GAME PLAN 2

8/8/2019 GAME PLAN 2

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/game-plan-2 1/12

GAME PLAN

(2) LISTSWhy do we do that?

Submitted by TE Editor on 8 July, 2009 - 14:26

Learners have a lot of questions about how they should learn a language, and often form their

own answers, which we need to discuss. Many of these answers are not necessarily things

you agree with, and discussion also gives you an opportunity to explain your beliefs about

language learning and how this translates into what you ask learners to do in the class.

There are 25 different questions here about classroom practices. The activity, for pre-intermediate and above, involves the learners choosing questions they want answers to from

the 25 available and then matching the questions to possible answers. This can be followed by general discussion.

PreparationBefore the class, copy and cut up the questions and answers. Prepare enough for each groupyou have planned to have one set of questions and one set of answers.

y 25 Questions 44k

y 25 Answers 47k

Procedure

1. Write 'Why do we do homework?' on the board. Elicit ideas and discuss them briefly.

2. Put the class into groups. Hand out the 25 questions and ask the learners to choose 8 (or more) which they think are relevant to their class.

3. Ask each group to put the questions out on the table in front of them and then ask them to

get up, circulate, and see which questions other groups have chosen.

4. Hand out the answers. Ask the learners to try to match the answers to the questions.



5. Again, get learners circulating to see other ideas, and then discuss the answers to the mostuseful questions open class.

Note: You can guide discussion in all of these activities by selecting the questions you want

learners to have instead of them choosing. This can be useful if there are specific issues you

would like to discuss with your learners, e.g. group work and why you do it. However, you

may find that the questions that you think are relevant to your class are not what the learnerswant to discuss, for example, you may think there are no issues around homework and they

may feel very differently.

If you do find learners respond to these activities and really do start to give opinions, be ready

to respond with the same candour and make sure you know why you do things the way you

do them!

Paul Kaye, Freelance Materials Writer

Gerunds and infinitives: Farmer Jones and

his wife (copyright again dude) -> reading

and grammar comprehensionSubmitted by TE Editor on 1 July, 2009 - 13:58

This activity looks at the problem of whether verbs are followed by the gerund or infinitive.

At Upper Intermediate level (B2 on the CEF level and FCE Cambridge exams) students are

confronted with this problem and it is often useful to practise more thoroughly to help the

difference in meaning of the verbs become part of the learners¶ active knowledge. After thestraightforward rules for verbs like manage (infinitive) and enjoy (gerund) it can be quitedifficult for students to grasp the difference in meaning between a verb like try which can be

followed by both, but with different meanings.

Activity components

Worksheet - Farmer Jones story

Download Farmer Jones story worksheet 11.35 kb

Preparation

Give out a copy of the Farmer Jones story.

Procedure

y Ask the students to read the story and then attempt the exercise in pairs.

y Get them to compare answers in pairs, then give feedback to the activity as a whole

class



y Encourage students to justify their opinion as to why the gerund or infinitive should be used. For example, we can say continue to get or continue getting with no

difference in meaning, and both are equally correct. However, when we look at tried,we need to look more closely at the context.

Did they increase their profits by buying chickens? If so, we could use the gerund.

But the rest of the story makes it clear that the scheme didn¶t work so it has to be the

infinitive.Similarly, does he try buying a gun or does he try to buy a gun? Both are correct,

grammatically, so the answer depends on the context.

He tries buying would indicate that he encountered no problems in the purchase of the

gun, but again the context makes clear that he wasn¶t able to complete the transaction

because he had no identification, so we must use the infinitive.

You could discuss with the students other reasons why someone might try to buy a

gun but fail to succeed (underage, need to wait a month to purchase, criminal record

etc), and then reasons why someone would try buying a gun to solve the problem

(burglars, graffiti problems, marital problems! etc).

y Discuss the choices with the students and ask them what happens next. Does Jane ask for a divorce because of the smell? Does it scare the chicken? Do they buy more

chickens? Can they think of a better ending to the story?

Answers:

1. falling - always gerund with can't help

2. getting - the result would be this

3. having - again result

4. either gerund or infinitive - both are possible here with no change in meaning

5. to increase - at this stage we don't know if it will succeed or not

6. to build - at this stage we think he will be able to build a fence

7. to use (because he can¶t use it) or using (he succeeds in attempting but fails in the action)

8. to buy - he tries buying would indicate that he encountered no problems in the purchase of the gun, but the context makes clear that he wasn¶t able to complete the transaction because

he had no identification, so we must use the infinitive.

9. to borrow - he tries borrowing would indicate that he encountered no problems with hisneighbours, but the context makes clear that he wasn¶t able to complete the transaction

successfully, so we must use the infinitive.

10. buying (or not having bought) but not infinitive as he could have bought one if he'd

wanted to(back then)

11. to stop (tries but fails)



12. to scare (tries but fails again)

13. to hit (tries but fails again)

14. to catch (tries but fails again)

15. shouting (easy to do but ineffective)

16. throwing (easy to do but ineffective)

17. leaving (easy to do but ineffective)

18. asking (easy to do and this time effective)

19. putting (easy to do and this time effective)

20. to buy (easy to do - at this stage we don't know if it will work)

Written by Stuart Wiffin, Teacher, France

Strange contraptionsSubmitted by TE Editor on 20 May, 2009 - 13:51

This is a group-work speaking activity for students who are upper-intermediate or above. It

takes about an hour. I originally developed the idea for a group of visiting French engineeringstudents. Heath Robinson was a cartoonist who satirised the machine age by devising and

drawing contraptions of great complexity for performing simple or absurd tasks...

Preparation

If possible, and being aware of copyright regulations, download a couple of examples of

Heath Robinson's unique contraptions to distribute amongst your students. One I have oftenused is µThe Machine for Peeling Potatoes.'

Just try a quick search using http://images.google.co.uk

Procedure

y Divide the class into groups of three or four.

y Distribute copies of the Heath Robinson design(s) and get students to try and guesswhat the machines are for and give a brief idea of how they might work.

y It might be a nice idea to tell students at this point who Heath Robinson was, and totell them why he dreamed up these crazy devices, as outlined in my introduction.

There is a short biography on the BBC history website.http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/robinson_william_heath.shtml

y Distribute enough large sheets of paper and pens for each group. If an OHP (overhead projector) is available, you could consider using transparencies and OHP pens, or you

might like to consider using an interactive whiteboard if one is available to you...

y Introduce the main task - communicating only in English with one another, each

group has forty minutes or so to design their own µHeath Robinson' machine. Explain



that the machine doesn't need to have any practical use - in fact, the more absurd the better.

y At the end of the main task, invite students from each group to give a short, informal presentation to the rest of the class. Each group must give the machine a title, explain

the purpose of their machine, and give a brief explanation of how it works.

Written by David Done

Phonemic chart(source directly online to play it realistically :http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/activities/phonemic-chart)

Submitted by TE Editor on 8 May, 2009 - 15:45

Help your students hear the sounds of English by clicking on the symbols of this

pronunciation chart - you can now install it on your own PC or Mac computer and use off lineor in the classroom. To download the chart, simply click on the link below and then save the

file to your desktop. You can then just click on the file to open it at any time. There is a

version for a PC and a version for a Mac computer.

Copyright information. © British Council. This pronunciation chart is free for you to use andshare for educational purposes. The chart should in no way be used or circulated for financial

gain.



Pronunciation chart by Cambridge English Online Limited

Energy and renewable resourcesSubmitted by TE Editor on 6 May, 2009 - 14:25

This activity is about energy and renewable resources. It builds awareness of different energysolutions which will be necessary in the future and is aimed at learners aged 10 years and up.

Activity components

Energy resources worksheet - pelmanism cardsDownload energy resources worksheet 300k pdf

Preparation

y Photocopy of the energy resources worksheet, one per pupil

y Scissors.

Procedure

y Slowly draw the outline of one of the four natural elements, the sun, water, earth and

wind. The images from the worksheet can help you with this.

y Ask the children to guess what it is as you draw. Give them five guesses. If they can'tfind the answer, tell them what it is and hold up a flashcard image from the worksheet.

Repeat the process for each of the four elements.y Hand out the energy resources worksheet. Ask the pupils to cut out the images and

text as indicated. Ask them to match the energy resource image with the natural

element flashcards introduced.e.g. Wind farm = windSolar panels = sun

Hydroelectric station = water

Geothermal pipes = earth

Note: The pupils may match the fuel energies with the natural elements, and you can let them,then review it later.

y Categorise. In pairs, ask the pupils to put the energy images in two categories:

renewable and non renewable energy. Before they start, explain the difference. Drawa time line; mark a point for the present time and a date for in 50 years time. Explain

that some fuels will run out in the next 50 years. Illustrate this by drawing a fossil fueland put a big cross over it. Tell the class that gas, oil and coal are fossil fuels and they

are the ones which will run out.

y Match. In pairs the pupils match the diagram to the text using all the clues in the

diagrams to get meaning from the text. Go round the class checking and helping.

Reassure them that they don't need to understand all the words in the text and that a

global understanding is enough.



y Pelmanism. In groups of four, the children turn all their cards face down, taking turnsto turn over two cards in order to get a text/diagram pair, e. g wind farm image and

the wind energy text. The pupil who gets the most pairs is the winner.

Extension

Pupils use library or internet resources to find out what their local energy resources are.http://globalresponse.org/kidsactions.php

Written by Claudia Richardson

WaterSubmitted by TE Editor on 29 April, 2009 - 14:00

This activity is about the uses of water. It looks at how some of us do things with water every

day, while some people in some parts of the world are not able to do them. If you can accessthe Internet in your lesson, have your class visit the following site:

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/water/

The students will work as a whole class as well as in small groups. At the end of the lessonthe students have a µmake and do' outcome to decorate the classroom.

Activity components

Water Uses flashcardsDownload Water Uses flashcards 109k pdf

Water worksheetDownload Water worksheet 46k pdf

Preparation

You will need

y The Water uses flashcards and a blank cover card

y The Water worksheet, preferably printed on to light blue paper

y Four 1-litre bottles of water or big container of water.

Procedure

y Brainstorm uses for water. Draw a bucket on the board with splashes of water comingout of the top and ask the pupils what they use water for. Write down their ideas on

the splash lines e.g. we can wash, we can cook our food, we can grow vegetables, we

can wash our clothes, we can brush our teeth.



y Play charades. Display the water uses image flashcards on the board. Put the class intosmall groups of four or five. Invite a student to mime one of the actions for the rest of

the group to guess the water use. The student who guesses the water use correctlytakes a turn to do the mime.

y Flashcards game, µI see, I see!' Hold up one of the water uses flashcards but cover it

with a card. Slowly lift the cover card so the students start to see what the image is

behind. The first to call out the correct answer takes a turn to select a flashcard, cover with the card and lift slowly.

y Discussion. Now explain that some children in parts of the world can't use water so

easily and that they have to walk long distances to collect their water and carry it back

home. Draw a tap on the board crossed out to get across meaning. For images to get

across meaning go to: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/water/

y Carry the water! Ask a pupil to attempt to carry the containers of water (which you

have brought in) Say: carry the water home! See if they can cross the classroom and

explain that some children have to carry water so far that they don't even have time to

go to school.

y Worksheet µdroplets and splashes'. Pupils write µcan' sentences on their splashes, e.g. Ican wash myself with water, I can cook with water. They can use bright colours for

this and even decorate the water form with blue paint or glitter. You might want toincorporate an IT lesson here and print out their sentences, sticking them onto the

splash forms. Once the students have finished their splashes and can sentences, invitethem to cut the splashes and bucket out. Students then glue the sentence splashes on to

the bucket. Make a classroom display with the buckets and splashes.

By Claudia Richardson

Sitcom activity: review writingSubmitted by Katherine Bilsb... on 16 April, 2009 - 13:03

This latest activity in this series is suitable for intermediate + level students. The studentsread some reviews of popular sitcoms. Then they then watch a sitcom or a clip of a sitcom,

discuss their impressions and share their ideas and then write their own reviews using the

readings as a model.

Preparation needed

You will need to show your students some sitcom reviews that they read and use as models.

They can read the reviews online or you can print some reviews.Go to http://uktv.co.uk/gold/homepage/sid/5527 and click on a sitcom or do a Google search

with the name of a sitcom and the word 'review'. You will also need access to a sitcom, either

a whole sitcom episode or a few clips of the same sitcom. Clips can be found at

www.youtube.com. For a comprehensive list of UK sitcoms go to

http://www.sitcom.co.uk/list_top.shtml

Procedure

Introduce the idea of reviews. On the board write the following:



y How do you choose which book to buy?y How do you decide which film or television programmes to watch?

Get students to discuss the questions in small groups and try to elicit the word 'review'. Ask

students what other kind of reviews there are.

Tell students they are going to read some reviews of sitcoms. Either provide students with aselection of reviews or get them to read the reviews online. Students should be encouraged to

look at the language used and to analyse the reviews to see what information is included.

Have a short feedback session to elicit the main ideas from the students. Write them on the

board under the following headings:

y Things that are included in sitcom reviews

y Interesting vocabulary or expressions used.

Tell the students they are going to watch a sitcom and write their own review. Play the sitcom

or a few clips from the same sitcom.

After watching put students into small groups to discuss the sitcom and share their ideas,

impressions and opinions.

Encourage the students to refer to the notes on the board and to use the reviews they haveread as a model. Set a word count and a time limit. 100 - 150 words is average.

Variation

The writing stage can be done as a homework activity if there is not enough time in the lessonfor students to do it well.

Events that changed historySubmitted by TE Editor on 1 April, 2009 - 15:19

This activity is designed to be used as a consolidation exercise for the third conditional. It

could be used as a writing activity to check the grammatical form of the 3rd conditional or as

a speaking activity (see procedure 2) to guess the condition part of the sentence.

Preparation

Download the student worksheet and make one copy for each student.

Procedure

y Brainstorm events that have changed the course of history dramatically. You could

use pictures for this of famous people or inventions. This works better if the brainstorm is directed to personalise to include events relating directly to the students.

y Write these on the board and then elicit the changes that would have occurred had

these events not happened. This should elicit the 3rd conditional. However, don't



worry about that at this stage as the worksheet directs learners to the form quiteexplicitly.

y Give out the attached worksheet and ask learners to complete the sentences alone with

their own ideas. Set a time limit and monitor the students work.

y When learners have finished put them into groups depending on the class size. Theycan then compare ideas and discuss together.

You could also direct students to the correct form of the 3rd conditional and have learners peer correct any errors.

Alternative Procedure

y Brainstorm events that have changed the course of history dramatically. You could

use pictures for this stage of famous people or inventions. This works better if the brainstorm is directed to personalise to include events relating directly to the students.

y Write these on the board and then elicit the changes that would have occurred had

these events not happened. This should elicit the 3rd conditional. However, don't

worry about that at this stage as the worksheet directs learners to the form quite

explicitly.

y Give out the attached worksheet and ask learners to complete the sentences alone. Set

a time limit and monitor the students work.

y Put students into pairs or groups of three depending on the class size.

y Student A then reads out the result of one of her sentences. After reading the sentence

student B tries to guess the correct condition.

Example

Student A: I wouldn't have been able to speak to my friend last night...

Student B: If Bell hadn't invented the telephone.

Written by Derek Spafford, Teacher & ICT Coordinator, British Council, Thailand

The longest time (present perfect use)Submitted by TE Editor on 11 March, 2009 - 15:46

This is a speaking exercise for pre-intermediate level learners and above. It practises the use

of the µpresent perfect' to talk about something (an activity or state) that starts in the past and



continues now. It could be used to introduce this area or to provide further general practicelater.

Learners complete a series of statements with the names of other people in the class and then

talk to those people to see if their ideas are right and to find out additional information. At a

higher level, learners use prompts to create statements and then complete the exercise.

Preparation

Prepare enough photocopies of the worksheets for each learner to have a copy of them.

Worksheet A is for pre-intermediate and B is for intermediate+.

Procedure

Pre-intermediate

1. Write the first sentence from worksheet A on the board. Ask the learners for ideasabout whose name you can put in the gap.

2. Draw the learners' attention to the verb forms if this is appropriate to your aims, e.g. if

you are using the exercise as extra practice or follow-up.

3. Ask the learners to complete the sentences on the worksheet with the names of other

people in the class.

4. Once they have done this, ask them to circulate and check to see if their answers are

right. Encourage them to ask for more details, for example, for Q4 what the other

learner's hobby is, or for Q9 what job the other learner does.

5. Share interesting answers with the class to finish.

Intermediate+

1. Do the example from worksheet B on the board. Ask the learners for ideas about

whose name you can put in the gap.2. Hand out worksheet B. Draw the learners' attention to the fact that they can use

present perfect simple or continuous in some questions. Also highlight the position of

µthe longest' in the sentence (at the end).

3. Ask the learners to create sentences using the prompts and then check this with the

group.

4. Ask the learners to complete the sentences on the worksheet with the names of other

people in the class.

5. Once they have done this, ask them to circulate and check to see if their answers are

right. Encourage them to ask for more details, for example, for Q4 what the other

learner's hobby is, or for Q9 what job the other learner does.

6. Share interesting answers with the class to finish.

Follow-up

1. Learners can prepare questions using the same ideas and a similar structure, e.g. How

long have you known your teacher?

2. Learners can select a question they would like to talk about more and prepare a short

presentation for the group, or a written piece.



3. Students can prepare a similar worksheet with questions about the shortest time rather than the longest.

Paul Kaye, Freelance Writer

GAME PLAN 2

Documents

Transcript of GAME PLAN 2