Introduction

EARTH DAY (April22)
the movie
THE LIVING SEA
has been presented for free download as a celebration of Earth Day.
André has been kind enough to download it for us. Thank you André.

This movie is a wonderful way to celebrate Earth Day with our ESL students.
Let's invite all of the students in the school to share this time with us. :-)

Below, you will find questions about the sea and our relationship with this amazing part of our planet.

Discussion Questions (work in pairs)
1a. Do you know the words listed below? Discuss the words and what they mean to you.
Tell about a time when you have seen whales etc.

jellyfish
cuttlefish
Palau islands
salt water
whales …
waves
tides
deep
depth

1.b.List as many other words as you can remember that relate to the sea and discuss them with your partner.

2.a. What different aspects of the sea are presented in the movie?

2.b. Can you relate these aspects to our region?

2c. Which aspects of the sea do you enjoy in your life?

3. Tell your partner about your experiences on the sea.

4. How is the sea changing? Give an example of how the rising sea level has affected the
Gaspé region.

5. What do these quotes mean?
“All that we do is touched with ocean, yet we remain on the shore of what we know.”
and
“We can’t protect what we don’t understand.”

6. What did you like most about the movie? Why?

7. What did you like least about the movie? Why?

8. What can you do to protect the ocean environment in general?

9. Talk about the activities that you and your friends enjoy that are related to the sea.

10.Why do you think that people like to spend time near the sea?

11. Do you feel that you are doing your part to protect the environment?

After discussing the movie in pairs, I found online and showed on the screen the words for the songs. We played the songs from U Tube and we all sang along - a great way to end the exercise.

Note: If you enjoyed this activity, let us know! We'll think up more
activities that encourage discussion :-).




Bowling photos
(The username is "englishwebsites" and the password is Patricia's chocolate Lab's name.)

NEW WEBSITES TO CHECK OUT!

MOVIES with subtitles
http://www.lingual.net/lingualproductitems/category.php?categoryid=7

FUN GAMES
http://www.marks-english-school.com/games.html

CHAT and do lessons in English
http://www.livemocha.com/

DICTIONARY
http://www.wordreference.com/

I made this website during the fall session to help you find grammar and listening activities on the internet to go with the topics in your books.

Bring your book to the computer room, and write the date on each page as you complete the online activities that go with it.

Once you have completed all the activities for a module, tell me or Patricia. We will sign the date in your book and on your oral practice sheet for that module. You need to have that signed in order to continue to the next module's online activities.

If you find that the activities for your year are too difficult, do some of the activities in secondary 1, 2 or 3 as a revision. The listening will become easier with practice!

You will need earphones for most of these activities, so please bring them to class!

You can post comments on this website, and if you have any suggestions or ideas please tell me. I will be happy to add new links to good games and activities!
Have fun!

Jane

Secondary 5 Advanced Oral Practice Olympic Entertainment

Intermediate Instant Lesson™


Olympic Entertainment

Pre-Reading Activities

A: Discussion
Answer these questions in small groups.
1. Imagine your class is hosting a group of visitors from another country for a five-day visit. First decide which group of visitors you want to host:

i. a group of sports people,
ii. a group of language students on a class trip,
iii. a group of professionals (doctors or business people or lawyers etc.)
iv. a group of older people on vacation,
v. a group of people representing their city.

Once you have chosen which group you are hosting, answer the following questions:

a. How would you entertain the group? What would you do with them? What activities would you offer them?

b. What would you give them to eat? (They are paying for their own food. Would you organize for them to eat at restaurants? If so, where? Would you cook for them instead?)

c. What would you teach them? (How would you help them learn about your school or your city or your culture etc.?)

d. Where would you arrange for them to stay? (They are paying for their accommodation.) What kind of accommodation would you choose?

e. How would you keep them safe?

2. One of the group visiting you is a celebrity (a famous person). Do you think he or she should get special treatment (get the best of things because he or she is famous)? Why or why not?


B: Vocabulary
Check you understand the meanings of these words from today's articles:

official - a person who does important work e.g. for the government
security - things that are done to keep a place safe
athlete - a person who is good at sports (running, swimming etc.)

Reading Activities

A: Reading For Specific Information
Read part of today's first article and match the dates and numbers with the facts. Draw an arrow from the dates to the facts. Do this as quickly as you can.


Dates and Numbers Facts

1. March 5 a. When the village opens.
2. 16,000 b. The number of people staying in the Village during the Olympics.
3. 7,000 c. When the Paralympics are held.
4. September 6 d. The number of people staying in the Village during the Paralympics.
5. August 8 e. When this article was written.
6. July 27 f. When the Olympics begin.


Mar 05 BEIJING (Reuters) Olympic organizers on Wednesday gave a preview of the unfinished Olympic village, which will hold 16,000 athletes and officials during the Olympics, and 7,000 during the Paralympics.

The village will open on July 27, two weeks before the Games officially open on August 8. The Paralympics being on September 6.

Reporters were shown a sparse but comfortable-looking apartment in a low-rise gray and white brick building on the western fringe of Beijing's main Olympic complex.
The village will be converted into a "high-end residential community" after renovations following the Paralympics to "guarantee its legacy", Yu Debin, the village's deputy director, said.

Apart from facilities for worship for "five major religions" -- Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism -- the village will provide Chinese cultural performances, including tai chi and other martial arts exercises, for athletes' entertainment, organizers said.

Article © 2008 Reuters Limited. Lesson © 2008 www.english-to-go.com

B: Complete The Table
Complete the table with information from another part of the article about the different people.


Person Who they are Why the article mentions them
Roger Federer ____________________________ He is not sure if he will stay in the Olympic village.
Yu Debin deputy director of the Olympic Village ____________________________
____________________________ ____________________________ He thinks Federer should stay in the village for the Olympics.
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (Kaka)
____________________________ ____________________________

No favors for celebrity athletes at Beijing village
Mar 05 BEIJING (Reuters) Celebrity athletes can expect no special treatment at Beijing's Olympic village, its vice-director said on Wednesday, after world tennis number one Roger Federer said he was unsure whether he would stay with fellow athletes.

Federer said this week he had yet to make up his mind after experiencing difficulties in Athens in 2004, where his high profile drew a lot of attention from other athletes.

"Every time you go eating and people tap you on the shoulder, I don't mind it, but I wish it was different just one day of the week," Federer said.

Yu Debin, the village's deputy director, said all athletes would experience the same conditions.

"In the Olympic village, all athletes are equal. We have the same (policy) for all athletes," Yu told reporters.
Former Olympic tennis champion Boris Becker on Wednesday urged Federer to stay in the athlete's village, saying the experience helped him clinch doubles gold with countryman Michael Stich at Barcelona in 1992.

Earlier this week, Brazilian Football Confederation president Ricardo Teixeira said the country's Olympic soccer team, which could include World Player of the Year Kaka, would stay in the athlete's village in Beijing.



Article © 2008 Reuters Limited. Lesson © 2008 www.english-to-go.com


C: Checking Information
Read the sentences below. Each one contains a factual error. Find each error and use the article to correct it.

1. Everyone noticed Robert Federer when he stayed in the Olympic village in 2004 and he found this difficult.

2. Boris Becker thinks that staying in the Olympic village helped him win his Olympic gold medal for singles.

3. Yu Debin says famous athletes will have more comfortable accommodation in the Olympic village.

4. Ricardo Teixeira said that the Chinese Olympic soccer team will use the Olympic village.


D: Reading And Note-taking
Read the first article again and then read another article below. Answer these questions.

1. What cultural activities will the village offer athletes? What is the purpose of this?

2. What difficulties do the organizers have in deciding what cultural activities to offer to athletes?

Athletes to get a taste of China in Beijing village
January 15 Beijing (Reuters) The Athletes Village at the Beijing Olympics will be as good as any at previous Games and give guests a real taste of China, table tennis great Deng Yaping said on Tuesday.

The four-times Olympic champion, now deputy director of the Village, said organizers hoped to give the 16,000 athletes and officials a feel of China's "long history and rich culture", without disrupting their preparations. "We want all the athletes and officials to know they are living in the Beijing Olympic Village and not anywhere else," said Deng, who won two gold medals at both the Barcelona and Atlanta Games.

"We hope they will be impressed by the Chinese characteristics of the Village.
"It is a bit difficult because the Village is a place for the athletes to rest. We will try our best to provide cultural activities but to retain a balance between the activities and the athletes' needs."

With such a long history, officials are having some difficulty in deciding what to include in the cultural program, but exposing their guests to genuine Chinese cuisine would definitely be part of the plan, Deng said.

"Chinese food is popular around the world but if you have Chinese food in the UK, for example, the flavor is slightly different," she said. "Beijing duck in London and Beijing duck in Beijing is totally different. I don't know which one is better, we'll let the athletes and officials decide."

Article © 2008 Reuters Limited. Lesson © 2008 www.english-to-go.com






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Post-Reading Activities
You may do one or more of these.

A: Give Your Opinion
Work in pairs. What does each statement mean? Do you agree or disagree with what the person is saying? (There is another quote here from Boris Becker in an article from March 4 2008.)

1. "Every time you go eating and people tap you on the shoulder, I don't mind it, but I wish it was different just one day of the week."
2. "In the Olympic village, all athletes are equal. We have the same (policy) for all athletes."
3. "To get into the right frame of mind, to understand what the Olympics is all about, you should try to be as often as you can in the Village, to mingle with the other athletes. I think that gives you a much bigger motivation."


B: Write A Letter
Work in pairs. Imagine you are welcoming the people you talked about in Pre-Reading Activity A. Write a short letter welcoming them and telling them about the arrangements you have made for their visit.


C: Make A Choice
Work in small groups. You are the organizers for the Olympic Village. You have spent most of your budget, but there is still some money left for extra entertainment facilities.
Which of these would be best for the Village? Choose any two:

a newspaper reading room. mini golf. a miniature zoo. a golf course.
an Internet cafe. a nightclub. volleyball courts. a movie theater.




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NOTES AND ANSWER KEY

Reading Activities

A: Reading For Specific Information - Answers
1. e, 2. b, 3. d, 4. c., 5. f, 6. a.

B: Complete The Table - Answers
1. World Tennis Number 1,
2. All athletes who stay in the village will be treated the same way.
3. Boris Becker / former Olympic tennis champion,
4. Soccer World Player of the Year / He will stay in the Olympic village.

C: Checking Information - Answers
1. Roger Federer, not Robert Federer, 2. Olympic gold medal for doubles, not singles. 3. famous athletes will have the same accommodation as everyone else in the village. 4. He said the Brazilian soccer team will use the village.

D: Reading And Note-taking - Answers
1. they will have opportunities to see Chinese cultural performances including tai chi and other martial arts exercises, they will also be exposed to Chinese cuisine, the village itself will have Chinese characteristics, they will have a chance to appreciate that they are in Beijing, not somewhere else in the world.
2. It is difficult to know what to provide because there needs to be a balance between the activities and the needs of athletes. It is also hard to choose because China has such a long history.

080304OLYMPICspof

http://www.pearsonlongman.com/adult/pdf/jungle_survivors.pdf

Secondary 5 Advanced Oral Practice

Discussion Activity 1
Discuss the following questions with a Partner
Wh...Questions
1. What was the happiest event in your life?
2. What three things could you not live with out?
3. Who is your best friend? How long have you been friends for?
4. What would you say was the happiest time in your life?
5. What achievement are you most proud of?
6. What is your favorite time of day?
7. What’s your favorite type of weather?
8. What is your favorite word and why?
9. What is your favorite sound and why?
10. Who do you most respect?
11. Who would you like to change lives with for a day, if you could?
12. Who do you think you take after in your family?
13. What is your favorite place and why?
14. What do you want to achieve in the next 5 years?
15.What do you like about yourself?

Secondary 5 Oral Practice

Secondary 4 Oral Practice

Secondary 3 Oral Practice

Secondary 2 Oral Practice

With a partner, discuss the topics listed in the links below.

Oral Past Tense Practice
discuss:
a place you went to last year
a person you met last week
the year you started school
a movie or t.v program you watched last month
a person you know who got married last summer
an activity that you did last week
how you met your best friend
a person you know who went to university
a restaurant you went to last week
a funny experience you had last week
a sport you played last week

Secondary 1 Oral Practice

Sec 5 Advanced Medical Safe Practices

For Students Entering the Medical Profession

http://www.ismp.org/consumers/default.asp

Sec 5 Advanced Dictation Online

Writing Practice: You will hear the dictation online.

http://www.learnenglish.de/dictationpage.htm

Sec 5 Advanced Reading Comprehension

>http://esl.about.com/od/readingadvanced/English_Reading_Comprehension_Skills_for_Advanced_Level_Learners.htm

Sec. 5 Advanced Violence in the Media

Discussion Activity 2

Agree or Disagree Express Opinions, Make Comments

Activity: Debate the question of whether violence in the media (Television, newspapers, magazines, internet, etc.) needs to be more tightly regulated.

Violence In The Media Needs To Be Regulated
You are going to debate whether the government should take regulatory steps to control the amount of violence in the media.

Below you will find phrases and language helpful in expressing opinions, offering explanations and disagreeing.

Opinions, Preferences:
I think..., In my opinion..., I'd like to..., I'd rather..., I'd prefer..., The way I see it..., As far as I'm concerned..., If it were up to me..., I suppose..., I suspect that..., I'm pretty sure that..., It is fairly certain that..., I'm convinced that..., I honestly feel that, I strongly believe that..., Without a doubt,...,

Disagreeing:
I don't think that..., Don't you think it would be better...,
I don't agree, I'd prefer...,
Shouldn't we consider..., But what about...,
I'm afraid I don't agree..., Frankly, I doubt if...,
Let's face it, The truth of the matter is...,
The problem with your point of view is that...


Giving Reasons and offering explanations: To start with, The reason why..., That's why..., For this reason..., That's the reason why..., Many people think...., Considering..., Allowing for the fact that..., When you consider that...


Topics: Agree
Yes, The Government Needs to Regulate the Media
Violence begets violence.
Children copy the violence seen on TV and in films.
It is the responsibility of the government to take corrective measures when a situation becomes dangerous.
It seems like there are only violent TV shows anymore.
Media glorifies violence and sends the wrong message.
By giving so much importance to violence, the media encourages crazy people to be violent in order to get a lot of attention.
What is more important to the growth of our society: A murder or a good school teacher? Who gets more coverage in the media?
Media is cynical and only worried about making money. The only way things will change is if the government intervenes.
Does all this violence improve your life in any way?

Topics: Disagree
No, The Government Should Leave the Media Deregulated
Have you ever heard of the right to 'Free Speech'.
The Media only reflects what society as a whole does.
It is quite obvious that these films are made for entertainment purposes and anyone can tell the difference between a film and reality.
Governments only make matters worse by introducing bureaucracy - they don't really improve a situation.
True change needs to come from within and not be imposed from without.
We need to be kept informed about the true nature of the society that we live in.
Parents do quite a good job of regulating their own children's behavior.
There are already rating systems in place.
Wake up. Humanity has always been violent and government regulation is not going to change that.