Caterpillar sentences

CATERPILLAR SENTENCES 

I was thinking of a way to get my students (9-10 years old) to  formulate their own sentences and at same time have fun.  An then I came up with the idea of the caterpillar sentences and they absolutely loved it. 😀😘😎

How to use this idea: Get students to cut down and then stick the caterpillar in their notebooks. Then, get them to write a word and a sentence using the words from the caterpillar (as seen in the example).

DOWNLOAD THE WORKSHEET HERE

Writing: First Certificate - Check list

Are your students lay back and quite lazy? Well, mine are. So after thinking of an idea to get them spend more time when writing essays I came up with this Check-list to help them make the most of their writing. 

COPY-PASTE THE CHECK-LIST BELOW AND PRINT IT OUT.

Check-list

Once you are done with your essay, re-read and make sure you have done the following:

ESSAY-CHECK LIST

•   1^st paragraph: re-write the topic sentences by rephrasing it (writing it with your own words, or by changing it a bit)

•  1^st paragraph: say why is important or mention both opinions (Many people believe….. Others, however….)

•  2^nd paragraph: develop the points given in the question. - Include relevant details to support the main idea: these might include examples, rhetorical question or surprising statements... 

•   3^rd Add your own idea (ALWAYS a different idea). Don't forget to give an example.  If you include a drawback, give a possible solution. 

• 4^th Summarise and give your personal opinion

Also remember to:

• Use a semi-formal tone.

•   use linking adverbials or expressions to link ideas.

• Organise your writing clearly into paragraphs.  

 How to use a Check-lists 

A.
1. After collecting the essay and before doing any corrections get students to swap writings. 
2. Hand-out a checklist sheet and get students to read and tick.
3. Then ask them to take back their writing and help them edit and add the missing points.

 B. 
1. Hand-out the checklist sheet and assign homework
2. Remind SS to check the list while writing the essay
3. Collect essays, correct and check if students have used all points.
4. Give essays back and encourage students to add missing points. 

I hope you've found this idea helpful. Give it a go and let me know how it goes. Also, if you have more ideas on how to get them revisit and spend more time on writing please feel free to comment below :)

IELTS Writing (Part 2) with Sample answer.

IELTS Writing Sample

Advantages and Disadvantages of Working Abroad

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Working abroad can help employees earn a great deal of money and gain more benefits. However, some people think this trend has many negative impacts. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

Advantages:

• Ongoing growth of the number or people working abroad
• Will get invaluable work experience
• Knowledge of a new culture
• Professionalism from the workplace
• Enrich your expertise
• Learn how to adapt into a new culture, and different environments
• Have a new picture of what is happening outside your country
• Increase responsibility
• Work in a hi-tech facilities
• Work with talented and experience colleagues
• Multicultural experience

Disadvantage:

• On the other had negative impact also exist along with the positive points mentioned.
• Would result in the explosion of immigration in immigrated countries.
• Leaving the country to increase of brain drain
• Countries without skilled workers, will not be able to develop
• Language barrier, limit the communication and your understanding
• Culture clash/culture shock people find it difficult to adjust to the new customs and habits
• Feel homesick
• Hard decision to uproot yourself and move to a different country.

Sample answer: 

There are many advantages of living and working in a foreign country. However, with the ongoing growth of the number of people working abroad, there have been some negative impacts on cultural lives. In this essay, I'm going to cover both the up side and down side of this matter.

Firstly, invaluable work experience and the knowledge about the new culture where you live are two of the many advantages you will get from working abroad. With the professionalism from the workplace, you can enrich your expertise. For example, Asian software developers who work in Australia have the opportunities to improve their English level and their software related knowledge as well. Next, the new culture that you have to adapt yourself into will help you have a new picture of what is happening outside your country.

On the other hand, negative impacts also exist along with the positive points mentioned. Employees who work abroad tend not to go back to their home countries, thereby leading to the increase of brain drain in those countries. Without skilled workers, the countries which are normally developing countries will not be able to develop at the same pace as they could have. Moreover, if this trend happens so quickly, it would result in the explosion of immigration in immigrant countries.

In summary, working abroad seems to have both positive and negative impacts. The positive side is that skilled employees have opportunities to improve their expertise and study new cultures. The down side is that the countries where the workers come from will have less chance to develop quickly. Based on the discussion, I personally think working abroad should be encouraged but it should be strictly moderated and controlled by the government.