It's that time of the year when we start to wind down at work and wind up for the holidays! The silly season has already begun so this week's hot topic looks at shopping. There are a number of Instant Lessons related to shopping (below) that can be used to have fun with your students. You could start a discussion about gift ideas with your class! Send in the best gift ideas and we'll publish them in the next newsletter.

For those of you in the southern hemisphere we hope that summer has arrived and that you are out enjoying the sunshine. For those of you in the north, keep warm and out of the cold! No matter where you are we hope that you've had a great week.

HOT TOPIC: Shopping!
It's global shopping season, and online shopping is big again this year. Some say this is sure to lower work productivity. With a membership you can use any of the following lessons which relate to shopping! Search the library by typing in the keyword "shopping".

The Instant Lesson -Shopping Switch (Intermediate) is about how less work is done in offices around this time of year as people do their shopping on their work computers. This in turn is one of the reasons why workplaces are cutting back on Internet access for workers. See the Instant Lesson - Work Internet Stopped (Advanced). Here's another reason for the cuts in Internet access - eBay, which we look at in the Instant Lesson: eBay Watch - a history of eBay (Advanced).

Back in the real shops and malls, be careful as you shop - we often buy something because we feel guilty. Find out why in the Instant Lesson - Shopper Guilt (Upper-Intermediate).

Stuck for a gift? How about the first real Internet fridge! See Super Fridge - (Upper-Intermediate). Or buy someone a part in a novel! Find out how by using A Novel Idea - (Intermediate).

Meanwhile, women in Germany who want to shop in peace can leave their men at special creches for men! Now that's a novel idea. See Shopping Kindergarten (Elementary). Finally, the present for someone who has everything... Is that dodo ready yet?? See Dead as a Dodo - (Advanced).

Featured Lessons - Christmas
This week's featured lessons look at Christmas. Use these to teach your students about the silly season.
Visit the featured lessons page here.

Teacher Tip
One student dominates class discussions? Use these ideas to address the problem:
• Reduce number of questions directed at whole class.
• Before questioning, tell students to give answers to their partner, get feedback from each pair.
• Use eye contact / body language to indicate who should / shouldn’t answer (turn body away from the dominating student).

Don't forget to send in your favorite teaching tips. We'll publish them on the website and in the newsletters. Send an e-mail to marketing@english-to-go.com.

Here are this week's new resources:

Intermediate Instant Workbook - That's Not Junk
Recycling rubbish over the Internet.
Skills: Reading comprehension and grammar - second conditional. There are 3 exercises to do.

Pre-Intermediate Instant Lesson - An Important Meeting
It's official: Santa is from Greenland, according to an official statement from the world's Father Christmases at their congress in Denmark. (Santa, finding the main idea, gap fill, true or false, mixed sentences, sequencing, complete the picture.)

Intermediate Instant Lesson - That's Not Junk
One man's garbage is another man's riches, so the old saying goes. "Everyone has junk in their garage. If they only knew someone who needed it, they would give it to them." An Internet site allows people to post goods on the Internet for others to take -- all free!? (Reusing and recycling possessions, waste disposal, vocabulary, comprehension, true, false or not given, matching statements, second conditional, Trash or treasure Game, offering, requesting, Internet research.)

Anna Grammar - "Anything", "Hardly", etc.
"Even now, scarcely anything has been done about the problem."

Weekly Warmer - Idioms - True and False - Names and Places
This warmer about idioms encourages discussion and should also be a lot of fun!

Click here to access this week's new resources.

Quote of the week:
"Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping." - Bo Derek.

Have a great week teaching!
The English-To-Go Team.
www.english-to-go.com
E-mail: sales@english-to-go.com