Category: Passive Tense

STUDENT CHALLENGE: See HOW MANY QUESTIONS YOU can PREPARE to ask other blog readers by using THE HISTOMAP - write the questions in the comments box below and see how many answers you get – intermediate / advanced / teens / adults

23/6/2016

THE HISTOMAP is the first historical map I have found which presents 4000 years of history and the relationships between populations at a glance!

Below are just a few ideas, vocabulary and expressions to ask questions with:

-     Prepare questions using: How long...? Which... ? When... ? Where... ? Who... ? etc.

-     Comparisons.                      '

- more powerful than
-     the most powerful
-     as... as

-     New vocabulary, verbs, passive tense and collocations:

-     conquered (by)
-     reign lasted
-     were in power for
-     lasted
-     weak / strong
-     great
-     destroyed (by)
-     short-lived
-     long-lived
-     Western / Eastern world
-     Middle-East
-     developed
-     grew
-     maintained
-     people vs population

You can download THE HISTOMAP below. I found it freely downloadable in Internet ..

Hope you find some stimulating questions to ask with it!
Susan

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histomapwider.jpg_2.097×9.554_pixel.pdf
File Size:	4043 kb
File Type:	pdf

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British Culture: HOUSES in GB in the PASSIVE TENSE – an amusing reading and listening comprehension activity

20/2/2016

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Image credit: Streamline English Departures (Hartley & Viney, OUP 1983)

A REAL BARGAIN is an amusing unit on the PASSIVE TENSE taken from Streamline English Departures (Hartley & Viney, OUP 1983) – my absolute favourite not only for teaching the passive tense but particulary for imparting a culture lesson on Houses in Great Britain.

With its beautiful illustrations, rich housing vocabulary and amusing content – it makes a fun lesson on British culture.

I usually ask students to read the text taking turns to be the Estate Agent and Mr. Palmer, the prospective buyer, stopping after each paragraph to explain the vocabulary and the passive tense as it develops:

paragraph 1 – past passive
paragraph 2 – present perfect passive
paragraph 3 – present passive
paragraph 4 – future passive

As they read the story I ask very easy listening comprehension questions, paragraph by paragraph, which they do not have so they have to understand them and reread the paragraph to reply. I only explain the vocabulary and cultural habits we have as the story enfolds since I do not want to spoil the amusing ending to the story.

Since I believe in full-immersion, I do not translate the vocabulary but define and illustrate on the board. This is also an opportunity for students to compare their homes and cultural housing traditions to the British ones – an opportunity for class discussion.

VOCABULARY

Estate Agent

semi-detached house
detached house
cottage
bungalow
block of flats
terraced house
town house

owners

roof
tiled roof
thatched roof
flat roof

electrical wiring
rewired
redecorated (wallpaper is very common)
wallpaper
repainted

central heating
(as opposed to the old fireplace with the mantelpiece)

brick
stone

services:
- dustbins emptied
- post delivered
- milk delivered
(the milkman with his silent electric van early in the morning)

motorway

It was only when a friend of mine came to visit my home in Italy that he opened my eyes to differences I had never considered: “Wow! You have real marble windowsills!” – British windowsills are made of wood which need to be constantly repainted to stop them from rotting. “You have beautiful wooden doors!” British doors are usually just painted over. “Your floors are solid marble or parquet!” British floors are loose floorboards with some kind of covering: carpet, lino…
Any other main differences your students may have noticed watching films? Mine pointed out that in the USA and GB the kitchen sink is always in front of a window – true but I had never noticed.

You can download the materials below.

I hope you find this activity as useful and enjoyable as I do.
Susan

a_real_bargain_-_passive.pdf
File Size:	2158 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

passive_–_a_real_bargain_comprehension_questions__speak___travel_.pdf
File Size:	48 kb
File Type:	pdf

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passive_tense_for_speak___travel.pdf
File Size:	76 kb
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houses_in_great_britain__speak___travel_.pdf
File Size:	430 kb
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passive_–_a_real_bargain_-_houses_vocabulary__speak___travel_.pdf
File Size:	47 kb
File Type:	pdf

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CLIL and beyond: THE HISTOMAP - A Treasure-Trove of Possible Activities – intermediate / advanced / teens / adults - NO PREP

7/8/2015

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THE HISTOMAP - Copyright John B. Sparks - Published by Histomap, Inc. Chicago, Ill - Printed & distributed in the USA by Rand McNally & Co, Chicago, Ill - Cartography Associates, David Rumsey Collection

In constant search for stimulating materials to use with my wide age and level range of students a couple of months ago I stumbled upon THE HISTOMAP which then got lost in my jungle of digital files buried in my computer. It casually reappeared on my screen at the end of the school year and I felt the urge to print and laminate it, sticking it's colourful seven-page vertical length on a column in front of my main entrance door where it is always met with curiosity and fascination. It is the first historical map in my possession which presents 4000 years of history and the relationships between populations in an immediately decipherable context. I have finally come to understand history at a glance!

The other day it occurred to me what a potential THE HISTOMAP has for CLIL history lessons but not only... below are just a few ideas which came to mind:

-     Groups of students prepare questions for other groups using: How long...? Which... ? When... ?

-     Comparisons can be made:
-     more powerful than
-     the most powerful
-     as... as

-     New vocabulary, verbs, passive tense and collocations can be introduced:

-     conquered (by)
-     reign lasted
-     were in power for
-     lasted
-     weak / strong
-     great
-     destroyed (by)
-     short-lived
-     long-lived
-     Western / Eastern world
-     Middle-East
-     developed
-     grew
-     maintained
-     people vs population

-     RESEARCH PROJECTS can be given to youngsters to then present to everyone

-     ADULTS can tell us anything they know about the various historical periods or populations from personal knowledge.

Any other ideas??

You can download THE HISTOMAP  below.  I found it freely downloadable in Internet ..

Hope you find some more stimulating activities to do with it!
Susan

histomapwider.jpg_2.097×9.554_pixel.pdf
File Size:	4043 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

0 Comments

Author

My name is Susan Brodar, born in London into a multilingual family and brought up bilingual English / Italian.

I went to school in London until 15 when we moved to Germany where I finished my British education at Munich International School. I started teaching Italian at evening classes aged only 17 and studied Mass Communications and Journalism at Munich University.

I continued teaching parallel to interpreting at trade fairs and business meetings as well doing translations. After working at the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade for a year I married my Italian globetrotting companion in 1983 and we set up our home near Venice, Italy where we continue to live with our two teenaged children.

Having taken my British High School-leaving ‘A’ Level exams in English, Italian, French & German I am completely fluent in all four languages and am taking a DELE certification in Spanish to complement them.

ENGLISH (native)
ITALIAN (native)
GERMAN (C2)
FRENCH (C2)
SPANISH (B2)

STUDENT CHALLENGE: See HOW MANY QUESTIONS YOU can PREPARE to ask other blog readers by using THE HISTOMAP - write the questions in the comments box below and see how many answers you get – intermediate / advanced / teens / adults

British Culture: HOUSES in GB in the PASSIVE TENSE – an amusing reading and listening comprehension activity

CLIL and beyond: THE HISTOMAP - A Treasure-Trove of Possible Activities – intermediate / advanced / teens / adults - NO PREP

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STUDENT CHALLENGE: See HOW MANY QUESTIONS YOU can PREPARE to ask other blog readers by using THE HISTOMAP - write the questions in the comments box below and see how many answers you get – intermediate / advanced / teens / adults

British Culture: HOUSES in GB in the PASSIVE TENSE – an amusing reading and listening comprehension activity

CLIL and beyond: THE HISTOMAP - A Treasure-Trove of Possible Activities – intermediate / advanced / teens / adults - NO PREP

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Archives

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