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Showing posts from November, 2020

How to survive the apocalypse

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  Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): How to survive the apocalypse -    BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Who are the "doomsday preppers"? In light of the global pandemic of 2020, should we all start stockpiling and making contingency plans for future catastrophes? In this B2/C1 worksheet, students will learn some survival tips, discuss the psychology of "doomsday preppers" and learn phrases related to the topics (e.g. "better safe than sorry", "tinfoil hat conspiracy theorists"). Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!   Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will label nine survival items and discuss which three they would want in an apocalyptic scenario. Key vocabulary: axe, backpack, sniper rifle, gas stove, torch, compass, thermos flask, gloves, first aid kit. 2) Students will watch a video (8:41), offering tips on how to survive in the wilderness - fr

How to navigate using the stars

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  Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): How to navigate using the stars -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Could you find your way if you had nothing but a blanket of stars above your head to go by? In this B2+ worksheet, students will learn how constellations correlate with north, south, east and west. They will also read a poem about the night sky, see six star-related idioms and learn about how birds use the stars to navigate. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!   Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will read the poem 'Distances' by William Stanley Braithwaite and discuss their intepretations.  Key vocabulary: dispassionate, flesh, bond. 2) Students will study a video (7:38) about the how to navigate using constellations.  Key vocabulary: Orion, nebula, horizon, equator, to keep track of. 3) Next, they will see  six star-related idioms/phrases: Reach for the stars, to be written

What's that ringing in your ears?

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   Advanced lesson plan (B2): What's that ringing in your ears? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content 1 in 8 people have tinnitus. So what causes it? And is there a cure? In this B2+ worksheet, students will study a Ted-Ed video on the causes of tinnitus, as well as the subtle differences between the verbs "to listen", "to hear", "to overhear" and "to eavesdrop". Six idioms related to ears will also be presented to students. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!     Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will match four images of people in various situations with the verbs "to hear", "to listen", "to eavesdrop" and "to overhear". They will then find the correct punchlines for four pun-ny jokes related to hearing. Key vocabulary: handy, symptoms, to shine, tip of the iceberg. 2) Students will watch a video (5:38) en

Why do we dream?

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Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): Why do we dream? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Mr Sandman, bring me a worksheet about dreams! In this B2/C1 worksheet, students will learn about the science of dreams, study six dream-related idioms and read an article about predictive dreaming. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee! Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will read the poem 'A Dream Within A Dream' by Edgar Allan Poe and discuss their intepretations. Key vocabulary: surf, grains, grasp, clasp, creep. 2) Students will watch a short video (6:31) about the science of dreams.  Key vocabulary: REM, chemicals, lucid dreaming. 3) Next, they will see  six dream-related idioms/phrases: sweet dreams, pipe dream, to daydream, beyond one's wildest dreams, a dream job, living in a dream world.  Students will get a chance to see the idioms in sentences, and to create their own sentences us

Why are planes painted white?

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  Advanced lesson plan (B2): Why are planes painted white? -   BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Ever wondered why planes are nearly always painted white? In this FREE B2/C1 worksheet, students will find out why white is the bigwig of the aeronautical world. They will also learn vocabulary related to planes and idioms about flying. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!   Lesson activities: 1) To warm up, students will label an image of the inside of a plane. Then, they will match three pun-ny jokes about clowns with their punchlines. Key vocabulary: to take off, to land, altitude, flight attendant, head rest, arm rest. 2) Students will watch a video (6:02) entitled "Why are planes usually painted white?" and answer the comprehension questions.  Key vocabulary: paint job, false economy, first-world problems. 3) Next, students will see  six flying-related idioms: to fly in the face of somethi