Inside Out Web Guides
Upper Intermediate
Unit 9
http://www.whom.co.uk/idk/idkhuman.html
http://www.propecia.co.nz/identikit.html
A couple of sites that give your students a chance to construct their own faces. Pair up your students and ask them to make up a face using either of these online identikits. After they have made their face they could print it out and then describe it to another pair of students who could try and reconstruct it on the computer. You could also ask them to put a history to their character (Name, Hobbies, etc) and use them in subsequent activities. The second site requires Macromedia Flash.
Unit 10
http://www.bm30.es/homegug_uk.html
Tour the official Bilbao Guggenheim homepage. After your students have read the interesting article on page 89 ask them to write five questions that they would like answered either about the museum or about Bilbao. Then guide them to this webpage and see how many answers they can find.
Three great sites connected to inventions. From page 93 to 96 there are four incredibly interesting pages filled with information and activities connected with inventing.
http://www.greatachievements.org/
With the first site get your students to write a list of the three most important engineering achievements of the 20th century. After, explore the list of the top 20 achievements, and learn how engineering shaped a century and changed the world.
http://library.thinkquest.org/C002942/home.shtml
People started their evolution many years ago and century after century after century they progressed. This web site is designed with the purpose of acquainting your students with the way people have walked up the ladder of evolution from the invention of the Gutenberg's printing press to the invention of the Digital Video Disc.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/
It’s all well and good knowing the name of an invention, but how does it actually work? How Stuff Works is a great place to come to learn about how things work in the world around you. Have you ever wondered how the engine in your car works, or what gears do, or what makes the inside of your refrigerator cold? Then How Stuff Works is the place for you!
Unit 11
http://adbusters.org/spoofads/
Most of the time Internet sites which deal with adverts are commercial sites trying to sell you something. Well, here’s one which isn’t! This site is dedicated to spoof, or joke, adverts. Ask your students to talk about an advert they’ve seen recently, or a product they know well. Then ask them to think about how they would make a joke advert. Finally, check out this site and compare ideas.
Alternatively you can ask the students to discuss what point the spoof adverts are trying to make.
http://adbusters.org/
Another topic dealt with in this unit is logos. Adbusters' homepage has an interesting interpretation of the US flag – known as the corporate US flag. See how many of the logos depicted on this flag your students can identify.
Unit 12
http://www.backpackeressentials.com.au
With a variety of topics associated with students unit 12 may be just the thing for your learners. One area briefly mentioned is Backpacking. Begin by asking your students if any of them have ever been backpacking? Where did they go? What did they do? What did they take? Then brainstorm what backpackers should take and what they should do. Finally, check out the site to see what it says.
http://www.monster.co.uk/
Start off by clicking on the online CV service, although your students will need to create an "account" this is free. They can then write their own CV following the online template. Put them into groups and get them to discuss each others' CVs and suggest improvements. Finally ask them what kind of job they would like, search the jobs online and see if, from their CV, they have the necessary skills and experience.
Unit 13
http://www.fengshuisociety.org.uk/
On page 125 there is a brief article about Feng Shui, the new ‘in’ thing. What is Feng Shui? Is it only about how you decorate your home? Where does it come from? Does it have ancient roots? These and many more questions are answered on this site of the UK society for Feng Shui.
http://lilt.ilstu.edu/rtdirks/
Although the main topic of unit 13 is the ideal home it also looks at food, and in particular typical breakfasts. After your students have finished the exercises on page 124, why not get them to discuss what they eat for breakfast? Then you could set them a project and get them to use this site as their starting point. If your students find this topic interesting then expand the topic and spend some time researching eating habits. This site would also be useful for some of the issues dealt with in unit 4.
