Biographies
http://www.biography.com/
Unit 9 includes an article on Hollywood legend Greta Garbo. If you want to do more in the classroom about famous people then here is the definitive web guide to celebrities from the worlds of movies, music and sports. Use the search box to find the star you are looking for or try the biography quiz. The site also includes special features such as ‘Born on this day’ and a weekly calendar.
Unit 11
Looks
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/faceperception2/index.shtml
Can you read faces? How does the shape of a face change the way you judge the person? Ask your students to try this online psychological test. Get them to use a dictionary to help them with any new vocabulary.
http://www.talkeasy.co.uk/link/materials/esl11.html
Lots of vocabulary connected to the way people look. Get students to try the first activity, using a dictionary to help with any unknown words.
Numbers
http://www.esl-lab.com/num.htm
An online listening exercise that practises distinguishing between similar sounds, i.e. 15 or 50, which links in nicely with the exercises on page 48.
The Oscars
http://www.oscar.com/
Find out everything you could ever want to know about these famous awards on the official website.
Unit 12
Abba
http://www.abbasite.com/start/
Unit 12 includes a song by legendary Swedish group Abba, but how much do your students know about this group? Here is the official Abba website, full of information about the group. If you want to listen to songs, simply sign-up to join (for free).
Unit 13
Save Karyn
http://www.savekaryn.com/
Why not take a look at the website that is the main feature of page 55 – see if your students would be willing to contribute to the cause!
Auctions
http://auctions.shopping.yahoo.com/
The reading about Marilyn Monroe’s dress mentions auctions, so why not try a simulation activity using a real Internet auction site? Explain the concept behind auctioning and then put your students into small groups. Allocate each group an amount of money and tell them they have to try and get the best bargains. If you’d like you could limit it to a certain type of product. Remind them not to actually click on the buy button but just to write down what they would buy and remind them to discuss things and come to a group decision. You could encourage students to check back when the auctions for their chosen items have ended so they can see how much they were really sold for. Happy (Internet window) shopping!
