Tag: esl

Posted in Grammar Classes, Video Classes

Chucky’s Participle Clauses

Posted on by Tim Warre

Photo credit: http://www.eltern.de/foren/2007-plauderforum-neu/1181239-chucky.html

Follow me on twitter @RobbioDobbio

This is a lesson plan for higher levels (C1+) to teach participle clauses based around the theme of phobias and horror films.

You will need to download the powerpoint and lesson plan:

chuckys-participle-clauses-update

chucky-worksheet

Chucky’s Participle Clauses Lesson Plan

Warmer

What are you scared of?

Brainstorm different phobias on the board.

What gives you nightmares?

Have any specific films given you nightmares?

Have you seen any of the Chucky films?

Chucky Prank Video

Show the Chucky bus stop prank video until 2:20, tell students to focus on the actions:

Have them report back the different actions they saw.

Powerpoint

Go through the powerpoint, it will take students through present participle clauses and perfect participle clauses.

Guess My Job Game

Cut out and give out the job cards on the hand out, tell students to keep them secret from the rest of the class.

Students have to imagine that they are the person on their card; they have been invited to the class to share their experiences with the other students and give advice using participle clauses.

Example: Explorer, Having traveled all over the world, I can say that there’s no place like home. Having learnt 6 different languages, I thoroughly recommend it because it has broadened my mind immensely.

Give students a couple of minutes to think of their sentences, they then read them to the rest of the class who have to guess what job card they were given.

“Having robbed a lot of banks, I have loads of money” “Are you a bank robber?” “Yes, I am!”

Homework

Set a film/book review task as participle clause can easily be used to describe narratives, encourage students to use at least 2 in their review.

“Seeing her sister nominated to participate in the Hunger Games, Katniss volunteered to take her place.”

“Having never seen a troll before, Bilbo was petrified.”

Posted in Conversation Classes, TED Talk Lesson Plans, Video Classes

TED Talk: Daniel Kish, How I use sonar to navigate the world

Posted on by Tim Warre

Photo credit: http://www.ted.com

Follow me on twitter @RobbioDobbio

This is a conversation lesson plan for higher levels (B2+) based on Daniel Kish’s TED talk “How I use sonar to navigate the world”.

You can either watch the video in class or set it as homework. I have included a copy of the transcript which some students may find useful. You can download the lesson plan below:

TED Talk Daniel Kish Lesson Plan

Daniel Kish TED (transcript)

Introduction Questions

What do you call a person who can’t see?

What would it be like to be blind?

How do you feel when you see a blind person in the street?

Are there any advantages to be being blind?

Think of some things that blind people can and can’t do.

How do blind people navigate the world?

What do you think would be the most difficult thing for a blind person to do?

Show the video.

Discussion Questions

What was your initial reaction to the video?

What did you think when you first saw Daniel?

What did he say about the way in which people treat and react to blind people in society?

What’s his message?

Describe how he navigates the world.

What does he call this system?

Do you think you could use flash sonar?

Do you think you have good eyesight/a good sense of smell etc.?

  • sight/vision
  • smell
  • taste
  • touch
  • hearing

With a partner try to put your senses in order of importance. (This should spark off a lively debate)

Try and come up with a definitive order as a class.

If you had to lose one of your senses, which would you choose and why?

Debate

Divide the class into 5 groups and write the 5 senses on small pieces of paper. Each group picks a piece of paper, they then have to explain why the sense they have picked is the most important. Give them a few minutes to think of some arguments and every day situations to back them up.

Follow up activity

Students write a CAE/CPE report/proposal detailing ways in which a school or public space could be adapted for blind people. Alternatively, you could set an essay based on the TED talk evaluating Daniel Kish’s upbringing compared to more conventional parenting styles for blind/disabled children.

Posted in Writing Classes

CAE Writing Part 1: A Formal Essay

Posted on by Tim Warre

Follow me on twitter @RobbioDobbio

Photo Credit: http://ozgekaraoglu.edublogs.org/2015/04/01/how-to-get-a-good-essay-written-by-writers/

Just a quick note…

Before you use these materials… We’ve created a new podcast aimed at B2+ level English students and teachers alike. You can listen for free at our SoundCloud page below. We have released 5 episodes so far and you can download teacher’s notes to accompany them from our Facebook page or from this blog. All comments and feedback welcome! Give us a like and a share 😉

https://soundcloud.com/2tspod


https://www.facebook.com/2tspodcast/

This is a lesson plan to help students approach and complete the new formal essay task in the CAE writing paper.

You will need the handout and teacher’s key:

CAE Writing Part 1 handout

CAE Writing key

Task Type

The new CAE writing part 1 is a formal essay based on a talk/lecture that the student has recently attended. There are always 3 bullet points that the lecture discussed, of which the candidate must only address two. There are also some quotes from other attendees/surveyed people that can be used. The final part of the task will include a question that the essay MUST answer.

essay shopping

Credit: Spotlight on Advanced – Cengage Learning and National Geographic.

Planning

Make enough copies of the 2nd page of the hand out for one between two. Cut the hand out up, give the slips of paper with the different planning steps to the students and have them put them in order. My suggested order is as follows:

  1. Read task carefully. Underline most important parts; focus on the question that your essay MUST
  2. Brainstorm ideas based on the 3 bullet points.
  3. Choose the 2 bullet point you have the most ideas about.
  4. Brainstorm ways to express your ideas and the quotes in the task using advanced grammar:
  • Inversions: Not only is/do…..but also… Rarely/seldom do people….
  • Double comparatives: The cheaper the…., the more popular…
  • Participle clauses: Being a keen shopper myself,… Having bought many products online,….
  • Advanced linkers: Despite the fact that…., ….. due to the fact that = because
  1. Plan your introduction:
  • An interesting way to introduce the topic.
  • Formal questions that the essay will answer.
  1. Plan your conclusion: Focus on answering the question you underlined in step 1.
  2. Write
  3. Reread carefully checking for:
  • Repetition of words/structures.
  • Contractions
  • Boring/informal vocabulary.
  • Also Furthermore/moreover. Because due/owing to the fact that. Although In spite of the fact that. However nonetheless/nevertheless.
  • Have you answered the question completely?

Have students complete step 1 in pairs:

essay shopping underlined

Have students complete step 2 as a CAE speaking part 3 task. Draw a spider diagram on the board. In the middle write: What influences where/how people shop? On the 3 spokes write the three bullet points: Convenience, cost and enjoyment. Briefly recap some language for speaking tasks and have students discuss the topic for 3 minutes.

Hold a plenary session and board all the students ideas in note form. Then put them in pairs to complete the next step: Brainstorming impressive grammar structures to use.

When shopping online not only do you avoid paying parking fees, but also crowds of people.

Having shopped both online and in stores, I would say that….

Linkers activity

Give out 1 copy of the third page of the handout to each student and have them complete it in pairs.

Pimp my paragraph

Either hand out the paragraph upgrade sheet out or project it on to the board. Students must upgrade the language in the paragraph to make it more impressive and more formal.

Introduction Phrases:

I got these great phrases from another handout I found on the internet:

More and more families are choosing to have only one child.

The trend nowadays is towards having smaller families.

Over the past ten years or so the media have frequently carried reports of ……………

Recent research indicates that the number of teenagers who smoke is increasing.

Hardly a week goes by without another report of …………….. appearing in the media.

This raises the issue of whether ……………..

Although most people would generally agree that …………… few would deny that …………….

I hope you find these activities useful in developing your students’ writing abilities, I appreciate any feedback or constructive criticism in the comments section.

Posted in Conversation Classes

School: Conversation Topic

Posted on by Tim Warre

Image credit: old-fashioned-school-room.jpg By Robert Weissberg

http://www.mindingthecampus.org/tag/charles-murray/

Follow me on twitter @RobbioDobbio

This is a conversation exercise for adult students (A2+) in which they talk about and compare their experiences at school. I have prepared this activity as a follow up to studying comparatives and superlatives so encourage students to compare their schools and personal experiences: Your school was stricter than mine.

Download the handout here:

School Conversation

Useful language:

We had to…

We weren’t allowed to…

We couldn’t…

We didn’t have to… (it wasn’t necessary)

(noun/gerund)… was compulsory

(noun/gerund)… was prohibited

Discussion questions

Put students into groups of 2-4 and have them discuss the questions and then feedback/report what they’ve learnt from their classmates to the rest of the class. For small groups conduct the discussion as a class.

  1. Where did you go to school?
  2. Can you describe your school?
  3. Did you have to wear a uniform? If so, what did it consist of?
  4. What time did you have to start school?
  5. What were the rules at your school?
  • We had to…
  • We weren’t allowed to…
  • We couldn’t…
  • (noun/gerund)… was compulsory
  • (noun/gerund)… was prohibited/against the rules.
  1. Did you eat lunch at school?
  2. Who was the best teacher you had at school? Why?
  3. Who was the strictest teacher you had at school?
  4. What was your favourite subject?
  5. What was your least favourite subject?
  6. Describe a typical day at your school.
  7. What facilities did your school have? (gymnasium, swimming pool etc.)
  8. Have you been to your school recently? How much has it changed?
  9. Would you send your children to the same school?
  10. What things have changed for the better?
  11. What things have changed for the worse?
  12. Who was your best friend at school?
  13. Are you still friends with them now?
  14. Do you think school is easier or more difficult nowadays? Why?

Homework: Write an essay comparing and contrasting modern schools to schools in the past. Or a “day in the life” description of your school experience.

Posted in Conversation Classes, Reading Classes

Ageism and Retirement: CAE/CPE Lesson Plan

Posted on by Tim Warre

Student Onno Selbach does activities with two of our inhabitants. Photo courtesy of Humanitas.

Follow me on twitter @RobbioDobbio

Photo credit: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/dutch-retirement-home-offers-rent-free-housing-students-one-condition/

This is a conversation activity for adults (B2+) based around an article about a Dutch retirement home where university students can live rent free in exchange for spending time with the senior residents. It also includes  Cambridge exam style open cloze and word formation exercises.

Lesson Plan:Dutch nursing home lesson plan

Article:Dutch nursing home offers rent

Open Cloze: Dutch nursing home open cloze

Word Formation: Dutch nursing home word formation

Key:

You can either split the class into groups to discuss the questions or conduct the discussion as a class. Warmer questions:

  • What is ageism?
  • Have you ever experienced it or seen an example of it?
  • In what ways/situations are people discriminated against because of their age?
  • Do you think older people are treated well in your society?
  • What type of problems do elderly people face in modern society?
  • How could this be improved?
  • Do you think the way in which older people are treated has got better or worse in your lifetime?
  • Are young and elderly people well integrated in modern society? If not how can we improve this?

Give out article and have students read it, clear up any vocabulary issues. Then give out the open cloze and word formation exercises.

Discussion questions:

  • What do you think of the program?
  • What are the potential advantages and disadvantages?
  • Why would this program appeal to the students?
  • Why would this program appeal to the elderly people?
  • What would the students get out of the program?
  • What would the elderly people get out of the program?
  • Would you have liked/like to spend your university years living in a retirement home?
  • Would you like to live in a home like this when you retire?

Follow up activity: Students write a CAE style essay, report or proposal on the topic of ageism and the retirement home program outlining pros and cons or highlighting advantages and disadvantages for the students and the elderly people.

Posted in Grammar Classes

Comparative/Superlative Reference Sheet

Posted on by Tim Warre

Follow me on twitter @RobbioDobbio

A reference sheet with the grammatical rules for comparatives and superlatives.

Credit to http://english-zone.com/spelling/comparerules.html for the spelling rules.

Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparatives

Ronaldo is taller than Messi.

Physics is more difficult than French.

My sister is tidier than me.

 Superlatives

Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.

…… is the most beautiful woman in the world.

….. is the most handsome man in the world.

Messi is the best footballer in the world.
Comparatives:

“Short adjectives” – with 1 syllable or 2 syllables that end in “y” + er than

 

John is shorter than Nigel.

Jane is older than Peter.

Teachers are busier than students.

Busy – “y” changes to “I”

Other “y” adjectives: funny, messy, tidy, hungry.

 Superlatives:

Adjectives with 1 syllable or 2 syllables that end in “y” + the …..est

 

The Nile is the longest river.

The Amazon is the widest.

My son is the messiest child in his class.
“Long” adjectives: difficult/beautiful/handsome

+ more + adjective + than

 

Physics is more difficult than French.

Natalie Portman is more beautiful than Scarlett Johansson.

 “Long” adjectives: difficult/beautiful/handsome

+ the most + adjective

 

…….. is the most handsome man in the world.

……… is the most beautiful woman.
Irregular comparatives/superlatives

Adjective Comparative Superlative
Good Better The best
Bad Worse The worst
Far Further/farther The furthest/farthest
Spelling rules for “short adjectives”

Change the Y to I and add -er /-est
Examples:

pretty =  prettier

happy =  happier

busy = busier

If the adjective has a CVC pattern, double the consonant and add -er.

Examples:

wet  =  wetter

big  =  bigger

sad = sadder
Posted in Games, Grammar Classes, Warmers

Advanced Relative Clause Pictionary

Posted on by Tim Warre

Follow me on twitter @RobbioDobbio

Photo credit: http://www.lamaestrachiara.com/inglese/song/green-bottles/ten-green-bottles.htm

This is a revision lesson plan for CAE students studying advanced relative clause phrases such as: all of whom, some of which etc.

Here’s the handout:

Advanced Relative Clause Pictionary

Step 1

I use this game as a revision/warmer after we’ve already studied advanced relative clause phrases with which and whom.

Draw two columns on the board with the titles which (objects/things) and whom (people) and have students recall as many relative clause phrases as they can:

Which (objects/things) Whom (people)
In which (where)

All of which

Some of which

None of which

Both of which

Neither of which

(1,2,3) of which

 All of whom

Some of whom

None of whom

Both of whom

Neither of whom

(1,2,3) of whom

Students may struggle with the difference between neither of whom/which and none of whom/which.

Neither refers to just two people/things where as none refers to a group of at least three:

Two students came to class, neither of whom had done their homework.

Ten students came to class, none of whom had done their homework.

There were two buses waiting to take people to the city centre, neither of which had enough space for us.

There were three buses waiting to take people to the city centre, none of which had enough space for us.

Cut out the hand out and divide the class into teams, one volunteer must attempt to draw the situation described in the picture, the team that calls out the corresponding sentence gets 1 point. Continue until all the situations have been used.

Draw the following sentences:

A group of children, some of whom are wearing hats, are waiting for the bus. Four houses, two of which are on fire.
A group of men, all of whom are wearing glasses, are watching TV. Two dogs, both of which are eating bones, are at the beach.
Two men, neither of whom has hair, are playing tennis. Two pizzas, both of which have mushrooms, are on the table.
Two snakes, both of which are green, are sleeping on the carpet. Ten bottles, all of which are full, are sitting on the wall.
Five babies, two of whom are sleeping, are lying on the bed. Five cats, some of which are black, are playing with a ball.