Speaking activity- Job Interview

Here's a very simple, quick speaking activity that can be used to practise the present perfect and past simple with the theme of job interviews. Students complete the questions using 'have you ever' + the correct form of the verb then work in pairs to interview eachother about past work experience. If an interviewee answers yes to any of the questions, then the interviewer should ask them to elaborate further by saying 'can you tell me about it', in order for students to practise the difference between present perfect and past simple. 

Download the worksheet here 

Business English: Meet our people

Depending on what mood you catch your students in, job satisfaction can be a potentially explosive topic! However, talking about their job and the company they work for is great for practicing natural conversation with business English students, many of whom need to feel confident with this topic to socialise at conferences or trade fairs. This intermediate lesson plan uses videos from the careers site of two global companies to practise listening comprehension skills, before moving on to analyse recruitment slogans and ending with students preparing a presentation about their own job role and company. 

Download the complete lesson plan, including student handout HERE. 

Watch the videos here: L'oreal and Nestle 

Colloquial language practise that goes down a treat!

I’m always looking for fresh and fun ways to teach and practise colloquial language with students, especially as sometimes I feel that they go over students heads or in one ear and out the other, when in reality they are often vital for keeping your head above water when using English in certain social-cultural context. As a second language speaker myself (Portuguese), I’ve completely lost the thread of several conversations when I haven’t realised that a phrase wasn’t literal. Although they aren’t to everyone’s taste, I think the Violent Veg and Fred and Ginger card ranges (available in the UK) use colloquial language and expressions in a great way. I’ve used them several times with advanced students, many of whom have commented that the funny pictures helped them both understand the meaning and remembering the idiom for future use- a double result in my eyes! They are also good for looking at pronunciation patterns and words with the same pronunciation but different spelling. A word of caution- some of the cards are a bit risqué so choose the design and intended audience carefully. They might not be suitable for all cultures but have always gone down well with my young adult and adult students in Brazil. I’ve included a selection of the designs for you to download (disclaimer- I just saved these from the ones available on Google images) and below are a few ideas for how you could incorporate them into your class.

•     The Violent Veg pictures 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12 use puns based on words with the same, or similar pronunciation. Put students in pairs or small groups and hand out / project a copy of each design onto the board. Set a time limit for students to work out the word that the pun has been replaced. Groups work in competition with each other and the first group to correctly identify all the words is the winner. To make it more difficult, ask groups to explain the meaning of both words, for example “the boat was full of leeks”. The word leek, which is a vegetable, has been used instead of the leak, which means a hole that allows liquids to pass through it or to release something accidently.
•    The remaining pictures use colloquial language and expressions. Make copies of the designs, hiding or covering the box with the writing. Print and cut out the strips with the message/expressions on. Put the students into pairs and name each pair Pair A or Pair B. Distribute the designs and corresponding expressions amongst the pairs. How you do this will depend on your class size and how much time you want to dedicate to the activity. You could separate the designs into A and B so that all the Pairs A have the same ones and all the Pairs B have the same ones, or you could simply give a couple to each pair so that all pairs have different designs. First, students work in their pairs to match the expression to the picture. Circle the room monitoring students’ language use and giving feedback on their answers. Once students have matched the pictures and expressions, they need to work out the pun. Working together they can use dictionaries or the internet to discover what stuck in a jam means, for example (Fred and Ginger 5). Then, match up all the Pair As with the Pair Bs. Each Pair must now show the other their designs and explain the meaning. To consolidate, Pair A can work together to write example sentences using Pair B’s expressions and vice versa. Each pair then reads the others’ sentences, to check understanding.
•    The Violent Veg Facebook page has weekly caption competitions, which I think is a great way to round off the lesson. You could give students all the same picture and set a time limit for them to work in pairs or trios and come up with a funny caption. At the end of the class, everyone votes for their favourite caption (obviously students aren’t allowed to vote for their own…). I find that most students really get in to this activity and try to play around with words to make it as original as possible.  

=  DOWNLOAD the pictures here (taken from Google images and facebook.com/violentveg)

Climbing the English pyramid

I’ve written on my Facebook page before about the Daily Quipple subscriber’s list- reading the inspirational quotes and messages they design can be an uplifting start to the day. When this one found its way into my inbox sometime in the new year, I liked it so much I set it as my screensaver.

Although it’s something I know that I personally should pay heed to, I also believe that it’s a mantra that could be adhered to by many EFL teachers. We all try our best to create and use new materials and teaching approaches to keep our students motivated and interested, but sometimes it seems like it just isn’t working. Students get tongue-tied, stuck on a grammar point or lost in a vocabulary maze and end up feeling like they're smacking into a brick wall, no matter your efforts to help them climb over it. So many of my students have complained to me that they feel like they’ve been learning English for years and still haven’t got anywhere, which is why I like to stop every so often and ask them “how’s your English”? It’s difficult, and sometimes uncomfortable, to self-evaluate your performance in any aspect of life, whether it’s English language skills or other, however I’ve found that it really helps students to have a clearer idea of what progress they’ve made and where they want to go.

• Using a metaphorical ‘English pyramid’, students identify where they were on the pyramid (their self-perceived level of English) when they started the course/semester/level, etc., where they are now and where they want to be in the future.
• If they were climbing a real pyramid, then there are certain elements that might help or hinder them, so in the next stage students discuss together what things help them learn English (i.e. watching films) and what delays their learning progress (i.e. lack of time).

• Finally, students decide three English learning goals and put together an action plan. I usually use this with my business English students, therefore I’ve put together a plan similar to one used in project management, which incorporates possible risks and back-up plans. The familiarity of such a document is reassuring and can help students address their goals with more focus and clarity. If you aren’t working with business English students, here are a few other ideas for the final stage:

                  1.  The Rule of 2: Students identify English goals for the next 2 weeks, 2 months and 2 years. I usually give them my own example, such as in 2 weeks I want to know all my new students’ names by heart, in 2 months I want to have marked all the intermediate level projects and in 2 years I want to have published my own materials. 

                 2.  By the end of the semester, I…: Students write down a goal for the semester on a piece of paper. Try to make it as specific as possible, so instead of I want to speak English better encourage students to write I want to complete a phone call in English. For lower levels you may prefer to do this in L1. Collect all the strips of paper and set a date later in the semester to review all the goals. Tell students not to write their name on the paper. When you review the goals, have each student select a strip of paper and read it out to see if students can remember which goal was theirs and evaluate whether they have achieved it (or not).   

DOWNLOAD the Powerpoint here 

DOWNLOAD the worksheet here

1,2,3 write

It’s the fork in the road that all teachers face when they have to take the ‘writing route’ – should I incorporate into class time or set it for homework? Exit A means that I’ll be able to guide students through writing structures, register and provide instant feedback yet the result will also be, if popular opinion is to be believed, the persona non grata of the ELT classroom: silence. If you opt for Exit B then you can squeeze every possible opportunity of class time to practise speaking skills, which many students aren’t able to do outside of class, but you're denying students support that many of them may need. Once you’ve decided which way to go, there’s yet another obstacle to overcome – what type of writing should I do? Surely it would be better to focus on “useful” formats, such as formal e-mails and report? Am I doing my students a disservice I set them a silly or frivolous writing exercise, rather than one that may help them out in their professional sphere? Argh, so many questions! These are all ones that I’ve, and no doubt countless other teachers, have considered. If only our students knew…

Whatever your opinion, this blog post doesn’t actually aim to pinball opinions about the virtues (or not) of writing in ELT, but present one of my favourite creative writing activities. I am a huge fan of creative writing, but I admit that over the years not all of my students have shared my enthusiasm so I’ve taken to weaving it slowly into a lesson, like a mother cautiously hiding chopped up vegetables in a toddler’s dinner. Generally, beginners are the least confident in their writing abilities so this activity’s ideal because it’s scaffolded. However, I’ve also used it with higher levels by changing prompts, perhaps to begin with a conditional or even negative inversion. A very simple activity that’s a twist on an old favourite used in all types of educational institutions the world over, I hope you enjoy it and, as ever, please leave me feedback with your thoughts! 

Oh Grumpy Cat, why so grumpy?

•     Put students in groups of five and ask them to arrange themselves so that each group is sat in a circle. Give each student a piece of paper (I prefer to use scrap paper so we’re doing out bit for the environment).Show them a picture of a cute cat (like this one), wait for the inevitable collective ahh, then elicit some adjectives to describe the cat (cute, fluffy, fun, friendly, etc.)
•     Next, show them a picture of this cat. Given that he’s become an internet hit and will soon be the subject of a film, some of your students will probably have heard of Grumpy Cat. Elicit some adjectives to describe Grumpy Cat (grumpy, bad-tempered, ugly, unfriendly, etc.). Depending on students’ level, you may choose to show them some of the best Grumpy Cat memes.
•     Tell students to imagine that they are Grumpy Cat- why are they feeling grumpy today? Write first on the board and instruct students to write a sentence about what caused them to start the day feeling grumpy. Set a time limit (around 2 mins). I usually give students an example to help them, such  First, my owner’s alarm clock went off at 5am. 5am? Is he crazy?!”
•    When students have finished, they should fold over the top of the paper so that it covering the sentences. After the time is up, students pass their paper in a clockwise direction so everyone ends up with a different piece of paper.
•       Repeat the activity with then, next, later, finally. Students write a different sentence for each word and pass the paper round. At the end each student should end up with their original piece of paper and each student should have written one sentence on each piece of paper.
•      Instruct students to open their pieces of paper and read their stories- this part usually results in a few giggles!
•     Now it’s time to look at language. Put students in pairs (I like to pair students from different groups together). First, students read each other’s’ stories then they work together to correct any grammar, punctuation or lexical errors. If working with a higher level, they can also try and change the story to make it more cohesive.
•       Students can their share their stories by reading them out to the class or sharing them on a class social media platform or blog.

I have another, less controlled creative writing activity that has a few more surprise elements to keep students on their toes! It’s based on a calendar of an Art Deco couple I had a few years ago, but I’m still trying to find the pictures to share with everyone. Hopefully I’ll be able to upload it soon.

Men and Women

Last week the media and the web were buzzing with talk about Emma Watson's UN speechat the launch of the new #heforshe campaign. Although she didn't say anything new or groundbreaking, that is perhaps the key point- everything she said is already well documented, and has been for years, yet nothing changes. Hopefully, the #heforshe campaign will have a positive impact and Emma Watson's participation will make a new generation more aware of the importance of addressing gender issues. 

The speech prompted me to add a bit of polish to and publish a lesson on gender issues that I've been using with advanced level students for sometime. Obviously, the issue is a serious, and sometimes controversial one, however I've tried to strike a balance between giving the issue the attention it deserves, with some tongue in cheek approaches too. From a language point of view, students practice summarising a text and giving opinions. As part of the lesson, I show an episode of Outnumbered [Season 4, episode 2 The Girls' Day Out], which is a British TV series about a normal family living in the suburbs of London. A semi-improvised comedy, the production is a lot less polished than the American sitcoms that students are most used to watching, which means it's great as a listening exercise. If you can't get your hands on a copy of the DVD, the episode is available for download on Amazon instant video.
Although this lesson doesn't use Emma Watson's UN speech, you could ask students to watch it or research the media reaction to it as homework either after the class to close the topic or prior to the class as preparation for it. 

COMPLETE lesson plan download here

Let's get creative!

As teachers we always strive to make our lessons as creative as possible, but why not take a break and let the students try out their creative side? Using two fantastic schemes devised by two sets of very creative parentes- one to preserve their children's imaginative capabilities in the era of technology (http://dinovember.tumblr.com/) and one to encourage their son to eat healthily (http://eatsamazing.co.uk/)- as examples, students are then tasked with carrying out the marshmallow challenge http://marshmallowchallenge.com. I was initially a little wary of asking this of my students as the it's  so far removed from their usual experience in the language classroom (which revolves heavily around PPP), but, being a big advocate of English as a life skill, I threw caution to the wind and the results were well worth. Hands-on activities such as this are severely undervalued and the opportunities for speaking underestimated. It is a rich opportunity for students to practise negotiating, agreeing and disagreeing, persuasion and more. 

COMPLETE lesson plan download here

The Power of Advertising

Adverts are a great talking point- we can all remember a few weird and wonderful ones that made us scratch our heads and wonder what on earth they were about. A few years ago I was at the cinema and amongst the pre film advertisements (which seemed to go on for nearly the same length of the film!) was an advert for OPI nail varnish, in which a horse enters in dance battles with various female dancers.  For me, the advert was inspired and as such it was the springboard for the lesson in this post. The lesson was developed for a group of advanced learners who are studying without a coursebook in their final semester at a language school. All of the lessons for this group (many of which I will include on this site) are designed to promote free production and use of English in natural contexts without a hidden grammatical agenda, however you can also adapt parts of this lesson for other levels, to complement course book topics and activities. 
I have included examples of print adverts that can be used as discussion points, however these were intended for a Brazilian audience and may need to be substituted for others, should you feel that they may not be suitable for the culture in which you work. 
If you try out this lesson with your students, I'd love to hear about it, so please leave a comment below with feedback.

Advert 1- OPI
Advert 2- Cadbury

COMPLETE Lesson Plan download (via Google docs)