Podcast your English 1

Chiara Soldi

PODCAST YOUR ENGLISH

1

Summer activities for lower secondary school

WHAT YOU WILL FIND IN THIS BOOK

Podcast Your English 1 offers an approach to the English language that combines listening, reading, writing and speaking activities. Drawing inspiration from the podcast by Sara, a girl of Italian-Chinese origin your own age, you will learn new vocabulary and idiomatic expressions. Thanks to the structure provided by the various episodes, you’ll have the chance to practise English independently and dynamically, stimulating your creativity and turning the summer break into an opportunity for revision and consolidation. Along the way, you’ll find practical tools and moments for reflection, as well as creative opportunities where you’ll record your own podcast episodes! Below is a roadmap showing the stages of your journey:

Here are some useful tips for ‘navigating’ through the materials and activities. Each stage of the course begins with an idiom – an idiomatic expression or a figure of speech. Idioms are a great way to get to grips with spoken English and discover lots of interesting facts about the culture of the language. Solving these little linguistic puzzles also gives you the chance to compare them with the Italian language and culture. Each idiom will be linked to the topics covered in the various units. This section features an episode recorded by Sara, the podcaster at the heart of this volume, who will tell you about herself, starting with a personal introduction and going on to describe her daily life, her friendships and her passions. Listen carefully to Sara!

READING In this section, you will read short texts on topics related to the opening episodes. You will be guided through exercises and fun activities that will help you practise your reading comprehension skills. These sections will also provide an opportunity to consolidate your vocabulary and learn new words.

WRITING This section will help you practise writing texts related to the topics covered in the episode, and you’ll find some exercises to help you build your vocabulary.

SPEAKING This is the most creative part of the book! By reflecting on Sara’s episodes and following a few simple steps, you’ll write your podcast script and record your audio, even using your smartphone. This section will give you the chance to put your digital skills into practice!

GRAMMAR In this section, you’ll find activities and games that will help you revise the main grammatical structures you’ve come across in this unit, as well as those you learnt during the school year.

USEFUL TOOLS

Here you’ll find clear, colourful visual aids and diagrams to help you revise and ‘commit to memory’ the key grammar rules covered in the episode. These resources are designed to serve as a handy reference for the future.

LET'S THINK ABOUT.... In this section, which appears at the end of each episode, you will find a short questionnaire designed to help you reflect on the activities you have completed, explore your emotions whilst carrying them out, and identify areas for improvement. It will also serve as an excellent tool for self-assessment and a guide to becoming increasingly independent and selfaware in your studies.

And now let’s take a look at some recurring symbols and elements that will guide you through this book.

THE «LIGHT BULBS»

As you work through the activities in this book, you will notice light bulbs next to some of the instructions: these are there to ‘illuminate’ your learning journey by marking the start of three key stages in the sections on listening, reading, writing and speaking skills

The first light bulb indicates a preparatory phase, a ‘warm-up’ during which you should try to make predictions and form hypotheses that will be useful for the activities that follow.

The second light bulb indicates the stage where you will focus on the key information and significant details relating to that specific skill.

The third light indicates the review and reflection phase, which should be carried out once all activities have been completed. Here, you will check your initial assumptions, consolidate the activities from the intermediate phase where necessary, and correct any errors.

Following the order of these exercises, without skipping any, will help you perform them to the best of your ability, as they build on one another!

BOX Date

These are spaces where you will need to write the date on which you will carry out the activities in the various sections. These boxes will be useful for noting down and reflecting on your ‘study time’ – a way of organising and keeping track of the time you will spend on your homework during the holidays.

BOX STRATEGY TIP

Here you’ll find tips and strategies to help you get the most out of the activities in this book. These practical tips may also come in handy in the future and in other contexts.

You’re now ready to get started – learning English has never been so much fun! Stay tuned!

INDEX

8 EPISODE 1 Nice to meet you!

8 Idiom (To be on cloud nine)

8 Listening (Nice to meet you!)

12 Reading (Tobias and his family)

15 Writing (Describing people)

17 Speaking (Audio 1_Nice to meet you!)

20 Grammar (Subject pronouns, the “to be” verb, possessive adjectives i, Wh-words)

23 Useful tools (Subject pronouns, Possessive adjectives, Present simple – be)

25 Let's think about...

26

EPISODE 2 My best friends

26 Idiom (To have butterflies in the stomach)

26

Listening (My best friends)

29 Reading (Always together!)

32 Writing (Describing pets)

34 Speaking (Audio 2_My best friend)

36 Grammar (Definite and indefinite articles, the Saxon genitive, The ‘have got’ verb)

39 Useful tools (Possessive ’S, Present simple – have got)

41 Let's think about...

42 EPISODE 3 My favourite room

42 Idiom (To sweep something under the rug)

42 Listening (My favourite room)

45 Reading (Living in the countryside)

48 Writing (Describing rooms)

50 Speaking (Audio 3_My favourite room)

52 Grammar (There is/are, Prepositions of place)

55 Useful tools (Some/any, Prepositions of place)

57 Let's think about...

58 EPISODE 4 My typical week

58 Idiom (To wake up on the wrong side of the bed)

58 Listening (My typical week)

61 Reading (At the city summer camp!)

64 Writing (Describing daily routines)

66 Speaking (Audio 4_My typical week)

69 Grammar (Adverbs of frequency, Present Simple – action verbs)

72 Useful tools (Adverbs of frequency, Prepositions of time, Present simple - action verbs)

74 Let's think about...

75 EPISODE 5 My free time

75 Idiom (To take it easy)

75 Listening (My free time)

78 Reading (Under the sun)

81 Writing (Describing abilities)

82 Speaking (Audio 5_My free time)

84 Grammar (Demonstrative adjectives, Adverbs of manner, Can)

87 Useful tools (Demonstrative adjectives, Adverbs of manner, Present simple - can)

89 Let's think about...

90 EPISODE 6 My favourite summer outfit

90 Idiom (To roll up your sleeves)

90 Listening (My favourite summer outfit)

93 Reading (In the mountains!)

96 Writing (Describing outfits)

97 Speaking (Audio 6_My favourite summer outfit)

99 Grammar (Present continuous)

102 Useful tools (Present continuous – time expressions, Present continuous - wake up)

104 Let's think about...

105 Create your own podcast

NICE TO MEET YOU!

Today’s idiom is… to be on cloud nine

It’s an idiom that has to do with positive emotions. Have you ever heard it? Do you know what it means? Look up the meaning and a similar expression in Italian.

E pisode 1

LISTENING

1. Look at the picture. Answer the questions and explain your answers. Remember, your answers are personal and based on your observations!

STRATEGY TIP downRemembertoalwayswrite thedateonwhichyoudo the exercises in each section.Itwillhelpyouorganiseyour work!

1) What is the girl in the picture doing?

2) What do the flags mean?

3) Who is the boy in the picture?

2. Listen carefully to what Sara says in the first episode of her podcast. Then answer the questions and explain your answers.

STRATEGY

X What do you think of Sara? Happy Sad

TIP yourWhileyou'relistening,puton You'llheadphonesorearphones. be able to better!concentrate

X Where is Sara? At home At school At the gym

X Who is with Sara? She's alone She is with someone else

3. Do you remember what Sara is talking about? Point it out (✓).

Friends School Family

4. Listen again and circle the cities and nationalities that Sara mentions.

Chinese Canadian Italian English

Florence London Beijing Paris

5. Look at Sara’s family tree and fill in the names of her family members from the box. If necessary, listen to the episode again.

6. Tick (✓) the correct answer, as shown in the example. If necessary, listen to the episode again.

0) Sara is…

half Chinese and half Italian

Chinese half British and half Italian

1) Sara is… tall and plump quite short and thin very short and thin

2) Xu and Carlo are… Sara’s friends teachers Sara’s parents

3) Yufei is… 7 17 27

4) Bloom is… a puppy a turtle a cat

7. Go back to Exercise 1. Think about the questions and answer them.

8. Check exercises 2–6 carefully and correct any mistakes. ✓

X Which elements of the image helped you to better understand the content of the episode?

X Was it helpful to make assumptions about the image in order to better understand the content of the episode? Why? Yes No

8. Now turn to page 105 and follow the instructions carefully to turn the file ‘Audio 1_Nice to meet you!’ into a proper episode. It’ll be interesting and fun, but it’ll take a bit of time! Don’t rush!

GRAMMAR

1. Circle the subject pronouns (you’ll find them both horizontally and vertically), as in the example.

STRATEGY TIP

Ifnecessary,reviewthetopicsin the Useful Tools section.

2. Follow the instructions and write positive + , negative – or interrogative ? sentences sing the verb ‘to be’. Follow the example.

3. Read the sentences and circle the correct possessive adjective, as in the example.

0) Hi! I’m Sara, this is your / my puppy!

1) He’s Luis. That’s Rusty, his / her cat.

2) She’s my mum. Her / Our name is Xu.

3) Here is my family! Our / Its city is York.

4) You are Tobias. Their / Your hamster is cute.

5) They are Sara and Yufei. Their / Her parents are Xu and Carlo.

6) You and your sister are twins. My / Your noses are small.

4. Match the WH-words with their meanings and the corresponding images, as shown in the example.

0) What? where

1) Where? who

2) When? why

3) Why? 0 what

4) Who? when 0

5. Rearrange the words and form questions, as in the example.

STRATEGY

TIP sentences,Remember!Inquestion theWH-words alwayscomeatthebeginning!

0) Sara / ? / is / why / happy

1) is / where / ? / from / Sara

2) Sara’s / is / birthday / when / ?

3) ? / Rusty / is / what / colour

4) is / Flopp / ? / who

Why is Sara happy?

6. Review and correct exercises 1–5.

SUBJECT PRONOUNS

PRESENT SIMPLE – BE (condition / to be in)

PRESENT SIMPLE +

I AM HAPPY I’M HAPPY

SHE IS IN LONDON SHE’S IN LONDON

PRESENT SIMPLE –

I AM NOT HAPPY

I’M NOT HAPPY

SHE IS NOT IN LONDON SHE ISN’T IN LONDON

PRESENT SIMPLE ?

AM I HAPPY?

LET'S THINK ABOUT...

Date ........ / ........ / ........

Now that you’ve finished all the activities, take a moment to reflect on how it went!

X How do I feel now that these activities are over? Here’s the emoji that sums me up!

X Which task was the easiest? Why?

X Which task was the hardest? Why?

X What activity would I like to do again? Why?

X Which activity would I not do again? Why?

X Do I still have doubts about certain topics? Which ones?

X How can I clear up any remaining doubts?

What do you think Sara will talk about in the next episode?

SPEAKING

1. Listen to Episode 2 again and answer the question.

What is Sara talking about? Sports Hobbies Friends School

2. Read Steps 1–4 and complete them carefully with the required information. If you need more space, write in your notebook.

EPISODE 2: MY BEST FRIEND

X Step 1: Welcome the audience

Hi everybody! How are things? Hope everything’s OK! Well, I’m going to start my new episode and I want to introduce my best friend!

X Step 2: Write something about your best friend (name and physical description)

X Step 3: Write something about your best friend’s personality (behaviour/personality)

X Step 4: Say goodbye to the audience

So, friends, that’s the end of today’s episode! Thanks for listening and don’t miss the next one! Stay tuned!

3. Read through the information in the previous exercise carefully and correct any mistakes.

4. Now it’s your turn! Follow steps 1–4 and record your audio. You can use your smartphone, tablet or computer. Imagine you’re in a recording studio!

STRATEGY TIP episode,Whenrecordingyourtrytofindaquiet place.Itwillhelpyouavoid distractions!

5. Listen to the audio you’ve recorded and tick off the checklist.

CHECKLIST

Talk clear and easy to read not always clear and sometimes halting

Tone varied and appropriate always the same

Diction usually correct not always correct

6. Is the information in the checklist helpful in improving your registration? Please indicate (✓) YES oppure NO.

Record the audio again, following the tips in the checklist, and save it to your device as Audio 2_My best friend.

Save the audio on your device under Audio 2_My best friend.

7. Answer the questions and explain your answers.

X Was it difficult to record the audio?

X What was the biggest challenge you have faced?

MY TYPICAL WEEK

Today’s idiom is… to wake up on the wrong side of the bed

It’s an idiom used when we don’t wake up feeling ‘all that great’ in the morning. Have you ever heard it? What does it mean? Look up the meaning and a similar expression in Italian.

LISTENING

1. Look at the picture. Answer the questions and explain your answers. Remember, your answers are personal and based on your observations!

1) Who’s the alarm clock ringing for?

Is it Sunday?

STRATEGY

TIP

Alwaysexplainyouranswers indetail.Thiswillhelpyou to reflect further on the observation.

2) Whose scooter is it?

2. Listen carefully to the fourth episode of Sara’s podcast. Then answer the questions and explain your answers.

X What do you think of Sara? Happy Nervous

X Where is Sara? At the gym At home At a friend's house

X Who is Sara with?

Alone With someone else

3. Do you remember what Sara is talking about? Point it out (✓).

Friends A typical week A typical day

4. Listen again and point out some of the things Sara does.

STRATEGY

TIP mindListeningwithaspecificgoalin informationenablesyoutopickupthe youneed.

5. Read the actions Sara takes and circle the correct answer, as in the example. If necessary, listen to the episode again.

0) Sara gets up at 6:30 am / 7:30 pm.

1) Sara takes the school bus on Tuesdays / Mondays.

2) Sara’s lessons start at 8:00 am / 9:00 am.

3) Sara has a snack around 5:00 am / 5:00 pm.

4) Sara goes to bed late on Saturday nights / school days.

6. Go back to Exercise 1. Think about the questions and answer them.

X Which elements of the image helped you to better understand the content of the episode?

X Was it helpful to make assumptions about the image in order to better understand the content of the episode? Why?

Yes No

7. Carefully check exercises 2–5 and correct any errori.

READING

1. Have you ever been to a summer camp? What comes to mind when you hear the phrase ‘city summer camp’? Write three words or phrases below (in English or Italian).

X X X

STRATEGY

TIP experiencesDrawingonpersonalcanbehelpfulin formingaroughideaofwhatto youexpectfromthetextoraudio areabouttoreadorlisten to.

2. If you've written words in Italian, translate them into English using a dictionary.

3. Read sentences 1–3 and provide the translation, as shown in the example. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1) city summer camp outdoor swimming pool

2) outdoor swimming pool packed lunch

3) packed lunch 1 city summer camp

4. Look at the picture and read the text without getting bogged down in details or words you don’t know.

AT THE CITY SUMMER CAMP!

STRATEGY

TIP Remember to fill in the ‘MY NEWWORDS’boxcarefully. It will be a useful tool for personalisingyourlearningof newvocabulary.

This is Nathan and this is his week at the city summer camp. The camp is always in July. From Monday to Friday he gets up at 8:00 am and he gets dressed. Then he washes his face and at 8:15 am he has breakfast. Nathan leaves the house and goes to the city summer camp from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. He always goes there with his mum by car. In the morning they always do homework, while in the afternoon they usually play cards, play games and do a lot of sports. If the weather is nice, on Saturdays they go to an outdoor swimming pool. It’s fantastic! The lunch at the camp is usually at 1:00 pm. Nathan has his packed lunch twice a week. The other days the summer camp staff prepares pasta with tomato sauce for everyone. He

often goes back home by bus, but sometimes he walks home. Around 5:00 pm he takes his dog for a walk. At 8:00 pm he lays the table and helps his dad with the cooking. His mum always comes home late from work. After dinner Nathan chats online with his friends, then he goes to bed around 10:00 pm. He really loves his week at the summer camp!

NEW WORDS

5. Did you come across any new words whilst reading the text At the City Summer Camp? If so, write them down in the MY NEW WORDS box along with their translations.

6. Read the text again and fill in Nathan’s diary for the week of the city summer camp. Follow the example.

8:00 am Get up 8:15 am 9:00 am – 4:00 pm 5:00 pm 8:00 pm 10:00 pm

7. Go back to Exercise 1. Think about the questions and answer them.

X Did reflecting on your own experience help you to understand the text better? Why?

X How did the phrase above help you get an idea of the text’s content?

8. Check exercises 1–6 carefully. Is everything correct? If necessary, make corrections!

WRITING

1. Look at Sally’s day and fill in the blanks with the phrases in the box. Follow the example. Don’t worry about the number 1 and the small boxes – you’ll need them in the next exercise!

• Have lunch

• Get up

• Have dinner • Go to school

• Have breakfast • Listen to music

2. Put Sally’s daily activities in the right order by writing the numbers in the empty boxes. Follow the example.

3. Complete the description of Sally’s day by adding times as you see fit. Remember that the events must be in chronological order! Follow the example.

This is Sally’s daily routine. She gets up at 7:00 am.

STRATEGY TIP

“THEN”Rememberthatyoucanuse tolinkyouractions!It willhelpmakethedescription flowmoresmoothly.

4. Read through your description again and, if necessary, make any corrections.