cambridge english teaching activities | final countdown to the summer holidays

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1 June – Final countdown to the summer holidays! The sun is shining, the days are getting longer and warmer, and yet there are still a few weeks to go until the end of the school year. This month, Ewa brings us fun activities for these last days of school, as well as a mini-project and a dreamy summer song that both you and your students are sure to enjoy. Make sure you also check out our carefully selected list of books your students might like to read over the summer! Have fun during your last few weeks at school and… happy summer holidays! Table of contents 1. Summer vocabulary challenge – A1 → A2 ....................................................................................... 2 Collocations – B1 → B2 ............................................................................................................................ 4 2. How adventurous are you? – Speaking – Can be adapted to all levels ................................. 5 3. Pen pals – Writing – A2 → B1 ............................................................................................................... 6 4. “In the Summer” Song – B1 Listening ................................................................................................ 7 Dictionary challenge ................................................................................................................................. 8 5. Postcard from Paradise –A1 → A2 Writing ................................................................................... 10 6. Summer idioms – B2 Vocabulary ...................................................................................................... 11 7. Good reads for the summer holidays – A1 → C2 ......................................................................... 13 8. Answers....................................................................................................................................................... 15 9. Postcard template ................................................................................................................................... 17

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Page 1: Cambridge English Teaching Activities | Final countdown to the summer holidays

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June – Final countdown to the summer holidays!

The sun is shining, the days are getting longer and warmer, and yet there are still a few weeks to go

until the end of the school year. This month, Ewa brings us fun activities for these last days of

school, as well as a mini-project and a dreamy summer song that both you and your students are

sure to enjoy.

Make sure you also check out our carefully selected list of books your students might like to read

over the summer!

Have fun during your last few weeks at school and… happy summer holidays!

Table of contents

1. Summer vocabulary challenge – A1 → A2 ....................................................................................... 2

Collocations – B1 → B2 ............................................................................................................................ 4

2. How adventurous are you? – Speaking – Can be adapted to all levels ................................. 5

3. Pen pals – Writing – A2 → B1 ............................................................................................................... 6

4. “In the Summer” Song – B1 Listening ................................................................................................ 7

Dictionary challenge ................................................................................................................................. 8

5. Postcard from Paradise –A1 → A2 Writing ................................................................................... 10

6. Summer idioms – B2 Vocabulary ...................................................................................................... 11

7. Good reads for the summer holidays – A1 → C2 ......................................................................... 13

8. Answers ....................................................................................................................................................... 15

9. Postcard template ................................................................................................................................... 17

Page 2: Cambridge English Teaching Activities | Final countdown to the summer holidays

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1. Summer vocabulary challenge – A1 → A2

Match the picture to the correct word from the box below.

wave beach seagull bathing suit

crab starfish sand sandcastle

hat train bucket umbrella

lighthouse surfing sunglasses pool

flip flops spade mountains plane

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Page 4: Cambridge English Teaching Activities | Final countdown to the summer holidays

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Fill the gaps in each sentence using the vocabulary you learned in the activity above:

1. The sun is very bright and might hurt your eyes today, so don´t forget to wear your ____________!

2. Every morning before school, I put on my _____________ and swim in the ______ for half an hour.

3. Last year, we spent our holidays at the _________, but this year we´ve decided to go to the _______________ instead.

4. After spending a whole day at the beach, we had a lot of _______________ in our hair.

5. This weekend, I´m taking the ___________________ to Granada.

6. When I was little, I used to build __________________on the beach.

Collocations – B1 → B2

Now that you know the meaning of the words, would you be able to use them in a sentence? Fill in

the gaps so that you form the correct collocation in the sentences below. Be careful, as one of the

words in the box doesn´t fit in any of the sentences!

boarded take off jumped into tidal

riding golden missed swimming

1. In the summer, the beaches are filled with surfers the waves.

2. I almost my train yesterday afternoon. I should have left earlier!

3. A huge wave destroyed many Japanese cities in 2011.

4. Australia prides itself in having many spectacular, beaches.

5. Usually when I get on the bus, I my sunglasses.

6. Sharon put on her bathing suit and the pool.

7. The passengers the plane an hour before departure.

Page 5: Cambridge English Teaching Activities | Final countdown to the summer holidays

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2. How adventurous are you? – Speaking – Can be adapted to all levels

Ask your students to look at the pictures below (some of them have been extracted from Activity 1).

In pairs, have them discuss the following topics:

What do you think is the best way to spend your holidays?

What kind of holiday destinations do you see in the pictures below? Which one appeals to

you the most?

What means of transport do you prefer: plane, train or bus? Why?

Do you travel often? Why/why not?

Do you like travelling to other countries, or do you prefer staying in your town/city/country?

Page 6: Cambridge English Teaching Activities | Final countdown to the summer holidays

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3. Pen pals – Writing – A2 → B1

Every summer, you spend your holidays with your best friend, Fatima, from London. She has just

sent you the following email:

Hi Natalia,

How are you?

I am so excited about the holidays and can´t wait to see you next month! How are you?

Have you finished studying for all your exams yet? To be honest, I still have two

more exams to study for next week and I´m completely exhausted. I´m really looking

forward to finishing school and coming to see you in July!

What would you like to do this summer? I would love to go to the beach and travel

around Spain and Portugal. What do you think?

Hope to hear from you soon!

Love,

Fatima

Write back to Fatima and tell her:

How you are doing at school

How happy you are to see her this summer

Your plans for the summer holidays

Don´t forget to answer her questions!

Page 7: Cambridge English Teaching Activities | Final countdown to the summer holidays

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4. “In the Summer” Song – B1 Listening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFatVn1hP3o

Listen to the song with your students, and ask them to guess the missing words. Then, ask them to

look at the words in the box on page 8. What do they mean? Listen to the song again and have them

choose which word from the word bank goes in which gap.

Kristoff: Really?

1. I'm guessing you don't have much experience with

2. Olaf: Nope! But sometimes I like to close my

And imagine what it'd be like when summer does come. Ah!

Bees will buzz

3. Kids will dandelion

And I'll be doing whatever snow does in summer

A drink in my hand

4. My snow up against the sand

5. Probably getting gorgeously in summer

6. I'll finally see a summer breeze a winter storm

7. And find out what happens to water when it gets warm

And I can't wait to see

8. What my all think of me

Just imagine how much cooler I'll be in summer

Dah-dah, da-doo, a-bah-bah-bah bah-bah-boo

The hot and the cold are both so intense

Put them together, it just makes sense!

Rrr-raht da-daht dah-dah-dah dah-dah-dah dah dah doo

Page 8: Cambridge English Teaching Activities | Final countdown to the summer holidays

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9. Winter is a good time to stay in and

But put me in summer and I'll be a... happy snowman!

10. When life gets I like to hold on to my

Of relaxing in the summer sun, just letting off steam

Oh, the sky will be blue

And you guys will be there too

When I finally do what frozen things do in summer!

Kristoff: I'm gonna tell him.

Anna: Don't you dare!

Olaf: IN SUMMER!

dream burning tanned

solid eyes heat

blow away fuzz blow

rough cuddle buddies

Dictionary challenge

Your students may not know the meaning of all the words. Give them an English-English dictionary

and ask them to look up the following terms. In pairs, have them write down the definitions in their

own words.

Solid

Blow away

Rough

Page 9: Cambridge English Teaching Activities | Final countdown to the summer holidays

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Burning

Fuzz

Cuddle

Tanned

Heat

Blow

You may have noticed that two expressions have been underlined in the lyrics:

1. Let off steam

2. Don´t you dare!

Ask your students whether they know what these expressions mean and have them discuss possible

meanings in pairs.

Speaking prompts

Why do you think Olaf wants to experience the summer sun?

What usually happens to a snowman when it experiences heat?

What is it you like most about summer?

Page 10: Cambridge English Teaching Activities | Final countdown to the summer holidays

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5. Postcard from Paradise –A1 → A2 Writing

This is a fun way of motivating your students to practise English during the summer break. Ask

everyone where they will be going this summer. After gathering their answers, have a brief

conversation with your students about their various destinations: some may be travelling abroad,

whereas others might be visiting family, or going on a summer camp.

After you have finished discussing different ways of spending your summer holidays, hand out some

small pieces of card, preferably postcard size. Make sure you stick on each card the Cambridge

English postcard template we prepared for this activity on page 17.

The children’s task will be to stick a photo from their summer holidays on the blank side of the card.

On the other side, where you have stuck the postcard template, tell them to write you a greeting

(such as the one from the example below), in which they describe the photo they have chosen for

the postcard. The photo they decide to use for this project doesn´t have to be a landmark or

landscape, it can also be a family event, a photo with friends, or an interesting activity they did

during the summer. Remind them to bring their postcards to school in September, so that they can

show it to the rest of their classmates*.

Dear Mrs. Ford, Thursday, 4th August 2016

Greetings from my summer holidays!

As you can see from the photo, I am helping my Dad cook a delicious dinner for tonight.

We are having a lot of fun!

What are you doing this summer? I hope you are also enjoying yourself.

Looking forward to seeing you in September!

Best wishes,

Philip

*These postcards created by your students would be ideal for a classroom display!

Variation: Some students might like to send you a real postcard from their summer destination. You

might like to give them your or the school´s address and include them in the postcard classroom

display after the holidays!

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6. Summer idioms – B2 Vocabulary

In English, you can use a variety of catchy phrases and idioms to make a point. In June, it´s a good

idea to teach your children some new idioms related to summer. First, ask your students which

picture illustrates each idiom the best. Then, have them guess the meaning of each phrase. How

would they use it in a sentence? Do they know the meaning of any of the idioms? Finally, explain

the meaning of each expression* and ask them to try and complete the activity on page 12.

A drop in the ocean

Swim against the tide

To be hot under the collar

To play with fire

To be in hot water

Indian Summer

*The Free Dictionary is a great online dictionary where you can look up the meaning of

idioms and find examples of how to use them in real life.

Page 12: Cambridge English Teaching Activities | Final countdown to the summer holidays

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Now, complete the below activity with the idioms on page 11. Remember to use the correct tenses!

1.

My parents after seeing that I had failed my Geography

exam.

2.

I know I´m playing with fire in taking this job, but I think it will be important for

my future career, and that it´s worth the risk.

3.

Indian Summers are very common in San Francisco, as it´s usually warm there

until mid-October.

4. If you are late to school tomorrow, you’ll be in hot water.

5. Sometimes, in order to succeed, you need to swim against the tide.

6. Peter knew that volunteering to help refugees by teaching English would only be

a drop in the ocean , but he believed that, somehow, he would make a difference.

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7. Good reads for the summer holidays – A1 → C2

During the summer we all have a lot of free time, which can be perfect for settling down with a good

book. Remind your students of the possibility of reading in English as a great way of enhancing their

vocabulary and learning new expressions and phrases. Here is a carefully selected list of books

classified by CEFR level that you might like to suggest to your pupils.

Level Book

Beginner

(A1 – A2)

The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson

Kristy’s great idea, by Ann M. Martin

Where the Wild things are, by Maurice Sendak

Room on the Broom, by Julia Donaldson

Intermediate

(B1)

Goosebumps: Ghost Beach, by R.L. Stine

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle

Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White

Animorphs: the invasion, by K.A. Applegate

The Indian in the Cupboard, by Lynne Reid Banks

A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Upper-intermediate

(B2)

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, by Robert C. O’Brien

James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl

The Witches, by Roald Dahl

Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint Exupery

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling

The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

Advanced

(C1 – C2)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S.

Lewis

The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman

Page 15: Cambridge English Teaching Activities | Final countdown to the summer holidays

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8. Answers

Summer vocabulary challenge

1. Sunglasses

2. Bathing suit / pool

3. Beach / mountains (or the other way around)

4. Sand

5. Train

6. Sandcastles

Collocations – B1 → B2

1. Riding 4. Golden

2. Missed 5. Take off

3. Tidal 6. Jumped into

7. Boarded

In the summer

1. Heat 6. Blow away

2. Eyes 7. Solid

3. Blow / Fuzz 8. Buddies

4. Burning 9. Cuddle

5. Tanned 10. Rough / dream

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Summer idioms

1. … got hot under the collar

2. I´m playing with fire

3. Indian Summer

4. You’ll be in hot water

5. Swim against the tide

6. A drop in the ocean

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9. Postcard template