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ACTIVITIES USING RESOURCES
•
Introduction
II
. .
objects that the teacher or learners bring to the classroom (Units
20-23)
There are two other important resources available in every
classroom:
III
II
you, the teacher - your knowledge, experiences, interests, and
opinions (Units 24-26), and
your learners - their knowledge, experiences, interests, and opinions
(Units 27-30).
In the next section we will look at each of these in turn.
Making and using resources
Using the board
The board is the most useful resource in the classroom. Learners
understand better with visual and written support. The board can be
like a 'public arena' to help learners participate in the lesson. It can
also help to focus the class' attention. You can:
II
II
II
have one area for pictures to help present new language or provide
cues for language drills
divide the board into separate areas for recording new vocabulary or
new language, or interesting language that comes up during the
lesson or homework
tell your learners to come to the front of the class and use the board
as part of a classroom activity.
--�
-
It is a good idea to plan the use of your board when you plan your
lesson. When you are planning you should also decide when you will
clean off different sections. Be careful not to stand in front of what
you have written. If you are not used to drawing pictures, make the
pictures very simple and practise first on paper and then on the
board. Try to draw quickly using basic outlines and stick people to
give a general idea. Don't worry about details. Always include the
learners as you write on the board, by asking questions like:
2
Introduction
'How do you spell that?'
'What should I write here?
'I go. I . . . ?' (went)
A well-organised board shows that your thoughts are well-organised
and this in turn will help the learners to understand and remember.
Flashcards
Flashcards are pieces of paper or card (approximately A4 or foolscap
in size) on which the teacher draws a picture or writes words. You
can use the plain back of cardboard packaging, as this material lasts
longer than paper. Show the flashcard or series of flashcards to the
whole class in order to elicit language related to the picture or words
on the flashcard. Remember that the words or pictures must be clear
and simple and large enough to be seen at the back of the class.
You can use flashcards in various ways:
•
•
to prompt your class to say or write something, for example, Unit 8
'Stories from words'
to help learners understand when they use certain phrases, for
example, Unit 9 'Introducing and practising language'
to introduce a context where a certain structure is used, for example,
describing a process in Unit 10
to cue spoken drills in the controlled stage of a lesson
to prompt a 'yes' or 'no' answer, for example, a smiley face could
represent 'yes' and a sad face could represent 'no' (see Unit 9), or a
positive/negative response, such as: 'I agree' / 'I disagree' or 'I think
so' / 'I don't think so'.
When you use flashcards, you can:
use one flashcard at a time
use a series of flashcards to tell a story or describe a process
only show the flashcard for a few seconds to encourage learners to
recognise the word or picture and to quickly give a response
3
,Introduction
tfl
flip between the front and the back of a flashcard, which has slightly
different information on each side, for example, two identical
pictures where only the date is different, to practise the present tense
with that day's date, contrasted with a past tense with yesterday's
date
[ill
reveal a part of the flashcard, covering up the rest of it, and ask
learners to predict what is on the rest of the flashcard, for example, a
woman waving to a person whose identity can be covered. The
learners guess who that person might be.
Posters
Posters are sometimes published for specific language learning
activities, however you can make good use of any out-of-date or
I
unused posters. Posters that are no longer needed can be found in
health centres, post offices, cinemas, and other public buildings, and
they show a wide variety of pictures and words. For example, a
healthy eating campaign poster, or a holiday advertisement could be
used to teach food items or travel vocabulary.
When these posters are available to you, try using the pictorial and
written information on them as part of language learning lessons.
You can also use the plain backs of posters to write or draw your own
pictures. Remember to draw the picture before the class if it takes
time to draw.
As the whole class needs to see the poster, hang it on the classroom
walls or attach it to the board. Often the easiest and least damaging
way to hang posters is to tie a length of string at eye height along a
wall of the classroom, and attach the posters to the string with
clothes pegs. Posters can be placed around the classroom for learners
to look at or write on during a lesson, or they could be left up to be
seen or written on during the term.
You can use posters in various ways to help learners to:
[9
revise a group of related vocabulary items, for example, Unit 1 1
'Memory game'
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EJ
create a situation or environment, for example, Unit 12 'Shopping'
make a chart of the plot or characters of a story they are telling, or
book they are reading
23
4
record and display new vocabulary or phrases. Learners can update
this list as they learn new language.
Introduction
Small cards
Small cards are very useful when you want your learners to practise
in groups using pictures or words. These activities are more suitable
for small classes of up to about 18 learners as you may need a set of
cards for each group. Learners
can use
them:
i3
to practise using tenses accurately, for example, Unit 13 'Dominoes'
fill
as
prompts when they are practising using the language more
fluently, for
example,
cards'.
Units 14 and 15, 'Play the part' and 'Reminder
Make small cards from any pieces of stiff card. If you have cardboard
boxes, cut them into cards of about 5 x 8 or 10 cm. If the card is
clean, write or draw simple pictures or stick small pictures directly
on to the card. Otherwise, draw or write on to clean paper, cut it to
size, and stick it on to the small cards. If you need several identical
sets of cards, draw or write everything on a sheet of paper first, then,
if you can, make a copy for each group. Then cut each copy to size
and stick them on cards.
Learners can help to write or draw these cards. It is all part of the
learning process. For some group activities, each group has to have
identical cards. If this is not the case, make different sets of cards.
These can then be rotated from group to group, giving the learners
extra practice.
5
Introduction
Objects in the classroom
The classroom is full of useful and adaptable teaching and learning
resources. In the classroom there usually are:
fiJ
a board, pens or chalk, board cleaners
KB
chairs and desks
�
walls, floors, ceilings, doors, windows
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lights, a fan or heater, a radio or cassette player.
These can be used:
Ii:!
to teach colour, size, shape, or function
L:rl
as a prop, for example, the broom can be used as a guitar or an oar
l1M
to help set a scene outside the class, for example, four chairs can be
arranged to look like a car or bus, or restaurant.
Objects from outside the classroom
Objects from the world outside the classroom can also provide
accessible and interesting teaching and learning resources. It is not
difficult to find or to bring small portable objects to school. These
can help to bring reality and richness to the classroom.
You or your learners can bring in:
F;TI
objects from the home, for example, used packaging, food, an item
of clothing
aID
objects from a shop, cinema, theatre, for example, something they
bought recently, a theatre brochure, a cinema ticket
fJ
natural objects, for example, sticks, stones, leaves.
You can use these objects to:
m
encourage the learners to talk about themselves and learn more
f}j
clarify the language of shapes, materials, colour�, textures, and
about learners in their class
functions of objects
fB
6
provide props for role plays.
Introduction
You, the teacher
The teacher traditionally gives information and corrects mistakes. In
more communicative approaches' to teaching and learning, the
learners take a more active part in the learning process. According to
this approach, the teacher sometimes elicits facts or ideas from the
learners, sometimes guides the learners, and is sometimes the person
who provides an example of how English is used to communicate.
However, a teacher can take an even wider role in the learning
process by:
�
including their own life experiences and opinions in the lesson
!14
allowing the learners to find out facts about them
l!!l
giving authentic responses to learners' questions.
Your learners
Learners are usually expected to be quiet in class and passive in the
learning process. However, they can take a more active part in the
lesson by:
.8
contributing their opinions on personal preferences and life
�
asking and talking about their and other's lives
'3
describing or comparing their own and other's appearance,
decisions
belongings, and homes.
Making and collecting resources
You can help your learners t9 feel involved in school activities and
more interested in their learning by asking them to make and collect
teaching and learning resources.
You can ask learners to make:
gjJ
drawings of fruit and vegetables and other food items
[�
maps, diagrams, and language charts on posters
��
nature corners, word games, and word boxes
[J
copies of instructions and advertisements in English.
7
Introduction
You can ask learners to bring:
tB
printed items in English, such as magazines, newspapers, and leaflets
lro
used packaging, such as biscuits or soap powder
!II
used cans and boxes.
You can ask learners to borrow for one day:
[fID
a few items of food from home, such as fruit or grains
rn
household objects, such as pans and bowls
�
items of clothing.
It is a good idea to stick resources made of paper on a thick piece of
card, and then to store them in a plastic bag so that you can use them
more than once. Food is sometimes packaged in thick card, and you
can use this to make backing card. Plastic bags are often used to sell
fruit and vegetables, and they can be placed over items and closed
with a clothes peg.
Making simple storage systems
Now that you have protected your resources, you need to 'organise
and store them so that you can easily find them.
o
Find some boxes that are large enough to hold each type of resource.
ffi1i
Each item needs to be clearly labelled. You can do this by writing on
each one the lesson it is suitable for, such as 'Shopping', or you could
label them (Stories' or 'Pictures'.
�
13
Write out a list of what you have stored in each box, and stick it on
the front of each box.
�
Keep sets of small cards in envelopes. On the front, make a note of
the contents and number of cards inside.
J:1lIj
In your classroom, hang up string lines along the walls, and hang up
resources with clothes pegs.
im
8
In your classroom cut up boxes and make them into display cases.
Introduction
Sharing resources with other teachers
If you and your learners are going to spend time finding and making
some resources, it is a good idea to be able to share them with others.
You need to:
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ill
Q
[J
o
iii
talk to other teachers and ask them if they are interested in using
resources
encourage other teachers to collect resources
make sure all items are carefully labelled and stored
make a list of what resources each teacher has got
use an exercise book for all teachers to note what they have borrowed
meet regularly (perhaps once a week or once a month) to co­
ordinate the collection of resources
set time aside to discuss how you all use these resources.
The activities in this book
There are thirty activities in this book. One activity (Unit 9
'Introducing and practising language') includes a detailed presentation
of new language. The other activities are for the practice stage of a
lesson. Some activities focus on accuracy and others focus on using the
language more fluently. In some units, there are follow-up activities so
that the learners get further practice in speaking or writing.
In this book, each activity has a specific language point or points.
But, if you have a coursebook or textbook, you can change the
language point or the scenario of the activity to fit in with the
language or contents of your coursebook. In this way you can still
complete your teaching syllabus and introduce more interesting
ways of learning at the same time.
Managing the activities
Taking part actively in a lesson may be a very new idea for some
learners. You may have to explain why you want them to take part in
activities during the lesson. Always demonstrate the activity with
good, co-operative learners or even pretend to be two people
yourself before getting learners to do pair or group work, and give
very clear instructions with a time limit. Sometimes you may need to
write these instructions on the board. While the learners are working
in groups or pairs, monitor the activity by walking round quietly,
checking that learners understand what they have to do and helping
them with language. For fluency activities, you do not always have to
correct at the time, but make a note of some of the errors you hear.
Later write some of these on the board and ask the learners to help
9
Introduction
you correct them. Errors that occur constantly can provide the topic
.
for some revision.
Using resources at different stages of
the lesson
Some English lessons begin with the introduction of new vocabulary
or a new grammatical structure. It is very important that the learners
understand the meaning of this new language and how to use it. You
can see how helpful it is at this stage to use blackboard pictures, a
series of pictures on flashcards, or posters or real objects to make this
meaning very clear and to set the new language in a context.
During the lesson, learners also need to practise using the language
and the teacher can use or indicate different resources, such as
blackboard drawings, posters, or flashcards as cues for repeating
words or phrases or parts of dialogues. Learners can practise this
way, either repeating as a whole class or in pairs. Smaller cards are
especially useful when learners practise language in small groups, as
they can be sorted or can form the basis of game-like activities which
promote more language practice for everyone in the group.
Sometimes whole lessons or parts of a lesson are devoted entirely to
practising using whatever language learners know as fluently as
possible. Resources can play a very important part is such activities.
For example, le�rners may give a short talk about a favourite object,
showing the rest of the class pictures or the real object which they
have brought to the classroom. Or learners may take part in a role
play using cards or posters which set out the situation or details of
their character. The information for an (information gap' activity can
be written on the blackboard or on posters. Even though they have
learnt it, learners often forget the language they need for this kind of
role play, so cards or posters can act as a prompt for the use of
appropriate language.
You can see that a variety of resources can help to clarify the meaning
of language and to reinforce learning. Practising the language can
become more fun. As a result lessons become more enjoyable and
stimulating, and learners become more motivated. Greater
motivation means that learners are more likely to understand, to
work hard, and to become effective users of the language.
10
Activities
1
LANGUAGE
Touch the box
Using recently learned vocabulary, for example, transport:
bus, lorry, car, aeroplane, boat, ferry, van, bicycle.
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
TIME GUIDE
Activity
:L
The board.
Write the heading 'Transport' on the board. Draw eight large boxes
on the board and write one of the words from the group above in
each box.
10-15 minutes.
Select two teams of four learners. Tell them to stand behind each
other in two rows facing the board. Tell the first learner from each
team to stand about two metres from the board. Explain that the first
of these two learners to touch the box which matches your definition
or translation earns a point for his or her team.
J
12
2
Read out a definition or translation of one of the words, for example,
'bus' - 'lots of people travel by road on this to a city or town or
village' or 'autobus', 'autobus', etc.
3
When one of the first two learners has touched the box, ask the rest
of the class if the correct word has been identified. If the word is
correct, that learner's team earns a point.
4
Now the second learner in each team comes to the front of the line.
Read out another definition or translation and continue in the same
way as stage 2 until all the team has taken part and all the words have
been identified. The team with the most points is the winner.
Touch the box
1
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 0 . 0 0 . 0 0 ••••• 0 0 0 0 . 0
Variations
1
You can also decrease or increase the number of boxes on the board
to make the activity easier or more difficult, or ask the learners to
stand further away to make it more active.
2
Here are ideas for other areas of the language:
:71
Write these phrasal verbs in boxes on the board:
I
given up
II
take up
II
broke out of
II
comee; out
II
takee; after
I
Call out sentences which have verbs with the same meaning as the
phrasal verbs.
The learners have to identify the correct phrasal verb for each
sentence.
The prisoners escaped from jail. (broke out of)
I've stopped smoking. (given up)
I'm going to start learning Russian. (take up)
Our magazine is published every month. (comes out)
Kay is very similar to her mother. (takes after)
El
Write these prepositions in boxes on the board:
Ell
between
II
under
l i II
on
next to
II
behind
II
in front of
I
Now take a simple classroom object like the board cleaner or a book.
Put it in different places where the teams can see it, for example,
under the desk, on a chair, next to a chair, in a bag or box, behind
your back, in· front of the board. The learners have to identify the
correct preposition for each position.
L1
Draw these stress bubbles in the boxes. The large. represents the
stressed syllable and the small. the unstressed syllables.
Now call out the following names of countries. The learners have to
identify the stress pattern in each box correctly:
Australia (••••)
Algeria ( ••••)
Japan (••)
Venezuela (••••)
Norway ( • •)
Switzerland ( •••)
Sweden (••)
Argentina ( • •••)
Italy (e••)
Iran (••)
13
2
LANGUAGE
Building a conversation
Practising making offers by rebuilding a conversation.
A
B
A
B
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
TIME GUIDE
Activity
1
What's the problem?
I've forgotten my pen.
Would you like to borrow mine?
Thanks.
The board.
None.
15-20 minutes.
Tell the class that tWo friends are talking before school, and they are
looking in their bags to check they have everything they need for
lessons.
2
Write the first line of the dialogue on the board.
3
Ask the class how the dialogue could continue. You can show a pen
as a prompt for B's line and write the first two words of 1\.s next line
'Would you' on the board. Ask the class to guess the last line. If the
learners cannot guess, say the phrase and write it on the board.
4
Use some other prompts to help the class make and practise similar
conversations, for example, a dictionary, a calculator, a tennis ball,
etc.
5
Divide the class equally into As on the left and Bs on the right. Use
the sentences on the board and the prompts to practise the
conversations as a whole class.
6
Start to rub out some of the key words on the board, and draw a line
in place of each missing word. Ask the class to try and remember the
missing words. For example:
A
-
the problem�
B I've forgotten - pen.
A Would you like - borrow mine�
B Thanks.
Then rub out some more of the words, remembering to draw a line
for each missing word. Each time you remove more words, ask the
class to say the whole line, in chorus.
14
Building a conversation
2
A - the -?
B - forgotten - pen.
A Would you - - borrow -?
B Thanks.
When there is just one word left on each line, put the learners into
pairs. Ask them to quietly practise the whole dialogue in these pairs,
with one learner as A and the other learner as B.
A - the -?
B - - - - pen.
A - you - - - -?
B
7
After a few minutes, tell the learners to change roles, so everyone has
a chance of saying both sides of the dialogue .
•••••••• 0.0000000000.00000000000000.000 ••00000
Variations
:1
You can use this idea for almost any kind of dialogue.
2
More advanced learners could add a request, with an acceptance or
refusal in reply. For example:
A What's the problem?
B I've forgotten my (object). Can I borrow yours?
A Yes, of course. I Sorry. I need it myself.
3
Confident learners can perform their conversations for the rest of
the class.
15
1
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LANGUAGE
Question charts
Practising making questions using a question chart, for example:
A
B
A
B
Activity
What time do you usually get up?
I usually get up at seven o'clock.
What do you usually have for breakfast?
Some tea and a slice of toast.
RESOURCES
The board.
TIME GUIDE
20-30 minutes.
1
Draw the question chart on the board.
What time
have breakfast'?
do you usually
get up'?
do in the evening'?
What
2
Tell the class that you are going to ask some questions about what
they do every day. Mime 'what time', 'getting up', and 'having
breakfast' if the class need help understanding the questions.
3
Ask individual learners the two questions at random and write some
sample answers on the board.
I usually get up at seven o'clock.
I watch TV or go for a walk.
4
Ask the class for some more ideas for questions about daily habits
and add them to the chart using the same spacing, for example:
go to work'?
What time
have breakfast'?
do you usually
What
5
16
get up'?
do in the evening'?
do after school'?
Tell the class to work in pairs and make a list of more questions using
the same pattern. When they have finished ask them to add their
ideas to the chart. Correct any mistakes as they write the questions
on the board.
Question charts
3
6
Tell the class to write down the questions they would like to ask other
people in the class. When they are ready, tell them to stand up and
walk around the class asking other people their questions. They
should make a note of the answers and the people they talked to.
7
In new pairs, the learners could share the information from stage 6,
for example:
El
Yoshi and Sven get up at about eight o'clock.
o
Helena and Jules both go to work at half past eight.
!ill
Wang usually meets friends in the evening.
••••0 •••• 0 0 000.0000 •••0000••• 0 0 •••••••••••••••
Variations
1
The chart can be made more difficult. For example:
What
2
I
would you like to
would you
I I
do
when
if
I
you
I
leave school'?
won a million euros'?
You can also use different types of question words and phrases, for
example, questions with 'How':
How
much
many
long
far
big
17
4
LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
TIME GUIDE
Activity
1
2
m1
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1m
3
I
Mind maps
Revising words in a vocabulary area, for example, snakes.
The board.
None.
20-30 minutes.
Divide the board into two parts - see stage 3 . Write the topic word
'Snakes' in the box at the top left-hand side of the board.
Ask the learners to call out any words they know connected with
snakes and write them at random in the box on the left. You can help
them with these questions:
Where do snakes live?
What do they look like?
How do they move?
What do people think about them?
What type of animal are they?
Draw the mind map on the right side of the board. Ask the class what
the five headings should be, using the questions in stage 2 as a guide,
and write them on the map.
•
SNAKES
jungle
scary
long fast
bite
grass
slide
slither
4
I
,II
>
18
smooth
dangerous
trees
reptile
rivers
deserts
Tell the class to copy the mind map and then work in pairs to
complete the map by placing the words from the box under the
correct headings. Walk round the class checking and helping if
necessary.
Mind maps
5
4
When all the pairs have finished ask learners to come up to the board
to help complete the mind map, for example:
S NAKES
jungle
scary
long fast
bite
grass
slide
slither
HABITAT
PEOPLE'S
OPINION
smooth
dangerous
trees
reptile
rivers
deserts
jungle grass
rivers trees
deserts
dangerous
scary
ACTIONS
slide
bite
DESCRIPTION
long fast
smooth
slither
lYPE OF ANIM AL
reptile
Encourage them to say a sentence each time they write something on
the board, for
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6
example:
Snakes live in the jungle.
People think snakes are dangerous.
Give the class a new topic, for example, crocodiles, and ask them to
make their own mind maps, individually or in pairs. When they have
finished they can show their maps to other learners and explain
them, or present them on the board.
••••••••••••••0 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Variations
1.
Mind mapping can be used for almost any topic. It is a good initial
activity to help learners organize the information they need to write
an essay.
2
You can draw the mind map with only the topic word and headings
and ask the class to think of the words to go with each heading. Or
you can draw the mind map with the topic word and words - the
class has to think of the headings.
19
5
LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
TIME GUIDE
Activity
1
Noughts and crosses
Using prepositions of time: in, at, on.
The board.
Draw a grid on the board with a preposition in each square:
in
at
on
at
on
in
on
in
at
10 minutes.
Divide the class into two teams called 'Noughts'
(0) and 'Crosses'
(X). Explain that the teams take turns to choose prepositions and
make sentences. "When a team has three noughts or three crosses in a
row, either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, they are the winner.
2
A learner from the Noughts team selects a time preposition from one
on the board and says which row it is on. The learner then makes a
sentence using the word, for example, 'at' - 'The shop opens at 8 ,
'
0
clock: or 'English people give each other presents at Christmas:
If the sentence is correct, write a nought over the word. If the
sentence is wrong, it is the Crosses team's turn.
3
A learner from the Crosses team chooses another preposition (or the
one the Noughts got wrong) and makes a new sentence. If the
sentence is correct, draw a cross over the chosen preposition.
4
20
Continue until one team has a complete line, for example:
at
0
9�
in
Noughts and crosses
5
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Variations
The class can practise a variety of vocabulary, grammar, or
functional areas in this way. Here are some suggestions for what you
can write in the boxes. Each of these examples has nine different
words.
1
Tenses: regular and irregular past participles
Here is a possible set of verbs: 'clean', 'cook', 'make', 'build', 'wash�
.
, chop,"drye'
,WIpe,"cut"
The learners change the tense of a verb, for example, from present
simple to present perfect: 'I clean'
�
'I have cleaned� Higher level
learners can make a complete sentence showing how the tense is
used, for example, 'Take off your shoes. 1 have just cleaned the
kitchen:
2
Adjectives � adverbs
Here is a possible set of adjectives: 'beautiful', 'good', 'slow', 'fast ', 'sad',
'loud', 'kind', 'bad', 'soft'.
The learners change the adjective to an adverb. Another option is for
the learners to make a sentence using first the adjective and then the
corresponding adverb, for example, 'She is a bea�tiful singer: � 'She
sings beautifully:; 'He's a good badminton player.' � 'He plays
badminton welL'
3
Phrasal verbs
Here is a possible set of phrasal verbs: 'put up', 'put off ', 'put in� 'put
out', 'put through', 'give off ', 'give in', 'give up', 'give out'.
The learners make a sentence using the phrasal verb, for example: 'I
am going to put in for a new job: 'I was rather put off by his strange
behaviour:
4
Functional phrases
Here is a possible set of functions: (make a) request, (make an) offer ,
(make a) suggestion, (ask for) permission, (make a) complaint, (give
an) opinion, (make an) apology, (make an) invitation, (give an)
instruction.
The learners have to use a functional phrase, for example, 'make a
request' - 'My car has broken down. Could you help me push it?'
21
6
LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
Rebuilding a text
Making complete sentences.
The board and a text, for example:
Kim Yen runs a restaurant. It is in a busy street near the river in
Can Tho. Every morning she goes with her husband, Christian, to
the market. They go by motor-bike. Christian is French. He is a
cook and has worked in many countries but he doesn't speak
Vietnamese. Kim translates for him and makes sure they get the
food at a good price. Many tourists visit their restaurant. It is a
charming place where people can watch the boats on the river.
They serve both Vietnamese and French food so the restaurant is
always full. Kim Yen wants to go to France to help Christian run a
Vietnamese restaurant there.
PREPARATION
Find a suitable text of about 100 words or shorten a longer text to
100 words.
Prepare a list of vocabulary to check and a series of detailed
questions about the text (see stages 2 and 4) .
TIME GUIDE
Activity
1
30 minutes.
If you are using the example text, ask the learners if they can cook
and if they would like to have a restaurant. Ask them what they
would have to do each day and what sort of restaurant they would
like to have. Ask them who the customers might be.
2
Check some of the vocabulary, for example: Ca good price', 'serve',
3
Make sure that no-one writes anything yet. Explain that you are
'full'.
going to read a text and that they must listen very carefully. Tell the
class you are going to write the text on the board with their help.
First, read the whole text to them. Then re-read the first four
sentences. Yo� may need to read them more than once.
4
Now ask the learners these questions:
TEACHER
Who is this story about?
LEARNERS
Kim Yen.
TEACHER
What does she do?
LEARNERS
She runs a restaurant.
TEACHER
Good. Now make a sentence about Kim Yen.
LEARNERS
Kim Yen runs a restaurant.
Write 'Kim Yen runs a restaurant.' on the board.
22
Rebuilding a text
5
6
6
Ask more questions to elicit the next part of the text.
TEACHER
Is it in "a quiet street?
LEARNERS
No, it's in a busy street.
TEACHER
Is it near the sea?
LEARNERS
No, it's near the river.
TEACHER
Which town is it in?
LEARNERS
It's in Can Tho.
TEACHER
Good. Now make a sentence about the restaurant.
LEARNERS
It is in a busy street near the river in Can Tho.
Continue asking questions in this way until you have four sentences
on the board. Tell the learners they can now copy these into their
notebooks.
7
Continue in this way, letting them re-construct the text from their
answers to your questions and only copying off the board after about
three or four sentences. Continue until you have written the whole
text on the board and the learners have copied it into their
notebooks.
0••••00••0000000000.00000000000000000000000000
Variations
1
Once the whole text is on the board, tell the class to cover their
original texts. Wipe out parts of the text on the board and ask the
class if they can remember the missing words. You could remove the
verbs, or nouns, or articles, or pronouns, or any area of language
your learners need to practise.
2
The class can retell the text in the past tense.
3
Learners can also write a parallel text, for example, a description of
4
someone they know who runs a business.
More advanced learners can use this text to act out a scene in the
market or in the restaurant.
23
7
LANGUAGE
•
Class survey
Practising general questions about food, drink, and activities, for
example:
A
B
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
What kind of (food) do you like?
I like Italian food - especially pasta and pizza.
The board.
Copy this grid on the board. Just fill in the headings and the answer
in the first two columns.
Name
Food
Drink
Sports
(playing or
watohing)
Books
TV programmes
Films
Joanna
Italian
[coffee, wine,
beer, soft;
drinks, etc.]
[football,
athletics,
skiing, etc.]
[thriller6,
science
-Action,
romantic
novels, etc.]
[documentaries,
soaps, nature
programmes
[action
and
adventure,
horror,
comedies, etc.]
TIME GUIDE
20-30 minutes.
•0 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Activity
1
2
Point to the grid on the board and explain to the class that they are
going to do a survey about things they like.
Point to the word (Italian' in the chart and ask the class to ask you a
question about food, for example, (What kind of food do you like?'
Give a natural answer, for example, (I really like Italian food,
especially pasta and pizza.'
3
Point to the second topic (drink' and ask a confident learner to ask
you a question, for example, (What kind of drink do you like?', and
answer, for example, (I like coffee: Practice the question and answer
with the whole class.
4
Point to the third topic. This time ask a learner to ask another learner
a question, e.g. (What kind of sports do you like playing?' or (What
kind of sports do you like watching?' Do the same with the
remaining topics.
24
Class survey
5
7
Divide the class into six groups and give each group a topic. Tell
them that they have ten minutes to ask as many people in the class
their question and make a note of the answers and names. When
they have finished ask the groups to come to the board one-by-one
and write their answers in the table, for example:
6
Name
Food
Joanna
Italian
Mariko
Japanese
Ludmilla
Italian
Juan
Chinese
Paulo
Brazilian
Jules
French
Patricia
French
Tell the groups to use the information they have collected on the
board to make a short report.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Variations
1
2
The activity can be done with a wide variety of topics.
You could go through the topics before the activity and make lists of
the possible answers, for example, sport: football, baseball,
basketball, golf, tennis, etc.
3
The groups could do th� main activity in pairs rather than mingle.
4
The groups could do short presentations on the information they
have collected.
25
8
LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
Stories from words
Practising making sentences to tell a story.
Flashcards .
Write a set of words on pieces of card or paper in large clear letters so
that the whole class can see them. For example:
The etory
One
night
Tom
went
for
a
walk
in
the
foreet
It
wae
very
dark
and
he
loet
hie
way
Suddenly
he
eaw
the
eyee
of
a
wild
animal
TIME GUIDE
20-30 minutes .
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Activity
1
Tell the class that they are going to practise telling a story using cards .
Explain that you are going to show them the ten words of the first
sentence of the story. The learners have to remember the words
without writing them down . They then work in pairs to rebuild the
sentence.
2
Show the flashcards for the first sentence, for example:
One
night
Tom
went
for
a
walk
in
the
foreet
Show each card one by one for two or three seconds . When you have
shown all the cards give the learners a few minutes to write the
sentence in the correct order.
26
3
When they are ready ask a pair to read out their sentence . Tell the rest
4
Do the same activity with the other sentences till the class can tell the
of the class to help correct any mistakes .
whole story.
Stories from words
8
••• 0 ••••••••••••• 0 ••••• 0 . 0 0 ••• 0 ••••••••••• 0 •••
Variations,
1
You can make the activity easier or harder by using short or longer
sentences. To make it harder you could show the words in the wrong
order.
2
You can use any type of short story.
3
You could use a combination of words and pictures, for example:
One
Tom went for a
in a
4
You could leave out a word from each sentence for the learners to
5
You could use another set of cards to retell the story, for example, day
guess.
(night), jog (walk), park (forest). Hold the cards up one by one and
ask the learners to make a new sentence each time, for example:
One night Tom went for a walk in the forest.
One day Tom went for a walk in the forest.
One day Tom went for ajog in the forest.
One day Tom went for ajog in the park.
6
The learners could use their own ideas to finish the story.
27
9
LANGUAGE
Introducing and practising language
Making, accepting, and refusing invitations.
A
B
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
TIME GUIDE
Would you like to . . . on Monday?
Yes, I'd love to. OR I'm sorry, I can't make it on Monday.
Flashcards.
Make eight flashcards: six prompt cards, a smiley face, and a sad face.
20 minutes.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Activity
1.
Show the class the cinema flashcard and ask these questions:
!§
Where is it?
Em
You want to ask a friend to go with you. You want to go on Monday.
What do you say?
From the replies select 'Would you like to go to the cinema on
Monday?' Write the sentence frame on the board:
Would you like to go ...................... on (day)'?
Repeat it with the class three or four times. Ask individual learners to
say the sentence and focus on the correct pronunciation: 'Would'
and 'you' sound like one word
28
-
/'wud3U/.
Introducing and practising language
2
9
Use all the cards in tum to practice the sentence. Check they have the
necessary vocabulary as you introduce each card: play volleyball, go
to a restaurant, go to a club, watch television, play football.
3
Ask a learner to invite you to do something. When you reply hold up
the smiley card and say 'I'd love to: Ask another learner to invite you
to do something. This time hold up the sad face and say 'I'm sorry. I
can' t make it on Monday: Write the phrases on the board:
I'd love to.
I'm sorry. I can't make it on (day).
OR
4
Divide the class into two halves, left and right. Show an invitation
flashcard to the learners on the left and a smiley or sad face card to
the learners on the right. Learners on the left make an invitation and
the learners on the right should accept or refuse depending on which
card you hold up. Practise with all the cards.
5
Put the flashcards on the board or around the wall and tell the class
to work in pairs making and responding to invitations.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Variations
1.
Picture flashcards can be used to introduce and practise a wide range
of grammatical and functional language, for example, talking about
the past, making requests, and so on. They work best with dialogues
with a question and response, for example:
A
B
2
What did you do yesterday?
.1
went shopping.
You can use more flashcards if the class need more practice.
29
10
LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
Picture cards
Talking about a process.
Flashcards
Draw the nine pictures showing the process of making potato crisps
on flashcards.
o
TIME GUIDE
Activity
30
1.
0
0
0
30 minutes.
Stick the cards at random on the board (as above) or peg them onto
a string washing line.
2
Ask the class some general questions about the pictures:
fit1
Who can they see?
1m
What can they see?
Picture card s
3
10
Write some words and phrases you want the class to use on the
board. Tell the learners to copy these and work individually and
write down which pictures the words and phrases refer to. For
example:
Verbs: dig, plant, chop, wash, wash, fry, load
Nouns: factory, seeds, potatoes, lorry/truck
4
Put the class into pairs or small groups. Tell the learners to discuss
each picture and make a sentence. As they look at each picture pairs
or groups should decide the order they go in.
S
Ask one pair or group to read out their first sentence and to come
out to the board or line and put the picture card in the right place.
Now ask another pair to do the same with the next correct picture
until the whole process is complete. The correct order is:
The field is dug up.
The seed potatoes are planted.
The potatoes are picked.
The potatoes are loaded on a lorry.
The potatoes are taken to the potato factory.
The potatoes are washed.
The potatoes are chopped.
The potatoes are fried.
The potatoes are put into packets.
•••••••••••••••0 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 0 .
Variations
1.
Write sentences to match the pictures on the board. The sentences
could be complete, have gaps, or just have the first two or three
words. You can give each sentence a letter and write them in the
wrong order. Learners have to write the sentences in the correct
order.
2
3
4
Focus on how to put the sentences together using: 'first', 'then', '�d',
'after that', 'next', 'finally'.
Look at the use of pronouns to avoid repetition, for example: 'The
potatoes are washed. Then they are chopped and fried.
Ask the class to write out the complete, connected text.
31
1:
11
LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
Memory game
"Revising recently learnt vocabulary.
Poster-size paper. You could use the back of a pre-printed poster.
With a big class you may need to prepare two identical posters.
Make a poster with 12 pictures of the words you want to revise, for
example:
rn OJ ITl O
TIME GUIDE
10-15 minutes.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Activity
1
Tell the class that they are going to see a poster with some pictures on
it of words that they have recently learnt. They must look at all the
pictures quickly and remember as many as possible. Place the
poster(s) so that all the learners can see it (them) easily. If you need
two posters, place them on opposite walls of the classroom.
2
Ask the learners to stand around the poster (s) and look at the
pictures. Tell them not to write anything, but just to look carefully at
all the pictures on the poster for one minute.
3
After one minute, remove or cover up the posters. Tell learners to
write down the name of as many of the objects that they saw and can
remember. Give a time limit of two minut es.
32
f
I
'
Memory game
11
4
To prompt their memory ask the class these questions - they don' t
mJ
How many animals did you see?
rn
How many words start with the letter 'g' ?
need to answer yet:
mt
How many things could you eat?
�
What's got four legs but no tail?
11m
Which things could you use to travel?
5
Put the poster back up and check the answers with the class.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Variations
:L
To make the activity more difficult you could tell the class not to
2
You can make a variety of questions for stage 4. The questions help
write anything in stage 3 and say what they saw in pairs.
the learners think about the words in a way that will improve
memorization.
3
Make a poster with words explained by a picture or a word definition
that:
HI
the learners find difficult to say
fBl
the learners find difficult to spell
gj
contain similar so�nds to each other, for example, 'door/four'.
4
The learners can test each other. In groups of three to six, they can
write out definitions of recently learnt words on a poster. The posters
are placed around the classroom and the learners work together to
find other groups' poster words.
33
12
LANGUAGE
Shopping ,
Practising asking questions; talking about prices and amounts. For
example:
A
B
A
B
RESOURCES
Ii .
Good morning.
Good morning. How much are your . . . ?
They're . . . (euros) each I a kilo.
And how much are your . . ?
.
Paper to make small posters about 60cm x 30cm.
Something to put the posters on the walls with, for example,
sticky tape.
I
I
You will need one sheet of paper for every four learners plus one for
yourself.
A poster for the dialogue.
PREPARATION
TIME GUIDE
Prepare a poster with the conversation above.
Prepare a poster with four fruit, for example:
20-30 minutes .
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Activity
34
:1
Ask the class to call out any names of fruit they can think of and
write them on the board. For example:
apples
bananas
melons
mangoes
strawberries
peaches
cherries
avocados
lemons
pineapples
oranges
grapes
g rapefru its
coconuts
ngs
Shopping
12
2
Put the class into groups of four and tell each group to choose four
fruit from the board, draw them and their names on a poster, and
decide a price (per kilo in the local currency) for each fruit. They
should notwrite the price on the poster.
3
When all the groups have finished tell them to put their posters
where the other groups can see them, for example, on the wall
beside them.
4
Put the dialogue and your poster on the board. Start the dialogue
and prompt the class to respond and ask the first question:
TEACHER
Good morning.
CLASS
Good morning. How much are your oranges?
TEACHER
They're . . . (euros) a kilo / each.
Continue till they have asked about all four fruit.
S
Tell the groups they have €5 (or the local equivalent) to spend on
fruit. They should send out two learners to ask about prices in the
other groups. The other two learners stay with the poster and answer
questions from the other groups.
6
Give the class five minutes to ask and answers questions. They can
walk around visiting groups freely.
7
Tell the groups to get back together and discuss which fruit they are
going to buy with their €5 and what they are going to sell.
S
Each group should say what they are going to buy, from which
group, and for how m�ch.
•0 •••••••••• 0 ••• 0 0 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Variations
1
2
1m
Iffi
You can use a different vocabulary area, for example, vegetables.
You can use different topics, for example:
asking about a room, flat, or house to rent
asking about the price of holidays.
35
13
LANGUAGE
Dominoes
Revising and practising irregular past tenses, for example:
go
is
buy
know
come
sit
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
spoke
went
was
bought
knew
came
sat
TIME GUIDE
drink
say
think
learn
speak
chose
ate
flew
brought
sold
drank
said
thought
. learnt
spoke
16 small ·cards for each group of learners.
This activity is suitable for classes of up to 18. Make three identical
sets of cards, one for each group of six using the 16 different verbs
above. (See page 5 in the Introduction to see how to do this.) Draw a
vertical line to divide each card into two equal parts. Write the
present simple of an irregular verb on the right-hand side of one
card and write the simple past of that verb on the left-hand side of
the next card. Make sure all the cards have a pair. Here is an example:
came
comes
choose
eat
fly
bring
sell
goes
went
buys
10-15 minutes.
•••••••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •••••••••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Activity
36
:L
Divide the class into groups of six. Give each group a set of cards
which have been well mixed up. Tell them to place one card face-up
in the middle of the group and place the other cards face-up on one
side, so that all learners in the group can see them. The groups stand
or sit in a circle round their cards.
2
Explain that they should try to match the cards to form pairs of
verbs in the present simple and past simple, for example,
comes-came, goes-went. Show the class an example. (See
(Preparation' above.) One learner has to pick up a card that matches
either side of the one in the middle and place it in the right position.
The group must decide if this is correct.
3
Working clockwise, the next learner tries to select the correct card
and place it in the same way on either side. When the group has used
up all the cards, the cards will form a complete circle. You can make
the activity into a competition by seeing which group finishes first
and correctly.
Domi � oes
13
:!
4
Working with the whole class, check that learners have put the cards
together correctly. As you do this, ask some learners to say two
sentences to the whole class, one in the present tense and one in the
simple past.
••••••••••• 0 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Variation
The class can revise or practise vocabulary, including collocations,
phrasal verbs, prepositions, and other grammar areas with this
activity. Here are some ideas:
picture of an object
name of the object
a phrasal verb
a sentence using a word with the
same meaning
first part of a collocation
second part of the collocation
I (Qd�\
� \�\ I
�'¢� ] \\,�I
in
'o�
bB
( [�t\
A"flIII.mJ "O�VI"
OM
�
�V'e 1'/1.1I iV\�
\1
(stOr'M
�4i�
37
I
14
LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
Play the part
Discussing, agreeing and disagreeing, and persuading.
Sets of five cards.
Tourist development
r
·
ROLE A
You represent the company
that plans to develop the
tourist resort.
ROLE B
You left school last year and
help your father on the land .
You speak English well and
would like to work in a hotel.
ROLE D
You make baskets and mats
out of local reeds and woul.d
like to extend your business.
ROLE E
You are a TIsherman. The new
development means that you
wou Id have to go much
further to TIsh and start
earlier to get your catch to
market.
PREPARATION
TIME GUIDE
Activity
38
1
ROLE C
You are Bis father. The road
would take away half of your
land and your house would
have to be knocked down.
Prepare enough sets of cards so that each learner has one card.
30 minutes.
Explain to the learners that they are a group of people who live and
work in a beautiful/interesting area of a country. A big company
plans to re-build the harbour and make a big road through your
village to develop the area as a tourist resort. They have called a
meeting to discuss the project. At the end of the meeting the local
people vote for or against the project. There are cards describing the
roles of everybody involved (see (Resources' above).
2
Divide the learners into groups A, B, C, D, and E. Hand out A role­
play cards to ·the A group, B role-play cards to the B group, and so on.
Explain that they should discuss their cards in their groups and
decide how they are going to persuade the others to accept their
opinion.
3
When the class is ready, re-group them so that there are learners
playing A, B, C, D, and E roles in each group. Tell everyone to explain
who they are and speak and give their opinions as if they were that
person. Allow the discussion to develop freely. Walk round the class
making a note of any common errors that the learners make when
they agree or disagree, or try to persuade each other.
Play the · part
14
4
When all the groups have made a decision ask them to explain to the
rest of the class what the decision is and why they made it.
S
With the class go through the errors that you noted during the role
play.
•••• • •••••••••••• 0 ••••• • • •• • •••••• • • 0 •• 0 ••• • 0 .
Variation
1
2
You can help learners develop other roles if you have a large or
diverse class.
Here is another idea for a role play:
Family inheritance
ROLE A
You are Y, the daughter of
the family. You have a chance
to go to a college a long way
from your town. You would
like to study to be a
journalist.
ROLE B
You are Y's father. You run a
small business. You are
getting old. You need Y's help
to do the accounts and
business letters.
ROLE D
You are Y's brother. You help
your father with deliveries.
Your are practical and not
interested in studying. You
think the family needs a new
delivery van to help the
business.
ROLE E
You are a close friend ofY.
Y is clever and hardworking.
You think that Y should have
her own life and career.
ROLE C
You are Y's mother. You have
always helped your husband
but believe that girls should
have opportunities and want
Y to go to college.
Explain to the learners that they are all members of a family and an
old relative has died and left the family some money. The family is
going to get together to decide what to do with the money.
39
15
LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
Reminder cards
Making and responding to suggestions.
For each group, four reminder cards for making suggestions:
I
I
What about . . 7
·
Shall we .
.
.
7
11
11
Why don't we . . . 7
Let'6 .
. .
1
I
For each group, four reminder cards for responding:
I
That'6 a great idea.
II
That'6 a good idea.
I
I'm not sure if that's a good idea.
I don't think that's a good idea.
PREPARATION
TIME GUIDE
Prepare the reminder cards.
20-30 minutes.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Activity
1
2
Tell the learners that a visitor to their school has raised a lot of
money to make improvements to the school. Write the amount in
local currency on the board. The learners play the roles of the
teachers who decide what to do with the money.
With the whole class, discuss the main areas that need improvement
and write them on the board, for example:
start a library
make a football pitch
buy new training equipment such as sewing machines� computers�
or tools
buy more books.
40
3
Give the learners time to decide individually how the money should
be spent and make notes about their ideas.
4
Divide the class into groups of between three and six learners and
give each group a set of cards. Tell the groups to make a copy of each
card and spread them out, face-up, in the middle of the group so that
everyone can see them.
Reminder cards
15
5
In their groups, the learners discuss how they would spend the
money. When a learner uses one of the suggestion phrases or
responses, they should pick up that card. While the learners are
speaking, walk around quietly and make a note of any common
mistakes or problems.
6
Give the groups about ten minutes. At the end of the activity ask
each group how many reminder cards each learner used.
7
Ask the whole class to talk about what they have decided to do.
8
Write some of the common mistakes you heard on the board and ask
the class if they can correct them .
••••••••••••• 0 •••••••••••••••• 0 •••••••••••••••
Variation
You can use phrases for other functions, for example, asking for
repetition, clarification, or further information:
Sorry, could you flay that againf'
I'm florry, I don't underetand.
I
I
How did you do thatI'
I
I
I
Why did you do thatI'
When wafl thatI'
I
I
Could you flay that In a different wayI'
What do you mean by thatf'
I
One learner tells the rest of the group about a real or invented story.
The others have to interrupt or ask for repetition, clarification, or
more information using the phrases on the cards to try and prevent
the first speaker from finishing the story. Give a time limit of 3-5
minutes for this activity and see how many learners manage to finish
their story in the time allowed. Learners can take turns in telling the
story and being interrupted.
41
16
LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
Using the furniture
Fluency practice of any previously learnt language.
Classroom furniture.
Make space at the front of the classroom and prepare four or
five chairs.
Prepare to tell the two storylines if necessary (see stage 2).
TIME GUIDE
30-40 minutes .
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Activity
1.
!Q
1m
EY
I
·1
m
Put the chairs or stools in different positions to represent different
places and ask the class where they could be, for example:
a restaurant or cafe
a car or bus
a cinema
a waiting room at the doctor's or an office
(J 'tJ
0
(:1 0
(J (J
(J (:J
2
42
CJ (]
tJ
p
p
Q
Q
d
Tell the learners to work in groups of four or five. Explain that in
their groups they must decide how to arrange the chairs and plan a
short play to show to the rest of the class. Their play should be about
five minutes long. Remind them that plays are more interesting if
there is some kind of conflict or surprise and they must decide what
this is. They can write a script or improvise depending on the
language level of the learners. If you think your class needs more
support, tell them one of these storylines as an example.
Using the furniture
16
Storyline 1
Four of you are in a waiting room at an office. You are all going to be
interviewed for a job. You begin to chat to each other about why you
think you should get the job, except one person who is very shy (but
well-qualifledl). One learner is the boss who comes into the waiting
room. He realises her knew the shy person at school, and invites
him/her immediately into the office. The others are very angry.
Shortly, the two come out and the boss says they can all go as the
shy person is just the person for the job.
Storyline 2
You are in a car. The driver turns round to speak. A man with a
cartload of mangoes is crossing the road and the car tips the cart
over. The mangoes go all over the road. The cart-owner is very cross
and demands the passengers pay for all his mangoes. They argue
about the price and flnally pay him. He goes away with his cart. The
passengers then set up a stall at the side of the road to sell all the
mangoes at a higher price.
3
When the groups have planned their play, they should rehearse it
quietly. Walk round the class and help the groups with their ideas
and any language problems.
4
Ask a group to come to the front of the class. Give them time to set
up the chairs. Each group performs their play for the rest of the class .
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 0 0 ••••••••••••••••
Variations
1
2
The learners can either memorize their lines or read them as they are
performing.
You can use stools, boxes, or tables to set the scenes. Also you can use
any objects you can find as props, for example, a broom can be a
crutch, the board cleaner can be a mobile telephone.
43
17
De sc ri bing obje ct s
LANGUAG E
Describing objects, for example:
A fan
It is made of metal.
There are four blades.
It needs electricity to work.
There is one in each
classroom.
It keeps us cool.
RESOURCES
PREPARAT I O N
TIME G U I D E
Board pens
They are made of plastic.
They are about 10 centimetres long.
They are different colours.
There are four of them in the
classroom.
I use them in the lesson to draw
pictures.
Any objects that are available in the classroom.
Decide on six objects to describe, for example: the board, a
cupboard, a board cleaner, a tape recorder, a window, a shelf.
15
minutes .
. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. ,. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Activity
1
Tell the class that they are going to guess some classroom objects
from your descriptions. You are going to give them five clues, one at a
time, and they have to guess the object you are talking about. The
first person to guess wins. If the class can't guess the object after five
sentences, you are the winner.
2
Read out the first sentence from 'Language' and let the learners try to
guess what the object is. If they can't guess correctly, read out the
second sentence. Continue until they can guess what the object is.
Do the same with the second object.
3
Ask the class what we talk about when we describe something and
write their ideas on the board, for example:
•
what it's made of
colour
size
other physical features
what we use it for.
•
•
•
•
44
Describing O�jects
17
4
Tell the class to work in pairs or small groups. They should secredy
choose an object in the classroom and write down a set of clues using
the guidelines on the board.
S
When they are ready ask the learners to read out their sentences one
by one and let the rest of the class guess the objects .
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Variations
' :L
2
rnJ
Em
fBi
[Ill
The activity can also be done with objects that you or learners bring
to the class or with pictures of objects. For a variation on this activity
using questions, see Unit 1 9 'Ten questions'.
Instead of giving groups an object to describe, write a list of general
descriptions on the board, for example:
thinge; that are made of wood
thinge; that are curved
thinge; that are e;oft.
thinge; that are longer than one metre.
Each group has to look around the classroom and find as many
things as possible which fit the description. They must write the
name of the object in the correct place on the board. Note which
group writes which word. The group with the longest list wins.
3
.As preparation to writing a story or poetry, learners can write down
what they associate with an object as well as its description. For
example:
In my grandmother'e; houe;e there was a tiny cupboard. I used to
pretend that I had tiny friende; who lived inside . . .
Our houe;e has a creaky old door at the top of the stairs. I was
alwaye; afraid of that door . . .
45
18
LANGUAGE
Where things are
Practising questions and answers using prepositions of place, for
example:
Is it
Are they
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
TIME GUIDE
Activity
1
in
on
under
beside
behind
in front of
the table?
the box?
the chair?
the chairs?
Yes, it is.
No, it isn't.
No, it's not.
Yes, they are.
No, they aren't.
No, they're not.
Classroom objects and small personal objects.
Bring a small empty box to the class. Collect from the classroom
about ten small objects, for example: chalk, pencils, board cleaner,
dictionary, pens, ruler. Make sure that you have two of some objects.
1 0-20 minutes.
Place two chairs next to each other and next to your table. Put the
box on the table and place all the objects so that there are one or two
objects on, under, beside, behind, between, or in front of the table,
the box, the chair, or the chairs. Here is one possible arrangement.
,>>>>> » }»» ,),
46
Where thing� are
2
Check that the learners know the names of all the objects.
3
Ask the class some questions about where the objects are, for
example:
TEACHER
4
5
Variation
18
Is the board cleaner on the table?
LEARNERS
Yes, it is.
TEACHER
Is the red chalk beside the box?
LEARNERS
No, it's in the box.
TEACHER
Are the pencils on the chair?
LEARNERS
No, they're between the chairs.
Tell the class they are going to play a guessing game by asking you
'Yes/No' questions. You think of one of the objects and write it on a
piece of paper. The learners ask you questions to find out your
mystery object, for example:
LEARNERS
Is it under the table?
TEACHER
No, it isn't.
LEARNERS
Is it behind the box?
TEACHER
Yes, it is.
LEARNERS
It's the dictionary.
When a learner has correctly guessed the object you chose, repeat the
activity with a pair of objects, for example, two pencils:
LEARNERS
Are they on the table?
TEACHER
No, they aren't.
This could also be a follow-on activity. The learners work in pairs.
�ach learner thinks of an object and where it is. Then they take turns
to ask the same types of questions to find out which object their
partner is thinking of, and where it is.
47
19
LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
TIME GUIDE
Activity
1
Ten questions
Is i� . . . (shape/texture)?
Is it made of . . . (material)?
Is it used for . . . ?
Objects inside the classroom.
None.
1 5-20 minutes.
Tell the class that you have written the name of an object in the
classroom on a piece of paper. The aim of the game is to guess what
it is by asking questions. Write (Is it . . . ?' on the board and ask the
class to think of some questions, for example:
Is it
. round/square'?
soft;/hard,?
large/small'?
heavy/1 ig ht,?
on the wall / on the floor'?
made of wood/plastic/cloth'?
used for writing on / sitting on'?
�
�
..... . -
... .. 1.0
You can give the class clue, for example, (Think of the shape.' or
(What about the texture?' The first learner to guess the object is the
winner.
2
48
Organize the learners in groups of between three and five learners.
Tell them to choose an object that can be found in the classroom, for
example: a door, a piece of paper, a textbook, a pen.
Ten qUestio·ns
19
3
Choose a group to start the activity. This group stands in front of the
class. Learners from the other groups take it in turns to ask (Yes/No'
questions, as in stage 1 . Each group asks one question in turn. Make
a tick on the board after each question, and, if no-one in the class has
guessed the name of the object after ten questions, the 'standing team
wins ten points.
4
When the object has been correctly guessed, the team who guessed
wins points according to how many questions were asked in total:
fSJ
g
9 questions = 1 point
8 questions = 2 points
and so on.
5
The other groups then take it in turns to stand up in front of the
class, 'and the questions and answers start again .
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• • ••••••••••••••••
Variations
1
Make the activity into group work. Start by placing the class in pairs,
who then choose an object. Then place two pairs together who in turn
try to guess the object, asking the same type of questions as before.
2
Make the activity into a team game. Divide the class into teams of a
maximum of ten. You choose an object, or ask for learners, one-by­
one, to come up to the front and answer the questions. To make it
competitive, anyone can raise their arm to ask a question. The
teacher needs to nominate the learners as they raise their arm. The
team who supplies the correct answer gains a point.
3
Change the question types by asking, (Who am I?' Place the learners
in groups of three to five. Tell them to think of and agree upon a
person known to the learners, for example, a teacher, a community
leader, a singer, a musician, an actor, or a sports person. Then each
group needs to talk to check the details of their chosen person, for
example: 'Are they alive or dead?� 'Are they male or female?', (Do they
live in our town/village?', 'Are they foreign?', 'Are they internationally
famous?'. Continue as before, as a class, or group, or team activity.
4
Change the question types by asking, (Where am I?' Place the
learners in groups of three to five. Tell them to think of and agree
upon a place known to the learners, for example, a town, a river, a
beach, or a mountain. Then each group needs to discuss and agree
on the details of their chosen place, for example: (Is it near here?', (Is it
in the town or country?', (Is it quiet or noisy?'. Continue as before, as
a class, or group, or team activity.
49
Favourite thi �gs
Variations
:l.
20
Begin the activity as in stages 1 and 2 above. Instead of putting the
objects on a table or the floor, tell the learners to work in groups of
not more than six. Give each group six objects at random. Learners
in their groups take each object in turn and talk about the character
of the owner of the object. For example:
C�
s
E]
I think this belongs to a person who has a good sense of
humour.
I think this belongs to someone who wants to be a business
man.
I think this belongs to a young woman who likes very beautiful
things.
In this way learners can practise different ways of describing people.
2
13
fill
o
Bring a collection of interesting but everyday objects to the class. Tell
the learners to work in groups and give each group about five
objects. Tell the learners that they are detectives and that a crime has
been committed in a hotel in their town. One of the guests has
disappeared but left these objects in his/her room. The Cdetectives'
must use the objects as clues. They should discuss ideas such as:
What sort of person was the guest?
What happened before the guest came to the hotel?
Why has he/she disappeared and where has he/she gone?
The learners can guess the answers, for example:
He/She might be / could be / might have / could have . . .
3
This activity can be done with real or imagin�ry objects. Tell the
learners to work in pairs. One learner either shows the other the
cfavourite object' or describes what it looks like. The other learner
now has to ask to borrow it and must give reasons why it is so
important for them to have it. The owner of the object must try to
refuse to lend it, giving good reasons for their refusal. Give a signal to
start the activity. After one minute, stop everyone speaking and see
how many learners have lost their object and how many have
managed not to lend it. In this variation, learners can practise the
language of asking a favour and refusing.
51
20
LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
TIME GUIDE
Favourite things
Fluency practice in talking about favourite possessions.
Objects which the learners bring to the class; a box or a bag to put
them in.
A few days before the class do this activity, tell the learners they must
each bring a small, unusual, or favourite object to the class. They
should not show this to anyone else.
1 5-20 minutes.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Activity
1
2
Help the learners to put their object secretly in the box or bag so that
no one knows who owns which object. Ask the learners to group
round your table or round a space on the floor. Tell them not to lee
anyone else know which is their object.
Take the objects out of the box one by one making sure that the
learners know the names of the objects and place them on the table
or floor. You could also discuss with the class what they are made of
or used for.
. !i
50
3
Tell the learners they have to guess the owner of each object and to
say why they think that person is the owner. When an owner is
identified, tell them to talk to the class about their object, for
example, 'Why did they choose it?', 'Is there a story behind it?', 'When
and why did they get it?'
4
Other learners can also ask questions, for example, 'How much did it
cost?', 'Who gave it to you?', 'Where do you keep it?'
What's on the packagi �g?
3
Variations
1
21
Now divide each group into two and ask them to compare their
packaging using the same type of questions.
The learners can compare the design of the packaging, by looking at
the pictures, the amount of and clarity of information given, and the
strength and suitability of the packing for the food it held.
2
The language of advertising on the packaging can be looked at and
compared. The learners could make up their own advertising slogans
for each product.
3
Ask learners to bring in their own selection of packaging. It may take
a term to make a large and varied collection, so tell the class to start ,
collecting at the beginning of term. When the class has collec�ed
enough packaging to fill a box per group of four learners, you can
organize a shopping activity.
Each group arranges their selection of packaging as in a shop on a
desk. In turn, one learner from each group stays behind the desk as
the shopkeeper. The rest of the class visit the other (shops' and ask for
what they want to buy.
CUSTOMER
ASSISTANT
4
Have you got any . . ?
.
No, I haven't. / Yes, I have.
Each group writes out some questions based on the information on
their pieces of packaging. Then they exchange questions and
packaging with another group. Each group reads the new packaging
to answer the questions given.
53
21
LANGUAGE
What's on the packaging?
Asking and answering questions about packaging, for example:
How much does it cost?
How much does it weigh?
What's in it?
RESOURCE
P R E PA R AT I O N
TIME GUIDE
It costs 50 pence.
It weighs 200 grams.
It's got flour, fat, sugar, and spices.
Packaging from food or household products.
Collect a selection of different packaging from food, such as biscuits,
or household products, such as toothpaste or soap, which has
information printed on the packaging in English. Try to make sure
that the prices are kept on. Have enough packaging for each group of
four to six learners to have two different items and one for yourself.
1 5-20 minutes.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Activity
1
Organize the class into groups of four to six. Give each group two
pieces of packaging.
2
Ask each group a question about their packaging, for example:
•
What type of packaging is it? - bottle, pack, carton, jar, box
What is the product? - sugar, biscuits, cleaning fluid, jam
Which company made it? - Nescafe, Johnson and Johnson,
Ajinomoto
How much does it weigh? - 500 grams, 1 kilo
How much does it cost? - € 14, $2, F30
What's in it? - flour, salt, chocolate, additives
What's the sell-by date? - 12 Jun, 12.06.05
Is there any other information? - nutrition, e-numbers, recyclable.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Write the questions and some example answers on the board.
52
•
I
Sticks and sto � es
3
22
Hand out the objects so that there is one for each learner. Call out
sentences using the adjectives and ask the learners to hold up the
correct object, for example:
Show me something which is smooth.
TEACHER
Show me a pebble which isflat and grey.
Show me something long and pointed.
4
Tell individual learners to give the class an instruction, for example:
Show me a small, white shell.
LEARNER
S
Learners can then practise the language in groups by asking for and
exchanging objects, for example:
LEARNER
1
I'd like something smooth and flat.
LEARNER
2
Sure. Here you are. May I have something small and
round?
. 0 . 0 . 0 0 ••• 0 • • • ••• 0 0 • • 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 •• 0 • • •
Variations
Any of the activities above can be done with other objects or with
pictures of objects on cards.
1
With more advanced learners, give out one of each kind of object to
each group so that each group has a collection of similar objects. The
groups have to compete to think up as many adjectives as they can to
describe their objects. In turn, the groups read out their list of
adjectives. Other groups may later add to this list so that all learners
have the chance to learn new vocabulary. The team with the most
adjectives is the winner.
2
Younger learners are happy to arrange stones into letters or
numbers. Call out a number or a letter and let learners arrange them.
3
Stones can be very useful as counters for teaching mathematical
concepts like addition, subtraction, division and multiplication.
55
22
LANGUAGE
Sticks and stones
Revision of names of natural objects and adjectives to describe them,
for example:
Objects: sticks, stones, pebbles, shells
Adjectives: smooth, rough, pointed, round, tiny, grey, shiny, long
a
RESOURCES
P R E PARAT I O N
Sticks, stones, pebbles, or other natural objects.
Collect enough objects so that there is one for each learner in the
class.
Draw the empty chart from stage 2 on the board.
TIME GUIDE
10-15
minutes .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Activity
1
Hold up an object, for example, a shell, and ask the class to describe
it, for example:
It's a shell. It's white and round.
2
54
Hold up some other objects and ask the class to help you fill in the
chart on the board. Write the names of the object on the left side of
the board and the adjectives on the right side, for example:
sticks
long, short, thin, thick, rough, smooth, stra ig ht, bent
stones
rough, smooth, round, sha rp, big, small, flat
pebbles
round, small, tiny, flat, g rey, brown, white
shells
shiny, rough, long, smooth, hollow, poi nted, white
Newspaper stories
Activity
23
1
Organize the class into pairs or groups of three and explain that you
have put three stories on the walls and divided them into articles,
headlines, and pictures. Explain that they have to walk round the
room and match the three parts of the story.
2
Let the learners walk around freely and discuss the parts of the
stories in their pairs or groups.
3
When they have finished, ask each pair or group to tell the rest of the
class which parts go together and why. Put the parts of the story
together on the board when the class has agreed on the co�rect
solution.
4
Tell the groups that they are now going to work in larger groups and
choose a story or part of the story. They can then choose to:
E:i
act out what happened
OR
\TIl ,
interview people connected with the story
OR
Variation
EJ
write a news story for a TV news programme.
S
Help the learners get themselves into groups of the appropriate size
and give them time to prepare. After some practice each group can
perform in front of the class.
6
If the class are interested in the topic they could continue with a class
discussion on the main issues.
7.
This could lead to a writing activity. Learners can write an article for
a class newspaper. Or they could write to the newspaper that their
picture came from, describing their feelings about the picture.
Organize the class into three groups. Give one group all the pictures,
one group all the headlines, and one group all the articles.
Tell the first two groups to talk about what they think the stories are,
where and when they happened, who was involved, etc. Tell the third
group to read the articles and check they understand them.
When all three groups are ready, tell them to stand up and look for
the two other learners with the matching headline, picture, and
story. When they find each other they should make a new group of
three.
57
,
23
LANGUAGE
R E S O U RC E S
P R E PARAT I O N
N ewspaper stories
Fluency practice in discussing newspaper pictures, headlines, and
articles.
Newspapers and magazines.
Collect short newspaper or magazine stories that your class may find
interesting.
Cut the stories up into three pieces - the articles, the headlines, and
the pictures.
You will need three stories or more.
Put the articles, pictures, and headlines of three news stories on three
walls of the classroom - the articles on one wall, the pictures on
another, and the headlines on another.
Painting
stolen
TIME GUIDE
56
30-40 minutes.
True or fal�e?
Variations
1
m
lfH
Il.i
ttY
24
The sentences that you or the learners write can concentrate on
sentences with specific grammar points, as a revision activity. For
example, using adverbs of frequency:
I always ... (go to the park on Sunday) .
I occasionally . . . (get up at 6am) .
I sometimes . . . (eat breakfast) .
I never . . . (go to bed before midnight) .
In pairs or groups, learners can write sentences for each other and
discuss if they could be true or false.
2
m
[i
You can change the focus to agreeing or disagreeing. Dictate
sentences, or ask learners to write a number of sentences about
predictions for the future, for example:
I think our school will ... (double in size in five years) .
I don't think . . . (we will have a cold winter next year) .
In pairs or groups, they tell each other and discuss if they agree or
disagree.
59
24
LANGUAGE
True or false?
Fluency practice in talking about yourself, for example:
I'm . . .
I've . . .
I play . . .
I like . . . I I don't like . . .
I can . . . I I can't . . .
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
You, the teacher.
Think of six to ten sentences about yourself, your family, your habits,
your home, your likes and dislikes, and abilities. Some facts should
be true, some false. The facts need to be chosen so they are not
obviously true or false, for example, your appearance. For example:
I'm 30 years old.
I've lived in my house for five years.
I play football at the weekends.
I like chocolate cake.
I don't like fast cars.
I can play chess.
I can't play the guitar.
TIME GUIDE
20 minutes.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 . 0 • • • • • • • •
Activity
58
:L
Explain to the class that you are going to give them some facts about
yourself. Some are true, some false. Tell the learners to write the
sentences as you read them.
2
Organize the class into pairs. Tell the learners to discuss which of
your sentences they think are true or false.
3
When the pairs have finished ask them to join up with another pair
and discuss their answers.
4
Ask some groups to tell the rest of the class what they think and why.
Confirm if each sentence is true or false.
S
Tell the class to work individually and write about six sente�ces
about themselves, some true, some false. When they are ready they
should get back in their groups, read out their sentences, and guess
which are true or false.
6
The class can use the information about you or their classmates to
write an article for the school magazine or a letter to a friend.
A
short story from mi � e
25
Some tips on miming:
�
m
&fl
mn
Variations
1
Stand where the whole class can see you. Mime your actions slowly
and clearly. Remember to use your hands and give appropriate facial
expressions to add meaning to your actions.
Stop after each stage of the mime. The learners may need time to
recognize what you have mimed.
Ask the learners to give you a sentence to describe each stage of the
mime. It they are not sure, you may need to repeat the actions. If the
sentence is not grammatically correct, ask other learners to correct it�
Say the correct sentence and tell the class to repeat it.
You could include flashcards with single words written on them, to
make the story more complex, or to help learners revise important
linking words (see Unit 8 'Stories from words') , for example:
. Conjunctions: and, but, because, so
Time words: later, then, next, suddenly
Places or names
2
Of
The learners can do the miming, individually, or in small groups.
They take turns to mime a story, for the whole class to guess. This
can be done as a competition.
..
61
25
LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
TIME GUIDE
Activity
1
2
A short story from mime
Practising telling a story using the simple past.
You, the teacher.
You can use the story in stage 2 below or make up your own story.
Make sure you can mime (act without words) the whole story. You
might need to practise miming the actions in front of a mirror or a
colleague before the lesson.
15-20 minutes.
Explain to the class that you are going to mime an event that
happened to you recently and that you want them to tell you the
story.
Write 'Today' and 'Yesterday' on the board and draw a ring round
'Yesterday'. Then do the mime as follows:
Yesterday I went to the market with my little sister.
!if!
E3
went to the market - mime holding a basket and walk up and down
looking at things around you
little sister - mime holding the hand of a small person
When I wanted to pay, I discovered that I had left my money at
home.
Lill
I?l
wanted to pay - mime putting your hand into your pretend basket
and feel for your purse
left my money at home - mime a surprised look when you cannot
find your purse
Suddenly I saw a friend and she lent me some money.
1!3
BI
saw a friend - mime waving at someone in the distance
lent me the money - mime accepting some pretend money and then
give it to a pretend shopkeeper
I bought her an ice cream because I was so happy.
tlJ
60
bought her an ice cream - mime buying and giving an ice cream to
the friend.
Find out about me
4
�
�
§l
fill
ITI
a'§
26
Organize the class into small groups to discuss the facts. When they
are ready tell each group to ask a question in turn, for example:
Is Marie your sister?
Did you start teaching in 1995?
Is blue the colour of your front door?
Have you visited fifty countries?
Were you born in Delhi?
The group which correctly guesses what the fact refers to wins a
point. The winning group is the one which wins the most points.
5
Variations
Then, in their groups, the class can do this activity with each other.
Each learner in turn gives one-word pieces of information about
themselves, and the others have to guess what this number, colour,
place, date, or name refers to.
l' Tell the class you will only answer questions if they are
grammatically correct.
2
You, or a learner, can pretend to be someone else. You can answer as
either a real person, a friend, a relative, or a nationally famous
person, or you can find out the details of a fictional character in a
book or film, or you can be a completely imaginary character.
3
In pairs, learners try and find out what they have in common with
each other. They can ask the same types of question as before.
63
26
L A N G UAGE
Find out about me
Practising 'Yes/No' questions, for example:
Do you . . . ?
Did you . . . ?
Areyou . . . ?
Is it . . . ?
Were you . . . ?
Have you . . . ?
RESOURCES
P R EPARAT I O N
•
•
D
•
•
TIME GUIDE
..
..
You, the teacher.
Write down five facts about yourself, your family, house, friends,
hobbies, etc. using these categories, for example:
Numbers: number of brothers or sisters, your house number
Colours: your favourite colour, the colour of your front door
Places: where you where born, your favourite place
Dates: when you started teaching, when you got married
Names: a relation, your favourite name.
1 0-20 minutes.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1
Explain that you are going to give the class five facts about yourself.
The class can only ask you 'Yes/No' questions to find out what the
facts refer to.
2
Write the five facts on the board, for example:
six
Marie
1995
blue
50
Delhi
3
Tell the class that any learner can ask you a question about the
possible reference for 'six', for example:
•
Do you have six cousins?
Have you been teaching for six years?
Do you live at house number six?
. .
•
•
l am a wo id
..
27
.
5
6
Between each move ask the class if the sentence is now correct and if
- not, why not.
When the sentence is correct tell the class that they can also become a
word and join the line. Remind them that the sentence must always
be correct and complete after they have joined. For example, a
learner joins the line and again the word people say the new
sentence:
Alex gave Maria some beautiful flowers.
Tell the class that they can add more than one word by joining the
line with a friend. For example, two learners join the sentence
together to make:
Alex gave his girlfriend Maria some beautiful, flowers.
Tell the class that they can add a phrase or clause by joining the
sentence in a group of three or more:
The day before yesterday Alex gave his girlfriend Maria some
beautiful, red flowers for her birthday.
7
Divide the class into groups. These groups can make up their basic
sentence and in turn can come and stand in front of the class. Then
continue the activity as from stage 4 .
•••••••••••••••• • •••0 ••••0••••• • ••• • •••••0 •••0
Variation
•
Divide the class into groups of not more than six. Each group writes
the longest sentence they can. Now they write each word or phrase
on a small card or piece of paper and mix these so that they are in the
wrong order. Tell the groups to exchange their pile of cards with
another group. The groups try to put together a correct sentence
using the new set of cards .
65
27
LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
TIME GUIDE
Activity
f/
1
I am a word
Revising the word order in sentences.
Your learners.
None.
1 5-20 minutes.
Ask five learners to come with you outside the classroom. Explain
that they are going to play a word game. Give them one word each
and explain that each word is a word in a sentence.
2
Put the learners into random order and tell them to go back into the
classroom and stand in a row facing the class. They should stand like
this:
3
Explain to the class that these five learners are words in a sentence
and class have to put them in the right order. The five learners tell the
class their word, starting with the learner on the far right.
4
Ask the learners if they think this is a correct sentence. When they
say 'No', invite one of the class to give an instruction to one of the
learners to move so that their position in the sentence is correct, for
example:
'Alex', move to the front of the sentence.
'Maria', stand between 'gave' and 'some'.
Other members of the class can then instruct words to move until
the sentence is correct. Between each move, ask the members of the
'sentence' to repeat their words.
64
Panel of experts
28
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Variations
1.
Decide on a couple of topics which you know will interest the class.
In a large class, organize the learners into groups of four and choose
one of these four to be the (expert' on the topic you have chosen.
While the other three people in the groups prepare questions, work
with the experts in a corner of the classroom and help them prepare
the topic and the language they will need.
Now the groups can do the activity all at the same time. (Experts' do
not need to come to the front of the class, but can be interviewed in
their groups. Now continue as from stage 3 above.
2
Organize the class into groups of between three and five learners.
Give each group a different (expert' topic. Give them fifteen minutes
to prepare information about their topic. Now select one group and
send these experts to other groups to answer questions for five
minutes. Then select another group to answer questions on their
topic and repeat the activity. This is a good activity with more
advanced learners.
67
28
LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
P REPARAT I O N
TIME GUIDE
Panel of experts
Fluency practice in asking and answering questions.
Writing a newspaper article.
Your learners.
A week before doing the activity, tell three learners to prepare to talk
and answer questions about a topic they are especially interested in.
Learners can choose their own topics or you can help them decide
on one, for example: a hobby, a favourite person or personality, a
sport or a skill, or a place they have visited.
20-30 minutes.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Activity
1
Tell the class that three 'experts' have come to answer their questions.
Tell them the topics that have been selected, for example, 'playing
badminton', 'Morocco', 'making sushi'.
'2
Tell the learners that they are reporters and they are going to
interview these experts and then write an article about them for a
newspaper or magazine. They must work in groups of four and
quickly prepare two or more questions for each of the three chosen
experts. Meanwhile, the experts prepare a short introduction to their
topic. Walk round the class and help the learners to make interesting
questions, using a variety of question forms, for example:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
3
Now tell the experts to come to the front of the class and to sit on
three chairs facing the rest of the class.
4
Invite reporters from all parts of the classroom to ask their
questions. Do not interrupt the interviews but sinlply make sure that
the questions keep coming and that the experts give enough
information.
S
66
When did you first become interested in badminton?
Which team do you play for?
How many people can play?
How do you score?
Who is the national champion?
What team does s/he play for?
How much does it cost to buy a badminton racquet?
When each expert has answered the questions, stop the interviews
and tell the learners to go back into their original groups. They must
now try and remember the information they have heard. This can
now be used as the basis for an article about the topic for an
inlaginary newspaper or for a class magazine. Learners can select
which expert they will write about. The experts can write about each
other.
�
Favourite peO � le
4
29
This activity can also be done using a learner's favourite place as a
topic and can become a way of choosing where to go for an
imaginary class outing or holiday. Label the groups A, B, C, D, etc.
Each learner in the group thinks of the most interesting place they
have ever been to and briefly tells the rest of the group, where it is
and why it was so special to them. The group then decides which
place they would like to visit. They then ask questions until they have
a complete picture of the place. Learners must remember the
information or make notes about this chosen place.
Once again, learners re-group so that each group has an A + B + C +
D, etc. Each member of this new group talks about the place that was
chosen and the new group decides on the best place to visit. One
learner from each new group can now report to the whole class and a
vote can be taken about which place to visit. This type of decision­
making is called a (pyramid' activity.
.
"
69
29
LANGUAGE
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
TIME GUIDE
Favourite people
Practising giving information and asking questions.
Your learners.
None.
20-30 minutes.
• • • • • • • 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 • • • 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 • • • •
Activity
1
Tell the learners to think of a favourite person that they mow well.
This can be a friend, relative, or teacher. They must think of as much
information as possible about this person: why they like them, what
their relationship is with them, when they first met them, what they
look like, what work they do, and so on.
2
Organize the class into groups of not more than six.
3
Each learner describes his favourite person to the group and says
why slhe chose that particular person. When everyone has spoken,
the group must discuss which person they would all like to meet and
why.
4
The learner whose favourite person is chosen then takes on the role
of that person. Everyone else in the group must now ask questions in
turn and try and find out as much as they can about that person.
S
A speaker from each group can tell the whole class about the
favourite person their group interviewed. The class can then vote for
the class favourite.
0 • • • • 0 . 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 • • 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Variations
68
1
Learners can write a newspaper article about their own, the group's
or the class' favourite person. They can pretend he or she has just
come to their town or village, or has just done something so special
that the newspaper wants to write about it.
2
Learners can choose to talk about someone famous. If they do not
have enough information about them, they must make it up.
3
Give each group a card with the name of a real or invented person
and details about that person. One learner reads the card out to the
rest of the group who now have to invent more inform"ation about
that person. Everyone must make a note of this information. Now
students re-group so that each person in the new groups has
different information. Now the activity can continue as from stage 1 .
�
"
Draw it like th is
o
30
2
When you have read out the complete description, ask the learners
first to compare their drawing with a partner. Then pin up your
original drawing, or redraw it on the board, and tell learners to
compare their drawings with your drawing. Read out your
description again so that learners can find out if and where they
went wrong. Tell the class that they are now going to do the same
activity with each other.
3
Organize the class so that they are sitting in pairs or threes. It is
important that the learners cannot see what each is going to draw, so
tell them to turn away from each other, or to hide their work behind
another piece of paper.
4
Ask each learner to draw a quick and simple floor plan drawing of a
room they know, or if they prefer, an imaginary room.
S
After two or three minutes, tell them to stop drawing. Now one of
each pair must describe their picture, step-by-step, to their partner.
It is important that they do not show this picture to their partner, as
'
the purpose of this activity is to speak and listen. The listener then
draws what they have understood. If the listener forgets or is not
sure, they can ask for the information to be repeated.
6
When the first learner has fully described their picture, and their
partner has finIshed drawing from their partner's instructions, they
can show each other their drawings. Tell them to look out for
mistakes, for example, 'left' instead of 'right'.
7
Next, reverse the process so the listeners becomes the tellers.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 0 0 • • • • • •
Variations
:L
2
.
"
The first time learners hear the room description, they have to listen
very carefully as the description is not repeated, and no questions are
allowed. The description is read a second time and questions are
allowed.
Organize the learners in groups of three to four. Again, all learners
do a secret drawing. In turn each member of the group describes
their drawing to the rest of the group, who draw the description of
what they hear. After each learner has described their drawing, all the
group members compare their drawings.
71
30
LANGUAGE
Draw it like this
Practising giving descriptions, for example:
There is/are . . .
It's / They're at the top / on the right / next to . . . .
Asking about descriptions, for example:
Is there a/some . . . ?
Where is/are the . . . ?
Asking for clarification, for example:
Can you say that again, please?
Is it / Are they on the left or the right?
RESOURCES
PREPARATION
Your learners.
Make a quick and simple floor plan drawing of an imaginary room.
Prepare simple instructions so that your learners could draw your
drawing by listening to your description without seeing the drawing.
Use the sentence types from the introduction.
TIME GUIDE
Activity
70
:l
20-30 minutes.
Make sure each learner has some paper and a pen or pencil. Slowly
read out the description of your drawing. Stop after each sentence
and ask learners to draw what they have heard.