IT WORKS IN PRACTICE

More tested lessons, suggestions,

tips and techniques which have all In our school we place a
worked for ETp readers. Try them lot of importance on being
out for yourself – and then send us creative and finding
your own contribution. different ways to motivate
our students. As a result we
All the contributors to It Works in often get together and look
Practice in this issue of ETp are at ways of breathing life
teachers at Premier School of into the activities in our
English in Utrera, Spain (thanks to coursebooks with the aim
Francis Rodríguez for coordinating of making them more fun.
this). They will each receive a copy Here are some of the ideas
of Geography and Science, two we have come up with.
books by Keith Kelly in the Francis Rodríguez,
Macmillan Vocabulary Practice Jemima Collins,
Stephen Cunningham,
Series. Macmillan have kindly
Rebecca Taylor,
agreed to be sponsors of It Works Catherine White
in Practice for this year.

Matchmaker, matchmaker ● Using the famous person whose picture you have shown, elicit a
One of our teachers has a group of teenagers at upper- suitable alias (you couldn’t advertise using their real name for
intermediate level. The coursebook provided a long list of obvious reasons) as well as the following: their age, their
personality adjectives and some gap-fill activities to practise hobbies, adjectives that describe them physically, and personality
them. The teacher felt that he would like something more adjectives which could be used to describe their character. Write
motivating to spark the students’ enthusiasm. Here is our these on the board.
suggestion. ● Introduce the abbreviation WLTM (would like to meet) and have
● Show the class a picture of a famous person and elicit the students as a class come up with the perfect match, ie the
reasons why fame may make life hard. Ask the students age range and hobbies, what the celebrity’s perfect partner
whether they think it is easy or difficult for celebrities to would look like and what he or she would be like. This is also a
meet ordinary people outside their line of work and what great opportunity to introduce and practise the different uses of
would be the difficulties. To start them off, suggest that one like in What does he/she like doing? What does he/she look like?
of the main difficulties would be that some people would and What is he/she like?
want to be with them because of what they are and what ● Once they have this model on the board, give each student one
they represent instead of who they really are. picture from a pack containing pictures of both famous and non-
● Explain that the students work for a dating agency for the famous people. (You could also do this activity just with pictures
rich and famous and they all have a very important client for of celebrities if you wish.) Tell the students that they shouldn’t
whom they need to find a date for the following weekend. show anyone their picture as the clients don’t want their identity
to be revealed! So you’ll have some students with pictures of
celebrities and others with pictures of ordinary people.
● Get the students to draw up a profile of their ‘client’ and his or
her ‘ideal partner’.
iStockphoto.com / © Claudio Divizia, Vincent Voigt

● Once they have this, ask them to stand up with their notes and
mingle with the other students looking for the best match.
Encourage them to speak to as many people as possible as they
may find two or three matches, which would be even better for
their client.
● When they have finished, reveal the couples and elicit from the
class why they are a good match and whether they think that this
would be a relationship made in heaven or one made in hell!

42 • Issue 62 May 2009 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

 Whatever will be, will be Rescue the teachers
One teacher felt that she needed to re-ignite The coursebook suggested getting the students to prepare a party in order
the enthusiasm in her class after having seen to practise will and won’t for offers, promises and decisions. We felt that
this dip in recent weeks. Perhaps, she felt, this wouldn’t work, given that the party wasn’t actually going to take place
overusing the coursebook and not and therefore the students would simply be using the structure for its own
personalising the material enough meant that sake and with no tangible goal. So, instead, we came up with this idea.
the students weren’t approaching the lesson ● Before the lesson, take a photo on a digital camera of all the teachers
with as much gusto as she would like. The looking glum.
coursebook suggested having the students talk
about predictions in the future, such as the ● In the lesson, put the students into pairs and show them the photo.
possibility of men having babies, etc. Here is ● Elicit reasons as to why the teachers might look unhappy, and then explain
our idea. that the truth is that they have very little to do at the weekends and need
● At the beginning of the class, brainstorm somewhere to go in the town. The students need to come to their rescue!
things people do or would love to do in the ● Explain that there are some premises in the town square up for rent and
future. Give some prompts, eg getting married that they have to invent a name for a company, a company logo and a
and having children, starting up a business, company activity which may interest the teachers.
moving abroad.
● Tell them that, working in their pairs, they have to come up with a radio
● Tell the students to write their own names on jingle (this includes bringing some music to class) and an advertising poster
small pieces of paper. Collect these and to promote their company.
redistribute them so that each student has
● In the preparation stage, encourage the use of will when making their final
someone else’s name.
decisions (eg OK, I’ll draw the logo) and also include the use of will/won’t
● Get the class to mingle and find out as much when making offers and promises in their advertisement (eg We will give
information as they can about the person you ... You won’t regret it! etc).
whose name they have from the other
● Record the jingle on a cassette or MP3 player.
students in the class, using Tell me everything
you know about ... . Have them find out things ● Get all the teachers together and have them vote on the best idea.
such as the person’s interests and hobbies, ● Publish the winning entry on the school noticeboard and award the students
how they are getting on at school and what a prize (perhaps an ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ certificate).
their favourite subjects are, etc. This will
hopefully enable them to make predictions in
the next stage of the activity which are based
Come and visit! ● Explain to the students that they are
on real information.
going to write a joint email to your
Another teacher has an adult class
● Give each student a picture of a crystal ball friend on the school computer and
with only two students.
and ask them to write in it a series of that they need to try to persuade
They vary in age and interests
predictions about the student whose name the friend to come and visit.
and therefore she felt she needed
they have, bearing in mind everything they
something to get them working ● Encourage your students to
now know about them. Ensure they include
together and perhaps create a introduce themselves and say a little
both affirmative and negative predictions
spark between them. In the about themselves. Then have them
(eg I think he’ll/she’ll get married. I think
coursebook, the topic was ‘things use the first conditional to convince
he/she won’t live abroad.) Tell them that they
you would take on a trip to your friend to visit (eg If you come
mustn’t write the student’s name anywhere on to Utrera, we’ll show you the best
Australia’, a place neither of them
the paper and should just refer to the student places to go. If you come in April,
has ever been to. Here is our idea
as he/she. we’ll go to the fair in Seville.).
for a replacement activity to
● Once they have finished, collect the crystal practise the first conditional. ● Once you’ve checked the email and
balls and write a number on each one. answered any queries, send it and
● Have the students brainstorm
● Display them around the classroom and have everything that is great about wait for your friend to reply. You can
the students stand up, read them and guess living in Utrera and the Seville show your students the reply and
who the predictions are about by writing the area. have them re-send another email, if
numbers and the names in their notebooks. appropriate.
● Then show the students a photo of
● Finally, in a feedback session, ask the class a friend of yours whom you would ● If your friend decides to come, you
and each student themselves whether they love to see and therefore would like could arrange for them to visit the
believe the predictions will come true or not, to invite to visit. (It’s a really good class and meet the students. You
and why. Also find out whether they would idea to choose someone you think may even do some of the things they
like them to come true or not, and why. may well visit you in the future.) have suggested. Who knows?

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 62 May 2009 • 43