IT WORKS IN PRACTICE More tested lessons, suggestions, tips and techniques which have all
worked for ETp readers. Try them out for yourself – and then send us
your own contribution.
All contributors to It Works In Practice in this issue of ETp receive
a free copy of Knowing Me Knowing You by Jim Wingate (published
by ETp and DELTA PUBLISHING).
Reverse
Magic Squares
Crosswords Students enjoy Magic Squares, which consist of Magic squares can be used for various activities
For a change, give six or eight different words that can be read left (I’m sure you can think of more):
your students copies to right, or top to bottom – in the example here
● I give students all the words (or clues for the
of a completed I have joined five magic squares together.
words) and they create the square for themselves.
crossword puzzle
S T A R S L A T E R ● Students look up the words in a dictionary and list
with all the words
T L O A H O them according to which part of speech they are.
filled in. (Copy the
E N T E R R E E F S Some words can appear in more than one column,
empty crossword
A A R V R E eg ‘total’ can be a verb, noun or adjective.
first.) The students
M U R K Y U C C A R E A S ● Students find all the words ending with ‘s’ and say
make up the clues.
A A U whether they are plurals, or the third person
Give different
C E D A R singular of a present tense verb.
crosswords to
H E A ● Students make up a story (or a sentence) using all
different groups and
R E A C T O T A L O S E S the words from a square.
afterwards everyone
A W U A T I
can do everyone Higher level students can be invited to make up a
D E A L S S L A I N
else’s crosswords.
magic square of their own. Why not try one yourself?
A R K S R C
Naashia Mohamed Jacek Kacprzak
R I D E S O B E S E
Auckland, Warsaw, Poland
New Zealand
Advertising Slogans Turn
Famous Fives
Each student writes five questions
Cut out pictures of products, or complete advertisements with the Up the
slogans omitted, from newspapers and magazines. Write a different
they would like to ask someone number on each one.
Volume
There is often a
famous. Everyone then swaps Then write a list of possible (or actual) slogans for the products.
problem getting a
papers and answers the five For low level classes, these might be quite straightforward, but for
new class - especially
higher levels it’s fun to include some puns and ambiguities.
questions they receive in no more beginners - to speak
Divide the class into groups of three or four and give them a copy
loudly enough for
than five words. of the list. They have five minutes to discuss the slogans and to write everyone to hear.
I collect all the papers, choose down what products they think are being advertised. I encourage them to
five of the most interesting (and Hand out equal numbers of pictures to each group. Students have ‘turn up the volume’
preferably unconnected) answers, one minute per picture to decide which slogan refers to which picture by pointing the
and to write the relevant reference number against the list (timings board eraser at them
and write them on the board.
can be a bit flexible). The pictures are then all handed on to the next and ‘pushing the
In groups of five, students group ... until everyone has seen all the pictures. button’ as if it were
then write a story incorporating While I’m checking the answers, each group writes a new slogan a TV remote control!
all the answers. The story has a for one of the products they end up with. It works - and it
word limit: 55 words! I usually offer a prize for the most correct answers, and for the usually raises a
slogans – sweets are usually popular, especially if everyone gets one! smile too.
Olga Fernández del Val
Madrid, Spain Karen Nevo Julianna Zoelde Fejer
Emek Beit Shean, Israel Istanbul, Turkey
36 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue Eighteen January 2001 •
TV Times Creature From Outer Space
About three weeks after the first presentation of ‘telling the time’, I For a slightly different beginning to a lesson and to encourage
prepared the following ‘TV Guide’ for students. Each student is given a students to practise definitions, try coming in as a ‘creature
different guide and students circulate, asking one another for the times from outer space’. A hairband with moveable antennae
missing from their ‘guide’. If you want students to work in pairs, you need (readily available these days) is the only prop you need.
to fill in more of the times. Rush into the room, rub your eyes, and ask:‘Where am I?’
You can also tell students ‘You love films and serials/sports/science
Keep asking until someone answers, and then continue
and technology/ music/news programmes’ and ask them to find out only
questioning, like this:
the times of the programmes they are interested in.
SS You’re at school.
....... The Immortals 06.35 The Immortals CFOS School? What’s that?
18.35 Aerobics on the Beach 18.35 Aerobics on the Beach SS It’s a place where you study/make friends/learn.
07.50 Football ....... Football
19.00 ABC World News 19.00 ABC World News CFOS Friend? What’s that?
08.10 Pop Music ....... Pop Music SS A friend is a person ... etc.
....... Batman Forever 19.30 Batman Forever
....... The Nanny 09.20 The Nanny
Franca Viglione
20.10 Italian Baseball 20.10 Italian Baseball San Giorgio del Sannio, Italy
....... Hollywood Hall of Films 09.40 Hollywood Hall of Films
21.45 Computers Today ....... Computers Today
12.30 World Weather Report
....... Animals in Danger
12.30 World Weather Report
22.10 Animals in Danger
Magic Carpet
13.05 The Beatles and The Rolling Stones ....... The Beatles and The Rolling Stones I place a piece of material on the floor (a scarf or a towel)
22.50 Music for the Younger Generation ....... Music for the Younger Generation and tell students it is a magic carpet. Each student writes
13.55 Argentine News 13.55 Argentine News the name of a country on a piece of paper and puts it in a
23.20 Scientific Discoveries of Today ....... Scientific Discoveries of Today
....... The Titanic ....... The Titanic hat. In turn, students take a name from the hat, sit or
....... Night News 23.45 Night News stand on the ‘magic carpet’ and describe one thing they
17.10 The Life of Michael Jordan ....... The Life of Michael Jordan can experience in this country for each of their five senses
....... Night Concerts ....... Night Concerts
17.50 Plants of the World 17.50 Plants of the World (what they can see, smell, hear, feel and taste). The other
....... The History of Argentine Football 01.50 The History of Argentine Football students guess where they are.
You love films and serials. You love music. This works well as a team game and seems to adapt to
06.35 The Immortals 06.35 The Immortals almost any level.
....... Aerobics on the Beach ....... Aerobics on the Beach
Bev Vinall
....... Football 07.50 Football Wrocl̃aw, Poland
19.00 ABC World News ....... ABC World News
....... Pop Music 08.10 Pop Music
....... Batman Forever
09.20 The Nanny
19.30 Batman Forever
....... The Nanny Formulae
....... Italian Baseball ....... Italian Baseball Many of my students are more interested in maths and physics
09.40 Hollywood Hall of Films 09.40 Hollywood Hall of Films
21.45 Computers Today 21.45 Computers Today
than English, so occasionally I try to present English grammar
....... World Weather Report ....... World Weather Report as formulae. For example, using the sentence: She is working
22.10 Animals in Danger 22.10 Animals in Danger my formula would be S + AV + X
....... The Beatles and The Rolling Stones 13.05 The Beatles and The Rolling Stones
22.50 Music for the Younger Generation ....... Music for the Younger Generation where S=Subject, AV=Auxiliary Verb, and X=anything else.
....... Argentine News ....... Argentine News The question to the students was:
23.20 Scientific Discoveries of Today 23.20 Scientific Discoveries of Today
14.25 The Titanic 14.25 The Titanic What is the formula for the question form and the short answers?
23.45 Night News ....... Night News Answers:
....... The Life of Michael Jordan 17.10 The Life of Michael Jordan
24.00 Night Concerts 24.00 Night Concerts AV + S + X? (Is she working?)
17.50 Plants of the World ....... Plants of the World Yes, S + AV (Yes, she is.)
....... The History of Argentine Football 01.50 The History of Argentine Football No, S + AVn’t (No, she isn’t.)
You love sports. You love news programmes.
They enjoyed making up other formulae for each other, too.
....... The Immortals Silvia Aida Moya de Mandra
c
18.35 Aerobics on the Beach
Vida Golcman
Rio Negro, Argentina Maribor, Slovenia
07.50 Football
....... ABC World News
08.10 Pop Music
....... Batman Forever
09.20 The Nanny
Listen In
20.10 Italian Baseball Tests often have a listening activity which involves filling in the gaps while
....... Hollywood Hall of Films listening to a text. Try doing the following activity regularly to help students
....... Computers Today
12.30 World Weather Report improve their general listening ability while preparing for the test:
....... Animals in Danger
13.05 The Beatles and The Rolling Stones ● Play the tape twice. Students listen and ● Students do the fill-in-the-gap task as usual
....... Music for the Younger Generation note down the words or phrases they while listening to the tape.
13.55 Argentine News
....... Scientific Discoveries of Today think are most important. ● They now compare their answers with their
14.25 The Titanic
23.45 Night News ● Students compare their notes with a notes. They are usually surprised at how often
17.10 The Life of Michael Jordan partner and add anything they might they have chosen the relevant words themselves.
24.00 Night Concerts
....... Plants of the World have missed.
Ana Lúcia S Pitanguy Marques
01.50 The History of Argentine Football
You love science and technology.
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
• Issue Eighteen January 2001 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • 37
