Lesson Plan: New York, New York by Frank Sinatra

Pre-Listening Activity:

What do these phrases mean?

*king of the hill:
*little town blues:
*city, that doesn't sleep:
*the very heart of it:
*vagabond shoes:
*longing to stray:
*top of the heap:
*If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere:
*Cream of the crop:

Fill in the blanks:

Start spreading the __________, I'm leaving ____________
I want ____ ______ a part of it - New York, New York
These vagabond __________, are longing to stray
Right through the very _____________ of it - New York, New York
I want to __________ _______in a city, that doesn't sleep
And find I'm ________ of the hill - top of the _______________
These little town ______________, are melting ______________
I'm gonna make a brand new ___________ of it - in old New York
If I _______ make it there, I'll _____________ it anywhere
It's up to you - New York, New York
New York, New York
I want to wake up in a city, that never _____________
To find I'm a number ___________, head of the ______________,
Cream of the ___________ at the top of the ________________.
These little __________ blues, are melting away
I'm gonna make a brand _______ start of it - in _______ New York
If I can make it there, I'm gonna make it anywhere
It's up to you - New York, New York

Post-Listening Activity:

Comprehension Questions:

1. Where is he going?
2. Why does he want to go there?
3. What does he want to do there?
4. What does he think he can accomplish by going there?

Discussion Question:

Would you prefer living in a big city or a small town?
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living in both a big city and a small town.
Consider: living expenses, transportation, education, employment, safety...

Full Lyrics

Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it - New York, New York
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it - New York, New York
I want to wake up in a city, that doesn't sleep
And find I'm king of the hill - top of the heap
These little town blues, are melting away
I'm gonna make a brand new start of it - in old New York
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you - New York, New York
New York, New York
I want to wake up in a city, that never sleeps
To find I'm a number one, head of the list,
Cream of the crop at the top of the heap.
These little town blues, are melting away
I'm gonna make a brand new start of it - in old New York
If I can make it there, I'm gonna make it anywhere
It's up to you - New York, New York

Worksheet sent in by Teresa Gal, Mexico.

http://www.esl-lounge.com/songs/songnewyorknewyork.shtml

BBC Learning English - Today's Topic : Expressions with body parts

1:My brother speaks French, German, Spanish, Russian and Mandarin. He has a real _____________ for languages.

eye
nose
ear
mouth

2:Don't get in trouble when you start a new school. It's important to keep your ___________ clean.

eye
nose
ear
mouth

3:"He always knows what's going on in the company." "That's because he keeps his ____________ to the ground."

eye
nose
ear
mouth

4:Me and my big ____________! As soon as I said it I knew it was wrong.

eye
nose
ear
mouth

5:As a journalist he has an excellent _____________ for a story.

eye
nose
ear
mouth

6:He may be depressed but he never looks down in the ______________ .

eye
nose
ear
mouth

1)You said: ear
Well done! This is correct. If you have 'an ear for' a language it means you can learn it quickly after hearing it.

2)You said: nose
Well done! 'To keep your nose clean' means to behave and stay out of trouble.

3)You said: ear
Well done! This is correct. 'To keep your ear to the ground' means to pay careful attention to what is happening around you.

4)You said: mouth
Well done! This is correct. This expression means you have said something you shouldn't have.

5)You said: nose
Well done! This is correct. It means he is very good at finding stories and understanding which stories are going to be important.

6)You said: mouth
Well done! This is correct. To look or be 'down in the mouth' means to look sad.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/worldservice/quiznet/quizengine?ContentType=text/html;quiz=1245_bodyparts

English Idioms and Expressions, Intermediate level

1. Up to his ears
12. No good
2. Send the right message
13. On the Water
3. A piece of cake
14. British Idioms

82 English Idiom and Expression ExercisesPrintable, photocopiable, clearly structuredDesigned for teachers and individual learnersFor use in a classroom, at home, on your PC

4. Picking you up
15. Expressions with cold
5. As happy as the day is long
16. Way Idioms
6. Privacy
17. Idioms with come
7. Hold on
18. Common English Idioms
8. Money to burn
19. Idioms with Hand
9. Go ahead
20. English Idioms and Phrases
10. Under my Skin
21. Expressions with make
11. Home Sweet Home
22. Double Speak in Job Titles

English Idioms and Expressions

How to take these tests?In this test you will see 10 sentences which contain an expression or idiom.

Example:What time do you get up in the morning?

There are 4 answers (definitions) for each expression:

(a) leave home
(b) start for work
(c) finish off sleep

(d) get out of bed

Only one answer (definition) is correct.You should click on the correct entry and then on «check your score».

Answer:What time do you get out of bed in the morning?

The expression get up and the definition get out of bed mean the same.

That's why answer (d) — get out of bed is correct.

And now Good Luck with the ESL/EFL tests!

http://www.english-test.net/esl/english-expressions.html

Curious Sayings and Humorous English Expressions of the Pennsylvania Dutch

April4th 2008,

English as a World Language

English, with its growing number of varieties, pidgins and inflections, is now firmly established as a world language. It is currently spoken as a second or foreign language by more speakers than those who call it their first language.

Now there are more than three non-native speakers of English for every native speaker and the number of non-native English speakers continues to grow on a daily basis. “There’s never before been a language that’s been spoken by more people as a second than a first”, said David Crystal, author of the book “English as a Global Language”.

In the area where I grew up in south central Pennsylvania, there is an interesting variety of the English language spoken by the “Pennsylvania Dutch”.

One difficult aspect of the English speech in Dauphin, Lancaster and York counties located in south central Pennsylvania, where a large concentration of Amish, Mennonites and other “Pennsylvania Dutch” sects live is the manipulation of the grammar elements of English. Here are a few examples of the ways in which grammar and word order are managed in everyday Pennsylvania Dutch speech.

For “Outlanders”, anyone who is not Pennsylvania Dutch, these expressions of everyday speech can range from amusing to startling. Here’s a look at just a few of the many aspects of this variety of English.

Convoluted Grammatical Forms

“Throw Papa down the stairs his hat.” Explanation: Throw Papa’s hat down the stairs to him. (I don't care how old he is, don't you dare touch ole Papa!)

“Go out and tie the dog loose and don’t forget to outen the light.”

This expression uses convoluted grammar in addition to “Germanic” verbalizations. Here the verb “outen” means “to turn out”. The adjective and noun are used in reverse order from other forms of Standard English.

“The owner says he’ll pay me ten dollars a day if I eat myself, but just five dollars if he eats me.”
Explanation: No, there’s no cannibalism here! The worker will get ten dollars a day for providing his own meals, but five dollars a day if the owner has to provide the worker’s food. (Whew! I'm glad we cleared that one up!)

“He’s a pretty good man yet, ain’t not?”

Explanation: He’s a pretty good man (provider), isn’t he? (a tag question form)

Use of Specialized Vocabulary

Addition of specialized, but “local” vocabulary is also quite commonly done as demonstrated in these examples.

“Shall I put the candy in a toot?” (A “toot” is a paper bag.)

When talking about that fact that his father or grandfather is sick a child might say: “Pop ain’t so good; his eatin’s gone away and he don’t look so good in the face, either.”

Speaking about his son’s difficulties in school a father could be heard to express the following sentiments: “My son ain’t dumb. It ain’t that he can’t learn, it’s just that after he learns it, he forgets it.”

If you don’t speak “Pennsylvania Dutch” in one of its multiple forms, they just might say of you: “You don’t make yourself out so good. You talk so fancy like a body can’t understand you.”

In talking about someone who doesn’t read aloud well, at a meeting or in school for example, people might say something like: “When he gets up to read he gets befuddled.”

Or how about this amusing little observation of another person’s speech: “Don’t talk so quick, it runs together too much when I think.”

Pennsylvania Dutch Proverbs

Some interesting Pennsylvania Dutch proverbs include these offerings:

“Kissin’ wears out, cooking don’t”
“No woman can be happy with less than seven to cook for”
“A plump wife and a big barn never did any man harm”
“He who has a secret dare not tell it to his wife”
“Ve get too soon oldt, und too late schmart”

The Keystone State

In this region of the “Keystone state” as Pennsylvania is monickered, this variety of is often called “Ferhoodled English” by the Pennsylvania Dutch themselves and by local “Outlanders”. Famous for their frugal lifestyle and natural, delicious farm-fresh cooking, the Amish and other sects contribute to the tourism of the state. Hundreds of thousands of visitors come to sample the crafts, food and “peculiar” language this austere people. It is but yet another of the many continually developing varieties of English as a global language.

"When you come over - come out" When you're in the area, drop by. See, hear, and experience the food and the Pennsylvania Dutch for yourself.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free.

For more information on entering or advancing in the fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language send for his no-cost PDF Ebook, "If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know", immediate delivery details and no-obligation information are available online now at: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com/

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