• To help students make a contextualized use of the expressions related to weather.
• To reinforce vocabulary previously learned immediately before the computer session.
• To review the structures for the present simple tense, the modals and the future with "going to".

RESOURCES:

TIME: 30 minutes

PROCEDURE:
Students have previously studied the vocabulary related to the weather. Once in the computer room they are asked to log in the yahoo web page. They select their own country and their hometown from the options offered. They have to study the weather forecast for the next day and then for the rest of the week. They are asked to change the temperatures from Farenheit to Celsius in order to become familiar with both systems. They answer direct questions from the teacher (How's the weather going to be tomorrow?) Later, they have to ask their partners about their plans for the weekend: (What are you going to do this weekend?). (I'm going to jog in the park) According to the weather the students advise their classmates. It is going to rain on Saturday. You cannot jog, but you might stay at home and read. Finally, students are asked to write a short composition about their plans taking into consideration the weather.

SKILLS INVOLVED:
Reading comprehension, speaking, asking questions, writing.

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OBJECTIVE:

• To help students learn vocabulary in a contextualized way.
• To develop discussion and communication skills.
• To have students get familiar with long texts in English.

RESOURCES:

1. Self Esteem Test
2. Interpersonal Communications Skills Test
3. Emotional Intelligence Test

TIME: The time may vary according to the level of the students. Normally, this activity takes one hour to be completed.

PROCEDURE:
Students have previously studied the adjectives referring to personality and physical appeareance. Tell them to go to the address above and to answer the test found there. Before beginning to answer the questionnaire ask the class their opinion about personality tests: Do they believe in the results? Do they answer the questions just for fun? Once they have understood the general topic tha class goes to the computer lab and go to one of the links suggested above. They read the questions without answering and try to find the new words. In groups they try to figure out their meaning by guessing or using the context. When the questions are clear students answer them and after this the results are debated. They tell the class if they agree or not with the score and state reasons for their answer. Given the fact that these tests have large amounts of information, it would be advisable to use them as a resource for an advance class in a communicative course. However, elemental levels can focus on a specific topic. For instance, the test about "Self Esteem" can be used to reinforce the frequency adverbs. It depends on your creativity!

SKILLS INVOLVED:
Reading comprehension, speaking, analyizing and comparing points of view.

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OBJECTIVE:

• To promote interaction among students in and out of the classroom.
• To use language for communicative purposes.
• To increase students' knowledge about holidays and celebrations in English speaking countries.

RESOURCES:

TIME: 40 minutes.

PROCEDURE:
Given that there are many special dates around the year, this activity can be done at any time during the course. In this case the topic involved is "Holidays". Students have to go to the web page shown above; there they can navigate until they find something that interests them or you can guide them to select a specific day. When all the students are in the same category you can ask questions about the graphics: what kind of celebration do they suggest? Is there a flag? a christmas tree, red hearts? Students brainstorm about the symbols of holidays around the world and the dates in which they are celebrated; go through the most popular days and finally ask your students to send two cards: one related to the closest holiday, and the other about their favorite celebration. The first has to be sent to a classmate and the second to you. In it the student has to describe the way he or she celebrates this special date.

SKILLS INVOLVED:
brainstorming, speaking, reading, writing.

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OBJECTIVE:

• To review verbs in different tenses.
• To motivate students to learn facts about famous people using a foreign language.
• To practice oral and written composition with the support of a text.

RESOURCES:

1. Britney Spears
2. Ricky Martin

PROCEDURE:
Students have already learned the verbs related to personal information (e.g., When is your birthday?), daily activities and occupations.The lab session will be focused on applying that previous knowledge to a different person. First, ask them to log on the web site indicated below. Then, as a warm-up activity, have them describe the singer they are going to read about. Then, write on the board the following questions:

• When was she born?
• Where was she born?
• Does she have any brothers and sisters? What are their names?
• Where does she live now?
• What are her plans for the future?
• Your own questions...

SKILLS INVOLVED:
Brainstorming, speaking, reading comprehension, writing.

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OBJECTIVE:

• To motivate students to discuss in English important events around the world.
• To help students recognize the different forms of the comparative in English.
• To make students identify the parts of a newspaper and compare them with a similar publication from their own country.

RESOURCES:

TIME: 40 minutes.

PROCEDURE:
Before going to the computer lab, students are asked to talk about the publications they find in their country, specifically about newspapers. Have them describe the layout, organization, names of the sections and the news that are usually shown in the first page. In the lab, ask them to go to the resource indicated below or another one that you know well. Give them some time to scan the text. Once they have finished ask them about the differences they find between the two newspapers in terms of layout,organization and use of tenses. Finally, ask them to report the most important news of the day. As an additional activity, they might write a paragraph about an important event.

SKILLS INVOLVED:
reading comprehension, speaking, writing, summarizing.

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OBJECTIVE:

• To review the use of different tenses.
• To use skimming and scanning to find concrete information.
• To use authentic texts to develop discussion and oral production.

RESOURCES:

TIME: 30 minutes.

PROCEDURE:
Students are asked about their likes and dislikes regarding TV shows. Ask them when they watch tv the most and if they do it alone or with friends. Also, ask the class in general about the most and least popular shows in their country, and ask them what are they going to watch tonight. Then, in the lab ask them to go to the web page shown above. Ask them to write answers for the following questions:

• How many channels can you see there?
• What time is the news broadcast on?
• Are there any soap operas on at night? What time are they on?
• Do you know any of the shows? Are they popular in your country?
• Your own questions...

SKILLS INVOLVED:
Skimming and scanning, speaking, expressing points of view.

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OBJECTIVE:

• To use the modals in real settings.
• To help students differentiate the uses of modals.
• To increase the students' knowledge about English speaking countries.

RESOURCES:

TIME: 45 minutes.

PROCEDURE:
This activity would be useful to end a unit or a chapter and review what has been learnt in a more relaxing way. First, students are asked about their vacation, the places they go, the things they do and the things they would like to do. Then, tell them that they are going to plan a trip to an English speaking country. They are going to do so with the help of the link above. Once they have chosen a country, they navigate and look for information refering to common activities there, weather, prices, and so on. Next, they have to advise their classmates using expressions like: "If you go to Australia, you must go to the Opera House", "You should take light clothes because it is hot there" and others using the modals. Then, they get together in small groups, discuss and decide the best place to go and tell the teacher why they made that decision.

SKILLS INVOLVED:
taking notes, summarizing, speaking, making a point.

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