A quick recap of recent language. Tell me what you like.
Example
Google Images (photostockeditor.com)
I like playing guitar as well as playing with elephants.
freepik.com
I love playing loud music as well as playing with big grey intelligent elephants.
Elephants are very strong as well as very hungry.
Sometimes Mr Elephant is so clever, he can play piano
What does he like ?
NOW, who works in a:
hospital // a school // a restaurant // a bus ?
Does she work in an airport ?
Does he work in a school ?
Do they work in a school ?
Do they work in a school ?
What do you want ?
I want some delicious spaghetti
Why ? Because I’m very hungry.
I want some delicious spaghetti because I’m very hungry.
What does he want ?
He wants _______________ because he’s ______
What does she want ?
She __________________ because she’s _______
Does he want salad ?
Does she want steak ?
What do you want to eat ?
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
Which brings us to the theme of safety and the book work for the Saturday Class.
E up U 2, L 1
British culture
As a break, a little introduction to the UK and its history and traditions. The beginning of November sees Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night
In 1605, a group of men wanted to kill the King of England, James I. They wanted to blow up the building where the King was going to be, so they hid 36 barrels of gunpowder under the building. However, the King’s soldiers found one of the men, Guy Fawkes, and arrested him. The King was safe ! To celebrate, people made giants fires called bonfires : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnq7aqHLCSM
Start and play up to 0:52 to explain the background, then from 3:25 and have the class copy the children in the video. This helps with pronunciation as well as learning new words, and learning about Britain.
We still do this today. Also, children help to make a Guy Fawkes from old clothes and old bags, and then adults put it on the fire. Finally, there are fireworks, sometimes at home, sometimes in parks so everyone can see.
Many different types of fireworks are used:
Some young children are holding sparklers – they have to wear gloves and be VERY CAREFUL.
Warm Up: A kinetic run ‘n’ write exercise. I will say a simple sentence in the present tense; students have to write the past tense. Class can be split into two or three, depending on size, each with a different colour marker.
You act in a play / I ride an elephant / She win a competition / He read a big book / We learn English /
In English, we often talk about what we were doing at some time in the past.
For example:
Last night I was in a café drinking coffee.
We show past tense by
1 a word or words that show the past e.g. Last night, yesterday, this morning
2 the past tense form of the verb e.g. I am = I was / he is = he was
Then we use a continuous verb to say what someone was doing i.e. verb+ing (playing, reading, working)
Last night he was in his room playing guitar.
Yesterday she was at school writing in her book.
Last week they were at a party singing songs.
How did the children feel ? They felt …
Now we can use past simple and past continuous:
When I came to class, the student was sleeping.
When I called my sister, she was studying insects.
When I found my friends, they were looking at the stars.
Now … Your turn
When I found my friends, they were …
To make your English more interesting, we can change the word order:
When I found my friends, they were collecting leaves
They were collecting leaves when I found my friends
NOTICE: no comma in the second sentence
Change the word order:
When I found my friends, they were identifying trees
When I found my friends, they were picking strawberries
When I found my friends, they were finding animal tracks
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images and are used for educational purposes. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
A new class, new students, so let’s hit the ground running, get the students mixing, talking to each other and up from their seats. I prepared a questionnaire. They have to interview different classmates and learn a little about them
Gather information about your classmates
Question
Name
Response
Why are you studying IELTS ?
Where would you most like to visit and why ? Would you like to live abroad ?
What is the hardest thing about learning English ? How do you solve this ?
How often do you use English ?
Do you read, write or speak at school or at work ?
What do you most like about western culture or countries ?
What idioms do you know ?
This lead into the idiom it’s raining cats and dogs which most students had heard (it means raining heavily).
Today’s lesson is based on types of housing and areas; some extra terms:
gritty / industrial
quite / safe / residential
boring / peaceful / suburban
bustling / vibrant / city centre
Which would you apply to these:
All photos are from the UK
Ask each other about your hometown or your neighbourhood.
A collection of clips predominantly featuring western people and their views on Vietnam. I have also added some suggested sequences for pronunciation practice … and so, without further ado …
First time in Viet Nam – First impressions of Viet Nam
A vlog by Divert Living, posted just over two years ago and which has already received more than a million hits:
” … and I asked them, ‘How much is aqua (water) ?’ Aqua’s fifteen thousand, beer’s twenty thousand … of course I’m gonna get the beer, now … it’s just as expensive as the water.”
09:00 – 0913
“Fun fact, Vietnamese cuisine is considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world … and, to go with the food, the size of the dining tables and chairs are super small.”
This vlog was shot in Ha Noi, so let’s get their take (their opinion, view, experience) on Sai Gon:
What to expect – Saigon or HCMC
Now they travel to my neck of the woods (the area I live in or was brought up in), and they encounter, among many other delights, coconut coffee:
“Wow … that’s so strong, but it’s got a ball of coconut ice-cream in the middle … whoah !”
And the young lady who I believe is Korean adds:
“I wanna try … This is the coffee king … ahhhhhhhh !”
Talking Point:
The young travellers give their views on the environment and cleanliness of District 1 which is the city centre [UK] or downtown area [USA].
To what extent do you agree with them ?
What do Vietnamese students think of the Vlogger’s appraisal of Sai Gon ?
Let’s move on and talk about traffic which is quite a serious issue in Vietnam. Firstly, attending driving school … what can go wrong ? A clip from the world-famous motoring show from the BBC, ‘Top Gear.’
Right from the get go (from the very start) we have some great lines:
“Cheer up … this is gonna be a doodle … [Vietnamese] … it wasn’t !”
01.23 – 01:45
“How the hell … what did you just do ?”
“It was eighteen. Eighteen years old.”
“How did you know ?”
“Did you not bother learning Vietnamese before we came here ?”
“Well, no.”
“You’re screwed, then.”
Time for some food and the ubiqitous Phở My favourite TV chef, Mr Keith Floyd, who sadly passed away in 2009. He came to Asia, and visited Vietnam and now he’s going to tell you about Phở:
A compilation of videos about Viet Nam for use in class. Some clips are made by westerners, other by Vietnamese speaking English. The clips can be used for listening practice, learning vocabulary, pronunciation, or just to learn more about the country.
I agree totally // I agree to an extent // I’m not sure I totally agree // That has not been my experience // She is spot on ! // She is over-simplifying // There’s an element of truth in what she says // She’s talking nonsense !
A database of idioms that my physical classes covered previously as well as new idioms plus a reminder of some low-frequency words that are guaranteed to impress the examiner. Let’s kick off with some vocabulary building:
cf is Latin for ‘compare’ // e.g. is Latin meaning ‘for example’ // i.e. is Latin for ‘that is’.
Now …
Complete the sentences:
If you learn English you will increase your job ____________
Nowadays, most young people are _____________ _________________ . They are able to use programs such as Word, ___________ & ________
When selecting a university, you may have to be ______________ in case you don’t get into your first choice.
Getting a great, well-paying job is essential if you want a high ________________________ .
One student moved to Boston where the temperature can drop to below freezing. He’s really having ________ to the new culture.
My actor friend is busy 24/7, attending parties, setting up meeting, pitching ideas and Tweeting. That guy is constantly ______________ .
Class Game
Split class into two teams. One team selects a word or phrase and the other team has to use it, correctly of course, in a sentence. Bonus points for throwing in any appropriate idioms.
I would love this guitar which is a left-handed Rickenbacker, a famous American company with a very distinctive look and sound, yet, to my dismay, it costs ______________________
Idioms from Semester 2
Another string to (your) bow – a new skill or learning experience
bear with me – please wait a very short time (usually spoken as opposed to written)
bit of a sore point – something that makes you sad or angry
down in the dumps – depressed, unhappy, feeling gloomy
hit the ground running – to start something immediately and with all your energy
like a madhouse – a place or area that is crazy, too noisy, too busy etc
run of the mill – ordinary, typical, normal, usual, boring
up in arms – to be very angry about something, to protest strongly
you take your life in your hands – doing something that is extremely dangerous
Idioms from Semester 1
Which you should all know by heart and be able to reel off at the drop of a hat.
it’s raining cats and dogs
it costs an arm and a leg
piece of cake
I’m burning the candle at both ends
once in a blue moon
pass with flying colours
Extra expressions for Top Cats:
Ring any bells ? // do you remember //
More or less // not exactly but approximately
Get the gist // do you understand the main point ?
Right up your street // this is something you will really like
Rabbit, Rabbiting on // UK slang, especially in London … talking too much
Tongue in cheek // not being serious about something
Keep your hand in // to practise something so you don’t forget how it’s done
Bucket down / raining cats and dogs // raining very heavily
Have a go / give it a bash / give it a shot // to try something
Call it a day // to stop work and go home early
Go ahead // sure, do it
Under one roof // everything in one place
Through thick and thin // together in good times and bad times.
Remember these old chestnuts ?
without further ado // tricks up your sleeve // ace the test
pass with flying colours // do yourself proud //
you are in the driver seat(or you are in the driving seat) //
Regular verbs: just add -‘ed’. However, as you see, in this list only one common verb, ‘want’, is regular.
NOTE: ‘to be’ is different:
I am hungry / You are hungry / She is hungry / We are hungry
Now, practice: In groups of three or four, ask each other questions in order to feel more natural using the past tense. Let’s start simply:
What did you do today ?
Each student takes turns describing their day. Use these photos to help you.
Extra practice:
buy / drink / surf the internet / help parents / cook / do homework
Present tense ——– Past tense
act —— acted
go —- went
learn —— learned OR learnt
play — played
read —– read (pronounced ‘red)
ride —— rode
sleep —– slept
watch —- watched (pronounced ‘watch -t‘)
win —- won
What is the past tense ?
I act in a film. Last week I ______ in a film.
I go to London. Last year I _______________ to London.
I ride an elephant. Last month I ___________ an elephant.
I learn English.
Last Saturday, we ___________ English with Mr Paul.
The monkey plays piano.
Last night, the monkey _________ piano.
She reads a book. Last Sunday she _____ a book.
He sleeps all day. Yesterday he _______ all day.
I watch the amazing Spiderman.
Last week I ______ the amazing Spiderman.
Put these verbs into the past tense, then complete the sentences:
want ———
take ———
decide ———
see ——–
buy ——–
think ——–
learn ——–
I —— to stay in bed this morning
She —– great photos with her new iPhoneX
We have —— to go to Thailand for Tet
Last night I —- a great film !
He —- food for Christmas from Harrods.
Tuesday ! I —— today was Wednesday
We —– about past simple in our lesson.
Pronunciation guide
In English, verb can be regular or irregular.
Regular verbs add -ed or -d in the past tense.
EXAMPLE:
I walk to work // I WALKED to work
I play guitar // I PLAYED guitar
She smiles on TV / She SMILED on TV
They dance in T-ara // They DANCED in T-ara
-ed past tense verbs pronunciation
Words have 3 end sounds:
‘t’
‘d
‘id’
If the word ends with:
ch / f / k / p / s / sh / thi – The sound is ‘t’ look = ‘lookt’
t /or / d/ – The sound is ‘id’ visit – ‘visitid’
Other sounds are ‘d’ bang = ‘bangd’
What is the correct pronunciation for these regular verbs ?
Look = Looked // laugh = laughed // end =
beg = / visit = / kiss =
brush = / breath = / love =
Read these sentences:
He cleared up the mess / He rolled up the newspaper / I have visited India
No Homework ! That sounded good / Teacher shouted, ‘No way !’
We all worked hard today / Tom talked so much /
The students played many games and laughed.
They have visited India
She has banged the drum !
Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images or free photo sites, and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement or offense is intended. If I have used your photo or image, and you wish me to remove it, just ask. This site is not monetized, I run it on my own dollar. Thank you.
We’ve got photographs of men on the moon We’ve got water that is good for us We’ve got coffee that’s instantaneous We’ve got buildings that are very tall We’ve got cigarettes that are low in tar We’ve got policemen can tell us who we are We can reproduce a work of art We’ve got missiles can tear the world apart Good, good, good, good, good, good technology
We’ve got trains that run underground Aeroplanes that fly very fast We’ve got music that is popular We’ve got machines that sound like orchestras We’ve got ability to transplant a heart We’ve got freezers full of body parts We’ve got computers that can find us friends We know roughly when the world will end Good, good, good, good, good, good technology
We’ve got animals with transistors in We’ve got pills that can make you slim We’ve got factories turning frozen chickens out We’ve got ovens that cook in seconds flat We’ve got plastics that are indestructible We’ve got deodorants that make us smell of flowers We’ve got detergents to clean up the sea We’ve got sounds can turn you inside out
Sometimes I wonder what it is all about There’s lots of leisure time to sit and work it out There’s a TV show I’ve got to see Good, good, good, good, good, good technology Good technology
Now, to cut down on ‘Teacher Talking Time’ and to get the class prepared to speak, to use intonation and stress as well as affording them the chance to use their L-FWs and idioms, a little warm up activity.
Firstly, what did you think of the song, with special reference to the lyrics and themes. remember – this song was from the 1980s, before mobile phones and the internet, which are now ubiquitous.
Ask and answer. Speak to many different students.
Elicit answers, interview your fellow students, pump them for information, don’t allow them to get away with a two- or three-word answers
How many hours do you use a computer every day ?
[Ask what the computer is used for, ask for examples, favourite sites, what is the work – play balance ?]
Do you have a smartphone ? If so, what type ?
Have you ever read an e-book ? Which one ?
What are your favourite video games ?
Do you write or read a blog ?
Are you on Instagram or Twitter ? Why or why not ?
When do you post comments online ?
Do you make phone calls or text family and friends ?
Warm Up – In teams, write three animals you would find in the Amazon Rain Forest.
Giant ant-eater
Let’s delve deeper (let’s learn more).
Use comparatives and superlatives:
A jaguar is a big cat BUT not as big as a lion. A lion is not as big as a tiger.
A lion is bigger than a jaguar but a tiger is the biggest.
A capybara is a rodent (like a mouse or rat).
A Capybara
A rat is _______________ than a mouse but a capybara is the ____________ rodent.
What is wrong with this sentence ?
A caiman – a type of alligator.
A caiman is big but an alligator is more big and a crocodile is most big.
A caiman is a reptile – it is _______________ dangerous reptile in the Amazon. Reptiles have thick or scaly skin. They can live in hot weather and salt water.
A frog is amphibian – amphibians need water to live and only have soft delicate skin. They cannot live in salt water (like the sea). If you see frogs or toads, it can mean that the water is good.
Next put these animals in order of danger, first, second and third then write a sentence using a comparative and the superlative
poison dart frog
bullet ant
jaguar
The answers
Number 3: bullet ant
Number 2: jaguar
Number 1: poison dart frog
Did you know ?
A jaguar has ___ _____ powerful bite. A jaguar bite is _____ powerful than a lion.
A bullet ant has _____ _____ painful insect sting. The sting is 30 times ______ painful than a bee sting.
The poison dart frog has different colours. The golden poison dart from is ____ _____ poisonous.
The Santo Angel waterfall is the ___________________ in the world
Answers: South America // 9 // it produces 20% of the world’s oxygen // 3 000 // poison dart frogs, jaguars, snakes, spiders, piranhas // a tucan // largest at 979 metres.
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Thay Paul's Notes 