Larissa and Inspector Z - Phrasal verbs with fun (part 2)

Last week I created the first episode of the comics series "Larissa and Inspector Z" http://larissaslanguages.blogspot.it/2015/02/larissa-and-inspector-z-phrasal-verbs.html. My students and my followers enjoyed it so much that I decided to continue writing it.

This week the focus in on some phrasal verbs with GET.

How can you use it in class:

1) READING TASK - READ FOR THE GIST
 Give your students a copy of this comic strips and ask your students the following questions:
- Where was James?
- Who kidnapped him? Why?
- What did James feel like?

2) LEARN NEW VOCABULARY - MATCHING ACTIVITY

3) SPEAKING TASK - PREDICTING ACTIVITY
Ask your students what will happen next.
*They can also write their ideas on a board on www.padlet.com  so that next week will be able to check who was the nearest to the exact version.

4) HOMEWORK - FLASHCARDS CREATION
Students create flashcards with the meaning of the new phrasal verbs learnt using https://www.examtime.com/en/flash_card_decks/2139423/edit (free mobile app, too).

Next week a new episode!

Larissa and Inspector Z - Phrasal verbs with fun

In order to teach my upper-intermediate students some phrasal verbs useful for their Cambridge FCE exam I decided to create a comic series. Larissa and Inspector Z is a comic series which is useful for teaching and learning phrasal verbs in context with fun. I got inspired by the amazing Sylvia Guinan who wrote a post about using storytelling for teaching exam classes. http://www.slideshare.net/thalassini2013/interactive-story-telling-for-english-exams-final.

How can you use it in class:

1) Give your students a copy of this comic strips and ask your students to answer the following questions:

- Why did Larissa visit Inspector Z?

- What happened to James?

- What did Inspector Z find out?

2) In pairs students will try to work out the meaning of the six phrasal verbs. 

Get feedback from students. Write the phrasal verbs on the board with their definition/meaning so that everyone can see them.

3) Students predict what will happen next.

4)Homework: Students write sentences using the TL.

Next week a new episode!

The power of free mobile apps - No 2 ThingLink

Here I am with the second post of the series "The power of free mobile apps".

Today I'd like to share with you some activities your students can do by using ThingLink (available on Web, Apple Store and Google Play).

What is ThingLink?

 Choose or take a picture with your phone’s camera and add interactive tags on your image such as YouTube videos, videos from your phone’s camera, twitter handles and text.
You can share your pictures with friends on Facebook, Twitter and Email.
If you sign up on the website as a teacher you can create a class and get email and password for your students to use.

Register your students

You can manage your groups

ACTIVITY 1

Grammar - Free practice - beginners/elementary

If you are teaching present continuous students can practise the TL by describing the actions of the people in a picture. 

What I did: My adults students chose a painting they liked and they described it.

See an example here The Luncheon of the Boating Party

ACTIVITY 2 

Literature -  Biography of a writer (any level)

Charles Dickens

[Remember you can add videos and links ;-) ]

ACTIVITY 3

CAMBRIDGE PET/PET for SCHOOLS - Speaking part 3

During this part the examiner gives you a colour photograph and you have to talk about it for about a minute.

Learners are often reluctant to speak in class especially shy students in large classes. By using ThingLink the learners can record their voice while describing the picture at home. 

What I have been doing: At the end of each class I ask my students to take a picture about the topic we have learnt in that session (e.g. sport, entertainment, the natural world, etc.) and describe it. In this way not only will they pratise their speaking skills for the exam but they will also revise the TL. 

[Remember that your video recording can be up to 30 seconds long so you must split your description in two parts]

Cambridge PET for Schools - Speaking part 3

If you have more ideas and activities to share I would love to post them here!