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Lesson planA140 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Things I Can Do: can and can't
Students use can and can't to talk about abilities at school and in daily life, then write about what they can and can't do.
Can ability · School · Learning
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Plan at a glance
Aims
- Use can / can't / could / couldn't accurately
- Learn and use 14 words and phrases in 2 sets: Learning, At school
- Read for detail: Leo's English
- Writing task: What I can do
Stages · 40 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs talk about school and share ideas with the class.
- 5 minVocabulary: Ex. 1
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes together and check understanding.
- 10 minControlled practice: Ex. 2–4
- 5 minReading: Ex. 5
- 10 minWriting: Ex. 6
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)Grammar notes
can / can't for ability
- can + verb: I can swim. She can read.
- can't (cannot) + verb: He can't drive.
- can is the same for everyone: I can, she can, they can (not she cans).
- No to after can: I can swim (not I can to swim).
Questions and short answers
- Can you speak English? — Yes, I can. / No, I can't.
- Not: Do you can…?
Asking in class
- Can you repeat that, please?
- Can you explain this word to me?
- How do you spell it?
good at / bad at
- I'm good at maths. She's bad at art. (not good in)
Study tips
- Write five things you can do and three things you can't do yet.
- Learn the classroom questions by heart: Can you repeat that, please? Can you explain this word to me?
Glossary
- Learning6 items
- At school8 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
At school
Choose the correct word.
- a
Mr Lopez is a ___ at my school. Every day he helps thirty children with maths.
- b
My brother is a ___ at university. He studies music.
- c
I want to ___ Japanese. I have a lesson every Tuesday.
- d
My mum is a teacher. She can ___ you English.
- e
This test is very ___. I can answer all the questions!
- f
I can ___ Spanish, but I can't speak it very well.
- g
Please ___ your answer on the board.
2
can or can't?
Choose the correct answer.
- a
My sister is only two. She ___ read.
- b
I ___ swim. I learned when I was five.
- c
Leo ___ speak three languages: English, French and Arabic.
- d
Sorry, I ___ come to the lesson today. I'm ill.
- e
My teacher ___ explain grammar very well.
- f
Can your brother play the guitar? — Yes, he ___.
- g
Can you write in Chinese? — No, I ___.
- h
___ you spell your name, please?
3
Questions in class
Choose the correct answer.
- a
Can you ___ that, please?
- b
Can you explain this word ___?
- c
Choose the correct question.
- d
___ I open the window, please?
- e
Are you good ___ English?
- f
I'm bad ___ maths, but I'm good at art.
- g
She can ___ the piano very well.
4
Find the mistake
One sentence has a mistake. Choose the correct sentence.
- a
Choose the correct sentence.
- b
Choose the correct sentence.
- c
Choose the correct sentence.
- d
Choose the correct sentence.
- e
Choose the correct sentence.
- f
Choose the correct sentence.
- g
Choose the correct sentence.
- h
Choose the correct sentence.
- i
Choose the correct sentence.
- j
Choose the correct sentence.
- k
Choose the correct sentence.
- l
Choose the correct sentence.
5
Read: Leo's English
Read the text. Then choose the correct answer.
My name is Leo. I'm seven, and I'm a student at Park School. I can read and write in Spanish, and now I'm learning English. I can write the alphabet and I can spell my name, but I can't understand long books yet. My teacher, Mrs Hill, is very kind. She can explain grammar very well, and when I don't understand, she can repeat it. I'm good at reading, but I'm bad at speaking. English isn't easy, but I try every day. I love reading new stories with my friends.
- a
Where is Leo a student?
- b
What can Leo do in English?
- c
What can't Leo do yet?
- d
What can Mrs Hill do very well?
- e
What is Leo bad at?
6
Write: What I can do
Write about what you can and can't do.
Write about what you can and can't do. (6–8 sentences) Write three things you can do, two things you can't do (yet), and what you are good at and bad at. Use can and can't. Word box: teacher · student · learn · easy · understand · write · spell · explain · repeat · be good at Example: I can speak Spanish and I can understand some English. I can't spell long words yet. I'm good at maths, but I'm bad at art.
Suggested minimum: 35 words
0 words · aim for at least 35
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 14 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 2 sets.
Learning
- learn
- get new knowledge or a new skill
- understand
- know what something means
- write
- put words on paper or a screen
- spell
- say or write the letters of a word
- explain
- make something clear
- repeat
- say or do something again
At school
- teacher
- this person teaches
- student
- this person studies at a school or university
- easy
- not difficult
- be good at
- can do something well
- test
- some questions about what you know
- lesson
- a time when a teacher teaches a class
- maths
- the study of numbers
- grammar
- the rules of a language
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