Designing Demonstrative Adjective Lessons
Build the lesson in this fixed order, always anchored in the known vocabulary theme (here: clothing/colors):
- Discovery exercise (no rules given yet) — students sort/match example sentences using "this/that/these/those" with clothing items pictured at different distances (near/far) and numbers (singular/plural).
- Guided questions — 3-4 questions that force students to notice the pattern (distance? number?) themselves.
- Theory box — formal table of forms, built directly from what students just found, each row with one example sentence using clothing/colors.
- Practice worksheet — graded exercises: fill-in-the-blank → choose correct form → picture-based production → short freer writing/speaking.
Progress:
- Step 1: Confirm vocabulary set already mastered (clothing items + colors list)
- Step 2: Design discovery exercise using only that vocabulary
- Step 3: Write 3-4 guiding questions leading to the two variables (distance, number)
- Step 4: Build theory table (4 forms) with one clothing/color example per form
- Step 5: Create tiered practice worksheet (recognition → production)
- Step 6: Add answer key
- Step 7: Check A2 level: short sentences, high-frequency structures, visual support
Step 2 detail: Discovery exercise design
Use a simple scene: two tables/racks of clothes, one near the speaker, one far. Give 6-8 sentences already in correct form and ask students to classify them into a 2x2 grid (singular/plural × near/far) before any rule is stated. This grid is the inductive engine — don't skip it.
Example sentence set to adapt:
- This shirt is red.
- These socks are blue.
- That jacket is green.
- Those shoes are black.
Step 3 detail: Guiding questions
Always ask, in this order:
- Which words point to something close to you? Which point to something far?
- Which words are used with one item? Which with more than one?
- Complete the rule: "this → ___, that → ___, these → ___, those → ___" (near/far, singular/plural)
- Can you find the pattern connecting "this" and "these"? "that" and "those"?
Step 4 detail: Theory table template
| Form | Distance | Number | Example (clothing/colors) |
|---|---|---|---|
| this | near | singular | This scarf is yellow. |
| that | far | singular | That coat is brown. |
| these | near | plural | These gloves are white. |
| those | far | plural | Those boots are grey. |
Keep the table visually identical to how students filled their 2x2 grid in Step 2, so the "theory" is literally their own discovery, formalized.
Step 5 detail: Practice tiers
- Recognition: circle the correct demonstrative in a sentence (picture given showing near/far + number)
- Fill-in-the-blank: gap-fill with word bank (this/that/these/those)
- Picture-to-sentence: student writes a full sentence from an image (e.g., picture of a pair of red shoes far away → "Those shoes are red.")
- Freer production: short dialogue or description of own/classmate's clothing using all four forms at least once each
Example 1: Discovery item Input: Sentence "These trousers are purple." + image of trousers close to the speaker, plural. Output: Student places it in grid cell [near/plural], correctly inferring "these" = near + plural.
Example 2: Practice worksheet item (fill-in-the-blank) Input: "___ (far, singular) hat is orange." + image of one hat far away. Output: "That hat is orange."
Example 3: Freer production prompt Input: Picture of two students, one wearing a nearby hat and far-away shoes, one wearing nearby gloves and a far-away jacket. Output: Student-generated: "This hat is black. Those shoes are white. These gloves are pink. That jacket is blue."
- Never introduce the term "demonstrative adjective" before the discovery grid is completed — let students notice the pattern first.
- Reuse only vocabulary explicitly confirmed as already taught (don't accidentally introduce new clothing words or colors).
- Keep every example sentence to the pattern [demonstrative] + [noun] + [be] + [color/adjective] for consistency at A2.
- Use visuals (near/far distance cues, singular/plural clearly shown) in every item — A2 learners should not need to rely on text alone.
- Build the answer key as you write each exercise, not afterward.
- End with a short production task so students actively use all 4 forms, not just recognize them.
- Starting with the rule/table before the discovery task — defeats the inductive design the teacher requested.
- Mixing in untaught vocabulary "to make it more interesting" — breaks the A2/comprehensible-input constraint.
- Giving only gap-fill exercises — doesn't progress to productive use.
- Explaining "this/that" via translation only — use visual near/far contrast instead, more reliable across learner L1s.
- Forgetting plural irregularities are irrelevant here — don't overcomplicate; this lesson is only about near/far + singular/plural, not noun plural spelling.