Check out all the latest news from the start of the year in the February edition of the IH Inter-schools newsletter!
Read the newsletter online by visiting http://ihworld.com/news
Looking for online practice tips? – by Sandra Luna
If you’re looking for online practice to suggest to your students, try one of the following links:
Lyrics Training
http://lyricstraining.com/
The website has been slightly remodeled, but it’s still great! Lots of songs with different levels of difficulty to help your students improve their listening skills!
Free Rice Game
http://freerice.com/ – /english-vocabulary/1374
Have you fed anyone today? This game helps students improve their vocabulary, and it donates 10 grains of rice through the World Food Programme to help end hunger!
Poetry Board
http://play.magneticpoetry.com/poem/Kids/kit/
Encourage students to play with words to form sentences and poems. They can then save and share their masterpieces with you and the rest of the class! Great to include in class blogs.
CARROT vs. CCOL? by Shawn Severson
I couldn’t believe that Cambridge had changed to 4 categories, CCOL, not that CARrOT is perfect, but it’s just really handy, giving you 5 categories. For me, it’s easier to give more European-style grades with more categories to grade on. Perhaps that is simply a gap in my assessment skills, but what I decided is that CARrOT is really just “my” system which rips apart the descriptors and makes them more teacher friendly. Yet, I thought I saw my marking safeguard fade
away, as the criteria was no longer valid.
Then it dawned on me: we are, in fact, assessing writing and the rubric is meant to help us, which it has in the last several years, perhaps back to 2007 or so when I came up with it. Furthermore, I looked at the new descriptors for First and Advanced, and they have somewhat puzzling descriptors for 4 and 2, which are “shares features of 5 and 3″ and “shares features of 3 and 1” respectively.
So, for this reason, until we have written our own clearer, more student-friendly descriptors and until we’ve also analyzed the latest Cambridge seminar work, we’ll leave the CARrOT in place to lead us along. Perhaps in the next year we could change and actually write a student explanation rubric sheet into more usable and accessible language. I think that CARrOT works for teachers and also
helps teach students about what is expected. In the near future, we might write
up some CCOooL specs so we all score uniformly and, of course, change the selfcalculating writing template accordingly!
If you want to learn more about CARrOT and CCOooL, contact Shawn.
Professional Development for teachers – Do we need it? by Sandra Luna
All professions require ongoing training. However, in the real school world we are not always able to invest in professional development. We teach classes with too many students for too many hours, and we spend far too long marking and preparing material outside school. Sometimes we just lack the energy! Or the money…
In recent years, teacher development has been moving beyond the usual couple of workshops attended throughout the academic year, and it is becoming a robust system of continuing education. We no longer worry about content knowledge only, though we sure need to brush it up every now and then, and have started to take a better look into things such as quality teaching, diverse learning needs, student learning environments and collaboration. We have, also, realized that computers and other technology are now a part of our daily lives. There are reports to write and tools that make it easier. There is Moodle and the IH Campus platforms which allow us to continue the lesson outside the classroom. The tutorials we can send to our students encourage learner independence. But mostly, professional development allows us to share experiences, to help our colleagues (new teachers and senior teachers) with our ideas.
A school is made of teachers, students and administrative staff. It could not exist without these three elements. And in my opinion, a good teacher is the most important school related factor influencing student achievement. We all want good students, we want them to dream high, to feel they can conquer the world so please remember this quote by Henry Ford “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”
Let’s Play Checkers – by Sandra Luna
One the easiest game, one everyone knows so you won’t have to teach the game. Instead you’ll be able to teach language!
Checkers is one of the easiest games to learn. Most children like it and adults never forget how to play it. Many years ago I started to use it to teach grammar. It started with the Simple Present and the 3rd person -s. However, I’ve used it with so many different things I think you can teach virtually anything using it.
Here’s a list of topics I’ve worked on with this: phrasal verbs, prepositions (at, in, on), Simple Present, phonemes, stress patterns and word formation. I’m sure you can come up with other ideas for how to use this, wouldn’t you like to share?
The pictures describe how I build my pieces and the image I use for the board. If you laminate these (like I do) they’ll last and you can reuse your pieces if you make them in card. I have a box of different sets according to what I want to work on.
The rules are the normal checkers’ rules with a twist, you can only take your opponents piece if they’re a match. For example: if black has “in” and white has “June”. Sometimes the game will come to a dead end, which can also happen when playing the regular game. Just tell your students that the player who has taken more pieces wins the match and that they can have another turn. Hope you like it.
Click on the links below to get materials and see how to adapt the game!
Board
Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3
Picture 4
Picture 5
Picture 6
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Picture 8
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Picture 11
Young Learners vs. Adults by Isabel Fechas
I was recently faced with this question: “How is teaching Young Learners different to teaching Adults?” My first reaction was saying that it is very different, and I actually came up with some differences very easily. Adults are aware that they’re in a classroom to learn a second language whereas Young learners usually go there because someone (usually parents) take them there, even if they’re not really aware of the reasons. Another aspect is at the skills level. Adults are usually fluent in their L1 and already have some previous knowledge of the L2 they want to learn, which helps in terms of the time spent giving instructions, and, the most relevant for me, they can read!
However, there was something that I’ve only noticed this year when I started teaching Adults. They are usually more reticent to letting you know that they are struggling with something or that they simply don’t understand your instructions or what you’re trying to explain. So I came to the conclusion that just as with Young Learners, the teacher should try to establish routines to make Adult students feel confident and secure enough to admit their difficulties. And even though one usually thinks about games for Young Learners, I’ve discovered they work really well with adults, and they tend to relax, eventually helping them with their learning.
It seems to me that Adults and Young Learners have more in common than one might think at first glance.
So, after this small reflexion, I would like to leave you all the challenge of sharing some of your thoughts and ideas about this. We’ll be waiting for them!
The Flipped Classroom – or Tilting it by Shawn Severson
Have you ever questioned whether explaining grammar is effective use of class time? Of course you have, this is one of the big points addressed in the communicative approach!
For younger levels, an inductive way of exposing students to grammar is so effective and really compliments grammar knowledge they might see in a table or which has been drilled into them at school. When it comes down to the more complicated and stylistic points of grammar, say, inversion for example, sure you can show students a few examples in a text (any more and that would be extremely artificial!), but then what? And then you have the issue that not only does explanation take a long time, but also setting these into a communicative setting is quite difficult. So, the last recourse is explain and drill.
But what if your explanation, very declarative, straightforward and traditional, were done at home? This is what the flipped classroom aims to do. Give declarative information, material that would normally be lectured at home. Homework, drills, etc. can then be done in class. Flipping learning has been a huge success in science and mathematics because it also allows for students to have access to additional resources because declarative knowledge being explained is linked to online resources. And students can stop, pause and rewind at random.
For language, perhaps this is not so clear and so what I am doing in 2014-15 is trying to at least “tilt” my classroom. Through Moodle, I am proving links to grammar tutorials, then students do the standard course book exercises. The next class we correct those exercises and then do freer types of practice, ironing out points they might not have understood so well. More importantly, we try to integrate this grammar into realistic contexts into the classroom, moving past analyzing language and into using it. For example lessons (these are my first attempts, done simply, in just a few minutes after preparing the materials).
Inversion: http://youtu.be/nyRz1eWSL40
Articles: http://youtu.be/LGO2bvq1naM
For more information on this type of teaching, which won’t replace us as teachers, but merely underline our importance and free up opportunities for communicating and interesting classroom work: http://flippedclassroom.org
This is Halloween! – by Sandra Luna
As most of my friends know, I absolutely love Halloween. I like carving pumpkins, welcoming the (very few) kids who come trick-or-treating, making cards and painting monsters with my boys. I think it’s better than Carnival, actually, I think it can’t be compared to Carnival. However, Halloween isn’t that popular in Portugal, really. It’s still seen as a “foreign”, “modern” activity so there’s not a lot of attention paid to it. Just that teachers, English teachers, that is, love it. Time to have fun and let the mean, (not that) nasty vampire come out, come out, wherever it is….
So, what do I have to share? Probably nothing new. If you go online there will be thousands of resources available. However, if you need a quick guide and don’t have time to scroll down Dr. Google’s list, here are a few resources and ready-made worksheets that can help save the day.
Videos
The History of Halloween (a short documentary by the History channel, quite good for an activity with adults) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amPLNo7SOwg
Halloween Songs for Kids! (half an hour of wonderful Halloween songs for VYL by Super Simple Songs) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se4e4_3FpZw
Short Story – Halloween is Grinch’s night (looking for a short film? This could be it. Dr. Seuss story for children about the Grinch) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygSEkwRCQPM
Halloween Cartoons (a playlist with 65 videos related to the theme. Great for VYL if you’re looking for a different way in which to finish/start your lesson) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYpadw9O1ZM&list=PLle7mneMioTYVcdSNufJ3aLCdpjL3eYmG
Crosswords, Puzzles & Word Searches
Word search (good for YL and teenagers) – http://www.schoolfamily.com/print-and-usetools/document/694-halloween-word-search
Halloween Scramble (a simple worksheet related to safety on Halloween, good for YL) – http://www.schoolfamily.com/print-and-use-tools/document/781-halloween-scramble
Crossword (a sort of a Halloween trivia that is sure to keep your students busy for a while) – http://www.schoolfamily.com/print-and-use-tools/document/772-halloween-crossword-puzzle
Word search builder (make your own word search with this on line program, you will only have to print it) – http://www.softschools.com/language_arts/words/worksheets/word_search168.html
Worksheets
Halloween worksheets (@ education.com you’ll find lots of printable worksheets you’ll be able to use with your students) – http://www.education.com/worksheets/halloween/
Halloween worksheets and activities (you have everything here, from Reading comprehension, to vocabulary practice. @ http://bogglesworldesl.com/ you’ll find resources from several sorts)
The teachers’ corner (you’ll find recipes, puzzles, wordsearch, etc.) – http://seasonal.theteacherscorner.net/halloween/
Super Simple Learning (this website will provide you with lesson plans, recipes, party ideas and so on) – http://supersimplelearning.com/halloween/
Songs
Dream English Halloween (focuses on songs that can be used, mainly, with children) – http://www.dreamenglish.com/halloween
Halloween songs (over 8 pages of different songs that can be used with other levels) – http://busyteacher.org/search.html?q=halloween+song
And of course, if all else fails…
• The busyteacher.org (you know why, don’t you 😉 – http://busyteacher.org/search.html?q=halloween
• Printables, crafts, poems (not many people still remember this site, but it’s one of the oldest around) – http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/index.html
Warm up by Auctioning, Miming and Finding the Mistake! – by Isabel Fechas
Being a Young Learner’s teacher is not an easy task. Even after years of doing this, I still need to be constantly researching for new strategies to teach English to my students and, at the same time, make them enjoy what they are doing. To do so, I’ve used some strategies that most of you already use in your classes: warmers, games and rewards.
As you may know, warmers are a good way to set the mood to learn English. They shouldn’t take more than a few minutes in the beginning of the lesson and don’t necessary need to be related to what you’re teaching that day, but they are excellent techniques to review subjects taught in previous lessons. Here are some of the warmers I’ve used with my students.
Auction a Sentence is an activity that can be used to review grammar and you can do this with almost any level. Mix the correct and incorrect sentences on pieces of paper and give them to your students. Explain that you are going to have an auction and that they’ll be given a certain amount of money to spend (using money adds a sense of reality to this, so it might be advantageous to do so). Tell them they must read the sentences and bid if they think the sentence is correct. They can only spend the amount of money they have. The ones who lose must give their money to the winners, adding a fun, competitive spirit.
If you have younger learners who aren’t familiar with auctioning, you can just do a Find the Mistakes activity. The process is more or less the same. They must find the mistake and correct the sentence. Instead of money, they can win points that you can later exchange for a reward. A nice way to make this activity more appealing to them is to use a mini-whiteboard for them to write the correction on. Students love to use different materials, and these work really well.
Miming the Word is a good way of reviewing and recycling vocabulary taught, and it doesn’t take long to prepare. On separate pieces of paper, write words that students have been learning and give one or two to each student in class. Instruct your students not to show the paper(s) to their classmates. Explain that they have to read the word and mime it out to the rest of the class. The student that guesses the word then gets a point. If your students are shy and don’t like to be up front, try doing it yourself first to get them started. Seeing the teacher doing the same activity they’re supposed to do is encouraging for them and might give them the boost they need.
These are just some of the possibilities of warmers you can use with your students. They will help to lighten the mood at the beginning of each lesson and will definitely result in more engaged students when it comes to learning and speaking English in your class. Hope these warmers help!
Getting to the core of specialty exams: A look at the GRE – by Shawn Severson
There are many specialty exams out there, each, as the designation implies, focusing on a specific area and skill. Additionally, those exams prepared in the US, such as TOEFL and TOEIC on one hand, for testing non-native English ability and the GMAT and GRE, on the other, which incorporate serious timing constraints and even psychometric methods, ultimately measuring how the candidate responds under pressure. In other words, for these last two exams, the focus is to pinpoint the skills each candidate possesses and to minimize the influence of rote learning on test scores. Many arguments for and against these types of exams are out there. However, as these exams are carefully created to ensure a level of language, thinking skills and math, why don’t we take a look at one such exam—the GRE? The Graduate Records Examination (GRE) is an exam to assess verbal, math and writing skills for those applying to Master’s or PhD programs at universities in the US and in an increasing number of universities around the world. Both presume native English speaking ability, especially in the case of GRE. Like the Cambridge exams, the GRE takes about 4 hours to complete.
On the other hand, the GRE is computer-based, which means that students have the added difficulty of not being able to mark on the exam paper, although they may make notes on scratch paper if they wish. Just for a taste of the exam, here are some of the most challenging words that keep appearing, interestingly enough, share a common theme: profligate, spendthrift, pecuniary, miserly, avarice, prodigal, squandering, rapacious, mercenary, acquisitive, niggard, parsimonious, penurious, stingy, munificent.
To give you an idea of one the exam types, chose two words from the options below that logically complete this sentence.
Despite having earned over two hundred million dollars during his career, the boxer’s _______ spending and bad investments left him insolvent within a few years of retirement.
a. parsimonious b. penurious c. perfidious d. prodigal e. profligate f. pugnacious
There are also critical reasoning and reading texts, which are very tricky in addition to two essays, one of which requires you to analyze an issue and another a short argument, commenting on the argument structure and logic. Here are a couple Analysis of an Issue writing prompts: “As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate.” “In any field of endeavor, it is impossible to make a significant contribution without first being strongly influenced by past achievements within that field.”
Curious? We have a wealth of materials available electronically, and you can find out more at https://www.ets.org/gre