Young Learners, Level 6: Sensational sentence building

28th October 2021

Crosby Scholars receives $10,000 from Duke Energy to support STEM programming for African American and Latina girls - Crosby Scholars Forsyth — Image from crosbyscholars.com

Who can build the highest word tower ?

Arrange class into small groups, named after famous architects from English speaking countries, e.g. Christopher Wren, Frank Lloyd Wright & Amanda Levete

Fallingwater Building, Pennsylvania, USA

Therefore we have Team Wren, Team Levete & Team Wright

Game 1 Synonyms: give me a better word for …

yummy // good // big // very small // smart // very friendly // someone from Korea // scared // not easy // not clean // has a lot of money //

(1 point for each correct answer)

Game 2: Correct these sentences …

The Science book is very boring or bored.

I feel so excited or exciting about learning English.

She was disappointed or disappointing about the Japanese film.

(2 point for each correct answer)

Game 3: Make sentences using adj + noun

EXAMPLE:

The beautiful lady is a popular singer in a Korean group.

The Korean woman is smiling. She is cute and happy. She has long, brown hair.

Qri is a popular singer. She is Korean and is a fantastic dancer.

Team Wren:

The scientist Albert Einstein. He was born in Germany.

Team Wright:

Happy rich woman Stock Photos & Royalty-Free Images | Depositphotos — This lady was born in Russia

Team Levete:

Dean of School - Job by Unicaf University Zambia — This lady was born in Zambia

(2 point for each adjective + noun structure)

Game 4: Adjective salad bar.

Look at the photos. Choose one you like and make a sentence or sentences. However, you will earn more points by using higher-level adjectives.

Earn 1 point for using these adjectives:

big, fat, friendly, happy, new, old, sad, small, young, yummy

Earn 2 points for using these adjectives:

amazing, angry, beautiful, clean, clever, cute, dangerous, easy, English, fast, funny, great, Greek, healthy, high, Japanese, kind, Korean, quick, Russian, shy, sleepy, tired, Zambian

Earn 3 points for using these adjectives:

bored, boring, delicious, electric, excited, exciting, fantastic, greedy, hard-working, huge, intelligent, lazy, messy, nervous, outgoing, polite, popular, rude, selfish, talkative, tiny, ugly

Earn 5 points for using these adjectives:

Asian, confident, curious, difficult, disappointed, European, Indian, important, Portuguese, outgoing, spicy, Swedish, talented, unusual, valuable, wealthy, xenophobic, year-long

chummy - Search - Larastock Stock photos, royalty-free images, vectors

Very Old Lady In Funny Fur Hat With Two Tentacles With A Bored, Sulky Expression Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Image 32431557.

Sweden's Indigenous Sami People Held Their First-Ever Pride Event — The Sami people from Sweden

Game 5: Where would you like to live or visit ?

We have ‘visited’ many amazing and unusual places in our lessons, and met many friendly, outgoing people.

So, where do YOU want to go ?

Tell me where, tell me why and tell me something about the country.

EXAMPLE:

I want to visit Korea because it is a very beautiful country and has many friendly and outgoing people. The food is spicy but delicious and very healthy. The history is amazing and the museums are very interesting.

(2 point for each adjective + noun structure, 1 point for every other adjective.)

adjectives

amazing, angry, Asian / beautiful, big, bored, boring /clean, clever, confident, curious, cute / dangerous, delicious, difficult, disappointed /easy, electric, English, exciting / fantastic, fast, fat, friendly, funny / greedy, great, Greek / happy, hard-working, healthy, high, huge / important, Indian, intelligent / Japanese / kind, Korean / lazy / messy / nervous, new / old, outgoing / polite, popular, Portuguese / quick / rude, Russian / sad, selfish, shy, sleepy, small, spicy, Swedish /talented, talkative, tiny, tired / ugly, unusual / valuable / wealthy, wide-awake / xenophobic / year-long, young, yummy / Zambian

Bye bye from these hard-working Vietnamese ladies

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, level 2: What are they doing in Sweden ?

Review Everybody Up 2 Unit 1 – 5

31st December 2020

A condensed version of a longer lesson on Sweden, available here: https://thaypaulsnotes.com/2019/05/17/young-learners-level-2-focus-on-sweden/

Review of 1st, 2nd & 3rd person continuous verbs in positive, negative & question form.

Warm Up: What are these children wearing ? I expect at least two adjectives before the noun as well as telling me how the children feel.

Moving on up, Swedish food: What do YOU want ? Ask your partner – what does he or she want ? tell the class.

I want / I don’t want // She wants / She doesn’t want

EXAMPLE:

I want meatballs however I don’t want fish.

He wants eggs however he doesn’t want semla (cake).

Filled eggs halves garnish with prawns and Swedish caviar Filled egg halves Fyllda ägghalvor | Scandinavian food, International recipes, Swedish recipes — Swedish eggs

Swedish Potato Salad · How To Cook A Potato Salad · Recipes on Cut Out + Keep — Potato salad

Juicy Strawberry Fruit In Swedish Garden Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Image 16292965. — Strawberries

NOW – what are these Swedish people doing ?

Sweden's Abba reunite to save Mamma Mia island - The Local

They are … however, they aren’t …

Pippi Longstocking, rebel and role model

15 Things Not to Do When You Travel to Sweden

81 Swedish Girls Drawing Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free Images - iStock

File:Skilla – Wilwarin Festival 2014 05.jpg - Wikimedia Commons — Skilla, with Lisa on guitar, Nina on violin and Vanja on bass guitar

What is the Swedish Midsommar festival? | Ritual Trip

Are they writing ? No, they’re …….

Where are the children ? What can you see in the room ?

Where is the table ? Where is the bookshelf ?

Where is the globe ? Where is the window ? What would you like in your bedroom ?

Swedish Fans Parade. People Singing And Dancing. Editorial Photography - Image of scandinavian, fifa: 121120057

Young Learners: A Christmas compendium

18th December 2020

Merry Christmas & the Happy New Year!! - Adobe Experience League Community - 287020

Warm up game (for younger students): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_EUtiDZglg

Introduction (for more advanced students): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzSGEeaYvJc

At Christmas we have decorations, Christmas cards and a lot of food ! Have the students study the photo for one minute, then turn off the projector and ask them to write down all the food they can remember.

The 8 Best British Christmas Desserts — mince pies

All Professional English: Traditional British Christmas Foods — Gingerbread Men

Image result for traditonal uk christmas dinner"

Best of all, in my opinion, is the Christmas pudding:

Image result for traditonal uk christmas pudding"

We have a Christmas tree. The tree is decorated with lights and bells and also there are presents on the floor around the tree. In the west, at the top of the tree, traditionally there is an angel.

Pin on Shabby Cottage Romantic Christmas — See the presents at the bottom of the tree ?

How about Christmas in other countries ? This is Germany at Christmas

Image result for german christmas market"

Image result for germans celebrating christmas santa lucia"

From Sweden, the children’s story Pettson och Findus by Sven Nordqvist

POSTCARDS | Pettersson and Findus | Findus dressed as Lucia - Postcard | Taurus - Kunstkarten

Activity

Make a Christmas card for one of your classmates (or teacher hahaha)

Need: paper / crayons / scissors / glue sticks / colour pens or felt-tip pens

Examples:

Trees Christmas Card Pack of 6 by Lauren Radley | Jersey Trees for Life

Set Of Funny Christmas Cards Stock Illustration - Download Image Now - iStock

Christmas Greeting. African American Girl Holds Christmas Card... Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Image 85948359.

Pettson och Findus som Sankta Lucia | Illustration, Vintage illustrationer, Teckningar

Dickens Christmas Journey - Placerville & Sacramento Valley Railroad

We can’t possibly do this without some Christmas carols, so … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVB4hwi6VkE

And now, for older students … ‘A Christmas Carol’. One of the most famous Christmas stories is by Charles Dickens, a short story about a miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by three ghosts, after which he decides to change his life.

The Life of Charles Dickens - Historic UK — Charles Dickens

Are you more Scrooge than Cratchit? — Scrooge before Christmas …

Scrooge | George Eastman Museum — Scrooge after Christmas

A Christmas Carol for young learners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxKE308POP8

Finally, today (18th December) is the last day of Chanukkah for those of the Jewish faith, so:

Jewish Hebrew Chanukkah Hanukkah | Custom-Designed Graphics ~ Creative Market — Happy Hanukkah

Past Tense: Beginners’ exercises

17th October 2020

Young Learners, Level 5 E Up 5, Unit 1

The younglings have just started learning the past tense, so here’s a brief review lesson:

London Tourist Travel Woman With UK Flag Umbrella, Telephone.. Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Image 108085390.

Present tense ——– Past tense

act —— acted

go —- went

learn —— learned OR learnt

play — played

read —– read (pronounced ‘red)

ride —— rode

sleep —– slept

watch —- watched (pronounced ‘watch -t‘)

win —- won

What is the past tense ?

I act in a film. Last week I ______ in a film.

I go to London. Last year I _______________ to London.

I ride an elephant. Last month I ___________ an elephant.

I learn English. Last Saturday, we ___________ English with Mr Paul.

The monkey plays piano. Last night, the monkey _________ piano.

Piano playing monkey | Playing piano, See monkeys, Gershwin

She reads a book. Last Sunday she _____ a book.

ally gong asian girl cute mug reading book inspiration milan kundera ignorance - Ally Gong

He sleeps all day. Yesterday he _______ all day.

Sleep may trigger rhythmic power washing in the brain | Science News

I watch the amazing Spiderman. Last week I ______ the amazing Spiderman.

Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man is a great New York movie

England win the football game.

In 1966, England _______ the World Cup.

1966 FIFA World Cup England ™ - FIFA.com

New Vocabulary

plastic // brilliant // amazing // huge // freezing // expensive // however // busker

shy // wide-awake // sleepy // confident // relaxed // nervous

City centre tribute planned for Leeds busker who died in hospital - here's how to pay your respects - Leeds Live

This man is a __________

Humanitarian superpower' Sweden struggles to house refugees as harsh Nordic winter looms | The World from PRX

They are very cold, they are ____________

How did they feel ?

She felt _________ however he felt ________

10 Signs A Shy Girl Likes You - See if she likes you too!

He felt ________________ however she felt ______________

Is Your Child Getting Enough Sleep? Here's How to Tell – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

Seahorse Productions: ‘Shadow Sonata’ 2014

8th June 2020

‘Shadow Sonata’ was my first film shot in London since the early 1990s, and how things have changed. I started with a Bell & Howell 8mm cine camera, splicing film by hand and playing back on a projector; now I was working on a pocket digital camera and cutting on computer.

The title is a reference to the short story collection ‘Shadows of a Sound’ by the Korean writer Hwang Sun-woo, an author mentioned in the Korean film ‘My Sassy Girl,’ and the book plays a key part in the film. The influence of Asia and Asian culture should be discernible throughout.

Shadows of a Sound by Hwang Sun-won (1990, Hardcover) for sale ... — The short story collection

‘Shadow Sonata’ is a non-linear story of a man living in London, obsessed by an old love affair, while dreaming his way out of his depression. The topography of London helps the viewer place the action in the past, the present, and what could be the future, or pure imagination.

The Man starts by meeting his blonde girlfriend by an old museum in Walthamstow, north-east London. From the sunny exterior we move to the inside of his small London bedsit, decorated with Asian posters, and full of books by Asian writers.

Walthamstow Village - Wikipedia — Old Walthamstow

He walks around London, alone, the city appearing grey, cold, emotionless. He keeps seeing a beautiful Asian lady and feels very attracted to her … if only he could meet her.

I shot this film over two days on my Samsung W200, a camera that cost me around 80 UKP. It lasted until 2017 when it just died on me but anyway, mobile phones now have better cameras (I currently use an iPhone 6s).

Samsung W200 Full HD Waterproof Pocket Camcorder: Amazon.co.uk ...

Furthermore, I was very lucky with the weather; I had bright sun for the flashback sequence and dull wet grey rain for the present.

The was for the old love affair was played on an instrument I encountered in Sweden, a nyckleharpa:

The dream or future sequence uses ‘Oriental’ from Granados’ ‘Spanish Dances’, while the melancholic ending is a late String Quartet by Beethoven. These small scale pieces fascinate me, especially considering they followed the epic 9th Symphony … but that is possibly a theme for another blog or film.

As always, thanks so much to the actors who gave their time for free:

Mr Martin O’Shea, Ms Michelene P. Heine, Mr Stephen Grey, Mr Alex Loveridge, Ms Angie and introducing Ms Emily Yue.

And now

LIGHTS

CAMERAS

ACTION !

The link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_e3DOCT36o

Seahorse Productions: Steppenwolf, Berlin 2014

15th May 2020

Historic photos of City Life of Berlin during the interwar period ...

This film, finished in 2014, was shot in 2008 while I was living in Berlin and I attempted to give it a 1920s feel. It’s based on the famous novel by Hermann Hesse:

Quote HERMANN HESSE – MAGGIE EXPLAINS THE WORLD

The novel, which was published in 1927, is a book within a book … a young man finds a diary written by an older man and it is this diary which forms the bulk of the story. As readers, we are free to choose how much to believe of the ‘diary’; is it all true, all fiction, a combination of truth, half-truths and wishes ?

The book certainly has a surreal quality to it, moving from realistic descriptions to a final sequence which seems to resemble a dream or fantasy.

The main character, Harry Haller, refers to himself as a steppenwolf, that is someone who craves human companionship yet is painfully introverted and uncomfortable around people. This dichotomy is central to the book.

Steppenwolf' Hermann Hesse | Cover: Detail of a painting by… | Flickr — A paperback edition of the novel

For the film, I choose areas of Berlin that were more historic and evocative of the 1920s, as well as selecting some ‘modern’ classical composers who were contemporaneous (Martinu from Czech Republic, Hindemith from Germany), along with W.F. Bach (who is mentioned in the book). The film plays out with a melancholy solo guitar piece by the incredible gypsy-guitarist Django Rheinhardt.

I also used colour filters towards the end of the film, as in some silent classics, indicating that the sequences may or may not be ‘real’ … it is up to the viewer to decide.

The film style was heavily influenced by German expressionist cinema of the inter-war years, directors such as Fritz Lang, G.W. Pabst and mostly F.W. Murnau.

Mr Molnar Levente, a Hungarian actor, was in the highly successful ‘Son of Saul’ film, while Mr Martin O’Shea has appeared with Kenneth Branagh and Bill Nighy in the Tom Cruise film ‘Valkarie’.

Ms Willow de la Roche gave, I feel, an amazing performance. I’m so sorry it took so long for the film to finally be cut.

Technical details: I shot the film entirely on Super 8, then had to transfer onto a compatible disk for cutting on a Windows-based laptop. At the time I was moving between Berlin, London and Sweden and furthermore, I had to learn computer editing from scratch.

And now:

LIGHTS

CAMERAS

ACTION

The link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaPT0X-J2EY

Young Learners, Level 2: Focus on Sweden

17th May 2019

Recent lessons have introduced items of clothing, furniture and being healthy so, as a way of introducing the students to new cultures, today we can look at life in Sweden – Välkommen

First, a short introduction (we can end the video around 1:30 at the coffee shop): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMphA2kldT0

Board new words, then allow (or force) students to write them down and reuse throughout the lesson.

Sweden is home to many global companies including Spotify, H&M, IKEA, Volvo, and Skype was co-founded by a Swede. There are branches of H&M in HCM City, but Swedes need much warmer clothing:

The students, placed into two teams, can run to the board and write items of clothing, one team member, one word, then exchange the pen with another team-mate. They can also write other items, not shown in the picture. Bonus points for those who can give the most detailed descriptions e.g. she wears a lovely purple coat (at this level, the students just use present and past simple, no continuous verbs).

Next, what are these buildings and who works there ?

Moving onto IKEA. What items of furniture can the students identify ? Which would they like – they have to select what they would buy for their home. They may choose different colours:

The Swedes are famous for their healthy lifestyle. What makes people healthy ? Here, I encourage, or demand, sentences, not just single words shouted out. To make it more kinetic, I can select some students and give them an activity to mime, such as exercise, eating healthy food and getting enough sleep. The students can be asked what food is healthy ? This leads into the next and final section, Swedish food:

Selection of different types of sill (herring) in different sauces

Cheese, Swedish caviar and crispbread (knäckebröd)

Semla – as delicious as it looks … but is it healthy ?

After this cultural trip to north Europe, it’s time to get back to spelling tests, unit work and bookwork.

Hopefully, the students will have learnt something about a different culture, a country where English is not the mother tongue, but is widely spoken, and taught from an early age. In face, many Swedish singers even sing in English; here’s an example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OwPHD61Y3s

Abba – Sweden’s most famous musical group.