Showing posts with label Upper-Intermediate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Upper-Intermediate. Show all posts

Friday, April 26, 2013

Viral Advertising

I use the following videos as supportive videos for SpeakOut unit 5.2, 5A/B, and prior to the speaking exercise on viral adverts.  After we watched each video, the students discuss what it was about and why they think this video went viral.  Finally, I ask them if they had seen any of these videos beforehand and to also think about which video was the most popular.  Then we check the views on YouTube to find out.
*if this post dates, as no doubt it will do, to find more up2date viral videos simply go to google and type in top 10 viral videos of similar...

Dove



Evian


Budweiser



Visit and look at the numbers for these adverts

Dove
http://youtu.be/wPG7PcI67dE
Evian
http://youtu.be/pfxB5ut-KTs
Budweiser
http://youtu.be/rrHoDJinMQI



Sunday, April 21, 2013

Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous Songs

YOUTUBE GRAMMAR DETECTIVE 
Activity for Past Simple, Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous

Student Task Sheet (for 12 students)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/124swxGwS__GQlpo8mZ2BBKZr9dru1zV7PJpVCKm828o/edit?usp=sharing

Also, below please find quite a few links to songs that have the present perfect/ present perfect continuous in them which may support the activity above especially if you want to change or adapt it. But the general idea is to get the students to find the songs themselves.

Students may head straight to videos with lyrics, try to discourage this and get them to listen to original videos first... the second/third run-through could be with the versions + lyrics.


Songs, including ones not in the worksheet:

Haven't met you yet, Michael Buble
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AJmKkU5POA

I've been everywhere, Johnny Cash
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G536Mb9RsUQ

You've lost that lovin' feeling, Righteous Brothers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0Zinw1uDJo

I've never been to me, by Charlene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0Zinw1uDJo

Have you ever really loved a woman, Bryan Adams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeEFHJFUbEg

I still haven't found what I'm looking for
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY75dw64sqI

Where have you been, Rihanna
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJc8lLP8geg

Has anyone ever written, Stevie Nicks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydZshIK3IjA

A Hard Day's Night, The Beatles
http://youtu.be/PlDdcCzKjsc

Have you ever seen the rain, Rod Stewart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oX2FSv4Rys

Nothing compares to you, Sinead O'Conner
http://youtu.be/iUiTQvT0W_0

Things going on, Lynyrd Skynyrd
http://youtu.be/c80ErUAIaVs

Welcome to the Machine, Pink Floyd
http://youtu.be/foCzlvXKWTA

Lady in red, Chris de Burgh
http://youtu.be/qxr5U-_YWLs

You've changed, Ella Fitzgerald
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y76JDEEGH4w

Where have all the cowboys gone? Paula Cole
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPR108kwNo4

Have you seen her, MC Hammer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWqbjQ6EdCU

Have you ever seen the rain, Creedence Clearwater Revival
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS9_ipu9GKw

I've been loving you too long, Seal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u91flodrsnI

Since I've been loving you, Led Zeppelin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZiN_NqT-Us

I've been waiting, Matthew Sweet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gQqR8x8dR4

Since I've been loving you, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
http://youtu.be/wZEwimJ3GZE

I've been waiting for you, David Bowie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzEqZlMIf_U




New Inventions

In one lesson in the computer lab, I got my students watching four different TED videos on new inventions and commenting on them - see the full exercise and what they did here:

http://ks-ncm-int.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/inventions.html


The next day we watched:


And I wrote on the board:

How do you feel about this device coming into the market?
Would you like to own one? Why or why not?

And I let the students discuss its implications.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

a class divided






This film is really good for getting students talking. I've used it only with intermediate and above as you can't get subtitles. If you don't know it... Jane Elliot taught her pupils about racism by segregating her class in Blue & Brown Eyes and getting them to experience discrimination.

The worksheet below is loosely structured to adapt to different levels, but I usually start off by asking students to predict what she does and what she is like from her picture. I don't normally give them any idea about the content as I think it's more powerful if watched without.

https://docs.google.com/a/newcollegemanchester.com/document/d/1iVQJCz9Uh-wuD4sLTMnfmEXPpxa0tNflh5-jxyMGeF0/edit?usp=sharing



Presentation skills

Step 1

Get students to create a presentation based on something that you have been doing in class


Step 2

Get students to go through the Death by Powerpoint presentation.  You can also share this worksheet with them:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YkWdwiGs_PLFuqECtpnxOrT-0C2TH2GDstL3YlUkOT8/edit?usp=sharing



They should then make adjustments to their presentations based on this information.


Step 3.

Get the students to watch this video as preparation for the video tomorrow:


Friday, April 12, 2013

Google Street View

Found a great lesson on Jamie Keddie's Lesson Stream website which perfectly matches Unit 2.2 of SpeakOut-UpperIntermediate.

http://lessonstream.org/2012/03/06/google-street-view/



Baz Luhrman's Sunscreen




This is a great listening activity for higher levels.  I usually start by asking them to think about they would say if they had to give one piece of advice for life and give them time to discuss this.  There is then a gap fill exercise and this can be followed by watching the video with subtitles.  It's a great song as it creates a lot of opportunity for discussion, what's the best piece of advice in the song etc.

Sarah's husband John has created a video which uses the same song too and this created a lot of conversation and emotion.  He took photographs of people around Manchester holding postcards from around the world and it really got them talking (and crying in some instances!)

http://youtu.be/YBXhlYsAf5M

Here's the worksheet:

https://docs.google.com/a/newcollegemanchester.com/file/d/0ByKU2kw65FlTcFFKYVIxTU9tVmc/edit?usp=sharing


The Danger of a Single Story, Chimamanda Adichie




I really enjoy using this video when teaching SpeakOut Upper Intermediate, Unit 4 and generally show it after 4.3.

I introduce it by highlighting the "six word story" (corresponding with 4.2) in the six words: The danger of a single story and I ask the students to tell me what they think that this might mean.

Then I point to her name and ask them where they think she may be from.  After eliciting that she may be from Africa, I get them to think about what she might have meant by giving this title to her presentation.

Then we watch the video.

Post video, I ask the students if she had met their expectations, if the talk was what they had anticipated it being and also what they thought her key message was.  Then I ask them to describe what else they found most interesting in the talk.

After that, I encourage the students to flick through the course book.  What single story do they think is being told?  Does this coursebook look like the course books they studied with in their own countries?  As a result, what perception did they have of life in England before coming here?  Is this the same view now that they are here?  What about the way that people look? Their personalities?  Had the message in their coursebooks influenced their views of what people look like or are like?

Thursday, April 11, 2013

The Apprentice - Creating a new fast food chain


This is good for higher levels and is interactive and interesting!  I use this video as a project lesson, starting with a discussion about the word 'apprentice'.  They then watch the beginning of the programme and try to guess what it is about.  I then let them watch Lord Sugar as he gives them their instructions, after which they are set off on their own to create their own fast food chain.  They can create powerpoints or posters and present their own ideas.

Then let the, watch the whole programme, they enjoy it!

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByKU2kw65FlTbUsyek0tOTBaWGM/edit?usp=sharing