Imagine a magic room

I used the My Magical Room image (see below) when talking about Creative Commons copyright and photos on Flickr. Afterwards, I realised it was ideal for working into a session on what is sometimes called the third conditional - that 'What would you do if ...?' kind of thing. Here's a rough sketch of what came before and after.

Running order

• Warmer - (your choice)
• What's the difference? - probable < > improbable
• Ordering dictation - unlikely, improbable, not a chance, perhaps, maybe, probably, possibly, definitely
• Describe - photos: overview, position, action, feelings - use Describing Pictures at englisch-hilfen.de
• Imagine - My Magical Room
• Language - 3rd conditional: If you could QandA
• Close - odd one out hmwk Qs

The pictures
Here are two useful images for the describing photos phase:

People Participants at Tidepool by mikebaird

Circular Procession by Ahron de Leeuw

And here's the image that inspired the session. We had one copy of it in the centre of the table, everyone was leaning in to look and their imaginations kicked in before I could even start sharing my idea of how the task should run. Wonderful!

My Magical Room by Maggie-Me

The grammar

The 3rd conditional was formalised by a series of further "If you could ... wh- would ... ?" questions, aiming to cover all wh- variations in the second half of the form. For content, think: 

• million Euros
• which song
• what bird
• where visit
• when retire
• live life again
• how long holiday
• etc.

60 seconds: Change the World

The Forum is "an ideas discussion show" from the BBC World Service. Presented by Bridget Kendall each show features three "eminent minds" who tackle "the big questions of our age". Of special interest is the part of the show called "Sixty second idea to change the world". For this, one of the featured speakers suggests a core idea which will somehow relate to their specialism.

Session-idea

Pre-session need to listen to the relevant chapter; 

listen to the 60 second thing pre- or in-session; 

have a great discussion; 

tweet responses on Twitter: pre-, in- or post-session; 

pre-, in- or post-session (point to / require) more research about the speakers;

Earth, Wind & Fire and Water

Lovely series of interlinked EFL sessions coming real soon!
Session-idea
Currently unpublished, but will quickly emerge and shift to settled stuff ;)

Reading texts

A group of mixed ability students need encouragement to read more, to open up their ideas of the different ranges of texts that are actually out there all over the place, and that some of them, more than they imagine, might even be of interest!

Value
Reading strategies
Increase motivation - remove barriers
Encounter with texts, hopefully outside of usual range
Summarizing
Making questions
Simple review
Session idea 

Starter text
lengthy tongue twister
tricky words and phrases
pronunication
group devise check Qs
compete for fastest + most accurate rendition
timer + vote for clarity 1-5  where 1 is top score
add scores + time together to get winner

reading texts handout + overview
winner of twqongue twister selects text
read + prepare tricky words and phrases
select 5 keywords
make 3-5 check Qs
write one sentence summary

share texts
reviewer gives:
summary sentence
tricky words and phrases
read & answer Qs

Some kind of follow up discussion task

Think How do reviewer's get their check questions to the group? Projector, whiteboard, flipchart, etc.?

When do the reviewers give out their questions? Before or after a first read of the text?

What texts are you selecting?
Think content, differentiation issues, length, genre, etc.

More
Post to blog / wiki.
Develop to review structure.
A lead in to working with Book Drum.

Opposites

Opposition, or its absence, is a recurrent theme whatever field you're operating in, and a natural source of stimulating conversation. The following EFL outline makes use of linguistic and cultural opposites, and has a simple descriptive task at the end

Homonyms
A hefty list of opposites on englisch-hilfen.de, it continues over pages two, three & four.

• select/given 3-5 words mix/match task to definition
• write/find homonym
• share to group + put to projector
• extend to cultural differences

TED Opposites
Weird or just different, Derek Sivers' TED talk on intriguing, cultural differences

• gist > write/select correct one word description
• detail > differences between: American & Japanese cities; Chinese & Western doctors; West African music beat & 'our' music;

Productive
Describe a photo; use a local photo if possible to demo the possibilities. Something like this:

• prepositions of position
• give people descriptions
• prepare text ideas in pairs, but write as individuals
• peercheck making suggestions for improvements
• work into an FCE type photo comparison task

Use:

• coming towards / going away,
• at the top/bottom
• in the foreground/background
• on the left / right
• towards the top/bottom/left/right/
• in the centre/on the edge

Processes, sequencers and passive voice

A teaching idea for describing everyday objects and work processes

BACKGROUND TO TEACHING SESSION
Context:

• First developed as part of an eight week business English session for an engineering company. 
• Sessions ran for 135 mins. 
• The 10 group members came from the company’s laboratory department and the documentation team.

Level

• Intermediate - upper intermediate

Group dynamic

• Nice chatty group, typically willing to contribute.

Other info

• Mid-term review had featured a request for sessions to refresh verb tenses. 
• Processes, sequencers and passive voice seemed clearly relevant to the group. 
• Sessions came at the end of a working day - lighthearted interludes useful. 

Overview
The session was split into two main sections: everyday objects and work processes:

• Warmer
• Everyday objects: Set up descriptions, deal with words and phrases, introduce sequencers.
• Work processes:

Materials

• Handout for sequencers
• Handout for form & use of passive voice
• Handout for check task.
• (The group had been requested to come prepared with an actual object or process in mind. Only one did. The session probably worked just as well, if not better. Bear in mind though that processes were a key part of this groups’ working day.)

PROCEDURE
WARMER

• Share jokes. In English or otherwise.

EVERYDAY OBJECTS

• Make a list of 5 things you use each day.
• Describe characteristics - visual/tactile/aural/smell/taste/ (refresher of previously covered material)
• Talk about the processes involved with the object - Start with why use it / what you do / how you do it. Aim for four or five steps.
• Describe how you use object
• partner interrupts with a ‘How do you …?’ whenever they spot an opportunity for missing detail to be filled in
• Put up good usage from descriptions 
• esp. sequencers
• handout sequencers list
• deal with queries
• Everyday description is written down using sequencers.
• Perhaps with space between sentences for later conversion to passives.

WORK PROCESSES

• Get responses to ‘Why did the chicken cross the road’
• Briefly share work processes
• Elicit one simple process, but include a mix of simple and more complex tense constructions. 
• Have enough sentences to allow for form analysis and some guided check material.
• Question: 
• Difference between ‘Why did the chicken cross the road’ and ‘Why was the road crossed by the chicken’.
• Question: 
• In a process description, which is more important, the person doing the action, or the things being affected or used ?
• Shift to passive. Do the sentences with simpler verb forms first: 
• Active - identify doer, thing being done to. 
• Then elicit passive version, putting thing being done to first (or after sequencing phrase). 
• Work through enough, then use remaining sentences as open group check task.
• Do handout check tasks
• Write up own work processes using opening sentence, sequencers and passive.

COMMENTS & CHANGES

• I like the way that inevitably people describe everyday use of objects in first person. It led my group to using the first person in the work process context, allowing for a clear shift to passive voice.

• Not every sentence needs passive even in a process description, some are better as active construction, e.g. if a particular person or role in the office has to perform a given action. So, go back over if there’s time, to review selection process between active and passive.

• This is too much for one session. We never got round to writing the individual work processes, but they very much had a grasp of it. Probably do the everyday object one session, and the work process the next.

• Be careful when searching for passive material on the web. As part of a process description, and in our context here, the passive voice plays a valuable role in effective communication. However, if the online material was produced as support to an academic course, there might well be a focus as to why people should avoid using the passive voice.

• I’d rejig the check task I found a little.

• I’d add in a couple of sequencers that came up during the session to the resource I used.

Building a for/against IELTS task-2 essay

• group members each write a one-sided essay for or against set topic
• publish in forum or similar ¿resources too?
• read others' responses + comment (Ss to identify value to them in this)
• select essay of opposing view / select two essays of opposing views
• work in pairs/alone to combine essays using for/against structure
• pair-members generate their own conclusion to the new essay
• and make interior adjustments to their text as necessary