A Lost Boy

Level 1 and 2

This week we read the story about Paul Lee, the 2 year old boy from Queensland who was lost in the bush. Paul survived because he ate insects and sucked leaves. In this video Bear Grylls from Man Vs. Wild (SBS, Monday night, 8.30 pm)eats an African worm! Very funny ... but not very yummy!


LISTENING : A LOST CHILD

When listening to a description of a lost child, what kinds of information would you expect to hear (e.g., the child's name)?

CLICK HERE FOR LISTENING COMPREHENSION ACTIVITY - MISSING CHILDREN IN A SHOPPING CENTRE(Randall's ESL Lab - American English)



MAKING ENQUIRIES ... "I lost my son"



You are at Highpoint Shopping Centre. You look in a shop window for a minute. You look around - your son is gone!

What do you do?
What do you say?
Who do you ask?
Where do you go?

1) ASK THE PEOPLE NEAR YOU ...

a. Excuse me

b. I lost my son

c. Did you see a boy about 3 years old wearing a blue T-shirt and white pants?

WHAT WOULD THEY SAY

No luck!

ASK AT THE INFORMATION DESK

a........

b........

c........

d. Can you make an announcement?

What questions would the lady at the information desk ask you?

eg. Can I help you? / Does he speak English? / What's his name? / etc

1. NOW WRITE A DIALOGUE
Lady: Can I help you?
You: Yes, I lost my son?
Lady: Oh dear! Don't worry. What's his name?

(continue)

2. PRACTISE YOUR DIALOGUE WITH A FRIEND

3. RECORD YOUR DIALOGUE HERE

Here is a PAIR WORK exercise to help you complete the exercise above

Messages, Notes, Risks and Dangers

LEVEL 1 and 2

Last week we studied instructions - what to do in an Emergency.

In the video Mr. Bean visits the Emergency department at a hospital.

What is his problem? How would you help him? How does he try to get to the front of the queue?

LEVEL 1

Read this note and answer the questions:


11.15 am

Fred

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?

LEVEL 1 : Assessment Task - Listening and Speaking VPAU 493.3/493.4

TAKING NOTES

Listen to the phone discussion. CLICK HERE.

1. Take notes from the conversation you hear ...

HOSPITAL:

FLOOR:

ROOM:

VISITING HOURS:


What happened?

Is he alright? Yes / No

If yes, how do you know?

What was he wearing?

2. A FRIEND OF YOURS HAS HAD AN ACCIDENT. WITH A FRIEND WRITE A DIALOGUE. RECORD IT HERE AT VOXOPOP.COM

CLICK HERE TO READ AND PRINT SCRIPT OF THE CONVERSATION

Teachers: Here is a copy of the VPAU 493.3 Assessment Task


LEVEL 2 and 3: Dangerous Sports : Taking risks



Watch the video above to get an idea about the "exciting" new sport of Free Running (also known by its French name, Le Parkour)

Boxing / Skydiving / Karate / Footy / Diving / Free Running (Le Parkour)...

We talked about these sports in class.

1. Which sport is the most dangerous? Why?
2. Which sport is the least dangerous? Why?
3. Is Boxing more or less dangerous than Free Running? Why?

Now ask your friend what she thinks? Use REPORTED SPEECH and tell me your answers:

eg. Teresa said Boxing was the most dangerous sport because people get brain damage.

Grammar Exercise : Reported Speech (Click here and complete)

LISTENING - LEVEL 2 and 3

DANGEROUS ANIMALS

Which animals are dangerous in your country? In Australia we have sharks and crocodiles, snakes and spiders --- but are they really dangerous?

CLICK HERE to hear from Jingwei and Joseph from Singapore. 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.

READING ... Are Sharks Really Dangerous?

Facts about Sharks ... CLICK HERE

Read and take notes about sharks from this website to answer the question.

LEVEL 3

The Letters of Rachel Henning ... Life in a Foreign Land

In our reading of the novella last week we discovered that Rachel does not seem to like life in Australia very much. She complains about many things and seems very homesick for England.



CLICK HERE to visit the Permanent Australia Collection at the Ian Potter Gallery (NGV) Melbourne.

Find some paintings of early Australian life to show to the class and discuss with your classmates

Level 1

APPOINTMENTS

We listened to people making appointments last lesson. Here is Mr. Bean trying to get to his Dentist appointment on time ...

Letters: From Me to You

LEVEL 3 : THE LETTERS OF RACHEL HENNING (Chapters 1 and 2)

Last week we started reading the novella, The Letters of Rachel Henning (1853). We will also use this book in our study elective, Australian History.

You have been writing personal and business letters, letters of complaint and emails. How do Rachel's letters differ from the way we write personal letters today?

The letters are very interesting and give us a good idea of what life was like in Australia for a young woman 150 years ago. Her letters are like a diary.

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION: Do you think you would like being a young woman in the bush back then? How was the voyage out to Australia? What was life like when a young woman arrived? What was life on the farm like? What was life in Sydney or Melbourne like?

Complete the following questions to help you with the discussion topic



(if you cannot see all of the form, click here)

Level 3 : Writing letters of complaint

Exercise 1 : Rental Property Problems

Go to this page - copy and paste into Word - then practise writing a letter of complaint to Bowman's Realty about problems a - f in our class reading text. Use the reading text to help you complete the task.

Exercise 2 : Problems with a Purchase

Go this page - copy and paste into Word- then practice writing a letter about something you bought which is faulty.

You can copy and paste other templates into Word from this website.

Introducations: Nice to Meet You

Welcome (back) students in Levels 1, 2 and 3 at Duke Street Community House ... and to others using this blog for practising reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in English.

INTRODUCTIONS

"How do you do? My name is Dale Pobega, and I am the teacher of this course at Duke Street Community House."

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

EXERCISE ONE: Practice the dialogue with a friend or classmate.

EXERCISE TWO: Write down some questions you might ask next?

eg. Is this your first time learning English at Duke St? Where do you live? Do you have any kids?



SHAKING HANDS : In Western culture we generally shake hands when meeting someone for the first time. Do you shake hands? If you do not shake hands tell the other class members and your teacher. Many Asian people and Muslims do not feel comfortable shaking hands --- that's ok, don't worry!

LEVEL 1 and 2 : WATCH these people introduce themselves and SPELL their names:



LEVEL 3: LISTEN TO THESE PEOPLE INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND SAY ONE THING ABOUT THEIR COUNTRY

CLICK HERE TO START ...

Complete the questions with your teacher and the rest of the class OR by yourself (if you have your own computer)

PRINT and STUDY the audio-script



READING COMPREHENSION & VOCABULARY : The British Royal Family

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth is popular all over the world. She is eighty years old and has a large family. There have been many ups and downs in the lives of the British Royal Family - just like any family!

In this exercise I want you to

1) STUDY the Family tree of the British Royal Family. CLICK HERE.
2) PRINT the Family tree for reference.
3) COMPLETE the questions below about THE QUEEN AND HER FAMILY

CLICK HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS --- remember to click SUBMIT when you have finished!

GRAMMAR: The Simple Present Tense



Watch the video above to review when we use this grammar tense in English.

Points to remember. We use the Present Simple when we talk about:

1. Facts
2. Permanent situations
3. Routines and habits
4. Future meaning - after these prepositions: "when", "as soon as", "before" and "until". eg. I will buy a new car when I have enough money.

Level 3 Homework Exercise - SIMPLE PRESENT and SIMPLE FUTURE. Click here!

In Grammar this week, Level 1 and Level 2 we are looking at SUBJECT PRONOUNS and OBJECT PRONOUNS. Remember --- He loves her but she doesn't love him .

Level 1 and 2 Homework Exercise - Using Subject and Object Pronouns. First answer: Tony saw that girl yesterday ---> He saw her yestrday. Click here

WORK AND OCCUPATIONS

I LOVE LUCY

This TV show from the 50s is still very popular. In this episode Lucy and her friend, Viv, are employed at a chocolate factory. Let's watch the episode in class. Others can write to me by email. Click the ENVELOPE icon below.

Did you enjoy the video? What happens? Why is it funny? Have you had a job you liked or didn't like? How was the job? How was your boss? How were your workmates?





LISTENING - MY FIRST JOB

Listen to Aiste from Lithuania talking about her first job in Japan. CLICK HERE.

What was she selling?
What was her biggest problem?
How did she feel?

LISTEN TO THIS DISCUSSION BETWEEN CRYSTAL AND GEORGE FROM THE U.S.A ABOUT JOB OPTIONS. Complete the online comprehension questions.

TIP: Print the dialogue FIRST and study it if you have any problems with vocab and grammar ---> use your dictionary and teacher! We are here for you! :-)



COMPETENCIES: VPAU493, 494, 497, 498, 502, 503

Week 8, Term 4: We All Call Australia Home

Dear Students, this is the last week of classes. I wish you a safe and happy holiday. I thought we could study and celebrate Australia, our country. Do you like the video, I Still Call Australia Home? It is a very moving song by Peter Allen. I am sure most of you have seen it on TV.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LYRICS OF 'I STILL CALL AUSTRALIA HOME'. PRINT FROM YOUR LAPTOP

AUSSIE QUIZ



HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT AUSTRALIA? TAKE THIS QUIZ










AUSTRALIAN ANIMALS



What do you know about these birds?



If you cannot read all of the questions CLICK HERE.

DREAM TIME STORIES - THE EMU



CLICK HERE TO WATCH AND LISTEN TO THIS STORY ABOUT THE EMU AND THE JABIRU - A TRADITIONAL ABORIGINAL DREAM TIME STORY FROM THE NORTHERN TERRITORY


TRAVEL THE WORLD FROM YOUR DESK : LEARN ABOUT OTHER COUNTRIES WHILE STUDYING GRAMMAR

CLICK HERE to try one of the many quizzes here about other countries. You can also practice your grammar at the same time!

Week 7, Term 4: What do you think about ...

Hello students

we are looking at FORMS, SURVEYS and POLLS this week. Please complete the surveys below.





If you have problems reading the survey below, CLICK HERE TO SEE IT ON ANOTHER PAGE




Level 3 : Survey about food

If you cannot read the form below CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE SURVEY


I would like to know what you think of this weekly ESL Club. Could you please take the time to fill out this online survey for me?

(If you have problems reading the form below, CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY)



Try this fun English poll:

Week 6, Term 4 : The Future

ACCESS 1 and 2

Watch the video about the FUTURE TENSE (WILL vs. GOING TO)



The teacher above explains the basics but she is not telling you the full story about EXPRESSING THE FUTURE in English.


GRAMMAR : Talking About the Future - 6 Different Ways

We talked about the 'very soon future' in class (about to) that is, when we are on the point of doing something. WILL and GOING TO can also be used for talking about the future but the shade of meaning is different.

In fact there are about 6 ways of expressing the future. LEVEL 3 students click here and read/listen about the 6 ways we can talk about the future.

1. Going to +verb = Intention, prediction
2. Will and Shall = a future fact, a sudden decision, an offer, a threat, a promise, an opinion about the future, a probability especially after think, suppose, expect, doubt if
3. to be + -ing (Pres. Cont for the future) = future plans
4. Present Simple for the future = something already arranged / part of a program or timetable eg. The train leaves in half an hour.
5. Is to / Are to = express something officially arranged. eg. The party is to be held at the Community Centre
6. About to / due to = To express that something is going to happen very soon or is expected to happen soon.




JEALOUSY - A STORY ILLUSTRATING THE 6 WAYS WE TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE

LEVEL 3 STUDENTS CLICK HERE TO READ THE STORY

1. Read the story that shows the 6 ways of expressing the future.
2. How do you think the story will end? Send me an email or leave a COMMENT below




SPEAKING AND LISTENING - MYSTERY BOY

Go to Voxopop and listen to the DISCUSSION called :

MYSTERY BOY ... Telling a Tale (Click here)

If you are in Level 2 or 3 you might like to add your own version based on the activity we did in class this week.