General Notes about my English lessons and life in Viet Nam.
Author: Thay Paul's notes
London-born English teacher, now living and working in Sai Gon, Viet Nam.
I want to use this site to post lesson notes, extra work, helpful links as well as general notes about my time in SE Asia and Viet Nam. I also want to give real classroom experiences and how to deal with real classes of noisy, unmotivated and resistant students. Additionally, I'll be posting links to films, publishing plays and stories, and introducing friends who work in the arts.
Today you will need pens, pencils, crayons, notebooks and paper.
You are going to tell me about Tet Holiday.
I want to know what you do that is special, what you eat and what you wear.
Do you like Tet ? Explain why … or why not !
First, we need a vocabulary bank. Here are a list of adjectives you should try to use.
Write these words in your notebook next to the meaning in Vietnamese
traditional // lucky // fun // funny
delicious // beautiful // colourful
loud //terrible //
What is happening here ?
What is in the red envelope ?
Tell me about the food.
What are the ladies doing ?
What are the men doing ?
Write and draw about Tet Holiday.
At Tet I … (my family) …
I eat …
I see …
If I have lucky money, I will buy …
My family go to …
My Mummy …
My Daddy …
I like (don’t like) Tet Holiday because …
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.
Look at the first picture at the top of this page.
Can you see it on the virtual tour ?
Look at the picture of the boys playing.
What is the name of this painting ?
Can you find this part of the painting ?
What other games can you see ?
LEVEL UP: score 500 points
LEVEL 5
Look at the painting ‘Children’s Games’ from 1560. In your teams, write a short story about what you see. Some people can draw, others can write. When you are finished, you may present to the class.
LEVEL UP: score 1000 points
GREAT WORK
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE
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.
Margaret Hale, the protagonist in the novel ‘North and South’ returns to her childhood home, and revisits her old school. The new school mistress, who has made drastic changes, cajoles Margaret into giving an impromptu lesson.
One student is having difficulty with the ‘a’ sound.
“A, an indefinite article,” said Margaret mildly.
“I beg your pardon,” said the Vicar’s wife … “ (the new teacher).
The children had been taught to refer to ‘a’ as an adjective absolute. Margaret sat down “abashed.”
“The children knew more than she did. Mr Bell turned away, and smiled.”
(Chapter XLVI Once and Now)
Mr Bell, who is a fellow at Oxford and therefore very educated, passes no comment, yet his body language sufficiently expresses his opinion.
I had not come across an adjective absolute before. I could have taken the blue pill and kept on reading, or taken the red pill; I switched over to Google and began my descent into the rabbit hole of grammar taxonomy.
Others word forms have subdivisions; nouns can be proper, concrete, collective etc, verbs can be transitive or intransitive, and there are several types of adverbs.
Fortunately, the nomenclature is more frightening than the definition. So, without further ado let’s have a rabbit about adjectives (1), starting with the adjective absolute.
Most adjectives can be modified, e.g.
London is very expensive.
The book is extremely confusing.
Studying Vietnamese is quite difficult.
However, some adjectives do not need to be modified; they are superlatives (the biggest, the tallest) or binary (either yes or no). An old joke cracks that a woman phones her mother and tells her that she is a little bit pregnant. Of course, a woman is or is not pregnant.
Show, don’t tell:
A mark of 25% is unacceptable.
The building was destroyed in the fire.
Dinosaurs are dead.
The hostages were set free.
Modifiers such as absolutely, completely, totally may be used for emphasis.
The holiday was totally perfect.
My shirt is completely ruined.
I’m afraid it is absolutely impossible for you to get into Cambridge with those grades.
Now we know why Mr Bell “turned away, and smiled.”
I mentioned the rabbit hole because there are over a dozen types of adjective. Should you be interested, here’s some links to enlighten you:
A version of the Grammarians game but this time aimed at younger students.
The teacher could give points for individual answers or use the Monopoly board template. Place students in teams, and make sure every member takes part, writing and speaking.
Without further ado … the game:
Grammar:
What is the correct grammar ?
EXAMPLE:
I to be sad … NO !
I am sad.
I to be hungry
You am happy
He to be tired
She are angry
ms huong am beautiful
WE is to be quiet
They to be loud
Adjectives: What is the opposite ?
EXAMPLE: hot and cold
fast and ______
young and _______
big and ______
tall and ______
beautiful and ______
Animals:
Tell me two animals that are fast
Tell me two animals that are slow
Tell me two animals that are big
Tell me two animals that are small
Tell me three animals that can fly
Tell me three animals that can swim
Sentences
EXAMPLE:
I like dogs but I don’t like cats.
I like cats but I __________________
I like dolphins but I __________________
I like birds but I __________________
I like cats but I __________________
I like cake but I __________________
I like pizza but I __________________
I like chicken but I __________________
I like tomatoes but I __________________
Dancing
Who can dance like Starlord ?
Happy New Year one and all
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.
Viewers of ‘The Crown’ will know the story of Princess Margaret falling in love with war hero Peter Townsend, and how the establishment forbade the marriage.
Niall wrote this song based on a doomed love affair, two people from different worlds who can never be together.
As the band Butterfly Decal, Niall and I try to do something a little different, often using spoken word and sound effects as opposed to conventional singing.
The first demo has the narrative too low in the mix, so we will be re-recording the song. Additionally, we decided to add a female voice in some sections. Here are the lyrics:
When In Rome
Well, it was never likely to work, was it?
He was a famous musician, a guitarist of some renown,
American, he had settled over here to escape the petty prejudices of his own country.
As if we have none.
Still, better here at least; some acceptance.
He was loaded, money meaningless with so many noughts in his account,
Far richer than she, despite her royal blood.
A princess, only a short hop, skip and abdication from the throne.
She’d always been the flighty one,
A little rebellious,
Safe in the security of her family, her position, her fame, her history.
They met at a charity gala,
The classic ‘eyes across a crowded room’ deal.
They knew of each other, naturally,
And had each secretly fantasised and fetishised the other.
Unbeknownst; hidden; covert.
They had made a big play of outbidding each other in their bizarre mating ritual.
The charity being the clear winner in this elaborate and ostentatious courtship.
A secret rendezvous was arranged that night,
When their imaginations gave way to wonderful reality.
Love – real and deep love – followed.
The fires burned brightly until an indiscrete confession to an ambitious maid
Forced a decision.
Well, it was never likely to work, was it?
A scene from ‘La Dolce Vita’ (1960) by Federico Fellini. The film, which shows the decadence of the rich and famous in Rome, was a forerunner of the ‘Swinging Sixties.’
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.
What is different about helping verbs can and like & want ?
Can uses verb 1, but like & want use infinite (to + verb 1)
Now … Your turn
Write 3 sentences using can, like & want.
Remember:
can + verb 1 // like + infinite // want + infinite
Only good grammar can defeat Thanos …
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.
Arrange class into small teams. Each team can roll the die, highest number goes first. Start on the top left square.
Every time a team completes a turn around the board, they collect £200. However, the top right space is the jail. If they land on the bottom left space, the team goes to jail and misses a turn.
A correct answer means the team can choose a Christmas item, or they can buy one for £300
The red stops are vocabulary
Stop 1: Give me three words for food
Stop 2: Give me three words for family
Stop 3: Give me five words for Christmas
The yellow stops are speaking
Stop 1: Tell me a sport you like and why
Stop 2: Tell me a film or TV show you like and why
Stop 3: Tell me why you like learning English. I want TWO reasons.
The green stops are writing
Stop 1: Write a sentence about a present you would like.
Stop 2: Write a sentence about a present you would not like.
Stop 3: Write about a present you would give to your English teacher !
The dark blue stops are listening. Repeat what I say
Stop 1: Apples, oranges, chocolate, mince pies and Christmas log.
So here it is, Merry Christmas Everybody’s having fun Look to the future now It’s only just begun
The Orange spaces are free speaking. Remember to speak for as long as possible.
Stop 1: Tell me things you like and don’t like about your city
Stop 2: Tell me what you like to do in your free time
Stop 3: tell me what job you would like to do when you are older.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE, HAPPY HANUKKAH
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.
A useful template for classroom activities. The teacher can add various instructions on the squares to suit the abilities of the students. The game is, of course, Monopoly.
An online die and some markers are all that is needed.
I shall add some sample questions based on the text books at my centre in the next blog(s).
The mission is to use all your English skills to find Neo, meet Morpheus, learn English, beat Mr Smith and save Morpheus, then come back to the classroom safely.
First, we need two teams RED & BLUE. Next we need to find Neo and his friends.
Task 1 describe these people. Use lots of adjectives.
Task 2 You will need grammar to enter the Matrix. Conjugate these sentences. All team members must speak.
I like to eat oranges
I don’t want to do homework
I have a new laptop
Task 3 Time to meet Morpheus. Tell me about his house.
Next tell me about three favourite things in your house and why you like them.
EXAMPLE: I love my sofa because I can watch TV and play games on it. Also I can sit or sleep because it is very comfortable.
Task 4 Now it’s time to fight Agent Smith. He knows so many words … can you beat him ?
Write down 7 colours
Write down 10 animals
Write down 5 healthy food items
Tell me your favourite sport and why
EXAMPLE: I really love football because it is exciting and fun.
TASK 5 At the board correct these sentences:
I very loves to going fish
You is goes to homes
Hes having a coat red
Seh don’t liking to red boooks
It are rain twoday
Neo are a hundsame men
We is happy wen we win the games
They is drink any milk
Task 6 You can rescue Morpheus if you can tell me about your home.
How many rooms do you have ?
What do you have in the rooms ?
What are the colours ?
What is your favourite room and why ?
Task 7 Time to return to the class. Choose the best actor in your team; they have to say this:
“Unfortunately no one can be told what the matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.”
(The clip starts at 1:00 – 1:13)
Now you have entered the Matrix. Keep learning English or Agent Smith will chase you.
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.
Thay Paul's Notes 