9th June 2023
The second lesson for level 1 students is now available on YouTube.
Part 1 is a warm up where students shout out the letters they see.
Part 2 develops sentence-building skills. The students must say what zoo animals they see using colour adjectives
EXAMPLE
I see a black and white panda.
Some students will be able to add additional adjectives:
{angry, beautiful, big, cute, dangerous, hungry, intelligent, scary, strong}
5th June 2023
The Korean actress Shin Min-an from the film ‘A Bittersweet Life’
Today’s task is to introduce yourself to your classmates. First give some basic information, then tell us what you like doing. Finally, what you would like to do in the future.
EXAMPLE
Hello, my name is John and I’m from Australia. I’m an English teacher, and I have been in Vietnam for about 2 years.
My hobbies are reading books, watching films and listening to music.
In Vietnam, I have been to Ha Noi and Hue. I was blown away by all the old buildings.
I really want to visit Hoi An and Halong Bay.
{Photo from Google Images}
Maybe you want to study abroad, in London, or the US ?
about: with time. I have been studying English for about 6 months.
really: adverbs I am happy / I am really happy [stronger and more interesting]
continuous verbs: I like to read / I like reading /
Remember to use our expressions:
over the moon / I am [was] blown away
it cheers [cheered] me up
2nd June 2023
Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green, London
Vocabulary:
bucket and spade // teddy bear // puppets // board games // dolls // Punch and Judy // jigsaw puzzle //
Start the video around the 7:30 mark, and run until 9:50
Questions:
1) What were the first toys you saw in the video ?
2) What was on the front of the shoes (two words) ?
3) Where would you play with the toys at 8:20 ?
4) What toy animals did you see ?
5) Which teddy bear do you like best ?
6) What colour were the clothes at 8:50
7) Do you know any of these bears ?
8) What board games did you see ?
9) What jigsaws did you see ?
10) Would you like to see a Punch and Judy show ?
Watch again at 8:52 and find:
Rupert, Sooty, Yogi, Paddington, Winnie
Yogi Bear
Paddington Bear
Sooty
Rupert
Winnie the Pooh
And now, a Punch & Judy show – enjoy !
30th May 2023
Today I posted my first video lesson on YouTube.
Aimed at young learners, the first video is a warm up exercise for students to identify various letters, then read the animals as the letters appear one by one.
Award points for the first student(s) to spell the animals, for extra excitement !
23rd May 2023
For speaking tests, students need to be able to speak at length, using long sentences with adjectives, linking words and maybe an expression or two … and it’s never too soon to start.
Higher Kindergarten classes can answer in short sentences, instead of single word answers. They can expand by using adjectives.
For example, a teacher will ask, “What is it ?”
The answer must be in the form of a sentence, “It’s a car.” Then we can expand … “It’s a red car,” “It’s a fast, red car.”
At higher levels, students need to feel confident to speak longer, and here’s a tip. This is a mind map with one main idea, then different ideas that students can speak about.
OK, as they say in Cinema, “Show, don’t tell.”
Some expressions:
I’m over the moon (I’m very, very happy)
I was blown away (I was very impressed by someone or something)
It cheers me up (Verb 1) cheered me up (Verb 2) (made me happy after I was sad)
Don’t forget to use the linking words
because // also // so // however // as well as
EXAMPLE:
My favourite sports are football and swimming because they are fun, exciting as well as healthy.
I play football at school with my classmates. My friend John is very good. He is better than me. I also play on weekends. However, I can’t play football alone.
I really enjoy swimming. I can swim alone. I often swim at weekends at a sports centre.
Sports can cheer me up when I am sad. If my teams win, I am over the moon.
NOW … your turn.
Make a mind map for:
Free time
Movies
School
Food
See you soon.
22nd May 2023
Friends, students, colleagues, lend me your ears.
Before younglings graduate from the Superkids Level, they have to, absolutely have to, master the most basic verb in English, the verb ‘to be’ – so, let’s go to work !
Let’s go to work
BAAM ! Easy !
Now … let’s practise
Make it a game, put the class in teams
I shall read a short sentence. I want the correct Verb 1, Verb 2 & the infinite.
EXAMPLE: I say, “I is happy.”
Team 1 writes I am happy,
Team 2 I was happy
Team 3 using the helping verb ‘want’ will write I want to be happy.
OK, I dig, Man, let’s go to work !
You is sad // He am angry // She are intelligent // It is cold // Ms Huong am cute // We am hungry // They is furious.
Change the helping verb to like or need
I is better // You is taller // Ms Huong over the moon // He am a tough guy // She weres colourful // It iss rich // We to be free // They on holiday.
Bring it on !
19th May 2023
With real sadness, and shock, I write this blog as a tribute to Andy Rourke, former bass player with The Smiths.
I first saw the band around the time of their second single ‘This Charming Man’, playing in a ballroom, then saw them at larger venues, festivals and arenas. They were a band that changed lives. There had been nothing quite like them, before or since.
Morrissey and Marr dominated the group, in terms of media coverage, but all musicians could tell how much Andy contributed; he was such an under-rated bassist.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Andy Rourke after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer,” guitarist Johnny Marr wrote on Twitter.
Goodbye, Andy … lots of love xxx
Andy Rourke 17th January 1964 – 19th May 2023
18th May 2023
The seventh track on the EP ‘Life in a Korean Movie’, Ice-Cold Angels, has been uploaded to YouTube:
All tracks are free to download on the Bandcamp site:
https://jingoharleyman.bandcamp.com/album/life-in-a-korean-movie
Track 6 (‘We are the Cyborgs but that’s OK’) was inspired by Asian Sci-fi; Track 7 is another genre piece, this time the gangster film.
‘Ice-Cold Angels’ is the soundtrack to an imaginary crime-action movie, incorporating sounds of explosions, gunfire, speeding cars, police sirens, and gangsters shouting.
Lee Byung-hun … a Korean Alain Delon ? Still from ‘A Bittersweet Life’.
Musically, I chose the key of F and used the Korean Nando – Kyemyonjo scale, limiting myself to the five notes of that pentatonic scale: F G G# A# C.
Again, I was experimenting with the synth effects and sounds on the iPhone Garageband app, and some new guitar tones that were recently added. The ‘Digital Rainfall’ hopefully evokes the constant rain that seems to permeate crime and cyberpunk movies.
Kim Ok-bin in ‘The Villainess’ – fans of ‘John Wick’ will appreciate this film.
The music is non-profit, and I hope to introduce more audiences to Korean cinema and culture. All films are credited in the video. As such, I hope I may claim ‘Fair Use’, the video being for non-commercial artistic and educational purposes.
The next section is just for my own records and will be of no interest to anyone except maybe low-fi recording geeks.
The track is in the Key of F
Tempo 229 4/4 Time
Garageband sequence
Track 1 Classic Drum Machine
Track 2 Audio – Voice – Extreme Tuning
Dialogue from ‘The Villainess’ & ‘Shiri’
Track 3 Liverpool Bass
Track 4 Alchemy Synth – Mallets – Woodblock Space
Track 5 Alchemy Synth – Sound Effects – Digital Rainfall
Tracks 6 – 9 Guitar tones
Track 6 Melted Transistors Guitar amp Distorted
Track 7 Cold Fusion Guitar amp Processed
Track 8: Big Sustain Guitar amp Distorted
Track 9: Moving Lead Distorted
Track 10 Drum Machine – Acoustic – Retro Rock
Track 11 Fuzz Overload Guitar amp Distorted
Track 12 Alchemy Synth – Bass – 70s Classic Synth Bass
Track 13 Alchemy Synth – Sound Effects – Massive Slam
Coming soon … ‘Sassy Girls on the Beach’
17th May 2023
The sixth track on the EP ‘Life in a Korean Movie’, We are the Cyborgs, but that’s OK, has been uploaded to YouTube:
All tracks are free to download on the Bandcamp site:
https://jingoharleyman.bandcamp.com/album/life-in-a-korean-movie
The most experimental piece on the EP, ‘Cyborg’ uses various synth settings and effects to recreate a robotic, electronic soundscape, mixed with some traditional-sounding patriotic marching songs.
The dichotomy of traditional and futuristic sounds is continued by the use of a Chinese pipa set against a heavy bass drum machine.
The music is non-profit, and I hope to introduce more audiences to Korean cinema and culture. All films are credited in the video. As such, I hope I may claim ‘Fair Use’, the video being for non-commercial artistic and educational purposes.
The next section is just for my own records and will be of no interest to anyone except maybe low-fi recording geeks.
The track is in the Key of C
Tempo 110 4/4 Time
Garageband sequence
Track 1 Tweed Rhythm Guitar amp
Track 2 Echolocation Synth
(Alchemy Synth – Rhythmic – Echolocation Synth)
Track 3 Chinese Kit – Percussion
Track 4 Drum Machine – Trap Door
(More – Electronic – Trap Door)
Track 5 Picked Bass
Track 6 Alchemy Synth – Voices – Female Choir Morph
Track 7 Drum Machine – Crate Digger
(Drum Machine – Electronic – Crate Digger)
Track 8: Alchemy Synth – Voices – Girl’s Choir 1
Track 9: Alchemy Synth – Voices – Moving Voice
Track 10 Alchemy Synth – Sound Effects – Transform Flare
Track 11 Pipa (played on synth Keyboard – Other – Pipa)
Track 12 Melted Transistor Guitar amp – Distorted
Track 13 Spy Tremolo Guitar amp – Processed
Tracks 14 & 15 Film Clips ‘SORI’ & ‘Air Doll’
Track 16 Garageband FX
Audio: Voice, Extreme Tuning
Coming soon … ‘Ice-Cold Angels’
12th May 2023
A writing exercise to help build narrative. We shall use signpost language, paragraphs, amazing adjectives, adverbs and linking words, as well as some new expressions.
I shall tell you about last Sunday – it was terrible and here’s why.
The plan of my day:
6.50 Book Grab on my iPhone and leave for work.
7.40 – 9.40 Young Learners class, level 1 (24 students)
10.10 Arrive home
10.11am – 2.30pm Wedding party across the street
10.30 – 12.00 Prepare work online
5.00pm – 9.30pm Another wedding party but much louder, more karaoke singers
6.00 Go for coffee
BUT 11.30pm Barcelona win 1- 0 so ‘All’s well that ends well.’
So what were the problems ?
“Hey, where is my bike ? I am late for work !”
I only have one class; I hope they are nice and quiet. OK, they are screaming, loudly ! But now I can go home and relax. Wait a moment …
A wedding party with singing and drinking and karaoke … for four hours ! No problems, I will wear headphones, listen to my music and prepare my work online.
I give up ! This is never going to happen. However, after 2.30pm it starts to be quiet. I can work, read and at 4.45 I started to sleep … until at 5.00:
These gentlemen do not sing beautifully, they sound like cats having a fight. I decide to go out to a quiet coffee bar. The server is very friendly … but then a man walks in …
My dreadful day was nearly over. At 11.30 I watch TV and see …
Yes, my team Barcelona are playing. I am blown away by how good they are and I am over the moon because they win the game. All’s well that ends well.
NOW … your turn
Write about Mr Paul’s terrible day.
TIPS
Use a short introduction, then a new paragraph for each new event.
Use signpost language (first, next, then, afterwards, finally).
The story is in the past so you have to use simple past (Verb 2). Noun & verb agreement (he is, he was)
End with a short conclusion.
Use new adjectives and synonyms (terrible, awful, dreadful, horrendous).
I insist that you use at least one new expression (over the moon, blown away, all’s well that ends well).
Let me kick start you:
Last Sunday was absolutely dreadful.
First, I booked Grab on my iPhone but he was extremely slow and late. My manager was …
now you finish my day
Good luck with my bad day
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Thay Paul's Notes 