Quote
Lesson 7 Overview Outcomes To talk about possible places to live Language focus Speaking skills: comparing and contrasting, e.g. This ... but that ..., On the other hand; making suggestions, I suggest Materials Students’ Book page 68
Read the quote to the class. Ask them what Charles Caleb Colton meant in his quote. Ask if they agree. Why or why not? The idea is that if you live in a small community, everyone will be familiar with you and know who you are, but you will not have any experience of the wider world. However, if you live in a big community, you will blend into the crowd, but you will also have access to knowledge and technology. You will also have the chance to meet people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Background: Charles Caleb Colton (1780–1832) was an English writer and collector, well known for his eccentricities. Colton was educated at Eton and King’s College, Cambridge, graduating with a B.A. in 1801 and an M.A. in 1804. He has been read most frequently perhaps in quotation books, including Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, where many of his sayings have been preserved.
Choosing suitable places to live
(15-20 mins) First, ask the students to look at the four photographs and tell you which place they would choose to live in and why. Read out the task and rubric for exercise 1, then put the students in pairs or small groups. Tell them to copy the table into their notebooks and to use it to record their ideas. Go round and offer ideas where necessary. When they are ready, EITHER put pairs or groups together to compare ideas, OR have a brief Students’ Book page class discussion.
(15-20 mins) Students look at the Useful Language box and then discuss ideas in their pairs or groups. Go round and listen, offering suggestions and making corrections where necessary. Make a note of any serious and / or common mistakes and go over them with the whole class afterwards.
Choosing suitable places to live
city centre apartment
(15 mins) When they are ready, invite two or three students to share their ideas with the class. Finally, have a class vote for the most suitable place for each set of people.
rural home / villa
leafy suburban area
busy tourist resort in Lattakia
Work in pairs or small groups. Make notes about the people’s different needs in a table like this: Family of four
Young couple
Type of flat / house
small
City or countryside
city
Elderly couple
Type of area Distance from shops
quiet near supermarket
Compare and contrast the four places in the photographs, then decide which is the best for each person or group. Discuss your ideas before making a final decision. Use comparing and contrasting language from the Useful Language box below. Compare your choice with that of another pair or group. Explain your choices. USEFUL LANGUAGE Comparing and contrasting These people / This family needs ... whereas / but these people / this family ... In comparison with the city centre, this part of the town is very quiet. The flat is in a much more convenient location than the house. If they lived here, it would take them less time to get to school. On the other hand, it would be noisier living here. Explaining choices We think this flat would be more suitable for this family because ... The main reason we’ve chosen the small house in the country is because ...
Quote 68
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“If you would be known, and not know, vegetate in a village; if you would know and not be known, live in the city.” Charles Caleb Colton