Tuesday 15 October 2024

Book 11 An Unwanted Inheritance by Imogen Clark

'That's the trouble with public office,' he'd said. 'Everyone will have a pop, even those who have nothing to do with the situation and know even less. All they see is the final decision. That's what they question. What they don't see is the hours of work that go on behind the scenes, the toing and froing between the planners and the developers, the public consultations, the discussions in the chamber. It can take us weeks to reach the right decision and it can get quite heated. But that's because the decisions we're making are important. They affect people's lives. We have to get it right. But of course, Joe Public doesn't know any of that. They just read the final outcome in the paper and automatically assume there's been something dodgy going on. We just have to rise above it all and keep our mouths shut. It's never easy.'    

For our eleventh book of the year I recommend An Unwanted Inheritance  by Imogen Clark. A family's loyalties are stretched after the discovery of a great deal of money in a suitcase under a bed of the late departed patriarch of the family. Baffled as to the origin of the money, the deceased's survivors struggle with the discovery and their differing opinions on what to do with it. Here is the worksheet.

Tuesday 8 October 2024

8 C2 Topic 1 Language & Communication

Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which others find inadmissible. (Carl Gustav Jung)

Grammar

     Local lingo     

Language Function

      Comprehending text    

Listening

      Human communication + audio 

Reading 

       Language & gender         

Speaking

        Modern communication         

Vocabulary

   Collocations       

Writing

   Speaking another language   

Monday 7 October 2024

7 C1 2 Topic 1 Language & Communication

If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. (Albert Einstein)

 

Sunday 6 October 2024

Friday 4 October 2024

Thursday 3 October 2024

Wednesday 2 October 2024

2 NB 2 Back to Routine

The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine. (Mike Murdock)


Grammar

Questions  

Language Function

Describing people & places 

Listening

A musician's day : audio 

Reading

A special day 

Speaking

A restless night 

Vocabulary

Travel 

Writing

Letter to a friend 

 

Tuesday 1 October 2024

NB 1 Topic 1 Introductions

If you think it's hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball. (Jack Lemmon)

Grammar

To be or not to be    

Language Function

   Identifying people     

Listening

     Introducing a friend : audio    

Reading

    Family members     

Speaking  

   Pronunciation     

Vocabulary

   Work        

Writing

     Introductions          

 

Monday 16 September 2024

Book 10 2024 Seven Perfect Things by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Though she couldn't quite put it into words, she resented having been thrust into a world where such perfect little beings could be treated as worthless. She knew she had been living in that world all along, but she resented having been forced awake. Forced to recognise it. 

For our tenth book of the year I recommend Seven Perfect Things by Catherine Ryan Hyde. I guarantee this story will tug at the heartstrings and you will end up rooting for the feisty young protagonist, the grieving widower, and the vulnerable puppies. Here is the worksheet. 

Friday 16 August 2024

Book 9 The Summer of Lies by Louise Douglas

No victim, said Mila, should blame themselves. 

For our ninth book of the year I recommend The Summer of Lies by Louise Douglas. Mila is called in once again to help Ceci and Carter with a new case - an apparent kidnapping. Their progress is hampered by the wild fires raging under the summer heat (ring a bell?) and unanswered questions about Mila's half-sister's tragic death continue to trouble and haunt her. Here is the worksheet. 

Monday 15 July 2024

Book 8 2024 No 23 Burlington Square by Jenni Keer

The war showed the men what we could do, and then they returned from foreign fields and we were relegated back to the kitchen, but now that Pandora's box has been opened, not everything will fit back inside. 

For our eighth book of the year I recommend No 23 Burlington Square by Jenni Deer. Despite the examples of domestic abuse depicted in the storylines, this is an uplifting book about the strength and endurance of people struggling to find their place in the world and discovering how to belong in their own stories. Here is the worksheet. 

Saturday 15 June 2024

Book 7 2024 The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

An angry man was dominant. An angry woman, on the other hand, must have lost her grip on sanity. 


For our seventh book of the year I recommend The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods. Despite the examples of domestic abuse depicted in the storylines, this is an uplifting book about the strength and endurance of people struggling to find their place in the world and discovering how to belong in their own stories. Here is the worksheet

Wednesday 15 May 2024

Book 6 2024 The Shell House Detectives by Emylia Hall

'Is it alright to bring the dog in?' asks Ally, tentatively. Her face is small, pale, worried. 

'I prefer dogs to some people.' Saffron grins brightening at the sight of the little red-furred mongrel. 'Does he want a biscuit?'  


For our sixth book of the year I recommend The Shell House Detectives by Emylia Hall. This is a really engaging mystery story with characters and a plot that are so intriguing you could read the book in two sittings, which is exactly what I did! Here is the worksheet.

Wednesday 8 May 2024

8 NA C2 Topic 12 Free Time & the Summer

Never, ever underestimate the importance of having fun. (Randy Pausch)


Grammar

      Family shots      

Language Function

      Holiday complaint      

Listening

        Australian visas + audio    

Reading 

       Gamification          

Speaking

       The travel bug         

Vocabulary

         Great expectations       

Writing

            Close to nature