Lesson Plan | Active Learning | Textual Cohesion: Use of the Implied Subject

Assumptions: This Active Lesson Plan assumes: a 100-minute class, prior student study with both the Book and the start of Project development, and that only one activity (among the three suggested) will be chosen to be conducted during the class, as each activity is designed to take up a significant portion of the available time.

Objectives

Duration: (5 - 10 minutes)

This stage of the lesson plan is essential to establish the theoretical foundations that will guide the practical activities. By clearly defining the objectives, students will have a precise understanding of what is expected of them to learn and be able to do by the end of the lesson. This guides both students' preparation before the class and the direction of discussions and practical applications during class time.

Main Objectives:

1. Empower students to identify and understand the use of the understood subject in sentences as a strategy for textual cohesion.

2. Develop linguistic analysis and text interpretation skills so that students can apply the knowledge acquired in various contexts.

Side Objectives:

1. Encourage active participation from students in debates and collaborative activities to strengthen learning through the exchange of ideas and experiences.

Introduction

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

The introduction serves to engage students and activate prior knowledge about the understood subject. Through problem-based situations, they are encouraged to think critically and apply previously studied concepts, preparing the ground for more in-depth discussion in class. The contextualization, in turn, shows the relevance of the topic in everyday life and literature, increasing students' interest and perception of the practical utility of what they are learning.

Problem-Based Situations

1. Imagine that you are reading a book and come across the following excerpt: 'Entered the room, looked around and saw that everything was tidy'. Who is the subject of the second sentence? How do you know?

2. Think of a conversation with a friend that starts with the phrase: 'I went to the market and bought bread'. In this case, who performed the action of buying? Explore the use of the understood subject to identify the hidden subject and discuss how this helps with the fluency of communication.

Contextualization

The ability to identify and use the understood subject is crucial not only in written language but also in everyday speech. For example, in news articles, the omission of the subject can make the text more dynamic and engaging, such as 'It is raining in São Paulo' instead of 'In São Paulo, it is raining'. Additionally, renowned authors often use this technique to create suspense or narrative flow, as in classic novels or short stories. Observing these real examples and discussing how they impact understanding and the aesthetics of the text will help students value and apply the acquired knowledge.

Development

Duration: (75 - 80 minutes)

The Development stage primarily aims to allow students to practically and interactively apply their prior knowledge about the understood subject. By engaging in playful and collaborative activities, students have the opportunity to consolidate their learning, discuss in groups, and improve their textual analysis skills. This section is crucial for transforming theory into practice, ensuring a deeper and more lasting understanding of the topic.

Activity Suggestions

It is recommended to carry out only one of the suggested activities

Activity 1 - Cohesion Detectives

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Develop the ability to identify and justify the understood subject in sentences, promoting contextual analysis and collaboration among students.

- Description: In this activity, students become linguistic detectives. They will receive small excerpts of texts where the subject of the sentences is omitted. The challenge is to collaboratively identify who or what performs the action in each sentence, analyzing the context and the linguistic clues present.

- Instructions:

• Divide the class into groups of up to 5 students.

• Distribute a set of cards with sentences where the subject is understood to each group.

• Each group should discuss and decide who or what is the subject of each sentence, writing their answers in a notebook.

• After 20 minutes of analysis, each group will present their conclusions, and the class will discuss the answers and justifications.

• Finally, ask each group to create a new sentence with an understood subject and challenge the class to guess the subject.

Activity 2 - Story Builders

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Encourage textual creation and understanding the importance of the subject in the structure of a narrative, as well as strengthening teamwork skills.

- Description: Students, in groups, will receive a set of images or small excerpts of stories that contain understood subjects. They should use these elements to build a new narrative, ensuring coherence and textual cohesion by correctly inserting the subjects in the sentences.

- Instructions:

• Organize students into groups of up to 5 participants.

• Give each group a set of images or small excerpts of stories that contain understood subjects.

• Groups should use these elements to create a new story, where they must insert the subjects correctly.

• After 50 minutes of work, each group will present their story to the class.

• Conduct a vote to choose the most creative and cohesive story.

Activity 3 - Mysterious Subject Game

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Reinforce the ability to identify understood subjects in a playful and interactive way, promoting quick reasoning and attention to details.

- Description: Students will participate in a board game created by the teacher, where each square on the board contains a sentence with the understood subject. To advance, students must correctly identify the subject of the sentence and justify their answer.

- Instructions:

• Prepare a large board on the classroom floor, with each square containing a sentence that has the understood subject.

• Divide the class into groups of up to 5 students and ask each group to choose a piece to represent them on the board.

• Each group rolls the dice and advances the corresponding number of squares.

• When landing on a square, the group must read the sentence aloud, identify the subject and justify their answer.

• If they answer correctly, the group advances one more square. If they answer incorrectly, they remain in the same position.

• The first group to reach the last square of the board is the winner.

Feedback

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

This stage of the lesson plan aims to consolidate students’ learning through reflection and critical discussion. By sharing their experiences and listening to their peers, students have the opportunity to see different perspectives and approaches, enriching their understanding of the understood subject and its application. This discussion also serves to assess how well students managed to apply the concept in different contexts and texts.

Group Discussion

Start the group discussion by briefly reviewing the activities carried out. Ask each group to share their main discoveries and challenges faced during the activities. Encourage students to discuss how the application of the understood subject concept helped in understanding the texts and creating new narratives. Promote an exchange environment where students can learn from each other and reflect on the importance of textual cohesion.

Key Questions

1. What were the biggest challenges in identifying the understood subject in the sentences during the activities?

2. How can the use of the understood subject influence the clarity and rhythm of a text?

3. Was there any situation where the omission of the subject made text interpretation more complex? How did you resolve that?

Conclusion

Duration: (10 - 15 minutes)

The purpose of this Conclusion stage is to ensure students have a clear and consolidated understanding of the content addressed, linking theoretical aspects to the practices carried out during the lesson. This moment also serves to reinforce the importance of the theme in everyday life and in building essential language competencies. Recapping and closing are vital for students to reflect on what they learned and perceive its applicability in various contexts.

Summary

To conclude, the teacher should summarize the concepts covered regarding the understood subject, highlighting its importance in textual cohesion and the fluency of communication. Revisiting the activities carried out will help consolidate the knowledge acquired by students.

Theory Connection

Today's lesson was structured to effectively connect theory and practice. The activities allowed for a direct application of the theoretical content studied, clearly demonstrating how the understood subject is used to create cohesion in different types of texts.

Closing

Knowledge about the understood subject is essential not only for understanding literary texts but also for producing more fluent and natural texts. Understanding and applying this strategy is an important step in developing writing and interpretation skills, which are fundamental in various academic and professional situations.