Teaching Overview

Ardmore Language Courses

Ardmore English language courses are designed to help students not only increase their knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary, but also their confidence in using English.

Our courses are designed to really help students improve communication skills. Therefore lessons include plenty of opportunities for students to use the language. Classroom activities include role-play, pair-work, group-work, group projects, surveys, questionnaires and games.

Emphasis on communication helps students to use English for a variety of purposes and in a variety of situations. Our aim is simply to build students’ knowledge and confidence of English.

A Typical day with Ardmore

Students have three hours of English lessons per day from Monday to Friday. Lessons are divided into two parts: Language input and fluency/practice activities.

Language input involves using grammar and vocabulary in various tasks/exercises. Most of the material for this part of the lesson comes from the exclusively designed Ardmore workbooks (see below). In this part of the lesson grammatical structures and items of vocabulary are introduced and consolidated.

In the second part of the lesson students take part in group tasks and activities aimed at developing fluency. Tasks could include designing a website or film poster, constructing a classroom survey or producing /acting a dialogue/short play. Whatever the task, the aim is to actively engage students in tasks which involve maximum opportunity to practice communication skills.

Ardmore Teachers

Our teachers are qualified professionals the majority of whom hold the Trinity Certificate or Cambridge CELTA teaching qualifications. All our teachers work very hard to provide interesting and fun language lessons. Teachers are friendly and always happy to help.

The first day of the course

On the first day of your English course you will have an introduction lesson in which you will learn some interesting information about topics like English culture and history! You will also speak with your teacher and other students about yourself and your life. You will also do some language and grammar tasks which will help your teacher decide which level class you will join. This lesson is a fun and interesting way to start the course!

The rest of the course

You will join your group the day after the first lesson (usually Tuesday). You will learn lots of useful language in your class and make friends with students who you can practice speaking English with. You will have an Ardmore workbook which you will take home at the end of the course. Our English classes are fun and interesting and we hope you will enjoy studying with us.

At the end of the course

On the day before you finish your course (usually Thursday); you will have a short language test with questions about language, grammar and vocabulary. On your last day you will receive an Ardmore certificate with information about your progress on the course.

The Ardmore workbooks

The materials in our workbooks have been designed specifically to improve our students’ language skills. We have four levels of classes and workbooks:

• Non-Stop (elementary)
• Hi-Speed (pre-intermediate)
• Express (intermediate)
• Dynamic (Upper Intermediate)

Have a look at some samples of our workbooks which follow. As you will see, our materials have been specifically designed for Ardmore students. Our workbooks are unique which means we do not have to rely on photocopying published course-books. Ardmore workbooks are designed by Ardmore teachers for Ardmore students.

Lesson 5

In this lesson you will:

• Learn character adjectives
• Use adjectives to describe classmates
• Learn how to give opinions

Discussion
In small groups discuss what you think the following quotes mean:

“ Your face is your fortune ”
“ Beauty is only skin-deep ”
“ Beauty is in the eye of the beholder ”
“ It's beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart ”
“ Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it ”

What type of person are you? Character Adjectives

Look at column A. Write the correct number 1-12 in the appropriate space below. Which adjective from column A describes someone who

(a) …you can depend on _______
(b) …doesn’t like taking risks or doing new things _______
(c) …tends to see things negatively _______
(d) …gives things and shares with others _______
(e) …thinks they are very clever and better than others _______
(f) …doesn’t take life too seriously _______
(g) …is good with their hands _______
(h) …does things without planning _______
(i) …thinks about others first _______
(j) …doesn’t joke or laugh too often _______
(k) …always puts in maximum effort _______
(l) …enjoys meeting and chatting with people _______

Guess Who

Choose one of the people from below. Don’t tell you partner which one you have chosen! You and your partner must ask each other ‘yes/no’ questions and try to work out which person they have chosen. The first player to guess correctly wins!

Examples – “Does your person have long hair?” “Does your person have green eyes?”

Adventure Sports

• Grammar: Modal Verbs
• Lexis: Extreme Sports
• Skills: Speaking

Match the pictures to the sport names below.

Snowboarding, Motocross, Kayaking, Surfing, Zip-wire, Waterskiing, Windsurfing, Skydiving, Abseiling

Have you ever tried any of these sports? Which ones?
Would you like to try any of these sports? Which ones? Why?