Is grammar important ?

23rd November 2021

Premium Photo | Smiling young asian woman wearing hijab, showing mobile phone doing yes gesture

Yes it, isn’t. i is hoping these answered you questions ,

When someone is learning a new language basic communication, making oneself understood, is the main factor.

However as one develops, the rules of grammar become increasingly important especially if students sit tests and are graded according to their command of the language.

Here, then, are some incorrect sentences that the students can correct. For online classes, students can type in their Chat Box, and that way, everyone is kept busy and productive.

Let’s start with a Level 1 Class

The students have just been introduced to basic sentences, so the aim is to get them using multiple words, not just shouting out single word answers.

Game 1

EXAMPLE: What is it ?

It is a yellow banana.

It’s a yellow banana.

First letter is BIG (a capital letter).

Use an adjective before the noun.

End with a full stop (.)

NOW … Your turn

Write the answers in your Chat Box

Yuka Handmade Cloth Doll Japanese Doll | Etsy — Number 1

Do you have a red car? You have to read this now | VISOR PH — Number 2

ITW 12-ft USA Highlighter Delta Kite - Buy at Into The Wind Kites - Buy at Into The Wind Kites — Number 3

Game 2

EXAMPLE: Who’s this ?

this me grondfather … NO

This is my grandmother.

NOW … Your turn

Write the answers in your Chat Box

this is my Brotherr

this is m grandFATHr ?

Bring on the Jewish Fathers - The Sag Harbor Express — Number 3

th is is me mother

Game 3

EXAMPLE: I like … I don’t like

I like chicken I no like fish … NO

I like chicken. I don’t like fish.

NOW … Your turn

i liek pizzza i do no like chicen

I like iceream i like cake no

I like breadd I like don’t ricee

Game 4

EXAMPLE: What can you see ?

Dogs of Destiny - Southeastern Guide Dogs

I can see a dog. I can see a happy black dog.

DOG SIMULATOR 3D - Chơi Dog Simulator 3D trên Poki

I can see 2 dogs

NOW … Your turn

22 Incredible Landmarks in Asia That You Must Visit • Hoponworld

Beautiful portrait young asian woman smiling waving hand in garden - stock photo | Crushpixel — Bye bye, see you soon.

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Young Learners, Level 6: Engineering projects

27th April 2021

Warm up – Here are some symbols of Viet Nam:

Can you think of symbols of the UK ?

Question: Why is Britain so big in Sai Gon ?

England Symbols And Icons. Vector Illustration Royalty Free Cliparts, Vectors, And Stock Illustration. Image 137889874.

Answer:

Khám phá The Landmark 81 - Tòa nhà cao nhất tại Việt Nam

Landmark 81 is a super-tall skyscraper in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, that was designed by the British firm (company) Atkins.

Landmark 81 is the tallest building in Vietnam, and the 14th tallest building in the world.

The 461.5 metres (1,514 ft) tall, 81-storey building is built on the western banks of the Saigon River.

The development comprises (has) hotel and conference rooms, luxury apartments, high-end shops, restaurants, bars, and a multi-story observation deck.

Comprehension review:

What is the building called ? // Where exactly is it ? //

What firm designed it and where are they from ?

How tall is it ? // What does the complex comprise of ?

Landmark 81 Skyview Review: Is it worth? - Mylittleplan.com — How would you feel so high in the sky ?

Can you think of any tall buildings from history ?

Can you think of any amazing engineering works from history ?

Information gathering

Watch the video and collect the following information (answers at end of blog):

1) What year was Philadelphia City Hall built ?

2) Where is the Singer Building ?

3) How tall is the Metlife Tower ?

4) What year was the Chrysler Building built ?

5) How tall is the Empire State Building to the very top ?

6) What is the tallest building in Chicago called ?

7) What is the first building in the video NOT in the USA ? Where is it ?

8) How tall is Taipei 101 ? What plant does it look like ?

9) In 2010, what was the world’s tallest building ? Where is it ?

10) What will be the tallest building in the world ?

11) Work on the Jeddah Tower stopped in 2020. Can you think why ?

Interesting fact: the US architect Adrian Smith designed both the Burj Khalifa and the Jeddah Tower

However, it’s not all plain sailing. Sometimes things go wrong:

(suggest starting at number #48 at 1:20)

Answers

1) 1901 2) NYC 3) 213metres or 700 feet 4) 1930

5) 432 m or 1416 ft 6) Sears Tower (now Willis Tower)

7) Petronus Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

8) 508m or 1667 ft. It resembles a bamboo plant

9) Burj Khalifa in Dubai 1

10) Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia 11) Work stopped due to COVID-19

A useful website, from April 4th 2021: https://constructionreviewonline.com/project-timelines/jeddah-tower-project-timeline-and-all-you-need-to-know/

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 ?

Young Learners, Level 6: London itinerary

26th November 2020

What could you do in London in two full days, a morning and an evening ?

Choose what to do and how much it will cost ?

How will you get there ?

Plan an itinerary

You are at your hotel and ready for sightseeing on Tuesday at 12.30pm

What will you do in the afternoon ?

You have Wednesday and Thursday free.

You have free time on Friday morning.

What will you do, how much will you spend ?

LONDON ZOO

Open: 10.00am – 4.00 pm daily

Price: £ 26 [800 000 VND]

Tube Station (subway): £2.40 [74 000 VND]

LONDON EYE

Open: 10.00 am – 6.00 pm (winter) daily

Price: £27.00 [838 000 VND]

Ferry stop £36.50 with river tour [1 130 000 VND]

Dippy the Dinosaur Leaves the Natural History Museum | artnet News

NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM

Open: 10.00 am – 6.00 pm daily

Price: free

Catch a taxi £15.00 [465 000 VND]

HAMPTON COURT PALACE

Open: 10.00 am – 4.30 pm

Price: £24.50 [760 000 VND]

Take a train £7.60 [235 000 VND]

Hamleys opens its second store in KolkataIBG News | IBG News

HAMLEYS TOY SHOP

Open 11.00 am – 8.00 pm

Most expensive toy is a dollhouse Price £250 [7 756 000 VND]

Ride the bus £1.50 [46 500 VND]

And, for food in London ?

Fish and chips – Wikipedia tiếng Việt — fish and chips

McDonald's launches FOUR new menu items today including naan burgers and salted caramel Galaxy McFlurries — McDonalds

Món Ngon Việt Hackney - Home - London, United Kingdom - Menu, Prices, Restaurant Reviews | Facebook — Vietnamese food

Is afternoon tea at The Ritz just for tourists? We find out - Time Out London — tea and cakes at the Ritz Hotel

We all love a 99 flake but where do they get their name from? - MyLondon

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 4: Longest, heaviest, shortest, lightest

24th November 2020

Everybody Up 4 U 3, L 1 [review of previous unit before starting a new subject]

A chance to review the superlatives as well as encouraging students to look for, and then supply, information.

The Largest and the Smallest Animals Are Threatened by Extinction

Play the video then ask the class questions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urTHzUaZ5DY

What is the largest mammal ? // What is the smallest one ?

How much does a blue whale weight ?

What is the largest bird ? // What is the smallest one ?

What is the largest reptile ? // What is the smallest one ?

How long is the crocodile ? // How long is the dwarf gecko ?

What is the largest fish ? // What is the smallest one ?

How long is the whale shark ?

A whale shark can be up to 10 meters long

The text book, which I follow, uses the USA spelling (meters not metres).

Activity: Make two crosses at the front of the class. Have two students stand on them; one will ask the question, the other answer. Repeat until all the class has participated.

Encourage full answers:

How long is the whale shark ?

It’s up to 10 meters long

The whale shark can be up to 10 meters long

Answers:

The blue whale // the bumblebee bat // [up to] 200 tonnes // ostrich // hummingbird // saltwater crocodile // dwarf gecko // whale shark // stout infantfish

Bonus points for additional facts such as a hummingbird can fly backwards, an ostrich can’t fly etc

Young Learners, Level 6: Round, Round, Get Around

19th November 2020

Everybody Up 6, Unit 1, Lesson 4

A Beautiful South Korean Girl Wearing A Traditional Red And Black Dress Hanbok In A Royal

flamenco | music and dance | Flamenco dancers, Flamenco dancing, Flamenco

Ronaldinho endorses far-right Brazilian presidential candidate

Can you guess the three countries ?

Divide the class into three teams, named after Brazil, South Korea and Spain. On the board write three columns or project an image like this:

Numbers One Two Three 1 2 3 Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Image 8101098.

Ask questions and one player from each team has to run to the board and slap the correct number

Example: The capital of the UK is: 1 Manchester 2 Cardiff 3 London

What language do people speak in Brazil 1) Portuguese 2) Spanish 3) French

The Great Wall is in 1) Japan 2) Germany 3) China

How do you say ‘Hello’ in Spanish ? 1) Xin chao 2) Hola ! 3) Annyeonghaseyo

You can walk under 1) the street 2) the fountain 3) the train tracks

Walk around 1) the fountain 2) the stairs 3) the river

Which country doesn’t have camels (not in zoos) 1) China 2) Egypt 3) Japan

Now, run and write

Where can you:

see fish, sharks and sea creatures ? buy clothes and shoes and books and toys ? ride a rollercoaster ? borrow books ?

Now, sentence building

Show students two flashcards from previous lessons. They have to combine to form a long sentence, using the past tense.

EXAMPLE:

First I walked over the bridge then took the train to the museum

First I walk__ ______ the river then _____ the ferry to the aquarium

First we walk__ _____ the train tracks then _______ the subway to the department store.

He walk__ ______ the fountain then ______ a car to the library

She (run) ________ the stairs then __________ a taxi to the zoo

Now, guess the country: This music is from ?

Start clip around 0:40

If the class is active and outgoing, they may want to try some Flamenco dancing, in which case, Ole !

Young Learners, Level 5: What are you doing, how do you feel ?

18th November 2020

E Up Units 1 & 2 Review.

On stage | Reuters.com — What did the man do in the afternoon ? How did he feel ?

Objectives:

Ensure students have learnt the Unit adjectives (as well as new vocabulary from class)

Give students confidence to build longer, more interesting sentences

Give students sense of security to speak in class

Stress the importance of practice and practice and practice

A Warm up game:

Split class into teams. Read out a sentence in the present tense. Students have to write using the past tense. Depending on class size, students can run to the board, or work in small groups on a board in which case, make sure the writers are changed each turn.

EXAMPLE: I win a game. Yesterday …

I sleep all night. Last week I …

He rides a motorbike. He …

She acts in a school play. She ….

We read about Marco Polo. We …

They learn English at school. They …

I see a film. I …

We eat pizza. We …

Mr Paul drinks coffee. Mr Paul …

Now … pronunciation practice

From Twin Peaks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EsqvYBeyws

(play from 0:10 onwards)

“Damn good coffee … and hot !”

Points for the best performance

Now, sentence building

What were you doing // when were you doing it // How did you feel ?

Use the flashcards to help students form sentences

In the morning, I was riding an elephant and I felt very confident.

Adjectives are: relaxed // nervous // confident // sleepy // wide-awake // shy

Facts tell, but stories sell - Untapped Resources, Inc.

In the evening, they were telling stories and they felt very relaxed.

New vocabulary and Screen Test game

New vocabulary:

massive // discover (discovered) // breathtaking // even // skyscraper

Have students shout out the words as they hear them.

Questions:

1) Who discovered the cave ? 2) What kind of forest is in the cave ? 3) How long is it ? 4) How long would it take to walk ? 5) A skyscraper of how many stories (floors) could fit inside ? 6) How old is the cave ?

Vietnam beauty queen rocks Son Doong Cave - VnExpress International — In the afternoon she was exploring a cave and she felt very excited

Answers

1) a farmer 2) a rainforest 3) over 5 kms 4) a week 5) 40 stories (floors) 6) 2- 5 million years old

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 5: What were you doing when … ?

4th November 2020

E Up 5 Unit 2 review

First up, divide class in two teams, after playing a warm-up song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMcWldfg28s

One of my students has chosen the English name ‘Cherry’, so this song goes down well (especially when I try, and fail, to hit those high notes).

Now, down to business

Past tense – what is the past tense for:

eat // drink // see // become // live // travel // ride // sleep

Moving on – complete the sentence:

Why Do Jews Eat Chinese Food on Christmas? | The Nosher

The history of Jews, Chinese food, and Christmas, explained by a rabbi - Vox

Last night I _____ Chinese food

How Young Mountain Tea helped change the tea industry with Indian farm – Aldea Coffee

Yesterday he ______ hot, sweet tea

Research seeks to help Black women sleep better - DefenderNetwork.com

She ______ all night

Marco Polo _______ famous for his travel stories.

He ______ from I___ to C________

Thay Paul's Notes – General Notes about my English lessons and life in Viet Nam.

In Thailand, Mr Paul _____ a large grey intelligent elephant.

20 Must-See Temples in Bangkok - Bangkok's Most Important Temples and Wats

Also he _____ many beautiful colourful temples

Now, past continuous

Make sentences using continuous form. Remember – verb + ing

Telling Stories | Heroes and villians Wiki | Fandom

What are they doing ? They are telling stories

Use flashcards. Have students ask and answer the questions. Call two students, one from each team and have them stand on a mark. Awards points for pronunciation as well as correct answers. Drill class to make sure everyone is taking part.

Next hand out six flashcards, three to each team.

Ask them, “What were you doing when I drank coffee ?” They must answer in the present continuous e.g. I was setting up the tent.

Finally, have a student mime an activity. Only that student’s team may answer.