The sounds of music

The objective

To listen to and understand a song

The language

Grammar-wise: it depends...

Connected speech: assimilation, elision, liaison

Contractions

Chunking

The set-up

Remember, TBL means using content which interests the learners--that means that the first step requires you to find a song that will interest them not you. Check out the top 10 on iTunes and download a song for 99 cents. Choose a song that YOU of course can understand and that´s fairly short. Pop songs work the best, generally. Next, transcribe the lyrics. Copy them onto a second sheet and take away the content words (e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) from the verses. For high-level learners, take out more; for lower-levels, take out less (one per line?). DO NOT take out words in the chorus. Print out copies for everyone in the class.

The low-down

Tell students they´re going to listen to a song and write-down the lyrics. Play the first 10 seconds of the song and ask if they recognize it. Tell the class if no one guesses. Explain that you´re going to play the song all the way through and you would just like them to listen and decide what the song is about (you can write this question on the board). Play it through once and ask students to discuss their ideas in pairs or groups. Check with the class after a few minutes and discuss. To see if they´re right, play only the chorus as this is usually where the main idea of a song is. Were they right? Make sure they understand, more or less, what the song is about. Next, tell them you´re going to play only the chorus and you´d like them to write down, word for word what they hear. Play the chorus and pause after each line of the lyric. Play through the chorus several times, if necessary. Ask students to check with a partner. Once they´ve got it. Hand out the open-cloze lyrics you printed out and ask them if they can guess any of the missing words (in pairs). Don´t check. After a minute or so, play through the song (pausing often, and repeating chunks when necessary) so they can fill in the missing words to the lyrics. Play the song again, pausing after each line and asking students to check their answers with a partner. Finally, play the song through without stopping and ask them to read along as they listen (and enjoy!).

Now what?

Now you can do several things. You can either ask discussion questions about the song and get them discussing the content of the song. You can use the lyrics to focus on one of the above language points: pronunciation (reading aloud), connected speech (marking where words are connected and checking against the recording), chunking (marking where slight pauses should/could be), etc. Or, you can focus on a grammar point you think is worthy of attention.

More talk-time

Do you like this artist?

What kind of music are you listening to at the moment?

Where do you listen to music usually?

Do you try to understand the lyrics to an English-language song?

What´s most difficult about understanding the lyrics to a song?

Translation jig-saw

The objective

To translate texts from English to L1 and back again in order to gain further understanding of differences between the two languages and "translation errors" students generally make

The language

It depends...

The set-up

Find two short (less than 500 words) texts that are similar in some way (such as texts each about a different animal, or a different accident, or a different famous person) and are at about the same level as your learners--that is, a text which will be generally understood quite quickly without many problems.

The low-down

Divide the class in half and then put them into pairs. Tell them that they are going to read texts about (X) and you´d like them to answer a question (on board). That question will be quite general and depend on texts. Examples could include, "What do you think?", "Do you agree with the writer?", "What would you do?" etc. Ask students to read and discuss their answers in pairs. When they´re finished, ask them to translate the texts into their native language (obviously this only works in a mono-lingual class). Give them a time limit (20 minutes, for example). Help them as best you can to clear up any errors (even if you don´t know their native language well, you can still be of help). When they finish, ask each pair from one side of the room to exchange with a pair on another side of the room (make sure they don´t exchange originals). Again, ask them to read the text and respond (in English) to the question on the board. When they´ve responded in pairs, ask them to again translate the text back to English.

Now what?

Once they´ve finished translating back to English, ask them to find the English original from the other pair they have exchanged with and compare the two. What´s similar? What´s different? How accurate were they and why?

Time to teach

Invite pairs to share their findings with the rest of the class. You should get responses such as, "We thought such and such phrase translated to X (literal translation) but in English it´s Y". Put some (or all) these on the board and invite students to copy them down in their notebooks. You can also generate a general discussion on the general differences between the two languages. For example, in Spanish, adjectives take the plural form but in English they don´t. You can write these "rules" on the board for students to copy down.

More talk-time

Was this activity helpful for you? Why or why not?

Do you ever have to translate to or from English? When?

When you speak, do you translate or do you "think" in English?

Are there any other differences between English and your native language that weren´t talked about?

Dice of Fortune

The objective

To review chunks, phrases and vocabulary encountered in previous classes

The language

Suggestions: Let´s buy a vowel/I think we should buy a vowel

"Going to" for decisions: We´re going to buy a vowel.

Letters: (pronunciation)

Vocabulary: (review from previous classes)

The set-up

I´m not generally a fan of games in classrooms but if you like games and more importantly, your students like games, try this one. This game is basically "Wheel of Fortune"...with dice! All you need is a pair of dice and a nice long list of phrases that have come up in previous classes--with clues for each.

The low-down

Ask students if they´ve ever seen the game-show before. Ask them to describe the rules to the rest of the class briefly. Explain that you´re going to play but with dice instead of a wheel. Divide the class into three groups of a maximum of four students in each group. The point rules are as follows: each group rolls the dice and the number that comes up will determine the points they receive for each letter they correctly guess, 2 points to buy a vowel and 10 points to solve the puzzle (there´s no possibility to go "bankrupt"). Put the spaces the phrase contains on the board like you would with "Hangman" and the clue.

Now what?

Play several rounds of the game. After a few rounds, you can go into a "lightening round" where students are timed (2:00 minutes, for example) to take turns choosing letters (no points) and solve the puzzle as soon as possible to get ten points.

Time to teach

What makes this game a true "task-based" activity is that students have to work together to decide what letters they´ll choose, whether to buy a vowel, whether to attempt to solve the puzzle or not, etc. This "negotiation" language should be corrected if necessary so that they gradually begin using phrases naturally. This can also be reviewed after the game ("How do we share a decision?" "How do me make a spontaneous decision?" etc.). Other than this, I probably wouldn´t teach after the game but make sure to note down any phrases they had special difficulty with for future review.

On a diet

The objective

To discuss dieting and health and decide on the best plan for someone who wants to lose weight

The language

Imperatives: eat, do, run, exercise

Modals: You should..., I would..., You could...

Conditionals: If you run for 30 minutes each day, you will lose one kilo.

The set-up

Discussing weight can be a sensitive issue. Yet it´s a very conversation many have, and you´ll be surprised at how motivated your students will be to discuss the issue. One way we can still talk about it without discussing weight specifically, is to do the following:

The low-down

Tell students that you would like to lose some weight (a kilo or two?) in the next seven days (you could give a specific reason, such as fitting into a dress or going to the beach) but so far you haven´t been able to do it properly (if you´re obviously really skinny already then say it´s your partner or someone else who wants to lose the weight). Ask the class if they have any suggestions. (Here you should get some input but like with any open class discussions, if you don´t feel like people are responding, put them into pairs.) As you get feedback, put the ideas on the board. Next, put students into groups of 3 or 4 and ask them to come up with a seven-day plan for you to lose a kilo or two. Their plans should include both diet and exercise suggestions for each day.

Now what?

Write the question "Would this work for me?" on the board. Invite groups to present their plans to the class. While the class listens, they should be thinking about this question. After each group finishes their proposal, give groups 2 minutes to discuss the above question. Then in feedback, choose a student or two to respond. Move on to the next group and repeat.

Time to teach

Grammar-wise, this isn´t a complicated lesson. So probably your focus will be on vocabulary, phrases or word-chunks. If you note down enough vocabulary they had trouble with, try this activity: write the words on the board and ask students to work in pairs to write a text which begins with "I never usually...." using as many words as they can or all the words from the board. When they finish, call on one or two of the best to read theirs out loud.

More talk-time

Are you healthy? Why or why not?

What have you had to eat today? Was it all healthy?

What´s the best way to lose weight, in your opinion?

What are the worst things to eat, in your opinion?

Money, money, money

The objective

To discuss concepts related to money and discuss our experiences with its use

The language

Lexis related to money (see below)

Question forms (see below)

Reporting language (see below)

The set-up

Think of a list of words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, phrasal verbs, etc.) related to the concept of money. That list will depend on students´ level or only focus on a specific theme, but could include:

• Nouns: wallet, coin-purse, handbag, credit card, loan, cash, debit card, ATM machine
• Verbs: pay, buy, shop, spend, waste, ask for (a loan), make, earn, invest
• Phrasal verbs: take out (a loan, cash from the ATM), pay out, pay off, pay back, pay up
• Adjectives: rich, wealthy, poor, loaded, profitable, bankrupt, cheap, expensive

You can print them out as a hand out or just jot them down to put on the board in class. Either way, they should be organized as "mind-maps" using either the parts of speech as the center of each bubble or the nouns like the ones listed above. Limit the number of words to three for each map.

The low-down

Put the mind-maps on the board or hand out the worksheet you made and ask students to look at them and discuss any questions about what the words mean with each other, or look them up in a dictionary. Put students into pairs and ask them if they can add any words to the lists. Give them just a couple of minutes to do so. Having shared their additions with the rest of the class, tell them you would like them to write a "Money Questionnaire" using the words from their mind-maps to complete the following phrases, which can be repeated to create a questionnaire with ten questions.

• Have you ever...?
• Do you...?
• Did you...?
• Have you...recently?
• Would you...?
• Or another similar question format if they think of it

Now what?

Put pairs together and ask them to ask each other their questions, noting down each pair´s answers. Give them a time limit. Change pairs. Repeat. Change pairs one last time (time permitting). Ask pairs to review the answers and write a general statement for each question based on the results. Examples could be, "Everyone questioned uses an ATM" or "Only one person was robbed" or "Four out of six people took out a loan recently". Ask pairs to share the most interesting/most surprising results with the rest of the class.

Time to teach

This will begin with the vocabulary focus on the mind-maps but will also happen when you correct people who report their results. You can also write down on the board/elicit the basic format of the reporting stage like this: "Everyone questioned..." "Only one person..." "Four out of six people....recently". These are great ways to get students to focus on these useful "templates" for reporting language/phrases.

More talk-time

Do you think interest rates banks charge for loans and credit cards are fair, or abusive?

Do you think someday paper money will be obsolete?

How do you think people will pay for things in the future?

What´s the worst thing about money or currency as a system of exchange?

My Inbox

The objective

To read authentic e-mails and respond accordingly

The language

(Depending on e-mails presented)

Informal language/imitation of spoken language:

I´m pretty darn excited/How´s it going?/Any new news?/argh!

Email language: lol (laugh out loud)/btw (by the way)/fyi (for your information)

Abbreviated words: legit/ info

Incomplete sentences: Or not so much?/Talk to you soon!/Any suggestions?

Informal greeting/closing: Hi Zach/Zach/-Jim

No logical order to paragraphs

The set-up

Go through your inbox and copy up to three e-mails with a similar function (to give information, to ask for information, to update, the say hello, etc.), or that are part of an "e-mail conversation" (highly recommended)--that is, one which has a message, response, response. They should all fit onto one page, so you may have to edit them a bit (especially if there´s anything personal). Print out enough copies for everyone in the class.

The low-down

Tell students about the background of the e-mails. In the case of the "e-mail conversation", give the most basic background of the "story"--who the other person is and whatever information students will need to understand the "conversation". Tell students that they will have to respond to one of the e-mails (or the last one). But first, put students into pairs, hand out the e-mails and ask students to write down as much information as they can infer about the sender of the e-mail, and/or what they can infer about the context of the e-mails. If they are a chain of mails, you could have printed them out of order and then ask students to first put them into logical order (deleting, of course, the dates). Check in open class what students decided and add information if necessary. Next, ask them to underline any interesting phrases in the emails and decide what they mean (focus on "chunks"). Check in open class. Finally, add to those mentioned any phrases which might be useful for them to use generally.

Now what?

Now it´s time for them to respond, again, in pairs. It´s going to depend on the e-mails you´ve presented just how they respond so you´ll want to think about you would write. It doesn´t have to be a long response but should focus on accuracy and sounding as natural as possible. When they´re finished, ask students to share their responses with each other. What were the differences? Why were they different? Were they accurate? Could they have used phrases from the three examples?

Time to teach

The teaching is going to begin with the focus on language in the e-mails and continue throughout the writing process, helping students with accuracy and finding natural phrases to use. You can finish by asking the pair who you thought wrote the "best" answer to read aloud their response and ask the class to think about what was good about it (language use, organization, etc).

More talk-time

How often do you write e-mails...in English?

What´s e-mail good for? What´s e-mail bad for?

What´s the most difficult thing about writing an e-mail, as opposed to speaking on the telephone?

Do you know anyone who doesn´t use e-mail? What´s the reason? Do you agree?

Family trees

The objective

To describe our families in an engaging way

The language

Family: brother/sister, cousin, nephew/niece, great-grandmother/father, etc.

Present simple (to be): My grandmother is 90 years old.

Past simple: My grandfather died.

Have (got): I have (got) two brothers and one sister.

Superlatives: The oldest person in your family is your grandmother.

Possessives: My grandfather..., His name is..., My grandfather´s name is...

Relative clauses: My grandfather, on my mother´s side, is 89.

The set-up

None.

The low-down

Assign each student a letter A and B and put into pairs. Tell A´s that they´re going to describe their families to B´s and B´s have to draw A´s family tree based on the description. Depending on the level you can demonstrate this two ways: One way is simply describe, "My mother´s name is..., My father´s name is..." and draw on the board as you describe. The other way is by asking one student about his/her family. "What´s your mother called? And your father?" and drawing the tree as you get answers. Even with the first method, students will have to ask questions but it´s a bit less of a cognitive load to question, process, draw. When they´re done, B´s can now draw A´s family tree.

Now what?

Now, using the family trees, students should ask questions to find the following information:

• the oldest living member
• the youngest member
• the most interesting member
• the most successful member
• the member closest to them
• etc.

The rule is that they can´t ask the questions directly. So, for example, for the first category, they have to ask, "How old is your grandfather?". Or for the third/fourth, "What does your cousin do?" Students then guess the correct answer and check with their partner to see if they were right, or simply agree.

Time to teach

This lesson is much more complicated than it seems so even intermediate students will commit errors. This could be with possessives, since there are many different forms. Or it could be with relative clauses. Listen and you´ll find something to help students with.

More talk-time

How important is family to you?

Is there anyone in your family you would consider your best friend?

Is there anyone you don´t get along well with?

Which do you prefer, large families or small families?

Interview

The objective

To formulate and answer job interview questions

The language

Direct question forms: Why do you want this job?

Indirect question forms: Could you tell me why you want this job?

Modals: could/would/should/can/etc.

Personality adjectives: out-going, motivated, interested, experienced

Past tenses: While working for Microsoft, I developed many new projects

Present perfect: I´ve worked for many different companies.

Conditionals: If I were chosen, I would change the structure of the company.

The set-up

If you like, you can do a few minutes of research on typical job interview questions.

The low-down

Tell students that today they´ve got a big job interview. As Human Resource Directors they´re going to interview several candidates for the job of General Manager of (a) the company they work for. (If they don´t work together or don´t work at all, invent a general dream job position like CEO of Ferrari). Ask students to brainstorm (in pairs) a list of qualities they would look for in this type of position. Examples include leadership skills, experience in a similar position, vision for the future, etc. Get feedback from pairs in open class and put key words on the board. Next ask them to write down as many questions as they can in a set time limit (make sure each person has his/her own copy of the questions). When they´re done, spend a few minutes getting some questions on the board and correcting if necessary in order to get examples and make students feel that they´re generally on the same page. Next, put students into new pairs (A´s and B´s) and ask A´s to interview the B´s. Give a 5 minute time-limit. Quickly change pairs so each has a new partner but maintains their roles as interviewer and interviewee. Repeat this until A´s have interviewed at least three candidates. Change pairs again and now B´s interview A´s. Repeat this three times. With a class of a minimum of 12 students, no one should have to repeat partners.

A1---A1      A2---A2  etc...(A´s stay seated)

B1---B2      B2---B3  etc... (B´s move one seat over to change partners)

Now what?

Ask students to choose their candidates and give as detailed an explanation as to why. If you have too many students in class to do this, you can ask them to quickly get up and write the name of their choice on the board, then just call on a few students to give their reasons. As it´s for a GM or CEO position, those not chosen shouldn´t feel offended. Sum up by asking what they found most difficult about the interview process they just did.

Time to teach

There´s no shortage of language to choose from above. Listen to students and address what´s most important towards completing the task correctly, before looking next at how to be more accurate or improve performance. Further activities for precision could include asking pairs to demonstrate a couple of questions and asking others to correct or, to listen and write down Q/A as if it were a dictation--then focus on what´s good and what could be improved. You could also ask students to write down a report regarding their choice of candidate.

More talk-time

Do you interview well? Why or why not?

What´s the worst interview question you ever heard?

What are some important keys to doing well in an interview, in your opinion?

The "I" in Internet

The objective

To discuss and survey trends in Internet use today

The language

Question forms: How many sites do you visit?

Present simple (to be): Many people visit social-networking sites./E-mail is the most popular tool.

Reporting language: We have found.../We believe that.../The result was...

Comparatives and Superlatives: Gmail is better than Hotmail/The best website is...

The set-up

None needed.

The low-down

Ask students to create a survey in pairs about use of the internet. They should write at least 5 questions. Possible questions:

• websites they visit
• frequency of use
• hours spent on internet
• most interesting website used
• most useful website used
• do they control children´s use?
• do they download illegal films, music or TV shows?
• do they use it for English?

Format of questions can be open question form or multiple choice (put example on board of each). When they´re done, put pairs together and give them 5 minutes to exchange questions and answers before changing pairs. Make sure they understand that answers should be written down and that they´ll be using the information to form general conclusions. When all pairs have had a chance to interview each other, ask students to analyze the results and write a general summary statement based on each question (5 statements). For example, "We found that people generally visit the same sites each day--generally less than five". Or "The most popular websites are e-mail, news and social-networking sites".

Now what?

Ask students to report their results and the rest of the class to comment on something surprising or not surprising about each pair´s results. Ask the class to make one more general statement based on the entire class´s results. Again ask each pair to share and invite students to agree or disagree with back-up reasons.

Time to teach

This is good practice of question forms but also of how to summarize. Look out for how well students do this and if their production could be improved in any way.

More talk-time

Can you recommend any good news/social-networking/celebrity gossip/ESL webpages?

What do you think the future of the internet is?

Do you think the internet will make television, newspapers or CD´s obsolete?

Do you think governments should regulate the internet more, or less?

Do you think the internet is generally a waste of time?

Do you think people interact with each other more, or less than they did before?

Showtime

The objective

To discuss and decide what to watch and when to watch it

The language

Future tenses for plans: going to/present continuous

Future will for a recent decision: On Friday we´ll watch CSI.

Suggestions: Let´s.../Why don´t we.../I think we should...

Asking for permission: Can we...?/Could we...?/Do you think we could...?

Offers: Would you like (to watch)...?/Do you want (to watch)...?/Should we (watch)...?

Conditionals: If we watch CSI, then we can´t watch Lost.

For/to/because (giving reasons): I like the show because the story is good. I like it for the actors. I want to watch the news to learn what´s going on.

The set-up

Pick up a copy of a local TV guide, or download one off the internet from your home country if you think student will more or less know what the shows are about. Have enough copies ready for each group/pair.

The low-down

In open class, ask students if they watch much television. What do they watch? How much do they watch? You can ask them to speak in pairs about this too. Next, tell them that they are going to decide what to watch for the next week together. Remind them to consider their families, roommates, partners, etc. in their decision-making. They have to agree on the shows, times, etc. Ask them to write down their schedule on paper.

Now what?

Ask the class if it was easy or difficult to agree. Why or why not? Invite groups to share what they´ll watch (one of the days or all if it´s a short list) and then ask if anyone had a made similar choices--they´ll be the next to present, and so on. Ask questions about the shows and invite others to ask questions or comment also.

Time to teach

A simple activity generates a lot of possible grammar. Take your pick from above based on the problems you hear.

More talk-time

How much TV do you watch?

What are your favorite shows?

What show do you miss?

What did you watch as a child/teen?

Do you think TV is bad for you? What about for children?

Civil (dis)obedience

The objective

To discuss specific problems students have with where they live and decide what should be done about them

The language

Complaining: (refer to any coursebook for details)

Modals: should

Formal letter writing (again, refer to any coursebook for details)

The set-up

Think of something that bothers you about where you live (see my example just below) and how you would improve measures taken. Then, optionally, write a letter to your mayor about this issue which will serve as an example to students (see "now what?" for conditions).

The low-down

Ask students if they ever participate in local government, such as protesting, voting, volunteering for a political candidate, etc. Tell them that today, they are going to write a letter to their mayor about a problem that bothers them. But in order to do so, first ask them to think of the problems that they see with their city/town and what they could do to IMPROVE the measures already (probably) in place. Give and example. (My example would be that where I live--a suburb of a large city--there are small parks with benches and olive trees but they also have a lot of dog dirt, rubbish, broken bottles, etc. It´s already prohibited but NOT enforced well. I would invest more money in clean up crews and in public-service posters to remind people to clean up after themselves). Students should discuss and brainstorm problems/better solutions for things such as traffic, parking, noise, pollution, rubbish, violence, littering, theft, graffiti etc. After a set amount of time, say 15 minutes, ask them to stop and organize their ideas from most important to least important.

Now what?

Tell students they should draft a letter to the mayor of their town/city regarding the most important issue they decided on. Here you can put up an example of the letter if you think students need it. The letter should be formal, and include a greeting, a statement about why they are writing, an explanation of the changes they thought of, a demand that the change be made and a conclusion with an expectation for action to be taken shortly. When they´re finished, ask groups to pair-up and comment on each other´s letters/ideas. Finish by asking if anyone read a particularly interesting, funny or good letter.

Time to teach

Here you´ll want to focus on either formal letter writing (not everything but that which they could improve or should know) or complaining (grammar, tone, language, etc). Both of which are surely in the coursebook you were assigned to teach--so feel free to teach it if they need more practice.

More talk-time

Do you think your city has comprehensive laws to cover all these issues?

Is the government doing well or badly? Why?

What could your city government do better?

Do you think citizens have enough say in what laws are passed?

Work it out

The objective

To discuss possible exercise routines which can be done despite busy schedules

The language

Modals: They should.../They could.../They might...

Conditionals: If they woke up at five o´clock, they could run for thirty minutes each day.

Present simple for routines

Relative clauses: They could go to a gym where they have exercise machines.

The set-up

None needed, unless you choose to print out the scenario below.

The low-down

Ask students what they do to stay healthy. Do they exercise? Focus the discussion on how they find the time to exercise. Now present them with the following scenario (dictated or written):

Hilda and John are a middle-aged couple living in the city. They both work from 8:30am to 7pm

with 1 and 1/2 hours for lunch. They take 45 minutes by car to get to and from the offices located in an industrial area where they work. When they get home, they prepare dinner, watch an hour of television and fall asleep on the sofa. At the weekend, they do the cleaning, the shopping and run various errands. Then they usually have dinner in a restaurant, go to the cinema and visit friends and family. By Sunday evening, they are finally able to relax a bit, reading or watching television before going to bed. The problem is that they are overweight. They don´t eat junk food, fried food or fatty food but they don´t exercise either--there´s just no time! Generally, they are very quiet people. Sometimes they go for walks or go cycling. But they don´t like exercising and it doesn´t form a part of their general routine. Still, they need to lose ten kilograms each and do it without changing their routine too much. What should they do?

In pairs/groups, ask students to decide on what they could do to change their habits in the little time they have available. They should make reasonable suggestions which won´t cost them a lot of money. Also, make sure to emphasize that they should be specific about what they should do, when they should do it, how much time they should spend, how frequently and the cost, if any. Give examples, if necessary.

Now what?

Ask students to present their ideas to the the rest of the class. As the others listen, ask them to take notes on what the essence of each idea is. When finished, ask them to rank the ideas in order from either (this depends on the ideas you hear) the easiest to do to the most difficult, the cheapest to the most expensive, the closest to their present routine to the most disruptive or that which they the students would most likely do to that which they would least likely do. Ask groups to share.

Time to teach

This will vary widely and depend on what the class has problems with. Listen, take notes and do a focus session on something they had problems with in general.

More talk-time

Do you exercise? Why or why not?

What do you do? How often?

Do you believe the people in your country are healthy in general?

What´s more important: eating a very healthy diet or exercising a lot?

That´s my business!

The objective

To discuss a case-study of a business gone bad and decide on a reasonable solution

The language

Conditionals

Conjunctions: although, unless, by

Predictions: will or going to

To..., For...: purpose

Modals: can, should, might, may

The set-up

None needed, unless you wanted to research the topic a bit on your own to be better informed.

The low-down

Begin with a general class discussion asking if anyone knows someone who has started their own business and to describe the experience (why the started it, how they got capital, did they have any difficulties, etc.) Next, tell the class that you´re going to describe to them a case you know of someone who started a business but is having problems:

X worked for several years as a waiter and manager in several restaurants before finally deciding to start his own when he realized there was no restaurants in his town which offered creative cooking at affordable prices. He borrowed the start-up capital from a bank and hired a friend who was a good chef. The only space he could rent only allowed him to have ten tables. In addition, he had to hire two waiters to help him and a kitchen assistant to help the chef. The restaurant was successful from the beginning and tables always fully booked. The problem came when, after three months, X realized he was losing money!

Ask students to decide, in pairs/groups, why they think he´s losing money, what he should do to change things and make a profit and what the possible positive and negative effects would be from taking such action.

Now what?

Ask pairs/groups to present their ideas to the class. Ask the class to listen, take notes if necessary and ask questions to clarify. Make sure that each pair/group has fully thought out their ideas. For example, if a group says, "raise prices" then they should know that the negative effect might be that customers stop coming because X´s restaurant will be like all other expensive, creative cooking restaurants. So therefore, what will they do to differentiate themselves from the others? Invite groups to think further if others (or you) question their ideas and they don´t have answers. Finally, ask students to vote on the best idea.

Time to teach

Probably the most important aspect to focus on is the vocabulary--especially if you´re teaching a business class and they have difficulty with terminology needed.

More talk-time

Have you ever dreamed of starting your own business? If so, what would it be like?

Do you think it´s a good time to start a business? Why or why not?

Think of a successful business-person you know or have heard of. What was their secret to success?

Ad Men

The objective

To discuss advertising and decide what´s most effective

The language

Imperatives: Go to your nearest store. Call now! Visit us online.

Synonyms: newest=latest, green=eco-friendly, thrilling=exciting

The set-up

Cut out a pile of ads from different magazines, newspapers and junk-mail flyers. Do

The low-down

Dictate/write on the board the following rules for writing a good advertisement:

1) Attract attention of your target audience with a captivating headline.

2) Use short sentences and imperative language to convey your message.

3) Tell or show them the benefits of the product to keep them reading or watching.

4) Get them to act immediately by ordering your products or service, sending for information, visting your stores, etc.

Ask students to react to these statements in open class or in pairs. Do they agree or disagree? Why? After a few minutes, and without having come to any definite conclusions as a class, move on to the next steps. Divide the students into small groups and hand each group several ads you´ve cut-out (they won´t all get the same ones). Ask groups to look at the ads one at a time and decide whether each ad follows these rules and if so, how. If they decide that they do not follow the rules, ask them to make a list of four rules of their own, based on the ads (which, by the way, they can also pass between groups).

Now what?

Invite groups to report their findings, either in favor of or against the above rules. If they are against, what rules did they decide?

Time to teach

You can look at a variety of things here. The most obvious and important consideration is how and why the pronoun "you" is used (imperative forms to give urgency and conviction, informal register to sound more friendly and close to audience, etc). Another possibility for discussion is word-choice and the connotations of words. You can use examples from the ads to ask why one word was chosen over another. Or, if the ads are not in English, you can ask them to translate one ad in each group and then discuss word-choice from that angle (as well as the differences between the two languages and how a word may sound good in one language but not another).

More talk-time

In your opinion, how has the internet changed advertising?

Which do you prefer, television, magazine or internet ads? Why?

Can you remember an ad-campaign that you recently saw? Did you like it? Why or why not?

What is the secret, in your opinion, to a good ad?

Should there be stricter laws about advertising, for example, to children?

Good parenting

The objective

For students to share and discuss their ideas about what makes a good parent

The language

Conditionals: If your baby cries, don´t come running immediately.

Imperatives: Set a sleep schedule.

The set-up

None, but I recommend that you first find out if you think this issue will be interesting to learners--generally it would be good for a class comprised of a number of adult learners who have children, but not limited to them only.

The low-down

Put students into groups of three or four. Tell them that you would like them to consider what makes a good parent (if they aren´t parents themselves, they can think about their own or others they know). Tell them that you´d like them to write an informal "Guide to Good Parenting". But first ask them to consider the typical problems parents have with children by the stages of a child´s life:

• Infant - 1 to 12 months
• Toddler - 1 to 3 years
• Pre-school and School Age - 3 to 12 years
• Teen - 13 and older

Once they´ve done that, ask them to think of solutions. For example, "When an infant cries, don´t come immediately but wait a few minutes to see if they stop", "When toddlers cry and make demands, don´t let them have their way". Of course they can write it any way they like, but monitor and make sure they´re on task. If they have problems coming up with ideas, you can bring the class together for a few moments so that others may share their examples of problems parents can have with children.

Now what?

When they´ve finished, pair groups together and ask them to share their ideas and note down which ideas were similar and which were different by first asking, "Did you discuss what to do when... (an infant cries)? This way, it becomes more interactive and they´ll be more likely to discuss differences. When they´re finished invite a few groups to share a similarity and a difference they thought was most interesting or one they couldn´t resolve.

Time to teach

I think learners will have a lot of questions about vocabulary, but there is also the possibility to focus on grammar such as for and since, register when using imperatives or use of the zero conditional.

More talk-time

How did your life change when you had children?

Do you think parenting has changed a lot in the last few years? How?

How was your experience as a child different than your children´t experience now?

It´s controversial

The objective

To discuss a controversial issue that affects the class and come up with solutions

The language

Conditionals: If they prohibit it, then.../If they prohibited it then,...

Future predictions: I think they will prohibit it./Based on the reports, I think they´re going to prohibit it.

The set-up

I´ve always noticed how teachers often used controversial news articles to generate discussion in class. The problem is, they focus too much on the article itself and the debate and no real conclusion comes from it. Here´s a way to change that: keep your eyes and ears open for a recent issue that´s in the news and inform yourself all about it--the more local, the better. Take notes on a few key points in favor and against, as well as possible solutions. For example, I used the issue of prohibiting bull-fighting in Catalonia, which was going to be voted on in parliament at the time.

The low-down

Tell students that you were reading about the issue in the newspaper recently and ask students what they know about it; if discussion doesn´t flow in open class, put students into small groups. Ask them to write down the relevant points to consider first such as: who does the issue affect? why is it a problem for some? why isn´t it a problem for others? and, what is being done about it? Once they have their ideas on paper, invite people to share them. As they do, you can note them down on the board--make sure to emphasize that at this point they should stick to the facts only. Once you have this down, ask people to take a moment to consider if they are for or against the issue. Ask them to write their name on a slip of paper with "yes", "no" or "not sure" written below. Collect the slips and put them into separate piles. Read off the names (without mentioning what their vote was) and put them into groups of three or four, according to their votes (this will eliminate arguments and get them focused on solutions); it´s not important if you they aren´t evenly divided; if there´s just one person for one of the categories, put them with one of the "not sure" groups. Now ask them to take a few minutes to brainstorm possible solutions to the problem. That done, ask them to vote within the group on the best solution (or most practical), then decide the following:

• how to implement it: if it´s to prohibit it, then how? by referendum or by legislation? how would the vote go?
• what would be the positive result: who would benefit? what would they gain?
• what would be the negative result: who would lose? what would they lose?
• on a scale of 1-10, how confident are they that this could happen in reality? why?

Those that are for the issue (in this case, for bull-fighting), as well as those that are against, could look at alternatives to the possibilities talked about in the news (for example, a type of bull-fighting which doesn´t kill the animals) and you can encourage these alternative ideas during the previous stage.

Now what?

Ask groups to present their ideas, without mentioning whether they are for or against. As others listen, ask them to take notes for questions or concerns. Encourage them to ask questions without arguing. Groups who are presenting may respond but don´t let them get into too much debate (I know it seems counter-intuitive but debates about these issues lead no-where, it´s solutions which can change minds). Once all groups have presented ideas (some may repeat others´ ideas but that´s fine; they should have differences in the positive/negative result categories, as well as the confidence category). Now ask for a second vote, again on paper. Compare the number of votes the first time, to the second. Hopefully there was a change. Invite those who changed their vote to volunteer to explain why they changed their mind.

Time to teach

You can focus on any of the above grammar structures, the vocabulary related to the issue or on reporting language.

Would you still pass?

The objective

To take a written driving exam and find out if students would still pass today

The language

Modals: You should, you can, you must

Conditionals: If you see a red light, you should stop.

The set-up

I admit that this activity involves a rather time-consuming set-up (unless teaching ESL in England, USA, etc.), but believe me, it´ll be worth it! Find a driving exam for the country where you´re working on the internet. You´ll have to translate it to English, unless you´re lucky enough to find an English-version. Here in Spain, for example, there are many websites which offer hundreds of exams. Each exam has thirty multiple-choice questions, some depend on photographs to depict situations. Avoid using these types of questions. Print out one for each group of three. Make sure you have the answers also.

The low-down

Ask the class who has a driver´s license. Did they pass the exams the first time? Do they think they could pass today? Tell them that they are going to take the written driver´s exam together in English. Any vocabulary they don´t know, they can consult in a dictionary or guess from context.

Now what?

When they´re finished, get groups to read their answers aloud and the rest to listen and decide if they agree or disagree. Act as referee before giving the official answer (with explanation, if possible). Who got the best score?

Time to teach

Having made a list of all difficult vocabulary, write it up on the board and ask learners to choose five words to define. They can look them up in the dictionary if they like. Then organize learners into teams and ask them to "teach" each other their words for about 10 minutes. Finally ask them to turn over their definitions and quiz groups, awarding points for right answers.

More talk-time

Did you take the driving exam? When?

Was it difficult to pass?

Describe your experience taking the exam.