Lesson idea 3.1
An Australian city
Type of activity
Reading comprehension
Level
Intermediate – CEFR Level B1/B2
Timing
35 minutes (+ 30 minutes for extension activities)
Aim
To practise reading skills
Preparation
Making copies of handout
Resources
Handout
Pictures
This activity provides practice in different reading sub-skills as well as opportunities for speaking
practice.
Stage
Aim
Action
Time
Focus
1
To introduce the
Ask students to look at the pictures on
3 mins
Teacher to whole
topic of the
the handout and see if they recognise
reading and to
that these are from Sydney, Australia.
raise interest
If they don’t, you can use the
class
following prompts:
•
•
•
•
Does it look like a hot place?
Is it a big city or a smaller
town?
Do you think lots of people
would like to visit this place?
Why?
What animal can you see?
What else do they know about
Sydney?
2
Reading for gist
Explain that they are going to read
2 mins
part of a welcome leaflet from a hotel
Teacher to whole
class
room. The title is missing. Tell the
class that they have just one minute
to skim-read the leaflet and to choose
the best title from the three options
given. Tell them not to worry about
any difficult vocabulary that they see
and reassure them that they will read
it in more detail later.
© Cambridge University Press 2017
Lesson idea 3.1 An Australian city
Students individually
3
Feedback
Ask students which title they chose.
3 mins
Students to class
7 mins
Teacher to whole
The second one, ‘Welcome to Sydney
– such a varied place to visit!’, is the
most suitable as the leaflet talks
about lots of different things to do in
Sydney. Find the things to do in
Sydney that the leaflet mentions to
confirm this. The first title isn’t suitable
as it suggests that the readers aren’t
in Sydney. The last one isn’t suitable
as the leaflet isn’t aimed solely at
students.
4
Reading for
Now ask the class to read the text
specific
again. Tell them there is some new
information
vocabulary in it but not to worry about
class
that at the moment. Ask them to look
at the numbers in the table and to find
them in the text. They should then
Students individually
note down what they refer to.
5
Feedback
Students compare their answers with
4 mins
Students in pairs
5 mins
Teacher to whole
a partner and discuss which they
were most surprised by.
Monitor while they do this. You may
not need to review the answers as a
class if you are confident there were
no problems.
6
Vocabulary
Now tell the students they are going
to focus on some of the vocabulary in
class
the text that may be new to them. Ask
them to find the words in the first
column of the table in the text and to
match them to a synonym in the
Students individually
second column. Check that they
understand what a synonym is. Use
the first word as an example, if
necessary, for the whole class.
7
Feedback and
Students check their answers with
vocabulary
their partner. Then ask them to
consolidation
choose three of the words and to
6 mins
Teacher to whole
class
write their own sentences to show
their meaning. If necessary, use an
example to demonstrate. I went to
© Cambridge University Press 2017
Lesson idea 3.1 An Australian city
Students in pairs
that new shop today but didn’t buy
Students individually
anything as everything was so pricey.
8
Speaking –
Students discuss what they would like
fluency practice
to do if they went to Sydney. Ask
5 mins
Students in pairs
then in groups of
them to try to persuade their partner
four if time permits
that their choice is best even if they
have different ideas. If time permits,
pairs join to make a group of four to
explain their choices.
This is a fluency activity so don’t
interrupt but note down any errors for
correction later – particularly if these
are with any of the new vocabulary
studied.
Possible expansion activities
1
Plan writing
Students produce a plan to write a
10
leaflet for visitors to a place they
mins
Students individually
know.
•
•
•
2
What places would they
include?
What vocabulary would they
use?
What information would they
include?
Writing from a
Possible homework task – students
20
plan
write the leaflet from their plan.
mins
© Cambridge University Press 2017
Lesson idea 3.1 An Australian city
Students individually
Handout: An Australian city
Look at the pictures below. Do you recognise the city and the places it shows?
This is part of a leaflet for tourists who have arrived at their hotel in Australia.
Read quickly
The title of the leaflet is missing. First, quickly read the leaflet and decide which of the following titles is
the best. Explain to your partner why you have chosen this one.
•
•
•
Visit Australia soon – let us tell you why!
Welcome to Sydney – such a varied place to visit!
How to have a good time in Australia as a student.
Well, you’re here and we’d like to welcome you to the hotel and to our
city. People all over the world recognise the landmarks of Sydney – the
famous Opera House, the stunning harbour. But there is more to
Sydney than immediately meets the eye. 250 different languages are
spoken in Sydney and you’re likely to meet people who have moved
here from every corner of the globe. One great bonus of that is you can
find cuisines from different countries too – spicy Mexican chillies, hot
Indian curries, unique Vietnamese rice dishes and delicious French
cakes. The choice is so wide, you certainly won’t be peckish in this city!
You won’t have trouble filling your time while you’re here either. There is
so much to do. Our shopping is really varied – you’ll find big shopping
centres as well as local shops. The Westfield Shopping Centre in the city
centre has 130 stores. I hope you’ve left room in your suitcase to carry back
everything you buy!
Just a bus ride away from the downtown area you’ll be able to relax at
seaside resorts and enjoy our famous beaches. Bring a picnic or buy
something there to make a day of it. Don’t forget your swimming
costume and some sun cream, though – it does get quite hot – up to 40
degrees at this time of year.
We’re fond of outside life here in Sydney and if you don’t want to go to
the beach there is plenty more to do. Why not hire a bike for a day and
pedal around the area? It isn’t pricey at just $10 a day. If that sounds
too energetic then why not relax with a gentle game of golf. (Book a day
at Moore Park Golf Course and get 20% off with our special discount
code.) And of course don’t forget our stunning wildlife. We have many
animals here that you won’t find living wild anywhere else in the world
– from powerful kangaroos to sleepy koalas and scary crocodiles. At
Featherdale Wildlife Park, just 45 minutes from the city centre, you’ll
meet them all. You’ll need your camera to take some photos of these
magnificent creatures.
© Cambridge University Press 2017
Lesson idea 3.1 An Australian city
Lots of people think that Sydney is the capital of Australia. It isn’t – that’s Canberra, which is 286 miles
away. But it is the capital of the state and so there are lots of art galleries to visit if you prefer something
more sedate. There are some eye-catching cultural exhibits at the Australian Museum, too.
There is something for everyone in Sydney – you’ll go home with special memories and a yearning to
come back and visit us again. But now … get out of this hotel room and enjoy our city!
Read again
Read the text more carefully now and look at the numbers below. What do they refer to in the text?
250
40
130
286
10
20
45
Share your answers with a partner. Which did you find the most surprising thing in the text?
Vocabulary
Now let’s look at some of the vocabulary in the text. Find the words in the first column below and match
them to the synonyms in the second column.
1
cuisines
attractive
2
meet the eye
holiday areas
3
landmarks
relaxed
4
resorts
expensive
5
peckish
desire
6
sedate
types of food
7
eye-catching
slightly hungry
8
pricey
can be seen
9
yearning
famous places
© Cambridge University Press 2017
Lesson idea 3.1 An Australian city
Check your answers with your partner. Choose three of the words and make your own sentences to show
their meaning.
1
____________
___________________________________________________________
2
___________________________________________________________
____________
___________________________________________________________
3
___________________________________________________________
____________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Speaking activity
Now imagine you have just arrived in Sydney. Where do you want to go? What sounds most exciting? Do
other students have the same ideas?
© Cambridge University Press 2017
Lesson idea 3.1 An Australian city
Key
Read again
250
different languages spoken in Sydney
40
temperature in degrees
130
stores in the shopping centre
286
miles from Sydney to Canberra
10
dollars to hire a bike for a day
20
% discount to play golf
45
minutes to get to Featherdale Wildlife Park
Vocabulary
1
cuisines
attractive
2
meet the eye
holiday areas
3
landmarks
relaxed
4
resorts
expensive
5
peckish
desire
6
sedate
types of food
7
eye catching
slightly hungry
8
pricey
can be seen
9
yearning
famous places
© Cambridge University Press 2017
Lesson idea 3.1 An Australian city