What is the most important innovation of the last 100 years?

You are going to

• discuss innovation and invention
• listen to descriptions of 3 inventions
• do some comprehension exercises based on the clips
• do a presentation on your choice for the most important innovation of the last 100 years / take part in a balloon debate

1) Discuss
What do you think are the most important innovations or inventions of the last 100 years?
Make a list and choose 3.

• Why are they important?
• Who invented them?
• What would life be like without them?

2) Listen
You are going to listen to three people talk about the innovation they think is the the most important of the last 100 years.
The choices are taken from http://www.topbritishinnovations.org/

Tim Berners-Lee

1) Brian Eno talks about the World Wide Web

Brian Eno is a musician.
Why does he think the world wide web is important?

Click play below to listen

listen to ‘Brian Eno talks the world wide web...’ on Audioboo

Now do the gap-fill exercise

Read more http://www.topbritishinnovations.org/PastInnovations/WorldWideWeb.aspx

Alexander Flemming

2) Sir Paul Nurse talks about Penicillin

Sir Paul Nurse is President of the Royal Society (the UK’s national academy of science) and also a Nobel Laureate.

Why does he think penicillin is important?

Click play below to listen

listen to ‘Sir Paul Nurse ’ on Audioboo

Now do the sentence matching exercises below.

Read more http://www.topbritishinnovations.org/PastInnovations/Penicillin.aspx




 

LEO

3) Georgina Ferry talks about LEO 
(the first business computer)

Georgina Ferry is a science writer.
Why does she think LEO is important?

Click play below to listen

listen to ‘Georgina Ferry’ on Audioboo

Now answer the questions below.

Read more http://www.topbritishinnovations.org/PastInnovations/LEOI.aspx

Printable worksheets here





3) Read
Read and vote for the top British Innovation here

Top British Innovations A - Z

 

4) Speak
Activity - Balloon debate. The most important innovation of the last 100 years.
Choose an invention that you think is the most important and present your argument to the class.
The class votes for the best one.

• Introduce yourself
• Introduce the innovation / invention
• Give some background detail - Why was the invention needed?
• Who invented it? How? When? Where?
• What  effect has it had on modern life?
• What would life be today without it?
• Why should your classmates vote for it? 

You can find some help on presentations here Presentations: How to Present Yourself








Now try these posts

Accidental Inventions and Hidden Heroes  FCE, Intermediate, Inventions, Inventors, Listening, Past Continuous, Past Simple, Science, Tenses Review, Upper Intermediate 

Looking to the Future - Activities and Achievements, Discussion Activities, Future, Future Continuous, Future Perfect, Intermediate, Predictions, Targets, Technology, Upper Intermediate

Accidental Inventions and Hidden Heroes

You are going to

• practise past simple and past continuous
• watch a video about inventions and do a matching exercise 
• watch a video about a science exhibition and do a quiz
• listen to a radio interview about what motivates inventors and do a gap-fill
• read an interview with inventor Mark Champkins
• discuss and describe inventions
• write about an invention

1) Video 1 - Discuss

• What are the most useful inventions that we use today?
• What couldn't you live without?
• Is it a simple everyday object like a pen or a paper clip or something more complex?

You are going to watch a video called "10 Accidental Inventions"

• What inventions do you think they are?
• Why do you think they are called "accidental"?

Watch and find out

2) Matching exercise

Match the beginnings of the sentences with the ends. Watch the video again if you need to.

3) Grammar

Look at the sentences again. How many tenses are there?
Which phrases are Past Simple?
Which are Past Continuous?
What's the difference between the Past Simple and Continuous?
Not sure? Look here

4) Video 2 - Discuss

You are going to watch a clip about an exhibition called the "Hidden Heroes Exhibition."

• Who do you think are the "Hidden Heroes?
• Why do you think they have called them "hidden"?
• What kind of objects do you think are in the exhibition?

Watch the clip




Now answer these questions. Watch the video again if you need to.

5) Discuss - Listen

Rawlplugs and screws

• Do you agree that the objects in the Hidden Heroes exhibition are very important?
• Why do inventors invent things?
• What do you think is the main motivation for inventing? 

Listen to an interview with inventor Mark Champkins on BBC World Tonight and find out.





Fill in the gaps in the summary with the verbs from the list. Choose them from the drop-down menu.

Printable version available here

6) Reading

Interview with Mark Champkins. Look at the questions.

• What inspired you to become an inventor?
• What is your favourite invention ever?
• What invention could you not live without?
• Which object in the museum is the most inspirational or influenced your time here so far?

Go here to read Mark's answers
http://sciencemuseumdiscovery.com/blogs/insight/inventor-in-residence/

7) Discuss

• What would you invent if you could?
• What inventions does the world need now? Why?

8) Writing / Discussion

What invention couldn't you live without?

Describe it.

• Is it a simple everyday object or something more complex?
• What's it for?
• What kind of design has it got?
• Has the design changed much since it was invented?

Look on the internet. Find out some history

• Who invented it?
• Where was it invented?
• Was it invented by accident?
• Why and how was it invented?
• What were they trying to do when they invented it (what else were they working on)?

What do you think about it?

• Why is it important?
• What did it change or make better for people?
• What couldn't we do without it?
• Why couldn't you live without it?

Write about your invention
Write it using 3 - 4 paragraphs (see above)
Don't forget to have an introduction (say what it is and why you are choosing it)
and a conclusion (your opinion of it / why couldn't you live without it and why you think it's important)

More practice

More reading
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/hiddenheroes


More past continuous and past simple
http://efllecturer.blogspot.com/2011/04/past-continuous-with-gifs_12.html
http://efllecturer.blogspot.com/2011/04/past-simple-past-continuous-with-gif.html


More inventions http://efllecturer.blogspot.com/2011/12/what-would-have-happened-if-10.html

What would have happened if..? 10 Inventors Killed By Their Own Inventions (3rd Conditional)

You are going to

• discuss inventors and inventions
• watch a video about inventors and inventions
• do some comprehension activities based on the video which introduce and practise the 3rd conditional
• look at and practise the 3rd conditional using photos from a presentation
• reflect on the past and say what you would have done differently using the 3rd conditional

1) Discuss

• Who invented television?
• Who invented the internet?
• What famous inventors do you know?
• What did they invent?
• What modern activities did they make possible?
• What do you think have been the most important inventions in history?

2) Video clip - "10 inventors who were killed by their own inventions"

Before you watch, look at the list of inventors and inventions below.
The names are in the correct order but the inventions are not. As you watch, match the name with the correct invention. 

• Can you guess any before you watch?
• The inventors were killed by their own inventions. How do you think they died?

The numbers are in reverse order as the video is a top 10 countdown. One is done for you.
You can drag and drop the inventions.

Watch the video and check.

3) Discuss

All of the inventors were killed by their own inventions.
If they had known...

• What would the inventors have changed?
• What would they have done differently?

4) Match the beginnings and ends of these sentences

How much can you remember?
The beginnings and ends of the sentences below have been mixed up.
Match the beginnings of the sentences in the left hand column with the ends in the right hand column.
The first is done for you.
You can drag and drop the ends of the sentences.
Watch the video again if you need to check.

Note  for 3 and 4 - been strangled and been convicted are passives.
Printable version here

5) Presentation on the 3rd conditional

If the inventors had been more careful, they would have lived.
If we are imagining changes in the past what language do we use?
Look at all the sentences in ex 4. How do we make the 3rd conditional?
Look at the presentation to check.

3rd Conditional from David Mainwood

6) Discuss / Practise

Reflect on the past. Think. Imagine.
In the last 12 months...

• What would you have done if you'd had more time?
• Would you have studied more English?
• Would you have looked for a new job?
• What would you have done differently if you'd had other choices?

Do you have any regrets in life?

• What would you have changed if you'd had the chance? If I'd had the chance I would have...
• If you had known a year ago what you know now, what would or wouldn't you have done differently in the last 12 months? If I'd known 12 months ago that ..., I would have...
• What would you have changed in your childhood or when you were at school / college / university ? If I had studied music, I would have learnt to sing
• What things wouldn't you have done? If I had known .., I wouldn't have...
  

7) Reading

Who are the top 10 most popular inventors?
What did they invent?
Find out here http://inventors.about.com/od/inventorsalphabet/tp/popularinventor.htm

Here's a list of inventors and their inventions. Find 5 which you think are the most useful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_inventors
Can you make some sentences in the 3rd conditional?.
Imagine...

If Tim Berners Lee hadn't invented the world wide web, they wouldn't have sold so many computers

If John Logie Baird hadn't invented TV, we wouldn't have been able to watch so many TV programmes

How many UK children think the Queen invented the telephone?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8565258.stm





8) More practice
More practice on 3rd Conditional 
http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/thirdconditional/exercise2.swf

http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/thirdconditional/exercise3.swf

More All Time 10s
http://www.facebook.com/alltime10s

http://www.youtube.com/alltime10s
Many thanks to All Time 10s who provided the video in this post with incredible speed when I asked about the idea on their facebook page. If they hadn't provided the video, this post would not have been possible!