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What's This For?
The activities below provide fun exercises for the entire class when you have extra time. They are designed to be taught with specific exercises in this unit. Click on an activity in the list below or scroll down the page.
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Could you tell me . . . ?
This activity is designed to be taught with Exercise 3, "Grammar Focus: Infinitives and gerunds."
Time: 5–10 minutes. This is a fun activity in which students challenge one another to form indirect questions. (Note: This activity could also be used to review other types of grammar points.)
- Explain the activity: Students challenge one another in a contest by forming Wh-questions and then changing them into indirect questions.
- Divide the class into two teams – A and B. The first student on Team A starts by asking a Wh-question (e.g., "Where is the library?" "How late does the subway run?"). Then the first student on Team B transforms it into an indirect question (e.g., "Could you tell me where the library is?" "Do you know how late the subway runs?"). If it is correct, Team B gets one point; if it isn't correct, the next person on Team A gets a chance to make the point. Then another member of Team B asks the next Wh-question.
- The game continues until every student has had at least one turn to make a point. The team with the most points is the winner.
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What do you think it is?
This activity is designed to be taught with Exercise 4, "Pronunciation: Syllable stress."
Time: 10–15 minutes. This activity gives additional practice in describing things using infinitives and gerunds after prepositions.
- Students work together in groups. Tell them to think of five familiar gadgets or household items and to write a short description of each one (similar to the sentences in Exercise 3 on page 41). Their description should describe the object's purpose without using its name:
- It's very small and made of metal. It's used to cut your fingernails. (A nail clipper)
- Groups do the task and write down their descriptions of five things, using a dictionary if they wish. Set a time limit of ten minutes.
- Then groups take turns reading their descriptions aloud to the class. The other groups try to guess the object being described.
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A great commercial!
This activity is designed to be taught with Exercise 10, "Writing."
Time: 20 minutes. In this activity, students write television or radio commercials for unusual things (e.g., gadgets; small, modern machines; electrical appliances). These can be real things or ones that students use their imaginations to invent.
- Explain the task: Students work in groups to write a persuasive 30-second commercial for radio or TV. These commercials can take the form of dialogs or short descriptive monologs. Students use the grammar structures from Unit 7 (i.e., infinitives, gerunds, and infinitive complements) to describe the item's use and purpose; they should also give some advice on how to use the thing properly. If they wish, they can say how much it costs and where a person can buy it. For example:
"This is what you've been waiting for! A robot lawn mower! This machine is used to cut the grass while you take a nap! You can also use it for watering the lawn with a special attachment. And don't forget to set the "vacation" button – it can take care of your garden even while you're away! Make sure to order . . . . And be sure to . . . ."
- Students form groups and think of an interesting real or imaginary object to write a commercial for; then they plan their 30-second commercial for radio (audio only) or TV (audio and video). Set a time limit of about ten minutes or let students do the planning for homework. If the task is done in class, walk around and give help as needed.
- Groups take turns presenting their commercials to the class. Who had the most interesting/the funniest one?
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Game – Tic-Tac-Toe
This activity is designed to be taught with Exercise 11, "Reading: A day in the life – in the year 2020."
Time: 5–10 minutes. This activity practices forming questions and statements. It can be adapted for use with any unit's grammar or vocabulary.
- Draw a grid with nine squares on the board (i.e., three rows by three columns). Ask students to call out verbs (e.g., write, find, connect) and write them on the board.
- Divide the class into two teams – Team X and Team O. Team X starts by choosing a verb and making either a statement or a question with it. If it is wrong, Team O gets a chance to use the same word in a statement or question. If Team O makes a correct sentence, write an O on the grid. Then it's Team O's turn. The game continues until one team gets tic-tac-toe (i.e., three Xs or Os together in a row, in a column, or diagonally through the grid).
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