Friday, July 27, 2012

Example Persuasive Speech--Run a Marathon!

I used this power point as an example persuasive speech in my listening and speaking class today. I asked the students to discuss why people might not want to run a marathon. I countered these points and used them as points in favor of running a marathon. Enjoy! And why not run a marathon yourself. Try it! It'll be fun!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Professor Plumb Murder Mystery Activity -- Past Modals for Specualtion

For a high-intermediate grammar class, I used the power point presentation and the worksheet that follows to create a context in which students can use modals plus the present perfect to talk about past speculations. Students listen to the power point, which tells a murder mystery story. While they listen, they take notes on the four suspects in the case. After they've taken notes, they write sentences that make speculations about "who done it." Lively class discussion follows. I used this over the past two days in class, and it was really fun. I suggest dividing it into two days to leave students wondering who the real murder is. Enjoy! If you use it, let me know how it works. I'd love to get feedback. P.S. As an expansion activity, I used www.polleverywhere.com to create online polls. Each poll contained a modal plus present perfect sentence that speculated about the murder mystery. Students could vote whether they agreed or disagreed with the speculative statement via text message or email on these polls. Students enjoyed being allowed to use their phones in class! I highly recommend this as an expansion activity. Professor Plumb Murder Mystery Activity.docx

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Beginning Grammar Jeopardy Game

This is a Jeopardy Power Point that I've used in Beginning Grammar classes as a review. It's fun! Try it! You can use the template below to create your own version of the game.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Learning the difference between past participles used as adjectives and present participles used as adjectives can be difficult. Remember, with -ing adjectives, the subject CAUSES a feeling. With -ed, or past participle adjectives, the subject RECEIVES a feeling. This power point helps to explain this difference visually.

English Grammar -- Passive Voice -- Quarterbacks and Receivers