Summary
Students watch a video on how computer chips are made, learn essential vocabulary for processes like photolithography and etching, and discuss the industry's environmental impact. The lesson culminates in a grammar focus on complex passive constructions and a speaking activity where students narrate the manufacturing process, making it ideal for students in engineering, technology, or advanced business English classes.
Activities
Students begin by discussing their existing knowledge of computer chips, Silicon Valley, and the role of technology in various industries, activating prior knowledge and setting the context for the lesson.
Students watch a detailed video about how microchips are manufactured and answer comprehension questions to check their understanding of the core processes and key terminology introduced in the visual context.
Through matching and gap-fill exercises, students solidify their understanding of advanced technical terms like 'silicon wafer,' 'photoresist,' and 'etching,' and learn specific process verbs.
The lesson provides a clear explanation and a targeted exercise on forming complex passive constructions with modal verbs, a structure commonly used in technical and scientific writing to describe processes.
In pairs, students practice their new vocabulary and grammar by providing a "voice-over" narration for the silent video, simulating a technical documentary to build fluency and confidence.
Vocabulary focus
This lesson introduces specialized vocabulary for semiconductor manufacturing. Key terms include nouns like photolithography, silicon wafer, transistor, conductivity, fabrication plant, and slurry, as well as process verbs such as illuminate, etch, accelerate, polish, and dissolve.
Grammar focus
The primary grammar point is the use of complex passive constructions, particularly with modal verbs (e.g., can be made, must be polished). This structure is essential for describing technical and scientific processes where the action is more important than the agent performing it.
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