Lesson Units
 

Follow the lessons below in any order -
or, start from the beginning and work your way through.

Many units have a Crossword Puzzle, too.
Unit
Theme
Contents
Where did the idea for a "United Nations' come from?
  • Reading comprehension; Present perfect practice;
  • Task-based writing: "Sharing information"
  * Luciano Pavarotti sings for a "One Day" public service announcement
What are the different parts of the United Nations?
  • Reading comprehension; 'Future-in-the-past' structures;
  • Task-based writing: "Defining"
  * Muhammad Ali "One Day" Public Service Announcement;    the UN Charter
What is it like to be on a United Nations mission?
  • Reading comprehension; Past perfect practice;
  • Task-based writing: "Writing a mission report"
  * Shashi Tharoor's poem, "Baby Six Billion";   also, Memories from UN Missions
Who are the Goodwill Ambassadors?
  • Reading comprehension; Passive constructions;
  • Task-based writing: "Expressing thanks"
  * Angelina Jolie's Journals;   clips from the movie "Beyond Borders"
Who are the UN Peacekeepers?
  • Separable two-word verbs;
  • Task-based writing: "Needs-assessment e-mail note"
  * Kofi Annan's speech on the International Day of Peacekeepers
What is the United Nations Decade for Literacy?
  • Reading comprehension, (including readings on "Accents and dialects" and intercultural literacy)
  • Past perfect practice
  • Task-based writing: "Showing cause and effect"
  * World Teachers' Day;   listen to 268 accents;   article on Intercultural Literacy;  poem: "The King's English"
How is the United Nations addressing the HIV-AIDS crisis?
  • Reading comprehension;
  • Dependent and independent clauses and puctuation,
  • Task-based writing: model short letter "writing to inform"
  * Goodwill Ambassador Danny Glover's broadcast on the AIDS crisis
What is "micro-credit" and how can it raise the status of women?
  • Reading comprehension;
  • Uses of the possessive
  • Task-based writing: model "summary"
  * Micro-credit success stories
What are the UN Millennium Development Goals?
  • Reading comprehension;
  • Inseparable two-word verbs;
  • Task-based writing: writing to "persuade"
  * Secretary-General Kofi Annan's speech on the Millennium Development Goals
How is the UN involved in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space?
  • Reading comprehension;
  • Future with 'be able';
  • Task-based writing: writing to "explain"
  * Connect with the NASA Science site;   read a story about a total lunar eclipse
What is UNESCO's World Heritage List?
  • Reading comprehension;
  • Modal past with 'could have';
  • Task-based writing: writing a "summary-memo"
  * "Tour" the World Heritage sites
Who received the UN's Nobel prizes?
  • Reading comprehension;
  • Prepositions + gerunds (including common expressions);
  • Writing task: writing a "press release"
  * Listen to the song "I Will Work for Peace"
Presentation Skills at the UN:
Presentation Skills: tips & exercises
Presentation Skills booklet (long version)

Advice on techniques for speaking before groups
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