Lesson: Forming Verbs with Under- and Over

Learning Intention: By the end of this lesson, students will be able to form verbs using the prefixes under- and over- correctly in British English at a B1 level.

Warm-up (5 minutes): 1. Begin the lesson by asking students to brainstorm words that they know which start with the prefixes under- and over-. Write their responses on the board. 2. Discuss the meanings of the words they provided and ask students to give examples of how these words are used in sentences.

Introduction (10 minutes): 1. Explain to students that the prefixes under- and over- can be added to words to change their meaning. Emphasize that under- means “less than expected” or “not enough,” while over- means “more than expected” or “too much.” 2. Provide examples of words with these prefixes and their meanings, such as “underestimate” (to estimate something as less than it actually is) and “overwhelm” (to have too much of something).

Guided Practice (15 minutes): 1. Give students a list of base words and ask them to form new verbs by adding either under- or over-. For example: - Base word: cook Verbs: undercook, overcook - Base word: estimate Verbs: underestimate, overestimate 2. Discuss the answers as a class, ensuring students understand the meanings of the new verbs formed.

Explanation and Examples (10 minutes): 1. Provide students with a handout or display on the board a list of common words related to the environment. 2. Explain that they will now practice forming verbs using under- and over- with these words. 3. Model the process by choosing one word, such as “use,” and forming two verbs: “underuse” and “overuse.” 4. Ask students to work individually or in pairs to form verbs using under- and over- with the remaining words on the list. 5. Monitor their progress and provide assistance as needed.

Word Formation Exercise - Short Story on the Environment:

Once upon a time, in a small village nestled under the mountains, there lived a young girl named Lily. Lily was passionate about protecting the environment and was always looking for ways to make a positive impact. One day, she noticed that the river flowing through their village was becoming polluted due to the excessive use of chemicals by nearby factories. Determined to make a change, Lily decided to take matters into her own hands.

Lily started by organizing a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of water conservation. She believed that people were underestimating the value of clean water and were overusing it without considering the consequences. Lily’s campaign involved distributing pamphlets, conducting workshops, and even organizing a community clean-up of the riverbank.

As the campaign gained momentum, Lily realized that she needed to do more to combat the pollution. She decided to form a group of volunteers who would work together to underfund the factories that were causing harm to the environment. By boycotting their products and spreading the word, Lily hoped to make the factories realize the impact of their actions and encourage them to adopt more sustainable practices.

Over time, Lily’s efforts paid off. The factories started to underproduce harmful chemicals and invested in eco-friendly alternatives. The river began to recover, and the village became an example of how a small community can make a big difference in protecting the environment.

Word Formation Exercise Questions: 1. What did Lily notice about the river in their village? 2. What did Lily do to raise awareness about water conservation? 3. Why did Lily believe people were overusing water? 4. What did Lily do to combat the pollution caused by factories? 5. How did the factories respond to Lily’s efforts?

Note: The exercise can be modified to suit the specific vocabulary and grammar focus of the lesson.