Feedback? Practical tasks for B2/C1 adults course sought

[Chocmonster]

Hi there!

I have a month to go before I begin a short course at the B2/C1 level, and I'm looking for feedback on (and suggestions for) lesson content.

I've taught most of these adults in a disastrous 'Conversation' course and they want to come back for another bash at improving English.

I've agreed to give them 20 hours (10 weeks @ 2 Hrs a week), but want to give them focused and prepared lessons based around a task or something 'interesting'.

The students are all between 40 and 65, live in an East German Town and have a healthy appetite for knowledge on all topics.

So far, in no particular order:

* A lesson based around the effects of Thatcherism on British society (they love this stuff) - lesson could include simple past in form of Bio. details, discussion of major events (as viewed from behind Iron Curtain), attitudes towards social welfare and 'the large state', perhaps obituaries (if Thatcher snuffs it by then) or creating a balanced piece of writing about past events

* A lighter lesson, beginning on the subject of British Beer - why is it warm? Examining our shared culture and histories, perhaps with a task related to furthering European co-operation/international co-operation between nations. What should a European Charter look like?

* Completing official forms - perhaps writing a police report after a theft/car accident (past simple/progressive 'I was walking down Oxford Street when I dropped my…'), or perhaps filling in a complaint form after tardy service somewhere

* Small talk in situation x - the kind of thing to help them when on holiday (any suggestions for situation 'x' welcomed)

* Writing a postcard/thank you card/letter to someone - personal communication

* Ordering a product/service (written communication) relevant to their hobby/job/something

* Writing an eBay advert (describing something - could even donate some junk to each student, get each one to write an advert and see if they make any cash from the sale - all proceeds to the end of term party)

* Enquiring at hotels for reservations (I love doing this - in the past we've called Tokyo, Paris, Copenhagen, Cape Town, Zurich…)

* Completing an entry form/tie breaker for a competition (preferably a real one)

* Creating instructions for something (how to cook schnitzel/cook book, etc)

* Breaking bad news in English - related (perhaps) to the recent Greek Bankruptcy, of the naffness of the Berlin S-Bahn…

I hope from here you can see how I want to have at least one practical and achievable thing to do each lesson.

What can _you_ think of for me?

Which ideas would you improve on, and how?

I look forward to all replies…

Kind regards,

Edd

[Chocmonster]

*Bump*

17 reads and no feedback? Has no-one anything to say?

[DavidB]

Looking for an apartment/house. Using websites to search for a place they like, practicing vocabulary such as bachelor, three bedroom, heat, hydro, etc.
You may have trouble finding actual apartments in Germany with English descriptions. Here is a good site I use from Toronto:
www.viewit.ca

I think you are on the right track, but I would be sure to focus on the students' needs. Do they want English for travel, business, work, friendship, etc?

[Chocmonster]

Thanks David!

Anyone else?

[Chocmonster]

Well, I finished the course and we covered:

• Car accidents (using a child's road mat and toy cars) - reporting using past continuous and past simple (I was driving along king street when I was hit by a lunatic…)

• Description of flats and housing - flat hunting, inluding:
- Vocab in ads (gch, en-suite, dbl-bed, etc)
- Original segments from a BBC programme on house hunting (youtube) - this took a whoile lesson for a one minute clip - awesome!

• Marketing, adverts, AIDA - examining an eBay advert

• Creating our own eBay advert (we sold our item for $70 and used this to buy drinks for the last lesson!)

• Discussing places to go - creating a holiday guide

• A role play about the rise of new designer drug 'Juicy baek'

• And a meal out for the last lesson.

I'm trying to leave this job, I hope I don't have to run a similar course again, but if so, this one was alright.

Edd