Resource pack of materials, ideas and guidelines for...

Resource pack of materials, ideas and guidelines for English teachers

Published by the partners of the “Innovative methods for increasing effectiveness of teaching English of 55+ learners” Project Erasmus+ Project, Key Action 2 – Strategic Partnerships

with examples and didactic materials for teachers

Contributing authors: Teresa Anelli (Italy), Beatrix Bajnóczi (Hungary),

Agnieszka Baran (Poland), Gyöngyi Bódiné Gál (Hungary), Andrea Ciantar

(Italy), Loredana Golob (Italy), Manuela Gazzano (Italy), Kirsi Haavisto

(Hungary), Barbara Kaszkur-Niechwiej (Poland), Anna Payne (Poland),

Malwina Szeliga (Poland), adult learners taking part in the project.

Project logo designer: Andrea Sinka (Hungary)

Kraków (Poland), Rome (Italy), Szeged (Hungary), 2014-2016

Resource-pack of materials, ideas and guidelines for English teachers

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

3

Table of contents

Introduction – The InMETE 55+ Project ....................................................... 4

The Project Partners ....................................................................................... 7

General Tips for Teachers .............................................................................. 9

Teacher’s Guide – elements description .................................................... 12

Vocabulary ............................................................................................ 14

Songs and music ................................................................................. 43

Outdoor and physical activities .......................................................... 52

Inventing stories .................................................................................. 65

Socializing ............................................................................................ 84

Performances ....................................................................................... 95

Summary ...................................................................................................... 111

Appendix ...................................................................................................... 113

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/



4

Introduction – The InMETE 55+ Project

Teaching foreign languages, especially English, to seniors, is becoming one of the

most crucial elements of education in later-life in Europe. Existing analysis concerns

mainly the needs and current state, but there are not enough didactic materials which

would support teachers in their daily work with learners 55+. This concerns in

particular those materials that go beyond the traditional language course, and include

such elements that are emotionally engaging, motivating, and provide new incentives:

mental, physical and sensory - so essential in later-life pedagogy. To address this

deficiency a partnership was formed which consists of 3 organizations from Poland,

Hungary and Italy, possessing considerable experience in senior education,

especially in language teaching and represent a complementary approach, including

academic. This has enabled the partners to identify the most urgent needs and gaps

in language teaching (especially English) to older learners and to propose innovative

solutions to address them.

The Fullness-of-Life Academy Association from Krakow, the Courses Educational

and Cultural Association from Szeged and the Italian Federation for Continuing

Education from Rome gathered together to realize the Erasmus + Project “Innovative

methods for increasing effectiveness of teaching English of 55+ learners” (InMETE

55+). The project has a form of “Strategic Partnership”, done under the Key Action

2 from September 2014 to August 2016.

The project goal is to develop tangible propositions of innovative methods for

increasing effectiveness of teaching English to 55+ learners. Through well-structured

cooperation, researches, discussions, international meetings, three tangible

intellectual outputs of the project be prepared:



5

a. resource pack of possible resources: materials, ideas and guidelines which

could be used during the English lessons to increase cognitive functions of elderly

learners, in particular, their attention, motivation, emotional involvement, memory

functioning, senses and body involvement, communication sensitivity and capability,

and also their well-being;

b. nine detailed lesson outlines together with teaching/learning materials for

teachers and students (each for two levels: elementary (A2-B1) and intermediate (B2)

including innovative elements taken from external sources like art, historical heritage

of our countries, memory rules and methods, music, poetry, body expression and

para-theatrical forms, etc.;

c. two curricula for a one-year (60 hrs) course for learners 55+, two levels -

elementary (A2-B1) and intermediate (B2).

These three products will be available free of charge for seniors’ educators from the

non-profit sector. At the end of the project, during dissemination events, all of them

will be promoted.

In this publication we present the first project product – the resource pack of

materials, ideas and guidelines that may be used by teachers of English for seniors.

It consists of four parts and appendix. The first two contain general information about

the project and partnership organizations. We prepared also some general tips for

English teachers who plan to work with 55+ learners. In the main part of the

publication educators can find the description of the resource pack elements

preceded by general information about its structure.



6

APPENDIX: In this section teachers can find Autobiographical tools for learners. This

simple tool has been designed to support some important key issues in the learning

process of 50+ learners. The aim of this tool is to create deep motivation in learners

studying English language; to make them more aware of their capacity and personal

preferences and attitudes in the learning process (What’s the best way of learning for

me? What are my main difficulties?); to give the learners the chance to share this

information with others.

Photo by UNIEDA © 2015



7

The Project Partners

The partnership consists of 3 partners from Poland, Hungary and Italy, who possess

considerable experience in senior education, especially in language teaching and

represent a complementary approach, including academic.

Poland: Stowarzyszenie Akademia Pełni Życia

im. Joanny Boehnert

The Fullness-Of-Life Academy Association has been working since 2001 with seniors

from the Malopolska region of Poland - both from big cities and small towns. The goal

has been to improve the quality of older people's life by creating a wide range of

educational opportunities for them. Special emphasis is put on giving seniors access

to modern computer technology, language learning and the achievements of

contemporary science and culture.

The Association organises computer courses, language classes, lectures, seminars,

memory training, art workshops, and discussion and hobby groups. It also develops

teaching/study materials tailored to older people. It carries out innovative educational

projects for older people, both locally and internationally.

Web page: www.apz.org.pl

http://www.apz.org.pl/



8

Hungary: Tan-Folyam Oktatási és Kulturális Egyesület

The Courses Educational and Cultural Association was founded by adult learners. Its

main aims are to promote formal, non-formal and informal lifelong learning and to

achieve and maintain mental, physical and social well-being through active learning.

It organises and conducts various training workshops and projects related to lifelong

learning, for example in language and ICT. The majority of members of the

Association are older people and the development of teaching and learning

techniques and applications appropriate to the age group is a central interest.

Web page: www.tan-folyam.eu

Italy: Unione Italiana di Educazione Deglt Adulti (UNIEDA)

The Italian Federation for Continuing Education is a national umbrella organisation of

65 Italian adult education organisations. It is a national focal point for the

development of an inter-generational pedagogy aimed at different generations and

cultures in the name of their common educational needs. As a research and

experimentation centre for adult education activities and methodologies, UNIEDA is

particularly active in the promotion and dissemination of autobiographical and

biographical narrative methodologies and explores their relationship with the memory

and learning of older people. It participates in the implementation and dissemination

of European Grundtvig projects at national and transnational level and, in 2010,

developed for use a model bill on Lifelong Learning, which was regarded as strategic

for the achievement of Lisbon objectives and aims.

Web page: www.unieda.it

http://www.tan-folyam.eu/

http://www.unieda.it/



9

General Tips for Teachers

At the beginning of a course the learners can fill in a questionnaire about the

most common problems in learning English. Typical problems which will

emerge are: speaking, oral comprehension, irregular verbs, present

perfect/past simple, present perfect simple/continuous, future, phrasal verbs,

idioms. The result of the questionnaire is important for teachers because they

can develop the course by taking into account their students’ necessities.

Teachers shouldn’t correct 100% of their students’ mistakes especially during

conversation activities and at low levels. Excessive correction could result in

the students’ refusal to speak. A good option is to write down the students’

mistakes without interrupting them and to correct them only at the end of the

activity.

Don’t forget to praise your students for their

progress. Some students in particular are very shy

and they need to be encouraged.

A good way to correct compositions and essays written by students is the

“collective correction”: the teacher selects (among the students’ texts) the

sentences with the worst (and most interesting!) mistakes and writes them on

the board without mentioning the author. In turn the students have to spot the

mistake and correct it.

Encourage students to use traditional dictionaries and not digital ones. The

“effort” of looking up a word helps students fix it in their memory more than

a simple click on their pc.



10

Adult-students are not just people who are learning a language; the teacher

should valorise their personal experiences and background. If they want to

share and compare their personal experiences, the teachers should encourage

them.

Make sure that the material is presented in a suitable way: for example well

printed, in fonts which are not too small.

Make sure the equipment works properly. For example if you play a song, the

quality of the sound must be perfect and the room must not be noisy.

If students do not understand a song or a listening exercise, they could be

discouraged even if it’s not totally their fault.

Don’t use materials (readings, listening, grammar exercises) too difficult for the

students’ level. It could result in a general lack of confidence in the class.

In general the teacher should motivate the students not to use their mother

tongue in class, or to do this to the smallest degree possible. Anyway, at

elementary levels, use the students’ language if necessary to make them feel

comfortable, especially during the very first lessons when they don’t know the

teacher and the other students, and their tension could compromise their

understanding.



11

In the case of oral activities where every student has to describe something

(a holiday, a story, a film) encourage the others to ask their classmate at least

one question on the presentation s/he has just given. It will oblige everybody to

listen carefully to the presentations.

Create an informal relaxed atmosphere. If possible, put the tables in a circle so

that everybody can look at each other. Enjoying ourselves is the best way to

learn.

Sometimes divide the students in teams and organize contests. They increase

motivation and let learners socialize.



12

Teacher’s Guide – elements description

In the resource pack we present 26 elements – our ideas of exercises that may be

used by English teachers working with 55+ learners. Each of them may be modified

and tried as inspiration to create your own exercises.

Elements of the resource pack are presented in three different aspects:

1. DESCRIPTION: In this section there is a general explanation of the element: the

approximate time required to perform it, the number of students necessary for the

activity, the type of grouping of the class, the materials necessary for the teacher

to organize this activity. In this section there is also a detailed description of the

different steps of the activity emphasizing the functions and competences covered

and the sources which inspired it. In the “comments” additional materials, if

available (examples of the activity or photocopiable materials), are mentioned.

2. EXAMPLE: This section is a simulation of the activity that teachers can use as

a model to see exactly how the activity works.

3. PHOTOCOPIABLE MATERIAL: This section is represented by ready-to-use

papers that teachers can photocopy and distribute to their students before starting

the activity.



13

The activities of the resource pack can be divided in six different groups:

1. VOCABULARY: The aim of these activities is to enrich the students’ lexicon, the

knowledge of synonyms and their spelling.

2. SONGS AND MUSIC: These multisensory activities use songs and music as an

instrument to improve the vocabulary, the grammar, the knowledge of idioms and

slang but also to evoke feelings and emotions in the class.

3. OUTDOOR AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES: These activities are based on the body

expression/movement or aren’t organized in the classroom but outdoor: in a street

of the city, in a museum or in a park.

4. INVENTING STORIES: These activities encourage students to use their fantasy to

create stories on the basis of very random elements.

5. SOCIALIZING: These activities are ideal at the beginning of a course as

“icebreaking” when students don’t know each other but also as warm-up at the

beginning of a lesson. Through these activities students often work in team,

socialize and discover something about their classmates.

6. PERFORMANCES: In these activities the students become the real protagonists of

the lesson. They have to perform a presentation or a role-play in front of the rest of

the class, often from the teacher’s desk, which becomes a kind of stage. These

activities are ideal to improve the students’ self confidence and overcome their

shyness.



14

VOCABULARY

Element 1 – Categories

Element 2 – Guess the word

Element 3 – Ten art pictures

Element 4 - Memory cards

Element 5 – Let’s collect words and expressions related to a topic

Element 6 – “Hangman game”



15

Element 1

Name: CATEGORIES

Approximate

time:

25 minutes

Number of

students:

Minimum 6

Type of grouping

students:

Pair or Group Working

Materials

needed:

Chart to fill in

Description: The purpose of this activity is to enrich, improve and correct the

students’ vocabulary and their spelling. It is also an opportunity for

socialization and having fun. The class is divided into small groups

(at least three) of 2-3 people each.

The teacher chooses a letter of the alphabet and the students have

to fill in a chart. For every line they have to write a word (only one!)

starting with the letter given and respecting the category specified

at the top of the column (first name; nationality; irregular verbs).

The first team that complete all the categories say “stop” and from

this moment students can’t write any more. The different teams

compare the answers given for every category and write down the

score. Three types of scores are possible: 5 points for teams that

gave the same answer in a category; 10 points for teams that gave

different answers in a category; 15 points in case only one team

gave an answer. Before moving to the next letter of the alphabet

students calculate the partial score by adding the scores of the

different columns.

The students have to be as fast as they can in completing their

categories. The more original the words they write, the better the

scores.

This game gives the chance to correct a lot of mistakes but it is

essential that the teacher always checks the spelling of the words

written by the students. There are different kinds of mistake:

spelling mistakes (a job with letter F “fotografer” instead of

“photographer”), lexicon mistakes (a nationality with letter



16

S “Sweden” instead of “Swedish”), context mistake (things you can

forget with letter B “Baby”, which is quite strange!).

Main functions: X cognitive functions

attention

X emotional involvement

memory functioning

body involvement (expression)

senses involvement

X communication sensitivity

X communication capability

well-being

Key

competences:

X linguistic or grammatical competence

X discourse competence

X socio-cultural competence

pragmatic competence

intercultural competence

Sources: memory rules

memory methods

fine arts

body expressions

literature

music

historical objects

poetry

para-theatrical forms

X multi-sensory simulation

Comments: Example of the activity available.

Photocopiable material available.



17

Example:

ENGLISH FIRST

NAMES JOBS

LANGUAGES NATIONALI-

TIES

ADJECTI-VES

HOBBIES SPORTS

FOOD DRINKS

CITIES IRREGULAR

VERBS 5LETTER WORDS

I AM AFRAID OF

THINGS YOU

FORGET

WORDS WITH A

“W”

Albert, Alison

actor, actress, artist, astronaut, architect

American, Austrian, Argentinian, African

abstract, annoyed, anxious, ancient, arrogant

athletics, art, aerobics

apricot, aubergine, almond

Adelaide, Athens

arise, awake attic, apple, aware, avoid

airplanes, asteroids, astrology, animals

answer, appointment address

away, awkward, awful, award

Fred Fanny

fireman, footballer, farmer, florist, film director, fisherman

French, Finnish

furious, false, full, famous

football, films, fishing, fencing, figure skating

fish, fruit, French fries, fruit juice

Florence, Frankfurt

find, fight, fall, feel, forget, forgive

false, fight flying, falsity, falling

Fire on, formulas, feed animals

follow

Norman Nelly, Ned

nurse, nun, nanny, newsagent

Norwegian, Nigerian, Nepalese, Northern Irish

natural, naive, normal nasty, naughty

netball, nutella, nuts Naples, New York, Nice Newcastle

- nanny, noise, north

news, nuns names, news, numbers, nothing!

now, new, narrow

Sharon, Simon

secretary, singer, shop assistant

Spanish, Swedish, Swahili, Scottish, Swiss, Scandinavian, Saudi Arabian

strange, secure, sceptical, scary, strong

surfing, scuba swimming, skating, stamps snowboard, sailing, shopping

soup, salmon sausage, strawberry, sandwich

Sidney, Sheffield, Stockholm

see, say, sell, speak, send, sing

spice, sorry, spoon, stamp

spiders, snakes, spies, spooks, suffering

sugar, studying

sorrow, saw, subway, sweet

Liam, Lucy, Leopold, Laura

lorry driver, lawyer, lookalike

Lebanese, Libyan, Lithuanian, Latvian

long, legal, little, large, lazy, loud

lap dance lemon, lime Los Angeles, Liverpool, London, Leeds

leave, learn, loose, let, lend

leave, legal lizards, lions, loneliness, laws, lies, litter

lighter, lipstick, laundry, lyrics luggage, laptop, litter

law, low



18

ENGLISH FIRST

NAMES JOBS


TIES

ADJECTI-VES

HOBBIES SPORTS

FOOD DRINKS

CITIES IRREGULAR

VERBS 5LETTER WORDS

I AM AFRAID OF

THINGS YOU

FORGET

WORDS WITH A

“W”

Grace, Gary, Gabriel, George, Gwyneth

grocer, , gynaecologist, gardener, governor, gigolo, greengrocer

Greek, German, Georgian, Greenlandic

great, generous, gloomy, general

golf, gymnastics, gardening, games, cinema

grapes, garlic, grapefruit

Geneva, Glasgow, Gloucester

go, get, give, grow

glove, group, ghost

gangster, gas, ghosts, gun, gorillas, goats

gloves glow, grow

Colin, Charles, Catherine

carpenter, cook, composer, conductor

Chinese, Croatian, Canadian, Cuban, Czech, Colombian

cosy, cold, childish, comfortable, common, cool, curious

cycling, cricket, climbing, chess

cheese, chips, carrot chicken, cereals, , cucumber

Cardiff, Chester, Chicago

catch, cut, come, choose

Child, chess, choir

cars, criminals, changes, choices

coat, contact lenses, children!, car insurance

cow, crew. crow, chewing-gum

Robert, Ron, Randy, Richard

runner, rapper, racing driver

Romanian, Russian

rich, rare, relaxed, right

running, rugby, racing driving, roller skate

rice, roast beef

Rome, Rotterdam, Reykjavik

read, ride, run, ring

radio, rainy, rusty, robot

racism, rocks, rats, rockets, rain, robbery

recipe, rules, rhythm, ring

row, raw, rainbow, rewind

Peter, Patty, Paul, Philip

policeman, painter, pilot, photographer

Portuguese, Polish, Puerto Rican, Pakistani, Peruvian

pink, poor, proud, powerful, peaceful

pool, painting, photography, piano, polo

pineapple, pork, potato, pasta, peas, prawn

Perth, Paris, Prague

pay, put peace, proud, prawn

piranhas, pistol, poison, pit bull, power

pill, prescription, passport, password

power, prawn, password

Bob, Betty, Billy

baker, butcher, babysitter, basketball player, barber bodyguard, barman, banker, book seller

Brazilian, Bolivian, Belgian, Bulgarian, British

big, brown, brave, boring, broken

basket, bob, baseball, boxing, beach volley, bowling, bridge, body building

bread, blueberry, beer, butter, banana

Bristol, Belfast, Birmingham, Boston

buy, bring, begin, become, be

beard, beach, brave, bread, bunny

bears, beach, bombs, boats, burglars, blood, bulls

bill, bag, birthday, book

bowling, borrow, brown, below



19

ENGLISH FIRST

NAMES JOBS


TIES

ADJECTI-VES

HOBBIES SPORTS

FOOD DRINKS

CITIES IRREGULAR

VERBS 5LETTER WORDS

I AM AFRAID OF

THINGS YOU

FORGET

WORDS WITH A

“W”

Danny, Donna, Dean

dentist, designer, dustman, doctor

Dutch, Danish dirty, desperate, dusty

dancing, darts, DIY, drawing, dice, downhill, drums, domino

donuts Denver, Dublin, Dover

do, drink, drive, draw, dream

drink, dream, drive

death, dentist, devil, demons, dragon, dangers, drugs

dream, date, delusion, diet, decision

down, dawn

Esther, Evelyn, Elle

employee, engineer, electrician

Egyptian, English, Eskimo, Estonian, Ecuadorian, Ethiopic

envious, excellent, expert, elegant, easy

English egg, eel Edinburgh eat even, error errors, envy, elephants, elevators, exam, explosions

earring, ex, excuse, exam

elbow

Heather, Henry, Hannah

housewife, hairdresser, hacker

Hungarian hot, happy, heavy

horse riding, hockey, hiking

ham, hotdog, hamburger

Hamburg, Houston Helsinki, Hastings

have, hide, hear, hit

drink, dream, drive

horses, hippos, hackers, heart attack, horrors, hurricanes

handkerchief, handbag, hangover, homework

homework



20

Photocopiable material:

ENGLISH FIRST

NAMES JOBS


TIES

ADJECTI-VES

HOBBIES SPORTS

FOOD DRINKS

CITIES IRREGULAR

VERBS 5LETTER WORDS

I AM AFRAID OF

THINGS YOU

FORGET

WORDS WITH A

“W”



21

1. ENGLISH FIRST NAMES (Jim, Mary)

2. JOBS (teacher)

3. LANGUAGES/NATIONALITIES (Italian, Welsh)

4. ADJECTIVES (beautiful)

5. HOBBIES/SPORTS (tennis, dancing)

6. FOOD/DRINKS (meat, beer)

7. CITIES IN ENGLISH (Rome, Berlin)

8. IRREGULAR VERBS (drink)

9. 5-LETTER WORDS (child, apple)

10. I’M AFRAID OF. (darkness, ghosts)

11. THINGS YOU CAN FORGET (keys)

12. WORDS WITH A “W” (bowling)



22

Element 2

Name: GUESS THE WORD

Approximate

time:

From 15 to 25 minutes

Number of

students:

Minimum 6

Type of grouping

students:

Group Working

Materials

needed:

A stopwatch, cards with words

Description: The students are divided in two teams. Teams play one at a time

and every time they have to choose a student who goes in front of

the class to explain to his team the meaning of a word written on a

card. To make things easier and faster the teacher passes to the

student the cards (usually contained in a box or a sack). The

student has to let his team guess as many words as possible in

a limited period of time decided in advance (the teacher keeps the

time with a stopwatch). If there are any words the student doesn’t

understand or which are too difficult to explain he can “leave” them

and choose another one (but he can’t leave more than three words

during his game). The student can’t use his hands, his body

language or his mother tongue to help his team guess the word.

Only the team of the student who is explaining the card have to

guess the word. If accidentally somebody from the opponent team

answers, and gets the answer right, the point is given to the other

team. When time is up the student who has explained the words

will get as many points as the number of words his team have

guessed. Now the game passes to the other team until all the

students have played.

The teacher can prepare a special prize for the student who has

obtained the best score in the game (the best at explaining words

to his team).

At the end of each game the teacher can stop to explain or clarify

the meaning or spelling of some words.



23

Main functions: cognitive functions

X attention


memory functioning


senses involvement



well-being

Key

competences:


discourse competence

sociocultural competence

X pragmatic competence



memory methods

fine arts

body expressions

literature

music

historical objects

poetry







24

Example:

SHORT – It’s an adjective. It’s the contrary of long.

Do you smoke? Yes, I do. This is a ______ answer.

If I am not tall I am ______

MODERN- It’s an adjective. It’s the contrary of ancient.

Something which is not old.

UMBRELLA – You open it when it’s raining.

The object you use to protect from the rain.

AIR-CONDITIONING – You turn it on in the summer if it’s too hot in the car.

TO SMILE – The action you do with your lips when you are happy.

The contrary of to cry.

TOOTHPASTE– What you put on the toothbrush to clean your teeth.

PASSWORD – The special secret word you use to have access to some private

information.

You have to write it to open someone else’s computer, mobile or mail.

TO PAY – The action you do in a shop to buy things.

What money is used for.

You can do that by credit card or cash.



25

Photocopiable materials:

Lassie Prince William Bill Gates Ronaldo Bin Laden Shakespeare Zidane Dante

Beatles Evita Peron Maradona Fidel Castro Sting Gorbaciov Schumacker Mike Tyson

Jhon Paul II Brigitte Bardot

Banderas Sofia Loren George Bush Pelè Celentano Pavarotti

Madonna Alberto Sordi Tom Cruise Sean Connery Giorgio Armani

Nerone Cinderella Princess

Diana

Snowhite Indiana Jones James Bond Micky Mouse Elton John Liz Taylor Ghandi Liza Minelli

VOCABULARY

PARENTS CANDLE TOURIST FAMILY RADIO WALL FLOOR

SOFA TELEVISION WAR SOAP HOTEL PETROL GOLD WATER

UMBRELLA UNIFORM UNIVERSITY DISCO SUNFLOWER TOMATO BUTTERFLY BOAT

CASTLE MEDICINE RICE SEA HORSE PRISON TOY RAP MUSIC



26

POCKET ROSE MONUMENT FIRE TICKET TAXI PRIZE ZOO

CRAZY STRONG JELOUS GENEROUS RICH SOFT COMFORTAB

LE WET

FRIENDLY ISOLATED HUNGRY THIRSTY ANXIOUS LUCKY ROMANTIC DARK

NATURAL DEAD SPANISH EMPTY MODERN BLONDE PRETTY INTELLIGENT

GEOGRAPHY PUB BANK LAKE COFFEE CHEESE SUGAR JEANS

TO COOK TO WAIT TO CRY TO FLY TO WEAR TO LOVE TO DIE TO BUY

John Lennon Platinì Frida Kalo Saddam Hussein

Batman Superman Grace Kelly Michelangelo

Jesus Christ Prince

Charles Chopin Agata Christie Bill Clinton Maria Callas

Valentino Rossi

Cleopatra

Mr Bean Sharon Stone Van Gogh Anna Frank Coco Chanel Julius Caesar Elvis Presley Einstein

Zorro Pinocchio Bill Gates Lenin Paulo Coelho John Travolta Dolce&

Gabbana Pablo Neruda



27

Picasso Senna Angela Merkel Gaudì Tarzan Al Capone Richard Gere Oscar Wilde

John Keats Lord Byron Mina Al Bano Benigni Spielberg Che Guevara Satan

Putin Yuri Gagarin Cassius Clay Eddie Murphy James Dean Prince Ranieri David Beckam Monna Lisa

TO ARGUE TO MARRY TO BRAKE TO KILL TO LEARN TO FORGET TO PRAY TO PHONE

EASY DRY RAINY INDIAN MODERN FULL FAT HAPPY

SICK EXTROVERT ECCENTRIC SEXIST MEDIEVAL INFORMAL COMPLETE PHYSICAL

TERRIBLE NICE FOREIGN QUIET OPEN-

MINDED SURPRISED CROWDED HARD

HEAVY POLITE POLLUTED DISTANT NOBLE HIGH IMPORTANT CULTURAL

COLOURED ICY FROZEN SEXY WORRIED ILLEGAL RECENT EFFICIENT



28

Element 3

Name: TEN ART PICTURES

Approximate

time:


Number of

students:

Minimum 2

Type of grouping

students:


Materials

needed:

Art pictures (photocopiable materials)

Description: The teacher can use art pictures as a help to teach/revise

vocabulary and grammar structures (for example colours, verbs,

nouns, adjectives, adverbs etc.) and to teach/revise skills in

describing.

A very good example of a picture that can be used is the Children's

Games by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1.), an oil-on-panel painted in

1560. The picture presents children's games.



29

Looking at the picture, the teacher can decide to teach/revise

colours – for example simply by asking students to name them.

The teacher can decide to teach/revise verbs by analysing images

from the picture, for example:

play (playing with dolls, sand, the flute, the drum, marbles)

wear (wearing masks)

climb (climbing the fence, the tree)

ride (fence riding, riding a broom)

make (making hats)

shout (shouting into a barrel)

throw (hat throwing)

fly (flying a ribbon on a stick)

build (building a well)

swim (swimming in a river)

The teacher can decide to analyse the picture naming nouns (for

example a doll, sand, a flute, a drum, a marble, a mask, a fence,

a broom, a barrel, a hat etc.), practicing singular and plural form, or

countables and uncountables.

The teacher can also look for adjectives (e.g. beautiful, ugly, big,

small, empty, full, expensive, cheap, old, new etc.), and match

opposites, or adverbs (e.g. beautifully, quickly, cheerfully,

delicately).

The teacher can also ask students to describe the picture or a part

of it, to use it as a reason to tell a story or to make sentences.

Other pictures that can be also useful:

(2) Mona Lisa - Leonardo da Vinci

(3) Girl with a Pearl Earring - Johannes Vermeer

(4) The Scream - Edvard Munch

(5) The Persistence of Memory - Salvador Dalí

(6) The Birth of Venus – Sandro Botticelli

(7) Bedroom in Arles – Vincent van Gogh

(8) The Judgment of Paris – Peter Paul Rubens

(9) The Swing – Pierre- Auguste Renoir

(10) Ivy Bridge – J.M.W. Turner



30


X attention


memory functioning


X senses involvement

communication sensitivity

communication capability

well-being

Key

competences:


discourse competence



X intercultural competence

Sources: X memory rules

X memory methods

X fine arts

body expressions

literature

music

X historical objects

poetry






31

Example:

Other pictures that can be also useful:

Mona Lisa - Leonardo da Vinci – possible

activities:

- describing facial features,

- teaching/revising vocabulary connected with

body,

- teaching/revising the description of a person,

- teaching/revising adjectives to describe a

person,

- building sentences or/and short stories (for

example answering questions like What's her

name? Where is she from? Has she got any

brothers or sisters? How old is she? etc.);

can be used together with Girl with a Pearl

Earring.

Girl with a Pearl Earring - Johannes Vermeer -

possible activities:

- describing facial features,

- teaching/revising vocabulary connected with

body,

- teaching/revising the description of face,

- teaching/revising adjectives to describe a

person,

- building sentences or/and short stories (for

example answering questions like What's her

name? Where is she from? Has she got any

brothers or sisters? How old is she? etc.);

can be used together with Mona Lisa.



32

The Scream - Edvard Munch - possible

activities:

- describing feelings,

- answering questions like What the person in

the picture is scared of? What can that person

think? What can that person see? etc ,

- describing picture,

- describing colours,

- talking about emotions.

The Persistence of Memory - Salvador Dalí -


- talking about time,

- describing picture,

- using a picture as a metaphor,

- predicting what the rest of a view that is not

captured in the picture looks like.

The Birth of Venus – Sandro Botticelli - possible

activities:

- teaching/revising parts of the body, describing

the picture,

- story telling answering questions like : Who is

she? Who are the others? Where are they?

What is going to happen next etc..



33

Bedroom in Arles – Vincent van Gogh – possible

activities:

- describing the picture,

- teaching/revising room vocabulary,

- practising form there is, there are,

- story telling answering questions like Who is

living there? What kind of person he/she is?,

What is his/her favourite book etc.,

- teaching/revising prepositions of place (in, on,

under, behind, in front of etc.).

The Judgment of Paris – Peter Paul Rubens –



- teaching/revising body vocabulary,

- inventing dialogues between people captured

in the picture, practising them,

teaching/practising making questions.

The Swing – Pierre- Auguste Renoir – possible

activities :


- teaching/revising parts of clothes and I am

wearing, he/she is wearing form, talking about

future plans (tomorrow he/she is going to …) but

also past events (yesterday he/she + verb ... ).

Ivy Bridge – J.M.W. Turner – possible activities :


- focusing on the details (spotting the ducks,

spotting people by the carriage, playing the

game I spy with my little eye something

beginning with T etc.),

- talking about nature features;



34

Element 4

Name: MEMORY CARDS

Approximate

time:


Number of

students:

Minimum 2

Type of grouping

students:

Individual, Pair

Materials

needed:

Pairs of cards with pictures with/without inscriptions/titles/words

Description: This activity can be used at any stage of the lesson, serving as

a warm-up, learning new vocabulary/grammar, revising

vocabulary/grammar or summing up the lesson. Duration time

depends on the amount of vocabulary/grammar to be

taught/revised and on the level of students.

The teacher presents memory cards to the class and explains the

rules: students in pairs or in groups of 3-5 shuffle the cards and put

them on the table face down. Students in turns pick up two cards

looking for hidden pairs of elements (2 cards that look identical).

When they find a matching pair of cards they put it away, if the two

picked up cards are not matching they go back to the table face

down, and the students try to memorise their location – it would be

easier for them to find another pair. The person who gets the

highest number of pairs, is the winner.

As a follow up, the students can make sentences with their cards or

ask each other questions about the objects/activities on their cards

in mini-dialogues.



35


X attention


X memory functioning





well-being

Key

competences:



X sociocultural competence




X memory methods

X fine arts

body expressions

literature

music


poetry






36

Example:

Make dinner

Do your homework

Have coffee

Go shopping

Read the newspaper

Bake the cake

Tidy up the room

Ride a bicycle

Go to the doctor



37

Swim

Play tennis

Walk the dog

Read a book

Do the exam

Dance

Play the guitar

Play the violin

Write a letter



38

Element 5

Name: LET’S COLLECT WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS RELATED TO A

TOPIC

Approximate

time:

Minimum 15 minutes

Number of

students:

Minimum 4

Type of grouping

students:


Materials

needed:

Awards if it’s done as a competition.

Paper for making notes.

Description: This activity can be used at any stage of the lesson, serving as

a warm-up, introducing new vocabulary, revising vocabulary or

summing up the lesson. Ideal for vocabulary building.

Students are asked to collect words related to a topic by giving

them one main word (typically the name of the topic itself).

Students have to collect as many words (verbs, nouns, adjectives,

adverbs) and expressions as they can, using the letters of the given

words as the first letter of related words.

Students can work in pairs or in groups. The pair/group that

collected the highest number of words/expressions will win. Also,

the most creative pair/group can be awarded.


X attention






-being



39

Key

competences:







X memory methods

-theatrical forms



Example:

The teacher writes VALENTINE’S DAY on the board.

Students start writing words that come to their mind when thinking of this event. The

words and expressions should start with one of the letters of this event.

Students must be ready to explain why they think a certain word/expression is related

to the topic if it’s not that obvious.



40

V violet, very big business,

A amazing, attractive, adore, arms, artistic, advertisement, advertise, artificial,

admire, amorous, adoration, art, affectionate

L love, like, lovesick, lover, lovebirds, lock, lipstick, lips,

E eyes, energy, energetic, earrings, exciting, excited, engage, engagement

N necklace, never, new life,

T tulip, tears, teardrops, together, trip, time, teddy bears,

I imagine, idea, idol, idolise, I love you,

N

E

S sweethearts, sweets, sentiments, sentimental, sing, souvenir, sensitive, spend

time together, sex, sun, spring, sugar, story, social network, socialising, sell,

secret admirer, soul, sexy, star

D darling, date, dating, decoration, decorate, daffodil, daisy, drink, diamond, day

of lovers, dinner, desire, dear, dearest

A

Y youth, young, you and me

Photo by Tan-Folyam Egyesület © 2014



41

Element 6

Name: “HANGMAN GAME”

Approximate

time:

Minimum 5 minutes

Number of

students:

Minimum 3

Type of grouping

students:

Group work

Materials

needed:

Board and marker

Description: The activity can be used at any stage of a lesson: a warm-up, an

integral or a concluding part of the lesson. The main aim is to

revise, learn, introduce, or practice vocabulary as well as spelling.

The teacher draws spaces for the number of letters in a word and

students have to guess the word. Students select a letter of the

alphabet. If a letter in the word is guessed correctly, the teacher

writes it into the correct space. If a letter is guessed which is not in

the word, the teacher draws part of the man being hung. Students

can also take the role of the teacher and draw the spaces of a word

on the board, and the others should guess the correct letters.

This classic game is actually a very good way for students to learn

how to spell somewhat difficult words.

The game can be a competition between teams too.


X attention




-being



42

Key

competences:


-cultural competence




X memory methods

-theatrical forms


Comments: There are online versions of the game available on the Internet.

Not only hangman but other forms (e.g. shark with an open mouth)

can be drawn.



43

SONGS AND MUSIC

Element 7 – How do you feel when you hear this?

Element 8 - Songs and their lyrics



44

Element 7

Name: HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU HEAR THIS?

Approximate

time:


Number of

students:

Minimum 2

Type of grouping

students:

Individual, Pair or Group Working

Materials

needed:

Pieces of music to play, chart to fill (photocopiable materials)

Description: This activity can be used at any stage of a lesson (either as

a warm-up or as a centre of the lesson or as a concluding part). It

can serve as a revising or teaching new vocabulary or grammatical

structures.

Before playing the pieces of music to the students, vocabulary

connected with feelings and moods should be revised/introduced

and put on the board or in the notebooks (e.g. How do you feel

when you’ve had a good meal? Happy, relaxed, satisfied, full,

sleepy, etc. How do you feel when a mad dog is chasing after you?

Threatened, terrified, petrified, scared, lost, etc.) So now imagine

how you feel when listening to those particular pieces of music.

Student describes what feelings/ images/ moods/ pictures/

recollections particular pieces of music evoke.

What do you feel when listening to this music?

What mood/feeling does it evoke?

What images does it create/remind you of?

What do you associate it with?

What pictures/recollections do you have?

The teacher plays different pieces of music (from classical to

modern) lasting for about 2.00-3.00 min each, for students to listen

and take notes.

Students can note down their impressions in the chart provided by

the teacher.



45

Students then compare and discuss their answers either in pairs

and/or in a class.

The discussion can be continued by asking more general questions

to the group.

- Do you like music? What kind?

- Do you know any musicians?

- If you were a musician, what instrument would you like to play?

- Do you go to concerts/opera/concert hall/shows, etc.? How often?

As a follow-up or homework, the teacher can ask the students to

write a short story/description (up to 200 words) connected

with/based upon the chosen/favourite piece of music.


X attention






X well-being

Key

competences:







X memory methods

X fine arts

X music

-theatrical forms


Comments: Example available.




46

Example: chart + suggested fragments of music

Name: Listening to music and describing what feelings it evokes (How do

you feel when you hear this?) Example.

Piece 1 Piece 2 Piece 3 Piece 4 Piece 5

Johann

Sebastian

Bach: Air on G

String

(ca. 2.00 min)

Michael

Nyman: (The

Piano

Soundtrack )

The Heart Asks

Pleasure First

(2.00-3.00 min)

Howard Shore:

The Fellowship

of the Ring -

Concerning

Hobbits

(ca.2.00 min)

Astor Piazzolla:

Libertango

(1.5-2.00 min)

Cafe Del Mar /

AR Rahman :

Mumbai Theme

Tune

(ca.2.00-3.00

min)

Feelings and moods evoked/ images associated with it: I feel: harmonious, calmed down, relaxed, pleasant, etc. or This music evokes: harmony, calmness, relaxation, pleasantness, etc. It reminds me of / I associate it with: a walk in the park on a sunny autumn afternoon, etc.

“I can see the

seashore and

the storm

approaching. I

feel uneasy,

tense, curious.”

(adapted from

students’ notes)

“I feel warm,

pleasant, like

lying on the

meadow on a

summer day.”

(adapted from

students’ notes).

“I can picture a

man and a

woman in a

passionate

dance of love

and hate.”

(adapted from

students’ notes).

“It reminds me of

my last holidays

to Egypt. I was

relaxed, curious

and full of

energy then.”

(adapted from

students’ notes).



47

*The choice of music depends on the teacher and the group.

** Source: Piece 1 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMkmQlfOJDk

Piece 2 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isUz2ufr5t4

Piece 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pGaz_qN0cw&list=PLPgS7uUIUiMDhSaXfVEhwTHAb_8Hyj5P&index=4

Piece 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaXNdVTGT0k

Piece 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKSVGAAm07w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMkmQlfOJDk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isUz2ufr5t4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pGaz_qN0cw&list=PLP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaXNdVTGT0k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKSVGAAm07w



48

Photocopiable materials:

Name: Listening to music and describing what feelings it evokes

(How do you feel when you hear this?)

Piece 1 Piece 2 Piece 3 Piece 4 Piece 5

Feelings and

moods evoked/

images associated

with it:

I feel…..

This music

evokes….

It reminds me of /

I associate it

with….



49

Element 8

Name: SONGS AND THEIR LYRICS

Approximate

time: Minimum 15 minutes

Number of

students:

MInimum 6

Type of grouping

students:


Materials

needed:

A song and a sheet with the lyrics of the selected song (gapped

version)

Description: The teacher selects a song and carefully chooses which words to

blank out, that is, what lexical area to cover. (e.g. tenses;

comparatives and superlatives; etc.)

Most students are highly motivated by song-based activities, which

they find funny and useful at the same time. There is often a lot of

repetition in songs, which can aid long-term memory. Students may

retain more vocabulary when presented through a song.

Grammar can also be surreptitiously presented or practised

through songs.

Furthermore, music can relax and stimulate students, and create a

pleasant atmosphere for learning.

Variation: The teacher cuts up the text into strips in advance.

Students reconstruct the lyrics in pairs or groups, and then listen to

the song.


X attention



X body involvement (expression)




X well-being



50

Key

competences:



X socio cultural competence




X memory methods

X body expressions

X literature

X music

X poetry

-theatrical forms


Comments: Some examples:

“Grammar songs”:

to teach present simple: Eric Clapton / Wonderful Tonight

to teach present continuous: Fool's Garden / Lemon Tree

to teach past simple: Celine Dion / Because You Loved Me

“Topic Songs”:

Weather: Madonna / Rain

Shopping: Bruce Springsteen / Queen of the Supermarket

Past times: Abba: Our last summer

Places: Sting / An Englishman in New York

Example of the activity available.

Example:

OUR LAST SUMMER I can still recall our last summer I still see it all Walks along the Seine, laughing in the ___________ Our last summer Memories that remain



51

We ______ our way along the river And we ______ ________ in the grass By the Eiffel tower I _______ so happy we had met It was the age of no regret Oh yes Those crazy years, that was the time Of the flower-power But underneath we ______ a fear of flying Of growing old, a fear of slowly dying We ________ the chance Like we _______ dancing our last dance I can still recall our last summer I still see it all In the tourist jam, round the Notre Dame Our last summer Walking hand in hand Paris restaurants Our last summer Morning croissants Living for the day, worries far away Our last summer We could laugh and ___________ And now you're working in a bank The family man, a ___________ fan And your name is Harry How dull it seems Are you the hero of my ___________? I can still recall our last summer I still see it all In the tourist jam, round the Notre Dame Our last summer ___________ hand in hand I can still recall our last summer I still see it all Walks along the Seine, laughing in the ___________ Our last summer Memories that remain



52

OUTDOOR AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

Element 9 – Total physical response

Element 10 – Try to be a tourist in your own town – street game

Element 11 – Quiz in a museum

Element 12 - Stretching



53

Element 9

Name: TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE

Approximate

time:

10 minutes

Number of

students:

Minimum 5

Type of grouping

students:

Group Working/Individual exercise

Materials

needed:

Objects in the classroom

Description: This method is based on the coordination of language and physical

movement. In TPR, teachers give commands to students in

English, and students respond with whole-body actions. This

method is excellent to test the comprehension skills of the students

at different levels depending on the vocabulary that the teacher

wants to use in his imperatives (stand up/sit down/pick up your

pen/touch your nose/jump).

In a variation of this activity instead of imperatives teachers can say

simple sentences (Today is Monday/ Yesterday it rained/ There are

10 people in the class) and students have to take one step right if

the sentence is true and left if the sentence is false. The sentences

used by the teacher can be structured according to the students’

level. As a result this activity can be used with success starting also

from beginners. Teachers can decide to prepare the sentences

according to a particular topic that the students are studying

(history/music/art/general knowledge)

Total physical response can be organized like a competition where

the students are gradually out of the game if they don't understand

the teacher's commands/sentences.

This game is useful for socializing and discovering more about the

teacher and the students in the class that can be the protagonists

of some sentences.

Main functions:

X attention

al involvement



54



X well-being

Key

competences:


socio-cultural competence

Sources:

X body expressions

-theatrical forms



Example:

Total Physical Response: imperatives

Stand up

Walk

Run

Sit down



55

Jump

Pick up your pen

Put your pen in/on/under the book

Open/close the book

Point at the window/door

Look at the blackboard/floor/ceiling

Smile

Laugh

Cry

Touch your nose/eyes/mouth/ears

Open/close your mouth/eyes

Clap your hands

Sleep

Eat

Drink

Write

Read

Sing

Drive

Open/close your book

Say “hello”/ “your name”/ “the teacher’s name”



56

Total Physical Response: true/false- right/left

Today is Monday

The teacher wears glasses

Yesterday it didn’t rain

XXXXXX (a student) is wearing a red sweater

The sky is blue

The grass is green

The sun is cold

XXXXXX (a student) is a doctor

Mona Lisa was painted by Michelangelo

Glasgow is the capital of Scotland

America was discovered in 1492

A shop assistant works in bank

Christmas is on 24th December

Muslims go to the mosque on Saturday

XXXXXX (a student) is not at school today

Madonna is an English singer

We have two eyes

We have a mouth

We have 10 fingers

Tomorrow is the 20th March

The teacher is wearing a watch



57

XXXXXX (a student) is from Milan (a city)

Vegetarians don’t eat meat

The first World War started in 1915

There is a television in our class



58

Element 10

Name: TRY TO BE A TOURIST IN YOUR OWN TOWN – STREET GAME

(COMPETITION)

Approximate

time:


Number of

students:

Minimum 6

Type of grouping

students:


Materials

needed:

Copies of/or maps of the city/town where the activity takes place

Description: This activity is designed to take place outside the classroom, in the

town/city centre, using authentic/or copies of maps, streets,

buildings, objects of the particular place. Its aim is to

learn/practice/revise vocabulary and grammar structures connected

with asking for/giving directions, asking for/giving information,

describing places/objects/buildings.

The teacher and students meet in town, the teacher hands in the

maps of the town/city centre to the students and explains the rules

of the game:

1.Students are divided into groups of 2-3 .

2. Each group gets a map with marked places (2-3) within the

proximity of 200-400 metres. Each group has to explain to the other

group/groups the way to the marked places by describing/giving the

directions to them in such a way so the rest have to get there and

check the places/objects without being given the name of the

particular place/object. The directions are given from the starting

place to the first location, and then from the first location to the

second, and – if there is a third location – from the second to the

third. The students mark their way on the maps. Each group has

different places/objects marked on their maps.

3. They have a time limit (20-30 minutes) depending on the number

and distance from the meeting point to the objects.

4. After coming back, they have to describe the places /objects and



59

check whether they got to the right ones.

5. The group which found their way to all (or the highest number of

places) the marked places on other groups’ maps is the winner.

(This activity can be either simplified or modified , depending on the

number of students, level of advancement and variety of places to

be found).

Useful phrases:

- How can I/we get to place1/2/3?

- Where’s object 1/2/3?

- In order to get to place 1/2/3 you must go straight/along

the....street, then turn left/right, take the first/second turning

left/right.

- Go across the.... street/ cross ..... street.

- It’ll be on your left/right/opposite you, etc.

As a follow-up/homework, students can make/write a dialogue

asking for the directions to the most well-known/interesting touristic

places/objects in their town.


X attention







X well-being

Key

competences:







X memory methods

X fine arts

X body expressions




60

-theatrical forms



Example:

Students are given the map of the Old Town of Cracow. The red arrow shows the

place where they start the game off (the Market Square) and the blue arrow shows

one of the marked points/objects that has to be found by other groups (here:

University). Students explain the way to the marked places to the others, e.g.: In

order to get to Place 1, you must turn right, go past the Cloth Hall, go straight ahead

past Wiślna Street, cross Jagiellońska Street and the place you’re looking for will be

on your left. (Although they know that Place1 is University, they do not mention the

name to the others). And so they proceed with giving directions to other marked

places. The groups have to find/locate all the places of the others and after the set

time come back with their findings. The winner is the group which found all the places

correctly.



61

Element 11

Name: QUIZ IN A MUSEUM

Approximate

time:

Minimum. 60 minutes

Number of

students:

Minimum 6

Type of grouping

students:


Materials

needed:

A quiz (worksheet) compiled in advance, and photocopies of the

sheets for the quiz participants

If it is a competition among participants, an award is also important.

Description: The main aims of the activity include improving communication as

well as reading skills, revising and improving vocabulary, and

enhancing cooperation in English.

The students get some questions the answers to which they can

find only if they go and visit an exhibition in a museum.

They will have to read descriptions and information leaflets on the

artists and the exhibits, scan for relevant information in the

descriptions, or simply focus on details of the artefacts, etc.

Questions may also focus on some background information that

students can find if they do some research on the topic.

The language proficiency of the students determines the complexity

of the task.


X attention





-being



62

Key

competences:



ic competence



X fine arts


-theatrical forms


Comments: Before going to an exhibition, it is a good idea to discuss some

museum-related questions, e.g.

What’s the best museum you’ve ever been to?

What do you like most and least about museums?

What do you think is the best museum in the world?

What exhibitions are on at the moment that you would really

like to see?

As a follow up, after the visit, a discussion can start which allows

students to speak about and share their experiences, develop

critical thinking skills, and converse freely on what they have seen

in the exhibition, etc.

e.g. Students can make connections between their personal

experiences and the paintings they have seen.

An example of possible questions:

What is the lady in the painting by X is holding in her hands?

When did X paint “....”?

How many landscapes are there in Room X?

What date can you see on the wall of the building?



63

Element 12

Name: STRETCHING

Approximate

time:

10 minutes

Number of

students:

Minimum 5

Type of grouping

students:

Group Working/ Individual exercise

Materials

needed:

Large space, e.g. a park

Description: At the beginning of the lesson or (even better) in the middle of the

lesson when the students have been sitting for a long time the

teacher can introduce some stretching exercises. The students

stand up and follow the teacher's directions.

There can be a soft musical background to accompany the

exercises. Prolonged sitting has been linked to many health

problems and general lack of concentration. Some exercises at

your desk every 40-50 minutes can help counteract the ill effects of

sitting.

Main functions:

X attention



X well-being

Key

competences:






64


X body expressions

literature

-theatrical forms



Example:

STRETCHING EXERCISES

1) Step your right foot forward and place your hands on the right knee. Breathe in

and exhale. Return to the first position. Step your left foot forward and place

your hands on the left knee. Breathe in and exhale. Repeat four times..

2) Stand with your feet together and your arms up over your head. Clasp your

hands together and breathe in as you reach upward. Move your back and

shoulders on the right and breathe out. Repeat in the left side.

3) Bend your knees slightly. Put your hands behind your back. Interlace your

fingers. Straighten your arms and stretch them upward.

4) Sit on the floor with your legs straight. Bend your right knee and put your right

foot behind your left leg. Put your right hand on the floor. Bend your left elbow

and put it against your right knee. With the left elbow push the right knee left.

Switch sides.

5) Bend your knees and put the soles of your feet together. Push the knee toward

the ground.

6) Lift your right arm and put the right hand behind the neck. Put your left hand on

the waist and move it up until it meets the right hand. Interlace the left hand

with the right hand. Breathe in and out.



65

INVENTING STORIES

Element 13 – Folding grid

Element 14 - A soup of words - “English stew”

Element 15 – Crime story

Element 16 - Silent movie

Element 17 - Inventing and telling a story using photos/pictures

Element 18 - Weaving a story based on headlines



66

Element 13

Name: FOLDING GRID

Approximate

time:

25-40 minutes, depending on the number of students

Number of

students:

Minimum 8

Type of grouping

students:

Individual and Group Working

Materials

needed:

Paper for notes to write a story; grids

Description: The purpose of this activity is to create a story using random

names decided by the students. The students are sitting in a circle.

The teacher gives each student a grid to fill (there must be as many

grids as the students). On the grid there are eight categories to be

filled: character1; character2; a place; a time; activity1; activity2;

object1; object2. Each student fills in the first empty category of the

grid (character1), folds the paper and passes it to the following

student (who can’t see what the previous student has written). Now

students have to fill the second category (character2) and so on,

they will pass the grid until it is complete. When the students have

finished filling in the grid they can open the folded sheet and create

a story with the words given. When the stories are ready, each

student tells his story to the rest of the class. At the end of the

activity the class vote on the most original story.

The more random the words are, the more original the stories are.

This activity encourages students in using their fantasy to connect

different words and ideas.



nt (expression)




67


-being

Key

competences:






-theatrical forms




Example:

CHARACTER 1

Pope Francis

CHARACTER 2

A belly dancer

A PLACE

In the desert



68

A TIME

New Year’s Eve

ACTIVITY 1

Eat egg toasts

ACTIVITY 2

Have an injection

OBJECT 1

A lipstick

OBJECT 2

A pen

THE STORY

Pope Francis decided to spend New Year’s Eve in a different way. As he didn’t like

confusion, parties and fireworks he decided to escape to the desert for a moment of

prayer and meditation far from people and civilization.

He didn’t have the traditional New Year’s Eve dinner, but he just ate some egg toasts

he had taken with him.

He was sleeping in his tent when suddenly he woke up with terrible pains. He was

feeling dizzy and very sick. He understood that because of the hot temperatures of



69

the desert the egg toasts he had eaten had gone spoiled. He had a serious attack of

salmonella and nobody could help him.

The Pope could hear a strange music coming from outside. He thought it was a

hallucination instead he saw a tent with some people who were celebrating with a

belly dancer’s show. Among the public there was a doctor who decided to help the

Pope recover from his intoxication. The Pope had an injection and felt much better.

The belly dancer, who was a fan of the Pope, asked him an autograph but as they

didn’t have a pen he used her lipstick!



70

Photocopiable material:

CHARACTER 1

CHARACTER 2

A PLACE

A TIME

ACTIVITY 1

ACTIVITY 2

OBJECT 1

OBJECT 2



71

Element 14

Name: A SOUP OF WORDS - “ENGLISH STEW”

Approximate

time:


Number of

students:

Minimum 2

Type of grouping

students:


Materials

needed:

Colourful slips of paper, pens, scissors, magnets or blue tac

Description: This activity can be used to revise vocabulary and/or structures,

also can be used as an 'opening the lesson' activity to warm up and

to focus on English.

The teacher explains that students are going to cook an “English

stew”.

The teacher gives each student a few (depending on the level of

students, more for higher level, less for lower levels) pieces of

paper. Teacher asks students to write on the pieces given any

words in English they can think of, and gives students the time limit

(for example 5 min). The teacher can also decide that the words

have to be connected with one topic (garden, sport, cooking etc.) or

part of the grammar (nouns, adjectives, verbs etc.). The teacher

draws on the board a big pot and collects the pieces of paper with

words from students (corrects spelling if necessary) and pins them

with magnets to the pot – they are the spices and ingredients of the

stew. The word stew is boiling.

The teacher can ask students, for example, to memorise as many

words as possible in a given time limit, to put them in alphabetical

order, to write sentences or short stories with them.


X attention




72



-being

Key

competences:






X memory methods

-theatrical forms



Example:

Photo by Anna Payne © 2015



73

Element 15

Name: CRIME STORY

Approximate

time:


Number of

students:

Minimum 2

Type of grouping

students:


Materials

needed:

Crime story

Description: This activity can be used to learn/practice vocabulary/ grammar/

structures, and to practise reading skills.

The teacher is going to present a short crime story Danny. At first

the teacher presents the vocabulary that can be a problem for the

students and writes the difficult words on the board and explains

the meaning.

Students need to have a reason to read the story so the teacher

asks them to answer some questions (1. Who is Danny? 2. Where

is he? 3. Who is he waiting for? 4. Who is his brother? 5. What is

his brother doing at the moment? 6. What can Danny hear?).

Students read the story and answer the questions. They focus on

finding answers for the question and on general understanding of

the text. They can compare their answers with other students.

Students read the story again and underline the words they don't

know. In pairs they try to guess their meaning from the context.

They check the meaning with the teacher or on the dictionary.

They identify past simple tense in the text. The teacher revises the

basic rules of the tense. Students find as many examples of the

tense as possible in the time limit (5 minutes).

At the end of the lesson the teacher can invite students to a general

discussion about crime stories :

Do people like crime stories? Why?

What authors of crime stories do you know? Who is your



74

favourite author?

What is your favourite story? Why?

Do you know any famous detectives? Who is your favourite?

What is he /she like?

For homework the teacher can ask students to write a short (250

words) crime story.


X attention




senses involvement



well-being

Key

competences:







X memory methods

fine arts

body expressions

X literature

music

historical objects

poetry


multi-sensory simulation

Comments: Example of the Crime stories available.



75

Example:

Crime Story (The teacher can decide to use only a part of the story on the lesson

and can ask students to finish reading it as the homework)

Elementary

Danny sat in the car, waiting. He was very nervous. His brother was at the jewellers

and now anything could happen. The jewellery shop was quite old and ordinary. It

was located on the high street of the town. Danny and his brother were robbers.

Danny was not very enthusiastic about the job, but there he was. He had no choice

now. His brother was in that shop and there was no way he was going to let him

down.

Rob, his brother, was six years older than him. He was determined and dangerous.

With no real education and no love of learning, Rob could have a very simple, not

well paid, job or he could rob and steal. He chose the latter. And when Danny was

old enough he joined him.

For a long time Danny had looked up to his brother, always seeing him with the girls,

having a lot of money, being an important person. They both spent a lot of time living

outside the law, in a kind of virtual reality. They lost contact with their mother and old

friends. It was very hard for them to find someone they could trust.

Danny felt that Rob had lost sight of his conscience, and was taking way more risks

than was healthy for him. His brother was getting greedy and it was affecting his

judgment. Stealing from shipping containers was one thing, but robbing a jewellers?

It’s all a bit oldschool, he thought. And dangerous. Too exposed. Too many

cameras on the street and helicopters in the sky to make any getaway easy.

Suddenly Danny heard a loud bang, he saw that the glass window of the jewellers

exploded into the street. Shocked Danny stared, wide eyed, down the street with

horror.

What? He was suddenly terrified and sweating. The shop alarm screeched in his

ears. In everyone’s ears. Suddenly everyone on the high street was looking, open

mouthed, toward the jewellers. His brother opened the door of the jewellers, with the



76

shotgun in one hand and a full looking sports bag in the other, and came running

down the street towards the car.

But Danny did nothing. He didn’t even start the engine.

Story by Tim Zambra edited by Anna Payne

Intermediate

Danny sat in the car, waiting. His nerves were on fire. Gripping the steering wheel

tightly with both hands, he stared fiercely down the narrow street trying to stay alert to

every possibility. His brother had just entered the jewellers and now anything might

happen. A rather old looking shop it was, and as such seemed not so prominent on

what was the main drag of the somewhat small town they had driven 60 miles to for

this job. Working as a small crew under the watch of a larger crime syndicate, they

had had no real choice in the robbery, in the size of it, the location, anything really.

He hadn’t exactly been enthusiastic about it, but there it was. He had no choice. His

brother was in that shop and there was no way he was going to let him down, not

now. Not now it was all happening. The time to have backed out was long past.

Rob, his brother, six years older than him, had been up to no good all his life. With

no real education and no love of learning, to say the least, Rob had been confronted

with a life of low wages and the kinds of jobs that no one really wants, or a life with

his ‘friends’, robbing and stealing anything that wasn’t nailed down. He chose the

latter. And when Danny was old enough not to care what his mother thought of him

anymore, so too did he.

For a long time Danny had idolised his brother, always seeing him with the girls,

spending money, older, tougher guys in the community seeming to treat him with

importance, but that way of seeing things had gradually changed over time and had

given way to suspicions and paranoia. So much time spent living outside the law had

put them both into a kind of virtual reality that had created distance not only between

him and his mother, but also with old friends. Having girlfriends had become difficult

too. What and how much to tell them about his life, always a hidden fear that they

might grass him up to save themselves if things went south and the law became

involved. All his dreams of freedom, of living as an outlaw, just seemed more

complicated now than they were exciting. But that he didn’t trust his brother’s

judgment anymore was the most pressing concern.



77

Rob had lost sight of his conscience, Danny felt, and was taking way more risks than

was healthy for him. Like the guy who had put them up for this jewellers job. A total

psychopath, Danny thought, and he was amazed that his brother didn’t see it. His

brother was getting greedy and it was affecting his judgment. Knocking off shipping

containers was one thing, but robbing a jewellers? It’s all a bit oldschool, he thought.

And dangerous. Too exposed. Too many cameras on the street and helicopters in

the sky to make any getaway easy.

With a percussive strike that hit his chest, the glass window of the jewellers exploded

outwardly, suddenly, into the street. Shocked from his thoughts, his body rushing

with adrenaline, Danny stared, wide eyed, down the street with horror.

What? His mind raced with acute anxiety. The shop alarm screeched in his ears. In

everyone’s ears. Suddenly everyone on the street was looking, open mouthed,

towards the jewellers. And for a short while it felt to Danny as though he were sitting

in the very centre of a whirlwind. Though his heart was racing, his mind seemed

strangely detached from the scene in front of him, like he was dreaming and it was all

happening to someone else. And then, as though a video had been running slowly

but had then stuttered back to normal speed, his brother slammed open the door of

the jewellers, the sawn-off shotgun in one hand and a full looking sports bag in the

other, and came pelting down the street towards the car.

But Danny did nothing. He didn’t even start the engine.

By Tim Zambra



78

Element 16

Name: SILENT MOVIE

Approximate

time:

30-35 minutes (depending on the length of the chosen film episode

+ the level of proficiency of the learners)

Number of

students:

Minimum 6

Type of grouping

students:


Materials

needed:

Excerpts from films, interviews, etc. downloaded from the Internet

or from DVDs

Description: Episodes of films, interviews, etc. provide enjoyable language

learning opportunities for students if the teacher chooses episodes

which are purposeful and tailored to students’ learning needs and

proficiency level.

This activity can be used at any stage of the lesson, serving as a

warm-up, introducing new vocabulary/grammar, revising

vocabulary/grammar, or summing up the lesson.

It can also be the basis of a whole conversation class with a long

discussion.

The primary aims of the activity are to make students speak and

enhance discussion.

The teacher presents a short film episode without voices. Students

have to guess what is going on, what the situation can be, what the

relationship between the characters is, where the situation takes

place, what the characters are saying, etc.

Students can invent the story in pairs or in groups. Once students

have their own story, they can tell it to the other students, and can

even act it out. Others are encouraged to ask questions.

As a final step, the original version is shown.


X attention







79



well-being

Key

competences:







X memory methods

fine arts

X body expressions

X literature

music

historical objects

poetry

X para-theatrical forms


Comments: As a follow up, a discussion can start which allows students to

explore relevant issues raised from a variety of perspectives,

develop critical thinking skills, elicit responses, converse freely on

all aspects of the episode, etc.



80

Element 17

Name: INVENTING AND TELLING A STORY USING PHOTOS/PICTURES

Approximate

time:

Minimum 20 minutes

Number of

students:

Minimum 6

Type of grouping

students:


Materials

needed:

Photos/pictures

awards if necessary

Description: The teacher hands out the photos/pictures. If there are more

pictures than students in the class, they may choose which one

they want. Students have to invent a story on the basis of the

photo/picture. Once they are ready, students present their stories to

the others.

The activity develops creativity and encourages participants to

speak convincingly and fluently, and improves presentation skills.

Variation „A”: the same photo/picture is given to everybody or every

pair or group. Students are asked to invent an interesting story.

Once ready, students compare their stories. The most creative one

can be awarded.

Variation „B”: students are asked to look at their own picture and

write down four or five words or phrases that immediately come to

mind. Then they pass the paper on to their neighbour who reads

the words/phrases and adds their own four or five words/phrases.

After that the picture is passed on again and other words/phrases

are added. This procedure is repeated about four times. Though it

might become increasingly difficult for the students to come up with

additional ideas, their contributions will be more interesting towards

the end. When each picture with about 16-20 words/phrases is

given back to the original student, she/he is asked to invent a story

and then tell it to the others.



81

Variation „C”: students work in groups. They bring the

photos/pictures to be used, and are asked to put a story together

on the basis of them. They are expected to link ideas and find

some connection between the photos/pictures.


X attention




senses involvement



X well-being

Key

competences:







memory methods

fine arts

X body expressions

literature

music

historical objects

poetry



Comments:



82

Element 18

Name: WEAVING A STORY BASED ON HEADLINES

Approximate


Number of

students:

Minimum 6

Type of grouping

students:


Materials

needed:

10-15 newspaper/magazine headlines in a box

Description: The teacher selects and cuts the headlines in advance, and places

them in a box. Every student picks one and prepares a short

monologue using the headline. Then – in pairs or groups – they try

to invent a whole story.

The activity helps to practise to connect ideas and express them as

a narrative. It is also useful to revise vocabulary and introduce a

topic, new words and expressions. The activity can also be

a starting point when students are to discuss a current issue.

Variation “A”: The teacher may cut each headline into separate

words and puts them in envelopes, so that all the words for one

group are in one envelope. Groups pick one envelope and before

trying to invent the story, first they have to reconstruct the headline

by putting the words into the appropriate order. Assembling the

headlines varies with the level of the class and the length of the

headline.

Variation “B”: Students may be asked to take one of the headlines

and write their own version of an article to go with that headline.

The articles should be short (5-10 sentences). Then students read

their articles to the others. Finally, they can compare their versions

with the original articles.


X attention




83





-being

Key

competences:







X memory methods

X body expressions

-theatrical forms


Comments:



84

SOCIALIZING

Element 19 – “Speed date”

Element 20 – What’s in a name

Element 21 – A story of an object

Element 22 - World and personal history



85

Element 19

Name: “SPEED DATE”

Approximate

time:

20 minutes

Number of

students:

Minimum 6

Type of grouping

students:

Group Working

Materials

needed:

A bell

Description: The students are divided into couples (in case of an odd number of

students the teacher can play with them). Each couple sits at

a table for a "short date" (usually three minutes). During this little

time they have to exchange as much information as possible about

a topic given in advance by the teacher (both students in the couple

must speak, the teacher must make sure that there aren’t couples

where one student speaks all the time and the other listens). When

the bell rings the couples rotate and people change partner so they

move on for a new date. When all the dates have finished, the

students and teacher speak together and try to remember as much

as possible about every single participant. It’s normal that, after

speaking with so many people, everybody is confused and they mix

information from different people. Students must repeat the same

information during every date (they can add just little details if they

want). Date after date they will become more “self confident” in

their oral expression and they will fix the vocabulary.

This game can be used as an excellent ice-breaking activity

(especially in the first lesson when students don't know each other

and can introduce themselves). This activity is very flexible and can

be used in many ways: students can speak about any given topic

(their favourite book/author, historical character, song, sport,

holidays, the story behind their name).

Main functions: cognitive functions

X attention



86

emotional involvement

memory functioning


senses involvement



well-being

Key

competences:







memory methods

X fine arts

body expressions

X literature

X music


X poetry



Comments:



87

Element 20

Name: WHAT’S IN A NAME

Approximate

time:


Number of

students:

Minimum 6

Type of grouping

students:

Pair and Group Working

Materials

needed:

E.g. a newspaper; a photo; slips of paper with names of objects,

etc.

Description: This activity is ideal at the beginning of a course (when students

find it difficult to memorize their classmates' names). The class is

divided in couples. Every couple can speak for maximum 4

minutes. The topic of the conversation is our first name. Students

(and teacher in case students are an odd number) have to say as

much as possible about their name: why their parents chose this

name for them; if they like it; if it has ever caused them any

problems and so on... When the teacher says “Stop” (or rings a

bell) students have to change couples and they start to repeat the

same story to a new partner. At the end of the game they might be

a bit confused about the other students' names! But with the help of

the teacher they can try to remember as much as possible about

every single classmate.

This activity is an excellent strategy to memorize people's names.

By listening to the other people's stories students can associate the

name of the person with a particular detail mentioned in the story.

The more students repeat their story to different classmates the

more confident and fluent they become.

The teacher can introduce this activity with a reading about names

or with a debate about the most common names for boys and girls

in their country. Another idea is to introduce this activity by writing

the famous Shakespearean quotation from Romeo and Juliet

“What’s in a name” and elicit from the students everything they

know about it.



88


X attention




senses involvement



well-being

Key

competences:



socio cultural competence




X memory methods

fine arts

body expressions

literature

music

historical objects

poetry




Example:

The story about our name

What’s your name?

Do people call you with a short form of your name?



89

Have you got a nickname? Why?

Why did your parents choose this name for you?

Do you like your name?

Has your name ever caused you any problems in life?

Do people sometimes misspell your name?

Were there many people with this name at school?

Are there any celebrities with this name?

Are there any songs with your name?

My name is Rosa Maria and I like my name very much. I am

really grateful to my parents for choosing this name for me. My

father decided this name for me because I was born in May, which

in Italy is the month of the roses (Rosa) and of the Virgin Mary

(Maria). As my name is quite long it is very common to be called

with the short form “Rosy”, which I quite like. Instead I can’t stand

people calling me just “Rosa”, I never reply! Very often during my

life people have misspelled my name (by writing it in a single word

Rosamaria). I have lost count of the times I had to change my

documents, my boarding passes, the identity card, (even a

bracelet received for my birthday!) because there was a mistake on

my first name. Another common mistake is to confuse my name

with “Maria Rosa” (inverting the words).

I have hardly ever met people with my same name, probably that’s

the reason why I like it so much. Even among celebrities I don’t

know anyone with the name Rosa Maria although I am a fan of

an English writer called Rosemary Altea, who has investigated on

the existence of guardian angels.



90

Element 21

Name: A STORY OF AN OBJECT

Approximate

time:

Minimum. 20 minutes

Number of

students:

Minimum 6

Type of grouping

students:

Individual work/Group work

Materials

needed:

Every student is asked to bring an object that they find important for

them

Description: Students introduce their object and share its story with the other

members of the group. The activity may serve as a good starting

point to various conversation situations and improves presentation

skills.


X attention







X well-being

Key

competences:







X memory methods

fine arts

X body expressions

literature

music

historical objects



91

poetry



Comments:



92

Element 22

Name: WORLD AND PERSONAL HISTORY

Approximate

time:

25 minutes

Number of

students:

Minimum 6

Type of grouping

students:

Group Working

Materials

needed:

-

Description: The teacher writes dates of important historical events and

students in a brainstorming activity have to remember as much as

possible about these events. In the second part of the lesson the

teacher writes on the blackboard dates from more recent historical

events (that students have lived directly or indirectly in their

lifetime). After reconstructing the event in its different aspects,

students this time have to remember how they lived this event,

what they were doing in that period of their life, what they were

doing on that particular day when they heard about it.


X attention




senses involvement



well-being

Key

competences:








93


memory methods

fine arts

body expressions

literature

music


poetry



Comments: Example of the activity available

Example:

World and Personal history

1) What do you associate with these dates?

1914-1918

1492

1789

28th October 1922

15th March 44 B.C.

October 1917

476

1861



94

2) Can you remember these important events? How did you live them? What

were you doing when you heard the news?

9/11

The death of Pope John Paul II

The victory of the World Cup in 2006

The assassination of John F. Kennedy



95

PERFORMANCES

Element 23 – Presentations

Element 24 – Inventing unusual or funny objects

Element 25 - “Design an ideal town”

Element 26 - Recipes



96

Element 23

Name: PRESENTATIONS

Approximate

time:


Number of

students:

Minimum 5

Type of grouping

students:

Individual, and Group Working

Materials

needed:

-

Description: In turn every student sits at the teacher's desk and introduces to

the class a topic given by the teacher and carefully prepared. The

presentation can't last more than 2 minutes (the teacher can adjust

the time according to the number of students in the class). The

other students have to ask at least one question each at the end of

every presentation (for this reason they are obliged to listen to the

presentations carefully). When all the presentations have been

introduced (including the teacher's one) students vote on the best

presentation of the class.

With this activity students become the real protagonists of the

lesson. According to the common topic decided by the teacher, this

activity can cover a wide range of sources: a book, a film, a work of

art, a historical period/character, a poem, a song. Before starting

the presentations students have to write on the board the name of

the topic they are going to discuss and some general information

about it (for example if they are presenting a book they can mention

title, author, year, publisher; if they are presenting a painting they

can write title, year, author, museum).

This activity improves the students' self-confidence, fluency and

motivation. Through this activity during the different presentations

students can discover something new and interesting.


X attention

emotional involvement

memory functioning



97


senses involvement



well-being

Key

competences:







memory methods

fine arts

body expressions

X literature

X music


X poetry



Comments: Example of the activity available

Example:

Here are some possible questions that students might take inspiration from when

preparing their presentations:

A BOOK

When did you read this book?

Did you read the book in Italian?

How long did it take you to finish it?



98

Can you summarize the plot (without mentioning the end in case somebody wants to

read it)?

What is the literary genre of this book?

Can you read a few lines from the beginning or from another chapter you consider

interesting?

Why do you like it?

The students can take the book with them to show the class.

A FILM

When did you see this film? Did you see it at the cinema or on TV?

Did you see this film in original language/with subtitles/dubbed?

How long is it?

Can you summarize the plot (without mentioning the end in case somebody wants to

see it)?

Did this film win any Oscars?

Is there a famous soundtrack?

Are there any famous actors in it?

Why do you like it?

A WORK OF ART (painting or sculpture)

Before starting the presentation the student gives out some photocopies of the work

of art he is going to describe (so that everybody can follow the description).

When did you first see this work of art? ( a school book, a museum, in a house)

Have you got a personal memory/story connected with it?

Can you describe what it represents? (you don’t have to use a technical language,

but just your own words)



99

Where can you admire this work of art (a museum, a chapel, on the wall of my

house!)

Why do you like it?

A HISTORICAL PERIOD OR CHARACTER

If students decide to present a historical character they can start their presentation by

showing a picture of the character and writing the date and place of birth and death.

How did you learn the things you know about this topic?

Why did you decide to speak about this topic?

Is this character famous in your country?

Are there any people today who take inspiration/admire/criticize this character?

Can you summarize the biography of this character?

Are there any curiosities about his life that you have discovered?

A POEM

Before the presentation the students write the title of the poem, the author and the

year of composition.

Why did you choose this poem?

Why do you like it?

When did you first read it?

Can you summarize the plot?

Are there any images/metaphors in this poem that impressed you?

What did this poem represent for the author?

At the end of the presentation the student can read some lines (or all the poem if it

isn’t too long).



100

A SONG

Before the presentation the student writes the title of the song, the author, the year of

composition and the album where it can be found.

When did you first listen to this song?

Are there any memories in your life connected with this song?

How do you feel when you listen to this song?

In which circumstances did the author write it?

What is it about?

What is its message?

At the end of the presentation the student can sing the song or play it for the class.



101

Element 24

Name: INVENTING UNUSUAL OR FUNNY OBJECTS

Approximate

time:

Minimum 20 minutes

Number of

students:

Minimum 6

Type of grouping

students:


Materials

needed:

Awards if it’s done as a competition.

Description: This is an activity based on giving reasons why certain unusual or

funny objects would be suitable for people.

Students invent an object and describe it to the others. e.g. a self-

writing pen that would do all homework alone.

First, they explain what the product is. Then they describe the

functions and where you can use it. Third, they should explain how

much easier it will make your life.

Students then decide which invention they find the best.

The most creative pair/group can be awarded.

Students practice how to describe objects and how to convince

others using appropriate vocabulary. The activity develops

creativity and encourages participants to speak convincingly and

fluently, and improves presentation skills.


X attention




senses involvement



well-being



102

Key

competences:







memory methods

fine arts

X body expressions

literature

music

historical objects

poetry



Comments:



103

Element 25

Name: “DESIGN AN IDEAL TOWN”

Approximate


Number of

students:

Minimum 6

Type of grouping

students:


Materials

needed:

A large sheet of drawing paper for each pair/group, felt pens and

pictures

Description: Teacher tells the students some background information for the

task, for example, a council has recently acquired a large plot of

land and needs some help with creating a new town on this land.

The council will provide funding for 20 buildings in the first year, but

it is important that students make wise choices about which

buildings should be constructed.

Students are expected to design the town by placing pictures of

different buildings on a map that they draw. They think about what

building or green space would best suit the area and explain their

decisions to their partner(s).

Once ready, students present their towns to the other pairs/groups.

And finally, they make an agreement on which plan to forward to

the council.

Students should discuss why certain buildings are necessary, for

example, a school, a fire station, a gas station, a supermarket,

a residential building, an office building, and so on. They should

decide which buildings go up before others, which should be built in

the first year, what services should support the inhabitants, etc.

Some more points to consider may include:

What factors would help determine the buildings needed and

how many of each (e.g. population of the town, distance from

next town, or physical obstacles such as rocky soil, a large

river, or a lake)?



104

Where will people be employed? In what industries?

Are there some sorts of buildings inhabitants could really do

without?

The activity is good for practicing related vocabulary and sentence

structures, and improving communication skills.

Variation A: As a final step, students may also practise giving

directions in their ideal town.

Variation B: Students may discuss what they like/dislike in their

town. What investments would they make to improve the

settlement? What attracts tourists and what would attract even

more? etc.

This activity is a good example of debate where students have to

convince others to accept their decisions.


X attention







X well-being

Key

competences:







X memory methods

fine arts

X body expressions

literature

music



105

historical objects

poetry



Comments: An example is provided. Pictures of buildings can be downloaded from the Internet and printed, or cut out of magazines.

Example:




106




107

Element 26

Name: RECIPES

Approximate

time:


Number of

students:

Minimum 4

Type of grouping

students:

Group Working

Materials

needed:

A table cloth for the teacher’s desk (optional)

Description: In turn everybody presents a recipe of their special dish going to

the teacher’s desk, which for the special occasion has been

covered with a table cloth. This is an ideal activity to revise the

imperative and the vocabulary connected with food. Students can

also take to school the dishes previously cooked at home to share

them with their friends (it is the perfect activity for the Christmas or

Carnival lesson because the food can be used for the party). Apart

from the recipe, students can give information about the history,

traditions, and the origins of the dish they want to present. Students

can also mention their personal memories connected with the dish.

This activity can also be proposed starting from the end. A student

takes a dish to school, and the others have to taste it, smell it and

guess the ingredients (revision of the verbs of the senses). The

student reveals the secret recipe (revision of the imperative) and

gives additional information about the history and origin of the dish.

This activity can be organized as a contest. After the presentation

and tasting of the different dishes students vote on their favourite

dish.


X attention


memory functioning






108


X well-being

Key

competences:







memory methods

fine arts

body expressions

literature

music

historical objects

poetry




Example:

BREAD WITH OLIVES

INGREDIENTS:

150 gr plain flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

3 spoons extra virgin olive oil



109

5 spoons white or red wine

80 gr cheese

80 gr green or black pitted olives halved

instant dried yeast

METHOD

Step 1

Put the flour in a large bowl and make a hole in the centre.

Add eggs, wine, oil and the teaspoon of salt.

Mix all these ingredients with a fork to form soft dough.

Step 2

Add cheese and olives and mix well.

Step 3

Add the yeast and stir.

Step 4

Place the dough in an oiled floured tray with high sides (like the ones for the plum

cakes).

Step 5

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown in pre-heated oven.



110

VARIANTS

Instead of olives you can use pieces of salami or ham, wusters or nuts.

CURIOSITIES

This bread is typical of Marche the region where my family is from, near the Adriatic

coast. People can serve it for a starter or they can use it during the meal instead of

“traditional” bread.

PERSONAL MEMORIES

In Marche this bread is very popular during the Easter period. When I was a child, my

grandmother lived with us. The week before Easter she prepared a lot of loaves of

this bread (20-30) for her friends. My father hated the smell of cheese in the house

and they always argued!



111

Summary

In our publication we are presenting some materials for English language teachers

working with seniors. They are several products that are the result of the cooperation

of three organisations from Poland, Italy and Hungary over the past two years.

The materials we are handing in are a joined effort of very experienced educators

who have been taking part in senior and adult education for years and decided to

share their experience and knowledge through preparing materials that can be useful

for other educators and teachers.

Photos by Agnieszka Baran © 2014

Cooperation in our project In Mete55+ was for all of us a very rewarding experience.

In the work on our products not only English language teachers who are experts in

the field of adult education but also our senior students were involved. They took part

in the lessons based on materials that we are presenting. They gave us their

feedback, and shared their opinions, suggestions and ideas. The involvement of

direct receivers of our publications in the process of creating them is a guarantee of

the high quality of the materials and their attractiveness. Finally, we would like to

share with you the reflections on the project and publications that our senior learners

and the most involved teachers have had.



112

“I liked the discussion activities where we could practise both words and expressions, and grammatical structures too. The context was really interesting too.” Hungary

“The lessons were all really interesting though sometimes even a big challenge for me. I like acting out situations, so I especially liked the tasks where I had to be creative and improvise. “ Hungary

“I am a teacher myself and I can see how important your project is. It is good to find out about new ideas and new materials, well done!!” Poland

“I had the

chance to

know better

my class-

mates.” Italy

“Seniors have a lot of

experience and a lot of

passion to learn. I

wanted to learn English

all my life, but I never

had an opportunity.

Now I travel a lot and I

need English more than

before. I support all

ideas that are making

English more

achievable to seniors.”

Poland

“After this activity I learned an incredible number of words and verbs. We should repeat it with other topics. You learn while you play, and I think that when you are relaxed and without stress you learn better.” Italy

“I like that teachers and educators from different countries exchange experience in the project - I think that in many other areas a policy like that would be very fruitful. It's good to talk, discuss and share opinions, and I see that you do a lot of that in the project. I like it a lot.” Poland

“It was very funny to work in teams like in a competition. At the beginning I thought I didn't know any words but then I discovered I knew many of them!” Italy

“Most of the tasks were quite new to me and I enjoyed them very much. The topics were inspiring and made everybody actively participate in the discussions.” Hungary

“I think that it is fantastic that learning English became an international issue, and that different teachers from different countries work together to improve teaching that language. I can't wait for the final products.” Poland

“I found your project very inspiring - your work looks very creative. I have my fingers crossed for the final result.” Poland

“It was very original. I couldn't imagine that we could do that during our English lesson.” Italy

“English language is so important nowadays, I can find it everywhere I go. In shops, at the station, at the airport, in my computer - everywhere! So I need to learn, and I need teachers that know how to teach me.” Poland



113

APPENDIX

Autobiographical tools for learners

Introduction

This simple tool has been designed to support some important key issues in the

learning process of 50+ learners. The aim of this tool is:

to create deep motivation in learners studying English language;

to make them more aware of their capacity and personal preferences and

attitudes in the learning process (What’s the best way of learning for me?

What are my main difficulties?);

to give the learners the chance to share this information with others.

Particularly the tool aims at supporting teachers in reaching some of the objectives

illustrated in the description of the Output 2 of this project:

enable students to respond positively to challenges and opportunities;

give students opportunities to be creative and to recognize the importance of

employing their life experience into the teaching/learning process;

be a very satisfying experience and be seen as an important and valuable

achievement;

meet the needs and interests of learners;

provide a balance of intellectual application and fun;

encourage students newfound potentials and creativity;

build students’ confidence, inspire new interests and new experiences;

broaden students’ awareness of European and world culture, making future

travel more enjoyable and enabling them to communicate with family (esp.

grandchildren) and friends living abroad;

actively deconstruct and eliminate age related prejudices and stereotyping of

seniors in favour of instilling a greater sense of personal value and self-worth.



114

Tools description

The tool consists of three simple autobiographical exercises, focused on the learning

process that can be used in different key moments:

at the beginning of the course;

during the course as a spot moment;

at the end of the course.

The exercises can be integrated in a normal lesson, at the beginning or at the end of

it; each exercise lasts from 30 to 45 minutes (depending on the number of learners).

The methodology used is composed of three moments:

the teacher gives the template to all the students, and invites them to write their

reflection according to the different items proposed in the form; the form is in

English, but the students can use their native language (this allows a more

effective and emotional expression); this part lasts from 10 to 15 minutes;

after that the teacher invites the learners to read and share what they wrote. It

is VERY IMPORTANT at this step to agree with the learners on some simple

communication rules:

please do not add any additional comments while you are reading your own

template (otherwise the exercise will last much more than expected);

let’s try to create an environment of full acceptation, by not adding any

comment or judgment to what we are listening to, because each experience

and perspective has the right to be.

after this sharing the teacher thanks all, acknowledging them for having been

open to share. The teacher can add some comments, without expressing any

judgment or evaluation, but just highlighting any common aspect, or some

aspects that can be considered as point to explore and to be taken into

account. The teacher asks also the learners if they can take the material to

make a copy of it, and give it back to them the next time, in order to keep

memory and to better organize the course on the basis of the different needs

and expectations (or the learners can send it by mail if they prefer to write it

better at home).



115

Autobiographical forms

Form 1 - At the beginning of the course

Why am I here?

Why did I decide to attend this English course? Try to list as many motivations

coming up now in your mind, without thinking too much…

…

…

…

In which contexts I’d like to use my language skills ….

…

…

….

Reflecting about “how I learn…”

What is my best way of learning? (for example: memorizing the lessons; using

creative methods; talking with the classmates; practicing with a mother tongue

friend; studying some interesting contents, etc. )

What makes me learn more? Why?

What do I usually like least about the learning activities?

What is usually less useful for me in terms of learning process?

Why?



116

Try to focus on one or more purposes you have in this course (for example: I

want to learn new words to talk about one specific issue; I want to enjoy; I want

to learn a song in English; etc. ):

I want to…..

I want to….

I want to…..

Form 2 - during the course

How is it proceeding?

Is the course responding to my expectations? Please list what you have

appreciated most till now….

…

…

…

Please list aspect that should be improved, in your opinion ….

…

…

…

In which contexts I’ve used recently my language skills ….

…

…

….



117

Reflecting about “how I learned…”

What made me learn most till now? (for example: memorizing the lessons;

using creative methods; talking with the classmates; practicing with a friend

mother tongue; etc. )

What made me learn most during the course? Try to remember the specific moment ….

Why?

What was least useful for me in terms of learning results?

What was less useful for me in terms of learning results?

Why?

Try to focus on one or more purposes you actually have regarding this course

(for example: I want to learn new words to talk about one specific issue; I want

to enjoy; I want to learn a song in English; etc. ):

I want to…..

I want to….

I want to…..



118

Form 3 – in the end of the course

How was it?

Did the course respond to your expectations? Please list what you appreciated

most ….

…

…

…

Please list aspects that should be improved, in your opinion ….

…

…

…

In which contexts I’d like to use my language skills ….

…

…

….

Reflecting about “how I learned…”

What made me learn most during the course? (for example: memorizing the

lessons; using creative methods; talking with the classmates; practicing with a

friend mother tongue; etc. ). And why? (because I had fun, because I had to be

active, because this content was very interesting for me; because I like when I

learn new stories….).

What made me learn most during the course?

Why?



119



Why?

Try to focus on one or more purposes you still have regarding learning or

practicing English:

I want to…..

I want to….

I want to…..

Resource pack of materials, ideas and guidelines for...

Documents

Transcript of Resource pack of materials, ideas and guidelines for...