Tag Archives: video

Lesson Plan: The Etiquette of Social Kissing.

2 November 2015Lesson Plan: Advanced, Listening, ReadingB2, customs, kissing, lesson plan, listening, reading, speaking, video, writingCristina Cabal

“How far away the stars seem, and how far is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart”. William Butler Yeats

I was once kissed by a marquis, or maybe he was a count, but it was in a palace. I cannot remember his rank, but he was old and ugly, at least for me! Nothing to daydream about, believe me, but the fact remains that I was kissed by a nobleman. He was a long way from Prince Charming, but that was ok for me. He was selling. I was buying. That was it!

But the kiss… yes…back to the kiss. First time ever I had been kissed on the hand. I was ready for a handshake so I extended my hand. Instead the marquis suddenly, and in a very quick gesture took my hand, bowed and made the gesture, and I have yet to decide whether he actually kissed my hand or just the air. Now that I know a bit more about the etiquette of hand-kissing I realize he probably never kissed me.

Photo by Tim Rooke/Rex/REX USA

Level: B2

♥DISCUSS: It is not very often that a woman has her hand kissed nowadays. But let’s reflect a bit on how we greet each other in our different countries. Discuss these questions with your partner:

What are the rules for social kissing in your country? Do you always know how you are supposed to greet someone? Have you ever experimented any awkward moments where you didn’t know what you were supposed to do?
When kissing as a form of greeting, do you kiss on one cheek or on both cheeks?
Is it the right or the left cheek you kiss first? Know that you should kiss the right cheek first to avoid awkward situations.
If you don’t like the kissing business, how do you cope with people who want to kiss you as a greeting?
Is it appropriate to kiss in a business setting?
Do you ever hug?
Apart from the handshakes, cheek kissing and hand kissing which are quite common for us, do you know any unusual ways of greeting people ?

♥READ: Have a look at this interesting article about Unusual Ways to Greet People Around the World. When you finish reading , tell your partner which form of greeting you found most unusual.

♥LISTEN: Watch this video about the etiquette of social kissing and answer the following questions:

In Good Morning America, the *anchorwoman describes an awkward moment when you get to a party. Why is it awkward for some people to greet your host or hostess?
The British are described as” buttoned-up”. What do you think it means?
Laura Ford is a British artist. Does she kiss people she doesn’t know? Choose from the options below and justify your answer.
always b. never c. sometimes
According to Hillary Brown, social kissing in France might be getting out of control. Why?
Social Kissing is taught at some schools. Which ones?
What are some of the rules of kissing taught at these schools?
How are Americans and Latins different as regards social kissing?
At the end of the clip, the anchorman apologizes. Why?

*anchorman/anchorwoman = a person who presents and coordinates a live television or radio programme involving other contributors.

♥CHECK: Answers here

♥READ: Why do we shake hands?

♥WRITE: Imagine a foreign student is coming to your school/house on an exchange visit. What advise would you give about your customs. Use the ideas below and the modal verbs should/shouldn’t , could, must/mustn’t.

greeting someone
meeting someone for the first time
being punctual
being invited to someone’s house
tipping

Blog de Cristina is also on facebook. Click to follow

A Little Bit of Thriller on Halloween

25 October 2015American Cultural aspects, Musichalloween, listening, song, video, vocabularyCristina Cabal

Raise your hand if you have never seen Michael Jackson’s Thriller video. No hands? Right! Just what I thought! You might like it or not, but what is undeniable is that this video has become a classic.

I was racking my brains about the activity I could give my students for Halloween this year when suddenly the image of the undead rising out from their graves in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” appeared in my mind out of nowhere. Yeah! I know! Weird!

A spooky video but also a masterpiece. I hope you enjoy the activity and also the homework.

Level: Intermediate to Advanced

Time required: about 60 minutes

SETTING THE ATMOSPHERE.

Ask students some of these questions:

Do you believe in ghosts? Do you know any stories about ghosts?
Has anything ever happened to you that you cannot explain?
Do you believe that vampires or zombies exist?
What is the most frightening experience you have had?

THE VIDEO.

Pdf of the lesson here.

Ask students if they know who Michael Jackson was. Can they name any of his songs? Most probably students will know who Michael Jackson was and will probably mention the song “Thriller”. If you deem it appropriate, give students some information about this video, like for example, that it was voted the most influential pop video of all time.

More information about the video here.

The video lasts about 13 minutes. It is going to be divided into two parts, with a different task for each part .

TASK 1. Dictation (from the beginning to 4.40)

Tell students they are going to see the first part of the video where there is a dialogue between Michael Jackson and his girlfriend. Half the class will take Michael’s role and half the class the girl’s role.

Have the students work in pairs. Half the pairs in the class will write down the part of Michael Jackson and the other half the part of the girlfriend.
I suggest you give students the beginning of the dialogue as M. Jackson’s first sentence might be difficult to understand.

Jackson: Honestly, we’re out of gas.

Girlfriend: So, what are we going to do now?

You might need to play it twice.
Students help each other complete the dialogue
Pair students once again, this time you want to pair a student with Michael’s part and a student with the girlfriend’s part.
Ask students to act it out.

TASK 2. The Song (from 4.40 until the end)

Write/display the following words on the board and ask students to guess meanings. Explain if necessary and drill pronunciation.

Download the pdf with the activity here

Play the video once.

Play the song and ask students to fill in the gaps with the words in the box. Words can be used more than once.

Play the video a second time

Students complete task 1 and try to fill in the blanks for the words in phonemic transcription.

Check and listen again to enjoy the video and maybe… sing along?

TASK 3. The homework

I am well aware that I won’t be able to check this homework and I am also pretty sure my students, which are all adults, won’t be volunteering to show how much they have learnt from doing this homework, but I guess that at home they will be having a great time and that’s important too. Enjoy!

Blog de Cristina is also on Facebook. Click to follow.

Ready-Made Lesson: Food and eating

18 October 2015Lesson Plan: IntermediateB1, eating, food, lesson plan, listening, picture description, speaking, video, vocabulary, writingCristina Cabal

Lesson on Food and Eating at Intermediate Level.

Vocabulary
Listening Comprehension
Picture description
Questions for discussion
Writing

STEP 1. VOCABULARY. You can download the pdf here.

To talk, you need words. These are the words I think my intermediate students will probably need.

Adjectives

fresh fish
frozen lasagne
low-fat /high fat cheese
raw fish
spicy chicken
takeaway pizza
tinned meatballs
ready-made dish
delicious /nice taste
it’s nice/ it’s disgusting
fizzy drinks
healthy/unhealthy food
fatty food

Verbs

to eat out
to eat sensibly
to cut down on sugar
to cut out sugar
to be on a diet
to lose weight
to put on weight
to order food
to take vitamins
to take food supplements
to try new food
to contain vitamins and minerals
to have a balanced diet

Nouns

(food that is high/low in) carbohydrates “carbs”
(rich/high – low/poor in) proteins
(high in ) sugar
eating habits
a nutritionist
fats

STEP 2. LISTENING COMPREHENSION

At this level, students know what a “vegetarian” is. So write the word VEGETARIAN on the whiteboard and ask students if they know any vegetarians and if they do, what it is like for them when they eat out. Write the word “veggie” and explain that it is another term for vegetarian. Play the listening below, just for fun! It only lasts 36 seconds and it is worth every second of it!

The word “vegetarian” is a blanket term used to describe somebody who does not eat meat, poultry, fish or seafood. But then, within this term there exist different sub-groups. Ask students if they know any of these sub-groups and if they think a diet without meat is better than a diet with it.

Tell students they are going to do a listening comprehension about the different types of vegetarians.

STEP 3. SPEAKING. You can download the pdf here

Picture description: Students describe the pictures talking about the topic suggested .

EATING OUT IS NEVER A HEALTHY OPTION. Do you agree?

Interaction. Students in pairs or in threes talk about the questions elaborating on the answers.

Is there any food or drink that you couldn’t live without? How often do you drink/eat it?
Is there any food that you dislike? Which is it?
What was your favourite food when you were a child?
Do you eat healthily? Explain
Do you ever have…

ready-made food?
takeaway food?

Do you prefer to eat at restaurants or at home?
What’s the best restaurant you have been to?
Is a vegetarian diet better than a diet that includes meat? Why?
What kind of diet would you recommend to a friend?
Eating habits have changed a lot in Spain . Do you agree?
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” Do you agree with this proverb?

STEP 4. WRITING

Write an opinion essay on :

Eating meat can cause serious health problems so the best option is to become a vegetarian. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Check out how to write a for and against essay in my Writing Section here.

Blog de Cristina is also on Facebook

Listening Comprehension: Columbus Day

12 October 2015American Cultural aspects, ListeningB2, culture, listening, videoCristina Cabal

Introduction: Many countries in the New World and elsewhere officially celebrate as a holiday the anniversary of Christopher Columbus‘ arrival in the Americas, which happened on October 12, 1492. The landing is celebrated as Columbus Day in the United States, as Discovery Day in the Bahamas, as Día de la Raza (“Day of the Race”) in many countries in Latin America, as Día de las Américas(Day of the Americas) in Belize and Uruguay, as Día del Respeto a la Diversidad Cultural (Day of Respect for Cultural Diversity) in Argentina, as Día de la Hispanidad and Fiesta Nacional in Spain, and as Giornata Nazionale di Cristopher Columbus or Festa Nazionale di Cristoforo Colombo in Italy and in the Little Italys around the world. These holidays have been celebrated unofficially since the late 18th century and officially in various areas since the early 20th century. (source Wikipedia)

THE TASK: LISTENING

Level: B2

Watch the video from newsy.com about Columbus’ Day and answer the questions below:

Unfortunately,newsy.com doesn’t allow embedding so you’ll probably need to open a new window to listen and see the exercises at the same time.

♥Click on the picture to listen

♥Answer the questions. Download questions

♥Click here to see the answers and the transcript

True or False? Correct the False Sentences

The idea of renaming Columbus Day has been going on for a while. True or False?
So far, only Seattle has been able to change the name of the day . True or False?
The American Indians want to rename the day so that nobody forgets the difficulties they have had to endure . True or False?
The USA government is considering renaming the day next year. True or False?

Name four things, Columbus is blamed for

Some Priceless Topic-Based Videos to Help Students Prepare for the Speaking Test

14 September 2015Listening, Speaking, VocabularyB1, B2, exam, speaking, videoCristina Cabal

Hi, hey! How are things?
Have you read my last post?? It’s all about first-day activities to get to know my new students. Are you going to be one of them? I hope so!
Lessons start on 5 October and I am totally in teaching mode. In September ,some of my students will need to take the oral exam again and I thought it might be a good idea to share with you some priceless videos that I found on youtube this summer. I wish I had shared them with you before exams in June, but I didn’t know about them just then. Anyway, I hope you can still make good use of them.
What I am going to show you in this post is the website of an English teacher, Marek Connell ,and his awesome videos on how to answer the questions in the Escuela Oficial de idiomas Intermediate (B1) and Advanced (B2)speaking exams. I have to say here that in my region (Asturias) EOI exams don’t follow exactly the same procedure Marek explains in his videos, ie, students cannot take notes and they do not have 10 minutes to organise their speech, but what I like about his videos is that he shows how a fluent speaker would answer the questions related to a given topic.

For each topic I will show you:
• From my own website: some questions you could be asked
• From Marek Connell ‘s website, his own videos showing how a native speaker (himself) would answer some of these questions. Click to visit Marek’s website

So, pen and paper at the ready? Here we go.

1. FAMILY, FRIENDS, RELATIONSHIPS

♥Questions about Friendship,

♥Questions about your dream partner