Weekly news lesson 367: 5th December 2013: Rjukan sun: the Norwegian town that does it with mirrors

Thu, 5 Dec 2013

Until now, inhabitants of Norwegian town Rjukan lived in shadow for half the year, but local artist Martin Andersen changed this with his invention of the Sun mirror. The mirror reflects sunlight into the town square for people to enjoy throughout the winter.

The Road Less Travelled Christmas special

The Road Less Travelled is back by popular demand in a dramatic four-part Christmas special!

Topics: Christmas

Students are introduced to the topic of Christmas in this instalment of Adrian Tennant’s Topics series. The lesson is available at two language levels (Pre-intermediate and Intermediate +) and gives students practice in reading, listening and speaking skills, as well as exercises focusing on grammar and vocabulary. This lesson is available to all Staff Room members.

Northanger Abbey

An audio serialization of the beginner-level Macmillan Reader, Northanger Abbey, with accompanying listening activities and transcripts.

The Terror of Blue John Gap

This advanced-level story, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is set in the Peak District, England, in 1902. It tells of how a man uncovers the truth behind the legend of a mysterious monster. It is told in six parts; each part contains audio and an accompanying lesson plan written by Ceri Jones, which includes teacher’s notes, student worksheets and a full transcript and glossary. Part 1 is free to all onestopenglish users.

Live from London: Christmas

This is the first of two 'Christmas special' Live from London podcasts. We went to Covent Garden and asked people the question: "What's a typical Christmas for you?"

Your English: Word grammar: bound

Tim Bowen is bound to prove that nothing is out of bounds with this look at word grammar.

Webquest: New Year

This New Year webquest by Gabrielle Jones includes activities designed to inform students about the history of New Year celebrations and the traditions which are practised today in a variety of cultures.

Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad: Part 7

In Part 7, the final instalment of this horror story, Parkins finally comes face to face with the mysterious figure that has been haunting him. In this lesson, students will recall the main events of the previous instalments; listen for gist; retell the main events of the story; improve their awareness of the relationship between punctuation and pronunciation; read out a short extract and discuss a modern film adaptation of the story.

A Time to Travel: England: Knights of the Round Table

Amber travels back to the time of the legendary King Arthur and finds herself caught up in a thrilling quest to return Excalibur, Arthur’s sword, to Camelot Castle and the king himself. Will she and Sir Lancelot escape the dragon and the evil sorceress Morgana? In this lesson, students will: learn about the legend of King Arthur; practise extensive and intensive listening and a range of listening sub-skills; practise decision-making in groups to choose the outcome of the story as it ...