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 Minibook - Can/Can't practice

16/3/2014

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This is the first of the mini-book series that my first graders are creating to practice their grammar. This activity is great to implement in your Science classroom if you follow a CLIL methodology. Next, I will describe some tips you can follow to make sure the activity is developed smoothly.
1. Before creating the mini-book, make sure your students know how to build sentences using can or can't.
2. Choose one animal, for example the cat, and ask students to tell you things that cats can or can't do. Try to give positive feedback to each student for his effort and repeat the sentence if it is right. This strategy will expose students to more correct grammar and right sentences. Here is an example of a possible interaction in the classroom.

                                                      Teacher: What can cats do?
                                                      Child 1: Cats can climb trees.
                                                      Teacher: Good job! Cats can climb trees.

If one student does not use proper grammar but he or she is close and uses good vocabulary (actions verbs), praise him for his effort and repeat the sentence using the correct form and  putting emphases on the right way to say it.

                                                     Teacher: What can't cats do?
                                                     Child 2: Cats can't not drive.
                                                     Teacher: Good try! Cats caaan't drive.

If one student wants to participate but he or she isn't able to build one sentence, help him or her using the whiteboard as support.

When learning new grammar, it is important to praise students for their effort. Grammar can be tough for them and letting them know that participation is an essential part of their learning can make a difference on student's motivation and, of course, on the results. 

Once students have the hang of how to use can and can't, the written part starts.
3. Students will choose one animal they like. 
4. Next they will write sentences, one on each page, describing what that particular animal can or can't do. They will complement those sentences drawing a picture that will represent them. 
5. Since my students are not able to spell many words, I wrote on the whiteboard those verbs they may need to carry out the activity. Some of these action verbs include: run, jump, skate, drive, fly, climb... I also wrote the name of some animals on the board. If you have a poster with this vocabulary as well as animals' names on it, you will save some time and you won't get crazy when your students keep you asking how to spell words.
7. Once students have finished, ask them to read their book to each other.
8. You can keep the books in the classroom library so every student has the opportunity to read other classmate's work or you can let them take it home and read it to their family (reading practice).

Below is an example of a student's work (unicorns are allowed too!):
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Comparatives and Superlatives

24/4/2013

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Below, I present a lesson plan that you can use in your class to review comparatives and superlatives. Students should have at least a pre-intermediate level.

1. Review:

In the board, review with your students how to form comparatives and superlatives. You can do it by creating a chart that includes the rules to follow and have in mind when working with comparatives and superlatives.
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2. Worksheet: "Think of a word".

- Divide the class in small teams ( no more than three people) and turn in the worksheet "think of a word" to each team. 
- Then, write a noun on the board and ask students to suggest whatever the worksheet tells them. 
- It is a competition, so students need to fill in the worksheet as fast as possible but without spelling mistakes. 
- Misspellings will be penalised. The first team to complete all the sentences will win a point. Each team will get a point for each word that is correct. Should a spelling be wrong, no point will be awarded. The teacher will ask students to spell the written word is she/he thinks that it might be misspelled. If two groups write the same word in a sentence, they won't get the point. 
- Repeat the exercise with different words a couple of times and add up the points to select a winner.

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3. SONG: "Everything" by Alanis Morissette
- The teacher will introduce the song to students. He/she will explain ask students to fill in the blanks. The teacher will tell students that the words that are missing are adjectives, comparatives, superlatives and some parts of the verbs in the present perfect.
- Students will listen to the song and complete the gaps.
- If students find the song difficult, the teacher will give them a worksheet that includes the words missing. The teacher will read the words aloud to make easier their identification in the song.
- Repeat as many times as students need.
- Check answers by asking students to read the song aloud.
- Check new vocabulary.
- Identify the adjectives and complete a chart with them like the one at the review stage.


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4. The guessing game:
 This game can be carried out either writing or speaking:
- Describe an object/animal/person using comparatives until someone guesses what it is
e.g. "It is as yellow as a banana, "it is hotter than fire", "it is as round as a ball" (SUN)
- Wrong guesses should be replied to with another clue comparing the real object with that wrong guess, e.g. “No, this thing isn’t a candle. A candle is colder than it."
- Descriptions should include at least two compatives or superlatives
lesson_plan_attachments.pdf
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TV Commercials in the classroom

1/4/2013

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While we were playing "Pass the word" (see previous post to learn how to play), my 4th grade students came up with the idea of creating commercials. So after playing "pass the word" for several sessions, they started to design their own commercials. In order to carry out this activity, I grouped them in pairs or groups of three.
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First, I asked them to choose a product that they would like to sell and think of the characteristics of that particular product. Then, I asked them to create a brochure that included pictures and characteristics of the product. I monitored all the process by teaching them some frames they may use when describing the features of the product. Some of these included:
- It has ....
- You can ...
- Before it was ... but now it is only ...

I also provided them with some English dictionaries in case they needed to look up for new vocabulary. 
Below is the result! I can say that they absolutely enjoyed doing it and they learned a lot!

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FOLLOW UP
Having finished designing the brochure it was time to put into practice their acting skills, so they pretended that they were on TV and they had to sell for example, "an Ipod" or an "English class". I reminded them that actors on TV exaggerate everything they say and do so they had to do the same. They had a lot of fun preparing and practising the commercial and they came up with very creative ideas and product features. This activity is absolutely great to improve student's oral fluency and an excellent way to encourage collaborative tasks in the classroom.
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A fun way to review the present continuous (young learners)

7/12/2012

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This activity is great to introduce the present continuous in a new school year. It is also an excellent way to review essential vocabulary such as daily routines and food. I have carried out this activity with students who have a slight idea of the present continuous' pattern so it works as a review of it very well.

For this activity you will need:
 1. Flashcards with verbs (words) : dance, sing, have a shower, sleep drink, eat .... (daily routines).

 2. Flashcards with animals (pictures or words): giraffe, owl, cat, dog, bear ....
 3. Flashcards with food or drinks: water, orange juice, pasta, pizza, muffin...

Instructions: 
 1. Divide the flashcards in three groups according to their category (verbs, animals, and food and drinks).

 2. Let each student choose one flashcard from groups 1 and 2. In case they pick "eat" or "drink" they will also pick a flashcard from group 3. 
 3. Students will represent the combination of flashcards and will write the a sentence in the present continuous. If they picked "bear", "eat" and "pasta", they would represent and write "the bear is eating pasta".
 4. Do the activity first in front of the students so they can see what exactly they are expected to do.
 5. If necessary (depending on your students' age) go around and check which flashcards they got and write the sentences on the blackboard so they can copy them.

 6. The final result is so lovely! Check my students' work below!

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Teaching "I like" and "I don't like" to young learners

6/12/2012

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Teaching "I like ______" and "I don't like _______" 
1. "YES" and "NO" game:
 1. Tell students that the left side of the classroom corresponds to the  

answer "NO" and the left side corresponds to the answer "YES". 
 2. Ask students to stand up and go to either side of the classroom.
 3. Ask students a question that follows this pattern: "Do you like...   

apples?" If the answer is positive they will have to run to the "YES" side  
and if the answer is negative they will run to the "NO" side.
 4. Once each student has chosen one option, you will point at one side and 
students will have to say all together a complete answer following this pattern:  
"I like apples" or "I don't like apples". Then you will point at the other side.

 5. You can play several times. 
 6. You can use different verbs such as "to be" or " to have" once they have learned 
the pattern.

Teaching "I like it" and " I don't like it" 
I have done this exercise with my four year-old students and they just love it.
 1. You will need to prepare these materials: 
   - Ice-cream sticks, happy faces and sad faces made of paper (one for each       
     student)
   - Tape
   - Flashcards with pictures of food (see example) 
 2. Students will color the happy face in yellow and the sad face in red.

 3. You will build up the craft of each student using some tape to stick the faces to the ice-cream stick. (see example).
 4. Students will sit down on the floor with their sticks and they will be ready to   
listen to the teacher's instructions.
 5. The teacher will pick up a flashcard and will show it to the children saying: "Do you like ________?"
 6. Students will answer to the answer raising their craft and showing the happy  
face if the answer is affirmative and saying " yes, I like it" or they will show the 
sad face if the answer is negative, at the same time as they say " no, I don't     
like it".
 7. Repeat several times.


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    My name is Beatriz Paternain. I am an ESL specialist who graduated in 2012 with a Master's of Education in TESOL and World Languages Education from the University of Georgia

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