The blockbusters TV gameshow lends itself perfectly to reviewing almost any subject, especially languages. A player or team leader selects a letter, then the teacher gives a hint or definition as to what word it stands for. The first player or team* to answer gets that spot. The first team to join their sides of the game board wins. This is endlessly replayable - as long as you can think of a word, you’ve got a question. I’ve also included a “Gold Run” bonus game - in this case practicing English idioms, but could be altered to be about almost anything. This is by far my students’ favourite game, they get incredibly competitive with it! *due to the nature of the game board, the teams should be slightly imbalanced, either in ability or in numbers - just like on the show.

This lesson is a fun look at four very interesting places people have made their home around the world. -Centralia, Pennsylvania Once a bustling little mining town, it is now home to only four people. An oversight during the burning of a landfill in the 1960s started a fire under the town that will burn for hundreds of years. -Coober Pedy, Australia The discovery of Opal brought people to settle in a place so inhospitable the heat can down birds mid flight. The way they combat this? Living underground, where extending your home could land you an accidental fortune. -Whittier, Alaska A vast bomb-proof high rise constructed during the Cold War is now home to 250 people who spend most of the winter months inside their “city under one roof” -Naypyidaw, Myanmar While capital cities have been built from scratch successfully in places like Brazil, they are usually not done in secret. Learn how the paranoid dictatorship spent billions building a city six times the size of New York where hardly anyone actually lives. The text is graded for A2/B1 CEFR level students, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The printed text is presented on screen in short, manageable sections and accompanied by photos. New vocabulary words are highlighted and accompanied by pop-up definitions throughout the presentation. At the end there are multiple choice and retrieval comprehension questions about the topic.

Of all the disasters visited upon humanity by mother nature, volcanoes are among the least frequent, but also among the most impactful. This lesson covers: Thera, 1600 BCE : Doom of the Minoan civilization, and possible inspiration for the book of Exodus. Mount Vesuvius, 79CE : History’s most infamous volcanic eruption and source of ghoulish fascination to this day. Mount Tambora, 1815 : How the most powerful explosion in 10,000 years turned weather backwards and inspired some of the most significant literature of the century. Eyjafjallajökull , 2010 : How a relatively small eruption in just the wrong place caused the greatest disruption to air travel since the Second World War. The text is graded for A2/B1 CEFR level students, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The printed text is presented on screen in short, manageable sections and accompanied by photos, illustrations and maps. New vocabulary words are highlighted and accompanied by pop-up definitions throughout the presentation. At the end there are multiple choice and retrieval comprehension questions about the topic.

Columbus’ sighting of the land of the American continent in October 1492 was one of the most significant events in human history. The impact of that day has shaped almost every aspect of our world today. This lesson covers: The effect of new world foods on international cuisine The subsequent explosion in world population How old world animals changed native American society How old world diseases devastated the native American population The text is graded for B1/2 CEFR level students, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The text is accompanied by illustrations and videos. There is a section at the beginning to introduce new vocabulary and multiple choice and comprehension questions at the end.

The history of UFO sightings go back further than you might think. With recent official confirmation that there are indeed things flying around that we can’t identify, this lesson will be sure to interest your students. The lesson covers: -UFO sightings in the ancient world and middle ages -The Roswell incident -Strange lights in Rendlesham Forest -The Pentagon’s position on UFOs -Natural phenomena or flying saucers? The text is graded for B1/2 CEFR level students, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The text is accompanied by photos, illustrations and videos. There is a section at the beginning to introduce new vocabulary and multiple choice and comprehension questions at the end.

The vague, eerie and occasionally startlingly prescient poems of the French apothecary and astronomer Nostradamus have long been a subject of fascination. This lesson contains a brief biography of his life and details of his predictions about: The death of Henry II The Great Fire of London The French Revolution The rise of Adolf Hitler The nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki There is a section at the beginning to introduce new vocabulary and multiple choice and creative writing questions at the end. The text is graded for B1/2 CEFR level readers, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The text is accompanied by photos and illustrations.

History abounds with inexplicable and hard to believe coincidences. This lesson covers: -Did the 1898 book “Futility” predict the sinking of RMS Titanic? -Violet Jessop, the unluckiest stewardess in history. -Tsutomu Yamaguchi, the man who survived two nuclear bombs. -The identical lives of separated twin brothers in Ohio. -The unfortunate end of Richard Parker, real and fictional. The text is graded for B1/2 CEFR level readers, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. There is a section at the beginning to introduce new vocabulary items and multiple choice and comprehension questions at the end.

From Tupperware to antibiotics, many of the things that we can’t live without were discovered quite by accident! This lesson covers the discovery / invention of: Microwaves Plastic Potato chips Penicillin Laughing gas Gun Powder Phosphorous The text is graded for B1/2 CEFR level students, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The text is accompanied by photos and illustrations. There is a section at the beginning to introduce new vocabulary and multiple choice and comprehension questions at the end.

Coffee is one of the most popular commodities in the modern world, but how did it become so? This lesson covers the history of coffee cultivation and how the humble bean has played a pivotal role in world events over the centuries. The text is graded for B1/2 CEFR level readers, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The text is accompanied by photos, illustrations and videos. There is a section at the beginning to introduce new vocabulary items and multiple choice and comprehension questions. Finally there is a brief punctuation quiz which can serve as good addition to any lesson covering that aspect of grammar.

In 1932 the Australian government went to war with a peculiar enemy: the emu. How did this come about, and who was the victor? This lesson covers this interesting piece of military history with carefully graded language and photos and videos from news reporting of the time. After the reading are multiple choice and comprehension questions and a brief section covering the proper use of the word ‘however’ as a more flexible alternative to ‘but’ for contrasting clauses. My students enjoyed this lesson a lot and I’m sure yours will too.

What were once crude limestone tunnels have become a ghoulish, world famous tourist attraction. The bone-strewn catacombs under the streets of Paris have been host to a great deal of fascinating history. This lesson covers: The construction of the tunnels The morbid art of Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury The unlucky few who came to their end in the dark The tunnels and the French resistance during WW2 The mysterious cinema and dance club The great wine heist of 2017 The great wine heist of 2017 The text is graded for B1/2 CEFR level students, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The text is accompanied by photos, illustrations and videos. There is a section at the beginning to introduce new vocabulary and multiple choice and comprehension questions at the end.

In the 1850s Victorian England ruled the world. Its empire stretched so far it was said the sun could never set on it. Despite all this, London - the heart of the empire - smelled so bad one summer it went down in history. This lesson covers the questionable hygiene of Victorian plumbing, the causes of The Great Stink, and the lengths the English government went to to finally fix it. The printed text is accompanied by a presentation featuring photos and newspaper cartoons of the era. A selection of vocabulary words are presented at the beginning and at the end there are multiple choice questions and a selection of more in depth comprehension questions. Using concise, simple language; this lesson is sure to get your kids thinking.

There have been many examples of Mass Psychogenic Illness, or ‘mass hysteria’, throughout history. As mysterious as it can be dangerous, this lesson looks at the following examples: The Dancing Plague of 1518 The 1962 Tanzania laughing epidemic The mass fainting at Kirky-in-Ashfield in 1980 The text is graded for B1/2 CEFR level students, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The text is accompanied by photos, illustrations and videos. There is a section at the beginning to introduce new vocabulary and multiple choice and comprehension questions at the end.

Gong farmer, knocker upper, Phrenologist - these are just three of the fascinating obsolete jobs discussed in this lesson. The text is graded for B1/2 CEFR level readers, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The text is accompanied by photos, illustrations and video. There is a section at the beginning to introduce new vocabulary items and multiple choice and creative questions at the end.

Pineapples: fruit… pizza topping… status symbol? From the moment Europeans found pineapples in the new world in the late 15th century they became a sensation. For the next three hundred years they were seen as an indicator of good taste and extreme wealth. They influenced everything from fashion to language to architecture. After this lesson, your students will never look at pineapples the same way again. The text is graded for B1/2 CEFR level readers, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The text is accompanied by photos and illustrations. There is a section at the beginning to introduce new vocabulary items and multiple choice and comprehension questions at the end.

People have gone to great, and occasionally disturbing, lengths to conform to the beauty standards of the times they find themselves living in. This lesson covers: Ohaguro, The Japanese practice of blackening teeth Chinese foot binding Skull shaping in ancient America and Africa The vast and smelly wigs of 17th century Europe The changing acceptability of tattoos The text is graded for B1/2 CEFR level students, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The text is accompanied by photos, illustrations and videos. There is a section at the beginning to introduce new vocabulary and multiple choice and comprehension questions at the end.

In 2018 a young missionary took a small fishing boat to visit one of the last uncontacted tribes on Earth. He would never leave the island. This lesson covers: How the people of North Sentinel Island have managed to stay isolated and unchanged since the stone age Previous ill fated attempts by outsiders to contact them The sad story of the missionary The text is graded for B1/2 CEFR level readers, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The text in the presentation is accompanied by photos. There is a section at the beginning to introduce new vocabulary items and multiple choice and comprehension questions at the end.

Today conspiracy theories are more widespread than ever. This lesson covers three of the most popular: The 1969 Moon landing Flat earth theory Chemtrails The text is graded for B1/2 CEFR level readers, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The text is accompanied by photos and videos. There is a section at the beginning to introduce new vocabulary items and multiple choice and comprehension questions at the end.

While it may seem no more consequential than an optional pizza topping, fungi is a fundamental (and very strange) building block of the natural world. This lesson covers: -How fungus took over the world after the extinction of the dinosaurs -The ‘wood wide web’ - How mycelium helps trees talk to each other -The largest (and oldest) living organism in the world -Ophiocordyceps : turning ants into gruesome zombies and expensive snacks -Could fungus replace plastic and concrete? The text is graded for A2/B1 CEFR level students, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The printed text is presented on screen in short, manageable sections for students to read along to. The text is accompanied by photos, illustrations and video. New vocabulary words are highlighted and accompanied by pop-up definitions throughout the presentation. At the end there are multiple choice and retrieval comprehension questions about the topic.

The average human life lasts for around 79 years. 26 of those years are spent asleep, 13 are spent at work and another 4 years and 6 months are taken up with eating. That leaves us with nearly 35 years for hobbies - this lesson covers some of the more bizarre ways we used to spend our free time: -Mummy unwrapping parties of Victorian high society -Mob football, the barbaric forerunner of modern soccer -Atomic tourism in 50s Nevada -Balloon jumping, low gravity right here on Earth The text is graded for B1/2 CEFR level readers, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The text is accompanied by photos, illustrations and videos. There is a section at the beginning to introduce new vocabulary items and multiple choice and comprehension questions at the end.

It surrounds us all the time and without it the world as we know it would grind to a halt, but how much do you know about the history of electricity? This lesson covers: -Ancient studies of static electricity -Franklin’s kite and other breakthroughs -Faraday’s game changing motor -Edison VS Tesla: the dark cost of the war of the currents -Quack medicine and electricity The text is graded for A2/B1 CEFR level students, but with careful guidance should be suitable for those of a lower level. The printed text is presented on screen in short, manageable sections for students to read along to. The text is accompanied by photos illustrations and video. New vocabulary words are highlighted and accompanied by pop-up definitions throughout the presentation. At the end there are multiple choice and retrieval comprehension questions about the topic.