Young Teens: “I’ve just seen a face I can’t forget …”

6th October 2023

Let’s kick the speaking exercises into overdrive !

A surefire way to get that A+ is to speak in long sentences, with adjectives, linking words and some basic expressions.

Let’s practise – look at these photos, then describe what you see. As simple as that.

Then, add your own ideas about how the subject feels and what they are doing.

Let’s go to work

Always start with the subject

Never start with a pronoun

In Picture 1 start with the woman; what does she look like ? What do you think is her personality ?

Next, where is she and what is she doing ?

We need our vocabulary toolbox

First some adjectives about appearance:

amazing / Asian / beautiful / chubby / cute / healthy / middle-aged / old / short / tall / ugly / young / wealthy /

Then some adjectives about personality:

caring / friendly / greedy / hard-working / intelligent / kind / lazy / messy / nervous / outgoing / popular / quick / rude / selfish / talented / talkative /

EXAMPLE

The young Asian woman has long, straight, black hair. She is wearing a blue coat and holding a large, pink book. I think she is very intelligent and hard-working. She looks very happy. In my opinion she is waiting for a friend and they will go for a coffee.

Now … your turn

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: tell me more, tell me more !

26th September 2023

One of the purposes of teachers asking questions is to give students an opportunity to practise their speaking skills; vocabulary, syntax, intonation etc.

However, many times students, of all levels, will merely answer the question in as few words as possible, and they need to be encouraged to elaborate on their responses.

Teachers are taught to refrain from asking ‘Yes,’ or ‘No,’ answers:

“Did you have a good weekend ?”

“Yes.”

A better option would be:

“What did you do on Saturday ?”

Hopefully this will elicit a more suitable reply.

(Yes, teachers should be prepared for, “Nothing,” “Sleep,” etc … some students simply do not want to learn or work. Teachers have a limited supply of energy and enthusiasm; it should not be wasted.)

And so to work … my young learners have speaking tests soon. Here are some exercises to help boost their scores.

First we need our vocabulary toolbox. Let’s start with some adjectives:

amazing, angry / beautiful, big /clean, clever, cute / dangerous / easy, electric / fantastic, funny / greedy, great, / 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 / year-long, young

Now some linking words:

also, as well as / because / furthermore / however

Finally, a smattering of expressions and idioms:

in my opinion / it costs an arm and a leg / let’s dive in / more than likely / over the moon.

Let’s dive in ! Work in pairs and ask each other the following questions:

Tell me about your house or apartment

(where is it, how many rooms, what does their room look like, what colour is it, what toys do they have, do they have pets ?etc)

Does this look like your room ?

Tell me about your school

(Name of the school and address, their favourite subjects and teachers, why do they like them, their friends, what do they do at break time, do they play sports or music ? etc)

Does this look like your school ?

Tell me about food you love and food that you hate

Tell me about a film you love

Where would you most like to visit ?

What job would you like to do. What job would you hate ?

Fishing with birds: a writing exercise

25th August 2023

Let’s dive straight in ! Watch this short clip.

Board some new words:

swallow (verb) // count (v) // seek (v)

peaceful (adjective) // calm (adj) // tranquil (adj) // golden (adj) //disgusting (adj) // talented (adj) // cheeky (adj) // expert hunter (adj + noun)

landscape (noun) // cormorant (n) // noose (n) // tiddler (n)

Remember this chart ?

This blog may be accessed here: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2023/05/23/boost-your-english-speaking/

We shall have four sections to our writing:

1) Landscape 2) the men 3) the birds 4) the cheeky bird

1) Landscape

Where is this ? What can you see ? Describe the scene

(China, mountains, river, lake, trees, rocks. The sun is rising with a golden light. The scene is peaceful and tranquil.)

2) The Men

What do they look like ? What do they do ?

(The men are old, with lines on their faces. They smoke and have disgusting teeth, yellow and black. They dance and chant. They feed the birds tiddler fish.)

3) The Birds

Describe them

(The birds are intelligent and talented. They are expert hunters and can swim well. Also, they can count, up to 7. After 7, they refuse to work unless they get some tiddlers to swallow.)

4) Cheeky bird

What does the cheeky bird do ?

Now, write your short story about fishing with birds. Advanced students can practise writing in the simple past, using verb 2.

Good luck !

Young learners, level 1: some classroom games.

14th August 2023

A couple of games to help review recent lessons. First up, ‘Runaround‘.

A game based on a TV show. The teacher asks a question and then gives three possible answers.

EXAMPLE:

What animal is small, green and can jump ?

A – a dog B – a frog C – a hedgehog

The students – just one from each team – run to a letter. They are allowed 3 seconds to change their mind – then give the answer.

The following questions are based on our textbook, so adapt as you see fit.

What colour is a banana ?

A – purple B – white C – yellow

What is correct ?

A – 2 red marbles B – 2 red marble C – 2 marbles red

What animal is big ?

A – a mouse B – an elephant C – an ant

How much is 3 and 4 (3 + 4 =) ?

A – 6 B – 7 C – 8

What is in your bag ?

A – a pen B – a chair C – a classroom

Is this a book ?

A – Yes, it isn’t B – No, it is C – Yes, it is

What toy can fly ?

A – a train B – a plane C – a doll

What shape is this ?

A – a rectangle B – a circle C – a triangle

What animal has rectangle pupils in the eye ?

A – an elephant B – a goat C – Ms Huong (haha)

You play with a bat and

A – an egg B – a desk C – a ball

If you want to drink water, raise your

A – hand B – toes C – hair

Next, good old Snakes and ladders. In the same teams, hand out writing boards. Use an online die or dice, and this template:

1: Make a sentence I have a colour + toy

2: A rainbow is very (adjective)

3: Write 3 colours that begin with the letter ‘b’

4: What is your favourite toy ?

5: What can you see in this classroom. Write 2 things

6: What colour is your bag ?

7: A puppy is (2 adjectives)

8: Write a question starting with ‘Can …’

9: Tell me what is in your bag

10: Draw an elephant and then tell me about the animal.

I want 100 Adjectives !

2nd August 2023

To improve your simple sentences, to develop skills to form amazing answers and remarkable responses, you need a large vocabulary.

Let’s continue with our mission to learn 100 adjectives.

The following 50 were suggested by one level 4 class:

[Write down any that you do not know and ask for translations, if needed]

1) amazing 2) angry 3) awesome 4) awful

5) bad 6) beautiful 7) big 8) brave 9) brilliant

10) clean 11) clear 12) clever 13) cheap

14) colourful 15) crunchy 16) cute

17) dangerous 18) deaf 19) deep 20) delicious

21) difficult 22) different 23) dirty 24) disgusting

25) electric 26) energetic 27) excited

28) fantastic 29) fast 30) funny (haha)

31) funny (strange) 32) fat 33) furry

34) generous 35) genius 36) good 37) great

38) hairy 39) happy 40) hard 41) heavy 42) high

43) hilarious 44) healthy 45) hollow 46) horrific

47) hot 48) hungry 49) hygienic 50) expensive

Whew ! Are you exhausted ? OK, Take 5,

“Take a break, Driver 8.”

Ready ? Now, let’s practise:

Give me a sentence using the adjective ‘hilarious‘.

EXAMPLE: Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin are hilarious.

Now … Your Turn

Task 1: Write sentences using:

hollow / expensive / generous / horrific / disgusting / crunchy

Task 2: Give me another word – a synonym – for:

a) very clean b) many colours c) terrible

d) very dirty e) smart f) not tired

Task 3: Write a short story using as many new adjectives as you can. Try these pictures to help:

One day, I was in a …

Task 4: Write your own story. I want at least 6 amazing adjectives. Good luck !

Summer Project: Make an Amazon River fact chart

26th July 2023

A companion blog may be accessed here: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2020/10/19/young-learners-level-5-amazon-rain-forest-quiz-and-comparisons/

Worksheets for this lesson may be found at the end of the blog

TASK 1:

Draw the Amazon River. Where can you find this information ? Also, write the names of the countries.

TASK 2:

In teams, write the many animals you would find in the Amazon Rainforest.

Animals In The Amazon Rainforest: Pictures, Info & Facts

Let’s delve deeper (let’s learn more)

Use comparatives and superlatives:

A jaguar is a big cat BUT not as big as a lion. A lion is not as big as a tiger.

A lion is bigger than a jaguar but a tiger is the biggest.

A capybara is a rodent (like a mouse or rat).

A rat is _______________ than a mouse but a capybara is the ____________ rodent.

What is wrong with this sentence ?

Black Caiman — A caiman – a type of alligator.

A caiman is big but an alligator is more big and a crocodile is most big.

A caiman is a reptile – it is _______________ dangerous reptile in the Amazon. Reptiles have thick or scaly skin. They can live in hot weather and salt water.

A frog is amphibian – amphibians need water to live and only have soft delicate skin. They cannot live in saltwater (like the sea). If you see frogs or toads, it can mean that the water is good.

TASK 3:

Next put these animals in order of danger, first, second and third then write a sentence using a comparative and the superlative

The answers

Why We Should All Care About the Amazon Rainforest - ethical.net

Number 3: bullet ant

Number 2: jaguar

Number 1: poison dart frog

Did you know ?

A jaguar has ___ _____ powerful bite. A jaguar bite is _____ powerful than a lion.

A bullet ant has _____ _____ painful insect sting. The sting is 30 times ______ painful than a bee sting.

The poison dart frog has different colours. The golden poison dart frog is ____ _____ poisonous.

NOW … time to learn more:

QUIZ

Where is the Amazon Rain Forest ?

How many countries does it spread across ?

It is known as the lungs of the planet … why ?

How many different types of fish are there ?

Name 3 deadly creatures.

What is the loudest creature ?

The Salto Angel waterfall is the ___________________ in the world

How To Visit Venezuela's Beautiful Angel Falls - TravelAwaits

Answers:

South America // 9 // it produces 20% of the world’s oxygen // 3 000 // poison dart frogs, jaguars, snakes, spiders, piranhas // a toucan // largest at 979 metres.

TASK 4:
Cut and and glue onto your Amazon chart some of the animals that can be found in the Rainforest.

Make a fact chart – write down any information that you find fascinating

Worksheets

Amazing Amazon Rainforest facts

Summer Multi-Talent Contest

19th July 2023

A chance for students to demonstrate their talents in six areas including art, music, magic and the ability to tell a story or relate facts.

Divide the class into groups, and make sure everyone participates. For this blog, I will have three teams.

Without further ado, let’s go !

Task 1: Facts

Team 1 Tell me as much as you can about rivers

Team 2 … about deserts

Team 3 … about penguins

Task 2: Storytelling

Team 1 Tell me the story of Theseus

Team 2 … of Perseus

Team 3 … of Herakles

The teams may act or draw to improve their presentation.

Task 3: Art

Team 1 Draw the Minotaur

Team 2 Draw Medusa

Team 3 Draw Cerberus

Task 4: Music

Play these notes on a virtual piano, for example: https://virtualpiano.net/

Do you know these pieces of music ?

Team 1 Eb Eb Eb Db B Bb Ab Ab G Ab Bb Eb

Team 2 E Eb E Eb E B D C A

Team 3 B A Ab A C D C B C E F E Eb E B

Task 5: Magic

I will show you a card trick. Do you know how it is done ?

J = Jack // Q = Queen // K = King // A = Ace

Now, watch the British magician Dynamo. How does he do his tricks ? Choose one and let the students guess.

Task 6: General Knowledge

Ask the following questions either team by team, or first to raise hands

Which big cat is the strongest ?

How can you make the colour green ?

Who was the first man to walk on the moon ?

What is the capital city of France ?

Which is the fastest animal on the land ?

How many people are there in the world ?

Who painted the Mona Lisa ?

Who helped to cure smallpox by making the first successful vaccine ?

How many planets are there in our solar system ?

How many stars are there in the American flag ?

How many stars are there in the Vietnamese flag ?

Name four countries where English is the first language.

How many types of penguins are there ?

Global warming is caused by the excess of which type of gas ?

Which is the biggest desert in the world ?

How can you kill a vampire ?

What shape is the pupil of a sheep and goat eye ?

How do you say ‘Hello’ in French, German and Italian ?

Can you act like this man and say, “You know this is, excuse me, a damn fine cup of coffee.”

Can you dance like Starlord ?

(clip can start at 0:29 and end around 1:23)

Answers

1 – Tiger 2 – Mix blue and yellow 3 – Neil Armstrong 4 – Paris 5 – Cheetah 6 – Over 7 billion 7 – Leonardo da Vinci 8 – Edward Jenner 9 – 8 10 – 50 11 – 1 12 – UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa 13 – 18 14 – CO2 Carbon Dioxide 15 – Sahara Desert 16 – a steak through the heart or burning but NOT a silver bullet 17 – rectangle or square

18 – Bonjour, Guten Tag, Buongiorno or Ciao !

Ciao, Federico !

The Perfect Penguin Quiz

14th July 2023

image from: https://www.animalspot.net/penguin

A fun classroom activity for ages 9 – 12

Students are put into small teams and given this questionnaire.

The teacher will place information cards around the room, possibly even outside the classroom depending on school layout.

One student from each group will look for the answer, then report back to the group. The answer is written down.

Repeat with a new student each time, then return to the original student.

Pedagogic benefits:

Reading questions and finding the correct answer.

Reporting back to the team.

Writing the answer.

Presenting the answer to the whole class, speaking clearly and loudly.

The Perfect Penguin Quiz

1) We say a herd of sheep and a pride of lions – but what is the collective nouns for penguins ?

2) Why are penguins black and white ?

3) Why do penguins huddle together ?

4) Penguins have solid, heavy bones but other birds have hollow, light bones … why ?

5) How does a penguin keep warm ?

6) Apart from Antarctica, where do penguins live ?

7) How many types of penguins are there ?

8) Why will you never see a penguin with a polar bear in the wild ?

9) Are penguins good walkers ?

10) What does a man penguin give to a lady penguin if he likes her ?

The Answers

1) A group of penguins is called a raft (in water) or a waddle (on land).

2) The black and white is camouflage – they look like waves from above, and sunlight from underneath.

3) Penguins huddle together for protection and to keep warm

4) Penguins don’t fly. Heavy bones are better for swimming.

5) Penguins make oil. They cover their feathers to keep warm.

6) Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand & Australia.

7) There are 18 types of penguin.

8) Polar bears live in the Arctic, in the northern hemisphere.

9) Some penguins can walk 60 miles on ice.

10) A man penguin gives a lady penguin a rock if he likes her. The man shows he wants to build a nest together and start a family. The stones will protect eggs.

NOW … write and draw a story

A penguin goes on holiday to the Arctic and meets a polar bear for the first time. What happens ?

You can find a lot more information, tips and pictures on this previous blog: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2023/06/28/the-teleporting-penguin-a-summer-school-project/

Good luck … learn and have fun !

Young Person’s Guide to Music: A Summer School project

5th July 2023

Chloe Chau from Singapore

Miumiu from China

… and from Cambridge in the UK.

We do not have any instruments in our class (yet … later we shall make a xylophone !), but we all have voices and can sing !

Let’s start with a round. This is when some of the class sing a song, then the other students sing the same song BUT one verse later.

Listen to this children’s song called ‘London Burning.’ Listen and then we shall try to sing. Many points to the best singers.

Teacher’s Note: split the class into small groups depending on class size and motivation. Award points for the best performances.

First question – do you know any famous composers ?

M _ _ _ _ _

B _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

C _ _ _ _ _

B _ _ _

P _ _ _ _ _ _ _

QUESTION RUNAROUND

Teacher’s Note: Keep class in small groups. Select one student per group to run up to the board and place – not slap – their hand on number 1,2 or 3. Blank the screen so the students can’t see the answers !