Welcome to my blog. I use it to share activities with my English students and with teachers in different training workshops. If you like what you see, why not leave a comment?
Instructions: Work with your partner to think of the most typical way someone in your culture would express the following ideas in a non-verbal way. Is there more than one way to do it?
This place is crowded. There are too many people.
It's none of your business. Don't be nosey!
It's very expensive or when someone has a lot of money.
Introduction: Signposts are phrases that serve the function of guiding the listener's attention during a talk. They help the speaker give a more effective message by indicating what he or she is going to say next. By learning to recognize common signposts, you will improve your listening comprehension abilities for extended texts. Click on your group link below and complete the tasks.
Introduction: In this activity you will work in trios to ask your partners hypothetical questions about their preferences. First, decide who is going to be Student A, Student B, and Student C. Then go to your section below and read the instructions.
Student A: Ask your two partners one of your questions below. Each student should give their opinion and a justification. If the students have different opinions, let them debate their choices for 30 seconds. You will decide who the "winner" is based on who gave the most convincing argument. After that, it is the next student's turn to ask one of their questions.
Would you rather shave your eyebrows or your hair?
Would you rather give bad advice or take bad advice?
Would you rather only drink water forever (no other liquids) or only eat food cooked in an oven?
Would you rather be an average person in the present or a king 2,500 years in the past?
Would you rather have all traffic lights you go through be green or never have to stand in line again?
Would you rather lick a toilet seat or a garbage can?
Student B: Ask your two partners one of your questions below. Each student should give their opinion and a justification. If the students have different opinions, let them debate their choices for 30 seconds. You will decide who the "winner" is based on who gave the most convincing argument. After that, it is the next student's turn to ask one of their questions.
Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds?
Would you rather go a month without internet or a week without showering?
Would you rather never be able to eat meat or never be able to eat vegetables?
Would you rather be poor but help people or become incredibly rich by hurting people?
Would you rather be a giant hamster or a tiny rhinoceros?
Would you rather go to jail for four years for something you didn't do or do something terrible and never get arrested?
Student C: Ask your two partners one of your questions below. Each student should give their opinion and a justification. If the students have different opinions, let them debate their choices for 30 seconds. You will decide who the "winner" is based on who gave the most convincing argument. After that, it is the next student's turn to ask one of their questions.
Would you rather have a horrible job but be able to retire in 10 years or have your dream job and have to work until you die?
Would you rather have the power to gently influence anybody's decisions or have complete control of five people?
Would you rather tell the police about a crime that your wife/husband committed or go to jail for the crime that your wife/husband committed?
Would you rather check 100 written tests or 30 oral exams?
Would you rather be super fast or super strong?
Would you rather drink water from a fish tank or a dog's bowl?
Introduction: In today's class you will work with your partners to create a campaign to promote local tourism in Costa Rica. You will also learn about how to express ideas related to unreal situations. Work with your partners to complete the tasks below.
Task 1: Our Top 5
Work with your partners to choose what you consider to be the Top 5 Touristic Treasures in Costa Rica. Choose the 5 locations and for each describe what it offers to the visitor that makes it so attractive.
Task 2: Reading and Listening Practice
Read about Lilly and answer the questions below.
1) Does Lilly have a brother?
-No, she...
2) How does she express her wish?
-If I had..., I would...
3) What would she do with her brother?
-They'd...
4) How would she feel?
-She'd...
5) Why would her mom and dad be happy?
-Because she...
Now press play on the video to listen to Sam and Annie. What do they wish for? Complete their sentences by writing in the chat.
What is the reality about Sam and Annie? What would they do if they could?
Task 3: Grammar Practice
Click on your link and complete the grammar practice with your partners.
Read the travel advertisement below with your partners and decide how to complete sentences with the missing words.
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Task 5: Support Local Tourism
As you know, the tourism sector has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with hundreds of hotels, restaurants, and scenic locations closed to the public. The government of Costa Rica wants to start an advertising campaign to motivate people from the GAM to visit different parts of the country during long weekends to help support the economies of these areas. Follow these instructions to create the campaign.
Think of one location in Costa Rica that you want to promote.
Use the structure IF ________, WILL/MIGHT ________ to explain what visitors will experience if they visit your chosen location now.
For example: "If you try the rice and beans, you will not be disappointed." or "If you spend you weekend here, you will forget about your troubles and stress."
Use the structure, IF ________, WOULD(N'T) ________ to express ideas about how the location could be changed to make it more attractive.
For example: "If the town offered a larger variety of activities, people would want to visit it." or "If the roads were better, people would travel to the town more quickly."
Be ready to share your travel proposals with the class.
Introduction: In today's class we are going to talk about the impact of science in our lives, learn about some hard working scientists that sacrificed a lot for their research, and present a research proposal for a life changing project. Work with your partners to complete the tasks below.
Task 1: History's Greatest Inventions
Read the chart below with a list of what some historians think are the 10 greatest inventions in the last 1,000 years. What do you think they are? Guess what the inventions might be. Then check your answers.
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When you are ready, you can CLICK HERE to check your answers. Now, with your partners decide which of these inventions you think are the 3 most important and why. How have they changed the world? Imagine these inventions didn't exist. How would the world be different?
Task 2: Scientific Facts or Myths?
Your teacher assigned you to a group. Click your corresponding link below and complete the tasks.
Now share your scientist with the group. When everyone finishes sharing, answer the questions below to identify the correct scientist.
Which scientist or scientists...?
got sick after trying to show that his discovery was harmless? _____
made a fatal mistake during and experiment? ______ ______
died of diseases he caught as a result of his experiment? ______
caused the death of other scientists? ______
used to breathe in toxic substances? ______ ______
was doing his experiments to reverse or stop the aging process? ______
is remembered today for the negative effects of his discovery? ______
was not very successful in his first job? ______
Task 5: Study Grant Proposal
You are a group of scientists working on a potentially life changing research project and you need more funding to complete your studies. Create a proposal for a government grant (bono) to be able to carry out your project. Consider the information below.
What is our scientific discipline?
What knowledge gapare we trying to fill with our work?
What is the potential impact for people on a personal and global level?
How much money do we need?
How will we use the money?
How will we show our results?
Task 6: Fluency Practice
In this exercise you will work in pairs (Student A and Student B). Take turns asking each other questions from your list. Your partner should try to speak for 60 seconds without stopping. Use the timer below to keep track. Since this is fluency practice, just keep talking even if you don't have a clear answer or opinion regarding the question. Express speculation, possibilities, doubts, or just lie! The goal is to improve our talking speed.
Student A: Ask these questions to your partner and keep the time.
Which scientific subjects do or did you study in school? What do or did you enjoy the most and the least? Why?
What do you think is the most important scientific discovery of recent years? Why?
Are there any scientific discoveries that you wish hadn't been made? Why?
Are you OK with eating genetically modified food? Why or why not?
Do you think it is acceptable for animals to be used in experiments? Does it make a difference if the experiments are for medical research or for cosmetics testing?
Are you worried about any of the things scientists are currently experimenting with?
Student B: Ask these questions to your partner and keep the time.
Which scientific subjects do you think have actually taught you something useful? Why?
Is there a scientist (living or dead) who you admire? Who? If you can't think of one, who is a leading thinker from another discipline that you admire?
If you were sick, would you agree to be a guinea pig (conejito de indias) for a new kind of treatment?
Are there any scientific stories in the news right now? What is the last scientific discovery or problem that you remember hearing about?
What would you most like scientists to discover in the near future?
Introduction: In this section of the TOEIC Speaking you will provide a solution to a problem that someone reports over the phone. In your response you must show that you fully understood all aspects of the problem and provide a reasonable solution. Remember that you need to speak in a way that is appropriate for the situation. You will hear the problem and then you will have 45 seconds to prepare your response. Then you will speak for 60 seconds to provide your solution.
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Strategies: It is helpful to use the following framework to organize your ideas and provide a coherent and complete response.
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1) Introduction: In your opening sentence say who the message is for, identify yourself and state why you are calling. The following frames can help you create your introduction.
"Hello, this message is for ___(caller's name)___. I am __(your name)__ from __(your company)__ and I'm returning your call about __(the problem)__."
"Good afternoon, this is __(your name)__ from __(your company)__. I am calling __(caller's name)__ to talk about __(the problem)__."
Example: "This is a message for Jenny Pollard. This is Mark from the Central Heating Company returning your call. I got your message regarding the fact that your new heating system doesn't seem to be working properly and I want to see how we can help you with this.
2) Focus on the Problem: After your introduction you should apologize and express sympathy for what the caller is going through. These phrases can be helpful.
I'm/We're sorry to hear that...
I/We'd like to apologize for this...
Please accept my/our apologies for this...
We sincerely hope you will accept our apologies for this situation.
I know it must feel frustrating for you to be in this situation.
Be sure to restate the issue in your own words so that the TOEIC raters can tell that you fully understand the problem. One way to do this in a natural way is to offer some kind of explanation about why the problem may have occurred. Take a look at these examples.
Situation: Delivery was late.
We recently hired a new delivery driver and he got lost on his route. That is why he arrived a little late with the delivery.
Situation: Wrong color chair was shipped.
It seems that there was a problem with the computer system in the warehouse and that is why the wrong color chair was shipped to you by mistake.
Provide a viable and time-bound solution or suggestion about how the problem can be fixed. Give specific time references regarding what you will do and when.
We´re going to arrange for someone to fix the problem this afternoon.
We'd like to send the missing parts by courier to your office this evening.
I would like to offer you a replacement copy. Come by the store anytime this week to pick it up.
We will fix the problem in the system immediately so that this problem will never happen again.
If the problem does not have a solution, you can explain what steps you will take so that the problem doesn't happen again in the future. You can also offer some kind of financial compensation if appropriate.
Because this was our mistake, we would like to offer you a 20% discount on your next purchase.
3) Wrap Up: Finish the call by offering another sincere apology.
So once again, I would like to apologize on behalf of _____ for the trouble you had.
We're really sorry for the mistake and I can assure you it will not happen again.
Sample Response
Listen to the audio below and try to identify the caller's name, your role, and the problem. Think about how you might respond to this caller.
Now listen to a sample response to this problem. What do you think the speaker did well? What do you think the speaker could improve about his response?
Practice Tasks
Task 1: Click the video below to hear two sample calls. Work with your partner to analyze the call and figure out exactly what you need to know to respond appropriately. Draw a similar table in your notebook and use it to take notes about what you hear. Then decide what would be the best strategy to respond to each problem.
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Task 2: It is helpful to practice making the introduction for your phone call so that you don't have to think too hard about it on the real exam. Practice saying a one or two sentence introduction for the situations below. Be sure to provide the following info:
Your name
The caller's name
Your reason for calling
1) Tara Smith called the Davenport Language School to complain that she never received some information about the Spanish courses she had requested via email.
2) Peter McFarland called Natural Flooring to report that the color of the floor tiles that were recently delivered to his house did not match the color of the sample floor tile he had selected.
3) Will Burns called the Trust Bank to report that he misplaced his debit card while on vacation and to request a replacement as soon as possible.
4) Jack Welsh called Big Savings Electronics to complain that the new high resolution television he purchased has a blurry image.
5) Jessica Garcia called Parkview Hotel to report that the her name was misspelled on her bill.
Task 3: Let's practice the next step in the process. Remember it is a good idea to apologize or express empathy for the person's problem and clarify what might have happened to cause it. For example:
It seems there was some kind of problem with our computer records...
I believe there was some confusion over the tools your team ordered...
I'm afraid that the wrong delivery date was put on your order...
There appears to have been a problem with...
Now you try. Try apologizing and explaining the cause of the problem to the situations below. The words in bold are the complaint made by the customer and the words in (parentheses) represent a possible cause.
Example: The pipes in the building froze and broke (cold weather)
I am so sorry for your inconvenience. It seems that because of the unusually cold weather last night your pipes froze and broke.
Deliveries were late (new delivery driver got lost)
Wrong color chair was shipped: (mistake in the warehouse)
Delay in parts being sent (airline strike in Europe)
CDs weren't delivered to the salesperson (you made a mistake about the address)
You need to finish your talk by providing a reasonable solution. Tell the person what you would like to do to address the problem and be sure to give specific time references. If the problem cannot be fixed, explain how you will avoid similar problems in the future. If it is appropriate, you might also offer the person some kind of financial benefit as compensation.
Think of a "time-bound" solution to offer a customer for the following problems.
Example: You made a mistake on a customer's bill.
We will fix that problem with your bill right away Mr. Anderson. If you will just read me receipt number, I will open it in our computer system now. I can generate a new bill and send it to you buy email this afternoon and we can send you a refund for extra money you paid through a bank transfer. Again, I am really sorry for the trouble this has caused you and we would like to offer you a 10% discount on your next purchase to compensate for your inconvenience.
A customer bought a defective product in one of your company's stores.
You misspelled a customer's name on a bill.
Your company delivered an order one week late.
The customer claims that a salesperson in your company was very rude.
Something sold in your store was missing some important parts.
A truck driver with your company damaged a customer's car.
Task 4: Now let's plan out a full response. Play the audio below and take notes using the strategy you learned in Task 1.
Now play out your response. Work with your partner to use the guide below to organize a sample response to this problem. Write a few keywords for each point in the table. Then take turns saying your response for 60 seconds.
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Timed Practice
Instructions: The video below contains four sample problems. Take notes as you listen to each one. Use the suggested framework to identify who is calling, what YOUR role is, what the problem is, and any other important details related to the problem and the caller's requests. Pause the video after each call to prepare what you will say. Then play the video again and give your answer using the timer for a guide. Good luck!
Instructions: The listening section of the TOEIC test also measures your short term memory. In this activity you will work with your partners to test their ability to remember details in a spoken text. You will work in groups of three so choose who will be Student A, Student B, and Student C. Then click the link for your group and go to your section (A, B, or C).
Instructions: In this task you will work with your partners to practice paraphrasing. You teacher put you in a group. Click on your corresponding link below and complete Task 1. DO NOT click on the Task 2 tab until your teacher tells you to.
Final Project - Call to Action - Solving a Social Problem (20%)
Introduction: For your final project you will imagine that you work for a government agency and you have the mission to identify a social problem in your country and propose a series of initiatives to solve it. Read the learning objective for this assignment then complete the tasks with your group to begin preparing your project.
Learning Objective: Students will prepare and deliver a formal presentation based on research and evidence from online publications to persuade the public to act.
Rubric: CLICK HERE to review the official rubric for the project.
Taking Notes: Click on your link below and take notes as you complete the tasks below.
Let's start by brainstorming a list of common social problems that you see occurring in your community or country. Discuss these questions to generate ideas.
What are some common social problems I see on the news?
What are some problems that affect children?
Students?
Working adults?
The elderly?
Different social classes?
Minority groups?
Immigrants?
What are some problems that have been occurring for a long time?
What are some relatively recent phenomena?
What problems have I personally been affected by?
Now that you have generated lots of ideas, choose the one that you think you is the most interesting and move to the next task.
Task 2: Definition andBackground
Now that you know what topic you will explore, you need to define it. Discuss the following questions and take notes. If you do not know the answers, these will be questions you can use to guide your research.
What is it? How do we define this problem or phenomena? What does it mean and what does it involve? For example, if you choose to talk about racism, you need to start by defining what racism means.
What is the size of the problem? How many people are affected? How serious is the problem?
What evidence do we need to prove this? Where could we look to find the information we need?
Who is affected? Where are the people located? What social class are they from? What age are they? What other characteristics are important to consider about the people involved? If many different types of people are affected, what groups are more severely affected? Why?
What evidence do we need to prove this? Where could we look to find the information we need?
Task 3: Causes and Effects
In the previous section you brainstormed ideas related to the size of the problem and the people involved. Now it is time to discuss causes and effects. Discuss the following questions and take notes. If you do not know the answers, these will be questions you can use to guide your research.
Why does this happen? What are the obvious causes of this problem? Do any of the causes have causes historical, cultural, economic, etc. Are there global or international connections? Are there any possible hidden causes or factors that most people don't consider?
What evidence do we need to prove this? Where could we look to find the information we need?
What are the consequences? In what ways are people affected by this problem? Does this problem have other kinds of effects (social, familial, economic, cultural, etc)? What are the short-term consequences? What are some possible consequences if this problem continues far into the future? What are some personal, local, and global consequences?
What evidence do we need to prove this? Where could we look to find the information we need?
Task 4: Time for Research
In tasks 1-3 you chose a topic, defined it, and looked at questions related to its definition, size, people affected, causes, and effects. Now you need to begin your research. For this presentation you will need to use evidence from written sources to support your presentation. In the previous sections you were asked:
What evidence do we need to prove this? Where could we look to find the information we need?
Now you need to search the internet to find the information you need. You MUST CITE your sources and the sources should be from professional organizations or newspapers. You can find the information in English or Spanish, that is not a problem.
Use the final table on the Google Doc to record your notes about the information you find.
Task 5: Organizing the Presentation
Now that you have all of the information that you need, it is time to organize it in a logical order. The questions below can help you find the best way to put the pieces together. You do not need to answer all of the questions. They are designed to give you inspiration.
Introduction: Starting the Talk
Start Strong: How can we start the presentation in a strong and unexpected way so that we catch the attention of the audience?
Context: What general information do we need to say to give the context for the topic of our presentation so that the audience will be able to understand the other points that we make? Why did we choose this topic? Why is it something that the audience should care about?
The Plan: It's always a good idea to tell the audience the goals, objectives, or agenda points for the talk so that they know what to expect. How do we want to say this in our presentation?
Background: Sharing our Research
Define the Problem: We need to tell the audience exactly what we are going to talk about. How can we define what the problem is in our own words?
Scope of the Problem: How big is the problem? How many people are affected? Who are the kinds of people who are most affected and least affected? Is are there particular geographic areas that are more affected than others? For how long has this problem existed? Is it worse now than in the past? How do we know? What statistics and data can we share related to this? What sources can we cite to support this part of the presentation?
Causes: What are the obvious causes of this problem? Do any of the causes have causes historical, cultural, economic, etc. Are there global or international connections? Are there any possible hidden causes or factors that most people don't consider? What factors contribute to this problem directly? What are some indirect factors? What are some unexpected factors? What sources can we cite to support this part of the presentation?
Effects: In what ways are people affected by this problem? Does this problem have other kinds of effects (social, familial, economic, cultural, etc)? What are the short-term consequences? What are some possible consequences if this problem continues far into the future? What are some personal, local, and global consequences? What sources can we cite to support this part of the presentation?
Our Initiatives: Proposing a Solution
Proposals: We need to propose projects to help fix the problem. This should be our own original ideas. What can we propose? What are some actions and resources that would help us remove some of the causes of the problem? What are some ways that we could help the people who are affected by the problem? Do we need any laws to change? Do we need support from any institutions? What name do we want for this initiative? How much money do we need to support this initiative? What is our time limit? Do we need volunteers? Do we need paid employees? What results do we expect to see in the next year, 5 years, 10 years, etc?
Remember that we need to include at least two initiatives.
Conclusion: Our Call to Action
Inspiring Change: To finish our presentation we want to inspire our audience to join us. What can we say to invite the audience to change their opinion about this topic? What final message do we want the audience to understand about our topic? How do we want the audience to think and act differently in the future?
Task 6: Giving the Presentation
Take a moment to review the following phrases. These can help you express yourself and connect your ideas appropriately.
Introducing Ideas:
Today we are going to talk to you about...
On the other hand...
Something we need to consider is...
Let's take a look at a new idea...
Discussing Sources:
According to (source)
In a report from (source) we learned that (information)
A (year) report from (source) states (information)
Listing Information:
First of all ...
Second ...
Another thing to consider is...
Additionally...
Finally...
Transitions:
Now, my partner (name) will tell you about...
That is the end of my part. (name) is going to discuss...
My partner just told you about ... Now I'm going to explore...
Introduction: In today's class we are talking about ways to express possibilities using conditionals. Work with your partners to complete the tasks below.
Task 1: Talking about plans You have five minutes to discuss the list of questions below with your partners. Organize your time so that everyone has a chance to share their ideas.
What will you do after class today?
When will the pandemic end?
What is something you will start doing more when things go back to normal? Why?
What is something you will start doing less? Why?
Where will you be living in 10 years?
At what age will you retire?
How will you spend your free time then?
When will you take your next trip? Where will you go? Who will you go with? What will you do?
Task 2: Travel Addicts You will read an article with your partners about a group of people who are addicted to travel. Your teacher gave you a group number. Click your link below and complete the activities.
Read the travel advertisement below with your partners and decide how to complete sentences with the missing words.
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Task 4: Support Local Tourism
As you know, the tourism sector has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with hundreds of hotels, restaurants, and scenic locations closed to the public. The government of Costa Rica wants to start an advertising campaign to motivate people from the GAM to visit different parts of the country during long weekends to help support the economies of these areas. Follow these instructions to create the campaign.
Choose at least three locations in Costa Rica that you want people from the capital to visit more.
Think of descriptive language you can use to describe these locations so that they sound attractive to potential visitors.
Use the structure IF ________, WILL/MIGHT ________ to explain what visitors will experience if they visit your chosen location. Think of at least 5 statements.
For example: "If you try the rice and beans, you will not be disappointed." or "If you spend you weekend here, you will forget about your troubles and stress."
Be ready to share your travel proposals with another group.
Instructions: You will work with your partners to write a story using common prefixes and suffixes. Look at the picture of the main character below and give him or her a name.
Now start writing events of the story. In each post, be sure you include at least one word with a prefix or suffix. If you need ideas, you can use the charts at the bottom of the page.
Introduction: In this online workshop we will review important information about the new Professional English Program (PEP), its structure, evaluation, and tips for planning with the textbook series Keynote. At different points in the session you will be asked to collaborate with your partners to complete the tasks below.
Task 1 - Warm Up - Hieroglyphics
Instructions: You are an elite team of archaeologists studying ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and translating them to English. You have discovered the the glyphs follow two rules. Each oval represents a two syllable word.
Each picture represents one syllable of the word.The picture at the top is the first syllable and the picture on the bottom is the second.
Some words are compound nouns. Others are regular two syllable nouns.
Example: Consider these examples of hieroglyphs that have already been translated.
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Your Turn: Now, do your best to translate these new hieroglyphs.
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Try to translate the glyphs on your own first but if you are really struggling, you can CLICK HERE to see a hint. Another archaeologist managed to translate the symbols to English but her letters are scrambled.
Task 2 - First Thoughts
Instructions: You have exactly five minutes to discuss the questions below with your partners. In order to keep track of time and ensure that everyone has the chance to share their ideas, press play on the video to start the countdown timer.
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Task 3 - Exploring Keynote
Instructions: Now you will work with your partners to complete a brief analysis of the Keynote series. You will have 20 minute to review some sample units and complete three tasks in a Google Doc. One person in the group should act as a timekeeper and periodically let the others know how much time is remaining to complete the task. The facilitator assigned you a group number. Click on your corresponding link below to get started.
Instructions: In Task 2 you were asked several questions to find out what you already knew about PEP and Keynote at the start of the workshop. Now that we are wrapping up, let's take a moment to reflect individually on what you have learned during the session and what questions and doubts still remain. Take five minutes to share your ideas in the Padlet below. Add one comment to each column by clicking the plus sign and writing your ideas in the textbox.
Take 7 minutes to discuss the questions below with your partners. Click play on the video to start the timer.
What are two things you plan to do during your Holy Week vacation?
What is the typical weather of Holy Week in your area?
Do you like the Holy Week traditions, why or why not?
What is some typical food to eat during Holy Week? Do you like it?
Can you swim on Thursday and Friday of Holy Week?
What is a procession? What happens during a procession?
What movies do people watch during Holy Week? Do you like them?
Do people celebrate Holy Week more now than in the past?
Task 2: Work with your partners to complete the task below. In each reading you will find one or more vocabulary words. Read the words in the context of the sentence and make a guess about what they mean. How could you state these terms in other words?
Text 1: Restate the highlighted term in your own words.
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Text 2: Restate the highlighted terms in your own words.
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Text 3: Restate the highlighted terms in your own words.
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Now CLICK HERE to see your answer choices for each of the items above. Work with your partners to decide which option has the closest meaning to the highlighted words.
Introduction: In today's class we are discussing the topic of friendship in order to practice the present perfect and present perfect continuous. Work with your partners to complete the tasks below.
Task 1: Group Discussion - Discuss the questions below with your partners. You have exactly 5 minutes to discuss these questions so press play on the video to start your timer. This will help you stay organized and allow everyone in the group to share their ideas.
Who is your best friend?
How long have you know them?
How did you meet?
Who is your oldest friend?
Have you ever lost contact with a friend and then reconnected with them?
Do you ever use social media to see what your distant friends have been doing with their lives?
Task 2: Reading - Imagine two old friends just made contact again via a social networking site. Read their first messages and answer the questions below.
Who are they?
When were they friends?
What do you learn about their lives now?
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Task 3: Listening - Sophie and Mike finally meet and catch up. Click play on the video to listen to the first part of their conversation. Are the statements about Mike true or false? Correct the false ones.
1) Mike thinks Sophie looks older.
2) He's been working in Mexico City for eight months.
3) The headquarters of his company is in Hong Kong.
4) His Mexican girlfriend speaks no English.
5) He's been learning Spanish for six months.
6) Now he's going to learn Swedish.
Now read the second part of the conversation. Read what Sophie says and answer the questions below.
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1) Who did she marry?
2) What and where was her first job?
3) Where does she work now?
4) What have the been trying to do?
5) Why do they need a place of their own?
In the image above you could only see Sophie's text but you could not see Mike's questions. Click your group link below and write the questions that you think Mike asked her.
Task 4: Speaking Practice - Pretend that you and your partners are friends from high school that are reconnecting after many years. Each student should choose a role, A, B, or C and read their information card that contains details about their lives since high school. Improvise a conversation to ask and answer questions about your lives.You can use the following phrases to help you:
