…because a picture is worth a thousand words or so they say.
My plan is to show the pictures one at a time and encourage pair discussion and then whole-class discussion. That’s the magic of a good visual.
Source: Getty Images
Source: Knoff
Note: I don’t know the source for some of these pictures. In most cases, they have been uploaded to Pinterest and I have stored them in Topic-based folders.
Should the author of any of these pictures require attribution, kindly let me know.
Hello February! What? Already almost mid-February?
It took me most of the second half of January to assess my students in the five skills required to certify their level but now I welcome February with open arms and with the aim of letting loose a bit and doing activities that are a little bit more fun than assessing students. It shouldn’t be too difficult LOL.
Also, I have to confess, and from what I gathered from their marks in exams, I might not be doing enough writing. So, I have started February with the aim of planning some time in my classes to give my students some short writing activities.
Here we go with one of them and….. you are going to need PASTA.
Introducing Vocabulary
Step 1: Brainstorming
Put students in pairs and ask them to write in 1 minute all the words they can think of related to landscape and scenery.
Get feedback and give enthusiastic applause to the pair who has written the most items. At this point, it does not really matter if the words are below the advanced level. Let them have some fun but, on the board, write only the ones that are a bit more advanced ( for ex: I wouldn’t write the word “tree” but I would write the word “ridge”).
Step 2: Introducing Vocabulary
Hopefully, in the brainstorming activity above, students would have come up with some of the words in this exercise.
2. Clarifying. Some words might cause confusion; these are the ones I have clarified.
Same, Same, But Different Worksheet by cristina.cabal
3. Reinforcing. Silently assign a word to every student in the class and ask them to write a definition for the word and then have them read it aloud for the class to guess.
The Writing Activity
On the board write some verbs they might want to use: scramble down (the cliff), stray from(the path), stick to (the path), (the road) wind along, ( a road/ridge) lead up or any other you feel they might need.
Step 1: Writing. Individual work
Ask students to choose one of the photos above and write a short descriptive paragraph on a separate piece of paper. Encourage them to use the target vocabulary ( but don’t let them know at this point that they will be rewarded for their choice of words). Allow 12-15 minutes for this task.
Step 1: Peer assessment. Using the pasta as a reward
Back to the grind with an engaging lesson on Science and Research.
Warm-up: Scientists and their discoveries and inventions
1. In pairs: In 1 minute, write as many scientists as you can think of together. Do you recall what they are known for?
2. Whole class. Display the exercise and do it as a whole class. Students should rank the 3 most important discoveries or inventions in pairs, giving reasons for their choices.
Vocabulary. The words you need.
Listening:Many Clinics Use Genetic Diagnosis to Choose Sex
Step 1. Pre-Listening:
Read the beginning of the news and ask students to discuss what the news is about
Prenatal genetic testing: A growing number of doctors are pushing the ethical limits of the procedure called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD.
Some say doctors are going beyond the edge of ethics. Some doctors analyze an embryo’s DNA so parents…
Step 2. Listening Comprension.
TRUE or FALSE?
Source and transcript: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6654619&t=1641299618264
Step 3. Now, on the board, write the question: “ Is it ethical to choose the sex of your baby?” and ask students to, individually, list some reasons to defend their position. Put them in pairs to discuss their opinions and then do a whole-class debate.
Note: You will also find this question (slightly modified) in the exercise below.
Speaking: Activating vocabulary
Display the first question and have students, as a whole class, come up with the word that best fits in the gap.
Further practice: Word building here (Serena’s blog)
Introducing movement in my lessons is one of my favourite things to do when I am teaching.
On most days, when I am preparing my lessons, I really hate how this pandemic has put a stop to some of the most fun dynamics to engage our students. Fortunately, the headmaster in my school has had the bright idea to convert the staff room into a more flexible kind of room and pushed tables together, got rid of unnecessary furniture and provided teachers with a space to give free rein to our creativity, a place big enough for students to move around and keep their distance.
I am not going to lie. This lesson has required preparation, like a lot. The good news is that you can use my lesson if you like it.
Before the class
In the class
Brainstorm vocabulary related to the Arts and write on the board. Add to their suggestions, the vocabulary listed below and drill pronunciation.
Revising vocabulary with a crossword
Speaking: Warm-up. Here we go.
Stirrer:
Show this picture and ask students to guess what it is. Someone will probably come up with the right answer. Ask: Do you like this painting? How much would you pay for it?
Before displaying the image, it might be a good idea to read the news here. (Robert Ryman’s Untitled sold for $20 million)
News here
Speaking: Battle of Wills (so to speak)
For this activity, I have used two corners of the classroom and labelled them AGREE and DISAGREE. You will find the PDF for the posters above.
Procedure:
Step 1. Explain they are going to see a poster with a debatable statement about art and they will need to choose the corner that best represents how they feel about the statement.
Step 2. Explain that in their corners, they will need to talk about the reasons for their choice and develop strong arguments to support their opinion as they will be challenged by students with opposing views. Encourage the use of vocabulary.
Step 3. Give them enough time to come up with their own arguments to justify their position.
Step 4. After a 10-minute discussion, ask students from both corners to face each other.
Step 5. Battle: This is the part I like best. Ask students to choose someone from the opposing corner. Pair them up and tell them they have 5 minutes to try to convince each other, using strong arguments, to switch corners. For drama, ask them to use the phrase: “I challenge X”. ) Have a look at the picture above to see the position they take when they start the challenge. This is also important. “The magic behind every outstanding performance is always found in the smallest of details.”
These are the 3 posters I have used. Get the printable version here
Note: After Step 3, I have helped students build more solid arguments by handing out the cards below, which they had to read and comment on before the battle.
Get the printable version here
Art posters here Art cards here
I have never been politically correct so let’s not mince words. For an exam, you need to follow these three tips:
I know you are able to maintain a conversation at a decent level but this is not what an exam is about. An exam is about impressing the examiner. Yes! You heard me correctly! You need to make a strong, though not necessarily lasting, impression on the examiner(s).
Disclaimer: this is the way I would do the monologue. This does not necessarily mean it is the only way to approach it.
So, now that we are on the same page, the big question is…Do you want to ace your exam?
Assuming you have followed tips number 1 and number 2 above( I would reconsider taking the exam if you have not studied or practised, like a lot. ), here comes the most difficult part: bringing to mind vocabulary specific to the topic you have been given, which is part and parcel of tip number 3 and this brings us back to tip number 1.
Am I making any sense?
Tip 3: About being smart. General TIPS
I could go on and on but I think you get the gist.
NOTE: These are some ideas and you should be adding to this list the items you feel most comfortable with. You don’t have to use these ones, what you need to bear in mind is that you have to use advanced vocabulary and structures. So, you need to pull your weight and add to this list or cross off what you don’t feel confident using. It is up to you, now.
It is important to practise key phrases, which you can use no matter the topic in the exam. What I like to call the “skeleton” of your monologue and you need to write it down and say it and try it with different topics and figure out a way to make it work with whatever topic you land yourself with.
So, here you have some ideas for your “skeleton”:
Download the poster here
I know that taking an oral exam is a nerve-wracking experience but, if you practise and study, I cannot promise it is going to be a walk in the park but it will certainly be easier.
NOTE: my students will be using Flipgrid to record themselves doing a number of topics.