NEW OPPORTUNITIES PRE-INTERMEDIATE WEBSITE RESOURCES MODULE WORKSHEET Grammar ga

me: ‘Guess the Job’ An oral grammar practice game to practise present tense ‘yes
/no’ question forms. Time: 30 minutes Grammar game: ‘Verb Tennis’ Practises past
simple and past participle of irregular verbs. Time: 15 minutes Quotations game
: ‘Who Said That?’ Fun reading activity. Time: One class lesson or homework Gram
mar/Writing/Speaking activity: ‘Palm Springs’ Practises the Past Simple and arti
cles. Time: 20 – 30 minutes Writing activity (groups): ‘Chain Stories’ Free writ
ing activity which also practises past tenses and narrative linking. Time: 20 mi
nutes Grammar activity: Practises questions with the Present Perfect and ever Ti
me: 15 minutes Mini-dictionary vocabulary game: ‘Dictrio’ To revise known and te
ach new words. Time: 30 minutes Writing activity: Practises modals of obligation
, permission, prohibition, and exemption. Time: 10 minutes Quiz: ‘Who Wants To B
e A Millionaire?’ Questions related to topic of food. Time: 20 minutes Grammar g
ame: Practises comparative forms of adjectives Time: 10 – 15 minutes Grammar gam
e: ‘Get It Right!’ Practises recognition and correction of common mistakes. Time
: 30 minutes Reading activity: ‘Commercial Break’ Time: 15-20 minutes Discussion
activity: Practises making prediction with will Time: 15 minutes Speaking and W
riting activity: ‘Going Mobile’ Time: One class lesson
2 Homes
3 Heroes
4 Challenge
5 Celebration
6 Food
7 Money
8 Gadgets
9 Communication
e 10 Web
11 The Sea
12 Mountains 13 Dance
14 Music
15 Pictures
16 Buildings
Reading and Writing activity: Internet task. Time: 40 minutes on the internet (h
ome or school) plus 20 minutes in class or at home writing up project. Speaking
and Grammar activity: Practises 2nd Conditional to talk about impossible situati
ons in the present and future Time: 10 minutes Writing activity: ‘Sea Poem’ Crea
tive writing. Time: One class lesson plus homework Grammar game: Practises the P
resent Perfect and Past Simple Time: 10 minutes Grammar and Vocabulary game: ‘Ge
t to the Top’ Time: 30 minutes Reading activity: Jumbled Dialogues Practises muc
h of the functional language from the book so far. Time: 15 minutes Speaking/Gra
mmar activity: Revises the language of making suggestions and arrangements Time:
10 minutes Listening activity: Music Quiz Practises intensive listening skills.
Time: 15-20 minutes Speaking activity: Practises question tags Time: 10 minutes
Speaking activity: Photo Presentation Practises talking about photos. Time: 2 m
inutes per student. Writing task: Practises defining relative clauses Time: 10 –
15 minutes Writing activity: Project folder Practises a variety of text types.
Time: One class lesson to set up the project and several homework sessions or a
long holiday period.
MODULE 1
NOTES FOR TEACHERS
GUESS THE JOB
This is an oral grammar game to practise present tense ‘yes/no’ question forms.
You can play the game after the Warm-up activities for New Opportunities PreInte
rmediate Module 1 on page 9. Materials: None. Time: Thirty minutes. Step 1: Elic
it the names of jobs and occupations from the whole class. Write them on the boa
rd. Here is a list of examples: actor, actress, architect, artist, athlete, bus
driver, businessman, businesswoman, cashier, cook, dancer, dentist, doctor, engi
neer, electrician, fashion designer, film director, financial dealer, firefighte
r, gardener, hairdresser, housewife, journalist, lawyer, mechanic, model, musici
an, nurse, pilot, plumber, police officer, politician, scientist, secretary, she
pherd, singer, teacher, translator, travel agent, vet, waiter Step 2: Divide the
class into groups of four or five students. Step 3: Explain the game. One stude
nt imagines he/she does a particular job. The other students take turns to ask q
uestions to try and guess the job. They can ask up to ten questions. Examples Do
you work outdoors? Do you work with animals? Do you have to get a university de
gree? Do you get dirty? Do you use computers? As students play the game, walk ar
ound the groups and note down any mistakes you hear with question forms. You can
ask students to correct these at a later stage. Option: To vary the question fo
rms, students can guess the occupation of family relatives. Examples Student A:
Guess my uncle’s job. Student B: Does he work outdoors? Student A: No, he doesn’
t. Student C: Does he work with animals? Note: If you prefer, you can play the g
ame with the whole class.
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska
MODULE 2
NOTES FOR TEACHERS
VERB TENNIS
Materials: None. Time: Fifteen minutes. Step 1: Explain you are going to play a
game involving irregular verbs. Ask students to look at the list of irregular ve
rbs at the back of the Mini-Dictionary. Give them only a short time, maybe one o
r two minutes. Step 2: Divide the class into two teams, A and B. Ask the student
s to imagine an imaginary tennis net down the middle of the room – this divides
the class into two teams. Explain the game. • • • • • • • • You point to a stude
nt in Team A who must say an irregular verb infinitive form. You point to a stud
ent in Team B who must say the past simple form of that verb. You point to a stu
dent in Team A who must say the past participle of that verb. You point to a stu
dent in Team B who must say a new irregular verb in the infinitive form. This pr
ocess continues until a student makes a mistake or takes too long to answer, in
which case the opposing team wins the point and ‘serves’ a new verb. You don’t n
eed to score the game as in real tennis – simply play up to ten points. As you p
lay, trace the trajectory of the imaginary tennis ball as it flies over the net.
Point at students in a random fashion so that they never know who will be asked
.
Example A: eat A: eaten A: went A: put B: ate B: go B: gone B: putted (Wrong! Te
am A wins the point.)
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska
MODULE 3
WHO SAID THAT?
• Who do you think said these quotes – a, b or c?
1 “We are all pencils in the hand of God.” a) Pablo Picasso b) William Shakespea
re
c) Mother Teresa
2 “I am proud of the fact that I never invented weapons to kill.” a) Thomas Edis
on b) Albert Einstein c) Guglielmo Marconi 3 “An awful lot of gay pop stars pret
end to be straight. I m going to start a movement of straight pop stars pretendi
ng to be gay.” a) David Bowie b) Elton John c) Robbie Williams 4 “Modern Society
will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look
at its lifestyles.” a) Greenpeace b) Nelson Mandela c) Pope John Paul II 5 “I be
lieve in everything until it s disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dr
agons. It all exists, even if it s in your mind. Who s to say that dreams and ni
ghtmares aren t as real as the here and now?” a) Michael Jackson b) John Lennon
c) J.R.R. Tolkien 6 “Only two things are infinite: the universe and human stupid
ity, and I’m not sure about the former.” a) Albert Einstein b) Galileo c) Isaac
Newton 7 “You don t need any brains to listen to music.” a) Luciano Pavarotti b)
Frank Sinatra c) Britney Spears 8 “Writing in English was a major challenge. I
didn t want other songwriters to write for me. I wanted to preserve the spirit o
f my songs in Spanish.” a) Nelly Furtado b) Jennifer Lopez c) Shakira 9 “My hero
es are the ones who survived doing it wrong, who made mistakes, but recovered fr
om them.” a) Bono b) Prince c) Sting 10 “America is the only country that went f
rom barbarism to decadence without civilisation in between.” a) George W. Bush b
) Brad Pitt c) Oscar Wilde
11 “Military intelligence is a contradiction in terms.” a) Mahatma Gandhi b) Nap
oleon Bonaparte c) Groucho Marx 12 “I want to play an action hero. I m ready for
roles that totally aren t me.” a) Orlando Bloom b) Cameron Diaz c) Kirsten Duns
t 13 “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” a) Jim Carey b) Charlie Chaplin c
) Will Smith 14 “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work wit
h your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.” a) Winston Churchill b) Nelson Mand
ela c) Socrates 15 “An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The o
lder she gets the more interested he is in her.” a) Agatha Christie b) Madonna c
) Julia Roberts 16 “America can t beat anyone anymore.” a) Woody Allen b) George
Clooney c) Kevin Costner 17 “You re not anyone in America unless you re on TV.”
a) Nicole Kidman b) Ricky Martin c) Kylie Minogue 18 “Hating people because of
their colour is wrong. And it doesn t matter which colour does the hating. It s
just plain wrong.” a) Muhammad Ali b) Mariah Carey c) Nelson Mandela 19 “If you
can t laugh at yourself, then who can you laugh at?” a) Ronaldinho b) Michael Sc
humacher c) Tiger Woods 20 “I m just like every other girl who likes to shop, li
kes to look good, likes to spend time with friends.” a) Cristina Aguilera b) Vic
toria Beckham c) Maria Sharapova • • Now check your answers with your teacher. W
hat was your score out of twenty?
3 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
WHO SAID THAT?
This is a fun reading activity which you can do after New Opportunities PreInter
mediate Module 3 (Heroes). Materials: One photocopy of the worksheet per student
. Time: One class lesson, or you can set it for homework. Step 1: Give out the w
orksheets and explain the activity. Students have to read the quotations and gue
ss which of the three people said them. If you do the activity in class … • • yo
u can explain and discuss each quotation with the whole class and then ask stude
nts to make their choice before telling them the answer and moving on to the nex
t quote. you can ask the students to read the quotes in pairs and make their gue
sses together, then tell them the answers when they have finished.
If you set the task as homework … • • tell students they can use the Internet to
find the answers if they wish. go through the answers at the start of the next
lesson.
Answers 1 c) Mother Teresa 4 c) Pope John Paul II 7 a) Luciano Pavarotti 10 c) O
scar Wilde 13 b) Charlie Chaplin 16 b) George Clooney 19 c) Tiger Woods
2 a) Thomas Edison 5 b) John Lennon 8 c) Shakira 11 c) Groucho Marx 14 b) Nelson
Mandela 17 a) Nicole Kidman 20 c) Maria Sharapova
3 c) Robbie Williams 6 a) Albert Einstein 9 a) Bono 12 c) Kirsten Dunst 15 a) Ag
atha Christie 18 a) Muhammad Ali
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska
MODULE 3 Stage A Read the story. You can check unknown words in a dictionary or
ask the teacher.
At Palm Springs Airport, a writer passed through the security check and took a s
eat in the waiting room. In a few minutes his flight was called and he boarded,
absentmindedly leaving the briefcase behind. The briefcase was found and turned
over to the airport security, and a guard noticed that it had a foreign airline
sticker on it. The airport authorities were suspicious because they knew about a
terrorist who carried bombs in black briefcases and planted them in airport wai
ting rooms. When the guards had a look at the briefcase under X-ray they got eve
n more suspicious. They saw an arrangement of batteries and cylinders that might
well have been a bomb. The police came and carried the briefcase out to an unus
ed runway where it could explode without doing much damage. Then a demolition sq
uad arrived and examined the briefcase. They didn t like the combination lock. I
t could be a detonator. So they decided to stand back and blow the briefcase ope
n. There was a small explosion. The case opened and all the things flew out. A t
ape recorder. An electric razor. A bottle of aftershave. And the pages of an unf
inished manuscript, blowing in the wind. The writer didn t blame anyone. He was
even grateful to the guards for putting all the pages of his manuscript back in
order, though somewhat damaged.
http://www.anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=5109 ……………………………………………………………………………………… S
tage B In groups, write the story. Use the words below as many times as you need
.
writer security check guard guards briefcase waiting room terrorist airport demo
lition squad combination lock detonator unfinished manuscript tape recorder bott
le of aftershave pass leave find know have a look at carry see come examine expl
ode blow something open open fly out blame
3 NOTES FOR TEACHERS In this activity students practise writing and speaking as
well as grammar, especially the Past Simple and articles. You can do it after fi
nishing module 3 of Opportunities Pre-intermediate. Materials A task sheet for e
ach student/group. Time 20-30 minutes Step 1 Hand out the text and give students
a few minutes. You can answer questions about unknown vocabulary but do not ask
any comprehension questions. Alternative Instead of letting the students read t
he text, you can read it out yourself. Before that, preteach the unknown vocabul
ary to avoid questions. This option is obviously more challenging. Step 2 Take t
he texts away from the students. Divide the students into groups of three or fou
r and give each group task sheet B. Give the students ten minutes to write the s
tory again in as much detail as they can remember. Tell them to monitor the use
of the Past tense and articles. Step 3 The groups take turns to read out sentenc
es from the story in a chain. Other groups can add details that have been missed
out. Ask the students to watch out for mistakes in article use and the Past ten
se and elicit corrections. Alternative You can ask the students to write the sto
ry on the board, though this will take much more time.
MODULE 4 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
CHAIN STORIES
This is a free writing activity which also practises past tenses and narrative l
inking. It is best done after Module 2 of New Opportunities Pre-Intermediate. Ma
terials: Each student needs a piece of paper to write on. Time: Twenty minutes.
Step 1: Divide the class into groups of six. Write the following on the board:
One day / morning / night …
When … Suddenly … Meanwhile … Then … In the end … Step 2: Explain the activity.
Each student writes the first sentence of a story. They must begin this first se
ntence with ‘One day’ or ‘One morning’ or ‘One night’ (see above) and the story
must be in the past. Each student then passes the paper to the next student in t
he group. All the students now have the first sentence of a story which they mus
t add a second sentence to, this time beginning with the word ‘When’. They pass
on the paper and the process continues, each time adding another sentence using
the prompts from the board, until the story is finished with a sentence beginnin
g ‘In the end’. Remind the students to use the past simple and past continuous t
enses. Note: The best way of explaining the activity is to demonstrate it. Elici
t sentences from the class and write them on the board. You can ask for alternat
ive sentences if you don’t like the sentence a student suggests and adapt the se
ntences as students suggest them. For example, you might ask students to suggest
a better verb or to improve a sentence by inserting an adjective. Step 3: Stude
nts can read out a selection of the best stories. Be warned – they’ll probably b
e very bizarre! Note: You can also do the activity with smaller groups - each st
udent just has to write more than one sentence.
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska
MODULE 4 NOTES FOR TEACHERS In this activity students practise questions with th
e Present Perfect and ever. You can do it after finishing Module 4 of Opportunit
ies Pre-intermediate. Materials Four or five attractive/interesting photos of in
teresting locations. Some of them can be possible holiday spots, some more contr
oversial, e.g. a slum area of a city, a dirty and polluted river, an ordinary te
rraced house in the UK Time 15 minutes Preparation Find some big photos of inter
esting locations, e.g. downtown New York, an African desert with some camels, tr
ekkers in the Himalayas, etc. Some of them can be controversial holiday spots, e
.g. a slum area of a city, a dirty and polluted river, an ordinary terraced hous
e in the UK, which can result in funnier ads. Step 1 Divide the class into group
s of four or five. Give each group a photo and explain that their task is to wri
te an holiday advert for the place shown in the photo. Give an example for stude
nts to follow. Example a photo of a South American village in the mountains Have
you ever been at 3500 meters above the sea? Have you ever seen a llama? Have yo
u ever learned Quechua? Have you ever washed in a geezer? Have you ever cooked o
n open fire? If not, come to the Peruvian Andes and try all these things. It s o
nly $500 per week. Step 2 Students prepare their ads. Monitor their work and hel
p with vocabulary. Step 3 The groups take turns to present their advertisements.
MODULE 5
‘DICTRIO’
NAME: __________________________________________________ CLASS: _____ DO NOT USE
YOUR MINI-DICTIONARY! • B Try to solve these ‘dictrio’ puzzles. 1 a type of tra
nsport with two wheels 2 a thousand million 3 he/she studies animals and plants
4 talk informally 5 not expensive 6 to read or compare something to see if it is
correct 7 someone who buys and sells things 8 the end of life 9 an organised di
scussion about a particular subject 10 the act of going away to live in another
country 11 to stress something is important 12 a group of countries controlled b
y one powerful one 13 situation with many people having no food 14 known by many
people 15 follower of a pop group or team 16 a man on his wedding day 17 the su
rface of the earth 18 develop or increase in size 19 a powerful storm with stron
g winds 20 to make someone or an animal feel pain 21 the man a woman is married
to 22 frozen water 23 a suggestion, plan or thought 24 the best that something o
r someone could be 25 the activity of running to get fit 26 to take part in an a
ctivity 27 perfect How many words do you know? _____ Now check your answers in t
he MINI-DICTIONARY and find the words you didn’t know. Write them in your vocabu
lary book. …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… ………………
…… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… ……………
……… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………………… …………
………… ……………………
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
• •
5 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
DICTRIO
This is a vocabulary activity to revise known words and teach new words. Materia
ls: Each student needs a copy of New Opportunities Pre-Intermediate MiniDictiona
ry. Time: Thirty minutes. Step 1: Give out the worksheets and ask students to ta
ke out the mini-dictionary from the back of the Students’ Book. Explain the game
. • ‘Dictrio’ is an invented word, comprising the ‘dic’ of dictionary and the wo
rd ‘trio’ meaning group of three. • Each question gives three definitions. These
correspond to three words which appear consecutively in the Mini-Dictionary of
New Opportunities PreIntermediate. • Write this example on the board for words b
eginning with the letter ‘A’. 1 to reply 2 medicine to cure an infection 3 very
old and valuable object Concentrate on one definition that you think you know. F
or example, ‘1’ is probably answer. Ask the class to look up answer in the Mini-
Dictionary. They can see that the two words after it are antibiotic and antique
- which correspond to the definitions 2 and 3 . Step 2: Ask the students to p
ut their Mini-Dictionaries away – this is important! Step 3: Ask the students to
look at the worksheet and fill in all the answers they think they know. Set a t
ime limit for this (ten minutes?). Step 4: After the set time, ask students how
many words they think they got right. Step 5: Tell students they can now use the
ir Mini-Dictionaries to check their answers and also to fill in the answers to w
ords they didn’t know. Encourage them to write all or some of the words they did
n’t know in their vocabulary books. Option: For homework, students could write t
heir own ‘dictrio’ of three definitions using another letter of the alphabet. In
the next lesson they can read out their definitions to the class or their group
for the other students to guess the words.
The authors would like to thank Steve Owen, a teacher at the British Council in
Madrid, for the idea of the ‘dictrio’ game.
MODULE 5 Club Name …………………………… Rules ………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………
…………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………
………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………
……………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………
………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………
……………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………
5 NOTES FOR TEACHERS In this writing activity students practise modals of obliga
tion, permission, prohibition and exemption. You can do it after finishing Modul
e 5 of Opportunities Preintermediate. Material None Time 10 minutes Step 1 Divid
e the class into groups of four or five. Tell the students that they have just b
ecome owners of a club in their town. They can now decide what kind of place it
will be, what guests they want to have, what music they will play. Distribute th
e worksheets. Students think of a name for their club. Alternatively, you can ju
st give the groups clean sheets of paper to work with. Step 2 Write on the board
four modal verbs from Module 5: CAN MUST MUSTN T NEEDN T
The students prepare a set of rules for their club, using the modal verbs. Encou
rage them to make the rules original, to make their club a unique place. Example
You mustn t wear smart clothes. You needn t buy anything to eat. You can stay u
ntil morning. You must be in a good mood.
MODULE 6
‘WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?’
• Can you answer these questions? They start easy, and then get more difficult!
D fish &
1 Which of the following is a typical British meal? A fish & crisps B fish & chi
ps C fish and fruit rice 2 What is the main ingredient of an omelette? A eggs B
rice C oil D milk
£100
↓
£200
↓
3 Hamburgers were invented by a man from which city? A Hamburg B London C New Yo
rk D Vienna 4 What is a kiwi? A a seafood B a fruit C a vegetable D a nut
£300
↓
£500
↓
5 What animal does ‘beef’ come from? A cow B sheep C pig D chicken 6 Which of th
ese is a type of seafood? A prawn B avocado C plum D broccoli 7 Which of these i
s not a dairy product? A cheese B milk C olive oil D yoghurt 8 What do you call
the list of food available in a restaurant? A the card B the menu C the recipe D
the bill 9 How do you describe meat that’s easy to chew? A soft B bland C tende
r D mild 10 What do you use to make caramel? A chocolate B milk C butter D sugar
11 What is ‘GM’ food? Genetically … A microwaved B modified C manufactured 12 W
hich fish is not white? A cod B tuna C haddock 13 What is custard? A a sweet sau
ce B a cereal fruit D hake C a hot spice D a tropical D monitored
£1000
↓
£2000
↓
£4000
↓
£8000
↓
£16000
↓
£32000
↓
£64000
↓
£125000
↓
£250000
↓
14 Which of these is not another English way of saying ‘dessert’? A pudding B af
ters C sweet D tardy 15 Which of the following contains the least water? A carro
ts B celery C full milk D tomatoes
£500000
↓
£1000000
6 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
‘WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?’
This is a fun general knowledge quiz which revises some of the vocabulary from N
ew Opportunities Pre-Intermediate Module 6 (Food). All the questions are related
to the topic of food. Materials: Photocopies of the quiz (one between two if st
udents are going to do the quiz in pairs) Time: Twenty minutes. Background: The
TV Quiz game Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? is a popular British programme and t
here are versions of it all over the world. If your students are not familiar wi
th the game, explain it. Basically a contestant is asked a series of fifteen mul
tiple-choice questions. The questions begin easy and get harder, but the prize f
or each question correctly answered also rises. If the contestant gives a wrong
answer, he/she is out of the game. At any time during the game the contestant ma
y ‘retire’ and take away the money he/she has won. The aim is to try and reach t
he million-pound question and answer it correctly. In the TV game, a contestant
may also ask for help three times – by asking the studio audience, by phoning a
friend, or by eliminating two of the multiple-choice options. This class activit
y is a much simplified version – and of course you don’t have to pay out large a
mounts of money! Step 1: Divide the class into pairs if you want them to do the
quiz in pairs. Give out the question sheets and ask students to read the questio
ns and decide on their answers. Give them a fixed amount of time for this. Some
of the vocabulary is unknown and some is deliberately misleading (as in normal q
uizzes), so don’t let students use dictionaries or ask you for the meanings of w
ords; let students rely on their own powers of elimination and intuition. Step 2
: At the end of the quiz, go through the answers with the whole class. Students
can mark their own or you might ask them to swap papers. Step 3: Ask students to
add up how much they won. They add up the prize money for consecutive questions
answered correctly. For example, if a student answered the first six questions
correctly, he/she would have won 4000 pounds (100 + 200 + 300 + 500 + 1000 + 200
0). Questions answered correctly after this winning sequence don’t count, becaus
e in a real game he/she would have been ‘out’ of the game as soon as he/she answ
ered question 7 incorrectly. Ask if anybody won a million pounds! Answers: 1B, 2
A, 3A, 4B, 5A, 6A, 7C, 8B, 9C, 10D, 11B, 12B, 13A, 14D, 15C Follow-up: For homew
ork, students could write one multiple-choice question related to the topic of f
ood. At the beginning of the next lesson, as a warmer, students read out their q
uestions for the others in the class to answer.
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska
MODULE 6 NOTES FOR TEACHERS In this game students practise using comparative for
ms of adjectives. You can do it after doing Module 6 of Opportunities Pre-interm
ediate. Materials None Time 10-15 minutes Preparation Prepare pairs of things/pe
ople that your students know and could compare, e.g. lemon - orange lion - goril
la car - aeroplane Brad Pitt - Daniel Radcliffe sugar - honey Mercedes - Fiat Pa
nda lake - sea New York - Paris Step 1 Divide the class into small groups. Expla
in the rules of the game. Draw a chart on the board where the scores will be kep
t Step 2 Give the students the first pair of objects to compare. They have 90 se
conds to write as many comparisons as they can of the two things (e.g. A lemon i
s smaller than an orange, an orange is sweeter than a lemon). Tell the groups to
count their sentences. The group that have most comparisons read out their sent
ences. If they are all correct, they score a point. Step 3 Students get the next
pair of things to compare and the procedure is repeated until you run out of pa
irs. The winner is the group that scores most points.
MODULE 7 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
GET IT RIGHT!
This is a grammar game to practise recognition and correction of a variety of co
mmon mistakes. You can play the game after Opportunities Pre-Intermediate Module
7 (Money). Materials: A pack of cards with incorrect sentences on them (see bel
ow). Time: 30 minutes. Preparation: Photocopy and cut out the cards (see below)
Step 1: Put the cards face down on your desk. Divide the class into two teams. S
tep 2: Explain the game. Each card has a sentence containing a mistake of some k
ind – it may be word order, a wrong tense, agreement, etc. Students from each te
am take turns to come to your desk and select a card. They must not look at the
card first. They then write the sentence on the board and correct it. If their a
nswer is correct, they get two points. If the answer is wrong, a student from th
e opposing team can try to correct the sentence for a bonus point. Step 3: After
all the cards have been used, add up the points. The team with the most points
is the winner. Note: If students seem to have a problem with a particular mistak
e, you can explain the mistake after the game or as a follow-up in the next less
on.
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska
7 ‘Get It Right! Cards 1 All my friends likes football. 4 I’ve got an informatio
n for our project. 7 He entered in the room and sat down at the front. 10 Has yo
ur team won last week? 2 She is taller that her sister. 3 If he will come, I’ll
give him your message. 6 You should to study for your exam. 9 Sue wears always j
eans.
5 We haven’t got no money.
8 I was late and lost the bus.
11 There were a lot of furnitures in his room.
12 Do you have got a dictionary? 15 Can you give me some advices? 18 My brother
is watching TV every night. 21 During the match he felt and broke his leg. 24 Th
ere aren’t much things to do in my town. 27 I want to be architect.
14 13 My mother don’t like sport. There’s no school tomorrow, so I mustn’t get u
p early. 17 16 She phoned me while I had Thanksgiving was make a holiday in the
USA in 1864. my dinner. 19 Neither of us didn’t go. 20 I’ve been to London last
year. 23 Sorry, I’ve forgotten my book at home. 26 One of the thieves was tall a
nd the second was short. 29 There aren’t many news about the accident.
22 Only a little people live in our village. 25 Mm, the dinner is smelling good!
28 I didn’t have many money so I stayed in.
30 It’s a film very interesting.
MODULE 8
COMMERCIAL BREAK • Discuss these questions with your teacher. 1 What is your fav
ourite TV advert? Why do you like it? 2 Are there any adverts that annoy you? 3
Do adverts make you buy things? 4 What ‘slogans’ do you remember? Do you know an
y in English, e.g. ‘Nokia – connecting people’. 5 Are there too many adverts on
television? • Match the extracts from TV adverts (1-10) with the products or ser
vices (a-j). 1 Relax – we’ll do the driving. 3 Feeling down? Always tired? Try Z
appo – you’ll feel the difference! 5 Use once a day for shiny, dandruff-free hai
r. 7 Bonzo Bits – meatier, tastier, crunchier. They’ll love it! 9 Gets your clot
hes whiter than white! a) breakfast cereal. c) inter-city train travel. e) washi
ng powder g) loan company i) energy drink 2 There’s no better way to start the d
ay! 4 Need some cash now? Call us on 6479132. Anything from 500€ to 5000€ 6 The
new Mikado – more economical, more comfortable, and easier to park! 8 Mmm, delic
ious - we all deserve something sweet! 10 You’ll feel fresh all day!
b) car. d) chocolate bar f) deodorant h) shampoo j) dog food
8 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
COMMERCIAL BREAK
This is a reading activity. You can do it after Lesson 23 (Adverts) of New Oppor
tunities Pre-Intermediate. Materials: Copies of the worksheet (one between two i
f you prefer). Time: 15-20 minutes. Step 1: Give out the worksheets. Ask student
s to think about the questions in the first exercise and discuss the answers wit
h the whole class. You may want to point out that ‘commercial’ is another word f
or ‘advert’, originally taken from US English but now common in the UK. Step 2:
Explain the reading activity. Students have to match the extracts from imaginary
adverts to the product or service they are advertising. Step 3: Check the answe
rs. Ask them which words gave them clues to the answer for each one. Explain any
new vocabulary. Answers: 1c, 2a, 3i, 4g, 5h, 6b, 7j, 8d, 9e, 10f
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska
MODULE 8 Read the predictions about the world in 20 years time. Arrange them fro
m the most probable to the least probable ones.
All machines will run on solar energy. English will be the world s official lang
uage. The Olympic Games won t be organised any more. Scientists will find a cure
for all known diseases. India will become the richest country in the world. Chi
ldren won t go to school – they will learn online. All housework will be done by
robots. People won t have passports – they will have identity chips planted in
their bodies. _ _ People will have a colony on Mars. Children won t learn handwr
iting, they will use word processors only.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
8 NOTES FOR TEACHERS In this discussion activity students practise making predic
tions with will. You can do it after finishing Module 8 of Opportunities Pre-int
ermediate. Materials Task sheet for each pair of students. Time 15 minutes Step
1 The students to work in pairs. Give each pair the task sheet and ask them to r
ank the predictions according to their probability. They think of arguments to s
upport their decisions. Step 2 After about 5 minutes the students get into group
s of four to compare and discuss their ranking. Step 3 Discuss the most probable
and the least probable predictions with the whole class.
MODULE 9
GOING MOBILE! • How often do you use your mobile to do these things? Circle 1-5
for each situation (1 = never, 5 = a lot). 1 Find out information, e.g. sports r
esults, cinema times 2 Arrange to meet a friend. 3 Play games. 4 Listen to music
. 5 Take and send photos. 6 Tell someone where you are 7 Ask someone about homew
ork. 8 Chat to a friend. 9 Chat to your boyfriend or girlfriend. 10 Read and wri
te emails. • Compare your answers with another student’s. • Here are some common
abbreviations young British people use when they send text messages.
B B4 C CU CUL8R GR8 H8 HW ILUVU L8 L8R LOL MSG NE NE1 NO1 PCM PLS • • be before
see see you see you later great hate homework I love you late later lots of luck
or lots of love message any anyone noone please call me please R SKL SOM1 SPK T
TYL TX TXT WAN2 W/ WKND X XLNT YR 2 2DAY 2MORO 2NITE 4 are school someone speak
talk to you later thanks text want to with weekend kiss excellent your to, too,
two today tomorrow tonight for
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
What abbreviations do you use in your language? Match a boy’s text messages with
the situations.
1
CN U DO HW? NE IDEAS? PCM
2 3
TX 4 YR MSG. SPK L8R AT SKL
4
LOL W/ XAM 2MORO
5
DO U WAN2 C FILM AT WKND?
U WERE XLNT CU L8R
a) He is asking his friend if he wants to go to the cinema at the weekend. b) He
is asking his friend for help with some difficult homework. c) He is congratula
ting his friend and will see him later. d) He is wishing his friend good luck wi
th tomorrow’s exam. e) He has received a message from his friend and will talk a
bout it at school. • Work in pairs. Write text messages to each other in English
. Here are some ideas: - you want to invite your friend to a party at your house
- you can’t meet your friend on Friday because you have to go to the dentist -
you want to know some news from school - you want to borrow something from your
friend - you want to know the mark your friend got in a test at school - you wan
t to thank your friend for something
9 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
GOING MOBILE!
This is a speaking and writing activity. You can do it after Lesson 25 (Mobile F
ever) of New Opportunities Pre-Intermediate. Materials: Photocopies of the works
heet (one between two students if you wish). Time: One class lesson. Step 1: Giv
e out the worksheets and ask students to complete the survey about mobile phone
use individually. Step 2: Divide the class into pairs. Students compare their re
sults with their partner’s. When they’ve finished, you may want to elicit a few
answers from the whole class. Example: Who listens to music a lot on their mobil
e? What’s your favourite download at the moment? Step 3: Ask students to read th
rough the the list of texting abbreviations. Explain any that they don’t underst
and. Ask what abbreviations they use in their own language. Step 4: Ask students
to read the text messages and match them with the situations. Answers: 1b, 2e,
3d, 4a, 5c Step 5: In the same pairs, ask students to write a short text message
to their partner on a small piece of rough paper, using abbreviations from the
worksheet. They pass the papers to each other and then write a short reply on an
other piece of paper. This process can continue until the business of the mesage
is resolved and each student says goodbye. Students can repeat the activity in
different pairs. Note: You might like to try the activity with real mobile phone
s - if your school hasn’t already banned mobile phones and if you can trust the
students not to start using their phones for other activities!
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska
MODULE 10 NAME: ________________________________________________ CLASS: _______
INTERNET TASK
• Choose any topic and write four questions about it that you would like to answ
er.
Example KANGAROOS 1 Do they live outside Australia? 2 How big are they? 3 What d
o they eat? 4 How many are there? • Use a ‘search engine’ like Google to find we
bsites where you can look for the information. Add the best websites to your lis
t of ‘favourites’ list.
Example www.wwf-uk.org (World Wildlife Fund) www.animalinfo.org (Endangered Anim
als) http://www.foei.org/ (Friends of the Earth) • Find information from the web
sites to answer your questions.
Example KANGAROOS 1 Do they live outside Australia? Yes, in Tasmania. 2 How big
are they? Up to 2 metres tall; up to 90 kilos. 3 What do they eat? Grass and lea
ves. 4 How many are there? About 5000 – and going down. • Prepare a display abou
t your topic. Use the information you have got to write sentences and add photos
, maps, diagrams, etc. Include your list of useful websites.
KANGAROOS
Kangaroos live in Australia and Tasmania. They can grow up to two metres tall an
d can weigh up to ninety kilos. They eat grass and leaves. They are an endangere
d species. There are only about 5000 left and the numbers are going down every y
ear …
10 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
INTERNET TASK
This is a reading and writing Internet activity. You can do it during or after N
ew Opportunities Pre-Intermediate Module 10 (The Web). This project presumes tha
t students have access to the Internet. If this is not the case, the same projec
t can be done using books and listing books and magazine as the sources of infor
mation. Time: Forty minutes on the Internet (at home or in school if you have ac
cess) plus twenty minutes in class or at home writing up the project. Material:
One copy of the task sheet per student Step 1: Give out task sheets in class. Ex
plain that students have to choose a topic for their project and then make a lis
t of questions with the information that they want to find out. They can include
up to ten questions. Here are some useful websites: Search engines: www.google.
com Encyclopedias: www.encarta.msn.com, www.britannica.com, www.spartacus.school
net.co.uk Environment: www.nature.com, www.wwf.com, www.foe.com, www.un.org Geog
raphy: www.geographia.com, www.yahooligans.com Show business: www.mrshowbiz.go.c
om, www.filmsite.org, www.empireonline.co.uk, www.qonline.co.uk, www.filmsite.or
g Britain and British culture: www.Britain.express.com, www.great-britain.co.uk,
www.englishculture.about.com, www.yahooligans.com, www.nationaltrust.org.uk Art
: www.sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk/wm Sport: www.olympics.com, www.football365.com Scien
ce: www.exploratorium.edu, www.newscientist.com BBC: www.bbc.uk CNN: www.cnn.com
Step 2: Set the information finding activity for homework if students have acce
ss to the Internet. If they have access to the Internet at your school, you coul
d do this in the computer room. If they have no access to the Internet, you coul
d get them to find magazines, books and encyclopedias.Students have to complete
their task sheet with information. It is vital that they do not copy large chunk
s directly from the Internet, but take notes. Step 3: Students show you their ta
sk sheet and then prepare their display. They must include their task sheet as w
ell as the final product. Tell students your assessment criteria: how they have
found the information and how they organise and present it. Go around and help s
tudents with language while they are doing the writing. Follow Up: Display the w
riting around the class if you can, or make a class folder to pass around.
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska
MODULE 10 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
With this activity students revise the 2nd conditional used to talk about imposs
ible situations in the present and future. You can do it after finishing Module
10 of Opportunities Pre-intermediate. Materials A set of situation cards for eac
h group of students. Time 10 minutes Preparation Prepare a set of situation card
s for each group of students. You get a one-year scholarship at a college in the
UK. You live on a small island in the Caribbean.
You win a million dollars in a lottery
You live in New York.
You are a pop star.
You have ten brothers and sisters. You live in Antarctica.
You don t have to go to school.
You are Miss / Mister Universe. You fall in love with your best friend s boyfrie
nd/girlfriend.
You can speak Chinese.
You go on a safari in Africa.
You are 200 cm tall.
You damage your mother s computer.
You are a teacher.
You have a driving license.
You weigh 150 kilos.
You are homeless.
You catch a goldfish.
Your IQ is 180.
Step 1 Divide the class into groups of four. The students sit in a circle. Put t
he situation cards, upside down, in the middle of each group. Step 2 In turns, s
tudents pick one card and imagine what they would do in the situation described
in the card. They make a complete sentence in 2nd conditional. Example If I won
a million dollars, I would give it away.
MODULE 11
SEA POEM
• Read these poems. What do you notice about them? Which do you prefer? Why?
1 2
Touching a crab, Holding a delicate starfish, Eels slithering past me. Snorkelli
ng in clear water, Eyes like a shark’s, Always awake.
Tossing us around like a toy boat, Horizon going crazy, Everywhere wind and spra
y. Sliding around, helpless as Enormous, gigantic waves rise Above us like a wal
l.
• This type of poem is called an acrostic poem – the title of the poem goes vert
ically down the left-hand side of the page and each line begins with a letter of
the title. • Write your own acrostic poem using one of these words or any other
word connected to the topic of ‘the sea’ ... ... boat people, dolphins, iceberg
, islands, lifeboat, shark, sea storm, sunbathing, surfing, underwater, whales,
whirlpool …
11 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
SEA POEM
This is a creative writing activity. It is best done after Module 11 (The Sea) o
f New Opportunities Pre-Intermediate. Materials: Photocopies of the worksheet (o
ne between two is fine); the MiniDictionary. Time: One class lesson plus homewor
k. Step 1: Give out the worksheets. Read out the poems to the class and ask the
students to think about the answers to the questions. Explain any vocabulary. St
ep 2: Elicit the layout of an ‘acrostic’ poem, i.e. that the title is written ve
rtically down the left-hand side of the page and the lines of the poem begin wit
h each letter in the title. Step 3: Discuss briefly which poem the students pref
er and why. This can be done in the students’ first language. Step 4: Ask studen
ts (individually) to choose a word connected to the theme of ‘The Sea’ and to st
art writing some lines for their poem in rough. Go round the class helping with
vocabulary. Dictionaries are very useful at this stage as students can look for
words beginning with a particular letter to give them ideas. Ask students to fin
ish their poem at home. Follow-up: In the next lesson, students take turns to re
ad out their poems to the class or groups. The other students listen and try to
guess the title. You can collect the poems and display the best ones on the wall
or staple them into a class booklet, maybe for other classes to read.
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska
MODULE 11 NOTES FOR TEACHERS In this game students revise the Present Perfect an
d the Past Simple. You can use it after finishing Module 11 of Opportunities Pre
-intermediate. Materials A set of question cards and answer cards. Time 10 minut
es Preparation Prepare a set of Question cards and a set of Answer cards for eac
h group of students. Step 1 Divide the class into groups of four or five student
s. The students in each group sit in a circle. They deal the answer cards so tha
t everyone has five cards and see what cards they have. Place the pile of Questi
on cards upside down in the middle of the group. Step 2 In turn, students draw q
uestion cards and ask the first question in the Present Perfect. The student wit
h the relevant Answer card responds positively. Then the first student asks the
next question, this time in the Past Simple. The other student answers. Example:
Student A: Who has eaten seafood? Student B: I have. Student A: When did you ea
t it? Student B: I ate it on holiday last summer. Alternative The game can also
be played in pairs. Then the dialogue between the student looks like this: Stude
nt A: Have you eaten seafood? Student B: Yes, I have. Student A: When did you ea
t it? Student B: I ate it on holiday last summer..
Question cards eat seafood? When? do baby-sitting? Who? see a ghost? What … like
? meet a celebrity? Who? shave your head? When? have a job? How much? spend a ni
ght at the police station? Why? climb a really high mountain? Where? write a poe
m? What … about? win a sports competition? When? appear on TV? What? give a conc
ert? Who … for? be at the opera? What? cook a meal? What? sleep outside? Where?
read Hamlet ? What ... like? ride a horse? Where? pay a fine? What? fall in lov
e? Who? dance a waltz? Where?
Answer cards SEAFOOD BABY-SITTING GHOST CELEBRITY HEAD JOB POLICE STATION HIGH M
OUNTAIN POEM SPORTS COMPETITION TV CONCERT OPERA MEAL OUTSIDE HAMLET HORSE FINE
LOVE WALTZ
MODULE 12 NAME: _____________________________________________ CLASS: ____
GET TO THE TOP!
• Complete each sentence with A, B or C and mark your answers on the mountain. S
tart at the bottom of the mountain with question one.
1 Hamlet was written __________ Shakespeare. A by B for C of
2 I __________ an argument with my boyfriend last night. A did B had C made
3 At the moment my brother __________ medicine at university. A studies B is stu
dying C student
4 We were late and __________ the last bus home. A lost B missed C passed
5 You must __________ a tie at the wedding. A to wear B wear C wearing
6 Top footballers can __________ a lot of money nowadays. A collect B earn C win
7 If it __________, we won’t go out. A rains B will rain C going to rain
8 She has lived here __________ two years. A during B for C since
9 Snowboarding __________ made an Olympic event in 1998. A has been B is C was
10 They don’t serve alcohol, only __________ drinks. A soft B light C weak
10 9 8 7
ABC C .. A .. B .. B … C .. A .. … A … B …. C …
6
… C ……… A … C ….
5
… B ……… C …………… A ..
4
……….. A …………. B ….. C ……
3
…….. C ………………. A …………… B …..
2
…… B ………........ C …………………. A ………………
1 •
…… A ………………………… B ……………………….. C ……
Now listen to your teacher give the answers. How far did you get up the mountain
? Did you get to the top?
12 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
GET TO THE TOP!
This is a grammar and vocabulary activity. You can do it after New Opportunities
Pre-Intermediate Module 12 (Mountains). Materials: Photocopies of the questions
and mountain diagram for students. Time: Thirty minutes. Step 1: Give out the w
orksheets and explain the activity. Students read the questions and decide which
option best fills the gap. They circle their answers (A, B or C) on the diagram
representing a mountain. Step 2: When students have finished, elicit the answer
s from the students. Students draw a line to join up correct answers as you go t
hrough them. If they get an answer wrong, their ‘progress’ up the mountain stops
at that point, i.e. they only join up consecutive correct answers. (A studnt wh
o gets the first answer wrong would stay at the bottom of the mountain, but woul
d continue to check his/hr answers). Answers: 1A, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7A, 8B, 9C
, 10A. Step 3: Find out who reached the highest point – or if anybody got to the
top! Option: If students enjoyed the gam, you can play it again later. Here are
ten alternative questions. 1 He __________ like rap music. A don’t B doesn’t C
not 2 I tried really __________ to understand. A hard B hardly C much 3 ________
__ I heard the bell, I opened the door. A Just B When C While 4 We __________ a
party at the weekend. A celebrated B had C did 5 I think she’s the __________ in
telligent girl in the class. A best B more C most 6 I’m sorry, but I __________
my book at home. A forgot B left C took 7 We don’t get on __________ our neighbo
urs. A for B from C with 8 I’m saving up __________ an iPod. A for B to C with 9
We live on the sixth __________ . A floor B height C level 10 I took part _____
_____ the school concert

last year. A in B on C with Answers: 1B, 2A, 3B, 4B, 5C
, 6B, 7C, 8A, 9A, 10
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska
MODULE 13 NAME: ________________________________________________ CLASS: _____
JUMBLED DIALOGUES
• Match the sentences (1-8) with the replies (a-h). a) Well, you don’t have to b
e too formal. b) That’s great. Well done. c) Really? I can’t stand it. d) Yes, I
’m looking for some jeans. e) Okay, but don’t be late home. f) Mm, that’s a good
idea. Which one? g) Yes, I agree. He’s really talented. h) I’m a bit cold, actu
ally.
1 I quite like rap music. 2 I think Robbie Williams is great. 3 What shall I wea
r for the wedding? 4 I passed my maths exam! 5 Can I help you? 6 Why don’t we wa
tch a video tonight? 7 Can I open the window? 8 Is it all right if I go dancing
tonight? •
Put the parts of this phone conversation in the correct order. STUDENT B Great.
I fancy a game of pool. Can you bring some music, too. Hi, Mark. It’s me. Your m
obile is switched off. How about the youth club? Er, it’s half-past six. Still e
arly. I’d like to hear that new Killers album again. I’ve finished mine. I’m a b
it bored. How about going out? Cool. See you at the club then. About eight?
STUDENT A Maybe later when I’ve finished. What time is it now? Such as? 1 Hello,
6579345. Right. See you. Yeah, I know. I was doing my homework. Okay, I’ll brin
g it. Right, maybe about eight o’clock? Where do you want to go? Okay. They’ve g
ot a new pool table.
13 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
JUMBLED DIALOGUES
This is a reading activity which practises much of the functional language stude
nts have encountered in the book so far. It can be done after Module 13 (Dance)
of New Opportunities Pre-Intermediate. Materials: Copies of the worksheet. Time:
Fifteen minutes. Step 1: Give out the worksheet and explain the first activity.
There are eight utterances on the left and student have to match the with the r
eplies on the right. Check answers by having one student read out an utterance f
rom the left and choose another student to offer a reply. Answer: 1c, 2g, 3a, 4b
, 5d, 6f, 7h, 8e Step 2: Now explain the second activity. This is a more complex
version of the first activity. It is a jumbled phone conversation. Students put
what Speakers A and B say in the correct order. The first utterance is given. Y
ou could check the answers by having two volunteers be Speakers A and B and read
out their answers. Answers: A: Hello, 6579345. B: Hi, Mark. It’s me. Your mobil
e is switched off. A: Yeah, I know. I was doing my homework. B: I’ve finished mi
ne. I’m a bit bored. How about going out? A: Maybe later when I’ve finished. Wha
t time is it now? B: Er, it’s half-past six. Still early. A: Right, maybe about
eight o’clock? Where do you want to go? B: How about the youth club? A: Okay. Th
ey’ve got a new pool table. B: Great. I fancy a game of pool. Can you bring some
music, too. A: Such as? B: I’d like to hear that new Killers album again. A: Ok
ay, I’ll bring it. B: Cool. See you at the club then. About eight? A: Right. See
you.
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska
MODULE 13 NOTES FOR TEACHERS In this speaking activity students revise the langu
age of making suggestions and arrangements. You can use this activity after fini
shing Module 13 of Opportunities Pre-intermediate. Materials A role card for eac
h student. Time 10 minutes Preparation Copy enough role cards for all students i
n class. More than one student can have the same card. Step 1 Revise the languag
e for making suggestions and arrangements Are you doing anything on Friday? No,
I m not. How about going shopping? Great idea! Let s meet at 4 p.m. at the Arkad
ia shopping centre. Step 2 Explain the game and hand out the role cards (more th
an one student can have the same role card). Students walk around the class and
make arrangements with different people to do various things during the week. Th
ey make notes in their diaries about who they are meeting when and what they are
going to do. They can also arrange to do things they haven t got in their role
cards but their priority is to find people who will want to do the same things a
s they do. The game is over when the majority of the class have made arrangement
s to do the things in their role cards. Step 3 Ask a few students who they are m
eeting when and what they are doing together.
Arrange to meet four different people to do these things, each on a different da
y. SHOPPING SWIMMING-POOL CINEMA CHAT ------------------------------------------
-----Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Arrange to meet fo
ur different people to do these things, each on a different day. TENNIS CLUBBING
CINEMA CHAT ------------------------------------------------Monday Tuesday Wedn
esday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Arrange to meet four different people to do these things, each on a different da
y. SHOPPING THEATRE REVISING FOR THE TEST TENNIS -------------------------------
----------------Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Arrange
to meet four different people to do these things, each on a different day. CLUB
BING SWIMMING-POOL THEATRE WALK -----------------------------------------------M
onday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Arrange to meet four different people to do these things, each on a different da
y. WALK REVISING FOR THE TEST AEROBICS DINNER ----------------------------------
--------------Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Arrange to meet four different people to do these things, each on a different da
y. SHOPPING AEROBICS DINNER CHAT -----------------------------------------------
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
MODULE 14 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
MUSIC QUIZ
This is a listening activity to practise intensive listening skills. It can be d
one during or after New Opportunities Pre-Intermediate Module 14 (Music). Materi
als: None. Time: Fifteen-twenty minutes. Step 1: Divide the class into two or th
ree teams. Step 2: Explain the game. You begin reading an item connected to the
theme of music or dance to the whole class. As you read, students are given more
detailed information about the subject of the item. There will be vocabulary th
at they don’t know, but tell them to listen for important words or pieces of inf
ormation. When a student thinks he/she knows who or what you are talking about,
he/she calls out the answer. If he/she is correct, award a point to that team; j
ust ignore wrong guesses and continue reading. The team with the most points at
the end is the winner. Follow-up: For homework, students could write their own s
imilar paragraph about a star (without mentioning the name). Items can be read o
ut in the next lesson for other students to guess.
The authors would like to acknowledge Neville Britten for the idea of this game.
See Who Knows? by Neville Britten, (Nelson 1990).
14 Music Quiz Items for the Teacher to Read Out
(The answers are in brackets at the end of each item)
1 First I’m going to talk about a singer. He was born in Mississippi in 1935. Hi
s first jobs were as an usher in a cinema and then a truck driver. He signed a r
ecording contract in 1955 and immediately became a rock and roll sensation. He s
erved in the American army for two years. He appeared in over thirty films. In h
is later life he suffered from ill health and weight problems. He died in 1977 a
nd is remembered as the King of Rock and Roll. (Elvis Presley) 2 Now a dance, a
modern ballroom dance. It appeared in the early twentieth century. A man and a w
oman perform the dance together, and when it was first performed, many people th
ought it was too sexy! The couple take long steps and you need a lot of space to
do this dance. It became very popular in Latin America, especially in Argentina
. (The tango) 3 Here is some information about a composer. He was born in 1756,
in Salzburg. He was educated by his father, Leopold. By the age of six he was an
accomplished performer on the clavier, violin, and organ and went on tours of E
urope. By the age of fourteen he had written sonatas and operas. Although he wro
te some of the finest and most famous music of the eighteenth century, such as T
he Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and several truly great concertos and symph
onies, he died in poverty in 1791. Only a few friends came to his funeral and hi
s burial place was unmarked. (Wofgang Amadeus Mozart) 4 Now a more up-to-date mu
sician. In 1990 he saw an advertisement in a newspaper asking for auditions for
a boy band. He became part of the hugely successful boy band, Take That. He left
the band in 1996 and began a solo career. He has had several best-selling album
s and has won many awards. His most famous songs include Feel and Angels. (Robbi
e Williams) 5 Now, a musical instrument. This is a stringed instrument, thought
to be an Italian invention of the early eighteenth century, though it was later
developed in other parts of Europe. It was based on the hapsichord, but differs
from that instrument because when you play the keyboard small hammers hit the st
rings. The white keys are made of ivory and the black keys ebony, though nowaday
s plastic may be used. Foot pedals can also change the quality of the sound. Tod
ay there are two types of this instrument – the ‘grand’ and the ‘upright’. This
instrument is used in all styles of music, from classical and jazz performers to
modern pop singers such as Elton John. (The piano) 6 Now a singer who is also a
great football fan! He made his debut in London in 1965. He mainly sings opera.
He is from Italy and, along with Luis Carreras and Placido Domingo from Spain,
is one of the world’s most famous and popular tenors. (Luciano Pavarotti) 7 Now
I’m going to talk about a traditional song and dance. Both the words to the song
s and the music are improvised within traditional rhythms and structures. The da
nces that accompany the songs are performed by men or women or both together, an
d these also have improvised steps. The dance form may have originated in India.
Performances are often accompanied by hand claps and shouts, and since the nine
teenth century the songs have mainly been performed on guitar. You are most like
ly to see and hear this music in southern Spain.
(Flamenco) 8 And now an American pop singer. She was born in 1958 into an Italia
n family and first trained as a dancer. She began recording in the early 1980s a
nd her first big hit was in 1983, a song called ‘Holiday’. She has also starred
in a few films. Her albums, such as ‘Like A Virgin’, have sold millions of copie
s. By the 1990s, she was the bestselling female performer of all time. This famo
us ‘Queen of Pop’ famously adopted an African child in 2006. (Madonna) 9 Now ano
ther woman, this time an opera singer. She was born in New York in 1923 into a G
reek family – her real name is, in fact, Maria Kalogeropoulos. She studied opera
in Athens and later became one of the leading soprano singers at La Scala in Mi
lan. She died in 1977. (Maria Callas) 10 And now another musical instrument. It
is made of wood, with a small sound box and short neck. It has four strings whic
h are usually played with a bow. Two very famous (and expensive!) makes of this
instrument are Stradivarius and Guarnarius. Two great virtuosos are Paganini, fr
om the nineteenth century, and Yehudi Menuhin, from the twentieth century. Thoug
h mainly thought of as a classical instrument, it is also played by folk and jaz
z musicians. One of the best virtuosos in jazz was Stephan Grappelli. (The violi
n) 11 Now a singer, dancer and actress. She was born in Puerto Rico in 1970, but
her family soon moved to New York. Her first love was dancing and from the age
of sixteen got parts in dance shows. This led to a part in a TV series and then
a big movie break starring in a film with George Clooney. After this, she tried
her hand at singing, recording hit songs in both English and Spanish. Not satisf
ied with being a top dancer, singer and actress, she has also started her own li
ne in perfume! (Jennifer Lopez) 12 Finally, I’m going to talk about a British si
nger and songwriter. He was born in 1940 in Liverpool, England, and met his song
writing partner, Paul McCartney, while at school. Together they formed the most
successful pop group in history, The Beatles. The singer I’m talking about left
The Beatles in 1969 and pursued a solo career. Tragically, he was shot dead by a
fan in New York in 1980. (John Lennon)
MODULE 14 NOTES FOR TEACHERS This activity aims at practising question tags. You
can use it after finishing module 14 of Opportunities Pre-intermediate. Materia
ls A set of slips with questions for each group. Are you hungry? Can you play th
e guitar? Is there a bookshop near the school? Is your family big? Do you play c
hess? Did Brazil win the last World Cup? Have you been abroad? Did our country w
in any gold medals in the last Olympics? Are you going to study at university? W
ill the weather be good tomorrow? Have you met anyone famous? Did you go skiing
in winter? Are you going to the cinema at the weekend? Was the last maths test d
ifficult? Are you learning to drive? Is it cold today? Do you like cats? Is your
room big? Do you have a computer? Were you at school yesterday? Time 10 minutes
Preparation Cut up the slips with questions – a set for each group of students.
Step 1 Revise forming questions tags with the class. Step 2 Put the students in
to groups of four. Explain the activity and put the slips with question in the m
iddle of each group.
Step 3 In turns the students pick a question, rephrase it as a tag question and
ask the student on their left. Point out that they can rephrase each question in
two ways: as an affirmative statement with a tag or as a negative statement wit
h a tag, according to what they know. Example Are you hungry? Student A: You re
hungry, aren t you? Student B: Yes, I am. / No, I m not. or You aren t hungry, a
re you?
The students responds, then picks a new question and the process repeats until t
he group run out of slips. Alternative To make the activity easier, you can prep
are slips with statements rather than questions. Then the only thing students ha
ve to do is to add a correct tag.
15 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
PHOTO PRESENTATION
This is a speaking activity to practise talking about photos. It should be done
some time after Lesson 44 (Photography) of New Opportunities Pre-Intermediate. M
aterials: Students need to bring a large photo in a book or cut out of a magazin
e. Time: Two minutes per student. You can do the activity over several classes.
Step 1: Explain and present the activity a week before you want the students to
do it this gives them time to look for a picture. Emphasise the suitability of t
he picture when you explain and present the activity yourself. Find a big pictur
e that all the class can see, and go through the stages below, accepting answers
and comments from the whole class. EXPLAINING THE TASK Describe the picture. Th
is first part of the activity is quite mechanical. Explain students will have to
describe what they can see. Tell them it s a good idea to say information in di
fferent ways to avoid repetition. Prompt them to begin sentences in a variety of
ways: "I can see...", "There is...", "On the right...", "In the corner...", etc
. Speculate. Use prompt questions to encourage students to speculate about the p
icture, e.g. "What is this man thinking?", "How does this girl feel?", "What s t
he boy going to do next?" Chat. The picture must lend itself to further discussi
on. Explain you will lead the student into a chat about a topic related to the t
heme of the picture. For example, a picture of punk rockers may lead on to a cha
t about musical tastes, music lessons, weekend clothes, etc. Note: If you plan t
o assess the task, be strict with your vocabulary mark in the first part of the
task, as pupils should have prepared this at home. In the second and third parts
, assess them more for fluency. Step 2: Tell the students when you want them to
give their presentations. You may ask four or five students to speak per lesson
over a week or so. Note: It’s worh having a few pictures in reserve yourself in
case a student forgets his/her photo. They won’t have much preparation time, but
the alternative is that your planning is disrupted. Step 3: While you listen to
students give their presentations, assess them for vocabulary, accuracy and flu
ency.
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska
MODULE 15 Complete the story with relative clauses.
I have a good friend who 1………………………………………………..…. . He is very good-looking and t
here are a lot of girls who 2 …………………………………………………………. . Yesterday, I was walking
my dog in the park when I saw him with a girl who 3…………………………………………………………………. T
hey were arguing. I couldn t see her face, only a storm of red hair that 4………………
…………………………….…… She was shouting at my friend and waving a photograph that 5……………
………………………………..………. She had a dog that 6………………………………………………..……. . The people who
7……………………………………………………… all looked at them curiously. I guessed that she was jeal
ous of another girl who 8…………………………………………………..….. . She started to cry, took out
a handkerchief from the bag 9……………………………………….……… and turned away from my friend
. Then I recognised her – it was the girl who 10……………………………………………………….……. .
15 NOTES FOR THE TEACHER This writing task is aimed at practising defining relat
ive clauses. You can do it after completing Module 15 of Opportunities Pre-inter
mediate. Materials A task sheet for each student or each pair of students Time 1
0-15 minutes Step 1 Tell the students to work in pairs. Distribute the task shee
ts. Explain that their task is to complete the gaps with relative clauses so tha
t the text becomes more coherent and interesting. Step 2 The students in pairs r
ead the text and complete the gaps. Step 3 Ask a few pairs to read out their sto
ries. Compare the different versions. Alternative This task can also be done ind
ividually.
16 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
PROJECT FOLDER
This is a written project which practises a variety of text types. The project s
hould be set up at the end of the third term and students should hand it in afte
r the long summer holiday. If your students are not returning to your school, yo
u could set the project up earlier in the year and give them several homework se
ssions to complete it. Materials: Copies of the sheet explaining the content of
the project (one for each student) Time: One class lesson to set up the project
and several homework sessions or a long holiday period for students to do it. St
ep 1: Give out the photocopies and explain the task (see the worksheet). You may
wish to tell the students what topic you would choose, what your narrative woul
d be about, what extra items would be suitable for your topic, etc. Step 2: Expl
ain your assessment criteria. You can adapt them to your own situation, e.g. ten
marks for interesting content, ten for task achievement, ten for accuracy (gram
mar, spelling, punctuation), etc. Step 3: Students begin planning the content of
their projects in class. Go round and help with ideas. In my experience, it’s p
ossible to work in a narrative and personal letter connected to any topic. Howev
er, if a student is really stuck, it may be that the topic is not suitable; in t
his case ask them to choose another topic. Step 4: Students prepare and write th
eir projects over a certain period; make sure you set a deadline well in advance
for collecting them. Follow-up: Try to make some time to have a personal chat w
ith each student about their project. Perhaps devote one class lesson to giving
back projects and pass them round for others to read – use this opportunity to c
all students to your desk and give some brief feedback. Try to be positive and e
ncouraging – even if that project on heavy metal music didn’t really interest yo
u personally!
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska
MODULE 16
PROJECT FOLDER
• Choose a topic that you are interested in This could be any topic, (but check
it with your teacher first!). For example: a famous person; a foreign city or co
untry; a hobby; an animal; a sport; a famous building; a festival; a period in h
istory; a local, national or international issue, etc. • Content Everything in y
our folder must be related to the topic and the material must be original. Your
folder must contain the following items: • • • • • • A contents page An introduc
tion A narrative A personal letter Original item(s) of your choice Some interest
ing information
You can also include some photos and illustrations if you wish.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Contents page: This goes at the front of your project, but do this at the end wh
en you have finished all the material and decided on the order for the items. In
troduction: Write about why you have chosen this topic. When did you first becom
e interested in it? Do you collect things related to it? Narrative: Write a stor
y (200-250 words) connected to your topic. Make sure you include some descriptio
n in the story and not just a list of events. Set the story in the past and don’
t forget linking words. (See Writing Help 2, page 138). Personal letter: Write a
personal letter (about 75 words) connected to your topic. You could include thi
s in your narrative as a letter from one of the characters if you wish. (See Wri
ting Help 1, page 138). Original item(s) of your choice: Include another type of
text, e.g. an advert (see Writing Help 4, page 139), a brochure, a menu, a reci
pe, a leaflet, some instructions on how to make or do something, a review, a for
mal letter (see Writing Help 6, page 140), an Internet page (see Writing Help 5,
page 140), your own poem or maybe a real postcard which you could stick into yo
ur folder. Your choice of text really depends on the topic you have chosen. Some
interesting information: Again, this depends on the topic you have chosen. For
example, if you have chosen a famous person, you may wish to give some interesti
ng facts about his/her life in the form of a timeline; if you have chosen an ani
mal, you may wish to present some facts in the form of a quiz for the reader; if
you have chosen a foreign country, you may wish to present some key information
in the form of a factfile (see Lesson 15 Scotland, page 46).
All page references are to New Opportunities Pre-Intermediate, Student’s Book.
Two examples of notes for project content Motorbikes Introduction - older brothe
r has a motorbike - buy motorbike magazines - motorbike posters in bedroom - wat
ch racing on TV Narrative - story about motorbike gang Personal letter - letter
to friend telling him about where you went on your motorbike at the weekend Extr
a items - road safety leaflet - poem about riding in the rain Information - labe
lled drawing of a motorbike - timeline with drawings showing the history of moto
rbikes The 1960s Introduction - got interested in 1960s music, then fashion Narr
ative - story about a fan who queues all night for a concert ticket and then is
disappointed when he gets to meet his pop heroes backstage Personal letter - let
ter to friend inviting him/her to a ‘sixties music’ party at your house – everyo
ne has to dress in sixties fashion Extra item - a concert review of a 60s group
- an advert for a concert - an album cover with titles to songs (and maybe inven
t some lyrics?) Information - labelled drawings of 60s fashion - timeline showin
g important events of the 1960s
Remember … • plan each piece of writing carefully – this saves time in the end!
• check your rough work for grammar and spelling mistakes before you copy it nea
tly. When you finish all the writing … • make and decorate a cover for your fold
er • don-t forget to write the contents page • staple or tie everything together
and number the pages
Enjoy your project – and don’t leave all the work until the last minute!