Good vocabulary to teach in ESL class?

Question

Hi, my name is Yui, I am a Japanese student.
I'm taking an English teaching program at a college in Canada, and I'm going to have a teaching practicum from next week.
I'm planning for my class right now, but I have difficulty in finding vocabulary to teach in the class that is appropriate for my students' level and age.

My students' will be 15~20 people, 19~30 years old, high-intermediate level, and from Asia and Europe.

I have to find useful vocabulary(with collocations) which is related to my class' topic, at the level of the students, but not cliches or old-fashioned.
It's really challenge for me to find those words, because my English level is also higher intermediate(or lower advance.) My teacher says "it's not that hard. You only need to find words you don't know and you think it's useful," but it's actually very hard!!

Anyway, here is my topic and some vocabulary I could think of for the each topic.
If you have any idea, please help me.
If you can only think of one word, that's also very helpful!!

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Topic: physical traits
- have bloodshot eyes
- have a cleft chin
- have braces on teeth
- have dimples

Topic: life after retirement
- mandatory retirement
- love on my pension
- stash away a retirement nest egg

Topic: Cyber crime
- cyberstalk your ex-boyfriend
- pirate a movie

Topic: Advertisements
- viral marketing
- spread by word of mouth

-------------------------------

Thanks!!

Yui

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Topic: physical traits
- (X) bloodshot eyes-- This is only a temporary condition.
- have a cleft chin, a Roman nose, high cheekbones
- wear braces
- have dimples
- be bow-legged
- be knock-kneed
- be double-jointed
- Hair styles: a widow's peak, a receding hairline, a cowlick, bangs, pigtails and ponytails
- Overweight: portly, heavy, stocky, obese, middle-age spread, metabolic syndrome
- Body types: endomorphs, mesomorphs and ectomorphs

Topic: life after retirement
- mandatory retirement
- live on one's pension
- stash away a nest egg
- early retirement
- loss of identity
- raising the retirement age
- pension plan, mutual funds, balanced portfolio
- 401( k )

Topic: Cyber crime
- cyberstalking your ex-boyfriend
- pirating a movie, music
- hacking
- spamming
- phishing
- con artist
- pyramid scheme
- Ponzi scheme

Topic: Advertisements
- viral marketing
- spread by word of mouth
- false advertising
- market research
- demographic positioning
- mailshots
- telemarketing

Anonymous · Answer

The term "vocabulary" means a list of single words, like in a dictionary. "Collocation" means a grouping of words, so I don't see how it applies to the idea of vocabulary. Perhaps by "collocation" you mean: "use the vocabulary word in a sentence"?

Here are some examples of what I would consider "high intermediate/lower advanced" vocabulary words:

Physical traits:

1. Stout, adjective: fat. "He's short and stout."

2. Willowy, adj.: slender and graceful. "She's tall and willowy."

3. Dark, adj.: having fair skin, but dark hair and dark eyes. "She's a dark woman."

Life after retirement:

1. Geriatric, adj.: relating to elderly people. "This is a geriatric drug."

2. Gerontologist, noun: a physician specializing in the treatment of old people, the polar opposite of a pediatrician. "He's a gerontologist in Florida."

3. Caregiver, n.: a person who takes care of an elderly person in his home. "He's the caregiver for his mom."

Anonymous · Answer

Cyber crime:

1. Footprint, n.: the electronic traces that a hacker leaves when he enters and leaves a computer system, and by which he can be tracked. "Even the best hackers leave a footprint."

2. Firewall, n.: a system that protects a computer from hackers. "Now that we have the new firewall in place, I feel safe."

3. Phishing, n.: getting a person's security information for his bank by surreptitious means. "One must always be on guard against phishing when using his email program."

Advertisements:

1. Hook, n.: something catchy - a word, phrase, picture, image, song, etc. - in an advertisement that grabs the customer's attention. Used with "the." "This ad is well-written but it doesn't have the hook."

2. Flyer, n.: a handbill passed out to advertise a company's product. "We're going to hand out fliers to the conventioneers."

3. Sponsor, n.: a company that finances an event or show in return for advertising exposure. "We've got a new sponsor for our show!"

Good vocabulary to teach in ESL class?

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