Books Are Our Friends

LESSON PLAN

Topic: Books Are Our Friends

Class: 8
Time: 45 minutes

OBJECTIVES

• improve reading comprehension

• develop writing skills

• practice new vocabulary

• train concentration while reading

I. WARM-UP (5 minutes)

1. Brain Activation Task (Before Reading)

Answer in writing (3–4 sentences):

1. How often do you read books?

2. What kind of books do you like?

3. Why are books important?

II. PRE-READING STAGE (Setting for Better Concentration) – 8 minutes

1. Prediction Task

Look at the title: “Our Friends and Teachers”

Answer in writing:

• Who are “friends and teachers”?

• What do you think the text will be about?

2. Key Words Focus

Look at the words. Try to guess their meaning:

• catalogue

• invention

• librarian

• title

• conference

• exhibition

Write Ukrainian equivalents.

III. WHILE-READING STAGE – 15 minutes

1. Answer the questions:

   • Why does Charles Kingsley call a book “a brother”?

   • What do books teach people?

   • How can books help students?

2. Answer the questions:

• How were books made in ancient times?

• Why were there few books in the world?

• What changed after the invention of printing?

3. Answer the questions:

• Who helps people find books in libraries?

• What can people use to find a book without a librarian?

• What events take place in libraries?

• What modern equipment do libraries have?

PART 1 – Books as Friends

Task 1. Underline the correct answer.

1. Books teach people:
   a) to sleep
   b) to live
   c) to travel

2. Books help students with:
   a) games
   b) lessons
   c) sport

Task 2. True or False

1. Books are compared to brothers. _____

2. Books cannot teach people. _____

3. Books open their hearts to us. _____

Task 3. Main Idea Write one sentence:

This part is about __________________________________.

PART 2 – History of Books

Task 1. Fill in the gaps.

1. In ancient times books were written by _____________________.

2. Only a few people had ____________________ of books.

3. The invention of __________________ changed history.

Task 2. Choose the main idea.

a) Books were always cheap.
b) Printing changed the world.
c) People did not like books.

Task 3. Attention Task

Find in the text 2 verbs in Past Simple and write them:

PART 3 – The Poem

Task 1. Complete the advice.

Use ___________ to hold your place.
Don’t turn a book upon its ____________ face.

Task 2. Write 2 rules how to treat books.

PART 4 – Libraries Today

Task 1. Short Answers (1–2 sentences)

1. Who helps people find books?

2. What can people use instead of asking a librarian?

3. What modern equipment do libraries have?

Task 2. Multiple Choice

A catalogue is:

a) a person
b) a list of books
c) a room

IV. POST-READING STAGE – 10 minutes

1. Summary Writing

Complete the sentences:

• Books are important because…

• In ancient times…

• Today libraries…

(Write 5–6 sentences total.)

2. Opinion Task

Do you agree that books are our best friends? Why?

Write 6–8 sentences.

Use:

• I think that…

• In my opinion…

• For example…

• That is why…

V. VOCABULARY PRACTICE

Match the words with definitions.

1. catalogue

2. invention

3. librarian

4. title

5. to consult

a) a name of a book
b) something new that was created
c) a person who works in a library
d) to ask for advice
e) a list of books

Complete the sentences.

1. The _______________ of printing changed history.

2. The __________________ helped me find a book.

3. I looked at the _________________ to find the book title.

VI. HOMEWORK

Write a short paragraph (8–10 sentences) on the topic:
“Why Books Are Important in My Life.”

EXTRA OPTIONAL TASK (For Stronger Students)

Explain the proverb:

“Books and friends should be few but good.”

Write 4–5 sentences.