Countable and uncountable associations
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Boy Girl Kiss Hug Date Heart Couple … |
Love Relationship Happiness … |
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Boy Girl Kiss Hug Date Heart Couple … |
Love Relationship Happiness … |
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Uncountable |
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Uncountable |
Boy Girl Kiss Hug Date Heart Couple … |
Love Relationship Happiness … |
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Articles
12.4. Cooperative poem (Whole class)
The activity has been taken from Grammar Practice Activities by Penny Ur, Cambridge University Press, 2006
Give the students a title of a poem: something which is likely to be rich in associations, like Night or Home or the Sea. You might take title from the topics you have studied recently in class or ask students to suggest one.
Invite students to write a noun phrase describing an association the topic has for them. Then write the suggestions on the board.
Night
Darkness
An owl calling
The world at rest
The result is a sort of impressionistic poem.
The contributions may be richer if students are allowed to add a word or two to each such phrase – a prepositional phrase, an adverb, a verb, e.g.:
Darkness over everything
An owl calls in the distance
The world is at rest
but the basis remains the noun phrase.
12.4.1 Variations
Each student has a blank sheet of paper and is giver or (better) chooses an individual topic, which he or she writes at the top of the page. Then they write the first line of the poem, as suggested above, and pass the paper to a neighbour. The neighbour continues with a second line – and so on. Papers may be left open throughout, so that every new contributor can see everything that has been written before; or folded, leaving visible only one previous line.
The results may then be read out to the class, or, having been checked and corrected by you, copied put and displayed.
Unit 13 Ways of contrasting ideas
13.1. Pluses and minuses (PW)
Material: cards with blank grids
Ask students if they know Vkontakte public “Pluses and minuses”. If they do, elicit, what people write here. If not, give an example (give an example even if they know it).
To be able to draw:
-
+ you are cool
+ you know what to do in you free time
+ you are creative
- can you draw me?
- you are absent-minded sometimes
- there is always someone who does it better
Jonny Depp
-
+ handsome
+ great actor!
+ Pirates of the Caribbean
+ Alice in Wonderland
+ a musician, too
+ own island
- married
- 52 years old
- lives in Los Angeles
- no Oscar
They work in pairs and think of as many pluses and minuses as they can. Then they count their + and -. The winner is the pair with the biggest amount of them.
They compare their ideas. But to do that they have to name both pluses and minuses using some language of contradiction, e.g. Jonny Depp is handsome, but he’s married. He has no Oscar even though/despite the fact that he’s a great actor. The pair to use more examples of contrasting language wins.
13.1.1. Variation/extension(PW)
You can ask students to make up their own themes (something they are good at or something they like or know well enough).
13.2. Looking on the bright side (PW)
Material: worksheet for each pair
The article has been taken from http://www.independent.co.uk and adapted.
The teacher asks the students if they know unlucky people.
Then they read the article about Tsutomu Yamaguchi und underline examples of contrasting language (But something happened, But he made it home, But still he persisted, Though this atomic bomb was more powerful, but their home was destroyed, Though he suffered from severe radiation poisoning, Though there are thought to be 165 survivors of both bombings.)
In pairs they summarize the article, using contrasting language and focusing on the bright side: His home city was attacked, but his family survived… But he got the chance to fight for disarmament… But he lived until 93…). The pair to write the biggest amount of positive statements wins.
13.2.1. Variation/extension (PW)
Students work in pairs and tell each other about their unlucky days. Their partners should suggest as many positive sides of the situation as they can (using contrasting language). The student to name the biggest amount of positive sides wins.
Pluses and minuses
E
xample Jonny
Depp
Pluses |
Minuses |
+ handsome + great actor + Pirates of the Caribbean + Alice in Wonderland + a musician, too + own island |
- married - 52 years old - lives in Los Angeles - no Oscar |
Task 1. Think of as many pluses and minuses as you can for:
Granny
|
Pluses |
Minuses |
|
+ + + + + +
|
- - - |
Task 2. Compare your ideas with other pairs: name both pluses and minuses using some language of contradiction, e.g. Jonny Depp is handsome, but he’s married. He has no Oscar even though/ despite the fact that he’s a great actor.
E xample Jonny Depp
Pluses |
Minuses |
+ handsome + great actor + Pirates of the Caribbean + Alice in Wonderland + a musician, too + own island |
- married - 52 years old - lives in Los Angeles - no Oscar |
Task 1. Think of as many pluses and minuses as you can for:
Learning English
Pluses |
Minuses |
+ + + + + +
|
- - - |
Task 2. Compare your ideas with other pairs: name both pluses and minuses using some language of contradiction, e.g. Jonny Depp is handsome, but he’s married. He has no Oscar even though/ despite the fact that he’s a great actor.
E xample Jonny Depp
Pluses |
Minuses |
+ handsome + great actor + Pirates of the Caribbean + Alice in Wonderland + a musician, too + own island |
- married - 52 years old - lives in Los Angeles - no Oscar |
Task 1. Think of as many pluses and minuses as you can for:
Having a dog
Pluses |
Minuses |
+ + + + + +
|
- - -
|
Task 2. Compare your ideas with other pairs: name both pluses and minuses using some language of contradiction, e.g. Jonny Depp is handsome, but he’s married. He has no Oscar even though/ despite the fact that he’s a great actor.