News Flash English :: The beach is back!

START

1. HOLIDAY PREFERENCES: When was the last time you went to a beach? Where was it? How was it? Would you go again? Go round the room swapping stories. Change partners often.

2.DICTATION: The teacher will read some of the article slowly and clearly. Students will write down what they hear. The teacher will repeat the passage slowly again. Self correct your work from page 2 - filling in spaces and correcting mistakes. Be honest with yourself on the number of errors. Advise the teacher of your total number of errors. Less than 5 is very good. 10 are acceptable. Any more is room for improvement! More than 20 - we need to do some work!

3. READING: Get students to read the passage aloud. Swap readers every paragraph.

4. VOCABULARY: Students look through the article. Underline/highlight any vocabulary you do not know. Look in dictionaries. Discuss and help each other out. The teacher will go through & explain any words or phrases you do not understand.

5. BEACHES: With your partner think of 4 famous beaches worldwide. Discuss.

1	3
2	4

The teacher will choose some pairs to discuss their findings in front of the class.

6. MANMADE BEACHES: With your partner think of 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of manmade beaches. Discuss.

Advantages	Disadvantages
1	3
2	4

The teacher will choose some pairs to discuss their findings in front of the class.

7. QUICK DEBATE: Student A prefers to lie on a beach and relax while on holiday. Student B prefers to visit nature / visit nearby towns and monuments.

8. BEACH: With your partner on the board write as many words to do with 'beach' as you can. One-two minutes. Compare with other teams. Using your words compile a short dialogue together.

9. SENTENCES: Choose six/nine of the words from no 8. Write two/three sentences using two/three words in each. Underline your chosen words. The teacher will if necessary correct your work. Students might be asked to read their sentences aloud.

10. ARTICLE QUIZ: With your partner or in small groups: (1 point for each correct answer. Lose ½ point if you look at the article for help!)

Student A

Name the embankment.
Where is the beach situated between
How much is a beer?
What have been expanded and enhanced?
What are pleasantly spread out?
What is next to the beach?
What time is the beach open?

Student B

Who is sponsoring the beach?
The panoramic view includes what?
How much is it to go on the beach?
What does the beach offer visitors?
Name the sports mentioned.
How much is the bar terrace this year?
What is on one area of the beach?

11. I went to the beach and saw: Think of 10 things you might see on a beach. Write them below. Using these words prepare a short story to tell your partner.

1	6
2	7
3	8
4	9
5	10

The teacher will choose some pairs to discuss their findings in front of the class.

12. DANGERS ON A BEACH? Think of 4 hidden dangers you might find on a beach. Compare and discuss with your partner(s).

Advantages of euro	Disadvantages of euro
1	3
2	4

The teacher will choose some pairs to discuss their findings in front of the class.

12. SENTENCE STARTERS: With your partner(s), finish these sentence starters. Change partner(s) and talk about the sentences you made.

On the beach ___________________________________________________

Manmade beaches _______________________________________________

I like beaches __________________________________________________

The sea _______________________________________________________

The bar _______________________________________________________

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: After reading the article guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F): If false, why?

a.	The beach is back for a third year running	T / F
b.	The beach is sponsored by local telecom operator Orange	T / F
c.	Sunbathers are able to soak up the sun in style using sun beds	T / F
d.	This year sees many improvements to the facilities on offer	T / F
e.	New this year sees a huge circular swimming pool	T / F
f.	The bar area has quadrupled in size	T / F
g.	Beer is a very reasonable 35 crowns	T / F
h.	Sports facilities include volleyball, football and an outdoor gym	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a.	Better	Berth
b.	Another	Previously
c.	Delight	Average
d.	Already	Earlier
e.	Between	Second
f.	Bigger	Improved
g.	Once	Fashion
h.	Probably	Joy
i.	Moor	Likely
j.	Style	Larger

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article:

a.	It is bigger, it is better	an even bigger hit this year
b.	Yes, the beach in Bratislava	towards the end of June
c.	...to the delight	sponsored by T-Com
d.	Opened	able to soak up the sun
e.	It commands	sport and gastronomy
f.	Once again the idea is	of thousands of sunbathers...
g.	It is proving to be	panoramic views of the city
h.	Entrance	and it is back!
i.	It offers visitors relaxation,	is free
j.	Sunbathers are	is back for another year

GAP FILL: READING

Put the words into the gaps in the text.

It is bigger, it is better and it is back! Yes, the _____ in Bratislava is back for another year - to the delight of thousands of sunbathers who have already frequented it. Opened towards the end of June the beach at Tyrsovo Embankment is situated between Old Bridge and New (UFO) Bridge in the centre of Bratislava. It commands _________ views of the city including the historical old town, the ___ bridge, Bratislava Castle and the river Danube. Once again the idea is sponsored by T-Com, a local telecom provider. It is proving to be an even bigger hit this year than when it first opened last year. Bratislava now rivals other European ____________ with its _____ beach. The beach is open daily from 9.00 am to 10.00 pm until the end of the first week in September. Entrance is ____. It offers visitors __________, sport and gastronomy. ________ is forbidden though along this stretch of the river due to strong currents. It is part of the T-Com Fiesta, a street festival sponsored by the mobile operator.		panoramic metropolises urban free UFO swimming relaxation beach
__________ are able to soak up the sun in style using sun beds. _________ are provided both on the beach and in the bar area. This year sees many improvements to the facilities on offer. As well as the actual beach area of ____ there are better sports facilities on hand including some very popular beach __________ courts together with a beach football pitch. There is an improved children's play area on one area of the beach. Showers and changing facilities have been expanded and enhanced. The most important change is the bar area, which has been ______ expanded. In fact, the bar itself has practically doubled in size. Surrounding it is a __________ size bar terrace made of _______ that goes practically down to the waters edge. The seating and tables are pleasantly spread out giving a relaxed feel to the place. For those wishing an evening on the river a pleasure liner with bar and restaurant on board is moored next to the beach. For those staying in the city it is probably the best place to be during the long hot ______ with beer at a very reasonable 35 crowns.		sunshades sunbathers volleyball vastly sand summer decking quadrupled

GAP FILL: LISTENING:

Listen and fill in the spaces.

The beach is back!
It is bigger, ___________________ is back! Yes, the beach in Bratislava is back for another year - to the delight of thousands of sunbathers who have already frequented it. Opened towards ___________________ beach at Tyrsovo Embankment is situated between Old Bridge and New (UFO) Bridge in the centre of Bratislava. It commands __________________ the city including the historical old town, the UFO Bridge, Bratislava Castle and the river Danube. Once again the idea is sponsored by T-Com, a local telecom provider. It is proving to be an even bigger hit this year than when it first opened last year. Bratislava now rivals other _____________________ with its urban beach. The beach is open daily from 9.00 am to 10.00 pm until the end of the first week in September. Entrance is free. It offers visitors relaxation, ____________________. Swimming is forbidden though along this stretch of the river due to strong currents. It is part of the T-Com Fiesta, _________________ sponsored by the mobile operator.

Sunbathers ___________________ the sun in style using sun beds. Sunshades are provided both on the beach ___________________. This year sees many improvements to the facilities on offer. _____________________ beach area of sand there are better sports facilities on hand including some very popular beach volleyball courts together with a beach football pitch. There is an improved children's play area on one area of the beach. Showers and ___________________ have been expanded and enhanced. The most important change is the bar area, which has been vastly expanded. In fact, the bar itself has practically doubled in size. Surrounding it is a quadrupled size bar terrace made of decking that goes practically down __________________. The seating and tables are pleasantly spread out giving a relaxed feel to the place. For those wishing an evening on the river a pleasure liner with bar and restaurant on board is moored _________________. For those staying in the city it is probably the best place to be during the long hot summer ___________________ reasonable 35 crowns.

DISCUSSION

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS(Do not show these to student B)

Did the headline make you want to read the article?
Have you been to the T-Com beach in Bratislava?
What other beaches have you been too recently?
Have you been to any other metropolitan beaches recently?
Do you think urban beaches are a good idea or not?
Where is your favourite beach located?
What do you think of beaches with no sand - like the ones in Croatia?
Does a beach need to have sand on it for it to be a beach?
What sport do you like to play on a beach?
Do you suffer from sunburn easily?

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STUDENT A's QUESTIONS(Do not show these to student B)

What do you think about what you read?
What sort of drinks do you drink when on a beach?
What do you wear on a beach?
Do you like to take a dip in the sea?
How far can you swim?
Have you ever had a beach BBQ?
Who do you go with to the beach?
What is the worst beach you have been on and why?
Are lifeguards (Baywatch!) necessary on beaches?
Did you like this discussion?

SPEAKING

ROLE PLAY: THE BEACH:

In pairs or small groups: You have just arrived on the beach. There are many people on it. You have managed to find yourself a spot to relax on. One of you has discovered there are some competitions taking place. You and your friends decide to take part. It is mid afternoon. The sun is shining and it is very HOT! You will need to come up with the best solutions in order to win the prize!

	Your result
3 most annoying things you encounter on the beach
3 unusual objects you find on the beach
Best sandcastle sculpture you will make
What you will eat on the beach
What you will take to the beach - min 6 things
3 sports you will do on the beach / in the sea
3 problems you might encounter on the beach

The teacher will choose some pairs to discuss their findings in front of the class.

LANGUAGE:

CORRECT WORD:
Choose the correct words from a-d below and write them in the article.

It is bigger, it is better and it is back! Yes, the beach in Bratislava is back for another year - to the delight of thousands of sunbathers who have already frequented it. Opened towards the end of June the beach at Tyrsovo Embankment is situated between Old Bridge and New (UFO) Bridge in the centre of Bratislava. It commands panoramic views of the city including the historical old town, the UFO Bridge, Bratislava Castle and the river Danube. Once again the idea is sponsored by T-Com, a local telecom provider. It is proving to be an even bigger hit this year than (1)__ it first opened last year. Bratislava now (2)__ other European metropolises with (3)__ urban beach. The beach is open (4)__ from 9.00 am to 10.00 pm until the end of the first week in September. Entrance is free. It offers visitors relaxation, sport and gastronomy. Swimming is forbidden (5)__ along this stretch of the river due to strong currents. It is part of the T-Com Fiesta, a street festival sponsored by the mobile operator. Sunbathers are able to soak up the sun in style using sun beds. Sunshades are provided both on the beach and in the bar area. This year sees many improvements to the facilities on offer. As well as the actual beach area of sand there are better sports facilities on hand including some very popular beach volleyball courts together with a beach football pitch. There is an improved children's play area on one area of the beach. Showers and changing facilities have been expanded and enhanced. The most important change is the bar area, which has been vastly expanded. In fact, the bar (6)__ has practically doubled in size. Surrounding it is a quadrupled size bar terrace made of (7)__ that goes practically down to the (8)__ edge. The seating and tables are pleasantly spread out giving a relaxed feel to the place. For (9)__ wishing an evening on the river a pleasure liner with bar and restaurant on board is moored next to the beach. For those staying in the city it is probably the (10)__ place to be during the long hot summer with beer at a (11)__ reasonable 35 (12)__.

1.	(a)	when	(b)	who	(c)	where	(d)	whose
2.	(a)	rivalled	(b)	rivalling	(c)	rival	(d)	rivals
3.	(a)	it's	(b)	it is	(c)	its	(d)	an
4.	(a)	now	(b)	daily	(c)	weekly	(d)	weekly
5.	(a)	though	(b)	through	(c)	thoroughly	(d)	those
6.	(a)	themselves	(b)	himself	(c)	herself	(d)	itself
7.	(a)	decked	(b)	decking	(c)	plastic	(d)	wood
8.	(a)	waters	(b)	river	(c)	watered	(d)	water
9.	(a)	then	(b)	this	(c)	that	(d)	those
10.	(a)	worst	(b)	good	(c)	best	(d)	ok
11.	(a)	much	(b)	most	(c)	very	(d)	quite
12.	(a)	pounds	(b)	crowns	(c)	dollars	(d)	yen

GRAMMAR 1: MIDWAY

Put the words into the gaps in the text.

The beach is back! It is bigger, it is better and it is back! Yes, the beach in Bratislava is back for (1)__ year - to the delight of thousands of sunbathers who have already frequented it. Opened towards the end of June the beach at Tyrsovo Embankment is situated between Old Bridge and New (UFO) Bridge in the centre of Bratislava. It commands panoramic views of the city including the historical old town, the UFO Bridge, Bratislava Castle and the river Danube. Once again the idea is sponsored by T-Com, a local telecom provider. It is proving to be an (2)__ bigger hit this year than (3)__ it first opened last year. Bratislava now rivals (4)__ European metropolises (5)__ its urban beach. The beach is open daily (6)__ 9.00 am to 10.00 pm until the end of the first week in September. Entrance is free. It offers visitors relaxation, sport and gastronomy. Swimming is forbidden (7)__ along (8)__ stretch of the river due to strong currents. It is part of the T-Com Fiesta, a street festival sponsored by the mobile operator.		another when from though other this with even
Sunbathers are able to soak up the sun in style using sun beds. Sunshades are provided both on the beach and in the bar area. This year sees (1)__ improvements to the facilities on offer. As well as the actual beach area of sand there are better sports facilities on hand including (2)__ very popular beach volleyball courts together (3)__ a beach football pitch. (4)__ is an improved children's play area on one area of the beach. Showers and changing facilities have been expanded and enhanced. The (5)__ important change is the bar area, (6)__ has been vastly expanded. In fact, the bar itself has practically doubled in size. Surrounding it is a quadrupled size bar terrace made of decking (7)__ goes practically down to the waters edge. The seating and tables are pleasantly spread out giving a relaxed feel to the place. For (8)__ wishing an evening on the river a pleasure liner with bar and restaurant on board is moored next to the beach. For those staying in the city it is probably the best place to be during the long hot summer with beer at a very reasonable 35 crowns.		many that some there with which those most

GRAMMAR 2: EASY

Put the words into the gaps in the text.

The beach is back! It is bigger, it is better and it is back! Yes, the beach in Bratislava is back for another year - to the delight of thousands of sunbathers (1)__ have already frequented it. Opened towards the end of June the beach at Tyrsovo Embankment is situated between Old Bridge and New (UFO) Bridge in the centre of Bratislava. (2)__ commands panoramic views of the city including the historical old town, the UFO Bridge, Bratislava Castle and the river Danube. Once again the idea is sponsored by T-Com, a local telecom provider. It is proving to be an even bigger hit this year (3)__ when it first opened last year. Bratislava now rivals other European metropolises with its urban beach. The beach is open daily from 9.00 am to 10.00 pm until the end of the first week (4)__ September. Entrance is free. It offers visitors relaxation, sport (5)__ gastronomy. Swimming is forbidden though along this stretch (6)__ the river due to strong currents. It is part of the T-Com Fiesta, (7)__ street festival sponsored (8)__ the mobile operator.		by than who it of a and in
Sunbathers are able to soak up the sun in style using sun beds. Sunshades are provided both on the beach (1)__ in the bar area. This year sees many improvements to the facilities on offer. As well as the actual beach area of sand there are better sports facilities on hand including some very popular beach volleyball courts together with (2)__ beach football pitch. There is (3)__ improved children's play area (4)__ one area of the beach. Showers and changing facilities have been expanded and enhanced. The most important change is the bar area, which has been vastly expanded. In fact, the bar itself has practically doubled (5)__ size. Surrounding (6)__ is a quadrupled size bar terrace made of decking that goes practically down (7)__ the waters edge. The seating and tables are pleasantly spread out giving a relaxed feel to the place. For those wishing an evening on the river a pleasure liner with bar and restaurant on board is moored next to the beach. For those staying in the city it is probably the best place to be during the long hot summer with beer (8)__ a very reasonable 35 crowns.		it and a an at in to on

HOMEWORK

1. NEWSPAPER ARTICLE: Write an article on "Beach holidays are fun because..." (Minimum 200 words)

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Which article was best and why?

WRITING: IN CLASS:

1. FIVE MINUTE ARTICLE: Write an article on "Beach holidays are fun because..." (Minimum 200 words) You have five minutes. Afterwards swap articles with your partner. Read through their article and correct any mistakes. The teacher will select some students to read out their work.

Countdown: Every minute the teacher may say, "You have xx minutes."

PUZZLE: There are 22 words & phrases: 11 across, 11 down.

SPELLING TEST

The teacher will ask the class individually to spell the following words that are in the article:

1 sunbathers	11 metropolises
2 frequented	12 gastronomy
3 provider	13 forbidden
4 facilities	14 enhanced
5 improved	15 reasonable
6 quadrupled	16 practically
7 urban	17 probably
8 pleasantly	18 panoramic
9 pleasure	19 relaxation
10 improvements	20 though

ANSWERS: 1

TRUE / FALSE:

a. F

b. F

c. T

d. T

e. F

f. F

g. T

h. F

SYNONYM MATCH:

a.	Better	Improved
b.	Another	Second
c.	Delight	Joy
d.	Previously	Earlier
e.	Between	Average
f.	Bigger	Larger
g.	Once	Earlier
h.	Probably	Likely
i.	Moor	Berth
j.	Style	Fashion

PHRASE MATCH:

a.	It is bigger, it is better	and it is back!
b.	Yes, the beach in Bratislava	is back for another year
c.	...to the delight	of thousands of sunbathers...
d.	Opened	towards the end of June
e.	It commands	panoramic views of the city
f.	Once again the idea is	sponsored by T-Com
g.	It is proving to be	an even bigger hit this year
h.	Entrance	is free
i.	It offers visitors relaxation,	sport and gastronomy
j.	Sunbathers are	able to soak up the sun

ANSWERS: 2

GAP FILL: The beach is back! It is bigger, it is better and it is back! Yes, the beach in Bratislava is back for another year - to the delight of thousands of sunbathers who have already frequented it. Opened towards the end of June the beach at Tyrsovo Embankment is situated between Old Bridge and New (UFO) Bridge in the centre of Bratislava. It commands panoramic views of the city including the historical old town, the UFO Bridge, Bratislava Castle and the river Danube. Once again the idea is sponsored by T-Com, a local telecom provider. It is proving to be an even bigger hit this year than when it first opened last year. Bratislava now rivals other European metropolises with its urban beach. The beach is open daily from 9.00 am to 10.00 pm until the end of the first week in September. Entrance is free. It offers visitors relaxation, sport and gastronomy. Swimming is forbidden though along this stretch of the river due to strong currents. It is part of the T-Com Fiesta, a street festival sponsored by the mobile operator. Sunbathers are able to soak up the sun in style using sun beds. Sunshades are provided both on the beach and in the bar area. This year sees many improvements to the facilities on offer. As well as the actual beach area of sand there are better sports facilities on hand including some very popular beach volleyball courts together with a beach football pitch. There is an improved children's play area on one area of the beach. Showers and changing facilities have been expanded and enhanced. The most important change is the bar area, which has been vastly expanded. In fact, the bar itself has practically doubled in size. Surrounding it is a quadrupled size bar terrace made of decking that goes practically down to the waters edge. The seating and tables are pleasantly spread out giving a relaxed feel to the place. For those wishing an evening on the river a pleasure liner with bar and restaurant on board is moored next to the beach. For those staying in the city it is probably the best place to be during the long hot summer with beer at a very reasonable 35 crowns.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - a

2 - d

3 - c

4 - b

5 - a

6 - d

7 - b

8 - a

9 - d

10 - c

11 - c

12 - b

PUZZLE: