ESL Uncaged

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): Why does helium make your voice sound funny? -   BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Sucking in a lungful of helium has hilarious effects, making even the gruffest baritone sound like Daffy Duck. But have you ever stopped to wonder why this gas affects our voice? And given that helium is a non-renewable resource used in space rockets, quantum computers and MRI scans, should we really be doing silly party tricks with it at all? In this B2+ worksheet, students will  Study a video about helium's effect on the voice Learn six voice-related  idioms Discuss six phrasal verbs based on BLOW (to BLOW up, to BLOW away, to BLOW off, etc.) See  advanced adjectives  to describe balloons Read and answer questions about an article on the scarcity of helium Turn adjectives into their comparative form  while completing sentences related to balloons Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ES...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): How do they make snake anti-venom? - BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Snake bites are a "significant yet neglected global health problem", killing 100,000 people every year and leaving another 400,000 with permanent disabilities. The technology underpinning snake anti-venom was discovered in the 1890s, yet over 100 years later it is still not readily accessible to people in developing countries where snake bites are most common. So why is snake anti-venom so difficult to produce and distribute to bite victims?   In this B2+ worksheet, students will  Study a video about snake anti-venom Learn six bite-related  idioms Discuss six phrasal verbs based on DIE (to DIE away, to DIE down, to be DYING for, to DIE on someone, etc.) See  advanced adjectives  to describe a snake Read and answer questions about a man who lets snakes bite him with the goal of developing a vaccine against snake venom Differentiate ...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): What can science tell us about queuing? -   BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Social scientists have found queuing behaviour is governed by "the rule of six". On average, we will wait six minutes in a queue before giving up in frustration. In addition, people are unlikely to join a queue that has more than six people in it. Finally, six inches (15cm) of personal space is the minimum distance required between participants in a queue to avoid stress.  In this B2+ worksheet, students will  Study a video about the science of queuing Learn six line-related  idioms Discuss six phrasal verbs based on WAIT (to WAIT around, to WAIT on someone, to WAIT up for someone, etc.) See  advanced adjectives  to describe people waiting in line Read and answer questions about the "rule of six" in queuing Differentiate between  negative modal verbs of obligation (mustn't, shouldn't, to not have to) Educational material...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): Is laughter really the best medicine? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Laughter is a behaviour we share with chimpanzees, gorillas, mice and even parrots. We laugh to show amusement and agreement. But is it really as good for our health as the old adage would have us believe? In this B2+ worksheet, students will  Study a video about the science of laughter Learn six laughter-related  idioms Discuss three phrasal verbs: laugh at , laugh with , laugh off See advanced adjectives to describe a group of laughing friends  Read and answer questions about "laughing yoga" Differentiate between to + infinitive  vs.  the gerund  after certain phrases  Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee! Click  HERE   f or the worksheet answers  Lesson objectives: 1) To match six pictures with LAUGH-related phrasal verbs (to l...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): What is Dolly the Sheep's scientific legacy? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content When the news broke in 1996 that scientists had cloned a sheep, dire and fantastic predictions were made: humans would be cloned, lost children rebirthed and diseases cured. Now, 25 years later, we are asking: what is Dolly the Sheep's scientific legacy?  In this FREE B2+ worksheet, students will  Study a video about Dolly the Sheep Learn six sheep-related  idioms Complete sheep-related sentences using either the definite or indefinite articles See  pun-ny sheep jokes   Read and answer questions about stem cell research Practise using prepositions to complete a spot-the-difference exercise Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee! Click  HERE   f or the worksheet answers. Lesson objectives: 1) To practise using prepositions to complete a spot-...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): How did they make cheese in medieval times? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Humans have been making cheese for 10,000 years, for as long as we've been shepherding ruminants. We've experimented a lot over the millenia, giving rise to tens of variants: brie, camembert, cheddar, cottage, feta, gorgonzola, grana, gruyère, roquefort, wensleydale - the list goes on.  In this B2+ worksheet, students will  Study a video about how to make medieval cheese Learn six cheese-related  idioms Match cheese-related pictures with phrasal verbs  See advanced adjectives to market cheese Read and answer questions about England's famous Cheese Roll event Learn the difference between  stative  and  dynamic  forms of verbs Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee! Click  HERE   f or the worksheet answers Lesson objectives: To...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): Why are some people passionate about puppetry? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content How do puppeteers use a hunk of wood, some string and subtle hand movements to create the illusion of life? Puppetry is an ancient art, and the people who still practise it today have accumulated not only a great amount of passion, but also many tricks and techniques. In this B2+ worksheet, students will  Study a video about puppetry Insert the correct dummy subjects  into sentences Learn six string-related  idioms See  pun-ny jokes  about puppets Read about the Macy's Day Parade inflatable dirigibles Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee! Click  HERE   f or the worksheet answers Lesson objectives: 1) To complete a spot-the-difference exercise, using prepositions of place to locate the stand-out features 2) To insert dummy subjects into s...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): Why do we eat cake on our birthdays? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content "Make a wish and blow out your candles", your friends and family tell you every year. But how did lighting a confectionery on fire on your birthday become the "normal" thing to do? And why - just why - would somebody pay $75 million dollars for a birthday cake?  In this B2+ worksheet, students will  Study a video about the origin of the birthday cake tradition Match cake-related pictures with phrasal verbs Create mixed conditionals  Learn six cake-related idioms See advanced adjectives used to advertise a cake Practise  adjective ordering using a news article about the world's most expensive cake   Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee! Click HERE  for the worksheet answers. Lesson objectives: 1) To match six phrasal verbs based on "CUT" to cake-relate...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): Can dogs smell cancer in humans? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content It's no secret that our four-legged friends are highly attuned to us. Dogs can tell when we are sad or scared, and they can alert us to the presence of intruders. In recent decades, scientists have found they can even detect the odours cancerous cells give off.  In this B2+ worksheet, students will  Study a video about a cancer survivor whose dog saved her life Match action shots of dogs to six phrasal verbs (to GET away with, to GET up, to GET rid of, etc.) Create dog-related sentences containing causative verbs "to get" and "to have" ( get/have + object + past participle) Learn six nose-related idioms See advanced adjectives used to describe a pet dog Read an article about the science of cancer-smelling canines Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee! Lesson objectives: 1...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): Do giraffes with longer necks get more sex? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content These megaherbivores look like gentle giants, but when it comes to competing for mates they are formidable warriors. Male giraffes swing their sledgehammer-like heads into their rivals' bodies until a victor emerges. Some zoologists have even argued their noodle necks evolved not to help them reach high-up vegetation but to give them a competitive advantage in these brutal battles. In this B2+ worksheet, students will  Watch a giraffe fight and give a blow-by-blow account Match goofy pictures of giraffes to four phrasal verbs (to stand by, to stand for, to stand up to, to stand out) Practise forming tag questions using giraffe trivia Learn six neck-related idioms See three pun-ny jokes about giraffes Read an article summarising the controversy over how giraffes evolved their long necks Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your s...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): Why you sometimes have trouble opening doors -   BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Have you ever pushed on a pull door, even when it was clearly marked as such? Or pulled at a push door? According to Don Norman, a distinguished professor of technology, you shouldn't feel bad about it: it's actually the designer's fault.  In this B2+ worksheet, students will  Study a video about "human-centred design"; Learn door-related idioms;  Match phrasal verbs based on "SHUT" to pictures; Practise the definite article (and exceptions to the rule: "go to town" and "go to the town"); Find the correct punchlines for pun-ny jokes about doors. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!     Lesson objectives: 1) To match six phrasal verbs based on "SHUT" to pictures (to shut up, to shut away, to shut down, to shut off, etc.) ...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): Is fire a solid, a liquid or a gas? -    BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Remember the last time you sat around a camp fire. Did you wonder what caused that crackling sound? Or why the flames were thin on top and fat at the bottom? Normally, we are too busy chatting, laughing and toasting marshmallows to care.  In this B2+ worksheet, students will  Study a video about the science of campfires; Learn fire-related idioms;  Do a short exercise about quantifiers (much, many, a lot of, a few);  Find the correct punchlines for pun-ny jokes about fire; Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!     Lesson objectives: 1) To find two nouns and three adjectives from a vocabulary list that do NOT  describe a photo of a burning forest. 2) To complete a short exercise about quantifiers (i.e. much, many, a lot of, a few). 3) To...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): Why the human back is a design disaster -    BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Back pain is a uniquely human complaint. It is the price of standing up straight. One scientist said balancing our big heads on top of our vertebrae is like trying to stack 26 teacups and saucers. In short, the human back is an engineering nightmare. In this B2+ worksheet, students will  Learn back-related idioms;  Do a short exercise about transport prepositions;  Match six phrasal verbs (to BACK out of something, to BACK into something, to BACK down etc.) with corresponding pictures  Study a video and article about back pain.  Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!     Lesson objectives: 1) To match phrasal verbs with pictures (to BACK away, to BACK down, to BACK something up, etc.) 2) To complete a short exercise about transport prepos...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): What do your fingerprints say about you? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Police have long been able to identify suspects from their fingerprints. Now, scientists are pioneering a technique that tells police what suspects were touching before the crime - be it drugs, food, petrol or any number of other substances that could help detectives piece together a profile. In this B2+ worksheet, students will learn finger-related idioms; they will revise subject, object and reflexive pronouns; and they will match common hand gestures with their names. They will also put their comprehension skills to work on an article and video about how scientists are pioneering new fingerprint technology. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!     Lesson objectives: 1) To match six hand gestures with their names (to flip someone the bird, to do jazz hands, to give...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): Why frogs sometimes fall from the sky -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content The weather forecast for today: cloudy, cold and with a chance of frog rain. Frog and fish downpours have been widely reported across the world for hundreds of years. But is there any scientifc explanation? In this B2+ worksheet, students will study frog-related puns, a poem and rain-related idioms. They will also put their comprehension skills to work on an article and video about frog rain. Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee! Lesson objectives: 1) To understand nuance and puns with six frog-related jokes. 2) To practise pronunciation and comprehension by reading a tongue-twister poem about a two-toed tree toad (who loved a three-toed ground toad).  3) To explain the mystery of frog rain, using information collected from a short Sci-Show video. 4) To expand the students' r...

Advanced lesson plan (B2 and above): Are you breathing wrong? -  BUY ME A COFFEE if you like my FREE ESL content Breathing is natural: nothing difficult about it, right? Actually, there is a "right" and "wrong" way to get oxygen into your lungs, according to experts.  In this B2+ worksheet, students will practise using the passive voice with reporting verbs, see six breath-related idioms and learn lots of relevant vocabulary.   Educational materials shouldn't be paywalled. Show your support for my ESL content by  buying me a coffee!   Lesson objectives: 1) To match words for different types of breathing with pictures:  to gasp, to wheeze, to pant, to sigh, to sniff, to blow. 2) To practise using the passive voice with reporting verbs, while talking about the alleged benefits/risks of "alternate-nostril breathing". 3) To understand nuance and puns with three breath-related jokes, about an asthmatic, a seabird and an Apple Store.  4) To explain "cor...