Oxford Basics: Intercultural Activities

basics

S im onG i l l MichaelaCafikov6

Oxfordfuwwffiww

InterculturalActivities S IMON

GIL L

MTcHAELAiertrovA

OXTORD IJNIVERSITY

PRESS

Contents Foreword AL AN

M AL EY

Introduction Activities 7. Greetingsand introductions 2

Everydaycustoms and habits

3

Names and families

4

Flags

5

The UK

6

Stamps

7

Housesand homes

I

Jobsfor men and women

9

Pets

10

Food

L1-

Drink

L2

Schoollife

13

Clothes

L4

Sport

15

Holidays

16

Souvenirs

L7

Shopping

18

Cities

19

Tiansport

20

Parks

27,

Weather and climate

22

Health and fi.tness

23

Superstitions

24

Politenessand social behaviour

25

Humour

26

Music

27

Celebrities

28 29 30

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'

Inventorsand discoverers InternationalEnglish Festivalsand celebrations

Foreword There is a formidable rangeof materialspublishedworldwide for teachersof Englishas a ForeignLanguage.However,many of these materials,especiallythosepublishedin English-speakingcountries, assumethat teachersusing them will be working with smallish classesand haveabpndantresourcesavailableto them. Also many, if not most, of thesematerialsmake implicit assumptionsabout the beliefsand valuesof the teachersand learners. This situation is ironic in view of the fact that the vastmajority of Englishas a ForeignLanguageclassroomsdo not correspondat all to theseconditions.Typically,classes are large,resourcesare limited, and teachershavevery few opportunities for training and professionaldevelopment.Also, the cultural assumptionsof teachersand learnersin many parts of the world may vary quite significantlyfrom thoseof materialwriters and publishers. This book is particularly relevantto thesecultural concerns.Many teachersare uneasilyawarethat culture playsa key role in learning a language- both the culture of the new langugeand the cultqre of the learners.However,they are often at a losshow to set about incorporating intercultural activitiesin their lessons.Like the other books in the series,this title showshow, with no sophisticated materialsor equipment,teacherscan introduce culturally relevant content in a way which is both challengingand helpful to learners' languagelearningprogress.A strong point of the activitiesis that they encouragecultural comparison,rather than the imposition of the targetlanguageculture. Of equalimportanceis the framework the book offersto teachers who lack training and support. The hope and expectationis that such teacherswill begin by following eachstep of the lessonquite will adapt and add to the closelybut, astheir confidenceincreases, techniquespresentedhere,respondingto the particular needsand abilitiesof their learners. This is an important book one of the few attemptsto addressthe problemsof the silent majority of teachersworldwide who have little or no training, and few resourcesto work with. AL AN

M AL EY

Assumption University Bangkok,Thailand

\l

lntroduction Our experienceasteachershas led us to believethat culture is a vital part of languagelearning and that languageand culture are interlinked in many important ways.In this book we offer a seriesof activitiesthat developlearners'awareness of culture their own and others- and their ability to describeand discussthe similarities,differences.and areasof interestthat they discover.

Gulture Culture in its widest senserefersto everything related to the customs,institutions,and achievements of a country,group, or community. It can be divided into two distinct groups- big'C' and small'c' culture.Big'C' culture - the art, music,and literatureof a country or ethnic group may include achievements such asthe plays of Shakespeare, the Mona Lisa,the Taj Mahal, and Beethoven's symphonies.Small'c' culture refersto our'everyday' culture and includeswhat we learn at school,our socialcustoms, how men and women's lives differ, what time we get up and go to bed,what we do in our freetime, what we eat,and so on. This book will concentratemainly on small'c'culture.

Gultureand language When learning a secondlanguage,successful communication partly dependson an understandingof the culture that comeswith it. An understandingof the customs,opinions,and lifestylesof peoplein a community, and factsabout a country'shistory, economy,achievementsand so on, all form the backgroundto understanding the culture which in turn explains a lot about what, how, and why people communicate in the way they do. It is also a natural part of the communicationprocessthat learnersdevelopa curiosity about the culture of the peoplewho usethe languagethey arelearning and wish to learn more about it. This book helpsthem to learn more about the variousEnglish-speaking culturesand prepare them for when they experiencethat culture first hand. We also need to recognizethat there are many different Englishspeakingcultures acrossthe world, many of which do not involve nativeEnglishspeakers. As learnerswe also wish to communicate our own culture. We have a lot to sayabout our daily lives,our country,and its customs. -We all live within our own family, community, village, town, and city. Theseare the placeswe know and understandbestand feel most comfortable in. In many ways it is what we most like to talk about.This book aims to developour ability to talk about the

lntroduction

many and varied aspectsof our-own backgroundin a confident and informed way. By giving equalemphasisto learners'understandingof other culturesand ability to describetheir own, we hope to developa sharingof knowledgeand mutual understandingof eachother's cultures.Although we generallyunderstandour own culture, thi. understandingis often unconsciousand we havea tendencyto assumeour own culture is normal or the'norm'. At the sametim< we may considerother culturesas'foreign'or'funny', or in extren-:; ,-: cases'inferior'.We can encouragelearnersto becomemore a\4'are othersand their culturesand to learn that the spectrumof possiL't. ideas,opinions,lifestyles,and tastesis wider than they thought. And finally,through this more informed and balancedapproach. we can fostera greaterrespectand toleranceof eachother's cultures.

Activities In this book you will find thirty activitiesbasedon culture.There are somefeaturescommon to all of them. Eachactivity: dealswith a specifictopic. Eachtopic was chosento be meaningtuinteresting,and accessible to learnersfrom all cultures,of any age. and of either gender. should last between45 minutes and an hour. The length of the lessonwill dependon a variety of factors,for example,the pacetl:. classwork at, the classprofile - overalllevel,knowledgeof other cultures,willingnessto participatein discussion,the timetableanc syllabusfor the class,etc. is designedfor usewith learnersbetweenthe elementaryand intermediateIevels. All of the activitiesneed only very simple,easilyaccessible materialswhich are describedin the unit. The picturesto be drar':on the board or postersare easyand quick to draw. A very important idea is flexibility - the lessonsare not'cast in stone'.We havetried to demonstrateas many techniquesand activity types aspossiblefor you to use,practiseand incorporate into your teaching.We hope you will seethe ideasin the book as . startingpoint from which to developyour own lessons.Here are someexamples: the ideasin the'The UK'unit can be adaptedfbr any country your classis interestedin; you could add more job titles to the list in'fobs for men and women'; if you havea class..: youngerlearnersyou may want to expandthe list of famous pets-. 'Pets'and focuslesson the discussionat the end of the unit: if r-t-' -

Introduction

are teachingin a country that is mentioned in the'Food'unit, you can replaceit with detailsof another country; if you havea class that is knowledgeableabout sport you could extendthe list of sportseventsin'Sport] and so on. The main idea is to concentrate on topicsthat motivateyour classto expressthemselves.

Approach The activitiesin this book should be accessible to most learners. However,you should spendtime making surethat they are suitable for the particular classor classes that you are teaching.The following questionsmay be useful: i;il

lt;1

What topicshavethe classshown an interestin? \{hat agegroup are they? \A4ratis their levelof English? What do they know about other cultures? What do they know about this particular topic? If you are not sureof the answerto the first question,you may want to take sometime to askthe classwhat they are interestedin or would like to know about or talk about.You alsoneedto think about the activitiesin relation to the courseyou are teachingby askingyourselfthe following questions: Doesthe topic fit the curriculum or syllabus? Doesit match my more generalteachingaims? The activitiesin this book may fit into spacesthat appearin your schedule,or you may wish them to be part of an integrated syllabus.Having found the answersto thesequestions,you should chooseand adaptthe appropriateactivities.

Sourcesof information Developinga balancedview of culture is, on one side,a caseof being awareof one'sown culture and being ableto describeit. Learnersshould learn to be an objectivesourceof information about their own culture,to imaginehow it appearsto people outsidethat culture and what thosepeoplemay find interesting, unusual,or evenbizatre! On the other side,learnersneed accessto other culturesthrough various sources. The best sourceof information is direct communicationwith 'people from other cultures- discoveringand sharingideas,finding points of similarity and alsodifference,and developinga mutual respectand understanding.It is alsousefulfor learnersto have accessto other sources:libraries,television,newspapers, magazines,

lntroduction

the Internet,and, of course,this^book.You should encourageyour classto take an active approach to finding out about other culture. by using whichever of thesesourcesis availableand to develop their knowledgEof other cultures using their own initiative. Betb:= you start an activity, think of suggestionsfor sourcesregarding th. activity topic and how the learnerscan accessthem. If thesesourc;. are aboveyour learners'level,you may want to help them access the information by simplifying it, going through the information with them, and highlighting and explaining key points. The activitiesencouragethe learnersto relateideas,compareand contrastfacts,givetheir opinions,and discusstheir feelingsabour i topic. You may wish to give them somelanguageinput and pracr;i to help them expressthemselvesin theseareas.The activitiesalsogive the learnersan opportunity to presentthe information they havefound, their ideas,and opinions.Encouragt them to give mini-presentations individually or in small groups trr the rest of the class. '

Gonclusion This book offers the following: topics of generalinterest that we have found useful in our own teaching a range of teaching techniquesand ideaswhich you can use and adaptto teachyour classes an approach which requiresyour classto be active in their approachto their studies a sourceof knowledge regarding a variety of English speaking cultures. We hope you enjoy using it.

Greetingsand introductions L A NGUAGE

CULTURE

F OCUS

Nice to meet you; Pleasedto rfreetyou. How are you? - I'm fine, thanks, and you? Different waysof greetingpeopleusing body language(non-r-e:: greetings)and,expressions

A CT IVIT IES

Group activity,pair work

M A T ERIAL S

Board

T I ME

GUIDE

P R E P ARAT ION L EVEL

45minutes-lhour Slipsof paper with a tpe of greeting Elementaryto lower intermediate Hand out one slip of paper to eachgroup of three or four learnt: Do not useany non-verbalgreetingsthat you think may be too embarrassingfor your class.Explain nod,bow,hug, and slapii necessary. TY7E9OFOREETING) nod (9candinavia) kiee on eide of Lhe face (Turkey) ehakehands (U)A) handa Loqetherand bow (Thailand)

bow (Japan) huq (Kuoeia) alap on the shoulder (north Canada)

Explain to the classthat theseare traditional forms of greetingani the country they come from is in brackets. Go round and checkeachgroup understandshow to perform the:: greeting.Write this exchangeon the board. Demonstrateit with : group. cRoup Welcometo Turkey. [greeting] TEACHERThankyou. [greeting] Positionthe groupsaround the classroom.Tell the classto mingl; and visit eachother'sgroups.At leasttwo peopleshould remain :, welcomevisitors.Let eachpersonfrom everygrouP visit three or four other groups. Ask the classif they can rememberthe countriesand greetings. on the board. Discus. List the typesof greetingand places/people what kinds of greetingsthe learnersusuallyuse.Ask which greetr:. was the most/leastcomfortablefor them and why, for example, in my country we don't usuallytouclt I don't like huggingbecause when we greet. Write this on the board: A Niceto meet you. l'm (first name,family name). B Fleaaedto meet you. My name'e(first name,family name).

Greetingsand introductions

Introduce yourselfto a few peoplein the classusing this short exchange.Shakehands at the sametime. Then ask a few pairs to practise in front of the class.Explain that this is a polite way to introduceyourselfto someonein an English-speaking country. Now askthe whole classto move around the classroomintroducing themselvesusing the expressionsand shakinghands.Stop the activity when everyonehas introduced themselves. 5

Draw thesefiguresand bubbleson the board.

Gh*. Hello, Howare gotr?

anJSou?

6

Ask the classif the peoplein the picture are strangersor friends and ask them to explain their answer.(Answer: they are friends becausethey usefirst names.) Practisethe exchangewith a learner in front of the class.Then ask a pair to practisein front of the class,then another pair. When they are readyaskthe classto walk around and greeteachother (not shakinghandsthis time). Rub out the nameslohn and Mary from the bubble and write PeterRyan and Bob Ellis under A and B. Explain that A is much younger than B. Ask the classwhat you should write in the bubbles (A - Mr Ellk; B - Peter). Explain that it is more polite to say'thank you'than'thanks' and changelt's secondbubble. The classpractise as in stage6. For further practice,changeB to JaneEIIis and go through the samestages.This time the learnersshould useMs insteadof Mr.

Follow-upactivity

.. "

Th.:i;ir .""'*ri,. or actout a shortconversation betweentwo peoplemeetingfor the first time.

-r Z

Everydaycustomsand habits

LANGUAGE Presentsimple for habits,things that are generallytrue cuLruRE Focus AcrrvrrrEs

Typical national customsand everydayhabits Quiz,discussion

MATERTALs Board r I M E G U rD E pREpARATIoN

4 5 m i n u te s - I hour Make a list of daily habits or make sure the list provided in staq:

is suitable LEVEL Lowerintermediate to intermediate L

Make sure all the learnershavea cleanpieceof paper.Drart th< following on the board: My aountry

Other countriea

1 2 3

2

*r, ,n. classyou are going to read out somesentences about da:habits. Tell the classto write True,False,or Maybe under My country, and write the name of a country they think it might b'r true about under Other countries.Do an examplewith the clas. 'Teopletake their shoeaoff whenthey enter their home.' False

3

Japan, Korea

Readthe other sentences and give the learnerstime to think abi their answersand to ask questionsif they wish. I Peopleinvitegueststo lie down and restwhen theyarrive at t;: ' house. 2 Peoplesaynothingbeforebeginninga meal. 3 Childrenweara unifurm to go to school. 4 Peopleput up a Christmastreeon 24th December,not before. 5 Womengiveflowersto their husbandor son on their birthdar. 6 Peopleeat boiledeggsonly with a plasticspoon,not a metal o,:: 7 Peoplesay'Goodbye'when theyget out of a lift. 8 Peoplehavesoupat lunchtime. (Answers:I Sudan;2 many countriesincluding the UK; 3 many countriesincluding the UK, Turkey lapan, Sudan; 4 the CzechRepublic,Slovakia;5 Slovakia;6former GDR; 7 Slovakia,the CzechRepublic,Hungary; 8 Central Europe.)

Everyday customsand habits

4

When you have read all the sentences,read through again one by one from the beginning and ask individuals to answer.Write the answerson the board. TEACHER Peoplesaysomethingbeforetheyeat a meal.What do you think, (learner'sname)? LEARNER Theydon't sayanythinghere.I think theydo in France. Put the classinto small groups of three or four. Make sure they have a clean sheetof paper.Tell them to make a new list of daily habits about their country and/or other countries,five of them true and five of them false,for example: In Koreapeoplesay'I'm home.'when they entertheir home. Here peoplegive lift operatorsa tip when they get out of a lift. Go round the classcheckingand helping if necessary. When all the groups are ready,mix the groups so that everyoneis working with at leastone person from another group. Tell the new groupsthat peopleshould read out their sentences while the others answer True,False,or Maybe.While they do this, go round and checkand make a note of the most interestingquestions.Make sure that everyonehas had a chanceto ask and answer some questrons. When all the groups have finished, put five of the most interesting questionson the board and discussthe questionswith the class,for example: ln Lhe UOAyounq peopleneedto ehowan identiLycard to prove their aqe whenthey order an alcoholicdrink. Do you think this ie a qood idea?ls it a qood idea for thia country?

Follow-upactivity

The classcan write a short descriptionof some important customs and habits in their country.

Namesand families LANGUAGE Englishfirst and family names -

havegot...;is/isn'tmarried;... nameis...: ::il:1,':f::nships: cuLruRE Focus AcTIvITIES

First and family namesin Britain and other countries,families Pair work, brainstorming,listening

MATERTALSA family tree on a posteror the board TrME GUrDE 45 minutes- I hour PREPARATIoN

None

LEVEL Lower intermediateto intermediate L

Ask the classif they know the origin of their family namesand what they are in English.Write someexampleson the board. Pu: the following British family nameson the board and askthe cl:.. to match the name with the meaning: i Newman 9mith WaLerman Ser7eant ?orter Jones

oomeonewhooails or rowoa boat Ehionamecomesfrom the firet name,John a gervant the pereonwho7uarde a qate or door a metal worker a pereon who hae recently arrived

(Answers:Newman - a person who has recently arrived, Smith a metal worker, Waterman - someonewho sailsor rows a boat. Sergeant- a servant,Porter- the personwho guardsa gateor door, Iones - this name comesfrom the first name, |ohn) 2

Clear the board and write down thesetwo names: Anthony

Tony

Ask the classhow the name on the right is different and why. (Answer:it has been shortenedand changedslightly.This is a common feature of English nameswhen we addressfriends or membersof the family.) Write down the namesin columns I r-: below and ask the classto discussin pairs what they think the s: forms are and write them in the right-hand columns.Go throurthe answerswith the classwhen all the pairs have finished. 1234

10

Robert

tsob

Victoria

Vicky

Daniel

Dan

Thomae

Tom

Andrew

Andy

Catherine

Katy

Joeeph

Jo

?uean

)ue

Na me sa n d f a milie s

Discussany similar custom,if there is one, in the class'sculture. Other examplesarelapan - HanakobecomesHana-chan,RussiaAndrei becomesAndrushka,Tirrkey- FatimabecomesFatos,Italy - Guiseppe becomesBeppe. Draw the family tree below on the board or put up the poster.Ask the classto copy it. Explain that you are Lucy, a member of the family, and point to your name on the tree. Explain that lines going acrossare for family membersof the samegeneration(brothers, sisters,etc.),lines aboveare the previousgeneration(mothers, fathers,etc.) and lines below are the following generation(sons, daughters,etc.).The sign = meansmarried.

:DaviL

Readout the text and ask the classto fill in the nameson the tree. Readit two or three times if necessary. AIy name'sLucy.I've got a brotherqnd a sister.Catherine- we call her Katie - is theyoungest.Robert- that'smy brother,Bob - is older than me.My mum'snameis Victoriqand my Dad is calledAndrew. He hasn'tgot any brothersor sisters but my mum hastwo brothers, Thomasand David. Tom- that'swhat we usuallycall Thomas- isn't married but David is.His wxfeis calledLucy- just like me - qnd they'vegot two children. They'remy cousins.Their namesare Harry and Hannah. When the classhave finished ask individual learnersto come up to the board and write in a name and explain who it is, writing a sentenceon the board, for example: Victoria Thomas/Tom Lucy 4

Follow-upactivity

Lucy'amum is calledVictoria. Victoriahaa a brother called Thomaeor'Tom'. David ia married. Hio wife ie catled Lucy.

Ask the classto draw their own family tree with all the namesand then make a copy with just their name. Put them in pairs. Tell them to give the copy to their partner and describetheir family tree using the expressionsabove.As the classare working walk around checking and helping where necessary.

Tell the classto write a description of their family tree and add a few detailsabout eachperson.

11

4 Ftags L ANGUAGE C U L T URE

F OCUS

Flagsfrom around the world

ACT IVIT IES

Matching, dictation

M AT ERIAL S

Country name cards Examplesof someflags(aslargeaspossible)

T IM E

GUIDE

PREPARAT ION

L EVEL

L

Bt^[

Namesof countries,colours,positions (top, middle, etc.)

4aria Erg

45minutes-lhour Preparethe cardsand a list of flagsfrom various countries Researchthe origin of the flags'designs Prepareflags(the sameas on the list) Lower intermediateto intermediate Choosenamesof countriesthat you want to make flagsfor later in the lesson.Put the classin pairs and hand out a set of cardsso that eachlearnerhas half a matching set.Tell them they are going to play'Snap'.Eachplayerputs their cardsfacedown and turhs one card over eachat the sametime. If they are a pair, the first person to say'Snap'winsthe pair. If they are not a pair, they go into a pile, and the playersturn again.The winner is the playerwith the most cards.

lond Ger n4an$ TLr

k.u Bra

ziL Hrrn

Argentivna Den mdrk Aus tratia Ken ua Viet nam 3ary When all the pairs havebeen found, askindividuals to read out the namesof the countriesand write them on the board. Checkthat the classcan pronouncethe namescorrectly. Hold up an example of a flag and ask the classif they know why it is designedlike it is, for example,the red circle in the middle of the |apaneseflag is a symbol of the rising sun. Put up somemore exampleson the board and askthe classto work in pairs and discussthe possiblereasonsfor the design. Tell the classthey are going to draw a flag and haveto guesswhich country it is from. Dictate theseinstructions: Draw a largerectangle.Now draw a linefrom the top Ieft hand con:i' to the bottomright hand corner.Draw anotherlinefrom the top rig;:: hand cornerto the bottomleft corner.Now draw two morelines,or;; from the top to the bottom of the rectanglein the middle, and the

L2

other onefrom the left to the right, also in the middle.All the lines crossin the middle of theflag. They are all red. The restof the rectangleis blue. Thereis a little bit of white on eachsideof the red lines. Readthe instructions again if necessary.Give the classtime betweenreadingsto discussand draw. The classcan make guesses about which country it is at the end of the activity. (Answer: the United Kingdom or'UK'. The flag is made up of three flags: England - a red crosson a white background; Scotland- a white diagonalcrosson a blue background;Ireland - a red crosson a white background. It is called the Union fack.) 5

Follow-upactivity

Give eachpersona flag (from a country you chosefor stage1) and tell them to prepare a description on their own. Give them five minutes. When they are ready,put them in pairs and explain that one personshould read their descriptionwhile the other person draws.They should then try to guessthe country. For further practice and fun, learnerscan come to the front of the classand read their descriptions.The rest of the classcanfiy to guessthe country.

The classcan write a descriptionof another flag, or write a short description of the country representedby the flag they were given in the lesson.

t3

lrA

TheUK

J

L ANGUAGE

C U L T URE

F OCUS

Where's...?It's in... The highest,longest,biggestetc. Namesand locationsof famousplacesin the UK (note that this lessonoutline can be adaptedfor any country)

ACT IVIT IES

Guessinggame,matching

M AT ERIAL S

Map of the UK (optional) Largepiecesofpaper for eachgroup of3 or 4 learners

T IM E

GUIDE

P REPARAT ION

L EVEL

L

45minutes-lhour Find a map of the UK or check the locations of major UK citie. and famous places Preparea poster with a description of ten placesin the UK Elementary to lower intermediate Hand out the largepiecesof paper- two piecesto everygroup ti: three or four learners.Draw the outline of the UK on the boarC and askthe groups to copy it onto their sheets.

Ask the groups to draw in where they think the major cities anc other famousplacesare.Put up the UK map, if you haveone,a::: invite groupsto come up and look at it and memorisethe. locations.They then go back to their outline maps and checkthr placesthey marked in. If you do not have a map, go round the groups assistingand showing them where placesare.

t4

The UK

3

When all the groups have finished, members of each group should visit other groups and ask about or guessthe placesmarked, for example: ABAB Is this London? Yes,that's right. Where'sBirmingham? What's this?

4

Is it here? No, it's here.

That's the River Thames.

On the board write the names of the ten placesin Britain that are describedon the poster. Put the poster up next to the board. Eoard 1 Hyde Park 2 Edinburqh 3 Haetin7a 4 )tratford-upon-Avon

5 6 7 b

Liverpool Glaeqow gtonehenge

g

Den Nevie iO Loch Nesa

Dover

Poster a the capital of gcotland b thakeapearewa6 born here c a lake wiLha well-knownmonoter d the big4eef,park rn central London e the hiqheat mountain in the UK f a place with SOOO-yearold atone crrcles g the biq4eet city in gcotland h the Beatlee came from here i a port wiLhfamoua white cliffe j Williamthe Conquerorwona famoue battle here in 1066 (Answers:Ld,2a,3j,4b,5h,69, 7f, 8i, 9e, l0c) 5

Tell the groups to try to match the place with the description. When they have finished matching, they should mark the placesin their outline. When all the groups have finished, go round the groups in turn, checking their answers,for example: LEARNER (pointing to the group map) This is Edinburgh,the capital of scotland.

6

Follow-upactivity

Tell the groups to draw an outline of their country. When they have finished ask them to write ten descriptions of well-known places and mark them on their outline (without the name).When all the groups have finished they then visit eachother. The groups give the visitor a name and ask what it is famous for and where it is.

The classcan write or talk about a favourite place they have visited in their country or a foreign country. 15

l4

\,| Stamps L ANGUAGE

C U LT URE

F OCUS

Describingpictures Both X and Y are ... Stampsfrom around the world

ACT IVIT IES

Categorizing,mtrtching(Pelmanism),describingand matchin-

M AT ERIAL S

Postagestamps,as many different kinds aspossible A sketchmap of the world Slipsof paper

T IM E

GUIDE

PREPARAT ION

L EVEL

45minutes-1hour Collect stampsfrom a variety of countries Ask the classto collectsome stamps Write short descriptionsof someof the stampson the slipso: paper Lower intermediate

L

Hand out the stampsat random to groupsof threeor four lea::-, ' If possible,eachgroup should haveten stampsor more. Ask t:-. to look at the stampsand discusswhat is on the stamp - a tan-. person,a place,somethingfrom nature,for example,a bird or flower,somethingcultural, for example,a national costume,e:. They should put the stampsinto groupsbasedon thesecatego:..

2

Ask eachgroup to report back to the rest of the classon what :.,. found, for example: Wefound threestampswith picturesof animals,two with picttt.:: famouspeople,andfive with picturesoffamousplaces.

3

Draw a sketchmap of the world on the board (or put up a pos::Ask the groupsto checkwhich countriestheir stampsare froc: come up to the board, and write the name of the country in ti:= appropriateplaceon the map. Note that namesof countriesc-': stampsare often in their original language,for example: Helvetia- Switzerland,Sverige- Sweden,Polska- Poland,Esp,i": Spain,Nippon - Japan,Osterreich- Austria, etc,

4

l6

When all the countrieshavebeenmarked on the map, tell the :.to get into groups of six. Reshufflethe stampsso that eachgr..-: has a new set of about the samenumber.Tell the groupsto tu:- . their stampsupsidedown on one desk.Explain that this is a q.- , and the winner is the personwith the most stamps.When the-.-readythey should take it in turns to turn over two stampsat a time. If they match in any way,that is, they come from the sar:-. country,they both havepicturesof famouspeople,etc.thev sh- make a sentence,for example,Both thesestampscomefrom Br,:.:

Stamps

and keep the pair. If the stamps don't match they turn them over again.The game is over when there are no more matching stamps. Hand out the slips of paper with descriptionson - one for each personin the class,for example,This stampis yellow.On it you can seethe British queen'sheadand a picture of Father Christmas.He has got a big white beard.He is holdingsomethingblue, Ask the classto read their descriptions and check any words they don t know. Hand out a stamp to eachmember of the class.It should be different from the description but have a pair. The class should then walk around the room reading their descriptions. When they find a match,the personwith the descriptionshould take the stamp and sit down. The last two people to sit down are the losers. Put the classinto groups of three or four. Tell them they are going to design a new stamp for their country and the best designwill be put on the board. First, the groups should choosea categoryand decide on something original. Then they should draw a sketch in colour. When all the groups have finished they should come up to the front of the classand presenttheir design.

Follow-upactivity

The learners can design their own individual stamps or write a descriptionof a stamp they didn't describein class.

N ORT H

AMERIcA

ArnrcA

v

0

17

I

-

I

Housesand homes

L ANGUAGE

C U L T URE

F OCUS

Typesof housing,namesof room-s More/most Housing in a variety of countries

ACT IVIT IES

Discussing,listehing

M AT ERIAL S

Board

T IM E

GUIDE

P REPARAT ION L EVEL

L

45minutes-lhour None Lower intermediate to intermediate Draw the illustrations below on the board and ask the classto name as many types of housing asthey can.Write up their ide., next to the illustrations.

Guide the classto other words on the list below with questior:. for example,What kind of placesdo studentslive in? How mar.'. roomsare there?(Answer: one.) Wat do we call this type of (Answer:bedsit.)You may needto explain accommodation? improvisedhome (a place to live using immediately available materials,for example,cardboard boxes,sheetsof canvasor tr:: detachedhouse sharedhouse trailer

bedsit improvisedhome attachedhouse

single- owner apart m i':: sharedapartment other (dormitory,nu,::' ; home,etc.)

Ask the classto think which typesof housingare most commc:. Ll their country and other countries,and which are rentedor o\t:-::. expensive,cheap,or free. Tell the classto write as you dictate the following information about housing in the UK, Australia,and Canada.When thev h; ' completedthe sentences read out the statementsand ask the c-' , to tell you which are True or False.

r8

Housesand homes

UK 82o/oof British peoplelive in houses,160/oin apartments,and 2o/oin bedsitsand othertypesof accommodation. Australia 79o/oof Australianslive in detqchedhouse512o/oin apartment5and 9o/oin semi-detached,row, or terracedhouseg Canada 560/oof Canadianslive in detachedhouses,10o/olive in attached houses, 31o/olive in apartments,and 30/olive in othertypes. Statements a More peoplein Canadalive in apartmentsthan in Australia. b Most UK residentslive in flats. c More Australianslive in attachedhousesthan Canadians. d More UK residentslive in housesthan Canadiansor Australians. (Answers:a - True; b - False;c - False;d- False) 3

Write down thesecountries'nameson the board: TheUOA

En7land

NewZealand

Readout thesethree descriptionsof placesto live in and askthe classto guesswhich country they are in. I This househas2,500squaremetresof land with beautful viewsof the countryside.It has an openplan living area and two bedrooms, a verandah,and a doublegarage.It wasbuilt in 1997.It is in a historical,riversidetown. It costs$50,000. 2 This is a loft apartment It hasa very large liting room/dining room, threebedroomsand threebathrooms.The total areaof the apartrnentis 150 metres,and it hqsseventeen largewindowsthat look overthe city.It costs$5.Smillion. 3 This is a small housein a terracewith an entrancehall, sitting room,dining room,kitchen,bathroom,and two doublebedrooms. It is about 100yearsold and hasa reargarden.It is about ten minutes' walk from the centreof town. It costs$240,000. (Answers: 1 - New Zealand;2 - The USA; 3 - England) An alternative for this activity is to name the countries and ask the classto guessthe price of the houses. 4

Follow-upactivity

Ask the classwhich country and what type of place they would like to live in most and what sort of featuresit would have.

fi";#.""'-.1

"

out the descriptions of their idealdwelling. t9

Jobsfor menandwomen

8

LANcuAGE Jobnames Numbers cuLruRE Focus

How we think and talk about men and women and iobs

AcrrvrrlEs

Discussion, matlhing,comparing

MATERTALS

None

TrME GUrDE PREPARATToN LEvEL

1,

45 minutes - t hour None Intermediate

Write the words below on the board and ask the classto copv ---,:l down. Ask the classto find the odd one out (Answer: model - ' the other words refer to a man or woman). Ask them to think : words which refer to the samejobs asthe list but do not refer :. " man or woman. a a a a a a a

fireman moaer otewardess waiter policeman fieherman chairman

(Answers:a firefighter,-, a cabin attendant,a server,a police offrcer,-, a chair person). When all the classhave finished go through the answersand discusswhy the words on the first list causeproblems when 'i." are usedthesedays. 2

Write thesewords on the board and ask the classto put then - ,, one of threejob groups:jqbs for men, women, both men anc women. doctor nuree chef detecLive body builder lorry driver aecretary

model

When the pairs have finished, discussthe list with the class.-ds-.r.1 pairs why they chosethe group they did.

20

Jobsfor menand women

3

Write thesesentences on the board and askthe classto discussthe situation in their country in pairs or small groups. Do men and womendo the same kind of joba? Are there anyjobe women/menshouldn't.do? Are there anyjobe women/mencan't do? Do men and women4et the aame levelof pay? Arejob advertieementsdividedinto men'aand women'osectione? Do womenuouallyworkfull time/part Lime,workfrom home,do the housework? When they have finished ask eachpair or group to explain one of their answers.

4

Hand out the information slips below, one to a pair and ask them to talk about the information on the slip. When they are ready they should mix with pairs who have other slips and sharetheir information and opinions.When most of the classhaveshared their information askthe classto discussthe main points that were raised. INFORMATION SLIPS Theavera4eyearly incomein the UOAfor men ia $36,000 and for womenfi26,OOO. Womenearn leee than men in 99% of all occupationo. Thepercentaqeof womenpoliticianoin Nordiccountriea ia 3B.B%, in the Americas 15,3%,in Aeia 14.9%,and Europe14.1%. Thepercenta1eof womenin aeniorcompanypoaitiono roae from 17.6%in 1972to 43.8% in 1996. From 1983 to 1996, the percentage of womenin police forcea in the UOA roee from 9.4% Lo 17.2%. ln 1972,there were4O2,2O5 womenbuaineeeowneroin the UOA. By 1996, Lhat numberhadjumped to 7,95O,OOO. Threeout of four womenover sixteenare now employed, Ask the classhow equal men and women are in their counrty and in the world generally.

Follow-up activity

-

The classcan describetheir opinions about how men and women are treated in their country.

2l

9 Pets L ANGUAGE

C U L TURE

F OCUS

Namesof animals Giving opinions Petsin different countries

ACT IVIT IES

Multiple-choice
M AT ERIAL S

Picturesof famouspets (optional) Slipsof paper for stage3

TIM E

GUIDE

45minutes-lhour Find picturesof famouspets (optional) Think of other famouspets Write the sentences from stage3 onto separatepiecesof paper

P R EPARAT ION

L EVEL

Lower intermediate

7. Ask the classto think of somefamouspetsfrom books,television, film, or real life and make a list on the board. They can be from the country you are in or another country.Ask them if they kn6w the following, if they haven't been mentioned already,and explain who they are.Show the picturesof the pets (optional).

2

Pikachu

mouee-likecreaturee,from the'Tokemon' cartoon

Winniethe Fooh

a bear who lovedhoneyand had lota of adventures,from a children'ebook,'Winnie the Fooh'

Tomand Jerry

a cat and mou6ewhoare alwayefi4htin7, from the carLoon,'Tomand Jerry'

Dabe

a cute piq who behaveelike a eheepdoq,from the film,'Eabe'

Explain to the classthat they are going to do a quiz. Put the class into pairs or groupsof three and tell them to listen to the question, talk about it briefly then put up their hands to answer.The first team that answerscorrectlyis given a point. Put the scoreson the board after eachquestion.Readthe questionsslowly and clearly. a How manyfamilies in the USA own a cat? 315,000 J.1 5 m llllo n

31.5million of dog in the world are there? b How many dffirent breeds/types 100 400 1000

22

c What wasthefirst animal to go into space? a monkey a dog a mouse d Wat is the largestnumberof puppiesborn at onetime? 10 23 41 e \4rltatproportion of British families havepets? a quarter a half threequarters f How much money (in dollars) is spenton pets in the tlSA everyyear? 20 thousand 20 million 20 billion (Answers:a - 31.5million;b - 400; c - a dog (calledLaika from Russia);d-23 (a British dog in L987);e - a half; f - 20 bitlion dollars) 3

Put the classinto groups of four or five and give eachlearner a slip of paper so that there are about 50/50'For' and Against'petsin eachgroup. Fete are 4ood companionafor older people. Tete makea meeoon the atreet. Feta are fun for children Lo play with. Petecan be dan4erousand killpeople, Themoneyepen| on pete ohould4o to childrenwhoare etarvin7. Do4oare ueefulbecauaethey etop robberaand bur4laro. Fet food ie a waate of meat from fish and other animala. CaLsare 4ood at killinqmrce,raLa,and other dirLy animala. Feoplein some countrieacanno| afford pete. To checkeveryoneunderstandstheir sentenceaskthe'For'learners to raise their hands and then the Against'.Explain that they are going to discussthe good and bad points about pets and each personhasto argue'For' or Against'.Go round and monitor asthe groups are discussing.When they have finished ask the classto vote 'For' or Against'pets.

Follow+rpactivity

The classcan write down their reasonsfor supporting or being againstpets. z3

10

Food

L ANGUAGE

Words and phrasesconnectedwith food

C U L TURE

F OCUS

Food from different countries

ACT IVIT IES

Drawing word spiders,sentencebuilding, Venn diagrams, discussion

M AT ERIAL S

None

T IM E

GUIDE

P REPARAT ION

L EVEL

L

45minutes-lhour Check the meaning of foreign food words, think of examplesof foreign breaKast and lunch food Elementary to lower intermediate Draw theseword spiders on the board and ask the classto add to them. Tell them to make some more spidersfor other countries. When they have finished ask members of the classto come up and draw their spiderson the board.

olam chowder

roasrb".?

fish o"d ohips 2 Write the list below on the board without the numbers. Explain that this is a list of different world foods. Tell the classto work in pairs and number the items. Do an examplewith the class.

24

1 pizza 2 goulaah 3 ehiehkebab

Kusoia 9 Japan 7 Turkey 3

4 korma curry

India 4

5 couscoua 6 dimeum

Malayeia B ltaly 1

7 auahi O naai qorenq 9 boracht

Hunqary 2 North Africa 5 China 6

pieceaof fiah on rice 7 barbecuedmince meat 5 epiceswiLhcream and meat or ve4etablee 4 oteamed eemolinawith opicy meat 5 eLewffavouredwith paprika 2 baked douqh with tomato and cheeeetoppinq 1 eteameddumplinqo 6 fried rice dish with eq7 O ooup made wit'h beetroot I

When all the pairs have finished ask them to make sentencesabout each dish using this pattern: Pizza comesfrom ltaly and is baked dough with tomato and cheese. Draw two large circles on the board and label them Breakfasfand Lunch. Ask the classto write down what they eat for thesetwo meals and what other nationalities eat, for example,for breakfast the Frencheat croissants(moon-shapedpastries)and drink coffee.

SreokPqsf When everyonehas finished write the class'sideasin the two circles.Explain that in the USA and Britain peopleeat something called'brunch'. Ask the classto guesswhat they think this is, (Answer: the first two letters of 'breakfast'and the last three letters of 'lunch') and explain that it is eatenbetweenbreakfastand lunch usually at the weekendand can be a combination of different types of breakfastand lunch food. Write the names of food below on the board and ask the classto work in pairs crossingout the food that they wouldn't want to eat for brunch. You may need to explain some words first. toaet ba4elo cabbaqeeoup roaot lamb yo4hurt porridge 4

Follow-upactivity

corn flakes pancake eushi couocouo mueali kebab

ham curry omelettee fruit tacoe ice cream

Go through the words with the classand crossout the food they wouldn't eat.Ask them when they would eat thesefoods or what they might eat instead.

The classcan write a description of their favourite meal.

25

fi,

Drink

LANGUAGE Words and phrasesto do with drink cuLruRE Focus

Typesof drink and the effectsof drink on health and societr-

AcrrvrrrEs

Quiz, discussion

MATERIALs

None

IIME GUrDE

45 minutes - I hour

pREeARATToN Researchthe effects of drink on health, see stage 2 LEVEL

7-

Intermediate

Put the classinto groups of three or four and tell them ther' -= going to do a quiz. Explain that you are going to read out th< questionsand they should discussthe answerbriefly.Then o:= member of the team answersby putting up their hand. Each:=,getsa point for a correct answer. Quiz Questions I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 L0

i In which countriesis alcoholnot allowed? Which drink companysupportsthe USA RepublicanParf,: Name sixsoft drinks. No countrieshavea shortageof fresh water - True or Fal:e? In which countriesis wine produced? Were is whiskyproduced? Which is the odd oneout - cow,chicken,goat? Which countriesproducetea? Coffeeis made in Britain - True or False. Sakecomesfrom China?Korea?lapan?

(Answers:1 Strict Islamic countriessuch as SaudiArabia; 2 CocaCola; 3 Variouspossibleanswers;4 False- manv cou:r::-: have a shortageof fresh water, especiallyin Africa; 5 Manrcountriesincluding France,Italy,Spain,the USA, Australia.C-:. New Zealand,Germany;6 Scotland,Ireland,the USA, fapan: 7 chicken, it doesn't produce milk; 8 Many countries includ:::. China, Sri Lanka,India, Kenya,lapan;9 False(in the S€rS€trl 'produced'); 10 |apan (it is a kind of rice wine)) 2

Ask the classto think of as many kinds of drink as they can write them on the board, including the words below. Ask the--::; to discussthe list in pairs and order them accordingto hort::--: they drink every week: Lap water bottled water tea

26

Or,.nkn coffee canneddrinke other eoft drinka fruit juice beer wine epirits other alcoholicdrinks milk other kinde of drink Ask a few pairs to read out their list to the class.Tell the pairs to look at their list againand write down which drinks are good for their health,bad for their health,or do not havean effect.Put three columns up on the board: Good

Dad

No effect

Give the pairs five minutes to discusstheir answersand then discussthem as a class.Discusswhat kinds of effectsthe drinks haveon their health and put up another list in order of healthiest to least healthy.Discusswith the classhow they might improve their drinking habits. 3

Write thesetwo sentenceson the board and ask the classto talk in small groups about the effectsof drinking, using the two categories listed. Durinq 1997 in Great Britain there were16,B00 casualtiee in [raffic accidente involvinqille1alalcohollevele,5% of all traffic accident caeualtieo, )ver a quarter (27%)of pupileaged 11-15drank alcoholoncea weekor more in 1996, in En7land,comparedto a fif\h (2O%)in 1988. The effectsof drinking alcohol: In general- (relieffrom stress,helpspeopleto socialize,causeshealth problems,etc.) In your countryAsk the groups to make noteson the main points that they discuss. When all the groups are readyget the them to presenttheir points and askquestionsabout other groups'ideas.

Fo{low-up activity

The classcan?ri u report on what friends or membersof their " family drink.

27

12

schoot tire

L ANGUAGE

Schoolsubjects Time

C U L T URE

F OCUS

Schoolsubjects,a typical schoolday

ACT IVIT IES

Gap fill dictation', quiz competition

M AT ERIAL S

Blank piecesofpaper

T IM E

GUIDE

PREPARAT ION

L EVEL

L

45minutes-lhour Write a gappeddescriptionof a typical day on the board Pre-teachtimes and periods if necessary Lower intermediate Ask the classto name the subjectsthey learn at schooland pu: ; -. on the board. Then askthem which of the subjectsthey think '-: studiedat an Englishschool.Then read out the list below drtrii- the learnersto put their hand up if they hear a new subject.\\ :-: ' the new subjectson the board. Explain any subjectsthe cla4sc:: know. Subjectsstudied in England En4lieh Mathematica 9cience Deoiqnand technolo1y Hiatory Oeoqraphy Modern forei4n Ian6ua4ee Art and deei4n Muaic Fhyaical education Citizenehip lnformationand communicationtechnoloqy Tell the classthey are going to listen to an account of a typica- :; at an English school.Tell the classto write down the sentence: from the board then listen to your dictation and fill in the ga;i Readthe text twice if necessary. Board Themornin7otartz at -when there ia Aeoembly.Therez': , each day, Each perioil laste -minutee.'.:': -perioda a --minute breakat and lunchfrom -Lo Leeeonefiniahat AfLer leeeoneatudents can do 5i:-! hobbies.

28

Schoot ," 1k Dictation The morning startsat nine o'clockwhen thereis Assembly.Thereare tenperiods eachday.Eachperiod lasts35 minutes.Thereis a 15-minute breakat 11.00and lunchfrom 12.25to 1.00.Lessons studentscan do sportsor hobbies. fnish at 3.20.After lessons When you have finished ask individual learners to read back the dictation a sentenceat a time while you write the times in the gaps on the board. Put the classin pairs and tell them to make a list of the differences between their typical day and the English one. When they have finished discussthe differenceswith the class.Get the classto reconstructthe dictation to describetheir typical schoolday. Put the classinto teams of three or four and give eachgroup a name.Tell eachteam to preparea sheetof paper with numbers I,2, 3, ...10on the left. Explain that they are going to answerten quiz questionsabout English schools.They should discusstheir answers and write them on the paper.Then read the following questions twice each: I Do all Englishschoolchildren wear uniforms - Yesor No? 2 In which month do moststudentstaketheir exams- Juneor September? 3 At what agedo mostchildrenleaveschool- 16 or 18? 4 When doesthe schoolyear start - April or September? 5 All schoolsin England arefree - True or False? 6 All children rnustgo to school- True or False? 7 At what agedo childrenstart school- 5 or 8? 8 Somestudentslive in their school- Trueor False? 9 All studentshaye to study a foreign language- True or False? l0 Long hair, earrings,and make-upare not allowedin English schools- Trueor False? (Answers:1 - no; 2 -lune; 3 - l6years old; 4 - September; 5 - false,public schoolsare not free; 6 - false,children can be educatedat home; 7 - five yearsold; 8 - true, in boarding schools; 9 - true, from 11-14 yearsold; 10 - false,they are not allowedin someschools,not all.) Give the teamgtime to discusstheir answers.Write the team names on the board. Now read each question and let eachgroup answer. Give one srark to each team for eachcorrect answer.The team with the most points is the winner. As a classdiscussthe differences betweenyour country and England.

j"iriii" r"riii,Ji,ii

The classshould write some rules that they have at school.

29

1-3 Glothes LANGUAGE Wear,is wearing Namesof clothesand national costumes Is made from/oflinto cuLruRE Focus ACrrvrrrES

Typicalitems of national dressfrom different countries Memory game,matching,dictation,information exchange

MATERTALS Board,map of the world Cardswith information on |ersey,TWeed,and Shetland rrME GUrDE 45 minutes- t hour PREPARATToNPreparehandouts LEVEL Elementary to lower intermediate 1

Ask the learnersto look at all the other peoplein the classIc: , - , minute and try to rememberwhat clothesthey are wearins ::. - -' colour of the clothes.They can walk around if they wish.

2

Tell everyoneto sit down and closetheir eyes.Explain that'.'i - ' going to describesomeone'sclothesand that other learners;. answer'True'or'False',for example: Lee is wearing a blue shirt. - True. Finish the gameafter about ten sentences. Reviewany colou: - clotheswords that the classhad difflculty with.

3

Write the following three columns on the board and drar.'p:,-i--..' of the items on the right side of the board. Tell the classto =--:.-: the threeparts,for example,non - Vietnam - 7. Encourage--:-: classto match the country and picture if they are having tr.--: : with the names. Clothing

Country

non kimono aaron7 fez mackintoeh beret kilt cheon1eam

)cotland Vietnam Malayoia Enqland China Morocco Japan France

?iature

(Answers:kimono - lapan - 1, sarong- Malaysia- 2, fezMorocco - 3, mackintosh- England- 6, beret- France- {. i*- Scotland- 5, non - Vietnam - 7, cheongsam- China - 8 .

30

crothesKS

L .A e .

4

Write thesewords on the board and ask the classif they have heard ofthese placesor clothes: Jereey

thetland

Tweed

Put the classinto groups of three or four, and hand out a card to one member of each group. Explain the words wool and cottonif necessary. Card 1 Jereey ia an ialand betweenEn7landand Francewhereclothea weremade with wooland co|ton. A jereey ia a sweater made from wool. Card 2 Thethetland lslandaare off the north of Scotland, thetland wool ie mada from the eheepon the ialandand ia made into eweatero and scarvea. Card 3 The Tweedie a river in the eouth of )cotland. Tweedio a rouqh woollencloth whichia ueed for makin7jacketa, auita, and coate. Thecolour of the cloth ia uauallymixed, The personwith the card should read it out to rest of the group, who write the text down. When all the groups are readymix the groups so that everyoneis working with people from the other two groups. They should exchangethe information they have and note any differencesand similarities, for example,ferseyand Shetlandare both islqnds.When all the groups have finished, ask each group to explain any siinilarities or differencesthey have found. Discusswith the classany types of clothes that are still made traditionally in their country.

aft*-np

activity

The learners can write aparcgraph about traditional clothes from their country. 3l

14

sport

L ANGUAGE

Have you ever ...? Do you like...?

C U L T URE

F OCUS

Typesof sports 6nd sporting events

ACT IVIT IES

Miming, filling iri a chart, doing a survey

M AT ERIAL S

None

TIM E

GUIDE

P R EPARAT ION

L EVEL

45minutes-1hour Prepareslips of paper with the name of a sport on Make a list of sporting eventsor make surethe list provided is suitable Elementary to lower intermediate

7- Mime the following sports and askthe classto guesswhich spon it is: horseracing,car racing,golf, etc.Hand out the slipsof paper one at a time to learnersand askthem to mime the sport: tennis. skiing, etc.

2

Make sure everyonehas a cleanpieceof paper.Draw the follortinE on the board and ask the classto copy it down. Event,

5port,

Wimbledon

tennis

the Tourde France

Country

France 26-mtlerun

the UK

ooccer/football

a different rnt

rmlnt

a t,a n

4 yeare 0lympice

a variety of eporDe

To make it easieryou could put this list underneath(it is in the wrong order): the UK, a different country every4 years,cycling,rLondon marathon,the World Cup. (Answers:Wimbledon, tennis,the UK; the Tour de France,cyclhFrance;the London marathon, 26-mile run, the UK; the World Cup, soccer/football,a different country every4 years;the Olympics,athletics,a different country every4 years) Ask the classto work in pairs filling in the chart.When everyone has finishedaskpairs at random for the answerand write it in the appropriatespacein the chart. The learnerscan usethe follorvins, sentencepattern: Wimbledon is a tennis competitionheld in England.

32

S oortL& When the chart has been filled in. ask the classwhat the events havein common. (Answer:they are all internationalsporting events.)Ask the classif theseeventshelp good relationships betweencountriesor causeproblemsbetweencountries. 4

Ask the classfor examplesof other types of sportsand countries, for example,the USA - baseball,Thailand - kickboxing, Switzerland- skiing, etc.

5

Put the following on the board and ask the classto copy it down on a largesheetofpaper: Name

Spor|

haveplayed

like playin4

Ask one of the classthe following question: TEACHER Haw you everplayedfootball? LEARNER Yes,I have. No, haven't. Dependingon the answerdraw a tick or a crossin the column. If the answeris Yes,ask the next question: TEACHER Do you likeplayingfootball? LEARNER

Yes,I do.

No,I don't. If the answeris No, morreon to the next sport. 6

Tell the classto add another nine sportsto the list. Do a quick checkto make surethe sportsare'doable',that is, not Grand Prix car racing! You could also explain that play is usually used with ball games,for example,play golf, we usually use do with non-ball games,for example,do judo, and go for outside sports, for example, go cycling.

7

The classthen walk around asking,answering,and filling in their charts.Walk around checking and helping if necessary.

8

When they have all completed their charts,put them into groups of three or four and ask them to put their resultstogether.Give them someexamples: Eight peoplehaveplayed tennis.Only onepersonlikesgolf. Everyone hasplayedfootball.

I

Follow-up activity

Ask the groupsto report back to the classon their results.

The classcan write a report on the resultsfrom their surveyor write about their favouritesports.

33

15

Hotidays

LANGUAGE Future plans using going to and hoping to cuLruRE Focus ACrrvrrrES

Famousholidaylocations Discussion, planningin groups

MATERTALSA box or hat, learners'holiday photos,photos and postcardsof famousholiday spotsaround the world TrMEGUrDE I hour pREpARArroN Ask the classto bring postcardsthey havebought or received to class Preparephotos and postcardsof famous/interestingholiday locations Think of sightseeingareasin Australia LEVEL Lower intermediateto intermediate 7.

Put the classinto groups of four or five. Put all the photos for eacLr group at random into a box or hat. Ask a learnerfrom eachgroup to pull out a photo, show it to the group, and askthe group to make someguesses about it, for example: Is lr (name) on holidayin (pIace)? The personwhosephoto it is can then correctthem and the group can askquestionsabout the photo and holiday: Who took thephoto? Whendid you go on holidayro (place)? Who are thepeoplein thepicture?

2

Write the threeheadingsand Australia(not the notes) on the boari and ask the studentswhich parts of Australia arefamous for sightseeingand what you can do there. Country

Famous holiday places

Things you can do on holiday

Australia

Uluru(AyersRock)- huge, red rock in centralAustraliq

walk around the aren

GreatBarrier Reefbeautifulseaon Eastcoast

diving,snorkelling

Write up their ideasunder Famousholiday placesand Things you can do on holiday.You can give hints using the abovenoteson Uluru (Ayers Rock)and the GreatBarrier Reefand other placesvou haveprepared.

34

4$G

l- tp Hotidavs

Ask the learnersto get into pairs and passround the photos and postcardsof other famous holiday placesin the world. Tell them to discussthe photos and make a holiday advert featuring the photo, a description of the place,and a list things you can do there.Walk around the classmonitoring and helping. When each pair has finished, ask the classto put up their adverts on the wall around the class. Now ask the classto walk around and read all the other adverts. When they have finished they should stand next to the place they would like to visit. Tell eachnew group (peopleshould join a group of three or more) that they should now plan a holiday.Ask them what questionsthey need to think about and put a list on the board: OeLtin4 there - plane,f,rain,bue,...? Lenqth of etay - a few daya,a week,a fortniqht, ...? Tlaceto etay - hotele,camp eihe,bed and breakfaet, ,..? Thingeto eat - forei4nfood, faaL food, ...? Coat? When all the groups have finished, write these example sentences on the board and get the classto practiseusing Australia as an example.Explain that going fo is more certain than hoping to. We'regoin4/hopin4to

vieit (Vlace).

vvere

"

qo by (lranoporl).

We're

"

etay for (time).

We're

"

etay in/at (Vlace).

We're

"

eat (tood,).

We're

"

take (money).

The groups should practisetheir sentencesabout their plan and when they are readytell the rest of the classabout their holiday plans.

Follow-upactivity

The classcan write an imaginary postcard from the place they planned to visii.

35

Al^

IO

souvenirs

LANGUAGE The simplepast cULTUREFocus AcrrvrrrEs

Touristsouvenirs Memory game,discussion, presentation

MATERIALS Souvenirscolleciedby you and the class,somelargepiecesof paper TrME GUrDE 45 minutes- t hour IREIARATIoN Ask the classto bring a souvenirfrom home (giveexamplessuch as T-shirts,key rings, cups,plates,etc.);bring somesouyenirsof your own LEvEL Elementaryto intermediate 7-

Put your souvenirson your desk and cover them with a cloth. Explain to the classthey are going to play a game called'Kim's Game' and tell them to look at the things on your desk for 60 seconds,and try to remember what they are. I

Now remove the cloth and invite the classto come and look at the souvenirs.After a minute tell them to go and sit down and work in pairs to write down what they saw.Give them three or four minutes. After the time limit, ask the classto saywhat they saw. Ask them for details about the objects,for example: LEARNER Therewasa T-shirt. TEAcHER What colourwasit? LEARNER It waswhite. TEACHER And what wasthepicture on the T-shirt? LEARNER It wasan animal. TEACHER What sortof animal? LEARNER A tiger. Now tell the classto ask you some questionsabout the items: Did you buy the T-shirt? Wheredid you buy it? How much was it? Whendid you buy it? Answer in as much detail asyou can and include some interesting information. 2

36

Put the classinto groupsof four or five.Tell them to askeachother about the souvenirsthey havebrought.

LG souvenirs Ask the classto think of five things that they think are the most typical of their country, for example the UK - fish and chips, pubs, Minis, the Queen,the Union Jack.Write their ideasup on the board.

4

Write up the names of other countries that you think your class know something about. Put the classinto small groups and tell them to make a list of five things that are most tlpical of that country. When all the groups have finished write their ideas on the board. Ask the other groups to guessthe country. Tell the classthey are going to design a T-shirt for that country. The T-shirt should have a logo, for examplea phraselike'Cool Britannia?- seefor yourself',and a designincluding some or all of the things on the list. Hand out somelarge piecesof paper and make sure eachgroup has enough pens and pencils.Walk round the classmonitoring and helping where necessary.

6

rofttrrup activity

When all the groups have finished ask each group to come to the front of the classin turn and presenttheir T-shirt. A prize can be given to the group with the best design.

The classcan write a description of a souvenirthey havebought recently and any story related to it.

37

17

shopping

LANGUAGE Typesofproducts and brands cuLruRE Focus

Shoppinghabits

ACrrvrrrES

Word game,grading,listening,discussion

M ATERI ALS

None

rrME GUrDE 45 minutes- t hour PREPARATIoN LEVEL

7-

None Lowerintermediate

Play a quick warm-up game.Explain to the classthat you are goine to saya sentenceand will choosesomeoneto continue the sentence with a new item of shopping.Saythe sentence: Yesterday I went shoppingand I bought a newspaper. Choosea member of classto continue: LEARNER Yesterday I went shoppingand I boughta newsiaper and a ... That personthen nominatesanotherlearnerand so on. The game finisheswhen no one can rememberthe whole list.

2

Ask the classto think of typesof placeswherewe can shop.Write their ideason the board.Ask questionsto elicit theseplacesif necessary: market etall, deparLmentetore, charity ehop,webeite,ahoppin4 arcade/mall/centre,oupermarket,car boot eale,boutique,corner shop,hi7h otreet shop Tell the classto put the placesin order of sizeand then discussin small groups which placesthey visit most often and what sort of things they buy.

3

Ask the classif their local shoppingareahas changedin the last fir-e years- which kinds of shopshaveappearedor disappearedor changed.Write thesenumberson the board and askthe classto copy them. Ask individual learnersto read them out. If they are having difficulties,give them practicewith somemore big numbers and fractions. 3/4 5

25,OOO 1/4 million

7 B

Tell the classthey are going to listen to Brian, a small shop owner in England.They should write the name of the thing the numbers in the list refer to. Readthe text out slowlv and clearlv:

38

4 r 5y

JShopping

BRIAN

Thingsare very badfor small shopslike mine.Almost threequarters of all food is boughtfrom thefive biggestsupermarketchainsso it is very dfficub for small,localshopsto suryive.Twenty-fivethousand new shoppingcentreshave beenbuilt out of town sofewer peopleshop locally.The result is that more than a quarter of a million small shops in villagesand small towns haveclosed.Big supermarketscan offord to stay open later - till I o'clockat night - which is dfficult for a small shopowner.And most shopsare opensevendaysa weekso peoplelike me can't ffird to take a holiday. It's a tough life. Readthe text again if necessaryand ask individual learnersto read out their answers 4

Put the classinto small groups and askthem to discussthe situation in your/their country, thinking about thesepoints: Do a lot of peopleshopin big supermarkets? Have a lot of new shoppingcentresbeenbuilt out of town? Do big supermarketsopen till late and everyday? Are small shopsclosingdown? and any other problems they can think of. When all the groups have finished, ask each group to talk about the points they have discussed.

r€fow{p activity

'Th.:i;;,

;;;

a surveyof the local shopsin the areaaround the

school.

39

18

Gities

L ANGUAGE

City names Bigger,biggest

C U L T URE

F OCUS

The biggestcitiesin the world, town and city features

ACT IVIT IES

Listening

M AT ERIAL S

World map, picturesof big cities

T IM E

GUIDE

P REPARAT ION

L EVEL

45minutes-lhour Find picturesof somelargecities,a short text describinga famous city, divided into three or four parts (this is an option, seestages2 and 3 below) Intermediate

1- Showthe classpicturesof any largecitiesyou collected,and ask them somegeneralquestions- Wich city is it? How big is it? Wat is it famousfor? Would they like to live there?etc. , Ask the classto work in small groups and write down all the biggestcities (in this casecities= connectedurban areas)they can think of, the country they are in, and rank them in order of size. When they havemade a list of about ten cities,ask a group to name the city they think is the biggestand askthe other groupsif they agreeor if it's on their list. Put a list of eachgroup'sideason the board, for example: Group l NewYork1 Tokvo2

Group 2 NewYork3 Tokvo1

No* ,."a out this text and tell the classto checkhow many cities they guessedcorrectly. The biggestcity in the world k Tokyoin lapan with 34.5 million people.It is much biggerthan the next city, New York, USA, which hasonly 21.4 million. This is very closeto Seoulin Koreawhich has 20.2and MexicoCity with 19,3.Mumbai (Bombay)in India, has 18.9million, only a few morethan SdoPauloin Brazil.lapan alsoha: the seventhlargestcity, Osaka,with 17.9million. The last threeof the toP ten are LosAngeles,Al-Qahirah (Cairo) in Egypt, and Manila in the Philippines. With the class,write the correctlist on the board. Put up a picture of the world on the board and asklearnersto come up to the board and draw in the locationsof the top ten cities.

40

1-ffi cities Ask the classto think about and make notes on their local town or city, focusing on the following points: commercial,shopping,entertainmentareas what it's famousfor - a carnival, old buildings,modern skyline,etc. expressways/ mot or ways, streets and avenues, st r eet narnes commonforms of transport expensive and inexpensive areas Discussthe abovepoints asa class. Divide the text you have prepared or the text below about London into three or four parts and hand it out to groups of three or four. Ask the groups to read out their parts and discussany similarities to or differencesfrom the town they discussed. Londonis dividedinto a commercialarea in the East calledthe City,and the main ehoppin4area in the cenLrecalledthe Weet End. Thebiqqeetentertainment area, called)oho, io next to the main ohoppin7area. Londonie famoue for ita old buildinqe,the River Thamea,and ito parke, like Hyde Tark and Ke7ent'e ?ark. ln the centre the main otreeto are quiLeahorEand narrowand the main roade are outeide the centre. All the etreeto havenames whichueuallyhavea hisf,oricalorigin. Mosf,peopleLravelon the Tube,the name of the under1round oy6tem, or by bua, taxi, or bicycle. Farkinqepaceeare very limited eo not many peopletravelto work by car. Expenoive areae are near the main ehopo- Keneinqtonand Mayfair are two of the richeet. Leeeexpeneive areae are in the East and )outh-eaet, Readthe text again and give the classtime to discusstheir answers in pairs. When all the pairs have finished discussthe answerswith the class.Finally ask which city or town they would prefer to live in and why.

Foley'up activity

The classcan write a descriptionof their local town or city.

A'l

AI

19

rransport

L ANGUAGE

Names of types of transport and problems related to transport We think... should...

C U L T URE

F OCUS

Different tyryesof transport around the world

ACT IVIT IES

Discussion,preslntation

M AT ERIAL S

None

T IM E

GUIDE

P REPARAT ION L EVEL

L

45minutes-lhour None Lower intermediate Draw the following forms of transport and ask the classto name them and put them in order of speed: t\--

4,))

b-d

2

Ask the classif they can think of any lessusual forms of transport and write up their ideasalongwith the left-hand column of the list below. Tell the classto work in pairs and name the countries where they think theseforms of transport are used.When they have finished ask pairs for the answersusing a sentence: LEARNER In Malaysia somepeopletravel by riclcshaw.

42

Form of transport rickshaw(two wheels,pulled byfoot or bicycle)

Example countrF Asia (Malaysia,Vietnam)

tuk tuk (a motorizedbicyclewith a passengerseatat the back)

Thailand

T ra n s p o rtl 9 jeepney(a USAjeep convertedinto a peoplecarrier)

Philippines

horseand cart

China

camel

Egypt

dog and sleigh

Greenland

trom

the USA

Ask the classwhat they think the plusesand minuses for each form are,for example,the rickshawis very cheapbut hard for the person pulling it. Which would they like to try? 3

Ask the classwhat problems there are with different types of transportation,for example,pollution, accidents,breakdowns, delays,cost,noise,spaceusedfor roadsand railways,using oil resources,waste(usedcars,etc.).Write the class'sideason the board. Tell the classit is their job to decidewhat forms of transport their country will use in the future:

s

they can choosefrom any of the forms describedor think up new ones. $r they should consider all the plusesand minuses for different areas or countries. = they should preparea short presentation. Put the classinto small groups and give them fifteen minutes to discussand make decisions.

' 4

Write thesephraseson the board: We think that ... Theplusesare ... Theminusesare... When the classare readyask one group to give you one of their ideasand tell them to try to use the phrases,for example, We think that tuk tuks are a good idea in London. Theplusesare that they are cheapand don't needany fuel. The minusesare that they are slowand not very comfortable. Give the groups time to work out what they want to say,then ask eachgroup to presenttheir ideasin front of the class.

rolow-up activity

'..": The classcan write a report on which forms of transport would be best for their town or city.

43

Parks

20

LANGUAGE Words and phrasesconnectedwith parks cuLruRE Focus

Differenttypesof parks

AcrrvIrIES

Dictation,listening

M ATERTALs

None

rrME GUrDE 45 minutes- t hour pREpARArroN Prepareoutline of the USA LEVEL Lowerintermediate L

Tell the classyou are going to read a short text about parks and ask them to write the text down asyou speak.Explain that when you saythe word'beep'they are to leavea blank space.Readthe text slowly and clearly. parks are areaswhere Thereare main typesof park. natureis protectedand peoplecan enjoythe wildlife and the,' It is usuallypossibleto go walkingor campingand do otheractivities areplaceswherepeoplecango to suchassailingor -. -parks and and get somefresh air. Thereis usuallya lakeor a people enjoy read a book, or spacefor to sunbathe, -. Readthe text again.When you havefinishedwrite the following words on the board and ask the classto put them into the appropriatespace.They can work individually or in pairs. City two

picnic climbinq relax National

fountain

ecenery

Go through the text with the classwith individual learnersreading one sentenceat a time. If there are anymistakes,discussthe reasons for a word fitting or not fitting into a given space. 2

44

Draw a simple outline map of the USA on the board and askthe classto copy it. Mark some spots on it at random and two which indicatethe location of the USA National parks,the Grand Canyon National Park (the seconddot on the left) and the Everglades National Park (the seconddot on the right). Ask the classto guess the correct spotsfor theseparks.

Parksps

Tell the classyou are going to read eight sentencesabout the parks and they haveto write the sentencenumber and park name,for example,I - Grand Canyon (GC). I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Thispark hasa valleyabout2 kilometresdeep. This park isfamousfor alligatorsand crocodiles. This park is basedaround 277 miles of the Colorado River. Thispark is nearMiami. Thk park is in mainly wetlandsand swamps. This park is mainly desert. This park isfamousfor its wide variety of birdlife. This park is near Las Vegas.

(GC) (E) (GC) (E) (E) (GC) (E) (GC)

When you have finished reading the sentences,give the classtime to talk about their answersin pairs, then go through the answers together. 3

tr@lorv-upactivity

Ask the classto write down the names of some parks in their country and make some sentencesabout them. When they have all written somethingask individual learnersto read out their sentencesand the classto guesswhich park they are describing. The classcan ask questionsif they need to.

The classcan write about their visit to a park in their country or abroad.

45

2I

weather andctimate

L ANGUAGE

Words connectedwith weather

C UL T URE

F OCUS

Different climatesand tlpes of weather

ACT IVIT IES

Discussion,word grouping,listening

M AT ERIAL S

Map of the world on a poster (optional)

T IM E

GUIDE

P REPARAT ION L EVEL

L

45minutes-lhour None Lower intermediate Put up a posteror draw a map of the world on the board (see Unit 6) and askthe classto copy it down. Write down the namesot four countries:Greenland,England,Algeria,and Congo.Ask the classif they can find them on the map and what the main differenceis betweenthem. (Answer:their North-South position and their climate.)Tell them to work in pairs and decidewhere they think the main climate zonesare and write ?olar,Middle, 9 ubtropical,Tropicalon the board. Ask one or two learnersto come up to the board and draw on the map where they think thesezonesare.Ask the classto describe the kind of climateand weatherin eachzone.Then askthe class to think about the effectsof this weatheron nature and people. Do the Polar zone togetherwith the classfirst and then put the classback into pairs.Monitor and help if necessary. Write the ideas class's next to the map and askthem which zone their country is in and if it is a typical country.When the classis ready fill in the rest of the chart. Zone Tolar

Typeof alimate freezin4,enow ice

Middle ?ubtropical Tropical

cold winters,warm oummere cool winters,hot eummera hot all year round

Effect few Lreegor anima;e difficult to live here

Write down the namesof the four seasons, and askthe classwhich countrieshavefour seasons. Winter

5prinq

Summer

Autumn

(Answer:usuallycountriesin the Middle zone,for example, Britain) Write words connectedwith eachseasonat random on the board and ask the classwhich types of weather typically fit which category.You may need to explain heatwave,fog and harvest. 46

weather andctimat"P

falling leavea enow aunohine cold

new fiowera ice harveof, babyanimala

*-

heatwave drouqht longerdaya fallin7temperature

Ask the classfor their suggestionsand write up the answerson the board. (Answers: Winter 6now cold ice 3

9pring newflowere babyanimale lonqerdaya

5ummer eunahine drou4ht heatwave

Autumn fallinq leavee fallin7 temperature harveof,)

Ask pairs of studentsto read out the following conversationsand ask the classto sayin which seasonthe conversationtakesplace. Dialogue I A Hello, ]ane! B Hello! A The weather'sterrible today,isn't it. B Yes,it's absolutelyfreezing. A I hopespring'scomingsoon. (Answer:winter)

,

Dialogue 2 A Hi, Tom. B Hi, Kate. A Isn't it hot today! B Really- it must be j0 degrees. (Answer:summer) Dialogue 3 A Wouldyou like to gofor a walk? B I'd love to. Is it cold outside? A Only a bit, but the leavesare a lovelygoldencolour. (Answer:autumn) Go through the answersand check with the classwhich are the key words in eachconversation, e.g. absolutelyfreezing and spring's comingsoonin conversation1. Tell the classto work in pairs and write two more dialoguesfor two of their seasons. When they are readythe pairs can read their dialoguesto the classand askthem to guessthe season.

=oilow-upactivity

The classcan write a description of their favourite seasonand the things they like to do.

47

22 Healthandfitness LANGUAGE Words and phrasesconnectedwith health cuLruRE Focus

Health around-theworld

ACTrvrrrES Discussion,grading MATERIALS

None

rIME GUrDE 45 minutes- t hour pREpARArroN Think of ideasfor the categoriesin stageI Look at the list in stage2 and think of reasonsfor the order of the countries LEvEL Lowerintermediate 7.

Ask the classhow people keep healthy,and put their ideason the board. Draw the prompts below to help them.

fl-l

Ry

Make sureyou elicit the three ideasin bold: take exeroiee have a healthy diet don't amoke donT drink too much live in a healthy environment

aleepB houro a day ao to the doctor reaularlt

Put the learnersin three groups and give them eachone of the ideashighlighted in bold from stage1 and ask them to think of more ideasrelated to their topic, for example: take exercise:go jogging onceor twice a week,cycleto work, wallll more and drive less,join a fitnessclub When they are ready,mix the groups so that there is one person eachfrom the original group. Tell them to sharetheir ideas.Finallr-. discussall the groups'ideasasa class. 2

Write up the names of thesecountries on the board, keeping the ideasfrom stageI on the board. tsrazil Egypt

48

Nigeria China

the UK )audi Arabia

the UOA PakiaLan

lndoneeia

k # Hearth andritness Put the learnersinto pairs and askthem to put the countriesin order of health,that is, which countriesthey think are the most healthyto leasthealthy,using their ideasfrom the previousstage. They should give reasonsfor their choice,for example: Weput the USAfirst becausethereare lotsof doctorsand peoplehave plenty to eat. (Answers:UK, the USA, Saudi Arabia, China, Brazll, Egypt, Indonesia,Pakistan,Nigeria) Go through the answerswith the classwhen the pairs are ready. Ask the classwhere they would put their country. 3

Write the statementsbelow on the board. Tell the classthey are going to hear an Englishdoctor talk about the Health Serviceand have to sayif the statementsare True or False.Readthe text clearly and quite slowly. Statementa 1 Thewaitinq time to see a doctor ia quite ehort. 2 Thereare plenty of nuraea. 3 Miatakesare common. 4 Hoopitaleare happVplacee. 5 ThequaliLyof healLhcare ia poor. DOCT OR

I'm a doctorand I work in a hospitalin London.Patientscan comein at any time but they usually have to wait, often two hours or more. Because Londonis expensive it is dfficult to find enoughnLtrses, so we cannotopenall the bedsin the hospitaland staff haveto work very long hours.This meansthat sometimesmistakesare madeand patients are given the wrong treatment.lt also meansthereis a lot of stressand a lot of staff want to quit. Hospitalsneeda lot more money beforewe can givepatients a satisfactorystandardofhealth care. Readthe text again.Go through the answerswith the classgiving a fi.rll answer,for example: Thefirst sentence isn't true. Youcan seea doctorany time. Youhqye to watt. (Answers:I R 2 R 3 T, 4 R 5 T) 4

Ask the classto discusswhether the statementsare True or False regarding the health servicein their country.

aaaaaaaaaaaaa...aa

Eollow-upactivity

The classcan write a short descriptionof their healthyor unhealthy habits. 49

23

superstitions

L ANGUAGE

-ing words (gerunds)

C U L T URE

F OCUS

Superstitionsfrgm different countries

ACT IVIT IES

Dictogloss,pronunciation/rhythm practice

M AT ERIAL S

None

T IM E

GUIDE

P REPARAT ION L EVEL

45minutes-lhour None Elementary to lower intermediate

7- Ask the classif they know any superstitions about being lucky or unlucky in their culture and put a list on the board, for example: Luaky throwingoalt overyour ehoulder

Unluaky

Write the superstitions1-10 on the board and askthe classto discussin small groups or pairs whether they are lucky or dnluc$' and add them to the list. Explain magpiefirst (a black and white bird with a long tail).

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 B 9 10

a bride lookin4in the mirror on her weddin7day (China) the numberLhirteen(ltaly) an itchy noee (Holland) dreaminqof a white cat (America) a blackcat walkin7in front of you (the UK) the numberLhirteen(the UK) the numberfour (Japan,China) Tueodaythe 13Lh()pain) aeein7two maqpieetoqether (the UK) walkin7undera ladder (t.he UK)

(Answers:Lr.ky - 2'Fare tredici!' or'To make thirteen!'is the slogan of the National Lottery. If you get thirteen, you win; 3 An itchy noseis a sign that good newsis expected;4 Dreaming of a white cat brings good luck in the USA; 9 Two magpiesis a sign

50

&fe # superstition.

.s"€

ru#

of joy; Unlucky - 1 Looking in the mirror the bride seesa second bride; 5 A black cat walking in front of you is bad luck in the UK; 7 The word'four', in |apanese,'shi', alsomeans'death';8 For most countriesit is FridaS but in Spain it is Tuesday;l0 Probably becausesomethingwill fall on your head.) Go through the answerswith the classand discussany similar superstitionsfrom their country. Tell the classyou are going to read them a rhyme from England about seeingmagpies.Tell them you will only read it once and that they must listen very carefully,try to remember it, and write it down. Onefor sorrow,twofor joy Threefor s girl, four for a boy Fivefor silver, sixfor gold Sevenfor a secret,neverto be told. If you think they will need help,you can put blanks on the board to correspondto the words.

Give them time to reconstruct the rhyme, at first individually, then encouragethem to help eachother in pairs or groups.When they are ready,ask one of the classto write the words they can rememberon the board. Then ask the rest of the classto comment and help until the whole text is completeand correct on the board. (This techniqueis known as dictogloss.) Mark the stressedsyllableson the text. Get the classto help you do this. Ask them to chant the rhyme together,clapping their hands to the rhythm. If you like, you can repeatthe processseveraltimes over,rubbing out parts of the rhyme eachtime until they are 'reading'from an empty blackboard.

;od[ow-up activity

The classcan translatea local rhyme into English.

5l

24 Politenessandsocialbehaviour L ANGUAGE C U L TURE

F OCUS

should, shouldn't, needn't Politenessand social behaviour in different societies

ACT IVIT IES

Discussion,Iistening

M AT ERIAL S

None

T IM E

GUIDE

P REPARAT ION L EVEL

45minutes-lhour None Lower intermediate

7- Ask the classhow they addressvarious people - people in their family, people they don t know, friends, etc. Ask them why it is important to addresssomeonecorrectly. Draw the following pictures on the board and ask the classto work in pairs and discusswhat the picturesrepresent:

HoxK!

,^.,tt3X! \ -f

When the pairs havehad a chanceto discussall the pictures,ask the classwhat they think the pictures representand how they relate to good/badbehaviour.Then write up thesesentences on the boari and ask the classto work in small groups to discussthem: Doyou blowyour nose in public? Doyou makea noiaewhenyou eatyour food? What'doyou think of peoplewhodrink alcoholin public?

52

politeness andsociat ffir& behaviour Doyou opendoora for other people? Doyou wait in a queuefor a bue or train? Doyou epeakat the eame Limeoomeoneie epeakin4to you? Doyou aay'Good mornin4'toyour neighbourT Whenyou viait a forei4ncountry do you try to learn a few phraeee of that lanqua4e? When the groupshavefinished,discusswhich types of behaviour are acceptablein the learners'countryand if they are acceptableor not in other countries,for example,in many parts of the USA drinking in public is not acceptable;in |apan making a noise eating noodlesis acceptablebut making a noiseblowing your noseis not; in the UK not queuing is unacceptable, etc. 2

Tell the classthey are going to hear a persontalking about things they like and dislike about public behaviour.Ask them to list the points mentioned. Readthe text slowly and clearly. I live in a small town and mostpeoplearefriendly and say 'Hello'.It's very dffirent in the big city wherepeopleare much colder.It really annoysme when peopletry and push their way to thefront of a queue.Bus driversare usuallyrude and unhelpful,and the standard of servicein shopsis terrible. The worst thing k groupsof young peopleat night who havebeendrinking. Theyshoutand swearand are very noisy.

3

Go through the answerswith the classand write the list on the board. Then askthe classto work in pairs and make two lists of things about other people'sbehaviourthat makesthem happy or angty. When they have finished ask them to come up to the board and write down one item from their list and talk about it in more detail.Continue till all the learnershavehad a chanceto soeak.

cnfo*-uP

activity

The classcan write about some things that have made them angry recently.

53

25

Humour

L ANGUAGE

Asking and answeringquestions

C U LT URE

F OCUS

Typesof humour, British jokes

ACT IVIT IES

Matching parts of a joke, completinga joke

M AT ERIAL S

Strips of paperswith parts of jokes

T IM E

GUIDE

P REPARAT ION

LEVEL

45minutes-lhour Write out the jokesfrom stageone on ten strips of paper Intermediate

7- Hand out one strip to eachlearner,making sure all the strips have a pair. Explain that there are five jokes and the classhave to match the first part of the joke with the second.Tell the classto walk around and saytheir lines to someoneelseand seeif the lines match.If they do, they can sit down, if not they should talk to someoneelse.You will probablyneed to teachthe classwhat a t cannibal,a wigwam, and a teepeeare. Jokes I went to the dentiet. He eaid ')ay Aaah'. I oaid 'Why?' He eaid'Oecause my doq'odied.' Twocannibale wereeatinq a clown, Oneeayolo the olher:'DoesLhioNaehefunny to you? A man qoee to the docton with a atrawberrygrowinqout of his head. Thedoctor eaye'l'llqiveyou eomeareamtro puLon iN.' Thereare two 1oldfioh in a tank. Oneqoldf'ohoayelo the of,her,'Can you driveLhis thinq? A man 4oeo to the doctor and shoute,'wiqwamteepeewi7wam teepee'. Thedoctor oaye'You'retwo tentel When all the pairs havebeen found askeachpair to read out their lines.Ask them what the funny part of the joke is. (Answers:we say aaah when we open our mouths at the dentist and when we are sorry for someone;funny can mean amusingor strangs,we can eat some type of cream and put other types of cream on our skin; a tank canbe a large container of water or a military vehicle; the pronunciation of two is the sameas too, and tentsis very similar in pronunciation to tense.)

54

Humour2S Explain that a lot of British humour is basedon playing with words. Ask what other types of humour there are in your/their country and other countries, for example: Types of humour jokes usuallya shortfunny story a comedybasedon ridiculoussituations farce slapstick humour basedon simple actionslike falling down, hitting things mime silentcomedy Explain to the classthat they are going to write a joke with your help. The joke is about a man who goesto hospital.When a learner suggestsa word, write it on the board if it's correct and give them a point. If the word occurs more than once write down all the occurrencesand award the appropriate number of points, for example: LEARNER

doctor

You

WelIdone. That's threepoints.

Put the posterup on the blackboard. doctor.'

brother.

chicken,".

When a learner answers,rub out the appropriate line, write in the word, and put a point next to their name. Give them hints if necessary. The winner is the learnerwith most points. (Answer: A man went to seethe doctor.'Comein,' the doctorsaid,'What is the problem?''I don't havea problem,'said the man, 'but we havea big problem with my brother.He thinlcshe'sa chicken.''I see,'said the doctor,'Bring him to seeme and I can help him.' 'But we needthe eggs,'the man said. 4

rcbw-up activity

Put the classin p?irs and tell them to think of somejokes or other types of humour from their country and seeif they can translate it into English. Let pairs with ideasperform in front of the class.

The classcan write a funny story or joke. 55

26

Music

LANGUAGE Typesof music Yes/Noquestion-s cuLruRE Focus AcrrvIrIES

Music and musiciansfrom different countries Mingling, quit

":', MATERTALS Slipsof paper,sticky tape

rrME GUrDE 45 minutes- t hour pREpARArroN Prepareslips of paper with namesand information about musiciansand bandsthe classare likely to know (seestage3 for examples) LEvEL Elementary 7.

Ask the classwhich bands and musiciansthey like - domesticand foreign.Get them to tell you somenamesand write them on the board under the headings: ; Band/Mueician

2

Typeof Musia

Country

Tell the classthey are going to play a game in which they have to guessthe name of a band or musician.Showthe classa slip of paper and explain that they have to discoverwhat is written on the Here is an back by asking Yes/Noquestions.Help them if necessary. example.(Answer:Paul McCartney.) TEACHER Thefirst questionis, 'Is it a band?'Youtry. Is it a band? cLASS TEACHER No.Try anotherquestion.'Is... (pointto the word 'Musician')' Is it a musician? clAss TEACHER Yes.Man? Is it a man? cLASS TEACHER Yes. cLASS Doesheplay ... ? Write the questionson the board if you think the classwill need support later in the lesson.After they haveguessedthe name of the musician,hand out the slips of paper and tell the classto write down the name of anotherband or musician.When they have thought of a name they find a partner and stick the paper on their backswithout showingthe written side.Let the classmingle and ask and answerquestions.They can changeand askanother learne: if they are stuck.They can look at their slip of paper only when they haveguessedcorrectly.The loser is the last one to guesswho they are.

56

Music2ffi 3

Tell the classyou are going to play a guessinggame.You are going to read a sentenceabout a musician or band. They can guesswhich musician or band it is but if they are wrong they lose a point, if they are right they get five points. If no one guesses you read out another sentenceabout the samemusician/band.This time they lose a point or get four points. a b c d e

Sheis a pop singer. Sheis from the USA. Her first singlewascalled'Holiday'. Her family name is Ciccone. Shehasmadefourteenalbums.

(Answer:Madonna) a b c d e

HeisaDJ. He isfrom England. He is married to a famous TV presenter. He playshousemusic. His real name is Norman Cook.

(Answer:Fat Boy Slim) a b c d e

Theyare an Irish band. Their biggerthit is called'Breathless'. Thereare threepeoplein the band. Threeof them are sisters. Theysingpopular and traditionalIrish songs.

(Answer:TheCorrs) a b c d e

Theyare an Americanrock band. Thereare threemen in the band. They havemadefifteen albums. Their biggertalbum was Automatic for the People'. Their lead singeris calledMichael Stipe. (Answer:REM)

4

=ollow-upactivity

Put the classinto small groups or pairs and ask them to think of someother bandsor musiciansand write five sentences about them. When all the groups/pairs have two or three examplesask half the groups/pairsto swapplaceswith another group/pair then read their sentencesout so the other group/pair can guesswho they are describing.

'Til;;;;.."'*tir"

a shortdescriptionof their favouritebandor

musician.

57

27

cetebrities

LANGUAGE Talking about the past Making complete sentences cuLruRE Focus

Different aspects,ofcelebrity

ACTTvITIES figsaw reading and writing MATERTALs Slips of paper, information strips rrME GUrDE pREpARArroN LEVEL

45 minutes - I hour Prepare information slips Lower intermediate to intermediate

7-

Tell the classto write the name of a celebrity (a famous person such as an actor,musician,athlete,etc.) from their country on a slip of paper and stick the paper on to another student'sback. Then get the whole classto walk around at random, stop,and pick a partner.The partner must look at the name on the other ferson's back and answerYes/Noquestionsabout them so that the other personcan guesswho they are.When everyonehas guessedwho they are they can introduce themselvesto the rest of the class.

2

Discusswith the group why thesepeopleare celebrities,for example,they are good looking, act well, sing well, etc.and how r''e know they are celebrities,for example,they are in the media a lot, they haveexpensivecarsand houses,they are married to other celebrities,etc.

3

Tell the classthey are going to learn about the lives of two celebrities.Hand out the information slips at random, one to each student, and give them a minute to check they understand their information. When they are ready they should mingle, exchanging their information with other members of the classusing complete sentences, for example,adding subjects,verbs,etc.wherenecessan-. Do an examplewith the class: Born on 16 February,1973in Mackay,Queensland. Shewasborn on 16 February,1973in Mackay,Queensland. They should find peoplewith information about the sameperson and put the information into the correct sequence.

58

ffi T celebritles/

{

Celebrity 1 Eorn on 16 February,1973tn Mackay,Queensland. Af, 16 yeare of a1e wonqold at the CommonwealthGamea. 1990 nanedYounqAustralianof theYear. Wona doubleqold at the CommonwealthGamea in 1994 in Lhe 2OOmand 4OOm. Named1996 Australian '9porte Teroonalityof the Year'. Carriedthe )lympic flame durinq the OpeningCeremonyof the )ydney 2OOO)lympic Gameeand wonthe 4OOm - Auetralia's lOOth Olympicqold medal. Celebrity 2 Born on 2B Octoben1967, Georqia(UOA). Movedto NewYorkafber hi7h achool, Made her film debut with her brother in'Blood Ked',1986. ')teel Ma4noliae'(1989) earned her an )ecar nominaLionand made her a gLar. Later in 1990, had her qreateet aucceee,'Fretty Woman'. ln 1993, married country einqer Lyle Lovett (they divorced two yeare later). $2O million- the hi4heet ealary everpaid Lo a ecreenactrees in 'Erin Brockovich'in 2OOO. WonDeot Actresa Oacar at the 2OOOAcademyAwards. Finally, the classguesswho the two celebritiesare - Cathy Freeman and Julia Roberts. Put the classin pairs and ask them to think of a celebrity, domestic or international,and write somesentencesabout them. When they arereadythe pairs should join togetherand describetheir celebritiesand askquestionsto guesswho they are. Ask the classwhich celebritiesthey talked about and what they think about them. Would they like to be that person and, if so, whv?

ro'llow-upactivity

The classcan write a description of their favourite celebrity.

59

28 lnventorsand discoverers L ANGUAGE

C U L TURE

F OCUS

The most/least Talking about the past Inventors and discoverersfrom different countries and ages

ACT IVIT IES

Matching, grading,decisionmaking

M AT ERIAL S

A posterfor stage1 (optional)

T IM E

GUIDE

PREPARAT ION

LEVEL

1,

45minutes-lhour Preparethe poster (optional) Intermediate Draw the following on the board and ask the classto identiS' them:

ooO

OOeOOoooe

Write the middle column of namesfrom the following chart on the board. Ask the classto divide them into two and discussthe differencebetweenthem. (Answer: the first four are inventions, the secondfour are discoveries;inventions didn't exist before, discoveriesdid.) Ask the classto guesswhen things were invented or discovered.Then write up the names on the left and the dates and the right. Tell the classto work in pairs and match the people with the invention or discovervand the date. Eqyptiane

baeketball

1091

Australian Abori4inee

PaPer

35OO ac

Jamea Naiamith (Canada)

the clock

10 OOOyeare aq:

the Chineoe

boomeranqe

lat.centuryoc

Alexander FIemin4 (5 cotla nd) other qalaxieo

60

1610

Oalileo

pain reliever

1924

Hippocratee (Greek)

penicillin

6 +h vvtt

EdwinHubble(UgA)

moonoof Jupiter 1928

ramf vvt,vu tJ

t tm t

er vv

Inventors and discov"r.r. ffi m (Answers:Egyptians,the clock,3500ec; AustralianAborigines, boomerangs,10 000 yearsago;JamesNaismith (Canada), basketball,1891;the Chinese,paper,lst century nc; Alexander Fleming (Scotland),penicillin, 1928;Edwin Hubble (USA), other galaxies,1924;Hippocrates(Greek),pain reliever,5th century ec; Galileo,moons of ]upiter, 1610.) \A/henall the pairs have finished, ask eachpair to make a sentence about one of the inventionsor discoveries, for example: TheEgyptiansinventedthe clockin 3500nc. Flemingdiscovered penicillin in 1928. Ask the classto work in small groupsand think of things in their houseor schoolthat havebeeninventedand write them down. Put their ideason the board, for example:

cornPUTer frid7e

Detevigion

hi-fi

vacuurncleaner

telephone

radio

Now tell them that they haveto choosethe three things that they would take with them to a desertisland (which has electricity)and give a reasonwhy, for example: I'd takethe hi-fi because I lovelisteningto music. Tell the classthat they have been chosenby the UN to decidewhich of the following should be banned.They can add their own ideas aswell. guns landmines drugs nuclearpowerstations nuclearbombs cars factorieswhich causepollution theelectricchair Put the classinto small groupsand discusstheir 'wish list' of items to be banned and reasonswhy. \,Vhenthey are ready ask eachgroup to put their list on the board and explainwhich items they are going to ban.

rFdlow-upactivity

The classcan write a [escription of their favourite invention.

61

lnternationat Engtish

29

LANGUAGE Words which come from other languages(loan words) cuLruRE Focus AcrrvrrrEs

How langu4ges relateto eachother matchjng,hangman(seestage3) Guessing,

MA T ER T AL S N o n e TIME GUrDE pREpARArroN LEVEL

45 minutes - I hour Think of some words in the class'slanguage that came from English Lower intermediate to intermediate

L

Ask the classif their languagehas any words which come from Englishand write some of their exampleson the board. Discuss with the classif they have changedin any way - spelling, pronunciation, etc.

2

Tell the classyou are going to give them someexamplesfrom other countries.Write down the following words on the board: r aisukuriimu (faire le)footing golfista bookingkontor computadora waina Ask the classto work in pairs to try and guesswhat they mean in English.After a minute or two give them the following clues.You can make it more difficult by readingthe cluesin the wrong order. This is a lapanesewordfor somethingcold that you eat. This is a Frenchword for a sport or fitnessexercise. This is qn ltalian word for the personwho plays a type of sport. This is a Danish wordfor a placewhereyou can buy tickets. This is a Spanishwordfor a very commontypeof machine. This is a Hawaiian wordfor a drink. (Answers:ice cream,jogging,golfer,ticket office/bookingcounter. computer,wine) Ask the classwhy thesewords are'loaned'and why their spellings and pronunciation sometimeschange.(Possibleanswer:they are usuallywords for things that are new to the culture.The spelling and pronunciation changeto fit with the other words in the language.)

3

Ask the classif they can think of any words in Englishthat came from another language.Write an exampleon the board, for example: al kohl

62

alcohol

(from Arabic)

2g lnternationat Engtish Write the following words on the board and ask the classto work in pairs to guesswhat they mean. Readout some cluesto help if they find it difficult. robota balcone bEor qayaq te kocsi cocodrille marmelada tekhne chocolatl A kind of machine A placeto stand outsidea house A cold drink A type of boat A hot drink A type of transport A dangerousanimal A type of food we eat with bread A way of doing something A kind of food

(robot) (Czech) (balcony)(Italian) (beer) (Latin) (kayak) (Inuit) (tea) (Chinese) (coach)(Hungarian) (crocodile)(French) (marmelade)(Portuguese) (technique)(Greek) (chocolate) (AzteclNahuatl)

Go through the answerswith them and at the sametime seeif they can guessany of the languagesthe words come from. Explain to the classthat English is the most common languageof communicationbetweenpeopleof different nationalities.Ask them to work in small groups and think of reasonswhy this is a good thing or a bad thing. You could put the following prompts on the board: Nativelanguages Culture Understanding Dfficulty When they are ready ask each group to explain their ideasand other groupsto respond.When eachgroup hashad a chanceto speak,ask the classto vote on whether they think English should be the common languageof communication.

Fo{low-up activity

Give them the following anagramsto solveand guesswhere the word comesfrom: totota

oogarkan

osmahop

asaun

okisok

(Answers:tattoo - Tahiti; kangaroo - Australia; shampoo - India; sauna- Finland; kiosk - Turkey)

63

/A. .4, ') I I

\) tv, Festivalsand celebrations L ANGUAGE C U LT URE

F OCUS

Sentencebuilding Festivalsaround the world

ACT IVIT IES

Note taking, writing descriptions,listening

M AT ERIAL S

Slips of paper with details of festivals

T IM E

GUIDE

PREPARAT ION L EVEL

7.

45minutes-lhour Preparethe slipsof paper Intermediate

Ask the classwhat sort of festivalsthey have in their country. Drarr the chart on the board and hand out the information slips, one to eachlearner.Go through Christmasas an exarnpleusing a complete sentence,for example: In the UK at Christmaswe havea Christmastreeand giveqiesents on Christmasday. Tell the classto mingle, tell each other about their festivals,and make notes.When they have finished they should sit down, copy the chart from the board and fill it in, adding any local festivals they can think of. Chart

Christnas

64

s lr ee, 8rifarn-Christraa day prstentsonChristnes

Festivats and cetebrations ffi ru Information slips Ramadan

2

lelamiccounLriea,atarLs 6 Nov2OO2,faatinq for one month

Kio Carnival

Kio de Janeiro,Brazil,February,one weekof dancin4

ChineeeNewYear

atarta with the NewMoon on the firat day of Lhe newyear and ends on the full moon fifteen daye later.

Halloween

31 )ctoben dead peopleare eaid to appear from their 0rave6

Valentine'eDay

14 February,lovereeend each other carde and chocolatee

DaetilleDay

14July, 1789,beqinntn4of the FrenchKepublic

Readout the following short texts and ask the classto guesswhich festival you're talking about. a We dressup as witchesand ghostsand play bobbingfor apples. b Thereareparadesin the streetsby the military and speeches from , politicians.Thereare lotsof streetparttes. c Wecannoteat anythingduring daylighthours.At the end of the month we havea bigparty calledld-al-Fitr when we havea feast. d We cleanour housesbeforethefestivalthen our familiesget together.Children usually carry lanternsand firecrackersare let off. e We usuallydanceall night or watchthe streetparades. f I alwaysgite my husbanda card eventhough he's80 yearsold now. (Answers:a - Halloween;b - BastilleDay; c - Ramadan; d - ChineseNewYear;e - Rio Carnival;f - Valentine'sDay.) Go through the answerswith the classidentifring key words, for example,witchesand ghostsin sentenceone.

3

fullow-up activity

Tell the classto work in pairs to write a sentenceabout some of their festivals.When they have finished they read them out to the rest of the classwho should try and guesswhich festival they are describing.They can ask questionsif they can't guessfrom the sentence.

Theclasscanwrite a descriptionof whattheir familydoesfor a particularfestival.

65

O

Thisbookcontains and thirtyactivities between elementary intermediate culture level.They dealwithtopicsrelating to everyday andgivelearners anopportunity bothto talkabouttheirown cultures activities are anddiscover moreaboutothercultures.The easyto followandrequire littleor nopreparation or resources justa board, paper, details andpens.The authors haveprovided regarding thecontent andteaching approach intheIntroduction.

A widevarietyof activitytypesto practise thefour skills Accessible topicscovering andcountries a widerangeof cultures Pictures thatareeasyto copy Step-by-step lessons withclearinstructions