This is a lesson plan for higher levels (C1+) designed with CAE students in mind. Students will teach each other some expressions related to family and use them to describe themselves. Credit to my colleague Julie Banks for some of the expressions. Download the handout and key below:
Write the expression “you can’t choose your family” on the board. What does it mean? Does it exist in your language?
Peer Teaching
Put students in pairs and assign them As and Bs. Cut up the hand out and give them out. Tell students that they are going to teach each other some expressions related to family. Have two strong students do an example at the front of the class. A reads the first question of the first set to B:
“Are you named after another member of your family?”
If B doesn’t understand they say “Sorry I don’t understand” and A reads them the second question, which contains the definition of the expression in bold:
“Were you given your name because an older member of the family has/had the same name?”
So named after means your name was inspired by the name of another member of the family or by another person whose name your parents liked.
In pairs students ask and answer the questions, taking it in turns to ask and teach each other an expression. When they have finished they must test each other, first by asking for a definition of an expression, for example “what does like two peas in a pod mean?” and then by eliciting the expression “what’s the expression that means that two people are very similar?”
Then test them in open class, As should know all of B’s expressions.
Definition match
Students match the expressions with the definitions.
k
e
f
i
b
l
g
j
h
c
d
a
Personalise
Students complete the sentences about themselves and then compare with their partners.
Student handout
Student A
Here you have six sets of two questions. Ask the first question of each set to your partner. If they don’t understand the expression in bold, ask them the second question, which contains the definition.
Are you named after another member of your family? Were you given your name because an older member of the family has/had the same name? Do any specific names run in your family?
Are you the spitting image of another member of your family? Do you look almost exactly the same as another member of your family? If so, who?
Are you the black sheep of your family? Are you the one member of your family who is different to all the others? If not, who is?
Do you often fall out with members of your family? Do you argue of fight with members of your family? If so, who?
Do you want to follow in your parents’ footsteps? Do you want to do the same job as your parents? Why? Why not?
They say that blood is thicker than water. Do you agree? Do you think that family is the most important thing?
Student B
Here you have six sets of two questions. Ask the first question of each set to your partner. If they don’t understand the expression in bold, ask them the second question, which contains the definition.
Do any specific names/characteristics run in your family? Are there any specific names/characteristics that are passed down from generation to generation?
Are you and any member of your family like chalk and cheese? Are you and any member of your family completely different?
Are you and any member of your family like two peas in a pod? Are you and any member of your family exactly the same in looks and personality?
Who is the main breadwinner in your house? Who brings home the bacon? Who supports the family financially?
Who do you get on like a house on fire with in your family? Who do you have a fantastic relationship with?
Who do you take after in your family? Which parent have you inherited the most characteristics from?
Worksheet
Definition Match
Match the expressions on the left with the definitions on the right
1. Take after sb
2. Get on like a house on fire
3. The breadwinner/bring home the bacon
4. Like two peas in a pod
5. Like chalk and cheese
6. Run in the family
7. Blood is thicker than water
8. Follow in your parents’ footsteps
9. Fall out with sb
10. The black sheep of the family
11. The spitting image of sb
12. Be named after sb
a. Your name was inspired by an older member of the family
b. Completely different to sb
c. Completely different to everyone else in the family
d. To look exactly the same as sb
e. To have a great relationship with sb
f. The one who supports the family financially
g. Family is the most important thing
h. To argue/fight with sb
i. Extremely similar in personality
j. Do the same job as your parents
k. To inherit personality/appearance from a parent.
l. When a characteristic is passed down through many generations.
Personalise
Complete these sentences so that they’re true for you.
My ____________ is the breadwinner in my house because________________________.
Me and my ______________ are like two peas in a pod because_______________________.
I often fall out with my ___________________ over ______________________.
I’m named after ____________________________.
I think I take after my ___________________ in my personality and my _________________ when it comes to my looks.
__________________ am/is the black sheep of my family because ____________________.
Me and my ___________________are like chalk and cheese because __________________.
I get on with ____________ like a house on fire because __________________________.
____________________ runs in my family.
I would/wouldn’t like to follow in my Mum/Dad/parents’ footsteps because _________________________________.
People tell me that I’m the spitting image of ___________________________________.
I agree/disagree that blood is thicker than water because___________________________.
This is another worksheet for CAE students to learn 12 phrasal verbs and us them in a discussion. Download the worksheet and key below, you can also use the quizlet set I have made that also contains the phrasal verbs from the first worksheet.
Match the phrasal verbs in bold with their definitions.
The dinosaurs are thought to have died out millions of years ago.
If someone doesn’t deal with the problem soon, it’s going to get much worse.
I dropped off in the middle of the film and missed the end.
He started a law degree but dropped out after 1 term because it was too hard.
He fell asleep on the train and ended up in Glasgow!
When she’s nervous she fiddles with her hair a lot.
Being the only foreign girl in the school, at first it was difficult for her to fit in.
Do you want to go for a coffee after class?
Hhhmmm, I think I’ll go for the steak tartar please.
The fire alarm went off and everybody had to evacuate.
Are you sure it’s this way? Let’s just head for the city centre and hopefully we’ll find someone who speaks English.
My brother walks so fast, it’s difficult to keep up with This course is really hard; I’m struggling to keep up with all the homework.
a. Feel accepted + comfortable
b. Choose
c. Withdraw from/stop doing something
d. Become extinct
e. Go towards
f. Finally be somewhere/do something
g. Take action to solve/talk or work with
h. Touch/move with no purpose
i. Go somewhere to have something (break/drink etc.)
j. Make a noise/start working
k. Maintain the same speed as something/someone.
l. Fall asleep without wanting to.
Collocation match
Some of the phrasal verbs above collocate with the words below. Put them together:
A bomb
An alarm clock _________
__________ a break/a cigarette/ a meal
____________ a competition/ a race/ school/ university
___________ jewellery/ a pen/ keys
__________ a complaint/ people
Question Completion
Complete the questions with the phrasal verbs:
Have you ever _________ __________ in the cinema? Or in an embarrassing situation?
What foods do you normally _______ ________ when you eat out?
If you could bring one animal that has ________ ________ back to life as a pet, which would you choose and why?
How often do you _______ _______ a break when you’re studying?
Have you ever had to _______ ________ of a competition or course? If so why?
Do you normally ______ _______ a problem straight away or put off for later?
Have you ever got lost and _______ ______ in the wrong place?
What’s the first thing you do after your alarm ________ _________ in the morning? Has the fire alarm ever _______ _________ at your school/workplace? Was it a false alarm?
If you get lost in strange place, what’s the best place to __________ ___________?
How important is it for you to ______ ________ in a new situation? Have you ever felt like you didn’t ______ _______? What did you do?
What do you ________ _________ when you’re nervous?
Do you find it hard to ________ _________ _________ the work you have to do? Do any of your friends speak so fast that it’s difficult to ________ _________?
Key
Definition match
d
g
l
c
f
h
a
i
b
j
e
k
Collocations
Some of the phrasal verbs above collocate with the words below. Put them together:
A bomb
An alarm clock goes off
Go for a break/a cigarette/ a meal
Drop out of a competition/ a race/ school/ university
Fiddle with jewellery/ a pen/ keys
Deal with a complaint/ people
Question Completion
Complete the questions with the phrasal verbs:
Have you ever dropped off in the cinema? Or in an embarrassing situation?
What foods do you normally go for when you eat out?
If you could bring one animal that has died out back to life as a pet, which would you choose and why?
How often do you go for a break when you’re studying?
Have you ever had to drop out of a competition or course? If so why?
Do you normally deal with a problem straight away or put off for later?
Have you ever got lost and ended up in the wrong place?
What’s the first thing you do after your alarm goes off in the morning? Has the fire alarm ever gone off at your school/workplace? Was it a false alarm?
If you get lost in strange place, what’s the best place to head for?
How important is it for you to fit in in a new situation? Have you ever felt like you didn’t fit in? What did you do?
What do you fiddle with when you’re nervous?
Do you find it hard to keep up with the work you have to do? Do any of your friends speak so fast that it’s difficult to keep up?
This is a speaking lesson plan designed for teenagers that focuses on various exponents of suggesting, offering, agreeing and disagreeing. The main aim of the lesson is for students to improve their collaborative speaking skills, it will work well as preparation for FCE/CAE speaking exams. You will need the powerpoint and teacher’s notes below:
The class is loosely based on Willis’s Task Based Learning in that students are given the opportunity to repeatedly practice a similar task and hopefully internalise some useful exponents for collaborative speaking.
Put students into groups of 3, it would also work with pairs but 3s are ideal. The idea is that groups perform the tasks separately and afterwards compare their decisions in a mini-presentation.
Show the 2nd slide of the power point. Clear up any doubts about the different exponents on the left.Then have students perform the task in their groups, encourage them to use a range of expressions and to be imaginative. Monitor and board any vocabulary they need, or any issues they have with the form or pronunciation of the exponents. Groups then feed back in open class.
Note: This is a good opportunity to teach the difference between “will” for decisions in the moment of speaking and “be going to” for a future intention. Students will discuss the different options using will:
“We’ll have the party on Friday so we can stay up late.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”
Then when the time comes to present their decisions to class they will change to “be going to.”
“We’re going to have the party on Friday so we can stay up late.”
Then students go back to their groups and repeat with the next task but trying to bear any corrections you boarded during the first task in mind. Again groups feed back in open class and compare and contrast their ideas.
For the remainder of the tasks on the powerpoint the exponents are hidden initially but can be shown with a click of the mouse or the right arrow key. They idea is that you gradually phase out having the exponents on the board in the hope that they continue to use them from memory.
Follow up
Students could write an FCE/CAE style report on one of the events they have organised. It could either be a report after the fact stating the strengths and weaknesses of the event or a proposal for a future event putting forward different ideas and making recommendations.
This is a worksheet for C1 students in which they learn 10 phrasal verbs and put them into practice in conversation. Download the worksheet and key below:
This is a writing task for CAE students in which they write an informal narrative letter describing an exotic holiday. It is a follow up lesson to my Travelling: Expressions and Discussions lesson as it gives students the opportunity to use the expressions in context. It was designed with students in the latter stages of their studies for the exam in mind as it contains revision of advanced grammar structures such as inversions, participle clauses and cleft sentences. Download the students’ handout, worksheet and teacher’s notes below you will also need the two quizlet sets to revise the vocab:
Narrative Informal Letter – Exotic Holiday Teacher’s Notes
Lead in
Write on the board:
What’s the most exotic place you’ve ever been to?
What did you do there?
Would you recommend it? Why? Why not?
What advice would you give to someone who was going there for the first time?
Students discuss in pairs. Go to open class, students share exotic destinations, activities and advice.
Task Analysis
Give out student handout. Students read task and underline the 4 things they must include in their letter
Task
You have recently been travelling in an exotic country. Your friend has written to you because they are thinking about visiting the same place. Write them a letter describing the highlights of your trip, you should also mention any problems you encountered, say whether or not you would recommend the place and give your friend advice for their trip.
Students complete paragraph plan
Paragraph Plan
Standard informal email opening
Describe highlights
Mention problems
Recommend or not + give advice
Sign off
Brainstorm – Informal letter opening + sign off
As a class brainstorm standard opening and closing expressions for informal letters:
Opening
Closing
It’s wonderful to hear from you again.
It’s been ages since we last saw each other.
How have you been?
What have you been up to?
Sorry for not writing back sooner, I’ve been snowed under with schoolwork/exams/work.
So you wanted to know about…. Well…
Anyway, I’d better get going as I have an early start in the morning.
Well, it’s getting late and I’ve gotta get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow.
Hugs and kisses
Lots of love
Send my love to ….
Briefly run through the language on the handout for sequencing etc. Students read and field any questions or doubts they might have. We will look at the advanced grammar next.
Worksheet – Collocations and Advanced Grammar
Collocations
Give out the worksheet. Students match the collocations. Use the quizlet set to drill/reinforce with games.
Key: 1-h, 2-b, 3-d, 4-a, 5-e, 6-f, 7-g, 8-c
Advanced Grammar
This section is revision of several advanced grammar structures that can be used in compositions with a narrative element.
Key:
Just as we had got on the helicopter it took off.
No sooner had we got on the helicopter than it took off.
As soon as we had left the jeep we were surrounded by different types of monkeys!
Hardly had we left the jeep when we were surrounded by different types of monkeys.
We went scuba diving and spear fishing.
Not only did we go scuba diving but also spear fishing.
We had no idea that there were man-eating sharks in the water.
Little did we know that there were man-eating sharks in the water.
I enjoyed the safari the most.
What I enjoyed most was the safari.
It was the safari that I enjoyed most.
I had never seen such a spectacular sunset before.
Never before had I seen such a spectacular sunset.
The road was so wet that we had to turn back and go a different way.
So wet was the road that we had to turn back and go a different way.
The gorilla was so strong that he broke the window of the jeep!
So strong was the gorilla that he broke the window of the jeep!
Revision – Travelling expressions
Use the quizlet sets to recap the travelling expressions using the scatter game.
You have recently been travelling in an exotic country. Your friend has written to you because they are thinking about visiting the same place. Write them a letter describing the highlights of your trip, you should also mention any problems you encountered, say whether or not you would recommend the place and give your friend advice for their trip.
Paragraph Plan
Standard informal email opening
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
Sign off
Past narrative tenses
Past simple – finished actions in the past, actions in sequence.
I breathed in deeply and stepped out of the plane into the air.
Past continuous – descriptions/actions in progress interrupted by past simple actions.
The pale winter sun was shining through the leaves of the trees, the birds were singing happily and the wind was whistling past.
As the balloon was rising into the sky I looked down at the people below me.
Past perfect – actions that happened before a specific moment in the past.
I looked out over the landscape, I had never seen such a beautiful sight before.
I took the map out and checked our location. I had marked all the most important places on it the night before.
Past perfect cont. – duration of time for an action that happened before a specific moment in the past.
When we finally reached the summit of the mountain we had been walking for over 6 hours.
I had been dreaming about taking to the skies in a hot air balloon since I was a child.
Sequencing
At first/To start with/In the beginning…………..
Then/next/after that/…………………
The next thing that happened was…………….
The next thing I knew was………………
Seconds/Minutes later………………
Later on/Some time later……………..
It wasn’t until much later that…………..
After some time/what seemed like years…………
Finally/In the end……………..
At last,…………..
I was just about to (infinitive) when……….
I was on the point of (gerund) when………..
Sudden/unexpected events.
Out of the blue……………
Like a bolt from the blue………
Completely unexpectedly……………
Just as I was least expecting it…………..
Looking back
In retrospect……………
When I think back to that day………..
Looking back on that day………….
Rapid events
In the blink of an eye………….
As quick as a flash…………..
Simultaneous events
Meanwhile, In the meantime……….
While all this was going on…………
Ways to say exciting/excited:
exhilarating/exhilarated
adrenalin rush
thrilling/thrilled
Scary/scared
petrifying/petrified
terrifying/terrified
frightening/frightened
Nervous
on edge
I had butterflies in my stomach
nerve-racking/nail-biting (to describe the activity)
Difficult
Tough
Hard
Challenging
Phrasal verbs:
take up a challenge (accept)
set off on a journey/adventure (start)
freak out (get very scared and nervous)
Describing the weather:
A scorching summer day
A freezing winter day
A crisp winter day
A howling wind was blowing
A light breeze was blowing
The sun was beating down on us
It was pouring with rain
The heavens opened (it started to rain very hard)
Grammatical Range – SHOW WHAT YOU KNOW!
Inversions:
No sooner had I got on the board, than I fell off.
Hardly had the plane left the ground when I started to feel sick.
Only when/Not until two days later did I appreciate how much danger I had been in.
On no account must you leave the car during the safari.
Little did I know that there were man-eating sharks in the water.
At no time did I stop screaming with fear and delight.
Never before had I seen such breath-taking views.
Never before had I felt so alive.
So + adjective/adverb + verb + subject
So clear was the water that you could see right to the bottom.
So delicious was the dessert that we went back for seconds.
Participle clauses:
Being a strong swimmer, I had no problem in the strong currents.
Having studied French at school, I was able to get by speaking to the locals.
Seeing the Lion running towards me, I panicked and got back in the jeep.
Cleft Sentences
I liked the rollercoasters the most.
What I liked most was the rollercoasters.
It was the rollercoasters that I liked the most.
Inverted conditionals
Were I to go again, I’d pack more warm clothes.
Had I known it was going to be so cold, I would have packed warmer clothes.
Had I not seen the warning sign, I would have jumped into the crocodile lake.
Had it not been for + noun
Had it not been for the guide, we would have got completely lost!
Students’ Worksheet
Impressive Vocabulary
Match to make impressive collocations
1. Breath-taking /Jaw-dropping/mind-blowing
2. Mouth-watering
3. Mile upon mile of
4. Death-defying
5. Baffling/bewildering
6. Crystal clear/ice-cold
7. Densely-populated/Bustling
8. World-famous/internationally-renowned
a. Activities/sports
b. Local delicacies
c. Monuments/attractions
d. Golden sands/rolling hills
e. Local traditions/customs
f. Water
g. City/metropolis
h. Views/landscape
Impressive Grammar
Transform the sentences to use impressive grammar structures
Just as we had got on the helicopter it took off.
No sooner _________________________________________________________
As soon as we had left the jeep we were surrounded by different types of monkeys!
This is a lesson plan for C1+ students on the topic of bad habits based around a TED talk by Judson Brewer and an article from Yahoo Health. You can find the TED talk, students’ handout, reading text and teacher’s notes below:
What do you think these expressions mean? Do they exist in your language?
He’s been smoking since he was 15 years old and he just can’t kick the habit.
When my grandad retired he didn’t stop getting up at 6am and putting a suit on. Old habits die hard.
I could never go backpacking I’m too much of a creature of habit, I can’t stand changes to my routine.
I’ve always written my essays at the last minute and I normally get good marks. Why break the habit of a lifetime?
Kick the habit = give up/quit a bad habit
Old habits die hard = it’s difficult to stop a habit you’ve been doing for a long time
A creature of habit = someone who likes the security of a routine
Why break the habit of a lifetime? = something you say to a person you know isn’t going to change their habits.
Step 2: Brainstorm bad habits on the board
Step 3: Reading
Give out the reading handout, put students in groups of 3. Students read each section then discuss the meaning of the vocabulary in bold. Then they answer the discusssion questions. Then they move onto the next bad habit.
Step 4: TED Talk
Students watch the TED talk and answer the following questions:
What bad habits does he mention? Being unable to concentrate, phone/internet addiction, stress eating, smoking, distracting yourself from work.
What solution to these bad habits does he suggest? Using mindfulness to focus on the cravings we feel and see them as physical moments that pass.
After watching students discuss:
What do you think of the talk?
Do you have any of the bad habits he mentioned?
Do you think mindfulness would work for you?
Have you ever meditated? Would you consider it?
Step 5: Vocab Focus – Meaning from Context
Students try to guess the meaning of the expressions in bold from the context.
When I was first learning to meditate, the instruction was to simply pay attention to my breath, and when my mind wandered, to bring it back.
Why is it so hard to pay attention? Well, studies show that even when we’re really trying to pay attention to something — like maybe this talk — at some point, about half of us will drift off into a daydream, or have this urge to check our Twitter feed.
Instead of this hunger signal coming from our stomach, this emotional signal — feeling sad — triggers that urge to eat.
Maybe in our teenage years, we were a nerd at school, and we see those rebel kids outside smoking and we think, “Hey, I want to be cool.” So we start smoking. The Marlboro Man wasn’t a dork, and that was no accident.
What if instead of fighting our brains, or trying to force ourselves to pay attention,we instead tapped into this natural, reward-based learning process?
She moved from knowing in her head that smoking was bad for her to knowing it in her bones, and the spell of smoking was broken. She started to become disenchanted with her behavior.
When the prefrontal cortex goes offline, we fall back into our old habits, which is why this disenchantment is so important.
And this is what mindfulness is all about: Seeing really clearly what we get when we get caught up in our behaviors.
We start to notice that cravings are simply made up of body sensations — oh, there’s tightness, there’s tension, there’s restlessness.
These are bite-size pieces of experiences that we can manage from moment to moment rather than getting clobbered by this huge, scary craving that we choke on.
Mind wanders/drift off into a daydream = get distracted
Have/get an urge to do something = a strong desire/impulse
Trigger (v) = activate/set off/cause to function
Nerd = unpopular, studious person
Dork = unpopular, studious person, more pejorative than nerd
Tap into = manage to use something in a way that gives good results. Get access to a resource. Collocations: tap into an energy source, tap into creativity, tap into the water supply.
Know in your bones = feel something using intuition, synonyms: know in my guts, a gut-feeling.
Break a spell = end magic/enchantment
Disenchanted = two meanings. 1. Free from illusion/magic 2. Disappointed, demotivated, disillusioned.
Fall back into old habits = return to old habits after having changed
Get caught up in st = to become completely involved in something, normally bad connotation.
Craving = a consuming desire, normally physical related to addiction.
Restlessness = a state of discomfort, can’t stay still/relax. A restless night.
Bite-size pieces = small easy to manage pieces
Get clobbered = to be beaten/hit severly
Choke on st = not able to breath because of something in your throat
Step 6: Sentence Completion
Students put the expressions from the vocab focus into the following sentences:
He was always so restless at school, he couldn’t sit still for a second.
I’m a bit weird, whenever I go near the edge of a cliff or a tall building I get the sudden urge to jump off!
Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright, I don’t know how but I feel/know it in my bones.
I managed to stop biting my fingernails for 6 months but recently, because of all the stress at work, I have fallen back into old habits.
Most voters are completely disenchanted with politics in general and extremist politicians like Donald Trump are simply tapping into the anger and resentment.
When my Mum was pregnant she had strong cravings for avocado even though she normally hates them.
The earthquake triggered a huge tsunami that hit the coast at 10am.
When I was at school I always used to get into trouble for drifting off into a daydream during class.
3 hours into the film I got a bit bored and my mind wandered to what I was going to have for dinner.
A man suddenly started to choke on a prawn and a fellow diner had to give him the heimlich maneuver.
I was definitely a bit of a nerd at school but I certainly wasn’t a dork.
I got so caught up in the excitement of the party that I didn’t realise I had missed the last train home.
He caught the rugby ball, turned around and was immediately clobbered by a huge opposition player.
I broke the carrots up into bite-size pieces so that the children wouldn’t choke on
Step 7: Discussion
Students answer questions in pairs.
Were you restless at school? Did you use to drift off into a daydream?
Do you know the heimlich maneuver? Have you ever choked on anything?
Were you a nerd when you were at school?
Do you ever get so caught up in something that you lose all sense of time?
Do you ever get the urge to do something silly or outrageous in social situations?
Do you agree with sentence 5 above? What can we do to change the situation?
Students’ Handout
Expressions with habit
What do you think these expressions mean? Do they exist in your language?
He’s been smoking since he was 15 years old and he just can’t kick the habit.
When my grandad retired he didn’t stop getting up at 6am and putting a suit on. Old habits die hard.
I could never go backpacking I’m too much of a creature of habit, I can’t stand changes to my routine.
I’ve always written my essays at the last minute and I normally get good marks. Why break the habit of a lifetime?
TED Talk
What bad habits does he mention?
What solution to these bad habits does he suggest?
Discussion
What do you think of the talk?
Do you have any of the bad habits he mentioned?
Do you think mindfulness would work for you?
Have you ever meditated? Would you consider it?
Vocabulary Focus
Read the sentences from the transcript and discuss the words/expressions in bold with your partner.
When I was first learning to meditate, the instruction was to simply pay attention to my breath, and when my mind wandered, to bring it back.
Why is it so hard to pay attention? Well, studies show that even when we’re really trying to pay attention to something — like maybe this talk — at some point, about half of us will drift off into a daydream, or have this urge to check our Twitter feed.
Instead of this hunger signal coming from our stomach, this emotional signal — feeling sad — triggers that urge to eat.
Maybe in our teenage years, we were a nerd at school, and we see those rebel kids outside smoking and we think, “Hey, I want to be cool.” So we start smoking. The Marlboro Man wasn’t a dork, and that was no accident.
What if instead of fighting our brains, or trying to force ourselves to pay attention,we instead tapped into this natural, reward-based learning process?
She moved from knowing in her head that smoking was bad for her to knowing it in her bones, and the spell of smoking was broken. She started to become disenchanted with her behavior.
When the prefrontal cortex goes offline, we fall back into our old habits, which is why this disenchantment is so important.
And this is what mindfulness is all about: Seeing really clearly what we get when we get caught up in our behaviors.
We start to notice that cravings are simply made up of body sensations — oh, there’s tightness, there’s tension, there’s restlessness.
These are bite-size pieces of experiences that we can manage from moment to moment rather than getting clobbered by this huge, scary craving that we choke on.
Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences with the expressions above.
He was always so ______________ at school, he couldn’t sit still for a second.
I’m a bit weird, whenever I go near the edge of a cliff or a tall building I get the sudden __________ jump off!
Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright, I don’t know how but I ______________________.
I managed to stop biting my fingernails for 6 months but recently, because of all the stress at work, I have __________________________________.
Most voters are completely __________________________ politics in general and extremist politicians like Donald Trump are simply ____________________________ the anger and resentment.
When my Mum was pregnant she had strong _____________ for avocado even though she normally hates them.
The earthquake _______________ a huge tsunami that hit the coast at 10am.
When I was at school I always used to get into trouble for _______________________________ during class.
3 hours into the film I got a bit bored and my ____________________________ to what I was going to have for dinner.
A man suddenly started to ________________ a prawn and a fellow diner had to give him the heimlich maneuver.
I was definitely a bit of a _____________ at school but I certainly wasn’t a ____________.
I _________________________________ in the excitement of the party that I didn’t realise I had missed the last train home.
He caught the rugby ball, turned around and was immediately ___________________ by a huge opposition player.
I broke the carrots up into __________________ so that the children wouldn’t ___________ them.
Discussion
Were you restless at school? Did you use to drift off into a daydream?
Do you know the heimlich maneuver? Have you ever choked on anything?
Were you a nerd when you were at school?
Do you ever get so caught up in something that you lose all sense of time?
Do you ever get the urge to do something silly or outrageous in social situations?
Do you agree with sentence 5 above? What can we do to change the situation?
Reading Text
Common Bad Habits
Everyone has habits that they would probably be better off without. You may not have any major vices but minor ones add up and deserve attention too. “The small stuff really matters in our lives,” says Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and author of Uncovering Happiness: Overcoming Depression with Mindfulness and Self-Compassion. “Life is full of the little things.”
In reality, you’re probably not eating poorly or shirking on sleep just once a month, but, more likely, multiple times a week. If you need some help identifying changes you might aim to make, here are some of the most common bad habits and two universal fixes from Goldstein about how we can change for the better.
Stress-Eating
We’re a country of high-stress and high-calorie foods, so it should be no surprise that emotional eating is a common issue. There are many reasons people turn to food when they experience negative emotions, like stress, sadness, and boredom. First of all, food can serve as a distraction from unpleasant goings-on. Research has also suggested that foods that are high in fat and sugar may actually (temporarily) quiet parts of the brain that create and process negative emotions.
Do you stress eat? If so what?
How do you relieve stress?
Sitting Around
Surveys have found that people, on average, spend more than six hours a day sitting. Many people sit while commuting, at work, and while unwinding at the end of the day. It may feel like your body is happier taking a seat, but spending so much time off your feet has serious health effects including increased risk of obesity, diabetes, cognitive decline (like dementia), cancer, bone loss, and even a weakened immune system.
How much of the day do you spend sitting down?
What do you think of the idea of a standing office? Or a standing school?
Not Getting Enough Sleep
Days can feel far too short, especially when you want to catch up with friends at a late dinner or binge-watch your favorite show. Late nights in moderation are okay but getting too little sleep — less than seven hours — on a regular basis can make you more prone to long-term diseases, like hypertension and diabetes, and even short-term illness. Being tired can also affect how you function during the daytime, making you less productive and more prone to errors and accidents.
How much sleep do you need to function well?
How much do you usually get?
Are you more productive in the mornings or the evenings?
Over-Grooming
Picking at your nose and mouth and biting your nails are already social faux pas. They can also be bad for your health. As you should already know, our hands are usually teeming with nasty germs. Putting your fingers in your nose or mouth — even to fish unwanted spinach out of your teeth — is a good way to give those germs easy access to your body. Nail biting, in particular, can also raise your risk of getting skin infections on your fingers and spreading warts to other parts of your hand. In some cases, excessive grooming behaviors are considered a mental disorder related to obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Do you bite your fingernails?
Can you think of any other social faux pas’s? What topics are faux pas when your first meet someone?
Smoking
This may feel like beating a dead horse but more than 42 million people in the U.S. still smoke cigarettes. Although this number continues to drop, it’s good for people to remember why this habit is such a serious one. Smoking is known to cause several types of cancer — including cancers of the lung, mouth, stomach, and pancreas — and increases a person’s risk of heart disease. It’s also harmful to people who are inhaling second-hand smoke. Plus, smoking is expensive. Even a “cheap” $5 pack every day adds up to $1,825.00 each year.
Do you smoke?
Have you ever smoked? If so how did you quit?
What’s the best way to quit smoking? Hypnosis? Acupuncture? Patches? Gum?
Skipping Breakfast
There are mixed findings about whether or not skipping breakfast can help people lose weight. Generally, experts support eating a healthy morning meal because it fuels your body and mind for the beginning of the day. Research has shown that people who eat breakfast perform better in school and at work. If that’s not enough incentive, a recent study from Harvard found that men who regularly skipped breakfast were 27 percent more likely to experience a heart attack or death from coronary heart disease.
Do you have breakfast?
Find out who has the healthiest breakfast in your group.
What’s your favourite meal of the day?
Overspending
Another common bad habit is overspending, usually in the form of compulsive shopping. Credit is partially to blame because it is easy to obtain and use, helping people forgo responsibility and knowledge about their finances. Overspending is also an easy trap to fall into because buying things makes people feel good in many different ways. It can give us a sense of control and add some excitement to a dull day. Being able to spend money can also make us feel better about ourselves.
Do you often overspend?
Are you a compulsive shopper? If so what do you normally buy?
Listening to Loud Music
Hearing is something that often goes with age but there are still steps people can take to give theirs its best possible chance. Very loud, short-term sounds and sounds that may not seem so loud (but occur over a long period of time) can both contribute to noise-induced hearing loss. This affects about 15 percent of Americans, ages 20 to 69 according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Some loud sounds may be unavoidable but exposure anything above 85 decibels (equal to the sound of heavy city traffic) should be minimized. If you have to raise your voice to speak with someone two to three feet away, the sound level is likely over 85 decibels.
Do you listen to loud music? If so how often?
Have you got god hearing?
Phone Addiction
No, your phone isn’t exactly the most threatening addiction. That doesn’t mean it’s something to ignore. Thanks to the advent of push notifications, many of us are now trained to grab our phone the second it flashes — or when we only think it has. This behavior takes our attention away from other things that we should probably value more, like the work in front of us or talking with friends and family.
I can’t remember where I got this idea from, I think it was Lindsay Clandfield at the Barcelona IH Conference two weeks ago. This is a quick lesson plan designed for use with teenagers of almost any level. Download the lesson plan below:
Write what you did at the weekend, but, write it in emojis. Like this:
Take a photo of the emojis and either print them out or project them in some way.
Class Procedure
Show students the emojis and tell them that they represent your weekend. In pairs students have to recreate your weekend as a text, this is a good opportunity for them to practice past simple and also language of sequencing: After that/afterwards, later, in the afternoon, firstly, secondly, finally etc.
Give students about 5 mins to prepare their text, monitoring and boarding any vocabulary. Students then read out their version of your weekend. The pair whose version is closest to the real version is the winner. You can also award points for imagination. Below is the text version of my weekend.
My Weekend
On Saturday morning I had a lie-in because I was very tired. I woke up at around 11 and had a cooked breakfast. Then I watched a football match on TV. After that I went to the city centre to go clothes shopping, I bought a new shirt and some trousers. Then I stopped in a kebab shop for lunch. When I got home I watched an action film on my laptop and went to bed early.
On Sunday I had to get up early, I got up at 7am. I ate two bananas for breakfast and then I ran the Barcelona half-marathon. I finished the race and won a medal. Afterwards I went to a bar with some friends to celebrate. I drank some beers and ate a hamburger. When I got home I had a shower, played some videogames and went to bed, I was exhausted!
Pair-work
Now give students 2 minutes to draw their weekend in emojis. If you want you could have students send their emoji weekend to each other via a messenger app, this may not be advisable with some groups. They should know most of the emojis but if they don’t use the pictures below:
Students then have to guess what their partner did by looking at their emojis. They then tell each other if they were wrong or right and explain the real version.
This is a lesson plan for B2+ students in which they teach each other some compound adjectives to describe personality and use them in a discussion. You will need the students’ hand-out, teacher’s notes and link to the quizlet set below:
You can use the quizlet set to introduce the concept of compound adjectives. Pick out a few students and ask them the following questions, ask them the question with the compound adjective first and elicit the meaning.
Are you blonde-haired? Are you a person with blonde hair?
Are you blue-eyed? Are you a person with blue eyes?
Are you hard-working? Are you a person who works hard?
Are you a 16-year-old girl? Are you a girl who’s 16 years old?
Are you self-centred? Are you a person who only cares about themselves?
Peer Teaching
Now tell students they are going to teach each other some more compound adjectives. Give out the hand-out, put students in pairs and assign them A or B. A’s are not allowed to look at B’s questions. A should first ask B the first question on the list, they must start with the question with a compound adjective, then ask the question with the definition. For example:
A: Are you tight-fisted?
B: Am I what????
A: Are you a person who doesn’t like to spend or give money?
B: No. I’m very generous.
A: So you’re not tight-fisted then.
Students take it in turns to ask a question and teach the compound adjective. When they have finished they should test their partner to see what they remember.
Test a few students in open class to see how well they’ve been taught.
Student A
Read the questions and answer them yes, no or sometimes (Y/N/S)
Are you tight-fisted? Are you a person who doesn’t like to spend or give money?
Are you thin-skinned? Are you a person who is sensitive to criticism or insults?
Are you easy-going? Are you a relaxed and tolerant person?
Are you quick-witted? Are you a person who thinks and responds quickly?
Are you big-headed? Are you a person who thinks they are better than other people?
Are you self-assured? Are you confident in your own abilities and character? Are you a person who doesn’t worry about what other people think of you?
Now ask them to your partner and see what you have in common.
Student B
Read the questions and answer them yes, no or sometimes (Y/N/S)
Are you thick-skinned? Are you a person who isn’t affected by criticism or insults?
Are you laid-back? Are you a person who is relaxed and casual about everything?
Are you absent-minded? Do you often lose or forget things?
Are you bad-tempered? Do you tend to get angry often?
Are you level-headed? Are you a responsible person who doesn’t get anxious in stressful situations?
Are you self-conscious? Are you nervous or embarrassed about what other people think of you?
Now ask them to your partner and see what you have in common.
Matching Exercises
Students complete the matching exercises in pairs.
Definition match
Positive/negative
Picture match
Sentence match
1. C
2. G
3. I (i)
4. H
5. D
6. J
7. K
8. L
9. B
10. E
11. F
12. A
Positive:
Level-headed
Thick-skinned
Quick-witted
Easy-going
Self-assured
Negative:
Self-conscious
Bad-tempered
Thin-skinned
Absent-minded
Big-headed
Laid-back (could be both)
Tight-fisted
a. Tight-fisted
b. Thin-skinned
c. Absent-minded
d. Self-conscious
e. Laid-back
f. Bad-tempered
g. Big-headed
h. Self-assured
1. Self-conscious
2. Bad-tempered
3. Level-headed
4. Thin-skinned
5. Absent-minded
6. Thick-skinned
7. Big-headed
8. Laid-back
9. Quick-witted
10. Tight-fisted
11. Easy-going
12. Self-assured
Discussion
Students complete the discussion in pairs giving reasons for their answers: “A good teacher should be easy-going so that the students don’t have to do so much homework” encourage them to agree and disagree using the language in the boxes.
Which compound adjectives would you use to describe the people listed below? Discuss in pairs.
A good friend
A bad friend
A good teacher
A bad teacher
A good boss
A bad boss
Good parents
Bad parents
A policeman
A footballer
Agree
Disagree
Ask for opinion
Express opinion
Absolutely.
I couldn’t agree more.
You took the words right out of my mouth.
Uh-huh.
Yep, I’m with you on that.
Totally.
You’re absolutely right.
You can say that again!
Hhhmm, I’m not so sure.
I take your point but…
I see what you mean but…
I agree with you up to a point but…
You must be joking.
Are you kidding?
What do you think about ….?
Where do you stand on…?
What do you reckon to…?
For me personally,
As far as I’m concerned,
In my opinion,
I reckon that…
I’d say that…
Students’ Hand-out
Student A
Read the questions and answer them yes, no or sometimes (Y/N/S)
Are you tight-fisted? Are you a person who doesn’t like to spend or give money?
Are you thin-skinned? Are you a person who is sensitive to criticism or insults?
Are you easy-going? Are you a relaxed and tolerant person?
Are you quick-witted? Are you a person who thinks and responds quickly?
Are you big-headed? Are you a person who thinks they are better than other people?
Are you self-assured? Are you confident in your own abilities and character? Are you a person who doesn’t worry about what other people think of you?
Now ask them to your partner and see what you have in common.
Student B
Read the questions and answer them yes, no or sometimes (Y/N/S)
Are you thick-skinned? Are you a person who isn’t affected by criticism or insults?
Are you laid-back? Are you a person who is relaxed and casual about everything?
Are you absent-minded? Do you often lose or forget things?
Are you bad-tempered? Do you tend to get angry often?
Are you level-headed? Are you a responsible person who doesn’t get anxious in stressful situations?
Are you self-conscious? Are you nervous or embarrassed about what other people think of you?
Now ask them to your partner and see what you have in common.
Definition Match
Match the compound adjective (1-12) with the definition (a-l)
1. Tight-fisted
2. Thin-skinned
3. Easy-going
4. Quick-witted
5. Big-headed
6. Self-assured
7. Thick-skinned
8. Laid-back
9. Absent-minded
10. Bad-tempered
11. Level-headed
12. Self-conscious
a. Someone who worries what other people think of them.
b. Someone who always forgets or loses things.
c. Someone who hates spending/giving money.
d. An arrogant person.
e. Someone who frequently gets angry.
f. A responsible person who stays calm in stressful situations.
g. Someone who is sensitive to insults/criticism.
h. Someone who thinks and responds quickly.
i. A relaxed, tolerant person.
j. Someone who is confident in their abilities.
k. Someone who isn’t affected by criticism.
l. Someone who is relaxed and casual about everything.
Which ones are positive and which are negative?
Positive
Negative
Which compound adjective does each photo represent?
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Put the 12 compound adjectives from the other page in the sentences.
I felt really _______________ on the first day of school. I didn’t know if the other kids would like me.
My Maths teacher is so __________________, he gets so angry about the smallest things.
When negotiating it’s really important to be ____________________ if you get stressed you can ruin the deal.
My best friend is so ____________________, sometimes I make fun of her just for a laugh and she runs off crying.
You’re so __________________ Mani, you left your bag and all your books on the bus.
In politics you have to be ____________________ you can’t let all the insults or criticism affect you.
Lots of Hollywood stars are so ____________________ they make one good movie and they suddenly think they’re better than everyone.
Sometimes Arnau can be too _____________________, he has 3 exams tomorrow and he hasn’t even started studying yet.
To be a comedian you have to be really ____________________, it’s hard to think of good jokes quickly.
My parents are so ___________________they never give me any pocket money!
Our new teacher is really __________________ he lets us eat sweets in class.
In a job interview it’s important to act __________________, otherwise they won’t give you the job.
Discussion
Which compound adjectives would you use to describe the people listed below? Discuss in pairs.
This is a lesson plan for B1+ students on the topic of quitting smoking in which students learn the language of asking for, giving, accepting and rejecting advice and using it in a role-play. I prepared and taught this class as part of my productive skills assignment for the DELTA at International House Barcelona.
Sts ask and answer questions about smoking from 1st slide of powerpoint (pp)
Give opportunities for 1 or 2 sts to explain how they quit.
To engage top-down knowledge and personalise topic.
Lead in to pre-listening.
Pre-listening
5 mins
Closed pairs
OC
Closed pairs
Sts brainstorm different ways to quit. Board any that are different to the 4 on slide 2: nicotine gum/patches, e-cigarettes, hypnosis.
Show 2nd slide, board pronunciation of cigarette, patches and hypnosis. Drill briefly.
/sɪɡə’ret/ /ˈpætʃɪz/ /hɪpˈnəʊsɪs/
Sts answer questions at bottom of 2nd slide.
To activate top-down knowledge further and pre-teach some vocab for listening.
To check and improve pronunciation.
Sts react to content.
Listening
5-10 mins
Closed pairs
OC
Introduce characters and situation from listening with 3rd slide.
Give out listening comprehension handout. Sts listen and answer 3 questions from handout:
1. What methods does Joanne recommend?
2. What methods does Ian recommend?
3. Which method does Katy decide to try?
Replay as needed, break into two parts if necessary.
Check answers across class.
Give out handout, sts listen again with tape script. “Any questions?”
To ground sts in the situation of the listening.
TAVI exercise to aid sts listening comprehension. Secondary aim: to introduce exponents of advice in context.
To clear up doubts.
Language focus
10 mins
Closed pairs
OC
OC/closed pairs
Sts categorise the exponents listed on the handout by meaning. Elicit correct categories for first 2/3. Show slide 4 with first 3 in correct categories.
While sts do this board all exponents in categories, add phonetic script for pronunciation focus:
Drill pronunciation of:
If I were you, I’d…
/ɪf ˈaɪ wə ju: aɪd/ Stress “I” and “you”
That’s a good idea
/ðæts ə ɡʊd aɪˈdɪə/ stress “that’s”
Why don’t you try
/waɪ dəʊnt jə traɪ/ notice weak “you” compared to in “If I were you”
Sts analyse grammar of components. Use 5th slide to give examples, then answers.
Focus on meaning
Focus on form: pronunciation, elements of connected speech.
Focus on form: grammar, verb patterns.
Speaking – controlled practice 1
2 mins
Grps of 3
Sts use the transcript to practice the dialogue from listening.
Monitor and correct pronunciation.
Controlled practice of exponents without pressure of creating new sentences.
Writing + speaking controlled practice 2
5-10 mins
OC
Grps of 3
Sts write their own dialogue. Explain that we’ll do an example together on the board. Students don’t write anything yet.
Label one strong group of students A-C, choose strongest student to be A.
Give A a problem card.
Using cued dialogue on 6th slide model a dialogue on the board.
Sts create their own dialogues in the space on the handout. Monitor and correct written form, board vocabulary.
Sts read their dialogues.
Scaffolded controlled practice of exponents without performance pressure.
Spoken controlled practice.
Speaking controlled practice 3
10 mins
Rotating groups of 3
A’s stand up and rotate to the next group. They explain their problem to the new group who give them advice. Less structured, A is now free to accept/reject advice.
Repeat until all A’s have spoken to all groups.
Less scaffolded controlled speaking practice.
Wrap-up
5 mins
OC
A’s tell class the best advice they received. Focus sts attention to emergent language.
Sts respond to activity + develop fluency.
Student’s handout
Transcript
Katy: Hi guys, I need your help with a problem I’m having. I want to give up smoking but I’m finding it very difficult. What should I do?
Joanne: Well, if I were you, I’d try to stop smoking gradually. You know, smoke 10 cigarettes today, then 9 tomorrow, 8 the next day until you’ve stopped.
Katy: Hhmmm, I don’t think that’ll work. I tried it last year and it was too difficult.
Ian:I think you should buy an electronic cigarette. My girlfriend has one and she loves it!
Katy:I’m not sure. I think they’re bad for me too.
Joanne: Ok well, why don’t you try nicotine chewing gum or patches? My sister used them to give up.
Katy: Ok, that’s a good idea.
Ian: Or you could try hypnosis, my friend Sarah is a hypnotist, I could give you her number.
Katy:Hhmm, maybe not. I think I’ll try the nicotine chewing gum. Thanks for your advice guys.
Language
Put the expressions in bold (1-10) in the correct box (A-D)
What should I do?
If I were you, I’d try to stop smoking gradually.
I don’t think that’ll work.
I think you should buy an electronic cigarette.
I’m not sure. I think they’re bad for me too.
Why don’t you try nicotine chewing gum or patches?
Ok, that’s a good idea.
You could try
Hhmm, maybe not. I think I’ll try the nicotine chewing gum.
I recommend giving up gradually
A. Asking for advice.
B. Giving advice.
C. Accepting advice.
D. Rejecting advice.
Grammar
Look at the expressions in the language exercise, how does the grammar work?
If I were you, I’d try to stop smoking gradually.
If I were you, I’d + BASE FORM (stop/go/have/buy etc.)
I think you should buy an electronic cigarette.
I think you should + __________________________________
Why don’t you try nicotine chewing gum or patches?
Why don’t you + _____________________________________
You could try hypnosis/going to a hypnotist.
You could try + _________________________________________
I recommend giving up gradually.
I recommend + _______________________________________
Now practice the dialogue in groups of 3, one person is Katy, one is Ian and one is Joanne.
Writing a new dialogue
Write a new dialogue with your group, you HAVE TO follow the structure below.
A: Hi guys, I need your help with a problem I’m having. (Explain problem)____________________________. What should I do?
B: Well, if I were you, I’d (gives advice) ____________________.
A: (rejects advice) ___________________________.
C: (gives advice) ___________________________.
A: (rejects advice) ____________________________.
B: Ok well, (gives advice) ___________________________.
A: (rejects advice) ____________________________.
C: (gives advice) ______________________________.
A: (accepts advice) __________________________. Thanks for your advice guys!
