Christmas is coming!

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to tonight's slightly different ESOL lesson.

Tonight you are going to be in control of your learning and you are going to practice your listening, reading and speaking skills.

Please read and follow the instructions below carefully.

1. Click on this link and read and listen to the article on Advent.
2. Complete the Reading quiz and the Wordsearch (on paper). Don't forget to write your name and the date on these worksheets!
3. Talk about Christmas or Winter celebrations or traditions that you follow. Record your conversation using the blank cassette and cassette recorder. Each student should say their name clearly before speaking. For example, "My name is Karike and in my country we celebrate Christmas in the summer!" Each student should speak for about one minute.
4. Give your worksheets and the cassette to Eve in room F2 before you go.
5. Homework: Your friend wants to visit the UK in December. Write a letter to your friend explaining how the UK celebrates Christmas.

I hope you have had fun tonight!

See you next time!

Shrove Tuesday

Hello Everyone!

Today we are going to find out more about Shrove Tuesday:

Activity A

Using the internet, find out about the origins and traditions of Shrove Tuesday.


1. Can you find alternative names for Shrove Tuesday?


2. Who celebrates this festival?



3. Why do they celebrate it?




4. What are the traditions in the UK?




5. How is Shrove Tuesday celebrated in other countries?




6. Can you think of any other celebrations that compare to Shrove Tuesday?


You can search the following web sites to help you:

• www.bbc.co.uk
• www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish
• www.google.com
• www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk
• www.yahoo.co.uk
• www.wikipedia.co.uk
  

Type your answers in MS Word and ask your tutor to help you print or save it.

Activity B

Do the listening activity with your tutor.

Activity C

• Put the recipe that your tutor will give you into the correct order.
• Think of sequencing words that you could use in this recipe. Sequencing words are words that link steps e.g. "first", "then", etc.

Activity D

• Write a recipe for a traditional dish that you would have at a festival from your country or culture.
• If you have enough time, you could type this recipe in MS Word and add some pictures!
• Explain your recipe to your group/classmates using the linking words that we've practised earlier.

Until next time, have fun learning English!

Around the world!

Hello!

Your mission for today is to go on a virtual trip.

Go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/writing/planningyourwriting/game.shtml

and follow the instructions: listen and make notes about someone’s travels/holidays and then do some writing. You can print out your writing and you can listen as many times as you like.

Further practice:

To read/listen more about cultures and travel, go to:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1412_weekender/page58.shtml

Listen to the programme and then answer these questions:


1. Which word is used very often to describe the politeness.
2. Give another word for politeness.
3. What is etiquette?
4. What is traditionally seen as good etiquette in Britain?
5. What is traditionally seen as good etiquette in Britain?
6. What does it mean to “subscribe to something”
7. According to Mary, is politeness increasing or decreasing in Britain?
8. Does Richard agree with Mary?

You can write your answers down or type it in MS Word.

Until next time, have fun learning English!

Exam practice!

Goodmorning!

Today we are going to continue our exam practice, specifically in writing.

Here is your task for today:

The local newspaper in the community where you live is planning to publish articles about famous people from different countries. This might be a film star, a politician or another person from the past or present.

You decide to write an article for the newspaper about a famous person that you admire.

In your article explain what the person did to become famous and say why you admire them. Include any other information that you think would be interesting for the readers of the article.

You can do some research on the Internet before writing your article.

You can write your article by hand or type it as a Word document.

Good luck!

_____________________________________________________________________

Inventions!

Hello!

Today's topic is inventions and there are two tasks that you need to complete today:

1. Find out how any article that you are interested in was invented, e.g. the holepunch. Then write the history in YOUR OWN words. Please do not copy and paste texts!

This website might be useful for finding information: http://www.cbc.ca/kids/general/the-lab/history-of-invention/default.html

2. Create your own crazy invention. Write an advertisement for your invention. You can add pictures if you like.

Until next time, have fun inventing in English!

____________________________________________________________________

The Environment

Hallo, Happy New Year and welcome to your online ESOL class!

I hope that you’ve had a great break and that you are excited about learning English in 2007!

Our current topic is: The Environment and we are going read and listen to information about the environment in general.

Click on the following link. Read and listen to the article. Do the weekender quiz (click on the link at the bottom of the page.)

Then answer the questions on the worksheet.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1412_weekender/page30.shtml


You can also click on these links and read and listen to the articles and do the quizzes or play the games.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/witn/031224_witn.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1412_weekender/page39.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/tenyear/witn_2006.shtml

http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-science-current.htm

http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-themes-global-warming.htm


Until next time, take care of your environment and have fun learning English!

More EXAM Practice!

Hello everyone!

I’m sorry, but I still don’t have a voice, so you will have to follow the instructions on this page to practice your English today.

There are three categories today: reading, writing and listening.
Choose a category and then do the exercises from that category. You can choose more than one category if you want to.

Remember that these exercises will help you to improve your English and prepare for next week’s exams, so please try your best!

Reading

Click on the link. There are different texts to read with exercises. Choose, on the right hand side, Reading and Questions and Vocabulary for one text. The computer will give you the correct answers.
http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/exercises/main/reading.html


Listening

Click on the link. It will take you to page with a story called The Christmas the Lights Went Out.
Click on Download mp3 file or listen on your PC.
Listen to the story.
Then go back and click on comprehension activity. Answer the questions.
Go back and click on vocabulary activity. Answer the questions.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-stories-christmas-lights-went-out.htm

Writing

First finish the writing exam paper that you were given yesterday.

Then
Click on this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/revisewise/english/writing/13_act.shtml
It will take you to page that will teach you how to write a formal letter.
Click on Straight on to the activity.
Read and answer the questions.

Then click on this link and take the test: http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/schools/gigaquiz?path=ks2revisewise/rw_eng13&infile=rw_eng13

You can do these exercises on any computer that is connected to the Internet. So if you have Internet access at home, you can practise there too!

LOTS AND LOTS OF GOOD LUCK FOR NEXT WEEK’S EXAMS!