Week 51 – Summarising & presenting information

Week 51 – Summarising & presenting information (B1‑)

Theme: Summarising texts, talks, and experiences; giving short, organised presentations with basic discourse markers.

Main grammar & functions:

• Discourse markers / signposting language for structure:
  • Starting: Today I’m going to talk about…, First…
  • Adding points: also, besides, moreover (focus on also / and / another thing is… for production).
  • Sequencing: first, then, next, after that, finally.
  • Summarising/ending: to sum up, in conclusion, in the end (recognition + some use).
• Summarising skills: using shorter sentences and key words instead of copying everything.

CEFR link:

B1‑: Can summarise short texts and give a simple, prepared presentation on a familiar topic, linking points in a linear sequence (CEFR: “Can give simple descriptions and presentations on familiar topics, prepared in advance.”)

1. Lesson objectives (for students)

By the end of the week, students can:

1. Use simple signposting language to structure a short talk (beginning, middle, end).
2. Summarise a short text, video, or story in 3–5 sentences.
3. Give a 1–2‑minute presentation on a familiar topic from the year (e.g., work, travel, hobbies, learning English).
4. Use basic discourse markers (first, then, also, in the end, to sum up) to make their speaking more organised.

2. Language focus (with Ukrainian‑speaker notes)

a) Signposting for presentations

Useful phrases (teach as chunks):

• Starting:
  • Today I’m going to talk about…
  • I’d like to tell you about…

• Ordering points:
  • First,…, Firstly,…
  • Then…, Next…, After that…
  • Also,…, Another thing is that…

• Giving examples:
  • For example,…, For instance,…

• Summarising / ending:
  • In conclusion,…, To sum up,…, In the end,…, That’s all. Thank you.

Ukrainian issues:

• Overuse of "and" and "so" only; this week aims to give more variety.
• Some learners translate L1 discourse markers directly – better to adopt a few standard English ones.

b) Summarising skills – language, not just content

Explicitly train students to:

• Identify key information vs detail.
• Use shorter sentences and fewer adjectives.
• Use linkers like first, then, finally to connect main points.

Simple guidelines:

1. Read / listen once for general meaning.
2. Underline or note 3–4 key ideas.
3. Use your own words to make 3–5 sentences, connected with simple linkers.

3. Vocabulary & topics

Possible topics for summarising & presenting:

• A trip or holiday.
• A typical work/study day.
• My English learning journey this year.
• A favourite film/book/series.
• Changes in my city or my life (connect with Week 48).

Useful general vocabulary:

• introduction, main part, conclusion, summary, key point, important, interesting, problem, solution.

4. Lesson skeleton (60–90 minutes)

1) Warm‑up – What is a summary? (10–15 min)

• Show a short paragraph (6–8 sentences) about a weekend or trip.
• Ask students to write a 2–3 sentence summary.
• Compare a few answers on the board.
• Highlight: they don’t need all details – only main points.

2) Presentation – Model summary & linkers (15–20 min)

1. Use the same text and present a model summary, e.g.:

Text: (about a weekend trip with friends)

Summary:

"Last weekend I went to Lviv with my friends. First, we visited the old town and then we had dinner in a small restaurant. In the end, it was a great weekend because the city was beautiful and we had fun together."

2. Underline first, then, in the end.
3. Elicit pattern: beginning → middle → ending, using linkers.

3) Presentation – Signposting for a short talk (15–20 min)

1. Show a short presentation script:

Example:

"Today I’m going to talk about my job. First, I’ll tell you about my company. Then, I’ll describe my typical day. After that, I’ll talk about what I like and don’t like about my job. In conclusion, I’ll explain why this job is important for me."

2. Underline the signposting words:
   • Today I’m going to talk about…
   • First / Then / After that / In conclusion
3. Put them in a "Presentation phrases" box on the board.
4. Quick controlled practice: students write 3–4 sentences to outline a talk about one topic (e.g., their city, their free time) using today I’m going to talk about… / First… / Then… / In conclusion….

4) Practice – Summarising short texts (15–20 min)

Students practise summarising different kinds of short input.

1. Provide 2–3 short texts (about trips, people’s routines, or news/events).
2. For each text, students:
   • underline 3–4 key ideas;
   • write a 3–4 sentence summary, using at least 2 linkers (first/then/after that/in the end, etc.).
3. Pair check and brief whole‑class feedback.

5) Freer practice – 1–2 minute mini‑presentation (15–20 min)

Students use signposting to prepare and deliver a short talk on a familiar topic.

1. Students choose a topic (e.g., "My English this year", "My favourite place", "My job/studies").
2. Planning: write an outline using signposting phrases:
   • Today I’m going to talk about…
   • First…
   • Then…
   • After that…
   • In conclusion…
3. They add 1–3 key points under each part (bullet points, not full sentences).
4. Students give a 1–2‑minute mini‑presentation in small groups.
5. Group members ask 1–2 simple questions after each talk.

5. Homework / revision ideas

Choose 1–2:

1. Written summary
   • Students find or are given a short article/story (or a course text) and write a 5–6 sentence summary, using linkers and their own words.

2. Presentation script
   • Students write the full script of a 1–2‑minute talk (for use in Week 52 project) including:
     • clear beginning (Today I’m going to talk about…),
     • at least 3 linking expressions (first, then, after that, in the end, in conclusion).

3. Reflection summary
   • Students write a short summary of their year of English study (8–10 sentences) using summary/sequence linkers:
     • "First, we learned about… Then we… After that… In the end…"