Young Learners: Time Travellers

9th January 2023

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, “The Battle Between Carnival and Lent,” 1559 Kunsthistorisches Museum

Today we travel back in time to see how people lived 400 or 500 years ago. What was different ? What games did children play ?

First, we need a modern avatar. Team captains can choose from the following:

FBI Agent, Dale Cooper // Black Panther // Mulan

James Bond 007 // Reva // Lady Penelope

Sinbad the Sailor // The Minotaur

LEVEL 1

What do we have now that children did not have in the 1500s ? I want 3 things.

LEVEL UP: score 50 points

LEVEL 2

Tell me what you see in this picture. Remember to use adjectives.

Start with, “I can see …

LEVEL UP: score 100 points

LEVEL 3

The paintings are by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Read about his life:

Pieter Bruegel was born in Holland in 1529.

In the 1550s, he lived in Italy to study art. Bruegel liked to paint landscapes, and life in villages.

Many of his pictures tell a story. He had two sons who became painters. Their names were Jan and Pieter.

Bruegel died in 1569 in Belgium.

Questions:

Where was Bruegel born ?

When was Bruegel born ?

What country did he visit in the 1550s ?

What did he like to paint ?

When and where did he die ?

What were the names of his two painter sons ?

LEVEL UP: score 200 points

LEVEL 4

Many of Bruegel’s painting are in the Art Museum in Vienna, Austria. Have a look at this virtual tour: https://www.khm.at/en/explore/digital-museum/bruegel-begegnen-en/#:~:text=Only%20in%20Vienna&text=The%20Kunsthistorisches%20Museum%20Vienna%20houses,course%2C%20The%20Tower%20of%20Babel.

Look at the first picture at the top of this page.

Can you see it on the virtual tour ?

Look at the picture of the boys playing.

What is the name of this painting ?

Can you find this part of the painting ?

What other games can you see ?

LEVEL UP: score 500 points

LEVEL 5

Look at the painting ‘Children’s Games’ from 1560. In your teams, write a short story about what you see. Some people can draw, others can write. When you are finished, you may present to the class.

LEVEL UP: score 1000 points

GREAT WORK

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE

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.

Adult Speaking Class, Level 2: Introducing yourself, and small talk

29th January 2022

8 tips on how to make new friends as an adult

Introducing yourself

If you meet a new friend or business acquaintance, you may say

Hello, how are you ?

Very well, thank you, and yourself ? / I’m great, thanks for asking

How do you do ?

This question is formal, and the correct response is

How do you do ?

How’s it going ? How’s it hanging ? (these are both very informal)

All good, going well. / Yeah, I’m fantastic !

Asking about people’s jobs

business meeting group stock photos - OFFSET

What do you do ? I’m a designer at ABC company (then explain more about your work).

What line are you in ? Engineering.

What’s your profession ? I’m a nurse.

Asking about their family life

Remember, English-speakers can be quite private so don’t ask why a person isn’t married, or why a married person doesn’t have children

Are you a family man ?

Premium Photo | Indian friends eating or dining in restaurant. asian people  in face for get-together, reunion or celebrating party. coffee shop  celebration friendship togetherness concept

Yes, I have a wife and two kids

You married ?

No, my job leaves me no time for romance !

Do you have kids ?

Ha, I’m married to my job

Asking about free time

Here's how to actually enjoy your free time, instead of mindless scrolling  | Announce | University of Nebraska-Lincoln

How do you relax ?

I enjoy sports and meeting up with friends

How do you unwind ?

I just crash on the sofa and watch movies

What do you do in your spare time ?

I love to travel and drink beer.

Me and my boyfriend found a restaurant in Germany (Hamburg) serving 1 litre  tankards of home brewed beer. It was fantastic 👌 : r/Untappd

Listening and vocabulary

Here is a very good video for extra practice

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 4: Let’s build some sentences. Part 1

5th October 2021

26,846 BEST Asian Construction Woman IMAGES, STOCK PHOTOS & VECTORS | Adobe  Stock
Photo found on Google Images

Some activities to help young students and beginners build longer sentences, and to identify the word types such as verbs, nouns and adjectives.

Are you ready ?

Iron Man, are you ready ?

8 Actors Considered for Iron Man Before Robert Downey Jr. - E! Online
Yes, Thay Paul, I’m ready !

Wonder Woman, are you ready ?

Born Ready || Diana (wonder woman) - YouTube

Muddy Waters, are you ready ?

Muddy Waters – I'm Ready (1994, CD) - Discogs

Let’s go ! First – what is this ?

A lot of students will just shout out, ‘Kangaroo,’ but we need to answer in a sentence – ‘It’s a kangaroo.’

However, let’s use some adjectives. Look and tell me what you see.

The Kangaroo is brown and grey // big // strong // beautiful or ugly // happy or angry //

It’s a big brown and grey kangaroo.

Now … Your Turn. What is this ?

For younger classes, just ask for ‘It’s a / an …’ For higher levels, aim for adjectives.

African elephant calf is born in Mexico during pandemic, they call it  'Zoom' | Web24 News

Remember, elephant begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) so we have to use ‘an‘ – It’s an elephant.

With adjectives ‘It’s an amazing elephant’, or ‘It’s a cute elephant.’

Moving on … who knows an adjective beginning with … ‘a’ ? With ‘b’ ?

3 Times as a Man When Thinking Small Is Good - Michael Holland

Let’s have a collection of adjectives:

amazing, angry / beautiful, big /clean, clever, cute / dangerous /easy, electric / fantastic, funny / greedy, great, Greek / happy, healthy, huge / important, intelligent / Japanese / kind / lazy / messy / nervous / old, outgoing /popular / quick / rude / sad, selfish, shy, small / talkative, tiny / ugly, unusual / valuable / wealthy / xenophobic / year-long, young / Zambian

Make sentences using 2 or 3 of the adjectives.

Indian princess by VeraVoyna.deviantart.com on @DeviantArt | Indian princess,  Indian disney princess, Disney princess movies
5 ways to live like Crazy Rich Asians in Singapore | Travel - Hindustan  Times
Check out the pretty selfies from T-ara's Qri | T-ara World
Singer from Korean band T-ara
Bye to favour as Zambia brace for COSAFA Cup Draw - 2021 COSAFA Cup
Football team from Zambia

Next time, using verbs. See you soon.

Venice Film Festival: Jimmy Page Attends Led Zeppelin Doc Premiere |  Billboard
Bye bye from Mr Jimmy Page

Please Note: All photos are taken from Google Images and are used for educational purposes. 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 5: Comparisons

24th August 2021

Everybody Up Unit 4 pp 32 – 33

Why Successful People Don't Compare Themselves to Others - Mindscaling

We have two very cute dogs however, they do not look the same. Let’s take two basic adjectives (big & small) and use them as comparisons.

big —– bigger

small —– smaller

The black and white dog is smaller than the black dog.

The black dog is bigger than the black and white dog.

To make your sentence more interesting, add more information:

The cute black and white dog is much smaller than the dangerous angry black dog.

The grammar rules:

For small words, just add ‘er’

small —- smaller // tall —- taller

big add ‘g’ + ‘er’ bigger

If the adjective ends with a ‘y’

ugly – replace y with ‘i’ then add ‘er’ —- uglier

angry —- angrier

For big words, use ‘more’

delicious —- more delicious // dangerous —- more dangerous // energetic —- more energetic

NOW … YOUR TURN

1 Tell me about the men (small, short, tall) then use the comparative.

Image result for robert parish wadlow"

2 Tell me about these two people.

Image result for old and young asian person"

3 Who is stronger ?

Image result for strong and weak person"

4 Compare these clothes. Try to give me three adjectives (pretty, thick, warm, plain, colourful).

Image result for north face jacket"
Ugly coats - it had to be done....

5 Compare these guitar players (energetic, exciting, amazing, boring).

The most boring guitar player ever - YouTube


6 Tell me about these two people

T-ara T-ara Is My Life -Thông tin về T-ara T-ara hay Tiara (phát âm:  /tiˈɑːrə/; tiếng Hàn: 티아라; tiếng Nhật: ティアラ; cách điệu: T-ARA, T ARA hoặc  TΛRΛ) là một nhóm nhạc nữthần tượng của Hàn Quốc ra mắt vào ngày 29 tháng 7  năm 2009 bởi Core ...

Easy – yes, a piece of cake !

Answers:

1 One man is short, one man is tall. The man with glasses is taller. The man on the left is much shorter.

2 The man is older than the lady, the lady is younger than the man.

3 The man with the black T-shirt is much stronger. The man on the right is much weaker than the other man.

4 The black coat is thicker, warmer and cheaper than the second coat. The second coat is more colourful but uglier than the first coat.

5 The guitar player (guitarist) jumping is more energetic and more exciting than the other man. The second guitarist is more boring.

6 The beautiful cute young Asian lady is more friendly than the old American man. The old man with glasses and a beard is angrier and uglier than the smiling lady.

Bye bye … see you in the next blog

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)

Zambia
Zambia country profile - BBC News

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:

Albert Einstein, born in Germany
Usain Bolt, born in Jamaica
Park Soyeon - T-Ara - Posts | Facebook
Park Soyeon from Korea
Omar Sharif born in Egypt
Dr. Vandana Shiva DS.jpg
Vandana Shive from India

Adult Speaking Class, Level 2: Review game

11th March 2021

FIFA World Cup 1966 | England 66 | Football | Athlet.org

To review recent lessons, try these questions – answers at end of blog.

For teachers, you could add these into a computer game, assigning different points based on the difficulty of the question.

A) Name two famous artists

B) If you study hard, you will ______________ a qualification

C) Tell me two kitchen appliances that are useful but not essential

D) What kind of painting is this ?

Laughing Cavalier - Wikipedia
‘The Laughing Cavalier’ by Franz Hals

E) What two types of electromagnetic radiation can be found in a home ?

F) English Tests can make you (a negative adjective)

G) Give your view on this work of art:

Ý nghĩa đằng sau bức tranh "Persistence of Memory" - Salvador Dalí | Almond  Blossom
‘Persistence of Memory’ by Dali

H) Hyper means: i) more than average ii) average iii) less than average. Give two examples.

I) Which is correct i) She loves reading books ii) She loves to read books iii) Both

Premium Photo | A cute asian woman is sitting reading a book on the sofa or  a chair happy smiling at home during relax time

J) This young lady is in a coffee shop. Such shops are ________ in this city. What big word (low-frequency word) means ‘everywhere’ ?

K) What type of painting is this ?

Meadow with Two Large Trees by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot - Hand Painted  Oil Painting | Landscape paintings, Oil painting landscape, Landscape art
By the French artist Corot, and if you can’t appreciate the beauty of art, then I feel sorry for you.

L) A student who comes to English class and then refuses to speak English is i) wasting their time ii) wasting their money iii) normal in Vietnam iV) all of the above

M) One small town in Virginia, USA has banned … what … and why ?

N) A great adjective we use when we can’t describe something that we really like.

O) A word meaning ‘to light up’. Can you give an example from Viet Nam ?

Here are some helpful Hoi An travel tips, just for you!

P) Mark Zuckerberg growed up in New York, and drop down of Harvard University … correct the two phrasal verbs.

Q) Teaching unmotivated students is boring, t_______ & m_______.

R) A term for someone who wants to be a powerful decision-maker is a ___________________________

S) An idiom meaning one has no choice

T) What type of art is this ? Give two expressions to indicate that you don’t like it

Jackson Pollock: The face of abstract expressionism
by Jackson Pollack (USA)

U) How often does Thay Paul smile in class ?

V) A nurse will hold a patient’s wrist to check the _______

W) Say this:

The brother bit the sister so the mother beat the brother

X) Time to think and use your imagination. What feelings does this painting inspire in you ?

‘Nighthawks’ by Edward Hopper

Y) Why are you studying English ? Seriously … why ?

Z) What is the name of this effect ?

Lady Silhouette - Vector Etch

A) Picasso, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Renoit, Dali, Munch etc …

B) attain

C) blender, sieve, potato peeler, whisk, egg-timer, meat slicer etc

D) a portrait E) radio, microwave F) nervous, scared, anxious etc

G) start with ‘In my opinion …’ or ‘As far as I’m concerned …’ etc

H) i) more than: hyper-market, hyperinflation, hyper-sensitive

I) both are correct (check Cambridge Dictionary for confirmation)

J) ubiquitous K) a landscape L) all of the above

M) cell phones and WiFi as they interfere with the radio telescope.

N) ineffable O) illuminate, such as the lanterns in Hoi An.

P) grew up & dropped out of Q) tedious & monotonous

R) a mover and a shaker S) my hands are tied

T) not my cup of tea, I wouldn’t call that art, it leaves me cold, I don’t get it at all etc

U) in this class, NEVER (except at 9.00 pm)

V) pulse

X) [no irony intended … well, maybe a little] ‘Nighthawks’ is often interpreted as showing loneliness, sadness, depression, urban alienation. I could explain more, but nobody in this country gives a hoot about art.

Y) beats the hell out of me.

Z) silhouette

Adult Speaking Class, Level 3: Booking a room, and hotel vocabulary.

18th September 2020

A variety of speaking exercises and pair work to help you on your travels.

 

Welcome to the Haiyatt; in China, it's not the hotel it sounds like
File:WGBC2018IN-Participants at hotel reception 01.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Booking a hotel room

Vocabulary:

adjoining rooms– rooms next to each other 

amenities– services, shops, transport

bed and breakfast – small hotel or a room in someone’s house. 

complimentary breakfast– free, included in the price. 

Deposit – money paid in advance 

High season / low season– popular times

housekeeping– cleaning staff 

late charge– extra fee for not checking out on time.

Rate– the fee per room per night, per person. 

vending machine – machine that sells snacks, drinks.

Are Hotels a Great Location for Vending Machines?
B&B Là Gì? Khám Phá Thuật Ngữ B&B Trong Nhà Hàng Khách Sạn

You are going to Bangkok and need to book a hotel. What questions would you have ?

Airplane Arriving To Bangkok Airport Travelling To Thailand by moovstock on  Envato Elements

How much is the rate for 4 people ? What time is check-in / out ?

Could I book adjoining rooms ? What is in the area ?

Where exactly is the hotel ?

How do we get to the hotel from the airport ? 

Approximately how much is the taxi ?

Getting Around Bangkok - A Guide to Taxis, Buses, Trains and Mobile Apps -  BEAT HOTEL

Make a list.

Take turns being a tourist and working on front desk / booking.

Language to use:

Receptionist: Greet the guest / Ask for ID (passport, ID card). Check how many nights the guest(s) are staying / Ask to see booking confirmation /

What else could you ask ?

Guest: Explain you have a reservation / Present ID and booking confirmation. Ask about amenities in the hotel and what to see in the local area.

You could check if the hotel has a laundry service // can they book a taxi ? / do they organise tours ? Are there vegetarian restaurants in the area, or banks, money exchange, hairdressers ? What else could you need ?

Now … your experiences:

TripAdvisor's Worst Hotels In The World - Thrillist Nation
Terrible And Dirty Broken Shower In A Cheap Hotel Stock Image - Image of  repair, cheap: 114694251

What was your favourite hotel room and why ?

 Conversely, what was your worst room ?

What was bad about it ? In what way were you disappointed ? 

How did the service excel ? Was it good value for money ?

Would you strongly recommend it ?

How did you find the staff ? Was it easy to get to ?

Is it in a safe neighbourhood ?

American Horror Story: The Cecil Hotel | by Josh Dean | Matter | Medium

Young Learners classroom games: word battleship, snakes and ladders.

24th August 2020

I’ve spent so much time reading books about classroom activities, looking at websites and blogs only to reject the vast majority as not being suitable for my level of students. Here are a couple of games that have been successful over the years, in different centres and with different ages, though I usually employ them with students aged between 6 and 10. Adapt them as you wish, and have fun.

Word Battleship

This is based on the old paper and pencil game (later upgraded for the electronic and computer age).

Oversized Battleship Game
ABCD
1
2
3
4
Word Battleship

Board a grid as above (add more cells as required). Put the class into teams.

[I let them choose their own names, and if a student says, ‘Errrrrr,” then that’s the name I give them … additionally, this always gets a laugh]

Ask the teams questions based on previous lessons, general knowledge, whatever suits your class. You could either elicit an answer from the team as a whole, or individual members.

If the student answers correctly, they are allowed to choose a cell, example “C3.” On a separate sheet, have the same grid with scores assigned to each square. In the example that follows, C3 would score 25 points.

The following questions were used to review past tense grammar, as well as forming collocations:

Put the sentences into the past tense (simple past). Say complete sentence.

1 Last week we learn about technology

2 I buy a new iPhone last night.

3 Michael Jackson write many good songs.

4 Oh, no … I do not do my homework !

5 Have they decide what printer to buy ?

6 He see all the ‘Avengers’ films in one day !

7 It’s Friday ! I think today was Wednesday !

8 On holiday, I walk along the beach.

9 My grandmother send me an email.

10 Have you play the new video game ?

Complete the collocation

11 (go) to the cinema [I _______ to the cinema]

12 (play) guitar

13 (take) a photo

14 (chat / go) online

15 (do) voluntary work

16 (make) a decision 

ABCD
12550105
2102510025
35010255
45251050

Snakes and ladders

The Timelessness of Snakes and Ladders | by Doug Bierend | re:form ...

Another activity based on a classic game. I first used this in a very energetic class of 9 – 11 year olds and, thanks to the size of the room, I was able to draw a grid on the floor and use students as ‘counters’, to move around the ‘board’.

If that isn’t possible, just board a grid like so:

STARTGO FORWARD 2
GO BACK 1
GO FORWARD 1
HA HA
BACK TO START
GO BACK 3FINISH

All you need is a die or dice and different colour board markers. As before, arrange the class in teams, then ask each team a question. The student who answers then throws the die (preferably NOT at the teacher but one thing at a time), and I chart their progress on the board. You can decide whether or not the students need an exact score to land on Finish or not … play it by ear.

[ ‘dice’ is generally accepted for both singular and plural. For English-language learners it’s probably better to use ‘dice’.]

Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Guide

IELTS: use adverbs frequently, correctly and confidently

3rd July 2020

IELTS students need to know an incredibly wide array of adverbs so, with that in mind, here’s an exercise which can be easily adapted as a team game. Complete the sentences with suitable adverbs. Piece of cake, right ?

Use a thesaurus and dictionary to boost your vocabulary.

Asian University Life Concept Group Young Asian College Students ...

Word Fill

Adverbs of manner & ‘but’, ‘so’ and ‘even though’

(Fast or quickly – both can be used as adverbs, fast more for speed, quickly for time e.g. the animal runs fast and eats quickly.)

Note: ‘well’, ‘fast’ and ‘hard’ are irregular adverbs of manner.

Use a positive adverb for (+) and a negative one for (-)

Example: She sings (+) beautifully but plays piano (-) terribly.

It is raining (-) heavily so I will bring an umbrella

UK weather forecast: London | London Evening Standard
WELCOME TO LONDON

I will go along with you ……I am not really hungry

……….I am not hungry, I will go with you to KFC

Grabbike is cheap …..they drive so (-). 

She failed her test ……..she studied (+)

Do I look like Batman ? Then why are you speaking so …..(-)

Christian Bale says Heath Ledger 'ruined my plans' for Batman and ...
Batman has amazingly good hearing … but not all teachers have so SPEAK UP !

We have learnt many idioms ….that is just the tip of the iceberg.

He loves music …much ….he sings (-).

She never eats the food ………she works there.

……..she speaks English very (+), she is afraid to speak to westerners.

Rosé (BLACKPINK) confessed that she used to be a terrible singer ...
She sang terribly even though she loves music

Adult Speaking Class, level 1: What do they like ?

22nd June 2020

An exercise for lower-intermediates. Help to use basic verbs, and to build long sentences.

We can see five people:

Andrew, Fiona, Helen, Mark and Tina

We see what they eat (dinner), their job (occupation), what they do in their free time (hobby) and what that do on Saturday and Sunday (the weekend).

For example, Andrew likes to drink beer, Tina like to do karate

What do they do ?

Name // dinner // occupation // hobby // weekend 

Andrewsteak and chips
spaghetti
brewerfootball & beersports & cinema DOESN’T like shopping
Fionatuna salad
soups
accountantreading
driving
visits family & shopping DOESN’T like sports
Helensushi
Korean BBQ
marketingyoga & keep fit
craft beer 
exercises & cinema DOESN’T like loud clubs
Markfish and chips
kebabs
civil servantcars and bikes
sports
fixing cars & drinking beer DOESN’T like loud clubs
Tinapasta
pizza
dentistkaraoke
clubs
shopping and meeting friends DOESN’T like beer or sport.
Couple watching a football game | Royalty free photo - 404574
Andrew likes to watch football but his girlfriend does not (doesn’t)
CMA - Lady accountant - (S) - YouTube
Fiona is an accountant
Dara eating sushi (Line play 053115) | 2ne1, South korean idol, Yg ...
Helen likes to eat sushi
Buy his bikes, bee-cause! - Los Angeles Times
Mark likes to ride a bicycle
Taekwondo Girl - Bing Images | Martial arts girl, Taekwondo girl ...
Tina likes to do karate

Make sentences

Use so does with positives, neither does with negatives.

EXAMPLE:

Mark eats chips and so does Andrew. 

Helen doesn’t drink beer neither does Tina.

Tina likes shopping …

Mark doesn’t like loud clubs …

Make questions

EXAMPLE:

Who likes beer ? Who eats Italian food (pizza, pasta, spaghetti) ?