Song: my time's running too fast

This song leads to interesting discussion.

My Time’s Running Too Fast (performed by The Real Group)

INSTRUCTIONS:
As you listen to the song, on the blank spaces write the number of the order in which each section appears. Some sections appear more than once!

1 .
My time's running too fast
I tell you my time's running too fast
Today the future becomes the past
Somehow the tempo is way too high
Somehow the tempo is way too high
I can't see any reason why
Somehow the tempo is way too high

____ ____ ____ _____
Think of all the time
… that you can work
to make more money
to buy you things you need
to save time that......

____
On the highway of life
l find no place to rest
By the high speed of light
I'm completely impressed

____ ____
Every time I decide
to slow down and shift gear
I can hear all these voices
repeat in my ear;

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
Run run run
If you want to have fun fun fun
Life has only begun gun gun
Go ahead and just run run run
You can never stop

_____
I just want to get out
I know that I just want to get out
Today I see what life is about
I know that I just want to get out
I try to cool down and lower the pace

____ ____
Don't look back
Stay on the track
Don't ever slow down

Pronunciation/ listening games (minimal pairs)

These ideas help give variety to what would otherwise be a boring pronunciation drill.

1. For open vowels, mouth them, so students "lip-read" by noticing the shape of you mouth. This will raise awareness as to how the sounds are produced. For example, you read out "I need a ..."
and then you either mouth "pin" or "pan".

2. With minimal pairs, such as /i/ and /e/, get them to raise their left hand if you say a word with /i/, and their right hand if you say a word with /e/.
Alternatively, divide the class into two groups, each group standing up when they hear one vowel.

3. Dictate (and get students to dictate) sentences such as "Draw a hut next to a track", while the SS draw. They might just end up drawing a hat next to a truck! This helps make them more aware of how improtant it is to pronounce clearly.

4. Picture cards: There are so many ways to use cards! One is to give out pictures representing "pin", "pen", "chick", "cheque", then get students to find their "partner"- a word with the same consonants but different vowel. Then, you can dictate sentences containing those words, and the students put up their picture when it's mentioned. Other Ss can also read out sentences.

You can also have a mad dash, with all the cards in the middle, and students trying to be the first to grab the cards when you call out the word.

While not all these activities get students pronouncing, they do raise awareness and improve receptive skills. This is important because many of the pronunciation problems are due to a lack in listnening ability rather than in production - students can't "hear" the right sound in the first place, let alone produce it!


Thanks to http://www.eslflow.com/pronunciationlessonplans.html for some of these ideas!

Bingo

Ok, so this is not a very original activity, but it works!

VERSION 1:

1. Make boards of 9 squares for every two students, and randomly write vocab items and/or grammatical items (for example, irregular past tense verbs). Make each board different.

2. Give each pair of SS pieces of coloured paper which can cover up each word.

3. T calls out a definition (if the focus is vocabulary) or an infinitive verb (if the topic is irregular past). SS cover up the word which corresponds to what the teacher said. (It's ok if the Ss call out the answer- it helps them and their classmates confirm whether they're right. It's also good revision).

4. The first group to get a row of three words covered is the winner.

5. For a new round, make groups change boards.

VERSION 2:

Instead of seeing who gets three covered words in a row, see who can cover the whole board first!

VERSION 3:

Instead of 9 squares, make it 16!

• You can also get a student to give the cue.

Time Line

This game can help SS understand the relationship and time frame between the different verb tenses.

1. For the T, make a list of sentences such as the following (use sentences that match the structures your class is learning- but I find this helps them be a little less confused with past perfect, present perfect, simple past and past continuous especially) (sorry, I was pressed with time and couldn't come up with more interesting sentences. Next time! If you do, please send them and I'll give you credit!)

1. She closed the window, but the insects had already come in.
2. The insects wanted to come in, but they couldn’t because she had closed the window.
3. When he arrived in class, the class had already started.
4. She knew because someone had already told her.
5. I told her something that she had never heard before.
6. I’m bored because I have already studied this topic.
7. I was bored because I had already studied this topic.
8. The window is closed, but the insects have already come in.
9. The insects can’t come in because I’ve closed the window.
10. I’ve been eating. That’s why I feel so full!
11. I was eating when the rain started.
12. It’s been raining for three hours! I wish it would stop.
13. It’s going to rain.
14. We’ve been studying verb tenses in grammar class.
15. While we were playing, someone did something funny.
16. While we were studying verb tenses, it started to rain.
17. While I was eating, an insect came in.
18. Before eating I had already closed the window.

1. Divide your students into groups of about 3.
2. Write only the infinitive verb forms of each clause, on half and a4-size paper. Make enough copies for each of your groups. (e.g. for sentence one, write "close the window" on one paper and "come in" on another). NOTE: there are many sentences which use "start to rain". For each group, make only one such card. They won't need more, as once they use it, they'll return it to the pile again.
3. Give each group a long strip of cardboard with an arrow on one end, to simulate a time line.
4. Spread all the "clause cards" in the center of the classroom, on the floor. Station the groups with their time lines around the clause cards.
5. T reads out the first sentence, and SS find the clauses and place them on the time line. The first group to do this correctly wins 1 point (or 10 000 points!).

VARIATION:

1. SS can then use the clauses to make their own sentence combinations and quiz their classmates.
2. SS can place the clauses randomly on the time line and see what sentences they come up with (this can be done by sticking them on the board).

Phrasal Verb Cards

These help to review SS' knowledge of phrasal verbs ("come out"), - or adjectives/verbs that take specific prepositions ("afraid of"/ "comply with").

ACTIVITY 1:

1. Make cards of about 7 x 10 cm. On each card, write (with thick marker) a verb particle or a preposition.
2. Divide SS into groups (of up to four people). Give each group a name or number.
3. Place cards in the middle of the room, and get SS to stand around (not too close!). They don't need to be standing close to a teammate.
4. T calls out a synonym for a given phrasal verb (e.g. "leave" for "go away"). SS have to find the preposition ONLY ("away"). The first group to show the preposition to the T wins a point (or 10 000 points - up to you!).
5. Tell you class beforehand how many round of this you'll have. At the end of it, count points.

ACTIVITY 2:

Same as activity 1, but instead of SS picking out the preposition, they pick out the verb particle.

ACTIVITY 3:

Another option is to have enough copies of the cards for each group, and in a far end of the room, to place a basket or hat for each group. The first group to put in both verb particle and preposition into their basket wins x points.

ACTIVITY 4:

SS put cards upside down, forming a neat square, and play memory - the SS who finds two cards which can form a phrasal verb studied in class, can keep them for points and have another turn.

ACTIVITY 5:

Give each SS one set of cards. In twos, SS play "snap":

1. Each Ss holds their cards in one hand in a pile, with cards facing downwards.

2. With the other hand they take hold of the first card in their pile, and together count "1, 2, 3"

3. On the count of three, both SS place their card, facing upwards, on the desk/floor, next to each other.

4. If the cards are not identical (i.e., if they show different words), SS simply count "1, 2, 3" again, and place the next card on top of the previous one.

5. If the cards are identical (i.e., if both have the same word), the first student to yell "snap!" and cover both piles with his/her hand wins all those cards.

6. The game ends when all the cards have found an "owner". The SS with the most cards wins

VARIATION:

These games can be played with any vocabulary item, one card being the actual word, and the other being a definition, a picture, phonetic script, or whatever the teacher's imagination can come up with.

More Precious than Silver

More Precious than Silver

I. As you listen to the song, fill in the missing words to complete these comparisons.

Lord, You are ______ precious ______ silver
Lord, You are ______ costly ______ gold
Lord, You are ______ beautiful _____ silver
And nothing I desire compares with you.

II. Number the verses (sentences) in order as you listen to the song.

_____ Who can judge the worth of who You are?
_____ Who can count the blessings of loving You?
_____ Who can say just how great You are?
_____ Who can weigh the value of knowing You?


III. This stanza is not in the song, but try to write the comparative form of the adjectives in brackets.

Lord, Your love is _________________ (high) mountains.
Lord, Your love is ________________ (deep) than seas.
Lord, Your love encompasses the nations.
And yet, You live right here inside of me!

When I fall in love

When I fall in love

I. Listen to the song, and number the verses (lines) in the correct order.

1 When I fall in love
___ And too many moonlight kisses
___ Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
___ In a restless world like this is
___ Love is ended before it’s begun
___ It will be forever
___ Or I’ll never fall in love

___ It will be completely
___ Is when I fall in love with you
___ When I give my heart
___ And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too
___ Or I’ll never give my heart


II. Find future tense verbs in the song.

III. Find future time clauses in the song.

Because you loved me

I love songs! They release tension and my students leave the classroom happier. This one, so far, has never failed.
Sorry that the "worksheet" has such a terrible format. It looks much nicer as a Word file, but won't transfer that way to this blog.


Because You Loved Me (Celine Dion)

I. Write the past tense of these verbs. They will all be in the song:

Hold:
Bring:
Make:
Lift:
Believe:
Give:
See:
Lose:
Can’t:
Carry:
Touch:
Say:
Stand:
Have:
Is:
Find:

II. Listen to the song and complete the blank spaces with the missing verbs:

For all those times you ________ by me

For all the truth that you _______ me see

For all the joy you __________ to my life

For all the wrong that you _______ right

For every dream you _______ come true

For all the love I _____________ in you

I'll be forever thankful baby

You're the one who ___________ me up

Never let me fall

You're the one who _______ me through through it all

Refrain:

You ______ my strength when I was weak

You were my voice when I ______ speak

You were my eyes when I ________ see

You _______ the best there was in me

_______ me up when I couldn't reach

You ________ me faith 'coz you _______

I'm everything I am because you loved me

You _______ me wings and made me fly

You ______ my hand, I could touch the sky

I _____ my faith, you gave it back to me

You ________ no star was out of reach

You _________ by me and I stood tall

I ___________ your love I had it all

I'm grateful for each day you gave me

Maybe I don't know that much but I know this much is true

I was blessed because I was loved by you

You were always there for me

The tender wind that _________ me

A light in the dark shining your love into my life

You've been my inspiration

Through the lies you were the truth

My world is a better place because of you