English Advanced Conversation: Week 4

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Here are the lessons and activities to help my ESL students learn English conversation and develop their critical thinking skills.

Quick Review

Let’s do a quick review of the main things we have learned so far in this class.

  1. We learned vocabulary and communication skills by describing the differences between two similar words. (we need to finish the last half).
  2. We learned a way to think more creatively and clearly by using a method called Six Thinking Hats.
  3. You talked about a sport, hobby or activity by preparing questions and answers using the 6 Thinking Hats.
  4. We learned about 20 to 25 collocations with this video.
  5. We read two stories from the textbook, units 1 and 2.

Things to do This Week

  1. learn about critical thinking by understating arguments, claims and premises
  2. reading homework – Trouble with Fries
  3. sports and hobbies vocabulary and puzzle worksheet
  4. practice speaking English with superlatives
  5. vocabulary review – hint game

Homework

This week, my ESL students have reading homework. I would like you to read an article. Net week, we will discuss the article.

When you read the article I want you to think do three things:

  1. Summarize the writer’s main ideas.
  2. What is the argument? What are the claims and the premises?
  3. Describe two or three hypotheses.
  4. Write down 5-7 comprehension questions.
  5. We will discuss this article in the next Monday class (September 29).

The article is called The Trouble With Fries by Malcolm Gladwell (3 pages). Download that file here.

ESL Speaking Activity

Part A

  1. Watch the video.
  2. Summarize the story.
  3. What do you think is the meaning of the story?

Part B

Analysis: Use De Bono’s 6 Thinking Hats to understand the story from a variety of perspectives.

a Decade from Treehouse on Vimeo.