Sue Townsend’s dream home

Activity title:

Sue Townsend's dream home

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Skill(s):

Applying lexical and grammatical knowledge; reading for gist, for specific information, understanding meaning at sentence level

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Level(s):

B1+ - B2 (FCE)

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Exam part:

Use of English (Parts 2,3); Writing (Part 2)

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Aim(s):

To provide an opportunity for learners to practice word formation, open cloze, reading for gist and specific information within the context of "Houses";
to provide a sample article;
to motivate learners to read authentic materials (magazines)

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Materials needed:

Copies of the article by Rosalind Powell
(Source: HELLO! № 1388 20 July 2015).
Dictionaries:
https://www.cambridge.org; collinsdictionary.com

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Preparation:

A teacher develops a series of activities based on the authentic material (the shortened article from HELLO!), prepares copies with gaps and cards with affixes.

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Procedure:

Step 1. Learners scan the magazine article below. They match the definitions with the words from the text.

Ex.1

to pay or receive a fixed amount of money for the use of a room, house, car, television; to allow your house or land to be lived in or used by someone else in exchange for a regular payment (to rent; to let your house (out))
1. to go to live somewhere (to take up residence/residency somewhere)
2. a set of rooms for living in, especially on one floor of a building (an apartment / a flat)
3. the colour, style, and arrangement of the objects in a room (décor)
4. a large house that is the official home of a king, queen, or other person of high social rank (a palace)
5. a covered area on the side of a building (a loggia) a luxurious flat or set of rooms at the top of a tall building (a penthouse)

*A teacher might show the photos from Hello!

Step 2. Learners read the article again and use the words given in capitals to form words that fit in the gaps. Before the task they are given a few minutes to brainstorm as many words which can be formed from the words in brackets as possible.

Ex.2

Founder of luxury beauty brands Sue Townsend invites us into her (STUN) palazzo in Florence to show us around her (CREDIBLE) home in an Italian palace.

by Rosalind Powell

Sue Townsend had kept her eye on the top-floor apartment of the Palazzo Capponi Canigiani, an (IMPRESS)___________ 15th-century building in Florence, for seven years.

'I could see it from the river and would always think, "I wonder who lives there"' says the English entrepreneur, who moved to the Italian__________ city 16 years ago.

When she asked about renting it, she was told the apartment had just been let. However, the founder of luxury soap and toiletry brand Ortigia and the former director of the Prince of Wales's Duchy Originals label has a gift for tenacity, which, as well as giving her an advantage when she was building her (SUCCESS)_________ business, has also seen her taking up (RESIDE) in her dream home. "I have a terrier dog and I notice that Nipper and I are very similar in nature. We don't give up," she tells HELLO!

Having "persecuted" the (OWN) for years until the apartment became free she swiftly moved in with her five rescue dogs ten years ago. "In Italy, if you know people you can find your way around", she observes.

Set on the river Arno and just a few steps from the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge, the beautiful penthouse - with five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a library and (SPACE) loggia - is spread over two floors with spectacular views across the Renaissance city. It's a place where, says Sue, she can sit and watch the world go by from high up"

Elegant, exotic but comfortable, the apartment is filled with 18th- and 19th- century (EUROPE) furniture and paintings, as well as Chinese pots and carpets she has collected over the years. The statues and large iron table that now sit on the loggia had to be hoisted through the windows using a crane.

"I just chuckled it all and made the best of it," she says of the décor, rather downplaying her eye for interior design. "Every now and then, on rainy Sundays, I heave it all around a bit. I don't want a grand house. I want a friendly house that everybody can sit around in and talk," adds 65-year-old Sue, whose generous nature and sense of fun shine throughout our interview.

Step 3. Learners read the sentences and think of the word which best fits both gaps. Then they answer the questions below. The main focus is on vocabulary.

Ex.3

1) Sue Tounsend had kept her _________on the top-floor apartment of the Palazzo Capponi Canigiani, an impressive 15th-century building in Florence, for seven years.

2) "I just chuckled it all and made the best of it," she says of the décor, rather downplaying her ______for interior design.
a) What does a person mean when he/she says that you have to keep your eye on something?
b) Which verb describes the situation when someone is making something seem less important or less bad than it really is?The government has been trying to _________the crisis.
c) What do we say when someone is good at noticing a particular type of thing? He has an_____ for detail.

Answers: 1, 2) eye
a) You should watch something or stay informed about something;
b) downplay;
c) He / She has got an eye for something.

Step 4. Students think of the correct word to fill each gap.

Ex.4

1) "I could see it from the river and would always think, "I wonder _____lives there"' says the English entrepreneur, ______moved to the Italian city 16 years ago.
2) When she asked about renting it, she was told the apartment had just ________ let.
3) Set on the river Arno and just a few steps___________ the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge, the beautiful penthouse is spread over two floors.
4) Every now and _________, on rainy Sundays, I heave it all around a bit.
5) Elegant, exotic but comfortable, the apartment is filled with 18th- and 19th-century European furniture and paintings, as _______as Chinese pots and carpets she has collected over the years.

Step 5. Learners complete the phrases with the correct preposition and use their own ideas to complete the sentences.

Ex.5

1) I have a gift ______________________________________.
2) My best friend has an eye ___________________________.
3) I am and my parents are similar________________________.
4) I try to make the best _______________________________.
5) My room is filled __________________________________.

Step 6. A teacher asks learners a few questions.

Ex. 6. Are you an observant reader?

a) What / who do these adjectives describe: stunning, incredible, impressive, successful, famous, spectacular, elegant, exotic, comfortable, grand, generous, friendly?
b) Find 2 verbs which mean 'to lift something heavy'? (hoist, heave)
c) What does the author call the Renaissance city, the Italian city? What does Rosalind Powell avoid by doing that? (Florence; repetition)
d) What kind of person is Sue Townsend? What personal traits does the author emphasise?
e) What proves that Sue is tenacious and determined?

Step 7. Students practice writing.

You see this announcement on an English-language website. Write your answer in 140-190 words.

Articles wanted.

My dream home

What would your dream home look like? What would you do to live there?

*Before completing the task it is a good idea for students to look through the requirements for the exam task (Writing, Part 2) and discuss the differences between the article they've just read and the one they are asked to write.

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Variation(s)

Step 1. Elicit and concept check vocabulary. (See if learners can give the words for Task 1 without reading.)
1. Each of the activities above could be gamified. For example, for the second task a teacher could prepare a set of cards with suffixes /prefixes on them. Students select one card at a time and try to remember the words from the text with the affix on the card.
2. Exercise 5 could be done in groups. Students can get some speaking practice while memorizing dependent prepositions.
3. Task 7 can be assigned as homework.
4. Interaction patterns can be changed for every task.

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Reflections

Word formation is rather easy for some students at the level but it provides a sense of achievement and makes them eager to continue working on more challenging tasks.
I used the text mainly as a context to present some new language and practice exam tasks.
To my mind, questions in Task 6 draw students' attention to some important features of writing: use of adjectives, synonyms, logical inference.
The article itself is a good sample of a 'real-life' piece of writing which interests and engages the reader. It is appropriate for explaining the main characteristics of the genre (and an exam task type).
Authentic materials are appealing and fun to work with. Extensive reading is a good way to acquire new vocabulary. Students usually ask for more.
Learners need to be given a strict time limit.