Κυριακή 28 Μαΐου 2023

A myth for business?

 Do you enjoy telling stories? What kinds?

How important is storytelling in your culture? 

Are storytelling traditions a thing of the past or should they be preserved for future generations?

Watch Daveed Diggs acceptance speech in Tony Awards. What do you notice about his use of a story?


FOCUS ON
When telling stories, jokes, and anecdotes, Present tenses might often be used instead of past tnses. This can help the listener experience the story as it was happening right now and to them, thus making it more engaging. 

Read the following Aboriginal fable. Change the verbs to an appropriate present tense.
Rainbow Serpent: Aboriginal Story from Australia 

One day, it started to rain. And it rained like it had never rained before. Rain fell for days and days and the world was becoming flooded with water. Two young men, Bil-bil, or the Rainbow Lorikeet brothers, had no shelter, so they came to Goorialla, the Rainbow Serpent. They asked for help sheltering from the rain. The rainbow serpent was hungry and tricked the young men, '1 have no shelter, but you can hide in my mouth. You'll be safe from the rain in there.' The young men climbed into Goorialla's mouth and he closed it shut, swallowing both men. 

He soon realized that people would notice the young men missing and come looking for them. He knew they would find their tracks leading right into his mouth. He didn't want to be caught and so decided to hide in the only place he knew he would be safe: the sky. He saw people's sadness at losing these two young men, so he decided to try and make them happy again by turning his body into big arc of beautiful colours. 

Now, just after it rains, you can see the Rainbow Serpent sharing his beautiful colours with the people on the ground as his way of saying sorry for taking those Rainbow Lorikeet brothers.

 VOCABULARY


OWN IT!
Now, using the tips we explored today, turn your childhood story into an inspirational one to promote your company's message.




Τετάρτη 24 Μαΐου 2023

A natural or a hard worker?

 What have the masters achieved? To what extent are their achievements due to natural talent or hard work in your opinion? 


 

So how did Judith become so good ____chess?
She had a long-term commitment _____ becoming the best.
So, from a very early age, she focused ____ the game and pracised.
Where do Stephen's amazing abilities stem ___?
Already as a child, he had a passion ____ drawing.

Practice prepositions

https://create.kahoot.it/share/prepositions-advanced/20ca120f-311c-4ae7-a6f9-30c426e8afb5


Circle all the /dj/, /tj/ and /sh/ sounds in the tongue twisters (1-8). 
Practise saying the tongue twisters in pairs. 

1. I'm sure 1 saw Sheila selling seashells on the seashore, but I can't be sure she sold seashore shells. 

2. Julia, George, Jean and Joan joyfully jumped down the jagged hill. 

3. Chester the Cheetah chewed a chunk of cheap cheddar cheese. 

4. Fresh fried fish, 
Fish fresh fried, 
Fried fish fresh, 
Fish fried fresh. 

5. If a dog chooses to chew shoes, whose shoes does he choose to chew? 

6. Jenny just got jeans and a jacket for graduation in June or July. 

7. Jump then touch your chin, jaw and cheek. 
Jump then touch your jaw, cheek and chin. Jump then touch your cheek, chin and jaw. 

8. She saw Shirley's shoes on the sofa, but was she so sure she saw Shirley's shoes on the sofa? 

B Discuss the questions in pairs.
1. Which of these sounds exist in your language?
2. Which of these tongue twisters did you find the most challenging? Why? 
3. Did you find any of these tongue twisters easy? Which, and why? 

YOUR TURN


Find a person you know for being a master in his domain (business, sports, etc). Prepare to talk about them using the words from the exercise above and the vocabulary of the lesson.

Τετάρτη 17 Μαΐου 2023

It must have been invented by...

 When and where do you think there were invented?

brain surgery, concrete, eye make-up, water sanitation systems

Read the text and check your predictions


Which information did you find the most surprising? 

How certain is it that the sentences are true? 
Write certainly true (CT), possibly true (PT) or certainly not true (NT). 
1 Egyptians invented make-up.  
2 Both men and women in ancient Egypt wore make-up. 
3. Our ancestors knew about bacteria. 
4. It was a bad idea to perform brain surgery.
5. Roman concrete was good as modern concrete. 
6. Roman concrete was very strong. 
7 The people in the Indus valley were safe from dangerous diseases. 

Find the sentences in the text that told you the answers to Exercise 3. Match the modal structures with their meaning (1-4). Then read the Grammar box to check. 
1 It's very probable or certain that something happened 
2 It's quite possible that something happened. 
3 It's impossible that something happened. 
4 It was wrong to do something. 

GRAMMAR Speculating about the past 
You can talk about possibility and certainty in the X past using the structure: modal verb have X past participle
  • Use must have if it's very probable or certain that something happened. 
Some of these operations must have been successful. 
  • Use may have or might have if it's possible that something happened. 
Egyptians may/might have been the first to use make-up. 
  • Use can't/couldn't have if it's impossible that something happened. 
Roman concrete can't have been as strong as modern concrete. 
  • Use should/shouldn'"t have to talk about mistakes or express criticism. 
They shouldn't have been doing surgery then.





Τετάρτη 3 Μαΐου 2023

Social media sharing

LESSON GOALS Formal and informal English distinction
Omit pronouns and auxiliaries to make writing more informal 
Use informal quantifiers, expressions and phrasal verbs 
Write and respond to social media posts 

SPEAKING Work in pairs. Look at the infographic and discuss questions. 
1 Which social media platforms do you use? If you don't use any, why not? 
2 What content would you be most and least likely to share on social media? Why? 
3 Which type of social media person are you? Are you sometimes a different type depending on what and why you share? Why? 


READING FOR WRITING
Read the three social media posts. Match them with a type of content and a personality type from the infographic. Explain your choices to your partner. 

Work in a group Discuss the questions. 
1 Which of the social media posts would you be most likely to read in real life?
2. What comment would you leave below each post?



Look at the Writing skill box. Find two examples of each type of informal language in the social media posts and comments.
 
WRITING SKILL
Informal language
When writing on social media. we tend to be more informal. Some common examples are
Omitting pronouns and auxiliary verbs
Have you ever. seen a bear doing yoga?
Informal quantifiers
after a bit of a nap
got a ton of comments
Phrasal verbs
She's quite into yoga
What have you been up to?
Informal expressions
I might give it a shot myself!
You'd love it! It's right up your street.


Change the expressions in bold to make them more informal. 
Use the Writing skill box and social media posts to help you. 
1 I've just got back from the city. There's a large amount of air pollution there 
2 I think I' ll try yoga. I've never done it, but it looks fun 
3 The benches can be installed in many different places. 
4 Have you got any thoughts on this? 1 would love to hear your opinion 
5 1really hate people who always postpone things 

WRITING TASK
Write three social media posts. Use your own ideas or choose from the table. Write about 200 words in total and leave room for comments underneath. Find or describe any photos or links you would like to include with your post. 
Things you've read about (interesting articles/ funny stories/ important news)
Personal stories Places you've visited, frustrations and complaints)
Recommendations (a film, book, product you liked) 

CHECK Use the checklist. I have ... 
written posts that are engaging  and/or aldor useful to other people 
used informal quantifiers 
replaced formal verbs with phrasal verbs 
omitted unnecessary pronouns and auxiliary verbs. 

REVIEW Stick your posts up around the classroom. Walk around the room and read your classmates' posts. Leave a comment below at least two of the posts. 

SPEAKING 
Discuss the questions as a class. 
1 Which post did you find the most interesting? 
2 What new information about your classmates did you learn from their posts? Based on the posts, what sort of social media personality from the infographic are your classmates? 

Τετάρτη 26 Απριλίου 2023

Are you a result of your genes or your lifestyle?

  •  



Is our way of living more important or our genes and the way we grew up? What is your opinion?

Let's watch a video on our genome, first.

1. genetics

2.heredity

3.traits

4.inheritance

5.factor

6.implement

7.determine

8.compound


a. decide/ affect

b.characteristics

c. the characteristics or things passed down from previous generations

d. decide

e. the process that determines what biological characteristics are passed down to the next generation

f. something that determines a result

g. apply

h. mixture

i. the science of analysing the human genes


1. What is the function of the gene in an organism?

2. What did ancient people know about heredity?

3. How long would DNA be if we unraveled it?

4. How many genes do we have?

5. Where are genetics useful?

6. What are the dilemmas that humanity is facing now?


So if our genes are so important, what role does our lifestyle play to our life?

Let's watch it on the news!


Adjectives

What is the extreme form of these adjectives?

very big
very small
very clever
very bad
very sure
very good
very tasty

Walking/running as exercise

alcohol/ junk food for health

vegetables/ food for brain

swimming quick way to build arm muscles

smoking bad for the lungs


Τετάρτη 19 Απριλίου 2023

Playing along

 Did you use to play any of the games in the photos?

What toys or games do you remember playing from your school days? Were any of them crazes? (i.e. fads for a short time?) Do not name it, only explain the rules and let others guess 
Did you use to improvise any games? (i.e. invent them while you played? Can you name one?






 According to the author, why did some games stand the test of time?

What point does the author wish to make by mentioning each of the following?

a. 'toothpaste', 'snake eyes' and jumbos' (lines 1-2)
b Egypt three millennia ago (lines 6-7) 
c. video/computer games (lines 11, 23 and 25) 
d. cognitive growth (line 19) 
e. In the attic (line 29) f rules and structure (line 34) 

READING SKILL

Using topic sentences 

Paragraphs in more formal texts, such as articles and essays, often include topic sentences. Most topic sentences are at the beginning or end of a paragraph. They summarize the paragraph in some way: by stating the argument, asking a key question or establishing its structure or content. 

It may be useful to identify topic sentences, such as when you need to summarize a text. When a topic sentence sums up the message of the entire text, it can be used as a 'pull quote'. These are short quotes from the text that are displayed in larger writing to encourage people to read the article 

GRAMMAR






EXPLORE MORE! Find an article or video that discusses the benefits of video games for children's development. Search online for "effects -+ video games + child development"


Τετάρτη 22 Μαρτίου 2023

Staple or exotic- flavours around the world

What's your favourite food? 
Is there a controversial food that you like -one or more acquaintances of yours detest?

Guess! The first countries where pizza appeared were___________________

Although pizza has long winding roots from ancient Greece through Italy to the rest of the world, it is genuinely most people’s delight. With every slice comes a rich history of different parts of the world. Social, economic, and cultural markings are baked into pizza’s goodness.

Over time, the toppings have changed to accommodate the different cultures of the world. Despite bakers from all over the globe now custom-making the pizza, the bottom line remains the same. Every good pizza has a crust that holds it all together.

To top it all up, the world got sight of the largest pizza in 2012, measuring more than 1,260 square meters.

Today, over 70,000 pizzerias offer this U.S. delicacy, not to mention its popularity across the world.

  1. People thousands of years ago made flat bread and added _______________of different ingredients.
  2. In ancient times the bread served as the ______________  
  3. _______________,  pizza has changed to _______________ the cultures of every nation in the world
  4. The common ingredient of all pizzas is ______________
  5. Tomatoes from America in the 18th century are the reason for ______________pizza
  6. Later pizza became a ______________ food for the upper class.
  7. Nowadays, pizza is __________food in Italy and the USA.
prominent, toppings, crust, plate, over time, modern-day, accommodate, staple

Let's play KAHOOT! 

C. Make a list of popular foods that came from other countries. Where did they come from? Discuss.  

D. Invent a new kind of pizza for Lombardi's, the oldest pizza restaurant in the USA. You should agree on toppings, sause and the type of crust.


Durian fruit is______________

 


 E. Make a short video guide for tourists visiting your country. Describe the foods that are popular in your culture but people from other cultures might find unusual or even disgusting. Give reasons why tourist should try these foods. 

Τετάρτη 15 Μαρτίου 2023

The benefits of walking

 Have you ever counted how long you sit during the day? With a partner, create a mind map for the benefits of walking. 

      .

If you sit on your _________ all day you get to suffer.

What do you think can be the consequences of sitting too long?

Write habits that you would like to change. Exchange papers with a partner and ask him for three possible options.

Do you agree? What expressions can you use?

Do you disagree? What expressions can you use?

PRACTICE:: Talking about the future in the past


Sort out your vocabulary

So, do you have a suggestion for your company? Offer it now!

Τετάρτη 1 Μαρτίου 2023

Human humour?

 What do you think helps build rapport among people?




What is AI?
Does it exist in our lives today?
How do you think it will affect the human society in the future?




Read an article about AI and its implications

COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Adding emphasis to what you wish to say



Τρίτη 14 Φεβρουαρίου 2023

Making small talk

 Are you shy or outgoing when you meet new /or not-so-new people? Do you like to make small talk?  

Where do you usually have the chance to do so? (in the office kitchen/ at the reception area/at the park/ on the way to work/ waiting in line/ ?) 

What is your pet subject for small talk?

Use the following expressions and take it in turn to strike a conversation with a different partner:

How do you like this weather? 

Are you enjoying this class?Did you hear about__________?

How long have you been waiting (for the elevator/ the train/ the class to begin, etc)

My Bucket list


Do you have a bucket list? What are 3 items in it?

Let's watch a guide on how to set one.


What are the steps?
What's a good piece of advice you heard from Vanessa?

  • He's worked at the company since 2009.
  • He's been working at our company since 2009.
  • They've been waiting for hours! (This emphasises the length of time).
  • They've waited for 3 hours. (This emphasises the amount of time).
  • I've been reading the book you recommended. (I'm enjoying it, but I'm not finished).
  • I've read the book you recommended. (I've finished it, so we can talk about it).
  • She's been running a lot recently. (She doesn't usually do this).
  • Usually, I study at home, but I've been studying in the library for the last week.
  • I've been eating dinner, so there are plates all over the table.
  • I've eaten dinner, so let's go out.
Let's Kahoot!
https://kahoot.it?pin=9824873

Τρίτη 7 Φεβρουαρίου 2023

Somewhere or anywhere?

  Are you a "somewhere", an "anywhere" or don't you think this is a valuable distinction? 

Do people have a choice in what they are?




Which question do you think is the most interesting in each pair? Check your understanding of the phrases in bold. Then ask and answer your questions in pairs.

1 a. Do you feel like settling down yet, or are you about to embark on a new adventure? 
  b. Do you think you'll stay put in one place or will you feel stuck if you do? 

2 a. Are you someone who plans ahead or do you tend to stumble into things
   b. What advice would you give someone who finds themselves at a crossroads in their life? 

3 a. Do you sometimes feel the need to get away from your current situation? 
  b What would be a backward step for you now? 

4 a What plans do you have? if they fall through, do you have a plan B? 
  b is life an uphill struggle at the moment? What would ease things for you? 

5 a. Are you someone that needs to stand out from the crowd
   b Are you happy to follow the crowd, or do you prefer to to do your own thing

6 a Do you see a bright future ahead for you or are you more pessimistic? 
   b. What's the next step in order to further your career?

HEDGING





Τρίτη 31 Ιανουαρίου 2023

What does your handwriting tell about you?

 Have you ever heard of graphology? What do you think about it? 

 This is what the American Psychology Association (APA) website supports: graphology n. the study of the physical characteristics of handwriting, particularly as a means of inferring the writer’s psychological state or personality characteristics. Graphology is based on the premise that writing is a form of expressive behavior, although there is little empirical evidence for its validity. Also called handwriting analysis. —graphological adj. —graphologist n.

Let's play a game. 
1. Sign off in a piece of paper
2. Watch the video
3. Discuss with your partner. Do you agree or disagree with the results?


How about discovering a little more about this art?
Read this article and share describing the different handwriting features

Now take a fun quiz to explore what graphology would say about your handwriting. 

Discourse markers add to one's fluency and working on using them can add significantly to the positive impression we make when discussing. 

Τρίτη 24 Ιανουαρίου 2023

Difficult Conversations (Part 2)

  Do you usually talk about problems with the people that are upsetting you?

What can happen if you don't?

Watch the video with social scientist, author, and famous speaker, Simon Sinek. What does he suggest?


COMMUNICATION SKILLS
If you are trying to encourage someone to change their behaviour, try this:

1. accept your part of the responsibility. eg. I know I didn't listen/ I shouted. ...and I'm sorry

2. describe the problem from your point of view as an observation, not an emotion. e.g. I notice that...

3. Avoid exaggeration and generalization. eg. You never...

4. explain why the issue is important to you. eg. It means that I can't...

5. describe your feelings without acting them out. eg. I feel upset when...

6. request a change. eg.  Would you be willing to...

What's the problem with these statements?
You never ever do the dishes!
Just turn the music down, ok?
I know you like playing video games but the noise is too much.


USEFUL LANGUAGE
I hope you don't mind me saying this, but...

I appreciate that you want to...and I ...

It would be really helpful for me if you could...

It's just that you could...which would allow me to...

Can I suggest something? How about...? 

OWN IT!
1. In pairs, decide on two annoying behaviours each one of you has that makes living together or next to one another difficult.
2. Individually, prepare to explain the problems to your partner without offending them. (Use the tips in communication skills and useful language).
3. Discuss aiming to find a solution

ACT IT OUT!
 Act out the conversation in front of the group. How well did the other pair give feedback? How could they have done better?