The purpose of this trial lesson is to give a sample of the level and content found in Speakout Advanced. For more information please view the course page.
This book is suitable for the following levels:;
| TOEIC | TOEFL IBT | IELTS |
|---|---|---|
| 800+ | 95+ | 7.0+ |
This lesson is about wisdom and advice. You will learn new expressions for explaining advice you have been given. You can use the same language to introduce sayings and truisms to support a story.
Introduce this lesson by saying something like this:
Let's take a look at this page from the book. It is about wisdom and advice. You will learn how to give advice or support a story by referring to a saying or advice you have been given. Do you know what a 'saying' is?
- Yes? Good.
- No? A saying is a really common expression that everyone knows. It usually is some lesson or wisdom about life, like "Kill two birds with one stone" or "When in Rome, do as the Romans" (both of these are common in Japanese).
Using sayings and advice from someone is a good way to add to your story or comments. If you study this book, you will learn to talk about whether or not you think a saying is good advice*. Because sometimes sayings are just bad advice!
*It is important to give a student some idea of what other kinds of things they can learn if they choose a particular book.
Tell your student something like this:
When you do this book, feel free to spend a long or short time on each part depending on how interesting you think it is. Please relax and enjoy the topics. This book will help you with all your English skills: writing, reading, speaking, listening, vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation...
Remind them that this textbook is supposed to be interesting, so if there are any topics they want to skip, that's totally fine.
In terms of homework, there are grammar, listening and reading exercises. All of them can be done in class or at home, depending on what the student prefers.
Let's start!
This is a page from the textbook, please start from 1A.
This is all discussion, so it should be fun, interactive and there should be plenty to learn. You won't need the teachers' book for this. The pace is a bit fast, but we want to get students to a point where they can integrate this language into a short story.
1A
Read 1A and discuss advice quickly. Try to get the student chatting about the topic.
(1 minute)
1B
You don't need to do all of the phrases from 1B. Choose two of the most interesting (things you can easily disagree with or tell a story about that is relevant). Ask your student if they can make a comment that is relevant to one of the sayings. Make sure you start to give corrections (try out some different ways or correction to see what the student responds best to) and, importantly, suggestions of better ways to say things:
That's great. Another thing you could say here, is...
or
I see. You could use the word "..." here. Do you know it? It means..., but it is more sophisticated/interesting/colourful/descriptive.
(4 minutes)
2A&B-1
Read either Branson (2) or Page (3). Goodall is a bit long. Tell your student, "Let's read one of these short ones. Do you want to read 2 or 3?"
Don't worry about matching advice. Just discuss the advice the person received and whether or not the student thinks it is right or wrong/good or bad.
(2 minutes)
Time to teach some new language. Sayings are often introduced into conversation with:
- My friend/mother/boss told me...
- My friend/mother/boss always taught me that...?
You might also want to teach something like this (change "Japan" if your student is not Japanese):
- We have this saying in Japan: ...
If you are preparing for the lesson, you might want to pick a favourite Japanese saying from here https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Japanese_proverbs (if your student is Japanese. There are pages for pretty much every language, e.g. French https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/French_proverbs)
Set up a scenario:
Remember the first time you traveled overseas. How did you feel? You know there is a great saying in Japanese for that: "A frog in a well does not know the great ocean." You can use that image to make your answer really interesting!
Give the student 4 sentences using the same proverb, like this:
- My mother told me a frog in a well does not know the great ocean.
- My mother always taught me a frog in a well does not know the great ocean?
- We have this saying in Japan: a frog in a well does not know the great ocean.
If the student doesn't know the proverb, paste this (the Japanese version) into the chat for them: 井の中の蛙大海を知らず This is a proverb people use to point out that someone is being narrow-minded because they are only seeing things from one perspective—they're not aware that the world is bigger and full of different perspectives/possibilities.
Plug it into a story for them:
The first time I went overseas, I was so surprised by everything. We have this saying in Japan: a frog in a well does not know the great ocean? Well, I felt like that frog, and I was suddenly in this new, great ocean. I understood why travel is so important.
Alternative story for a consultant:
Some of our clients really need to be more global. We have this saying in Japan: a frog in a well does not know the great ocean. Well, a lot of companies here are like a frog in a well: they don't know much about the world outside Japan. They don't know the latest trends and best practices. That's why they hire us. We can introduce them to the great ocean. We can help them get out of their well.
Impress upon your student that this is a much more engaging and interesting way to tell a story.
(3 minutes)
Now, let's practice! Have you ever gotten some great advice? Do you have a favourite saying? Can you tell your teacher a story and support it with that advice or saying?