This third conditional activity is designed for advanced students and follows a structured lesson plan organized into four stages: lead-in, presentation, practice, and production. Each stage is crafted to guide students through understanding and using the third conditional effectively. For more detailed guidance, you can explore this comprehensive step-by-step guide on teaching the third conditional.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Welcome to a dynamic third conditional lesson plan designed to empower English teachers in effectively conveying the nuances of conditional sentences type three. This activity focuses on engaging students through a captivating story, interactive exercises, and stimulating discussions to deepen their understanding of this crucial grammatical structure.
You may also be interested in another third conditional lesson plan.
Third Conditional Activity: Lesson Plan Details
Third Conditional Activity
Level:
Advanced
Objectives:
- To understand and correctly use the third conditional to talk about unreal situations in the past.
- To develop fluency in constructing third conditional sentences through interactive practice and production activities.
- To enhance critical thinking by reflecting on past decisions and imagining different outcomes.
Materials:
- Whiteboard and markers
- Handouts with matching exercises and sentence completion prompts
- Cut-up sentence strips for the matching exercise
- A short story for contextualizing the third conditional
- Audio/visual equipment (optional for storytelling or additional materials)
Duration:
60-75 minutes
Conditional Sentences Type 3 Activity
This Lesson Plan is organized into 4 sections: a lead-in and a presentation, a practice, and production stages.
1. Lead-In
It is best to start with a review of the past perfect since this tense is used in conditional sentences type 3.
Let’s brush up on our understanding of the past perfect tense. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the past perfect (had + past participle).
- By the time we __________ (arrive) at the cinema, the movie had already started.
- She __________ (never/eat) sushi before she visited Japan last summer.
- When I checked my email, I realized that I __________ (receive) an important message.
- By the age of 30, he __________ (travel) to more than ten countries.
- Before the guests arrived, the chef __________ (prepare) a delicious feast.
2. Presentation
Contextualizing the Target Structure:
To kickstart the lesson, grab your students’ attention with a compelling story. For instance, narrate the tale of John, a 25-year-old faced with a career decision. This story sets the stage for exploring conditional sentences type three and their significance in expressing unreal past situations.
For example, tell the students this story:
“When John was 25, he had to choose a career:
- a. To become an English teacher.
- b. To become a businessman.
He finally decided to become an English teacher, because he wanted to be able to travel around the world and work at the same time. If he hadn’t become an English teacher, he wouldn’t have moved to London. He could have become a businessman of course. If he had become a businessman, he could have earned a lot of money.”
B. Ask your students to answer these questions:
- What did John Decide to become?
- What could have happened if he become a businessman?
C. Awareness-raising:
After answering the above questions, present the two conditional sentences from the story and elicit the form:
- “If he had not become a teacher, he would have moved to London.”
- “If he had become a businessman, he could have earned a lot of money.”
If + … + … + would + … + …
Answer: If + had + past participle + would + have + past participle
D. Concept Questions:
Check comprehension with concept questions:
- Did John become a teacher? (Yes)
- Did he move to London? (Yes)
Are we talking about the past, present, or future? (The past)
3. Practice Stage
A. Matching Exercise:
Provide each pair with cut-up third conditional sentences. Instruct them to rearrange the sentences into a coherent third conditional structure. Once completed, students should write the sentences in their notebooks.
Match the if-clauses in Column A with the correct result-clauses in Column B to form third conditional sentences.
Column A (If-Clause)
- If I had known about the meeting,
- If she had studied harder,
- If they had left earlier,
- If he had called me,
- If we had taken the train,
- If it had rained yesterday,
- If I had remembered to bring my umbrella,
Column B (Result-Clause)
a. I wouldn’t have gotten wet. b. she would have passed the exam. c. we would have arrived on time. d. I would have attended it. e. we would have avoided the traffic jam. f. we wouldn’t have walked in the park. g. I would have picked up the phone.
Answer Key:
- d
- b
- c
- g
- e
- f
- a
This exercise helps reinforce the structure of third conditional sentences by requiring students to correctly match the cause and effect in hypothetical past situations.
B. Sentence Completion:
On the board, present sentence beginnings for discussion:
- If I hadn’t gone to primary school, I …If I’d traveled to China last year, I …If I’d met an alien last night, I …If I’d decided to stop my education earlier, I …
4. Follow-Up (Production Stage)
Prompt a reflective discussion:
- “Have you ever had to make a really big decision?”
- “Can you imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t made that decision?”
Encourage students to engage in pairs, discussing and monitoring their use of the correct third conditional sentence forms. Conclude by having them write down sentences based on their discussions.
Conclusion:
Incorporate this comprehensive third conditional sentence type 3 activity into your teaching repertoire to ensure an enriching and interactive learning experience.
By employing engaging stories, hands-on exercises, and thoughtful discussions, you can guide your students towards mastering the intricacies of conditional sentences type 3, making language acquisition a dynamic and enjoyable journey.
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