First Lessons: ABC, Numbers and Past Simple (Speaking, Listening and Writing Activities)

Plenty of ideas on what to teach or revise with students during a first lesson: ranging from numbers, the ABC to past simple.

In this post, you will find activities and worksheets on:

1. Numbers

2. The ABC

3. Past Simple (Speaking Activity Holiday Liars)

1. Numbers

What students ought to know very well when they learn technical English are numbers. Therefore it is useful to revise them at the very beginning ... and also a few times along the way ;)

Numbers worksheet

Numbers powerpoint answers

Once you have been through numbers, you can get students to play a guessing game with numbers to practise saying and listening to numbers. Student A chooses a number and the rest of the group has to guess which number it is. Students A has to tell students if the number that he has in mind is higher or lower by saying 'more' or 'less'.

Example:
B. 500
A. more
C. 1000
A. less
D. 750
A. more
...

Finally, you can introduce them to the American pronunciation of numbers. Students are often taken aback by the American pronunciation of numbers, which leads them to miss crucial information during listening activities. Here is a listening activity for them to practice understanding numbers when they are said by North-American people within a flow of spoken information, namely a presentation.

Students listen and write down 4 numbers that are said by R. Saik during the first minute of his TedxTalk.

Pushing the Boundaries of Agriculture

There is a whole set of activities based on this talk in this article:

 TEDx Talk Listening, Grammar and Pronunciation Skills Lesson: How to Introduce Yourself, Present Perfect Progressive, Since and For  



2. ABC

The objective is to revise the pronunciation of the letters of the alphabet and more specifically those that are confusing for students such as A, E, I, G, J, R.

ABC sounds

Then by spelling PARIS, you can check if students really got their heads around the pronunciation of A, I and R. Then they can practise in groups by choosing names of places, people and/or technical references of parts or vehicles



3. Grammar

Here is a speaking activity that will enable your students to practise speaking using the past tense, while also practising their listening skills.

Holiday Liars: Students talk about their summer break, whether they worked or just stayed home. But they must include a lie. The rest of the class has to listen and find the false element in their description.

It is a good idea to revise the pronunciation of -ed beforehand through a simple exercise like this one:

Pronunciation of -ed

You can also find an A3 printable poster of my making for the classroom in this article:

Poster: Pronunciation of Final -ED

Cécile Sohier 

Difficult Keywords Explained - Roxana: The Fortunate Misstress Glossary

A glossary of difficult words from the novel by Daniel Defoe, Roxana: The Fortunate Mistress. For each word, this glossary provides a definition in English and a page number.

Given that I am such a "word lists freak", I thought of doing this glossary on the last novel that I read and sharing it on this blog. 

The glossary can be used upfront, by reading it before starting the novel. This way you know what to expect and watch out for. It is also probably more effective in memorizing the words. I have managed to narrow the glossary down to 36 difficult words which are either critical to understanding important passages of the novel, or recurrent throughout the novel. That way I have managed to make the glossary fit on one page so that it is more manageable should you wish to print it out and use it as a reference.

Here is the link to the Google Doc Document:

Roxana: The Fortunate Mistress Glossary

Also, the edition of the novel that I worked with uses the original edition of 1724 so the spelling is sometimes different (i.e. myrth (mirth), sculk (skulk), dumfounded (dumbfounded)...) 

The page number allows the reader to find the words in the book, providing you have the same edition of course, namely:

Daniel Defoe. Roxana: The Fortunate Mistress [1724]. John Mullan, ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press (Oxford World’s Classics), 2008.

To finish I would like to share a little story with you. Until recently I was never really aware that it was a little weird to enjoy listing vocabulary so much, I just thought it was the sinequanon condition to effective language learning. As I was trying to praise the virtues of listing to my students (rather painfully I have to say), I shared an anecdote with them on how I used to place vocabulary lists on top of one another on my bedroom wall. I was living in Russia as an English teacher at the time so I had a myriad of words to memorize in both English and Russian. Then I heard one of the students say:"We don't have the same idea of fun." It really took me aback at first but I quickly (and as kindly as I could)replied: "This is not how I have fun, This is how I learn vocabulary". 

I often tell students that the best way to effectively memorize vocabulary is to use it and/or to see it in context (i.e. in a text or audio). Good luck trying to use 'dismal' or 'hitherto' in a conversation, unless you want to sound like you are a Quaker who travelled through time.

If I had to rewrite the above story using the words from the glossary (by no means would I ever pretend to write in Defoe's style), it would probably go like this (although most are words I have quite frankly just found out about so there might be some inaccuracies):

I was extolling the virtues of listing to my students when one of them slighted me with the most inappropriate comment that I had not forboded. I was dumfounded and a little fuddled. But I own he was only jesting so I did my best not to take it as slander and scold or harangue him, lest the lesson should not be glutted with the usual myrth and laughter. I got out of this snare notwithstanding the dismal particulars of the situation :). 

I can't really think of a situation in which I would want or need to write like this, but I have to admit I am likely to remember these words for some time! 

Cécile Sohier 

Poster: Pronunciation of final -s (present simple)

A printable A3 educational poster on the three different ways to pronounce the final letter "-s" of verbs in present simple.

This poster was designed using Piktochart.

Check out my other posters:

Poster: Phrasal Verbs Related to Farm Equipment and Farming

Poster: Pronunciation of Final -ED

Cécile Sohier 

Poster: Pronunciation of Final -ED

A printable A3 educational poster on the three different ways to pronounce the final letters 'ED' of verbs in preterit and/or past participle.

This poster was designed with Piktochart, which I find to be more suitable for the purpose of designing educational posters than other tools such as Google Draw or Libre Office Draw. (as you can read in the post I wrote on my first intent to create a poster: Phrasal Verbs Related to Farm Equipment and Farming).

Also, my 9-year-old son helped me pick the space theme for the poster and advised me on the design. So it is a family creation if you will ;)

 

 Check out my other posters:

Poster: Phrasal Verbs Related to Farm Equipment and Farming

Cécile Sohier 

Poster: Phrasal Verbs Related to Farm Equipment and Farming

A printable A3 educational poster on phrasal verbs that can be used to talk about farm equipment and farming. 

I compiled a list of 11 phrasal verbs related to farm equipment and laid them out on the poster along with a definition and an example. This poster can be printed out and taped (or blu-tacked ;) ) on the walls of the classroom. 

If you think of any other phrasal verbs, please leave them in the comments below. I will add them and/or create another poster :) 

You are welcome to use the jpeg file. However, if you are going to print it on A3 paper, I would strongly recommend using the link to the Google Draw file above the JPEG picture. Google Draw doesn't give the choice of resolution when you convert the file to jpeg or pdf; so note to myself: never use Google Draw again to create a poster! Beginner's mistake!

I made a second attempt eventually on LibreOffice Draw which is slightly more conclusive, despite the fact that I had to change some font that I really liked from Google Draw. The main advantage here was that I was able to convert my work into a good resolution JPEG file (not possible on Google Draw)

Farm Equipment Phrasal Verbs Google Draw

Check out my other posters:

Poster: Pronunciation of Final -ED

Cécile Sohier 

Tractor Warranty Issue / English for Mechanics: Listening and Speaking Exercises - BTS Final Exam (CCF)

Students learn about warranty issues on a tractor, revise the vocabulary of farming and mechanics, practice their listening skills with the video and speaking skills through a roleplay.

The Bottom Line: Tractor Trouble

1. Put the words below back into the text:

coverage, spreading, bought, sell, baling, reliable, dealer, warranty,  hydraulics, repairs, worse, owner, have to.

Tractor trouble. A young dairy farmer who said his work is already struggling to survive is dealt another blow to his bottom line. The new tractor that he recently __________ 1 for close to $ 75.000. He says is basically unusable and the issues which should be covered under __________2, he says, he couldn’t get fixed. That’s why he turned to me, to help get the bottom line. In every field, there is one item critical to the task at hand. And in this field, it is … the tractor.

What exactly would you be using this tractor for here on this farm?

Hum, _________3 hay, __________4 manure, feeding the cows.

Jeremy Corona grew up on the farm. He’s run his own Corona Extra Farm for the last few years. It’s a one-tractor farm so when he needed a new tractor, he wanted to buy it new.

I need something that’s gonna be __________5.

So he went with this beauty. A brand new Case International tractor from a local _________6. Total purchase price: close to 75 grand. His paperwork shows that it was sold with a Case factory warranty. The company’s website stipulates that includes 24 months or 2 years of full machine _________7. It took effect when he bought the tractor in August 2011 and ran right through the end of August this year and it turns out, he says, he would need it.

It functions really good for the first about year and then it started by the spring of the following year, it started acting a little bit weird. We had some problems, so they came out and worked on it.

But that work, Corona says, wouldn’t be enough. By the fall of 2012, he tells me, the transmission blew, the odd gears went and __________ 8 were needed again.

I had them come out and they worked on it and the guy said ‘there is no more damage you can really do’ so he said to keep it running.

And that’s what he did right through the winter but this time, Corona says the problems got _________9. He says he tried to have the dealer fix it once more but this is where his fight started running out of gas.

I called I talked to the service manager. He was real good, he said we’ll get it right in and then that afternoon the _________ 10 called up and he said I’m not working on it.

Corona says Case told him his case was closed and the dealer didn’t ________11 do the work even though, Corona says, he was trying to get it done within his two-year warranty.

It should be covered right till then, the engine, transmission, ___________ 12 and stuff.

So if this doesn’t work, what does that mean for you here.

Probably means for me to _______ 13 out and call it quits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=142&v=yRC_CzrYMUA

2. Vocabulary:

Match the words in bold in the transcript to their translation in French  

un producteur laitier		bénéfice
acheter (acheté)		une garantie
faire des balles de foin		étaler du fumier
un concessionnaire		prendre effet
un rapport de vitesse impair		un dégât
une usine		avoir besoin
le foin		devoir
pire		être couvert par
l’année suivante		le prix d’achat
vendre (vendu)		un directeur
fiable		des réparations
le propriétaire		son dossier
inutilisable

3. Grammar. Past simple, passive, need and have to. Translate the following extract from the transcript

A brand new Case International tractor from a local dealer. Total purchase price: close to 75 grand. His paperwork shows that it was sold with a Case factory warranty. The company’s website stipulates that includes 24 months or 2 years of full machine coverage. It took effect when he bought the tractor in August 2011 and ran right through the end of August this year and it turns out, he says, he would need it. Corona says Case told him his case was closed and the dealer didn’t have to do the work even though, Corona says, he was trying to get it done within his two-year warranty.

4. Speaking:

A You are the TV presenter and you are meeting a Case International representative in order to get the dealer to fix Corona’s tractor within the tractor warranty. Be prepared to explain the situation and the farmer’s viewpoint. You will need to provide some convincing arguments and negotiate a deal.

B You are a Case International representative and you are meeting the TV presenter. You know that she will try to get you to agree to repair a tractor that is not currently covered by the warranty. Be prepared to reject her arguments and negotiate a deal to avoid any negative publicity for your brand and the dealer.

More articles on English for Mechanics:

Fixing Tractor Hydraulics: Listening Activity to Learn English for Mechanics

Tractor Transmission: Mechanics Vocabulary Quiz

Tractor Troubleshooting Vocabulary Speaking Lesson

Tractor Buying Facts: Reading Activity and Oral Presentation Skills Practice

Tractor Troubleshooting English for Mechanics Listening Lesson

Cécile Sohier