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Feel free to send your ideas to my email: mariazabalapena@gmail.com / englishforeso@yahoo.es. To use the lesson plans in my blog, you do NOT need photocopies for students. You MAY need to print instructions or to use a projector and/or a computer.

For ESL VOCATIONAL TRAINING LESSON PLANS go to my other blog HERE
Browse LABELS to the right, underneath to find prompts and tasks.New!! VIDEO BLOGS on English for Communications and on English for Office Applications (Computers). See links below.

* English for Communications. Click HERE. By Beatriz Papaseit Fernández and myself, María Zabala Peña

* English for Office Applications (Computers :Word 2007 and more). Click HERE. By Beatriz Papaseit Fernández and myself, María Zabala Peña

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Biligual dictionaries. Why on line translators don't work


Aim: Understand that word for word translation does not work.
Learn how to use a dictionary by observing the information that a dictionary provides.

Level: Students need to be able to produce sentences in the past simple to carry out this task.

Warning! This task is has been designed for Spanish speakers. 

If you are not teaching Spanish students, don't bother to download the task!
Download the materials HERE

Sample task
Materials:
  • Power Point Presentations 

  • Teacher's Key 
Download the materials HERE

See other bilingual dictionary tasks for Spanish  speakers under the LABEL bilingual dictionaries



Bilingual Dictionaries. Choose the right word. Intermediate to advanced.


This task has been designed to suit the needs of Spanish speakers.  Due to the complexity of the examples  that I provide this task caters for intermediate or advanced students. For easier examples, check the label BILINGUAL DICTIONARY in this blog.  
Aim: by carrying out this task students should understand that grammar class and general meaning of a sentence are crucial before looking for a word up.
Sample task. From English to Spanish
Materials:
  • English/Spanish dictionary. Ideally students  should do the following exercise in the computer room using the dictionary in www.wordreference.com Students may also use a traditional paper bilingual dictionary.   
  • Power point with examples of sentences to translate 
You can download the related Power Point by clicking HERE
    Procedure: The teacher gives the students three types of exercises. Examples and solutions  are provided in the Power point. These are the 3 types of tasks the Power Point includes:
    •  Translate from Spanish to English. Students become aware of the many different meanings of Spanish words before translating into English.
    • Translate from English to Spanish. Students become aware of the many different meanings of English words.
    • The third ones are challenging and the worst part is that they are real! Students try to figure out what bad users of dictionaries really meant!!

    Sunday, November 4, 2012

    Talking Turkeys by Benjamin Zephaniah

    Pre-watching task included in attached Power Point
    Possible special occasion: Christmas. This poem reflects on the selfishness  and consumerism  that rules the celebration of Christmas.
    Level: lower intermediate and higher.
    Aim: students carry out pre-watching tasks before listening to a  fun poem about the feelings of turkeys before Christmas. Students become aware of the variety of English accents.

    Materials

    All materials are available by clicking HERE 
    • Video of Bejamin Zephaniah reciting the  poem Talking Turkeys. You can watch it online underneath or download it from my site by clicking HERE 
    • Teachers' notes to lead you through the Power Point.
    • Power Point with pre-watching tasks to project in class. 


    You may want to visit Benjamin Zephaniah's website. Click HERE