Young Learners, levels 2 & 3. Snakes & ladders review games

29th November 2022

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:

always / usually / sometimes / never

Tell me what children can do in Sai Gon

Image from Pinterest from teacherspayteachers.com

Young Learners, level 2: Greek heroes to help you learn.

14th November 2022

Divide the class into small teams. Each team is given paper, crayons, markers and a board.

The teams are names after Greek heroes:

Heracles

Theseus

Perseus

The heroes need to fight evil monsters.

Heracles must beat Cerberus, an angry dog with three heads.

Theseus must beat the Minotaur, an animal half man, half bull. The Minotaur is very, very strong.

Perseus must beat Medusa, a woman with dangerous snakes in her hair. Anyone who looks at Medusa will turn to stone.

The task is not easy, it is a task for heroes. The heroes must answer questions, write, draw and conjugate verbs.

The first team to get 10 points will win. Let’s get started.

1) Write down an animal that is black and white

2) Write down 2 animals that can fly

3) Write 3 animals that can swim

4) A _________ can _____ a house

5) A _________ can ____ fruit and vegetables

6) A ________ can ____ people who are not well.

7) A football player scoring / scores goals.

8) A teacher teach / teaches students.

9) I play / plays guitar.

10) Chose one person to draw. On the board, draw your monster (Cerberus, Minotaur or Medusa). You have three minutes each.

11) Complete the sentences with adjectives.

A dog is very ____ and _____ .

A crocodile is very ______ and ______ .

A panda is very ______ and ________ .

12) Write 2 things you do in the morning

13) Write 2 things you do in the afternoon

14) Write 2 things you do in the evening

15) Draw a clock on your board

Show me five o’clock

Show me seven o’clock

Show me twelve o’clock

16) Write 2 words that begin with bl, cl, pl.

17) Conjugate these verbs

Heracles:

I am scared of lions / you / he / she / it / Mr John / we / they

Theseus:

I am very strong / you / he / she / it / Mr John / we / they

Perseus:

I am not scared of snakes / you / he / she / it / Mr John / we / they

18) Answer ‘Sure, that sounds fun,’ ‘Good idea,’ or ‘Not really.’

Do you want to fight a lion ?

Do you want to do homework all day ?

Do you want to play tennis ?

19) Team Heracles suggest something to Team Theseus and get a response. Team Theseus ask Team Perseus, and Team Perseus ask Team Heracles.

EXAMPLE: Do you want to drink water ?

20) Some or any.

There is ____ milk.

There isn’t ____ chicken.

There are _____ grapes.

Are there ______ eggs ?

Is there ____ juice ?

_____ there _____ water ?

21) You have 10 seconds. Write food that is healthy. Write food that is unhealthy. Write some drinks.

22) Write 2 fun places for children in Sai Gon

23) Write a sentence using

exciting / dangerous / happy

24) Sing the finish work song (“Dear teacher, I am finished.”)

25) How can you kill a skeleton. Watch the hero Jason.

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Young learners, levels 1 & 2: what to do in Sai Gon

8th November 2022

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

Young Learners, level 2: Basic Simple Past exercises

26th October 2022

A chance to review the simple past (verb 2).

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.

Young Learners, level 2: be clever and wonderful

23rd July 2022

Lesson aims:

Encourage students to answer in sentences

Introduce the ‘a’ or ‘an’ article

Correct use of adjectives and sentence structure

Today we learnt six adjectives:

clever / cute / dangerous / scary / wild / wonderful

Part 1: What are these animals ?

What is it ? It a ________ or It’s an _________

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 ______ ________

Young Learners, level 2: What are they doing in Sweden ?

Review Everybody Up 2 Unit 1 – 5

31st December 2020

A condensed version of a longer lesson on Sweden, available here: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2019/05/17/young-learners-level-2-focus-on-sweden/

Review of 1st, 2nd & 3rd person continuous verbs in positive, negative & question form.

Warm Up: What are these children wearing ? I expect at least two adjectives before the noun as well as telling me how the children feel.

Moving on up, Swedish food: What do YOU want ? Ask your partner – what does he or she want ? tell the class.

I want / I don’t want // She wants / She doesn’t want

EXAMPLE:

I want meatballs however I don’t want fish.

He wants eggs however he doesn’t want semla (cake).

Filled eggs halves garnish with prawns and Swedish caviar Filled egg halves Fyllda ägghalvor | Scandinavian food, International recipes, Swedish recipes — Swedish eggs

Swedish Potato Salad · How To Cook A Potato Salad · Recipes on Cut Out + Keep — Potato salad

Juicy Strawberry Fruit In Swedish Garden Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Image 16292965. — Strawberries

NOW – what are these Swedish people doing ?

Sweden's Abba reunite to save Mamma Mia island - The Local

They are … however, they aren’t …

Pippi Longstocking, rebel and role model

15 Things Not to Do When You Travel to Sweden

81 Swedish Girls Drawing Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free Images - iStock

File:Skilla – Wilwarin Festival 2014 05.jpg - Wikimedia Commons — Skilla, with Lisa on guitar, Nina on violin and Vanja on bass guitar

What is the Swedish Midsommar festival? | Ritual Trip

Are they writing ? No, they’re …….

Where are the children ? What can you see in the room ?

Where is the table ? Where is the bookshelf ?

Where is the globe ? Where is the window ? What would you like in your bedroom ?

Swedish Fans Parade. People Singing And Dancing. Editorial Photography - Image of scandinavian, fifa: 121120057

Young Learners, Level 2: Unit Review 1 – 4

25th November 2020

Everybody Up Units 1 – 4.

Subjects: Feelings, sensations, occupations, places, clothes, food

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 …

Adjectives: plain, flowery, striped, checked, delicious, intelligent, brave, scared, hard-working

Song: “I would go out tonight, but I haven’t got a stitch to wear.”

this charming man the smiths gif | WiffleGif — 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.’)

Nouns: bird / flower / ball / juice / ice cream / coffee

What’s my line ?: What are these jobs ?

ahretec // crodot // okoc // usb rrvied // hrifgefirte //

Use students as teacher and ask :

Are they pilots ?

Answer with Yes, they are OR No, they aren’t. They’re ________

The Nurses Union of Thailand keep fighting for fair compensation - PSI - The global union federation of workers in public services

Are they police officers ?

Are they students ?

Làm thế nào tôi có thể trở thành một đầu bếp trong 2020? Trường học tốt nhất, chi phí, tiền lương.

Are they football players ?

Could This Be ITV's Best Sitcom? - British Classic Comedy

Are they The Smiths ?

Smiths - The Sound of the Smiths - Amazon.com Music

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.

What is this young lady wearing ?

Levi's® Tie Dye T-Shirt - Women's T-Shirts in Tie Dye | Buckle

Young Learners, Level 2: I would go out tonight, but I haven’t got a stitch to wear

11th November 2020

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.

Bonus questions:

What is the singer wearing ? What is he doing ?

What instruments are the band playing ?

Clothes: a previous blog covered clothing vocabulary. Select what is appropriate for this level, e.g. for material just choose cotton, silk and plastic : https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/03/19/adult-speaking-class-level-2-describing-clothes/

What are they wearing ?

The Smiths The Queen is dead Us tour 86 T Shirt Summer Casual Fashion Fun New T-shirt Harajuku Women's Short Sleeve Tops tees | Wish

She is wearing a white cotton T-shirt with ‘The Smiths’ in blue as well as a brown skirt and a white headband.

Now … your turn

Why Crazy Socks? Because every year a million patients lose their doctors

Swan dress - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia

Flyguy Pimpin' * Antonio Fargas as Flyguy * From the Movie * I'm Gonna Git You Sucka* - YouTube

Design your own T-shirt:

Young Learners, Level 2: Review

10th October 2020

Everybody Up 2 Lesson Review

Young Learners English |Cambridge Young Learners|( PTE) Pearsons Young Learners Hong Kong

A review of the new vocabulary and sentence building skills the students should know:

and – as well as but – however

Adjectives:

big / huge small / little / tiny

brave / scary / smart / clever hungry / thirsty

cold / freezing hot // strong / fast / slow

bored / excited / sick / tired / sleepy

yummy / delicious // noisy / quiet

An elephant is very big, strong as well as very smart

English teaching children games – Thay Paul's Notes — Mr Paul and his elephant friend

Exercises

A mouse is very ______ as well as ______

Pizza is ______ as well as ____________

A runner is very f— __________ very s—–

A doctor is ______ _____

Verbs

cook / dance / draw / drink / eat / fly / go / hear / hop / jump / look / play / run / see / sit / sleep / smell / stand / swim / talk / taste / touch / walk / work / write /

verb verb + ing

I drink // I am drinking

You drink // You are drinking

He drinks // He is drinking

She drinks // She is drinking

They drink // They are drinking

What are they doing ?

They are ________

An African Minute: Africans in the Diaspora (AiD) - OkayAfrica

They are ________

Mighty Kicks Soccer Franchise Helps Kids Learn — prREACH Viral Social VIDEO Press Release Service

He ________________________________

A little cute girl studying and drawing Stock Video | Knot9

She ______________________

He dances in the rain He is dancing in the rain

Romanticando - Gene Kelly Singing In The Rain | Facebook

She looks at a book in school She ____________________

Stock Photos of S.Korean Children - Girl Reading Book 4 - Wallcoo.net

She walks very fast

Russians finish 1-2 in women's race walk - YouTube

He plays guitar so loud

12 Things You Never Knew About Jimi Hendrix | Features | Clash Magazine

He jumps over a chair

Bill Gates jumps over a chair in a 1994 CBS TV interview with Connie Chung - Business Insider

She cooks delicious pizza

Happy Young Woman Cooking Pizza at Home. Oven stock photo © Vasily Pindyurin (chesterf) (#4333461) | Stockfresh

What can you do ? What can’t you do ?

I can play guitar however I can’t play violin

She can play drums however she can’t play piano

8-Year-Old Japanese Girl Stuns Robert Plant By Nailing Led Zeppelin Drum Part | HuffPost

He can speak Japanese however he can’t speak _____

A bird can ______ however a bird can’t _______

A fish can _______ however a fish can’t ______

Young Learners, level 2: Senses working overtime – language review.

3rd October 2020

Everybody Up Book 2, Unit 2, Lesson 1

Objectives: review recent vocabulary, encourage more student-to-student talking, develop sentence building skills, practice the third person form with ‘he’ & ‘she.’

It’s early Sunday morning, so time to wake with Mr James Brown. Younglings … how do you feel ?