Justice League: The New Frontier: Movie Review (Scripted)
Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2008/02/justice-league-new-frontier.html
I use this blog for two different projects: my reviews and my materials for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
Friday, July 31, 2020
Subtraction Story Problems
(TESOL Worksheets--CLIL, Vocabulary)
Google: slides, pub
[Note: The images were found from a Google Images search, and are not mine. I used this to teach math problems to an EFL class.]
Google: slides, pub
[Note: The images were found from a Google Images search, and are not mine. I used this to teach math problems to an EFL class.]
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Zatoichi: Movie Review (Scripted)
Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2008/02/zatoichi.html
Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2008/02/zatoichi.html
Receptive Skills: Good or Bad
(TESOL Worksheets--Teacher Training, Reading, Listening)
Questions (to cut out and post around the room): docs, pub
Slideshow (for whole class discussion afterwards): slides, pub
[Notes: This is for use in teacher training. I got this from a colleague. I've changed the formatting somewhat, and added a slideshow to make it easier to conduct feedback at the end of the activity. But as far as the actual content goes, none of this is my own. It was all taken from my colleague.]
The students read the text aloud.
The teacher drills and corrects the accuracy of answers to a comprehension task. For example:
T: So no.1, where did he go?
S: He go to Berlin. (this is the correct answer)
T: He went to Berlin.
The teacher pre-teaches all the vocabulary in the text that students won’t understand.
The students listen or read as many times as they want.
More general, easier first task followed by a more demanding second task.
The teacher says “Ask me if there are any words you don’t know.”
The teacher checks that the students understand the questions in a task before they listen or read.
The teacher says “Read the text – what is it about?”
The teacher pauses the listening when the students are having to do a very intensive or detailed task, for example writing numbers down or addresses from the text.
Students read and then get a task.
In feedback to reading for detailed comprehension, the teacher allows learners to respond personally to the text.
Students underline answers to the second reading task in the text
Questions (to cut out and post around the room): docs, pub
Slideshow (for whole class discussion afterwards): slides, pub
[Notes: This is for use in teacher training. I got this from a colleague. I've changed the formatting somewhat, and added a slideshow to make it easier to conduct feedback at the end of the activity. But as far as the actual content goes, none of this is my own. It was all taken from my colleague.]
The students read the text aloud.
The teacher drills and corrects the accuracy of answers to a comprehension task. For example:
T: So no.1, where did he go?
S: He go to Berlin. (this is the correct answer)
T: He went to Berlin.
The teacher pre-teaches all the vocabulary in the text that students won’t understand.
The students listen or read as many times as they want.
More general, easier first task followed by a more demanding second task.
The teacher says “Ask me if there are any words you don’t know.”
The teacher checks that the students understand the questions in a task before they listen or read.
The teacher says “Read the text – what is it about?”
The teacher pauses the listening when the students are having to do a very intensive or detailed task, for example writing numbers down or addresses from the text.
Students read and then get a task.
In feedback to reading for detailed comprehension, the teacher allows learners to respond personally to the text.
Students underline answers to the second reading task in the text
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Punishment Island: Movie Review (Scripted)
Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2008/02/punishment-island.html
Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2008/02/punishment-island.html
Line Graphs for Practicing IELTS Writing Task 1
(TESOL Worksheets--IELTS Writing Task 1)
Google: slides, pub
[Notes: None of these are my own. All of them were found using a Google Images search. In my own classes, I use these for practicing talking about the features of line graphs. (I use this as a follow up to my Useful Language for Describing Changes in a Line Graph activity). I print out the Google slides and hand them out to students. They describe their graphs to a partner. Then I put it on the slideshow at the front, and some students come up to describe their graphs to the class.]
Google: slides, pub
[Notes: None of these are my own. All of them were found using a Google Images search. In my own classes, I use these for practicing talking about the features of line graphs. (I use this as a follow up to my Useful Language for Describing Changes in a Line Graph activity). I print out the Google slides and hand them out to students. They describe their graphs to a partner. Then I put it on the slideshow at the front, and some students come up to describe their graphs to the class.]
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
The Plum-Rain Scroll by Ruth Manley: Book Review (Scripted)
Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2008/02/plum-rain-scroll-by-ruth-manley.html
Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2008/02/plum-rain-scroll-by-ruth-manley.html
I wish I played with that dog
(Grammar Questions I Couldn't Answer)
This question actually comes from a colleague, who asked me about it in the staff room.
My colleague had been teaching the grammar point "I wish" out of the textbook English World 6 Unit 10 p.106.
English World 6 presents the grammar the same way all the other textbooks do: "I wish + past tense", for example "I wish I had more money."
My colleague was illustrating this for his students. "So 'I want to play the guitar' becomes 'I wish I played the guitar'. And 'I want to play with that dog' becomes 'I wish I played with that dog' ."
However, at this point, my colleague's native speaker intuition immediately told him that "I wish I played with that dog" was not correct, and that the correct sentence was "I wish I could play with that dog." However my colleague could not explain to his students why the addition of "could" was necessary in the second sentence, but not in the first. Nor could he explain why this sentence needed a "could" when the textbook simply gave the formula of "I wish + past tense".
So to summarize:
"I wish I played guitar"--sounds grammatical
"I wish I played with that dog"--sounds ungrammatical
"I'll be honest," I said. "I've never thought about this until just now. But maybe we can puzzle it out. I wonder if "play guitar" is describing a state of being able to play guitar, and is thus more of a state verb. Maybe state verbs take the past simple, but action verbs need "could" ?
This seemed like it must be a fairly common usage, and I expected to find this explained in a grammar reference book. But we consulted several grammar reference books on this (including Practical English Usage by Michael Swan and The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL Teacher's Course by Marianne Celce-Murcia and Diane Larsen-Freeman) and could find nothing about state verbs or exceptions to the "I wish + past tense" formula.
Having thought about it more, I wonder if the distinction is not between state verbs and action verbs, but between habits and present actions. So, "I wish I played with the dog" would be acceptable if you were describing a habit--e.g. "I wish I played with that dog every day", whereas for a desired present action, you would use the past continuous--e.g. "I wish I was playing with that dog".
That's my best guess. Anyone else have any thoughts?
This question actually comes from a colleague, who asked me about it in the staff room.
My colleague had been teaching the grammar point "I wish" out of the textbook English World 6 Unit 10 p.106.
English World 6 presents the grammar the same way all the other textbooks do: "I wish + past tense", for example "I wish I had more money."
My colleague was illustrating this for his students. "So 'I want to play the guitar' becomes 'I wish I played the guitar'. And 'I want to play with that dog' becomes 'I wish I played with that dog' ."
However, at this point, my colleague's native speaker intuition immediately told him that "I wish I played with that dog" was not correct, and that the correct sentence was "I wish I could play with that dog." However my colleague could not explain to his students why the addition of "could" was necessary in the second sentence, but not in the first. Nor could he explain why this sentence needed a "could" when the textbook simply gave the formula of "I wish + past tense".
So to summarize:
"I wish I played guitar"--sounds grammatical
"I wish I played with that dog"--sounds ungrammatical
"I'll be honest," I said. "I've never thought about this until just now. But maybe we can puzzle it out. I wonder if "play guitar" is describing a state of being able to play guitar, and is thus more of a state verb. Maybe state verbs take the past simple, but action verbs need "could" ?
This seemed like it must be a fairly common usage, and I expected to find this explained in a grammar reference book. But we consulted several grammar reference books on this (including Practical English Usage by Michael Swan and The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL Teacher's Course by Marianne Celce-Murcia and Diane Larsen-Freeman) and could find nothing about state verbs or exceptions to the "I wish + past tense" formula.
Having thought about it more, I wonder if the distinction is not between state verbs and action verbs, but between habits and present actions. So, "I wish I played with the dog" would be acceptable if you were describing a habit--e.g. "I wish I played with that dog every day", whereas for a desired present action, you would use the past continuous--e.g. "I wish I was playing with that dog".
That's my best guess. Anyone else have any thoughts?
Monday, July 27, 2020
Latitude Zero: Movie Review (Scripted)
Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2008/02/latitude-zero.html
Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2008/02/latitude-zero.html
Worksheet on Verb Forms
(TESOL Worksheets--Verb Forms, Teacher Training)
Google: docs, pub
[Notes: This was designed for a teacher training course I was working on. The purpose of this worksheet was to teach new teachers about the various forms a verb can take. (This is not the verb tenses and aspects--those come in the next session. This is just the different forms of the verb that can be combined with auxiliaries to make various tenses and aspects.) As such, it is currently designed to be teacher facing. But it can easily be adapted to be student facing.]
Google: docs, pub
[Notes: This was designed for a teacher training course I was working on. The purpose of this worksheet was to teach new teachers about the various forms a verb can take. (This is not the verb tenses and aspects--those come in the next session. This is just the different forms of the verb that can be combined with auxiliaries to make various tenses and aspects.) As such, it is currently designed to be teacher facing. But it can easily be adapted to be student facing.]
he ate pizza he eats pizza
pizza was eaten pizza is eaten
he was eating pizza he is eating pizza
pizza was being eaten pizza is being eaten
he had eaten pizza he has eaten pizza
pizza had been eaten pizza has been eaten
he had been eating pizza he has been eating pizza
pizza had been being eaten pizza has been being eaten
I can eat pizza.
I could eat pizza.
I might eat pizza.
I have to eat pizza.
I must eat pizza.
I might eat pizza.
I should eat pizza.
I shall eat pizza.
I will eat pizza.
I would eat pizza.
Irregular verbs
base form
|
eat
|
go
|
take
|
run
|
make
|
past simple
|
ate
| ||||
past participle
|
eaten
|
regular verbs
base form
|
walk
|
cook
|
dance
|
listen
|
climb
|
past simple
|
walked
| ||||
past participle
|
walked
|
A teacher is explaining a grammar structure to the class. “I have walked. This is have + the past simple.” What mistake has the teacher made? How could the teacher have avoided this mistake?
eat, walk
Regular verb
|
Irregular verb
| |
infinitive
| ||
base form
| ||
present simple
| ||
past simple
| ||
past participle
| ||
present participle
|
Auxiliary Verbs
be
|
have
|
do
| |
infinitive
| |||
base form
| |||
present simple
| |||
past simple
| |||
past participle
| |||
present participle
|
Auxiliary Verbs
be
|
have
|
do
| |
infinitive
|
to be
|
to have
|
to do
|
base form
|
be
|
have
|
do
|
present simple
|
am, is, are
|
have, has
|
do, does
|
past simple
|
was, were
|
had
|
did
|
past participle
|
been
|
had
|
done
|
present participle
|
being
|
having
|
doing
|
Sunday, July 26, 2020
Pronoun Table
(TESOL Workshops--Pronouns, Teacher Training)
Google: docs, pub
[Notes: This is a practice activity I made to practice the various types of pronouns.
I designed this for a teacher training course I was working on after I noticed a lot of new teachers were having trouble grasping the different classes of pronouns. But it could just as easily be student facing.
Participants complete the chart on their own, then check with a partner, then I elicit the correct answers up on the whiteboard.]
Google: docs, pub
[Notes: This is a practice activity I made to practice the various types of pronouns.
I designed this for a teacher training course I was working on after I noticed a lot of new teachers were having trouble grasping the different classes of pronouns. But it could just as easily be student facing.
Participants complete the chart on their own, then check with a partner, then I elicit the correct answers up on the whiteboard.]
Personal pronouns (subject)
|
Personal pronouns (object)
|
possessive pronouns
|
reflexive pronouns
|
Possessive adjectives (Not technically pronouns)
|
I kissed her.
|
She kissed me.
|
That bag is mine.
|
I kissed myself
|
This is my bag.
|
you
| ||||
he
| ||||
she
| ||||
it
| ||||
we
| ||||
they
|