Unit 4 — A School Day
Track E · Klasse 5 · Niveau E
Learning objectives Link to heading
- I can name 10 school subjects.
- I can tell the time in 5-minute steps (quarter past, twenty to, etc.).
- I can hold a 90-second conversation about my school day using present simple.
Bildungsplan alignment Link to heading
- 3.1.1 Soziokulturelles Orientierungswissen / Themen
- 3.1.3.1 Hör-/Hörsehverstehen
- 3.1.3.3 Sprechen – an Gesprächen teilnehmen
- 3.1.3.8 Verfügen über sprachliche Mittel – Grammatik
(Source: https://www.bildungsplaene-bw.de/,Lde/LS/BP2016BW/ALLG/SEK1/E1)
Lead-in story Link to heading
Mia’s timetable is taped to the inside of her locker door. Monday: maths, German, English, biology, sport, music. The lockers are new this year. They click when they shut. Theo says the click is the best sound in the school. Frida the fox watches the lockers from the corridor. “I would like a locker,” she says. “Foxes also need a private space.”
1. Activate Link to heading
Timetable cross-talk. Pair up. Take 90 seconds. A asks B about Monday and Tuesday. B asks A about Wednesday and Thursday. Use What do you have at … o’clock?
2. Input Link to heading
Vocabulary — school subjects Link to heading
English, German, French, Spanish, Maths, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, History, Geography, Religion, Ethics, Music, Art, PE / Sport, IT.
Telling the time — five-minute steps Link to heading
- It’s eight o’clock. (8:00)
- It’s five past eight. (8:05)
- It’s ten past eight. (8:10)
- It’s quarter past eight. (8:15)
- It’s twenty past eight. (8:20)
- It’s twenty-five past eight. (8:25)
- It’s half past eight. (8:30)
- It’s twenty-five to nine. (8:35)
- It’s twenty to nine. (8:40)
- It’s quarter to nine. (8:45)
- It’s ten to nine. (8:50)
- It’s five to nine. (8:55)
Grammar — present simple, all persons Link to heading
- I/you/we/they: base form. I start at eight.
- he/she/it: base + -s. Mia starts at eight.
- Negatives: I don’t / She doesn’t + base verb.
- Questions: Do you …? / Does she …?
3. Practise Link to heading
Niveau E — controlled Link to heading
- Time: 9:15 → ___ ; 11:20 → ___ ; 14:45 → ___ .
- Verb form: I __________ (start), Mia __________ (start), We __________ (have), He __________ (do).
Niveau E — productive Link to heading
- Build the question: (Tuesday / first lesson?) → ___ ; (your favourite subject — why?) → ___ .
- Negative: I don’t / She doesn’t — write three true negative sentences about your week.
4. Produce Link to heading
Pair speaking — My Week. 90 seconds each direction. Cover: start time, three subjects, one favourite, one you don’t like, lunch time, end time.
Sample Link to heading
— What time do you start on Monday? — I start at quarter past eight. We have maths first, and I don’t really like maths. After the break we have biology, which is my favourite.
5. Reflect Link to heading
- I can name 10 school subjects.
- I can tell the time in 5-minute steps.
- I can hold a 90-second conversation about my school day.
One thing in your notebook: Write one sentence that uses something you learned in this Unit.
Exam example Link to heading
Task 1 — Listening (8 BE) Link to heading
Listen twice.
“On Monday I start at quarter past eight. First I have German, then maths. After the long break we have English and music. I finish at twenty past one.”
- Start: ___ . 2. First lesson: ___ . 3. Two lessons after the break: ___ . 4. Finish: ___ .
Task 2 — Reading (8 BE) Link to heading
Read.
“Theo’s favourite subject is biology because the teacher tells stories about animals. He doesn’t like maths, but he is good at it. He has six lessons every day.”
- Favourite: ___ . 2. Why: ___ . 3. Doesn’t like: ___ . 4. Lessons per day: ___ .
Task 3 — Use of English (8 BE) Link to heading
Fill in present simple, positive or negative.
- I __________ (have) maths on Monday.
- Mia __________ (not / like) PE.
- ___ they ___ (start) at eight?
- Mr Flint __________ (teach) English.
Task 4 — Writing (6 BE) Link to heading
Write 5–6 sentences about your school day: start, two subjects, one favourite, one you don’t like, end.
Downloads Link to heading
Differentiation — support (below Niveau E).
Complete the frames out loud with your partner. Say each line, then swap:
- On Monday I start at ______ (time).
- First I have ______, and then I have ______.
- My favourite subject is ______ because ______.
- I don’t really like ______.
- We have lunch at ______, and I finish at ______.
Extension (above Niveau E / Oberstufe).
Redesign the school day: draft a short, persuasive proposal to your head teacher arguing for one change to the timetable (a later start, longer breaks, or two-subject “deep-focus” mornings). Support your case with at least two reasons and one likely objection you then answer, and use linking words such as however, therefore, and on the other hand to structure your argument.
Common pitfalls Link to heading
- Forgetting the third-person -s with negatives and questions: Does she has → ✗ / Does she have → ✓.
- half eight (BrE colloquial = 8:30) sometimes confuses German learners; stick with half past eight in writing.
- L1 trap: Wir haben Mathe → We have maths (no preposition).
Further reading / listening Link to heading
- BBC Learning English — Telling the time.
- LearnEnglish Kids — School subjects games.
Downloads
Listen
The vocabulary, dialogues and reading texts of this unit as audio, spoken by a native voice. The spoken text is shown beneath each clip.
Show text
"On Monday I start at eight. First I have maths. Then I have English. At ten o'clock we have a break. After the break we have sport."