cambridge english teaching activities | final countdown to the summer holidays
TRANSCRIPT
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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
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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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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.
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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?
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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!
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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
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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
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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?
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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.
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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
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The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Tomorrow, When the War began, by John Marsden
The Kite Runner, by Kahled Hosseini
Animal Farm, by George Orwell
The New York Trilogy, by Paul Auster
The Devil wears Prada, by Lauren Weisberger
The Lighthouse, by P.D. James
The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown
Thunderhead, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
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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