TESOL - English for Speakers Of Other Languages

CHRISTMAS 2010

2011-01-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

NORTH SEA ARBROATH

ABBEY ARBROATH

ST. ANDREWS CHURCH

ABBEY ARBROATH

ABERDEEN

COLD!!!!

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY 2010 IN ABERDEEN AND ARBROATH. SNOW AN COLD!!!!!

WINTER 2010

2010-12-02T12:03:00.000-08:00

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

2010-11-14T13:31:00.000-08:00

It is a good idea to:

-draw a flag of your country;

-colour it;

-make a presentation introducing:

-the capital of your country;

-some traditions, such as food, drink, clothes, holiday and festives celebrations;

Have fun end learn with each other =]

WINTER

2010-02-18T09:08:00.000-08:00

Developing vocabulary based on pictures...

"WINTER"...

BUILDING UP VOCABULARY

2010-01-03T10:12:00.000-08:00

It is very motivating to work with real materials to introduce new vocabulary.

E.g. - Food, containers

Act out the dialogue around the topic:

Student A - Are you going to the supermarket today?
Student B - I hope so. Do you need anything?
Student A - Oh yes. I have prepared a shopping list for you.
Student B - Uhmn, let's see.

- a bar of chocolate
- a pack of lasagne
- a can of coke
- a bunch of banana
- a carton of juice
- a tin of beans
- a bottle of chilli pepper
- a jar of jam
- a bowl of grapes

Enjoy the party you can have with the participants after the session.

2009-12-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

The French poet Charles Peguy (1873-1914) expressed this dream of God as the heart of the matter of all Christian ministry

GOD'S DREAM

I myself will dream a dream within you...
Good dreams come from me, you know ...

My dreams seem impossible, not too practical,
not for the cautious man or woman...

a little risky sometimes, a trifle brash perhaps...

Some of my friends prefer
to rest more comfortably,
in sounder sleep, with visionless eyes...
But, from those who share my dreams

I ask a little patience,
a little humour,
some small courage,
and a listening heart...
I will do the rest.

Then they will risk and wonder at their daring...
Run .. and marvel at their speed...
Build ... and stand in awe at the beauty of their building...

You will meet Me often as you work..
In your companions who share the risk...

in your friends who believe in you enough

to lend their own hands,
their own hearts
to your building...

In the people who will stand in your doorway,

stay awhile,
and walk away knowing that they, too, can find a dream.

There will be sun-filled days,
and sometimes it will rain...

a little variety ..
both come from Me.

So come now, be content
It is My dream you dream...
My house you build...
My caring you witness...
My love you share,
`and this is the heart of the matter.

JOB VOCABULARY

2009-11-09T12:58:00.000-08:00

Activity

Select the words you can find on jobs' adverts:

Milk & Sugar
Lazy
Hard Working
On the left
Selfish
Proactive
Reliable
Commitment
Experience
Flexibility
Team Player
Competitive Salary

Suggestion:

Write down your profile:

Ex: I am a hard worker.

AONACH MOR

2009-10-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

Material:

Pictures of different places

Introduction:

Where did you go last holiday?

Talk about different places, locations, countries and activities.

This lady went to Fort William on holiday in October 2009. She took the gondola that took her to half way of Nevis Range ski slopes on Aonach Mor, the mountain adjacent to Ben Nevis.

LETTER BOX

2009-10-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

What is it?
What colour is it?
How old is it?
How many of this type of letter box can you find in UK?

It is a lovely red royal letter box I saw at the train station in Scotland dated from the period of Edward the 7th, who reigned from 1901 to 1910.

2009-10-12T05:05:00.000-07:00

Unit 5: Colours

Red Blue Black Brown Yellow

Green Orange Purple Pink Grey

A- Act Out:

What colour is the Scottish flag? Contraction: They are = They’re
It’s blue and white.
What is your favourite colour?
It’s orange.
What colour are your eyes?
My eyes are brown.
What colour is the sky?
It’s blue.
What colour are the clouds?
They’re white and grey.
What colour is the sun?
It’s yellow and orange.
What colour is this room?
It’s white.

B- Look around and describe what you see:

The chairs are……………
The pencil is……………..
The cupboard is…………
The notebook is…………
The marker is……………
The computer is…………
The rubber is…………..

ESOL ACTIVITY 4

2009-10-12T04:52:00.000-07:00

Unit 4: Numbers

1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9- 10

One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten

11- 12- 13- 14- 15- 16- 17- 18- 19- 20

Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Seventeen Eighteen Nineteen Twenty

30- 40- 50- 60- 70- 80- 90- 100

Thirty Forty Fifty Sixty Seventy Eighty Ninety One Hundred

31- 32- 33- 34- 35- 36- 38- 39-

Thirty-one Thirty-two Thirty-three Thirty-four Thirty-five

Thirty-six Thirty-seven Thirty-eight Thirty-nine

1,000 - One Thousand
1,000,000- One Million

A- Practise the numbers: dictation, pair work, write them down, bingo…

43 55 62 74 87 91 134 1,245 5,000 6,487 97

13,897 768,000 4,532,681 38 211 327 2,000 651

3,654 25,986 121,547 9,234 277,954 345,098,897

ESOL ACTIVITY 3

2009-10-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

Unit 3: Alphabet

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A- Act Out:

Student A: What is your name?
Student B: My name is Scot.
Student A: How do you spell it, please?
Student B: S-C-O-T.

B- Practise: Spell names, objects and nationalities.

C- Activity:

This is a list of International English words used in many Western languages.

Cut the table below and give a word to each participant. Each word might be spelt aloud while everybody writes it down. A check list is given to each participant to correct the words spelt. Praise the participant with the most accurate list of words.

ALCOHOL

AUTOMOBILE

BANK

BEEF

CAFE

CHOCOLATE

DANCE

ELECTRICITY

EMBASSY

ENCYCLOPEDIA

GAS

HOTEL

HYGIENE

INTERNATIONAL

JAZZ

MATHEMATICS

MICROSCOPE

OMELET

ORCHESTRA

PYJAMAS

PASSAPORT

PENGUIN

POLICE

PRINCESS

PROPAGANDA

RESTAURANT

SARDINE

SALAD

TAXI

THEATRE

TELEPHONE

UNIVERSAL

VODKA

WHISKY

ZEBRA

ESOL ACTIVITY 2

2009-10-06T07:59:00.000-07:00

Unit 2: Vocabulary

Chair Pens Map Rubber

Desk Pencil telephone Key

Bag Car Books Ruler

Money Flat Pencil sharpener

Credit Card Camera Dictionary

Clock Purse Computer

A- Listen and repeat the vocabulary:

B- Show the pictures and practice the questions:

What is this? It’s a chair.
Is it a camera? No, it isn’t. It's a dictionary.
Is it a clock? Yes, it's.

Contraction:
It is = It’s
It is not = It isn’t

ESOL ACTIVITY 1

2009-10-06T07:46:00.000-07:00

Unit 1: Introduction

Countries - Nationalities

Latvia - Latvian
Poland - Polish
Russia - Russian
Czech Republic - Czech
Scotland - Scottish
England - English
Estonia - Estonian
Hungary - Hungarian
Ireland - Irish
Lithuania - Lithuanian
Portugal - Portuguese
Brazil - Brazilian
Slovakia - Slovakian

A- Practise the nationalities:

Where are from?
I’m from Scotland.
What is your nationality?
I’m Scottish.

B- Act Out:

Student A: Hello!
Student B: Hello!
Student A: What is your name?
Student B: My name is Scot.
Student A: Nice to meet you. I’m Justina.
Student B: Nice to meet you too. Where are you from Scot?
Student A: I’m from Scotland. I’m Scottish, and you?
Student B: I’m from Lithuania. I’m Lithuanian.
Student A: You are welcome to our ESOL lessons.
Student B: Thank you.

Expressions:
Glad to meet you!
Glad to meet you too!

Please to meet you!
Please to meet you too!

Contraction : I am = I’m

GRADING TEACHER'S LANGUAGE

2009-09-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

As a non-native English speaker, I believe that language means more than just the words that come out of our mouth. Expressions also include extra linguistic devices such as facial expressions, hand movements and body language. It is often possible to get the meaning across through face-to-face contact when we are conversing with an ESOL learner, even if they have only been able to understand just a little of what has been said, as a lot can be deduced from these extra virtual clues.

Depending on the learner’s skills, beginner, intermediate or advanced, it is important to alter our pace and delivery of what we want to say, so that we will be more easily understood.

For instance, the introduction lesson is a very good example of using mime and gestures to introduce everyone in the classroom. We can choose a wide range of words to introduce ourselves when we first meet each other. The point is how to start the communication and how to make it effective. So, it is very important to think that there is a variety of forms we use to communicate with different meaning, and it always depends on the activity planned. The idea that language performs certain functions is not restricted only to the kind of words we use, but also how we use them. The choice of form depends not only on meaning, but what purpose we wish to achieve when we perform the function of introducing someone to the other person in the room. The discourse needs to be organised or conducted in such a way that it will be successful.

For instance:

Hello, I’m Suzel. (Shaking hands)
How are you? (Use your hand to show that the person next to you can do the same with someone else).
I’m very well, thanks.

We also can use a ball that can pass to everyone in the classroom while a song is playing. When the tutor stops the song, the participant with the ball says, “I’m (name)”. Repeating the operation will give to the participants the model how to follow the activity and how to be included in the lesson.
The following examples show some other possibilities of introducing someone:

Hi, this is my friend Juliet.
Nice to meet you, Juliet. I’m Suzel.

The purpose of the activity is to achieve a communication through introduction. We will consider some variables, which will govern our choice when we prepare an activity: setting, participants, gender, channel, topic, tone. E.g. it is not everywhere in the world that people shake hands as way of greeting when they are introduced to someone. But as tutors we can get models of language from different resources, such as videos, pictures, texts, act out dialogues, etc. We should also consider some other important strategies when tutoring, for instance; guessing, capturing imagination and mood. We should watch ourselves, the pace, vocabulary chosen, repetition, how much talk and what type of talk it should be. Participants can work in pairs and engage in conversation to practice and perform dialogues. The more comprehensible input that the learners get the better. The outside world is frequently incomprehensible when the learners have a low level of knowledge of the English language. So, it is very relevant to say that it is not only how much the teacher talks, but also the quality of what the tutors have said. It is really what counts. Tutors should offer opportunities to the learners to access the language according to their needs, offering motivation, amusing, variety and language models of input.

As an illustration of some functions of requesting, I might select to introduce to low level learners the following requests:

Can I have…
Give-me ……please.

These functions can be easily used to act out when introducing new vocabulary, e.g.: pencil, pen, rubber, ruler, calculator, etc.

Can I have a pencil?
Can I have a ruler?
Give-me my bag, please.

The tutor can show how the activity works using real objects and then the participants can work in pairs to practice short dialogues of how to make a request for something.

When planning a lesson on health for beginners, the example above can also be used with some pictures to illustrate the new vocabulary:

I’m hungry. Can I have some fruit?
Certainly!
I’m thirsty. Can I have some water?
Of course!

What’s the matter?
I have a sore head.

I have a sore tummy.

I have a sore throat.

At intermediate level when planning a lesson on health, the learner will be able to register with a medical practice in Scotland. Such activity requires an ability to speak about health condition, give personal information and to book an appointment. I would choose one of the possible topics below, because the learners at intermediate level can understand and respond to the level of comprehension they need to acquire such important knowledge.

In class possible topics:

1) ‘Where do you go when you are ill?’ (Elicit… Doctor / GP, Pharmacist, Hospital for emergencies, call NHS-24, etc.).
2) Find out how many participants have registered with a Medical Practice.

3) Professionals: Receptionist; Practice Nurse; Doctor (GP).

4) Work the sentences:

I would like to …
You should …
You can …
You must...

You should give up smoking.
You must stop smoking.
You mustn’t eat fattening food.

5) Work the vocabulary using mimes: The symptoms:
A cough, sneezing, a rash, spots, a runny nose, a headache, a back ache, a sore throat, diarrhoea, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, a temperature.

6) Mix and match exercise. What symptoms you might have for such illness:
a cold, the flu, an allergy, food poisoning, chicken pox, over-tiredness, bronchitis.

7) Practice and act out a dialogue of registering with a Medical Centre.

8) Go through the Health Questionnaire. Elicit and teach new language and pronunciation.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

2009-08-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Scotland in July 2006. In Brazil I worked for 13 years teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL), where I got solid experience as a teacher. My degree is in Language, a 5-year course of Portuguese, English and Literature, and also a 2-year Post Graduation course in English. With GTCS I have achieved full registration in Language & Community for Further Education (Modern Language, English as a Foreign Language, English as an Additional Language and Community Education), and I am on probation in TESOL for Secondary School.

While I was not entitled to work in Scotland I became a volunteer at Angus College in the ESOL course and at St. Thomas Primary School. Many people helped me to be engaged in the Education area, as it was my desire to stay in this country and to find a job that utilised my qualifications. In June 2007 I got married and in August I went to Scotland Career to get some help and advice to write my CV and to start to look for a job.

In September 2007 I got my first job with Angus Council and the task was to develop English lessons for the Outcomes already prepared for the English Course “Living and Working in Angus”, as part of the CLD project. After its conclusion some colleagues and I have delivered the lessons once a week in Brechin and Arbroath. Along with this job I was also fortunate to be accepted as a supply EAL (English as an Additional Language) teacher in a primary school. This became a full time post as a Peripatetic EAL Teacher covering Angus with two other members of the EAL team. In April 2009 I received full registration with GTCS for primary school in TESOL.

I learn from my different experiences everyday. I learn about my pupils, their different countries, cultures, knowledge, needs, and expertise. I try to help them to develop their own self-confidence and to encourage them to become involved within their new community. If they are confident, they can become independent learners, which will enable them to develop their natural skills and empower their background knowledge.

ESOL PROVISION

2009-05-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

The Scottish Executive has expanded considerably the provision of ESOL classes funding to the FE college sector, CLD and ALN partnerships. They provide a high quality of support for those whom English is not the first language. The government encourages New Scots to have the opportunity to access ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), lessons so that they can acquire full potential to participate in Scottish life.

FE colleges deliver ESOL classes at all levels from beginners to advanced accredited by SQA’s ESOL National Qualifications, while CLD development programmes are more informal, with no formal accreditation. The lessons are provided to target the learner’s needs for a better Scotland, encouraging people from other countries to come and stay.

CLD, Community Learning and Development, centres in Angus are currently providing ESOL in Brechin on Monday evenings from 7.30 to 9.30pm; Arbroath and Montrose on Wednesdays from 7 to 9 pm; and Forfar on Thursdays at the same time. The sessions are once a week for two hours in the evenings and they are free. The ESOL classes are open to all adults who want to acquire proficiency in English language. Basically, the learners are migrant workers, spouses and partners from A8/A10 countries. The lessons are around the topic “Working and Living in Angus”. The purpose of the meetings is to provide general knowledge to all participants in order to support their needs, such as, going to the doctors, going shopping, applying for a job, housing, going to the bank, going on a trip, culture, leisure, citizenship, etc.

The learners are usually unfamiliar with aspects of UK culture and their background educations are based on different systems. Some have got a degree, and some have been involved in businesses in their country of origin. In fact it is a mix of people with different background experiences and skills. I personally have met musicians, artists, farmers and business people of different sectors.

The migrant workers come to the centres available in the area, CLD and FE College, for different reasons for learning. They are aware of the need to learn the language to assist integration into local community, to improve employment prospects and to improve working practices. The ESOL lessons are based on social approach through the learning styles, such as listening, speaking, reading and writing. So, the learners can have a chance to work at them all and get most from the ones that suit them better. After building confidence and a certain level of the English language, they are usually prepared to access further and higher education. It all depends on their own motivation and ambitions to develop their career and achievement.

Migrant workers can get information about their legal rights in Scotland easily for housing, health problems and how to access to funding and classes. It is available in CLD Centres, FE Colleges, Internet, and also through leaflets translated in different languages such as Russian, Polish, Czech, etc. Notwithstanding this, some learners might face personal problems, which can stop them accessing the benefit of education. Many work long hours and also have important family commitments. They believe it is relevant to be fully integrated into the Scottish Society since they are living and working in the country. Most of them have used some other resources to help acquire the language, such as dictionary, cd’s and aural cassette courses or someone has helped in the family. They all enjoy coming to the sessions, because it is also a time to socialize and have fun.

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES FOR WHOM ENGLISH IS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

2009-04-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

Parents can help children to acquire and develop English language while using native language in their own family. There are some special times when it is possible.

*cooking time;
*on the way to school;
*bath time;
*in the park;
*doing homework;
*play time;
*library activity;

Family can keep a very consistent and simple vocabulary, using gestures, facial expressions, body language, cards and label around the house. While you play, the children are encouraged to attempt to communicate between languages. Teach children some games that they can share with pals.

In the school, the staff are willing to learn greetings, rhymes and some sentences. Give the necessary support and prepare some posters to promote learning and knowledge. Children are delighted to be part of the school life. The involvement in parties and celebrations are good opportunities to be active.

In the schools, where there is a large community of EAL pupils, a parent volunteer can be the interpreter of the month in parents' meetings and promote the language of the month.

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

2009-03-31T13:39:00.000-07:00

The ESOL Project Living and Working in Angus has introduced to the participants the topic "Scottish Parliament".

a)Warm up

Write on the board the name of the countries the participants are from:

e.g:

Brazil, Latvia, Hungary, Estonia, Poland, China, etc.

Ask to the participants:

1-Does your country have a government?

2-Where is it?

3-Have you ever visited it?

4-Who can vote in your country?

5-Is it a good system?

Give the opportunity to everyone to speak about their own country and their political system.

b) Introduction about the "Scottish Parliament"

e.g:

Bring a picture of the Building Parliament;

1-Where is this building?

2-Who works there?

3-What do they do?

4-When is there an election?

5-How many parliaments do we have in the UK?

6-What decisions do the Scottish Parliament make?

7-When was the Parliament started?

Use the Internet to look for information and allow the participants to ask questions about the subject.

The interaction among the learners bring up a very good atmosphere to develop an interest for the topic and also to exchange cultural knowledge about different countries.

c)Writing activity

Use the questions above to develop a paragraph writing about your country.

Objective: to give the participants an opportunity to develop speaking, listening, reading and writing skills while they acquire knowledge of the Scottish Political System and about their own country.

CAREERS SCOTLAND EXCELLENCE AWARDS

2009-03-31T12:37:00.000-07:00

Careers Scotland Excellence Awards celebrated in 2008 the progress of people throughout the country who have changed their lives and transformed their careers with support from Careers Scotland.

I am a female Brazilian teacher with Portuguese as my mother tongue, was working as a voluntary tutor on the ESOL course at Angus College when I first became aware of the services Careers Scotland could offer.

Since my arrival in Scotland I had wanted to use my skills as a teacher with English Language qualifications. However, despite having the teaching qualification I acquired in Brazil verified through the General Teaching Council, I found it difficulty in finding paid employment. It was at this point I contacted Careers Scotland.

Careers Scotland staff worked with me to formalise the skills I could offer an employer and to prepare a focused and effective CV in my second language.

I took part in a series of practice interviews and a short time late I found my first paid job as an ESOL tutor with Angus Council's Community Learning Development.

Now fully qualified with the GTC, I work both as an ESOL tutor and as a EAL (English as an Additional Language) peripatetic teacher with Angus Council.

EASTER

2009-03-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

Lesson Plan

Activity 1

How many words can you make out of EASTER CHOCOLATE EGG ?

Did you find?
A number.
A planet.
Something you eat.
A place to act.
They are uncountable in the sky.
A place to drive.
The opposite of here.

Prepare as many hints as you want to make the activity enjoyable.

Activity 2

Material: boiled egg and a spoon.
The participants form a line on the back of the room to star THE EGG ON THE SPOON RACE. The winner is the person to arrive first and without dropping the egg on the front of the room.
Praise them all with chocolate eggs.

Activity 3

Guess what?
Prepare one card to each learner with one of these words: EGG HUNT, LENT, BUNNY, SUNDAY, PALM, SPRING, CHOCOLATE EGG, HOT CROSS BUN. They can mime or describe the word so that the participants can guess it.

Activity 4

Reading

EASTER SUNDAY (12th April)

Easter Sunday is a fest that not occur on fixed dates according to the Gregorian calendar. It marks the end of the 40 days of Lent. The Easter Triduum, in Latin the word means three, refers to Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.

Following the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Joseph was given permission to bury his body. Jesus was in the grave for three days. After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of Jesus), and Salome arrived at the tomb, but the stone had already been rolled away. Jesus has risen on Easter Sunday. Many people saw him that day and the day followed, just as He told them (Mark 16:6-7).

Since that time, Christians have set aside time each year to commemorate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. This observance has been known as the Christian Passover. The celebration extends beyond the church. Commercially, Easter is a significant period. Egg races, egg hunts, egg painting and chocolate egg eating. From Pagan traditions it marked the arrival of spring.

Activity 5

Reading comprehension

1-How many days mark the end of Lent?
2-What is the meaning of Triduum?
3-Which three days are referred to the Triduum?
4-Is Easter Sunday fixed?
5-What happened after Jesus crucifixion?
6-How do you celebrate Easter?

Enjoy the activities, the integration and the celebration!!! HAPPY EASTER!!!

A DAY OFF

2009-03-07T13:31:00.000-08:00

Just a day off

AGENDA

2009-03-07T12:41:00.000-08:00

Invite the participants to write down their week timetable:

Monday 9:00 Music Lesson

Tuesday 12:00 Lunch with Maggie

Wednesday 15:00 Tea at Jasmin

Thursday 10:00 Swimming

Friday 18:00 Happyhour

Saturday 15:00 Hairdresser

Sunday 11:30 Church

In pair, they can practise the question:

What do you do at 3pm on Wednesday?

I have tea at Jasmin.

Give the participants some time to talk to each other about their appointments.

Use the topic to practise the 3rd person.

e.g.

What does Pauline do at 6pm on Friday?

What do you do at 6pm on Friday?

I go to the pub with my friends.

She goes to the pub with her friends.

Enjoy the time with your learners...

SCOTTISH WORDS

2009-01-26T06:25:00.000-08:00

Robert Burns.

The great Scottish poet, 1759-1796, is celebrating his 250th anniversary on the 25th of January of 2009. You can find more information about him and his poems on the site:

http://www.robertburns.org/works/

I might suggest a collaborative learning activity for this session using some Scottish words.

Material:

printed cards with the Scottish words:

AYE, NAW, NOO, WEE, BAIRN, WEAN, DOUR, FEART, THAT'S A SIN, EEJIT, CRABBIT, DREICH, HEN AND DOLL, A PIECE, STEAMIN, HAWD YOUR WEISHED, DINNAE KEN,
etc...

printed cards with the English words:

VERY DRUNK, DULL, MISERABLE, GRUMPY, FEMALE, YES, IDIOT, A SANDWICH, DULL, DAMP, WET, SMALL, BE QUIET, NO, SCARED, FRIGHTENED, THAT'S A SHAME, CHILD, I DON'T KNOW, NOW, etc...

Step 1:

The tutor gives to the participants a set of Scottish and English words. They are supposed to match the correspondent meaning of each word working collaboratively.

Step 2:

The tutor chooses a word and asks to one person of the group to give the correspondent word.

Step 3:

To every right answer is given a Scottish flag. Win the group with more flags.

Time: about 60 minutes.

Option:

The tutor reads the word, and a group is chosen to spell it and give the translation.

SHORT STORIES

2009-01-20T10:47:00.000-08:00

Material : Short stories

Time : 60min

Objective: development of general knowledge using the skills; reading, speaking, listening and writing.

Planning : The stories are illustrated with pictures, suitable for the level of the participants and short for quick comprehension.

Steps:

1- The participants read the story in silence;

2- Volunteers can retell the story and discuss it;

3- Write the story with own words;

4- Check the handwriting observing:

grammar mistakes;

spelling;

punctuation;

word order;

5- Prepare an exercise using the common mistakes;

6- The participants are supposed to re-write the story correcting their own mistakes.

7- Reward the final writing.

GUESS WHO?

2009-01-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

Learning another language is learning another culture.It is going to be very helpful if the learners can recognize different speeches used in distinctive places.

Let's see some examples:
e.g: Could you bring us the bill, please?

question: Where would you listen it?

answer: In a restaurant.

Prepare a variety of situations with just one sentence:

e.g:
keep the change!
say "cheese!"
flight 4335 is now boarding through gate 4
next, please!
a pack of paracetamol, please!

Possible answers:

customer to the waiter,
taking photos,
airport,
in a queue in the bank, supermarket, post office, etc
chemist, drugstore.

Try to emphasize the sentences in a context. Play roles building up a situation in each of the places above.

e.g:
waiter: Would you like some coffee, Sir?
customer: No thank you. Could I have the bill, please?
waiter: Certainly!
The waiter brings the bill.
customer: (pays) keep the change!
waiter: Thank you, Sir! Good night!

Option: Guess Who?
Answer: Waiter, photographer, cashier, customer

Time: 20 min.
Objective: building up vocabulary and interaction

Enjoy...

REVIEW PREVIEWS UNIT

2009-01-19T10:05:00.000-08:00

It is very important to review old sessions, and this is a good example of a new lesson.

Warm up: The participants were asked to review the words "on holiday" topic.

e.g: cruise holiday, safari, hiking, hotel, beach, seaside, camping, caravan, etc...

Link the activity to a board game, which we are going to call CATEGORIES. It means that you can take the idea and work around the topic you have for the session.

A board card is prepared with the categories to be created:

e.g: holiday, furniture, job, fruit, colours, classroom objects, etc;

Option 1: The participants can fill the CATEGORIES, card A, with their own ideas and knowledge;

Option 2: The tutor prepares another card, B, with all the words related to the categories required in card A, listed but mixed. The participants are supposed to pick the right choice to a selected category.

e.g: Card A
Category - Holiday

Card B
Safari, cruise, beach, hotel, seaside, caravan, camping, etc...

Suggestion: When the card A is filled up, the tutor can ask the participants to add one more word for each category.

e.g: excursion

Time: about 20-25 min.
Level: Beginners
Objective: vocabulary acquisition
Skills: speaking, writing, reading, and listening

HOLIDAY

2009-01-15T14:01:00.001-08:00

1- Warm up:

Discuss with the group:-

Where was your last vacation?

2-Vocabulary:

Mix and match pictures with some types of holiday. E.g: Cruise holiday, Safari holiday, Camping holiday, Hiking holiday, Beach holiday, Hotel holiday, etc...

3-Discussion: Talk about the types of holiday above.
What kind of holiday have you had?
When was it?
Did you enjoy?
Why?

4- Link the verbs with the words:
go try buy take

---------------local food
---------------souveniers
---------------pictures
---------------shopping

5- Act out a dialogue about your last holiday:

Enjoy the lesson....

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

2008-11-28T15:33:00.000-08:00

Academic Task: Write a story based on pictures.

Social Task: Include every one's idea to write sentences.

Group Formation: The participants will get a card with the country of origin in one side and the flag on the other side

Team Building: The participants should sit in the alphabetical order of the countries and number each other according to the system already used.

Material: Set of pictures, graffiti board, colour pencil and crayon, markers, final sheet.

Task Direction:

*Each member gets a set of cards;
*Draw a cloud shape in the centre of the graffiti page for the title of the story;
*Each member has to write their best sentence using their set of cards;
*The set of cards move clockwise round the table until everyone has had each set;
*The members move clock wise one place;
*Choose the best sentence of each member;
*Write the final story.

Think about WHO, WHAT, WHERE and HOW to write the story.

All the stories can be hung on the wall where everybody will read them easily. It is amazing how creative a person can be when is stimulated by the other participants.

ANIMAL MATERIALS

2008-11-27T14:18:00.000-08:00

Bits of animal bodies have been used for hundreds years.

Find out more about it:

Activity 1

Select some animals on picture cards;

e.g; elephant, bear, turtle, butterfly, snake, dear, tiger, crocodile, etc...

Select some picture cards with:

e.g; horn, fur, feather, antlers, different types of skin such as snake, crocodile, etc...

Play mix and match

Activity 2

Research in the Internet what kind of work art can be made with them. It is very interesting and motivating while pupils learn.

Enjoy!!!!

COUNTABLE OR UNCOUNTABLE

2008-11-26T14:08:00.000-08:00

Activity 1

Warm up:

Select some objects and put them in a box.
Ask to the participants:
What is there in the box?
Write on the board all their names.
e.g: bowl, plate, fork, spoon, knife, sugar, coffee, milk, tea, mug, water, salt, etc...

Activity 2

Write down the names in the right column:

COUNTABLE UNCOUNTABLE
bowl sugar
plate coffee
fork milk
spoon tea
mug water
knife salt

Activity 3

Based on a picture, answer the questions:

1- Are there biscuits on the table?
2- How many mugs can you see?
3- Is there any fruit in the basket?
4- How much milk would you like?
5- What is there in the bowl?
6- Are there any grapes on the plate?

Activity 4

Complete the sentences with A, AN, SOME, ANY:

1- There is _____apple.
2- There are _______mugs.
3- Is there ________tea?
4- Is there _______plate on the cupboard?
5- There is _______milk in the mug.
6- There isn't _______fruit in the basket.

Activity 5

Listening exercise:

Prepare the lyrics of a song to fill in the gaps with the words missed such as: a, an, some, any and there be (is, are).
Play it three times if necessary and correct it.
Vocabulary checking and have fun.
Sing it.

I hope you enjoy it.

DO YOU LIKE FRUIT?

2008-10-05T11:26:00.000-07:00

To practice food vocabulary:

*You can use restaurant's menu;
*Pictures;
*Cards with the names:
e.g. - chips, baked potato, sandwich, hamburgers, coffee, tea, cake, biscuits, cookies,
breakfast, drink, coke, juice, milk, pizza, pasta, etc...
*Teach the questions and answers:

Do you like...........? Yes, I do.
Yes, I like it.
No, I don't.
No, I don't like it.

Would you like some ........? Yes, please.
No, thank you.

In pairs the participants can match the names and pictures and also act out the questions above.

The teacher can check the comprehension and the pronunciation asking to each of them one question.

Don't forget to praise them: fantastic, very good, well done, yes and a big smile.

SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

2008-09-22T04:29:00.000-07:00

Although all languages differ of each other with their own rules, grammar, syntax and pronunciation in the process of a second language acquisition, the knowledge of L1 (native language) facilitates the learner to transfer the concepts to the L2 (second language).

The second language acquisition theory suggests that one's learning of a second language is affected by his exposures to language models. So, to encourage the learners in the learning process their social and cultural values should be brought as topic of interests to contribute and help them to be motivated and not so anxious facing emotional state in learning a second language.

LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

2008-09-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

I have been working with speakers of other languages in Scotland since October 2007. The children average ages are from 6 to 12 in primary and secondary schools, and adult migrant workers are from 26 to 50 years old.

Different approaches and provisions have been delivered showing deliberately the result of the Stage of English Language Acquisition after one year participating in the learning process. Most of them belong to the Stage 1 in the beginning of the process, with very few vocabulary in L2 and low ability to communicate. They use L1 (native language) to express themselves and they tend to live in small communities originally from the same country.

Nationalities involved in the process of L2 learning acquisition: Polish, Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, Russian, Indian, Pakistani, Chinese, Mexican.

MANY CHILDREN CAN'T SPELL SHAKESPEARE

2008-08-08T07:28:00.000-07:00

Dr ken Smith suggests:

"University teachers should simply accept as variant spellings those words our students most commonly misspell."
He added. "All I am suggesting is that we might well put 20 or so of the most commonly misspelled words in the English language on the same footing as those other words that have a widely accepted variant spelling."
He said the word "judgement" was already accepted as a variant of "judgment", adding: " So why can't "truly" be accepted as a variant spelling of "truly"?

He blamed failings in the school system declaring:

"There was little evidence of students having been taught the relevant rules at school, or of the students having been corrected for obvious and frequent errors."

Jack Bovill, chairman of the Spelling Society, said its national survey had shown up to 54 % of people couldn't spell words such as "embarrassed", "separate", "accommodation", "millennium" and "friend".

He said the society did not advocate changing the spellings.

By Laura Clark
Education Correspondent
Daily Mail, Thursday, August 7, 2008

THE WORDS THEY COULDN'T GET RIGHT

2008-08-08T06:16:00.000-07:00

20 COMMONLY MISSPELLED WORDS THAT SHOULD BE ACCEPTED BY UNIVERSITIES

Arguement for argument

February for February

Wensday for Wednesday

Ignor for Ignore

Occured for occurred

Opertunity for opportunity

Que for queue

Cue for queue

Kew for queue

Speach for speech

Thier for their

There for their

Truely for truly

Twelth for twelfth

Wierd for weird

Sieze for seize

Liesure for leisure

Nieghbour for neighbour

Foriegn for foreign

Mispelt for misspelled

Daily Mail, Thursday, August 7, 2008

BAD SPELLING

2008-08-08T05:28:00.000-07:00

Daily Mail, Thursday, August 7,2008

"BAD SPELLING? IGNOR IT"

"Faced with a flood of basic spelling mistakes, you might expect a university lecturer to demand his students pay more attention to the dictionary.
But one don is so fed up with having to correct his undergraduates' errors that he is calling for something rather more unorthodox - a spelling amnesty.
Dr Ken Smith is urging colleagues to turn a blind eye to the 20 most common slips - such as "Febuary", "ignor" and "speach" - and view them instead as variants of standard spellings.
Writing in the Times Higher education magazine, the senior lecturer in criminology at Buckinghamshire New University said? "Teaching a large first-year course at a British university, I am fed up with correcting my students' atrocious spelling. Aren't we all?"

SNAP GAME

2008-08-05T03:29:00.000-07:00

Prepare some pair cards with irregular verbs (present and past) and play memory game until the participants are familiar with the verbs in the two tenses.

The funniest part of the game is to distribute the same number of the cards among the group and play snap.

Snap is a popular CARD GAME in which the object is to lose all the cards.

In the game the entire pack of cards is dealt out among the players in face-down stacks as equally as possible. Play proceeds with the players taking it in turns to remove a card from the top of their stack and place it face-up on a central pile. Everybody has to say the verb on it and the one that makes the pair.

Eg: FIND - FOUND or FOUND - FIND.

The person who makes a mistake or does not know the verb takes all the pile. The player with the most card loses.

GLAMIS CASTLE

2008-07-10T14:19:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day, sunshine and warm. A tour in Glamis Castle is a must! Enjoy the culture, the history and the nature.

These are key to effective assessment for all pupils.

2008-06-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

As stated in QCA’s publication A language
in common, effective assessment for all pupils should:

• recognise what pupils can do and reward achievement;
• be based on different kinds of evidence;
• be a valid reflection of what has been taught or covered in class;
• be reliable in terms of enabling someone else to repeat the
assessment and obtain comparable results;
• be manageable, both in terms of the time needed to complete the
task, and in providing results which can be reported or passed on to
other teachers.

CLOTHES

2008-06-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

*Prepare some cards with names of clothes, ,materials and types of patterns

e.g:

cotton, velvet, silk, leather,

skirt, shirt, blouse, scarf, gloves, hat, waist coat, raincoat,

flowery, pattern, stripes, spots,

*Hang some pieces of clothes in different places in the classroom

*The learners will match the cards and the clothes

*Play in groups or individual until they use all the cards

*They are supposed to dress up every time they make a mistake.

*Participants will describe each other using the sentence:

He is wearing black leather gloves.

She is wearing a yellow raincoat.

They are wearing boots, trousers, coats, gloves and hats.

It is very funny...have a good time!

BILINGUAL PUPIL

2008-05-26T07:35:00.000-07:00

"Bilingual pupils have access to two or more
languages at home and at school. They may
operate at different language levels in a variety of
circumstances. Being bilingual does not mean that
they are fluent or literate in both languages. For
example, some pupils may be fluent in one of their
spoken home languages, which is used with family
and friends, but they may only be literate in
English or another community language."

Milton Keynes Ethnic Minority Achievement Support Service

I REJOICE IN JESUS CHRIST

2008-05-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”- Zephaniah 3:17

DESCRIBE LAST WEEKEND

2008-05-07T01:14:00.000-07:00

Teaching simple structures enable the learners to build up useful sentences.

Aim: Learning how to describe the weekend using adjectives.

Activity: Use the words from the board to describe the weather, the restaurant and the people in a situation in the past.

SMALL WET CROWED EXPENSIVE UNCOMFORTABLE

CLOUDY INTERESTING CHARMING COLD TALKATIVE

WINDY INTELLIGENT

Prepare a picture for each situation:

YOU WENT FOR A WALK IN THE COUNTRY.

WHAT WAS THE WEATHER LIKE?

IT WAS COLD.

1- It was wet.
2-It was windy.
3-It was cloudy.

YOU WENT TO A RESTAURANT FOR DINNER.

WHAT WAS THE RESTAURANT LIKE?

1-It was crowded.
2-It was uncomfortable.
3-It was small.
4-It was expensive.

YOU WENT TO A PARTY WHERE YOU MET A LOT OF PEOPLE

WHAT WAS THE PEOPLE LIKE?

1-They were talkative.
2-They were intelligent.
3-They were charming.
4-They were interesting.

Using the same approach, the participants are able to discuss about some other subjects.

ADJECTIVES

2008-05-07T00:58:00.000-07:00

Adjective is a key word when learners are initiating a language course. They can express their opinions or make judgments.

Aim: Learning opposites

Activity: Inductive grammar learning exercise followed by oral exercises.

Level: Beginners

Outline:

Use pictures to introduce the words:

1-HAPPY
2-GOOD
3-POOR
4-SMALL
5-ILL
6-OLD
7-YOUNG
8-WRONG
9-STRONG
10-HEAVY
11-COLD
12-SHORT

MAKE SOME CARDS AND HANG THEM ON THE WALL, WHERE THEY CAN EASILY SEEN.

THEY HAVE TO MATCH THE RIGHT OPPOSITE: THE PICTURE AND THE WORD.

To practice the new vocabulary, introduce the sentence:

MY FRIEND HAS GOT A NEW CAR.

Every participant is supposed to say the same sentence changing the adjective, and they can't repeat it.

Ex;

MY FRIEND HAS GOT AN OLD CAR.

MY FRIEND HAS GOT A GREEN CAR.

Now they are able to write and say their own sentences:

I'VE GOT A/AN..........HOUSE.

I'VE GOT A/AN..........DOG.

Enjoy!!!!!

PLANNING A TRIP

2008-04-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

Bring a brochure of a touristic place in the town.

Eg; The Broughty Castle.

Ask the participants to answer the questions using the brochure:

a) When was The Broughty Castle built?

b) When was it rebuilt?

c) What are the opening hours?

d) How much is the entrance fee?

e) What are the facilities in the Castle

f) What can you see there?

The readers don't need to understand every single word in the brochure, but they are supposed to be able to understand and answer the questions.

Before checking the answers the tutor can prepare a listening activity using the brochure, to improve the pronunciation and speaking skills.

Provide them a copy of the timetable sheet of the local bus. Ask them to use the timetable and according to the instruction in the brochure, prepare a trip to visit the Broughty Castle.

To check their understanding, tell them that you want to visit the Castle on Monday at 2:30pm in April.

They have to answer the questions:

a) What time does the bus leave the bus station?

b) What is the number of the bus?

c) What time does it arrive in Dundee?

d) Do I need to take another bus? At what time?

e) What time does it arrive at the Broughty Castle?

It is a lovely activity. They are going to enjoy, and probably they are going to visit the Castle as I did. Gorgeous!!!!!

LEASURE

2008-04-16T06:38:00.000-07:00

This subject can be linked with favourite activity outdoors. So, bring some pictures of the touristic attractions in your city and their names.

E.g:

Coast, Beach, Cliff, Mountain, Village, Harbour, Park, Building, Museum, Statue, etc...

You start a quick recap with the question:

T:What is your favourite activity?
S1:My favourite activity is walking.
S2:My favourite activity is travelling.
S3:My favourite activity is visiting museums.

T:What can you see in a museum?
S1:I can see pictures.
S2:I can see old objects.
S3:I can learn about history.

T:Very good! So, now...in pairs, match the pictures and names and prepare 3 sentences about them.

Eg: The coast is beautiful.

The village is small.

The museum is big.

The building is high.

The cliff is dangerous.

The beach is peaceful.

Introduce a variety of adjectives to describe a place:- busy, gorgeous, nice, quiet, lovely, modern, old, ancient, cold, hot, etc...

Ask questions:

T:Is the village noisy?

Is the beach dirty?

Is the city calm?

S: Yes, it is.
No, it isn't.

To conclude, ask the participants to describe their home place.

E.g: I live in Colliston. Colliston is a small and noisy village.

I live at the beach. It is calm and beautiful.

I live in the mountain. It is high, quiet and gorgeous.

FAVOURITES

2008-04-01T02:28:00.000-07:00

Write the word FAVOURITES on the board and ask the participants what they understand about "favourites".

E.g: CAR, colour, CITY, sport, COUNTRY, clothes, ACTOR, writer, FILM,...

Bring a picture of someone very famous and his/her favourites and complete a chart with the words from a box.

E.g: Ronaldinho's favourite things. (Brazilian Football Player)

Sport : football
______ : Ferrari
______ : Brazil, Spain
______ : green, blue
______ : Friday
______ : February
______ : Orange juice
______ : Feijoada
______ : Paulo Coelho
______ : Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona

With a friend separate the items below in categories:

E.g : Colour, Months, Car, Drink, Cities, Countries, Days, Sport, Writer, Food.

December, Blue, BMW, Coke, Potato, Baseball, Friday, USA, Washington, Shakespeare, etc....
(you have to complete the chart with about 10 items of each category).

The participants report the lists and check the answers.

Ask them to prepare their own "FAVOURITES".

Play the game "FIND SOMEONE WHO" using the question yes/no answers. E.g: Is red your favourite colour? Is fish and chips your favourite food? etc... The participants use their own favourites to find someone who has the same favourites.

To conclude, make a general review.

The objective is to introduce Months, Days of the Week, Sports, and talk about Favourites.

CLASSROOM

2008-04-01T02:11:00.000-07:00

Write the words of a selection of objects you have in your classroom.

E.g:

THE BOARD, A BAG, A BOOK, THE CASSETTE PLAYER, A CHAIR, A DESK, A PIECE OF PAPER, A STUDENT, THE TEACHER, A PICTURE, A DICTIONARY, THE DOOR, A MAP...

In pairs ask the participants to label the objects. Check an go around reading the words. Point the things and work on ask and answer questions:

A: What's this?
B: A picture.
A: What's that?
B: The board.

Introduce some verbs and complete the sentences:

E.g: Listen, Look, Read, Use, Work.

A)_____________at the picture.

B)_____________to the song.

C)_____________your book.

D)_____________with your friend.

E)_____________the words.

Practice the sentences and replace some words building up different sentences:

E.g: Article, Music, A Pen, Photo, In Group Of Four.

A) Look at the__________.

B) Listen to the _________.

C) Use the __________.

D) Work ______________.

E) Read the_______________.

Review the new words and make sure the participants are able to recognize the objects and say the words properly.

EASTER CELEBRATION

2008-04-01T01:41:00.000-07:00

Easter is a time to celebrate the rebirth of Jesus Christ, and it brings an excitement to all of us.

Start a discussion about the subject and find out the meaning of Easter and what are the things that symbolise Easter. Listen carefully the participants and write down a list of items they know.

E.g:

Rabbit, egg, cross, chicks, Jesus, chocolate, ...

It has been a tradition to give chocolate eggs for friends and family. In school, children decorate boiled eggs and roll them down the hill, which symbolises the rock that was rolled in the cave Jesus was buried. It is also a symbol of fertility, the rebirth of Jesus Christ.

Easter Sunday is a day for a beautiful meal. Bring this spirit of joy to your classes. Prepare a meal with your students, describe different meals in different countries at Easter.

In Scotland we have HOT CROSS BUNS, a sweet roll with raisins. Very tasty!

To conclude, EGG HUNT. Wow...that is very funny.

Hide chocolate eggs in the classroom;
Divide the participants in groups,
Ask them to hunt the eggs;
The winner is the group that gets more eggs;
Prepare a quiz about the topic and have fun! wow...the group that had more eggs might have to share and eat them... nhumi....

CULTURAL MOMENT

2008-03-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

It is very important to try different recipes, specially when you have a multicultural group of learners.

We had a very good surprise during one session. Polish people had prepared Bigo and Mayonese and they also brought chocolate to celebrate "women's international day". It was a very pleased moment that included a short film presentation about Poland, and some songs.

This is all about learning another language. We learn about local culture, typical food, and habits.

The group had the iniciative to plan the session in English.

Finally, to celebrate one of participant's birthday, a home cake was served. It was absolutely delicious!!!

Congratulations!!!

CONNECTIONS

2008-03-05T07:06:00.000-08:00

If you want to learn a foreing language, open your heart and your mind to integrate a new community. It includes cultural knowledge as simple as greetings.

E.g.

Connect que questions and the answers:

A- Could you pass me the salt please? 1-Yes, I did.
B-What are you doing? 2-Of course. Here it is.
C-Would you like some coffee? 3-I am taking a shower.
D-Did you go to the club yesterday? 4-Yes, please.
E-Have you got a car? 5-No, I haven't.

Answers: A-2; B-3; C-4; D-1; E-5

You can work on the subject you are teaching at the moment. Use pictures to estimulate the brain and facilitate the learning process through different learning styles.

FIND YOUR PARTNER

2008-03-04T14:15:00.000-08:00

It is a very good icebreaker to prepare some cards with different descriptions about several profiles.

Eg:

I am creative and active. I like any kind of activity outdoors. I walk about one hour everyday. I don't like to watch TV, but I love reading and surfing on the Internet.

I am a very quiet person. I don't like to listen to music aloud, but I enjoy cooking. I am always looking for some new recipes.

You need one profile for each participant. They get a card, read it and try to find someone who has the most similar habits, talking to everyone in the class.

It is very interesting!!!!!!!

PLAY RIDDLES

2008-02-26T05:32:00.000-08:00

People love riddles. Here it is one to illustrate your driving lesson.

Ask to the participants:

How do you come to school?

Probably you are going to listen: by car, by bus, by bike, on foot....so ask again:

I'm not a cap or coat, but you must put me on before you hit the road! What am I?

The answer: SEAT BELT

ICEBREAKERS

2008-02-26T04:20:00.000-08:00

Every lesson should be interactive and motivating. People tend to seat at the same places with the same partners, but it is very importante they come to know each other. This icebreaker is the chance to speak to four different people at least.

INSTRUCTION:

*Give a label to each participant and ask them to write their names;

*Ask them to find a different partner;

*Give them two minutes to talk and introduce themselves;

*After two minutes you say "STOP";

*Ask them to get their partner's lable; it means that from know they are going to assume a new personality "they are going to perform their first partner with another partner";

*Say "GO" and speak to your new partner pretending you are your previous partner;

*After two minutes you say "STOP";

*Again change the labels and personalities and partneres for four times;

*You say "STOP" and please "SIT DOWN";

*You start the introduction;

My name is....
I am from.......
I live in.....
I work for.....

and you ask.... WHO ARE YOU?.... Give a chance to hear everybody. You are going to notice that some information is lost, and some changed, but it is a very good icebreaker.

Enjoy!!!
I

RULES AND LAWS

2008-02-26T03:54:00.000-08:00

Everybody should know the main important rules and laws about driving. It is part of knowledge to live and work better in any country.
I am studying the theory to get my driver's licence in UK. The process is very hard, because I need to learn the specific jargon around the subject, as well to know the rules, the laws, and all the road traffic signs. It is a challenge!

Play and learn it!

*Print some flash cards with the road traffic signs and their respective meanings to play match the pairs;

* Prepare an exercise with pictures and meanings to link;

* Do the theory test and learn through mistakes;

The objective of this lesson is based on new vocabulary, and grammar is MUST, MUSTN'T, SHOULD, SHOULDN'T, HAVE TO, DON'T HAVE TO.

Have fun!!!

FRANKENSTEIN

2008-02-15T12:39:00.000-08:00

You can have a very great time when you teach the parts of the body.

After the exercise "match the words and pictures", prepare some labels with the parts of the body. Draw a "Frankenstein" in a cardboard as big as a person and stick it on the wall. Divide the class in groups and give them the labels to stick on the right place. Of course, the winner is the best "Frankenstein". Sometimes, the elbow is labeled on the shoulder, and the eyebrown on the eyelash. The mistakes bring a good laugh, and of course, everybody can learn and have a good fun.

Enjoy the activity!!!!

Family Learning

2008-02-15T07:53:00.000-08:00

It has just begun a Family Learning Course in Arbroath. There were four mothers from different countries; Latvia, Lithuania, and Pakistan.

To introduce ourselves, we prepared a poster drawing maps. The childrem participated as part of integration with their parents.

As a tutor, I started intruducing myself. I drew Brazil and Scotland maps with my family members in each country. Everybody had a chance to say:

My name is........................

I am from..........................

I have been here since..................

I live with............................in..............................and in my home country are....................................

I want to learn English because...........................................

My goal is......................................................................

After presentation, the childrem left the room to have some activities with the staff. At this point, I explained that they should complete a form with personal information and also answer a test to give me an idea about their English level. Two ladies were able to answer all the questions, but the other two did not do the test. They were able to read and understand, but not to write.

WE used flash cards for alphabet, days of the week, months of the year, and word hunt to practice reading and writing and talk about general knowledge. It was very funny!

RECAP

2008-02-13T08:09:00.000-08:00

It is very good to recap the previous subject every time you meet your group. You can be very surprised with the progress among the participants.

I am one of the staff who is charge of the development and delivering the project "Working and Living in Angus", Scotland. We have got about 20 Eastern European every evening, once a week for 2 hours.

Teaching a language is an introduction of a different culture. Most of them come to this country with low level of English language or none at all. The objective is to offer them a better opportunity to become part of the society while they acquire the language, work and live in Scotland. The country is with its arms opened to embrance the community and to give them free education and a better opportunity for life.

"Recap" really works.

SUMMER TIME

2008-02-05T05:08:00.000-08:00

HEALTH

2008-02-01T08:21:00.000-08:00

Well, if you are living in a foreign country, I believe there are some subjects we should know in case we need in an emergency.

As I am a Brazilian in Scotland, I bring the "HEALTH" subject for your English class.

Start a simple discussion about the Health System in your country.

Ex: Where should you go if you need an operation?

What are the specialists you know in the health system?

I hope we get a list of vocabulary:

DOCTOR, NURSE, OPTICIAN, PHYSIOTHERAPIST, MIDWIFE, HEALTH VISITOR, EMERGENCY UNIT, CASUALTY, SURGEON, HOSPITAL, AMBULANCE, DENTIST, ...

Don't forget to use some repetition to check pronunciation and the stress of the new words. You can also encourage the group to use the words in a contest like this:

Ex: A................is a person who............................................

A dentist is a person who looks after your teeth.

...........................is a place you ..............................................

Hospital is a place you stay when you are ill.

You might want to review the words and the sentences, or probably you want to include some other extra information. In this case, prepare some flash cards with pictures, and play match the words.

A GAME FOR DIRECTIONS

2008-02-01T07:40:00.000-08:00

MIMICS IS ALWAYS FUNNY.

Ask to the group to stand up, listen carefully to the instruction and do it:

* Right hand up;
*down;
*Left hand up;
*down;
*Touch your right eye;
*Left ear;
*Left eye;
*Right ear;
*Left eye with your right hand;
*Touch your left foot;

Just use your creativity and have fun!!!

CAN YOU FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS

2008-01-30T07:47:00.000-08:00

*Ask them to write the name of the places according to the directions;

You are in the middle of the piece of paper.
Straight ahead is the hospital.
The airport is to the right of the hospital.
The bus station is to your left.
Straight ahead of the train station is the hotel.
Between the hotel and the hospital is the restaurant.

* Invite a volunteer to draw the anwser on the board, and enjoy it!

DIRECTIONS - LESSON PLAN

2008-01-30T07:34:00.000-08:00

*Aim

To present and practice describing where things are and giving simples directions in the context of local area.

*Procedure

Pre-teaching vocabulary.

*Ask to the group:

How do I get to the library?

Can you tell me where the ………. is?

Can you tell me how to get to the ………… ?

*Work the words we need to give directions

Go straight on, turn left, turn right, next to, beside, opposite, in front of, behind…………

*Check out understanding

Using the map take turns to give each other directions

DESCRIBE YOUR LOCAL AREA

2008-01-30T07:27:00.000-08:00

Prepare a vocabulary list – directions, places of interest and services shown on map;

Hand out local information brochure with a map and ask participants to give each other directions to a point on the map;

In large group discuss local places of interest.

UNDERSTANDING DIRECTIONS

2008-01-30T07:17:00.000-08:00

It is polite to say excuse me when stopping some-one to ask for help.

Excuse me, where is the ……bank…………..?
Excuse me, where is the nearest ………pub…………………….?

Excuse me, is there a ……Post Office…………………. near here?

Excuse me, can you help me …I am lost…………………?
Excuse me can you give me directions to…Damacre Centre………………..?

Excuse me is the ……hotel………………….. close by/ far from here?

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2008-01-23T03:23:00.000-08:00

LISTENING COMPREHENSION

2008-01-22T02:46:00.001-08:00

BASED ON THE SCRIPT "THE BURNS SUPPER" EXERCISES

Activity A

Listen to the conversation again and find a word that
means:

A main meal eaten in the evening or a small snack eaten before going to bed.
A special or formal event like a party.
When you pay to use something for a short period
People who are invited to an occasion such as a party or a meal
A person in charge of a meeting
Seeds which are used in cooking and baking and also to feed animals
A Scottish word for a poet
Scottish word for women
Funny

Activity B

Listen and answer the questions:

Where has Olga been invited? A Burns Supper
When is she going?
Where is the party?
How does she feel? Why?
What should she wear?
Is she going alone?
What will they eat?
What will they do?
What is Olga’s husband going to do before the party?

Activity C:

Listen again and mark TRUE or FALSE:

There will be a lot of people at the party. ( T )
This happens every year. ( )
The women can wear trousers. ( )
He needs to buy a kilt. ( )
Someone will play traditional Scottish music.( )
The women will make a speech. ( )
There won’t be many speeches. ( )
Some of the poems are funny. ( )

SCRIPT FOR "THE BURNS SUPPER"

2008-01-22T02:42:00.000-08:00

Script for “The Burns Supper”

Olga: Helen, I haven’t seen you for ages. How are you?

Helen: I’m fine thanks. How are you?

Olga: I’m glad I’ve seen you – I’ve been invited to a Burns Supper and I don’t know what to wear or what it’s about.

Helen: Well, Robert Burns is Scotland’s national poet and every January 25th people get together to have a meal in his memory. It can be just a few friends, or it can be a big occasion where everyone dresses in traditional clothing, the men with their kilts and the women wear tartan skirts or sashes. Where is it happening?

Olga: It’s in the City Hall, so it’s bound to be a big event. I’m really nervous – what should we wear?

Helen: I wouldn’t worry too much. It might be nice if you wore tartan or wore your national costume. Do you have a partner for the night?

Olga: Yes, my husband. Should he hire a kilt?

Helen: That would be a nice gesture but he could wear a tartan tie or his own national costume.
What usually happens is the general audience arrives first and then the main guests are piped to their seats …

Olga: Piped?

Helen: Yes, a piper plays the bagpipes while they are walking in.

Olga: Oh, I see, the bagpipes. Lovely.

Helen: And you should stand up for that part. Then the Chairman will say The Selkirk Grace – it’s like a prayer that Burns wrote. And once everyone has had a drink, the haggis will be piped in too.

Olga: Ah. The haggis – I’ve heard of that. It’s a type of sausage, isn’t it?

Helen: Well it’s more like a pudding made of oats - and meat - and spices.

Olga: Ok, what happens next?

Helen: Usually there’s an address to the haggis …

Olga: Address?

Helen: Not that kind of address! It means a kind of speech …

Olga: To the haggis?

Helen: Yes. Again it’s a poem that Burns wrote …

Olga: To a pudding?

Helen: No it’s called To a Haggis …, Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the puddin-race! Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy o' a grace as lang's my arm. …something like that. Anyway, after that, it’s cut up and served to everyone with tatties and neeps. Em, potatoes and turnip.

Olga: Sounds delicious.

Helen: It can be – not that I’m too fond of it myself. Then there will be a toast to Rabbie Burns, we usually drink whisky. There will be lots of Scottish music and dancing and the next speech is the toast to the lassies.

Olga: Lassies …?

Helen: Yes, the women. Burns was famous for his love poems and for his love of women.

Olga: Ok then what happens?

Helen: The last speech is called the reply to the lassies and is given by one of the female members of the party.

Olga: Lots of speeches then.

Helen: Aye, but they are meant to be humorous and entertaining, like a lot of Burns’ poems. That’s followed by dancing and singing.

Olga: It sounds like a lot of fun.

Helen: Aye it is. I hope you enjoy it. See you later

Olga: Bye, see you later

ROBERT BURNS SUPPER

2008-01-22T01:14:00.001-08:00

The best way to live in Scotland and at the same time to teach English for speakers of other languages is to have an experience and bring the Scottish culture into the classroom, which is absolutely incredible.

On the 25th of January is celebrated Robert Burns anniversary, who was born in 1759 and died in 1797, considered one of the most famous poet. He was humanized and a special and sensible man, who wrote about life, feeling, religion, love, friends, work.

All schools celebrate this memorable date reciting his poems, singing his songs, performing the famous characters, with competitions, presentations, and studying the history of that time. For us it is not different.

We started our class with a gorgeous entrance of a piper, a Scottish man playing the pipes, followed by a lady bringing a tray of Haggis, traditional food made of oat meal, stomach of sheep, spicy and stuff. A poem was recited to Haggis, "Address to a Haggis", and served to every one with some Irn Bru, a traditional Scottish no alcoholic drink, substituting the Whisky.

Then everybody listened and read the script of a dialogue between a Scottish lady and a foreigner introducing the national costume, "The Burns Supper". Some exercises were developed as a listening comprehension and worked by the participants in small groups.

Everybody joined for the dancing, which was great and lots of fun.

A break for some coffee and Scottish shortbread brought a huge smile for the ones who are not used to have a very exciting evening and warm evening.

Why not to close this beautiful celebration with a golden key? Let's sing..."AULD LANG SYNE"...the international song, which very few people know it is Scottish, and written by Robert Burns. Lovely!!!!

MATCH THE WORDS

2008-01-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

There are some combination of words we can learn and keep in our minds if we have some time to play with them. A very good activity is to prepare some cards in different colours for verbs and nouns, mix them, and give a set of these cards to each pair of students. Give them some time to match the cards. The ones to finish first start the reading.

Example:

read the newspaper
listen to the radio
answer the telephone
ask a question
sing a song
tell a story
play cards
write a letter
watch television

Just use your imagination. Combine the words you are working and remember...

HAVE FUN!!!!

Winter in Scotland

2008-01-08T04:47:00.000-08:00

The holiday winter season is over. But back to school we can enjoy the winter time with lots of funny activities and involve the students in a warm environment. Although it is snowing outside, a very hot cup of tea and some games inside can make the season remarkable.

Enjoy and have fun!!!!

Happy New Year!!!!

WRITING SENTENCES

2008-01-07T03:19:00.000-08:00

New Year has just started and here I am with lots of perspectives of a very good refreshment to start the term with innovative ideas, , reflecting about methodology and trying different approaches.

I would like to spend more time in reading and writing with my students, and for the first day of classroom, and all the excitement about Christmas time, presents, trips, holiday abroad, the kids want to spread the good news. So, using the topic, I believe it is a good idea to write about it.

Notes:

Use: and, then, because, of, for...

Ask: who, when, what, why, where, how...

Think: make up the story in your mind...

Write at least 3 very good sentences.

Ex:

"Long time ago, my uncle and I went to the store. My uncle bought a bike for me, because I wanted it."

It was written by Gvidas, P2.

A LITTLE OF SUNSHINE

2007-12-18T14:23:00.000-08:00

JUST A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO REMEMBER!!

CHRISTMAS SEASON

2007-12-16T09:13:00.000-08:00

Time flies!

My holiday is from 21st of December to the 7th of January.

Probably, I should bring the balance of this year, which has brought to my life, new experiences, new jobs, new friends.

An ESOL project has been developed, and the classes are going to be delivered next year.

I am very excited and I am looking forward to next year.

I have to declare:

I have had time for myself,
I have shared,
I have laughed,
I have cried,
I have dreamed,
I have faced some obstacles,
I have skipped them,
I have made friends,
I have had time for the old ones,
I have helped who I can,
I have lived,
In Jesus name. Amem

MERRY CHRISTMAS..........HAPPY NEW YEAR.......

CHRISTMAS CARD

2007-12-04T08:25:00.000-08:00

Are you good at art craft? If you are , or at least if you enjoy it, I would like to invite you for a very fun class.

Material required:

*colouful card; green, red, blue, cream, white, silver and golden;

*scissors;

*silver and golden sparklin;

*colourful pens;

PORTUGUESE FOR FOREIGNERS

2007-12-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

My experience in teaching Portuguese is basically zero. But, for the first time, I had a chance to prepare a lesson for beginners in Portuguese for a ten-minute presentation. Of course, I did some research on the Internet, and I also went to the library to check the material available in the area. Very interesting! I found quite a lot. In fact, nothing that made my eyes shine. I see, the approaches are basically based on translation, especially for beginners, and, some of them are very difficult, because they are based on the previous knowledge of the language, which meant to be Portuguese for Hispanic.

So, I have decided for something new and based on my background knowledge in ESOL, I prepared the lesson.

UNIDADE 1

1-Texto

Oi, meu nome e’ Suzel, tenho 46 anos e sou Brasileira. Meu apelido e’ Su.

2-Exercicio

Oi, meu nome e’___________________, tenho______anos, e sou_________________. Meu apelido e’___________________.

3-Cumprimentos

a) na chegada b) na partida
Oi. Tchau!
Bom-dia! Divirta-se!
Boa-tarde! Boa sorte!
Boa-noite! Bom Descanco!
Tudo bem? Vai com Deus!
Como vai?

4-Dialogo

__ Bom-dia.
__ Como esta o senhor?
__ Eu estou bem, obrigado.

__ Boa-tarde.
__ Como esta a senhora?
__ Eu estou bem, obrigada.

__ Boa-noite.
__ Como esta voce?
__ Eu estou bem obrigado.

__ Boa-noite.
__ Como esta?
__ Tudo bem.

5-Origem
Pais Nacionalidade
Brasil Brasileiro/Brasileira
Inglaterra Ingles/Inglesa
Escocia Escoses/Escocesa
Portugal Portugues/Portuguesa
Espanha Espanhol/Espanhola
Franca Frances/Francesa

PLANO DE AULA

Objetivos
Saber se apresentar, usando os varios cumprimentos de “chegada” e de “partida”.

Contexto
Se apresentando, cumprimentando e se despedindo de um brasileiro em diferentes partes do dia.

Metodologia
A unidade 1 impressa e distribuida ao(s) participante(s) e com a instrucao do tutor e feita leitura e pratica dos exercicios e dialogos.

1-Texto: fazer uma leitura em voz alta e em seguida o grupo repete para fixar a pronuncia.
2- Exercicio: cada participante se apresenta e em seguida pratica o dialogo com os outros colegas de sala.
3- Cumprimentos: o instrutor deve ilustrar atraves de gestos e figuras os cumprimentos para que os participantes compreendam e entao possam pratica-los.
4- Dialogo: usando os varios cumprimentos de “chegada” e “partida” do item3, praticam o dialogo com todos os participantes.
5- Origem: o participante deve usar o quado para completar o exercicio 2. Caso o seu pais de origem nao esteja na lista, o mesmo deve ser acrescentado pelo instrutor.

Conclusao
Ao final da aula, o participante deve ser capaz de se apresentar em diferentes partes do dia, dizendo o seu nome, idade, apelido (se houver), e se despedir.

Tempo: 45 minutos

BILINGUAL SUPPORT

2007-11-24T14:30:00.000-08:00

I would like to start writing down all the experiences I have had at schools in Scotland as a bilingual teacher support.

I have developed my own material and activities to work the English language with the pupils, and I am very happy with the result.

When I worked the activity "PIZZA", I found out that 2 of them didn't know what it was. It has just confirmed that English teaching is an exchange of cultural knowledge. I had the chance to bring them a taste of a delicious meal that is eaten "almost" every where, but in Indian and in Thailand, these 2 kids hadn't tried it yet. I don't need to tell you that when they went to the supermarket after that day, they not only saw it, but bought and ate pizza for the first time.

I hope I can bring them all the new and good for their future as human being.

Months of the Year

2007-11-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

If you have a calendar at home that you don't use any more, cut the names of the months, laminate them and practice spelling.

The pupils can memorize the months, review the alphabet, improve their writting and they have fun.

To check the subject, play hangman. They love this activity.

Parts of the body

2007-11-17T11:11:00.000-08:00

I love memory game, and it is always such an excitement to prepare the cards .

I have printed some parts of the body which match with the words.

Ex: ear shoulder hand foot knee leg arm mouth

head eyes finger toe neck nose teeth

Laminate the cards and enjoy while the kids learn.

EXPERIENCE

2007-11-05T05:22:00.000-08:00

I have had the best experience of my life as a teacher of foreigner students from a primary school in Scotland.

P1/2 Kamil, Joseph, Gvidas and Theodor;

P4/5 Joell and Supany;

P7 Nida.

I have developed some activities to interact with them, and I hope in a short term to reach the target.

For P1/2 I intend to help them to develop primary writing, reading, speaking and listening skills.

For P4/5 I intend to help them to cope with writing and reading skills, to make them able to follow the grade they are at the moment.

For P7 I intend to to help her to improve her grammar skills.

God bless me!!!!

PAPER PLATE PIZZA

2007-11-04T12:25:00.001-08:00

Make a paper plate.

Ask to your students to design their favorite pizza. Ex: Cheese, tomato, ham, pineapple, chocolate, pepper, mushroom, onion, garlic, tuna fish, etc...

Use the pictures and the names to build up food vocabulary.

Display the pizzas on the wall.

Have fun!!!!

ARE YOU A DOG?

2007-11-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

If you want to teach "VERB TO BE" for your students, try to introduce it in a simple way.

1- Give each student a card with a picture of any animal; dog, cat, horse, hen, kitten, zebra, fish;

2- the tutor starts asking one-to-one; ARE YOU A LION? ARE YOU A PIG?

3- each one say; NO, I AM NOT. I AM A .........

4-then the tutor asks about one of them; IS HE A LION? NO, HE ISN'T. HE IS A.....

IS SHE A PIG? NO, SHE ISN'T. SHE IS A......

ARE THEY A PIG AND A HORSE? NO, THEY ARE NOT. THEY ARE......

CREATING A DICTIONARY

2007-11-04T11:48:00.000-08:00

The dictionary can be created for any beginners.

They are going to colour a card with a picture and the correspondent word.

Ex: FISH

The Title for this sheet is the letter "F f". They are going to complete the sheet with words they know with the letter Ff.

READING A STORY

2007-11-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

I chose the story "Dirty Dermot".

1- motivate the students to read the pictures;
2- ask questions about the pictures;
3- in few words give each student a chance to make up a story;
4- read the story;
5- ask some questions to check comprehension;
6- the students write the story using their words, simple and short.

Have fun!!!

THE CELEBRITY HOT LIST ACTIVITY

2007-10-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

This is an activity, using an interesting article about "CELEBRITIES FASHION HOT LIST" from the newspaper, which brings some expensive items celebrities usually wear, and have turned into fashion must-haves.

You can find it easily in some famous magazines available in the market. This is a subject girls love talking about.

a)Show the article;

b) give the students some time to observe the pictures, labels, prices and general comments about it;

c)start the questionnaire;

Q1-How much should you save to buy:

a pair of shoes - £______________
a hat - £______________
a pair of gloves -£______________
a scarf -£______________
a bag -£______________
a dress -£______________
a ring -£______________
an umbrella -£______________
a watch -£______________

Q2-Is Paris Hilton as fashion as Jennifor Aniston?
A-

Q3-Is the brolly as cheap as the ring?
A-

Q4-What can you buy with £1,000?
A-

Q5-Choose and describe the hottest celebrity from the list?
A-

Objective: pre-reading, reading comprehension, math skills, link the object with names - vocabulary, world knowledge, adjectives, comparison, superlative, superiority, sentence building.

SUPPLY TEACHER

2007-10-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

Today, it was my first day in a primary school as a supply teacher. I observed the method, subject, students behaviour to understand the problems foreigners are facing to acquire English as an Additional Language.

Liza, 10 years old, can communicate, understand instruction, but not able to write and read the task she is doing.

Peter, 12 years old, has the same difficulties.

Three kids are very little, 5 years old. They are learning how to spell, phonetic sounds, and recognize words and pictures. Almost zero of English at all.

Monday morning, I am starting to help them to cope better in the school.

When I was leaving one the students, looked at me, said good bye, opened his hand with a candy for me. It was very sweet of him.

ESOL EFL ESL EAL

2007-10-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

My experience in Brazil as an English teacher gave me full registration for Language - Modern and Community with GTC in Scotland. It means that I can teach English as an Additional Language (EAL).

What is the difference in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), as a Foreign Language (EFL), as an Additional Language (EAL), and English for Speakers of other Language (ESOL )?

Basically, I need to understand the contest I belong at the moment.

Many Eastern European have launched in this country. Schools have had a huge number of pupils as speakers of other languages where the L1 in Scotland is English.

Which approach should be applied in the schools?

These pupils need English as an Additional Language.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2007-10-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

Dusky scene from a Scottish coastal cave

READING TEST Q4 - Q5

2007-10-11T06:09:00.000-07:00

Q4- Nina is helping her daughter with her school homework. Which is the correct spelling of this word?
a)preferred
b)preffered
c)prefferred
d)prefarred

Q5- On which type of holiday would you get a 15%discount?
Book any package holiday by the 21st June and receive a 15%discount per person.
Kids under 12 stay for only £ 99 at selected hotels
Great value city breaks to Dublin, Paris and Prague, 3 nights from £125
a)City breaks
b)Package holidays
c)European holidays
d)Flight only

READING TEST Q3

2007-10-09T06:52:00.000-07:00

Q3 Your local sandwich shop has a board outside with the deals of the day:
BLT-Smoked Bacon, Lettuce, Tomatoes and Cheese on white £1,95
Spicy Chicke with mixed saled and mayonnaise £1,95
One of the ingredients is spelled incorrectly, which one?
a-Smoked Bacon
b-Tomatoes
c-Saled
d-Spicy Chicken

READING TEST - Q2

2007-10-09T06:09:00.000-07:00

Q2-You are writing a note to the paperboy to cancel your order whilst on holiday next week. what should you write in the blank space to complete the note?
Please cancel our delivery from Tues 14th Oct-Tues 21st Oct as we____________on holiday.
a-is
b-will be
c-were
d-going

READING TEST

2007-10-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

This test was published on "Daily Mail" (04/10/2007-UK paper)

Use your english reading skills, but no calcutaltor is allowed in maths - only pen and paper.

Q1-You are making porridge for breakfast and the instructions say:
1-Put 1 cup of porridge oats in the pan
2-Pour in 2 cups of milk (or half milk, half water)
3-Bring to boil, then simmer for 5-7 minutes
4-Add sugar to taste
How much sugar should you add?
a-none
b-teaspoon
c-as much as you want
d-1/2cup

PROJECTS

2007-10-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

I am very interesting in some projects, that I could carry on with ESOL students.

The space is open for suggestions, and this is one:

THIS IS "ME" or you can use your name SUZEL'S BOOK or DO YOU KNOW ME?

The students can choose the title and have 10 minutes to vote the best.

For the content, all the topics covered throught out the semester can be used as a review, and the students may bring the material availabe to have their own book made in classroom:

Magazine, pictures, drawings, writings,...

Below are some suggestions for topics with page references for vocabulary from The New Oxford Picture Dictionary .

When I was born
Where I live pages (27-34)
The Country I Came From (70-71)
The Clothes I Like to Wear (19-24)
My Favorite Season (25-26)
My favorite Animal (65-69)
The Food I Like to Eat (6-18)
My Family (2-3)
Places I Go (56, 70-74, 87, 90-91)
My School (76-79)
Cars I Like (50-51)
Sports I Like to Play (92-97)
Where I Work (14-15, 82-86)
Plants and Trees That I Like (60-61)
Music (98-99)
My Future Goals

This is only an example http://members.aol.com/Jakajk/ESLLessons.html#PROJECT

ORIGAMI VOCABULARY

2007-09-28T02:24:00.001-07:00

outside reverse fold

inside reverse fold

turn around

turn over

fold and unfold

SAMPLES OF ORIGAMI

2007-09-28T02:14:00.001-07:00

I think they are really cute.

ORIGAMI

2007-09-26T02:32:00.000-07:00

I enjoy very much craft work. Maybe, because my mummy was a taylor, and she used to motivate me a lot with her beautiful job, which I know, she loved it so much.

This week I have been reading and practicing ORIGAMI and its benefit.

ORI means to fold and KAMI means paper.

It is a very good brain exercise for your students, as they can have developed some skills such as reading, listening, writing, attention, patience, concentration, sequencing, proportion, symmetry, problem solving, geometry, creativity, language speed development, measurement, ecology, self confidence, social, temporal spatial, visual motor, and so many more.

You can teach them the specific words, as well as to get them involved in this creative environment. ORIGAMI

DRIVER'S CLASS

2007-09-19T05:13:00.000-07:00

It is very hard to drive in a country where the road signs are different. I have been studying not only the signs, but also the right procedure to get my UK driver's licence. I need to know very well the traffic rules.

Introduce some important vocabulary and signs for your students. It might be useful if they intend to live abroad.

Print some signs and the correspondent vocabulary to be linked.

Have fun!!!

PLANETARIUM

2007-09-18T02:06:00.000-07:00

Children love to search on the internet.

Would you like to find a good subject?

Try PLANETARIUM.

They can find all the planets in the universe, their positions, and clicking in each image, they can enjoy the beauty of a full size image of any planet.

Check the details: Size, shape, colour...

Prepare a beautiful board with drawings, pictures and names.

They are going to be delightful with the experience

COKE ZERO

2007-09-17T02:09:00.000-07:00

Have you had that experience of being studying for hours, and a feeling of tiredness just takes your body, your mind, but you can't stop, because you still have so much to be done?

Yeap...I know...computer on, books opened, dictionary...I need a break!!!

I open the fridge and I see that can of Coke. It is like a refreshment. No concerns about sugar any more, just simple, easy, pleasant. Coke zero : Life as it should be : Real taste, zero sugar.

Coke zero has been part of my life.