It’s that time of the year again! No…. not the festive season, the time for Suzy Ratcliff’s ever-excellent lesson plan based on this year’s Word of the Year contest by Collins Dictionaries.
The lesson plan is recommended for C1/C2 students and involves students examining the shortlist for word of the year and putting them into practice in a series of engaging tasks.
Download the student handout and teacher’s notes below:
This is a listening and conversation lesson plan for B2+ learners. Use it to scare your students this Halloween!
The lesson is based around a spooky story called Bruiser the Dog told by professional story-teller Wilf Merttens on the Halloween episode of our podcast 2Ts in a pod. You can listen to the whole episode below, but the section you’ll need for the lesson plan is from 40:08-43:10. Students will predict what will happen in the story, do some detailed listening and then discuss their deepest, darkest fears! You’ll find all the lesson materials below. Happy Halloween!
Lesson materials:
To use the audio offline, you can download the whole episode from SoundCloud like this:
2Ts in a Pod Episode 40: Halloween
The story is towards the end of the episode from 40:08-43:10
You’re going to listen to a spooky story that involves a young girl, an old house and a big dog called Bruiser. Make some predictions about what’s going to happen.
Instructions:
(0:00) There was this thing that happened near where I live that’s always stayed with me. (0:06) There was a girl about 14 or 15 years old and (0:11) she lived alone with her mother because her father had died some years before and (0:16) her mum had to work away a lot and she would leave her daughter alone in this big old house. (0:24) Now, (0:26) the daughter was very brave and didn’t mind being left.
Plus, she had a big dog. (0:32) He was a fearsome, fearsome dog. Yeah, I think he was an Alsatian and he was called Bruiser and (0:41) well, she had a kind of nighttime ritual with Bruiser and that was that he would sleep under her bed and (0:48) if she was ever scared in the night, she would dangle her hand over the bed and (0:54) he would lick her fingers in that way that that dogs have of doing.
(1:00) Now, there was very scary news one night. I remember it myself and that was that there’s a jail, (1:07) a prison quite local to us, (1:11) and there was news that a (1:13) notorious serial killer (1:15) had escaped from the jail and was on the loose in the area. Now, I told you this girl was very rational.
(1:24) She told herself there is (1:27) only the tiniest chance that he’s going to come knocking at my house of all the houses and so she took herself to bed and (1:34) she took Bruiser with her and she lay down and she went to sleep. (1:39) She didn’t sleep very well. She only slept fitfully.
(1:44) She kept waking up, tossing and turning. Probably the bad news had disturbed her and she was having bad dreams, but (1:51) every time she woke up, she would just dangle her hand over the edge of the bed and (1:59) there’d be (2:01) Bruiser licking her fingers and she would feel comforted and she would go back to sleep. (2:09) Now, a few times she felt like she heard a noise on the stairs or a creak in the hallway, (2:14) but those are just the noises that old houses make.
(2:19) But then the door (2:29) creaked open on its own, but (2:32) she wasn’t scared because that was something the door sometimes did, another quirk of an old house. (2:39) She wasn’t scared, at least, (2:43) until she saw (2:45) lying in the hallway (2:48) the dead body of Bruiser the dog.
Bruiser the dog:
As a follow-up class, put students in small groups, have them choose one of the urban legends they bring in. They must then make it as spooky and suspenseful as possible before telling it to the rest of the class.
It’s that time of year again! We’re back with our 2024 Halloween special! Lots of spooky stories to send shivers down your spine!
We now offer free full transcripts with every episode, you can find it by following this link.
This is a guest post by Steve Krajewski from English Coach Online on the topic of national identity and gaining dual citizenship.
Steve writes texts based on his own life experiences and shares them with students. His texts are packed with phrases and collocations that are common in spoken English.
For this post, Steve decided to focus on a text called ‘A long time coming’. This text will enable students to discuss whether they’ve ever done a family tree, what they know about their ancestors and to what extent gaining dual citizenship would have an impact on their lives.
Skills practiced include listening for gist, guessing the meanings of words from context and scanning the text for details.
__________
Download the teacher’s notes and the student handout below:
Download the audio file for the text here:
Student Handout
A long time coming
As I have the right to obtain Polish citizenship by descent, I’ve been spending a great deal of time getting to grips with the Law on Polish citizenship and asking specialists for advice about which documents I need to submit for my application.
Obtaining Polish citizenship by descent is relatively straightforward. Considering the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, and the future rights of British citizens who wish to travel, live and work in the EU, holding dual citizenship might be very useful down the line. My father will apply for a Polish passport as well.
A few weeks ago, I hired a genealogist to carry out research on my Polish ancestors. I’ve learned some revealing things about my grandfather, such as the fact that the Soviets deported him and his family to Arkhangelsk, Russia, in 1940. My researcher has also discovered the names, birthplaces and educational backgrounds of my grandfather’s siblings and parents.
Applying for Polish citizenship has made me wonder why so many people don’t take an interest in their roots and ancestors. I certainly feel a little guilty for not visiting the villages connected with my ancestors when I lived in Poland on and off between 2006 and 2013.
So – what do you think? Should families research their family history and start a family tree together?
WORDS AND PHRASES
– a long time coming – arriving or happening after a lot of time has passed
(here I refer to my regrets that it took such a long time to learn about my
relatives)
– citizenship – the position or status of being a citizen of a particular
country
– (by) descent – the origin or background of a person in terms of family or
nationality
– get to grips (with something) – to start to deal with a problem, situation, or job that you have to do
– submit – to give or offer something for a decision to be made by others
– straightforward – uncomplicated and easy to do or understand
– uncertainty – a situation in which something is not known for sure
– surrounding – related to; around; involved with
– rights – a moral or legal entitlement to have or do something
– dual citizenship – the status of a person who is a legal citizen of two or more countries
– down the line – in the future
– genealogist – a person who traces or studies lines of family descent
– carry out research (on something) – a careful study of a subject (e.g. medical/historical/scientific), especially in order to discover new facts or information about it
– revealing – showing something that was not previously known or seen
– educational background – your educational background refers to all of the education you have received
– take an interest (in something) – be concerned or curious
– roots – family origins, or the particular place you come from and the experiences you have had living there
– ancestor – a person related to you who lived a long time ago (usually
before grandparents)
– (feel) guilty – to feel intense regret for something
– on and off – only for part of a period of time; not in a regular or
continuous way
– family tree – a diagram showing the relationship between people in several generations of a family
Read Steve’s posts related to ELT and language learning here: https://englishcoachonline.com/blog/
This is a lesson plan designed to help students make their written and spoken English more emphatic and engaging. Students will learn various rhetorical devices, then put them to use in conversation. Download the handout and key below:
Rhetorical Devices in Speech and Writing – Student Handout
We can use the following rhetorical devices to make our speeches and writings more engaging.
Ask a question that you don’t expect an answer to.
“How can we encourage more people to recycle? Well, one way would be to…”
“How much impact do one person’s habits really have on the environment? Surprisingly, ….
Giving human actions or emotions to non-living/inanimate things.
“I could hear the pack of cookies calling to me from the cupboard.”
“The music industry chewed him up and spat him out.”
“The soft bed welcomed me with open arms.”
“The fear of failure chased him wherever he went.”
Using exaggeration to draw attention to the severity of the matter or to make a strong point.
“I called her a thousand times.”
“I will literally die if they ask me to give a speech to the whole class.”
“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.”
Ironic understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary
“How did Steve look when you visited him? Not great to be honest.”
“How was the film? Yeah, not bad.”
“Let’s just say he doesn’t have the best attendance record.”
Repetition of the last word in a phrase at the beginning of the next phrase or sentence.
“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering.” –Yoda, Star Wars
“We ordered a pizza. A pizza that changed our lives.”
“She got on the bus, and on that bus she met a man. A man who would turn out to be the love of her life. A life that would be tragically cut short at only 25 years old.”
A simile is a comparison in which something is said to figuratively be like something else. They usually contain “like” or “as”.
“It was as hot as a desert this morning.”
“His heart was beating like a broken clock.”
“My grandad is as blind as a bat and as deaf as a post.”
Identify the different rhetorical devices:
Here’s another of our vocab videos from our TikTok channel, this time we’re looking at 5 ways to agree with somebody. If you enjoy this video, come join us on TikTok!
https://www.tiktok.com/@2tspod
This is a lesson plan for students preparing for the Cambridge main suite exams. I specifically created it with C1 or C2 students in mind but it could easily be adapted to B2. Students practice word formation while playing a game of noughts and crosses. Download the handout below:
Students play in pairs, they must choose a square on the board where they want to place their token, but they must first correctly complete the corresponding word formation question in order to do so. All of the words are based on the same root word.
If a student answers incorrectly, you could either have the opponent steal the square by answering correctly, or say that the square is now dead and nobody can place a token there.
An alternative game to play with the same 9 questions is this great, and very versatile, football game by https://tekhnologic.wordpress.com/
As a follow-up you could set your students the task of coming up with their own lists of nine sentences to use in future games. You could give them each a root word (use, communicate, etc.) and send them to the Longman Online Dictionary to look up all the derivatives in order to make their 9 questions: https://www.ldoceonline.com/
This is a lesson plan designed to help Spanish speaking students sound more natural in lots of common, everyday interactions. Download the handout and PowerPoint below:
Students do some contrastive analysis of some high frequency expressions in English and Spanish in order to identify some common errors and put the more natural English expressions into practice.
Everyday English: Contrastive Analysis
Work with a partner.
Complete the second column with direct translations or common mistakes that Spanish speakers make with these expressions.
| Spanish | Direct Translation/Common Mistake | English Equivalent |
| ¡Hasta ahora! ¡Igualmente! ¿Cuánto tiempo? ¿Qué tal? ¡Que vaya bien! ¡Que te lo pases bien! ¡Aquí lo tienes! No te escucho. ¿Qué pasa? No pasa nada ¿Puedes repetir? ¿Cuánto falta para…? Estoy de acuerdo Una cosa/una pregunta | Until now! …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… | …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… …………………………… |
Now complete the third column with the more natural English equivalent.
Cut out the situation cards below. Put the cards face down in a pile. Turn over one card, the first person to say the appropriate expression for that card takes the card and scores one point. Keep playing until all the cards have been used.
| Your housemate is going to the shop, they will be back in 5 minutes. What do you say to them? | Your co-worker says “have a good weekend!” as they leave the office. What do you say to them? |
| Your partner is leaving to go to an important job interview. What do you say to them? | You work in a coffee shop. You hand a customer their cup of coffee. What do you say to them? |
| You put your hand up in English class, you want to ask the teacher a question. What do you say to them? | You see an old friend from school you haven’t seen for a long time. What do you say to them? |
| You’re speaking on the phone but there is loud music playing. You don’t understand what they’re saying because of the noise. What do you say to them? | You get home and see that one of your children is crying. What do you say to them? |
| Your friend tells you that they’re going to Disneyland this weekend. What do you say to them? | Your friend says sorry for arriving late to meet you for lunch. You don’t mind that they’re late. What do you say to them? |
| Your teacher says something very quickly and you don’t understand. What do you say to them? | You’re having a debate at work and you have the same opinion as your co-worker. What do you say to them? |
| You see your friend in the morning and you want to know how they are. What do you say to them? | You’re bored at school and you want to know when you will be allowed to go to the playground. What do you say to the teacher? |
| Spanish | Direct Translation/Common Mistake | English Equivalent |
| ¡Hasta ahora! ¡Igualmente! ¿Cuánto tiempo? ¿Qué tal? ¡Que vaya bien! ¡Que te lo pases bien! ¡Aquí lo tienes! No te escucho. ¿Qué pasa? No pasa nada ¿Puedes repetir? ¿Cuánto falta para…? Estoy de acuerdo Una cosa/una pregunta | Until now!/See you now! Equally! How much time? What such? That it go well. That you pass it well. Here you have. I don’t listen you. What happens? Happens nothing Can you repeat? How much is left for…? I am agree One thing/one question | See you in a bit/sec Same to you! Long time, no see! How’s it going? Hope it goes well. Have fun! Here you go/Here’s…. I can’t hear you. What’s up? What’s wrong? No worries/problem. Sorry, I didn’t catch that. How much longer until…? I agree. I have a question/doubt |
| Your housemate is going to the shop, they will be back in 5 minutes. What do you say to them? See you in a bit/sec | Your co-worker says “have a good weekend!” as they leave the office. What do you say to them? You too! |
| Your partner is leaving to go to an important job interview. What do you say to them? Hope it goes well | You work in a coffee shop. You hand a customer their cup of coffee. What do you say to them? Here you go/Here’s your coffee |
| You put your hand up in English class, you want to ask the teacher a question. What do you say to them? I have a question/doubt | You see an old friend from school you haven’t seen for a long time. What do you say to them? Long time, no see! |
| You’re speaking on the phone but there is loud music playing. You don’t understand what they’re saying because of the noise. What do you say to them? I can’t hear you | You get home and see that one of your children is crying. What do you say to them? What’s wrong? |
| Your friend tells you that they’re going to Disneyland this weekend. What do you say to them? Have fun! | Your friend says sorry for arriving late to meet you for lunch. You don’t mind that they’re late. What do you say to them? No worries/problem |
| Your teacher says something very quickly and you don’t understand. What do you say to them? Sorry, I didn’t catch that | You’re having a debate at work and you have the same opinion as your co-worker. What do you say to them? I agree |
| You see your friend in the morning and you want to know how they are. What do you say to them? How’s it going? | You’re bored at school and you want to know when you will be allowed to go to the playground. What do you say to the teacher? How long / How much longer until play time? |
This is a guest post by Soleil García Brito just in time for Halloween! Students learn about the concert of spoopy vs spooky things and the history of the jack-o-lantern. Download the handouts below:
Adapted from Merriam Webster – Words We’re Watching
The Inside Poop On ‘Spoopy’
Spoopy might startle people, especially around Halloween season. Perhaps it’s the resemblance (1) ______ spooky, which could lead you to believe the formation is nothing more (2) ______ a jaw-dropping typo. Or it could also be that it has poopy in it, which makes the spelling amusing to people (3) ______ enjoy bodily humour. This Internet sensation’s origin was a comical misspelling of the adjective spooky spotted on a department store’s Halloween sign written in a “skeletal” font and photographed. The image was (4) ______ uploaded to the Internet; in short order, spoopy (5) ______ viral. Essentially, the word is used to describe something that typically would be spooky, (6) ______ an image of a skeleton or ghost, but is actually rather comical. The word has other connotations (7) ______ well: it is sometimes used for things that are intended to be spooky but simply fail to scare, or it could describe something that blends cuteness (8) ______ spookiness in a grotesque way.
Watch the video (x2) until 5:17 and answer the following questions:
Watch the video again, complete the sentences below and match the words to their meanings:
| Turns out | Walking around slowly with no clear purpose or direction |
| Claiming | In a way that shows a strong desire to do or have something |
| Turn (sth/sb) into | Saying that something is true or a fact |
| Eagerly | To be known or discovered finally and surprisingly |
| Wandering | Ground near a lake, a river, or the sea that is always wet |
| Marshes | To change, transform or develop from one thing to another |
| USEFUL IDIOMS | To be taken off guard The lesser of two evils |
A new worksheet for B2+ students to help them add more cohesion to their writing through the use of formal linkers and connectors. Download the handout and key below:
Lead students through the worksheet. Encourage creativity in the final activity. Set students an FCE or CAE part 1 essay for homework.
Label the groups of linkers (A, B, C, D) with the titles in the box based on their function.
| REASON ADDITION CONTRAST/CONCESSION CONDITIONALS |
Group A:
Group B:
Look at the sentences and choose the correct alternative:
Group C
Look at the sentences and choose the correct alternative:
Group D
Look at the linkers in group D and match them to their meaning
Complete the sentences with a linker from the previous exercise, more than one answer might be possible.
Use linkers to upgrade these sentences for use in a C1 essay. You can also upgrade the language in the sentences.