Unit 1, Check in + Step 1 2026
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Unit 1 - Great minds
Check in - Dear Teacher
Dear teacher
Instructions:
Write a short note to me beginning with the words “Dear Teacher”. In your note, tell me something you would like me to know about you as a student.
It can be about:
How you like to learn
What helps you when you are stuck
Something that makes school easier or harder for you
How I can best support you
What should teachers do to make all students feel themselves in class? Give advice.
1. Watch the video Dear Teacher and answer the questions.
p. 10
Discuss with a classmate.
Do you recognize yourself in any of these children?
If so, who and explain why.
If not, do you know anyone who is like any of these children?
1
minute
00
second
p. 10
Step 1 - Brainpower
Describing brain activity
Work in groups of four.
Student 1 picks a statement/question and formulates his/her opinion or answer.
Other students react.
Try to reach a conclusion.
Repeat with students 2, 3 and 4.
5
minute
00
second
p. 11
Take Cornell notes while watching the video fragments. Next, complete the gap-filling exercise to check whether your notes are complete and accurate.
p. 11
Reading: What happens to our brain when we learn?
Try to answer the questions before reading the text.
a) What type of text are you expecting?
b) Look at the title. What do you think happens?
c) What do you think happens if we don't learn?
p. 11
What Happens To Our Brains When We Learn?
Read the text in depth.
Answer the multiple choice questions to check your understanding.
p. 11-12
According to the text, what is the primary purpose of the brain besides its biological functions?
To control breathing and digestion
To store every memory permanently
To learn and act based on what it has learned
To prevent changes in behavior
What happens to the parts of the brain responsible for attention during learning?
They become less active immediately.
They remain equally active at all times.
They stop functioning after learning is complete.
They become more active at first and then gradually less active.
Why is it important to spread practice over many days?
It allows neurons to steadily strengthen.
It reduces the size of the brain.
It prevents the formation of memories.
It makes learning take longer.
What did the British research study find about people who rarely engage in learning activities?
They are more creative.
They are less likely to develop heart disease.
They have a higher risk of heart disease and slower brain function.
They learn new tasks more quickly.
According to Daniel G. Amen, what can help keep the brain sharp as we age?
Avoiding difficult tasks
Challenging the brain daily and learning new skills
Retiring early
Focusing only on physical exercise
Word formation
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
places, people and objects
singular or plural
to describe action, occurrence or state of being
can be conjugated
can be used with a determiner (a, an or the)
describes nouns
describes verbs
Answers the question when?, where?, how?, how much?, how long?, or how often?
Nouns
-ity → neurodiversity, hyperactivity, impulsivity
-tion / -sion → distraction, attention, comprehension
-ment → treatment, management, improvement
-ness → restlessness, mindfulness, awareness
-er / -or (for people or things) → thinker, learner, distractor
👉 Tip still applies: If a word can be replaced with "a thing" or "an idea," it's likely a noun!
Adjectives
-able / -ible → teachable, distractible, forgettable
-ous → curious, nervous, impulsive (or "impetuous")
-ic → cognitive, energetic, hyperbolic (as in exaggerated thinking)
-al → neural, behavioral, emotional
-ful / -less → mindful, forgetful, restless
👉 Tip: If the word describes “what kind of” something is, it’s probably an adjective!
Verbs
-ate → concentrate, regulate, stimulate
-ify → clarify, intensify, magnify
-en → strengthen, heighten, sharpen
-ize / -ise → organize, memorize, visualize
👉 Tip: If you can change its tense (focus → focused, memorize → memorized), it’s probably a verb!
scientific researchers
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
looking deeply in our minds
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
it gives meaning to our existence
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
it is our existential task
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
the process occurs naturally thoughout the day
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
All brain cells shift and change as we learn.
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Individual work
From this moment on, you work individually.
Pay close attention: sometimes you will need to enter your answers in LessonUp, and sometimes you will need to complete exercises in your workbook.
Speaking - teacher
Once you have finished this slide, come to the teacher in pairs. Bring your "Dear Teacher" card and make sure you can explain what is written on it.
In addition, you will get the question "What do you remember from.." one of the videos or the reading text.
Answer the questions in your book.
Exercise 5
a. Which picture represents our brain best?
b. Fill out the outline of the text.
c. In several places in the text there are words in brackets. Find an example. What are they referring to? Why?
d.The text states that we can train our brain. Think of 3 different activities to do so.
Exercise 6
p. 13-15
Check the correction key!
Do exercise 7.
p. 15
Check the correction key!
Do exercise 8.
p. 16
Check the correction key!
Do exercise 9. Match the words in column A to those in column B to recreate the brain idioms.
like a sieve
your brains out
brain cells to rub together
no brains
someone's brains
your brain(s)
brainer
to not have two
to pick
to beat
to be all brawn
a brain
a no-
to rack
Do exercises 9-11.
p. 17-18
Check the correction key!
Exercise 12 Look at the example sentence and come up with two more situations where one of the brain idioms would sound natural.
