A weekly resource of lessons and activities used to supplement my own students' classroom work within the Victorian ESL Frameworks Certificates 1, 2 and 3. Others are most welcome to participate.
This is a collection of writing by all of the students in the ESL Level 2 class with stories about "A Great Day Out", "Endangered Animals" , "My Suburb - Past, Present and Future" and much more!
Watch the video above. It was made on the Japanese island of Okinawa.
What is the animal in the video? Where does it live? What does it eat? What else do you know about it?
Exercise 1: Locating informtion & Organizing Ideas :
Read about another animal at the same website. Read the facts, watch the video, look at the map, print a collector's card, send a friend an e-card
Exercise 4 : Information text (2)
What do you know about this creature?
What is its name? How would you describe it? Where does it live? Describe its habitat? What do you think it eats? What else should we know about it?
Can you write a paragraph about the Tasmanian Tiger using the CATEGORIES above as well as CONJUNCTIONS (but / and / however / although, etc) to join your sentences.
ENDANGERED ANIMALS
Find out about endangered animals, why they are endangered and what we can do by watching this presentation:
1) Download the ESL Endangered Animals book above.
2) Use the questions / categories we studied to help you write short sentences about one of the animals in the form.
We have been listening to and reading stories and jokes in class this term. Telling a story in another language can be difficult. Here is the simple story telling model we used to help us.
Model
Opening Hello
friends, today I'm going to tell you a story about …
Reason I
chose this story because … (it is funny / sad / amazing / scary)
It is a good story to tell kids / to tell adults only /
to tell anyone
Tell the story eg. A long time ago ….
/ … in America / Australia / Vietnam ...
Opinion I
liked this story because …. / I didn't like this story much because
…
Closing Thank you for listening to my story. Do
you have any questions?
Remember:
*Keep your sentences short.
*Use the past simple - this is the best tense to use for telling stories.
Remember the article we read in class, Love Your Neighbour? Sometimes it can be difficult!?
We discussed these problems:
They talk loudly.
Their babies cry all night.
They have noisy parties.
Their dogs bark.
They watch TV late at night.
They move furniture.
They play the violin.
They argue with their partner.
Speaking: Requests - Asking your neighbours to change their behaviour
Use the situations above. Practise kindly asking your neighbours to change their behaviour.
eg. "Could you please turn down the TV? It's late. I have to get up early.
eg. "Would you please stop moving your furniture. My kids can't sleep.
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Level 1 and 2: Watch the video. What can we do to clean up this house? Finish the sentences ...
Empty ___ ________.
_____ up the bedroom.
Scrub the ______ bowl.
Get ___ __ the Kittens.
___ away the things in the kitchen.
Throw ___ the old computers.
_____ the bath!
(Call in the health inspectors?)
Level 3 : Watch this video. How do you feel about this messy house? Who does the owner blame for most of the mess? Do you think Cary's problems are funny or serious?
Speaking Exercise : Giving Opinions
Here are some opinions by others who watched the video:
"it is the parents responsibility to keep a safe enviroment for the kids and set a good example."
"lots of people have kids and thier homes are nothing close to this. I'm surprise she still has her kids."
"How dare you say her kids should be taken away from her! ... some people just need help in their lives, and a gentle push in the right direction. Depression is a sad thing to live with it can destroy families. She obviously got so low she stopped functioning properly."
Do you agree with these opinions? Do you feel sorry for Cary? What would you do to help her? Where would you start?
Phone in your answers to ipadio.com - use the 1800 number and codes I gave you in class.
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WRITING (Level 2/3) Last week we used the worksheet to help us write about two silent films. This time let's use the same worksheet to help us write about a short film made by some high school students from the USA? It is called "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". Do you already know the story? It is based on a fable by the ancient Roman writer, Aesop. Download the Reading worksheet
VIDEO / READING (Level 2) : Information Text : How Silk is Made
Today in class (level 2) we watched this silent film. Where is it filmed? Who are the characters? What happens : how does it start? what happens in the middle of the film? how does it end? Does the film have a message, meaning or lesson to teach us? Did you enjoy it or didn't you like it - why?
Exercise 1 : Ask yourself these questions as you watch the film again. Can you answer the questions?
We have been studying Passive and Active voice in our lessons recently. When do we mostly use passive? What is more important - the subject of the action or the object of the action?
Grandma is in hospital. Don't worry, it's not serious. I'm going there now. She is in the Queen Victoria Hospital in Carlton. She is on the 4th floor in Room 409.
See you there.
Susan
P.S I've taken the car
Who wrote the note?
Who is the note for?
What is the message?
What time was it written?
What does he remember at the last moment?
Which animals do they think are dangerous? Note: Click VIDEO QUIZ on the right hand side ofthe page to complete the listening exercise when you have finished listening to Jingwei and Joseph.
This week we review our Learning Journeys in English.
Marco Polo was a famous explorer. He went places no European had gone before. Going to new place or learning new things can be like Marco's journey. Everything is new, exciting, scary.
What dangers do you think Marco imagined? What new things did he see and learn about?
What happens if your Myki is stolen or lost? Why would you "register" your Myki? What happens to your balance if your Myki card is not registered? Is it necessary to register?
Watch this video. What are the advantages? (Can you think of any disadvantages?)
Many people are unhappy about the changes. Some people say Myki is too difficult? What do you think? Is Myki more or less expensive than the old system, Metcard? Scroll through the document and answer the questions below.
1. How much do you save using Myki for a Daily Zone 1 + 2 Full fare? 2. How much does a 2 hour Zone 1 Concession fare cost? 3. What is the maximum you will pay per day if you use Myki on the weekend? 4. What is the difference in price between a Weekly Zone 1 Full Fare Myki Pass and a Weekly Metcard?
MELBOURNE'S FREE CITY CIRCLE TRAM
Do you know about the free city circle tram? It is a cheap excursion you can do with your family. Watch the video and download the map to see the route.
There is also a free bus you can take from the National Gallery of Victoria, around the city, up to Carlton and back via Docklands.
What is Myki? Do you know how and where to buy a Myki card? What is "Myki money"? What does "touch on" and "touch off" mean? What does "top up your Myki" mean?
Watch the videos below and complete the exercises as you go ...
DISCUSSION : In class this week we talked about hair, haircuts and hair styles.
Do you like your hair? Where do you get your hair cut? Would you like a new hairstyle? Would you like highlights or a new colour?
VOCABULARY: long, short, medium length, bald, blond, brunette, red head, curly, straight, permed, dye, tint, highlights,shaved, trim, layered, tapered, fringe, side-burns
around the sides / on the top / up the back
/ combed / blow dried / shampooed/
Do you know the story of Sisyphus? He offended God and was punished. He had to push a rock to the top of a hill ... then watch it roll all the way down. He had to start pushing up hill again - forever!
Life is like that. English is like that. The struggle never ends.
Here is a dictation about Sisyphus to practice your spelling.
Level 2+ : WRITE AN INFORMATION TEXT (PROCEDURES) ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MUMMIES
What do you know about Ancient Egypt? Do you believe in life after death?
The ancient Egyptians were very sophisticated people. They buried their dead in a special way to help them get safely to the afterlife. They made "mummies".
We use the PASSIVE VOICE for explaining a process or procedure (exercises 1 - 7)
***
DISCUSSION
What is your favourite sandwich? What ingredients do you need? How do you make it? Share your sandwich recipe with a friend. Tell the rest of the class or another person about your friend's favourite sandwich.
Level 1 and 2+ : Mr. Bean Makes a Sandwich
Watch the Mr. Bean video.
How did he make his sandwich?
What ingredients did he use?
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Level 1 : SPEAKING : HOW TO MAKE A DAGWOOD SANDWICH
1. What are the two types of sandwich the speaker likes most? 2. What does a Foccacia have in the middle? 3. How do you heat up a Foccacia? 4. What is good to drink with a Foccacia? 5. What type of bread do use to make a Lebanese roll? 6. What is the speaker's opinion of the Lebanese roll?
Welcome back to Duke Street! I hope you enjoyed the Summer holiday?
Let's think about Learning.
Learning English is like climbing a mountain ... it can be very difficult! But if you have good training and tools it can be a lot easier.
Discussion Exercise 1: What do you need to learn another language well? What tools do you need? Order these from 1-8 in importance:
motivation / dictionary / a teacher / other people to practice with / computer and internet / textbooks / a class / CDs, tapes and videos
Can you think of two other "tools" you need?
Discussion Exercise 2: Learning Mountain
We study Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking skills in our English class. Which skill is the easiest for you? Which skill is the most difficult?
1. Print out this Learning Mountain exercise 2. Fill it in by yourself - from easiest (base) to most difficult (peak) 3. In groups of 4 compare your Learning mountain. Are your feelings / opinions the same or different?
Now compare your Learning Mountain about learning English to my own learning mountain about learning Spanish. Are your feelings / opinions similar to mine?
