Young Learners, Level 3. Let’s start a new country up.

6th April 2023

Yes, let’s, “Put our heads together, start a new country up.”

Today’s project is to create a new country. What do we need ? First, a country can have:

mountains, waterfalls, lakes, deserts, forests, beaches.

The cities may have old and interesting:

bridges, churches, shops, castles

Or maybe new and modern:

parks, museums, shopping malls, tall buildings, future buildings

Maybe some ancient buildings ?

Now, create your country … and have fun !

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.

Young Learners, Levels 3 & 4: putting words into practice.

7th February 2023

We learnt some new adjectives before Tet Holiday; now let’s use them. First, what are the words ?

tr

lu

f

f

d

c

b

lo

te

Let’s have some new words, too.

furious // intelligent // genius // calm // peaceful //

Answers

traditional // lucky // fun // funny

delicious // beautiful // colourful

loud // terrible //

Now, time to use the words

At Tet, Daddy sings karaoke. The music is very l____ and t______ and Mummy was f_______ .

At Tet, I visit my grandparents. They gave me l_____ money, and we all had f___ .

Mummy makes a lot of tr________, d________ food.

Many families walk at Tet holiday. The women wear the tr_______ dress called an a__ d____ . The dress is very c_______ and they look b________ .

My uncle comes to visit. He is a doctor, so he is very i___________ . However, he tells jokes and is f______ .

Our class captain is called Lily. She is very i______ so she is a Top Cat. She tells the boys to be quiet when they are l_____ . Lily shouts at t_____ students.

Now … let’s test your grammar.

Change these sentences from present tense (verb 1) to the past tense (verb 2).

EXAMPLE: I (go) to visit my best friend.

I went to visit my best friend.

My family (visit) my grandparents and we (eat) a lot of d_______ food.

My Mummy and my aunts (wear) the tr_______ ao dai. They all (look) so b________ .

Daddy (have) his friends to our house. They (sing) songs for many hours. I (think) it (is) t________ .

Wit my l___ money, I (buy) some c_______ and b_____ flowers for my Mummy. She was so happy, she (cry).

My brother is very in_____________ , he (read) books every day. My sister (play) video games. They had a lot of f___ at Tet.

Last night I (see) a very f____ film, I (laugh) so much. This morning I (go) to school but I (forget) my books. My teacher (is) fu______ .

Top Cats … time for creative writing

Write a short story about your Tet Holiday. Use new adjectives and the past tense (Verb 2).

At Tet I …

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.

How to kill a vampire: post-Halloween review game

1st November 2022

A chance to review recent lessons, and be a brave hero.

First, split the class into two or three teams: Vampire, the Mummy & Werewolf.

Second, what can kill these evil creatures ?

For a vampire, we can use garlic, and a crucifix or cross.

For the Mummy, we can use fire, and a cat.

For a werewolf, we can use a silver bullet or mercury.

Team Vampire

Team Mummy

Team Werewolf

The game:

Ask the students questions, testing vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar and writing skills.

A correct answer means the student may roll a die. The following numbers represent weapons:

1 = garlic // 2 = mercury // 3 = an Egyptian cat //

4 = fire // 5 = silver bullets // 6 = crucifix or cross

Therefore, Team Dracula needs a 1 or 6, Team Mummy needs a 3 or 4, Team Werewolf needs 2 or 5

The first team to reach 5 points is the winner

Sample questions

Adjectives: what is the opposite of …

sharp / smooth / easy / cheap / high / modern / soft /

Countries: what countries begin with letter …

B / D / E / G / H / R / S / T / V /

Grammar: conjugate the following verbs …

I don’t like vampires / You / He / She / It / Ms Anh / We / They …

I’m not scared of the Mummy / You’re …

I don’t want to be a werewolf / You …

Speaking: tell me about the pairs of food, using adjectives and your opinion

Example: water and cola

I always drink water because it is very healthy. However I never drink cola because it is bad for my teeth.

Pair 1: banana and crisps

Pair 2: hamburgers and salad

Pair 3: phở bò (beef noodle soup) and pizza

Free speaking. How long can you speak about …

Give the students some time to prepare as a group, then select one spokesperson.

Sports //

What you can do at home //

Your family //

Bonus Goth points … an extra throw of the die for the student who can sing this song, ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead.’

The song builds up, and the vocals don’t start until around the 2:50 mark

Bauhaus

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.

Young Learners, Level 3: using new adjectives.

14th October 2022

The last two lessons focused on adjectives and their opposites, including:

big~ small // high ~ low // sharp ~ blunt //

easy ~ difficult // rough ~ smooth //

quiet ~ noisy // fat ~ thin // safe ~ scary

Complete the sentences with the correct adjective.

I can’t cut my hair, my scissors are __________

My puppy is so _______ however, my hedgehog is very _____________ .

The maths test was so _______ however the science test was so ________________ .

Be careful, Ms Thuy ! The man is very ______ .

Laurel and Hardy are so funny. One is very _____ however, one is very ______ .

Yoyoko is only _________________ however she is very ______________ !

Harold is climbing very _____

Oh, no ! Crocodiles have very ______ teeth.

Now … your turn

Get out your list of adjectives. Write THREE sentences with new adjectives.

To help, look at these photos:

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.

Young Learners, Level 3: Sentence building using the Past Tense

24th August 2022

Last week, we learnt some adjectives and used them in a short piece of writing.

Can you remember the adjectives ?

Let me think …

The adjectives:

old / young / beautiful / handsome / ugly / happy / angry / sad / healthy / unhealthy / amazing / clever / cute / dangerous / exciting / great / intelligent / interesting / lazy / talented

This week, we are going to write another short story, but this time using Past Tense (Verb 2).

To start, here is a list of verbs in the Present Tense (Verb 1). What is the Past Tense ?

buy // drink // eat // go // listen // make // play // read // say // see // take // watch

Some of those are hard !

bought / drank / ate / went / listened / made / played / read / said / saw / took / watched

What did you do last week ?

Use Past Tense (Verb 2) and the new adjectives. I want three sentences with at least three verbs and three adjectives.

EXAMPLE:

On Saturday I watched an interesting video on YouTube. A young girl played drums very well. She was so talented. On Sunday, I read an exciting book and listened to some old music.

Now … your turn.

What did you do, what did you see, what did you eat and drink ? Did you … ?

Goodbye from Nick, Ben, Chris & Nathan

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.

Young learners, level 3: Let’s tell a story.

18th August 2022

Reading is cool !

Let’s tell a story !

First we need a subject, a person or animal, or both:

a pirate
astronaut
girl who plays guitar
boy who plays football or sports
happy mummy
angry man
unicorn
puppy
shark
teacher
doctor

Now, what are they doing ? Maybe they are:

walking // playing // working // talking // watching // reading // doing homework // making a video // looking for something

What other verbs do you know ?

Now we need some adjectives. What adjectives do you know ?

old / young / beautiful / handsome / ugly / happy / angry / sad / amazing / clever / cute / dangerous / exciting / great / healthy / unhealthy / intelligent / interesting / lazy / talented

Now, let’s make a story. I will choose the teacher.

One day a handsome teacher was making a video for YouTube. The teacher has short, straight, black hair, and a black beard. He looks very friendly and happy. He is speaking about sharks. Sharks are very dangerous, big and angry. The video is very exciting and interesting.

Now … your turn. Tell me an interesting story. You may draw and colour as well

bye-bye from The Beatles

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.

Young Learners, Level 3: Doing your chores

27th August 2021

Everybody Up Unit 6 review

Child Communication Development Stages & Collaboration In 21st Century
Do you help mummy ?

Describe these pictures using adjectives, and in a full sentence

EXAMPLE – what is it ?

16/14/12 Inch) Horse-Design Backpack Girls School Bag Magical Colourful  Kids Student Bags Travel Rucksack Gifts | Wish

It’s a colourful backpack with a beautiful friendly unicorn.

Now, your turn:

1

Easy Tamagoyaki Minions :) | Bento box recipes, Lunch box recipes, Bento  box lunch

2

Robots serve up food and fun in Budapest cafe - Science & Tech - The  Jakarta Post

3

4 Write three heavy objects (things) then three light objects.

EXAMPLE: An elephant is heavy, a mouse is light

5 How can your help your mum and dad in your house ? Three ways to help out.

6 What does the young girl do before work ?

Before work the girl _________________________

Image result for black girl washing up"
Image result for black girl walking dog"
Image result for black girl cleaning her room"

7 Now what is this boy doing after school ?

After work the boy ____________

Image result for Indian boy does homework"
Image result for arab boy washes car"
Image result for boy takes out garbage"

Young Learners, Level 3: Final Review

12th December for 14th December 2019 E Up 3, pp. 80 – 81

I’m covering this class for just one lesson (hopefully). There are 21 students and I think I’ve had this class before at a lower level. The first part of the lesson can be activities to go over the language learnt in previous lessons. This can take the form of a game, with students being placed in five groups and allowed to choose their team name.

1 Tell me about the men (basic adjectives) then use the comparative.

Image result for robert parish wadlow"

EXAMPLE: One man is short, one man is tall. The man with glasses is taller.

Image result for old and young asian person"
Image result for strong and weak person"

2 Who is stronger ?

Image result for strong and weak person"

3 Give me three adjectives for these clothes.

Image result for north face jacket"
Image result for bjork in swanparty dress"

Which one is thicker ? Which one is prettier ?

4 Write three heavy objects (things) then three light objects.

5 How can your help your mum and dad in your house ? Three ways to help out.

6 What does the young girl do before work ?

Image result for black girl washing up"
Image result for black girl walking dog"
Image result for black girl cleaning her room"

7 Now what is this boy doing after school ?

Image result for Indian boy does homework"
Image result for arab boy washes car"
Image result for boy takes out garbage"

7 Always / usually / sometimes / never

In the morning, Teacher Paul ……….. drinks coffee

The students in this school are ……………. quiet.

Tell me something you usually do and something you do sometimes.

8 What three chores can you do on a farm ?

Image result for Asian farm"

I need three things: a haircut, a book and some coffee … where can I go ?

9 Was my friend at the beach yesterday ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfjfuBUx-2s

10 When we go on holiday, where can we stay ? Where can we swim ?

11 Were they at the coffee shop on Friday ?

Image result for girls in bookstore"

Were they at the pharmacy yesterday ?

Image result for men in moroccan coffeeshop"

12 Where are they and what is the weather ?

Image result for hot mexico day"

Teotihuacán Private Hot Air Balloon Flight, Mexico City

13 Write a postcard to your TA. Tell the TA what country you are in, what you are doing and what the weather is like.

14 Finally, tell me five things you can take to school.

Young Learners, Level 3: Final Lesson

4th September for 7th September 2019. E Up 3 pp. 40 – 41 Final Lesson 1 – 4 review.

Today is the last lesson, so a lot more writing and work books for the students. There’s also a special Autumn Festival event at the end of the class, so my planning can be quite short. I’d like to make the first part active and interesting, but also reinforcing language and grammar from the recent lessons.

Warm Up: Small groups with boards and markers. Write four things people use for eating (fork, knife, spoon, chopsticks).

Pass around four flashcards (fork, knife, spoon & cup). Student has to say:

“This fork is mine.”

Then pass it on … meanwhile, give the first student a second card:

“This knife is mine.”

Suddenly I say STOP !

I say ‘me’.

The class has to say “This is my spoon – it is mine.”

I will need my TA to explain this procedure . I will board: me – mine / you – yours etc.

I repeat with ‘you’, ‘his’, ‘her’.

Run ‘n’ write: where can I buy a shirt ? Eat soup and salad ? Watch a movie ? Play football ? Students, in pairs, must run to the board and write the word.

Mime: I take a student aside and show a card of an illness. Student then mimes the condition (headache, stomachache, fever, cold). Answer must be in the form of a sentence: “He has a headache“, etc.

Next, to review four countries about which they read last lesson. Mix up the countries:

yektyru // anapj // sirusa // omixce

Bring a globe to the class. Two students must find the four countries. Next, tell me about Vietnam:

Image result for viet flag
Image result for viet students

(Stock photo from Google. NOT my students.)

Follow the pattern in the book and tell me about Vietnam

[We’re from Mexico. This is our flag. It’s ours. It’s green, white and red.]

Now … tell me about Teacher Paul

Image result for uk flag

He’s from … // This is …… // It’s ….. (possessive) // It’s ….. (colours) .

Finally, role-playing, asking prices and identifying cultural items. Students can decide their own prices. They can work in small groups or in pairs, to make sure everyone has a chance to speak.

Excuse me, how much is this, please ?

Oh, no … that is too much // OK, I’ll take it.

Then they must conclude by saying, “It’s a present for my ….” and I quickly show a family card (grandparents / parents / aunt / uncle / cousin or cousins).

To end on a bum note (or notes) … let’s hear the Russian National Anthem … and then played by an Egyptian orchestra.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOAtz8xWM0w

And now the Egyptian version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yHbAhFnfrA

And then, time to hit the books. The workbook extends over three pages, so we’ll do a little, then check as a class. A fond farewell to a lovely class. Cam on 🙂

Signs, symbols and icons: information and worksheet

21st August 2019

I actually prepared this for my top students in a Young Learners’ Level 3 (ages from 9 – 11) class; university-level semiotics. While most of the class just do the assigned work – no more, no less – others make no effort at all and are unable or unwilling to answer a question to which I have just given the answer. Then we have the top cats … I’m lucky to have two exceptional students in my class as well as two others who, with some effort, could also reach those Olympian heights.

The following is a very simplified, breakdown of everyday signs, symbols and the modern use of the word ‘icon’ as related to technology. The original categorisation into ‘icon, index & symbol’ was devised by Charles Sanders Peirce, and more information can be found on this Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiotic_theory_of_Charles_Sanders_Peirce#II._Icon,_index,_symbol

The following I have printed out as a three-page activity worksheet for my top cats (who generally finish bookwork before others have even started).

A sign uses pictures to give information or to tell people what they can or can not do:

What do these signs mean ?     ///   The first sign means no smoking.

The second sign means … /// The third sign means … 

A symbol is a picture or things that represents a place, city or country.

The ao dai and non la are symbols that represent Viet Nam

What do these symbols represent ?

Icons are used on computers and smartphones. For example, this icon:

  represents a dictionary. How about these ?

Draw two more icons from a computer or smartphone.

Draw two signs that could be used in Vietnam

What do these signs from Singapore mean ?

What do you think of these signs ?

Do you agree ? Do you disagree ? Tell me why …