Downtown Abbey - ESL Worksheet - IELTS

Hello, and thank you for visiting!

I've been away for a long time - much longer than I wanted to be, but am back in business. I'm actually working on an IELTS-related project which I hope to talk about soon. Today's worksheet comes out of that and I hope I will have more such pages for you in the future!

This worksheet is about Downtown Abbey, an extremely popular British television show. You'll need to download the worksheet to view it and use it.

I'm excited to announce that I'll be doing a free online IELTS Reading course very soon. I'll be teaching it live and I want to make it as interactive as possible. Spaces are limited to 20 students. If you're interested in improving your IELTS Reading score in the next few weeks, visit my blog this Tuesday (September 30) for registration!

Thanks again for visiting and have a great week!

DOWNTOWN ABBEY

At first glance, Downtown Abbey is nothing more than a quietly charming television show. Look closer, however, and you will find it is much more than that. In fact, it seems that this British television drama series has taken the world by storm since it started in 2010. At least 200 million people have watched Downtown Abbey at least once. You will find devoted fans all around the world, in countries such as the United States, China and Sweden. More than 100 countries have broadcast rights.

For those who are new to Downtown Abbey, it is basically an elegant "soap opera" set in the early 1900s. It is about the aristocratic Crawley family. Downtown Abbey's success is a pleasant surprise to the producers and actors, but should one really be surprised? When the right elements come together, success must follow. Downtown Abbey has all the ingredients to make it a popular show.

The main reason for Downtown Abbey's success is, of course, the actors. They are experienced, controlled and possess enormous skill. Watching them, you feel as if you are watching actual events. For example, when Branson the chauffer tells Lady Mary Crawley that her sister Lady Sybil was hurt in a riot, Lady Mary's shock and concern are played just right. There is just enough emotion, but also the restraint that was expected of women in Lady Mary's class at the time. Other characters are also memorable. Lord Grantham behaves like the gentleman he is expected to be and the Dowager Countess can be sharp at times. The actors are as convincing as they come.

For those who need more than just a well-told story, the costumes and scenery provide as much entertainment as the plot. The clothing is gorgeous - historically accurate and elegant. Lady Mary looks like a princess and Lady Edith Crawley's figure and costume are flawless. The English countryside is breathtaking. The exterior and most of the interior shots are of Highclere Castle in Hampshire. Highclere's library is peaceful and befits a gentleman - a perfect refuge for Lord Crawley. The homes and gardens in the village are quaint. Everything is a treat for the eyes, from start to finish.

Many films can boast great lines, beautiful actors and marvelous clothes. However, not many compel millions of viewers to gather each week to watch them. The true secret behind Downtown Abbey's success is that it sells a lifestyle, an experience, that is out of reach and yet is fascinating to people everywhere. The Crawleys live an upstairs-downstairs way of life. The staff, who live in the basement, serve the aristocratic family who inhabit the home. The Crawley family members have their share of problems and heartache. Yet they suffer in the midst of luxury and privilege. These things share universal appeal to people around the world, regardless of nationality, financial background or social status. Many people want to be rich, elegant and respected. Downtown Abbey provides a glimpse into a fantasy world where people enjoy such advantages.

Thank you for visiting!

Faiza Raintree


To download the worksheet for this article, please click below.

Paragraph Organization - Summer Cookouts - ESL Worksheet

Good Morning & Happy Monday!

Today's worksheet helps students understand paragraph organization. There is a short article on summer cookouts and practice with sentence order.

You'll need to download the worksheet to view it and use it.

Thank you for visiting and have a great week!

SUMMER COOKOUTS

Cookouts are popular during summer holidays. Cookouts are similar to picnics. People have many different kinds of foods. In America, traditional cookout foods are hamburgers, salad, watermelon and cake. In some places, people cook steak and fish at cookouts. People enjoy fruit in the summer. They cook their food on a grill. Families usually meet on weekends to eat and have fun together.

 

Thank you for visiting!

Faiza Raintree

To download the worksheet for this article, please click below.

Fun in Spring - Hobbies & Simple Present

Good Morning & Happy Monday!

Hope you had a great weekend!

Today's worksheet will help beginning students build their vocabulary and teach them how to use the simple present tense. The focus is on activities that people do in spring. You'll need to download the worksheet to view it and use it.

I've included both the worksheet and the answer key. You can download both below.

To download the worksheet, please click below.

To download the answer key for this worksheet, please click below.

Thank you for visiting!

Faiza Raintree

A Head Start With Books - ESL Worksheet

Good Morning & Happy Monday!

I apologize for not posting last week's article! I couldn't get to blogger due to some strange problem with our compound's Internet firewall. However, I finally gave up and got my own provider. We'd been having problems ever since we arrived, so it is wonderful having real Internet again!

I hope you enjoy this week's article and worksheet. Thank you for visiting and have a great week!

A HEAD START WITH BOOKS

We all want smart children. We want them to be successful and happy in life. There are many things you can do to help your children learn. One of the best things you can do is read to your child.

There are many benefits to reading with your child. One important benefit is developing strong ties. 

Your children will develop a good relationship with you. They will enjoy sitting together and spending time with you. They will remember your times together with joy.

Another benefit is that your child will have excellent vocabulary. She will know words from different subjects. She will learn about science and geography. She will know how to learn from books. Your child will not be bored by books. Instead she will see books as her friend.

Children who read a lot can speak and write well. They learn how to communicate with people. Your child will learn how speak about different subjects. He will know interesting facts and even jokes and stories. This will help him at work and other places, when he is an adult.

Your child will see books as a tool. If she has a question, she will know where to get an answer. If she is bored, she will use books to have fun. Your child will see the library as her friend. She will have an easier time doing research or even fixing something.

If you are not sure how to start reading to your child, start with the tips below. You can start with babies as young as three months. Babies enjoy looking at pictures. Choose books with large and simple pictures. Show your baby the picture and talk about it. Hug and kiss your baby from time to time. This will help your baby enjoy books.

Read to your child for ten minutes every day. Choose books and subjects that your child enjoys. Read to your child in a language that you both know well. If you do not know the language of the book, talk about the pictures together. Choose many kinds of books, such as comics, magazines and poetry. This will make reading interesting for your child.

Read to your child at bedtime. Make this a ritual. This way, your child will have fond memories of books. Smile and laugh at the funny parts of books. Talk about the pictures. Make bedtime reading an enjoyable time for both of you.

Children like to pretend read. They like to look at pictures and act like they are reading. This helps them to build reading skills. If your child wants to pretend read, let her do so. Listen to her and respond to her reading.

Read your own books and let your child see you reading. Children copy what they see.

If your children enjoy cartoons, give them books about the characters they love. Choose topics that interest your child right now. For example, if he enjoys building with blocks, get books about building. If he enjoys painting, get a child's book about painting.

If you want to learn more about reading to your child, visit the website below for more information. You can download a booklet on how to read to your child. It is written in different languages.

Reading with your child  - a booklet in different languages

http://www.booktime.org.uk/schools/reading-with-your-child

Thank you for visiting!

Faiza Raintree

To download the worksheet for this article, please click below.

Festivals Around the World

Good Morning & Happy Monday!

Today's article is about festivals around the world. I like to discuss the purpose of festivals and leisure activities, as well. This article complements the article in Unit 4 in Q Skills for Success Intro - Special Edition: Celebrating with Food.

Thank you for visiting and have a great week!

 FESTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD

There are many kinds of festivals around the world. Some of them are very old and some are new. People around the world love to celebrate. They do so with different festivals. Here are some interesting festivals around the world.

Night of the Radishes

People in Mexico celebrate radishes. Yes, radishes! A radish is a small, red vegetable. It is very spicy! Farmers carve radishes into different shapes. They make art with it. The festival lasts only a few hours. People come to enjoy the radish art. They also buy a lot of vegetables. Farmers make a lot of money at this festival, and people have a great time! Night of the Radishes is a new festival. It was started not too long ago.

International Balloon Festival

This Balloon festival is held in New Mexico, in America. People and companies make all kinds of hot air balloons. A hot air balloon is filled with heated air. The air in the balloon is hotter than the air around it. This makes the balloon rise. There is a basket attached to the balloon. People ride in the basket. The hot air balloons at the Balloon Festival are different shapes and sizes. People pay to ride in these balloons. Thousands of people come to watch them float in the air. They have picnics while they watch. Others buy fun snacks to each while they watch. People film the balloons with their cameras. People also buy T-shirts and other things to remind them of the festival.

Las Fallas Festival

The Las Fallas Festival is held in Spain. It is an old festival, from 500 years ago. People create puppets to poke fun at others. They often make puppets of famous actors and figures. The puppets are more than 20 feet tall. They are very big and different colors. The puppets are on display for many days. On March 19, men stuff the puppets with fireworks. They set off the fireworks to burn the puppets. One puppet is saved for the Museum. Las Fallas is a very noisy festival!

Harbin Ice Festival

This ice festival is held in China. It is the largest ice festival in the world. It starts in January and lasts about one month. People make artistic sculptures from ice and snow. They use lasers and lanterns to carve them. There are sculptures of flowers and artistic shapes, as well as other kinds. The artists leave them out for a month for people to see. More than a million people come to see the sculptures. It is very cold and everyone must wear jackets and hats. At night, the sculptures are strung with lights. People from around the world come to look at these brilliant ice sculptures.

Thank you for visiting!

Faiza Raintree

To download the worksheet for this article, please click below.

The Rules of the Game - ESL Worksheet

Good Morning & Happy Monday!

Today's article is about good sportsmanship and what it means to be a true athlete. Not everyone is interested in sports, however, so it may be a good idea to go over some sports vocabulary first. I've found that most of my students either love or hate sports.

Thank you for visiting and have a great week!

THE RULES OF THE GAME

What does it mean to be a good sport? Good sportsmanship is about respect for the game. It means respecting the players, the rules and the officials. Sportsmanship is  also about enjoying the sport for its own sake. Throughout history, people have enjoyed sports for its own sake. However, sportsmanship has suffered a major blow in the last fifty years. Things began to change after large amounts of money was pumped into sports.

Today, sports is more about money and winning than anything else. 

Many are more interested in corporate contracts than the game itself. Also, there is too much idolizing of the winners in a game. Sports is not only about winning. It is about playing fair and playing by the rules. There is nothing wrong with wanting to win. However, winning is only one aspect of sports. There is also camaraderie, discipline, hard work and respect for each other.

As modern athletes become wealthier and more popular, they lose focus of what it means to be an athlete. Nowadays, you see famous athletes practicing risky and crude behavior. Every day we read about players getting arrested for drunk driving or possession of drugs. Some athletes are written about in the newspapers for hitting their wives or others. Others use steroids or other drugs to become better players. All of this makes the  younger generation feel that it is okay to do such things and still be successful. It makes young people forget that bad habits never lead to true success. Being a famous athlete is a great responsibility, and athletes need to take their role seriously.

Athletes themselves do not always get good training from their parents and coaches. 

Young athletes need to learn more about the true sportsmanship from their coaches and role models. We have heard of college and high school students who are passed just so they can play in games. Some high school athletes can barely read, yet they have high school diplomas. Their teachers are sometimes forced to give them good grades so that they can play in games.

However, all is not lost. There are things that parents, teachers and coaches can do. First, enjoy simple games with  your child in your backyards, such as Frisbee. Kickball is also a great sport for young people. They enjoy it immensely. If your child is interested in playing sports, enroll him or her in a little league team. However, make sure that the team has a coach who knows what sportsmanship is. 

Do not pressure your child or the coach to win at all costs. 

Teach your child how to be a team player. This will help him for life.

If you are a teacher, remember that your students are students first and athletes second. Combining good grades with good athletics will make it easier for your students to get into college. If you are a coach, encourage your players to work together and support each other. Remember, it is about them, not about you. Work with your players' teachers to make sure the students are doing well in school. Also, speak to parents about any major problems your students face. Support your team even if they lose, whether you are a parent, teacher or coach. Build teamwork and life skills in your students through sports.

Thank you for visiting!

Faiza Raintree

To download the worksheet for this article, please click below.

Manners Around the World - ESL Worksheet

Good Morning & Happy Monday!

Today's article is about customs and etiquette around the world. ESL students come from around the world, obviously, and often meet students from other countries. They will hopefully enjoy reading about customs in other countries, as well as sharing their own customs and traditions.

This article complements a reading in Q Skills for Success 2, Special Edition, a popular ESL textbook series in the Middle East.

Thank you for visiting and have a great week!

Manners Around the World

People behave differently around the world. What is considered polite behavior in one country may be rude in another. Before you travel, you should learn about the customs of the country you visit. Egypt, Brazil and Germany are popular countries to visit. Read on to find out more about some customs in these countries.

EGYPT

Most people in Egypt are Muslim. For this reason, many customs and traditions revolve around Islam. Family and honor are also very important in Egypt . People in Egypt are expected to dress as well as they can. It is important to make a good impression by wearing nice clothes. Dressing in sloppy clothes may cause the people around you to feel awkward. Personal grooming is also important. People shake hands with each other when they meet. Handshakes are limp, but people shake hands cheerfully. Hospitality is very important. It is part of Egyptian tradition to serve guests tea or coffee. If you are invited to someone's home for a meal, you should bring good quality chocolates or sweets. Respect for elders is a must. For this reason, people greet the oldest people first. Egyptian society is organized by social class. Class and family are more important than how much money you have. For this reason, people avoid socializing with those of a different group.

BRAZIL

Family and social class are most important in Brazil. People dress according to their class in Brazilian society. You are expected to dress well and wear good quality accessories. People are judged by how they look. Time is seen as something outside  of one's control. Relationships are more important than sticking to the time. If you are invited to a dinner party, try to come 30 minutes late. Brazilian culture is a group culture. Avoid doing anything to embarrass anyone. Criticizing a Brazilian in front of others may cause problems for you. It will also make everyone feel awkward. Try to find a polite way to deal with disagreements. Men shake hands firmly when they meet. Women kiss each other lightly on the cheek. Brazilians take time to greet each other. It may take a few minutes to ask each other about their health and their families. People from Western cultures may find this frustrating because they are in a hurry. However, it is okay in Brazilian culture because Brazilians are more informal. For this reason, it is not rude to interrupt someone when they are talking.

GERMANY

People in Germany tend to be reserved and a bit formal. Time and space are very important in German culture. Germans value their privacy. For this reason, it is bad manners to ask Germans about personal details such as age, income and personal beliefs. This includes politics and religion. Always knock and wait for permission to enter. It is important to be on time in Germany. If you have an appointment at 1:15, you should arrive at 1:15 and not a minute after. It is better to be one or two minutes early, if possible. Only close friends and family are invited to one's home. It is important to be neat and tidy at all times. People tend to look down on those who are not organized or behave casually. One must never litter in Germany, but throw out trash in a bin.  You are also expected to clean up any mess you make right away. Shake hands with everyone, including children. If you are invited to take part in a meal in someone's home, arrive on time. Also, keep your elbows off the table at dinner. Written communication is important. It is polite to send thank you notes if you receive a present or are invited to a meal. It is typical to greet strangers in elevators and at tables, but not open spaces.

Thank you for visiting!

Faiza Raintree

To download the worksheet for this article, please click below.

School Around the World - ESL Worksheet

Good Morning & Happy Monday!

Today's worksheet is about school around the world. Students read about school in America, Saudi Arabia, and Japan. I had no idea that Japanese students spend so much time in school!

This article complements an article from Q Skills Special Edition Intro. However, the worksheet can be used in most any high-beginner, low-intermediate classroom. The Q Skills Special Edition series seems to be popular here. I've had a chance to look at this series and find that I quite like it. The articles are interesting and the activities are generally relevant to the reading.

Thank you for visiting and have a great week!

School Around the World

How much time do you spend in school? People around the world go to school at different times. Yet most people feel that they spend too much time in school. Here are three students from three different countries. Their schools are different. Yet the students want to spend less time at school and more time on fun!

United States

John goes to a public school in the United States, so it is free. Most people in America go to public school. There are no uniforms in public school. John starts school at 7:45 a.m. and finishes at 3:30 p.m. He has a lunch break at 1:00 p.m. After school, John stays for an hour for club work. He has a different club every day. John has theatre on Monday and Wednesday, and he plays football the rest of the week. John often gets home at 5:00 p.m. He has football practice on the weekend. John also goes to a religious school on Sunday morning. He does not get homework at Sunday School.

Saudi Arabia

Reem is from Saudi Arabia. She starts school at 6:30 a.m. School lasts until 1:00 p.m. Reem gets home around 1:30 p.m. Reem does not go to any clubs at school, but she goes to a religious school two days a week. She has homework for both schools.  Reem also studies with a tutor most days of the week. She has many exams and subjects to study for. Schools in Saudi Arabia have two terms. Reem wears a uniform at school. Like many people in Saudi Arabia, Reem goes to a private school. Her parents pay for her school, and Reem brings her own lunch.

Japan

Yoko goes to school in Japan. She attends school six days a week. Yoko goes to a public school, but her parents pay for it. Public schools cost less than private school. Yoko has a long day at school. When she gets to school, she takes off her shoes and puts on slippers. Slippers help to keep the school clean.  Yoko has a lunch period.  She talks quietly with her friends during lunch. After lunch, students clean up the cafeteria. Yoko stays in her classroom most of the day. She and her classmates clean their classroom at the end of each day. Most days after school, Yoko goes to a club. She tutors other students during math club. Yoko gets home around 5:30 p.m. After dinner, Yoko goes to a cram school for more lessons. She finishes around 8:00 p.m.

Thank you for visiting!

Faiza Raintree

To download the worksheet for this article, please click below.

Crazy Sale at Walmart - ESL Worksheet

Good Morning & Happy Monday!

Today's article is about Walmart's crazy sale this past week. I've included a table and questions about some of the world's largest corporations. The table could be used as an IELTS Writing Task 1 as well.

If you're interested in improving your IELTS Reading score in the next few weeks, visit my blog this Tuesday (September 30, 2014)  to register for a free online course! Space is limited to 20 students.

Thank you for visiting and have a great week!

Crazy Sale at Walmart

 Did you ever wish you had more money to spend? At Walmart last week, people did not need much money to buy some expensive things. 

Computer monitors sold for $9 and treadmills cost $33! 

Treadmills often cost more than $500. People wrote about the crazy sale on Facebook and Twitter. Others told their friends. When people heard about these prices, they rushed to Walmart. They tried to buy whatever they could. A man bought a $2000 television for only $300. Another man bought a digital projector for about $10. 

Walmart also has an online store. They sell things online for the same price that you find at the store. Many people bought things for low prices at Walmart's online store.

All of this was only for a short time. Walmart had an error in their computers, so many prices were wrong. When Walmart saw their mistake, they stopped the sales. Then they cancelled online sales. They told everyone who bought things online that they could not buy these items for such a low price. They promised everyone a $10 gift card to use at Walmart. Some people were happy about the gift card. 

Others were angry that Walmart did not honor their prices.

They said, "If Walmart lists the price at $10, then they must give it to us for that price!"

Walmart is the largest corporation in the world. It is a family-owned company with 2 million employees. Walmart earns about $470 billion dollars a year in sales.

Thank you for visiting!

Faiza Raintree

To download the worksheet for this article, please click below.