5.

1   Note to self
Imagine that in ten minutes you are going to lose your memory completely. Before this happens, you have just enough time
to write a note to yourself to help you live your life. You don’t have time to write everything, so think hard about what’s really
important.
They can be: practical notes, e.g. You should remember to feed the dog in your house; personal, e.g. She’s called Coco and she’s very special
to you; necessary for survival, e.g. You mustn’t ever go in your sister’s bedroom. She’ll kill you!; they may even help you live a better life:
You weren’t able to swim before because you were scared of the water, but you should try it now – maybe you aren’t afraid any more.

Useful language
Don’t be afraid to … You mustn’t ever … You need to make sure that you … You should try …
You don’t need to (worry about) … If you don’t understand … you can talk to …
You had to … when you were younger. This means that now you can’t / have to / …
You’ve never been able / allowed to … but you might be able to now.

Note to self

PHOTOCOPIABLE © National Geographic Learning Communicative activities  223

Int_TG_89047_200-234_EM1_BrE_ptg01.indd 223 28/11/17 3:24 pm

 5.2   What’s my line?

✂
accountant explorer politician
✂
postman /
flight attendant factory worker
✂
postwoman
architect farmer president
✂

athlete hairdresser prison guard

✂

babysitter hotel receptionist reporter

✂
housewife /
bank manager sailor
✂
househusband
butcher journalist scientist
✂
cameraman /
judge secretary
✂
camerawoman
chef lawyer security guard
✂

cleaner librarian shop assistant

✂

dancer mechanic soldier

✂

dentist musician swimming instructor

✂

designer painter taxi driver

✂

detective photographer tour guide

✂

driver piano teacher unemployed

✂

engineer poet waiter / waitress

224  Communicative activities PHOTOCOPIABLE © National Geographic Learning

Int_TG_89047_200-234_EM1_BrE_ptg01.indd 224 28/11/17 3:24 pm

 5.1   Note to self 5.2   What’s my line?
Aim Aim
To practise present and past modals and modal-like structures To revise and extend vocabulary from the unit

Language Language
Modals for obligation, prohibition, possibility, permission Work-related expressions and Yes/No questions

Time Time
45 minutes 30 minutes

Preparation Preparation
One copy of the worksheet for every student. Do the activity One copy of the worksheet for every five or six students,
yourself beforehand cut up

Procedure Procedure
• Explain that the activity is a thought experiment that will • Shuffle a set of cards and do the first one as an example.
help them think about the important things in life. Read out • Take the top card, don’t show it to the class and mime a
the first paragraph of the worksheet. non-obvious aspect of the job: for example, for bus driver
• Tell the class some of the things you wrote that you feel don’t mime driving, but maybe unlocking the door and
comfortable telling them. What you say will affect what climbing in to the driver’s seat, or changing a tyre.
they write about, so make it varied and meaningful, e.g. • Tell students that they must guess your job by asking a
• You love Viktoria – she’s your wife. You won’t have to wait maximum of ten yes/no questions, e.g. Is your job physically
long to realize why. demanding? Do you use a computer? Can you make a lot of
• You haven’t been able to get very fit yet. Don’t ever give up. money doing this job? If they guess the job, they ‘win’ the
It’s important and you will do it one day. card. If they don’t, you keep it.
• You should watch a TV series called ‘The Wire’. It’s quite old • Use this stage to correct errors in question forms and to
now, but it’ll teach you a lot about the world. encourage use of the vocabulary in Lesson 5A.
• You’re an English teacher. It’s sometimes hard teaching • The student that asked a question can guess the job if they
teenagers, but you need to keep doing it because it’s such a want. If they are wrong, they are out of that round. Once a
fantastic, rewarding job. player’s turn is over, other players have the opportunity to
• Hand out the worksheets, point out the Useful language guess the job, always with the risk that if they are wrong,
box, and set the task. they are out of that round. If nobody does, the next student
asks a question.
• Go round and check students are on task. Encourage them
to use past and present modals, but don’t force them. Make • Explain that students take turns to take a job card from the
a note of errors you see, especially those concerning modal pile, that the player to their left starts with the first question
verbs. and that they take turns asking questions going in a
clockwise direction.
• When they’ve finished, put them in small groups of three to
five students to share anything that they are happy to talk • Put students into groups of five or six and hand out one pile
about – they do not need to share everything. But the of jobs cards per group. Give them twenty minutes to play
more personal your examples were at the start, the more the game. As they play, go round and check they are
likely students will be to open up. playing and forming questions correctly.
• After five minutes, stop the discussion and say that luckily • Congratulate the winners at the end of the activity. Point
the memory loss hasn’t happened yet, so they have two out any common or interesting errors.
more minutes to add any new ideas.
• At the end, invite students to share with the class anything
they would like to.
• Finally, write on the board any common or serious errors
that have come up. Get students to correct them.

Extension/Homework
• Students make a selfie video for themselves. They improvise
and speak continuously. They start: Hi. I’m you. Listen, you
lost your memory, so there are a few things you need to know.
OK, so first thing, …

206  Communicative activities PHOTOCOPIABLE © National Geographic Learning

Int_TG_89047_200-234_EM1_BrE_ptg01.indd 206 28/11/17 3:24 pm