Summary
This downloadable PDF lesson plan for English teachers explores how microchips are made. This ESL class material uses a video to teach vocabulary and grammar for describing complex processes, perfect for a technology-themed English lesson.
Based on a video about microchip manufacturing, this lesson guides students through understanding and explaining a complex technical process. Activities include a vocabulary matching exercise, video comprehension tasks, and a grammar focus on the passive voice. The lesson culminates in a speaking activity where students prepare and present a description of a different process, applying the target language in a practical context.
Activities
- Students begin by discussing familiar processes and complex technology. They then learn key manufacturing vocabulary like 'etch', 'wafer', and 'precision' through a matching exercise to prepare them for the video.
- Students watch a video about how microchips are made, first answering true/false questions for general comprehension, then completing a gap-fill exercise to focus on the specific steps and language of the process.
- The lesson includes a clear explanation and practice of the passive voice, showing students why it's essential for describing processes. They will rewrite active sentences into the passive form to solidify their understanding.
- To finish, students work in pairs to prepare and explain a different complex process. They must use the new vocabulary, the passive voice, and sequencing phrases from the lesson, applying everything they have learned.
Vocabulary focus
This lesson focuses on technical and process-oriented vocabulary related to manufacturing. Students will learn and practice words such as 'wafer', 'transistor', 'fab' (fabrication plant), 'etch', 'polish', 'sculpt', and 'precision', enabling them to describe technical procedures accurately.
Grammar focus
The main grammar point is the use of the passive voice to describe processes. Students will learn why the passive is preferred in this context (focusing on the action, not the agent) and practice converting active sentences to passive ones (e.g., "Machines use light" becomes "Light is used").
