Manuals > General English > Rosetta Stone Advantage > Elementary - Book 2 > Lesson 16
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By the end of the lesson, the student should be able to describe the weather.
Communication strategies:
The student should be able to give a weather forecast using the strategy below:
1) greet the audience
2) state what the likely weather and temperature will be in different cities
3) finish the weather forecast
Hello everyone. My name is David Smith and here is tomorrow’s weather. In Tokyo it’s going to be warm and cloudy with a high of 25 and a low of 18. There is a chance of thunderstorms in the evening. In Moscow, It’s going to be freezing. The maximum temperature is 0 degrees. It will probably snow all day. In Sydney, It’s going to be warm and sunny, but expect some showers around midday. In Texas, It’s going to be really hot. There is a good chance the temperature will get to 30 degrees today. In Paris, It’s going to be cloudy with a high of 20 degrees. There is a 20% chance of rain in the evening. Have a great day, and thanks for watching.
Words and rules:
- The student should be able to describe different weather conditions e.g. It's cloudy
- The student should be able to state different temperatures e.g. It's hot
- The student should be able to describe likely and unlikely actions e.g. It's probably going to rain tomorrow.
- The student should be able to use a "when" time clause e.g. I go there when it's hot.
Appropriateness:
Non-verbal behaviour: NA
Register: The weatherman and news reporters will usually use a formal register.
Social rules: NA
Cultural references: No one really says "it's raining cats and dogs anymore"
Track #39
There was a big storm this morning and I got really wet because I
had to walk to work. My hair is a mess! Tomorrow, it will probably rain
again. I should buy an umbrella.
Track #40
It snowed all day yesterday, so I stayed home and studied
English. I love studying English. I might become an English teacher in
the future.
Track #41
My friend invited me to a party tonight at 8:00 pm, but I have lots of
homework and it’s really cold outside so I might not go to the party. I
think I’ll just stay in.
Because the lesson touches on the topic of weather, you are welcome to introduce some of the following vocabulary if you like.
1) foggy (adj)
2) hail (v)
3) humid (adj)
4) mild (adj)
5) overcast (adj)
6) scorching (adj)
7) sleet (n)
8) smog (n)
9) chilly (adj)
10) clear (adj)
Option 1:
Difficulty ★★
Type:
Warm-up discussion (Let’s start)
Purpose: Steering the student into the goal of the lesson before opening the book.
Method:
Before you open the book, discuss what your favorite season in Japan is and why.
Option 2:
Difficulty ★★★
Type:
Let's practice: realia - Less controlled practice
Purpose:
To practice using real information to give a forecast
Method: Use the internet or your phone to get a real weather forecast. Then have the student present an accurate weather forecast.
Option 3:
Difficulty ★★
Type:
Let's practice - Less controlled practice
Purpose:
To practice making predictions / expressing certainty
Method: Give the students different situations and have them express their opinion on whether they are likely or unlikely. You can also ask the student questions where they need to respond with information they think is likely or unlikely.
e.g.
Teacher:
How many medals Japan will win at the Olympics
Student: I think Japan will probably win 5-6 gold medals.
Extra questions you might like to ask in the lesson
- What's the weather like tomorrow?
- What do you think the weather will be like tomorrow?
- Do you think it's going to rain tomorrow?
- What do you think is the chance of rain tomorrow?
- What are the odds it will rain tomorrow?
Some grammar that might come up in the lesson
Time clause "when"
e.g. I go to the beach when it's sunny.
Expressing certainty
e.g. I might / probably will / may / will go there
Let’s start
Top line (L>R)
Sunny / fog / windy
Bottom line (L>R)
A thunderstorm / snow / rain
I go to the beach when it’s sunny
I go snowboarding when it snows
I get scared when there are thunderstorms
I wear a raincoat when it rains
I don’t like driving when there is fog
The trains stop when it’s really windy
Let’s try
Track #39
Will probably
Track #40
might
Track #41
Might not
Let’s practice
(weather forecast image)
Example forecast
On Monday, it’s warm. It’s currently 26 degrees. The maximum temperature today is 31 and the minimum temperature is 24.
On Tuesday, it will be hot and sunny. There is a chance that it will rain in the evening.
On Wednesday, it will be partly cloudy. There is a 30% chance of rain around midday.
On Thursday, the maximum will be 26 and the minimum will be 22. It will probably rain in the morning.
On Friday, it will be cool and 23 degrees. It’s unlikely that it will rain in the morning, but it might rain at night.
On Saturday, it’s cloudy. It’s unlikely that it will rain.
On Sunday, it will be cool and rainy. It will probably rain all day.
Example questions
What’s the weather like on Monday?
Will it snow on Wednesday?
Do you think it’s going to rain on Wednesday?
Let’s speak
Giving a weather forecast
Hello everyone. My name is David Smith and here is tomorrow’s weather.
In Tokyo it’s going to be warm and cloudy with a high of 25 and a low of 18. There is a chance of thunderstorms in the evening.
In Moscow, It’s going to be freezing. The maximum temperature is 0 degrees. It will probably snow all day.
In Sydney, It’s going to be warm and sunny, but expect some showers around midday.
In Texas, It’s going to be really hot. There is a good chance the temperature will get to 30 degrees today.
In Paris, It’s going to be cloudy with a high of 20 degrees. There is a 20% chance of rain in the evening.
Have a great day, and thanks for watching.