Young Learners – let’s get talking !

28th August 2023

We have had lots of writing lessons and planning – time to boost our English speaking by practice, practice and … practice.

First subject: food and drink

What is your favourite drink ?

Do you like milk tea, water, juice or coffee ?

Where do you go to drink ?

With whom do you go ?

What do you like about the place ?

An example ? OK … work in pairs – ask and answer

Do you like milk tea, water, juice or coffee ?

I really love drinking coffee.

Where do you go to drink ?

I really like Highlands Coffee, a famous shop where I live. I enjoy going there so much because there is a lot of choice.

I can have tea or coffee, hot or cold. I usually order cappuccino. In my opinion, it tastes delicious and is damn fine coffee.

With whom do you go ?

I always go alone.

What do you like about the place ?

What I like about the shop is the free wifi and the comfortable chairs.

However, it is very busy and noisy so it is not a good place to read.

Now, tell me what you like to eat and where you like to go … and why.

Work in pairs – keep asking questions to get more information. Remember to use lots of adjectives to describe the restaurant.

Ask

1- What is their favourite food ?

2 – Where do they go ?

3 – What is so good about it ?

4 – What does the restaurant or street food stall look like

Fishing with birds: a writing exercise

25th August 2023

Let’s dive straight in ! Watch this short clip.

Board some new words:

swallow (verb) // count (v) // seek (v)

peaceful (adjective) // calm (adj) // tranquil (adj) // golden (adj) //disgusting (adj) // talented (adj) // cheeky (adj) // expert hunter (adj + noun)

landscape (noun) // cormorant (n) // noose (n) // tiddler (n)

Remember this chart ?

This blog may be accessed here: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2023/05/23/boost-your-english-speaking/

We shall have four sections to our writing:

1) Landscape 2) the men 3) the birds 4) the cheeky bird

1) Landscape

Where is this ? What can you see ? Describe the scene

(China, mountains, river, lake, trees, rocks. The sun is rising with a golden light. The scene is peaceful and tranquil.)

2) The Men

What do they look like ? What do they do ?

(The men are old, with lines on their faces. They smoke and have disgusting teeth, yellow and black. They dance and chant. They feed the birds tiddler fish.)

3) The Birds

Describe them

(The birds are intelligent and talented. They are expert hunters and can swim well. Also, they can count, up to 7. After 7, they refuse to work unless they get some tiddlers to swallow.)

4) Cheeky bird

What does the cheeky bird do ?

Now, write your short story about fishing with birds. Advanced students can practise writing in the simple past, using verb 2.

Good luck !

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.

Young learners, level 1: some classroom games.

14th August 2023

A couple of games to help review recent lessons. First up, ‘Runaround‘.

A game based on a TV show. The teacher asks a question and then gives three possible answers.

EXAMPLE:

What animal is small, green and can jump ?

A – a dog B – a frog C – a hedgehog

The students – just one from each team – run to a letter. They are allowed 3 seconds to change their mind – then give the answer.

The following questions are based on our textbook, so adapt as you see fit.

What colour is a banana ?

A – purple B – white C – yellow

What is correct ?

A – 2 red marbles B – 2 red marble C – 2 marbles red

What animal is big ?

A – a mouse B – an elephant C – an ant

How much is 3 and 4 (3 + 4 =) ?

A – 6 B – 7 C – 8

What is in your bag ?

A – a pen B – a chair C – a classroom

Is this a book ?

A – Yes, it isn’t B – No, it is C – Yes, it is

What toy can fly ?

A – a train B – a plane C – a doll

What shape is this ?

A – a rectangle B – a circle C – a triangle

What animal has rectangle pupils in the eye ?

A – an elephant B – a goat C – Ms Huong (haha)

You play with a bat and

A – an egg B – a desk C – a ball

If you want to drink water, raise your

A – hand B – toes C – hair

Next, good old Snakes and ladders. In the same teams, hand out writing boards. Use an online die or dice, and this template:

1: Make a sentence I have a colour + toy

2: A rainbow is very (adjective)

3: Write 3 colours that begin with the letter ‘b’

4: What is your favourite toy ?

5: What can you see in this classroom. Write 2 things

6: What colour is your bag ?

7: A puppy is (2 adjectives)

8: Write a question starting with ‘Can …’

9: Tell me what is in your bag

10: Draw an elephant and then tell me about the animal.

Tony Bennett R.I.P.

8th August 2023

Time to say goodbye to another musical legend, this time singer Tony Bennett who sang Jazz and American standards.

Tony was the last of the singers to have emerged after World War II, singers such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Mel Tormé, Sammy Davis Jr.

Music changed from Swing Jazz to Cool Jazz, Blues to R ‘n’ B, while Rock ‘n’ Roll, Pop and Rock music emerged. Yet, they still kept their careers and popularity.

I saw Mr Bennett at the 1998 Copenhagen Jazz Festival. At one point, Tony asked for the microphones to be turned off, and he sang to the crowd unamplified.

The following year, I saw him again perform a short set at a London department store where he was signing copies of his autobiography.

Here’s Tony’s signature tune – ‘I Left my Heart in San Francisco’

Tony Bennett 3rd August 1926 – 21st July 2023

Summer Project: make a toy theatre

3rd August 2023

Extending the concept of recycling, and phasing out plastic, this project shows how to turn old cardboard boxes into toy theatres with just scissors, sellotape, colour paper, wooden sticks … and imagination.

The subject was King Arthur, and my manager printed out some great colour pictures.

An introduction to the King Arthur story, myth or legend may be accessed here: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2022/04/20/young-teens-king-arthur-the-sword-in-the-stone/

Without further ado, let’s build some theatres.

The first theatre was made from a large box, and I just cut out a central square and a side panel. I found some old yellow material in my house, so the students could make curtains or a backdrop.

The middle theatre is my first attempt (I am hopeless at art and crafts, as you can see). The box was not ideal, being oblong, so the theatre is tall and thin, but it at least gives an idea how an old box can be transformed.

Now, this is how I turned an old electric toothbrush box into a palace of dreams and fantasy.

{many instructional videos can be found on YouTube}

First, I flattened the box, and cut away the flaps. Then I made a stage by folding and taping down the front panel.

The side panels form the frames for the sides and roof.

Next, decorate with paper. I used adverts from a free newspaper with large areas of bright colour. I selected a picture for a backdrop, an impression of Arthur’s Camelot.