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Top Cats are able to form basic sentences such as:
I can run however I can’t fly
Warm Up: What can he or she do ?
What can you do ? What can’t you do ?
Ask your partner what he or she can do
Here, my wonderful TA will ask me, then tell the class, in order to model how to answer
Thay Paul, what can you do ?
“I can play guitar however I can’t play piano.”
Tell the class:
He can play guitar however he can’t play piano.
New vocabulary: the five senses
s — // h – – – // s – – – – // t a – – – // t o – – –
Next, use the new vocabulary in sentences.
What can he or she do and what can’t they do ?
Example:
She can see a butterfly however she can’t hear a butterfly.
She can touch a butterfly however she can’t smell a butterfly.
She can __________ a pizza however she can’t __________ a pizza.
He can ________ a guitar _______________________ .
She can ______________________________ .
The dog can __________________________________ .
Tell me more …
He is a dog.
He is a big, hungry dog.
He is a very hungry dog.
He is not (isn’t) a cat.
Adjective word bank
young / old / beautiful / happy / unhappy / clever / excited
She is a …
She is a doctor. She isn’t a teacher.
He is a …
He is a pilot. He isn’t a doctor.
She is a …
She is a student. She isn’t a pilot.
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Team games are a great way to motivate younger students, as well as reinforcing their knowledge of English. Ideally, games should test all learning skills; reading, writing, speaking and listening, not to mention focusing on pronunciation and grammar.
Here’s a familiar game which can be used in the classroom together with an online dice. Put the students into small teams, and give them mini boards and markers.
First, some questions for level 2
Give me a sentence with these verbs:
dance / drink / eat / take / hold / listen
some or any ?
Is there ____ milk ?
There are ________ eggs.
Are there _____ fries ?
There are _____ carrots.
Would you like ____ ice cream ?
There aren’t ___ sausages.
Grammar: conjugate these verbs
I like watching football (you / he / she / it / Mr John / we / they).
I don’t like taking photos (you / he / she / it / Mr John / we / they).
I can float in space (you / he / she / it / Mr John / we / they).
Adjectives. Write two adjectives for:
a tiger / a dolphin / a puppy / a vampire / a frog
Time
What do you do at 7.00 in the morning ?
What do you do at 1.00 in the afternoon ?
What do you do at 9.00 in the evening ?
Quick writing: You have 10 seconds to write down as many words as you can beginning with the letter:
s / p / t
Tell me something you like and something you don’t like. EXAMPLE: I really like English however, I don’t like maths.
Tell me three things you can have in a:
kitchen / bedroom / living room
Tell me about your family. Try to speak for as long as possible.
Example: I have a mummy, a daddy and two brothers. My mummy is friendly. She is small and has black hair. My daddy is tall. My older brother likes to play video games. My young brother likes to read books.
Write a sentence with these adverbs. One sentence each:
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An activity for lower-level students, to help develop listening skills as well as creative thinking. Students should be encouraged to speak in sentences as opposed to shouting out single-word answers.
Putting students into teams, creating a competitive atmosphere is very beneficial. Therefore split the class into groups of four or so students. Each group is given a marker and board, paper and crayons.
The video is about activities for children to do in Sai Gon (the actual video starts around 0:30, and the subtitles are not always correct):
Tell the class to watch very carefully; they will be asked questions about the video.
After the first viewing, ask some basic questions, such as what activities did they see, have they been or done any of these, did the children have fun etc.
Then play the video again and ask more detailed questions
Question 1: What was the first activity ?
2: Name 5 animals you saw 3: What can you do there ?
4: What was activity 2 ? 5: how high is the wall ? 6: do you think this is dangerous ? 7: how much does it cost ?
8: what was activity 3 ? 9: what can you hear ? 10: is the show in English or Vietnamese ?
11: what was activity 4 ? 12: what day is it closed ? 13: what is the cost for adults and children
Part 2: what activity do you like best. Tell me why. Try to use these adjectives:
fun / exciting / healthy / dangerous / happy
Part 3: draw a day out in Sai Gon and write about your day. You may have 1 activity or many.
Example:
I go to Dam Sen Water Park with my family.
It is fun and we are happy.
We can swim and play in the water. The Water Park is exciting.
It is a great day.
Part 4: Grammar
I am very happy // You … very happy // He … // She … // It … // Ms Huong // We … // They …
Answers 1: Artinus 3-D Museum 2: cheetah, lizard, gorilla, butterfly, unicorn, frog, dinosaur, birds, bears, fish, octopus, lion 3: take photos 4: X-rock climbing 5: 20 metres 6: yes, it can be dangerous 7: $6 an hour 8: water-puppet show 9: you can hear singing and traditional music 10: in Vietnamese 11: Dam Sen Water Park 12: Tuesdays 13: $6 adult, $3 child
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.
I expect all students to be able to use the past tense by the end of the seminar.
infinite / present (verb 1) / past (verb 2)
1 to be am / was [I am / I was]
are / were [they are / they were]
2 to have have / had
3 to do do / did
4 to say say / said
5 to go go / went
6 to get get / got
7 to make make / made
8 to know know /knew
9 to think think / thought
10 to take take / took
11 to see see / saw
12 to come come / came
13 to want want / wanted
14 to use use / used
15 to find find / found
Past Tense Exercise
1. You (have) a test yesterday.
You had a test yesterday.
2. They (do) their homework last night.
They ——- their homework last night.
3. You (are) lazy last week.
You ——- lazy last week.
4. I (am) hungry yesterday.
I ——- hungry yesterday.
5. Sam (go) to Hong Kong last year.
Sam ——- to Hong Kong last year.
6. The man (make) tables and chairs yesterday.
The man —— tables and chairs yesterday.
7. Two weeks ago the boy (has) a new bicycle.
Two weeks ago the boy ——- a new bicycle.
8. In London I (know) many people.
In London I _______ many people.
9. I (get) 10 points in my English test.
I ______ 10 points in my English test.
10. I (want) to see a great film.
I _______ to see a great film.
Extra work for Top Cats
Corrections: Write in the past tense
I (am) born in Vietnam and (arrive) in Sai Gon in 2020. I (go) to school in District 1 because I (want) to work near my home. Last week, my friend (have) a party. She (dance) all night and I (hear) her singing. In the morning, she (have) a headache.
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 use ‘an’ if the word begins with a / e / i / o / u
Example: What is it ? It’s a dog.
What is it ?
Part 2: Use the new adjectives
What is it ? It’s a wild lion
What is it ? It’s a ______ ________
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.
Grammar: Yes, I am / No, I’m not ||he is / she isn’t ||Is she / is she / Are they ? ||Where is ? ||What do you want ? || He does / she doesn’t ||What’s he wearing ? / She’s wearing a …
Song: “I would go out tonight, but I haven’t got a stitch to wear.”
The Smiths with ‘This Charming Man.’
As usual, divide the class into teams, give points to make the games more exciting.
First up: feelings
Choose some top cat students, one by one. Outside of the class, show them a flashcard (happy, sad, thirsty etc). The student has to mime or act the emotion.
Next up:
Have a small group of students hold the flashcards. Model a question e.g. “Is Tina thirsty ?” Students reply, “Yes, she is,” or “No, she isn’t,” depending on whether she is holding that card. Appoint a new teacher (thay in Viet) to ask the next question.
Moving on up: Pronunciation, intonation and stress
Thay Paul loves coffee so does his friend Agent Cooper: Students can act out the scene. Not only does it require stress and emotion, but also pacing.
No time to lose: Run ‘n’ write
What are the five senses ? One student from each team writes a sense on the board. Then say a noun – one student from each team will tick which sense applies e.g. ‘Pizza.’ Students can tick ‘see,’ ‘taste,’ ‘smell’ & ‘touch.’ ‘Guitar‘ (‘see,’ ‘hear,’ ‘touch.’)
Answer with Yes, they are OR No, they aren’t. They’re ________
Are they police officers ?
Are they students ?
Are they football players ?
Are they The Smiths ?
Snack time: What do you want to eat ? Choose six students and give them a food flash card. They must say what they want (the card they hold) and then name something they don’t want e.g.
I want soup however I don’t want salad
Change students, then model a question, “Does Max want eggs ?” Students answers could include,
“No, he doesn’t want eggs, he wants spaghetti.”
Quick fire round: Have the students ask each other, “What do you want ?” and they have to answer,
“I want [french fries] however I don’t want [steak].”
Dress to impress:
Finally, have the students describe other student’s clothes, using at least two adjectives e.g. Thay Paul is wearing a plain white shirt.
A step up in the musical education of my younglings. After teaching them to say … to scream, “I feel good,” a la James Brown (because I cannot stand the pre-programmed, “I’m fine,”) we’re moving on to one of my favourite bands: The Smiths. This song has a reference to clothing albeit in rather high-level English. However, the motivated students, with repetition, can absorb so much and really boost their vocabulary. So, without further ado … The Smiths with ‘This Charming Man’ : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJRP3LRcUFg
The lines in question start at 0:45 – 0:51
“I would go out tonight but I haven’t got a stitch to wear.”
This means that the singer doesn’t has any nice clothes to go out or has no money to buy new clothes
Play the song and the younglings have to shout out every time they hear the lyrics.
Thay Paul's Notes 