Monday 10 June 2013

The Biggest and the Best - Superlatives Quiz Game

You are going to
  1. do a quiz practising superlatives
  2. watch part of a BBC Quiz show "The Kids Are All Right" to check your answers
  3. look at some photos to practise comparatives and superlatives
  4. make your own superlatives quiz

    Teacher's note; this is a short activity which acts as an aid to introduce, revise or practise superlatives.








    1) Do a Quiz
    Can you answer these questions?
    Click on the display. Time yourself. You have 10 seconds to answer each question.
    Vocabulary check - alphabetically, borders, sum, southerly










    2) Watch and check your answers
    Now check your answers by watching this clip form the BBC's The Kids Are All Right.
    The Kids are All Right is a general knowledge quiz show where children and teenagers compete against adults to see who is the cleverest.

    Who do you think will win - the kids or the adults?
    Watch and find out.











    3) Practise
    Comparatives and Superlatives
    Can you remember? What were the superlatives in the quiz?
    • What do you know about comparatives and superlatives?
    • When do we use them?
    • How do we make them?
    Look at the presentation below and answer the questions.










    4) Make your own quiz
    • Think of questions to practise superlatives. Use biggest, longest, shortest most popular etc. Have a class quiz and test each other.






    More
    Try these posts for more practice of comparatives and superlatives

    Describe a city - Superlative Southampton Comparatives and Superlatives, Describing a place, Intermediate, Reading, Southampton, Upper Intermediate, Webquest   


    150 Years of The Tube Advanced, CAE, Comparatives and Superlatives, FCE, History, IELTS, Life in the UK, Listening, London, Science, Tube, Upper Intermediate








    Sunday 2 June 2013

    CN U TXT? (Texting, language and mobile phones)

    You are going to
    • watch a short video about the history of the mobile phone
    • do a comprehension quiz
    • look at texting in English
    • look at an infographic on the history of the mobile phone
    • discuss and write about language and the possible effects of technology on language







        1) Discuss
        What do you know about the history of the mobile phone?
        • When was the first mobile phone?
        • What did it look like?









        2) Watch the clip
        A) What do you find out about the history of the mobile phone?





        B) Do the quiz
        Answer the questions.
        Watch the film again if you need to.






        3) Practise
        Can you text in English?
        What text abbreviations do you know?
        Can you match the ones below with their correct spelling?








        4) Translate
        Look at the 10 sentences below. They are from the video. What do they mean?
        Can you translate them into "correct" English?





        5) Discuss
        • Do people use abbreviations to send texts in your language?
        • Why do you think people do it??
        • Do you agree it is "degrading spelling" (having a bad effect on people's ability to spell correctly)?
        • Do you think it is important to spell correctly?
        • In your language who decides what is "correct" spelling or grammar?
        • Do you think that text abbreviations will become normal spelling one day?
        • Do you think it is good for a language to change or should it always stay the same?
        • How does language change and why?
        • Are there words which have become fashionable / unfashionable in your language?
        • What exactly is language?
        • Who or what makes a language what it is?
        • Who decides how we communicate?
        • How do we decide what is language and what is not?
        • In the end who has the final say in what is right or wrong when we communicate?





        6) Write
        "Technology is having a negative effect on young people's written language skills".
        To what extent do you agree with this statement?







        7) Read
        Look at the infographic below
        • How many mobile phones are there in the world?
        • Which country has the highest number of phone subscribers?
        • Who holds the record for the fastest typing on a phone?
        • What did she type?
        • How fast can you type it?





        Printable worksheets are here


        More
        How to text in English




        Try these posts
        Are you always on your phone? Advanced, CAE, FCE, IELTS, Intermediate, Listening, Technology, Upper Intermediate, Writing, Writing an argument, Writing introductions for argument essays

        Could you live without it? Mobile phones, Living without electricity, Advantages and disadvantages, IELTS, Intermediate, Linking words, Listening, Reading, Smartphones, Writing an argument, Contrasting, Technology

        More technology means more communication? Communication, Crossword, IELTS, Intermediate, Technology, Upper Intermediate , Writing an argument