Saturday, 14 July 2018

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.





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:


Cécile Sohier 

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About the Author

Cécile Sohier is an English teacher specialising in Technical English, ESP (English for Specific Purposes), Business English, and EFL/ESL teaching. She creates classroom-ready resources and shares practical ideas for teaching English in secondary schools, vocational education, and professional contexts.

Teaching Technical English focuses on:
• Technical English vocabulary and communication
• ESP lesson plans and teaching strategies
• Business English activities and resources
• EFL/ESL classroom materials for teachers
• Practical English for real-life and workplace situations

All articles are written to support English teachers, language educators, and learners looking for clear, usable, and authentic teaching materials.

© Cécile Sohier – Teaching Technical English

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Friday, 6 July 2018

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 ;)



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


Cécile Sohier 

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About the Author

Cécile Sohier is an English teacher specialising in Technical English, ESP (English for Specific Purposes), Business English, and EFL/ESL teaching. She creates classroom-ready resources and shares practical ideas for teaching English in secondary schools, vocational education, and professional contexts.

Teaching Technical English focuses on:
• Technical English vocabulary and communication
• ESP lesson plans and teaching strategies
• Business English activities and resources
• EFL/ESL classroom materials for teachers
• Practical English for real-life and workplace situations

All articles are written to support English teachers, language educators, and learners looking for clear, usable, and authentic teaching materials.

© Cécile Sohier – Teaching Technical English

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Monday, 28 May 2018

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)


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



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

Check out my other posters:

Poster: Pronunciation of Final -ED

Cécile Sohier 

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About the Author

Cécile Sohier is an English teacher specialising in Technical English, ESP (English for Specific Purposes), Business English, and EFL/ESL teaching. She creates classroom-ready resources and shares practical ideas for teaching English in secondary schools, vocational education, and professional contexts.

Teaching Technical English focuses on:
• Technical English vocabulary and communication
• ESP lesson plans and teaching strategies
• Business English activities and resources
• EFL/ESL classroom materials for teachers
• Practical English for real-life and workplace situations

All articles are written to support English teachers, language educators, and learners looking for clear, usable, and authentic teaching materials.

© Cécile Sohier – Teaching Technical English

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Saturday, 28 April 2018

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.








  1. 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








  1. 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.


  1. 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 

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About the Author

Cécile Sohier is an English teacher specialising in Technical English, ESP (English for Specific Purposes), Business English, and EFL/ESL teaching. She creates classroom-ready resources and shares practical ideas for teaching English in secondary schools, vocational education, and professional contexts.

Teaching Technical English focuses on:
• Technical English vocabulary and communication
• ESP lesson plans and teaching strategies
• Business English activities and resources
• EFL/ESL classroom materials for teachers
• Practical English for real-life and workplace situations

All articles are written to support English teachers, language educators, and learners looking for clear, usable, and authentic teaching materials.

© Cécile Sohier – Teaching Technical English

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Sunday, 25 March 2018

Farm Equipment Vocabulary Game: a Speaking and Listening Activity

Students revise or learn farm equipment names and related vocabulary through a guessing game, and practise their speaking and listening skills.




It is a guessing game based on the game Who's Who but instead of people, students are playing with farm equipment. 

There are 2 grids for a total of 24 machines (12 in each grid)



It is probably simpler for them to play in pairs (student A and B). Both students have the same grid. They choose an equipment from their grid. They then take turns to ask questions in order to guess the equipment picked by their partner.


Example of dialogue: 

A. Is it used to bale? 
B. Yes.
A. Is it a round baler?
B. No. Is it used to dig in the ground?
A. Yes. 
B. Is it a digger?
A. Yes. Does it make square bales?
B. Yes.
A. Is it a square baler? Yes.



Example of questions:

Is it used to + Verb ...?

Does it + Verb ...?

Can you use it to + Verb ...?



Vocabulary:


to harvest = moissonner a donné la machine harvester

to bale = faire des balles ⇒ baler / square = carré / round = rond
windrow = andain ⇒ windrower
to spray = pulvériser ⇒ sprayer
to spread = répandre ⇒ spreader / manure = fumier / fertiliser = engrais
to mow = tondre ⇒ mower
to load = charger ⇒ loader / front = devant
seed = graine ⇒ seeder
to blow = souffler ⇒ blower / straw = paille / hay = foin
to grab = attraper ⇒ grabber / bale = balle
to dig = creuser ⇒ digger
to feed = nourrir ⇒ feeder / silage = ensilage

to sow = semer - a seed = graine  a seeder


Students revise or learn farm equipment names and related vocabulary through a guessing game, and practise their speaking and listening skills.


Cécile Sohier 


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About the Author

Cécile Sohier is an English teacher specialising in Technical English, ESP (English for Specific Purposes), Business English, and EFL/ESL teaching. She creates classroom-ready resources and shares practical ideas for teaching English in secondary schools, vocational education, and professional contexts.

Teaching Technical English focuses on:
• Technical English vocabulary and communication
• ESP lesson plans and teaching strategies
• Business English activities and resources
• EFL/ESL classroom materials for teachers
• Practical English for real-life and workplace situations

All articles are written to support English teachers, language educators, and learners looking for clear, usable, and authentic teaching materials.

© Cécile Sohier – Teaching Technical English

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