Then he chase the cat in the garden.The cat is scared.
Finally Mummy tellsMaxto be nice. Max hides and the cat looks and catches Max.
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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
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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 manunicorn
puppy
shark
doctor
teacher
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 weneed 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
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Show English syntax by example rather than by formal teaching e.g. adjective before the noun
Have the students interact with each other in English
Make basic phrases part of the student’s natural speaking
The students have been making short sentences, looking at flashcards, such as, “It’s a yellow book.” To make sure the students are able to switch colours and adjectives, and not just think that all books are yellow, here’s a little exercise.
Have one of the students be Teacher, and then ask, “What is it ?”
Teacher can also ask individual students; that way, we can monitor progress, and see where help is needed.
Rotate Teacher so all students are given a chance.
Now … What is it ?
It’s a blue book. It’s a big, blue book.
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Game 1 – say are these adjectives positive (good) or negative (bad) or neutral (neither good nor bad)
Game 2 – make sentences using present continuous and two adjectives
EXAMPLE: She is reading a heavy, interesting book.
I ___ play ___________________ , ______________________ music.
You ___ watch a _______________ , ________________ film.
He ___ talk to a ____________ , _____________ film star.
She _____ study every day because she ___ __________ and ___________.
Ms H ____ smile because she is so _________ and ___________ .
The fat cat ___ not share her food because she is ______ and _________ .
We ___ learn ________ grammar but it is _____________ .
President __ wear a _________ dress. She ____ very _________ .
The boy ___ leave school because he was __________ and _____ to the teacher.
The teacher ___ laugh because the ________ , _________ student was sent home !
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Can a young teen class have better English than an IELTS class ? That is the challenge. Without pushing the students too far, and with realistic expectations, let’s introduce some low-frequency words (L-FW), phrases and idioms.
Furthermore, students will also be expected to speak in longer sentences, using connectives as well as a wide range of adjectives.
The subject of our current unit is very dear to my heart: music. Let’s rock !
First match the new words with the meaning
ubiquitous // over the moon // genre // extremely
kind of or type // to feel very, very happy // everywhere // an adverb that means very, very
Roll up your sleeves and practice: Fill in the gaps using the new words AND your own ideas.
Today, music is ______________ . We can hear music on our _______ and when we go to _______________.
Yoyoka, a Japanese drummer, is ____________ talented. She must ________ many hours, every day to be so skillful.
If I pass my English test with A+, I will be ___________________ . My parents will be so happy, they will _______________.
My favourite _______ of music is ____________ because it makes me feel ___________ and ____________ .
Genres (types) of music:
Jazz / rap / pop / rock / classical / electronic
Look at the photos. What genre are they ?
Why do you think so ?
Kraftwerk from Germany
T-ara from South Korea
Chloe Chua from Singapore
Miles Davis from USA
Rolling Stones from the UK
Cassper Nyovest from South Africa
Grammar exercise. Rewrite the following blog post in the Past Tense (verb 2)
EXAMPLE: Yesterday I go to school and I have a speaking test. I do very well and my parents are over the moon.
Yesterday I went to school and I had a speaking test. I did very well and my parents were over the moon.
Now … your turn
Last week I see a concert on TV. The group is Blackpink and they play for 30 minutes. They sing many songs and dance extremely well. It is so exciting I am over the moon. The next day I buy their music and decide to be a pop star too !
Watch this concert and write your own blog using Past Tense (verb 2) as well as adjectives and new words. Let me help you with the start:
This morning I watched a video from T-ara. The band … (what song did they play ? Did they all sing ? What else did they do ?
Did you like the music ? Why or why not ?
Were they alone on stage ? What did they wear ?
How did the audience feel ? Do you wish you were there ?
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2 – King Arthur was based on a ruler but probably a Duke, not a King. Dick Turpin was real, while we are still not sure if Robin Hood was real.
3 – Robin Hood / Dick Turpin / King Arthur / Robin Hood / Dick Turpin / Robin Hood
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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 two gods
Thoth and Bastet
Watch this video, and write down information about the gods.
What animals do they look like ?
What can they do ?
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 ?
Bye Bye from Egypt
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.
Last week I held an IELTS Speaking Test. Only one student hit 7.5 although, in fairness, I was probably on the generous side in awarding the student such an admirable score.
Or, to be precise, learn from their mistakes.
I can break them down into three main areas:
coherence
vocabulary
complex sentences
Kicking off with coherence; it doesn’t matter how fluent you are, unless you answer the question, you will loose marks.
The test allows us to assess your understanding of both question and task. An example: one question was
What is the most popular activity in your country ?
ASIDE: I’ve told students until I’m blue in the face, never repeat, “In (my) country,” but since when do teenage students ever actually listen ?
The question asks for ONE activity; several students talked about two or three. This is not answering the question.
Anyone who’s studied at University will know how imperative it is to follow instructions.
COMIC RELIEF: One student, from a previous test, replied that the most common activity, “In my country,” was brushing teeth, and that foreigners do this every day, but Vietnamese only do this once or twice a week. Said student had to continue for two minutes. Needless to say, there were no flying colours.
More disturbing was the lack of IELTS vocabulary. You have been told time and again what that means, and I can’t keep hitting my head against a brick wall.
And so to work … get out your notebooks (those that actually bother bringing notebooks to class), look up previous lessons and write down:
TEN L-FWs
FIVE less common idioms
FIVE everyday expressions
TEN phrasal verbs
TEN basic collocations
I have taught you these ad infinitum. If you are struggling with this exercise, you will probably only get a 5 for the Lexical Recourses section.
Lastly, the old chestnut, complex sentences.
I had nine students, each with about ten minutes of speaking time. How many complex sentences do you think I heard ?
Yes, Steve …
That’s right … ZERO
EXERCISES: Use at least two L-FWs, one idiom and other IELTS elements
(and if you think it’s funny to ask what I mean, after all this time, by ‘IELTS elements’, just get up and leave the class).
Speak for one minute about:
one of your cousins // your favourite gift // sports // your best memory from childhood // best films // problems in your city // typical local food.
Part Two: Critical Thinking
“Oh, teacher, I’m tired and feel lazy.”
Work in teams. Watch the following short clip about the ancient Greek king, Sisyphus:
Characters from Greek and Roman mythology permeate western culture, and references and allusions are ubiquitous.
You may watch the video again, writing down new words. There is a lot of background (in which you may encounter a character from ‘The Avengers’ movies), but the main feature starts around the 4:00 mark.
Your task is to relate this story to modern life. Choose a person you know, or something from your own experience. You may even project your thoughts about the future, once you have left education and joined the workforce.
talking until (pronoun) blue in the face / the grind
putting an old head on young shoulders
Look up the meanings yourself. Your teacher won’t be with you to give you the answers in life. Think for yourself.
Athene, Goddess of wisdom
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Let’s kick off with an adjective review. What adjectives have you been taught recently ? I’ll give you a clue with the first letter:
f (means to be cheeky, a little impolite but in a funny way)
u (not usual, someone acting unlike their normal self)
p (very relevant, of interest at this time)
This is a test to see who has been making notes in class, and who has been coasting.
Hhhmmmm … this is not going to be a piece of cake
The answers are facetious, uncharacteristically & pertinent. For those that didn’t know, you now have to use them in a sentence. It may be one complex sentence, which would really impress me, or three basic sentences. What are you waiting for ?
If you learn English you will increase your job ____________
Nowadays, most young people are _____________ _________________ . They are able to use programs such as Word, ___________ & ________
When selecting a university, you may have to be ______________ in case you don’t get into your first choice.
Getting a great, well-paying job is essential if you want a high ________________________ .
One student moved to Boston where the temperature can drop to below freezing. He’s really having ________ to the new culture.
My actor friend is busy 24/7, attending parties, setting up meeting, pitching ideas and Tweeting. That guy is constantly ______________ .
Phew ! Thay Paul is a Tiger Teacher
Class Game
Split class into two teams.
One team selects an idiom and the other team has to use it, correctly of course, in a sentence.
EXAMPLE:
I would love this guitar, a left-handed Rickenbacker which is a famous American company with a very distinctive look and sound yet, to my dismay, it costs ______________________
Idioms from Semester 2
Another string to (your) bow – a new skill or learning experience
bear with me – please wait a very short time (usually spoken as opposed to written)
bit of a sore point – something that makes you sad or angry
down in the dumps – depressed, unhappy, feeling gloomy
hit the ground running – to start something immediately and with all your energy
like a madhouse – a place or area that is crazy, too noisy, too busy etc
run of the mill – ordinary, typical, normal, usual, boring
up in arms – to be very angry about something, to protest strongly
you take your life in your hands – doing something that is extremely dangerous
Idioms from Semester 1
Which you should all know by heart and be able to reel off at the drop of a hat.
it’s raining cats and dogs
it costs an arm and a leg
piece of cake
I’m burning the candle at both ends
once in a blue moon
pass with flying colours
Remember these old chestnuts ?
without further ado // tricks up your sleeve // ace the test
pass with flying colours // do yourself proud //
you are in the driver seat(or you are in the driving seat) //
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.
Thay Paul's Notes 