Grammar for upper intermediate learners- please help!

[Trixie]

I am applying to teach in Prague and as part of the application form I have to create a lesson plan using the following text for upper intermediate learners, as both a reading and grammar lesson:

At the age of nineteen, and to the horror of her parents, Sylvie had a heart tattooed on her shoulder. Eight years later, a lot has changed in Sylvie’s life, but the tattoo is still there. How does she feel about it now?
“Well, one decision I now regret is getting this tattoo. I’d always liked the idea of having one. I really thought they looked good and some of my friends had them. I felt a bit scared about how much it would hurt, and I knew that my parents would hate the idea, but one day I got this done. It seemed like a really good idea at the time, my boyfriend really liked it and I think if he hadn’t been so keen I wouldn’t have done it. My parents were completely horrified, of course. I remember my dad saying he’d never seen a girl with a tattoo, and he hoped he never would again, but they sort of accepted it in the end. Now, I wish I’d thought more about it, especially the fact that you can’t get rid of it, or it’s incredibly painful and expensive anyway, so I suppose I’m stuck with it now.”

I've made several attempts at writing this lesson plan but I'm terrified of making a fundamental mistake and not getting the job. What would be the grammatical structures you would focus on here with upper intermediate students? It seems to me it should be something to do with regretting and remembering.

If anyone could offer some advice on this, I would be eternally grateful. Thanks for your help. xxx

[Kootvela]

I'll tell you the secret: grammar stops at intermediate level. After that, you recycle, revise and expand their grammar knowledge. So I would not focus much on grammar per se, maybe just ask them a question here and there, but focus on speaking/discussing/problem solving roleplay/etc. to see how well can they use English that they already have. My 2 cents.

[Lucy]

As Kootvela said, it'll probably involve revision.

YOu could choose any of the following:

conditionals: If he hadn't said, I wouldn't have....

regrets using I wish I hadn't; I regret doing

past perfect: he said he'd never seen that before (less obvious link with the topic)

Lucy

[Kootvela]

That's right, conditionals and expressing wishes, ways to suggest ideas, modal verbs (should have done/shouldn't have done) are always good for higher levels. But also make sure the person knows simple things as telling the time.

[SMRT]

[quote="Kootvela"]I'll tell you the secret: grammar stops at intermediate level. After that, you recycle, revise and expand their grammar knowledge. So I would not focus much on grammar per se, maybe just ask them a question here and there, but focus on speaking/discussing/problem solving roleplay/etc. to see how well can they use English that they already have. My 2 cents.[/quote]

Of course, this would depend on the culture of the students you are teaching, for example, Eastern Europeans tend to be really into grammar - even at advanced level!