Spring is in the Air!

 

I. Vocabulary 

• spring weather
• spring clothing
• time words
• spring activities (gardening listening lesson)
• spring flowers & nature
• spring animals

II. Idioms 

 (Quizlet)

Spring English Idioms: Test yourself!

1. As soon as the boss came in the door, everyone ______________.
2. I don’t know how old Mike is, but obviously, he is ______________.”
3. He’s had a __________ since he met Joanna.
4. Say the word “Australia” and a vision of beaches and blue seas immediately ____________.
5. After about eight o’clock the city _______________.
6. The cat ________ of the closet when I opened the door.
7. I hope he’s not going to _________ any crazy ideas  _____ us at the meeting this morning.
8. He bounced into the office, full of _______________.
9. I gave the kitchen a ____________ at the weekend.
10. ‘A few kids had ___________ and thought was a good reason to skip finals, but I went to school every single day.’

III. Conversations

WARM-UP CONVERSATION QUESTIONS:

1. Does your home country recognize the spring/autumn equinox at this time of the year? Describe the changes.
2. What is your favorite season? Why? Has your preference changed over the years?
3. Do you think people are affected emotionally, mentally, or physically by the early signs of spring? Explain.
4. What are some things in people's lives that change       
according to seasons?

Spring Cleaning

IV. Holidays

1. St. Patrick's Day (Quizlet)

Conversation, lesson

 

2. Good Friday (Quizlet)

3. Easter see also "Happy Easter" (2017)

a. Passover (Notes to God) 

b. Easter Poetry

• “Easter, 1916” by William Butler Yeats.
• “Easter Morning” by Amy Clampitt.
• “Easter Day” by Oscar Wilde.

c. Easter Sunday (vocabulary/ reading)

4. Mother's Day 
5. Earth Day

Environmental Lessons, like Fast Fashion Harms (L1 Doc)

6. Cinco de Mayo

V. Readings

Spring in Mexico

Easter in the Philippines

Fat Thursday

VI. Music

• Here Comes the Sun (the Beatles)
• Beautiful Day (U2)
• Spring Among the Living (My Morning Jacket)

Resources

Bogglesworld ESL: Spring worksheets and activities
English for Everyone: Spring worksheet
ISL Collective: 54 spring worksheets: donation site
EL Civics: Spring picture vocabulary lesson with follow-up activities
Canada-ESL: Spring vocabulary
ESL Discussion: Spring discussion questions
The Holiday Zone: Printable spring puzzles and worksheets
ESOL Courses: Spring online quizzes and worksheets
ESL Podcast: Listening dialogue on spring cleaning
Listen a Minute: Reading and follow up activity on spring
Grammar Net: Springtime and idioms

https://pocketpassport.com/blog/esl-spring-small-talk-lesson-esl-printable-worksheets/

The Free Dictionary: Spring idioms
Inspirational Poems: Spring poems

Spring is Here: Easter and Earth Day

Earth in beauty dressed awaits returning spring- William Butler Yeats

I. Spring 春天 songs

1. Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles) Video/Lyrics/Demi Lovato Cover/
2. Beautiful Day (U2) Video/Lyrics/Translation/ Live with Chinese Subs
3. Best Day of My Life (American Authors) Video/ Lyrics/ Translation
4. Morning Has Broken (Cat Stevens) Lyrics, Video with lyrics, cover, Neil Diamond

II. Idioms 習語

1. to be no spring chicken 老大不小；不再年輕
2. a spring in your step 步伐輕快；（走路）輕鬆自信

EX: There's been a definite spring in his step ever since he met Joanna.

自從他遇見喬安娜之後，走起路來步伐都變輕快了。

III. Literature (A Class) Spring Poems

1. I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud/ Daffodils (Wordsworth 威廉·華茲渥斯) Lesson/ Worksheet/ Chinese/ ppt

Wordsworth was a romantic poet. He believed that people should try to understand the natural world by interpreting their emotional reactions, rather than through scientific investigation. He really liked daffodils. This poem follows a ABABCC (iambic trimeter) rhyme pattern.

Writing techniques:

• simile 明喻（的運用）

EX: The lines "She walks in beauty, like the night..." from Byron's poem contain a simile.拜倫的詩句「她在美中徜徉，如同…的夜晚」中含有一個明喻。

• personification- 擬人化 giving human qualities to an object or idea

EX: They paid tribute to the artist as "the personification of excellence."

Are you a romantic?

Vocabulary:

1. glee
2. solitude
3. daffodils
4. breeze
5. bay
6. gay- happy
7. glance

2. A Prayer in Spring (Frost)

Extra: Craft

III. Easter (April 16, 2017)

Mandarin  Easter Video, Jesus Cartoon

Vocabulary:

1. commemorate (v)
2. resurrection 
3. Jesus Christ 耶穌，耶穌基督
4. Christian
5.  celebration
6. fall/ fell/fallen (v.)
7. rise/rose/risen (v.)
8. bury (v.)
9. Good Friday（基督徒認為耶穌受難的日子，復活節前的星期五）受難節，耶穌受難瞻禮
10. associated with

Easter Sunday commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the most important Christian celebration. The date of Easter Sunday changes every year, and that changes the date of all the important holy days that come before Easter. It falls between late March and late May. Easter is so important because Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead, two days after he died on the cross. Jesus’ dead body was buried in a cave on Good Friday and two days later the stone that covered the cave’s entrance had been moved and Jesus’ body had gone. Various people saw Jesus in the following days and his followers understood God had raised him from the dead. Historians say this happened some time between 26 and 36 AD.

People celebrate Easter in many ways around the world. It is a very busy time for churches. Many Christians light a special Pascal candle on the evening before Easter. This represents the rising of Christ. There are special songs and hymns which people sing in church. Children like Easter because their parents and grandparents give them chocolate Easter eggs, a sign of new birth. Schoolchildren usually decorate eggs and display them in their school or give them as gifts. Other things associated with Easter are the Easter Bunny and spring flowers like irises. An unusual Easter tradition in Norway is to solve murder mysteries at Easter. Television channels show murder mystery shows.

IV. Earth Day (April 22) Readings

Nat Geo Earth Day Run in Taipei

Beef Production Damages the Environment (B Class)

Pre-Reading Activity: How might these foods hurt the environment自然環境? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	How bad?	How to make it better?
Beef
coffee
chocolate
GM food基因改造食品
Farmed fish
sushi

澳門最毒的食物:三文魚 (紀錄片預告) | THE MOST TOXIC FOOD IN WORLD (Documentary Trailer)

Fair Trade 公平貿易

Child labor 

Human Trafficking  人口販運

Vocabulary:

1. harmful 有害的
2. global warming 全球（氣候）暖化
3. greenhouse gas 溫室氣體（尤指二氧化碳）
4. carbon footprint 碳足跡（個人活動所產生的二氧化碳的份量）
5. wheat 小麥
6.  damage (v.) 損害
7. livestock (n.) 牲畜；家畜；家禽
8. government (n.) 政府
9. consumer (n.) 消費者
10. excessive (adj).過多的
11. consumption (n.) 消耗量

Worries About Microplastics in Our Seafood (B Class)

Vocabulary: Write the English and Chinese meaning
[A Class Vocabulary]

1.     micro- tiny, small EX: microscope

2.    plastic- man made material that doesn't decompose 腐爛

3.    shellfish 甲殼類水生動物

Lobsters, crabs, and oysters are all shellfish. 龍蝦、螃蟹、對蝦和牡蠣都是甲殼類水産品。

4.    marine biologist- scientist who studies ocean life
5. oysters- 牡蠣

Comprehension Questions:

1.     Why is eating shellfish dangerous now?

2.    How often do you and your family eat shellfish?

3.    What does a Marine biologist do?

4.    How can we lessen 減少 plastics in the ocean?

5.    What are some harmful 有害的 effects效果 of plastic in the human body?

Extra Videos: Alternative to Plastics, Edible Water Bottle, Gyre: Creating Art from Ocean Plastic

A Class Quiz 9 on Microplastics

Greenpeace 綠色和平 Resists Trump (B Class)

Vocabulary: Write the Chinese meaning and then write a sentence in English.
(A Class Vocabulary)

1.     banner (n.) (a big picture which you put in the street)

2.     resist (v.) (stand against something or somebody).

3.    White House (n.) (where the president of the USA lives)

The organization組織 Greenpeace綠色和平 does not like president Trump. It puts a banner near the White House. The banner reads “RESIST”. It is yellow and orange. It is 21 by 11 meters big.

1.     What kind of organization is Greenpeace?

2.    Why is Greenpeace hanging a banner?

3.    Can you guess what Greenpeace does in Taiwan?

Bio Bus Runs on Poo (B Class)

Vocabulary: Read the English meaning and write the Chinese meaning. (A Class Vocabulary)

1. operate (work, be)

2. poo (brown waste you leave in the toilet)

3. tank (a thing which has space inside for something like water or gas).

4.  gas (fuel for cars and trucks)

This news is about a bus. The bus operates in England. It runs on gas. This gas comes from human poo! The bus can travel 186 miles (299 km) on one tank of gas. It can transport up to 40 people. The bus is good for our planet. People produce the gas. The bus can always have enough gas.

Questions:

1.     Why is this bus good for our planet?

2.    Do you think all buses and cars should use this kind of gas? Explain why or why not:

Adidas to Make Shoes From Ocean Garbage (B Class)

Adidas Debuts New Shoe From Ocean Plastic

Vocabulary: Highlight in your reading. Then use a dictionary to write the Chinese meaning above or below each word. (Vocabulary Games: A Class/ B Class)

1. awareness
2. pollution
3. boost (v.)
4. public
5. preserve (v.)
6. extremely [very]
7. proud
8. trainers [British English: sports shoe, American English: sneakers, tennis shoes]
9. environmentally

EXTRA: France Bans Captive Breeding of Dolphins

B Class Activity: Write 5 good questions about ocean pollution in pairs.
A Class Role Play activity

Group Class Presentations: 5 Things We Can Do To Save the Earth

Closing Discussion:

1. Given the previous readings, would you change anything about your diet 飲食 now that you learned more of the harmful effects to yourself and the environment?

2. How willing are you to tell your parents to consume less beef or shellfish?

3. Would you consider becoming a vegetarian 素食者 or vegan嚴守素食主義者? Even for a few days a week?

RESOURCES:
http://www.eslflow.com/Cultureandcelebrationslessonplans.html
http://www.esolcourses.com/topics/easter.html
http://bogglesworldesl.com/easter_worksheets.htm
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/reading-easter-day.php
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/spring/poem/
http://www.brighthubeducation.com/esl-lesson-plans/29620-spring-poetry-for-your-esl-classroom/
http://busyteacher.org/5055-how-to-teach-a-perfectly-fresh-and-colorful.html
http://www.bethanyroberts.com/EasterStoriesandPoems.htm
Earth Day Network
Japan to Exceed Bluefin Tuna Quota
PCB in Arctic Waters

Happy Easter!

 Easter is a spring holiday that celebrates the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and thus is associated with the symbols of rebirth, new life which in the Northern Hemisphere is the essence of the season of Spring. After the death of winter with its short, days and long nights, that barren darkness, the days begin to lengthen and the earth wakes up.

In pre-Christian Europe this time was also celebrated by a fertility festival and some of those symbols of fertility, like the egg and bunny have been absorbed by modern Easter secular culture.

I think the butterfly life cycle is a relevant Easter lesson that demonstrates, not only the Risen Christ story but that central theme of metamorphosis, transformation and new life.

Kindergarten and emergent readers (Yellow Bear):
Yellow Bear class is super busy with their phonics reading, story book, and speech memorization. If we had time I'd have them read this booklet.
Reading: When is Easter? 
Sight words: when, does

                                 

Pre-Intermediate Readers (Vincent):
Reading 1: Easter Customs and Traditions
Vocabulary: Crucifixion, Good Friday, fortnight, currants, in many respects, customs, traditions, on behalf, legendary character
Conversation: Do you celebrate Easter?

Reading 2: Easter Sunday
Vocabulary: angel, alive, bury, block, cave, celebrate, empty, promise, rise, 

Intermediate Readers (Phoebe and Jaimie):
Reading 1: What is Easter?
Vocabulary: celebrated, celebration, resurrection, service (church), original

Reading 2: The Crucifixion
Vocabulary: cloak, criminal, crucify, forgive, garments, governor, kneel, mock, palace, spit, thorns, tunic, weep

Conversation: Happy Easter!

Advanced Readers:
Reading: Easter

Resources:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/easter/
http://www.kidssoup.com/Easter/easter.html#freeEastercrafts
http://www.eslkidstuff.com/EasterGames.htm#.VRqenPyUeCo
http://www.esolcourses.com/topics/easter.html
http://www.eslflow.com/Cultureandcelebrationslessonplans.html
http://www.theholidayzone.com/easter/eread.html