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.
Students are put into small teams and given this questionnaire.
The teacher will place information cards around the room, possibly even outside the classroom depending on school layout.
One student from each group will look for the answer, then report back to the group. The answer is written down.
Repeat with a new student each time, then return to the original student.
Pedagogic benefits:
Reading questions and finding the correct answer.
Reporting back to the team.
Writing the answer.
Presenting the answer to the whole class, speaking clearly and loudly.
The Perfect Penguin Quiz
1) We say a herd of sheep and a pride of lions – but what is the collective nouns for penguins ?
2) Why are penguins black and white ?
3) Why do penguins huddle together ?
4) Penguins have solid, heavy bones but other birds have hollow, light bones … why ?
5) How does a penguin keep warm ?
6) Apart from Antarctica, where do penguins live ?
7) How many types of penguins are there ?
8) Why will you never see a penguin with a polar bear in the wild ?
9) Are penguins good walkers ?
10) What does a man penguin give to a lady penguin if he likes her ?
The Answers
1) A group of penguins is called a raft (in water) or a waddle (on land).
2) The black and white is camouflage – they look like waves from above, and sunlight from underneath.
3) Penguins huddle together for protection and to keep warm
4) Penguins don’t fly. Heavy bones are better for swimming.
5) Penguins make oil. They cover their feathers to keep warm.
6) Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand & Australia.
7) There are 18 types of penguin.
8) Polar bears live in the Arctic, in the northern hemisphere.
9) Some penguins can walk 60 miles on ice.
10) A man penguin gives a lady penguin a rock if he likes her. The man shows he wants to build a nest together and start a family. The stones will protect eggs.
NOW … write and draw a story
A penguin goes on holiday to the Arctic and meets a polar bear for the first time. What happens ?
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.
The year began with The Beatles suffering their first critical backlash after December 67’s ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ although a certain 7″ single in summer would return them to the top. However, both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were slowing down, while bands that would dominate the 70s began to emerge: Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, T-Rex and Deep Purple. Meanwhile the stirrings of what would be termed Krautrock were brewing in Germany, and what a strange brew it would prove to be.
Yet, maybe it was the politics that overshadowed the music. We witness the assassinations of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Robert Kennedy. President LBJ steps down and Nixon is elected. Police brutality is caught on camera in Chicago, riots in dozens of US cities, protests across Europe, the Tet Offensive in Sai Gon and Russian tanks crush the Prague Spring in the former Czechoslovakia.
James Brown was ‘Black and Proud,’ while The Band retired to upstate New York to delve into the musical heritage of the US. Then in December, the king was back; but the times were certainly a-changing. .
2001 A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick
A selection of music from 1968. Release dates differed, so I’ve usually given the UK date
January
5th Status Quo ‘Pictures of Matchstick Men’ single
8th Manfred Mann ‘Mighty Quinn’ single
8th Otis Redding ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay’ single
15th the Byrds ‘The Notorious Byrd Brothers LP. David Crosby’s last record in the original Byrds.
Quicksilver Messenger Service ‘Quicksilver Messenger Service’ LP
The Seeds ‘Raw & Alive: The Seeds in Concert at Merlin’s Music Box’ LP
June
6th Death of Robert F. Kennedy
7th Manfred Mann ‘My Name is Jack’ single
11th The Doors ‘Hello, I Love You’ single
14th Aretha Franklin ‘Aretha Now’ LP featuring ‘Say a Little Prayer for You’
15th Creedence Clearwater Revival ‘Suzie Q’ single
21st Deep Purple ‘Hush’ single
21st John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers ‘Bare Wires’ LP with Mick Taylor
24th The Beach Boys ‘Friends’ LP
25th Elvis ‘Speedway’ soundtrack LP
28th the Kinks ‘Days
28th Pink Floyd ‘A Saucerful of Secrets’ LP – the last LP to feature a contribution from Syd Barret
‘The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’ LP featuring the hit ‘Fire’
Silver Apples ‘Silver Apples’ LP – regarded as an important blend of rock and electronic music.
Joan Baez ‘Baptism: A Journey Through Our Time’ LP – a mix of poetry and music
Serge Gainsbourg ‘Initials B.B’ LP featuring ‘Bonnie and Clyde’
Strawberry Alarm Clock ‘Wake Up … It’s Tomorrow’ LP
July
1st The Band ‘Music from Big Pink’ LP
3rd The Doors ‘Waiting for the Sun’ LP
8th The Beach Boys ‘Do It Again’ single
14th Vanilla Fudge ‘Renaissance’ LP
14th The Yardbirds final gig at Luton, UK. Jimmy Page and Chris Dreja completed a Scandinavian tour as the New Yardbirds, with Robert Plant and John Bonham.
18th Grateful Dead ‘Anthem of the Sun’ LP
22nd Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper & Stephen Stills ‘Super Session’ LP
26th The Moody Blues ‘In Search of the Lost Chord’ LP
27th the Who ‘Magic Bus’ single
29th Jeff Beck ‘Truth’ LP
30th Buffalo Springfield ‘Last Time Around’ LP
Phil Ochs ‘Tape from California’ LP
August
9th Cream ‘Wheels of Fire’ LP
12th Big Brother and the Holding Company ‘Cheap Thrills’ LP (featuring Janis Joplin on vocals)
21st Soviet-led troops invade Czechoslovakia, the Prague Spring ends along with any hope of free speech and democracy
23rd Fleetwood Mac ‘Mr Wonderful’ LP
28th Chicago riots at the Democratic National Convention
‘Hey Jude’ video first broadcast on Frost on Saturday 8th September 1968
30th The Beatles ‘Hey Jude’ single
30th Mary Hopkins ‘Those Were The Days’ single
30th the Byrds ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo LP
Big Brother and the Holding Company ‘Piece of my Heart’ single
James Brown ‘Say it Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud) single
The Casuals ‘Jesamine’ single
Beacon Street Union ‘The Clown Died in Marvin Gardens’ LP
Country Joe and the Fish ‘Together’ LP
Jefferson Airplane ‘Crown of Creation’ LP
September
1st Bee Gees ‘Idea’ LP
3rd Elvis ‘A Little Less Conversation’ single
Deep Purple ‘Shades of Deep Purple’ LP
October
14th Tyrannosaurus Rex ‘Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages’ LP, including a new version of their debut single ‘Deborah’
16th Jimi Hendrix ‘Electric Ladyland’ LP
18th Jimi Hendrix ‘All Along the watchtower’ single
25th Jethro Tull ‘That Was’ debut LP
25th the New Yardbirds play their first gig under their new name – Led Zeppelin
30th Marvin Gaye ‘I Heard it Through the Grapevine’ single
Judy Collins ‘Both Sides Now’ single
Captain Beefheart ‘Strictly Personal’ LP
Dillard & Clark ‘The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark’ LP
Nazz ‘Nazz’ LP featuring Todd Rundgren
Steppenwolf ‘The Second’ LP
Traffic ‘Traffic’ LP
November
1st Canned Heat ‘Living the Blues’ LP
1st The Dave Clarke Five ‘5 By 5 (1964- 1969)’ LP
5th Elvis ‘If I Can Dream’ single
8th The Foundations ‘Build Me Up Buttercup’ single
8th Dusty Springfield ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ single
6th The Monkees ‘Head’ film released
12th Neil Young ‘Neil Young’ first solo LP
13th Diana Ross and The Supremes ‘Love Child’ LP
18th Jimi Hendrix ‘Crosstown Traffic’ single
22nd Fleetwood Mac ‘Albatross’ single (their first Number 1)
22nd The Beatles ‘The Beatles’ (White Album) LP
22nd the Kinks ‘The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society’ LP
28th the Move ‘Blackberry Way’ single
29th The Beach Boys ‘Bluebirds over the Mountains’ single
29th Manfred Mann ‘Fox on the Run’ single
29th John Lennon & Yoko Ono ‘Unfinished Music No 1: Two Virgins’ LP
29th Van Morrison ‘Astral Weeks’ LP
Cream ‘White Room’ single
Judy Collins ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’ LP
The Electric Prunes ‘Release of an Oath’ LP
The Left Banke ‘The Left Banke Too’ LP
John Mayall ‘Blues from Laurel Canyon’ LP with Mick Taylor, and Peter Green guesting on one track.
The Monkees ‘Head’ soundtrack LP
Nico ‘The Marble Index’ LP
Dionne Warwick ‘Promises, Promises’ LP
December
3rd ‘Singer presents … Elvis’ – more commonly known as the ’68 Comeback Special’, aired on the NBC network.
6th The Rolling Stones ‘Beggars Banquet’ LP
11th – 12th The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus was filmed. Also playing were The Who, Jethro Tull, Taj Mahal, and The Dirty Mac featuring John & Yoko with Eric Clapton. The Stones decided to withdraw the film, and it wasn’t shown until 1996.
20th Pretty Things ‘S.F. Sorrow’ LP
Joan Baez ‘Any Day Now’ double LP of Dylan covers
The Doors ‘Touch Me’ single
The wind in the willows, folk rock LP featuring Debbie Harry on backing vocals
BLUES
1st January Taj Mahal ‘Taj Mahal’ LP
October 5th Muddy Waters ‘Electric Mud’ LP
November Albert King Live Wire/Blues Power LP
B.B. King ‘Blues on Top of Blues’ & ‘Lucille’ LPs
Albert Collins ‘Love Can Be Found Anywhere (Even in a Guitar) LP
COUNTRY
2nd January Merle Haggard ‘Sing Me Back Home’ one of 3 LPs Merle released in ’68.
13th January Johnny Cash ‘At Folsom Prison’ Live LP
7th February Merrilee Rush & the Turnabouts ‘Angel of the Morning’ single
8th July Tammy Wynette ‘D.I.V.O.R.C.E.’ LP
20th September Tammy Wynette ‘Stand by your Man’ single
4th November Glen Campbell ‘Wichita Lineman’ (one of five LPs Glenn released in 1968)
We do not have any instruments in our class (yet … later we shall make a xylophone !), but we all have voices and can sing !
Let’s start with a round. This is when some of the class sing a song, then the other students sing the same song BUT one verse later.
Listen to this children’s song called ‘London Burning.’ Listen and then we shall try to sing. Many points to the best singers.
Teacher’s Note: split the class into small groups depending on class size and motivation. Award points for the best performances.
First question – do you know any famous composers ?
M _ _ _ _ _
B _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
C _ _ _ _ _
B _ _ _
P _ _ _ _ _ _ _
QUESTION RUNAROUND
Teacher’s Note: Keep class in small groups. Select one student per group to run up to the board and place – not slap – their hand on number 1,2 or 3. Blank the screen so the students can’t see the answers !
Question 1: Who wrote this music
1) BlackPink 2) Paganini 3) PinkBlack
Question 2: Is this music for
1) a birth, 2) marriage or 3) death ?
Question 3: Is this music
1) Happy and joking 2) sad 3) very angry
Play from 17:02
Question 4: This music is about a planet – which one ?
1) Venus (love) 2) Jupiter (happiness) 3) Mars (war)
Question 5: This opera is set in which country ? 1) China 2) Australia 3) Spain
Last Question: Classical music is often used in films. Was this music used in a …
1) comedy 2) animation 3) space film ?
How does the music make you feel ?
What adjectives can you use ?
excited, thrilled, scared, nervous, awe-inspired
Now it’s time to learn about the orchestra and the instruments.
The number 4 is very important in music – do you know why ?
What are the four families of instruments ?
What are the four stringed instruments ?
What are the brass instruments ?
What are the percussion instruments ?
BUT … it’s not always perfect. Take a look at these:
June 21st in Antarctica. The sun did not rise; it was night for 24 hours and the temperature was less than -50°C.
How do penguins keep warm ?
Percival Penguin couldn’t sleep, he had many penguin problems that kept him awake, so he went for a walk.
Penguins like walking some can walk up to _______ miles.
Really, Percival was in love with Heather Penguin and he wanted to find a lovely heart-shaped rock to give to her.
Why do male penguins give rocks to female penguins ?
However, he couldn’t see where he was and suddenly … he fell, and kept falling and falling, down and down.
When he stopped falling, he stood up and saw
“Oh la la ! Where am I ?” he cried. The night was gone, it was sunny and it was really, really hot, at least 12°C. However, there was a huge white monster. Percival was scared but curious.
Just then, Percival saw another amazing sight – a bird that could fly ! That was impossible !
Penguins are birds but can’t fly – why not ?
“Upon my soul, what have we here ?” said the new friend.
“My name is Percival Penguin, please to meet you. Can you tell me where am I ? I need to meet my Heather.”
Just then a new friend appeared and asked, “Does your Heather wear leather in hot weather or only feathers ?” This was Di O’Nisiss, another strange creature.
Poor Percival was perplexed, he didn’t know where he was or who these animals were. The white bird flew down next to him.
“Hello, I am Athena. I’m a snowy owl. Di O’Nisiss is a reindeer and that,” pointing with her wing, “Is Erik Polar bear.”
Penguins never meet polar bears – why not ?
“The white monster ?”
“He isn’t white, he’s brown,” corrected Di O’Nisiss
Why are white polar bears actually brown ?
“I think Percival, you are very far from home. Welcome to the Arctic. How did you get here ?”
“I’m not sure. One minute I was walking, the next I fell and fell and fell …”
“He found a teleport,” said Di O’Nisiss. “Are you hungry ?”
“Oh, yes, I would love to eat some ______ ”
What do penguins eat ?
“Shall we go for a swim ?” Percival asked Athena.
“A swim ?” replied Athena, “Are you loco ? Birds don’t swim they fly”
Percival was very confused.
“What a crazy place ! Birds fly but don’t swim, white bears are brown, night is day, cold is hot. Everything is upside down.”
“Well,” answered Athena, “Everything IS upside down. Let’s get some lunch then we will tell you all about the Arctic … and you can tell us about the Antarctic.”
NOW … your turn
Finish the story. You may write and draw a comic if you wish. How does Percival get back to the Antarctic and does he find a rock for Heather.
The Arctic region contains plains, mountains, rivers and lakes, hills, and tundra. Tundra has no trees but lots of grass and plants, so has food for animals. Antarctica is 98% ice.
The Arctic has many large land animals including reindeer, musk ox, lemmings, arctic hares, snowy owls, squirrels, arctic fox and polar bears. The sea has walrus, seals and some whales.
The largest land animal in the Antarctic is an insect, a wingless midge, less than 1.3cm long. There are no flying insects. Apart from penguins, there are also seals.
About 4 million people live permanently in the Arctic region. Nobody lives permanently in Antarctica.
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.
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 /
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 !
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.
Thay Paul's Notes 