Talking Point: Charity

A very topical subject for your students to tackle. Relevant vocabulary is explored and practised through a gap-fill exercise which draws attention to topic-related words with similar meanings. Conversation practice is provided through a series of discussion questions based around the topic.

For example: "If you were in charge of international aid operations what type of aid would you send to a disaster zone first of all - food and water, medicine and doctors, blankets and shelters or rescue experts and equipment?"

Download lesson plan...

Each Talking Point worksheet is available for download as a PDF file that you can view in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. Each worksheet can be easily printed and is freely photocopiable.

http://www.tefl.net/esl-lesson-plans/esl-worksheets-tp.htm

Speak English fast

Your First Secret - Tip 1


Imagine speaking English automatically... without thinking-- super fast. The words come out of your mouth fast. You understand instantly.

To do this, you must change the way you study English. Your first action is to stop studying English words. What?


Stop studying English words.


That's right, do not memorize words. Native speakers do not learn English by remembering single words. Native speakers learn phrases.

Phrases are GROUPS of words that naturally go together.



"I am so proud of you!!!! You are an excellent teacher with power and infectiousness ....you helped me improve my accent !!!!! Thank You For All!!"
--Elena Mwrou


**Learn 4x Faster

Research by Dr. James Asher proves that learning with phrases is 4-5 times faster than studying individual words. 4-5 Times Faster.

Also, students who learn phrases have much better grammar.


***Always Study and Review Phrases, Not Individual Words

Never study a single, individual word. Never.

When you find a new word, always write down The Phrase it is in. Always. When you review, always review all of the phrase,.. not the word.


Collect phrases. Your speaking and grammar will improve 4-5 times faster. Always write the complete phrase.

Never again study a single word. Never write a single word in your notebook,

Learn Phrases Only.
AJ Hoge & Chris Moses
http://www.FlowEnglish.com

Plural of nouns: Pronunciation

In American English, the sound of "s" depends on which sound comes before it.

1. If the noun ends in an unvoiced consonant sound: /f/, /k/, /p/, /t/, /th/-(thin), pronounce "s" as /s/.

2. When it ends in a voiced consonant sound, /b/, /d/, /g/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /ng/, /r/ or with a vowel sound, /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/, pronounce "s" as /z/.

3. If it ends with /s/, /z/, /sh/, /ch/-chair, /zh/-the second "g" in garage, /dz/-(j), pronounce "s" or "-es" as /iz/.

In other words, if the noun ends with a sound other than the 5 unvoiced consonants, pronounce "s" with a /z/ (or with an /iz/ as the case may be).

The Road Less Travelled

Episode 1: The phone call: Audio and activities

Katie gets a call from her cousin Sal in California, inviting her to move out there. Their conversation is interrupted when Katie’s boyfriend, Mark, arrives home.

I did the first episode of the soap with students today. We got to know the characters and cut out photos from a mag to go with the characters - which was hilarious! Then we listened to the conversation - I had made a new conversation with changes, as you suggested, and it worked very well. This is a great idea.
Thanks for all your great work!
Sara Hancock

Attachments
osesoapep01.mp3
(746k)

Episode 1: The phone call
Related Pages
The Road Less Travelled: Episode 1: Listening activities and transcript (361k)
Author: Lindsay Clandfield

Level: pre-intermediate, intermediate

Type: general lesson plan

Listening activities by Lindsay Clandfield and Jo Budden, including the transcript for Episode 1.

http://www.onestopenglish.com/section.asp?catid=59887&docid=155348

The Well

Chapter 1: Audio and activities

Level: starter/beginner

The first chapter of this starter-level Macmillan Reader is now available for all onestopenglish users.

Saving the the podcasts to your computer
To save the podcast files to your computer, simply right-click on the file and choose the 'Save target as' option. Select the folder that you would like to save the podcast in and then click 'Save'.

Attachments
Chapter 1.mp3
(915k)

The Well: Chapter One

Related Pages
The Well: Chapter 1: Listening activities and transcript (687k)
Author: Adrian Tennant
Level: starter/beginner
Type: general lesson plan

Listening activities by Adrian Tennant, including the transcript for Chapter 1.
Audio and podcasts: FAQ
This page addresses some questions you may have about using the audio files and podcasts on onestopenglish.
http://www.onestopenglish.com/section.asp?catid=59980&docid=156130

The Royal Quarter of Alexandria, where Cleopatra and Mark Antony played out their dramatic life stories, is emerging from the depths of the ocean where it was submerged after a tidal wave and earthquakes more than 1,600 years ago. Thanks to modern technology and a courageous underwater expedition led by explorer Franck Goddio, magnificent artifacts are being recovered from the bottom of Alexandria’s East Harbor, treating us to an unprecedented view of a fascinating ancient civilization.

TeacherBackground

Lesson Plans

CLEOPATRA’SWORLD Game

AcademicStandards

Web Links &Resources
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/cleogame/

How to Negotiate in English

Go to lesson

Have you ever had to negotiate with someone to get what you want? Do you think Ken gets what he wants?

What is a "soap opera"?
1. serialized television or radio drama characterized by melodrama
2. sweet smelling soap sold only in England
3 a slippery situation
4. the rags to riches story of a soap manufacturer

Mobile phones

Today Doug and Jackie talk about mobile phones. Is having a mobile phone important? Could you live without your mobile? This week's question: In Britain we call it a mobile phone. In Canada and the United States they call it a different name.

Which of these names is not a name for a mobile phone?

a) cell phone

b) cellular phone

c) c phone

Listen to the programme for the answer!

Vocabulary from the programme

mobile a small phone that you can take anywhere

Example: I'm always on my mobile. I take it everywhere I go.

Another meaning: If something is mobile, it can be moved easily

I couldn't live without...

use this expression to talk about something or someone that is very important to you

Example: I couldn't live without my secretary. He does everything in the office.

private life

the things you do away from work, e.g. at home

Example: Some film stars don't like answering questions about their private lives. It's personal!

a text message

a way to communicate with a mobile phone without making a phone call - you write a message and send it to people to read on their phone

Example: Send me a text message when you get to the station.

'Text' is usually a noun

Example: Did you understand the text I sent you?

Nowadays 'text' is a verb as well - to text

Example: Text me!

The language of text messages:

If you want to write a message quickly, you can send shorter words.

Examples: Where r u? = Where are you?

Pls = please

2 = to or too

Extras

Download this programme (mp3 - 2.1 MB)

Programme script (pdf - 25 K)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/144_6minute/

Head idioms

1. It's like banging your head against a brick wall
2. He's got his head in the clouds
3. An old head on young shoulders

Downloads
The Teacher (MP4 - 20 MB)

Video Download Notes
1. These video files are large and can take a long time to download.
2. Click here to find out about MP4 files

After you've watched the video, why not download the script?
Programme script (pdf - 16 K)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/multimedia/the_teacher/latest_video.shtml

Vocabulary lesson: Money

Submitted by admin on Thu, 05/06/2008 - 3:06am.
The lesson aims to raise students' awareness of verbs which collocate with ‘money' and give them practice of using them. and promote learner autonomy by encouraging the deduction of meaning of unknown lexis from context.

Download lesson plan 28k pdf

Worksheets
Worksheet 1 85k pdf - Pictures
Worksheet 2 14k pdf- Text
Worksheet 3 22k pdf - OHT: verbs
Worksheet 4 19k pdf - Matching exercise
Worksheet 5 16k pdf - Gap-fill exercise
Worksheet 6 15k pdf- Discussion questions (to be cut up)

Procedure
Give the students the pictures (worksheet 1). Tell them that you are going to read a short description of two brothers, and that all the pictures are somehow connected to the description. Ask them in pairs to predict what they are going to hear about. Elicit ideas.
Read the text about John and his brother (worksheet 2) to the students and afterwards ask them to tell each other what the actual story was about.
Nominate students to tell the class about the significance of the pictures. E.g. "Who do you think the man in the first picture is?" "Why is there a picture of a casino?"
Read the story to the students again and this time ask them to note down the verbs that are used in the text that collocate with ‘money'. E.g. spend, save. Tell them that there are 15 verbs.
Ask them to compare their findings with a partner.Tip: They will probably not have been able to get all of the verbs after one listening.
Read the story one more time and ask students to check the verbs that they had heard and try to listen for more.
Ask them to compare answers again
Elicit verbs from students and reveal them on an overhead transparency with the past simple and past participle forms. (worksheet 3) Drill the pronunciation of the verbs, but don't get into the meaning of unknown vocabulary.
Tip: Tell them that they are going to try to discover the meanings for themselves in the next activity. (You can give them their own copy if you like)
Give the students a copy of the story (worksheet 2) and the matching exercise (worksheet 4). Ask the students to work individually and try to match the verbs with their definitions using the story as a context from which to deduce meaning.
Give the students a few minutes to check their answers in pairs and then check as a class.Tip: Ask concept questions to check understanding. E.g. "If I waste money on new shoes, do I really need the shoes?" "If you borrow money from somebody, is it yours or do you have to give it back?"
Give out gap-fill exercise (worksheet 5), which students complete in pairs. Check as a class.
Divide the class into groups of 3-4 students.You can either
Give them the questions (worksheet 6) as prompts for discussion. Cut them up beforehand and ask them to look at one question at a time. Encourage students to ask further questions and not just give yes/no answers. Or
You could stick the individual questions on the walls around the classroom and ask the students to take it in turns to go up to a question, memorise it, come back to their group and dictate it to them. (Running dictation) Once all the questions have been written down, they can discuss their answers
If you have time, you can have some class feedback: Students tell the class what the most interesting answers were in each group.

Written by Janet Shackleton, British Council Malaysia
Attachment
Size
money_vocabulary_lesson_plan.pdf
28.02 KB
pictures_worksheet_1.pdf
84.91 KB
text_worksheet_2.pdf
13.95 KB
OHT_worksheet_3.pdf
22.16 KB
matching_exercise_worksheet_4.pdf
18.92 KB
Gap-fill_worksheet_5.pdf
15.77 KB
discussion_worksheet_6.pdf
14.92 KB

http://teachingenglish.org.uk/try/lesson-plans/vocabulary-lesson-money

In Alice's shoes

Alice: We've split up and ... I hate working with him.
Helen: I'm not surprised. When did you break up?
Alice: A few days ago.
Helen: Why didn't you tell me?
Alice: I kept hoping he'd call to say he'd made a mistake.
Helen: But he didn't.
Alice: He's gone back to Lucy.
Helen: His wife who walked out on him? Alice, he's got no backbone. You're better off without him.
Alice: Do you really think so?
Helen: Yes and I think it's time for some drastic action. Some fresh air, a few friends and an hour or two of not thinking about him. I've been in your shoes and I know what I'm talking about. I insist you come out with us now.
Alice: Oh don't make me!

Download mp3 - 324K
Download the language point
More on this topic

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/