S1E09 - Open Mic

Objective & content

Elena's café is empty and her parents are worried, so Tiago proposes a Friday open mic. Stella, who has not auditioned for Harper's Gala, turns up and plays, with Mason and Neil in the crowd, and Harper decides she wants her on the Gala stage. The grammar focus is the present continuous for arrangements and actions in progress ("People are coming here"), with vocabulary for performing such as stage, crowd and perform. Learners follow the story by listening, then practise in the quiz and class activities.

Pedagogical guide

The lesson plan (40 minutes, audio about 3:20, including an original song) builds on present continuous forms for an arrangement in progress and an action happening now. Three pause points divide the second listen, and the plan offers [S] and [A] options throughout. The plan notes that the episode closes Module 2 of the series.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Activate prior knowledge: ask how a small café could bring in more customers, and collect ideas.
2. (5 min) Preview six words: audition, perform, stage, crowd, cover, brand.
3. (15 min) Listen once for gist, then again with three pauses to discuss.
4. (5 min) Comprehension check with six questions from the quiz.
5. (5 min) Vocabulary practice: matching from the quiz, or the worksheet.
6. (5 min) Grammar focus: sort lines from the episode into "an arrangement in progress" and "an action happening right now", then drill question and negative forms.
7. Optional: a pair role play with an event organiser, and a short text about what Mason might be thinking.

Materials & prerequisites

• Episode audio or the Academy app, and a board or projector.
• Worksheet (PDF) and flashcard sets in English-French, English-German and English-Italian.
• Class-pack student sheet and teacher sheet (PDF) from the printables.
• Prerequisites: present continuous affirmative, negative and question forms.

Curriculum alignment

Cycle 4, 4ème: "Languages and communication" and "Encountering others".