ADRIANA MOODY HOMEWORK IDEAS: 1.

IN THE NEWS Ask them to choose a news story that has piqued their interest, and have them: Write a report on the news story Write a dialogue in which a journalist interviews someone involved in the story. Answer a question like, What could have gone differently?, thus prompting them to use conditionals, for example (If the truck driver had not answered his cell phone, he would not have caused the accident.)

2. EMAILS

Give them an email to read and ask them to write an appropriate reply. Or give them a situation that would require them to compose a message, like a complaint over a bad service experience or an inquiry into vacation rentals.
3. WATCH AN EPISODE Choose a TV series that is shown in English, either with or without subtitles. Tell students that their homework for that night will be to watch an episode of that show (or let them choose any show in English), whether they usually watch the show or not. Give them a task to complete after viewing the episode: a synopsis of the episode, a character description, or a questionnaire (Do you usually watch this show? If not, would you start watching it? Why/why not?) 4. LYRICS Try to write down the lyrics to a song in English that you really like, then find the lyrics online and compare them to what you understood. How similar are they?? 5. WRITING ASSIGNMENT IDEAS Hypothetical What would you do if you were late for an important appointment? What would you do if someone accused you of a crime you didn't commit? What would you do if you got lost in an unfamiliar city? What would you do if you left something in a locked building? What would you do if your best friend stole something from you? What would you do if you didn't have enough money to pay your bills? What would you do if your children were caught shoplifting? What would you do if your car got a flat tire on the freeway? If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be? If you could change one major historical event, what would it be? Description Describe a famous park or recreation area in your home country. Describe an interesting neighbor you have had. Describe something you could never give away.

Describe a place you will never forget. Describe a sporting event you attended recently. Describe a memorable birthday celebration. Describe a place you go for recreation or exercise. Describe your childhood home. Describe someone you respect deeply. Describe the nightlife in a city you are familiar with. Narration Tell about a recent interview. Tell about a time when you lost something. Tell about one of your fondest childhood memories. Tell about a time when you lied to your parents, boss, or teacher. Tell about a time when you were treated unfairly. Briefly tell about a movie you saw recently. Tell about something you made ?from scratch.? Tell about a "close call" you had recently. Tell about something you wish had never happened. Tell about a time when you inadvertently caused trouble for someone else. Opinion What is your opinion about cellular phones? What is your opinion about women in the military? What is your opinion about a current politician? What is your opinion about violence on television? What is your opinion about fortune telling? What is your opinion about the tabloids? What is your opinion about legalizing marijuana? What is your opinion about the welfare system? What is your opinion about cloning? What is your opinion about recycling? Instructions Tell how to find something on the Internet. Tell how to feed family members who drop by unexpectedly. Tell how to dump a boyfriend/girlfriend. Tell how to get from your house to the supermarket. Tell what to do in an earthquake. Tell how to get someone to fall in love with you. Tell how to make a paper airplane. Tell how to get a good table at a restaurant. Tell how to discipline an unruly child. 6. JOKES Write 5 jokes (you can make them up or look them up) and bring them to class to share with the other students. Your objective is to make us laugh. 7. RECIPES Write the recipe in English for your favorite meal or something you love to cook. 8. FOOD DIARY Write down every ingredient in your lunch before you eat it.

9. INTERVIEW Imagine you are going to interview your favorite singer/band/actor/athlete/author/etc. (or I choose the celebrity being interviewed). Make a list of twenty questions you would ask him/her. Next day pretend you are that person and answer the questions as if you were him/her. 10. DREAM HOME Write a detailed description of your dream home. 11. THE PERFECT VACATION Imagine you can go anywhere on vacation and do whatever you want. Where would you go? What would you do? Write a paragraph describing your ideal get-away. 12. PRESENTATION Prepare a two-minute presentation to give in the next class about any topic you want (or teacher chooses topic). 13. DIALOGUES Write a dialogue between two or three people (so that later they can act it out in class) in one of the following situations: Checking in at a hotel Lost in a new city You receive the wrong order at a restaurant A job interview There is a bug in your food Youre at the movies and the person next to you is very annoying Going to the doctor because you feel sick You and your friends just found 100 euro on the ground Etc. 14. WORDS Write down all of the English words you see in the next 24 hours. 15. SYNONYMS Give them several adjectives and tell them to find a synonym for each one.