Young Learners: Ancient Egyptian Gods

12th May 2022

An activity that combines listening & reading, collecting information, and allows for creative thinking, not to mention introducing students to different cultures and legends.

Today we are going to learn about some of the ancient Egyptian gods. First, where is Egypt ? In which continent is Egypt ?

Egypt is in the north – east of Africa.

What ancient buildings can you see in Egypt ?

The Pyramids, the largest one was built about 2,500 BC (about 4,500 years ago), and at 481 feet (146.6 metres) was the tallest building for 3,800 years (NOTE 1).

The creature in front is called the Sphinx. What kind of animal is the Sphinx ?

The Sphinx has the face of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird (maybe a falcon or eagle).

Ancient Egypt was thousands of years ago, from 3150 BC (BCE) to 332 BC (BCE). Animals were very important.

What animals can you see in this picture ?

We are going to focus on four Gods:

Thoth // Bastet // Ra // Anubis

Vocabulary

Pyramids

Sphinx

Tomb

Hieroglyphs

Let’s return to our four gods

Thoth // Bastet // Ra // Anubis

Watch this video, and write down information about the four gods.

What animals do they look like ?

What can they do ?

Which one do you think Mr Paul likes best … and why ?

What animal was Bastet ?

Bastet was a cat, and cats were very important in Ancient Egypt. Can you think why ? What do cats like to chase and eat ? Check your answers:

Now … be creative. Invent a God from your country. First, think what animals you have, then what they can do. Don’t forget to tell me why.

Use crayons, colour pencils. If you can’t draw, it’s OK; just write me a magnificent story. Don’t forget to use the amazing adjectives you have been taught.

Would you like some music to help you while you work ?

Note 1: The first buildings to be taller were cathedrals, in England. St Paul’s was in London, then the cathedral in Lincoln became the tallest building in the world.

Note 2: The British Council ‘LearnEnglishKids’ page has some excellent resources and free print-outs.

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.

Some light relief

15th January 2022

For a break from conjugating verbs (yes, I make my class recite verbs, the old-fashioned way and guess what – it works, go figure), here are some clips to chase away the grammar Blues.

Firstly, who doesn’t love a funny animal ?

How about some not so friendly animals ? One of my Top Cat students loves pandas and was adamant that they were always cute and cuddly and safe. I hated to break it to her, but the truth will out …

Occasionally a student will deliberately disobey a teacher. Recently, I reiterated some information about preventing COVID, namely not touching eyes, nose and mouth. No sooner said than a young man began ostentatiously inserting his fingers into his nostrils. What could I say ? I thought of a famous political phrase from former President Barack Obama:

You need only watch the first seven or eight seconds. You probably will watch it again, seven or eight times (unless you are the person to whom former President Obama referred).

To end on a happier note, look what you can do if you practice:

Yoyoka from Japan

A 6-year old Chinese girl – I wish i could play half as well.

Love Minus Zero: basic vocabulary for maths

4th December 2021

Some useful words for basic maths. Firstly, in the UK we say ‘maths‘ while our cousins across the pond in the USA say ‘math.’

To begin we have addition (+)

Noun = addition // verb = add // sign + // may hear ‘plus‘

EXAMPLE:

If you add 17 and 13 what is the answer ? [17 + 13 = ?]

The = sign is pronounced equals

Furthermore you may hear:

What is 17 plus 13 or What is 17 and 13 ?

What do you get if you add 17, 13 and 3 together ?

Practice: I’m very good at ________ (noun). I can ______ (verb) many numbers very quickly.

Next we have subtraction (-)

Noun = subtraction // verb = subtract // sign – //

may hear ‘minus‘

EXAMPLE: Can you subtract 12 from 111 ? [111 -12 = ?]

Furthermore you may hear:

What is 111 minus 12 ?

80 Pieces Pi Latex Balloons Math Symbol Balloons Pi Day Party Balloons for Pi Day Math Party Decorations : Amazon.in: Toys & Games — 𝝅 – a piece of cake

Moving on we have multiplication (x)

Noun = multiplication // verb = multiply // sign x // may hear ‘times‘

EXAMPLE: Can you multiply 7 by 4 ?

Furthermore you may hear:

What is 7 times 4 ?

And finally, division (÷)

Noun = division // verb = divide // sign ÷ // may hear ‘into‘

EXAMPLE: What is 100 divided by 4 ?

Furthermore you may hear:

How many times does 4 go into 100 ? What goes into 100 4 times ?

Practice – how would you say these:

25 + 30 =

12 x 10 =

95 – 35 =

39 ÷ 13 =

Young Learners, Level 6: Sensational sentence building

28th October 2021

Crosby Scholars receives $10,000 from Duke Energy to support STEM programming for African American and Latina girls - Crosby Scholars Forsyth — Image from crosbyscholars.com

Who can build the highest word tower ?

Arrange class into small groups, named after famous architects from English speaking countries, e.g. Christopher Wren, Frank Lloyd Wright & Amanda Levete

Fallingwater Building, Pennsylvania, USA

Therefore we have Team Wren, Team Levete & Team Wright

Game 1 Synonyms: give me a better word for …

yummy // good // big // very small // smart // very friendly // someone from Korea // scared // not easy // not clean // has a lot of money //

(1 point for each correct answer)

Game 2: Correct these sentences …

The Science book is very boring or bored.

I feel so excited or exciting about learning English.

She was disappointed or disappointing about the Japanese film.

(2 point for each correct answer)

Game 3: Make sentences using adj + noun

EXAMPLE:

The beautiful lady is a popular singer in a Korean group.

The Korean woman is smiling. She is cute and happy. She has long, brown hair.

Qri is a popular singer. She is Korean and is a fantastic dancer.

Team Wren:

The scientist Albert Einstein. He was born in Germany.

Team Wright:

Happy rich woman Stock Photos & Royalty-Free Images | Depositphotos — This lady was born in Russia

Team Levete:

Dean of School - Job by Unicaf University Zambia — This lady was born in Zambia

(2 point for each adjective + noun structure)

Game 4: Adjective salad bar.

Look at the photos. Choose one you like and make a sentence or sentences. However, you will earn more points by using higher-level adjectives.

Earn 1 point for using these adjectives:

big, fat, friendly, happy, new, old, sad, small, young, yummy

Earn 2 points for using these adjectives:

amazing, angry, beautiful, clean, clever, cute, dangerous, easy, English, fast, funny, great, Greek, healthy, high, Japanese, kind, Korean, quick, Russian, shy, sleepy, tired, Zambian

Earn 3 points for using these adjectives:

bored, boring, delicious, electric, excited, exciting, fantastic, greedy, hard-working, huge, intelligent, lazy, messy, nervous, outgoing, polite, popular, rude, selfish, talkative, tiny, ugly

Earn 5 points for using these adjectives:

Asian, confident, curious, difficult, disappointed, European, Indian, important, Portuguese, outgoing, spicy, Swedish, talented, unusual, valuable, wealthy, xenophobic, year-long

chummy - Search - Larastock Stock photos, royalty-free images, vectors

Very Old Lady In Funny Fur Hat With Two Tentacles With A Bored, Sulky Expression Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Image 32431557.

Sweden's Indigenous Sami People Held Their First-Ever Pride Event — The Sami people from Sweden

Game 5: Where would you like to live or visit ?

We have ‘visited’ many amazing and unusual places in our lessons, and met many friendly, outgoing people.

So, where do YOU want to go ?

Tell me where, tell me why and tell me something about the country.

EXAMPLE:

I want to visit Korea because it is a very beautiful country and has many friendly and outgoing people. The food is spicy but delicious and very healthy. The history is amazing and the museums are very interesting.

(2 point for each adjective + noun structure, 1 point for every other adjective.)

adjectives

amazing, angry, Asian / beautiful, big, bored, boring /clean, clever, confident, curious, cute / dangerous, delicious, difficult, disappointed /easy, electric, English, exciting / fantastic, fast, fat, friendly, funny / greedy, great, Greek / happy, hard-working, healthy, high, huge / important, Indian, intelligent / Japanese / kind, Korean / lazy / messy / nervous, new / old, outgoing / polite, popular, Portuguese / quick / rude, Russian / sad, selfish, shy, sleepy, small, spicy, Swedish /talented, talkative, tiny, tired / ugly, unusual / valuable / wealthy, wide-awake / xenophobic / year-long, young, yummy / Zambian

Bye bye from these hard-working Vietnamese ladies

Young Learners: Amazing Adjectives

9th August 2021

Movie and TV Cast Screencaps: Maggie Cheung as Flying Snow / Hero (2002) / 32 Screencaps — The amazing Asian actress Maggie Cheung in the famous film ‘Hero’.

The brilliant breathtaking Blues musician Robert Johnson

Adjective Game 1

Let’s start with ‘A’, the first letter. Who knows these adjectives ?

Am__________ (This word means very good, wonderful)

What other adjectives can you think of beginning with ‘a’ ?

Be___________ // (This word means very pretty)

What other adjectives can you think of beginning with ‘b’ ?

Cu__ // Dan______ // ele_____ // fan_______ (very good) // gr_______

// he________ // int_________ // Ja____ (from an Asian country) // ki___ //

la__ // me____ (not clean. Also the name of a talented footballer) //

ner___ // outg______ (opposite of shy) // pop_____ // qui__ // ru__

// sel____ // tal________ // unu_____ // valu____ (costs a lot of money)

Here Are 10 Of The Most Expensive Paintings In The World Right Now

// wea______ (if you can buy the Mona Lisa, you must be extremely wea_____) // Xenop_______ (do not like people from other countries) // ye__ – _____ (lasts for 12 months) // Zamb___ (person from Zambia)

Suitable answers: amazing / beautiful / cute / dangerous / electric / fantastic / greedy, great, Greek / healthy / intelligent / Japanese / kind / lazy / messy / nervous / outgoing /popular / quick / rude / selfish / talkative / unusual / valuable / wealthy / xenophobic / year-long / Zambian

Adjective Game 2

Sentence building using adjectives is very easy. Even using basic adjectives can improve your English. Colours, sizes and where someone is from are all easy adjectives. Look at this example:

The flag is very large and is white with a red circle in the middle. The flag is Japanese.

Look at these flags. Choose one and describe it to the class. Points for the students who guess which flag. Extra points if they know the country.

Adjective Game 3

Describe these people:

Park Soyeon - T-Ara - Posts | Facebook — Park Soyeon from Korea

Young Learners, Level 6: adjectives and adverbs review.

8th April 2021

A typical Vietnamese breakfast; pork, noodles, fresh vegetables and noodles.

Objectives:

Encourage students to speak in long, interesting sentences.

Making the use of adjectives and adverbs a natural part of their English

Develop their ability to express themselves, giving reasons (because) and examples (like, such as)

Show them how much fun English can be by the use of idioms (once in a blue moon, it’s raining cats and dogs)

VOCABULARY BANK

Match the word(s) to the meaning

gigantic / enormous __________ everywhere

tiny / petit _____________________on time

delicious / mouth watering ___very rarely

difficult ________________________ yummy / tasty

once in a blue moon ______ big / huge

punctual______________________ clever

intelligent ____________________ hard

ubiquitous ____________________ very small

IDIOMS:

once in a blue moon

piece of cake (very easy, no problem)

it’s raining cats and dogs (very heavy rain)

NOW … practice:

Street food in Vietnam is (everywhere) ___________________ .

Fish And Chips Là Gì? Xuất Xứ Của Món Ăn Đặc Sắc Này

The British love fish and chips because it is (yummy)_________________ and _____________________. However, it is not very healthy eat it __________________________________________(very rarely)

The man is (very big) however the lady is (very small)

Dolphins that swim up to humans mostly saying 'f*ck off' | The Daily Mash

The young lady is saying hello to the dolphins which are very (clever) __________________ animals.

This rabbit is always (on time) _________________

Is it (hard) ____________________ for a gorilla to play drums ? No, it is easy – it’s a piece of cake.

Don’t believe me … OK, just watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La7B8mBnTXs&ab_channel=TomSinger

The capital city of Viet Nam is _____________ . It is a large( very busy) city. Motorbikes are (everywhere) ___________________. Street food is cheap and (yummy) __________________________.

However, sometimes it rains very heavily. In this photo, people are (not happy) because ____________________________________.

Adverb practice

always

usually // often // normally

sometimes

rarely

once in a blue moon

never

EXAMPLES:

Eating fruit and vegetables has this unexpectedly good side-effect - Mirror Online

I always eat fruit because it is extremely healthy

I usually read a book when I drink coffee because I love reading.

I sometimes drive my car to work because it is fun. However, driving in Viet Nam is ________________________.

I rarely go to Singapore because it is extremely expensive.

I only go home to London once in a blue moon because it is so far away

I never smoke because it is extremely unhealthy !

NOW … your turn: tell me what you do and why.

I always … because …

I usually … because …

I sometimes … because …

I rarely … because …

Once in a blue moon I … because …

I never … because …

See you next week

Young Learners, Level 6: Stay healthy

13th January 2021

Healthy Smiles Dental Care, PC | Dentist Windsor Locks CT

Everybody Up 6, Unit 4: Review new vocabulary, fixed expressions and sentence building

What does she use ?

Personal Work : Perfume Ad Amphores Dior on Behance

In my opinion she uses perfume. She needs shampoo as well as conditioner.

Dior Perfume ad Featuring Johnny Depp Sparks Outrage on Social Media

NOW … Your turn

In ___________________ he uses ___________ . He wants ___________ as well as ______________.

Asian girl Pictures, Images, Stock Photos | Depositphotos®

__________________ she uses __________ as well as ____________. When her hair looks great, she feels de__________ .

Man with messy hair making face - Stock Photo - Dissolve

In ___________________ he doesn’t ever use __________ or __________ on his hair. He has a b_____ so he doesn’t need to buy a r________ .

Downstate Juniors VBC – Everything about Downstate Juniors!

________________ she uses _________ before playing in the sun. After sports, she takes a ___________ so she needs a b_____ of s______. When she’s finished she puts on d____________ .

I reckon he has no t________ so he doesn’t need to buy a t_____ of __________ or use d_______ f_______. However, he may want to use some m___________ .

Rainy Day Blues: The Weather + Mental Health Connection | by UMiami Health System | University of Miami Health System | Medium

I r___________ the dog wants to go out. The dog doesn’t need ___________ or _________ . However, it is raining cats and dogs, so he feels very dis_________________ .

You should use ________________ before you go to school.

You should ________________ before you go to bed.

You should use ________________ after shower.

You should ________________ after you eat.

What happens next ? Can you act these scenes ?

Young Learners, level 6: Collecting information, making a presentation.

6th January 2021

Regulatory momentum builds in Canada - iGaming Business

Egypt - United States Department of State

How to Do Business in South Korea | Veem

Top 20 of the most beautiful cities in Spain | Boutique Travel Blog

Objectives: encourage team work, and the completion of a small project by collecting information. Class arranged in four team, named after one of the above countries. They have to fill out a form such as this:

Flag of Spain with the "correct" Coat of Arms : vexillology

Language spoken:

Capital city:

Population:

Weather:

Famous for …

BONUS: can they count to ‘3’ in that language (for Canada we shall use French) ?

Uno Dos Tres: Recipes Book | 118 Pages Blank Recipe Notebook to Write in for Women, Document all Your Special Recipes and Notes, Spanish Food Cookbook ... Cover Spanish Flag (spain) (Spanish

Visual Number Line Posters 0-20 French (teacher made)

How to Count to 10 in Arabic: 12 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow

How To Master Korean Numbers? Top 10 Ways To Learn Numbers In Korean - Learn Korean

Korean uses two systems, Sino-Korean & Pure; the above version is the Pure system. What’s interesting for me, as a student of linguistics, is the similarity between some Sino-Korean numbers, and those of Thai, namely 3, 4, 9 & 10. take a look:

하나, 돌, 셋... (Let's Learn Korean!) | ARMY's Amino

Anyway, back to the activity:

The answers and extra information and photos may be found on this blog: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/07/26/adult-speaking-class-level-1-young-learners-level-5-around-the-world-in-80-minutes/

Teams will be given a variety of tasks (especially reviewing weaker areas, such as writing). Successful completion will result in one member of the team coming up the board and reading an information card. The student is not allowed to write down the fact, but has to memorise it, then report to another team-mate who will write it down.

And so, without further ado, the tasks:

Write down three positive adjectives, then use them in this sentence: Ms Jenny is _________ , __________ as well as _______.

Write down three negative adjectives, then use them in this sentence: Mr Mark is ________ , ________ as well as _________ .

What are the three biggest countries in the world ?

Brazil is famous for … (tell me two things).

Tell me two types of food people eat in Korea.

(Based on flash cards for units 1 – 3) To get to the shop, I must walk ——– the bridge and ——— the train tracks.

To get to the school, I must walk ——– the fountain and ——– the river.

To get to the dentist, I must walk ——– the street then go —— the stairs.

Put all six cards on the floor. Have two students stand at either end. They have to say, correctly, the directions on the card. Winner is allowed to gather some information.

Write down three buildings to visit in a city. What is best ? Must start answer: I reckon ________ is best because ________.

EXAMPLE: I reckon a school is best because you can meet Mr Paul 🙂

What is good about a department store ? Must start answer: In my opinion a department store is great for _______ as well as _______ , however __________ .

EXAMPLE: In my opinion a library is great for borrowing books as well as using computers, however we have to be very quiet.

What did Mr Paul & Mr Khoa do yesterday ? Show flashcards and add a location. Students have to write down the method of transport, with the correct PAST TENSE verb.

EXAMPLE: They drove a car to the zoo.

If you are late or slow, you have to c______ u__

If you think a film will be great but it is boring, you are d_____________ .

If you do charity work for no money, you v__________

She’s b___________ to a judo club _____ 2018.

He’s o______ a laptop _____ three years.

Olivia’s been c_______ p_____ _______ 1 year.

Can you dance or sing Flamenco ?

Write down three items you want.

Write down three items you need.

Mime: A team member has to mime using a product; team has to guess which one.

Quick Fire Round:

Name an instrument // something people collect // a sport that uses a ball // a sport that doesn’t use a ball //

What happens next :

DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME

DON’T EVER TRY THIS IN MY CLASS

Young learners, level 6: Travel Journal Project

10th December 2020

Everybody Up 6, Unit 2 project

Make Your Own Travel Diary : 8 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables

Class will be arranged in four small groups and they will be assigned a city. The students have an hour to collect information, produce a short journal (with maps, photos, illustrations etc) and present to the class.

The destinations are:

London, Barcelona, Seoul & Rio de Janeiro

I shall provide some photo printouts for their covers.

The journal must include:

When to go // an itinerary // a famous museum or building // how the students got there

Virtual itineraries – a digital day out in London - Lonely Planet

London: best time to go is in Spring // British Museum is free -Open daily 10.00 am – 5.00 pm // Take the Tube (subway) to Holborn // Hamleys Toy Shop – Open 11.00 – 5.00 // Take the 25 bus and walk down Regent Street.

6 Of The Top Places To Take Kids In London | London Planner Magazine

Barcelona: Best time is May – June // Gaudi Church (Sagrada Familia) Open 9.00 – 7.00 pm // Take Metro Line 2 (subway) // Have a picnic in Gaudi park (Parc Güell) – Open 9.30 – 7.00 pm) -get there by taxi // At night walk along the famous street Las Ramblas and walk around the old town centre

A guide to La Rambla, Barcelona | Insight Guides Blog

Seoul: Best time is summer // Seoul Tower – take bus number 2 – Open 10.00 – 11.00 pm // Traditional village – take a taxi. // Walk around, visit small museums and try traditional food // At night, walk along city creek and try Korean street food.

Rio de Janeiro: best time is February, for the Festival // Walk there from your hotel // Visit the Christ statue – take a taxi but go early morning. // Go to the beach at Ipanema – take the Metro Rio (Subway) // Try amazing Brazilian food like crazy beef or foot bug ! //

Some Brazilian food for you know when you visit us. - 9GAG

Rio de Janeiro Carnival 2021 Dates - Feb 12 thru Feb 20, 2021 — Festival in Rio !

NOW … have fun

Young Learners, Level 6: London Screen Test

5th December 2020

To kick off – Know your country

This class is grouped into South Korea, Spain and Brazil. Ask about capital city, language and what their country is famous for or produces.

What country is this and what is happening ?

Moving on …

Name some responsibilities your parents have to do.

Name as many privileges that you have.

Sentence building:

If I do my homework, I can play video games

Students have to make sentences with, a conditional with a responsibility followed by a privilege (based on the lesson flash cards).

Responsibilities include ‘go to bed early,’ ‘scrub the sink,’ while privileges include, ‘have a party,’ and ‘sing karaoke.’

Hold up two flashcard, one responsibilities, the other privileges. Students must make sentences. Use as part of a team game.

And Finally – Screen Test

What are you responsibilities on the London Tube ?

What do you have to do ? What should you not do ?

Example: You should not stand on the left side of the escalators.

Extra conversation:

How do you travel in your country ?

What are your responsibilities ?