Reported Speech Interview!

Divide your class in pairs. Tell pairs that one of them will be the reporter, and he or she is going to interview a famous person, show who the famous people are (check below for pictures you can use). Ask them to prepare questions. The other will be a famous celebrity, so he or she has to think about the answers.

Next, ask them to role-play the interview.

Finally, the reporters have to report the famous person's answers, and the celebrity has to report the questions.

This way students can practice reported statements, and also reported questions, pretending they are talking to their idols or being one.

If you prefer, you can use cut outs from magazines and students can make their own magazine, perhaps a poster with their idol's interview is also a good idea.

This activity is really fun, and they love doing it!

ED and ING Adjectives

This is a video of a proposal. This guy made a trailer for his girlfriend to ask her hand in marriage. It's a great video to practice  ED and ING adjectives, because we can see her reactions throughout the movie.

First write a brief explanation on the board.

ing adjectives are used to describe things: 
'The lecture was boring.' ed adjectives are used to describe our feelings: 
'I felt very bored.' 


Ask your students to watch the video then create sentences using the adjectives below.

E.g.

She is shocked.


The proposal was amazing.


It was surprising.

Mystery and Crimes :) Deductions!

Write on the board:

Making Present Deductions:

We use the modals

Could / may /might + infinitive to say that something is possible

Must + infinitive to say that something is certain

Can’t + infinitive to say that something is impossible

e.g: They might be ghosts

Making Past Deductions:

We use the modals

Must + past participle to make a logical deduction about what has happened

Could / may /might + past participle to offer possible explanations for what happened

We use can’t + past participle to say that it is impossible that something has happened

 e.g.: It could have been an accident

Make copies of the texts below. Ask your students to get into pairs or trios and give each group a different unsolved mystery. Ask them to read and talk to each other about it.

After that, tell them to write possible explanations of what those mysteries could possibly be about (present deductions), and what could have happened,   ( past deductions).

Finally each group should talk about their mystery to the class, and also presents their deductions about the mystery. Allow the other students to make their own deductions about their mates’ mysteriy as well.

        Top unsolved mysteries of history.
                source: Wikipedia

Mary Celeste

Mary Celeste was launched in Nova Scotia in 1860. Her original name was “Amazon”. She was 103 ft overall displacing 280 tons and listed as a half-brig. Over the next 10 years she was involved in several accidents at sea and passed through a number of owners. Eventually she turned up at a New York salvage auction where she was purchased for $3,000. After extensive repairs she was put under American registry and renamed “Mary Celeste”. The new captain of Mary Celeste was Benjamin Briggs, 37, a master with three previous commands. On November 7, 1872 the ship departed New York with Captain Briggs, his wife, young daughter and a crew of eight. The ship was loaded with 1700 barrels of raw American alcohol bound for Genoa, Italy. The captain, his family and crew were never seen again. The ship was found floating in the middle of the Strait of Gibraltar. There were no signs of struggle on board and all documents except the captain’s log were missing. In early 1873, it was reported that two lifeboats grounded in Spain, one with a body and an American flag, the other containing five bodies. It has been alleged that these could have been the remains of the crew of the Mary Celeste. However, the bodies were apparently never identified

The taos hum 

 
The ‘Taos Hum’ is a low-pitched sound heard in numerous places worldwide, especially in the USA, UK, and northern europe. It is usually heard only in quiet environments, and is often described as sounding like a distant diesel engine. Since it has proven indetectable by microphones or VLF antennae, its source and nature is still a mystery. In 1997 Congress directed scientists and observers from some of the most prestigious research institutes in the nation to look into a strange low frequency noise heard by residents in and around the small town of Taos, New Mexico. For years those who had heard the noise, often described by them as a “hum”, had been looking for answers. To this day no one knows the cause of the hum.

Voynich manuscript

The Voynich Manuscript is a medieval document written in an unknown script and in an unknown language. For over one hundred years people have tried to break the code to not avail. The overall impression given by the surviving leaves of the manuscript suggests that it was meant to serve as a pharmacopoeia or to address topics in medieval or early modern medicine. However, the puzzling details of illustrations have fueled many theories about the book’s origins, the contents of its text, and the purpose for which it was intended. The document contains illustrations that suggest the book is in six parts: Herbal, Astronomical, Biological, Cosmological, Pharmaceutical, and recipes.

 Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda triangle is an area of water in the North Atlantic Ocean in which a large number of planes and boats have gone missing in mysterious circumstances. Over the years many explanations have been put forward for the disappearances, including bad weather, alien abductions, time warps, and suspension of the laws of physics. Although substantial documentation exists to show that many of the reports have been exaggerated, there is still no explanation for the unusually large number of disappearances in the area.

The Babushka Lady

During the analysis of the film footage of the assasination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, a mysterious woman was spotted. She was wearing a brown overcoat and a scarf on her head (the scarf is the reason for her name as she wore it in a similar style to Russian grandmothers – also called babushkas). The woman appeared to be holding something in front of her face which is believed to be a camera. She appears in many photos of the scene. Even after the shooting when most people had fled the area, she remained in place and continued to film. Shortly after she is seen moving away to the East up Elm Street. The FBI publically requested that the woman come forward and give them the footage she shot but she never did.In 1970 a woman called Beverly Oliver came forward and claimed to be the Babushka Woman, though her story contains many inconsistencies. She is generally regarded as a fraud. To this day, no one knows who the Babushka Woman is or what she was doing there. More unusual is her refusal to come forward to offer her evidence.

 Marfa lights

The Marfa lights are unexplained lights (called ghost lights) that have been appearing on Mitchell Flat east of Marfa, Texas. The first published account of the lights was given in 1957, but Robert Reed Ellison (born 1880) reported them to his family and accounts of their appearances were spread by word of mouth. There are no verifiable written reports from before the 1950s. The lights are described as being the size of a basketball, floating in the air at around shoulder height. Colors are usually described as white, yellow, orange or red, but green and blue are sometimes reported. They usually travel laterally but have been seen to move rapidly in various directions. The lights sometimes appear in groups. Sightings are rare but there is a large amount of photographic and video evidence. Skeptics generally consider the lights to be related to traffic passing on the nearby US Route 67, or to be electric by-products of the predominantly quartz hills in the area. Because they usually appear in private property with terrain that is difficult to travel over, there are almost no reports of people being able to get close to the lights.

The Mothman

Mothman is the name given to a strange creature reported in the Charleston and Point Pleasant areas of West Virginia between November 1966 and December 1967. The creature was sporadically reported to be seen before and after those dates, with some sightings as recent as 2007. Most observers describe the Mothman as a winged man-sized creature with large reflective red eyes. It often appeared to have no head, with its eyes set into its chest. A number of hypotheses have been presented to explain eyewitness accounts, ranging from misidentification and coincidence to paranormal phenomena and conspiracy theories. The Mothman was first spotted in 1926 by a young boy. At the same time, three men were digging a grave in a nearby graveyard when they saw a brown human shape with wings soaring out from behind trees. Both incidents were reported independently of each other. There have been numerous sightings of Mothman though no photographic evidence exists at all.

Narrate a story and practice Present Tenses!

This activity is done in three steps and it is a great way to consolidate Simple Present and Present Continuous. When narrating a story, we can use these present tenses to recreate the events in an active, dynamic way. The narrator can relate the story as if it is happening at the moment.

1) Set your students in pairs. One of them will have to face the back wall and not watch the animation. Show the first 3 minutes of it (check video below), and ask the student watching to narrate the events while the other writes them down.

E.g.

The film is set in Washington.

The man is crossing the street.

The man gets a bag from another man.

The man is eating a donuts.

2) Stop the video at the three minute mark and ask the pairs to switch. Now the narrator will write down and the writer will narrate. Show the remaining 3 minutes.

3) To make sure the students didn't miss any event in the animation, show the video for the second time and ask the pairs to check it.

Enjoy!

**Special thanks to our friend and fellow  teacher Karla Silva for showing us this amazing video!

Present and Past DEDUCTIONS!

This is a trailer for a new movie that is very popular with teens, and it's great to work present and past deductions.

Show your students this movie trailer and request them to make deductions using the structures below. Engage them by asking questions:

E.g

Who could they be?

Why may this be happening? 

What could have happened?

Making Present Deductions:

We use the modals

Could / may /might + infinitive to say that something is possible

Must + infinitive to say that something is certain

Can’t + infinitive to say that something is impossible

e.g: They might be friends

Making Past Deductions:

We use the modals

Must + past participle to make a logical deduction about what has happened

Could / may /might + past participle to offer possible explanations for what happened

We use can’t + past participle to say that it is impossible that something has happened

 e.g.: He could have been abducted when he was a child

A glimpse of the FUTURE!

Future Simple and Future Continuous

Prepare:

Tell your students they are going to watch a video made by microsoft predicting what the world will be like in the near future.

Practice:

After watching the video, show the future simple and future continuous structure:

Future Simple

Subject	+	Auxiliary verb	+	verb
I He/she/it We/you/they		Will		Be Have Work

e.g.: Houses will be sustainable. 

        People will have internet connection everywhere.

Future Continuous

Subject	+	Auxiliary verb	+	Auxiliary verb	+	Verb + ing
I He She it We you they		Will		Be		Working Going making

e.g.: People will be living in sustainable houses;

        Schools will be virtual.

Tell students to sit in pairs and write future simple and future continuous sentences about the video’s predictions for the future. 

According to the video, what will this these things be like in the future? 

• Homes;
• Schools;
• Transportation;
• The use of technology: tools and devices (cell phones, tablets and lap tops);
• Languages;
• Communication (text messages, instant messages, news and magazines);
• Jobs and work place;
• The environment;
• Energy;
• GPS (global positional system);              

Write some future adjectives on the board to help their thoughts:

Personalize

Finally, ask the students to predict the future by reflecting and answering the questions below.

Are your predictions similar to those in the video?

What else do you think will be invented?

How smart do you think home appliances will get?

                                                                

Greet and add personal touches!

When you wait for your students by the door you set a friendly, and a welcoming environment right from the start of your lessons. A personal word or a smile will make a lot of difference, students appreciate individual attention. When you greet them by name, they know they are not just another student.

Start fresh! If you had a conflict with a student the other day, welcoming that student with a smile will send him the message that whatever the conflict was, it was not personal and it is now over.

Smiling says that you’re happy to be there, happy to see your students. Students will respond a lot better to teachers who are positive about school and enthusiastic about teaching.

Establishing yourself as the classroom “host” reminds them that in your room you have rules and expectations regarding behaviour, mutual respect. You are a role model.

  

Music playing in the background while your students are coming in, is always a good idea. It can help you set the mood and it brings a cheerful touch to your lessons!

The link below is from a website where you can customize a famous song (Barbra Streisand by Duck Sauce). You can place your own words in the lyrics and surprise your students. 

http://gobarbra.com/

Check out our song!

http://gobarbra.com/hit/new-a7aaf3ea4d3d97397bf89d30d5331285

Playing pretend with ADJECTIVES!

This activity is great because it allows students to understand adjectives in a more wholesome, meaningful way. Make sure to select adjectives that won't encourage disrespectful or bad behavior. It is always nice to personalize your activities according to your groups' profile.

When your class begins give each student a card with an adjective written on it. Tell them to keep it a secret from their other classmates. 

Write the definition of all the adjectives given on the board,  and tell your students to role-play according to the adjective they were given throughout the entire class. 

Suggestions of adjectives:

1. Impatient
2. Cheerful
3. Shy
4. Confused
5. Energetic
6. Easy-going
7. Moody
8. Helpful
9. Calm
10. Friendly
11. Conservative
12. Stubborn 
13. Talkative
14. Dreamy
15. Happy

Proceed your class as normal and let them have fun, at the end of your lesson ask students to match the adjectives to their classmates, then ask them to reveal their adjectives to each other . 

To consolidate your lesson, or perhaps as a wrap-up activity, ask them to describe their real selves using five adjectives.

Have fun!

Present Perfect Simple in Songs!

Learning English through songs is a great way to practice speaking, reinforce grammar structure, get students motivated, and embed new vocabulary. 


With just a little creativity, the video below can be used in many different ways:

Here are some activity suggestions:
- In pairs ask students to listen and write down the Present Perfect parts of the songs.
- Ask students to sing the Present Perfect parts only.
- Divide your class into 2 groups. One team watches the video while the others seat outside the classroom. The team who watched has to dictate the Present Perfect songs to the other group.

Problem Solving

"A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary"

                              Thomas Carruthers

 Students must be motivated to become active participants. We feel that learning should be an active relationship between learner and facilitators always with clear objectives and high expectations in mind. Giving teens problem solving activities and significant experiences will teach them trust, empathy, reflection and initiative.

See below for some well used problem solving activities that are very helpful. They can be used as icebreakers or even warm-ups for team assignments.

 Helium Hula Hoop

Helium stick is a  simple problem-solving activity that requires a group of students to work together and communicate at a higher level. The only prop needed is a hula hoop. The group must be small enough for everyone to touch the hoop at once; ten to twelve players is the ideal size.

To play, have students stand in a circle. Tell them that the hula hoop is filled with helium and may float upward if not held down. Have all the students hold both hands out with index fingers extended. Place the hula hoop on top of their index fingers. The goal is for the group to lower the hoop to the ground without anyone losing contact with the hoop. If any player's fingers lose contact with the hoop, the group must start over with the hoop at the original height. Usually the hoop will move up instead of down at first because the players are trying so hard to maintain contact with the hoop.

This activity requires concentration, patience and communication. A group of impatient students may become frustrated quickly when the hoop continues to move upward. If they are able to work through their frustration, this is a powerful activity for facilitating concentration and focus among an active group of students.

Human Knot

Human knot is a problem-solving activity that requires no props and can be played anywhere. At least seven players are needed, but no more than 16; larger groups can be divided into groups of ten . To play, have the group stand in a close circle with their shoulders touching. All the players should then put their right hand into the center of the circle and grasp someone else's hand. Without letting go, they should then place their left hand in the center of the circle and grasp a different person's hand. With none of the players letting go of either hand, the group must then untangle themselves so that they form a circle with hands linked around the circle.

This problem-solving activity can be used for multiple purposes. If the students have just met at a summer camp or a similar setting, they can introduce themselves when they clasp hands, making the game into an ice-breaker activity. Because the game requires participants to interact physically, it is also a good warm-up game for other activities that require touch, such as trust activities.

Toxic Waste

Toxic waste is a classic problem-solving activity that requires the group to solve a complex problem. To set up, place a small bucket full of water or balls inside a large circle (marked by rope or chalk on the ground). The circle should be at least eight feet in diameter. The bucket is the toxic waste, and the circle is the radiation zone.

Place a second bucket, large enough for the first bucket to fit inside it, outside the circle, 30 to 50 feet away from the toxic waste bucket. This is the neutralization bucket. Once the toxic waste has been transferred to the neutralization bucket, it will be neutralized.

Place a pile of supplies for the group to use on the floor just outside the circle. These supplies should include a small bungee circle and several cords or ropes. It can also include any "red herring" objects you want that look like they might be useful.

The goal of the activity is for the group of students to move the toxic waste bucket to the neutralization bucket without spilling any of the toxic waste or allowing any participants to enter the radiation zone. Any body part which enters the radiation zone is disabled for the duration of the game. Toxic waste spillage can result in penalties such as blindness or deafness. You can make this activity more difficult by enforcing a time limit, placing the buckets farther apart, or adding obstacles between the buckets.

The most common solution to this game is to tie the ropes to the bungee circle. Each player then grasps the other end of a rope, and by working together they can move the bungee circle to the toxic waste bucket and place it around the bucket. They can then lift it by lifting the ropes, working together so as not to spill any of the "toxic waste."

Activities source: http://wilderdom.com