S1E17 - Just Between Us

Objective & content

In this dialogue, Mr. Hale moves Tiago away from the science-lab burners, and Harper asks Tiago in the art room, "Was there a fire?" He answers yes but refuses to say more. In the parking lot, Brody reads Harper's fear as proof. The grammar focus is the present perfect simple for actions with a result now ("I've shut it down at school twice now", "You've talked to him"), with vocabulary on rumours and feelings. It is the closing episode of Module 4, and 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, on the axis "school and society". Keep the talk on the characters and on invented examples: students should not share real cases or guess who started the fire, because the episode does not say. The script is fast and full of contractions, so write "I've" and "you've" on the board and say them slowly once before the second listen. Students who have not heard the earlier episodes can still follow the three scenes.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Write "Have you ever heard a rumour at school?" on the board; pairs talk for one minute, then share general ideas only.
2. (5 min) Preview six words: cruel, scared, reach, shut, somewhere, committee.
3. (5 min) First listen, without stopping: where are the characters in each scene, and what is the problem?
4. (8 min) Second listen, pausing three times: what Mr. Hale asks, what Tiago tells Harper and what he keeps back, and why Brody is sure.
5. (5 min) Comprehension check with five questions that follow the in-app quiz.
6. (4 min) Vocabulary practice: match the six words to their meanings, then one sentence each.
7. (6 min) Grammar focus: underline have/has + past participle in three lines from the script, elicit the rule, then complete short sentences orally.
8. (5 min) Pair speaking: A has a small invented secret, B asks two present perfect questions ("Have you told your friend?"), then swap.
9. (2 min, optional) Write three present perfect sentences about a character.

Materials & prerequisites

• The episode audio or the Academy app (about 2 minutes 47 seconds), a whiteboard or projector, and sticky notes or scrap paper for the speaking activity.
• The lesson plan, and the sheets in `printables/`: student sheet and teacher sheet (PDF and HTML).
• Prerequisite: the past participle of common verbs and the simple past.

Curriculum alignment

Cycle 4, class 4e: axis "school and society" (`c4-school-and-society`).