the Whiteboard

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

The English we speak

totwigtomoochth
eflipsidetothro
wyourtoysoutoft
hepramontheflyt
hatsonyoumakesm
yskincrawlanuph
illtaskturnover
anewleaffindyou
rgroovesecondna
turetaketheplun
gepeaksandtroug
hsheavylifting
stompingground
toclutchatstraw
soffthecuffdoth
etrickinonit

1. To twig

2. To mooch

3. The flip side

4. To throw your toys out of the pram

5. On the fly

6. That's on you

7. Makes my skin crawl

8. An uphill task

9. Turn over a new leaf

10. Find your groove

11. Second nature

Conversation

The phrase:

The meaning of the phrase:

Part of speech: noun / verb / adjective / adverb

Synonyms: (other similar phrases?)

Situations used: Where, when, why?

Examples of usage:

_______________________________________________________________________

Write an example of your own: (make it relate to your life at the moment)

_______________________________________________________________________

Your opinion: (tick)

I like this phrase - I want to use it

This phrase could be useful, I'm not sure

This phrase is dumb - I'll never need it and never use it

1. Have you ever had one of those moments when it suddenly 'twigs' for you, and everything makes sense? What was it about?

2. Have you mooched around anywhere recently? Where? What did you find?

3. What's the good side of being from your country? What's the flip side?

4. Do you sometimes throw your toys out of the pram? What makes you get that angry?

5. What kinds of things do you like to do 'on the fly' instead of planning them?

6. Have you ever been in a situation where someone said, 'That's on you'? We're they right?

7. What’s something that always makes your skin crawl, no matter how many times you see it?

8. What’s been the most challenging 'uphill task' you've ever faced, and how did you manage to get through it?

9. Have you ever had a moment where you felt the need to 'turn over a new leaf'? What motivated that change?

10. At what point did you 'find your groove' in New Zealand? Are you still trying to?

11. What’s something that you can do without thinking about it, because it’s become second nature to you?

1. To tw___ (finally understand)

2. To m___ch (walk around)

3. The _____ side (the opposite perspective)

4. To _____ your toys out of the _____ (lose your cool)

5. ____ the fly (without planning)

6. T_____ on you (it’s your fault)

7. Makes my _____ crawl (you absolutely hate it)

8. An ______ task (it’s not easy)

9. Turn ____ a new ____ (to make a big change in your life)

10. _____ your groove (to start to feel comfortable and confident about something)

11. ________ nature (it’s pretty easy for you to do)

Some more!

12. Take the plunge

13. Peaks and troughs

14. Heavy lifting

15. Stomping ground

16. To clutch at straws

1. What’s the biggest plunge you’ve ever taken that ended up being totally worth it?

2. How do you handle those peaks and troughs in life, especially when things feel like they’re at their lowest?

3. Have you ever been part of a project or job where it was you who had to do most of the “heavy lifting”?

4. Do you have a particular place or area that always feels like your stomping ground, where you’re just so comfortable?

5. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like you were clutching at straws, trying anything to make things work?

6. Do you prefer to make decisions on the spot, or do you like to plan things out ahead of time?

7. What’s a quick fix or solution that you’ve found always does the trick when you’re feeling unfocused.

8. Is there ever a time when you felt left out of something, like you weren’t "in on it" with the group?

9. Have you ever experienced something that seemed like a million to one chance but actually happened? What was that like?

Quiz: The English We Speak Phrases

1
What does "bite the bullet" mean?
A. Face something difficult bravely
B. Avoid a problem
C. Celebrate success
D. Ask for help

2
If someone says "my bad", what do they mean?
A. Your fault
B. My mistake
C. I am angry
D. I am confused

3
"Wing it" means...
A. Fly somewhere
B. Follow instructions carefully
C. Improvise without preparation
D. Ask someone else to do it

4
If something is "a walk in the park", it is...
A. Relaxing but time-consuming
B. Enjoyable but expensive
C. Slightly challenging
D. Very easy

5
"Out of the loop" means...
A. Not informed about something
B. Left out on purpose
C. Working independently
D. Too busy to help

6
"Step on it!" means...
A. Walk carefully
B. Hurry up
C. Stop immediately
D. Be more careful

7
If someone is "salty", they are...
A. Very hungry
B. Very tired
C. Annoyed or bitter
D. Easily frightened

8
"Spill the tea" means...
A. Make tea for everyone
B. Reveal private information accidentally
C. Tell a funny story
D. Share gossip or juicy news

9
"Take one for the team" means...
A. Accept something unpleasant to help others
B. Join a sports team
C. Work harder than everyone else
D. Lead a group to success

10
"Let sleeping dogs lie" means...
A. Ignore lazy people
B. Avoid restarting an old problem
C. Leave animals alone
D. Stay out of trouble

11
"Flexing" means...
A. Exercising your muscles
B. Stretching before sport
C. Showing off your success or possessions
D. Changing your opinion

12
If you "have a go", you...
A. Leave quickly
B. Criticise someone
C. Give up
D. Try something

13
If someone is "down in the dumps", they are...
A. Feeling very sad
B. Feeling ill
C. Feeling embarrassed
D. Feeling exhausted

14
If someone "bangs on about something", they...
A. Explain something clearly
B. Talk about it too much
C. Complain quietly
D. Forget about it

15
If you "rub it in", you...
A. Make a situation worse by talking about someone's mistake
B. Repeat instructions carefully
C. Keep reminding someone of something embarrassing or unpleasant
D. Solve a problem completely

16
If someone keeps their success "low-key", they...
A. Hide it completely
B. Feel ashamed of it
C. Celebrate it loudly
D. Keep it quiet and don't make a big deal of it

17
If someone is "bone idle", they are...
A. Extremely lazy
B. Very tired after working hard
C. Unable to work because they are sick
D. Slow but careful

18
A "whizz-kid" is...
A. A mischievous child
B. A very talented young person
C. Someone who learns slowly
D. An experienced teacher

19
If a successful film "puts an actor on the map", it...
A. Gives them a chance to travel
B. Helps them find work abroad
C. Makes them widely known or famous
D. Makes them rich immediately

20
If a story has "a sting in the tail", it has...
A. A painful ending
B. A happy surprise
C. A confusing conclusion
D. A surprising unpleasant ending

Monday, July 20, 2026

Visual Values

What’s your level of interest in these things?

Architecture 1 2 3 4 5 (super interested)

Art 1 2 3 4 5

Design 1 2 3 4 5

Fashion 1 2 3 4 5

Cinema 1 2 3 4 5

What do all these things have in common?

Which topic are the following question about?

1. What kind of house did you grow up in? Architecture

2. Do you spend a lot of money on clothes? ______________

3. What colours look good on you? ______________

4. Can you remember the music from Star Wars? Harry Potter? The Simpsons? ______________

5. Do you like to have nice cups, plates, bowls and glasses in your home? ______________

6. Do you like walking around old cities and looking at the buildings? Which ones have you explored? ______________

7. What’s in fashion at the moment in your country? ______________

8. Can you draw a tree? ______________

9. Which cars are nicer looking – BMWs or Teslas? ______________

10. Do you like to watch documentaries? Which kinds? ______________

Now discuss the questions in pairs or groups

Which topic or field do the following words relate to more? Are there any words that belong in more than one group?

Scaffold palette drawing board catwalk editor curator

Plan garment canvas scene frame colour scheme

Sketch fabric brush plot portrait floor plan

Model costume prop studio foundations

Clothing

What are the following things?

Who wears them?

Where do they wear them?

Why?

gown

costume

dress

skirt

garment

outfit

suit

robe

coat

Describe a catwalk outfit

Discuss

Describe a building

Images

Dictation

This photo shows eleven men sitting on a steel beam high above New York City, eating lunch. The workers are dressed in shirts and trousers, some wearing hats. They appear relaxed, with legs dangling off the beam. Below, a busy city with other buildings and streets can be seen. The sky is clear, emphasizing the height and openness.

A woman stands on a city sidewalk above a subway grate. A sudden gust of air lifts her white dress, which billows up around her. She holds the dress down with both hands, smiling and slightly leaning forward. Her hair is styled in soft curls, and she wears high heels. The scene is lit brightly, with dark surroundings suggesting it is nighttime.

Here are 5 classic compositional or framing techniques for photography.

Which rule does each photograph exemplify?

1. Canted angle

2. Strong diagonal

3. Rule of thirds

4. Framing device

5. Dividing the frame (composite)

1_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

7_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What subjects for photography do you see in some of the following photographs?

Landscape Emotions Festivals Reflections Light Exotic things

Shadows Atmosphere Signs and text Symbols Juxtapositions

Unusual people Nature Patterns Architecture Colour Shapes

Overlooked things Cities Animals Movement Lines Angles

Texture The human form Water Striking moments Newsworthy things

"There is nothing in this world that does not have its decisive moment."

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Discuss this quote using this photograph to explain what Cartier-Bresson means...

Man who catch fly with chopstick accomplish anything

What is / are the "decisive" thing / s in each image?

Agree or disagree?

1. These photographs are inspired by people more than surroundings.

2. The images would be better in colour.

3. The images use similar tricks to get your attention.

4. There is a strong diagonal line in most of the images.

5. The photographer must have been very patient.

6. The photographs apply the rule of thirds.

- Which is the strongest or most unforgettable image, in your opinion?

Seeing with the heart - Robert Frank

Discuss this quote:

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly - what is essential is invisible to the eye,”

- writer and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Robert Frank on the Americans

What does Robert say about the following things?

Being inconspicuous

Gambling

Atmosphere

Accidental photographs

Intruding

Vivid Verbs

Emotion

Movement

Behaviour

Face

Body

Animal

MInd

Natural

Noise

Voice

Now let's have a chat

1. Do you sometimes conceal your real opinions? Why?

2. Do you have a special way of coaxing a cat to come up to you for a pat?

3. Is there anyone in your life that you might try to dodge of you saw them in the street? Why?

4. What's a kind of food or drink you despise?

5. Do you struggle to emerge from sleep in the morning or do you leap out of bed?

6. Can you successfully flip a pancake?

7. Who is a friend you love to goof around with? What sort of things do you do together?

8. Have you ever fainted? When was it? Where were you? Why did you faint?

9. When did you last have to haul furniture from one house or one room to another?

10. Do you sometimes honk the horn of your car at other drivers?

11. What time of day do you find it easier to focus on more creative things?

12. Do you enjoy hunting for bargains at secondhand shops?

honk

conceal

flip

goof

haul

hunting

fainted

focus

coaxing

dodge

emerge

despise

1. Do you sometimes _______ your real opinions? Why?

2. Do you have a special way of _________ a cat to come up to you for a pat?

3. Is there anyone in your life that you might try to _______ if you saw them in the street? Why?

4. What's a kind of food or drink you ________?

5. Do you struggle to _________ from sleep in the morning or do you leap out of bed?

6. Can you successfully _________ a pancake?

7. Who is a friend you love to ________ around with? What sort of things do you do together?

8. Have you ever______ ? When was it? Where were you?

9. When did you last have to ________ furniture from one house or one room to another?

10. Do you sometimes ________ the horn of your car at other drivers?

11. What time of day do you find it easier to _______ on more creative things?

12. Do you enjoy ________ for bargains at second-hand shops?

In groups write a suitable noun next to any of these verbs: e.g. shatter + glass

Vivid verbs practice:

A to E

E to M

M to U

Raise

retain

Foresee

resisting

define

inspired

Explore

Measure

gather

focussing

1. How do you _______ ( ) your progress and development in learning a language?

2. Why might someone ______ ( ) their eyebrows?

3. What are you _______ ( ) on at the moment in your English language development?

4. What good things do you _______ ( )in your future?

5. Which parts of New Zealand would you like to ______ ( ) further?

6 . Do you feel like you _______ ( ) the language you learn? How do you do this?

7. Where do young people usually ______ ( ) in your town?

8. How would you ______ ( ) your personality type?

9 . Are you good at ________ ( ) the temptation to eat junk food?

10. Talk about a person that ______ ( ) you as a kid.

1. Ignore:

If someone ignored you during a conversation, how would you make sure they noticed you again?

2. Design:

If you could design a new fashion trend, what would it be and how do you think people would react to it?

3. Pinpoint:

Can you pinpoint the moment when you realized you were really good at something? Was it embarrassing or awesome?

4. Reconsider:

If someone told you that eating pizza every day would make you healthier, would you reconsider your diet?

5. Prevent:

What’s the best way to prevent embarrassing moments in front of your crush? Any tips?

6. Sidestep:

Have you ever tried to sidestep a tough question from a teacher or boss? How did you do it?

7. Retain:

If you could retain one piece of advice forever, what would it be, and why do you think it’s so important?

8. Scan:

If you were scanning a room full of people for the most interesting person, what would you be looking for?

9. Inspire:

What’s the most ridiculous thing someone has ever said that actually inspired you to do something?

10. Indicate:

If someone’s body language indicated they were totally uninterested in what you were saying, would you keep talking or change the subject?

Write five ten-word sentences using ten workhouse verbs.

1_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ ________ ________.

2_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ ________ ________.

3_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ ________ ________.

4_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ ________ ________.

5_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ ________ ________.