Source-led English for adult classessparks.

Walk into class witha painting.

Coming soon: ready-to-teach conversation lessons for adults, built around real sources. Each Spark becomes the hour its source needs — up to nine clear slides, from A1 to C2.

Join the waitlist and get the first teacher-ready lessons when we open.

art / literature / science / philosophy / news

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See example lesson
01 · The idea

A real source becomes a speaking hour.

Sparks turns art, literature, science, philosophy and news into complete adult conversation lessons. The source sets the route: sometimes vocabulary first, sometimes the text immediately, sometimes a debate, a rewrite, or a single question that carries the room.

A · Source first

The material leads

A sonnet should not move like a science study. A headline should not move like a painting. The source sets the rhythm, the language, and the task.

B · Up to nine slides

Enough, never padded

A Spark is short enough to scan before class and complete enough to carry the hour. Every slide has to earn its place.

C · Teacher-ready

Open it and teach

Clear timing, visible speaking tasks, usable language, and a final moment that makes adults talk.

02 · Where we start

Five places a lesson can begin.

A painting, poem, study, question or headline can each become a complete hour of adult speaking.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai
Art
The Great Wave off Kanagawa
Hokusai, c. 1830 · A2
A warm illustrated scene for Shakespeare's Sonnet 18
Literature
Sonnet 18
William Shakespeare, 1609 · B2
Chilean miners being rescued from underground in 2010
News
The 33 men under the mountain
The 2010 Chile mine rescue · A2
The invisible gorilla selective-attention experiment
Science
Half the Room Misses the Gorilla
Selective attention · C1
An engraving of Sisyphus pushing his boulder up the mountain
Philosophy
Sisyphus Must Be Happy
Albert Camus, 1942 · C1
A warm illustrated lesson thumbnail for Kipling's poem If
Literature
If
Rudyard Kipling, 1910 · C1
03 · Example rebuilt lesson
Illustrated portrait of William Shakespeare on a dark blue background
Literature · B2 speaking lesson
Sonnet 18: what makes something last forever?

A nine-slide lesson from the new authoring direction: source text, vocabulary only where useful, live discussion, critical thinking, and a production task that brings the poem into today.

B29 slides max60 minSource-shaped
Presentation modeSlide 8 / 9
Production task

Your turn: a modern version

Rewrite the argument of Sonnet 18 for today. What would you compare a person to instead of a summer's day?

Teacher notes

Pair students first. Listen for contrast and certainty structures before opening the room.

Worksheet language

Unlike..., While... may fade, As long as...

Lead-in · 5 min

What makes something last forever?

Can you think of something made by a human being that you believe will still be remembered in 500 years?

Pre-reading · 5 min

Key words before you read

eternaltemperatecomplexionfairfade
Source text · 5 min

Sonnet 18 — William Shakespeare

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Comprehension · 7 min

What does Shakespeare actually say?

Students answer from the poem, not from memory: the summer comparison, the short lease of beauty, the sun metaphor, and the final couplet.

Language focus · 8 min

Contrast and certainty

The language comes from the source: contrast, concession, and absolute certainty.

Unlike…, you…While…may fade, …will endureAs long as…, so too will…
Deeper discussion · 10 min

What is Shakespeare really claiming?

Small groups choose a question: arrogant or romantic? More powerful without a named person? Does art really outlive beauty?

Critical thinking · 10 min

Timeless, or showing its age?

Half the class argues timeless. Half argues dated. Prepare for two minutes, then debate.

Production task · 8 min

A modern version

Rewrite the argument of Sonnet 18 for today. What would you compare a person to instead of a summer's day?

Reflection · 2 min

One minute, one thought

What is one idea from today's lesson — from the poem or from the discussion — that you want to keep thinking about?

04 · Join the waitlist

Sparks is coming soon.

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