© 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions Lesson Plan Level 1 Topic Aim Language Focus Skills Lesson 5 Food To enable students to order a light meal and a drink in a pub or cafe Food and drink lexis, ‘can’ for requests Reading, speaking, listening Out There – real world Out There – VoIP Find a place close to the school where lots of people are sitting down relaxing, like a small park or a square. Tell students to use the VoIP software to call some conversation partners. # Details Task Sheet Minutes 1 2 3 4 5 6 To introduce the aim and task of the day, ask the students ‘Did anyone eat out (last night/last week/recently)?’ ‘What did you have?’ Discuss. ‘How did you ask for it?’ Elicit ‘Can I have …. ?’ Ask the students to work in pairs. Tell the students to match the pictures to the words. Check in class and write the answers on the board. Check understanding of the vocabulary. Ask the students to work in pairs. As the students to separate the words and list them under food or drink. Elicit answers from the group and write on the board. Check understanding of the vocabulary. Tell the students to read the menu. Check understanding of the food and drink. Tell the students to write down what they want to eat. Then ask the students to work in pairs and role-play as waiter and customer. Listen to each pair’s role-play and correct pronunciation. Ask the students to work in pairs and put the sentences in the correct order to form a conversation between a waiter and customer. Check the answers and then tell the students to practise the conversations. Explain the Out There task. 1 2 3 4 5 10 10 15 20 15 10 Out There Tasks 7 8 Real world Students ask members of the public the questions about food. Feedback Check task completion. Ask students to compare their answers. Students compare their answers with what happens in their countries. Ask the students if they feel confident with the language taught and get positive feedback. VoIP Students should call conversation partners on the VoIP client and record their conversations to listen to and analyse how native speakers order food and drink in different circumstances. Feedback Same as in real world. 45 40 © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD1.05 p1 Task Sheet 1 Exercise 1 Work with your partner. Match the picture to the words 1. a burger and chips 2.a cup of coffee 3. ice cream 4. orange juice 5.a cup of tea 6. a cheese sandwich 7. tomato soup 8. a bottle of water 9. a piece of chocolate cake 10. fish and chips a. f. b. g. c. h. d. i. e. j. © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD1.05 p2 Task Sheet 2 Exercise 2 Here are some more things you eat and drink. Can you separate them? cokepizzabeermilklasagnasaladsausagesomelettepastalemonadefruitriceeggsbeanslagerpeas Now put them in ‘food’ or ‘drink’. Food Drink © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD1.05 p3 Task Sheet 3 Exercise 3 First write down what you want. Remember, to say what you want, ask, ‘Can I have ___________ please?’ or ‘I’ll have ___________ please.’ In pairs, one of you is the waiter and one is the customer. MENU Soup of the Day Tomato Sandwiches Drinks Cheese Coke Ham Pepsi Tuna and mayonnaise Mineral water Bacon, lettuce, tomato Tea Prawn and mayonnaise Coffee Chicken salad Hot chocolate Hot dishes Desserts Burger and chips Ice cream Omelette and chips Fruit salad Cod and chips Chocolate cake Spaghetti Rice pudding Bacon, egg, sausage, tomato © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD1.05 p4 Task Sheet 4 Exercise 4 Work with your partner put these conversations in the correct order. 1. ‘Er ... yes, a cola, please.’ ‘Anything else?’ ‘I’ll have tomato soup, please, and a burger and chips.’ ‘Good afternoon. What would you like?’ 2. ‘Yes thanks.’ ‘Is that all?’ ‘Can I have a cheese sandwich and a piece of chocolate cake?’ ‘Hi there – what can I get you?’ ‘Yes, I’ll have a cup of tea, please?’ ‘Anything to drink?’ 3. ‘A small one, please’ ‘Can I have a cappuccino, please?’ ‘No, thanks.’ ‘Hello, can I help you?’ ‘Anything to eat with that?’ ‘What size would you like?’ © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD1.05 p5 Out There Task ‘Excuse me. I am learning English, can I ask you some questions, please?’ What is your favourite meal? What was the last restaurant meal and drink you had? How did you ask for it? What was the last pub meal and drink you had? How did you ask for it? What was the last café meal and drink you had? How did you ask for it? © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions Lesson Plan Level 2 Topic Aim Language Focus Skills Lesson 4 House interiors To describe the interiors of houses Prepositions of place and furniture vocabulary Writing, speaking, listening Out There – real world Out There – VoIP Department store furniture department or furniture shop. Tell students to call conversation partners on the VoIP client using the school’s computers or at home. # Details Task Sheet Minutes 1 2 3 4 5 To introduce the aim of the day, ask the students to describe their current room in as many words as they can. If no one mentions ‘There is a …’ ask using the same words, ‘Is there a…?’, or ask where things are. Write some of the answers on the board and highlight the ones that need correction. Explain what the students are going to study in this lesson. Task Sheet 1. Work through the vocabulary and its pronunciation. In C, demonstrate the use of ‘there is’ /‘are’, (affirmative, negative, questions, answers) and practise orally in class, using the vocabulary for rooms and furniture. Task Sheet 2. Ask the students to make a question with ‘Where…?’ Write the correct ones on the board. Go through prepositions; to describe, draw pictures on the board, and practise orally using objects in the classroom. Task Sheet 2, Exercise F. Writing exercise. Monitor and help. Check pronunciation at the end. Work through the adjectives as well. Give details of the Out There task. 1 2 2 10 30 15 15 10 Out There Tasks 6 7 Real world Look for the perfect pieces of furniture and appliances, in order to design your perfect home. Describe the pieces for each room and where they are going to be. Feedback Ask how it went, and if they want to buy anything. Check task completion. Students list their favourite new expressions, etc, of the day. Check pronunciation. Ask students if they feel confident with the language taught and get positive feedback. VoIP Look for the perfect pieces of furniture and appliances online, in order to design your perfect home. Describe the pieces for each room and where they are going to be. Then tell their partner and ask their partner to describe their perfect room Feedback Same as real world when in class, but also think about having students do the task as homework, record it and email it to you as an assessment. 40 45 © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD2.04 p1 Task Sheet 1 At home A Match the descriptions to the names of rooms: A place where you sleep bathroom A place where you cook landing A place where you watch TV garage A place where you have a shower kitchen A place where you work lounge A place where you eat hall A place where you park your car bedroom A place just inside the front door study A place at the top of the stairs dining room B Use the words for furniture from the box to complete the sentences below: dishwasher bath washing machine table bed bookshelf sink cupboard armchair curtains sofa desk At night I sleep in my _______. I have my dinner at the ____________. I prepare my lessons at my _____________. I do the laundry in the _____________. After I eat I put my plate in the ___________. I brush my teeth at the ___________. I have a shower in the ____________. I lie on the ____________ while I watch TV … or sit in an ___________ in the lounge. At night I close the ____________ so people can’t see in my house. I put food in the ______________. I put all my books on the ___________. C There is /are – make notes from what you teacher writes on the board. (?) (+) (-) © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD2.04 p2 Task Sheet 2 D Write a question below using ‘Where + (furniture vocabulary) . . . ?’ and then listen to your teacher. E Think of some examples for the prepositions of place below. Write them down below and then listen to your teacher under opposite beside by next to on in inside outside between in the middle Some useful phrases: Against the wall On the wall In the corner On the floor In the window On the windowsill In the cupboard On the shelf On the balcony By the door F Describe the rooms in a house. Write at least five sentences, one for each room. Then swap with the person on your left, and ask them the questions about the positions of the furniture e.g. where is the sofa? It’s against the left wall, in the middle. 1. 2. 3. 4 5. G Adjectives: match the opposites big cold crowded ugly cosy messy comfortable bare pretty uncomfortable tidy small What’s your room like? Your house? Your room/house in London? © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD2.04 p3 Out There tasks Real world – in the furniture department of a department store. VoIP – visit a site like www.heals.co.uk. Now, design your perfect home! You need furniture and appliances for each room. Describe the furniture and where things are in your rooms. Carefully plan your rooms and then, when you are ready, describe where things are in your rooms to your conversation partners. Then ask them to describe their perfect rooms. Kitchen Lounge Dining room Bathroom Bedroom © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions Lesson Plan Level 3 Topic Aim Language Focus Skills Lesson 20 Problems To discuss various problems and solutions Expressing problems, solutions and revision of present perfect Speaking, listening, reading Out There – real world Out There – VoIP Take the class to a well-populated area of the town or city, somewhere where people are not in a rush and are easy to approach (i.e. sitting down). Tell students to call conversation partners on VoIP client using the school’s computers, at home or in an internet café. # Details Task Sheet Minutes 1 2 3 4 5 6 To introduce the aim, write on the board: ‘Someone __ stolen my bag.’ Ask the students to fill the gap and say what they think the lesson is about today. Highlight the aim of the lesson. On the board revise the present perfect: form, uses (experience, continuing situation and recent change). Go through examples of problems, tell the students to fill the gaps with the correct form and match answers. Explain new vocabulary and help with pronunciation. Tell the students to do Exercise 1, check in open class. Explain that instead of ‘need to‘ you can use other forms, e.g. ‘will’ ‘have to‘ etc. Briefly go through the medical problems in Exercise 2 and check the students understand them. Then tell them to discuss what they do if they have these problems. Monitor for pronunciation. Tell the students to do Exercise 1 in pairs. Check the answers. Ask them to work in pairs or small groups to discuss students’ problems using the questions in Exercise 2. Explain ‘to sort out’. Encourage use of the new vocabulary and form. Explain the Out There task: students make their own questions using the vocabulary and form. Make suggestion, check accuracy and appropriateness, and drill pronunciation. 1 2 3 5 10 20 15 15 15 Out There Tasks 7 8 Real world: Students ask members of the public their questions to start conversations. Feedback: Ask how it went. Check the students have completed the task. Ask them to list their favourite new expressions and words of the day. Ask the students if they feel confident with the language taught and get feedback. VoIP: Students ask conversation partners their questions to start conversations. Feedback: Same as real world when in class, but also think about having students do the task as homework, record it and email it to you as an assessment. 40 45 © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD3.20 p1 Task Sheet 1 Present perfect + -? Here are some examples of problems. Complete them with the present perfect form of the verbs: 1. A: I’ve got a terrible sore throat. B: ______________ drinking some hot lemon? (try) 2. A: The car won’t start. B: _________________ the fuel? (check) 3. A: I think I’ve lost my passport. B: ______________________ it to the police? (report) 4. A: I’ve got a terrible headache. I’ve had it since yesterday. B: __________________ to the doctor? (be) 5. A: I’ve lost my front door key. You haven’t seen it, have you? B: __________________ in the kitchen? (look). 6. A: There are no towels in my hotel room. B: ____________________ Reception? (tell) 7. A: I don’t think I’m making much progress with my English. B: ___________________to your teacher about it? (speak) 8. A: All the flights to Paris are fully booked. How are we going to get there? B: ___________________ Eurostar? I prefer the train anyway. (try) Now answer the questions with the answers below: a. Yes, I tried them this morning. All the trains are full too. b. No, but I’ll go down there this afternoon and report it. c. Yes, I’ve tried that but it still hurts. d. It can’t be that. I put some petrol in yesterday. e. She just told me to be patient. f. I told them this morning but they haven’t done anything about it. g. No, I haven’t but that’s probably where it is. I think I left it on the table. h. No, but I think I’d better go this afternoon. © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD3.20 p2 Task Sheet 2 Exercise 1 Match the words for problem with the words for the solutions/sorting out: Problems Sorting out/solutions Bag/stolen Lost/passport Gadget/not working Payment/not received Problems/colleague Get/replacement Bank/money out Finance office/find out Talk/boss Take back/shop Make sentences with both parts, for example: My credit card has expired, I need to renew it. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Exercise 2 Medical problems: A headache A sore throat A cold A mosquito bite Flu Food poisoning Backache A sprained ankle Sunburn Toothache Hiccups A temperature Travel sickness Indigestion Stomach ache A cut finger 1. In pairs. What do you do when you have these problems? For example: ‘I see a doctor.’ ‘Oh, I carry on as normal.’ 2. How many of these problems have you had in the last year? What did you do? © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD3.20 p3 Task Sheet 3 Exercise 1 1. Look at these sentences. Connect the ones that mean the same thing. The first one is done for you. 1 E I feel ill. A Are you all right? 2 What’s the matter? B My stomach hurts. 3 You don’t look too good. C Why don’t you… ? 4 Oh dear. D What’s up? 5 Are you ok? E I feel awful 6 I think you should… F I’m sorry (to hear that). 7 I’ve got a stomach ache. G You don’t look very well. 2. Complete the missing parts of the dialogue. Helen: Hi, Nick. You don’t___________ too good. Nick: No I feel ________________. Helen: What’s__________________? Nick: I’ve got a splitting ________________and my body _______________all over. Helen: Oh dear. It sounds like ______________to me. Nick: No, I think it’s just a _______________. Exercise 2 Discuss: • Have you ever had any of these problems? • What did you do? • How did you sort the problem out? • Do you know anyone who needs to sort their life out? Why? What’s wrong? © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD3.20 p4 Out There Task Prepare your questions and write them below. Then, in the real world say: ‘Excuse me, I am learning English. Can I ask you some questions please? Q1. Q2. Q3. Q4. Q5. © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions Lesson Plan Level 4 Topic Aim Language Focus Skills Lesson 4 Technology and possibilities To enable students to discuss future possibilities Modals of probability, possibility and certainty Reading, writing speaking, listening Out There – real world Out There – VoIP Take the class to a well-populated area of the town or city, somewhere where people are not in a rush and are easy to approach (i.e. sitting down). Tell students to call conversation partners using VoIP. # Details Task Sheet Minutes 1 2 3 4 5 6 To introduce the aim and task of the day, tell the class about something currently big in the news. Ask students what they think will happen and encourage them to use expressions like ‘I reckon/probably’ or modals of probability (e.g. ‘I reckon the MP3 will be superseded by another form of playing music, as with vinyl records and CD’s.’). Task Sheet 1: In pairs students rearrange the sentences expressing possibility and certainty and go through them. Students check with other pairs and discuss. Check in open class. Hand out Task Sheet 2 and make sure students are clear about the answers/rules. Discuss possibility and certainty and modals of probability and possibility. Students create two sentences each -one expressing probability and one of possibility. Feedback and correction to class. Ask students to change the level of certainty in the sentences by using different modals/adverbs/verbs, e.g. ‘(8) In fifty years time machines will possibly govern our lives’. Alternatively, students make their own examples using the new language. Task Sheet 3: reading. Ask the students to read the text carefully and fill the gaps using the six phrases at the beginning. Discuss some of the ideas in the text. Do they agree with the writer’s opinions about the technological future? Explain the Out There task. Students make questions about the future of the various topics and discuss possible answers. 1 2 3 4 5 15 20 10 15 10 Out There Tasks 7 8 Real world: Students ask members of the public their questions to start conversations. Feedback: Ask how it went. Check the students have completed the task. Ask them to list their favourite new expressions and words of the day. Ask if they feel confident with the language taught and get feedback. VoIP: Students ask conversation partners their questions to start conversations. Feedback: Same as real world when in class, but also think about having students do the task as homework, record it and email it to you as an assessment. 40 45 © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD4.04 p1 Task Sheet 1 Possibility and certainty Look at the sentences and try to put the words into the correct order: 1. shopping on people definitely do most will of the internet their 2. will probably videophone have everyone a 3. smaller mobile get and computers will smaller and phones 4. replace money electronic will probably transactions 5. effect on this certainly have an human will interaction 6. and more people will more home work at 7. protect the the the may government individual have to privacy of 8. in machines years time will fifty completely lives govern our Write your answers here: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD4.04 p2 Task Sheet 2 Possibility and certainty Look at these sentences. Circle all the words expressing possibility. Then circle all the words expressing certainty: 1. People will definitely do most of their shopping on the internet. 2. Everyone will probably have a videophone. 3. Mobile phones and computers will get smaller and smaller. 4. Electronic transactions will probably replace money. 5. This will certainly have an effect on human interaction. 6. More and more people will work at home. 7. The government may have to protect the privacy of the individual. 8. In fifty years time machines will completely govern our lives. Which of the circled words are modal verbs? And which are adverbs? What is their position in the sentence? Write your changed sentences below: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD4.04 p3 Task Sheet 3 Fill the gaps in the text using these phrases: • work at home • on the internet • human interaction • smaller and smaller • protect the privacy • replace money What is our society going to look like in fifty years’ time? What with amazing advances in technology and medicine, not to mention the globalisation of trade and information, it seems to me that the world is about to enter a new technological age. I think that the most important scientific advance in our time is the computer. Computers have automated uncountable operations in our daily lives. For example, rather than travelling to the bank, people will do their banking on the internet. Electronic financial transactions will probably __________ __________. I also think that people will definitely do most of their shopping __________ __________. Nowadays you can buy just about anything online, from cars to houses. Also, as a result of the internet’s networking capability, more and more people will __________ __________. Virtual offices are becoming more and more popular, because the absence of a physical office cuts overheads significantly. In addition to this, everyone will probably have a video phone or will use video conferencing over the internet. Mobile phones and computers will also get __________ __________, making them increasingly portable. Furthermore, with the massive increase in online communities and chat software, including MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and Skype, people are spending more time at home having virtual relationships online. I believe this will certainly have an effect on __________ __________. The internet is a very open network, which makes it vulnerable to hackers and others who want to invade the privacy of those who use it. In response to this I think that the government may have to __________ __________ of the individual. In order to do this, they will have to monitor the usage of the internet more strictly. I can’t help thinking that in fifty years time machines will completely govern our lives. © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD4.04 p4 Out There Task Real world – To start your conversation, first say to people: “Excuse me, I am learning English. Can I ask you some questions please?” If you work in pairs one person should speak while the other writes. Swap roles for the next person you speak to. Talk to at least four people each. VoIP – Call conversation partners and ask them these questions to start a conversation. Remember you can record your conversation to listen to later. internet shopping videophones mobile phones electronic money working from home machines replacing people © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions Lesson Plan Level 5 Topic Aim Language Focus Skills Lesson 10 Cars and congestion To enable students to discuss a topical subject while making a point Making a point, phrasal verbs Speaking, reading, listening Out There – real world Out There – VoIP Find a place close to the school where lots of people are sitting down relaxing, like a small park or a square. Tell students not to forget to use the ‘magic words’ and to smile! Tell students to use the VoIP software to call some conversation partners. # Details Task Sheet Minutes 1 2 3 4 5 To introduce the aim and task of the lesson, write the word ‘congestion’ on the board, elicit its meaning and its relationship with traffic. Ask what the students think about the London congestion charge of £8 per day. Ask if they have such charges in cities in their country. What do they think about the idea of a congestion charge to drive into the centre of a city? Task Sheet 1. Ask the students to read the short article about the congestion charge. Then ask them to tell you what they think about it and if there are any other options to solve the problem. Divide the class into two groups, A and B – one for and one against cars in cities. Ask group A to read Task Sheet 2 and group B to read Task Sheet 3. They should be asked to take notes on pollution, congestion, health, public transport and road building. Ask the students in Group A to compare their notes with each other and the students in Group B to do the same. Then ask them to form A and B pairs with students from the other group and to compare their ideas. Monitor this and have a group discussion at the end. Phrasal verb matching exercise. Ask the students to write example sentences using the verbs. Check in open class. Explain the Out There task. Ask students to write their own questions about congestion problems and solutions for the Out There task. Check the questions are relevant. 1 2 and 3 4 10 15 25 20 10 Out There Tasks 6 7 Real world Students ask members of the public their questions about traffic congestion. Feedback Ask how it went. Check the students have completed the task. Ask the students to list their favourite new expressions and words of the day. Ask the students if they feel confident with the language taught and get feedback. VoIP Students ask conversation partners their questions. Feedback Same as real world when in class, but also think about having students do the task as homework, record it and email it to you as an assessment. 40 45 © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD5.10 p1 Task Sheet 1 London congestion charge Traffic congestion in London is worse than anywhere else in Britain. The rush hour has become the rush day. There is just too much traffic on our roads -and not just in central London where the charge will start. Traffic levels are rising faster in outer London than they are in central London. Before the introduction of the congestion charge, forecasts were predicting there would be 300,000 more cars on London 's roads by 2016. Since the introduction of the charge, Central London has seen a 30% reduction in congestion. Four monthsafter the introduction, a poll showedthat 73% of Londoners thought that the congestion charge had been successful at reducing congestion. Now the congestion charge zone has been extended. Many people hope thiswill bring similar benefits to these areas. Green campaigners insist that congestion charging is not‘anti-car’. On the contrary, it's pro-London and will be part of the solution to traffic and transport chaos. But congestion charging aloneis not enough. People need to be given incentives to change their travel habits and cut car dependency. © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD5.10 p2 Task Sheet 2 Behind the wheel It is absurd to suggest that cars do more harm than good Cars enhance people’s lives, they’re great liberators, and they give people choices. Now, people will argue that cars cause pollution. Of course, nobody wants pollution, nobody wants congestion, but it’s simply not fair to put the blame on cars. Cars these day are getting much cleaner, and much quieter and safer too, for that matter. What is mainly responsible for pollution is the diesel engine. Diesels emissions actually contain forty of the most carcinogenic substances known to man, and as we all know, diesel engines are fitted to buses. As for congestion, well, no doubt you’ve all heard nightmare scenarios of grid locked roads, traffic at a permanent standstill, but this could easily be solved by building more roads where they’re needed. And it’s simply not true to say that cars clog up city centres, because most of the day they’re parked out of the way in car parks. It is misconceived policy by planners, and a shortage of roads, that are causing the problems, not cars. And let’s not forget the financial benefits cars bring to the country. The car industry provides some ten thousand jobs, not to mention the thirty odd million pounds in revenue from car tax on fuel. And finally there’s the issue of convenience. The fact is that public transport does not and cannot meet everyone’s transport needs. People need to travel in and out of cities at different times and in different directions, and there are people living in the country who have no alternative but to use a car. Quite frankly, it is astonishing that the anti-car lobby should expect car-owners to spend thousands of pounds on buying their cars, taxing and insuring them, and leave them at home and spend a small fortune on an inadequate public transport system that takes them nowhere near where they want to go. The simple fact of the matter is that cars are here to stay. We like them and we’ve got used to having them. You can’t stop people using their cars. Ban them from the city centre and they’ll simple go elsewhere. Instead of declaring war on cars, what we need to do is to accommodate them and come up with creative ideas for making life easier for the motorist. © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD5.10 p3 Task Sheet 3 Behind the wheel Do cars do more harm than good? Clearly the answer is yes, on a number of counts First and foremost, cars are responsible for the deaths of 100,000 people a year, and leave 50,000 people seriously injured. Secondly, on pollution grounds alone, the car poses a major threat to our planet and our health. Exhaust emissions from motor vehicles are hastening the deaths of up to 24,000 people each year, and indeed forcing many others with respiratory illnesses to stay indoors for large parts of the year. We can no longer open our windows, and instead have to use air conditioning, which in turn affects the climate. Then there’s the issue of congestion. Cars not only clog up the streets and make life unpleasant, they are even failing to transport us quickly to where we want to go. Rush hour traffic jams cause thousands of motorists to arrive late at work and in a state of stress, and at their worst can lead to road rage. Cars also impose a financial burden in terms of health care; the millions of pounds of taxpayers money spent on treating people with respiratory illness and the victims of car accidents; and in terms of congestion which is costing the economy 15 billion pounds every year in London alone. Finally, we need to think of the effects that cars are having on the environment. There is no doubt that cars are starting to destroy our entire way of life. We are ripping out the heart of our historic cites to build more roads and ugly car parks; and we are cutting through whole swathes of unspoilt countryside to create nosy pollution-producing motorways. Because of cars, huge out-of-town shopping centres have grown up that are killing the corner shop, taking the life out of our city centres, and we are making life increasingly difficult for the old, the poor, the disabled and indeed for anyone who’s not a car-owner. What we should be doing is using public transport more and using our cars less, for the sake of our health and that of the planet. © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD5.10 p4 Task Sheet 4 Phrasal verbs Match the phrasal verbs related to cars (numbers 1 to 8) to their meanings (letters A to H). 1 Pull away A To reduce speed 2 Run over B To hit someone with your car 3 Knock down C To suddenly move in front of another car 4 Drive off D To move past another car 5 Slow down E To stop (next to somewhere) 6 Pull up F To drive away from somewhere or someone 7 Cut in G To drive over something or someone 8 Overtake H To leave an area Now write some sentences using the phrasal verbs: © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD5.10 p5 Out There Task: Real world and VoIP For both real world and VoIP tasks write your own questions related to congestion, cars and traffic. Don’t forget, in the real world say ‘Excuse me. I’m studying English. Can I ask you some questions, please?’ And smile! Make notes of the answers you get and, if using VoIP, record people speaking and listen to them again later. 1 ? 2 ? 3 ? 4 ? 5 ? 6 ? © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions Lesson Plan Level 6 Topic Aim Language Focus Skills Lesson 18 Extreme criticism or ranting To understand what a rant is and to recognise and use hyperbole Ranting and hyperbole Reading, writing, speaking, listening Out There – real world Out There – VoIP Find a place close to the school where lots of people are sitting down relaxing, like a small park or a square. Tell students not to forget to use the magic words: ’Excuse me, I’m learning English. Can I ask you some questions?’ and smile! Tell students to use the VoIP software to call some conversation partners. # Details Task Sheet Minutes 1 2 3 4 5 6 To introduce the aim and task of the lesson, encourage students to think of things that they really don’t like. Ask them why and what makes the things annoying. Discuss how language is used to make extreme statements and used for maximum effect (i.e. emotional and comedic impact). Task Sheet 1. Ask the students to write some sentences complaining about something or someone that they don’t like. Get students to read them out loud. Write the best ones on the board and look at how strong (or weak) the language is. Introduce the verb ‘to rant’ and the concept of hyperbole. Students read the three rants and underline the use of hyperbole. Tell students not to check vocabulary yet. Vocabulary 1. In pairs, students take one box each, A or B, and to try to match words with meanings. They then check each other’s work. Vocabulary 2. Ask the students to work alone and fill in the gaps in the statements using vocab from the articles. Ask students to rewrite their previous complaints in the style of the articles and using strong hyperbole. Check for understanding and improvement. Explain the Out There task. 1 1 2 3 4 4 10 10 5 15 15 15 10 Out There Tasks 7 8 Real world Students speak to five members of the public. Feedback Ask how it went and if there were any funny or interesting encounters. Check the students have completed the task. Students discuss their examples of language use. Ask the students to list their favourite new expressions and words of the day. VoIP Students call five conversation partners online. Tell students not to forget to record these rants. There could be some amazing new words and phrases in there, and they will differ from Scottish English to Australian English. Feedback Same as in real world task. Send us some of the rants for our website … please! 45 40 © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD6.18 p1 Task Sheet 1 Think of someone or something that has annoyed you in the last year. Try to write a few sentences explaining what you don’t like and why? Try to be very expressive. Definitions To rant (v): To speak or write in an angry, violent manner, to speak aggressively about something or to take your own tangent about a subject and talk for a long time in a passionate manner. ‘I was ranting virtually every day during the election, I really hate him and everything he stands for.’ Hyperbole: Figurative language that greatly overstates or exaggerates facts, whether in earnest or for comic effect. (Littauer, Dictionary of Literary Terms) ‘I’ve told you a million times to stop exaggerating’ In pairs read the three articles below carefully. Try to imagine the people and things they write about? • Do you know what they are referring to? • Think about the criticism you have just written and how it compares to the language below? • Think about how extreme the language is? Is it clever, funny, obscene or just stupid? • Try to underline as many examples of hyperbole as you can? © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD6.18 p2 Task Sheet 2 Reading Weather and festivals rant, Charlie Brooker Monday June 25, 2007, The Guardian (excerpt) Here’s an entirely random list of things I hate. Mud. Rain. Inconvenience. Any form of discomfort whatsoever. Loud noises. People. People’s friends. People standing next to other people, with yet more people in between. Drunks bumping into you and being sick down your leg. Poorly maintained public toilets. Camping. You’ll find all these things and more at the Glastonbury festival, which is why it has always struck me as heck on earth. A long weekend in a wet field surrounded by students on cider, thirty-something Faithless fans, and everyone I avoided at school. That’s not a holiday. That’s a penance. On top of that, I’d heard my share of off-putting Glastonbury myths. Tents bobbing in a mud slide. Widespread trench foot. A man on ketamine eating his own hand. One of my friends swore blind she knew a man who’d been sitting in a Portaloo when some passing japester decided to tip it over, door side down, leaving him trapped inside a coffin full of foaming crap for 15 horrifying minutes; it went in his eyes and mouth. He got dysentery. In summary: pretty far removed from my idea of fun. Consequently, I’ve never been. Until now. I got talked into it by The Guardian. Advertising rant, Julia Raeside Saturday June 9, 2007, The Guardian Advertisers used to tell young women that if they smelt nice, young men would give them flowers. But now they’re telling chaps that a spray of sickly guff in a tin will have chicks pumping their pelvises at them before they can say, ‘How do you do? My name is Chris. Would you like a spritzer?’ If ‘Chris’ spent less time in front of the mirror, dousing himself in Lynx Knob, he might know there’s very little pulling power to be gained from something which costs £2.50. The latest Lynx campaign depicts a series of women who smell Lynx and immediately dry hump the men wearing it. An excess of Lynx usually causes people to move downstairs on the bus, not rise from their seats and start air-shagging. And each display of primal groin grinding is preceded by the instantly wearing catchphrase, ‘Bom chicka wah wah’, sung to a tune as instantaneously unshakeable as the closing bars of the Grange Hill theme tune. Consider your internal jukebox well and truly violated for the rest of your life. The most irksome ad sees a supermarket drone going about his business in the perishables aisle when a leggy model with an Afro sniffs his musk and loses all sense of propriety. She puts on the full tail-feather display, jiggling her bumper hither and yon while he stares at her arse like an astonished goat. He doesn’t look aroused – just afraid. It’s not chewing gum or jeans or a tin of man perfume that any of us actually use to get each other into bed. It’s alcohol. A campaign of adverts for strong cider where people sniff a pint and start rutting on the pub floor would be nearer the truth. © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD6.18 p3 Task Sheet 2 (continued) Politics rant, Charlie Brooker Monday April 2, 2007, The Guardian (excerpt) David Cameron is an idiot. A simpering, say-anything, dough-faced, preposterous waddling idiot with a feeble, insincere voice and an irritating tendency to squat near the top of opinion polls. I don’t like him. And I’ve got a terrible feeling he’ll be prime minister one day. Brrr. These are unthinking snap judgments, based on little more than his media profile – but since he appears to consist of little more than a media profile designed to appeal to unthinking snap judgments, that seems fair enough. On that basis, let’s stick to gut instincts, shall we? There is nothing to him. He is like a hollow Easter egg with no bag of sweets inside. Cameron will say absolutely anything if he thinks it might get him elected. If a shock poll was published saying 99% of the British public were enthusiastic paedophiles, he would drive through the streets in an open-top bus surrounded by the Mini Pops*. He’s nothing. He’s no one. *Child pop band. © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD6.18 p4 Task Sheet 3 Vocabulary 1 There is a lot of interesting and current vocabulary in the three articles you have just read. In pairs, take one box each, A or B, and try to match these words with their meanings. When you have finished, check each other’s work. Box A 1. struck me 2. heck 3. penance 4. bobbing 5. mud-slide 6. Portaloo 7. japester 8. coffin 9. dysentery 10. guff a. box to be buried in b. a cloud of foul gas left hovering in the air after someone farted c. moving in a short jerking manner up and down d. became apparent e. foolish practical joker f. large movement of wet soil g. extreme digestive problem h. polite way to use the word ‘hell’ i. temporary chemical toilet j. an act of self-mortification or devotion performed voluntarily to show sorrow for a sin or other wrongdoing Box B 1. spritzer 2. pulling power 3. to dry hump (someone or something) 4. air-shagging 5. drone 6. rutting 7. simpering 8. waddling 9. gut instincts 10. shock-poll a. to have frenzied sex, like an animal b. a predictive feeling coming from the stomach c. social research with a bizarre result d. one’s ability to attract the opposite sex e. to simulate sexual intercourse with an imaginary friend f. to simulate sexual intercourse with someone or something (a leg, a chair, etc.) g. someone who follows an ideology or some form of activity blindly and uncritically h. cheap white wine and soda water drink i. smiling in a silly, self-conscious, often coy manner j. to walk with short steps that tilt the body from side to side © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD6.18 p5 Task Sheet 4 Vocabulary 2 What can you remember from the texts? Fill the gaps and then check your answers in the texts. 1. Charlie hates drunks who are _______ down his leg. 2. Glastonbury festival has ______ ______ ___ as heck on earth. 3. One Glastonbury myth he’s heard includes a man on ________ eating his hand. 4. Something that costs £2.50 probably has very little _______ _____ . 5. The male drone in the supermarket doesn’t look _______ – just afraid. 6. Rutting on the floor can result from two people ________ a strong pint of cider. 7. David Cameron’s voice is ______ and _________. 8. He consists of little more than his _____ _______. 9. He can be compared to _ ______ ______ __ with no bag of sweets inside. 10. If it might get him elected he will say __________ ________ . Now re-write your original complaint, or another one, in the style of the passages you have just read, i.e. have a good rant! Read it out to your partner once you have finished. Try to use hyperbole. © 2009 Languages Out There and its licensors. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except as may be provided under the terms of the copyright notice or a Licence Agreement. www.languagesoutthere.com/static/termsandconditions TD6.18 p6 Out There Task Ranting Speak to five people Out There in the real world or online using the VoIP software. Remember to use the ‘magic words’: ‘Excuse me, I’m learning English. Can I ask you some questions about ranting?’ First, read them your rewritten rant (hopefully with extra-strong hyperbole included). Then ask them if they can guess what you are ranting about. Then ask them: • When was the last time they had a rant and why? • How often they rant? • If they have a favourite subject to rant about? • If they would like to have a quick rant about it? Write down all of the vocabulary/phrases that you don’t know and ask them to spell them for you. Thank everyone you have spoken to for his or her time!