Joel Swagman (Reviews / TESOL): Functional Language

Showing posts with label Functional Language. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 07, 2025

What is it? It's a.... Lesson

(TESOL Materials--English World 1, What is it?)

[This a slideshow that uses images and video from English World 1 to practice the grammar structure "What is it?" "It's a...?". The slideshow also includes links to materials previously published on this blog here, here, here and here. The cards can be used for students to color with a color of their choice, and then use in a class mingle where they ask and answer, e.g. "What is it?" "It's a pink ball" ]

* What is it? It's a (color) (noun) Flippity Matching Game

This is a memory game on Flippity Matching Game for practicing "What is it? It's a (color) (noun)."

The Google sheets links are here: docs, pub--and the playing link is here.

The game makes use of images that are linked to from around the web, so hopefully the links will stay up, so the game will keep working. (Maybe test this game out before you use it in the classroom, especially if you're finding this a few years from the date of posting.)

When students turn over a card, the teacher asks "What is it?" Students have to be able to say the color and animal in order to get a chance to find the matching card.

All but one of the pictures is to an animal. (There's one picture of a cactus, everything else is an animal.) So this activity could also be used to practice animal vocabulary.

* Wordwall: J1A - Unit 1 p.26

This is a Wordwall game designed by a former colleague of mine. It was made to practice "What is it? It's a..." as well as "Is it a...?" It was made to supplement English World 1, but I have also used them independently of the textbook, so I'm posting them here as well.

What Is It? Song | Animals | English Pattern Practice for ESL | ESL for Kids | Fun Kids English

I used this video in my classes to practice the language of "What is it? It's a..."

* baamboozle: Writing J1A Unit 1

* baamboozle: Colors and Toys

These are two baamboozle games that practice the language "What is it? It's a..." I made them to supplement English World 1, but I have also used them independently of the textbook, so I'm posting them here as well.

What is it? It's a...

(TESOL Ideas and Worksheets Subdivisions)

* LINK: Baamboozle Games for "What is it?"

* LINK: What is it? Song

* LINK: Wordwall Game: What is it?

* LINK: What is it? It's a (color) (noun) Flippity Matching Game

* What is it? It's a.... Lesson

[Notes: Anyone have any ideas about what to classify these materials as? I'm thinking I'll put it as Functional Language, but I'm not sure.]

Saturday, January 06, 2024

Here is a Baamboozle game for giving advice.
This Baamboozle Game was given to me by a colleague when I was covering one of her classes. (I don't think she designed it herself--it looks like she found it on the website.)

I used it in the class, and it worked well.

The game itself is designed to be used for functional language for giving advice in general. (The suggested answers are "You should... / You'd better... / If I were you..." However, my colleague was using it specifically to review a lesson on using "should' for advice. So the game could be used for either.

Thursday, March 30, 2023

Using Beauty and the Beast to Teach Giving Advice in the Present and Past

(TESOL Worksheets--Giving Advice in the Present and Past)

Video 1: Beauty And The Beast(1991) - The Beast Frightens Belle Then Saves Her

Video 2: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - Learn to Control your Temper!

Worksheet: docs, pub

Quizlet: Beauty and the Beast Lesson

[Directions: In my classes, my students were all very familiar with this movie already, so I was able to use that familiarity to set-up things very quickly. I put on video 1, paused it a couple of times near the beginning to elicit the plot points from the students (i.e. the Beast has forbidden Belle to go into the West Wing. Belle is going into the West Wing, so the Beast is going to be mad, etc.) Then played the rest of video 1.

Before playing video 2, I gave the students the gist question orally: "Why is Belle upset? Why is the Beast upset?"

Then after the gist, the students answer the detail questions. Then a quick vocabulary matching activity. Then students write in the missing words from the script, and listen to check their answers. Then a sorting activity for past advice and present advice. And then some Concept Checking Questions.]

https://youtu.be/qAcwfMS3IHY

https://youtu.be/tt2rBRu3lkg

1. What does Belle want the Beast to do?

2. Why did Belle run away?

3. Where does the Beast say Belle shouldn’t have been in?

4. What does Belle say that the Beast should learn to control?

1. What does Belle want the Beast to do?

2. Why did Belle run away?

3. Where does the Beast say Belle shouldn’t have been in?

4. What does Belle say that the Beast should learn to control?

still	to stand, stay, sit, etc without moving
hold still	used to tell someone to stop moving
run away	to leave a place because you are unhappy there
frighten	to make someone afraid
temper	a person’s state of mind (angry or calm)
control your temper	don’t become angry
by the way	You say this when you are changing the subject
save my life	to stop someone from being killed
sting	feel a sudden, burning pain

https://quizlet.com/_d0h4t5?x=1jqt&i=fo89z

https://youtu.be/tt2rBRu3lkg

BELLE: Here now. Don’t do that. Just hold still.

THE BEAST: ROOOOAARRRR! That hurts!

BELLE: If you’d (1)____________ still, it wouldn't (2)____________ as much.

THE BEAST: If you hadn't have (3)____________ , this wouldn’t have (4)____________ .

BELLE: If you hadn't (5)____________ me, I wouldn't have (6)____________ .

THE BEAST: Well you (7)____________ in the west wing.

BELLE: Well you (8)____________ to control your temper. Now hold still. This might sting a little. By the way, thank you for saving my life.

THE BEAST: You’re welcome.

BELLE: Here now. Don’t do that. Just hold still.

THE BEAST: ROOOOAARRRR! That hurts!

BELLE: If you’d hold still, it wouldn't hurt as much.

THE BEAST: If you hadn't have run away, this wouldn’t have happened.

BELLE: If you hadn't frightened me, I wouldn't have run away.

THE BEAST: Well you shouldn't have been in the west wing.

BELLE: Well you should learn to control your temper. Now hold still. This might sting a little. By the way, thank you for saving my life.

THE BEAST: You’re welcome.

Suggestions about the present	Suggestions about the past

Suggestions about the present	Suggestions about the past
Don’t do that	If you hadn’t have run away, this wouldn’t have happened
If you’d hold still, it wouldn’t hurt as much	If you hadn’t frightened me, I wouldn’t have run away
you should learn to control your temper	You shouldn’t have been in the west wing

Friday, April 23, 2021

Naruto PowerPoint Game--Modals for making suggestions and giving advice about present and past actions

(TESOL Worksheets--Giving Advice, Modals)
Google: drive, slides, pub
[In my classes, I used this to supplement Impact 3 Unit 4 p.70, and many of the prompts are taken directly from that textbook (and thus reflect the theme of that unit, which is the environmental impact of fashion.) The remaining prompts were taken from English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy. The template was created by Stemarty.]

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Lesson on Giving Advice

(TESOL Worksheets--Giving Advice, CELTA Style Lesson Plans)
Google Drive Folder HERE
Slideshow: slides, pub
Lesson plan: docs, pub
Sorting Activity: drive, docs, pub
Other Worksheets: docs, pub
[Notes: Elements of this lesson are based on this lesson here, which in turn is modelled on a lesson a colleague of mine did.
The Semi-Controlled practice (which comes from the lesson my colleague did) is based on the particular circumstances of my class, and will need to be modified if someone else uses it.
This lesson is based off of Q: Skills for Success: Listening and Speaking 5 , and the target language comes from the textbook. That being said, I think this lesson could be used independently of that textbook. (In the lesson plan, the textbook is only used for the students to check to confirm their answers. But this could be adapted by having the teacher confirm the answers without the textbook.]