Home › Core teaching › Writing

      Inventions

      Submitted by Katherine Bilsb... on 8 March, 2011 - 10:32

      This is a fun speaking activity in the form of a game. It can be used with most levels and most age groups. Students practise presenting their opinions and reaching agreement.

      Average: 3.4 (158 votes)
      Tag

      Class journals

      Submitted by Paul Braddock on 5 December, 2012 - 12:26

      This lesson plan looks at one way class journals might be set up in order to introduce students to the idea and to get them working with journals 

      Average: 3.6 (22 votes)
      Tag

      Class journals

      Submitted by Paul Braddock on 4 December, 2012 - 10:52

      Students often write in their English classes, following a specific genre in order to do so: the informal email; a job application letter, etc. Of course, it is important that they learn this kind of writing (which is usually essential for exam success), but it doesn’t always encourage them to write for the sake of writing, and to get used to writing in a more relaxed and creative way.

      Average: 3.8 (26 votes)
      Tag

      Ali and the magic carpet

      Submitted by Anonymous on 7 June, 2012 - 15:11

      A great lesson plan providing ideas for using the short story 'Ali and the magic carpet' from LearnEnglish Kids

      Age: 
      Primary
      Focus: 
      Reading
      Timing: 
      90 minutes
      Aids: 
      IWB or computer+projector, internet, computer room and video camera if desired
      Materials: 

      Optional extra practice (step 5):

      Plan: 
      1. Draw/show a carpet/rug on the board and elicit what it is. Ask Ss if they know of any stories with a special carpet, and what the carpet can do (fly).
      2. Play the Ali and the magic carpet story. Ss complete part 1 of the activity sheet. Play the story again – Ss can check/complete their answers.
      3. Ask Ss if they remember what the weather is like in the story. Drill the weather language (It’s sunny, etc). You might like to use these flashcards. Ss complete part 2 of the activity sheet. 
      4. Give Ss the text of the story. They read the story and complete part 3 of the activity sheet. Check answers. Finally, Ss complete part 4 of the worksheet. 
      5. If you feel the Ss need extra practice, they could try this worksheet or this worksheet, or play any of these games: game 1, game 2, game 3, game 4, game 5, game 6
      6. Ss complete the weather map worksheet. If the language is too difficult, it could be simplified to a map of the UK describing the weather in different cities. Then provide Ss with a map of their own country. They draw their own weather map, with different weather in different cities or regions.
      7. Either: play a memory game – Ss in pairs swap weather maps, and test each other: “What’s the weather like in Paris/the north-east?” Or: do a drawing dictation – give Ss a blank copy of the map, and in pairs they ask and dictate to each other the weather from their own map to draw. While demonstrating either of these activities, be sure to drill the question form.
      8. TV weather forecast project! Ss work in groups of 3 or 4. Find simple maps showing 10-15 major cities of any countries, one country per group, on A3 paper. Ss then decide what the weather’s like in each city and make weather symbols on card for those cities, which can be attached using Blu-tack or similar. While still in their groups, help Ss plan and rehearse their weather forecast presentation. Depending on the Ss, you might like to demonstrate with a map and presentation of your own before getting the Ss to start the project. When the groups are ready, introduce each group as if the news has just finished, and each group presents the weather for that country, sticking on the weather symbols as they go. This might be a nice project to film.
      9. Finally, Ss can re-imagine the story. Either individually or in pairs, they imagine where they would go if they found a magic carpet. This would be great story-boarded, Ss draw a picture and write a caption for each place they go, and where they start and finish. The original story text could be used to help Ss write captions. Then the stories could be displayed for the other Ss to read, or some pairs might like to act their stories out.
      Further reading: 

      http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/teaching-kids/tips-using-stories

      Tag

      Meetings 3: Managing a meeting

      Submitted by Sally Trowbridge on 14 May, 2012 - 12:27

      This lesson focuses on two important aspects of managing a meeting: setting up the meeting with a series of emails, and keep the meeting under control. Two other important parts of managing a meeting, introducing the meeting and closing the meeting, are covered in lessons 1 and 5.

      Topic: Managing a meeting
       
      Level: Intermediate (B2) and above
       

      Average: 3.6 (9 votes)
      Tag

      Socialising 3: Social networking

      Submitted by Sally Trowbridge on 12 May, 2012 - 13:10

      Why is it that when you go to a conference or business gathering, everyone else seems to know each other already? At least part of the answer to the puzzle seems to be social networking: getting to know business contacts online first, so that by the time you meet face to face for the first time, you already have plenty to talk about. For many people, social networking is seen as something to do instead of work. This lesson emphasises that social networking is real work. The lesson introduces useful language and techniques, building up to a large social networking simulation at the end.

      Topic: Socialising and social networking
       
      Level: Intermediate (B2) and above
       

      Average: 3.6 (8 votes)
      Tag

      Writing: mini things

      Submitted by ellenpd on 9 May, 2012 - 15:57
      Image

      Sometimes when we ask students to write a composition they spend very little time at the important editing stage. In this lesson students will do a couple of ‘short writing’ activities with the focus on editing and accuracy.

      Average: 4.1 (30 votes)
      Tag

      Yesterday

      Submitted by ellenpd on 4 March, 2012 - 18:55
      Image

      In this lesson students practise forming, asking and answering ‘wh’ questions in the past tense. They play two games and do a mingling activity.

      Average: 3.9 (19 votes)
      Tag

      What can it be?

      Submitted by Anonymous on 29 January, 2012 - 23:20

      A great lesson plan providing ideas for using the 'What can it be?' song on LearnEnglish Kids 

      Age: 
      Primary
      Focus: 
      Listening and speaking
      Timing: 
      60 minutes
      Aids: 
      IWB or computer+projector, internet
      Materials: 
      Plan: 
      1. Load the What can it be song. Review body parts of people and animals and do the pre-song matching activity together. Play Simon Says (e.g. Simon Says touch your head, flap your wings, etc).
      2. Listen and watch the song. Give Ss page 1 of the activity sheet and they complete. Listen again to check.
      3. Play the song and the Ss sing along, with their activity sheets to help them if necessary.
      4. Ss work in pairs and quiz each other, using the activity sheet, e.g. What has a minotaur got? or It's got a man's body and a bull's head - what is it?
      5. Ss design and write about their own creature on page 2 of the activity sheet.
      6. Ss add more verses to the song, based on the creatures they designed in the previous stage. Then sing the song again with the new verses!
      Further reading: 

      http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/teaching-kids/using-songs

      Tag
      Syndicate content