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Behind the Scenes
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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So that's how it's done!
This activity is designed to be taught with Exercise 3, "Grammar Focus: The passive to describe process."
Time: 15–20 minutes. This exercise practices describing a process.
Preparation: Choose one machine or electronic device that is familiar to everyone in the class. Use one of the following items (or decide on something else that would be suitable): a fax machine; a tape or CD player; a vending machine; a TV remote control.
- Explain the activity: Students work in groups and take turns describing the various steps involved in using a familiar machine or a common piece of equipment.
- Divide the class into groups. Write the name of the machine on the board. Then tell students to try to identify as many different steps in the process as they can for operating that machine. Remind them to use the passive while describing the process. Also, tell them to choose a group secretary to write down each step.
- Set a time limit of about ten minutes. Walk around and give help and encouragement.
- When time is up, find out which group thought up the most steps; ask them to read their process aloud to the rest of the class.
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One word a minute
This activity is designed to be taught with Exercise 11, "Professional Preferences."
Time: 10–15 minutes. This activity reviews vocabulary and practices making sentences with pre-selected words. It could be used at any time for a quick warm-up activity or to review vocabulary.
Preparation: Make a list of ten words from Units 9–12. (Note: See the Unit Summaries at the back of the Student's Book.)
- Students form groups. Name each group (Group A, Group B, etc.) and write the groups' names on the board for keeping score.
- Explain the activity: You will read a word aloud to the class. Within the next minute, groups compete with one another trying to think of as many sentences as possible using the word. Each time a group comes up with a sentence, one of the students in that group raises his or her hand; then he or she says it to the rest of the class when called upon by you. If the sentence is correct, that group gets one point.
- Give the class this example:
Teacher: Magazine.
"Time is my favorite magazine."
"I like magazines that are informative."
"People who write for magazines should be sure their information is true."
- Start the activity by reading aloud the first word on your list. A student from any group can raise his or her hand to make a sentence using that word. Continue for one minute, keeping score on the board. Then read the next word from your list. After ten minutes or ten words – whichever comes first – the group with the most points is the winner.
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Verb contest
This activity is designed to be taught with Exercise 12, "Reading: Coming soon to a theater near you!"
Time: 15 minutes. This activity provides an opportunity for students to review the spelling of verb forms – here, the simple past and the past participle. This contest can easily be conducted with another focus (e.g., singular and plural nouns; comparative forms of adjectives).
Preparation: Make a list of verbs for the contest. Choose verbs from the current unit and from previous units, focusing on verbs that have irregular forms (see the appendix at the back of the Student's Book for a handy list of irregular verbs). You will need the same number of verbs for each group (e.g., 5 groups x 5 verbs = 25 verbs).
- Books closed. Divide the class into groups and assign them letters (Group A, Group B, etc.). Then choose a verb from your list and ask Group A how to say and spell the simple past and past participle. Give the group a few seconds to discuss how each verb is spelled. If both forms are correct, the group gets two points; if only one is correct, the group gets only one point and the next group gets a chance for a point. If both forms are incorrect, spell the words correctly for the class and go on to the next group and the next verb.
- Continue the contest until you have used all the verbs on your list and all the groups have had the same number of turns. The winner is the group with the most points.
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Game – Twenty questions
This activity is designed to be taught with Exercise 12, "Reading: Coming soon to a theater near you!"
Time: 10–15 minutes. This popular game has students practice using yes/no questions in order to guess something (e.g., a person, place, topic, problem) that someone is thinking about. (Note: This game could be adapted for use with any unit's topic.)
- Explain the game: Students form groups. Each group must think of some environmental or other modern-day problems that were discussed in this unit. Then they choose just one of the problems to use as their "secret" during this activity. Tell students to discuss their choices quietly so that other groups do not overhear what their final decision is.
- To play the game: Groups take turns sitting at the front of the classroom. Explain that the rest of the class gets to ask each group a total of twenty yes/no questions to find out which problem the group is thinking of. Make sure that students ask only questions that can be answered with "Yes" or "No." For example:
Is the problem about pollution?
Are you thinking about how to stop acid rain?
Does this problem exist in . . . (country)?
- After all groups have had a turn being "It," ask "Which group stumped the class the longest (i.e., was asked the most yes/no questions)?" Then declare that group the winners.
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