Here is my first attempt at using glogster.
I learned about this application after watching the learning video by Russell Stannard.
I decided to use it as a kind of treasure hunt.
Students watch the videos or follow the links to answer the set of questions.
Click here for the direct link to this glog.
I really loved playing around with this application. The potential for unleashing your creativity is amazing.
You need to give it go.
Summer is here and it’s not just the weather that changes.
Ask the students the following question:
How do we know it’s summer?
Where do people go during the summer holidays and what activities do they do?
Elicit summer words from the students and ask them to write the words on a piece of paper.
ex. ice cream, sunglasses, clothes, BBQ, music, movies blockbusters, festivals etc.
The Special guests in today’s class are Vampire Weekend
Students watch the following music video and check if the video contains any of their words.
Song lyrics:
Students watch the video several times and listen to the lyrics. Give the students the worksheet below and ask them to fill in the gaps.
Students check if they were correct by watching the following video with the song lyrics
Karaoke version:
Song meanings:
Ask the students what they think the song is about.
Show students what the band said about the song:
“The lyrics refer to a member of my family who gave up eating meat when we invaded Iraq. They were horrified by what was happening internationally and they lost their taste for meat. It wasn’t even necessarily an overt protest, it was a physical reaction.”
Ask the following questions:
What do you think about this reaction to war?
How did you react to the invasion of Iraq?
Have you ever done anything so drastic in reaction to something? (ex. death in family, failing exams etc.)
I got the following activity from my great friend and fellow esl teacher, Jeremy. It never fails to work and the students have lots of fun trying to figure out the secret rule.
Tell the students that you’re having a summer BBQ party and you are making a guest list.
Say that you are bringing apples to the party. Ask students what they will bring?
Students have to answer by saying ‘I will bring a _______’
The secret rule is that the next item must start with the next letter in the alphabet.
If they say, ‘I will bring a bottle of wine’ then the teacher will say ‘okay you can come to my party’ but if they say something that does not begin with b then say, ‘I’m sorry you can’t come’. Write the list of the people who can come to your party. Keep playing until all the students discover the rule and everyone joins the party.
You can make up other rules for this game. The next item could start with the last letter of the previous item. ex. I will bring chocolate, I will bring eggs.
Ask students if this is the first time they have seen Vampire weekend.
Ask them what they thought about the song we played previously and the interview.
Video listening comprehension:
Students listen to the interview and answer the questions on the worksheet below.
Vampire Weekend – Giving up the gun
Tennis is officially cool with this video, featuring RZA and Jake Gyllenhaal. If only ‘Wimbledon’ was this exciting
Students questions:
1.How many times do you see the girl in red hitting the tennis ball?
I counted 22.
Read the following passage:
The heroine of the video isn’t an amazing tennis player, but she has heart. She stays calm despite the unfairness of it all. Giving Up the Gun centers around Jenny (a friend of Vampire Weekend) and a number of opponents whom she goes up against in several matches; there’s a samurai, a gigantic woman, Joe, and Jake (to name a few) and she beats all of them.
2.Do you remember a time when you didn’t give up, even when things were unfair?(write an anecdote)
Song meanings:
Ask the students what they think the song is about.
Show students what the band said about the song:
I got the idea for the song from a book my Dad gave me called Giving Up The Gun. It’s a history book about the time when Japan expelled all the foreigners from the country, closed off all trade, and stopped using guns and reverted back to the sword. It seems unimaginable now that humanity could willingly go back to an older technology. It got me thinking about whether you could give up the things that you have and go back to a simpler way of life.
If you were to give up something, what would it me?
How could you make your life more simple?
I hope you all have a wonderful summer. Please let me know if you have any extra suggestions for this lesson.
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The word ‘vuvuzela’ has to be the most controversial word that is buzzing around the world cup.
Everyone has an opinion about this word and it has been the topic hitting the headlines all over the world.
Such a heated topic is perfect for the ‘esl’ class and it will be interesting to see how it is effecting the students.
Recently there has been another ‘facebook’ protest page dedicated to banning the ‘vuvuzela’ from the World Cup. The ‘facebook’ campaign states, ‘it sounds like a deafening mix of angry elephants trumpeting, a swarm of buzzing bees and a fog horn.’
May 27 – 173
June 3 – 228
June 8 – 235
June 11 – 4,046
June 12 – 23,198
June 13 – 80,216
June 14 – 139,110
June 15 – 194,778
June 16 – 249,000
June 17 – 267,880
June 18 – 280,352
As you can see the campaign is growing by the day.
Should we embrace this passion for the vuvuzela, which is a tool of cultural celebration and ask the protestors to buy ear plugs and shut up?
Or
Should this residule noise created by the bee flat hornet, which is spoiling our viewing pleasure be banned?
Students watch the following clips and answer questions about each clip.
After watching the clips they have to write an opinion about the vuvuzela.
Please click below for the accompanied worksheet.
What is a vuvuzela?:
Cultural instrument?
Explain the Vuvuzela:
Please click on the title below for the ‘guardian’ news article on the vuvuzela debate. Students read the article and answer some questions about it.
Vuvuzela jokes are everywhere: Here are a couple of funny clips to leave you with..
The Vuvuzela song:
Fellowship of the Vuvuzela:
I hope you liked the above activities. If you have any other suggestions or opinions about the ‘vuvuzela’ then please write a comment below.
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The UK summer has begun and as always it’s accompanied by the cultural phenomena known as ‘Big Brother’. The funeral has started as we joyously say goodbye to Big Brother while trying to avoid the addiction of watching the Final season.
I have to say that I’m pleased to be far away from the hysteria of Big Brother. Although I admit to being an avid follower of the show in its early days. However, over the years it has become a desperate and trashy reality TV show which is responsible for a splurge of similar hideous incarnations.
Ask your students if they know about ‘Big Brother’ and if there is a version shown in their own country.
The History of Big Brother:
The Big Brother TV Show is produced in 42 territories and has been a prime time hit in almost 70 countries. The first Big Brother show broadcast was in the Netherlands in 1999. This mould-breaking series was the UK’s first fully interactive mass TV experience and has been hailed as the ‘godfather of reality shows’.
Click here to view Big Brother worldwide
Here is a cut ‘n’ paste from ‘Wikipedia‘:
Big Brother is a reality television show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around three months, and there are usually fewer than 15 participants. The housemates try to win a cash prize by avoiding periodic evictions from the house.
Below are the pictures of the new contestants and a ‘wordle’ of the jobs they have. Students have to try to match the job with the contestant.
The contestants
The jobs
Please click on the title below for a worksheet of this activity
Students form groups. Each group is given an envelope with the contestants pictures and an envelope with their personalities. The students race to match the pictures with the personalities. When they think they are correct they ask the teacher to check. The teacher will tell them how many correct answers they have. The group is given time to try to change their choices.
Please click on the title below for the pictures and personalities. Print copies for each group.Cut out the pictures and personalities and put them in separate envelopes.
Please click on the title below for questions about the video clip:
Please click on the title below for Big Brother discussion topics
Predictions: Create a Big Brother poster with all the contestants. Ask the students to write their predictions of who will win the competition. Each week remove the picture of the contestant who is eliminated.
Who am I? – Students write out a paragraph of their own personalities. The teacher collects each students paragraph. The teacher randomly reads out one of the paragraphs and the students have to guess which student wrote the paragraph.
Is reality TV a waste of time? Students have a debate about their opinions on reality TV.
Students who think reality TV is a waste of time go to one side of the classroom and the other students go to the other side. Both sides think about what they can say to support their arguments in a debate. Each side is given a time limit to present their ideas.
Please click on the title below for a reality TV worksheet:
I hope you liked the above activities. If you have any other suggestions then please write a comment below.
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Bring out the vuvuzelas as the world cup has started and it’s time to join the party.
Here are a collection of my ‘World cup’ favourite clips so far:
Click on the title below to download the accompanied worksheet.
Click on the title below to download the accompanied worksheet.
Show students the following interview with Snoop Dogg.
Ask the students if they know anything about Snoop Doggy Dog.
Inform the students that they have to try to write down as much as they remember from Snoops answers to the world cup questions. Watch the clip a few times.
Click on the title below to download the accompanied worksheet:
I would now like to leave you with my favourite world cup clip. This is very impressive and really expresses the multi cultural aspect of the World Cup. The party has now started as we look forward to the excitement of this wonderful event.
Some World cup warmer questions:
1. Where and when was the last World Cup? Germany 2006
2. Where and when is the next World Cup? Brazil 2014
3. How many years is there between each World Cup? 4 years
Questions to ask every day during the World Cup:
What countries played yesterday?
What were the scores?
What players scored?
What country is at the top/bottom of group x?
Word relay game:
Ask the students to make groups.
Ask the groups to stand in separate lines in front of the board.
The student at the front of the each group is given a pen/piece of chalk.
Students have to write down all the countries in the world cup. The first student from each group writes a country and then passes the pen to the next in line.
Give the students a time limit(3 mins) and see how many countries they can write within the time limit.
Each group checks the ’wordle’ to see how many words they managed to get and deduct points for wrong spellings.
World cup countries ‘Wordle’
Match the flag with the country
In groups the Students look at the flags and match the countries with their flags. (Give the students a time limit)
Mascots
Ask the students what the mascot is for the South Africa World Cup. Why do they think that a leopard was chosen to represent the world cup.
Ask the students if they can remember any previous world cup mascots and if they can, have them try to describe what they looked like.
Show students the picture of the previous mascots and ask them what country the mascot represents.
Click here for an article on the 10 dumbest World Cup mascots.
Answers: Goleo VI – Germany, Ato, Kaz & Nik – Korea & Japan, Footix – France, Stryker – USA, Ciao – Italy, Pique – Mexico, Naranjito – Spain, Gauchito – Argentina, Tip & Tap – West Germany, Juanito- Mexico, Willy – England
Ask the students what their favourite ‘mascot’ is and why. Find out which is the most popular mascot within your class.
Students have to design a mascot to represent their own country.
Groups
Divide the class into teams. Ask the students if they know what countries are in each group. Have a contest to see which team can write the countries in each group correctly.
The alternative England anthem.
Watch the following video by the legendary; Mark E Smith. His vocals are usually difficult to comprehend so it is very helpful that there are subtitles for the lyrics. Ask the students to write down the words that they see.
Music video – ‘England’s Heartbeat ‘- Shuttleworth feat. Mark E. Smith
If I haven’t already told you, the team I will be following this World Cup is shown in the clip below.
If only they were as strong as this:
What’s your prediction?
Ask your students who they predict to win the world cup and what team they think will actually win the world cup. Put their predictions on the wall and check if they were correct at the end of the cup.
A British music magazine, ‘the NME’ recently did a feature on who the musicians predict will win the world cup. Click here from some predictions by musicians. Ask students to listen to the celebrities and have them write down the countries each artist thinks will win.
Sticker album
I have nostalgic memories of collecting stickers during the world cup when I was a wee boy.
I was always really excited to try and get as many stickers as possible. It was always fun swapping stickers with friends.
You could hand out world cup country stickers every time a student answers a question correctly. Give students stickers outside the classroom as well, if they ask you questions in English about the world cup.
I usually use images I find from ‘clipart’, laminate them and put double-sided tape on the back. You could make a sticker sheet for the students to collect their stickers on. MES English has a great selection of ideas for stickers and sticker sheets and has recently put up some great football stickers.
I hope you and your students enjoy the world cup and my lesson 
Students are given quiz questions to try and answer. You could turn the class room into a ‘question of sport’ style quiz show. Divide the class into groups and ask one student from each group to stand. The student who gives the correct answer first gets points for their teams. If they don’t know the answer then pass to the next question.
At the end of the quiz the students watch the video clip to see what the correct answers are.
FIRST HALF – The quiz questions:
I live in Japan so I have created questions based on the Japanese football team. Just adapt these questions to the country you are focusing on.
1. How many of the last 5 Asian cups has Japan won? 3
2. When was the J League launched? 1993
3. When did Japan make their first World cup appearance? 1998
4. How many times have they appeared in the World cup? 4 times
5. What group are they in ? Group E
6. What other teams are in Group E? Netherlands, Denmark & Cameroon
7. What is the nickname of the team? ‘Samurai Blue’
8. Who is Japans head coach? Takeshi Okada
9. Who is the captain of the team? Yuji Nakazawa
10. What team does he play for? Yokohama Marinos
11. Who is the most capped player for Japan? Masami Ihara
12. How many appearances has he made? 123
13. Who is Japans all time leading goal scorer? Kunishige Kamamoto
14. How many goals did he score? 75
15. What is Japans current fifa ranking? 46
16. When did Japan and South Korea host the World cup? 2002
17. What is Takeshi Okada’s main target in this world cup?
‘To reach the semi finals.’
18. Who will they play their first game against? Cameroon
19. When will they play their first game? June 14th
Second Half - The video clip:
When the students have been given enough time to answer the questions they check their answers by watching the following clip:
For a similar introduction clip to the other teams in the world cup then click here.
For more information on the team and material for a possible reading exercise then check out the BBC team guide here.
Extra time – project ideas:
Project idea : Divide the students into groups and ask each group to choose a different teams country to research. Each group has to make a poster about the country.
Project idea 2 : Students make a wall chart of the World cup schedule and make sure that a different student updates the chart with the scores each day .
Penalty shoot out : A treat to leave you with until the next game
Daft Punk & Star Wars – The party starts here:
So it’s soon going to be time to go to your local multiplex to choose from an array of sequels, ‘trequels’ and jaw dropping extravagant budget, full-on action, mind numbing experiences. Stock up on extortionately priced sickly popcorn, choose an extra-large drink of caffeine and remember to switch of your I-phone so that the sound of tweets do not distract you from the eye candy that is attacking your mind.
So whats it to be????????
Let’s look at the rotten tomato guide to the most anticipated releases this summer;
Students listen and write what movie was the ‘yay’ and what was the ‘nay’ for each month.
The students use the following wordle to help them decide.
Yay or nay?(The answers)
May: Robin Hood Prince Of Persia
June: Toy Story 3 Twilight
July: Inception Last Airbender
August: Scott Pilgrim V’s The World Eat Pray Love
1. Make a slide show of movie posters or put the movie posters on the walls around the classroom. Students have to match the following synopses with the posters.
Use the synopses from the movie site, IMDB
1. He’s 23 years old, in a rock band, “between jobs,” and dating a cute high school girl. Everything’s fantastic until a seriously mind-blowing, dangerously fashionable, roller blading delivery girl named Ramona Flowers starts cruising through his dreams and sailing by him at parties.
2. As their owner Andy prepares to depart for college, his loyal toys find themselves in daycare. So, it’s all for one and one for all as they join Barbie’s counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants and a pink, strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear to plan their great escape.
3.Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one.
4.With their country weakened from decades of war, embattled from the ineffective rule of the new king and vulnerable to insurgencies from within and threats from afar. This unlikeliest of heroes and his allies set off to protect their country from slipping into bloody civil war and return glory to England once more.
Survey Monkey
I recently learned about ‘survey monkey’ from another excellent Russell Stannard training video. This application is excellent for conducting a questionnaire with your class and also for students to conduct their own questionnaires. Here is my first attempt using this application. I decided to conduct a summer movie survey. This survey gives the students an opportunity to express their opinion. When all the students have answered the questionnaire you can make a popularity chart with the statistics and also look at the different sentences the students made.
Please click here to view it and if you have time feel free to try it out.
Click here to take this survey
(If enough people take this survey then I will publish the results in a future post.)
Music clip: Quadron – Buster Keaton
Ask the students to watch the music video and write down the words they see.( The words start after 50 secs)
Play this music video a few times:
Tell the students that we are now going to use some of these phrases and words to discuss and debate issues. Students have to check to see if they managed to find the words we focus on.
Look at the following slogans from the music clip:
stay fresh!!! Ready to shine A new star driven by desire be cool dream catcher
These positive slogans could all be used to advertise a product.
What type of product do you think you could sell with each slogan?
Ask students to look at the following slogans and match them with the products.
Click here for a link to many ideas of popular advertising slogans
Slogans:
I’m Luvin’ it Impossible is nothing It’s the real thing The best a man can get Just do it
Product:
Gillette McDonald’s X-Box Adidas Coca-cola
Show the students the following slide show to check if they are correct:
In groups students think of a product and a catchy slogan to sell it. Students make a poster of their advertisement.
The following lists are shown in the music video(1.40)
Warning maybe NSFC (Not safe for the classroom)
This is only appropriate for adult students as the phrase “have sex with honey” may be considered inappropriate with less mature students. I suppose it all depends on what your students are like and how you think they may react to this sentence.
Ask the students if they know what the word ‘breadwinner’ means.
‘One whose earnings are the primary source of support for one’s dependents.’
Ask the students who the breadwinner is in their family.
Ask the students to make pairs. One students is given the ‘work list’ and the other student is given the ‘home list’. Each student will read their list as a dictation and the other will write what they here. They will each check to see if they managed to write down the list correctly.
Ask the students what their thoughts are about the female who made the list.
Ask what lists they tend to write during the week.(shopping/house work etc.)
Ask the students what is expected of them at home and at work.
‘They always want more’ (1.01)
Who in your life wants more? Boss/ partner/friends/siblings
Students have to think about their expectations and write their own home/work list.
Students discuss their lists with the other students.
Homework idea: Students bring a list they have made into the class. Put all the lists into a box. Give the lists back to the students making sure that they do not get back their own list. Each student has to decide who the list belongs to and why. Students present their findings to the class and discover if they are correct.
Students use this ‘wordle’ to think what life means to them now and what it meant to them throughout the different stages of their life. Use this as a basis for an essay topic.
Childhood (1.12) ‘Teenagehood‘(3.14) adulthood (2.40)
Some other suggestion for the students to think about:
Time – Person of the year (2.20) – What award would you like to be given?
Think about the many contrasts throughout life (2.26) :
rise/fall slower/faster yes/ no
Can you think of other contrasts?
Using the title ‘What is life to you‘, students write a speech and then present it to the class.
Esl Imaginarium
