Contents
=> 5 Particle Verbs about Travel
=> Carlson’s Corner: American Geography Jeopardy Game
=> Hollywood Version of “EtsinRussia”?
=> Travel Writer Paul Theroux: “No language is difficult”
=> In the Next Issue

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5 Particle Verbs about Travel
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You can call these phrasal verbs if it makes you feel better. Here they are:

break down
check in
check out
stop over
take off

Now, we’ll suggest a five-step mini-lesson, for which the teacher doesn’t have to do much preparation. Use any or all of the five steps.

<> STEP 1
Write the verbs on the board. Then write the particles. But not together. Let the students guess which goes with which.

<> STEP 2
Hand out the following sentences (or maybe you’ve already written them on the board).

Directions: place the correct particle verb in its correct form in the blank.

1. On the way we had engine problems and our car _________________.

2. When we flew back to Moscow from L.A., we ____________ for six hours in Frankfurt.

3. Mr. P is afraid of flying only when the plane is ___________ or landing, or when it’s in the air.

4. We had to be at the airport two hours ahead of time in order to ____________ our baggage.

5. We needed to leave the hotel by noon, so we packed our bags and ____________.

Answers
1. broke down
2. stopped over
3. taking off
4. check in
5. checked out

<> STEP 3
Ask pairs of students to re-write the sentences changing the verbs to nouns. Here are some possible sentences to show the noun forms. Write one as a
sample for the students.

1. They had a breakdown on the way home.
2. They had a stopover in Frankfurt.
3. Take-offs scare Mr. P.
4. They went to the airport two hours early for check-in.
5. The hotel check-out time was noon.

<> STEP 4
Here are a couple alternatives:

A.
Ask students to make up a story about a traveler who has a terrible trip. They should write a couple paragraphs using all the new words (in noun or verb form).
Encourage them to be funny.

B.
Ask students to write 5 TRUE sentences about themselves on a piece of paper, using the new words (noun or verb form). Example: “I was in a bus that
broke down on the road to Stockholm.”

Collect the five sentences. Select a student to read them. Then students will guess who had these experiences.

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Carlson’s Corner: American Geography Jeopardy Game
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Soros Teacher Trainer Aaron Carlson provides a quiz game about U.S. Geography. It’s structured after the TV game show “Jeopardy.”

The great thing is you don’t need any materials –just a chalk board. To print it, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ETsinRussia and click on “files.”

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Hollywood Version of “EtsinRussia”?
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The “EtsinRussia” e-textbook is plain. It doesn’t have color photos, or a snazzy layout. We also don’t include attachments. This means that “EtsinRussia”…

1. takes up very little space in your mailbox.
2. is safe from viruses (they usually come in attachments)
3. can be read by even the most basic computers and networks.

BUT
We could be pretty if we wanted to.

The Hollywood film version of our newsletter, starring Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, will be gorgeous.

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Paul Theroux: “No language is difficult.”
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Paul Theroux is one of the greatest living travel writers. In his book on the Mediterranean, THE PILLARS OF HERCULES, he offers some food for thought:

” . . . No language is difficult. Language is an activity, a kind of play, learned through practice. It requires little intelligence. It is social.”

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In the Next Issue: (January 2nd)
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Travel Activities (that take up lots of time in the class–even usefully).

And the magic word–”STUFF.”

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Copyright 2001 Kevin McCaughey & I.M. Poosheesty
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