A tried-and-tested idea for the first lesson(s) of the New Year

Hello and welcome to my blog!

As some of you may know, I've been doing an end-of-year news round-up for quite a few years now. However this year it has got an upgrade. I am releasing it into the blogosphere, hoping to reach many more EFL teachers.

This activity, suitable for adult or secondary school learners, is a quiz based on the hottest news stories of 2010. Click on the links below for worksheets, teachers tips on how to use the quiz and additional resources. Don't be put off by the fact that some questions may seem difficult. The idea is not to test your students' general knowledge. Therefore it should be done as a collaborative task or as a webquest (see T notes)

Please let me know if you have used it with your students and how it went. I look forward to hearing your comments. Happy New Year 2011!

LEO

NEWS QUIZ (UPPER INTERMEDIATE)
ANSWERS & TEACHERS NOTES (UPPER INT)
POST VOCAB (UPPER INT) - this can be used for review the following week

NEWS QUIZ (PRE INTERMEDIATE)
ANSWERS & TEACHERS NOTES (PRE INT)

Revising lexis: quality or quantity?

How many encounters with a lexical item are necessary before it is committed to memory? 6? 9? 12? 15? This article discusses how much heed language teachers should pay to vocabulary acquisition research, particularly with regard to repeated encounters with lexical items.

Follow the link to read the article on the Teaching English website

No more Football!

In this activity students first listen to a conversation in the film (the technique known as Vision Off) and then check their understanding while watching with the Vision On. The activity is suitable for ages 14 and up.

Procedure

Preparation

You will need a DVD of the film Bend It Like Beckham. The scene starts at 20:18 (Mother shouting "Chi, chi, chi!") and ends at 22:06 (after father says "You must start behaving like a proper woman"). Or, if you have a computer in the room, use this clip

No More Football
Bend It Like Beckham — MOVIECLIPS.com

Click here to download WORKSHEET

What do you mean it's not in the computer?!

In this activity students watch a short clip from the movie “Red Eye” and then discuss problems people may encounter when staying in hotels. The activity is suitable for both adult and young learners at pre-intermediate level and up.

Procedure
Preparation
You will need a DVD of the film or, alternatively, you can show the clip on Youtube (click here). If you're using the DVD, the scene starts at 2.12 and ends with the receptionist saying on the phone “they were such a**holes”. If you find it inappropriate, stop the playback right after the customers say “We won’t!”

Before you watch

“If We Ever Meet Again”

An activity for adult learners based on the song by Timbaland featuring Katy Perry focusing on chat-up lines, the future conditional and adjectives ending with -ed.