You are standing outside the Palace, at the corner of Birdcage Walk. You want to get to (go to) Victoria Station.
Excuse me, how do I get to Victoria Station ?
Walk straight down Buckingham Palace Road. Walk across the street and you can’t miss it (you will see it easily).
You are outside the front door of Harrods and want to visit the Royal Albert Hall
WELCOME TO LEYTONSTONE
Leytonstone is an area in east London, and was the birthplace of the film director Alfred Hitchcock, footballer David Beckham and singer Damon Albarn of the band Blur.
Damon Albarn showing where he lived in Leytonstone
Next, asking for local directions:
Sorry to bother (disturb) you, but I’m looking for a pub. Is there one near here ?
Yes, there is one quite close, ‘The Birkbeck Tavern’, maybe five or ten minutes’ walk away. Turn left until you come to Bridge Street. Turn left again, and keep walking, past the park, until you reach the bridge. Cross over, and Bob’s your uncle (there you are). It’s on the corner, you can’t miss it.
NOW: A local map
You are in LISTER ROAD (at the bottom) and want to get to GROVE ROAD.
Take turns asking each other questions.
The red circle with a blue band is the symbol for an underground station, which we call ‘The Tube.’ Here is Leytonstone Tube:
Plan a day
What would you like to do, where would you like to visit ?
Things to consider:
Time / lunch / travelling around / a variety of activities
London, my hometown, is a multi-cultural world city. However, there are some problems. For students who live in S.E. Asia, the weather will be awful; grey skies, bitter wind, freezing, depressing rain.
A second factor is money. Unless one has a good job and a good income, London can be a hard place to live.
How does she link her ideas together and keep talking ?
REMEMBER: listening to native speakers in a great way to improve your English. I suggest you only listen to SHORT pieces … maybe just ten or twenty seconds. Write down any new words or phrases. Listen again, then repeat. Speak along with her. Listen to how native-speakers link words and use intonations. Notice how often we use expressions.
Quick thinking
What famous buildings or attractions can you think of in London ?
To help you, here’s a video about Top 10 London Attractions
Which ones appeal to you ? Expand your sentences. Explain why you are interested. Conversely, say which ones don’t appeal to you, again giving your reasons. Try to incorporate these idioms:
Not my cup of tea – a polite way of saying you don’t like something
Right up my street – something that you really like or enjoy
EXAMPLE: I don’t want to go to the ballet, it’s not my cup of tea. However, watching a football game is right up my street.
London, naturally, is a big city and you will probably have to use buses or the Tube (underground trains) at some point. So how to get around ?
Watch the video then explain how someone can travel on public transport in London.
Now, this video is chockablock (full) of new words and expressions. I’ve selected a sample:
about which more later / bank fees on transactions / hang around
get in everybody’s way / money put onto / top-up / cap
pay-as-you-go / stick (as verb) / as long as it’s nice and fresh / escalator
as far as …. concerned / obvious /on no account swipe
you’ve got to / the thing about …… is / particularly weirdos
get charged / get skinned / reasonable / Routemaster
Now, by listening to the video, and using a dictionary, you try to make some sentences using these new words or phrases.
Here are some examples foryou:
On no account tell anybody your PIN number for your bank card.
Prices are so high in central London, you can easily get skinned (pay TOO much).
The thing about the British Museum is that is can get so crowded.
Don’t stand in front of the escalators or you will get in everyone’s way.
Give a summary of ‘getting around’ London by public transport.
What are the ‘dos and don’ts’ ?
How many different kinds of transport is the Oyster valid on ?
Famous Londonders – real and fictional
Who is the most famous detective in literature ? Most of you would probably say Sherlock Holmes … but have you read him ? This is a great site for English learners – literature but in simple, everyday English
I am an English man, so I always drink damn fine tea. In order to make tea I naturally need boiling water. In my house I have an appliance which boils water. It plugs in to the electric and can boil water in just a few minutes. However, it has no other purpose.
Think of something you use everyday – but don’t make it too obvious.
Class into two teams, one has a red marker, the other a blue. One member from each team has to run to the board and write the name of a job, then the whole team has to say the complete sentence, e.g. Who fights fires ?
Students run to the board and write ‘fire fighter’, then their team has to say, “A fire fighter fights fires.”
Who … helps sick animals ? // makes food ? // sells things ? // flies planes ? // drives a bus ? //
Shop role play
To review recent vocabulary and to introduce some new words and expressions. Divide class into two, then sub-divide into three. Half of the class will be shoppers. They have to buy four items with a total cost of under $100. The other half will be
A Department store
A shop having a big sale
A street market
To illustrate the difference:
Harrods of London. One of the most famous department stores in the world.A Chinatown street market
The first students have to buy four items: a pair of shoes, a shirt, a dress and some sneakers or trainers. The prices in the three different outlets are:
Department store // On Sale // Street market
Shoes $75 // $25 // $15
Shirt $40 // $20 // $5
Dress $120 // $30 // $10
Sneakers $80 // $50 // $20
Some high-end items are:
The students take a board and go to the three outlets and ask the price of the items, “Excuse me, how much are the shoes, please ?” Upon being told they respond with, “Oh, no !”, “OK,” “Sorry, that’s too much,” or “Wow ! That’s a bargain.”
They return to the desks and report what they bought and where. Remember, they have to buy all four items and spend under $100.
Then the roles are reversed. The sellers become buyers, this time looking for:
How to be healthy – ask the students what people can do to stay healthy – such as eat healthy food, do exercise, not smoke, not eat junk food. Then show this famous clip. Ask what the man is doing and what will happen to him (start clip at 01.00 when he folds up the umbrella, and end around 01.46 on the Close-Up )
It is now rainy season in Vietnam, so if we did this we would catch a cold.
What would happen if we … ?
were bitten by a mosquito ?ate too much junk food ?listen to loud and terrible karaoke !
The four illnesses are: cold // fever // stomachache // headache //
Choose four students and give them a a flashcard. They quickly show their card to the class, then the class have to say which student has which illness.
Then we can review language from a previous level. I will tell a student to act an injury. One student will say, “What’s the matter with him or her ?” Class has to shout out the answer.
The injuries can include hurt leg, hurt arm hurt foot or hurt hand.
Then book work, work books and work sheets. Then I check my street-market ‘Rolex’ watch, and the lesson should be over.
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 