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Section 1

Teacher's Lesson Plan

Confidential

Lesson Overview

Topic

Tastes and Recipes — Nora's Kitchen. Leo visits his grandmother Nora for the weekend. She teaches him two family recipes — apple cake and lemon soup — and tells him about food from when she was young. Leo writes everything down so the recipes are not lost. The lesson explores flavours, cooking methods, and the difference between food habits in the past and now.

Level

A1–B1

Duration

90 minutes

Skills

Vocabulary · Grammar · Reading · Listening · Speaking · Writing

Grammar

G1 — Present Simple — food habits and facts today
G2 — Past Simple — specific past events and cooking experiences
G3 — Past Habitual (used to) — past habits and customs that have changed
G4 — Future Simple (will) — plans and predictions about food
G5 — Can — ability and possibility in the kitchen

Vocabulary

12 words (A1–B1): spice · herb · mixture · bake · stir · pinch · sweet · sour · bitter · traditional · dough · filling

Materials

Student Handouts 1–6 (printed); whiteboard

Key Grammar — Teaching Notes

G3 — Past Habitual (used to): the central new structure

We used to eat soup every evening. / My grandmother used to bake every Saturday.
I didn't use to like bitter food — but now I love it!
Did you use to eat a lot of sugar when you were a child?

Key concept: used to describes a past habit that is no longer true. It signals a change.
Common errors:
✗ "I used to liked" → I used to like (used to + bare infinitive)
✗ "I use to eat" (present) → There is NO present form. For present habits: "I usually eat…"
✗ "Did you used to?" → Did you use to? (no -d after did)

G3 vs G1 — contrast on the board

Board side by side:
"Nora used to make bread every day." (past habit — she doesn't any more)
"Nora makes bread on Saturdays." (present habit — she still does this)
Ask students: "Which tells us something changed?"

G3 vs G2 — the other key contrast

"She used to bake on Sundays." (repeated habit in the past)
"She baked a cake last Sunday." (one specific event)
Signal words for Past Simple: last week / yesterday / in 2010 / when I was ten.

Lesson Procedure

Time

Stage

Skill

Teacher does

Students do

0–8 min

Lead-in

Speaking

Board: sweet · sour · bitter. Ask: "What food is sweet? What is sour? What is bitter?" Then: "Think about your grandmother or an older family member. What did she/he used to cook?" Take 3–4 answers.

Name foods for each taste. Talk about family cooking.

8–18 min

Vocabulary

—

12 A1–B1 words. Taste wheel (sweet/sour/bitter). Cooking words. Part C gap-fill.

Read vocabulary. Sort by taste. Gap-fill.

18–46 min

Grammar

—

PS → Past Simple → used to (contrast both) → will → Can. Board all three contrasts. Exercises 1–5.

Study cards. Exercises 1–5. Pair-check.

46–58 min

Reading

Leo's letter to Sophie + Nora's recipe card. Find all 5 structures. Tasks 1–2.

Read letter + recipe. Answer questions. T/F.

58–70 min

Listening

Nora and Leo in the kitchen. Read TWICE at a clear A2 pace.

Circle answers. Complete notes.

70–82 min

Speaking

"My grandmother used to…" round + recipe explanation + taste debate. Monitor all 5.

Share stories. Explain a recipe. Debate tastes.

80–90 min

Writing

80–100 words. Family recipe card OR short letter about a family food memory. All 5 structures.

Write. Self-check.

Listening Script — 'Apple Cake and Old Stories'

Read at a clear A2 pace. Nora speaks slowly and warmly. Leo is enthusiastic. Read twice.

Nora:

Right, Leo. First, you put the dough in the tin. Can you stir the apple filling for me? It needs a few more minutes.

Leo:

Of course! It smells amazing. Gran, did you use to make this cake when Dad was little?

Nora:

Every Sunday, without fail. Your father used to sit right there at that table and wait. He used to eat three pieces! In those days, we didn't use to buy cakes from shops — everything was homemade.

Leo:

And what about the herbs? Can I add them now?

Nora:

Not yet — the herbs go on top at the end. Now, the filling needs a pinch of cinnamon. Can you see the spice tin on the shelf?

Leo:

Got it. Gran, what did people use to eat here when you were young? Was the food very different?

Nora:

Very different, yes. We used to eat a lot of vegetables from the garden. People didn't use to eat much sweet food — sugar was quite expensive. We ate a lot of sour things: sour bread, sour soup. And bitter herbs in everything.

Leo:

I didn't use to like sour food, but I love it now. Did you bake this cake last week too?

Nora:

I did, yes — for your uncle's birthday. Now, put the cake in the oven. It will take about forty minutes. I will make some tea and we can sit and talk.

Leo:

Perfect. I'm going to write this all down, Gran. This recipe will go in my notebook. Sophie will love it too — she can make it at home!

All 5 structures in the script:
· G1 PS: It smells amazing / the herbs go on top at the end / sugar was quite expensive
· G2 Past: Did you bake this cake last week? / I did, yes — for your uncle's birthday
· G3 used to: Your father used to sit right there / He used to eat three pieces / we didn't use to buy cakes / We used to eat vegetables / People didn't use to eat much sweet food / I didn't use to like sour food / Did you use to make this cake?
· G4 will: It will take about forty minutes / I will make some tea / This recipe will go in my notebook / Sophie will love it
· G5 Can: Can you stir the filling? / Can I add the herbs now? / Can you see the spice tin? / she can make it at home

Answer Key

Handout 1 — Vocabulary

1. spice 2. herb 3. dough 4. filling 5. mixture 6. pinch 7. traditional 8. bake 9. stir 10. sweet 11. sour 12. bitter

Handout 2 — Grammar

Ex 1 (used to — positive/negative/question): 1. used to eat 2. didn't use to like 3. Did … use to bake 4. used to grow 5. didn't use to be 6. Did … use to cook

Ex 2 (PS, Past Simple, or used to?): 1. used to make (past habit — every Sunday) 2. baked (specific past event — last night) 3. used to eat (past habit — when I was young) 4. ate / had (specific — yesterday) 5. didn't use to like (past habit — changed) 6. added (specific past event — yesterday morning)

Ex 3 (will/won't): 1. will taste 2. won't take 3. will love 4. will need 5. won't be

Ex 4 (can/can't): 1. Can you 2. can add 3. can't eat 4. Can I 5. can see

Ex 5 (errors): 1. used to like (infinitive, not past tense) 2. did … use to (no -d after did) 3. used to (no present form — "usually") 4. baked (specific date = Past Simple, not used to) 5. Can you (not Could — Can is correct for ability/possibility here)

Handouts 3 + 4

Reading T/F: 1 T 2 F (Leo writes the recipe in his notebook, not his phone) 3 T 4 F (Nora says the filling needs cinnamon — a spice, not an herb) 5 T

Listening Task 1: 1-b 2-c 3-a 4-b

Task 2: (1) stir the filling / herbs / spice tin (2) every Sunday / three pieces / didn't use to buy cakes (3) vegetables / not much sweet food / sour bread + sour soup / bitter herbs (4) forty minutes / make tea / recipe in notebook / Sophie

Tastes and Recipes

Student Handouts — Nora's Kitchen

Name:

Date:

Class:

Handout 1

Vocabulary

Part A — Key Words

Word

What it means / example

spice

a dry powder or seed that adds strong flavour — Cinnamon and pepper are popular spices.

herb

a plant used to add flavour to food — Basil, mint and parsley are common herbs.

mixture

a combination of different things mixed together — Stir the flour and eggs to make a smooth mixture.

bake

to cook food in an oven — My grandmother bakes bread every Saturday morning.

stir

to mix food in a pot or bowl by moving a spoon in circles — Stir the soup for five minutes so it doesn't stick.

pinch

a very small amount of something — the amount you can hold between two fingers — Add just a pinch of salt.

sweet

tasting like sugar or honey — This apple is very sweet — it's perfect for the cake.

sour

tasting sharp or a little like lemon — Lemons and yogurt have a sour taste.

bitter

having a strong, sharp taste that is not sweet — Dark chocolate is quite bitter.

traditional

a recipe or food that has been made the same way for a very long time — This is a traditional family recipe.

dough

a thick soft mixture of flour, water and other things, used to make bread or pastry — Knead the dough for ten minutes before baking.

filling

the food inside a pastry, sandwich or cake — The apple filling needs sugar and cinnamon.

Part B — Tastes

Look at the three basic tastes. Write two more examples of food or drink for each one. Use a dictionary if you need to.

🍯 Sweet

honey · chocolate

______________________
______________________

🍋 Sour

lemon juice · yogurt

______________________
______________________

☕ Bitter

dark chocolate · coffee

______________________
______________________

Part C — Fill in the Gaps

Use the words from Part A.

1.Cinnamon is my favourite __________________ — I put it in cakes, coffee and porridge.

2.Nora always adds fresh __________________ from her garden — basil, mint and rosemary — to her soup.

3.Put the dough in the tin and press the apple __________________ on top before you put it in the oven.

4.Mix the flour, butter and water to make a soft __________________ — not too wet and not too dry.

5.Add just a __________________ of salt — not too much, because the soup is already quite salty.

6.This is a __________________ recipe — my great-grandmother made the same cake in this village a hundred years ago.

7.Can you __________________ the bread for me while I heat the oven? It needs about forty-five minutes.

8.__________________ the mixture slowly with a wooden spoon — if you go too fast, it will go everywhere!

9.This apple cake is so __________________ — Nora adds a lot of honey and sugar to the filling.

10.I love __________________ food! Lemon, vinegar, yogurt — the sharper the better.

11.Coffee is quite __________________ — some people add sugar or milk to make it less strong.

12.Leo wrote down the __________________ apple cake recipe so he can make it at home.

Handout 2

Grammar

Five Grammar Structures — Tastes and Recipes

G1 — PRESENT SIMPLE
Food habits and facts today — things that are still true now.
Nora bakes bread every Saturday. · I love sweet things.
The filling needs a pinch of cinnamon. · Do you like sour food?
Signal words: every day · always · usually · now · still

G2 — PAST SIMPLE
One specific event in the past — something that happened once.
Nora baked a cake last Sunday. · Leo stirred the mixture for five minutes.
I tried bitter tea for the first time last year. · She didn't add enough spice.
Signal words: yesterday · last week · in 2010 · when I was ten · this morning

G3 — PAST HABITUAL (used to)
A past habit that is no longer true — something that changed.
Nora used to bake every Sunday. (She doesn't any more.)
We used to grow our own vegetables. (We don't now.)
I didn't use to like bitter food — but now I love it!
Did you use to eat a lot of sweet things as a child?
Structure: used to + bare infinitive · Negative: didn't use to · Question: Did … use to …?
✗ "I used to liked" ✓ "I used to like" · ✗ "Did you used to?" ✓ "Did you use to?" · ✗ "I use to eat" (no present form!)

G4 — FUTURE SIMPLE (will)
Plans, predictions and promises about food.
This cake will taste amazing! · I will write the recipe in my notebook.
The cake won't (will not) take long — about forty minutes.
Structure: will + bare infinitive · ✗ "will to taste" ✓ "will taste"

G5 — CAN
Ability, possibility, offers and requests in the kitchen.
Can you stir the mixture for me? · Can I add the herbs now?
You can use honey instead of sugar. · I can't eat very spicy food.
Structure: can + bare infinitive · ✗ "can to stir" ✓ "can stir"

KEY CONTRAST — G2 vs G3:
"Nora baked a cake last Sunday." (Past Simple — one specific event)
"Nora used to bake every Sunday." (used to — repeated past habit, no longer true)

KEY CONTRAST — G1 vs G3:
"She bakes on Saturdays." (Present Simple — she still does this now)
"She used to bake on Sundays." (used to — she did this in the past, but not now)

Exercise 1 — used to — Positive, Negative or Question

Write the correct form of used to.

1.People in this village __________________ (eat) a lot of vegetables from their own gardens.

2.I __________________ (not / like) bitter food when I was a child, but now I love dark chocolate.

3.__________________ your grandmother __________________ (bake) cakes at the weekend?

4.Nora __________________ (grow) all her own herbs in the garden behind the house.

5.Sugar __________________ (not / be) cheap — so people __________________ (not / eat) many sweet things.

6.__________________ Leo __________________ (cook) when he was younger?

Exercise 2 — Present Simple, Past Simple or used to?

Choose the correct form. Think: is it now? One time? Or a past habit that changed?

1.My grandmother __________________ (make) apple cake every Sunday when we were children. (past habit)

2.Leo __________________ (bake) a cake for Sophie last night. (one specific event)

3.We __________________ (eat) a lot of home-grown vegetables when I was young. (past habit)

4.He __________________ (eat) three pieces of cake yesterday — and he was still hungry! (one specific time)

5.I __________________ (not / like) sour food as a child, but now I enjoy it. (past habit that changed)

6.Nora __________________ (add) two pinches of cinnamon this morning. (one specific event)

Exercise 3 — will / won't

Complete with will or won't and the verb in brackets.

1.This apple cake __________________ (taste) wonderful — I can already smell the cinnamon!

2.Don't worry — it __________________ (not / take) long. The oven is already hot.

3.Sophie __________________ (love) this recipe — it's exactly the kind of food she likes.

4.You __________________ (need) about five apples for the filling.

5.This soup __________________ (not / be) too bitter if you add a little honey at the end.

Exercise 4 — can / can't

Fill in the gap with can or can't.

1.__________________ you pass me the spice tin? It's on the shelf behind you.

2.You __________________ add more sugar if you want it sweeter — it's up to you.

3.Leo __________________ eat very bitter food — it's too strong for him.

4.__________________ I taste the filling? I want to check if it needs more cinnamon.

5.__________________ you see the herbs on the top shelf? I put them there this morning.

Exercise 5 — Find and Correct the Mistake

Each sentence has one mistake. Find it and correct it.

1. "My grandmother used to liked making traditional cakes on Sundays."