Lecție-model B2–C1: „A Harvest of Love” — cum o transformi într-o lecție memorabilă

Ca profesor / formator, orice resursă poate deveni o lecție care prinde — dacă știi ce urmărești și cum o structurezi.
Folosește prezentarea A Harvest of Love pentru o lecție B2–C1 în care vei antrena nu doar înțelegerea, ci și nuanța, inferența (ce se sugerează, nu ce se spune direct) și argumentarea.

How to use this lesson (B2–C1)

This interactive lesson is built around the story “A Harvest of Love”.
Your goal at B2–C1 is not only to understand the plot, but to work with motives, implied meaning, and tone.

✅ Tip: read the story once quickly, then do the tasks.

Advanced practice (B2–C1)

1) Inference: motives & strategy (answer in 1–2 sentences each)

1. Why does Arild remind the King: “once I was your friend”? What is he trying to activate emotionally?
2. Why does he offer such a specific promise: “marry, plant one crop, and harvest it”? What does that detail achieve?
3. What makes the King’s decision risky? What does it suggest about the King’s values?

2) Close reading: language with intention

Choose one line from Arild’s letter and rewrite it in two tones:

• More formal (legal / official)
• More personal (emotional / intimate)

Use this line if you want:
“Please grant me one wish.”
or
“You have my word that I will return…”

3) Ethical discussion (speaking)

Pick one and speak for 60–90 seconds:

• Was Arild honest, dishonest, or brilliantly fair? Why?
• Did he break the promise, or did he follow it in a technically correct way?
• Should the King reward cleverness, or punish manipulation?

4) Precision writing (C1-style, 120–160 words)

Write a short paragraph answering this prompt:

“Is Arild’s act a symbol of love, or a calculated loophole?”

Requirements:

• 1 contrast connector: however / whereas / even though
• 1 hedging phrase: it seems / arguably / tends to
• 2 precise verbs: justify / exploit / acknowledge / undermine / reinforce / challenge

5) Vocabulary upgrade (from the story)

Create B2–C1 alternatives for these words/phrases (one synonym each):

• asked → ______
• answered → ______
• very clever → ______
• grant me → ______
• awaits your return → ______

(Example directions: “asked → inquired”, “grant → allow/permit” — you choose.)

Mini key (model answers) — A Harvest of Love (B2–C1)

1) Inference: motives & strategy (model answers)

1. “once I was your friend”
   He’s activating personal connection + reciprocity. It reframes him from “enemy prisoner” to “former guest/friend,” making mercy feel socially justified.
2. “marry, plant one crop, and harvest it”
   The detail makes the promise sound measurable and concrete, which increases trust. It also gives Arild room to define what “a crop” is — a subtle opening for a loophole.
3. What makes the King’s decision risky + what it suggests
   Risk: Arild could escape, undermine royal authority, or be seen as weak. The decision suggests the King values honour, cleverness, and personal character (he believes in a man’s word and admires ingenuity).

2) Close reading: language with intention (sample rewrites)

Take: “Please grant me one wish.”

• More formal: I respectfully request permission to return home for one personal matter.
• More personal: Please, just give me this one chance to marry the woman I love.

Take: “You have my word that I will return…”

• More formal: I give my assurance that I will return to custody immediately after I fulfil these conditions.
• More personal: I promise I’ll come back — I just need to do this first.

3) Ethical discussion (teacher’s guide)

Acceptable positions (all defensible, depending on argument):

• Honest (literalist): He did plant a crop; trees are a crop; he never said “harvest soon.”
• Dishonest (spirit vs letter): He exploited wording; he intended not to return.
• Brilliantly fair: He outsmarted power without violence; the King rewards intelligence and keeps his dignity.

Good B2–C1 move: distinguish “breaking the spirit” vs “keeping the letter” of a promise.

4) Writing task (sample paragraph — ~140 words, meets constraints)

Arguably, Arild’s choice is both a symbol of love and a calculated loophole. He doesn’t deny the King’s authority; however, he exploits the ambiguity in “plant one crop and harvest it.” By choosing pine trees, he delays the moment when the promise becomes due, which undermines the agreement’s intention even though it remains technically accurate. It seems he’s testing whether honour is defined by strict wording or by moral intent. At the same time, the story reinforces the idea that loyalty and intelligence can coexist: Arild risks everything to marry Thale, then uses strategy rather than force to survive. Ultimately, the King’s reaction acknowledges a higher value — character and cleverness — and turns the forest into a lasting symbol of their bond.

(Connector: however / even though; hedging: arguably / it seems; verbs: exploit / undermine / reinforces / acknowledges)

5) Vocabulary upgrade (possible answers)

• asked → inquired / questioned
• answered → replied / responded
• very clever → ingenious / remarkably shrewd
• grant me → allow me / permit me
• awaits your return → expects you back / is awaiting your return

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