Summary
This lesson plan is designed for B2-level English students to master the use of modals of deduction for making logical inferences. The material guides students through expressing degrees of certainty about present and past situations using "must," "can't," "might," "may," and "could."
Through a series of engaging and practical activities, including a listening exercise, a business-focused reading comprehension, and targeted grammar practice, students will build both their language accuracy and critical thinking skills. The lesson culminates in a speaking activity where students apply their knowledge to realistic scenarios, making it highly relevant for both academic and professional contexts.
Activities
- A warm-up discussion to activate students' prior knowledge about guessing, inferring, and using clues in everyday life.
- A listening comprehension task where students deduce what happened to someone based on a short audio clip, followed by comprehension questions.
- A vocabulary matching exercise to clarify the meaning of key terms for deduction, such as "infer," "deduce," "speculate," and "evidence."
- Two dedicated grammar sections with interactive exercises focusing first on present deductions (must be, can't be) and then on past deductions (must have, can't have).
- A reading activity based on a business case study about a competitor's unexpected move, helping students see modals of deduction used in context.
- A concluding speaking practice activity where students discuss real-world problems and scenarios, using the target language to speculate and make logical inferences.
Vocabulary focus
The vocabulary section introduces essential terms for making logical deductions. Students will learn to distinguish between verbs like "infer," "deduce," and "speculate." The activity also covers related nouns such as "evidence," "clue," and "scenario," providing a solid lexical foundation for the lesson's communicative tasks.
Grammar focus
This lesson concentrates on modals of deduction. The grammar is presented in two parts: making inferences about the present using "must be," "can't be," and "might/may/could be," and making inferences about the past with "must have," "can't have," and "might/may/could have" + past participle. Both sections include clear examples and interactive exercises to ensure comprehension and correct usage.
