Debates. Topics, models and expression. For and against team work

Level: intermediate and higher 

Students should be relatively fluent and be mature enough to bring arguments to class.

Materials: 

Projector

Enclosed docs:

• Model text to project/read: "Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of being your own boss"
• Expressions/Vocabulary for debates
• Model text to discuss: Junk food should be banned
• List of topics for debates

Access docs  HERE 

Procedure:

A) 

• Divide students in groups of 3/4. 
• Assign roles within groups: Take notes of FOR argument/ take notes of  "Against Arguments"/ Take notes of language structures  (you can give the same roles to students)
• Project the text: Advantages and  advantages and disadvantages of being your own boss. You may copy the text into a Teleprompter HERE
• Students take notes according to their roles
• Students share their notes 

B) 

• Project and discuss the text: Expressions vocabulary for debates 

C) 

• Project model text: Junk food
• Encourage students to create sentences using the vocabulary/ expressions in step B) 

D) 

• Project list of topics for debate
• Each team creates a for/against text on a different/same? topic
• Students share their text

Access docs  HERE 

Sources:

https://evajorgeteacher.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/for-against-opinion-essays.pdf

https://debatewise.org/31023-junk-food-should-be-banned/

https://www.myenglishpages.com/english/communication-lesson-useful-expressions-for-debating.php

https://debatewise.org/

https://www.teachenglishabroad.co/ultimate-guide-to-engaged-ells/100-esl-debate-topics-that-will-get-your-students-fired-up

Negociating. Bargain hunters

Aim: students practice haggling in a flea market
Level: intermediate and higher 

Lead in 1

Click here to download the materials for this task.

See below for explanation of materials for this task. 

Lead in 2

You will need 3 items: 

• Bargain Hunter's Teacher's notes by P.Vahle (PDF)
• A picture or two of a flea market. These are provided inside this post ("lead in 1" and "lead in 2") .  If Internet connection is not available, you can  download these very same pictures from the  provided link. ( Word document: "Flea Market Lead in")
• Worksheet Bargain Hunters  with all the tasks for the students by P. Vahle (PDF)

You may find these useful:

• Vocabulary Task (Word)
• Post reading task (Word)

These previous items are included in the Worksheet Bargain Hunters (PDF above) but I separated them to make photocopying easier.

•  Cards ( 3 cards) with pictures of items students can sell. Peter Vahle  proposes to bring  real  stuff to class so that students can sell real items (see teacher's notes) . To avoid the hassle I have created  3  pages/cards with pictures of various items. Feel free to use them as you wish.  (3 Word documents: Items to sell)



Sample items to sell at the flea market.







• List of items included in the  3 cards above above.(Word document: list of items to sell). See  for  example of the items to sell in card 2 .

Click here to download the materials for this task

Materials obtained from OneStop English.
Task by Peter Vahle. Adapted by María Zabala Peña. 

Presentations: Death by Power Point

Aim: Provide students with guidelines on how to prepare a PowerPoint presentation: background colour, font types, insertion of objects and animations...


If you are using the textbook: English for Communications, use this video as an extension tasks in units:

Unit 2. Corporate Communication and Information Processes

Unit 3. Oral Communication

Unit 10. Communications Skills for Quality Customer Services

To carry out this activity you need the following materials:

1. Video: Death by Power Point . Video length 4: 25.s (see below)

2. Dynamic Presentations _Life after Death by PowerPoint_ Script and instructions

3. Dynamic Presentations_Life after Death by PowerPoint_ Students Handout

4. Dynamic Presentations_Life after Death by PowerPoint_ Photocopiable answer sheet for question B _key

Materials by Beatriz Papaseit Fernández and María Zabala Peña

Video Information:

Original video source: http://www.davidairey.com/how-not-to-use-powerpoint/

You can also download the video from the following site: Maria and Bea's site




More face to face? Do you want to show your students a video on how to exchange business cards? Go to this  task  HERE

Looking for a model of what to include in a Power Point presentation? Look at this task HERE

Presentations: What (not) to include on your slides

Do you feel your students include too much information on their slides? 

Then,  you'll like the task we have prepared for our students.


To carry out this activity you need the following materials:
1. Video: Success is a Continuous Journey.  We'll focus on the first minute of the talk.  Total length 3:55
 (Watch and download video underneath)

2. Success is a Continuous Journey: Students Handout

3. Success is a continuous journey: Script and Teacher Instructions

4. Success is a Continuous Journey: Teacher's Key

Materials by  María Zabala Peña and Beatriz Papaseit Fernández 

Video Information:

Video by Richard St. John. TED Talks

Original video source:  http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_st_john_success_is_a_continuous_journey.html

You can also download the video from the following site: Maria and Bea's site

 
Did you like this? You can visit our English for Communication blog HERE

Bad service at a phone shop

Aim:  Students watch the video and reflect on the bad manners of the shop assistant. 
This is a good occasion to reflect on class and accent.
The follow up might be a complain letter. 

See and download  materials  HERE
Materials include Pre-viewing, While viewing and Post Viewing tasks 
You can download the VIDEO from this page HERE

You will need:

• The video below 
• The Student's tasks 
• The teacher pack     

See and download  materials  HERE
 

 

How to win any argument

Level: lower intermediate to high
According to these two youngsters,  to win an argument you need to speak little, manipulate others and more. You will certainly find their advice interesting and even useful.

Listen to their advice and answer the questions below.

If you need the script,  vocabulary help HERE
If you want to download  the video click HERE   

Video Source: Videojug.
Go to videojug video  here:   How to win any argument  or watch the video in my blog, underneath


  
Questions:

       1. According to this video, success  depends  a great deal  on the way you talk or on how much you talk.

a)      What do you think about these statements?

b)      Why is silence so important?

     2. You might have found some of these tip/ advice rough or improper. Mention them and state your reasons.

       3. Surely you have had arguments with your relatives, friends or other people. Could you explain  how  you felt and reacted?

Questions by Isabel Salinas and  María Zabala Peña

Healthy food. How to cook stir-fried veggies

Students learn how to cook veggies Chinese style here. The text uses the command form of the verb.

Level: all levels. Student pre-study difficult vocabulary.

Vocabulary items: 

Verbs: place, stir, remove, heat...

Nouns: tongs, wok, oil, heat,  cabbage, onions...

Adjectives: sliced, hot, chopped...

Materials 

•  Video Jug video.Go to video jug page HERE
• Yo can also download the video from the provided link below
• Students' handout  (Download from link below)
• Teachers handout (Download from link below)

Download the materials HERE

Blame Ms. Stinky

Purpose:  revise verbs related to office tasks for clerical studies.

Past simple fun drill. This activity has been designed to fit the syllabus of students in administration management courses.

Level: lower intermediate and upper

Language items: students need to know some verbs related to the field of office tasks and some general English verbs and vocabulary. The provided list is very long. Teachers may just select the sentences that fit their syllabus.

Materials:

a) photo of an ugly person. You may use the Google image search to find one or show the picture I provide below. You can either show it by using the Over Head Projector or by printing the provided word document.

b) a print out of sentences for the teacher.

Procedure: tell students that Ms. Stinky works with them and that she is very inefficient. Everything that goes wrong in the office is her fault. As opposed to Ms. Stinky, your students are very efficient. If things are properly done, they are the ones who did the job.

Model:

Teacher: Did you send this beautiful fax?

Students: Yes I did. I sent that beautiful fax.

Teacher: Did you say the boss was ugly?

Students: No I didn’t. Ms. Stinky said the boss was ugly. 
Download the document with sentences for your students: click HERE
. 

Ms. Stinky, the inefficient colleague

Speaking practice: what can I do for you?

Mingling Activity: What can I do for you?

Level: low intermediate and upper

Students need to be able to say/write simple sentences about what they can do. They may do so without using the verb “can” (see examples underneath) , if they wish.  You may want to pre-teach the structure:
I 'm good/bad at + noun

                  I 'm good/bad at + ing 

                  When students report their activities they may need to create simple sentences in the past.

Materials: Some pieces of (recycled) paper or some cards
Procedure: Distribute a piece of paper to each student.
A) On one side of the paper the student writes down something s/he can do and that might be of interest to the rest of the class in an office setting. The students should not write their name on the card.

E.g.:

I can make free photocopies
I am good at typing
I am very good at planning
I have many extra pens and pencils
I have a powerful computer
I am very good at excel
I can teach how to use PowerPoint

If students prefer, they can invent the services they wish to provide.

B) The teacher collects the pieces of paper and distributes them around the class. Students move around and see the services other students provide.

C) The students choose  2, 3 or 4 services that interest them and go around looking for the students providing those services.

At lower levels the structure: I am looking for a person who… may have to be pre-taught

E.g. I am looking for a person who can teach me PowerPoint. Are you that person?

D)Teacher should encourage students at higher levels to talk about the activity and arrange an appointment /Lower level students can just find the person and jot down his/her name.

E) Some students report to the class: Who they met and what this person did. Students may use the present or the past, depending on their level.

E.g.  I know that Antonia is very good at...
E.g. I have met Antonia and she told me she ...

Thanks to Carme Porcel, my teacher of French at EOI for providing me with this activity.