Bridge 09–10, may–june 2012, volume 15
Teachers’ File
Activity Tips
Teacher’s File (TF) – Activity Tips contains exercises and topics to discuss in your
classes, based on the articles in Bridge magazine. This TF also includes one complete
lesson plan – to organize a whole lesson using the topic from the magazine.
T BUILDING VOCABULARY
T I. Zero and first conditional sentences
II. Vocabulary – synonyms
In the March issue you could have read about Czech
castles and in the May-June issue about Czech chateux,
some of which were originally medieval castles too.
Can you match the castle vocabulary with the proper
definitions?
2 tower
3 drawbridge
4 dungeon
5 moat
teachers
info
Are These Gadgets Cool
or Just Silly? (p. 39)
Living in a Dream (pp. 8-9)
1 battlement
T
I. Fill in the sentences with the verbs need and
jump (2x) in the correct form.
A) A deep ditch, usually filled
with water, surrounding
a castle to keep invaders out.
1If you have trouble getting out of bed in the
morning, you ________ to get this new
type of alarm clock.
B) People used it to enter the
castle. When the enemy was
coming, it could be pulled up,
so that the castle could not
be entered.
2If you press the button that stops the
alarm, Clocky ________ three metres in
the air.
3This alarm clock also ________ high in
the air if you hit the button.
C) A wall around the top of
a castle, with spaces in it
through which the people
inside the castle could shoot
from.
II. Underline three expressions that have similar
meanings (synonyms) in the following
sentences.
If you press the button that stops the alarm…
D) A tall narrow structure,
usually square or circular.
A castle often had lots of
them.
If you hit the button, it will roll around playing
your favourite songs.
It will roll around the room until you get up
and switch it off.
E) An underground prison.
Fluffy Friends (p. 43)
T Looking up synonymic expressions in the text
In the article Fluffy Friends, look
up synonyms for these words.
1 maybe
Solutions
2 to look for
Living in a Dream
1C, 2D, 3B, 4E, 5A
3 young owls
Are These Gadgets Cool or Just Silly?
4 quite clever
I. 1 need, 2 will jump, 3 jumps
II. press the button, hit the button, switch it off
Fluffy Friends
perhaps, to seek, babies, pretty clever
1
LESSON PLAN BRIDGE MAY-JUNE 2012
Young And Restless (pp. 16-17)
Topic Literature
Level Upper Intermediate B1-B2
Time 45 minutes
Overall objectives of the lesson:
Students can demonstrate reading skills, understand grammar present simple, vocabulary topics:
diaries, teenagers, school, family, friends
MINs
PROCEDURE
INT
5
warm-up questions
Q: The title of the article is “Young And Restless”. What could it be about? Why?
Q: The article is about a teenager writing his diary. What do you think he probably writes about? What
would you write in your diary?
T-Ss
5
pre-teaching vocabulary:
Q: What kind of problems do teenagers have?
W: spots – bullying – with love – with parents – with friends
Q: What do these words mean and why would a teenager talk about them?
W: ashtray – radical – spots – partying – pressures – cash
W: to deal with / to put up with
Q: What do teenagers usually have to deal with?
W: loneliness – insecurity – lack of trust – bad grades – fear of the future
Q: Who usually annoys or bothers teenagers?
W: parents – teachers – adults – other teenagers
T-Ss
5
conversation in pairs
Q: Look at the picture in the article. What does the picture show? (A mother with her son in a dirty
apartment) What are the boy’s problems and the woman’s problems? (He is covered with spots, is
visually impaired, his family is poor, his mother doesn’t care about him. The woman is unemployed, has a
drinking problem, smokes a lot, cannot cook and is untidy.)
PW
10
the students take turns reading the text
divide the class in three groups, the teacher reads the first part in bold, and the students take turns in groups
and read out loud to each other
the teacher reads the whole text
SsSs
GW
T-Ss
5
revise grammar present simple
statements / questions / negatives
explain the use of present simple in the text (it’s a narrative)
T-Ss
5
L: the end of Adrian Mole’s Diary
Q: Why did Adrian’s girlfriend break up with him? (She didn’t want to hurt Pandora / She couldn’t bear the
pain in Pandora’s eyes)
T-Ss
10
Divide the class into three groups
T: Write (in groups) a short diary extract (100 words) from the point of view of: Adrian’s mother / Pandora /
Mr Cherry
One person from each group will read their text to the class
GW
S-Ss
-
H: Write your own diary extract (200) words.
-
T-Ss = teacher with students
S-Ss = student with students
Ss-Ss = students with students
PW = pair work
GW = group work
Q = question
W = write on board (bold words)
T = task
L = listening
H = homework
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