S2E20 - Deadline

Objective & content

In "Deadline", Harper and Mason talk in the school paper office, Cole presses Mason about a gallery date on the driveway, and Harper phones her sister Wren when she learns that Stella is about to pay a deposit to a talent agency that looks fake. The grammar focus is reported questions (direct and indirect speech), consolidated with reported statements: "He asked me whether the pieces would be ready." The vocabulary covers investigation and proof, secrets, and choices. Learners practise listening for detail and naming the warning signs of a fake online offer.

Pedagogical guide

The episode is a B1- dialogue and the finale of the module, so it adds no new structure. The teaching idea is statement word order after whether, with will becoming would. The episode names a serious danger in one plain sentence: do not dwell on it, keep the focus on checking who is behind an offer and telling a trusted adult, and follow your school's safeguarding routine if a student seems worried.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Activate prior knowledge: write "Nobody ever asks me..." on the board, and ask about messages from strangers online, without personal stories.
2. (5 min) Preview six words: gallery, deposit, confirm, jealous, private, operate.
3. (5 min) First listen, without interruption: who is under pressure, and who is trying to help?
4. (10 min) Second listen with three pauses: the paper office, the driveway, and the call to Wren.
5. (5 min) Comprehension check with the five in-app quiz questions.
6. (5 min) Vocabulary practice: match the six words to definitions, or use the student sheet.
7. (8 min) Grammar focus: two lines from the script on the board, then pairs turn direct questions into reported questions.
8. (5 min) Speaking extension: three warning signs of a fake offer, and who to tell.
9. (2 min) Wrap-up: each student writes one sentence beginning "A friend asked me whether...".

Materials & prerequisites

• The episode audio or the Academy app, and a board or projector.
• `student-sheet.pdf` and `teacher-sheet.pdf` (in `printables/`), and the lesson plan.
• Prerequisites: the past simple, and basic reported statements.

Curriculum alignment

Cycle 4 (3eme), axis "languages and communication" (`c4-languages-and-communication`), with the CEFR half-level B1-.