S1E13 - Chosen

Objective & content

In this Golden Bay episode, Harper returns to her mother Bunny after a stay at her father's, then pushes the Gala committee too hard, and finally admits to Tiago: "Because perfect people don't get left." In the last scene Brody tells Mason he will look into Tiago's past. The grammar focus is the past simple (regular and irregular verbs) and used to for a past situation that is over now, as in Bunny's "He used to choose us, darling." The vocabulary belongs to family, feelings and personality. Learners work on listening comprehension, then grammar practice and speaking preparation.

Pedagogical guide

The 50-minute plan moves from a short "things were different before" warm-up to two listenings, then grammar and pair work on changes in a family, a friendship or a habit. The episode deals with divorce and a mother's bitterness: keep the discussion on the characters and offer a neutral topic (a place, a hobby) in the speaking task. Teach used to only, and correct be used to only if it comes up. Replay scene 1 if needed, because Bunny speaks fast and ironically.

Suggested procedure

1. Pre-listening (10 min): students say what used to be different in a place, a friendship or a habit; preview six words (mess, private, forever, fix, exist, land).
2. First listen (4 min): students identify the people and Harper's problem.
3. Second listen (10 min): pause after scenes 1, 2 and 3 to discuss Bunny's feelings, Harper's behaviour on the committee and why Harper says "Forget it".
4. Comprehension check (5 min): five oral or written questions that follow the in-app quiz.
5. Vocabulary practice (5 min): matching game, or the vocabulary tasks on the student sheet.
6. Grammar focus (8 min): compare used to with the past simple on three lines from the script, then a base-verb game on mini whiteboards.
7. Speaking (6 min): in pairs, one student tells what used to be different and the other asks two past simple questions.
8. Optional writing (2 min): two sentences, one with used to and one in the past simple.

Materials & prerequisites

• Episode audio or the Academy app (about 3 minutes 40 seconds).
• `printables/student-sheet.pdf` and `printables/teacher-sheet.pdf`.
• `printables/teacher-notes.md`: common errors and extension ideas.
• `teachers-resources/lesson-plan.md`: the full 50-minute lesson plan.
• Prerequisite: the past simple of common regular and irregular verbs.

Curriculum alignment

Cycle 4, class 4e (A2+). The episode is tagged with two Cycle 4 axes: "Encountering others" and "School and society".