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Stay-at-home

RESOURCE PACK

for

YEAR 8

HOMES

Did you know? This house sits on a rock in Serbia's river Drina. A group of young men decided that the rock was the ideal place to build a shelter in 1968, and it has withstood severe storms and floods for over 50 years.

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How to use this pack:

1. This pack is intended for Year 8 students and focuses on the theme of HOMES.

2. Students can start by covering the Listening and Reading Tasks first to prepare them for the Speaking and Writing Tasks. Here are two clips related to the topic of Homes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9HzpvydnxE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MgDN2Rjk44

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIjNfZbUYu8

3. Although literature tasks are not included in this pack due to space limitations, we do encourage students to read for at least half an hour a day. Some texts related to the topic can be accessed via these links:

https://www.taylorwimpey.co.uk/inspire-me/just-for-fun/the-best-home-themed-poems

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/awesome-8-hub/wacky-houses/

https://www.natgeokids.com/au/discover/history/general-history/skara-brae/

as well as:

One Thousand Chestnut Trees by Mira Stout

4. We hope you find this resource pack useful. Any suggestions or feedback would be appreciated. Kindly contact clarissa.padovani@ilearn.edu.mt; marika.vella@ilearn.edu.mt; or pamela.zerafa@ilearn.edu.mt

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LISTENING

You’re going to listen to a TV presenter describe a room in a famous person’s house.

If possible, get two people to read the text aloud to you. The text can be found on page 13 and at http://taleinmalta.wixsite.com/elrc/audio-clips-for-stay-at-home-packs-1

1. Look at the picture below and study it for a few moments. There are 6 differences between the description you are going to hear and the picture. Listen carefully and circle the 6 differences on the picture below.

2. Listen to the text. You may circle the differences while listening.

3. Spend one minute circling any other differences.

4. Look at the words on the right of the picture. Listen to the description again and number (1-9) these words in the order in which you hear them.

5. Listen again and match what each word describes in the box below. The first one has been done for you.

a. luxurious the lounge b. wonderful the desk c. superb the flowers d. marvellous a. the home e. adventurous the coffee table f. great the mystery famous person g. huge the TV h. beautiful the painting i. modern the sofa

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From Listening Extra by Miles Craven (CUP)

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SPEAKING

Go to page 14 for a large picture.

Useful language:

In the middle is a…

It’s made of…

On the wall/floor, there’s a ….

Near the door/sofa/bed, there’s a ….

Opposite the door, there’s a …

A. Think of a famous person and invent a description of a room in their house, including several clues. Describe the room to a friend and see if they can guess who the famous person is. From Listening Extra by Miles Craven (CUP)

B. Look at the picture on the cover page of this pack. Imagine you lived in this house. A journalist wants to find out what it’s like to live here and has asked you to describe the inside of the house. Describe the house to the journalist.

Useful language:

It’s small/compact/but comfortable…

It’s peaceful/noisy/boring/exciting because…

The furniture/decor’s old-fashioned/modern…

The bathroom’s luxurious/basic….

C. This is your kitchen and you want to describe it to a friend.

Ask another person to draw the kitchen on a blank sheet of paper while you describe it to them. Don’t show them your picture or look at their drawing until you’ve finished!

Once you’ve described it all, compare the two kitchens. Are they the same?

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READING

1. Look at the picture on the left:

Where is she? What is she doing?

2. Look at the title below. What are the comforts of home? Write 3 of them here:

a._____________________ b.___________________ c.______________

3. Read the descriptions (a-d) of the article in the box below. Read the article and underline the best description of the article.

a. It explains how engineers designed the living areas of the International Space Station. b. It gives examples of problems that astronauts have living in the International Space Station. c. It gives a description of the living areas in the International Space Station. d. It talks about how people will build homes on Mars.

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‘The size is similar to an old telephone box*,’ said Japanese engineer Koichi Wakata as he was giving a virtual tour of his bedroom in the International Space Station (ISS). ‘It’s a little taller than my height. There’s a sleeping bag here, which is very comfortable. It’s fixed to the wall so I don’t float away.’ Wakata, who lived on the ISS three different times, had two computers in this room: one for official ISS business and a second for internet access. He also had a camera and earphones for communication with family and friends back home on Earth. His room also had a small lamp for reading in bed, but instead of a wardrobe for his clothes, he kept them in a small storage locker. There simply wasn’t enough room for a table or a chair.

The ISS accommodation didn’t offer Wakata many luxuries, but it provided a lot of the basic comforts of a usual home. He and the other astronauts ate packaged food in a small kitchen and dining area, which had an oven but no fridge. Wakata couldn’t have a shower in the ISS, but Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who spent 199 days on the space station, explained that when she was living there, every astronaut had an area where they washed, brushed their teeth and so on. ‘But you don’t have a sink,’ she explains. When she was washing, she used very small amounts of water from small containers and a special ‘no-rinse’ soap and shampoo.

As astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted, ‘ All the comforts of home. Well, most of them.’

*Telephone box a small booth where people could use public phones

The International Space Station (ISS) Station

1984 The US government decided to build a space station for scientific research, education and space exploration.

1990s The Russian, Canadian, Japanese and European space programmes agreed to help with the construction.

1998 The Russian space agency sent the first part of the ISS into space, working with the other countries.

1998 to 2009 Astronauts added to the ISS to improve the accommodation on it.

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4. Read the article again and underline the best option in the sentences below.

a. Koichi Wakata’s bedroom /bed is the size of an old telephone box.

b. The bed is on the floor/ wall.

c. His bedroom does/doesn’t have a chair.

d. There isn’t water/a sink for washing.

e. In 1984, the US government decided to construct/against the construction of the ISS.

f. Australia/Japan helped build the ISS.

g. The first part went into space in 1998/2009.

Fact or opinion? A fact is something that is true for everyone. For example, Tokyo is in Japan. An opinion is something you believe but you can’t prove. For example, Tokyo is the world’s most exciting city.

5. Read the following sentences about the text. Are they fact (F) or opinion (O)?

a. The bedroom is small. ___________

b. The sleeping bag is comfortable. _________

c. A computer provides internet access. __________

d. Working in space, away from family, is very difficult. __________

e. The food in space isn’t very tasty. ___________

f. There’s no shower on the ISS. ____________

6. Go back to number 2 above. Were any of the comforts you wrote there found in the text? Circle: Yes/No

Adapted from Perspectives Pre-Intermediate National Geographic Learning

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WRITING 1. Read the description of Shuri castle below and answer these questions about it:

a. Where is Shuri castle?___________________________________________

b. When did Kana go there?_________________________________________

c. How old is it? ___________________________________________________

d. Why is it special?_______________________________________________

e. What did Kana do there? _________________________________________

Think of a home that you really like (not your own home). It can be a place you have seen or visited – a friend’s house, a family home or a famous place such as a castle.

2. Answer the following questions about the place you have chosen.

a. Where is it ?____________________________________________________

b, When did you go there? ___________________________________________

c. How old is it? ____________________________________________________

d. Why is it special?_________________________________________________

e. Who lives there (or used to live there)? _________________________________

f. What did you see or do there? ________________________________________

Adapted from Perspectives Pre-Intermediate National Geographic Learning

Shuri castle is a brilliant castle in the city I’m from – Naha, Japan. I went there last year when my cousin was visiting from Tokyo, because the castle is famous in our area. The oldest part is about seven hundred years old. It has many beautiful buildings, pretty gardens and huge gates. That’s the reason I like it. It’s unlike any other place I’ve ever been. A king used to live there, but now it is like a museum. When we were

taking a tour, the tour guide showed us the inside of the castle and told us about its history. It’s definitely the coolest home I’ve ever seen.

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3. Write an email to your friends Max and Sam and tell them about your visit to this home.

Use the following success criteria to assess your writing. Circle the emojis below.

Does my writing include detailed information to accurately describe the place?

Does my writing include lots of adjectives (e.g. modern)? Is my writing detailed enough that someone would be able to draw what I’ve described?

Did I keep to the topic? Did I check my writing carefully for mistakes, especially spelling mistakes?

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And now for something extra….read the article My favourite room by Simon Peters.

1. Which of these drawings is Simon Peters’s room? Tick () the correct box below.

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2. Read the article once more and underline the correct answer a) or b).

Adapted from Test your Reading by Michael Dean (Penguin)

3. Think of your favourite room and draw it in b) below. Draw another two rooms which are slightly different in a) and c). Show the drawings to another person and describe your favourite room. Can they guess which the correct one is?

a) b) c)

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Listening Transcript

Matching exercise: b, i, h, a, d, e, g, f, c.

Reading answer key Reading answer key Writing answer key 3 c. 5a. Opinion 1a. In Naha, Japan. 4a. bedroom b. Opinion b. Last year. b. wall c. Fact c. About 700 years old. c. doesn’t d. Opinion d. It’s unique. d. a sink e. Opinion e. He took a tour inside the castle. e. to construct f. Fact Simon Peters – My favourite room f. Japan 1. Number 3 g. 1998 2. b, b, a, b, b.

Listening answer key: Differences: 1. the coffee table is next to the sofa, not in front of it. 2. The atlas is under the coffee table, not on top of it. 3. The TV is opposite the armchair, not the sofa. 4. The toys are near the door to the dining room, not the door to the kitchen. 5. The ladies’ handbag is in front of the sofa, not on it. 6. The desk is old-fashioned, not modern. Number the words in the order in which you hear them: adventurous 5 superb 3 huge 7 great 6 modern 9 marvellous 4 beautiful 8 wonderful 2 luxurious 1

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