This is a lesson plan for C1+ Spanish speaking students. Students use contrastive analysis to compare Spanish idioms and expressions with their English equivalent. It was inspired by an activity in Leo Selivan’s book Lexical Grammar. Download the student handout and key below:
Here’s another training worksheet for C2 students preparing to take the C2 Proficiency exam. Students guess the meaning of some common idioms and expressions, attempt to recall them, then put them into practice in conversation. Download the handout below:
This is a vocab lesson plan based on an exercise from the Expert Proficiency Course book. It expands a short exercise from the book out into a full activity with exam practice and a speaking task. Students learn expressions with the words brain, face, head and wits and put them into practice in a key word transformation exercise and a discussion activity. Download the handout with key below:
Expert Proficiency Coursebook page 74
Complete the expressions in the sentences with brain, face, head, or mind.
| Become arrogant after success From memory A relief Thinking really hard Very stressed, not know what to do Be within touching distance Suffer damage to one’s reputation/social standing Tell sb off/reprimand | Wasting my time, actions have no effect Maintain one’s reputation Occurred to me The person who thought of an idea Seem capable of thought and independent action Not laugh/show signs of amusement Be alert/keep an eye out |
Complete the sentences with one of the expressions.
BRAIN
I’ve …………………..………….. to remember where I left my keys.
FACE
It can be devastating for teenagers ……………………..……………..….. Group.
WITS
It’s vital that you ……………………..……………..….. any information slip in the meeting.
TOP
I can’t recall any examples off ……………………..……………..….. in no doubt that there are loads.
BRAINS
Steve Jobs ……………………..……………..….. the Ipod.
HEADS
The old rapper advised the newbies …………………………………………………..
MIND
My car stereo ……………………………………………….., there’s no controlling it.
Complete the questions with one of the expressions, then answer the questions with a partner.
KEY – SENTENCE COMPLETION + DEFINITION MATCH
KEY – KEY WORD TRANSFORMATIONS
KEY – CONVERSATION QUESTIONS
This is a lesson plan for students preparing to take the C2 Proficiency exam. Students look at some typical phrasal verbs, collocations and dependent prepositions that often come up in the exam and put them into practice in conversation. Download the handout, key and accompanying slides below:
Here is a link to a quizziz game you can use for spaced repetition:
https://quizizz.com/admin/quiz/635960fbd051f0001d04ea21?source=quiz_share
Procedure
First of all students have to choose from two prepositions to complete the phrasal verbs so that it fits the context of the sentence. Then have them match the phrasal verbs to the definitions in the box below. You could then have students test each other, one says a definition, the other has to recall the phrasal verb.
Show students slide 2 of the presentation and instruct them to turn their handouts over and attempt to recall the missing words in the questions from memory. In this exercise they are required to recall the verb, rather than the preposition. Once they have completed the exercise, have them ask and answer the questions in pairs or small groups and then share any funny/interesting discoveries in open class.
Students then repeat the process for the dependent prepositions. However, in this case, rather than matching definitions, they match synonyms of the collocations to transform the sentence. I most cases they are direct synonyms that fit the same grammatical pattern but in a couple of cases they will need to make changes to the sentence, instruct them to check carefully if the synonym fits.
Slide 4-5 have a similar gapped questions task to the first one for students to complete in pairs. The final exercise contains more expressions and phrasal verbs with prepositions. Have students complete the exercise in pairs, then after checking in open class, have students come up with gapped questions for their classmates to complete. Tell them that their questions must be open-ended and designed to spark conversation, for example:
Are there any things that you’ve done so many times that you can now do ….. auto-pilot?
Feel free to post any of your students’ questions in the comments! Let me know how it goes!
In this lesson plan students preparing for the C1 Advanced exam develop their understanding of some key fixed expressions that often come up in part 4 of the use of English. Download the handout and homework exercise below:
You could also play this Baamboozle game with students for spaced repetition.
These particular expressions are taken from this quizlet set of 82 different key word transformation expressions, you may want to use it for spaced repetition.
Procedure
Students read the expressions in bold and discuss the meaning with their partner. Encourage them to paraphrase the expression and make any notes on the grammar that might be relevant: specific prepositions, verb patterns that may follow it (gerund/infinitive etc.)
Students then flip the paper over and attempt to remember the expressions using the key words as prompts. They can check their answers by looking back at page 1. Ask students which expressions they struggled the most to recall.
Set the key word transformation worksheet for homework.
This is a quick, communicative activity for C2 students in which they practice some expressions with dependent prepositions and some idioms related to music. I’m currently working with a coursebook which is packed with great C2 language but a little lacking in communicative production activities so I thought I’d share some I’ve been using. Download the handout and key below:
When creating your own gap-fill exercises, why not make them questions? That way you’ve got a speaking activity ready to go immediately.
Have students work in pairs to fill in the missing words in the expressions, then have them underline the dependent preposition in the first set of sentences and the complete idiom in the second. Then have them ask and answer the questions.
Dependent Prepositions
Music Idioms
Key
Dependent Prepositions
Music Idioms
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This is a lesson plan for higher level learners (C1+) in which students learn some common English proverbs. Download the worksheet and key below:
Match the different sentence halves to form English proverbs.
| 1. Where there’s a will
2. Don’t look a gift horse 3. If it ain’t broke, 4. Beggars can’t 5. Too many cooks 6. There’s no such thing 7. People who live in glass houses 8. Two wrongs 9. The squeaky wheel 10. Don’t put all your eggs 11. Two heads 12. Don’t count your chickens |
a. Be choosers
b. Before they hatch c. Spoil the broth d. There’s a way e. Are better than one f. As a free lunch g. In the mouth h. In one basket i. Shouldn’t throw stones j. Gets the grease k. Don’t fix it l. Don’t make a right |
Now match the proverb to its definition:
Match the picture to the proverb (only show up on the handout 🙁 )
Match the scenario to proverb.
In pairs, take it in turns to read out the first half of a proverb to your partner, they must complete it.
A: Too many cooks…
B: Spoil the broth.
Choose 3 proverbs and try to relate them to a time in your life. Write three sentences.
| Matching
1. D 2. G 3. K 4. A 5. C 6. F 7. I 8. L 9. J 10. H 11. E 12. B |
Meaning
1. Two wrongs don’t make a right 2. People who live in glass houses… 3. If it ain’t broke… 4. Beggars can’t be choosers 5. The squeaky wheel 6. Don’t put all your eggs in… 7. Too many cooks… 8. Don’t look a gift horse… 9. Two heads are better than one 10. Don’t count your chickens… 11. There’s no such thing as a… 12. Where there’s a will… |
| Picture Match
1. Too many cooks… 2. Don’t put all your eggs… 3. Don’t count your chickens… 4. Don’t look a gift horse in… 5. People who live in… 6. 2 wrongs don’t make a right 7. 2 heads are better than 1 8. There’s no such thing as a free lunch |
Scenarios
1. 2 wrongs don’t make a right 2. Too many cooks… 3. Don’t look a gift horse… 4. There’s no such thing as… 5. 2 heads are better than one 6. Where there’s a will there’s a way 7. The squeaky wheel… 8. People in glass houses… 9. Don’t put all your eggs in one… 10. Don’t count your chickens… 11. Beggars can’t be choosers 12. If it ain’t broke… |
Image credit: www.20minutos.es
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This is a new version of my Alphabet Quiz game designed for very high levels (high C1) in which students have to guess different idioms which begin with each letter of the alphabet. Credit to my colleague Peter Rassa for the idea. The game is similar to the gameshow “Pasaparabla” on Spanish television. You will need the lesson plan with the question sheet:
Alphabet Quiz CPE Idioms Version
Procedure
Write the alphabet on the board, if you’re feeling really creative you can do it in a circle as shown in the picture above. Quickly recap the letters that often cause your students problems. It varies from place to place but in Spain they struggle with J, G, E, I, Q, W, and Y.
Quickly recap the letters that often cause your students problems. It varies from place to place but in Spain they struggle with J, G, E, I, Q, W, and Y.
Write all your students’ names on the board in a list.
Choose a player to go first, explain to them that you are going to ask them a question, the answer to the question begins with the letter A. They have two options: they can attempt to answer the question or they can say “pass”. If they choose to answer and they get it right, they get 1 point but if they get it wrong they lose 1 point. If they choose to pass, then it is the next student’s turn but the next student is asked the “B” question. You continue like this through the list of questions, every time a question is answered correctly you cross that letter out from the list on the board. When you reach the end of the list (the “Z” question) you then return to the top of the list and work your way through any questions which were not answered the first time around.
NOTE: It is important that students don’t shout out the answers to the questions if it’s not their turn as that question could be revisited later.
The winner is the student with the most points when all the questions have been answered or at the end of a set time limit.
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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:
You cant choose your family handout
You can’t choose your fam teacher notes
Teacher’s notes
Write the expression “you can’t choose your family” on the board. What does it mean? Does it exist in your language?
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.
Students match the expressions with the definitions.
Students complete the sentences about themselves and then compare with their partners.
Student handout
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.
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.
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.
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This is a lesson plan for higher level students (high B2+) in which students learn expressions related to fear and horror movies. It is a good companion activity my Chucky’s Participle Clauses lesson, I plan to teach the two activities in one 90 minute class. You will need the audio file and handouts below:
[office src=”https://onedrive.live.com/embed?cid=79CFF252BEEA0A7D&resid=79CFF252BEEA0A7D%212685&authkey=AEC4lrrjJLPHKLk” width=”98″ height=”120″]
Scared Stiff
First check students understand “scared stiff” then tell them they are going to listen to a man talking about horror films. Dictate them these 5 questions, students write them down. Play the audio twice all the way through.
Being a bit of a scaredy-cat I’m not really into horror films. But every now and then I like to sit down and watch one with my girlfriend. I’m not very squeamish so I don’t really find gory films very frightening but anything to do with eyes gives me the heebie-jeebies, so I find any scenes where people get the eyes cut or poked out really unsettling.
The films that really send shivers down my spine are psychological horror films, for me they’re far scarier than gory films. Maybe ones where some people are exploring a spooky house and there’s some creepy music playing, they really put me on edge because you don’t know when something is going to jump out and scare you half to death. Sometimes the scariest thing is when we’re watching a horror film and the house phone suddenly rings, or the cat makes a sound and we jump out of our skins with fright.
My girlfriend is slightly different to me. She’s petrified of spiders and anything that looks like a spider but they don’t really bother me. Once we watched a film about giant alien bugs and we had to switch it off because she was shaking like a leaf!
Students listen again and write down as many expressions as they can.
Students look at the expressions in the box, find them in the text and try to deduce meaning from context.
| 1. Scaredy-cat – a person who is easily frightened/scared of a lot of things
2. Squeamish – a person who can’t deal with the sight of blood/gore 3. Gory – a film with lots of blood and guts 4. Gives me the heebie-jeebies – makes me feel uncomfortable/scared/disgusted 5. Unsettling – makes you feel uncomfortable 6. Sends shivers down my spine – a physical response to being scared 7. Spooky – haunted, supernatural 8. Creepy – discomforting, films can be creepy but people can too, a creepy guy etc. 9. Put me on edge – makes me nervous 10. Scare you half to death – scare a lot 11. Jump out of your skin – gives you a big fright 12. Petrified of – very scared of 13. Shake like a leaf – physically trembling with fear |
Memory gap-fill
Students turn the hand out over and try to remember the positions of all the expressions to complete the text. If they get stuck they can turn the paper over and look for one expression.
Students look at the expressions and analyse them with the following questions to increase chance of retention.
Students discuss the following questions with their partner using the expressions and the language in the box below. Students should be encouraged to use the “showing interest” expressions to actively listen to their partner.
| Showing interest | Personalising |
| Uh-huh.
That’s interesting/weird. Oh, I see. Right. Totally/absolutely. I see what you mean. I’m exactly the same. Uh-uh, not me. No way! You’re joking |
For me personally,
Speaking personally, From my point of view, When it comes to (scary movies), I think… Speaking of (scary movies), in my opinion… I find (gory movies) really (terrifying)
(psychological horror movies) are much/far scarier than (gory movies) |
Follow up
Students right a CAE style review of the scariest film they’ve ever seen, explaining why it was so scary and who they would recommend it to.