What do you do to save space at home or at the office?
People can become very creative when they are pressed to find space.
For example, in this famous Bangkok market, Medlong, stall owners are required to move out of the way to let trains get through! Shoppers must stand to the one side to let train the pass.
Read these other ingenious solutions:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each space-saving solution?
He's BAD enough: British double-amputee Chris Moon (51), competes in the Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley National Park, California. The 135-mile (217km) race, which bills itself as the world's toughest foot race, goes from Death Valley to Mt Whitney, California in temperatures which can reach 55 Celsius.
1. What makes this person success special?
2. Which of these things mean success to you? Put them in order from 1 (most important) to 8 (least important): Then discuss with your partner
the ability to help others, the chance to travel, dealing with challenges, enormous wealth, inner peace and happiness, a lot of friends, a loving family, a rewarding career
Now, tell your partner what you would like to achieve personally
a. this year
b. in a few year's time
c. by 2050
Read the following emails written by people to their future self. What can you guess about the writers?
What is the reason for writing them?
What do they expect to have happened?
What does each writer think they will be doing in the future?
Think of three words or phrases or cultural concepts from your first language or another language. Be ready to present them to the class in the next lesson. you can include
a word or expression
a festival, dance, or celebration
a type of humour
an important place that isn't well-known abroad
a dish that reflects the best food from home
an aspect of the national character that you want people from other countries to know about
a well-love TV show, film, or song that represents your country
TRAVEL STORIES
Do you like travelling?
Read this funny story and underline the past tenses
The stories I had heard about hitchhiking were mostly shortcuts to getting murdered, so I hated the idea. However some friends persuaded me to give it a try when we missed our bus during a badly planned trip to Bosnia.
The sun was setting when a truck slowed down in front of us. We pilled up in the back. The driver had no English and we didn'r speak his language but he kept repeating the word "Lavanda" in an ever louder voice. BY the time we arrived at our destination we were horrified!
As we were getting ready to escae he opened the trunk of his car. Ready he was going to murder us, we all screamed...
But no. None of that happened. Instead, he flashed a toothy grin as he unveiled his roomy trunk… Which was filled with tiny draw-string packets of dried lavender. Lavanda. Lavender. All this time he had been trying to explain to us that he was a lavender farmer! “Lavanda!” he said for a final time and went off.
Relieved and dazed, my friends and I continued our walk home, laughing to ourselves that we had just rode through Bosnia & Herzegovina with a baller lavender mogul. And true fact: he’s the reason why to this day, I still smile every time I see lavender.
Imagine you are entertaining a visitor from another culture at work who you don't know very well. Put the topics in order from the one you would most likely talk about to the least likely. Would you add any other topics to the list?
family
food in your respective countries
living and working conditions
language similarities and differences
current news stories
the reason you are together that day
sports teams
tourist attractions in each other's countries
Breaking the ice
Do you hear crickets when in actual conversation with other people? Do you want to know how to break the ice? In this episode, Chad Littlefield will show you 3 key ingredients that you can use to break the ice in a conversation.
What are two pieces of advice you find helpful?
Discuss
Think of a time you have already built a relationship with someone with a different language identity than yours. What of the following advice is most useful to you?
Be open about who you are and where you come from. Be proud of your culture, your first language, and your accent.
Ask open questions to find out about the other person's background (What/How)
Look for things you have in common. Key moments come when you share experiences.
Celebrate the difference between you and show interest in understanding them.
OWN IT- Be ready to present!
Think of three words or phrases or cultural concepts from your first language or another language. Be ready to present them to the class in the next lesson. you can include
a word or expression
a festival, dance, or celebration
a type of humour
an important place that isn't well-known abroad
a dish that reflects the best food from home
an aspect of the national character that you want people from other countries to know about
a well-love TV show, film, or song that represents your country
Imagine you are on a taught in the Caribbean sea and the boat has started to sink. You can only save 6 items. Be careful! The island has fresh water and coconuts but it can take weeks before another vessel comes by to rescue you!
1. Chose 6 items. Think why they are important
2. In groups, Agree on six. Discuss with arguments