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Explore our free English lesson plans! Teach your students useful vocabulary, watch interesting videos and have engaging discussions.

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Advanced C1, C1 Reading, Exam Preparation Class, Reading Classes
It's nobody's favourite exam reading exercise! This is a slightly tweaked version of a very old lesson plan I use to help C1 students tackle the part 7 gapped reading task. Apologies for the rather ugly PowerPoint template! Download the PowerPoint and handout below:

This is my C2 version of a great activity I've seen on some other blogs. It's a great way of giving exam prep students an engaging way to do some practice for the use of English part 4 task.

1. Students work in pairs or groups of 4.

2. Each group gets 5 cards with 5 key word transformations on them.

3. They place their cards on the table to form a "ladder"

4. Student A goes first and attempts to complete the bottom "rung"

5. They flip the card over to check their answer.

6. If they're right they go up the ladder one rung and continue until they make a mistake.

7. When/if they make a mistake they must flip over all the cards and go back to the bottom.

8. Student B then has a go.

9. First to reach the top of the ladder wins.

10. The answer they give must be the exact words on the back of the card; no "más o menos"

11. They then swap cards and start again.

Download the cards below:
Advanced C1, Exam Preparation Class, Grammar Classes
This is my version of a great activity I've seen on some other blogs. It's a great way of giving exam prep students an engaging way to do some practice for the use of English part 4 task.

1. Students work in pairs or groups of 4.

2. Each group gets 5 cards with 5 key word transformations on them.

3. They place their cards on the table to form a "ladder"

4. Student A goes first and attempts to complete the bottom "rung"

5. They flip the card over to check their answer.

6. If they're right they go up the ladder one rung and continue until they make a mistake.

7. When/if they make a mistake they must flip over all the cards and go back to the bottom.

8. Student B then has a go.

9. First to reach the top of the ladder wins.

10. The answer they give must be the exact words on the back of the card; no "más o menos"

11. They then swap cards and start again.

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first using the word given. You must use between 3 and 6 words, you must not change the word given.
Download the cards below:

A quick, simple worksheet I've created for my C1 Advanced class. They're in their second year of preparation for the exam and I just want to get an idea of their grasp of some of the typical advanced grammar points that come up in the syllabus so that I know where to focus our efforts in the coming weeks.

I'm tying it into chatting about travelling and holidays and getting them to complete an informal letter writing task. I've used this old worksheet that I made years ago for the homework task.

It also serves as some exam practice for part 4 of the reading and use of English paper. You could have students complete it in pairs or individually then check the answers in open class. Tell students not to worry too much if any of the structures are unfamiliar as future lessons will look at them in detail where necessary.

Download the worksheet below:

It took us 6 hours to walk up the mountain.

WALKING

When we arrived at the top of the mountain _____________________ 6 hours.

It was the first time I had seen such a beautiful sunset.

BEFORE

Never _____________________ a beautiful sunset.

You mustn't leave the vehicle while you're on safari.

CIRCUMSTANCES

Under ______________________ of the vehicle while you're on safari.

If I went there again, I'd definitely pack warmer clothes.

GO

Were ______________, I'd definitely pack warmer clothes.

The water was so clear that we could see all the fish at the bottom.

CLEAR

So _______________ could see all the fish at the bottom.

I enjoyed going on the roller coasters the most.

WAS

What ____________________ on the roller coasters.

We had no idea that there were man-eating sharks in the water!
Atomic Classroom Habits, Teacher Development
KNOW

Little _____________________ there were man-eating sharks in the water!

I didn't pack enough warm clothes because I didn't know the weather would be so cold.

WOULD

Had _____________________ be so cold, I would have packed more warm clothes.

This is hopefully the first in a series of posts that accompany my recent talk, "Atomic Classroom Habits", that I gave at Innovate ELT. Follow this link to access the slides from my talk.

One of the ideas I talked about was a using a retrieval placemat that students find on their desks when they enter the class. The aim is to stimulate retrieval of content from the previous class. They should work in pairs to answer the various questions on the mat without looking at their notes. The idea is to push them to retrieve the information from their long-term memory.

I got the idea from Kate Jones's wonderful book "Retrieval Practice", which you can find by following this link. Most of her retrieval activities are aimed at teachers of other subjects such as history or politics, so I've tweaked her idea for the ESL classroom.

You can download the mat by right-clicking on the image in the post, or by following this link. If you want to edit the placemat, I made it using a simple template on Canva. Follow this link to use my version as an editable template.

Simply print out the placemat in nice bright colours and put it on your students' desks for when they arrive. Alternatively, you could just project it onto the board at the beginning of each class. Let me know how you get on!

Discussion:
Today's expression is...

"A bitter pill to swallow..."
Here's the Quizlet set of all the previous phrases of the day.
Introduce it with some examples:

Losing the cup final to a goal in the last minute was a bitter pill to swallow for the Tottenham fans.

The terrible sales figures for the final quarter of the year were a bitter pill to swallow for the company's directors.

Lead students to the meaning: a difficult fact to accept

Think of some difficult facts you've had to accept recently:

Your sports team

Your school/uni results

Something at work

Something in your personal life

Discussion:
Today's phrase is...
Here's the Quizlet set of all the previous phrases of the day.
To give a new lease of/on life

Introduce it with some examples:

The successful operation on his bad foot gave my dog a new lease of life.

The council gave the old theatre a new lease of life by converting it into a youth centre for local teenagers.

Lead students to the meaning: "Give a new lease of life" means to revitalize or rejuvenate something or someone, providing a fresh start or renewed energy after a period of decline or stagnation.

Can you think of a change that really helped someone you know feel better or discover a new energy?

Are there any areas of your city that renovated or rejuvenated recently?

Think of an old, run-down building or area in your city. Think of a proposal to transform or rejuvenate it. What would is be used for? How much work would be needed to give it a new lease of life?

I had the pleasure of speaking at the Innovate ELT conference at Oxford House Barcelona this past weekend. It was great to connect with so many other ELT professionals and see so many inspiring talks.

My talk was entitled "Atomic Classroom Habits" and its aim was to try to adapt the framework for habit formation outlined in James Clear's Atomic Habits to language learning.

Below you will find a PDF of my slides from the talk. Over the next few days I will be posting more of the materials I mentioned during the session.

As I mentioned during the talk, I feel like I'm only just beginning to explore the potential for applying habit formation techniques to the world of ELT and I'm keen to receive feedback or collaborate with likeminded people. So feel free to get in touch either through the comments or via Linkedin.

Discussion:
Today's phrase is...
Here's the Quizlet set of all the previous phrases of the day.
To give one's word

Here are some examples:

He gave her his word that he wouldn't tell anyone her secret.

I give you my word that everything I've told you is the truth.

Lead students to the meaning: to make a solemn promise.

How often do you make promises to your friends?

Do you always keep your promises?

How good are you at keeping secrets?

Which of your friends do you feel you can trust with your secrets?

Are you good at telling if someone is lying or being insincere when they make a promise?

InnovateELT Facebook InnovateELT Instagram InnovateELT Twitter Oxford TEFL Facebook Oxford TEFL Instagram OxfordTEFL Twitter Oxford TEFL LinkedIn

Come to Innovate ELT at Oxford House in Barcelona! It's always one of the best ELT conferences because of the combination of inspiring talks, a beautiful setting and a commitment to fostering a welcoming and supportive atmosphere for networking.

I'll be giving a talk on Saturday May 20th from 18:30-19:15 entitled "Atomic Classroom Habits". The aim of the talk is to examine how we can apply theories of habit formation from James Clear's bestselling book "Atomic Habits" to the ESL classroom.

There are loads of other great talks by a range of inspiring speakers such as Scott Thornbury, Teresa Bestwick, Geoff Jordan and many more!

Follow this link to find out more information about the conference and this one to buy your tickets!

You can also follow Oxford House and the Innovate ELT conference on all the socials. Have a click around to check out lots of videos about the theme of the conference and the various speakers:

Hopefully see you in the beautiful Oxford House garden!

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Welcome to the Off2Class ESL Lesson Plan Downloads page. Our team has been building lesson plans for online ESL lessons for many years. As a way to give back to our community, we wanted to release some ESL lesson plan downloads to you.

These are the actual lessons that you can find in your Off2Class accounts! We've included lessons across many of our categories including Business English, IELTS, Verbs, and much more.

What makes our ESL lesson plans different? Firstly, we're all about a teacher-led approach. These downloads are designed to be led by a teacher in real-time. Secondly, we built these lessons specifically for online and screen-enabled classrooms. They are digitally native! Finally, they are free! Enjoy and share with your colleagues.

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Welcome to the Off2Class ESL Lesson Plan Downloads page. Our team has been building lesson plans for online ESL lessons for many years. As a way to give back to our community, we wanted to release some ESL lesson plan downloads to you. These are the actual lessons that you can find in your Off2Class accounts!

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https://www.cristinacabal.com/?p=8808

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Spark Adobe is my new addiction. I'm hooked on it and I am not ashamed to admit it.

It's soooo easy to use and the result is amazing. Only last week, I was running a workshop and I was behind schedule, but I just couldn't leave without showing the bunch of dedicated teachers attending a Saturday workshop, a glimpse of how Spark Adobe could be used in the classroom. So, in five minutes, I briefly explained how to use it. After thanking the teachers for their attention, a Portuguese teacher came up to me and asked me to have a look at what he had created for his next class. Pity I can't share it with you, but I can assure you that his students are going to be very pleased this Monday.

Embedded below you'll see the speaking/listening activity I have designed for my B2 students on the topic of Travelling, created with the Page feature.And make sure you don't forget to try the Video option with lots of potential for language learners.

By the way, have I mentioned that it's free?

Hope you enjoy it and don't forget to visit the three sections on the blog dedicated to speaking activities

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Spicing up my Lessons: Talking about Holidays in a more Visual Way.

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Spark Adobe is my new addiction. I'm hooked on it and I am not ashamed to admit it. It's soooo easy to use and the result is amazing.

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https://www.cristinacabal.com/?p=6258

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In this engaging series of activities students will discuss different actions that involve taking risks. It aims at developing students' communicative, listening and writing skills through the acquisition of new vocabulary.

Level: advanced

Time required: 60 minutes
Warming up: The video

Do a quick survey asking students: Do you enjoy taking risks?

Play the first 55 seconds of the video and pause it. Ask students in pairs to discuss what they would do in this situation. Get feedback. Ask the class as a whole to predict what might happen to the people who decide to run the risk and take the two empty seats.

Play the video until the end.

Step 1. Speaking based on visual prompts

Class as a whole. Ask students: What's the most dangerous thing you've ever done?

Put students in pairs. Tell them you are going to show them different activities that involve taking risks. Ask students to discuss whether they would be willing to try them or not, giving reasons for their choice.

Step 2. Working with vocabulary .

Put students in pairs and ask them to write, in two minutes, words related to taking risks. On the board, write their suggestions.

Give them handout 1 . Focus on any new words/expressions.

Prepare slips of papers with the new vocabulary and follow the steps given for activity number 4 in the article "Nine ways to revise vocabulary using slips of paper".

Step 3. Speaking. Using new vocabulary.
We all know how difficult it is for students to introduce new vocabulary when they speak. This activity aims at encouraging students to use new words.
Step 4. Listening Comprehension
Tell students they are going to see a video about parkour. Hopefully, students will remember what parkour is, as they came across this word at the beginning of the lesson.

Link to the activity here

If you are running short of time, you can always set this activity as homework.
Step 5: Writing
Ask students to write a "for and against essay" on one of these quotes

"To know what life is worth you have to risk it once in a while" Jean- Paul Sartre

"The biggest risk is not taking any risk"-Mark Zukerberg

Tips on how to write a for and against essay" in the Writing Section of Blog de Cristina.

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In this engaging series of activities students will discuss different actions that involve taking risks. It aims at developing students' communicative, listening and writing skills through the acquisition of new vocabulary. Level: advanced Time required: 60 minutes Warming up: The video Do a quick survey asking students: Do you enjoy taking risks?

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https://www.cristinacabal.com/?cat=17

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I need to share this activity. It really has all the ingredients for a perfect lesson.

Things I want you to know about this lesson.

It is super engaging and gives your class a touch of modernity

It is collaborative

It deals with two basic skills, listening and speaking, but a lot of subskills are also at work.

It gives students and teachers a good excuse to stand up from their seats and even take the lesson outside, as I did.

It helps build rapport in the class, which is sooo important at the beginning of the course

I am not going to lie to you. It needs some initial preparation, but it pays off. Believe me! Besides, I find the whole process of preparing the activity very entertaining. Ok. I know. You don’t have time. The good news is that you can always use mine if you like my choice of cities.

Topic: Cities

Level: C1

Main skills: listening and speaking

Time: 50-60 minutes

Materials: here

Before the session

1. Before the session, look for a video that can easily be divided into parts. In my case, we were learning about cities and their problems so I decided on this one 10 of the most overrated cities,  from one of my favourite channels on Youtube. I chose only 4 cities to form groups of 4 students.

2. I used Camtasia to make 4 new videos, one for each city: Rome. London, New York and Río de Janeiro. If you don’t have Camtasia, don’t let this put you off, you can easily use the free online https://online-video-cutter.com/es/.

3. Once you have the videos, you need to upload them to, for example, Google Drive.

4. Once online, you need to copy the URL and create a QR Code. I create mine here. The Gif below shows how to do it once the video is uploaded to Google drive.

5. Now, you need to print the  4 QR Codes on separate pieces of paper.

6. Before the class, you will also need to tell students to download- I bet they already have it- a QR Code reader (I use QR Scanner) to their mobile phones and bring some earbuds for the next class.

Done!!! See? No big deal!! Now, everything is ready. Ready for the fun part!! 🙄

Tell the students this class will be done outside. Yay!! It could be the aisle or any other place on the premises that has enough room for the students to move. In my case, I used the schoolyard and pasted the QR Codes on the walls, well, not exactly walls as you can see from the picture.

Part 1.Listening and  Retelling

Ask students to form groups of 4. Each of them should choose a different city

Ask students to scan the code for their city and take notes.

Explain they will need to share as many details as they can about the city of their choice with their group. Apart from the main specifics of the city, they will need to explain why the city is overrated.

Allow 15 minutes for this part as students will need to watch their video several times to write down as many details as possible.

Next, students get back to their groups and start sharing the information gathered about their cities.

Part 2:  Speaking. Critical Thinking

In their groups, students talk about the issues the city in their videos has and together they debate whether the city where they live faces these same problems. Ask them to elaborate on their answers and offer possible solutions to tackle the problem.

Hope you have enjoyed my lesson and decide to give it a try!!

Related posts:

This month many of us, teachers and students alike,  are celebrating the anniversary of all kinds of things we had no idea would define the year ahead of us.  I distinctly remember the day when only two or three students turned up for class and  myself saying things like: “this soon will pass” and “I will see you in a fortnight! before going into confinement.

With human activity slowing down due to the strict restrictions, March will probably also mark the month when our planet could breathe some fresh air for the first time in decades.  Reversing decades of destruction is, of course, not possible in such a short time, but at least, we could have a glimpse of what the earth would feel like without fossil fuels.

The lesson I am sharing with you today is, as you have probably guessed, explores the theme of the environment and is meant for C1 students.

I have designed the lesson using my favourite tool ever, Spark Adobe Page, but in the presentation, you will find links to other websites that will help my students work on vocabulary relevant to talk about this topic, enhance their listening skills by watching videos and discuss questions to boost their speaking abilities. Also, at the end of the post, you can have a look at a writing collaborative activity using Google Slides.

Before you jump right into the lesson in Spark Adobe, perhaps you would like to explore some vocabulary related to the environment.  I have used the awesome tool Flippity. I cannot embed the activity but click on the image to have a good look at all the possibilities it offers for introducing, revising and reinforcing.  As you can see, I have created an activity with a template, but then I can reuse it in a number of different ways. That’s what I call, a real time-saver!

Ready to explore the lesson? This is what you will find in this visual session

Natural Disasters: Vocabulary  and exercises

Natural disasters: Conversation questions

National Geographic repository of videos explaining natural disasters

Man-made disaster Video activity with a pronunciation game

Environment: vocabulary and games

Speaking: conversation questions to  use vocabulary  in context

To round up the lesson, I gave students a writing activity using Google slides in editing mode.  This beautiful template has been designed by Paula from Slides Mania. Thanks; Paula, I think I can call myself a Slides Maniac.

By the way, if you want students As and Bs to work on their questions at the same time, it might be a good idea to use a Chrome extension to split the screen into two. I use Tab Resizer. But, if you do not want to install an extension on the Chrome bar, you can always do it manually.

1. Depress the left mouse button and “grab” the window.

2. Keep the mouse button depressed and drag the window all the way over to the RIGHT of your screen. …

3. Now you should be able to see the other open window, behind the half window that’s to the right

I hope you have enjoyed the lesson

Related posts:

As we are confined in our homes trying to slow the spread of the coronavirus, we must try and make the most of this situation. Nobody could have predicted, back in September when we started the course, that talking about viruses and fear and panic and death was going to be one of our topics this course. Despite our growing concern for what lays ahead of us, I cannot and will not give my students a lesson that will cause them more pain and sadness. Yes. I want them to understand and use the vocabulary related to the situation we are living nowadays, but I also want to do my bit and help brighten up their day. I hope nobody takes offence.

We all know it’s bad out there but fear and worry over the coronavirus have prompted a crop of funny videos that I hope help me put a smile on your face. We need to be worried and we need to have a sense of common responsibility. That’s undeniable. But a little levity now and then is surely appreciated. I don’t need science to know that in times of crisis, laughter is the best medicine we have.

In this lesson, you will find

useful language to talk about the situation we are living now due to the coronavirus

a bit of listening practice

funny videos featuring situations or attitudes prompted by the pandemic

some conversation questions following the videos

Note: it goes without saying this speaking lesson will be done online.  I have shared this lesson with my students in advance and asked them to see the videos and have a look at the vocabulary.

Related posts:

After a little bit of a crazy few months, we are finally heading for final exams. More craziness. I know. But, of a different kind.

My first time on Twitter was in December 2015. I was kind of “forced” to open a Twitter account as I was doing an online talk for the British Council on “How to Keep students Motivated” and the app we were using for the event required that I had a Twitter handle.  I didn’t know much about Twitter and even thought, in my ignorance,  it was something bound to disappear but I couldn’t be more mistaken. I love Twitter and have to say  I am kind of hooked on it.  What? You are not following me?  Hey! You’re missing out! This is my twitter handle @blogdecristina.   I hope to meet you all there.

Anyway, I got the idea for the first exercise in this lesson plan from Twitter.  Twitter users were tweeting about “five jobs I have had” and I was like “hmm, that’s a good idea to start a lesson about work!” and without further ado, I set out to write this post about work. Hope you find it useful.

Step 1. Writing and Speaking.Three Jobs I have Had.

Telling an anecdote about yourself never fails to engage students. It’s only fair that if you are asking them to talk about themselves, you do the same.  On the board, write the following:

Before working as a teacher,

I worked as a waitress

I worked on a farm picking apples

I worked as a baby sitter

Briefly, explain your experiences working in the jobs you have chosen to share with them and then ask them to do the same. Once they have written their sentences, ask them to work in groups of 3 sharing their experiences in these jobs. They are gonna love this exercise!

Step 2. Writing. Choose a Job Game. Working with adjectives

Write on the board or give students a hand-out with adjectives used to describe positive character traits for the workplace. Check that they know the meanings.

ambitious | confident | conscientious | easy-going | hard-working
honest | loyal | methodical | motivated | reliable
punctual | responsible | dynamic | cheerful | charming
communicative | flexible | sociable | creative | resourceful

Display the collage below and ask students to identify the jobs in the collage.

Individually and without telling anybody, students choose one of the jobs in the collage and write three clues for the rest of the class/group to guess the job.

The first clue needs to necessarily include three character traits associated with the job. This clue is worth 3 points.

The second clue needs to be associated with either the workplace or the people you work with if you are doing this job. This clue is worth 2 points.

The third clue needs to be associated with something you are required to do in this job. This clue is worth 1 point.

Once they all have their clues, ask students to form groups of 4. Taking it in turns, they read Clue 1. If someone guesses the job after reading clue 1, they score 3 points; if clue number 2 has to be read, they will score 2 points …etc.

Rules: if a student in the group has a wrong guess for a job, he won’t be allowed to guess again for this job. This will prevent students from giving wild guesses.

Example:

In this job, you have to be hard-working, cheerful dynamic and sociable.

In this job, you have to work with young and old people

In this job, you have to take orders

Answer: waiter

Step 3: Introducing/Revising & Consolidating Vocabulary related to Work

Every time I revise or introduce vocabulary in my classes, I make a point of reminding my students that they need to study the vocabulary in chunks. There is no point in studying the verb “apply” if they don’t know the preposition it collocates with.  The next activity is a good one to remind students of this necessity.

Give students two minutes to write all the vocabulary they know related to work, excluding professions.

On the board, write a circle with the word Work inside. Do a mind-map with all the vocabulary students provide.

Drill pronunciation and then do a quick translation exercise to consolidate meaning and pronunciation.

Introduce new vocabulary.

I find it really important to tap into students’ prior knowledge, especially when teaching vocabulary. If they feel they know most of the words, they won’t feel overwhelmed and will be able to maintain a positive attitude.

PDF Vocabulary

Step 4.Speaking. Playing Cards. A game to activate vocabulary

Aim: to activate vocabulary in a speaking activity

Give each student 10 pieces of paper, more or less the size of a card in a deck of cards. Ask them to write down vocabulary they can remember related to work. Encourage them to write chunks, for ex. “apply for” or “quit a job”.  They should write each chunk on a different piece of paper. Encourage legible clear handwriting. Once this is done:

1. Ask students to form groups of three

2. Ask them to place their cards face down on the table. They might want to shuffle them a bit. Each student is dealt two cards.

3. Display the first question from the presentation below and ask students to discuss it trying to use the words in their cards. As soon as they use the chunk in a card, they discard it and take a new one, they should always have two cards in their hands.

4. Allow 4 minutes per question and then display a new question for the students to discuss.

5. Students continue in the same way using vocabulary, discarding and taking new cards until there are none left in the pile. At this point, they will count the number of cards they have managed to use. Each card is worth 1 point. Very quickly they decide who the winner is and shuffling the cards the game starts all over again until all the questions have been answered or you deem appropriate.

Step 5. Oral and written Mediation

Yes. Mediation.  I know some of you hate it, and some of you don’t even know what it is. Mediation and I, I think we have clicked, and as  I am afraid it is here to stay, emotional intelligence should apply here if we want to keep the good vibes coming. I have decided to be smart and embrace mediation.

Below, you’ll find two examples of oral interlinguistic, also called cross-linguistic,  mediation and an example of written interlinguistic mediation

Oral Mediation: Example 1, Example 2

Written Mediation: Example 1

Interested in spicing up your lessons? I ran face-to-face workshops helping teachers integrate technology in their classes in an easy way, using free online digital tools. Practical tested ideas that combine traditional teaching with modern techniques. Fun and learning, a win-win!

From teacher to teacher. In English and in Spanish.

Related posts:

Step 1. Lead-in

Number 1. Display the collage below and ask students whether they know any of these people.  Ask them in pairs to discuss what they have in common.

Ask for feedback. Hopefully, they will tell you what you want to hear from them; that they are all very successful people.

The people below are Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Lady Gaga, Amancio Ortega and Jeff Bezos. Just in case 🙂

Number 2. On the board, write the words ” success” and “failure”. You might want to drill pronunciation /səkˈses/  and  /ˈfeɪljə(r)/. Ask: what are the verbs?  What are the adjectives?

Teach the adjectives successful and  failed  and the verbs succeed in/ at  and fail in.

He is a successful writer/ He is a failed writer.

He has succeeded in life/ he has succeeded at work/ He has failed in his attempt to win the race

Number 3.  Ask students in pairs to brainstorm vocabulary they associate to success and failure. You might want to teach some more advanced vocabulary. Ask students to write three columns on their notebooks ( words related to Success/ words related to failure/ related to both ). Write the words down, one at a time, on the board and ask students to tell you whether they are related to success or failure or both.

to accomplish / accomplishment

to achieve/( remarkable) achievement

to take risks / a risk taker

a visionary

a dreamer

an entrepreneur

an opportunist

to take a chance

to make a fortune

a half-baked idea

to chew over an idea

to be the main breadwinner

to save for a rainy day

unprecedented/modest success

to bring out the best in people

to be doomed to failure

to blow it

to be quite a feat

to suffer a setback

to do something as a last resort

Ask students in pairs to discuss the following questions. Encourage the use of vocabulary

1. Talk about a successful person you know

2. Is success important to you?

3. What is your biggest success in life?

4. Share with your partner a time when you failed at something. What happened? How did you feel?

Step 2: Listening: Cloze Test

Tell them they are going to see Lady Gaga’s acceptance speech at Oscars 2019 for best original song.

Procedure:

Display this gapped text with the OHP or print it. Don’t play the video  yet.

Ask students to predict the lexical category or part of speech that could fit each gap: is it a noun, an adjective, a preposition or maybe an article? Allow a couple of minutes for this task. You might want to show an example.

For example, I wrote a letter___ my mother (students will most likely agree, they ‘ll       need   a preposition to fill in this gap)

Let’s start:

Ask students to work in pairs. Ask Student A to face the board. Ask Student B to face away from the board and concentrate on the text.

Tell students you’ll write the words on the board in random order, but each of the words will be identified with a number. If you have 9 gaps in the cloze text, you will write the words on the board preceded by the number. Tell Student B to do the same in case he cannot guess a word in the allotted time. For ex: 1. house  2. wrote 3. for.

Write one of the missing words on the board, and ask student A to define the word, or give a synonym or antonym for student B to guess and write down. For example, if the word on the board is “wrote”, Student A might say “it’s a verb in the past and you use a pen or a pencil to do it”.

Tell students you’ll write a new word every 30 seconds. If Student B guesses the word quickly, he might try to use the rest of the time (up until the 30 seconds)  to try to place the word in the right gap but tell them you’ll not wait.

Continue in the same way until you have written all the missing words. The words should be written in random order.

NOTE: If one of the words hasn’t been guessed, at the end of this part Student A will need to try to define the words again. (Remember that the words are still written on the board).  This time, Student A can help Student B  by giving him the first letter.

Once they have all the words, Students A and B will work together to complete the gapped test.

Place a bell on your table and ask the first pair to finish to come up to your table. Silently check that the exercise is correct and if it is, ask them to ring the bell. From that moment, the rest of the class will have one minute to finish the exercise.

The missing words from Lady Gaga’s acceptance speech are: 1. sister 2. sung  3. hard  4. winning 5. fight  6. passion  7. fall  8. stand   9. brave.

Don’t forget to write the board in random order.

Play Lady Gaga’s acceptance speech and ask students in pairs to comment on it and give you feedback.

Step 3: Speaking. Quotes.

Ask students in groups of three to discuss the following quotes. Display the first quote and allow them to discuss it for about 4 or 5 minutes and then get feedback. Display the second one and repeat procedure.

Related posts:

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Learning a language is not a sprint, it's a marathon

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In Teams assignment

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SB p. 77, ex. 3
Use expressions from WB p. 114 (types of comparison)

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Activity: Mobile phones
1. Pairs.
2. Take out your mobile phones to 'present' them to each other, asking/answering questions:
When did you buy it? How much did it cost?
Is it your first phone?
What do you like about it?
What don’t you like about it?

3. Make comparisons of the mobile phones. Write 8 sentences comparing the different phones using expressions in WB p.114 to compare.

For example:
Suzy’s phone is bigger than mine.
Tanya’s phone was cheaper than Suzy’s.
Enzo’s phone is more interesting than Giovanni’s.
Use the adjectives:
improved
convenient
luxurious
cheap
expensive
revolutionary
or any other

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Difference beteen adjectives and adverbs

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Difference beteen adjectives and adverbs

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NNc17TEXQ8

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRxkAyR_WE0

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Tim's Pronunciation Workshop: Linking /r/

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Tim's Pronunciation Workshop: Linking /r/

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/towards-advanced/unit-2/session-5

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Tim
Hi, I'm Tim and this is my pronunciation workshop. Here I'm gonna look at English as it's really spoken. It'll make you a better listener and a more fluent speaker. Come on, let's go inside.

Today, we're talking about war. War, what is it good for? Well, as it turns out, it can be used to help illustrate a feature of fluent speech. As you can see, we write war with three letters: w-a-r, but when we pronounce it, there are only two sounds: /w/ /ɔː/.

The 'r' in the spelling is not pronounced in the word itself, or if the next word begins with a consonant sound. But have a listen to this. We went out and asked people in the streets of London to name a famous Russian book. This is what they said:

Tim
Simple, right? Everybody knows War and Peace.

Voxpops
I've never heard of the book War and Peace.

Tim
Well, almost everybody. But have another listen to the way they say it.

Tim
The word after war begins with a vowel sound. And in this case, the 'r' is pronounced. War and Peace, War and Peace. This is called a 'linking r' and it helps to make the words flow together more smoothly in natural speech. Here are some more examples:

Tim
So, you've heard the examples - now it's your turn. Are you ready to give it a try? Listen and repeat.

Tim
How did you get on? Great. Remember, if you want to read more about this topic please visit our website, bbclearningenglish.com. That's everything from the pronunciation workshop this week. Bye.

Can somebody call for an ambulance? Please!

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BBC Learning English - Course: Towards Advanced / Unit 2 / Session 5 / Activity 1

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Tim Hi, I'm Tim and this is my pronunciation workshop. Here I'm gonna look at English as it's really spoken. It'll make you a better listener and a more fluent speaker. Come on, let's go inside. Today, we're talking about war. War, what is it good for?

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/towards-advanced/unit-1/session-2

1. House prices have gone into orbit ! What does this mean?
A House prices have slowly increased.

B House prices have increased quickly.

C House prices have fallen quickly.
2. Which of these types of vehicle does NOT exist?
A A hovercraft

B An aircraft

C A motorcraft
3.  The moon ______ the Earth.
A orbits

B travels

C probes

4. What do we call the sun and the eight planets that revolve around it?

A The sun system
B  The solar system
C The planet system

Answers:
1. B
2. C
3. A
4. B

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The story

NASA has confirmed that the Juno spacecraft has entered into orbit around Jupiter after a five-year journey from Earth.

Scientists burst into applause when a signal sent back across 800 million kilometres of space confirmed the spacecraft's engine had fired for 35 minutes.

The $1.1bn probe will circle Jupiter for 20 months.
Rebecca Morelle - BBC News
We have been to Jupiter before. We've flown past it quite a few times - the first time way back in the 70s - but this is taking us closer in than we've ever been before and that's what makes this mission so risky because Jupiter is an incredibly hostile world.

The weather there's terrible. It has radiation streaming off of it, which is kind of going to absolutely battle the on-board electronics on the spacecraft.

But, we don't know so many things about it. We want to actually peer beneath the clouds for the first time to see what actually lies at the planet's core.

Key words and phrases

probe
(here) a device for gathering information

orbit
the circular path one object takes around another in space

spacecraft
vehicle used in space

hostile
(here) difficult or dangerous

core
(here) the centre

To do

Try our quiz to see how well you've learned today's language.

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BBC Learning English - Course: Towards Advanced / Unit 1 / Session 2 / Activity 1

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NASA has confirmed that the Juno spacecraft has entered into orbit around Jupiter after a five-year journey from Earth. Scientists burst into applause when a signal sent back across 800 million kilometres of space confirmed the spacecraft's engine had fired for 35 minutes. The $1.1bn probe will circle Jupiter for 20 months.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/english-you-need/unit-25/session-2
Scientists have discovered that the old adage that money can’t buy you happiness may be incorrect. Which of these is NOT a synonym for adage?

a) proverb
b) catchphrase
c) saying

adage

/ˈadɪdʒ/

a proverb or short statement expressing a general truth.

"the old adage ‘out of sight out of mind’"

1. I know what everyone says, but it's not true. His new movie is totally ______.

A chores

B underrated

C outsourcing
2. I don't think our department will have time to do both tasks. We need to ______ the less important one to another company.

A chore

B underrate

C outsource
3. Young people have it so easy. When I was a boy, I had to do ______ for my parents before I got any pocket money.
A chores

B underrated

C outsourcing

ANSWERS
1  B
2 C
3 A

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Money can buy happiness

Money which is used to free up your time makes you happier than money which is spent on material things, such as shoes, Canadian scientists have reported.

Scientists have discovered that the old adage that money can't buy you happiness may be incorrect. Which of these is NOT a synonym for adage?

a) proverb
b) catchphrase
c) saying

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BBC Learning English - Course: English You Need / Unit 25 / Session 2 / Activity 1

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Money which is used to free up your time makes you happier than money which is spent on material things, such as shoes, Canadian scientists have reported. Scientists have discovered that the old adage that money can't buy you happiness may be incorrect. Which of these is NOT a synonym for adage?

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/upper-intermediate/unit-1/session-5
Welcome to The White Elephant - the restaurant with no customers. Gordon the chef thinks he's a genius, Peter the waiter is clueless but eager to please, Ceilia the manager is desperate for success and Mary the dish washer is cool and calm under pressure. How will they cope when someone finally comes for a meal?
1. How many customers had visited The White Elephant before the one in this episode?
A 1

B 0

C 5
2. Why doesn't Gordon want to cook egg and chips?
A Because he thinks egg and chips is too basic a meal to prepare for a chef with his experience.

B He doesn't have a hen's egg in the kitchen.

C He doesn't know how to cook a hen's egg.
3. Mary tells Peter to 'chill out'. Why?
A He's too hot.

B She wants him to leave.

C She wants him to stop panicking.

Answers
1. B
2. A
3. C

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Ceilia/Gordon/Mary
5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

Gordon
That's it! It is exactly one week since The White Elephant opened and still not one...

Peter
...customer!

Ceilia
What? A customer! Are you sure?

Peter
Yes. He's in there sitting down.

Gordon
Well, what does he want?

Peter
I don't know. I didn't ask him.

Mary
Chill out! I think it would be a really good idea to go and ask him.

Peter
Right. OK. Wait there.

Peter
Right, he says he wants the duck eggs and polenta fries but with a small change...

Yes?

Peter
He wants a hen's egg instead of a duck's and... potato fries instead of polenta fries.

Gordon
What?! So he wants egg 'n' chips. I have not worked in some of the world's top restaurants to end up cooking egg and chips!.

Ceilia
Gordon, Gordon keep your hair on! Customer's is always right - and thank goodness we've got one. So, let's try to keep him happy and - who knows - he might bring his friends next time.

Gordon
Keep them happy?! It's alright for them to be happy, what about me? Egg and chips... I ask you...

Ceilia
Don't get your knickers in a twist Gordon.

Mary
Look, why don't I go and speak to him and see if wouldn't rather have Gordon's duck egg and polenta fries.

Mary
He's gone.

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BBC Learning English - Course: Upper-intermediate / Unit 1 / Session 5 / Activity 1

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Ceilia/Gordon/Mary 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Gordon That's it! It is exactly one week since The White Elephant opened and still not one... Peter ...customer! Ceilia What? A customer! Are you sure? Peter Yes. He's in there sitting down. Gordon Well, what does he want? Peter I don't know.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/upper-intermediate/unit-1/session-3
1. An air ______ on the Italian port of Bari during World War Two led to the deadly release of mustard gas.
A extremist

B raid

C pledge
2.  Mr Jones is very generous. He's ______ to donate his massive book collection to the schools in his neighbourhood.
A extreme

B raided

C pledged
3. The ______ have been storing weapons to attack the capital and impose their views.
A extremists

B raids

C pledgors

Answers:
1 B
2 C
3  A

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British politicians are going to decide today whether to back air strikes in Syria directed against Islamic State militants. A ten-hour parliamentary debate is going to end in a vote on whether the UK should join the US-led coalition that is bombing the extremists.

The American Secretary of Defence Ash Carter says US special forces will be deployed to help fight IS in both - Iraq and Syria. Mr Carter said the ground troops will carry out raids, free hostages and capture IS leaders.

Facebook founder and his wife - they've pledged to their new baby daughter to give away 99% of their shares to good causes. How much is that? That'll be $45bn.

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BBC Learning English - Course: Upper-intermediate / Unit 1 / Session 3 / Activity 1

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British politicians are going to decide today whether to back air strikes in Syria directed against Islamic State militants. A ten-hour parliamentary debate is going to end in a vote on whether the UK should join the US-led coalition that is bombing the extremists.

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/towards-advanced/unit-1/session-3

1. Using his skill and ________, he was able to fly through the storm and land the plane safely.

A loggers

B orbiting

C judgement

2. John was looking nervous – he'd never organised a party ________ and was worried that nobody would turn up!

A on record

B on such a scale

C loggers

3.  Politicians are meeting to discuss concerns that illegal ________ is leading to high levels of deforestation.

A orbiting

B logging

C judgement

4. The International Space Station has been ________ the Earth with a human crew for more than 15 years.

A orbiting

B logging

C judging

5. Financial experts are worried after the pound hit the lowest rate against the dollar ________ .

A on such a scale

B on record

C orbiting

Answers :
1C
2 B
3 B
4 A
5 B

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The long-awaited British report into the invasion of Iraq in 2003 is due to be published on Wednesday. Its chairman, John Chilcot, says he hopes it will ensure that military intervention on such a scale will not be possible in future without more careful analysis and political judgement. The inquiry has taken seven years to reach its conclusions.

2015 was the most dangerous year on record for people around the world trying to protect their land and the environment. That's the conclusion of a new report from the campaign group Global Witness. It says Brazil was particularly badly affected with at least 50 people killed protecting forests and land from illegal loggers and miners.

After a five-year space journey, NASA's Juno probe has arrived at its destination. No previous spacecraft has passed so close to Jupiter before because of its intense radiation. Now that it's orbiting Jupiter, Juno will start studying how the gas giant was formed. The probe will circle the planet for 20 months before destroying itself by diving into the radioactive atmosphere.

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BBC Learning English - Course: Towards Advanced / Unit 1 / Session 3 / Activity 1

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The long-awaited British report into the invasion of Iraq in 2003 is due to be published on Wednesday. Its chairman, John Chilcot, says he hopes it will ensure that military intervention on such a scale will not be possible in future without more careful analysis and political judgement.

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SOME CRIME WORDS
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/english-you-need/unit-1/session-2

1. "The gangsters threatened to release a video of the actor taking drugs unless he paid them $1m." What is this an example of?
A leak

B blackmail

C fury
2. The former spy ______ plans for a military strike to the newspapers.
A leak

B leaked

C blackmailed
3. When she lost her job, she reacted ______ fury.
A with

B on

C to
4.  Which of these is NOT a financial crime?
A fraud
B bribery
C windfall

Answers:
1. Blackmail
2. leaked
3. with
4. windfall

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BBC Learning English - Course: English You Need / Unit 1 / Session 2 / Activity 1

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Compared with his playing days as a footballer, David Beckham is generally not tabloid fodder very often these days. Over the weekend, that abruptly changed. Hacked emails on the website Football Leaks appear to show both his anger at being denied a knighthood and his irritation that other celebrities had received honours.