TEACHER’S NOTES

Topics: Travel
by Adrian Tennant

Key b
INTEGRATED SKILLS TEACHER’S NOTES

LEVEL: Intermediate +
AGE: Teenagers / Adults On which of the holidays … 1 2 3 4 5
TIME NEEDED: 90 minutes + project … are you in Europe?
ARTICLES: understanding vocabulary in … can you see wildlife?
context; topic words, i.e. transport; verbs … is the beautiful scenery
of travel; adjectives describing places and mentioned?
types of activities … are you not near a
crowded place?
LEAD-IN … might you sleep in a tent?
Put students in groups and ask them to discuss the … do you travel slowly?
five questions. Ask a few students to report back to … is taking a plane mentioned?
the class about their group discussion. … is food part of the experience?

PICTURES
WORKING WITH THE LANGUAGE
Ask students to look at the five photos and, in their
groups, discuss what they can see. You could write up Focus 1: Understanding meaning
some prompts on the board, e.g. Where was each photo
taken? What kind of holiday does each photo show? What Put students in pairs and ask them to answer the five
can you do in each place? etc. Elicit ideas from students questions. Monitor, and help where necessary before
as a whole class discussion. checking as a class.

Key (accept similar answers, or answers that students

READING: ADVERTISEMENTS
can explain / justify)
1. to link the experience to the place, i.e. icebergs floating
Ask students to read through the five advertisements
2. give the opportunity
and match the photos to the correct one. Tell them to
3. because of the beautiful scenery, including travelling over
look for the clues in each, i.e. advertisement 1: … while
291 bridges and the Oberalp Pass
outside it’s cold and icy. If you want, you could give
4. available
a short time limit, e.g. two minutes. Get students to
5. as world-famous
check their answers in pairs before checking as a class.
Focus 2: Language use
Key a
1. D; 2. B; 3. E; 4. A; 5. C
Ask students to look at the examples of article use in
the box (a-e). Next, ask them to match these examples
Next, ask students to read the texts again and to
to the sentences explaining the different uses of
complete the table. Draw their attention to the first
articles (1-5). Put students in pairs and get them to
question, which has been completed, as an example
check their answers together before checking as a
of what they have to do. Monitor, and help where
class.
necessary. Again, get pairs to check their answers
together before checking as a class.
Key a
1. d; 2. a; 3. e; 4. b; 5. c

Then, ask students to complete the short text with a,

an, the or no article individually. Monitor, and help
where necessary. Get students to check their answers
in pairs before checking as a class.

Key b
1. the; 2. -; 3. the; 4. the; 5. a; 6. the; 7. an

© Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2011

INTEGRATED SKILLS / Topics / Travel / Intermediate +
 TEACHER’S NOTES

Topics: Travel
by Adrian Tennant

WORKING WITH VOCABULARY Transcript:

INTEGRATED SKILLS TEACHER’S NOTES

Focus 1: Meaning Travel is my job, and yet even I was surprised

by this holiday. I’m not one for sitting around and
Ask students to look back at the travel advertisements doing nothing. I prefer the bustle of shopping or the
and find words that match the definitions. The excitement of action-packed breaks. So the idea of
words are in the order in which they appear in the sitting on a boat going nowhere didn’t inspire me,
advertisements. Encourage them to work in pairs but I have to say it was so relaxing and the scenery
and discuss their ideas as they read. so beautiful that I didn’t want it to end. Add to that
the delicious spicy food and it was like a holiday
Key in heaven.
1. snug; 2. get up close; 3. luxurious; 4. drift (along);
5. scenic; 6. tear (yourself) away; 7. cobbled streets; 8.
regional; 9. remote(st); 10. away from it all SPEAKING
Focus 2: Topic-related words Put students in small groups and ask them to discuss
the questions together. Monitor, and help where
Ask students to try to find words in the texts for each necessary. Afterwards, ask a few groups to report back
of the four categories. Encourage students to work on their discussion, explaining which of the holidays
together and discuss their answers. Check the answers they would like to go on and why.
as a class.
PROJECT
Key
1. cruise ship, kayak, houseboat, train, car, raft(ing). Ask students to carry out the project for homework.
Students might also want to add plane as in advertisement The advertisements could be posted around the room,
4 it mentions flying and airport, but the word ‘plane’ possibly with photos showing the destinations.
doesn’t actually appear in the advertisement.
2. cruise, ride, fly, drive
3. stunning, scenic, picturesque
4. hiking, climbing, camping

LISTENING

Ask students to listen to a short radio feature and

answer the two questions. Play the recording. Put
students in pairs and ask them to discuss their
answers together. Play the recording again, if
necessary. Elicit ideas from the class asking students
to explain their answers.

Key
B – Kerala. The clues are the holiday involves a boat and
the person eats spicy food (which indicates India as the
destination rather than the Antarctic).

© Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2011

INTEGRATED SKILLS / Topics / Travel / Intermediate +
 WORKSHEET

Topics: Travel
by Adrian Tennant
C.

Lead-in
INTEGRATED SKILLS WORKSHEET

Work in groups to discuss the following

questions:

1. What does the word travel mean to you?

2. Where did you last go on holiday?
3. How did you get there?
4. What did you do there?
5. What would your ideal holiday be? Why?

PICTURES

Look at these photos. Talk about what you

Image: BANANASTOCK
can see in each one with a partner.

A. D.

Image: Sandie Mourão Image: ImageSource

B. E.

Image: Ramesh Mani Image: DIGITAL VISION

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INTEGRATED SKILLS / Topics / Travel / Intermediate + 1
 WORKSHEET

Topics: Travel
by Adrian Tennant

Reading: Advertisements 3.

INTEGRATED SKILLS WORKSHEET

a. Read the travel advertisements below and Don’t like

match the photos from the previous exercise to
high-speed
the correct advertisements.
road travel?
1. Take the train!
Enjoy the slowest train ride in Europe and
ride past some of the most scenic landscape
imaginable. Travelling through 91 tunnels,
across 291 bridges, as well as the 7,000-foot-
high Oberalp Pass, you’ll have trouble tearing
yourself away from the window.

4.

The perfect
fly-drive break!
Fly to Lisbon, hire a car at the city airport
and drive through some of the most stunning
landscape around.
Stop off at the picturesque town of Óbidos,
with its cobbled streets and medieval walls,
2. to experience a bit of history and taste
some of the regional dishes on offer.

5.

Relax on your own luxurious houseboat and

cruise along the backwaters of Kerala.
Hundreds of miles of rivers allow you to
see so much of this southern Indian state. Hiking, climbing and camping in one of
Visit villages, buy fresh fruit from the riverside the most remote parts of the USA.
markets and just relax as Why not spend a week away from it
you drift along on the water. all in the world-famous Yosemite
National Park?
If you’re lucky you might even see one of the
many black bears found in the park. While the
more adventurous can go rafting down the
Merced River.

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INTEGRATED SKILLS / Topics / Travel / Intermediate + 2
 WORKSHEET

Topics: Travel
by Adrian Tennant

b. Now read the texts again and complete the Focus 2: Language use
INTEGRATED SKILLS WORKSHEET

table.
Articles are an important part of English.
On which of the holidays … 1 2 3 4 5 Look at the examples below:
… are you in Europe?
… can you see wildlife? a. … hire a car …
b. Fly to Lisbon …
… is the beautiful scenery
c. … drive through some of the most
mentioned?
stunning landscape …
… are you not near a d. go rafting down the Merced River …
crowded place? e. … seals basking in the sun.
… might you sleep in a tent?
a. Match the examples above to the grammatical
… do you travel slowly?
uses below.
… is taking a plane mentioned?
… is food part of the experience? 1. We use the definite article, the, with many rivers,
seas and mountain ranges.
2. We use an indefinite article, a or an, when we
WORKING WITH THE LANGUAGE are talking about a singular thing that we haven’t
mentioned before.
3. We use the definite article, the, when there is
Focus 1: Understanding meaning
only one.
4. Generally we do not use an article with a
Answer the following questions:
place name.
5. We use the definite article, the, when we use
1.In text 1, why does the writer use the word floating?
a superlative adjective.
2.In text 2, does the word allow mean ‘give
permission’ or ‘give the opportunity’?
b. Complete the advertisement with a, the or -
3.In text 3, why might you have trouble tearing
if no article is needed.
yourself away from the window?
4.In text 4, what does the writer mean by on offer?
5.In text 5, how is Yosemite National Park described?

As one of (1) ______ major capitals of Europe,

(2) ______ London has much to offer.

The best way to travel around is to use

(3) ______ Underground, which covers
pretty much all of London.

Visit the South Bank and (4) ______ Houses

of Parliament and take (5) ______ cruise along
(6) ______ River Thames.

It’s (7) ______ experience you shouldn’t miss.

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INTEGRATED SKILLS / Topics / Travel / Intermediate + 3
 WORKSHEET

Topics: Travel
by Adrian Tennant

WORKING WITH VOCABULARY Listening

INTEGRATED SKILLS WORKSHEET

Focus 1: Meaning Listen to the short radio feature and answer the
questions below.
Look back at the travel advertisements and 1. Which of the five holidays featured in the travel
find words to match these definitions. advertisements did the person go on?
2. How do you know?
1. feeling comfortable and safe
_________________________
2. to move near something Speaking
_________________________ (three words)
3. very expensive and comfortable Discuss these questions in small groups.
_________________________
4. to move somewhere slowly as though you do not know 1. Which of the five holidays would you choose as
where you are going ____________________ a group? Why?
5. providing beautiful views of nature 2. What would you need to take with you on
_________________________ the holiday?
6. to force yourself to leave somewhere or stop doing
something _________________________ Project
(three words)
7. surfaces made from many small round stones fixed Write a short travel advertisement for a newspaper
closely together _________________________ about a holiday destination of your choice.
(two words)
8. relating to or typical of a particular area of a
country _________________________
9. far away from cities, towns or people
_________________________
10.far from people, places, or things,
especially so you feel relaxed and stress-free
_________________________ (four words)

Focus 2: Topic-related words

Read the texts again and find the following:

1. six types of transport
2. four verbs to do with travelling on different transport
3. three adjectives that mean beautiful
4. three activities you can do in the mountains

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INTEGRATED SKILLS / Topics / Travel / Intermediate + 4