Doesn't time fly ...

DISCUSSION - CELEBRATIONS

It's the end of the year ... time to relax ... and (after some rest)... to think about the new year to come.

I know you love Bean ... study the song, Auld Lang Syne, they sing in the video.

When do we traditionally sing Auld Lang Syne?
Why do we sing that song?
Do you celebrate New Year? If so, what do you do?

KARAOKE - Auld Lang Syne Let's have a sing along ...



LISTENING - MAKING RESOLUTIONS

A "Resolution" is a promise to change your life in some way. On New Year's Eve many people make a resolution. Here are my resolutions for the coming year ...



Dale o0(I'm going to cut down on eating sweets)
Dale o0(I'm going to read a short story in Spanish every week)
Dale o0(I'm going to keep on going to the gym and riding my bike to work everyday)

ADVICE: Do not make too many resolutions. You might not be able to keep them!


SPEAKING MY NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS ... LIFE & STUDY

Make two resolutions ... 1) about your life 2) about studying English.

Use the vocabulary and phrases we used in class:

*quit
*cut down on
*keep doing
*try harder
*start

Structure:
*I promise to ...
*I am going to ...
*I will ...

PHONE CAST YOUR RESOLUTIONS ...

Please phone your resolutions on to our class Phlog at ipadio.com (use the Mobile English learning sheet with 1800 number, codes and pin from your book!!!)

Here are some Level 1 and 2 Resolutions ... (many, many more at our ipadio.phlog) :

Animals

Level 3 - Information Texts : Extinct Animals



What do you know about the Tasmanian Tiger? What other extinct animals do you know about? Why are these animals extinct?

Read about the Tasmanian Tiger at Simple English Wikipedia. Click here.

CATEGORIES:

*size
*weight
*appearance
*life expectancy
*diet
*location
*environment
*current numbers

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:

endangered animals powerpoint1

See more presentations by Calvin1 | Upload your own PowerPoint presentations

OUR CLASS BOOK : ESL ENDANGERED ANIMALS

Click here to download our Simple English Wikipedia Book called "ESL Endangered Animals".

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.

3) CLICK HERE to go to the FORM




Level 1 - Read and write a simple information text

In class we read about the Yellow-Eyed Penguin from New Zealand.

Making questions from Information Words. Finish writing the questions

Height : How tall are they?

Weight: How ___________________?

Age they live to: How long __________________?

Home country: Where ______________________?

Number left: How many _______________________?

Food: What __________________?

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Level 2 - Writing Notes : Don't Forget to Feed the Cat!



Imagine you are going on holiday for two weeks. Here are some things that need to be taken care of:

*garden
*pets
*mail and newspapers
*rubbish bin
*security



Karaoke ...

Growing Up

Don't Eat the Marshmallow

Level 2 and 3 - Interpret a Spoken Informational Text



Level 2 - You can use the language subtitles first viewing
Level 3 - Do not use the language subtitles first viewing

Watch the video two or three times. LEVEL 3 students ... answer the questions and submit them to me:

If you cannot see all of the form and the SUBMIT button, click here.

Natural (and Everyday) Disasters

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Make a list of the "household disasters" you see in the video. Which ones are common? Which ones are ridiculous? Which ones are really dangeous?



Have you got a short story to tell about a common, household disaster? Leave your story on our student Phlog at ipadio. (Use the number and codes I gave you in class).

The 24th of August, 79 AD started like any other day ...



(scroll down for more activities about Pompeii)

Volcanoes - Reading and Writing for Information (Level 3)





As you know I spent my holiday in Sumatra, an island in Indonesia with very active volcanoes.

How and why do volcanoes erupt? Watch the Volcano Song ...

1) Note the key words
2) Can you explain what happens?



3) Watch this BBC slideshow for more information

4) Tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, typhoons ... look at other BBC slide shows and prepare a short written description. How do they happen? Where do they happen? How do they affect lives?

We read about "Super-volcanoes" in class. If Yellowstone National Park explodes the world will be in a lot of trouble. We talked about two past eruptions in class - Krakatoa in the 19th Century and Pompeii in 79AD.
POMPEII




In 2009, Melbourne Museum held an exhibition called A Day in Pompeii

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE VIRTUAL EXHIBITION Can you find the virtual cinema? Watch the three movies about the eruption of Mt.Vesuvius

1. Watch the short video called The House of the Vine.

2. Read the section DAILY LIFE. Was life in Pompeii the same for everyone?

GRAMMAR - The Passive Voice

to be + past participle

eg. Volcanic eruptions are caused by the build up of pressure.
eg. Glass is made from sand.

Remember, we use the passive voice when the object, not the subject, of an action is most important.

Exercise One:

Complete this online exercise about the passive.

KRAKATOA : The Last Days (Part 1)

This is a short BBC film about the eruption of Krakatoa which took place in 1883 and killed over 36,000 people. The film shows a Dutch family, the Bejjernicks, trying to escape the volcano on a ship with more than 100 passengers ...



What would you do if you were at Krakatoa in 1883?

Watch the other parts of the movie at YouTube.


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LEVEL 1 : Taking Phone Messages



1. Use the BLANK message sheet I gave you in class. Listen to the telephone conversation. Fill in the message sheet.
2. Questions:

Who is the message for?
Who took the message?
Who called?
What is the message?
What is Phil's number?







Level 2 examples ... (a little bit more complicated!







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Horrible Housework

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.







If you like ...

Watch How Clean is Your House - Blame the Kids 2 (to see how they clean Cary's house)

Watch How Clean is Your House - Blame the Kids 3 ( final part - before and after)

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GRAMMAR - Almost, Almost all, Most of

In class we read about three Thai boys sharing a flat. They were very messy but wrote a housework roster to solve their problems.


Remember our sentences? Are they (generally) true? If so, why?


Most men are messy. / Most women are tidy. / All chidren are untidy.

Try this quiz using Almost / Almost all and Most of

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Fun Activity ...

CREATE A ROOM ONLINE (@icovia.com)






















Click on this link to go to a website where you can be an interior decorator - create the perfect room for yourself

Exercise: With a friend talk about your room. Which room did you decide to create? What furniture did you include? What furniture did you move or get rid of?

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LISTENING EXERCISE : LEVEL 3 : The Waiter and the Lady

1. Take home the sheet with the scrambled story I gave you in class
2. Cut up all of the phrases and put them on an empty table in front of you
3. Play the story below
4. Try and put the story back together
5. Write up the story
6. Answer these questions ... What is funny about this story? What is the joke?



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I Want to be Elected

The 2010 Federal Election is over! But still we do not have a Government. What happened? Watch the video above. Click here to read the transcript and find more stories and videos about the election result.

What is a hung parliament?
Who has the most seats in the House of Representatives?
Who has most of the seats in the new Senate?
What are independents?
What is a minority government?
Should we have another election?

Discuss these questions with your teacher.

GRAMMAR GAME - Giving Advice

Should / Shouldn't / Ought to / had better / Why don't you ... / What you can do is ...

Click here for a board game. You will need a dice. (Get your teacher to blow up a copy on the photocopier)

Level 2 and 3 : 'D BETTER vs. 'D RATHER

What is the difference?

I'd better go now / I'd rather go now

Complete this online exercise

LEVEL 3 : Either or / Neither nor ...

Neither the Coalition nor the Labor Party are able to form a government.

Try this online exercise




Watch the Mr. Bean video, I Want to be Elected ... maybe Mr.Bean should become our next Prime Minister?

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Making Stuff

Origami - paper folding - is a very old Japanese art. Can you follow Tavin's instructions? Can you make this jumping frog? All you need is a piece of square paper ... and a little patience!

Here is a simple diagram and set of instructions to help you. (Many other great origami models to make here too!)

With a friend or family member choose another piece of Origami to make from Tavin's site on YouTube (click here). Stop and start the video as many times as you like. Have fun!



Watch the Mr. Bean video. How did he make his sandwich? What ingredients did he use?

Print this worksheet about the Mr. Bean video from ESL Galaxy.com. Watch the video again and complete the worksheet

Listening ... My Favourite 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?



My Friend's Favourite Sandwich

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.

Speaking : Level 2 and 3

Use your mobile or home phone to tell the world about your friend's favourite sandwich recipe(use the 1800 number and codes I gave you in class to make a phonecast on ipadio.com)



Speaking : Level 1 - What would you like?

Practice ordering a sandwich. Use your mobile or home phone. Order your sandwich at ipadio.com!

eg. Give me a chicken sandwich with Mayonnaise, please. / I'd like a salad roll, thanks.


Ordering in a restaurant

In class we put the conversation between a waiter and customer in correct order:



Waiter: Are you ready to order?
Customer: Yes, I'd like soup to start, please.
Waiter: And what would you like for your main course?
Customer: Can I have the fish, please?
Waiter: The fish. Very good. And what would you like to drink?
Customer: Can I have a glass of white wine, please?
Waiter: Certainly. A glass of white wine.
Customer: And I'd like a bottle of mineral water, too.
Waiter: Yes, of course. Thank you.



Listen to some Level 3 examples of Ordering in a Restaurant at our Voxopop Talk Site (Click here)


Level 3 : Ordering a Coffee at Starbucks



This American teacher gives advice about ordering a coffee at Starbucks. Do you think her advice is helpful? Are cafes like this in Australia? What type of coffee does she order? Do you think she is "culturally biased" (or is she just trying to help?)

To look at the script of this video click here. (Also explanations of vocab and American slang)







Level 2 and 3 : Writing ...Taking care of a neighbour's house

In class we listened to someone asking a neighbour to feed the cat while he was away for the weekend. Imagine you are going on holiday for two weeks. Here are some things that need to be taken care of:

*garden
*pets
*mail and newspapers
*rubbish bin
*security