The Edwin Blackman writing contest

Edwin Blackman, who was a key figure in the language school for many years, died in December 2015. We would like to set up an annual writing contest in his memory. Students in levels 301 and 302 are invited to write a story of approximately 150 words entitled “Nighthawks”.

Nighthawks from iccic

We are what we eat

Look at the pictures and name as many items as possible.

Is the setting for each meal formal or informal? Is it a house or a restaurant? Which meal is it, breakfast, lunch or dinner?

We are what we eat from iccic

 There is a common saying "We are what we eat."

• Describe the people who may be eating this meal.

• What can you guess about a person from the food they eat?
• Describe the person you think cooked the meal / will eat the meal.
• Where are the people now?

• What's your personal reaction to the pictures?

• Which meal would you most / least like to eat?
• What country does the food come from?
• How is the food similar to / different from the food in your own country? 

  
Show your classmates a picture of a meal you have enjoyed or would like to have and say why you like it. Look at all the pictures and vote for the most interesting, unusual or inviting meal.
 
Source: Pili Diaz

Past and Present

Watch the video below to revise past, present and future tenses. 

Next, create a video about yourself in which you tell the class about something you usually do, are doing, or did at some time in the past.

Food for Thought

How much do you know about fruit? The poster below contains information about it. 

Do the activities proposed and next get into groups and create your own project about a topic you are working on.




Tutorial: http://www.mydocumenta.com/web/?q=content/5-steps-creating-your-first-documenta-project&language=en
  Recommended by Jo.

Formal Writing

Follow this advice to write your letter of application

Created with Wallwisher

If you study hard...

A conditional is used to talk about a possible or imaginary situation (the condition) and the consequences(or the result) of it. 

Click on the pictures below to try two quizzes about this language point:

First Conditional

Second Conditional

Must, have to, should

What do you think of these laws and customs? 

Are they true? on Prezi

Next, do some research and prepare a list of five laws and customs, with one or two false ones. Let your classmates guess which of them are true.

My favourite movie

Take the survey and see what your classmates' favourite and least favourite movies are.
Next, get into pairs and create your survey on Survey Monkey. Make questions on favourite sports, leisure activities, places to visit and others.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

My school

What is your present school like? What do you like the most and the least about it? What changes would you make for it to be the ideal school? 

Look at the glogster below and share your ideas with your classmates. 

What's in the future?

Look at the mind map below to revise different ways of speaking about the future. Next, get into groups and organize a surprise party for a friend using all the possible grammar forms. 

You can include:

• where and when you are having the party
• the present you are giving him/her
• the food you are going to bring
• what you will be doing at the party.

Create your own mindmap at:

A postcard from Poland

Christine sent these words to her parents in the 1950s. Click on the picture and then on the bottom right corner of the picture to Open and read her story.

Now create your own story on Storybird.

The Slap

There are four people in a train carriage: an attractive girl, an older woman, a young soldier and a colonel. The girl is reading a book. The older woman is knitting. The colonel is reading a newspaper. The soldier is looking out the window, lost in thought. The train goes into a tunnel and the carriage becomes completely dark...

Guess what happens at this point.

source: Jamie Keddie, Lessonstream.

Computer simulation

Learn about how technology will change our lives in the next 20 years.

Click on the picture below to find out about computer simulation.

Click on this quiz to see how much you remember.

So school these days is easy? Think again.

This video is about students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime. 

While watching the clip, pick up a phrase you want to comment upon to join a class discussion. 

So has school got easier?

The Money Questionnaire

Listen to this chat between Helen and her parents. Next, look at some money vocab. and do the quiz.

and remember... money doesn't grow on trees!

Men's brains, women's brains

Is there a type of brain that is better than the others?

When I was a child

Watch these videos in which elderly people speak about their childhood memories. What do they have in common? In what way are they the same or different from today's children?

Dom Campochiaro speaks about his grandmother:

What did he use to do for her?

What was it like for Charles Wiegand? How were things different from what they are now in Harlem, NY?

What did you use to do in the past?

The flatmates. A soap opera on the net.

Do you prefer living alone or living with friends? Why is it sometimes necessary to share a flat? What kind of people do you get on with best? Meet the flatmates:

What does Michal look like?
What is he like?
Why do you think he’s crying at the airport?

Look at some language for describing people, and next do a quiz about The Flatmates.

Finally, create your own character and introduce yourself.

I wish I hadn't...

Do you have any regrets about something you did or didn't do? Is there anything you wish you hadn't? Watch this film and find out about Jo's Missed Opportunity.
(if you can't see the picture click here)

Next, produce your own film to illustrate a short oral presentation about your own regrets.
Click on Dvolver, access Movie Maker v2 GO :- and follow the screen instructions. Good luck!

How long does it take?

Peter lives in Manhattan. How long does it take him to get to work? What about Larry? And Doc? Watch the video and find out.

Now do the exercises to practise other uses of How...?

Accents in the British Isles

Meet Sean Ruttledge, voice talent and sketch comedian, better known as Mr Seanie. In this video, he goes on a world tour of English accents. How many can you identify?

 

51 English Accents - 1 British Impressionist from Sean Ruttledge on Vimeo.

Meet BBC radio journalists and go around the British Isles listening to different accents. Just click on the map to search for particular voices.

Meet six people from different parts of the UK and abroad who live in the same Suffolk street. One of them mentions "proper English", what does he say about it?

Now it’s your turn to speak about British accents in a five-minute presentation.

Get into pairs and choose one from the list:

Geordie, Brummie, Liverpudian, Cockney, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Cornish.

• Where is it spoken? Find out about the history of the area.
• Look for a video clip or song to demonstrate how it sounds.
• Choose some key words or expressions to teach to the rest of the class.

The British Music Scene

You and your friends have decided to go busking to raise money for your end-of-term trip.

Here are some streetwise busking strategies to attract an enthusiastic audience anywhere in the world.

At the Lawrence Busker Festival you can see other forms of busking

What instruments are you going to play? First, learn about "The band".

Now, design a flyer for your event. Where will you post them?

Flyers promote events at nightclubs, records and so on. They are posted up on abandoned buildings and public spaces around the country.

Flyers are also handed out outside nightclubs. Many people collect them, as the artwork can be excellent. Many students, for example, stick them up in their bedrooms as a cheap way of decorating their walls.


With some of the money you got you want to buy some music, what will you buy? This is one of the largest music stores in the UK.