Free TV with in-built translator

This is a fantastic site your students can use to watch TV shows and movies for free. All the programmes have English subtitles, with a built-in translator. There's a limit to how much you can watch in 24 hours (an hour I think), but after that you can subscribe quite cheaply (which I've done!)

So far I've managed to get through Homeland, Outlander, Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey!

http://ororo.tv/en

Happy Viewing!

What's in the News?

This is a really simple lesson plan, but it works like a charm every time and can be used with learners of all different levels.

In my opinion it's effective because it gets students using all four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. All you need to do is bring a selection of newspapers into the classroom. You could start off by getting students to discuss current news stories in smaller groups or brainstorm different types of news stories together as a class.

Click here for lesson

I usually take pens and glue and get students to stick their articles on an A3 sheet of paper, writing the questions and key vocab underneath. If you have a few groups you can photocopy these and swap them over to give lots of reading practice. Students can then say which article they liked best etc..

The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury

This is a reading lesson for more advanced learners based on Ray Bradbury's short story, 'the Pedestrian' (written in 1951) Set in 2053, the story follows Leonard Mead, who "in ten years of walking by night or day" has never met another person out walking....

Click here for reading lesson


Click here for story

The Storekeeper - Short Film Lesson (Upper-Int/Advanced)

This is a pretty shocking short film by the director Gavin Hood (best known for the award winning film Tsotsi). It tells the story of a South African shopkeeper who, after a series of break-ins, decides to take the law into his own hands ...with tragic consequences. So be warned - this lesson isn't for the faint-hearted, and is not suitable for younger learners.

The interesting thing about this film is that it has no dialogue, so it can be used in a number of ways - the most important thing is to get your students talking!

Click here for lesson

Watch the film here or find it on the Tsotsi DVD as a bonus feature.

About a Boy - Film Lesson

Here's an activity to go with one of my favourite British films, 'About a Boy' -  a 2002 comedy-drama directed by Chris and Paul Weitz. It's an adaptation of the 1998 novel of the same name by Nick Hornby and stars Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult. It's a lovely film about love, trust and friendship - themes which appeal to everyone.

Click here for lesson idea

Watch the trailer

Also - Film review template coming soon!

BLACKFISH Documentary Lesson

This lesson is based around the incredibly moving documentary 'Blackfish' which was directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite and premiered at the 2013 Sundance Festival. I've used this lesson with two different classes and on both occasions, the students were glued to the screen throughout, with a very lively class discussion afterwards. The topic is one which seems to get everyone involved - even the quietest students will have something to say.

There are no subtitles available on my DVD, however, I found that the students were able to follow quite easily because of the visual reinforcement (film footage) etc.

Suitable for teens/adults from high Pre-Intermediate upwards.

click here for lesson

Click here for film trailer:

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The Queen - Film Lesson

This lesson is based on the film 'The Queen' which was directed by Stephen Frears and stars Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth. I've used this film several times over the last few years and it always seems to generate a lively discussion around the topic of Diana/ the Monarchy as well as some nice written reviews (which are usually done as homework). Whether you're a fan of the Royals or not, I think this is a really interesting film for ESOL students (probably best for Pre-Int upwards).

Click here for lesson 

Answer key and film review template to follow!

Father Christmas by Ray Bradbury

Hi. Things are getting quite festive around here, so to get into the spirit, here's a lesson based on 'Father Christmas', a short animation by Raymond Briggs. Suitable for Elementary level upwards and ideal for small kids OR big kids!

Click here for lesson

Next Year - Jamie Cullum

Here's an activity about New Year's resolutions, featuring a song by British artist Jamie Cullum. This could be a nice way to round off the year (or start off the new one), and a good way of reviewing 'going to' for future intentions.

Click here for lesson

Watch the video here.

Welcome to my new blog. 

The aim is to share some lesson ideas and materials, mainly for using authentic resources in the EFL classroom in order to motivate learners and bring some of the outside world into the classroom. 

So here goes...