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Where are the books about girls like me? No article for things in general, the for specific ones

This B1 ESL lesson plan teaches a, an and the, and no article for things in general, with Marley Dias's drive for books with Black girls as main characters.

Grammar
No article for things in general (Kids love stories.), the for specific, known or one-of-a-kind things (the library at my school), and a or an for one of many.
Topic
Marley Dias, who started #1000BlackGirlBooks at 11, and a middle school book club's book drive, with words such as donate, main character and memoir.
Activities
Riley's feature to read, a book club visit and a listener's message to hear, self-checking drills, a chat about a book to donate and open-box questions.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Warm-up: judge a book by its cover?

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: books and readersVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and choose the wordChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: 1,000 books and a big idea

    • Look at the photo: a book drivePictureUnlock
    • Read Riley's story on the show's websiteArticleUnlock
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: book club day

    • Listen to Darius and JennaListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Listener's Take: Kurt's messageListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: books, the books, a book

    • Study the scheme: books, the books, a bookGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: write the word with a, an, the or no articleFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Fill in the table: in general, one of many or specific?Fill in the tableTry it
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Footnote's big findDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: a book for the book drive

    • Choose the right replies: pick a book to donateChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: books in your lifeOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Sort the words into groupsSort into columnsUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: new sentencesChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: write the word with an article or withoutFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Fill in the table: more nounsFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the correct sentence: in general or specific?QuizUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: a book drive posterChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Darius answers KurtDrag and dropUnlock

32 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

12 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+9 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • author
  • illustrator
  • main character
  • novel
  • memoir
  • cover
  • librarian
  • book club
  • book drive

Grammar: articles for things in general and specific things

One article can change who you're talking about: Books can inspire kids is about all books, while The books on this shelf are the club's favorites is about one shelf. With Marley Dias's book drive, learners decide first whether a noun is general or specific, then use the for known and one-of-a-kind things and a or an for one of many.

Books, the books, a book

No article for things in general, “the” for specific or known things, “a / an” for one of many.

In general or specific?

Plural and uncountable nouns about things in general take no article: Kids relate to characters like them. Reading is fun. Life is short. The narrows the noun to one group: The kids in Jenna's club love robot stories.

In general or specific?

In general: no article

  • Books can inspire kids.
  • Kids relate to characters like them.
  • Libraries are great places to study.

Specific: the

  • The books on this shelf are the club's favorites.
  • The kids in Jenna's club love robot stories.
  • The library at my school is new.

Which article?

When?ArticleExamples
things in general: plural nounsno articleBooks can change lives. Kids love funny stories.
things in general: uncountable nouns and -ingno articleReading is fun. Life is short. I love music.
specific things: we say which onestheThe books in my class were all about dogs.
things we already know (the second time)theDarius brought a book. The book was about basketball.
one of a kindthethe author of the book, the main character, the Moon, the internet
one of many, or a joba / anJenna is reading a novel. Her cousin wants to be an author.

Which ones, already known or one of a kind

Words after the noun often say which ones, so they need the: the boxes by the door, the library at my school. The also marks a second mention (Marley started a book drive. The book drive grew fast.) and things there is only one of: the main character, the internet.

Which ones? Then use the

Words after the noun often say which ones: the books in my class, the boxes by the door, the library at my school. Then you need the. Not: Books in my class were all about dogs.

From Marley's story and Jenna's club

  • Kids love books with characters like them.
  • The books on this shelf are the club's favorites.
  • Marley started a book drive. The book drive grew fast.
  • Jacqueline Woodson is the author of Brown Girl Dreaming.
  • Life is short, so don't read boring books!
  • The students are donating books to an elementary school.

A or an: one of many, or a job

A and an go only with one countable thing: a novel, an author, never a books or a music. For a job, use a or an: She wants to be an author, not the author, which means one special author, such as the author of this book.

a / an: one thing, or a job

Use a / an only with one thing you can count: a book, an author. Never with plurals or uncountable nouns (Not: a books, a music). For a job, say a / an: She wants to be an author (any author). The author is one special author: the author of this book.

Common mistakes

Most slips add the to things in general: The books can change lives, I love the reading, The life is short. The opposite slip drops the before a named group: Books in my class were all about dogs needs The books in my class.

  • The books can change lives.

    Books can change lives.

    books in general: no the

  • I love the reading.

    I love reading.

    -ing in general: no the

  • The life is short.

    Life is short.

    uncountable, in general: no the

  • Books in my class were all about dogs.

    The books in my class were all about dogs.

    specific books (in my class): the

More lessons on this grammar: Articles lessons and exercises

Try the a, an and the exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 20 auto-checked exercises
  • 3 games
  • 1 article
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • talk about things in general with no article: Books can change lives. Kids love funny stories. Reading is fun.
  • use the when the words after a noun say which ones: The library at my school is new. The books on this shelf are the club's favorites.
  • use the for a second mention and for one of a kind: Marley started a book drive. The book drive grew fast. the internet
  • say a or an for one of many and for a job: Jenna is reading a novel. Her cousin wants to be an author.
  • avoid the classic slips: I love reading, not I love the reading; Life is short, not The life is short

Lesson 20 closes Screen and page, unit 5 of English B1.1 · Stories That Travel, whose hosts make a weekly podcast in Kansas City. It goes a step past A2.2 lesson 4, which taught articles with place names, and follows lesson 19's plots told in the present; lesson 21 opens the green-living unit with few and a few. Marley's story moves between books in general and the books in one class, the very line between no article and the.

Students spin a wheel of questions about favorite books and characters, then learn twelve words, from donate and relate to to book drive, with pictures and audio. They read Riley's feature on #1000BlackGirlBooks, then hear Darius visit Jenna's middle school book club, where he adds a basketball book to its book drive, and Kurt, 16, from New Jersey, describe a novel that helped him, both AI-voiced. The grammar chapter has the scheme and five self-checking drills, including a table of general, one-of-many and specific nouns. In the speaking chapter, students help Robin pick a book to donate in a chat, then open boxes about books in their lives.

Each of the ten homework tasks checks itself: a word match, an anagram, a gap-fill and a column sort for the words, then articles in new sentences, gaps with or without one, a table of six more nouns, a quiz, a book drive poster and Darius's reply to Kurt with words to drag in.

Grammar:
articles · no article for things in general · the for specific things · a / an for one of many
Topic:
books · reading · book clubs · book drives · Marley Dias · #1000BlackGirlBooks · New Jersey · Stories That Travel

Teaching tips

  • Start with the shelf in your room: say The books on this shelf are old, then ask Are books better than movies? Students tell which sentence is about all books and which is about these books.
  • Before the feature, ask about main characters: students name the main character of a favorite childhood book and say whether they related to him or her. After reading, they compare with what Marley noticed.
  • Play the book club visit twice: first for the club's favorite novel and the book drive, then for the articles. Students note each the and say why: which ones, the second time or one of a kind.
  • Run a mini book drive: each student describes one book they'd donate (It's a novel about a girl. The main character…), and the class votes on which book goes in the box first.

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The whole course: English B1.1 · Stories That Travel

32 lessons for adults at B1 in American English, each built around a true story. Riley, Jade and Darius make a podcast in Kansas City about true American stories, and each lesson tells one, from a seaplane airport in Alaska to the Marfa Lights of West Texas. Learners compare the present perfect with the past simple, use future forms, modals and quantifiers, and give their own opinions. The practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Travel smart

    the present perfect vs the past simple, for and since, indirect questions, be used to and get used to

    1. Lesson 1Would you visit an airport just for fun?Present perfect vs past simple
    2. Lesson 2Would you sleep in a 300-year-old inn?For and since with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 3My suitcase has gone to Honolulu!Indirect questions for polite requests
    4. Lesson 4Can you practice a flight?Be used to and get used to

  2. Unit 2 Dream jobs, new jobs

    will have to and won't be allowed to, the present perfect continuous, simple vs continuous, would vs used to

    1. Lesson 5Would you jump off a moving boat for a job?Will have to, will be able to and will be allowed to
    2. Lesson 6Working from anywherePresent perfect continuous
    3. Lesson 7Could you be a camp counselor?Present perfect simple vs continuous
    4. Lesson 8Would you live in a lighthouse?Would vs used to for the past

  3. Unit 3 Space and discovery

    it's + adjective + to, What's it like to…?, future forms compared, future time clauses, too and enough + to

    1. Lesson 9What's it like to work in space?It's + adjective + to and What's it like to…?
    2. Lesson 10Who will walk on the Moon next?Future forms compared by meaning
    3. Lesson 11A message for the starsFuture time clauses
    4. Lesson 12A helicopter on Mars?Too and enough + to-infinitive

  4. Unit 4 Life online

    the more…, the more…, be supposed to, ought to and had better, let, make and allow

    1. Lesson 13The internet's first word was “LO”Comparative and comparative; the more…, the more…
    2. Lesson 14Who sent the first spam?Be supposed to for rules, expectations and plans
    3. Lesson 15Is your password really safe?Ought to and had better for advice and warnings
    4. Lesson 16Who writes Wikipedia?Let, make and allow + someone

  5. Unit 5 Screen and page

    -ed and -ing adjectives, gradable and extreme adjectives, present tenses for a plot, articles for things in general

    1. Lesson 17Why do readers still love Nancy Drew?-ed and -ing adjectives for feelings
    2. Lesson 18Movie night in your carGradable and extreme adjectives
    3. Lesson 19Would you review a book on TV?Present tenses to tell a plot
    4. Lesson 20 · you're hereWhere are the books about girls like me?Articles for things in general and specific things

  6. Unit 6 Green living

    few and a few, little and a little, all, most, some and none, each and every, fewer and less

    1. Lesson 21A year's trash in one jar?Few, a few, little and a little
    2. Lesson 22No food in the trash!All, most, some and none (of)
    3. Lesson 23A farm in the middle of DetroitEach and every
    4. Lesson 24A trash collector with googly eyesFewer and less

  7. Unit 7 Sporting moments

    could, was able to and managed to, for, during and while, present tenses for live commentary, question tags

    1. Lesson 25From a leg brace to three goldsCould, was able to and managed to
    2. Lesson 26A doctor and an Olympic champion?For, during and while
    3. Lesson 27Who's that runner coming from behind?Present simple and continuous for live commentary
    4. Lesson 28Why do high jumpers go backward?Question tags

  8. Unit 8 Mysteries and lost worlds

    both… and, either… or and neither… nor, uncountable nouns, how sure we are about the future, unless, as long as and in case

    1. Lesson 29A calendar made of posts?Both… and, either… or, neither… nor
    2. Lesson 30What was the Great House for?Uncountable abstract nouns
    3. Lesson 31What does Newspaper Rock say?Certainty about the future
    4. Lesson 32What are the Marfa Lights?Unless, as long as and in case

Questions about this lesson

How do you use the for general and specific things?
For things in general, plural and uncountable nouns take no article at all: Books can inspire kids. Life is short. Use the when the noun means specific things, often named by the words after it: The books on this shelf are the club's favorites. The library at my school is new. The B1 lesson Where are the books about girls like me? on edio.ai builds its scheme around this contrast.
What are the rules for a, an and the?
The choice depends on what the noun means. No article for plural or uncountable nouns in general (Kids love stories.); the for specific things, a second mention or one of a kind (Darius brought a book. The book was about basketball. the Moon); a or an for one of many or a job (Jenna is reading a novel.). The scheme of Where are the books about girls like me? on edio.ai puts these uses in one table.
What's the difference between books and the books?
Books with no article means books in general, all of them: Books can change lives. The books means a specific set, and the sentence usually says which one: The books on this shelf are the club's favorites. The same goes for kids and the kids. A table in Where are the books about girls like me? on edio.ai has students use six nouns in general, as one of many and as specific things.
Is it "I love reading" or "I love the reading"?
It's I love reading, with no article, because it means reading in general. Uncountable nouns work the same way: Life is short, not The life is short; I love music, unless you mean one piece of music, such as the music in this movie. Both slips appear as wrong options in the grammar quiz of Where are the books about girls like me? on edio.ai.
Is it "She wants to be an author" or "the author"?
Use a or an for any job: She wants to be an author means any author, one of many. The author is one special author the listener knows from the context: Jacqueline Woodson is the author of Brown Girl Dreaming. Say an before a vowel sound: an author, an illustrator, an engineer. The quiz in Where are the books about girls like me? on edio.ai tests exactly this choice.
Who is Marley Dias?
Marley Dias is the girl from New Jersey behind #1000BlackGirlBooks. At 11, she noticed that Black girls like her were almost never the main character in the books she read at school, so in the fall of 2015 she started a book drive with a goal of 1,000 books with Black girls as main characters. In 2017, at 12, she won the Youth category of the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards, and in 2018 she published her own book.
How many books did #1000BlackGirlBooks collect?
The total grew fast: more than 400 books on January 26, 2016, close to 1,300 by February 18 and almost 4,000 by February 26. Her website says more than 13,000. The first 1,000 went to a school library in St. Mary, Jamaica, where her mother grew up. Riley's feature in Where are the books about girls like me? on edio.ai tells the story, and a true-or-false task checks the numbers.
How do I teach a, an and the to B1 students?
Teach the meaning before the forms: ask whether a sentence is about all books or about books you can point to, and let the answer decide the article. Then add second mentions and jobs. Where are the books about girls like me? on edio.ai reads Marley's story first, then visits a book club where Jenna talks about books in general and the books on one shelf.
What's a good game for practicing a, an and the?
Opening boxes with general and specific prompts works well: Say three things about books in general, then Talk about the books in your home, while the class listens for each the. The edio.ai lesson Where are the books about girls like me? ends its speaking chapter with boxes like these. For a quick round, say a noun, and students answer with one general sentence and one specific sentence.
What's good homework for practicing articles?
Good homework keeps the general-or-specific question in every task: a choice of teenagers, the teenagers or a teenagers, gaps where students decide on an article or none, and a short real-life text such as a poster. In Where are the books about girls like me? on edio.ai, ten homework tasks check themselves, among them a book drive poster signed by Rodney, the book club president.
How do you practice articles one-to-one?
Talk about books on two levels: the teacher asks Do teenagers like long novels? for the general view, then What are the books on your shelf about? for the specific one. The chat in Where are the books about girls like me? on edio.ai is done alone: the student helps Robin choose a book for a book drive and picks replies such as Then donate the novel.
Are there interactive a, an and the exercises?
Yes: a table and a chat that check each answer. This page plays three parts of the B1 lesson Where are the books about girls like me? on edio.ai without an account: Darius's visit to Jenna's book club, a three-column table of nouns with and without articles, and Robin's chat about a book to donate. The rest of the lesson is locked.
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