Unit 1 Good Health and Well Being

Main ideas, concepts, and lessons

Course structure & expectations

• This is the first video session for Experiential English 1 / Unit 1: Good Health and Well Being.
• Some weeks use guided learning through video instead of in-person class.
• Students should:
  • Pause the video when needed
  • Take notes
  • Complete all assigned tasks carefully
  • Actively participate even without meeting in person
• The course emphasizes learning English through experience, including learning how to learn independently.

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Warm-up activity (Writing Activity 1)

Students write answers to six questions about past experiences and feelings:

1. Where were you born?
2. What made you excited or happy when you were a child?
3. What was your dream job as a child?
4. How did you feel in your last year of high school?
5. What is your favorite movie? How did you feel when you watched it?
6. What was your favorite subject? Why did you like it?

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Language focus: Building clear English sentences

A. Sentence components: subject + predicate

To make a clear, complete sentence in English:

• Subject = who/what the sentence is about (the doer)
  • Can be: single word, phrase, compound subject, or a clause (e.g., what you eat)
• Predicate = what happens to the subject / what is said about it
  • Must include a verb (without a verb, it’s incomplete)
  • May also include objects and complements

Examples (conceptual):

• Stephen King bought a desk.
  • Subject: Stephen King
  • Predicate: bought a desk
• What you eat may determine…
  • Subject: noun clause (what you eat)
  • Predicate: may determine… (includes object/complement)

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B. Common problem areas: nouns, pronouns, adjectives

1) Nouns: countable vs uncountable

• Nouns name: people, things, places, ideas.
• Nouns can act as: subject, object, complement.
• Key rule: countable vs uncountable

Countable nouns

• Can be counted; must show number (singular/plural)
• Singular countable nouns generally require an article/determiner (e.g., a, an, his/her/our/this)
• Plurals typically end in -s / -es

Uncountable nouns

• Do not need articles like a/the/an before them
• Example given: information is important (no the/a/an)

2) Pronouns: replacing nouns clearly

• Pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition and improve flow.
• Used when the noun is already known or clear from context.

Types covered:

• Personal pronouns
  • Subject forms: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
  • Object forms: me, you, him, her, it, us, them
  • Example logic:
    • She called him. → she (subject), him (object)
• Possessive forms
  • Ensure correct form based on sentence function (example: The decision is theirs.)
• Demonstrative pronouns (distance)
  • this/these = near
  • that/those = farther away
• Indefinite pronouns (general reference)
  • Examples: everyone, someone, nobody, everything, anything
  • Treated as singular for verb agreement:
    • Everyone is ready, not everyone are ready

3) Adjectives: adding detail

• Adjectives describe nouns (size, color, shape, characteristics, ownership, opinion).
• Placement options:
  • Before a noun (most common): countless misunderstandings
  • Together with other adjectives: a balanced diverse diet
  • After linking verbs (often with be or other linking verbs):
    • …are slim or thin
• Also:
  • Ownership adjectives: my, our, your, his, her, its, their
  • Demonstrative adjectives: this, that, these, those

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Writing Activity 1: Sample answer models

Students are reminded there are many correct possible answers, but examples should:

• Use correct past forms
• Be complete sentences
• Include clear ideas and often extra details

Example patterns shown:

• Birth: I was born in Bangkok, Thailand…
• Childhood happiness: I was happy/excited when…
• Dream job: When I was a child, I wanted to be…
• Last year of high school feelings: I felt nervous and excited…
• Movie + feelings:
  • When I watched it, I felt touched.
  • Or: It made me feel happy and emotional.
• Favorite subject + reason:
  • My favorite subject was math because…

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Sentence types: simple, compound, complex

1) Simple sentence

• Contains one subject + one verb
• Can include object/complement
• Still expresses one main idea

2) Compound sentence

• Combines two simple sentences:
  • Each has its own subject and verb
• Joined using coordinating conjunctions:
  • and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet
• Conjunction meaning focus:
  • Similar addition → and
  • Contrast → but / yet
  • Choice → or
  • Result → so
  • Reason → for
  • Both negative → nor

3) Complex sentence

• Contains:
  • one independent clause
  • one or more dependent clauses
• Dependent clauses:
  • cannot stand alone
  • usually start with subordinating conjunctions
    • Examples given: because, although, when, if, since, though, before, after, while, as
• If dependent clause comes first, often add a comma before the main clause.

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Writing Activity 2 (Coordinating conjunction cloze)

Task

• Read a short story about a goat named Blanchett.
• Fill in missing coordinating conjunctions in blanks.
• Allowed conjunctions: and, but, or, so, yet, for, nor
• Choose based on idea relationships (similarity, contrast, choice, result, unexpected contrast, reason, both negative).
• Then write one sentence expressing the story’s main lesson/message.

Provided answer structure (natural example)

Part 1 (conjunction logic):

• Often sad and sometimes she didn’t eat…
• You can tie… or build…
• But Blanchett was still sad.
• Happy at first, but enclosure appeared too small.
• Decided to leave… so next morning…

Part 2 (conjunction logic):

• She ate many plants and enjoyed meeting new friends.
• Heard a strange noise so she decided to go back.
• Became tired so she decided to stop.
• Tried to rest but fear prevented her from sleeping.
• Shouted for help but nobody heard.
• Wolf ate her; the old man never saw her again (final outcome with narrative ending).

Lesson examples (multiple possible)

• Appreciate what you have.
• Too much freedom without caution can be dangerous.
• Sometimes what we want is not always good for us.

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Writing Activity 3 (Verb and adjective focus in narrative)

Task

• Underline verbs that describe past actions.
• Circle verb + adjective pairs that describe states and emotions.

Examples of action verbs (as listed)

• fastened, didn’t eat, asked, said, tied, built, decided, jumped out, ran, ate, enjoyed, set, appeared, heard, walked, couldn’t find, tried, prevented, saw, fought, shouted, heard, etc.

Examples of state/emotion verb-adjective pairs (as listed)

• was still sad, was very happy
• appeared very small, seemed so vast
• was surprised, became afraid, became very tired

Key idea

• Using both action verbs and emotion/state adjective pairs makes stories clearer and more engaging.

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Final activity (Writing complex sentences)

Task

Create complex sentences by adding a clause after a subordinating conjunction.

Instructions (step-by-step)

• Pause the video
• Open the downloadable worksheet
• Complete all sentences by adding an appropriate clause to form clear complex sentences
  • Time subordinators used in prompts: before, when, after, while
  • Reason subordinators used in prompts: because, as, since (and related options mentioned)
• Submit the completed worksheet to the teacher
  • Ensure submission within the same week

Review checklist

• Sentence structure
• Simple sentences
• Compound sentences
• Complex sentences

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Music / formatting cues

• The transcript includes [music] at the beginning and end (no specific speaker identified from it).

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Speakers / sources featured

• No specific speakers are named in the subtitles.
• Source named: Stephen King (used in examples within the lesson).
• Story character: Blanchett (goat; from Writing Activity 2 and 3 story content).