Hi guys,
Here is the plan for this week.
Class one:
Today we are going to begin class with a general discussion about the new format of classes. This may be the first time many have had this type of class, so I will be happy to take any questions you may have.
To start the actual lesson, we will generally discuss our week and what we have been up to. In groups, we are going to practise part 3 of the speaking exam but with a very specific twist:
- Why are these things important to do when in quarantine?
- Maintain a healthy diet
- Exercise
- Arts and crafts
- Subscribe to online streaming services (Netflix/HBO etc)
- Adopt a dog
The following link contains useful expressions or this part of the exam:
Following, students will swap partners and devise a list of their top three tips to keep boredom away when at home. We will then present our ideas and vote on the best ideas.
To finish the class we will look at the homework. Your task is to watch a (Yes! You guessed it! My favourite!) a TedTalk! (<–just click here to watch the video). While watching the video you can read along with subtitles, but here you also have the complete transcript:
I’d also like you to think about the following questions, which we will discuss in class:
- What was your initial reaction to the video?
- What did you think when you first saw Daniel?
- What did he say about the way in which people treat and react to blind people in society?
- What’s his message?
- Describe how he navigates the world.
- What does he call this system?
- Do you think you could use flash sonar?
Class two
To begin our second class, we will discuss the video we watched based on the questions above. Please check any difficult vocabulary at home, but obviously we will also go through any vocabulary that may have been particularly problematic. Don’t forget great online resources such as WordHippo and Skell Sketch Engine to help with this.
The main activity today is a debate. Students will group and choose one sense (sight/vision, smell, taste, touch, hearing) and have to explain why the sense they have picked is the most important. You’ll have a few minutes to think of some arguments and every day situations to back them up, and then we will debate.
This is also a fantastic chance to revise inverted conditionals, so don’t forget to brush up on what we studied a few weeks ago. We will also check through this in class.
Homework:
There are two parts to the homework.
(1) Next week we will look at cleft sentences in class one. Please watch the following videos, which explain this grammar point, and then complete the worksheet to practise.
(2) Writing task – Report
Your boss has asked you to submit a report describing the facilities for disabled people in your workplace. In your report you should mention what the company currently does to accommodate disabled people, any problems and also suggestions about how to improve facilities. Write your report in the appropriate style, using between 220-260 words.
