This document provides instructions for a learning activity that teaches how to guide people around places. It consists of 6 tasks where students learn vocabulary for describing houses and workplaces, rent an apartment and buy furniture, decorate their place, create a presentation about their home, and give a tour of their place in an interview. The final tasks involve guiding friends to a party and making a video tour of interesting places in their city. The goal is to learn how to convey location details to give and follow instructions.

1. English Works
Level 1
Activity 3: Guiding people around places
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2. Welcome
Dear apprentices,
During this learning activity, you are going to
learn how to talk about houses, workplaces,
neighborhoods and cities in order to guide
people through them. You are going to do
some exercises about vocabulary and how
to follow instructions. In the same way, you
are going to create presentations about your
environment and to talk about it. I hope you
have fun.
The time to complete the activity is 48 hours. Enjoy yourselves!
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3. Look inside
Material source
A change of life
Read and listen to the following text about a very talented systems engineer who
is in a new city to take a job position in a very important company. Then, do the
exercises about the text.
Dear Samuel,
I’m Linda, Linda Robinson, your cousin. Do you remember me? I’m from
San Andres Island and I’m a systems engineer. I am in New York because
I’m going to take a job position in the company I work for. Now, I am in a
hotel but I need to rent an apartment and to buy some furniture for my
place and my workplace because I’m going to live in this city for 5 years.
I got your e-mail address from my aunt Christine and I wonder if you can
help me out to settle in this big city.
I’d appreciate it if you can help me out with this.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Linda Robinson
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4. Task 1: Moving to a new place
Linda is with her cousin, Samuel. They need a
new place for rent.
Explore the material presented below about their story. Then, based on that
material, fill out a form for renting a place for you taking into account all the
characteristics the different types of houses have. Click on the link below to
download the form, fill it out and send it to your tutor. You can also download
the checklist with the assessment criteria for your task.
Video: Homes in Britain
Moving to a new place
Moving to a new place
Housing
rental application
checklist
Vocabulary: Houses: 1 | 2
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5. Task 2: Let’s go shopping!
Linda needs to buy the furniture for her
house. She goes to a furniture store to buy
what she needs.
Click on the link below to explore the material about this. Then, imagine you
are in a furniture store and you have $ 5.000.000 Colombian pesos to buy the
furniture for your house. You have 5 minutes to buy all the stuff you need and
just two opportunities. Click on the link below to do the activity. Good luck!
Furniture and Appliances
Let’s go shopping race!
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6. Task 3: Let’s decorate!
Linda is decorating her place. Samuel is
helping her in this titanic task.
Click on the link below to explore the material about this situation. Then,
imagine you decorate your own house. Listen to the instructions and correctly
place the furniture along the house. You have 2 minutes to decorate your house
and just 2 opportunities. Click on the link below to do the activity. Good luck!
Prepositions of place:
Let’s decorate!
Video
Games: 1 | 2
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7. Task 4: This is my place!
Linda is very happy because her house
and workplace are finally organized. She is
in a video conference with her parents to
show them her new place, workplace and
everything she has.
Click on the link below to explore the material related to this situation.
Then, based on the material “This is my place”, and using pictures, create a
presentation of your house describing the different parts of your place and
workplace. Do not forget to include furniture and appliances. Click on the link
below to download the checklist with the assessment criteria for your task.
There is/There are: 1 | 2
This is my place presentation
checklist
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8. Task 5: My place report
Now, you know how to describe in detail
the style, organization and furniture of your
house and your workplace.
Based on the material “This is my place” and the presentation you created
about it, write a text describing the different parts of your place. Do not forget
to include furniture and appliances. Click on the link below to download the
checklist with the assessment criteria for your task.
This is my place text checklist
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9. Task 6: My place interview
Now, based on your knowledge, schedule
an interview with your tutor to talk about
your presentation and your text about your
place. The interaction tool for the interview
is established by the tutor. Click on the link
below to download the checklist with the
assessment criteria for your task.
This is my place interview
checklist
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10. Dear apprentices,
You are halfway through this learning activity. Up to this point, you can:
Provide information about houses and workplaces in relation to style, organization
and furniture details
Convey information about the style, organization and furniture of different houses
and work places so it is possible to follow instructions and/or find specific locations
Ask and answer questions about one’s house or workplace taking into account style,
organization and furniture details
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11. Look outside
Material source
My first day at work
Listen to the following telephone conversation. It’s about Linda, who doesn’t
know how to get to her office and needs some help to go to work on her first
day.
Hi Alex.
Hi Linda,
How can I
help you?
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12. Alex, I’m on
my way to the
office, but I
can’t find the
way there. I’m
lost.
Don’t
panic! Tell
me where
you are.
I’m at 55
east 52nd
street. I’m
in front of a
post office.
Thank you,
Alex.
Linda, you’re
near the office.
You’re five blocks
away. Don’t
worry! I can help
you out.
Listen carefully.
You’re between
Madison
Avenue and
Park Avenue.
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13. O.K.!
Go straight
to....
3rd avenue.
O.K.! Then
what?
53rd street
left... left
again?
You have to
go straight on
52nd street
until 3rd
avenue.
On 3rd
avenue, you
turn left until
53rd street.
There, you
turn left.
Yes, Linda. It’s the
only way to get here.
Then, you go straight
three blocks until you
get to a Starbucks.
There, you can park.
The office is between
Starbucks and Casa
Lever. O.K.?
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14. Thank you
very much
Alex.
Don’t
mention it!
see you!
Bye.
Bye.
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15. Task 1: Party time
Linda wants to throw a party to celebrate
her first six months in New York. Some of her
guests don’t know the neighborhood where
she lives.
Read and listen to know how Linda guides her friends to get to her place. Click
on the link below to read and listen to the material. Then, imagine you are lost
and need to get to some specific places. Follow the instructions to find those
places. Click on the link below to have access to the exercise.
Prepositions
Giving and asking for directions: 1 | 2 | 3
Party time quest
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16. Task 2: A day off!
Linda has a day off and Samuel invites her to
go sightseeing around New York.
Click on the link below to watch a video about landmarks in New York. Based
on that video (“A day off!”) make your own video about interesting places in
your city. You must be very creative. After that, upload your video to YouTube
or another similar site and send the link to your tutor. Click on the link below to
download the checklist with the assessment criteria for your task.
Video: welcome to New York
New York city attractions
My city video checklist
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17. Task 3: Video forum
Based on the video you made about
interesting places in your city, go to the forum
and write a summary of it.
Provide the link and invite your classmates to watch it and to make comments
about your video. After that, read your classmates’ video description and select
one to make comments. Check your video comments and improve it. Click on
the link below to download the checklist with the assessment criteria for your
task.
My city forum checklist
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18. Task 4: My city interview
Now, based on your knowledge and improved
video, schedule an interview with your tutor
to talk about it.
The interaction tool for having the interview is established by your instructor.
Click on the link below to download the checklist with the assessment criteria
for your task.
My city interview checklist
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19. Dear apprentices,
This is the end of the learning activity. Up to this point you can:
Provide information about cities and neighborhoods in relation to interest places,
landmarks and directions.
Convey information about interest places, landmarks and directions of different
cities and neighborhoods so it is possible to follow instructions and/or find specific
locations
Ask and answer questions about cities and neighborhoods taking into account
interest places, landmarks and directions.
Provide information about houses and workplaces in relation to style, organization
and furniture details
Convey information about the style, organization and furniture of different houses
and work places so it is possible to follow instructions and/or find specific locations
Ask and answer questions about one’s house or workplace taking into account style,
organization and furniture details
Don’t forget to contact your teacher to find out if you have to study any review
material.
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20. Further Material
Check the following links to study more vocabulary about the following items:
General Vocabulary
http://photographicdictionary.com/living-room
Housing
http://www.esl-lab.com/vocab/v-housing.htm
http://englishwilleasy.com/english-through-pictures/place-english-throughpictures/types-of-housing-and-communities/
Furniture
http://englishwilleasy.com/english-through-pictures/place-english-throughpictures/living-room/
Places around the city
http://englishwilleasy.com/english-through-pictures/place-english-throughpictures/place-around-town-city/
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21. Prepositions
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/prepositions-at-in-on-place.htm
Check the following links to study more grammar about the following topics:
There is / there are
http:/v/www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=5272
http://www.ihbristol.com/free-english-exercises/test/esol-smc-there-is-thereare/submitted
Imperatives for giving directions
http://www.speakenglish.co.uk/phrases/asking_and_giving_directions
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=1434
pictures/place-around-town-city/
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