Spanish- English dictonary. Choose the right word. Intermediate to advanced.

This task has been designed to suit the needs of Spanish speakers. 
Due to the complexity of the examples  that I provide this task caters for intermediate or advanced students.
For easier examples, check the label BILINGUAL DICTIONARY in this blog.  

Aim: by carrying out this task students should understand that grammar class and general meaning of a sentence are crucial before looking for a word up.

Sample task. From English to Spanish

Materials:

• English/Spanish dictionary. Ideally students  should do the following exercise in the computer room using the dictionary in www.wordreference.com Students may also use a traditional paper bilingual dictionary.   
• Power point with examples of sentences to translate 

You can download the related Power Point by clicking HERE

Procedure:
The teacher gives the students three types of exercises. Examples and solutions  are provided in the Power point.
These are the 3 types of tasks the Power Point includes:

•  Translate from Spanish to English. Students become aware of the many different meanings of Spanish words before translating into English.
• Translate from English to Spanish. Students become aware of the many different meanings of English words.
• The third ones are challenging and the worst part is that they are real! Students try to figure out what bad users of dictionaries really meant!!

Advertising Techniques: grabertising, logojets, human hoardings etc.

Town Crier

Aim: discuss and identify different advertising techniques.
Vocabulary: intermediate and higher.
Procedure:  students read a text on advertising  (provided) and identify the different techniques (Pictures of techniques provided)
Sample Techniques: human  hoardings, placement, logojets, town criers, etc.

Materials: 

You can download all the materials by clicking HERE

These are the materials you will need:

• Images of different advertising techniques. You can use your own or use the ones I propose (download provided Power Point)
• Text on advertising techniques. 

1. Option 1. You can use the text on page 132, unit 10, of the textbook English for Communications (MacMillan). Text title: Ubiquitous Advertising.
2. Option 2.  You can use the Wikipedia entry for Advertising and use the section Adverting techniques. I have copied and pasted that section in a document. You can download it from the provided link. You may have to adapt it to the level of your students or use different reading techniques to facilitate the task. As the document is a Word document, it should be easy to modify or  adapt the text according your student's needs..

You can download all the materials by clicking HERE 

This task has been created by:

• María Zabala Peña
• Beatriz Papaseit Fernández 

On the phone: Leaving a message and booking a hotel room

Sample task: Leaving a message

Aim:  Provide students with model conversations and vocabulary necessary to answer the telephone, leave a message  and book a room.

Provide teachers and students with role-plays related to answering the phone, leaving messages and booking a room.

No photocopies needed!

Sample language: put sb through to,  hold on, I'm afraid that..,  Would you like a ...?  Do you have any special requests?, arrival and departure...

The Point is divided in two parts:

• General telephone language and message taking 
• Hotel  room  bookings

 

Materials:

Sample task:  Booking a room

• Provided Power Point. To download the Power Point, click HERE  

No photocopies needed!

By Ingrid Charvarria

Revised by Daniel Ross and myself, María Zabala Peña 

To download the Power Point, click HERE  

Why on-line translators don't work. Sentence structure using a bilingual dictionary (English-Spanish)

Aim: Understand that word for word translation does not work.

          Learn how to use a dictionary by observing the information that a dictionary provides.

Level: Students need to be able to produce sentences in the past simple to carry out this task.

Warning! This task is has been designed for Spanish speakers. 

If you are not teaching Spanish students, don't bother to download the task! 

   No photocopies needed. Just project the provided Power Point on Whiteboard 

Download the materials HERE

Sample task

Materials:

• Power Point Presentations 
• Teacher's Key 

Download the materials HERE

This task focuses on sentence structure. If you want to focus on meaning  you may complete this with this other task: HERE

Business Card Role Play

Click HERE to download both the teacher's instructions and the PowerPoint.
Underneath  you can PREVIEW the Business Card PowerPoint

 Instructions

Purpose: students role-play a business card exchange. They learn how to be polite by commenting on the card that is given to them.
Extension: students can watch a video about exchanging business cards. See task (video + set of questions) HERE

Level: students need to know how to say basic sentences about the design or content of a business card. The sentences can be only in the present simple. Students are given model sentences that they can use later when they practice the card exchange.

Examples of model sentences in the exercise: This here is very original! / One colour on each side. I really like the combination/ I really like the logotype!!/ So your company is in Leeds.  Are you from there? /

Materials:

a) provided PowerPoint to show to the students (provided underneath)

b) teacher’s instructions (provided underneath)

c) projector

Procedure:

Part 1) the teacher uses the overhead projector to show students the provided PowerPoint. Students need to decide if the comment under each business card relates to content or to design.

Then the students need to write their own comment for some provided business cards.

Teachers can preview the PowerPoint on the blog before downloading it.See underneath

Part 2) students create their own cards and role play a business card situation. Students need to add a comment on the content or on the design of the business card they receive. Students can create the business card on paper or use a provided page for designing cards (see teacher’s instructions) 

Click HERE to download both the teacher's instructions and the PowerPoint.
Here you can PREVIEW the Business Card PowerPoint