Love is in the kitchen

Hello again!!
I told you I wanted something special for the last night of the year, and here it is. Some days ago, I offered you a video about making up, and here's another one about cooking. With kids, to do is to know, and the more proactive you can be, the better for teaching. I strongly recommend you this activity, for small groups specially (you can adapt it to bigger ones, though).
Enjoy!!

Jolly poets.

Hello there!!

How are you feeling? In this last day of the year, I want to encourage to do something special. We've talked before about the importance of listenings, specially songs. But, why don't we take a further step? Let's bring out the poet inside our kids!! I did once and I had a wonderful time with my students. It really did the trick.
This is a funny and slightly absurd song I'm sure you'll find familiar. It makes clear everyone can make a song easily using a simple vocabulary. Here's the thing: make them listen to the song, fill in the gaps and then...make your own song to fit the music. And, of course, sing it!! It's wonderful!!
Here you are the original lyrics (incomplete, of course, so you can fill in the gaps). Then, I offer you an example made up by a pair of my 12 years old. It's hilarious. Enjoy!

Now I don't __________ know her
But I think I could love her
Crimson and ________________

Ah
Well if she come _____________ over
Now I been waitin' to _____________ her
Crimson and _____________
Over and over

Yeah
My mind's such a ___________ thing
I wanna do everything
What a _______________ feeling
Crimson and ________________
Over and over

Crimson and _______________, over and over


Laura and Arnau:

Well, today it's raining
I am here waiting
Blue is my baby,

Ah, the weather is changing
and now it's not raining
blue is my baby,

Yeah, The sun is now shining
let's stop crying
Let's play in the garden
Blue was by baby
when it was raining.


Imagine 14 o 15 such poems sung by them. We had the time of our lives!

That's what "classic" means.

Hello again!
I know this may seem a cliché...but classics always seem so.
Sometimes it's very, very, veeeeeeery difficult to get teenagers interesting in...absolutely everything, I know it well. And maybe Shakespeare doesn't seem the best way to get students close to English, but here's the thing about classics: they are timeless. They can appeal to all of us because they talk about what really concerns us every time: love, friendship, greed, fear, death... primary and powerful feelings... You just need to adapt things a little bit to turn them into something close to your students everyday life. And if you don't believe me...take a look at this.
A couple of years ago I asked my 13 years old students to adapt a certain piece of Romeo and Juliet. At first, they thought it was terribly boring, of course. So, I told them a little bit about the story: a boy and a girl meet at a party, they like each other and then discover they aren't allowed to be together. That can happen nowadays. But, how would it happen? Where do you think Romeo and Juliet would meet if the story took place today? What would they say to each other? Why wouldn't they be allowed to be together? Can you imagine the situation? And they could....they really could. We had a wonderful time reading their adaptations and I'm proud to say they truly enjoyed the experience. Here's an example, I hope you like it as much as I did. Why don't yoy try to do it in your classrooms?
Enjoy!!

ROMEO AND JULIET: AT THE DISCO.

(At the disco. Juliet is dancing. Romeo sees Juliet and he decides to talk to her).

R:- Hello!

J:- Hello! What’s your name?

R:- My name is Romeo. What’s your name?

J:- I’m Juliet.

R:- Can I buy you a drink?

J:- Oh, no, thank you. Do you come here often?

R:- No, it’s the first time. It’s a great disco. And I love this song.

J:- Let’s dance, then!! (Romeo and Juliet dance. Suddenly, the music changes. Now, there’s a ballad playing).

R:- Do you want to dance this?

J:- Yes, it’s my favourite song (she smiles). You dance very well.

R:- You are so beautiful… the most beautiful girl in the disco. Can I have your telephone number?

J:- Of course you can. It’s 675432143.

R:- Can I phone you tomorrow? We can go for a walk…

J:- Yes, great. Call me!! I have to go, bye!

(Juliet and her friends go. Romeo sees a friend).

R:- Hello, Mercutio!!

M:- Hello…why were you talking to that girl?

R:- She’s beautiful. I have her number.

M:- No!! You can’t like her. She’s from the Junken Kings!!

R:- Really?

M:- Yes!! She’s from the enemy band!! You can’t like her!!

R:- Oh, no….(to be continued).

This can really surprise you...

Hello again!!
This is one of my favourite cartoons ever. I used to show it to my kiddies at school because it's very easy to get to English through cartoons...specially those related to music. I have to say it really did the trick...even more than I expected.
It was surprising to see the way kids reacted to the story, really... I am looking forward to read your comments after you've watched the video with your kids!!
The last thing for me to do is warning you: this is a slightly different version of the true story, so if you're looking for the real Peter and the wolf this may be a little dissapointing...but it's a nice and funny version, indeed.
Enjoy!!

Past times always seem better.

Hello again!
This is a very useful link to learn about the past tense (and practice through many very useful activities) in a funny and entertaining way.
Enjoy!!

http://www.mes-games.com/past1.php

This is my little house.

Hello there!!

Did you ever think there are lots of useful things to practice English with your kids around the house? Your furniture, for example. Teaching your kids their English games is a great way to improve their vocabulary... and then you can try little games like this, just to get sure you don't forget everything you've learnt.

Enjoy!!

http://www.anglomaniacy.pl/furnitureMatching.htm

Nothing compares...to this ^^

Hi there!!

Let's go on a little bit talking about comparatives and superlative. After the concept map, I think it's time to practice a little bit. So, let's turn to Hot Potatoes to create our own activities. Here's an example, but I think it's even better if you try to create your own, to adapt them to your kiddies' level and necessities.
Enjoy!!

http://uk3.hotpotatoes.net/ex/95609/LCROCBQD.php

Comparisons are odious ^^

Good morning, everybody!
How are you?
Let's talk today about other of the most common English teaching topics: comparatives and superlatives. Kinds find them quite confusing, so let's try to help them grasp the topic the easiest way we can. Why don't we turn to Cmap tools again? A concept map can do the trick and help our students reach a lot of concepts in one go. Here I offer you an example, but I encourage you to try and make your own maps, it's really useful!

file:///C:/Users/User/Desktop/Comparatives%20and%20superlatives.html

Enjoy!!

Talking about the past

Hi there!!
I've just discovered a new teaching tool: the Hot Potatoes! It's really interesting!

You can create your own activities to practice any lesson, and adapt them to your kids level easily. There are lots of possible activities: quizzes, matches....it's really good, I highly recommed it to you. Here's an example of a quiz about Past Simple (you know how difficult it is for kids to remember the differences between regular and irregular past). I hope you find it useful.

Enjoy!!

http://uk3.hotpotatoes.net/ex/95585/HJCPNXMX.php

Gone with the wind.

Hello there!!
How are you doing? I hope you're having the best Christmas ever!!
As it's winter now, be very careful with the weather and don't forget to wrap yourselves up. And don't let your clothes too long on the washing line, see what can happen!!

Break out!! (Nellie the elephant).

Hiya!!
I don't want to let another day pass without introducing Nellie to you. She was one of my kiddies' best friend and an example to everybody certainly: it's always possible to change your life. Are you ready to dance? Enjoy!!

  

Animal Farm

Hello again!!

You know "animals" is a great topic to get children interested in English. They use to enjoy a lot the videos and songs about animals, and they find quite easy to remember a certain number of animals' names. I've always found it so, indeed. So, here you are one of the most famous animal songs ever. The video is really cute. Enjoy!!

Who said listenings are boring? (II)

As we saw some days ago, listenings can be a good way to practice English: at school, at home.... And song, specially, are very useful listenings. We can sing them, we can fill the gaps, we can complete the verses or even invent new ones... provided we choose the right song for each group of students, of course.
This is one of the right songs, I think. It's easy, funny, lively and you can do lots of things with it. I suggest you here a simple fill in the gaps exercise, but there are no limits to what you could do (inventing new verses, for example, is a really good).
Enjoy!!

Hey, what's the big idea?Yo, Mika
I said, sucking too hard on your lollipopHey, love's gonna get you downI said, sucking too hard on your lollipopHey, love's gonna get you down
Sucking too hard on your lollipopOr love's gonna get you downSucking too hard on your lollipopOr love's gonna get you down


I went walking in with my mama one dayWhen she warned me _____________________Live your life until love is found'Cause love's ________________________
Take a look at the ____________________She's a player and a down right boreJesus loves her, ______________________Oh, bad girls get you down
Singing, sucking too hard on your lollipopOr love's gonna get you downSucking too hard on your lollipopOr love's gonna get you down

Say love, say loveOr love's gonna get you downSay love, say loveOr love's gonna get you down
Mama told me what I should knowToo much candy ___________________If she loves you, let her go'Cause love only _____________
Take a look at the boy like meNever stood ________________Now I'm blue, as I can beOh, love couldn't ___________________
(Chorus)

Jump!

Hello again!!
Did you miss me? Ok, let me make amends with this beautiful nursery rhyme. It's one of my little kids' favourite, we used to have a great time singing and dancing. In fact, all fathers at school ended up singing the song two, it was really funny!!
Enjoy!

...before I put on my make up...

Hello everybody!!
I'd like to start offering you a serie of my favourite activities. These are things I used to do at school with very very good results. Kids love novelty, and I think breaking the routine now and then is a very advisable thing to do.
I made up this one to practice the human body (though you can also review the colours, for example). It's very funny and slightly ridiculous, so it is a 100% success  with kids from 3 to 6 years old (older kids probably won't find it that exciting). Before you start, find out if someone's got a specially sensitive skin and have cleansing cream or make-up remover tissues close at hand (little kids sometimes get nervous if they think their faces are "dirty").
I invite you to try at home, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time with your sons and daughters.
Enjoy!!

New tools, new ways of learning (and teaching, of course)

Hiya back!

Funny enough, one of the most recurrent lessons in English teaching is the difference between present simple and present continuous, and each one's different usages. And even funnier, that's one of the things kids find most difficult to get. 

One of the things I've tried to make things easier for them is the concept map. It's visually easy to reach and it helps them get all the information together.

There's a wonderful tool to create your own concept maps: Cmap Tools. You can download it for free. It's really useful!! This is a little, very simple example of the things you can do with it. It's a very basic example, in fact, you can do lots of things: add links, pictures, different resources, change the style.... Feel free to find out all its possibilities!!

Eight days a week.

Welcome back!!
There's no better way to start the class than singing and clapping! And if you can adapt that singing to the daily routines, then you've got something worth trying. This was one of my kiddies' favourite. We sang it every day at the beginning of the classroom, and I can tell you: all of them knew the name of the days of the week by heart.
Enjoy!!

Prepositions...and a carrot.

Hi there!
You see, I've always found kids considered prepositions a very dull and hard to learn lesson. No matter how much we studied them, they always forgot about them as soon as the lesson was over...until I found this little chant. It really does the trick!! Finally, I found a way not only to make prepositions funny and easy, but also to make kids remember them forever very easily. Don't you believe it? You should try the video, then.
Enjoy!!

Scary outside, cute inside.

Hello again!
I know one of the main critics TESL usually receives is the fact teachers always seem to be teaching the same vocabulary...about the same topics. And the human body is one of the main (and most repeated) topics. But the fact is, it's a necessary one. And as it is simple and kids feel it close, it helps us get them interested. Let's try to deal with this topic in a creative, funny and non-repeating way.
This is one of my students' favourite game. They loved it so much they asked for it any time, whether we were currrently working about the human body or not. Every parent at school knew this game and they used to play at home. 100% Success guaranteed! Try this link and see what happens. Enjoy!!

http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/make-your-own/make-your-monster

This is my monster...what does yours look like?

Sing it for the boys, sing it for the girls...

Hello there!!
I've always observed songs are a great way to help kids take an interest in English. There are songs about practically everything you can think of, (even if sometimes they are a little bit difficult to find). I'd like to show you one of my favourites. It's a Halloween song (initially), but I've found out kids enjoy it any time, and it turns out to be a great way to learn new parts of the body. My pupils used to love it, and I hope you like it too. So, shake your body and enjoy!!

The treasure hunt.

Welcome back, dear parents and teachers. How are you doing?
Today, I want to show you another of my favourite classroom activities. It's mostly aimed to teachers, but I think creative and enthusiastic parents could try it to...with good results and lots of fun for them and their kids, I'm sure!
The name of this activity is "The treasure hunt". It's somehow similar to a webquest, but easier and shorter. You can get it ready faster and kids need less time to perform it. Let's say it's much more concrete.
Let's see: you can develop this activiy through a simple word or pdf document. Sometimes, the task setting need no more than a page. You start with a brief introduction. Then, you propose a list of questions related to a certain subject. You offer kids some resources so they can get the right answers (by resources we usually mean web sites, but you can also choose some books containing the information kids need). Up to now, it's very similar to a webquest, isn't it? Fair enough, you are right, but now comes the trick: the last question in your list should be what we call THE GREAT QUESTION. It's a question whose answer is not available in the resources you've chosen...they have to work it out themselves from the actual information they have. That's the best part, really.
Usually, you don't need more than a session to get the job done. Kids learn a lot and they have fun. You'd be amazed at the results. And you can use a treasure hunt to work about all the subjects you can imagene (in English as much as in their native language). Take a look at this example. It's a treasure hunt about Maths:

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY 3D?

I’m sure you all have heard about this. But do you really know what it means? What does people mean by “dimensions”? Let’s take a look around to know a little more about this. We may discover that some things come in two dimensions, whereas other things come in what we call 3D. Are you ready for the hunt? So, there we go!!

1         What’s a 2D Shape like?

                Examples of 2D.

           What’s the meaning of 3D

                 Examples of things that come in 3D.

            What’s the name of the science that studies shapes?

And now… the big question….

             Is it possible to find anything 1D?

Difficult? I’m sure it isn`t!! Just take a look at these sites and I’m sure you’ll get it done in no time. Good luck and….let’s go for the treasure!!!

http://www.mathsisfun.com/definitions/three-dimensional.html

http://www.kidsnewsroom.org/elmer/infocentral/geometry/index.html

Who said listenings are boring?

 Hiya!!
All teachers know listening activities are very important. Developing our pupils' listening skills is a very important part of teaching a new language. And as listenig activities can be difficult or even dull sometimes, we all have turned to songs as a way to make listenings livelier and lighter somehow. I've done so and I've enjoyed it, but I think we usually stop at the obvious: fill in the gaps. But, is that all? I don't think so! There are lots of things we can do with a song if we are ready to try. For example: what if we add new verses? Even easier: what if we finish sentences? It's not as difficult as it seems, and If we choose a simple songs, kids in the last year of primary can try (even if it's maybe a better activity for secondary students onwards).
Let me offer your an example. I've chosen a cute, simple, lively song from the Beatles: I saw her standing there. Let's try, first, to finish certain sentences. Then, we'll try to add new verses to the whole.
Enjoy!!

Well, she was just seventeen, 
You know __________________________
And the way she looked was way beyond compare. 
So how could I dance with another,
And I saw her standing there. 

Well she looked at me, and I ______________________
That before too long I'd fall in love with her. 
She wouldn't dance with another, (Ooh) 
And I saw her standing there. 

Well, my heart went "boom", 
When I _______________________ 
And I held her hand in mine... 
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/beatles/i+saw+her+standing+there_10026349.html ] 
Whoa, we danced through the night, 
And we __________________________
And before too long I fell in love with her. 
Now I'll never dance with another, (Ooh) 
Since I saw her standing there. 

Well, my heart went "boom", 
When I _______________________
And I held her hand in mine... 

Whoa, we danced through the night, 
And we _________________________
And before too long I fell in love with her. 
Now I'll never dance with another, (Ooh) 
Since I saw her standing there. 

Ooh Since I saw her standing there. 
Yeah well, Since I saw her standing there. 

Ready? Very well then, so listen and check!!

What if we add some verses now? Let's see....for example:

When I went home at dawn,
 and I was on my own 
I felt so good, I hardly could refrain from saying
She couldn't dance with another....

Well, of course there's no limits to what we can say here. Good luck and enjoy!!!

It's not just a code, it's a learning tool.

Hello there!!
English is not just another dull subject. It can be a teaching and learning tool. In fact, it has to be, specially given the direction our world is taking. So, we have to try and use it as much as we can, for example, to teach subjects as different as Science or History.
It seems a difficult task, but it's not. There's a simple, quite effective and enjoyable way to do so: the webquests.  Do you know anything about them? It's easy: we set a task, we provide the resources and we give students time to get the job done. Finally, they have to communicate the results via power point, a presentation...or something like that. The funny thing is we use 2.0 technology all the way through the webquest.
Here's an example of a webquest. There's no limits to what we can do with a webquest, really.

http://phpwebquest.org/newphp/webquest/soporte_tablon_w.php?id_actividad=35666&id_pagina=5

You can create them easily here:

http://www.phpwebquest.org/

A journey back in time
INTRODUCCIÓN TAREAS PROCESO EVALUACIÓN CONCLUSIONES
INTRODUCCIÓN Greece is a fascinating country. And it has a fascinating history. A great deal of the things we are familiar with today were first invented by the Greek. Let's take a look at its ancient history to discover how much we owe them. Fasten yout seatbelts, we are about to take off!!
Webquest elaborada por María López Ferreiro con	PHPWebquest

I before e except after c... (alphabet)

We've been talking about phonics, letters and the sound of them. We've already mention the importance of all these things to talk and write properly (not to mention to improve our listenig skills). Songs are an easy and funny way to start... but we can't stop there. Kids need practice, and they need to do...in order to know.  Activities are vital, specially when they are very little.
Well, we have lots of activities in www.starfall.com. I recommend you the alphabet related ones. but there are lots of interesting activities really good to practice reading, aimed at older children. Why don't you visit the web site and have a look. It's amazing and kinds love it!!

www.starfall.com

A,B,C...easy as do-re-mi... (M to Z).

...and this is it. Here you are the remaining letters. I hope you like the videos as much as I did.

ABC...easy as do-re-mi.... (A to L)

Hiya back!!

Talking is the most important and difficult issue we have to face when teaching ESL. But it's not the only thing. Years ago, grammar was practically the only thing about English we learned at school. That wasn't good: in the end, we weren't able to face a conversation and we forgot very fast all we've learned...because we didn't really use it! Things have changed, indeed, and now everybody put the stress on talking. That's fine, but we can't forget the importance of English nowadays. We need to know how to read and write or our English knowledge won't be really useful for us. So, as teachers, we must pay attention to all these. 

Starting as sooner as possible is important. So, let's start teaching our kiddies the alphabet. But not just the way we used to. Let's teach them not just the name of the letter: also the different ways they sound. Spelling is important nowadays, as phonetics are.

Here's a little video about the sound of the letters. It's funny and useful and I think your kids will love it. This is the first part (a to l). To be continued....Enjoy!!

I've got the world on my hands

Hey there!!
You know, sometimes it's really hard to get kiddies learn a foreign language...or so it seems, from our point of view. In fact, it's much easier than we think. We only need to find the best ways to enter their little lives with something new.
There are two basic things I've learned after years working with little children:
1. The first one: always make it familiar. They won't show any interest if you're talking about something that doesn't have anything to do with them...somehow.
2. And the second one: don't be afraid of repetition. You may think it's getting boring, but if they like something, they can't have enough of it!! Repetition, indeed (as long as it's not a one-way thing), is one of the best way to put some knowledge into their heads (sometimes the only one).

Here's an example. Family is the most important thing in a little kid's life. So, let's talk about it. And let's do it using simple structures once and again...until they get it! This is a sweet, easy, funny song and you can use it from 2 to 4 years with very good results.
Enjoy!!

Once upon a time... (6th grade).

...there was a princess. Her name was Isabel. She was young, pretty and clever. She wanted to be a great queen, but it wasn't easy.
By that time, Spain wasn't a country as it is now. It was divided into different kingdoms. Castile was one of them, and Aragon was another. Isabel decided to marry Fernando, prince of Aragon. He was a smart and handsome young boy who wanted to be king as well. Together, they became great kings. They joined together their two kingdoms to create a bigger one. They also conquered the Muslim kingdom of Granada to join it to this kingdom. That would be Spain, just as we know it now (that's what we now as Reconquest).
Of course they didn't do only good things...but bad things as well (as the Inquisition). But kings and queens are also human.
They had 5 children: 4 girls and a boy. Here's what you have to do: could you tell me the names of these children and who did they marry? It's not difficult!! Follow the link!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Monarchs

Take a look at this video to learn a little more about the Catholic Kings.

Across the universe (3rd and 4th grade).

Our little planet is not alone in the universe, we know that. But...do you really know anything at all about our neighbours? There are eight more planets travelling around our Sun. and all together we form the Solar System. But what's that? What are all the planets like? Could we visite them? Does anybody live there?
You'll find the answer to these (an other) questions if you follow this extremely interesting link.

http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm

There's so much to know about the planets!! How about this? Try to discover which one is the hottest, which one's the coldest, which one's the fastest and which one the slowest. Then, let me know if you find out the name and number of moons of them all. Good luck and enjoy!!

Little things around us (1st and 2nd grade)

Who says little things are less important than big ones? I disagree. The world is made of many, many things, and all of them are equally important to create this planet we live in and make it exactly as it is: rich, interesting and beautiful. And...as all thing are important, we should try to know about all of them as much as we can.

Family is an important part of our lives, the most important part, I'd say. But it isn't so just for humans. We can find families everywhere. Animals have families too. Would you like to know a little about them? Follow me then!! Click on these video and let's learn something about Animal Families Enjoy!!