Facilities

Lead-in

  • What are the differences and the similarities between…
      • A plumber and a doctor?
      • A journalist and an author?
      • A postman and a blogger?
      • A nurse and a surgeon?

Presentation

Pre

  • In what situations do you compare yourself with someone else?
  • Why shouldn’t we compare ourselves with other people? And why should we?

Top Down

  • What does the text talk about?
  • Nature
  • Comparisons
  • Good x Bad
  • Nature
  • Comparisons
  • Good x Bad

DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF WITH OTHERS AND ENJOY LIFE

A crow lived in the forest and was absolutely satisfied in life. But one day he saw a swan. “This swan is so white,” he thought, “and I am so black. This swan must be the happiest bird in the world.”

He expressed his thoughts to the swan. “Actually,” the swan replied, “I was feeling that I was the happiest bird around until I saw a parrot, which has two colors. I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in creation.” The crow then approached the parrot.

The parrot explained, “I lived a very happy life—until I saw a peacock. I have only two colors, but the peacock has multiple colors.” The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo and saw that hundreds of people had gathered to see him.

After the people had left, the crow approached the peacock. “Dear peacock,” the crow said, “you are so beautiful. Every day thousands of people come to see you. When people see me, they immediately shoo me away. I think you are the happiest bird on the planet.”

The peacock replied, “I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet. But because of my beauty, I am entrapped in this zoo. I have examined the zoo very carefully, and I have realized that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage. So for the past few days, I have been thinking that if I were a crow, I could happily roam everywhere.”

Source

Bottom Up

  • True or False
  1. A crow lived in the forest and was absolutely satisfied in life until he saw a swan.
  2. The crow refused to express his thoughts to the swan.
  3. Every day thousands of people visit the zoo to see the peacock.
  4. The crow thinks the peacock is the happiest bird on the planet.
  5. The peacock thinks that the crow has a worse life than he does.
  1. A crow lived in the forest and was absolutely satisfied in life until he saw a swan. True
  2. The crow refused to express his thoughts to the swan. False
  3. Every day thousands of people visit the zoo to see the peacock. True
  4. The crow thinks the peacock is the happiest bird on the planet. True
  5. The peacock thinks that the crow has a worse life than he does. False

Post

  • Do you agree with the text? Why or why not?
  • With which bird do you relate the most? Why?

Target Language

Discourse Markers

Introducing facts:  

  • It is a fact that… 
  • Some people argue that 
  • Others claim that 
  •  

Listing: 

  • First, 
  • Secondly, 
  • Lastly, 
  • To begin with, 
  • Moreover, 
    •  

Contrasting: 

  • On the other hand, 
  • On the one hand, 
  • However, 

Concluding: 

  • To sum up, 

Controlled Practice

  • Match each occupation to their meaning.

  1. Musician 

  2. Fisherman

  3. Sailor

  4. Flight attendant

  5. Unemployed

  6. Zoologist

(   ) An expert in or student of the behavior, physiology, classification, and distribution of animals.

(   ) A person who plays a musical instrument, especially as a profession, or is musically talented.

(   ) A person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew.

(   ) A person who catches fish for a living or for sport.

(   ) A steward or stewardess on an aircraft.

(   ) A person without a paid job but available to work.

  1. Musician 

  2. Fisherman

  3. Sailor

  4. Flight attendant

  5. Unemployed

  6. Zoologist

(6) An expert in or student of the behavior, physiology, classification, and distribution of animals.

(1) A person who plays a musical instrument, especially as a profession, or is musically talented.

(3) A person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew.

(2) A person who catches fish for a living or for sport.

(4) A steward or stewardess on an aircraft.

(5) A person without a paid job but available to work.

Freer Practice

  • Complete the sentences with your own ideas. Use the target language.
    • I’m a bit more nervous than…
    • I’m a bit less… than my best friend.
    • Sailors are much less… than doctors.
    • Cats are a lot more… than…
    • I’m a little… than my family.
    • Houses are much… than apartments.

Production

  • Compare the birds from the text using the target laguage.

Example: Crows are a lot darker than…

Homework

Match the sentences’ halves.

  1. She also qualified as a professional sailor…

  2. Visit your dentist or hygienist to have your…

  3. Alone on the water, he sets up his…

  4. And if I want to become a zoologist or a biologist, or even…

  5. But in this case the leader is a musician…

  6. At the door into the airport, Abbey stopped to slip the…

(   ) eventually acquiring the rank of captain.

(5) whose authority is the music he plays.

(   ) a veterinarian, I need to go back to school and get the education for it.

(   ) kind flight attendant two crisp ten-dollar bills.

(   ) teeth scaled and polished on a regular basis.

(   ) fishing lines with the utmost precision, a skill that other fisherman lack.

  1. She also qualified as a professional sailor…

  2. Visit your dentist or hygienist to have your…

  3. Alone on the water, he sets up his…

  4. And if I want to become a zoologist or a biologist, or even…

  5. But in this case the leader is a musician…

  6. At the door into the airport, Abbey stopped to slip the…

(1) eventually acquiring the rank of captain.

(6) whose authority is the music he plays.

(4) a veterinarian, I need to go back to school and get the education for it.

(5) kind flight attendant two crisp ten-dollar bills.

(2) teeth scaled and polished on a regular basis.

(3) fishing lines with the utmost precision, a skill that other fisherman lack.

Choose the best option for each sentence.

Example: I wish I were less/more stressed. > I wish I were less stressed.

  1. I was a lot more messed/mesed up than I am now and it seems like a thousand years ago.
  2. The rest of the afternoon, I tried to be a bit more/less impatient and a bit more instructive.
  3. It’s easier, probably a lot less risky, and takes/take full advantage of the prerogatives of office.
  4. Things are a bit more complicated/complicates when it comes to her family.
  5. He found that playing cutthroat Spades was much more difficult/dificult than playing with a partner.
  1. I was a lot more messed up than I am now and it seems like a thousand years ago.
  2. The rest of the afternoon, I tried to be a bit less impatient and a bit more instructive.
  3. It’s easier, probably a lot less risky, and takes full advantage of the prerogatives of office.
  4. Things are a bit more complicated when it comes to her family.
  5. He found that playing cutthroat Spades was much more difficult than playing with a partner.

Modify the sentences changing big differences to small differences and vice-versa.

Example: He is a bit more stressed than his mother > He is a lot more stressed than his mother.

  1. Marcio is a bit less fun than me.
  2. Deborah is a lot more hardworking than her brother.
  3. Barbara is much smarter than before.
  4. Vecna is a little less powerful than Jane.
  5. Plants are a lot easier to take care of.
  1. Marcio is a lot less fun than me.
  2. Deborah is a bit more hardworking than her brother.
  3. Barbara is a little smarter than before.
  4. Vecna is a lot less powerful than Jane.
  5. Plants are a bit easier to take care of.

Put the words in the correct order

Example: be / more / relaxed / want / a / bit / I / to > I want to be a bit more relaxed.

  1. You / rude / lot / a / less / than / are / she / is
  2. than / better / much / Cats / dogs / are
  3. watching / more / TV / nature / than / a / is / interesting / Watching / lot / the
  4. a / little / Renan / you / punctual / less / than / is
  5. crazier / is / lot / than / me / a / Flávia
  1. You are a lot less rude than she is.
  2. Cats are much better than dogs.
  3. Watching the nature is a lot more interesting than watching TV.
  4. Renan is a little less punctual than you.
  5. Flávia is a lot crazier than me.

Find and correct the mistakes.

Example: He is bit angrier. > He is a bit angrier.

  1. Chickens is a bit noisier than crows.
  2. My neighbor is a much louder than me and my family.
  3. Beds are much more confortable than sofas.
  4. My house is a bit cozyer than my brother’s house.
  5. Nancy is a litle less romantic than her boyfriend.
  1. Chickens are a bit noisier than crows.
  2. My neighbor is a lot louder than me and my family.
  3. Beds are much more comfortable than sofas.
  4. My house is a bit cozier than my brother’s house.
  5. Nancy is a little less romantic than her boyfriend.

Writing

Write a short text comparing you with your family members. Use the target language.

Example: I’m a bit more patient than…