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Vocabulary Grammar Reading Listening Speaking Writing

Section 1

Teacher's Lesson Plan

Confidential

Lesson Overview

Topic

The Music Project — a school band has been working on their first album since September. The concert is on Friday — the deadline is close!

Level

A2–B1

Duration

90 minutes

Skills

Reading · Listening · Speaking · Writing (+ Vocabulary + Grammar)

Grammar

New: for and since with Present Perfect and Present Perfect Progressive
Revision: before · during · after · until · by · from…to — all six from the A1-A2 series

Vocabulary

10 words (A2): band · song · concert · stage · album · practice · record · studio · beat · gig
All genuine A2 — no B1 words

Materials

Student Handouts 1–6 (printed); whiteboard; this plan

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

Use for with Present Perfect: They have practised for three months.

Use since with Present Perfect: They have been a band since September.

Use for with Present Perfect Progressive: She has been singing for two hours.

Use since with Present Perfect Progressive: He has been writing songs since he was twelve.

Distinguish for (duration) vs since (starting point) accurately

Distinguish Present Perfect (have + done) vs Present Perfect Progressive (have + been + doing) with for/since

Distinguish Present Perfect vs Past Simple with for: They have practised for months. (still ongoing) vs They practised for months. (completed)

Use all six A1-A2 prepositions fluently in a richer A2-B1 context

Write 80–100 words about a project or hobby using all target grammar

Key Grammar — Teaching Notes

FOR vs SINCE — the core distinction

FOR + duration: answers "How long?" — for three months · for two hours · for a week · for years
SINCE + starting point: answers "When did it start?" — since September · since last year · since Monday · since she was twelve

Quick test for students: "Can you replace it with a length of time (3 months, 2 hours)?" → for · "Can you replace it with a point in time (September, last year)?" → since

Which tense with FOR and SINCE?

Present Perfect + for/since = the action/state started in the past and is still true now:
"They have been a band since September." (they are still a band)
"She has known this song for three months." (she still knows it)

Present Perfect Progressive + for/since = an ongoing, continuous activity that started in the past:
"They have been practising for two hours." (still practising now)
"He has been writing songs since he was twelve." (still writing)

Past Simple + for = a completed action in the past:
"They practised for three months." (and then the practising ended — it is over)
Note: since does NOT work with Past Simple. ~~"They practised since September."~~ is wrong.

Common errors to address

— ~~They practise since September.~~ → They have been a band since September. (PS + since = wrong)
— ~~They are a band since September.~~ → They have been a band since September. (PS/Pres. Sim. + since = wrong)
— ~~They have practised since three months.~~ → for three months (duration → for)
— ~~They have practised for September.~~ → since September (starting point → since)

Lesson Procedure

Time

Stage

Skill

Teacher does

Students do

0–6 min

Lead-in

Speaking

"Do you play an instrument or sing? How long? Since when?" Elicit for/since naturally. Write both on board.

Answer using for and since. Discover the contrast from their own answers.

6–14 min

Vocabulary

—

Present 10 words. Quick cover-and-test. Part B gap-fill.

Part A: read + self-test. Part B: gap-fill.

14–42 min

Grammar

—

for vs since → PP + for/since → PPP + for/since → PS contrast → revision of 6 prep → exercises 1–5.

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

42–55 min

Reading

Gist: "What has the band done so far? What still needs to happen by Friday?" Tasks 1 and 2.

Read the band's blog post. Questions. T/F/NG.

55–68 min

Listening

Context: "The band discuss what they have done and what they still need to do." Read TWICE.

1st: MCQ. 2nd: notes. Compare.

68–80 min

Speaking

Hobby interview. Monitor for/since + PP. Delayed feedback.

Interview partner. Discussion.

80–90 min

Writing

80–100 words. All target grammar. 5 vocab words.

Write about a project or hobby. Self-check.

Listening Script — 'We Need to Finish This!'

Read aloud twice at a clear A2–B1 pace. Do not show to students during the tasks.

Rosa:

OK team — the concert is on Friday. It is Tuesday now. We have three days. What have we done and what do we still need to do?

Jay:

We have written four songs since September. That is good. But we have not recorded the last one yet.

Rosa:

I know. We have been a band for eight months now. We have practised every week since the start of term. We are ready.

Sam:

But we still need to record song four. And we need to practise the new song before the concert. We have only played it twice!

Jay:

We can record on Wednesday. Before we record, we run through the song one more time. Then we record it from start to finish without stopping.

Rosa:

Good. The studio is free from four to seven on Wednesday. We must finish recording by seven — they have another band after us.

Sam:

And Thursday — we practise the whole set on stage. From six to nine. Until it is perfect.

Jay:

I have been playing guitar since I was nine. I know this song. We will be fine!

Rosa:

Ha! And I have been singing in this band for eight months. After all that work — Friday is going to be amazing!

Grammar in the script:
· PP + for: have been a band for eight months · have been singing for eight months
· PP + since: have written since September · have practised since the start of term
· PPP + since: have been playing since I was nine
· PPP + for: have been singing for eight months
· before: before we record · before the concert
· after: after all that work · after us
· until: until it is perfect
· by: by seven
· from…to: from four to seven · from start to finish · from six to nine

Answer Key

Handout 1 — Vocabulary

Part B: 1. band 2. songs 3. concert 4. stage 5. album 6. practice 7. record 8. studio 9. beat 10. gig

Handout 2 — Grammar

Ex 1 (for or since?): 1. for 2. since 3. for 4. since 5. for 6. since 7. for 8. since

Ex 2 (complete with PP): 1. have been / since 2. has known / for 3. have written / since 4. has played / for 5. have practised / since 6. has recorded / for

Ex 3 (complete with PPP): 1. have been practising / for 2. has been singing / since 3. have been working / for 4. has been playing / since

Ex 4 (PP vs PS): 1. finished (PS — completed) 2. have not finished (PP — still ongoing) 3. practised (PS — for a set time, now over) 4. have been writing (PPP — still writing now)

Ex 5 (errors): 1. since September (NOT for) 2. have been a band (NOT are) 3. for two hours (NOT since) 4. have practised / have been practising (NOT practise — needs PP with since) 5. has been playing (NOT is playing — since = PP) 6. for three months (NOT since three months)

Handout 3 — Reading

Task 1: 1. They have written four songs since September. 2. They have not recorded the last song yet — they need to do it before Friday. 3. She has been singing since she was eight. 4. From four to seven on Wednesday. 5. Because they have worked hard for eight months and they are ready.

Task 2 (T/F/NG): 1 T 2 F (they have not recorded the last song yet) 3 T 4 NG 5 T

Handout 4 — Listening

Task 1: 1-B 2-C 3-A

Task 2: (1) since September / for eight months (2) before the concert / record (3) from four to seven / by seven (4) from six to nine / until perfect (5) since he was nine / for eight months

The Music Project

Student Handouts

Name:

Date:

Class:

Handout 1

Vocabulary

Part A — Key Words

Word

What it means

band

a group of musicians who play together — Rosa, Jay and Sam are in a band

song

a piece of music with words — they have written four songs since September

concert

a live music event where a band plays for an audience — their first concert is on Friday

stage

the raised area where performers stand — they practise on stage before the concert

album

a collection of songs — the band has been working on their first album for months

practice

a session when you rehearse — they have practice every week since the start of term

record

to capture a song on audio — they need to record the last song before Friday

studio

a room with special equipment for recording music — the studio is free on Wednesday

beat

the rhythm of a song — the drummer has been practising the beat for two weeks

gig

an informal word for a live concert — their first gig is at the school on Friday

Part B — Fill in the Gaps

1.Rosa, Jay and Sam are in a school __________________ — they play rock music.

2.They have written four __________________ since September — and they need one more.

3.Their first __________________ is on Friday — three hundred students will watch them.

4.On Thursday, the band practises the whole set on __________________ at school.

5.They have been working on their first __________________ since the start of the year.

6.They have had __________________ every week since September — they know the songs well.

7.They need to __________________ the last song before Friday — in the school studio.

8.The __________________ is free from four to seven on Wednesday afternoon.

9.Sam has been working on the __________________ of song four for two weeks — it is now perfect.

10.Their first __________________ is at the school on Friday — they are very nervous!

Handout 2

Grammar

FOR and SINCE — The Core Difference

FOR = a duration — how long? · for three months · for two hours · for a week · for years
SINCE = a starting point — when did it start? · since September · since last year · since she was eight

Quick test: Can you replace it with a length of time? → for · Can you replace it with a point in time? → since

Present Perfect + FOR / SINCE

Use Present Perfect (have / has + past participle) when the action or state started in the past and is still true now.

HAVE + DONE Present Perfect
They have been a band for eight months. → they are still a band now
She has known this song for three weeks. → she still knows it
They have practised every week since September. → they still practise
He has played guitar since he was nine. → he still plays

Present Perfect Progressive + FOR / SINCE

Use Present Perfect Progressive (have / has + been + verb-ing) for a continuous, ongoing activity that started in the past and is still happening.

HAVE + BEEN + DOING Present Perfect Progressive
They have been practising for two hours. → still practising now
Rosa has been singing since she was eight. → still singing now
They have been working on the album for eight months. → still working
Jay has been writing songs since last September. → still writing

Past Simple + FOR — a completed action

Use Past Simple when the action is finished — it happened and ended.

Present Perfect + for/since → still true now

Past Simple + for → finished, over

They have practised for months. (they still practise)

They practised for months. (and now they stopped)

She has known the song for weeks. (she still knows it)

She knew the song for a week. (then she forgot it)

⚠️ SINCE does not work with Past Simple:
~~"They practised since September."~~ → They have practised since September.
~~"She is in the band since last year."~~ → She has been in the band since last year.

Revision — The Six A1-A2 Prepositions

before · during · after · until · by · from…to

Before the concert, they run through every song one more time.
During the recording, nobody speaks.
After the gig, the whole band celebrates.
They practise until the song is perfect.
They must finish recording by seven o'clock.
The studio is free from four to seven.

Exercise 1 — For or Since?

Write for or since.

1.They have been a band __________________ eight months.

2.They have been a band __________________ September.

3.Rosa has been singing __________________ three years.

4.Rosa has been singing __________________ she was eight.

5.Jay has played guitar __________________ seven years.

6.Jay has played guitar __________________ he was nine.

7.They have worked on this song __________________ two weeks.

8.They have worked on this song __________________ last Monday.

Exercise 2 — Complete with Present Perfect + for/since

Write the correct form of the verb in brackets and for or since.

1.The band __________________ (be) together __________________ September.

2.Rosa __________________ (know) this song __________________ three months.

3.They __________________ (write) four songs __________________ the start of the year.

4.Jay __________________ (play) guitar __________________ seven years.

5.They __________________ (practise) every week __________________ September.

6.The singer __________________ (record) three songs __________________ two weeks.

Exercise 3 — Complete with Present Perfect Progressive + for/since

Write the correct form using have been + verb-ing and for or since.

1.They __________________ (practise) the new song __________________ two hours.

2.Rosa __________________ (sing) in bands __________________ she was eight.

3.They __________________ (work) on this album __________________ eight months.

4.Jay __________________ (play) that beat __________________ this morning — he loves it!

Exercise 4 — Present Perfect or Past Simple?

Choose the correct form. Think: is it still true now, or is it finished?

1.They __________________ (finish / have finished) recording yesterday. ✓ It is done!

2.They __________________ (not finish / have not finished) song four yet. It is still in progress.

3.They __________________ (practise / have practised) for six months last year — then they stopped.

4.She __________________ (write / has been writing) songs since she was twelve. She still writes today.

Exercise 5 — Find and Correct the Error

Each sentence has ONE mistake.

1. "They have been a band for September — eight months now."