Universite d’antananarivo ecole normale superieure

2.2.3.5- Observation of a very first presentation of conditional type one and type two to a class

We carried out this fifth and last classroom observation on 21^st April 2016 in a “Première D” which was made of 48 students. The observation lasted two hours, and the lesson was entitled: “THE CONDITIONAL TENSES”.

• First step: presentation of first conditional (25 min)

After the roll call, the teacher asked the students whether they learnt conditionals in “classe de seconde”. Most of them replied that they did not, so it is a new lesson for them. After that, the teacher asked a student to copy the lesson on the blackboard. Here is the detail of the lesson:

1. 
   Conditional type 1 (First conditional)
   

If clause (condition)	Main clause (result)
If+S+present simple	Future simple will+verb (infinitive without “to)

Eg: I will go shopping if I have time. If I have time, I will go shopping.

The first conditional is used when we talk about a real and possible condition and its probable result.

NB: If you start a sentence with the if clause, you must separate the if clause and the main clause with a comma. (,)
When the students finished copying this lesson in their lesson books, the teacher started to explain the clause ordering and what the two clauses mean. He read the lesson and explained the relationship between the if clause and the main clause by saying that if the condition is not fulfilled, the result will not happen as well. He explained the lesson in Malagasy and in English because he said the students had trouble understanding English.

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