a to z activity book

Activities for teachers of

English from A to Z.

By

Gabriela Morales A. & Solange Oyanedel A.

2013

Acknowledgment

For our teacher who encourage us to create this teachers resource book.

Introduction

This Teacher of English resources book contains an activity per letter of the

alphabet with photocopiable and downloadable ideas to use in classroom. The

book aims to give teachers extra materials and to give students extra practice.

The activities in this book are designed to help your students. They encourage

students to talk about themselves, compare opinions and views about the world,

and practice the kind of the situations they are likely to encounter in real life.

In addition, every activity involves an element of teamwork. Trough role plays,

language games, information gap, etc students work together to share or check

information, and agree on outcomes or solutions.

As a whole, every activity encourages purposeful interaction where students need

to speak and listen to each other, but also build their confidence and introduce a

more personal dimension of their learning.

Level: Intermediate

Skill: Listening

Name of the activity: Are all carrots orange?

Teachers instruction:

Introduce your students to vegetables. Ask them if they know a vegetable that does

not exist in other country or in the other way around (vegetables that exist in other

countries but not in theirs).

Teacher explains to the students that there are a lot of differences between

vegetables among the world. Ask them: Can you imagine a white carrot?

Introduce your students to listen an audio about carrots.

Audio Instructions:

Listen carefully

Listen twice

Fill in the gap with the missing word

Just one word per gap

Audio:

http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/2007_11/audio/mp3/se-

ag-growing-carrots-11-26-07.mp3

(Downloadable)

re all carrots orange?

Listen to the track and fill in the gaps with the missing information.

Carrots are grown on ________ and in family gardens throughout the world. Carrots are

easy to raise and easy to harvest. They taste good. And they contain a lot of carotene,

which the body makes into vitamin A.

When people think of carrots, they usually picture in their mind a vegetable that is long,

thin and orange in color. But carrots come in many different ________ and shapes. And

not all carrots are orange.

For example, Paris Market carrots are about five centimeters around. Imperator carrots are

thin and about twenty-five centimeters long. And Belgian White carrots are, as their

________ suggests, white.

For the best results, carrots should be grown in sandy soil that does not hold ________ for

a long time. The soil also should have no rocks.

To prepare your carrot garden, dig up the soil, loosen it and turn it over. Then, mix in some

plant material or ________ fertilizer.

Weather, soil conditions and age will affect the way carrots taste. Experts say warm days,

cool ________ and a medium soil temperature are the best conditions for growing carrots

that taste great.

Carrots need ________ to develop their full sugar content. This gives them their taste. If

they are harvested too early, they will not have enough sugar. But carrots lose their

sweetness if you wait too long to pull them from the ground.

The best way to judge if a carrot is ready to be harvested is by its color. Usually, the

________ the color, the better the taste.

Most people do not know that carrots can be grown during the winter months. If the winter

is not cold enough to freeze the ground, you can grow and harvest carrots the same way

as during the _________ months.

If the ground does freeze in your part of the world, simply cover your carrot garden with

________ a layer of leaves or straw. This will prevent the ground from freezing. You can

remove the ground cover and harvest the carrots as they are needed.

Carrots are prepared and eaten many different ways. They are cut in thin pieces and

added to other vegetables. They are cooked by themselves or added to ________. Or,

once they are washed, they are eaten just as they come out of the _________.

A

Level: Intermediate

Skill: Speaking

Name of the activity: Complainers guests!


Teacher introduces a topic of staying in a hotel by asking students to tell you about some

of the places they have been to on vacation.

Role play:

Two vacationers have complaints about a hotel, but the hotel owners feel that their

complaints are either unjustified or completely incorrect!

Students are dived in groups of four, pair A: Vacationers, pair B: Hotel owners.

Students are given a set of pictures; they have to discuss what is happening in them.

Teacher invites groups to act out their role play for the class.

omplainers guests!

C

Level: Pre- intermediate

Skill: Listening

Name of the activity: Eggs are beneficial


Introduce your students to eggs. Ask them: Do you like eating eggs? How do you

cook eggs fries, scrambled, or raw?

Explain to the students they are going to hear an audio about eggs, they have two

develop two activities. First chose the correct alternative and fill in the gap.

Audio Instructions:

Listen carefully

Listen twice

Chose only one alternative

Fill in the gap with the missing word

Just one word per gap

Audio:

http://www.mansioningles.com/Sonidos3/eggs.mp3

(Downloadable)

ggs are beneficial

I. You are going to listen to a short radio interview about eggs. Before you

listen, read the following questions.

1. Approximately when was it proved that eggs are good for your health?

a) In the late 1990s.

b) In the 1980s.

c) In the early 1990s.

2. Scientists also say that eggs.

a) Raise your serum cholesterol.

b) Do not raise your serum cholesterol.

c) Do not improve your sex life.

3. Mr. Adams has

a) Less orders for eggs than before.

b) More orders than before.

c) The same amount of orders as before.

E

II. Listen again and complete the following.

Mr. Adams, tell us a little bit about the egg business, if you will erm just about

everybody eats eggs at one time or __________. Are more people eating eggs

nowadays? And whats the __________ of eggs been doing?

Okay, the as to eating eggs, back in the 80s and early 90s we got a bum

wrap er saying that eggs are had er high cholesterol content,

salmonella was an ____________, and beginning in the late 90s all the scientific

___________ proved that eggs were good for you, and that they did not raise your

serum cholesterol. And as we have gone in the past twelve __________, particular

the Atkins diet has kicked in, and now theyre even labeling er eggs as aas

a... a what are they calling it? Theyre calling it a functional food. They say it

helps __________, it helps your _____________, it helps your _____________

______________ and we can just hardly we can just hardly keep up with

orders Eggs are better than ____________ scotches! We gotta go. That wasI

just thought Id put that inMr. Adams, thank you so much.

Level: Beginner

Skill: Speaking

Name of the activity: Guess someone who likes...

Teachers Instruction:

Teacher writes the following words on the board: dogs, cats, swimming, skiing, music,

books, etc.

Teacher points to each word and encourages students to ask: Do you like dogs? Do you

like swimming? Answer: yes, I do. Or no, I dont.

Students are going to ask each other about thing they like and dont like.

Students are given a worksheet, they have time to read it and check vocabulary.

Report:

Once the activity finish, students have to report what their classmates said.

uess someone who ???

G

Level: Upper-intermediate

Skill: Speaking

Name of the activity: It is my opinion!


Teacher writes the following quotation on the board No man is an island John Donne.

Ask students to first tell you what it means, and then ask if they agree with the quotation.

Encourage students to give reasons.

Students are invited to discuss a variety of subject at a debate.

Students are dived in groups of four, pair A: Favor and pair B: Against.

Students are given a quotation to prepare their presentation.

When everybody is ready, invite the first group up to the front of the class.

Write the quotation on the board in order to everybody understands.

Finally ask the class to vote for the most persuasive.

t is my opinion!

I

Level: Beginner

Skill: Listening

Name of the activity: Kevins house


Introduce your students to the audio activity. Ask them: Where do you live? How is

your house? Who do you live with?

Teacher explains to the students that they are going to listen and audio about the

house of Kevin.

Audio Instructions:

Listen carefully

Listen twice


Audio:

http://www.mansioningles.com/Sonidos3/kevinhouse_improved.mp3

(Downloadable)

evins house

Listen to Kevin speaking about his house and choose the best answer.

1. Where does Kevin live?

a) In a garden

b) Under a bridge

c) On an island

2. Who does Kevin live with?

a) Alone

b) With his children

c) With his son

3. How is Kevin's house?

a) Big

b) Small

c) Horizontal

4. How is Kevin's garden?

a) At the back of the house

b) At the front of the house

c) On the bridge

5. In which city does Kevin live in?

a) The Yorkshire Dales

b) North Korea

c) North Wales

K

Level: Intermediate

Skill: Speaking

Name of the activity: Mad about shopping


Teacher writes these questions on the board: What is the most expensive thing

you have ever bought? What is your favorite place to go shopping? What is the

best bargain you have ever bought?

Students interview a partner to know if s/he is a shopaholic. Then they share their

answers with their classmates.

ad about shopping

1. Ask and answer these questions with your partner, Tick your partner answers.

Questions

Yes

Sometimes

No

a. Do you ever decide to go shopping because you are bored?

b. Do you avoid giving yourself a budget when you shop?

c. Do you try to go shopping every weekend?

d. Do you ever regret spending too much money in a shop?

e. Do you like shopping in towns and cities you dont know?

f. Do you like forward to shopping in the sales?

g. Do you ever arrange to go shopping with your friends?

h. Do you want to go in every new shop you see?

i. Do you prefer shopping to any other free time activity?

j. Do you keep looking for bargains even on holidays?

k. Do you enjoy buying things you dont really need?

l. Do you love comparing prices in different shops before you buy?

M

Level: Intermediate

Skill: Listening

Name of the activity: Orchids at US botanic garden


Introduce your students to the audio activity. Ask them: What kinds of flower do

you like the most? Have you ever plant a flower plant? Do you like orchids?

Teacher explains to the students that they are going to watch and listen to a video

about orchids.

Audio Instructions:

Watch and listen carefully

Watch and listen twice


Audio:

http://www.saberingles.com.ar/listening/236.html

(Downloadable)

rchids at US botanic garden

Watch and listen the video about orchids at US botanic garden and choose

the best answer.

1. Clive has been taking care of the orchid collection at the U.S. Botanic Garden

over the last ____ years.

a) 48.

b) 31.

c) 17.

2. How many species of orchids are there at the Botanic Garden?

a) 20,000.

b) 8,000.

c) 5,000.

3. Clive says orchids are prone to ____.

a) Virus.

b) Worms.

c) Diseases.

4. There are nearly ____ plants in bloom shown at the annual exhibit.

a) 200.

b) 2,000.

c) 50,000.

5. Temperatures below 50F initiate flower buds.

a) True.

b) False.

c) It's not said on the video.

O

Level: Intermediate

Skill: Speaking

Name of the activity: Punch Lines

Structure: Past Tenses


Make enough copies of the fifteen jokes for the students to have one joke each,

with as much variety as possible in the class. Copy the same number of

corresponding punch lines. Give out one joke to each student and one punch

line to each student, the punch line should not correspond to the joke the

student has. Make sure that somewhere in the class there is a punch line for

every joke, if you have more than fifteen students, do the activity in two groups

or more.

Students should read their joke and walk around the class telling it until they

find the person who has the corresponding punch line.

The objective of the activity is to find their own punch line and to give away the

original punch line. When they have done this, they should sit down and

practice the complete joke and when every student is sit down, students can tell

their complete joke to the whole class.

Punch lines

Level: Intermediate

Skill: Speaking

Name of the activity: Quick baccalaureate


Teacher explains to students that they are going to play a game.

Teacher gives a sheet with the game per students

To motivate the students teacher propose the game as a race! The student who

wins the quick baccalaureate will received a price.

Teacher gives the instructions and guides the game all the time

Repeat the instruction twice or as many as necessary.

Games Instruction:

For each category on the left, students have to think in an appropriate word that begins with the letter at the top of the column. The student, who takes less time to do it, will win!

Report:

The students who win have to report what s/he writes on the sheet per column.

Teacher and students have to check if the answers are right.

uick baccalaureate

For each category on the left, think of an appropriate word that begins with the letter at the top of the column.

E

N

G

L

I

S

H

Boys names

Girls names

Animals

Sports

Fruits

Countries

Cities

Verbs

Cartoon characters

TV programs

Q

Level: elementary

Skill: speaking

Name of the activity: Rooms in a house


First :copy and cut up the house plans. You will need one copy for each

pair.

Divide the students into pairs.

Give one student in each pair house plan A and the other house plan b. they

should not show each other their plans.

The object of the game is for each student to find out the names of the

missing rooms and write them in on the plan.

To do this, they will have to tell each other about the rooms in their house

plan: the . Is next to the . , the is on the ground floor etc.

Rooms of the house Do not show your house plan to the partner. Now tell your partner a description of the plan , in order she / he can fill his/her own house plan. Ex: the .. is next to the

Do not show your house plan to the partner. Now tell your partner a description of the plan , in order she / he can fill his/her own house plan. Ex: the .. is next to the



Level: Intermediate

Skill: Listening

Name of the activity: Singing together!


Introduce your students to the audio activity. Ask them: Do you like listening to

music? Do you enjoy singing in the shower? Do you think you sing well?

Teacher explains to the students that they are going to watch and hear a video

about a song

The song is called Wake me up when September ends. Students first, have to

watch and listen to the video, then, listen again and fill in the blanks with the

missing information.

Audio Instructions:

Watch and listen carefully

Watch and listen twice

Write the right missing word

Audio:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU9JoFKlaZ0

inging together

Listen to the song and write the missing words in the blank

Wake me up when September ends

by Green day

Summer has come and passed.

The innocent can never .

Wake me up when September ends.

Like my father's come to pass.

Seven years have gone so .


Here comes the again,

Falling from the stars.

in my pain again,

Becoming who we are.

As my memory

But never forgets what I lost,


Summer has come and passed.



the bells again

Like we did when Spring began.


Here comes the again,

Falling from the stars.

in my pain again,

Becoming who we are.

As my memory

But never forgets what I lost,


Summer has come and passed



Like my father's come to pass.

Twenty years have gone so .




S

Level: Intermediate

Skill: Speaking

Name of the activity: Time off


Give each student a copy of the activity and talk to them about the thing we do

when we have a time off, tell them that you need their help to know what the 6

people need for do their activities.

When they have finished encouraged them to talk about their options with a

partner.

Time off These 6 people have different plans for their time off. What things do they need?

Write on the corresponding lines using the key words below, and then talk with

your partner about it.

Level: Intermediate

Skill: Listening

Name of the activity: Underground


Introduce your students to the audio activity. Ask them: Could you name means of

transport in your country? Are there means of transport that exist in your country

but not in other? Do you like traveling by underground? Do you know other name

for underground?

Teacher explains to the students that they are going to listen to an audio about

means of transports underground.

Audio Instructions:

listen carefully

listen twice


Fill in the gap with the correct missing word

Audio:

http://www.mansioningles.com/Sonidos3/TheLondonUnder.mp3

(Downloadable)

nderground

You will hear a woman buying a ticket of underground in London. Read de

questions first, then listen to the audio and choose the best answer.

1. How much does the ticket cost?

a) 4.40

b) 3.50

c) 5.30

2. Which platform does the train

leave from?

a) Platform 5

b) Platform 3

c) Platform 4

3. What time does the last train

leave?

a) 11.40

b) 11.30

c) 7.40

Fill in the gap with the missing information

, an off-peak travel card

please for zones 1 and 2.

Thats 5.30.

Thanks. platform for

Fenchurch Street?

Platform 3. Down the stairs on your right hand side.

. the last train leaves

Fenchurch Street for here?

The last one is at 11.40.

U

Level: Intermediate

Skill: Listening

Name of the activity: Valentines Day


Tell students that you want to write a love letter with the lyrics of a song but, you

dont have the complete lyrics. Ask students to complete the missing words of the

lyrics for you.

Give them a copy of the lyrics song (my valentine by Paul McCartney) an play the

song the necessary times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=f4dzzv81X9w

alentines Day

Listen carefully and try to complete the lyrics song.

What if it rained?

We didnt _____

She said that someday

soon

The sun was gonna____.

And she was right,

This _____ of mine,

My _______.

As days and nights,

Would _____ me by

I tell myself that I was

_______ for a sign

Then ____ appeared,

A love so fine,

My valentine.

And I ____ love her for life

And I will never let a day

go by

Without remembering the

________ why

She makes me certain

That I can _______

And so I do,

without a _______

I know that ______ soon

the sun is gonna shine

And shell be there

This love of _____

My valentine.

(instrumental)

What if it rained?

We didnt care.

She said that someday

soon

The ____ was gonna

shine

And she was right

This love of mine,

My _________.

V

Level: Intermediate

Skill: Speaking

Name of the activity: When and where?


Write this question and possible answer on the whiteboard. When was released

the movie Titanic? a) 1996 b) 1997 c) 1998.

Ask the students to tell you who was in the movie (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate

Winslet).

Explain that students are going to ask each other general knowledge questions

using passive voice.

Divided students into pairs and give them a sheet A and B one for each. Give

students minutes to read and point you out some questions.

In pairs, students take turns asking each other the questions and giving the three

possible answers.

Point:

The student who answers the most quantity of correct questions is the winner!

hen and where?

In pairs, students take turns asking each other the questions and giving the

three possible answers.

W

Level: intermediate

Skill: Listening

Name of the activity: X- Ray


Begin asking students what they know about X-Ray

Ex:

What it is an X- Ray?

For what X-Ray are useful?

When was invented X-Ray?

Give each student a copy of the activity

Tell students they are going to hear an audio about a person talking about

X-Ray.

Tell them that they are will have to complete the typescript and some other

exercises.

Play the audio as many times as it is needed.

Finish the activity asking them what new they learnt about X-ray

http://listenaminute.com/x/x-rays.html

- rays

1. Listen carefully the audio and complete the missing

words

X-rays ____________________. They were invented a really long time ago. I think

when ____________________, they were real, cutting edge technology. I think a

lot of people ____________________ could see photos of the inside of their body.

So OK, its only ____________________, but still, that was

____________________ fifty years ago. Today, we all have X-rays. Even when we

go to the dentist, we have X-rays ____________________. Of course, X-rays are

not just used in hospitals. Every time we go to an airport ____________________

through an X-ray machine. The security guys can check to see if we have anything

dangerous. Recently, I have seen X-ray machines in all kinds of places even

hotels. I even ____________________ schools.

2. listen again and correct the misspelling words

X-rays are iazangm things. They were invented a really long time ago. I think when

they were tenenvdi, they were real, ntcigtu-edge technology. I think a lot of people

were zedama they could see photos of the inside of their body. So OK, its only

photos of bnseo, but still, that was pretty high-tech fifty years ago. Today, we all

have X-rays. Even when we go to the ttdsine, we have X-rays taken of our ehtte.

Of course, X-rays are not just used in hospitals. Every time we go to an iatrpor we

have to pass through an X-ray machine. The tisuryce guys can check to see if we

have anything dangerous. Recently, I have seen X-ray machines in all kinds of

acpsel even hotels. I even heard they are in schools.

X

Level: Beginner

Skill: Speaking

Name of the activity: Yes or no!


Write some yes/ no questions on the whiteboard. Are you good at spots, music,

dance, etc? Encourage your students to answer the question. Yes, I am / no, I am

not.

Divided the class into groups of four students and give group A worksheet A and

group B worksheet B.

Explain that each group has three minutes to form as many Yes / No questions as

they can from the words on the worksheet. Each group should choose one student

who will write down Yes / No questions the others call out.

Groups A and B have to face each other. The groups take turns asking and

answering the questions they have written.

Point:

For every correct response the groups that answer right gets one point. The group

with the most point wins!

es or no!

Form questions with the words in the box and answer Yes / No questions.

Y

Level: intermediate

Skill: listening

Name of the activity: Zoos


Give each student a copy of the activity

Ask student some of the following questions:

Do you know what a zoo is?

What kind of animal we can find in a zoo?

How animals live in the zoo?

Do they have enough space?

Now tell students that they are going to hear a person talking about what he

thinks about zoos.

The first activity consists in filling the gap and the other in write a short text

about their personal opinion about zoos.

http://listenaminute.com/z/zoos.html

OOS

1. Listen and complete the text.

Zoos are very interesting, but Im not (1) __________________ with them. I like

looking at the animals, but I always feel sorry for them. They (2)

___________________. Most of the time they are in tiny cages. They must (3)

___________________. I think animals need freedom as much as we do. Zoo (4)

___________________ zoos are an important way of educating children. Of

course, thats true. However, with the Internet and television documentaries, there

are (5) ___________________ children can learn about animals. Zoos also argue

they are necessary to (6) __________________ species. That may be true too, but

most of the animals in zoos are (7) ___________________ of extinction. I suppose

zoos are OK if they only have endangered animals and (8) ___________________

for the wild.

2. Write what you think about Zoos

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________.

Z

a to z activity book

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