'There is/There are' are used to state the existence or presence of something or someone.
Here are some examples:
There's a clock on the wall.
There are six desks in the classroom.
There are four students in the class.
There are two whiteboards in the classroom.
Sentence Patterns
Is there a ___________ in the classroom?
Yes, there is.
No, there isn't.
Are there ___________(s) in the classroom?
Yes, there are.
No, there aren't.
Have your students identify all the objects in the classroom. Write them down on the whiteboard. After that, make complete sentences using there is/there are. Then, pair the students up and have them practice the above interrogative sentence patterns (Is there/Are there...?) using the classroom objects which they have just identified.
Even better, how about handing out a sheet with a picture of a room containing various objects - each pair getting two different pictures which will have some objects in common and some objects which will be in one student's picture but not in the other. They then ask each other: "Is there a cat in the room? Are there three shelves in the room?" etc.
It worked well probably because my students are college students. But I have problems in making them learn functional English. Hoping a advice from you
-Milind
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very helpful lesson, but i agree with chaya.A pictoral lesson helps students grasp the fundamentals faster.
But where's the functionality? How do students know when to use the phrase? Some languages don't have such a phrase. How about these ideas:
1) Have a map or picture of a neighborhood with street names. Pretend to be new in town and ask if there's a bank around here. Emphasize that there may be many banks; contrast 'there is' with 'it is.'
2) Have students draw pictures of their houses, then describe to others who have to draw what they hear.
3) Use same pictures to go house or apartment hunting and students ask each other 'Is there' or 'Are there' questions about what's in or around the house (bedrooms, baths, basement, A/C, big yard, fence, flowers, etc.)
With imagination, you can show them how to use it in real life, not just playing games in the classroom.