Assesment is sometimes necessary

Hey There!!
You know, assesment and tests are sometimes necessary. We may not like it (students definetely don't) but we need to check on our kids' progress to know if everything is going on as it should. But if we can make this a little bit funnier and easier...then have got something important!!
Hot Potatoes can be our friend here. We can make up different kinds of tests and worksheets our kids will find interesting and useful... more like a game than an exam. Here's an example: my kids finished an unit about animals and this is one of the activities I prepared to check on them.

Enjoy!!

http://uk3.hotpotatoes.net/ex/101971/IQYTJCUG.php

Writing properly.

Hey there!!

Sometimes it's really difficult for kids to write properly in English. They find it hard to understand the apparent differences between writing and talking. and that implies they will also have problems reading and even maybe talking. So it's a good idea to try some exercises now and then to improve their spelling. of course this can be boring and very little motivating...unless you find the right way to help kids get into them. For example...we can try and decode a secret message, or find a secret word among a chaos of words and sentences. It's really fun and kids love it. It's very easy to create such an exercises if we apply to pages like puzzlemaker. Here's an example, I made it for my 7 years old kids when they were studying vocabulary related to physical descriptions. I hope you enjoy it, they certainly did!!

http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/code/BuildDoublePuzzle.asp

Imagination is power.

Hey there!!

Imagination plays so important a role in kids' life that we cannot wonder at their use as a teaching tool. Activities involving creation, specially if it implies to turn reality upside down, often get the best results. I can show you two fine examples.

Inventing a new and highly unrealistic animal can be a great way to practice vocabulary as well as some structures (to be, to have got, 3rd form of present simple...), and it's very helpful when it's necessary to remember some long, difficult (and often dull) words. This group discovered as much when they were told to use all the vocabulary they have studied to create crazy animals. now, they won't forget words as amphibian, whiskers, herbivore, night hunter... And their animals are really cute!!

Creating monsters proved itself as a great way for younger kids to remember simple structures (it is, it has got...) as well as adjective position (blue eyes, curly hair...) and vocabulary. And they has soo much fun. Now, my classroom is brighter than ever!!

Teens world.

Hi there!!!

I have recently started a new term with new teenager students... and I have come to know their problems and doubts. Did you know that -ed/-ing adjectives are sort of a trial for them? They find them really difficult to understand!! Sometimes it's just a matter of practice, so I have designed a little explanation and some exercises to try and help them overcome this great problem. Here they are, maybe they can be useful for your class too!

The main thing to remember is this:
adjectives with –ing are the cause of the situation and
adjectives with –ed are the feelings of the person affected

For example:
"This is a boring movie." (cause)
"I'm very bored." (feeling)

LET’S EXPLAIN THIS A LITTLE BIT BETTER:
'-ed' adjectives
Adjectives that end in -ed are used to describe how people feel:
'He was surprised to find that he had been upgraded to first class.'
'I was confused by the findings of the report.'
'She felt tired after working hard all day.'
'-ing' adjectives
Adjectives that end in -ing are used to describe things and situations. Compare these example
sentences to the ones above:
'Being upgraded to first class is surprising.'
The findings of this report are confusing.'
'Working hard all day is tiring.'


NOW, LET'S TRY!

 1. I love listening to ___ music at home.
relaxing
relaxed
 2. I was very ___ in class yesterday.
boring
bored
 3. That test was very ___.
challenged
challenging
 4. Action movies are ___.
excited
exciting
 5. My friend was ___ when she watched the show.
entertaining
entertained
 6. I'm very ___ with my results.
disappointed
disappointing
 7. I read some ___ statistics recently.
startling
startled
 8. I saw an ___ concert recently.
amazing
amazed
 9. I'm so ___ with my stupid husband!
frustrated
frustrating
 10. English is a very ___ language!
interesting
interested
 Dogs often feel ___ during fieworks.
frightened
frightening
 The metro can be ___ the first time you use it.
confused
confusing
 Satoru was ___ to hear about the earthquake.
shocked
shocking
 I think that rainy days in winter are ___.
depressing
depressed
 She's ___ of doing the same thing every day.
boring
bored
 It was the most ___ I have been watching a film.
excited
exciting
 The meals at Immigrant's Cafe are ___.
satisfying
satisfied

COMPLETE WITH THE RIGHT FORM OF THE RIGHT ADJECTIVE.
Sally has been running for three hours and now she is ______________________
My brother had an accident and his situation is quite ____________________
When we visited that abandoned house it was really _____________________
I think he was ___________ because he called me Mary and my name is Rose
That film is not _______________ despite being a comedy
Your bathroom is ________________! Couldn’t you clean it a little?
Are you ________________ in reading one of my novels?
What is the most __________________ story you’ve ever heard?
It was the most __________________ meeting I have ever attended.
When we broke the vase, we felt very __________________.

FILL IN WITH THE SUITABLE FORM OF THE ADJECTIVE GIVEN.
Is the book you are reading very _______________________? Interest
The new James Bond film is really _____________________. Thrill
We were both ____________________that she hadn’t heard the news. Surprise
The images of the war were very ___________________. Depress.
I nearly fell asleep in the cinema. The film was so ______________________ . Bore
She had such good marks that she was very _______________. Encourage
Can you tell me where that __________________ noise comes from? Annoy
They were ______________ the weather wasn’t good yesterday. Disappoint
My sister was ________________ by my old toys. Fascinate
When you are not in good spirits, it is ________________ to stay in bed all day. Tempt

I got the feeling you're gonna like this!!

Hey there!!

I've just recently discovered that house and furniture can be one of the most difficult topics for little kids to learn. There's so much vocabulary about it that they get lost very easily and seem unable to remember it all...unless you can find something interesting enough to catch their attention. A song does the trick very often, specially if it is funny, lively or makes them laugh. After a long search I think I've found a song with these three features reunited!!

I really recommend it to you all, parents and teachers. You may think it's too difficult for your kids, but I assure you, they can learn it with very little trouble just because it's funny and goes with a dance. Try it with 6 - 7 years old kids (or even 5, maybe) and you see you'll get surprising results.

Enjoy!!

Pre-teens...how can we cope with them?

Hello again.

I have to admit that pre-teens can be tricky sometimes. However, if you can find some motivating and challenging activities (challenging but not too demanding...they are almost teenagers, after all ^^) you'll be surprised at their reactions. They want to do things and they want to prove they aren't kids anymore. Here you are a couple of recommendations (they worked really well for me!!).

1. Why don't you try a scavenger's hunt? It's very easy and they love it. Just give them a paper with some questions about the topic you're studying that moment and hide cards with they information they need all around the classroom. They will have to find them and select the information needed to answer every question. They can work alone or in pairs. This activity gives them a sense of independence (and looking for the cards can be really funny, just be creative and find good hiding places!!).

2. If your class isn't fit for a scavenger's hunt or your students are too "nervous", you can try a quieter activity: making up sentences. Just give them an envelope full of words (try to include the vocabulary and structures you are working about) and tell them to make up as many sentences as they can. Let them work in pairs or little groups, they help one another and it's really fun!!!

I promise these two activities will do the trick (though they are not for every day, maybe). Enjoy!!

Describing people can be fun.

Hey there!!

Even the most tedious activity can be turned into a enyoable one with a little bit of imagination. And if you don't believe it...take a look at these pictures!! My seven years old students had a great time designing funny faces last week... but of course they had to describe them out loud in the end (so they helped them practice grammar, vocabulary and speaking). If you think that's too difficult for your students, you can try giving them instructions about the face you want them to make up and check if they understand. Either way you do it, it's a funny and useful activity I strongly recommend you!!

Enjoy!!