learn to look beyond the surface of a story.

Ultimately, the lesson synthesizes these elements to help students understand that a successful celebration requires a blend of creative vision and meticulous attention to detail. Whether it is choosing the right plastic cutlery for a home party or spotting a clue at an art gallery, the "art" lies in the ability to observe, plan, and execute a memorable experience.

🎯 Learning Objectives

• Identify and categorize key vocabulary related to party planning, restaurant reviews, and investigative reporting.
• Compare and contrast the services offered by different event planning companies using evidence from promotional leaflets.
• Analyze a dialogue to determine the factors influencing a family's decision to host a DIY celebration over hiring a professional service.
• Apply deductive reasoning to solve narrative mysteries by identifying contradictions in character statements and environmental clues.

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📚 Lesson 4: The Detective's Toolkit

📖 Overview

The Detective's Toolkit is an investigative lesson designed to sharpen students' critical thinking and observational skills by analyzing various texts, ranging from promotional materials to mystery narratives. The lesson begins by exploring the world of event planning through the lens of evaluation. Students will compare the offerings of "Clown Around" and "Party Buddies," examining how Jessie’s parents use past experiences and specific preferences—such as a love for balloon twisting—to navigate the "clues" provided in leaflets. This section emphasizes the importance of reading between the lines and understanding that not every service is as "perfect" as its advertisement claims.

Moving from domestic decision-making to criminal investigation, the lesson dives into the cases of Brad the Detective and Detective Smith. In "Brad the Detective," students are challenged to spot physical inconsistencies, such as broken glass found on the outside of a building rather than the inside, and the presence of familiar footprints. Similarly, in "The Case of the Stolen Painting," students must act as forensic linguists and observers, noting the contradictions between Mr. Wu’s story of a midday robbery and Detective Smith’s observation of the early morning sun, as well as the cryptic note left by "Mr Thief." These stories serve as practical exercises in identifying logical fallacies and evidence-based reasoning.

The linguistic component of the lesson focuses on descriptive vocabulary and interrogative pronouns. Students will practice using "whose" to determine ownership and identity, as seen in the dialogue between Jessie’s parents and the detective inquiries. The "Party Items Riddles" introduce a playful way to master thematic vocabulary, including terms like "plastic cutlery," "confetti," and "party blowers." By describing these items through their functions and characteristics, students improve their ability to define objects precisely, a key skill for any detective or witness.

Finally, the lesson connects creative storytelling with analytical reporting. By referencing familiar narratives like "Peter and the Unicorn" and "Cinderella," students learn to apply the detective's mindset to literary analysis—looking for motives, settings, and key plot points. Whether they are planning a party or solving a gallery heist, students will conclude the lesson understanding that the best "tool" in a detective's kit is a sharp, inquisitive mind that looks beyond the obvious.

🎯 Learning Objectives

• Analyze promotional texts and dialogues to compare services and make evidence-based decisions.
• Identify logical inconsistencies and physical clues within mystery narratives to solve a crime.
• Apply thematic vocabulary related to parties and investigations in descriptive contexts.
• Use possessive interrogatives and descriptive adjectives to clarify details in a report or conversation.
• Demonstrate reading comprehension by distinguishing between a character's claims and the narrator's observations.

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📚 Lesson 5: Mastering Narrative Magic

📖 Overview

This lesson, titled "Mastering Narrative Magic," bridges the worlds of investigative mystery and classic fantasy to help students develop a comprehensive toolkit for storytelling. By examining the structural elements of detective reports and fairy tales like "Peter and the Unicorn" and "Cinderella," students will learn how to build atmosphere through specific vocabulary. In the detective module, students will master terms such as "evidence bag," "witness," and "fingerprint" to reconstruct a crime scene. Conversely, the fairy tale module introduces magical elements like "potions," "wizards," and "knights," allowing students to navigate both logical and whimsical narrative settings.

A significant portion of the lesson focuses on the nuances of descriptive language, specifically the distinction between adjectives and adverbs of manner. Students will practice transforming simple descriptions into vivid actions, moving from being "happy" to acting "happily," or from being "brave" to fighting "bravely." This is complemented by the study of -ed and -ing adjectives, helping students accurately express character emotions (e.g., "I am amazed") versus the nature of an event (e.g., "It is entertaining"). Through the narrative of Leon’s race or the King’s escape from a dragon, students see these grammar points in action, learning how to convey excitement, worry, or sadness effectively.

The lesson also introduces the mechanics of Reported Speech, an essential skill for both detectives and narrators. Students will learn how to shift direct quotes into reported statements, such as transforming a witness's observation into "Mr. Wong said that it didn't have big eyes." This allows for more sophisticated storytelling where information is passed between characters. Additionally, the lesson covers interrogative determiners like "which" and "both," alongside comparative terms such as "similar," "the same," and "different." These tools are vital for visual matching tasks where students must distinguish between objects, such as identifying the specific cat that spilled water or comparing the features of various fairy tale artifacts.

By the end of the lesson, students will apply these skills through integrated writing tasks. They will move from identifying clues at a crime scene with Detective Wong to recounting the adventures of a knight and a dwarf. The ultimate goal is to enable students to synthesize grammar rules with thematic vocabulary, ensuring their writing is not only grammatically correct but also engaging and descriptive. Whether they are writing a book report or a detective's log, they will have the linguistic precision to bring their stories to life.

🎯 Learning Objectives

• Identify and use genre-specific vocabulary related to detective investigations and fairy tales.
• Differentiate between adjectives and adverbs of manner to describe character traits and actions vividly.
• Transform direct statements into reported speech to accurately recount narrative events or witness testimony.
• Use -ed and -ing adjectives and comparative determiners to describe feelings, situations, and objects.
• Construct a cohesive narrative that integrates descriptive language with structured grammar to convey specific moods and plot points.

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