Summary
This ESL lesson plan helps B2-level English students practice making logical deductions about past events using the modal verbs 'must have' and 'can't have'. The lesson is built around a fun mystery-solving theme to engage learners.
This lesson helps intermediate students master modal verbs of deduction for past situations. Activities include a warm-up discussion about mysterious situations, a listening comprehension exercise about a possible break-in, and a short reading text about a missing-cookie mystery. Students will learn to express certainty and impossibility when speculating about what happened in the past, supported by relevant vocabulary for investigation and problem-solving.
Activities
- A warm-up discussion where students share experiences with mysterious situations, setting the context for making deductions.
- A listening comprehension exercise where students listen to a short audio about a potential break-in and fill in the blanks, practicing the target grammar in context.
- A short reading passage about solving a household mystery, reinforcing the use of 'must have' and 'can't have' for logical conclusions.
- An interactive drag-and-drop vocabulary exercise focusing on words related to investigation and mystery, such as 'clue', 'culprit', 'investigate', and 'rule out'.
Vocabulary focus
The vocabulary section focuses on terms related to mystery and investigation. Key words include culprit, clue, evidence, investigate, and phrasal verbs like rule out and piece together, which are essential for discussing deductions.
Grammar focus
This lesson focuses on using modal verbs of deduction in the past. Students will learn the structure 'must have + past participle' to express certainty about a past event and 'can't have + past participle' to express that something was impossible.
