
39Uploads
11k+Views
16k+Downloads
Languages

Adidas vs Puma - A feud between brothers
Adidas vs Puma
This is a lesson on the feud between the founders of Adidas and Puma - two brothers. I find that teenagers find this topic interesting as most kids nowadays wear Adidas, Puma and Nike.
Firstly, if time there is a dictogloss. On the first page of the dictogloss is a picture of the brothers to show the students and a map with Herzogenaurach.
During the dictogloss I get students to just write HZ as it’s much quicker!
Then is the text on the brothers’ feud and story, accompanied by comprehension questions.
This has taken several hours to create,merging, editing and rewriting material from multiple sources.

United Nations and BTS Speech by RM
This is a collection of lessons from an idea to use an excellent speech by RM from BTS
An introduction to who BTS are (with information on their military service)
United Nations Guide
RM’s BTS Speech along with a transcript (the transcript was copied for answering the questions afterwards)
One Ok Rock - Stand out, fit in song - chosen because it’s linked to the topic that RM discusses
The last 2 pages has the questions which I would print separately so it’s easier to refer to the text to answer the questions.
For each link (e.g. Youtube) they are embedded into each image:
About the United Nations
António Guterres speaking in several languages
Love Myself promotional video
RM’s speech
One Ok Rock - Stand out, fit in
The face changing dancer

Sumo Wrestling Comprehension
This is a video comprehension I created as the chapter in the textbook was on sports.
There are some general facts on sumo wrestlers (e.g. they cannot drive a car) then the video comprehension. Some words are translated but you could either define these words or translate into your students’ L1.
I run a blog so I created a blog version which is a bit different so I just kept it on the third page just in case.

The OJ Simpson murder case: Dictogloss and Comprehension text
The OJ Simpson murder case: Dictogloss and Comprehension text
This is a text I created based on different sources and my own editing.
If you don’t know what a dictogloss is, full instructions are included in the document.

Breakfast around the world (B2)
Here is a lesson based on food. This is taken from the New York Times; however, it's been heavily edited, with vocabulary exercises, lots of formatting due to the layout on their website, so it's actually been several hours of work.

Great Barrier Reef Lesson (updated for 2023)
This is my lesson on the Great Barrier Reef
Here is a continuation of the lesson: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/sharks-whales-dolphins-humpback-whales-orcas-12683202

Why we dream / Billie Eilish - Everything I wanted (B1)
In textbook we use in school for my English learners the students are taught vocab such as someone, anyone, anything etc so I decided to use Billie Eilish’s song “Everything I wanted” as it uses these words. Then, as it is about dreams I have a comprehension text on dreams.
And I have added part of my grammar lesson on indefinite pronouns. This should be used with a textbook that includes this grammatical concept (to do exercises on it for example).

Adolf Hitler Biography Comprehension (B2/B2+)
Here you have the biography of Adolf Hitler.
UPDATE: I decided to make this longer and part of my WW1 lessons, just after the Great Depression, so it would be better to download that one. It’s longer but better I think.
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12611367

WW2 Booklet 4: Liberation of Auschwitz, Hiroshima and the end of WWII
Hi
Here is my 4th and final booklet of World War Two
Liberation of Auschwitz
Hitler’s last days
Execution of Rudolf Höss
Hiroshima

WWII Booklet 3 : Holocaust, Anne Frank, D-Day
Here is my third booklet on WW2
9 The origin of the hatred of the Jews and the Holocaust
10 Anne Frank
11 Sophie Scholl
12 D-Day

Haruki Murakami - A Shinagawa Monkey with activities (B2+/C1 level)
This short story is available for free on The New Yorker’s website, but I have edited it slightly.
Plus, I have created vocabulary exercises, preteaching vocabulary that appears in the text along with comprehension questions to check understanding of the text.
I have also written my own biography of Haruki Murakami adding some information about “magic realism” given that this short story employs some magical realism techniques. There is also a short article on the difference between jealousy and envy (if you read the story you will understand why).
This is a high level B2 or low C1 level on the CEFR scale. I found it great for students studying FCE or CAE level given that it has lots of advanced adjectives and great phrasal verbs needed at these 2 levels.

Momčilo Gavrić - The youngest soldier in WWI
Momčilo Gavrić - The youngest soldier in WWI from Serbia at the age of 8.
Please note - the preview shows the file in a weird format. The real file isn’t like this!
This is basically a biography of Momčilo Gavrić.
It’s been taken from different sources, edited and I’ve created some comprehension questions and added some pictures.
His story is very interesting!
(Edited on 20.10.2021)

Young Musicians comprehension texts + videos (Nandi Bushell, Mozart) (B1)
In my middle school class the chapter of the textbook was music so I thought I would do some activities related to songs / artists.
There are some short comprehensions on videos on young musicians: Christian Li (violinist from Australia), Anke Chen (pianist from China), Lydian Nadhaswaram (pianist from India).
In a separate resource I added a Mozart comprehension (obviously on the theme of young musicians!) so I will add it here too for ease. For this exercise the students have a ‘running dictation’ to do.
Then there is a comprehension text on the wonderful story of Nandi Bushell and her drum-off with Dave Grohl. Finally, as Nirvana are mentioned in the Nandi Bushell text I created a gap fill for a parody song (for some humour in class) for Weird Al Yankovic’s “Smells Like Nirvana”. My teenage students liked it! They also asked to hear the original so I have added this link. All of the links for the songs are supplied in a separate Microsoft Word document for you.

The Weeknd (Featuring Ariana Grande) - Blinding Lights + Save your tears (grammar)
The Weeknd - Save your Tears (featuring Ariana Grande)
The Weeknd - Blinding Lights
With this activity it’s not just a simple gap fill. The intention is rather to get the students to focus on some of the grammar points that they’ve studied this school year (well at least my students have!)
I have attached the Youtube links in the Word document.
The first part is a gap fill then students need to analyse the text to find particular tenses or rhymes, then finally create their own verse of either song.
Of course you could modify any of the grammar based on what your students do or don’t know.

Sharks, Whales, Dolphins (Humpback whales, Orcas)
Hi
This is basically a continuation of my Great Barrier Reef lesson: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12677847
I have created comprehension texts on:
Sharks
Dolphins and whales
Humpback whales
Orcas
Tilikum (the orca from the Netflix documentary Blackfish)
PETA

Why the Berlin Wall rose and fell
This text is taken from the National Geographic then I modified certain parts and added a little extra. I also got some images from google to make it look nicer.
It was primarily designed for non-native speakers (B2 level) as there are some definitions of difficult words added (carve, brain drain, plot, stunned etc) but it could easily be used for native speakers.
There are comprehension questions added as well.

Animals in Australia - Snakes, Spiders, Kangaroos and Koalas
This is a collection of lessons starting with a general lesson on animals unique to Australia, then moving on to kangaroos, koalas, the tasmanian devil, snakes and spiders.

Call me Nick, Hitchcock Presents Literature with a Devil article (B2+)
Hi
This is an excellent and dark short story by Jonathan Crag: “Call me Nick” from 1968 and featured on Hitchcock presents.
Content
Call me Nick - I have edited this short story to remove some really difficult words and use some slightly easier synonyms
The Devil - an article on the Devil slightly adapted from a site online with images added showing the cloven hooves, trident and horns.
Workbook - difficult vocab is defined (e.g. gasp, chuckle, stare, sin etc) and there are comprehension exercises along with a few idioms with the word devil.
This has been used for a literature class with B2/B2+ students. I have divided the short story into two parts and between these parts students have an article about the Devil to read. This breaks it up nicely.
This could also easily be used in a literature class for native speakers. I think my students enjoyed it! It took two whole classes to read and finish the questions (55 minute classes in my school, so if your classes are shorter you might need 3 lessons).