Classroom phrasal verbs

Teachers notes and key

Level: beginner-elementary.
Timing: approximately 20 minutes.
Aims: a TPR (Total Physical Response) lesson to teach basic commands in the classroom
students learn by doing the actions.
NB For a beginner class, you might want to replace turn on the light, turn off the light and
throw away your rubbish with other commands which are not phrasal verbs, such as open
your book, close your book and repeat/say a word.
Procedure
1. In the first part of the lesson, do a getting-to-know you activity (e.g. drilling My names
Whats your name?).
2. Say a chain of commands and do the actions yourself as you say them, e.g. Stand up,
turn on the light, sit down, Stand up, turn off the light, sit down, Look up pattern,
write down pattern, turn over the page, Turn over the page, cross out pattern ,
Stand up, throw away your rubbish, sit down.
3. Look at each of the students in turn and say Stand up, gesturing with your hands. Do
the same with Sit down then do various other commands as a whole class.
4. Now name one of the stronger learners and give him/her a command, e.g. Khalid,
stand up. Khalid, turn on the light.
5. Repeat with each of the learners.
6. Go and sit in the place of one of the stronger learners, to show that you are now that
learner, and give some more individual commands.
7. Indicate that learners should take it in turns to give each other commands, e.g. Khalid
now you. Thank you, Khalid. Now Nama.
8. Give everyone a big clap when youve finished.
9. As a follow-up, get them to do worksheet 1 in pairs. Point to each expression and say
it, in case they cannot read it.
10. Check their answers as a whole class by saying an expression and getting the learners
to point to the picture.
11. For classes who did well with worksheet 1, move on to the more abstract worksheet 2.
Demonstrate the activity first by ticking one of the correct boxes yourself.

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Classroom phrasal verbs

Worksheet 2 answers:
a word

the page

the light

turn on

turn off

turn over
cross out

your rubbish

throw away
look up

write down

stand up

sit down

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Classroom phrasal verbs

Worksheet 1
Match the words and the pictures.

cross out a word

stand up

look up a word

sit down

throw away your rubbish

turn off the light

turn on the light

turn over the page

write down a word

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Classroom phrasal verbs

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Classroom phrasal verbs

Worksheet 2
Tick the boxes.
a word

the page

the light

your rubbish

sit down
turn off
stand up
cross out
turn over
look up
write down
throw away
turn on

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