1 Look at Mazen’s blog. Would you like to visit the place in the photo? Say why.
Students’ own answers
I’m Mazen, I’m sixteen and I’m from London. I write about culture, food and, above all, travelling! The name of my blog comes from Shakespeare: I can do anything I want to, the world’s my oyster. It means ‘use all the opportunities that the world offers you’ – that’s my philosophy in life! 15th May. A wonderful trip to Wales. My cousin Ramzi recently invited me to the small seaside town where he lives – Aberystwyth in Wales. I got a train to Birmingham. Ramzi was waiting for me at the train station. From Birmingham, we caught another train to Aberystwyth. The train journey was slow but very scenic. It was raining when we arrived, so we went straight to the house that Ramzi shares with my aunt and uncle. It was lovely to see them again.
The next day we explored Aberystwyth with some of Ramzi’s friends. They were very nice and welcoming. We had a walk along a beach, I took some fantastic photos and we visited the castle, too. It was too cold to swim but some brave people were windsurfing! On the third day, we climbed Cader Idris – a big mountain north of the town. It was snowing when we got to the top but the view was spectacular. On the last day, we went for an enjoyable drive along the coast. Wales is a small country but people are very open and friendly. For example, everyone smiles and says ‘hello’ when you pass them on the street – it made a really positive impression. Overall, I had a brilliant time and made some great new friends!
2 Read the blog post on page 38 and answer the questions in pairs.
1 Where does Mazen come from? London
2 Who is Ramzi? He is a cousin.
3 How did Mazen travel to Wales? He took a train.
4 How many days did he stay there? Four days.
5 What was the weather like during his stay? It was cold. It snowed.
6 Did he enjoy himself? Yes, he had a brilliant time.
3 Read the blog post again and tick the things Mazen writes about.things Mazen writes about.
✓how he got there
✓what he did
✓what the people were like
history of the place
4 Find at least eight positive adjectives in the blog post. Then match the adjectives from the box with their synonyms.
enjoyable scenic spectacular welcoming |
1 amazing spectacular
2 attractive scenic
3 fun enjoyable
4 hospitable welcoming
5 Study the Writing box and put paragraphs A–E in the correct order.
3 A After we checked into the hotel, we took the underground to the centre and walked along the Champs-Élysées. It was really beautiful.
2 B It was my first trip abroad and it made a positive impression. The people aren’t so friendly and it’s expensive but I had a really enjoyable time.
1 C I visited Paris on a school trip last May.
4 D The next day was brilliant. We visited museums, ate some fantastic food and even spoke some French (very badly!) On the third day, we took a boat ride on the river Seine and climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The view was spectacular.
5 E We took the train to France through the Channel Tunnel. The journey was a bit dull because it was raining, so we couldn’t enjoy the scenery.
WRITING | A blog post Paragraph 1 Mention where you went: I recently visited … My cousin/friend invited me … I stayed with my aunt in … It’s a seaside town/a tourist centre/a small town in the mountains. Paragraph 2 Mention how you got there and what the journey was like: We flew to … /caught the train to … The journey was slow/(un)comfortable/ tiring/pleasant/scenic. Paragraph 3 Talk about how you spent your time: On the first/last/second/third day, … (On) the next day … We swam, sunbathed, went sightseeing/ mountain biking. I had a(n) amazing/enjoyable/fantastic time. Paragraph 4 Sum up your overall experience: … made a positive impression. People were welcoming/great/friendly/ interesting. Overall, I had a wonderful/enjoyable time. It was great fun. |
6 WRITING TASK Write a blog post about a trip (real or imaginary) you made to a town.
• Describe the town you visited and when the trip took place.
• Give and justify your opinion about the town.
• Recommend one place that is especially interesting.
• Describe a problem that occurred during your visit and the way you solved it.
Students’ own answers
⇒ Use the Graphic Organiser to help you plan your writing.
workbook
1 Read the blog post and complete the information.
Country: 1 Vietnam
Airline: 2 Vietnam Airlines
City they flew to: 3 Hanoi
Two places they visited: 4 Sapa 5 Cat Ba Island
CITY BREAKS IN SYRACUSE, SICILY • Scenic city streets. |
2 WRITING TASK Look at these two adverts for holidays. Choose one and write a blog post about it. Follow the Active Writing instructions.
Students’ own answers
COME TO AQABA IN JORDAN
• Bike along the Jordan bike trail.
• Take a day trip to Petra.
• Go snorkelling or scuba diving.
• Swim in the beautiful Red Sea.
• Excellent food, friendly people, and spectacular views.
• Flights to Amman. Then a bus or rent a car.
• nights in a beachfront hotel.
ACTIVE WRITING | A blog post 1 Plan your blog post. Use these ideas to help you plan your writing. • Say where you went and why. • Mention how you got there and what the journey was like. • Talk about how you spent your time. • Sum up your overall experience; mention the people and their behaviour towards you. 2 Write your blog post. • Use positive adjectives to make your blog post more interesting. • Use phrases from the Writing box in the Student’s Book and from this page. 3 Check your blog post. Check that: • all the relevant information is included. • there are clear paragraphs in your writing. • there are no spelling or grammar mistakes. • there is interesting and relevant topic vocabulary. |