How to Make a Xmas Wreath, by ESL students from SAFAUR School

Hi, Guys!!!, 

At last, our dream came true! Thank YOU ALL, my lovely kids;)

In this video, my ESL students are going to explain how to make a Christmas Wreath. Besides, not only you can listen to them in the video, but also, you can read the instructions here too. Thanks a lot for your cooperation, enthusiasm, teamwork and motivation!!!! It's been really worthwhile and enriching experience!!!

Now, let's watch and enjoy these fantastic videos.✌😊 (Click on this link to watch them!) Video 1: HOW TO MAKE A XMAS WREATH




Video 2: A Christmas Wreath by ESL students from SAFAUR School 

A Christmas Wreath, by ESL students from SAFAUR School in Seville

This is what you need:

1.        A pencil.

2.        Glue

3.        Scissors

4.        A large plate and a small one.

5.        2 pieces of cardboards (two different shades of green).

6.        1 small red cardboard

7.        Red ribbon.

STEP 1: Using the leaf-photocopy, copy and trace it on to the cardboard to make a template. Look at the picture.

STEP 2: Use the leaf template and make 7 light green leaves and 7 dark green ones. Trace and cut them out.

STEP 3: You need the plates to make two different circles (one bigger than the other). Cut the cardboard now and you'll get the wreath base.

STEP 4: Take a green crayon and make the nerves of the leaves.

STEP 5: With the glue, you start sticking all the leaves on the base.

You'd better face the leaves down in order not to see the pencil traces.

STEP 6: Use a coin to make the little red circles. So, put the coin on the red cardboard and make 12 circles.

STEP 7: Take the red ribbon, tie it and hang on your Christmas wreath.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

1°B ESO                       9th December, 2016

LEARNING ENGLISH IS ALWAYS FUN!!!

English Calendar PROJECT

English Calendar Project (my students are working on this)

Hi, There!!!,

These days, my students and I are working on an English Calendar, not only they can see the date, weather everyday, but also, they will learn a new English WORD, it's like a visual dictionary. I've divided them into eight groups, every group has their own month and they look up 20 words per month. Obviously, every month stands for a different topic and the students have to find the word, its phonetic symbols and a picture which helps them to understand its meaning. 

Thanks to this interesting project, my students are getting involved in the process of learning, they are working in a cooperative way, they can learn a new word easily everyday, and last, but not least, they are decorating the class!!! It's a wonderful and enriching experience! I hope you'll like it.

Learning English is always fun!!! ;)

2º ESO Final Project: "ThiS iS WhO I aM"

Hi, There!!!,

Today, I'd like to show you some of my students' works, I'm really proud of them! These are really nice. From my point of view, these tasks are really motivating and enriching for them. So, whenever I ask my students to do this type of tasks, they learn and have fun while they are doing them. It's truly worhtwhile!!

This year, I asked them one question: WHO ARE YOU? Then, I told them: Take it easy and answer the following questions:

And the WiNNerS aRe ... !!! 3º ESO Project: Create Your Own English Game

Hi, Guys!!!,

Thanks to your effort, motivation, cooperation, creativity, ... I'm really proud of you all!!! Great Job! To me, all of you are WiNNerS, THANK YOU! 

1st Prize: Around the World

2nd Prize: Give Me a Candy

3º ESO - Project: Create Your own English Game

 Hi, Guys!!!, 

As I told you in class, we're going to work in this final project. I hope you'll enjoy and learn! ;) good luck!

Project: Create your own English Game

1. Members of the group (4 or 5 students).

2. Working together, you have to design the board game, the cards, the rules, the dices, the tokens, everything. We’d appreciate your originality, creativity, design, etc. (COLLECTIVE WORK and MARK).

3. The whole cards must be used to revise everything learned throughout  the year, i.e. vocabulary, grammar questions with multiple choice answers, fill in the gaps, mime these verbs, make up a dialogue, can you finish this sentence?, draw this word to your partners, … And this part of the project is individual, in other words, every member must work in class, choose one topic or part of the game, think and write his / her own task, etc. (INDIVIDUAL MARK)

4. DEADLINE: 12^th June, 2015.

5. To get some inspiration, you can click on:

1. http://www.mes-english.com/games.php

2. http://www.vocabulary.co.il/

3.http://www.english-online.org.uk/games/gamezone2.htm

4. http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/english/games?page=2

5. google: English board games (images): you’ll find many interesting examples.

6. Make Learning English Fun!!!

HoW To MaKe OuR StuDentS SPEAK UP!

Hi, Guys!!!,

As I see it, one of the most difficult task for teachers is actually getting your students to speak up 100%  English, though ovbiously, it is not an unrealistic impossible goal, but we have to work very hard. Because of that, I'd like to share some of my motivating ideas to help our English learners speak their target language. We should take into account that when you can communicate in English, you can handle the language!

Thus, one of my new academitc year's resolution is this! And how can I get it? By means of INTERESTING RESEARCH ACTIVITIES. All students are very familiar with new technologies, internet, etc., so I'm going to ask them to prepare some oral presentations (max. 5 min.) about different cultural topics. It's going to be our English Cultural Corner at the end of the class. 

By this way, they must find some information about the following topics (I promise I'll add many more!!!). And also, they are going to learn  so much about many different cultural Bristish-American customs, traditions, historical characters, etc.

1. How many types of newspapers are there in UK?

2. What is the Commonwealth?

3. Why is the British flag called Union Jack?

4. Why are the Irish doors so colourful?

5. Where does the name "Wall Street" come from?

6.Who was William the Conqueror?

7. What is the highest building in New York city?

8. What are the origins, history and traditions of the British afternoon tea?

9. When did the Irish Famine happen?

10. What is the Act of Union 1707?

11. What do the Americans celebrate the 4ht of July?

12. Who was Lincoln?

13. Who was Charles Darwin?
14.  What is "Fish and Chips"?

15. Who was William Shakespeare?
16.  What is Halloween?

17. Who was Thomas Edison?
18. Why are London taxis called "black cabs"?

19. Who was Sherlock Holmes?
20. What is The Tube in London?
21. Who was Alfred the Great?
22. Who are the Buskers in London?
23. Who are the Beefeaters?
24. What's the meaning of "AIN'T"? 
25. Who was Robert Burns? and when is Burn's night celebrated? 
26. What is the Remembrance Sunday?
27. When is St David's day celebrated? Its origin and tradition.
28. When is St George's day celebrated? Its origin and tradition. 
29. When is St Patrick's day celebrated? Its origin and tradition. 
30. When is St Swithin's day celebrated? Its origin and tradition. 
31. What about the mystery of the Stoneghenge?  
32. What is Oak Apple Day?
33. What is the Bonfire Night? When is it celebrated?
34. What is Thanksgiving Day? When is it celebrated? 
35. Do you know what the Statue of Liberty stands for?
36. What's the meaning of  "LOL"? What about the netspeak?
37. What's the origin of St Valentine's Day? How was / is it celebrated?
38. Why is the capital of USA called Washington DC?
39. Who was Jane Austen? Where was she buried?
40. History of the Westminster Abbey. Its different parts.
41. Who was Edward the Confessor?
42. Who was Henry VIII?

(THERE WILL BE MORE QUESTIONS TOMORROW ;) AND IF YOU LIKE THIS IDEA, YOU CAN SHARE YOUR QUESTIONS WITH ME. Thanks! )

Then, every student chooses one of the topics. After that, they have to prepare their oral presentations making a power point, showing some pictures, posters, real objects, music, what they consider more attractive and entertaining... They must explain the topic, they have to be careful with their English, make the other students involved, ... and so on. 

At last, once again, I'd like to emphasize ENGLISH IS ALWAYS FUN!!!!

Final Project - RoLe PLaY

Hi, Guys!!!,

Every year, I ask you to make a final Project to get an extra point in your final mark. So, this year, I am going to ask you to write a role play, since it is one of the best ways to learn English, to use the target language in a real context, and it is also a good way to encourage you to speak up and practice your English in real situations. It is very simple, you must follow these steps:

 1^st step: You have to work in pairs. By email, you must send your English teacher, me,  your dialogue and your role play cards of your characters. Deadline or final date: 17^th June.

2^nd step: Choose on the following situations:

1. Taxi driver – passenger.

2. At a hotel: Receptionist – Customer.

3. At a restaurant: waiter – customer.

4. At home: mother – child.

5. At school: teacher – pupil.

6. At the airport: flight attendant – passenger.

7. At the supermarket: shop assistant – customer.

8. At the computer shop: shop assistant – customer.

9. At the disco: two friends (casual talk and using slang words).

10. Telephone conversation: boss – wrong person.

11. Job interview: employer – employee

12. At the hospital: doctor – patient.

13. At a soccer stadium: opponent supporters.

14. A celebrity interview: TV host – famous person.

15. Holidays – two strangers on a train.

16. Finding a roommate: owner – new possible mate.

17. Sport interview: a popular sport man/woman – a TV journalist.

3^rd step: Briefly, introduce and describe your two characters in two different cards. Then, add some ideas for the conversation. See the examples below.

A taxi driver (a middle aged man/woman driving a cab in London)	A passenger (a young teenager who is visiting London for the first time)
1. Greet the passenger and ask him / her where he / she wants to go. 2. Say the price. Make some comments on the weather. Ask the passenger if he / she likes this weather. 3. Answer the passenger's questions. Boast that your son has recently travelled to Spain to learn Spanish. 4. Say what places and monuments the passenger should go and see.	1. Greet the taxi driver and say where you want to go. Ask what the price will be. 2. Answer the taxi-driver's question and ask what kind of weather he/she  likes. 3. Say that you like travelling and make some comments about the importance of learning languages. 4. Ask the taxi-driver what places to visit in London.

4^th step: Write down a dialogue between these two characters. Underline the most relevant sentences or key words for these different situations.

5^th step: Perform the role play in class as best as you can (in 5 -10 min). You must take into account your English pronunciation, you must learn and study your dialogue, you can add some gestures to make your role playing game more believable and funnier. Enjoy it!!!

“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players".

- William Shakespeare, As You Like It