Contemporary Jigsaws 2

This book is geared to adult intermediate English language learners. It has also been used successfully in high school classes from age 15 and up. Topics not covered in Thematic Jigsaws, such as environment, employment, food, restaurant, divorce, driving, airport, and life events are covered in this book.

To listen to a sample from the audio CD for this book, click here. Download a free sample jigsaw to try in your class.

The book contains the following stories:

• The Half-Sister is the funny story of a man whose father tells him each of his girlfriends is his half-sister.
• The Passport is the story of a woman unable to obtain a passport because her parents falsified the date of her birth.
• The Widow is the story of a woman whose husband is killed in the war two months after their marriage, yet she never remarries.
• The Divorce is the story of a couple fighting over custody of children, their home and their belongings.
• The Custody Case is the story of a divorced couple fighting over custody of their frozen embryos. There are numerous cases like this in the courts today.
• Pham’s Employment Decision outlines four different job scenarios. Students must choose which job is best for Pham.
• The Promotion is the story of an employee who is repeatedly promoted to higher and higher positions within a company.
• Mark’s Lunch is the story of a man with various dietary restrictions deciding what to order on a lunch menu.
• The Invitation is the story of some coworkers fighting over who should pay the bill in a restaurant. The story touches on cultural customs around inviting and paying.
• Two Families is the story of two families and their shopping habits at the grocery store. One family tries to make environmentally friendly choices, while the other does not.
• Broken, Torn, Stained is the story of a couple committing insurance fraud after coming home and finding a flood in their basement.
• The Bad Driver is the story of a man criticizing a woman driver who is putting on mascara while driving, while he himself is shaving and drinking coffee. (see sample and download to try for free in your class)
• The Parking Spot is the story of a man who steals a parking spot a couple have been waiting for and his reaction when confronted. The story touches on issues of racism. To hear the listening track from the CD for this jigsaw, click here.
• Dog in the Taxi is the story of a taxi driver who refuses to take a blind person’s dog in his cab. There have been several court cases about this in America, Canada and England.
• The Second Seat is the story of an obese passenger who is forced to buy a second seat on an airplane. There have been stories in the news about similar incidents in North America and Europe.

Here below is a sample unit. Click on the images to view the PDF large and download it to try in your class.