I begin by eliciting class rules then a good old STB, replacing ‘bus’ with ‘taxi’. What do they know about UK ?
This leads to …
Try the birthday horseshoe game: here, one part of the room represents January, the opposite, December. The students must stand in a horse-shoe shape, according to when their birthday falls.
This leads to …
A run & write activity. I write incorrect sentences on the board. Split class into teams), and one member must rewrite the sentence correctly:
What are your name ?
I eats fruit
How old is you ?
What is your hobbies
He like swim
What you do think
There isn’t a chocolate
Why is your friend
Today’s theme is Free Time. The warm-ups should review previous lessons and
This lead to …
Word Bomb – Hobbies – what do they do in their free time ?
Listen out for mistakes, encourage full sentences and drill collocations
(Play sports / do homework / make models / go swimming)
Students can mime an activity, and drill full collocation:
play piano play table tennis listen to music read a book go swimming
Then use the Mingle – interview sheet. This will get the class up and active before break time, and after sitting through book work and listening exercises. The exercise can also encourage students to introduce themselves:
Find 3 people who:
Name
Hobby
Play an instrument
Draw or paint
Read books
Watch films
Learn English
Have a pet What pet ?
Pronunciation – phonemes
ɑ ɔː əʊ
Point to the correct phoneme
In teams, read out:
model disco show on door go walk
Players must identify the correct phoneme
Pre-teaching: Match the words with the meanings
describe planned, in order, not a mess
imagine having to do too many things
typical feeling you have too much work
pressure normal, usual
organised to tell what something looks or like
community to think about something
stressed the place or area where you live
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The future starts right now ! In small teams, let’s review some technology we already use.
1 If you want to listen to music, you can use ____________________ . What is good about these ?
2 Smart phones have many _______ . Which ones can you name ?
3 To connect to the internet, you need __________ . Draw the symbol.
4 A computer that can be carried around is a _____________ . Why is it called that in English ?
5 Some schools use an ________________ ___________________ .
6 Singers use _______________________ to be much louder.
7 No need to buy books if you have an __________________________ . Do you prefer real books or these ? Why ?
8 If you want to use the internet, you need to ____ _________________ .
9 You wear these and it feels like you are in a different place ____________________ .
10 When the battery on a phone or tablet is low, you must ________ .
What will future cities look like ? Will they look like this ?
Remember to answer, “Yes, they will,” or “No, they won’t.”
How will life be in the future ? Will there be …
Robot police officers ? Why or why not ?
Robot doctors ?
Robot servers ?
Robot drivers ?
Robot shoppers ?
Robot cleaners ?
Which ones do you think are good ideas ?
Which ones do you not like.
What do you think about a virtual classroom ?
Give me good and bad reasons.
Points for the most interesting and intelligent answers.
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.
An exercise for students to use critical thinking, and to practise speaking.
First we shall let the students work in pairs, discussing today’s question:
What’s the problem with your city … and what’s the solution ?
Let’s kick off with some useful vocabulary
pollution
litter
noise
traffic congestion
You may start like this:
I live in Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh City). The city is very large and busy, and has many great places. However, it also has many problems.
Then talk about pollution (air and water),
litter (paper, plastic, food, bottles, cans etc)
noise (karaoke, motorbikes, street vendors, building work)
traffic (is it fun or safe to drive ?)
Remember to use amazing adjective as well as linking words to give longer, better answers.
Now for some solutions
How can we make rivers cleaner ?
How can we make the roads less congested ?
How can we stop people littering ?
How can we reduce noise pollution ?
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.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year one and all. Here is what we shall be studying this block, and what I expect from you:
Students will have a large vocabulary, and speak in long, interesting sentences.
Students can tell if a word is a noun, adjective, verb, pronoun etc.
Students will be able to use Simple Present & Simple Past (Verb 1 & Verb 2)
Students will come to class on time, and will be prepared; that means having pens, pencils and a notebook.
Class rules will be followed. I demand that MY students
DO NOT RUN in the halls
DO NOT SHOUT.
If you do, you shall receive a …
Additionally, you will have to sing a David Bowie song in front of the whole class !
Our classes will kick off (start) with a song
‘Love Me Do’ by the Beatles.
Next we shall have speaking time.
I will write a subject and you will talk to your partner for as long as possible. Remember, English is never finished – you can always improve (get better). Today the question is:
What do you want in 2024 ?
You can say want you want to have, where you want to go, and why, what you want to study (and why), what new skill you want, maybe some new food or drink.
Let’s break it down.
First, what do you want to have ?
A new toy // a baby sister or brother // Lucky Money // A+ in your tests // an iPhone 15 !
Next, where do you want to go, and why ?
Da Nang because it is beautiful and cool. Also I can eat fresh fruit.
London because I want to see Mr Paul’s hometown 🙂 Also I can visit many famous places like Tower Bridge.
Thailand because the people are friendly and the temples are amazing and peaceful.
Next, what you want to study (and why)
I really want to study English because …
What new food do you want to eat ?
I want to try British Christmas food because …
EXAMPLE:
In 2024 I want to go to Thailand because the food is spicy and delicious. Also, it is quieter because I don’t hear karaoke.
I want to have great classes with super students who are respectful !
Maybe I will learn some more Vietnamese so I can talk to people.
Finally, I really want to learn this music on guitar. However it is very difficult and very fast. I will have to practise every day.
Happy New Year everybody. Peace and Love.
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 young Asian woman has long, straight, black hair. She is wearing a blue coat and holding a large, pink book. I think she is very intelligent and hard-working. She looks very happy. In my opinion she is waiting for a friend and they will go for a coffee.
Now … your turn
Picture 2
Picture 3
Picture 4
Picture 5
Picture 6
Picture 7
Picture 8
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.
One of the purposes of teachers asking questions is to give students an opportunity to practise their speaking skills; vocabulary, syntax, intonation etc.
However, many times students, of all levels, will merely answer the question in as few words as possible, and they need to be encouraged to elaborate on their responses.
Teachers are taught to refrain from asking ‘Yes,’ or ‘No,’ answers:
“Did you have a good weekend ?”
“Yes.”
A better option would be:
“What did you do on Saturday ?”
Hopefully this will elicit a more suitable reply.
(Yes, teachers should be prepared for, “Nothing,” “Sleep,” etc … some students simply do not want to learn or work. Teachers have a limited supply of energy and enthusiasm; it should not be wasted.)
And so to work … my young learners have speaking tests soon. Here are some exercises to help boost their scores.
First we need our vocabulary toolbox. Let’s start with some adjectives:
amazing, angry / beautiful, big /clean, clever, cute / dangerous / easy, electric / fantastic, funny / greedy, great, / happy, healthy, huge / important, intelligent / Japanese / kind / lazy / messy / nervous / old, outgoing / popular / quick / rude / sad, selfish, shy, small / talkative, tiny / ugly, unusual / valuable / wealthy / year-long, young
Now some linking words:
also, as well as / because / furthermore / however
Finally, a smattering of expressions and idioms:
in my opinion / it costs an arm and a leg / let’s dive in / more than likely / over the moon.
Let’s dive in ! Work in pairs and ask each other the following questions:
Tell me about your house or apartment
(where is it, how many rooms, what does their room look like, what colour is it, what toys do they have, do they have pets ?etc)
Does this look like your room ?
Tell me about your school
(Name of the school and address, their favourite subjects and teachers, why do they like them, their friends, what do they do at break time, do they play sports or music ? etc)
Does this look like your school ?
Tell me about food you love and food that you hate
Tell me about a film you love
Where would you most like to visit ?
What job would you like to do. What job would you hate ?
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.
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.
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.
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 