Dear Teacher,
Christmas is almost upon us and it is time to party! 80’s music is a great soundtrack, so this month’s additions to the Downloadable Worksheets page of www.tuneintoenglish.com are all from that decade.
The first, appropriate for those who fear a catastrophic 2012, is The Final Countdown, a huge hit for Swedish band Europe in 1986. Prepared by Mena Bianco, from Naples, this worksheet focuses on phonetics.
The second addition is from Boy George’s one-time group Culture Club – 1983’s Karma Chameleon was their biggest hit, and Maria Gulczynska of Ancona has submitted a listening and vocabulary activity.
This month’s final addition is by another Scandinavian band – Norway’s A-ha won six MTV Awards in 1986 for their innovative video of Take On Me. Sabrina Masnata from Genova sent in an ordering activity, suitable for low levels. (Check out the hilarious Literal Video version of the song on the Student’s Area).
Remember there are also six Christmas worksheets online: Do They Know It’s Christmas? (Band Aid), Happy Xmas (John Lennon), Last Christmas (Wham!), Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer (Dr. Elmo), Thank God It’s Christmas (Queen) and the traditional Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. Thank you to those teachers who have submitted worksheets, I look forward to receiving your contributions.
The Christmas Karaoke page is now online, with over 100 festive favourites, so why not treat your class to a sing-along lesson before the break? The site also features over 7,600 karaoke songs, including all of those mentioned in this newsletter. The UK Top 10 Charts are published on Speak Up’s website – updated weekly, there is a link on the Tune Home page.
The Tune Into English Roadshow is on tour – the new show is receiving a very positive response. You can read comments and watch a video compilation of last year’s show on the website, and the Tune facebook page features a large selection of videos and photographs from over five years of the Roadshow. Thank you to all who have hosted the show.
Finally, remember that you and your students can send your questions to David Copley, the voice of Sean Penn. Watch the interview (with written transcript) by following the link on the homepage of www.tuneintoenglish.com. The best question wins a Tune Into English t-shirt!
I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas.
Best wishes,
Fergal Kavanagh
Tune Into English
www.tuneintoenglish.com