RESURS EDUCAIONAL DESCHIS Denumire BUSY TEACHERS FIRST AID
RESURSĂ EDUCAŢIONALĂ DESCHISĂ Denumire: BUSY TEACHERS’ FIRST AID KID FOR SPEAKING ACTIVITIES Autor: BURNEI ELENA-DANIELA Unitatea de învăţământ: Colegiul Național ”Ioniță Asan”, Caracal Disciplina: Limba engleză Clasa: V-XII Scopul materialului propus: de documentare pentru cadrele didactice
BUSY TEACHERS’ FIRST AID KIT FOR SPEAKING ACTIVITIES Prof. Dana Burnei
“I didn’t have time to prepare for today’s class, so I’ll do some speaking activities. They are the easiest. ” ( English teacher)
ARGUMENT • However easy speaking activities may seem to some teachers, they still require structure and serious preparation. • There are many elements to take into consideration: Ø The topic/the input should arouse Students’ interest and motivate them to take active part in the activities;
Ø Grouping the students in order to reach all the objectives requires some serious reflection on the following questions: 1. How do you form pairs and groups? 2. What problems may arise ? 3. Why might some students lack enthusiasm and how will you cope with it? • In order to help those teachers who sometimes are in need of a quick solution to enliven their class, here are some speaking activities that do not require much time to prepare and organise, and have already proved their value.
RUNNING DICTATION • While there are teachers who dismiss the running dictation as suitable only for younger learners, it can become a meaningful activity for older ones helping them to prepare for English exams, as the following examples will prove. Procedure • 1. Divide the class into small groups. Each group has to appoint a scribe, all the other members will be runners. • 2. Pin as many texts as there are groups on the walls of the classroom and assign one text to each group. The runners will have to run to the text, read, then run back and dictate part of it to the scribe.
A. Thanksgiving is a very American holiday. It is also called Thanksgiving Day. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November every year. It used to be a religious holiday to give thanks to God. There are two versions of the origins of this holiday. One is thanks for the early settlers arriving in America safely. On December the 4 th, 1619, a group of English pioneers arrived at a place called Berkeley Hundred, in Virginia. The group made a promise that the day of their arrival should be a "day of thanksgiving" to God. The second version is the thanks given to Native Americans for teaching the pilgrims how to catch eels and grow corn in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In 1941, President Roosevelt made Thanksgiving a federal holiday. The main event of any Thanksgiving is the Thanksgiving dinner. It is traditional to have baked or roasted turkey. This is usually accompanied with mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, fall vegetables, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Pumpkin pie is the most commonly eaten dessert. The Thanksgiving holiday weekend is one of the busiest times of the year for traveling. It is a four-day or five-day weekend vacation for most schools and colleges, and many businesses and government workers get three or four days off. Thanksgiving is also the unofficial signal for Christmas preparations to begin. Once Thanksgiving finishes, stores fill their shelves with Christmas goods. It is also a bad time to be a turkey.
B. Put the words into the gaps in the text. Thanksgiving is a very American holiday. It is also ______ Thanksgiving Day. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November every year. It ______ to be a religious holiday to give thanks to God. There are two ______ of the origins of this holiday. One is thanks for the ______ settlers arriving in America ______. On December the 4 th, 1619, a group of English pioneers arrived at a place called Berkeley Hundred, in Virginia. The group made a ______ that the day of their arrival should be a "day of thanksgiving" to God. The second version is the thanks given to Native Americans for teaching the pilgrims how to ______ eels and grow ______ in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In 1941, President Roosevelt made Thanksgiving a federal holiday. Promise early called corn safely used catch versions The main ______ of any Thanksgiving is the Thanksgiving dinner. It is traditional to have baked or roasted turkey. This is ______ accompanied with mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, fall vegetables, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Pumpkin pie is the most ______ eaten dessert. The Thanksgiving holiday weekend is one of the ______ times of the year for traveling. It is a fourday or five-day weekend ______ for most schools and colleges, and many businesses and government workers get three or four days off. Thanksgiving is also the unofficial ______ for Christmas preparations to begin. Once Thanksgiving ______, stores fill their ______ with Christmas goods. It is also a bad time to be a turkey. Commonly signal busiest event shelves vacation usually finishes
C. CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD Delete the wrong word in each of the pairs of italics. Thanksgiving is a very American holiday. It is also calling / called Thanksgiving Day. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November every year. It used to / used be a religious holiday to give thanks to God. There are two versions of the original / origins of this holiday. One is thanks for the early settlers arriving in America safely / safe. On December the 4 th, 1619, a group of English pioneers arrived at a place called Berkeley Hundred, in Virginia. The group made / did a promise that the day of their / there arrival should be a "day of thanksgiving" to God. The second version / vision is the thanks given to Native Americans for teaching the pilgrims how to catch eels and grow corn in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In 1941, President Roosevelt made / gave Thanksgiving a federal holiday. The main eventful / event of any Thanksgiving is the Thanksgiving dinner. It is traditional to have baked or roasted turkey. This is usually / usual accompanied with mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, fell / fall vegetables, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Pumpkin pie is the most commonly eaten / eating dessert. The Thanksgiving holiday weekend is one of the busiest times of the year from / for traveling. It is a four-day or five-day weekend vacation for most schools and colleges, and many businesses and government workers get three or four days over / off. Thanksgiving is also the unofficial signal for Christmas preparations to beginning / begin. Once Thanksgiving finishes, stores fill their shelves with Christmas goods. It is also a bad time to be a / in turkey.
D. MULTIPLE CHOICE Thanksgiving is a very American holiday. It is also (1) ____ Thanksgiving Day. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November every year. It used to be a (2) ____ holiday to give thanks to God. There are two versions of the origins of this holiday. One is thanks for the early (3) ____ arriving in America safely. On December the 4 th, 1619, a group of English pioneers arrived at a place called Berkeley Hundred, in Virginia. The group made a promise that the day of their (4) ____ should be a "day of thanksgiving" to God. The second version is the thanks given to Native Americans for teaching the pilgrims how to (5) ____ eels and grow corn in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In 1941, President Roosevelt (6) ____ Thanksgiving a federal holiday. The (7) ____ event of any Thanksgiving is the Thanksgiving dinner. It is traditional to have baked or roasted turkey. This is usually accompanied with mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, (8) ____ vegetables, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Pumpkin pie is the most commonly (9) ____ dessert. The Thanksgiving holiday weekend is one of the busiest times of the year for traveling. It is a four-day or five-day weekend vacation for most schools and colleges, and (10) ____ businesses and government workers get three or four days off. Thanksgiving is also the unofficial signal for Christmas preparations to (11) ____. Once Thanksgiving finishes, stores fill their (12) ____ with Christmas goods. It is also a bad time to be a turkey. 1. (a) called (b) calling (c) calls (d) call 2. (a) religion (b) religious (c) religiously (d) religions 3. (a) settlers (b) settles (c) settled (d) settlement 4. (a) arrives (b) arrived (c) arrival (d) arrival 5. (a) caught (b) catches (c) catch (d) catching 6. (a) took (b) made (c) did (d) had 7. (a) main (b) mainly (c) mainline (d) mains 8. (a) fell (b) falling (c) fall (d) fallen 9. (a) eating (b) eats (c) ate (d) eaten 10. (a) most (b) many (c) much (d) more 11. (a) beginning (b) begins (c) begin (d) began 12. (a) elves (b) delves (c) halves (d) shelves
E. PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER Number these lines in the correct order. • ( ) Native Americans for teaching the pilgrims how to catch eels and grow • ( ) of the year for traveling. It is a four-day or five-day weekend vacation for most schools and • ( 1 ) Thanksgiving is a very American holiday. It is also called Thanksgiving Day. It is celebrated on the • ( ) The main event of any Thanksgiving is the Thanksgiving dinner. It is traditional to have baked or roasted • ( ) fourth Thursday in November every year. It used to be a religious holiday to give thanks to God. There are two versions • ( ) 1619, a group of English pioneers arrived at a place called Berkeley Hundred, in Virginia. The group made a promise that the day • ( ) turkey. This is usually accompanied with mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, fall vegetables, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Pumpkin • ( ) pie is the most commonly eaten dessert. The Thanksgiving holiday weekend is one of the busiest times • ( ) colleges, and many businesses and government workers get three or four days off. Thanksgiving is also • ( ) corn in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In 1941, President Roosevelt made Thanksgiving a federal holiday. • ( ) the unofficial signal for Christmas preparations to begin. Once Thanksgiving • ( ) finishes, stores fill their shelves with Christmas goods. It is also a bad time to be a turkey. • ( ) of the origins of this holiday. One is thanks for the early settlers arriving in America safely. On December the 4 th, • ( ) of their arrival should be a "day of thanksgiving" to God. The second version is the thanks given to
CROSSWORDS PUZZLES • Crosswords puzzles are extremely useful when it comes to revising or recycling vocabulary. They are not difficult to find or conceive and can be easily transformed into a lively speaking activity. The procedure is simple. The students are divided into pairs. Each student receives a crosswords puzzle that already contains half of the words and the definitions for the other half. Between them the students in each pair have all the definitions and the solutions. What they have to do is ask each other questions, such as “What’s 8 down? ”
Things That… Down 1 An insect that makes honey. 3 A place in a home where people watch TV. 1 Something that people use to paint. 6 A place where people picnic. 2 The season when farmers plant crops. 7 A person who has joined the army. 4 A thing that people use to sew. 8 A place where people see soccer games. 5 A place where people can see old things 12 An animal that gives us milk. and learn history 13 A place in a home where people sleep. 9 A person who plays sports. 14 The season when leaves change color. 10 The time of day when people eat 15 An animal that makes webs. breakfast 16 A person who draws pictures. 11 A person who builds buildings. 18 A thing that people drive. 12 A person who cooks food. 19 The time of day when people eat dinner. 14 Someone who puts out fires. 20 A place where people sit. 16 A person who designs buildings. 22 A place where kids make sandcastles. 17 Someone who teaches. 23 A thing that people use to cut meat. 21 A place where people borrow books. 26 A place where people watch movies. 24 A person who grows crops. 27 A place where people buy tools. 25 A thing that people use to catch fish. (4) 30 A place in a home where people cook 28 A place where people drive. food 29 A person who does experiments. 32 A place where people grow flowers. 31 A thing that people use to tell the time. 33 A person who cures sick people. 32 A place in a home where people park their 34 Something people use to take pictures. cars 35 Something people use to clean up leaves. 36 A person who sings. 37 A thing that people use to cut wood. 38 A place where people make things. Acros
Don’t say it! • The game can be played in pairs or small groups. Each player will draw one card and give a definition of the underlined word without using any of the words on the card.
Helmet head motorcycle scooter Mop water floor sweep Towel shower dry body Honey bee sweet tea Girlfriend girl boy(friend) love College university school high school Rose red flower love Valentine’s Day Ghost dead person scared Cockroach insect bug disgusting Battery phone power electric Forehead eye hair Itch mosquito scratch Evening night afternoon morning sun Death life live die dead
Quick thinking This is a type of word association activity for small groups where students have to try to use two words chosen at random to fit into the answer to a question (also picked at random) If you do not have time to prepare it beforehand, you can ask each student to provide two words while you write the question cards. Thus, students are actively involved since the preparation stage, which will be a further incentive.
Humour Jokes can be integrated in the English class in the form of a variety of games: Ø Some Ss get the story, the others get the punch line. They walk around telling their story in search of the right punch line. Ø Ss get only the story and walk around asking for suggestions for punch lines Ø Bingo- Ss get cards containing only punch lines. The stories are read to them.
• I have 12 legs, 12 arms and 8 heads. What am I? • Why do witches have brooms? • Why did the boy bury his flashlight? • What animal can jump higher than a house?
• A liar! • Because vacuum cleaners are too heavy! • Because the batteries were dead. • A house can't jump!
Final message YYUR YYUB ICUR YY 4 ME What does it mean?
ANSWER • YYUR Too wise you are, • YYUB Too wise you be, • ICUR I see you are • YY 4 ME Too wise for me!
Bibliography • Woolard, George- Grammar with laughter, LTP, 1999 • Woolard, George- Lessons with laughter, LTP, 1996 • www. eslholidaylessons. com
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