English teaching material for low and mid level
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Content
Letter Letter Letter Letter Letter Letter Letter Letter Letter Letter
1: Introduction………………………………………................................................... 2: My home………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3: My school……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4: My hobbies…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5: Details………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6: My diary letter……………………………………………………………………………………………… 7: Do you really know each other?......................................................... 8: My country…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 9: Showing you around……………………………………………………………………………………. 10: The image (goodbye letter)……………………………………………………………………….
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Of course you can, together with your partner school, decide to change the order in which the themes are set. Most important is that the project starts with an introduction letter and ends with a goodbye letter; ‘The image’. Tip 1. Make clear arrangements with your partner school about the order in which the different themes are dealt with. Tip 2. Give your students a maximum number of words that they may use to write their letters. Tip 3. Make sure that your partner school uses the same general rules for letter-writing.
Use a dictionary if necessary!
Letter 1: Introduction Welcome to the Internet and the electronic highway! We are going to use this “road” to meet people from other countries and other cultures. Using the computer for writing and sending letters is a very fast way to communicate. It is much faster than ordinary mail which some people who use the Internet jokingly call "snail mail". The idea behind this project is to give you a good idea of your partner's personality and background, and to learn a lot about his or her country. By writing letters, you will get to know someone who may, in some ways, be very different from you. But after a while, you will find out that you have a lot in common too, even though you may live thousands of miles apart. General In this letter you are going to introduce yourself to your partner. Use the given sentences to write your letter. Content These are some of the things you will have to write about in this first letter: name, age, sex, family, background, character, interests, appearance.
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Sentences Here are some sentences you can use. You must fill in your personal details. Of course, you can put in much more information. Dear partner/..............., In this letter I will introduce myself to you. I am
.........thirteen years old. .........a boy/girl. ........ a fourteen-year-old girl. My surname is .......... and my first name is ...... People call me ............. I have ........two brothers. ....... three sisters. I don't have any brothers and sisters, I am an only child. I live
.......with my father/stepfather. ....... with my mother/stepmother. ....... with my parents. ....... with .......... ....... in a home (a place where you live when you cannot live with your parents). My parents are divorced. I like
.......football /………/...……
I am fond of ……… I am in the....first form of .......(name of the school). second third seventh group eighth group I think I am easy-going / moody / nice / terrible / difficult / boring / spontaneous / calm / intelligent / quiet. I like people who ........... I don't like people who ..... I was born in
.......Holland. .......Surinam. ………Thailand. ...... India.. ........................ My eyes are brown / blue / green / grey. My hair is blond / black / grey / brown / red. It is long / short / straight / curly. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Bye for now.
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Letter 2: My home General In this letter you are going to tell your partner about your home and the neighbourhood it is in. Use the questions that are given, but you should also think of more information your-self. From now on, you can add some personal information too. For instance, tell him or her about some interesting things that have happened at home or at school recently, or perhaps you have some questions you would like to ask. Always put this informal information at the end of your letters. Content Bricks are used to build walls and houses. Use the answers to the next questions as bricks to construct a letter. Of course, bricks are only a part of building something; you need many other things when you want to build a nice comfortable house. The same goes for the bricks to form your letter. Don't just write down the answers to the questions as you would during a test, but use them together with lots of other sentences, to form a letter which your partner will enjoy to read. Build your letter Start with a general introduction. At the end, you may want to put in some extra information or some questions. Finish your letter appropriately. You could start with: Now I'll tell you about my home and the neighbourhood in which I live. Or: I have just received your letter. Thank you very much. Now use the answers to these questions to build your letter: • What kind of house do you live in? • How many rooms are there? • How many floors are there? • Describe your living-room. • Do you have your own room? Can you describe the room that you sleep in? • What are the neighbours like? (quiet, noisy,.....) • What kind of people live in your area? • Have you got many friends in your neighbourhood? • What kind of games do you play outside? • Mention some things which you like about your neighbourhood? (shops, playgrounds,.....) • Mention some things which are not so nice in your neighbourhood? (crime, pollution, etc.) Now you can add some personal information. Don't ask the same things as in the previous questions because your partner works with the same book! You could finish with: I am looking forward to your next letter. Best wishes to everyone.
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Words and Sentences My house is big/small. It has ....... two/three/four/five rooms. ................ one/two/three floors I live in a/an apartment / detached house / semi-detached house / terraced house / cottage. The area I live in is crowded / quiet / in the country / in a city. There are many...... houses in my area. .................................trees agricultural
Crime
playground
Apartment
Crowded
Pollution
Bathroom
Desk
Red
bench
detached house
Sofa
Black
Disco
semi-detached house
block of flats
Elevator
shopping-centre
Blue
Farm
Stereo
Building
Field
Television
Carpet
Football
terraced house
CD-player
Garden
to go for a walk
Chair
Grey
Town
Cinema
hide-and-seek
Urban
City
hi-fi
video recorder
city centre
in the country
Village
Colour
Living-room
Wallpaper
Cottage
Pink
White
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Letter 3: My school General In the first two letters, you have written a lot about yourself. In this letter, you are going to write about your school. It should contain general information, but also what you think about subjects and teachers. Try to give a good picture of your school. Use the answers to the questions below, but also include extra information. Hint 3 When you write about teachers, do not be too personal. It is good to have an opinion but it is not nice to "hurt" them. Remember they are only human too!!! Content Don't forget to answer the questions your partner may have asked you, and to give your personal news. Start and finish your letter in the usual way. Use the answers as the bricks to build your letter. Build your letter You could start with: Thank you for your letter. I enjoyed reading it a lot. In this letter I'll tell you everything about my school. Now use the answers to these questions write your letter: • How many pupils are there in your school? • Wich subjects do you have? • How long do you have to go to school each day? (On Monday, I'm at school from .... until..... On Tuesday...) • What are your 3 favourite subjects? • Explain why you like them. • Mention 3 subjects you do not like. • Explain why you do not like them. • What do you like best about your school? • What do you not like about your school? • Tell something about your 3 favourite teachers. • Tell something about your form.(number of pupils, their behaviour...) • Tell something about your 3 best friends at school. Are there any special events at school ? If so tell something about them. (special projects, theme weeks, camps, excursions, school outings, parties.....) Mention 1 thing which has happened at school which you'll always remember. How are you doing at school? Do you get a good grades ? What do you want to do after you have finished this school? What do you want to become in the future? Now you can add some personal information. Don't ask the same things as in the previous questions because your partner works with the same book! You could finish with: I hope you have enjoyed reading this letter. I am looking forward to receiving your next letter.
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Words and Sentences On Monday we have .........../ we start with ....., then ... I like ......, because ......... The teachers are nice / strict / boring / interesting. The children in my form are nice / quiet / talkative / awful / great. I like ..... the parties at my school. ............... the holidays ............... the breaks I do not like ..... the school lunch at my school. ......................... the teachers agriculture and natural environment
art and crafts
beauty care and hairdressing
biology
building techniques
care work
catering
chemistry
commerce
computer and information literacy
Danish
domestic science
drawing
Dutch
economics
electrical engineering
English
fashion and clothing
fitting
food technology
French
Geography
German
Greek
history and civics
Italian
Latin
mathematics
mechanics
motor mechanics
physics and chemistry
physical Education
practical skills
printing technology
retailing
religious Education
science
Secretarial training
social Science
Spanish
technology
woodwork
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Letter 4: My hobbies General In this letter you are going to tell your partner about your hobbies and the kind of things you like to do in your spare time. Content Again, here is a list of questions that will help you write your letter. Do not forget to react to the letter you have received!! Build your letter You could start with : How are you ? I hope everything is O.K. there. This time, I'll tell you about the things I like doing in my spare time and during the weekends. Use these next questions to build your letter: • What do you like doing best in your spare time ? • What is your favourite sport ? • Is this sport popular in your country ? • How much time do you spend on your sport ? • Who is your favourite sportsman or -woman, from your country ? • Who is your favourite sportsman or -woman, from outside your country ? • Do you often go out in the evenings ? • What kind of music do you like ? • Is music important to you? Why ? • Who is your favourite singer or/and band ? • What kind of music do most people in your class like ? • What is the best song that you know ? • Do you like watching television ? • How much time do you spend watching television every day ? • What are your favourite programmes ? • Do you have any other hobbies ? (collecting stamps....) • How much time do you spend on this hobby ? • Do any members of your family have the same hobby ? Now you can add some personal information. Do not ask the same things as in the previous questions because your partner works with the same book! You could finish your letter with: I am looking forward to your next letter. All the best. Words and Sentences My favourite artist/singer/film-star is ...... Every week I play ....... It is an exciting sport I like going out / listening to music / watching TV / ..... aerobics
collect
swap
Cassette
concert
to practise
CD
disco
to train
CD-player
football
video
Channels
he plays for... hobby
video games
Charts
hobbies
volleyball
Cinema
soaps
walkman
Club
stamps
watch television
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Letter 5: Details General Your partner knows quite a lot about you now, but in this letter you are going to tell even more about your country, culture and personal preferences. You will have to give more details. There are 36 questions which you will have to answer. It is possible that you have already written about some of the subjects mentioned here. You will only have to write down the number of the questions and your answers. Content Start this letter as you always do. Then write down your personal details and answer the questions. In this letter, you do not use the answers as bricks, but you will have to answer them as in a test. At the end, you can answer the questions your partner may have asked you in his/her last letter. Finish off with your personal news. Build your letter You could start with: This time I am going to give you some more details about me and my country. I have not copied the questions but I have just put the numbers of the questions down. You can find the questions in your copy of The Image. DETAILS PERSONAL: A. Surname: B. Initials: C. Nationality: D. Date of birth: E. Place of birth: F. Country of residence: CULTURE: 1. Were you born in the area (city,country) where you live now? 2. If not, where were you born? 3. What languages do you speak? 4. Which language do you speak at home? 5. Who in your family makes the important decisions? 6. How do you greet your friends? 7. How do you greet your relatives (aunts,uncles,parents..)? 8. Are you religious? 9. Is religion important to your family? 10. How do you celebrate a birthday? 11. How do you celebrate Christmas? 12. How do you celebrate New Year's Eve? COUNTRY: 13. What do you think of your country's climate? Why? 14. Describe last year's summer. 15. Describe last year's winter. 16. How many people live in your area (town,city,village..)? 17. How many people live in your country?
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18. Decribe your country's flag. 19. Mention 3 famous things from your country (museums,famous people,food....). CURRENCY: To be able to answer the next questions, you will have to know what the exchange-rate of US dollars is. All the questions about money will have to be answered in US dollars: $1 =.... $10=.... $100 =.... 20. If you were given $50 today, what would you buy? 21. How much pocket money do you get and what do you spend it on? 22. Do you get paid to do jobs around the house? If so, how much? 23. How much is a Big Mac meal? 24. How much is a six pack of Coke? 25. How much is a CD that is number one in the charts? 26. How much is it to rent the latest video for one day? 27. What is the name of your own currency? 28. How much is $100 in your currency? CONFIDENTIAL: 29. What is your favourite food? 30. Where would you like to go to on holiday? 31. Who is your best friend from outside school? 32. Is money important to you? Why (not)? 33. What time do you have to go to bed during the week? 34. Mention three important things in your life at the moment. 35. If you could make three wishes, what would you wish for? 36. Now you can add some personal information. Do not ask the same things as in the previous questions because your partner works with the same book! Antillean
German
presents
birthday cake
Hindi
priest
Boxing day
Hindu
protestant
candles
honeymoon
rice
Chinese
Islam
Roman Catholic
Church
Italian
Spanish
Christmas tree
Japanese
Surinam
containers
Moroccan
temple
Danish
Mass
Turkish
Dutch
Moslem
Urdu
fireworks
mosque
Vietnamese
French
party
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Letter 6: My diary General This letter will show your pal what you do during the day. You must keep a diary in which you write down exactly what you do every half hour. Do not only give the facts but also include your personal feelings about the things you do. Content You will have to keep a diary for 2 days; a Friday (or another school day) and a Saturday. Don't forget to react to your pal's previous letter and to add your own information and possible questions. Build your letter Copy the times. Fill in the hours between getting up and going to sleep. Friday .. .. .... 07:00 : .............................................................. 07:30 : .............................................................. 08:00 : .............................................................. 08:30 : .............................................................. etc. Saturday .. .. .... 07:00 : .............................................................. 07:30 : .............................................................. 08:00 : .............................................................. 08:30 : .............................................................. etc. Here is an example of what you could write down. Friday 29-05-1998 07:00 : Got out of bed. I hate getting up early. 07:30 : Breakfast. I only eat toast in the mornings. I just had an argument with my brother about his using the shower too long. 08:00 : I go to school on foot. The weather is nice. 08:30 : English. My favourite subject! I forgot to do my homework but the teacher didn't check. Lucky me! argument
cinema
lunch
breakfast
chores
on foot
break
detention
party
by bicycle
dinner
period
by bus
disco
play football
by Underground
homework
shopping
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Letter 7: Do you really know each other? General By now, you know a lot about your partner's life, but do you know all his/her preferences? Would you know how he/she would react in certain situations? If you are not sure, guess. Content Write a personal letter. Do not make it too short. Tell the latest news and react to the last letter you have received. There are no bricks to help you this time. Build your letter Answer the questions about your general preferences at the end of the letter. Write down what you think your partner's answers will be as well. Copy the number of the question, the underlined word and the two answers. You must choose one of the three possible answers even though your real preference may not be mentioned. When you answer the questions regarding the situations, you will only have to write down the underlined words that are in your answers. Example: Your name
Partner's name
1. colour
Red
blue
2. taste
Sweet
sweet
Preferences 1. What colour of paint would you choose for your bedroom? A. red B. blue C. yellow
11. What would you like to get on your birthday? A. money B. a new bike C. a surprise gift
2. Which taste do you like best? A. salt B. sour C. sweet
12. Your favourite music is: A. heavy metal B. rap C. reggae
3. What food do you like best? A. meat B. fish C. vegetables
13. You hate people who: A. lie B. gossip C. fight
4. What is your favourite kind of weather? A. rainy and windy B. frost and snow C. hot and sunny
14. You love people who: A. help you B. you can trust C. listen to your problems
5. What is your favourite holiday destination? A. Beach B. Mountain C. City
15. When you grow up you want to work: A. outside B. in an office/ school C. in a shop/ restaurant
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6. What is your favourite subject at school? A. English B. Mathematics C. Physical Education
16. Your favourite animal is: A. a horse B. a dog C. a cat
7. Your favourite way of travelling long distances is: A. by car B. by train C. by plane
17. The animals you don't like are: A. spiders B. snakes C. mice
8. When do you go to bed at night? A. around 21.00 B. around 22.00 C. around 23.00
18. Your favourite sport to take part in is: A. football B. volleyball C. basketball
9. What is your favourite place to go to on a Saturday night? A. youth club B. cinema C. disco
19. The sport you like watching on television: A. athletics B. motorsports C. tennis
10. What kind of take-away food do you prefer? A. Italian food B. Chinese food C. hamburgers
20. Later if you are rich you will buy: A. a House B. a Car C. a Motor
Situations 21. You are at the cash desk of the supermarket. The girl gives you the wrong change. It's too much. What would you do? A. tell her straight away and give back the money. B. say goodbye and keep the money yourself. C. go home and ask what you should do with it. 22. Your best friend has been going steady with someone for a year. At a party you see that her/his boy/girlfriend is kissing someone else. What would you do? A. go to your friend and tell him/her about what you saw. B. keep it a secret and not tell anyone. C. go to the boy/girlfriend and tell him/her not to cheat on your best friend. 23. Your teacher is going to sit on his/her chair but you see that there is some wet paint on it. What would you do? A. keep quiet. B. warn him/her. C. laugh. 24. You have got an important history test. One of your classmates has stolen the questions from the teacher's desk, if you want you can have a look at them. What would you do? A. say thank you but refuse. B. go to the teacher and warn him/her. C. say thank you and copy the questions.
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25. You are in a bus. It is very busy. You have got a seat but an old lady has to stand. What would you do? A. offer your seat. B. wait till somebody else offers her a seat. C. look outside and forget about her.
Letter 8: My country General In this letter you are going to tell your partner about your own country. Some people have strange ideas about other countries, especially when they do not know them very well. They say, for instance, that the Dutch eat cheese every day and the English always wear bowler hats and fight at football matches. Of course, this is not true. We call these "views" stereotypes. Content You must give your partner your personal view of life in your country. Tell him/her what you think of living here. Remember to put the usual extra information in your letter as well. Hint 8 There are some words that many people confuse. Some of them are: They're very kind. I know their parents. They live over there. We're very angry with them. Yesterday we were late. Where are you going? Then he came in. She is taller than I am. Build your letter Here are some questions to help you. • Are you glad to live in your country? Why or why not? • Can you say what you like most about your country? • Do you think that your country is, in some ways, better than other countries? • Would you like to live in another country? Why or why not? • What do you dislike about your country? • Is there anything you could do about this? • What idea do many foreigners have of your country? Do you think this idea is correct? • What idea do you have about your partner's country? Do you think this is a stereotype or do you think it is correct? • If you could live in another country, which one would it be and why? • In which country would you never like to live? Give the reason(s).
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Words Crime
king
queen
Democracy
landscape
racism
Climate
Mountains
rain
Elections
political parties
school system
Freedom
Pollution
sunshine
Freedom of speech
Population
unemployment
Government
Prejudice
weather
Image
President
Letter 9: Showing you around General In this letter you are going to show your partner around. You are going to act as a personal tourist guide. It is very important to show your partner things that you really like yourself and things that show them what your country is really like. Content Write down a three-day-tour around the country, showing your partner the most important things. The first day is in your own neighbourhood, and all things must be reached on foot. The second day is in the city or the area in which you live, and all things must be reached by public transport. For the third day, you can rent a coach and show him/her around the country. Build your letter Give as many details as possible and explain why you visit certain places. For each day, you must think of three different things. You can write down where and what you will eat too. Words amusement arcade
shopping centre
Museum
sights
Paintings
sports fields
Playground
theme park
Safety
tulips
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Letter 10: The Image General This letter will be the last of the series. Hopefully, you have enjoyed the regular contact with your partner. This letter will be used to say your goodbyes and to show your pal what you know about him/her. Content Start your letter in the ordinary way. It is sad, but at the end of the letter you will have to say goodbye. If you want to go on writing, you will have to decide who will write the first "ordinary" letter and how often you are going to write: once a month, once every fortnight, etc. Build your letter In this letter, you must write down as much as you know about your partner. If you have forgotten anything, you can always look in the letters you have received. • What is his/her name? • How old is he/she? • Nationality: • Sex: • Where does he/she live? • What does he/she look like? • What do you know about his/her family? • What kind of house does the family live in? • Does he/she have his/her own room? • What does this room look like? • What do you know about the neighbourhood? • What is the name of his/her school? • What subjects does he/she like? • What subjects doesn't he/she like? • Does he/she have hobbies? • Does he/she have favourite sportsmen or -women? • What is his/her favourite music? • What is his/her favourite film? • Does he/she get pocket money? How much? • What is his/her favourite food? Your letter can start like this: My partner's name is ......... He/she lives in .......... He/she has ..... brothers and ..... sisters. Make an effort to show off your large amount of knowledge. If you want to, you can use the letters you have received over the months to check the details. Hint 10 When you want to continue writing but your partner doesn't, try to find someone else soon. There are loads of young people, all over the world, who love writing letters in English. You will find their addresses in a lot of magazines, or on the educational pages of Internet.
The End
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