Class ObjectivesHave you ever cut your finger with a knife or a piece of glass? Have you ever tried describing what happened in English? That’s what we’re going to do in this lesson. I will tell my story how I cut my finger on a piece of glass and teach you how to tell your story. By the end of the class, you will have:
Difficulty: White Belt and above MODEL: I Cut My Finger Yesterday I cut my finger yesterday. I was doing the dishes and picked up a whisky glass to wash it. If you know anything about whisky glasses, you know they are slippery and perfectly round, so as I was washing it, it slipped out of my hand. I tried to reach my hand out to grab it quickly, but of course with my soapy fingers, I couldn’t grab it from the air, and it fell onto the floor. -To be honest, I was a little upset that I broke one of my good whisky glasses. I saw the pieces on the ground and bent over to start picking the big pieces up. I just grazed the biggest piece with my thumb, and due to it being so sharp and my fingers wet and soapy, it sliced my thumb right behind the finger nail. It didn’t really hurt, but it started to bleed a lot. I tried to clean it under the water, but that just made more of a mess! Eventually, I took a paper towel and wrapped it around my thumb to stop the bleeding enough to finish cleaning up the glass. After finishing, I went to the bathroom to clean it properly and put a band-aid on the cut. It’s going to be a while until it heals completely because the cut went right over the knuckle, so every time I bend my thumb, it wants to re-open. For those of you who are curious, I posted a picture of it on Instagram. Enjoy. VOCABULARYTake notes about the following words so you can understand the meaning. Use context, dictionary definitions, synonyms, explanations, example sentences, pictures, or any other creative way to learn the new words and phrases. NOTE: Try NOT to use your language to understand the concept. Doing the dishes Picked up Reached out Bent over Pick up Grazed Wrapped it around Cleaning up Band-aid Bend Expressions and Fluency BuildersThese expressions will help you sound more fluent. Brainstorm and see how you can use these in your presentation. ASSIGNMENT: Finish the sentences below with creative endings. as I was + ~ing – Doing A and B at the same time, but B is more important in the story. A) As I was washing… B) ... the glass, it slipped out of my hand and broke. A) As I was saying… B) … _____________________________________________________________. A) As I was watching… B) … _____________________________________________________________. A) As I was waiting... B) … _____________________________________________________________. slipped out of my hand To be honest... due to + |noun| |~ing|
A) Due to… B) … _____________________________________________________________. A) Due to… B) … _____________________________________________________________. A) Due to… B) … _____________________________________________________________. It didn't really It's going to be a while |until| |before| To go right over + something GRAMMARConditionals are some of the most despised parts of English grammar. Is that true for you? That’s because most English classes teach them wrong. What is the structure of the 2nd conditional? Who cares! Learn expressions with this grammar instead of learning the grammar and trying to remember the structure when you’re speaking. Let’s look at some grammar from the text. If you know anything about whisky glasses, you know they’re slippery and perfectly round. Zero Conditional: Something is generally or always true. If + present simple, (then) + present simple. Expression: “If you know anything about ___________, you know ________________.” Use this expression to explain one big characteristic that identifies something or somebody. Assignment: Write this form with up to five different examples.
Every time I bend my thumb, it wants to re-open. It wants to + verb. Personification: giving human characteristics to non-human things. Assignment: Use the objects below and write a sentence using personification.
PREPAREBrainstorm and write down ideas for your story of when you cut yourself. Think about the W questions (who, what, where, when, why, how). Also think about the transition words, phrasal verbs, and fluency builders you will use in your story. YOUR TASK: Tell Your Story Now it’s your turn to tell your story of when you cut yourself. Write a short story about how you cut your finger and what you were doing to cut your finger. Use the grammar and expressions from this lesson if it’s applicable.
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Class Objectives What do you like to do in your free time? This is a very common question, so let’s learn how to answer it! We enjoy talking about things we’re interested in, especially when we find somebody who has a common interest. Let’s work on expressions to talk about your hobby. By the end of the class, you will have:
Difficulty: White Belt and above MODEL : It’s a Metaphor of Life To be honest, between fathering and working, I don’t have a lot of time for hobbies. I enjoy exercising when I can, and I should get back into it. I used to do yoga and running. I used to do yoga and jogging. I’ve kinda gotten out of that routine, but I want to get back into it. I guess learning is my main hobby. I’m enjoying learning a ton about video and design, business, aesthetics, people, not to mention my language and how to teach it. I’m not a big sports fan, but I enjoy watching and reading about MMA, or mixed martial arts. I like it because, to me, MMA is a metaphor for life. Each person involved in a fight (fighters, coaches, nutritionists, and their entire team) prepare for weeks and have a plan to achieve a specific goal. In MMA, the goal is to defeat a specific person in a 1-on-1 athletic competition. And then they go in and try to execute that plan. This is what we do in life, isn’t it? We have a goal (exam certificate, X university, Y job, going to Z country, etc.), and then we work towards achieving that goal. That is, if you’re a goal-oriented person. If not, you could still enjoy it for the sport. Especially if you pick up on some of the techniques and strategy. There's something for everybody. If you like knockouts, there are plenty of those. If you don't like violence that much, you might enjoy the jiu-jitsu since there is no punching and kicking. Anyway, this is me and what I like; now I’d like to hear about you. Tell me about your hobby and what you like to do. You should say:
VOCABULARYTake notes about the following words so you can understand the meaning. Use context, dictionary definitions, synonyms, explanations, example sentences, pictures, or any other creative way to learn the new words and phrases. NOTE: Please do NOT use your language to understand the concept. running/jogging (n)(v) a ton/ a ton of (adj) aesthetics (n) go in (phrasal verb) goal-oriented (adj) pick up on (phrasal verb) FLUENCY BUILDERS and EXPRESSIONSThese expressions will help you sound more fluent. Brainstorm and see how you can use these in your presentation. To be honest - a lot of time (uncountable) / many times (countable). I guess... Not to mention... To (not) be a big fan I like it because... That is... By the time… As I said before… There's something for everybody. GRAMMARQuestion tags are used to engage the other person in your conversation. They are a small detail, but if used correctly, they can make a BIG DIFFERENCE in making you sound more fluent. There are some basic things to remember when using question tags. 1. Use the opposite form If the verb in the sentence is positive, the question tag is negative. If the verb is negative, the question tag is positive. This is what we do in life, isn’t it? This isn't the final product, is it? You didn't see that movie, did you? You saw that movie, didn't you? 2. Intonation changes the communication Use up intonation in your voice to communicate a genuine question. You didn't see that movie, did you? Use down intonation in your voice to make a statement You didn't see that movie, did you? METAPHOR for life A metaphor is using one thing to directly describe another thing. A = B "The world is a stage. And all the men and women are merely players." - William Shakespeare - The world = a stage That goal keeper was a brick wall during the championship match. Nothing was getting through! - The goal keeper = brick wall To me, MMA is a metaphor for life. - MMA = how life seems in certain aspects. Write 5 examples of metaphors either describing your hobby or about something else. 1. ________________________________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________________________________________ 4. ________________________________________________________________________ 5. ________________________________________________________________________ YOUR TASK: Talk About Your HobbyNow it’s your turn to talk about your hobby or interest. Use these fluency builders, vocabulary, and other language tools to share about your hobby. Share your presentation with me on Facebook or in class.
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Class Objectives
By the end of the class, you will have:
Difficulty:White Belt and above MODEL : Introduce MyselfHi, I am Jesse Sweed. I’m originally from the US, and I am 38 years old. I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, but I’ve also lived in South Korea and currently live in Spain. I have been an English teacher since 2006, and I’m the founder of Sweed Academy, an online English school. Let me talk about some of my interests. I'd like to tell you about some of my interests. Something that I really enjoy is problem solving. I enjoy it when I see a problem... or several problems, and I have to find creative solutions to figure them out. For example, creating videos, lessons, and other ways to help people learn. My students have a problem or need, and we work together to find a solution for that problem. Problem-solving helps me in my teaching, but also parenting as well. As my kids learn and grow, I find myself learning a lot about myself, teaching, and life in general. Aside from teaching and creating videos, I’ve also studied and trained various martial arts for most of my life. Besides teaching and creating videos, I’ve also studied and trained various martial arts for most of my life. Other than teaching and creating videos, I’ve also studied and trained various martial arts for most of my life. I started wrestling at nine (years old), and then I started tae-kwon-do when I was about twelve (years old) and trained until I became a black belt. After that, I started coaching. In my adult years, I started training kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, and I’ve even started practicing yoga. I love jiu-jitsu, which is a martial art that I would recommend to anybody, especially girls and women because of the self-defense and confidence it can give you. Between fathering and working, I don’t have much time for hobbies these days. I am a husband and a father of two children. I have a daughter who is 3 years old and a son who is only 5 months old at the time I'm writing this. I enjoy being a father more than I ever imagined I would, and I can’t really put into words how it feels, but it’s wonderful. This is me, now I’d like to hear about you. Tell me about anything about yourself that you’d like. Tell me about where you live, what you like to do, your family, your friends, your dreams, or anything else you’d like to share. I look forward to meeting you! VOCABULARYTake notes about the following words so you can understand the meaning. Use context, dictionary definitions, synonyms, explanations, example sentences, pictures, or any other creative way to learn the new words and phrases. NOTE: Please do NOT use your language to understand the concept. Originally (adv.) – This is used to talk about how something started. The founder of (n) - The starter of a company or a business Interest (n) - To enjoy doing something Figure out (phrasal verb) - To solve something As well - too/ also Various (adj) - many different kinds of something Even - Use this to emphasize Father (n) (v) - This can be used as a noun or a verb FLUENCY BUILDERS and EXPRESSIONSThese expressions will help you sound more fluent. Brainstorm and see how you can use these in your presentation. To be born and raised - I find myself ~ing - Let’s talk about/ I'd like to tell you about ______ - Aside from / Besides/ Other than ________ After that... - Because of the... - I don’t have much time for… - Two years apart By the time… As I said before… GRAMMARPast simple and Present perfect are used to talk about the past, but they are often confused by students. Here are some tricks that may help you. -Past Simple- Something in a specific time in the past. I started wrestling at nine years old, and then I started taekwondo when I was about twelve years old. -Present Perfect- Abstract things in the past I’ve also lived in South Korea and currently live in Spain. or something that starts in the past and continues to present. I’ve also studied and trained various martial arts for most of my life. -FOR and SINCE- For– talk about the DURATION of an action Since– talk about the START of an action I’ve worked as an English teacher for 12 years. I’ve worked as an English teacher since 2006. Use these grammar forms to tell me about yourself. You can certainly use both to talk about your past. 1. ________________________________________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________________________________________ 4. ________________________________________________________________________ 5. ________________________________________________________________________ YOUR TASK: Introduce YourselfNow it’s your turn to introduce yourself. Use these fluency builders and forms of past simple and present perfect to give a proper introduction of yourself. Share your introduction with me on Facebook or in class.
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