S1E18 - It's Being Said

Objective & content

In this dialogue, Brody writes a post about the new kid and says, "I'm just the guy who types." The rumour then reaches the school hallway, Diane's office, where a client steps back from a listing, and the Voss kitchen, where Tiago asks Diane, "Do you believe it?" Harper also posts a public defence, and Tiago asks her to take it down. The grammar focus is the present passive without an agent ("it's said that...", "things are being said", "it's been shared two hundred times"), with vocabulary on rumours and social media. Learners work on listening comprehension, then the in-app quiz.

Pedagogical guide

The lesson is planned for 45 minutes with a 4e (Cycle 4) class, where the passive is new grammar. It uses the passive to show how a rumour hides its author: the grammar leaves out who acts, just as the gossip does. The topic is sensitive, so keep the discussion on the story and on made-up examples, never on real rumours or named classmates. Point out that "is", "is being" and "has been" change when the action happens. Practise "rumor" and the contractions "it's been" and "it's being" before the second listen; the series uses American English.

Suggested procedure

1. (4 min) Write "Something is said at school. Nobody knows who started it." on the board and collect general ideas; contrast "Brody writes a post" with "A post is written".
2. (4 min) Preview six words: rumor, post, share, deny, accuse, defend.
3. (4 min) First listen, without stopping: what is the main topic?
4. (10 min) Second listen, pausing at the end of scenes 1, 3 and 4: what Brody posts, why the client steps back, and why Tiago asks Harper to take her post down.
5. (5 min) Comprehension check with five questions that follow the in-app quiz.
6. (4 min) Vocabulary practice: match words and meanings; add "bury" and "brand" as a bonus round.
7. (6 min) Grammar focus: underline the verb group in three lines from the script, build the pattern table (is, is being, has been + past participle), then complete sentences about a made-up story.
8. (6 min) Pair speaking, "Stop the rumor": an invented harmless rumour, one partner asks "Is it true?" and the other answers only with "It's being said..." or "It's been shared...".
9. (2 min, optional) Write three passive sentences about a made-up rumour.

Materials & prerequisites

• The episode audio or the Academy app, with speakers, and a whiteboard or projector; sticky notes or paper slips for the speaking activity.
• The lesson plan, and the sheets in `printables/`: student sheet and teacher sheet (PDF and HTML).
• Prerequisite: the present simple and the past participle of common verbs.

Curriculum alignment

Cycle 4, class 4e: axis "languages and communication" (`c4-languages-and-communication`).