📋 Course Summary

A comprehensive English language practice workbook designed for Hong Kong students, focusing on reading comprehension, thematic vocabulary expansion, and practical grammar applications across five core units.

Master English communication through immersive themes, from international cuisine to modern detective mysteries.

🗓️ Syllabus Roadmap

📚 Exploring Global Flavors: International Cuisine

📖 Overview

This Universal Lesson Content Design is based on the provided textbook materials (Pages 2–9), focusing on international cuisine, cooking vocabulary, and specific grammar structures for ESL/EFL learners.

Exploring Global Flavors: International Cuisine

1. The Setup

The Big Question: Is one person’s "weird" food another person’s favorite treasure?

Learning Objectives (SWBAT):

Cognitive: Identify and categorize international dishes, their countries of origin, and associated nationalities.
Skill-based: Use cooking verbs (slicing, boiling, etc.) to describe a process and correctly apply the "need" vs. "need to" and "enough/plenty of" grammar structures.
Affective: Demonstrate curiosity and respect for "strange" or diverse cultural food traditions.

2. Core Knowledge Components (The Ingredients)

A. Key Concepts (Nouns):

Ingredients: Cocoa powder, icing sugar, oysters, pasty, black pudding, turnip, grain, oats.
Nationalities/Places: British, American, Mexican, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indian; Cornwall, Hong Kong, London.
Tools: Frying pan, cheese knife, paper cake cases, bowl.

B. Core Principles (Rules):

Grammar - Necessity: Use “need” + noun (e.g., I need a spoon) vs. “need to” + verb (e.g., I need to mix).
Grammar - Quantity: Use “enough” for sufficiency and “plenty of” for more than enough. Use “not enough” for deficiency.
Word Transformation: Forming nationalities from country names (e.g., Vietnam \rightarrow Vietnamese).

C. Essential Skills (Verbs):

Preparation Verbs: Melt, mix, spoon, bake, sprinkle, chew, swallow.
Action Verbs: Slicing, frying, boiling, stir-frying, stirring, chopping, peeling.

3. Instructional Chunks (The Flow)

Chunk 1: Activation (The Hook)

Activity: "Guess the Ingredient." Show close-up photos of black pudding, a pasty, and raw oysters. Students use adjectives (slimy, aromatic, rich) to describe them before revealing what they are. Connect to the "Strange food from the UK" text on page 4.

Chunk 2: Acquisition (Input & Discovery)

Content: Jigsaw Reading. Group A reads Jessica’s letter (p. 2) about baking cupcakes. Group B reads about UK snacks (p. 4).
Task: Students fill out a "Food Profile" identifying the dish, its texture (slimy, cold, aromatic), and its history (e.g., miners needing big meals).

Chunk 3: Practice (Scaffolded Skills)

Activity 1 (Vocabulary): The "Chef’s Maze" (p. 7). Students match chefs to their actions (Steve is stirring, Peter is peeling) to internalize -ing cooking verbs.
Activity 2 (Grammar): "Kitchen Chaos." Using the Worksheet 5 (p. 8) logic, students role-play the "Mum and Dad" dialogue, focusing on the switch between needing a tool (noun) and needing to do an action (verb).

Chunk 4: Application (Real-World Task)

Activity: "The International Party Planner" (p. 9 extension). In pairs, students receive a "Shopping List" and an "Inventory." They must write a dialogue using enough, not enough, and plenty of to decide what to buy for a party featuring dishes from page 6 (e.g., "We have 30 cookies, that’s plenty of cookies! but we don't have enough naan bread").

4. Review & Extension

Misconceptions:

Nationality vs. Preference: Students often assume someone from a country only eats food from that country. (Address this using p. 6: "Heidi is American but loves French crêpes").
Raw vs. Cooked: Clarify that "raw" doesn't mean "unprepared," but specifically "not cooked with heat."

Differentiation:

Support (ESL Scaffold): Provide a "Sentence Starter" mat for the "need/need to" section (e.g., "I need a [Tool] to [Action] the [Food]").
Challenge (Extension): Ask students to write a short paragraph about a "strange" food from their own culture, using at least three cooking verbs and describing the taste/texture to a foreigner.

🎯 Learning Objectives

📚 Dining Innovation: The Restaurant of the Future

📖 Overview

Dining Innovation: The Restaurant of the Future

1. The Setup

The Big Question: Does a great restaurant need a "cool" theme, or just healthy food and a quiet atmosphere?

Learning Objectives (SWBAT):

Cognitive: Identify and categorize restaurant courses (starter, main course, dessert) and describe different restaurant concepts (themed vs. health-conscious).
Skill-based: Use "other/another" correctly with singular and plural nouns and express food preferences using the "prefer... to..." structure.
Affective: Evaluate the pros and cons of different dining environments (e.g., "unique but noisy" vs. "quiet but healthy").

2. Core Knowledge Components (The Ingredients)

A. Key Concepts (Nouns):

Courses: Appetiser/Starter, Main Course, Dessert, Side dish.
Dining Items: Serving tray, coaster, pepper pot, salt cellar, menu, bill, cash register.
Dietary/Lifestyle: Theme restaurant, health-conscious, environmentally-friendly, vegan, superfood.
Dishes: Boom Burger, Super Spaghetti, Quinoa, Caesar salad, Banana split, Risotto.

B. Core Principles (Rules):

Grammar (Quantity): Use "another" for one more singular item (another salad); use "other" for plural items (other dishes).
Grammar (Preference): The structure "I prefer [Noun A] to [Noun B]" is used to show a choice between two things (I prefer pizza to salad).
Dining Etiquette/Flow: Orders generally move from starter to main course to dessert; payments are made via cash or credit card at the cash register.

C. Essential Skills (Verbs):

Ordering: To order, to share (a dish), to recommend.
Evaluating: To be "on cloud nine" (extreme happiness), to be "flavoursome," to be "overpriced/costly."
Describing: To be "cramped," "refreshing," or "unique."

3. Instructional Chunks (The Flow)

Chunk 1: Activation (The Great Debate) Show images of a "Superhero Cafe" and a "Nature/Green Cafe." Ask students: "If it's your birthday, which one do you pick? Why?" Introduce the concept of a restaurant review (The Superhero) vs. a food journal (The Green Café).

Chunk 2: Acquisition (The Anatomy of a Meal) Use the "Weekly Restaurant Review" and "Words related to a restaurant" (Worksheets 1, 3, & 4) to build a vocabulary wall.

Task: Students map the "journey" of a meal from looking at the menu to paying the bill at the cash register, identifying the tools (coasters, trays) used along the way.

Chunk 3: Practice (The Language of Choice) Focus on Worksheets 5 and 6 (Grammar).

Activity "Another/Other": In pairs, students "shop" for a party. "We have one cake, but we need another cake. We have some apples, but we need other fruits."
Activity "The Preference Game": Using the "Today's Dinner Set" (p. 17), students conduct a role-play survey. Student A asks: "Which starter would you prefer?" Student B must answer using the "to" connector: "I prefer the soup to the salad."

Chunk 4: Application (The Innovation Lab) Students work in small groups to design their own "Restaurant of the Future."

Requirement: They must create a 3-course menu (Starter, Main, Dessert) including at least one "Superfood" or "Vegan" option.
Presentation: They pitch their restaurant to the class. The class must provide feedback using the phrase: "I prefer your [Dish A] to your [Dish B] because..."

4. Review & Extension

Misconceptions:

"Prefer than": Students often say "I prefer pizza than salad." Correction: Always use "prefer... to..."
Another vs. Other: Students may use "another" with plural nouns (e.g., "another apples"). Remind them: An + other = one extra.

Differentiation:

Support (ESL/Lower Primary): Provide a "Menu Template" with pictures where students only need to label the course names. Use matching cards for restaurant tools (Picture ↔ Word).
Challenge (Junior Secondary): Have students write a 100-word critique of a fictional restaurant using at least three idioms (e.g., "on cloud nine") and comparing two dishes using "prefer... to...".

🎯 Learning Objectives

Generated

📚 Social Celebrations: Let's Have a Party!

📖 Overview

Social Celebrations: Let's Have a Party!

1. The Setup

The Big Question: What goes on behind the scenes to make a celebration "perfect," and can a surprise ever go wrong?

Learning Objectives (SWBAT):

Cognitive: Identify and categorize essential party supplies and preparation activities; understand the grammatical function of "whose" and indefinite pronouns (someone, everything, no one, etc.).
Skill-based: Extract specific information from narrative texts and promotional leaflets; use the present continuous tense to describe party preparation; ask and answer questions about ownership.
Affective: Appreciate the teamwork and effort required to organize social events for friends and family.

2. Core Knowledge Components (The Ingredients)

A. Key Concepts (Nouns):

Supplies: Party favors, plastic cutlery, paper plates, decorations, banners, party blowers, mirrorballs, confetti, balloon animals, party masks.
Planning: Surprise party, leaflet, party planner, service, playlist.

B. Core Principles (Rules):

Possession: Using Whose + [Object] to inquire about ownership and [Name] + ’s to indicate the owner.
Indefinite Pronouns: Using "some-" (specific/positive), "any-" (open/question), "every-" (total), and "no-" (none) combined with "-one/body" (people) or "-thing" (objects).
Collocations: Specific verb-noun pairings for events (e.g., throw a party, put up decorations, blow up balloons).

C. Essential Skills (Verbs):

Preparation Actions: Prepare (snacks), pour (drinks), put up (decorations), get (games) ready, choose (music), blow up (balloons), organize, bake.

3. Instructional Chunks (The Flow)

Chunk 1: Activation (The "Party Bag" Mystery)

Activity: Show students a "mystery party bag" containing a few items mentioned in the text (a plastic fork, a balloon, a mask). Ask: "Whose is this?" and "What do we do with this to get ready for a party?"
Goal: Bridge prior knowledge of celebrations to the specific vocabulary used in the unit.

Chunk 2: Acquisition (Reading for Detail)

Content: Deep dive into "Annie’s Account" (p. 18) and the "Party Planner Leaflets" (p. 20).
Task: Create a "Party Timeline" based on Annie's story (1 week before, 2 days before, day of). Compare "Clown Around" vs. "Party Buddies" using a T-chart to evaluate which service is better and why.

Chunk 3: Practice (Language Patterns)

Activity 1 (Riddles): Use the riddles from page 22 to reinforce vocabulary. Students can then try to write their own riddle for "a cake" or "a guest."
Activity 2 (Whose is it?): Using the table on page 24, perform a "Lost & Found" roleplay. One student "finds" an item (e.g., a mirrorball) and must find the owner using the "Whose...?" structure.
Activity 3 (The Indefinite Detective): Complete the "Farm Mystery" (p. 25) to practice indefinite pronouns in a context outside of parties to ensure transfer of skill.

Chunk 4: Application (The Ultimate Party Plan)

Activity: "The Surprise Specialist." In small groups, students must plan a surprise party for a famous character (e.g., Harry Potter or a popular singer).
Requirement: They must list:
1. What they are doing now (using Present Continuous: "We are blowing up balloons").
2. What items they need.
3. A "Surprise Twist" (similar to Jane’s surprise in the text).

4. Review & Extension

Misconceptions:

Who’s vs. Whose: Students often confuse the contraction "Who is" with the possessive "Whose." Correction: Focus on the "Whose + Noun" pattern.
Any vs. Some: ESL learners often use "anything" in positive statements. Correction: Reinforce "something" for known/positive contexts and "anything" for questions/negatives.

Differentiation:

Support: Provide a visual "Verb-Noun" matching anchor chart for party preparations (e.g., a picture of a balloon next to the word "blow up").
Challenge: Ask advanced students to write a "Review" for Clown Around party planners, explaining why the service was "not very good" using the past tense and specific party vocabulary.

🎯 Learning Objectives

📚 Mystery and Logic: Modern Detectives

📖 Overview

Mystery and Logic: Modern Detectives

1. The Setup

The Big Question: How do detectives use small clues and logical thinking to see the truth when everyone else is fooled?

Learning Objectives (SWBAT):

Cognitive: Identify and define crime scene vocabulary and understand the "backshifting" rules of reported speech (Present \rightarrow Past).
Skill-based: Use deductive reasoning to solve mysteries based on physical evidence and accurately report witness statements using reported speech.
Affective: Appreciate the value of meticulous observation and questioning "obvious" explanations.

2. Core Knowledge Components (The Ingredients)

A. Key Concepts (Nouns):

Crime Scene Essentials: Evidence bag, magnifying glass, bloodstain, fingerprint, footprint, strand of hair, piece of broken glass.
People: Witness, suspect, victim, detective, gallery staff, security guard.
Comparison Terms: The same, similar, different.

B. Core Principles (Rules):

The Logic of Evidence: If glass is on the outside of a building, the window was broken from the inside (suggesting an "inside job").
Reported Speech (Tense Shifting): When reporting what someone said, move the tense back (e.g., is becomes was, has becomes had, runs becomes ran).
Adjective Inflections: Use -ing to describe the cause/thing (entertaining) and -ed to describe the feeling/person (amazed).

C. Essential Skills (Verbs):

Investigative Actions: Seal off (a scene), look for clues, interview (witnesses), collect (evidence), examine, arrest (a suspect).
Logical Actions: Investigate, wonder, deduce, conclude.

3. Instructional Chunks (The Flow)

Chunk 1: Activation (The Observant Eye)

Activity: "Spot the Difference / What Changed?"
Show students two nearly identical images of a room. After 30 seconds, hide the images and ask them to report what is "different" or "similar." This introduces the comparison vocabulary from Worksheet 4 and sets the stage for detective work.

Chunk 2: Acquisition (Reading for Logic)

Content: Analyze "The Gallery Mystery" (Worksheet 1) and "The Case of the Stolen Painting" (Worksheet 2).
Focus: Discuss the "turning point" in each story. Why did Brad think the staff stole the sculpture? (Footprints). How did Detective Smith know the thief was still there? (The note's hint and the timing of the sun).
Vocabulary Build: Introduce the "Crime Scene" nouns from Worksheet 3 using the classroom illustration.

Chunk 3: Practice (Reporting the Facts)

Activity: "The Case of the Spilled Fishbowl" (Worksheet 5).
Task: Students act as the detective taking notes. They must convert the direct speech of the witnesses (Harry, Wendy, Mr. Wong) into a formal report using reported speech.
Check for Understanding: Ensure students are changing "It is thin" to "He/She said it was thin."

Chunk 4: Application (The Alien Interview)

Activity: Roleplay based on Worksheet 6.
Task: Pairs of students act as "Aliens" and "Translators." The Alien makes a statement using an -ed/-ing adjective (e.g., "I am bored by this planet"). The Translator must report it to the class: "He said that he was bored by our planet."
Extension: Students must create one "clue" that proves the alien is lying (e.g., the alien says he is "amazed" by technology, but he is holding a device from his own planet).

4. Review & Extension

Misconceptions:

Tense Errors: Students often forget to change the verb tense in reported speech (e.g., saying "He said he is hungry" instead of "was").
Adjective Confusion: Using "I am interesting" when they mean "I am interested."
Direction of Force: Misunderstanding the "broken glass" logic—remind students that glass falls away from the person breaking it.

Differentiation:

Support (Scaffolding): Provide a "Tense Transformation" chart (Am \rightarrow Was, Do \rightarrow Did) for the reported speech activities. Use picture cards for crime scene vocabulary.
Challenge (Extension): Ask students to write a "Closing Argument" for the Gallery Case (Worksheet 1), explaining exactly how they would prove the security guard or staff member was guilty using the evidence provided.

🎯 Learning Objectives

Cognitive: Identify and define crime scene vocabulary and understand the "backshifting" rules of reported speech (Present \rightarrow Past).
Skill-based: Use deductive reasoning to solve mysteries based on physical evidence and accurately report witness statements using reported speech.
Affective: Appreciate the value of meticulous observation and questioning "obvious" explanations.

📚 Narrative Wonders: Once Upon a Time

📖 Overview

Narrative Wonders: Once Upon a Time

1. The Setup

The Big Question: Does a hero need magic and weapons to succeed, or are their actions and choices what truly define them?

Learning Objectives (SWBAT):

Cognitive: Know the structure of a book report and identify key elements of fantasy narratives (setting, characters, plot points).
Skill-based: Use adverbs of manner to describe actions and apply "which/both" structures to compare objects or people.
Affective: Feel empathy for characters’ situations (e.g., Cinderella’s hardship or Peter’s regret) and appreciate the value of kindness and bravery.

2. Core Knowledge Components (The Ingredients)

A. Key Concepts (Nouns):

Fantasy Figures: Knight, Archer, Wizard, Dwarf, Unicorn, Dragon, Fairy.
Tools/Setting: Sword, Shield, Bow, Potion, Dungeon, Palace, Castle.
Narrative Terms: Book report, chores, adventure, magical powers.

B. Core Principles (Rules):

Adverb Formation: Most adverbs of manner are formed by adding -ly to an adjective (e.g., brave \rightarrow bravely, quiet \rightarrow quietly).
Irregular Adverbs: Recognition of irregular forms like good \rightarrow well and fast \rightarrow fast.
Comparison Grammar: Use "Which of..." for selecting from a group and "Both of..." to indicate two entities sharing a trait.
Narrative Sequencing: Stories follow a chronological flow (Beginning \rightarrow Conflict \rightarrow Resolution).

C. Essential Skills (Verbs):

Summarizing: Condensing a story into a flowchart or summary.
Describing: Using adverbs to add detail to how an action is performed.
Inferring: Making guesses about a character's feelings or future actions based on text evidence.
Comparing: Using "which" and "both" to analyze differences and similarities.

3. Instructional Chunks (The Flow)

Chunk 1: Activation (The Narrative Hook)

Activity: "The Skeptic’s Tale." Read the story of Peter (Page 34). Discuss: Why did Peter change his mind about unicorns?
Visual Analysis: Look at the illustrations on Page 39. Ask students to guess what is happening in each frame before reading the text to activate prior knowledge of fairy tale tropes.

Chunk 2: Acquisition (Vocabulary & Structure)

Content: Introduce fantasy vocabulary through the Crossword Puzzle (Page 38).
Modeling: Examine "Book Report: Cinderella" (Page 36). Break down the three sections: Introduction (Setting/Characters), Body (Plot/Conflict), and Conclusion (Personal Opinion).
Grammar Input: Explicitly teach the transition from adjectives (describing people) to adverbs (describing actions) using the word bank on Page 39.

Chunk 3: Practice (Scaffolded Application)

Activity 1: "The Sequencing Flowchart." Complete the Cinderella event chain (Page 37) to practice logical story progression.
Activity 2: "Manner Matters." Students fill in the blanks in the "Malevolent Wizard" story (Page 39), choosing the correct adverb to match the tone of the sentence.
Activity 3: "The Comparison Game." Use Page 40 to practice "Which/Both" structures using visual prompts (monitors, farm animals, furniture).

Chunk 4: Application (Creative Synthesis)

Activity: "The Knight’s Redemption." Based on the open-ended question on Page 35 (What did Peter do when he got back to his castle?), have students write a short 5-sentence paragraph.
Requirement: They must use at least three adverbs of manner (e.g., Peter entered the castle sadly. He bravely decided to return to the forest...) and one "both" statement regarding the girl and the unicorn.

4. Review & Extension

Misconceptions:

Adjective/Adverb Confusion: Students often say "He ran quick" instead of "He ran quickly." Address this using the comparison exercise on Page 41.
Irregular Adverbs: Remind students that "fastly" is not a word; "fast" remains "fast."
Which vs. Which of: Clarify that "Which of" is followed by a specific group (e.g., "Which of these subjects...").

Differentiation:

Support: Provide a "Sentence Starter" card for the book report opinion section (e.g., "I like this character because...").
Challenge: Ask advanced students to rewrite the "Malevolent Wizard" story from the perspective of the dragon, using a new set of adverbs to change the tone from "scary" to "misunderstood."

🎯 Learning Objectives

Cognitive: Know the structure of a book report and identify key elements of fantasy narratives (setting, characters, plot points).
Skill-based: Use adverbs of manner to describe actions and apply "which/both" structures to compare objects or people.
Affective: Feel empathy for characters’ situations (e.g., Cinderella’s hardship or Peter’s regret) and appreciate the value of kindness and bravery.

Lighthouse for Hong Kong Integrated Practice: Book 9

Course Overview

📋 Course Summary

🗓️ Syllabus Roadmap