Intermediate: Poetry reading

Your last project in this class will be a poetry reading. You will get a handout in class about the requirements.

Read or recite your poem to the class. Then tell us why you chose the poem: what is the poem saying? Why do you like it?

Tips

• This is not just a “reading aloud” assignment. A poetry reading is a demonstration of public speaking skill and how well you can understand, enjoy and communicate the language of the poem. In your reading, you should make us (your audience) enjoy the poem too!
• To do a good job, you must practice. Practice alone several times. Then practice in front of a friend.
• You should start practicing early. That way, if you have any questions about pronunciation, you can ask the teacher.

Criteria
You will be graded on the following:

• Poise – your body language and confidence
• Reading – your pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm: do you sound natural and interesting?
• Content – your interpretation of the poem: is it thorough and well thought-out?

Here are some examples of poets performing their poems for audiences:

• “One Boy Told Me” by Naomi Shihab Nye
• “The Lanyard” by Billy Collins
• “Talking Turkeys” by Benjamin Zephaniah (RealPlayer required)
• “Litany” by Billy Collins – audio on radio program A Prairie Home Companion (RealPlayer required)
• Poetry Everywhere – a page with many poetry readings you can watch

Intermediate: Lab 7 – Presentation topics (Fables)

In class, we will be doing presentations about Aesop’s fables. Here are two websites where you can read some of the fables:

University of Massachusetts Amherst: Aesop’s Fables – fables illustrated by students

Online collection of Aesop’s fables – the original fables (translated into English)

 

Students will be randomly assigned a fable to discuss. Here are the fables we are using for our class:

1. The Ant and the Grasshopper | on another site

2. Belling the Cat

3. The Bundle of Sticks

4. The Fox and the Grapes | on another site

5. The Goose with the Golden Eggs | on another site

6. The Lion and the Mouse | similar story The Dove and the Ant

7. The Milkmaid and Her Pail | on another site

8. The Wind and the Sun

9. The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing | on another site

10. The Shepherd’s Boy and the Wolf

11. The Dog and the Wolf

12. The Crow and the Pitcher

13. The Ass in the Lion’s Skin | on another site

Foundations: Lab 3 (Tongue Twisters)

“Tongue twisters” are pronunciation games. Many languages have them. This week, you will practice some English tongue twisters.

Go to http://www.esl4kids.net/tongue.html or http://www.uebersetzung.at/twister/en.htm .

1. Read the tongue twisters there and choose your 3 favorite.  Do not choose ones we have talked about in class.  Write them below.
2. Talk to three people and ask them to say the tongue twisters you chose.
3. Ask each person which tongue twister they think is the hardest.
4. Write your results here.

Tongue twisters:

1.

2.

3.

	Name	Which one was hardest?  (1, 2, or 3)
Person 1
Person 2
Person 3

5. Pick out your favorite tongue twister, ideally one that is difficult for you.  Practice saying it aloud.  You will have to say it for the class this Friday.

6. Bring your paper to class Friday, February 17.

Foundations: Lab 8 (Tongue Twisters)

This lab involves the internet.  You may do it at home if you have a computer.

Go to http://www.esl4kids.net/tongue.html .

1. Read the tongue twisters there and choose your 3 favorite.  Do not choose ones we have talked about in class.  Write them below.
2. Talk to three people and ask them to say the tongue twisters you chose.
3. Ask each person which tongue twister they think is the hardest.
4. Write your results here.

Tongue twisters:

1.

2.

3.

	Name	Which one was hardest?  (1, 2, or 3)
Person 1
Person 2
Person 3

5. Pick out your favorite tongue twister, ideally one that is difficult for you.  Practice saying it aloud.  You will have to say it for the class this Friday.

6. Bring this paper to class Friday, July 24.

Foundations: Lab 7 (National dress)

Prepare a presentation for the class about the national dress (clothes) of your country.

Your presentation should be about 3 minutes long (not longer).

Show us the traditional dress of your country and talk about it. You may use pictures or real items of clothing.

You should include at least three of these things:

• Clothing for men
• Clothing for women
• Clothing for children
• When the traditional dress is worn (for special days only? or every day?)
• Instructions on how to put on and wear the clothing
• Common colors and styles
• Symbolism of the dress (what does it mean?)
• History of the dress

(If there is more than one student from your country in the class, you may share the presentation and talk about all of the things.)

NOTE: If you use a PowerPoint presentation, DO NOT read from the slides. If you do this, you will lose points. It would be best not to put any sentences on your slides. You should be speaking freely, not reading or reciting.

Bring your lab paper to class on Friday with your presentation.

Foundations: Lab 5 (Vacations)

In this lab, you will tell us about a vacation or trip you took in the past.

1. Choose a vacation or trip you took.

2. Find some pictures of the place.

• These can be pictures you took or pictures you find on the internet.
• Choose at least 1 (minimum) but no more than 7 (maximum) pictures.

3. In class on Monday, describe your vacation.

* You must use past tense.

* You must answer these questions:

• When did you go? (“In 2005,…)
• Where did you go? (“I went to…”)
• What did you do there? (“I swam in the ocean and visited the aquarium.”)
• How long did you stay? (“I stayed for…”)
• What was your favorite thing about the vacation? (“My favorite thing was…”)

4. Also, describe your picture(s).

* You do not have to have a Powerpoint presentation, but you may if you want to.

* Your presentations must be less than 3 minutes. (Maximum 3 minutes)

Example:

“In May of this year, I went to the Grand Canyon, Arizona, with my parents. We drove from Arkansas and traveled for one week. We visited the Grand Canyon, went for a hike in the Canyon, visited Petrified Forest National Monument, and saw the Hoover Dam. My favorite things were the ancient rock paintings and the wild animals we saw.”

“This is a California condor. They are very rare. We saw them at the Grand Canyon.”

“This is the Hoover Dam. It is really huge!”

Foundations: Lab 3 (Demonstration)

Due June 19

In this lab, you will demonstrate an ability. You should come to class Friday ready to demonstrate something you can do.

In 5 minutes or less, you will show us your skill or talent.

• We can go outside if necessary (weather permitting).
• You must bring all equipment or objects you need.
• After your demonstration, you should describe your ability. Use these sentences (and more, if you want):

I can…

I learned to … (time or age) …

To learn to …, you need to …

Example:

“I can play the clarinet.”

“I learned to play when I was 11 years old.”

“To learn to play the clarinet, you need to have a teacher and practice a lot! You also have to move your fingers fast and have a strong mouth.”

Examples of skills and abilities:

“I can…”

• draw
• dance
• play the (instrument)
• head a soccer ball, dribble a basketball, catch a pop fly (any skill necessary for a sport)
• tie my shoes
• make a sandwich
• tie a necktie
• braid hair

Foundations: Lab 1 (Tongue Twisters)

Tongue twisters are sentences or poems that are difficult to pronounce because of repeated sound patterns. They are used as word games in many cultures.

1. Go to this website: Tongue Twisters for the ESL/EFL Classroom

2. Read the tongue twisters there and choose your 3 favorite. Do not choose ones we have talked about in class. Write them below.

3. Talk to three people and ask them to say the tongue twisters you chose.

4. Ask each person which tongue twister they think is the hardest.

5. Write your results in a list like this (or print these tables):

Tongue twisters:

1.

2.

3.

	Name	Which one was hardest? (1, 2, or 3)
Person 1
Person 2
Person 3

6. Pick out your favorite tongue twister, ideally one that is difficult for you. Practice saying it aloud. You will have to say it for the class this Friday.

7. Bring your lists to class Friday, Sept 12.

Pre-University: Personal heroes

In class on Thursday, give a short presentation about a person you admire.

The presentation should:

• Be short (3-5 minutes). You should not need to do a large amount of research.
• Be about a public figure from the last 100 years (“Public figure” can mean someone well-known in a local area or field of study, not just “world famous”)
• Tell what the person has done that makes them admirable
• Tell what personal qualities the person has which you admire
• Include a photograph or some other type of media

Conversation topics

Here is a page with many conversation topics. We will use these topics occasionally in class.

Conversation Topics for the ESL/EFL Classroom

On each blue topic, you can click and it will take you to a page with more detailed questions about that topic.