Category Archives: Grammar

February 26, 2018 · 9:26 am

Being bilingual

learn-2001847_1920 My latest lesson plan for the British Council Teaching English site looks at the benefits of being bilingual or multilingual, and a few myths, hoping to encourage students to value the languages they speak.

The lesson begins with a few statements about bilingualism. The students decide if these are true or false and then read a text to check their ideas. Having discussed the topic of the text, the students move on to look at impersonal report structures. These are very common in essays, articles and more academic-type writing, and it is useful for students at this level to be aware of them and to be able to produce them accurately.

After some practice with these structures, the lesson ends with a more light-hearted and personalised practice activity.

Aims:

To raise awareness of the benefits of speaking more than one language
To enable students to recognise and use impersonal report structures
To provide students with practice in making predictions and reading to confirm them

Age/level:

Adults or older teenagers with CEF level B2 and above

Time:

45–60 minutes

Materials:

The lesson and student worksheet (3 pages) can be downloaded here.

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Tagged as bilingualism, elt, ESL, esol, IELTS, impersonal report structures, multilingualism, reading

September 18, 2017 · 10:29 am

Left handers

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Another lesson plan designed for the British Council Teaching English site, this lesson, aimed at higher level learners (C1+) explores what it is like to be left handed – the advantages, the disadvantages and the prejudices left-handed people may face.

The lesson begins with an optional video, and then leads into a reading text in the style of an online article. Students carry out two exam-style tasks – matching summaries to paragraphs and identifying if statements about the text are true or false.

After some discussion of the content of the text, students focus on grammar showcased in the article – relative clauses, reduced relative clauses and present participle clauses. This should review what students already know and add a little more to their understanding of the area.

If time, students can then go on to write about another group who often experience prejudice, using relative clauses where appropriate.

Aims:

Raise awareness of the issues related to being left-handed, and consider prejudice in general
Develop the skills of reading for gist (multiple matching) and specific info (true/false)
Encourage students to justify/back up their answers to true/false questions.
Review defining and non-defining relative clauses and look at reduced relative clauses and clauses using present participles instead of a relative clause.
Develop listening skills though an optional video lead-in
Develop writing skills and practice using relative clauses accurately and appropriately thought an optional writing activity.

The lesson materials can be found here.

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Filed under Downloadable lesson materials, Exploiting authentic recordings and videos, Grammar, IELTS, Materials development, participle clauses, relative clauses

Tagged as lefthanded, lefthanders, participle clauses, prejudice, reduced relative clauses, relative clauses

February 7, 2017 · 3:46 pm

36 questions to fall in love

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A free downloadable lesson, particularly suitable for Valentine’s Day, but usable at any time of the year, about 36 questions which might make you fall in love.

The lesson starts by discussing different views of love, before the students read a short text, giving the background to an experiment where strangers asked these questions to see if they would fall in love.

The students then watch a video of two strangers getting to know each other by asking these questions, and see how they become closer as the interview progresses.

There is then a focus on question forms, looking at some slightly more complex questions. This would be suitable from B1 upwards.

Finally the students choose some of the questions that they are happy to answer, and discuss them in pairs (falling in love definitely not obligatory!)

[NB. Be aware that at around 4.19, Cam gives a couple of examples of swear words.]

Download lesson plan PDF here: elt-resourceful-36-questions-to-fall-in-love

Look here for more lessons suitable for Valentine’s Day:

To R.P. Salazar with love – free downloadable lesson

Secrets of a Long and Happy Marriage: Free downloadable lesson

A collection of lesson plans

Over the last few months I have been writing lesson plans for the British Council Teaching English site. Here is a collection of links. All materials are free to use.

Is Slavery a Thing of the Past? [click on the lesson title for lesson plan and materials]

Designed to raise awareness of the UN’s World Day against Trafficking in Persons, this lesson begins by asking students to consider what they know about the issue, then takes them through a process of learning more before concluding by asking them about what they have learnt, and how their understanding might have changed.

The lesson involves plenty of speaking, a vocabulary focus, which pre-teaches topic related vocabulary later found in the text, a jigsaw reading and a focus on passives.

Unsung Heroes [click on the lesson title for lesson plan and materials]

This lesson, devised for International Women’s Day, will help to raise awareness of some not very famous, but nonetheless important, women.

The lesson begins by asking students to think of well-known people that they consider to be heroes. It is likely that many of these will be men, so the students then go on to learn about 5 remarkable women in a jigsaw reading activity.

The students discuss these women’s achievements, and learn some useful vocabulary for talking about social issues. There is then a focus on relative clauses, before the final task of writing about another female hero, using the vocabulary and relative clauses where appropriate. For a 50-60 minute class the writing stage could be done at home.

Get to know the neighbours [click on the lesson title for lesson plan and materials]

This lesson for adults and teenagers at a minimum A2 level is designed to develop fluency skills.

Students are led through a series of activities to create profiles for imaginary characters who live in the same neighbourhood. The lesson then brings these characters together at a neighbourhood party, where students can practice asking and answering simple questions about work, family, hobbies and so on.

As well as developing spoken fluency, there are opportunities to expand vocabulary (personality adjectives) and some useful questions for making small talk.

15 Comments

Filed under classroom ideas, Grammar, Materials development, Reading, Speaking, Vocabulary, Writing

Tagged as efl, elt, ESL, esol, famous women, getting to know you, irene sendler, resources, slavery, speaking, vocabulary

June 8, 2016 · 10:00 am

Why do cats miaow? : a free downloadable lesson

Photo Credit: Trish Hamme via Compfight cc

A free downloadable lesson, based on a clip from a BBC programme about cats and their behaviour. This clip looks at how cats communicate with each other and with humans. Students start by looking at some of the ways that different languages describe the way that dogs speak, before looking at some common animal sounds in English. Students are then guided through the video, answering a variety of different question types, and learning some more vocabulary from the video. There is then a focus on infinitives of purpose, in order to as so as to, and the conjunctions so that and in order that.

The lesson would be suitable from B1+ upwards as the vocabulary is quite high level, though most of the video is very clear and not too fast.

Download lesson plan PDF here: ELT Resourceful – Why do cats miaow

Look here for more free downloadable lessons

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Filed under Downloadable lesson materials, Exploiting authentic recordings and videos, Grammar, Vocabulary

Tagged as animal behaviour, animal sounds, animals, authentic materials, bbc, cats, elt, esol, video, video lesson

January 6, 2015 · 10:53 am

CrowdWish: a free downloadable lesson

A free downloadable lesson, about a new online service, CrowdWish, which invites people to post their wishes on their website. Every day people vote on the most popular wish, and CrowdWish will grant it! Students start by discussing some wishes taken from the site, then read a short text about what the site aims to do (so don’t tell them at the start of the lesson!) There is then a focus on some useful idioms, before going on to watch a video in which the founder of the site, ‘pitches’ his idea. Students then look at the grammar used with ‘wish’, particularly at the use of ‘would’ when you want someone else to change their behaviour. Finally the students come up with their own wishes and vote on them, like on the site. You could even try and grant the top wish if you’re feeling creative..

The lesson would be suitable from B2 upwards, as the video is quite challenging in places. A transcript is provided.

(lesson plan covers to 5.24 only)

Download lesson plan PDF here: ELT Resourceful – Crowdwish

Look here for more free downloadable lessons

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Tagged as authentic materials, CrowdWish, education, efl, elt, ESL, esol, exploiting materials, free downloadable, idioms, lesson plan, materials, resources, video, video lesson, vocabulary, wish, wish and would

October 23, 2014 · 12:49 pm

You’ve got to have a dream: a free downloadable lesson

Photo Credit: Arya Ziai via Compfight cc

A free downloadable lesson, based around a Russian advertising video for shampoo. Despite what is aims to sell, the video is actually quite inspiring, with the story of a girl who succeeds against the odds through pure grit and determination. Students start by watching the video and trying to guess what it is trying to advertise (so don’t tell them!). They then try to reconstruct the story in pairs, watching the video again to check their ideas. The lesson then goes on to focus on a range of linkers used to give reasons or results, make contrasts and show when something happened. Students then work with some vocabulary to describe personality, and then put it all together by writing the story of the video, using the linkers and the vocabulary where appropriate. Finally, there are some quotes about success for them to discuss.

The lesson would be suitable from B1 upwards.

Download lesson plan PDF here: ELT Resourceful – You’ve got to have a dream

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Tagged as authentic materials, character adjectives, education, efl, elt, ESL, esol, free downloadable, linkers, personality adjectives, video, video lesson, vocabulary, writing

June 19, 2013 · 1:10 pm

Secrets of a Long and Happy Marriage: Free downloadable lesson

A free downloadable lesson, based around an authentic video. Selma and Kenny couldn’t be at their grandson’s wedding, so they recorded a toast- and some advice.

Suitable from PreIntermediate/A2+, the lesson starts with some discussion about marriage before students are asked to give their ‘top tips’ for a successful marriage. They then watch the video and compare Selma and Kenny’s advice with their ideas.

The video is quite easy to follow, though the couple do talk over each other at times (there is a transcript). It’s funny and quite touching.

There is then a focus on idioms connected with love and marriage, and then we look at some of the ways Selma and Kenny use imperatives to give advice. Students can then use this language to reformulate their original pieces of advice.

Download lesson plan PDF here: ELT Resourceful – Secrets of a Long and Happy Marriage

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Tagged as authentic materials, efl, elt, ESL, esol, exploiting materials, idioms, imperatives, listening, love, marriage, materials, noticing, resources, valentine, valentine's day, vocabulary

May 29, 2013 · 1:05 pm

A good deed: Free downloadable lesson

A free downloadable lesson, based around an authentic audio recording from Storycorps.com, where Virginia recalls a good deed her father did during the Great Depression in America.

Suitable from PreIntermediate/A2+, the lesson starts with a short text giving some background to the Depression of the 1930s, and invites students to think about parallels with the situation in some countries today and what can, or should be done by individuals and governments.

Students then listen to the audio, which is quite short and simple, listening both for gist and specific information.

There is then a focus on narrative tenses, specifically simple past and past perfect. This could work as part of an introduction to past perfect, or as a review at higher levels. Students then try to retell Virginia’s story, using tenses appropriately, before going on to tell their own ‘good deed’ stories.

Click on the photo here, or the photo of Virginia in the lesson plan, for the link to the audio.

Download lesson plan PDF here: ELT Resourceful – A good deed

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Filed under Downloadable lesson materials, Exploiting authentic recordings and videos, Grammar, Listening, Speaking

Tagged as authentic materials, depression, efl, elt, ESL, esol, exploiting materials, financial crisis, good deed, great depression, kindness, listening, listening skills, poverty, resources

May 15, 2013 · 10:21 am

Try something new for 30 days : Free downloadable lesson

A free downloadable lesson, based around a short TED talk by Matt Cutts on how carrying out 30 day challenges helped him to improve his life.

Suitable from PreIntermediate/A2+, the lesson starts with a quick review of present perfect for experience: Have you ever + past participle?

Students then watch the video (3 minutes), which is quite simply and clearly expressed, looking at what challenges Matt carried out, and the impact these challenges had on his life.

There is a focus on some idiomatic language, and then the lesson concludes by asking students to think of some challenges they’d like to do themselves (and that they’d like to set for the teacher!)