My country is yours (alternative to "Road trip")

The objective 
To plan a road trip itinerary using a roadmap in a multi-lingual class 

The language
First or Second Conditionals: If they go... or If they went...
Present simple: It´s...Have/has: They have...
Past simple: I went there...years ago.
Modals: They should..., They could..., They can...
Conditionals: If they visit X, they will see Y.
Adjectives: beautiful/interesting/fun/boring/etc.

The set-up
Ask learners to bring in maps of their home-countries which include large and small cities and major roads the day before class. They can print them off the internet. Or, if you are up for it, you can do it yourself. In either case, you´ll need to think how to pair off students. Here are two alternatives. You could:choose groups and ask each group to decide on just one country (a different day, another?) or, choose groups where everyone is from the same country (uneven numbers okay) 

The low-down
Tell the class that you´re thinking about your plans for the next holiday and would like the class to plan a road trip for you in order to inform your decision (it doesn´t matter if you don´t actually go). First, ask them to decide what information they need to know about your trip (for example, budget, interests, time, etc.). Randomly call on groups/pairs to ask you questions (if they need to, give them time to prepare the questions beforehand). Answer the questions (make sure you´ve prepared your answers) until everyone is satisfied they have enough information to begin planning. Now ask them to plan the route, including stops and what you can do or see.

Now what?
When they´ve finished. Ask them to present their ideas to the rest of the class. Then ask the class to comment on one thing that sounded interesting to them for each presentation.

Time to teach
Ask groups to come up with a summary of different ways we (choose one or all):make suggestions make plans agree/disagree 
More talk-time
What was the last road trip you took? Where did you go?Do you like taking road trips?What do you do in the car on long road trips?

Teaching the art of listening

"Doing" listening is perhaps one of the least dynamic activities students do in class next to grammar "exercises".   Of course it´s your fault and not the recording´s if your students are yawning in class and not concentrating enough to do the activity the way you would like.  Perhaps, in fact, YOU are doing all the yawning.  Here then is an interesting activity that can be repeated class after class and will keep students on their toes and interested.

The objective

To improve listening skills as well as grammar

The language

It depends on the recording, doesn´t it?

The set-up

Just bring a good short recording of a monologue or dialogue, or a text you recorded yourself or plan to read aloud...and don´t forget a copy of the script for each student!  

The low-down

Tell students that they are going to listening to X and that you want them to brainstorm the words they think will appear.  Give them a couple of minutes.  Don´t check.  Now tell them to listen and write down all the key words they hear vertically down the page.  So, for example, if the first sentence is "I can remember the last time I went to an amusement park like it was yesterday", they should write words like remember, last time, amusement park, like, yesterday.  Make sure you stop the recording every sentence or so to give them time to write, even repeat if necessary.

Now what?

Once they have their key words, ask them to work together in pairs to reconstruct the text or dialogue.  This could be written or oral.  If you ask them to do it orally, then as a follow-up, ask them to write a short summary of the text.  You could challenge them further by limiting the number of words or sentences for the summary.  Get them to compare with each other and/or check in open class.  Finally, hand out the original and compare.  Discuss differences.

More talk-time

Ask personalized questions about the topic. 

Get them to create their own version of whatever the text was about, either monologue or dialogue.

Playing catch-up

This is a fun mingle activity which is perfect for large classes.  It does require a bit of preparation in order to provide examples of language but I think it´s well worth it.

The objective

To make conversation.  To find out what someone´s been doing since you last met.  To gossip even.

The language

Present perfect: I´ve just returned from a trip.

Present perfect continuous:  I´ve been working a lot.

Past simple: I saw a fantastic film last weekend.

Future (plans): I´m meeting an old friend on Friday.

Reported speech:  Juan says that he´s been working too much.

Relative clauses: I´ve found out that Juan has been working too much.

The set-up

Record, or write a dialogue between two people catching up on personal news (examples provided below, which of course you can use).  Print out the examples (even if you record them).

The low-down

Listen to or read the example dialogues and ask students the following.  

General understanding:

What´s happening?

What is their relationship?  

What news does each person give?

Specific phrases:

What questions do each speaker ask?

Why do they ask these questions?

What you want to establish is that some time has passed since their last meeting and so in order to learn what is new since that time, these questions are used.  Make sure you put the questions on the board.  Once you´re sure students understand the grammar, ask them to think in pairs of more questions they might ask someone they haven´t seen for a while. These questions could be specific or general.  They should think of things like, Did you go on holiday?  How was your weekend?  What´s new?  Have you been very busy?  Etc.

Put students´ ideas on the board when they´re finished and discuss them.

Now what?

Ask students to speak to their partner for (2 minutes??) and collect as much information about them as possible since their last meeting or since the last time they spoke (outside of class).  Information can be about themselves or others (family, friends, co-workers).  Demonstrate with a couple of students first.  At the end of the alloted time, ask them to change partners.  Repeat this process a couple of times, time allowing.  Finally, reorganize them into groups of three (hopefully with students they generally haven´t met with before) and ask them to report to each other everything they found out.  Put the phrase "I´ve found out that..." and give a couple of examples.  When they´ve finished, ask a couple of students to report something they thought was interesting and check to see if it´s really true with the student it originally came from.  

More talk-time

Review any problems in speaking that you heard on the board.  

Do you like to gossip?

Do you gossip much?

Is gossip always negative?

Example Dialogues

One
Jim: Hi Kate, it´s nice to see you again.   How have you been?

Kate: Oh, Jim!  What a surprise!  I didn´t expect to see you here!
Jim:  Well, I´m here with some friends.  They´re over there at the bar.
Kate:  So how are you?
Jim:  Good!  And you?
Kate: Uff!  Really busy lately but I can´t complain.  So have you seen Eva recently?

Jim: No.  Have you?
Kate:  Yes.  She´s pregnant!
Jim:  Really?  That´s fantastic!

Two
Montse: You´re Ted, aren´t you?  From IT?
Ted: That´s right.  And you´re Montse.
Montse:  How are you?  How´s it over there?
Ted: Same as always.
Montse:  I know what you mean.  I´m looking change departments, actually?
Ted:  Really?  Is it that bad?
Montse:  No, no worse than IT, I suppose.  Do you know Kate, from Accounts?
Ted: A bit.  Why?
Montse: She said they´re looking for someone so I might apply.
Ted: Good for you!  Hey, are you still living in the city?
Montse:  Yeah, and you?
Ted:  No, I just moved to a smaller town about 20 minutes away.  It´s really quiet.
Montse:  I´m a city-girl myself.
Ted: Well, I know a bit what you mean.  I´m starting to miss all that noise!

Go mingle

First of all, although the basic idea for this activity comes from "Business Result" Upper-Intermediate (Oxford), you don´t need a business group to do it.  The focus is on mingling: introducing yourself, making contact, explaining who you are and what you do and trying to make a connection (business or otherwise).  It´s a fantastic skill to work on and this activity is a fantastic opportunity to do so.  

The objective
The basic idea is for students to take on the role of a small company and present their business to the rest and then decide with whom it would be useful to do business with.  The original activity contained just four role-cards but I found that a bit limiting to the potential of the activity which was to exploit the idea of finding your ideal business partner by moving about the room, making contact with others (via small talk) and eventually locating the business which is a "perfect fit" to yours (without having it written on your card).

The language
Present simple:  I work for...
Present continuous:  We´re looking for...; We are expanding our business.

The set-up
Print out the role-cards (provided below) and cut them up.  Make sure you know which goes with which and why (I´ll let you figure that one out yourself).  Feel free to make any changes (make the connections easier to see or "dumb down" the language).

The low-down
Ask students if they know what a business networking conference is.  (optional: bring a small text which describes one)  Explain to the class what it means, why and how it works.  Then tell them that they are going to attend one in X hotel for a lunch conference in X (city).  Each student (or pair) will have a role-card.  The objective is to move around the room introducing themselves and making conversation to decide if they could do business together.  If not, they should speak with someone else.  Very important: Demonstrate this with a couple of students.  Hand out the cards (mixed up) and ask students to stand up and move to the center of the room.  Monitor and help them with any hiccups in conversation.  Also, referee to make sure they found the intended partner.

Now what?
When students have found their intended business partner, they should sit down and discuss details of their future relationship.  Ask them to make a basic plan of what their relationship will be and how they will conduct it.  When they finish, ask some pairs to present to the class.

More talk-time
Do you think networking conferences are a good way to meet new clients?
What other ways can a company meet new clients?
What´s (would be) the most difficult thing about gaining a new client, in your opinion?
What´s more difficult, in your opinion, getting new clients or maintaining present ones?
What makes a good salesperson?

Name: Tesla Product: Hybrid sports cars Information: new company which makes luxury sports cars Current activities: looking for sound system provider as well as other electronics for interior	Name: EmCom Product: Stereo systems and speakers Information: the best sounding stereos for home, office, car also make speaker systems high quality, luxury design Current activities: Looking to expand	Name: Luxa Insurance Product: Insurance sales (life insurance, car insurance, etc.) Information: We have many important clients in many sectors as well as private Current activities: Looking to provide gifts for important corporate clients
Name: Exotic Travel Product: Travel Agency Information: Provide private and corporate package holidays for destinations all over the world at competitive prices Current activities: Looking for new clients	Name: CMI Bank Product: Banking and Investment Information: A large, international bank with a large number of branches in local neighborhoods Current activities: Looking to attract new customers by offering gifts if they join	Name: Sony Product: Electronics Information: Largest manufacturer of electronics such as televisions, stereos, Mp3 players, computers and mobile phones Current activities: Development and sales of new products
Name: J. Blue Clothing Product: Men´s/Women´s clothing Information: Manufacturer and distributor of modern clothing in Spain Current activities: Looking to expand into international market	Name: DotCom WebDev Product: Web design and management Information: Provide website design service for large and small businesses Current activities: Looking for new clients	Name: Passport Product: Magazine Information: A travel magazine for the wealthy Current activities: Looking to promote anniversary issue of magazine but throwing a party
Name: Taylor and Taylor Product: Corporate Catering Information: Provide catering for large and small events, focusing on exclusive, glamourous parties for important clients Current activities: Looking for new clients	Name: LC Logistics Product: Logistics and Transport Services Information: Provide logistics and transport for companies throughout Europe and Asia Current activities: Looking for qualified workers with languages as well as Language training and translation	Name: Tongue Tied Product: Languages Information: Provide immediate translations, interpreters and teachers for more the twelve different languages, including Chinese and Arabic Current activities: Looking for new clients

Is This Thing On?

One tool I've come to rely on more and more is the "record" button on my mobile phone.

Nowadays I should think all phones have a memo recorder and since most teachers should have a mobile phone, anyone should be able to make use of this powerful little tool in one-to-one or small group classes.

Why use it?
Essentially, it brings in a level of objectiveness that is difficult to achieve when you're with students. Maybe you can understand them despite some errors here and there which you may or may not always correct, but when you listen to a recording, you hear things you normally wouldn't, and if you manage to transcribe them, they are there for both you and the students to see and analyze in black and white. Another important use it has is allowing students to "self correct". Noticing their own errors is the surest path towards mastery. Finally, it gives the teacher an opportunity to correct overall phrasing which is nearly impossible to do when correction on a word-level. Types of errors could include: unnecessary repetition, word choice, syntax, L1 interference, organization, coherence (understandability), cohesion (ideas/phrases connected grammatically with pronouns, connectors, etc?), use of connected speech, pronunciation and generally ways of sounding more "natural".

So how do we do this?
Tell students why you would like to record a couple of minutes of conversation.  Then during a speaking activity or just in the midst of a conversation, push "record".  You shouldn´t need to get more than a few minutes of speech to get what you need.  Then before the next class, transcribe what they said (this shouldn´t take more than 10 minutes and you shouldn´t need to spend any more time then with planning of the class).  The first few times, I copy and paste their transcribed speech onto another sheet and edit it to a more "natural" sounding speech.  How much you change depends on the level of the student and what it takes to fix their errors.  Then I ask them to compare the two versions and we discuss the differences and if necessary, this will lead into various grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation mini-lessons.  Plus it´s great reading (aloud) practice!

The best thing about it.
What´s also great about this is that it works really well for those pesky "conversation" classes where students don´t want to use a book.  It´s a great way to prove to them they need grammar, vocabulary or whatever and it gives you A LOT of material to work with and eliminates so much need for scouring for class topics on the internet (though you still should now and again).

So give it a try a couple of times and let me know how it went!

First Day of Class

I'm sure every teacher has their favorite "first class" procedure, whether it's going around the room asking students to introduce themselves, doing a needs analysis, playing game(s) or simply going right to page one of the coursebook (which often has typical "first class" activities).

Honestly, I've done all the above and none of the above but I've generally never felt like I quite "nailed it" as they say. Then, quite by accident, I sort of improvised a class which embraces TBL ideas and procedures while at the same time fulfilling several important objectives: giving students control, making the first class as conversational as possible, obtaining students needs (ie needs analysis), and allowing students to get to know each other.

And while they probably didn´t have as much fun as they might have had had they played games for an hour, nor got to know much personal information about each other (which I know will happen over time anyway), I know they left the class feeling they did something useful and productive and most important, they made their needs and desires known.

Now, in many cases allowing students to "design" the course may not be possible, for many reasons. However, even classes with predetermined syllabuses can be adapted to students´ expressed needs.  For example, if students place more emphasis on fluency, then the teacher can adapt, add or expand on activities from coursebooks or syllabuses.  And even if what students decide isn´t appropriate or best for them from the teacher´s point of view, this can be discussed, explained and negotiated with the outcome of at least providing students with transparency--that is, how and why things will be as they will.

One last point, I´m sure that those of you who do discuss the course with students, while conducting a needs analysis feel that you´re accomplishing the same aim.  But I wonder.  As I´ve mentioned, I usually did a needs analysis questionnaire the first day but what I went home with was often more questions than answers.  I wasn´t able to really decide how the course would go during that first class.  Rather, students filled out a questionnaire with some basic information which I could never really reconcile into one unified set of needs.  Yet I felt required to say something about the content of the course.  Yet how could I if I hadn´t even read their questionnaires?

I hope that the next time you begin a new course, you give the following a try.  Then let me know how it went.

The First Class

The objective

To give students an opportunity to discuss and share their needs and give input on content and format of the course

The language

Simple tenses

Personal opinion phrases:  I think..., I would like to..., I like...

The set-up

If you have to use a coursebook, get to know it.  Be ready to hand out books in class.

The low-down

Start by asking students to think about past courses (if applicable) and write down what they enjoyed and didn´t enjoy about those courses (this could be activity-types, skills, pair-work, etc.).  Then write down 5 skills horizontally on the board and ask them to put in order from most important to least.  In pairs, they should discuss their answers.  Get some open-class feedback.  (make notes for your own future reference)

Now ask students to work in pairs and write down under each skill what they want to learn during the course.  Elicit examples (e.g. Reading: news articles, stories...Listening: songs...Writing: letters, e-mails).  Monitor and make sure they are as specific as possible.  Get open-class feedback and write down everything on the board.  (copy this for your own future reference)

Now it´s time to hand out the new books (if applicable).  Ask students to look through them and find in the table of contents, the back reference and throughout as many of the topics listed on the board for each category.  Tell them to shout out the page numbers.  Note them on the board (and in your notes).  Ask students their opinion of the book based on their findings.  Discuss in open class. 

Now what?

Now comes the part that seems to be the most fun for students.  Tell them that as there are X number of minutes each class (or each week), in pairs/groups, they should decide exactly how to use that time (ie. make a timetable).  Put a list of the times on the board on the left side of the board fifteen minutes apart.  How long for grammar?  How long for vocabulary study?  How long for speaking?  On the top of the board write A, B, C, D, etc to represent each group/pair.  When they finish ask a representative from each pair/group to choose a letter and write  their time table vertically below.  This way, each group´s timetable should be side-by-side and comparable.  How do they compare?  Are they similar?  How are they different?  Ask them to discuss in open class and come to some general consensus.  If you agree, tell them so.  If not, explain your changes and why.

More talk-time

Do you think coursebooks are the best way to learn a language?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of coursebooks?

What seems most interesting to you about this coursebook?

What seems least interesting to you about this coursebook?

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?