The aim of this activity is to help students practice using structures like I would rather / I would prefer / It’s time + past simple when talking about something we want somebody else to do. It is a great activity to offer more grammar practice, but it can also be used during conversation classes to guarantee a lot of student talking time.
Lesson Plans
TED Talk: 8 Secrets of success
Here is another great TED Talk I used in class with my students. It is short, funny and most people find it very relevant. This class involves speaking, listening and writing about the topic of success. We all want to know what the secrets of achieving success are so this TED Talk is universally liked and students find it easy to relate to its content. It also opens up some interesting topics for discussion, which all makes for an engaging and dynamic English lesson.
LinkedIn lesson plan
I planned this LinkedIn lesson with my adult Business English students in mind. It combines speaking, listening and writing in the context of using LinkedIn, one of the fastest-growing social networking services for professionals. It is a great lesson to use with corporate clients, who often have an extensive and impressive knowledge of business networking and find this topic really interesting and engaging.
Colour idioms lesson plan
Colour idioms lesson will help your students learn and use some idiomatic expressions related to colours. This activity involves matching colour idioms with their meaning and using them in context while discussing various questions. It is suitable for levels intermediate and above. It combines vocabulary exercises with plenty of student talking time and is appropriate for all groups sizes.
TED Talk: English mania
This TED Talk deals with the topic of learning English around the world nowadays, focusing on China and comparing language learning to a mania. This lesson is based on the TED Talk by Jay Walker. TED Talks are a great source of listening/reading materials as well as inspirations for class conversations and written assignments. I try to choose Talks shorter than 10 minutes (ideally 4-8 minutes long) and topics which are relevant to specific interests of my students.
The Real Rain Man: video activity about Kim Peek
The Real Rain Man video activity offers students the opportunity to practice their listening and speaking skills. They watch a short video and answer some questions, and then discuss the content of the documentary. I came up with the idea for this activity while looking for more engaging ways to approach the chapter in the book entitled “Secrets of the mind”.
Vocabulary Game: Pass The Bomb
This vocabulary game has been one of my students’ favourite for some time now. It is based on the popular word game Pass the Bomb. It helps with spelling and broadens students’ vocabulary in an entertaining way. I often use this vocabulary game with FCE, CAE, and upper-intermediate students. It is a great way to either start or finish the lesson.
Lifetramp lesson plan
Lifetramp lesson plan offers listening, speaking and writing practice. The aim of this class is to talk about different jobs and compare authentic job descriptions. The idea for this lesson came to me after stumbling upon this amazing website. I found the idea of Lifetramp really interesting and decided to introduce my students to this online community.
Reported speech speaking activity
The aim of this activity is to practice using reported speech in the context of gossip. Reported speech lends itself quite nicely to be used in such context (repeating what somebody else had said) and the activity encourages a lot of creativity in students. It is suitable for levels pre-intermediate and above.
Smartphone apps listening activity
This smartphone apps listening activity is based around the topic of new technologies and innovative use of smartphone apps. It works best with FCE, CAE, and upper-intermediate students. It compliments well coursebook chapters about technology and its influence on our lives, especially new technologies such as smartphone apps. I used this video published by BBC News.
