The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 230,000 times in 2014. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 10 days for that many people to see it.
This is a fun Christmas trivia quiz for the last day of term. Bring prizes for the winning team.
Split the class into small groups and get them to come up with a festive team name. There are two rounds, the first is the picture round. Show the pictures in the picture round handout, students have to name the items they see.
The second round is the trivia round. Read out the questions below one at a time, students write their answers on a piece of paper. You can download the list of questions here. Christmas Trivia Quiz
Trivia Round
Thanks to Business Balls for some of the questions.
A quick post of different ways to say “for example” that I found at https://www.englishforums.com/English/AnotherWayToSayForExample/znhzk/post.htm
“For instance…”
“This can be seen when…”
“… is one example of …”
“…as illustrated by…”
“…as seen in …”
“…which is made apparent when…”
these include…
for instance…
particularly…
especially…
this is illustrated…
note well….
for instance
As an example
such as
e.g.(meaning “exempli gratia”)
“by way of illustration”,
“in particular”,
“as a case in point”,
“namely”,
“an example being…”
This is a sheet of phrases for the CAE/CPE speaking part 1. In speaking part 1 you are required to answer some questions about yourself. These questions could be about a number of subjects. On the sheet there are nice phrases to use divided by category. Put students in pairs to go over the vocabulary, encourage them to choose their favourite expressions and then test each other on them. Tell students to come up with 1 question related to each category and ask them to their partner, then switch partners and repeat.
Phrase list:
| Where you live
On the outskirts of the city Just round the corner from… A stone’s throw from… Just off calle… A ten-minute walk from… A sleepy/peaceful neighbourhood… An old apartment block where everyone knows everyone else. A leafy street/avenue Bang splat in the middle of… It’s not much to write home about. Our place can be a bit chaotic |
Your aims for the future
I’ve got a burning ambition to… It might sound silly but I’ve always wanted to… I’ll probably follow in my Mum/Dad’s footsteps and become a… Working in… kind of runs in our family. With any luck/hopefully, in … year’s time I’ll be… I haven’t got it all mapped out but I’d like to… I have absolutely no clue what I wanna do, something to do with… … is a field which interests me. Provided I get the grades I’d like to be/study… If all goes to plan I’m gonna… … is on my bucket list. |
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| Places you’ve travelled to
I’ve definitely got the travelling bug. …(The Taj Mahal) blew me away. I’ve never seen anything like it. Awe-inspiring Breath-taking I couldn’t believe my eyes/ears. The first place that springs to mind is… I had the time of my life/a whale of a time. I’ll never get bored of… Soaking up the culture/atmosphere/sun Catching some rays Going for a dip in the pool/sea Towering skyscrapers Mind-blowing skyline Snowy peaks Rolling hills Scorching heat Miles of golden sands Little secluded coves Crystal clear water Golden sands as far as the eye can see Sleepy villages Bustling towns/cities/marketplaces |
Your occupation
I’m in the middle of my (2nd) year of batxillerat. I’m in the (2nd) year of a 3-year (psychology) degree. I’m juggling my studies at… with working at… I’m completely snowed under with coursework. I’m up to my eyeballs in assignments. It’s nonstop at the moment. It’s a steep learning curve. I’m getting a lot out of the course. It’s not really living up to my expectations. I’m gonna take the selectividad in… I’m hoping to get into… to study.. I’m finding it pretty challenging but definitely worthwhile. I take several extra-curricular subjects such as… and.. on top of my studies. At the start it was tough but I’m getting the hang of it now. I’m working every hour of the day. |
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| Learning languages
I’ve been studying English for as long as I can remember. I’ve always had a knack for learning languages. I try to really immerse myself in the language. Learning languages comes quite easily to me. I’ve always had a curiosity for other cultures and languages. I spent (a year) living in (England) |
Preference in the arts
I’m squeamish so I don’t like horror films. I’m easily (scared) so I don’t like… I make an effort to see …’s films as soon as they come out. I’m into big blockbusters/more obscure art-house films. One artist I really look up to is… I do my best to see (art/films) by … whenever I get the chance. |
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| Spare time activities
I’m a keen/avid + personal noun (skier/surfer/skater/reader/swimmer etc.) I dabble in… I’m an amateur + personal noun I like nothing more than to… I’m really in to… I’ve hardly got a spare minute these days but when I get the time I like to… I can be a bit of a party animal… I sometimes burn the candle at both ends. I live for the weekend. I like to go for a stroll around… I hang out with friends. My guilty pleasure is… I’m a little ashamed to admit it but I’m a big fan of… I’m doing evening classes in… I’m a bit of a · film buff · geek · bookworm · foody · tech-head · rocker/metal head · culture vulture |
Your Personality
I’m not the (superlative most sociable/tidiest) person in the world. I’m easy-going/happy-go-lucky I can be a bit (negative adjective) My friends/family would probably say I was… At times I can be the typical moody teenager. Were you to ask my Mum, she’s probably say I was… I’ve got a short attention span. I procrastinate a lot. I’m a bit of perfectionist/motor mouth I’m a bit of a daydreamer. I sometimes drift off into my own little world. I tend to (worry about things)
|
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| Family
Chalk and cheese Two peas in a pod … runs in my family I take after my Mum/Dad We’re a close-knit family We’re always having family get-togethers/gatherings I’m the baby of the family/the middle child. I’m the eldest so I get to boss my siblings around. I’m the eldest so I was the guinea pig. I’ve got a sprawling extended family. I’ve got a kid brother/sister who really gets on my nerves/drives me up the wall at times. I don’t know how my parents with us. I really look up to my… My family’s originally from… but my great-granddad settled her in … We’re (Catalan) through and through. My siblings are pretty competitive; we’re always trying to outdo each other. My sister’s the brainy one, I’m the artistic one, my little brother is the sporty one. |
Friends and social life
I prefer to keep myself to myself. I’ve got a really close circle of friends. I’ve got a great support network. My social life is non-existent at the moment; I’m up to my eyeballs/here in coursework. Me and my best friend are real kindred spirits. I can really count on my friends; they’re always there for me. If I’m feeling blue/down, they always know how to cheer me up/lift my spirits We’ve been through a lot together. We met in (primary school/kindergarten) and we’ve been inseparable ever since. I confide in my best friend. We hangout all the time. We’re always taking the mickey out of each other. Sometimes people drift apart. I do my best to stay in touch with old friends. If I’m not with them, I’m glued to my phone texting them most of the time. I know he/she/they have got my back. |
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| Media
I’m completely hooked on (series name) at the moment. I can watch a whole boxed set in a weekend. I don’t watch a lot of tele, I stream everything online nowadays. I like to keep up-to-date with the news. I have to admit I watch a lot of trashy tele, shows like… and… are my guilty pleasures. I’m completely hooked on/addicted to facebook/twitter/instagram. I can’t do anything without tweeting/posting it. I’m trying to get into (video) blogging/photography. I can waste hours bingeing on funny cat videos on you-tube. |
This is a lesson plan to practice the 3rd conditional using clips from the film Jurassic Park. There are two different activities, one for FCE level and one for CAE/CPE.
FCE
Use the Jurassic Park powerpoint to introduce the characters from the film and the formula for the 3rd conditional and then show the t-rex attack video:
Then students come up with as many 3rd conditional sentences as they can.
If Ian hadn’t run to the toilet, the t-rex wouldn’t have eaten Gennaro.
If the kids hadn’t been so stupid, the t-rex would have left them alone.
If Alan hadn’t distracted the t-rex, it would have eaten the kids.
You can also repeat the exercise with Dennis Nedry’s death scene:
CAE/CPE
The video can also be used to practice the more advanced conditionals needed for the CAE and CPE exams. Use my prezi on advanced conditionals to go over the grammar first. Then introduce the characters and story with the powerpoint from the link above.
Use the video to practice conditionals with noun phrases:
If it hadn’t been for Alan’s bravery, the t-rex would have eaten the kids.
But for Ian’s stupidity, Gennaro wouldn’t have been eaten.
Or inverted conditionals:
Had the kids not attracted the t-rex’s attention, it might have left them alone.
Had it not been for the glass, the t-rex would have eaten the kids.
I recommend giving students the noun phrases you want them to use before watching, then let them watch the video. Afterwards, they make the sentences together in pairs.
Noun phrases:
the flashlight/torch
Alan Grant’s bravery
the kid’s stupidity
Ian Malcolm’s stupidity
the glass
Again, if you have time or if you want to recap at the end of the class or the beginning of the next lesson, show the Nedry video.
Follow up:
Composition: Review/letter of complaint about a trip to Jurassic Park. It would be a good way to practice formal phrases for complaining but in a funny context.
This is a lesson plan for higher levels (C1+) based around Shawn Achor’s TED talk “The happy secret to better work” about ways to apply positive psychology in our day to day lives.
Shawn speaks very quickly, so some students may have trouble keeping up. I suggest setting the video as homework and giving students the link to the transcript as well (you can find it on the TED website); in this way they can watch and rewatch to ensure they understand it fully.
Or download the transcript here.
Video:
Or alternatively you could watch it in class.
Vocabulary and Comprehension questions:
Before watching give out the handout and read through the vocabulary and comprehension questions.
Vocabulary:
Comprehension Questions:
Discussion Questions: