Teaching HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?

03/10/2013

Five years ago I bought this little book to teach the expression: 

How long does it take to do something? 

It takes…

The book is definitely focused on children's everyday life and suggests them to consider the amount of time they need to do things like zipping up a jacket, going to school by bike, filling in a bucket with sand, taking their shoes off, washing the dog etc.

My students find it quite entertaining, so I wanted to keep thinking about time. I came out with these actions that anybody can time inside any classroom:

- How long does it take to jump 20 times?

- How long does it take to say the English alphabet?

- How long does it take to say "I can speak English" 10 times?

- How long does it take to pile up all your books?

- How long does it take to take everything out of your schoolbag and then put it back in?  

I'm sure you can think about many other enjoyable things to do and time.

Let the children write down the questions and the answers, it'll help consolidate them in their minds.

Finally encourage them to think of their own.

Have fun!

--> Quiero leer este post en Castellano



 

A card game to succeed in Cambridge YLE Flyers!

It's almost June and official exams for children who attend primary school are on their way! 

Is any of your students sitting the Cambridge  YLE Flyers exam?

If the answer is yes, but also if it's no, here you'll find a game to review the most difficult words from the official vocabulary list.

Divide the class into teams, and have children from one team reading the definitions while children from the other teams try to guess what it is being described.

If you'd like to buy the paper version of the game you can place an order on my BigCartel shop. I'll personally send you the .pdf file!

The digital version of Guess What?!? is also available on Amazon.com, Amazon.es, Indigo, Kobo  and Libris

Never underestimate the power of a quiz game when you're teaching English to children!!!

Actually, I think that many adult students could also get some advantages on using this game. 

Have fun!

   

Using Cartoons to Teach English

Yesterday, I came across the children's section of  RTVE's website, the Spanish Radio and Television broadcasting company.

Of course, it is full of videos of TV series for children and pre-teens, in Spanish… and in English!

So, since Christmas is around the corner and our little kids will spend a great amount of time watching cartoons anyway, why not to make the most of it?

There are series for each and every level of English: from PocoYo to SpongeBob SquarePants, passing through Peppa Pig, Dora the Explorer, Baby Looney, Pokémon, Scooby Doo and many, many more.

The project is supported by the British Council that has prepared some parents' guides that analyze the type of language, the grammar and vocabulary, common words and phrases used in each cartoon.

Don't even think about parking your child alone on the sofa watching TV in English and expecting him to learn it!

It won't work at all. 

I'll explain to you why in my book Mi Hijo Habla Inglés - Consejos Para Padres 

Fortunately the British Council people are wise and they have prepared a list of tips that you can follow for helping your child fully understand every episode.

Don't miss them!

Quieres leer este post en español? Ve a mi otra página!

Road Safety Explained to Children

Today I'm going to tell you about Road Safety for children.

Fundación MAPFRE has 3 web pages dedicated to road safety web pages: 2 of them are for children, aged 3 to 5, and 6 to11, and one is for their teachers.

In the children's ones there are videos, games, activities and books which will teach children about street signs, safety behaviours and what's proper to do when they are living those typical situations like cycling, crossing the street, etc.

They will help children to develop a critical mind about what the right or wrong things to do on the street are.

You can also introduce this topic in English thanks to a couple of English books especially designed for the two age groups.

In Mario's Jungle we follow this little guy and his mother along the sidewalks of their city. The street looks like a jungle and cars and motorbikes are like dangerous noisy wild animals which scare little Mario. Fortunately he knows that nothing bad will happen to him if he crosses the street at black and white stripes that look like zebras or if he waits for the green man to show up on the traffic lights.

This book can be easily adapted for some role-play game.

The other book, Julia, Penguin and the Spy, is a little longer and more complex, because it is for children who are already attending primary school.

Julia is walking her dog, Penguin, but at one point she realizes that a suspicious man is following her. She carries on walking the dog, she meets some friends who are not very concerned about road safety and she has to remind them what's the right thing to do on the street. 

In the meantime, the weird man is still there lurking, so she pops into a café to call her mum for help.

When her mum resolutely approaches the man to ask him why he  was following her daughter we discover that Julia has just won a prize for having strictly followed the road safety rules and for even having helped adults follow them.

In my opinion, all these websites are really useful tools to teach children about the safety on the street, especially because they are definitely designed according to their specific knowledge and skills.

Don't miss them!

--> Quieres leer esta entrada en español? Aquí la tienes!


Are you looking for more children's books? Visit the section Children's books on this same blog.

Science For Children - A Good Alternative to Textbooks

Here in Spain, Science as a subject taught in English has been recently introduced and it is compulsory for those students who attend bilingual schools.

The collection Pinch of Salt published by Anaya is a little bit different from the text books I usually see around.

Scientific phenomena such as reflection and refraction of light, landscape transformation, energy sources and the circulatory system are explained through story which are narrated by several characters through their adventures and discoveries.

The stories are illustrated and really creative. They are adapted to the English curriculum, so the grammar and the vocabulary will be specific for a school year which is also suggested on the books' cover.

They are also perfect for a shared project: the English teacher could deal with the linguistic part of the reading while the science teacher could focus on the scientific part.

Each book comes with a CD and at the end of the story there are 'work cards' with experiments, questions and all sort of activities that will awake your students' curiosity about the world that surrounds them.

At the moment you can purchase 4 titles and their respective teacher's books:

The Heart Cave: A "pirate school" ship takes the reader into a cave which seems to work like a human heart. Following the crew your students will discover what its secrets are and why it can produce so many precious stones!

The Rock Eating Monster: A Sc-Fi story whose protagonist is Lucas, a space superhero, who is captured by a very bad wizard, Noir. To get free, Lucas will have to discover what has happened to the landscape around him while he was asleep because of a curse Noir has put on him.

The Steam Castle: There's a magical kingdom, Occam, where a princess, Enid, wants to convert her castle into a mobile one. To achieve her purpose she will have to travel to the world of humans to meet the former wizard of Occam who, in the meantime has become a scientist. Will they be able to create the energy sources they need to transform Enid's castle?

The Rainbow Party: Enid from Occam is preparing a birthday party for her father, the King. She wants to use the light and all its natural special effects to amuse him but once again she will need some help from humans and their science.

Personally I think that these books are definitely at a higher level compared to the science books used in the Spanish bilingual school system. However, the narrative style is quite far away from Roald Dahl's and the fact that scientific explanations are concentrated in a few pages sometimes creates the same state of confusion as a traditional science book. In any case, this is natural when you consider the complexity of the topics treated in the books.

I've personally never been able to remember a physics definition or formula for more than a few days because of this density of concepts--when I was in school I found it difficult to remember the mathematical side of science for the same reasons.

But the work cards will certainly help. Students will be able to experiment and make their own predictions and observations of any statement presented, adding practical experience to the theoretical one. 

And that's exactly what science is for and why I definitely love it!

  

This collection will be a good choice if you aren't satisfied with the current method of teaching this subject, that most of the time requires just learning by heart, when  you'd like your students to experience how science really works, through active thinking and learning. 

Also Available in Spanish.

           

Lesson Plan: Gingerbread Cookies... or Another Way To Impress Your Students

Run, run! As fast as you can! You can't catch me 'cause I'm the Gingerbread man!

Autumn has definitely snuck into our lives here in Madrid. It's cold and rainy, and I've already got a cold.

So, since it'll be impossible to go out to enjoy the rejuvenating Sierra of Madrid, I've decided that TODAY IS THE DAY! 

Time for some baking!

And, since I've already ordered my copy of the book The Gingerbread Boy on Amazon, I decided, in order to make the story and the experience unforgettable, that my students will also receive a couple of Gingerbread cookies. 

I will probably prepare a simple activity about 'the family', like the one presented on my previous post about Gingerbread People, to keep adding to the story.

But, the best part is going to be singing the chorus of  this really catchy song  while reading the book.

I can't stop singing it! 

If you decide to bake with your kids the RECIPE is HERE!

--> Quieres leer esta entrada en español? Aquí la tienes!



     

¡Ayuda a tu hijo a aprender inglés!

Acabo de abrir un nuevo blog dedicado a los padres que hablan español y que quieren que sus hijos aprendan inglés.

https://misslucysteachingfun.wordpress.com/

Allí escribiré, en español, sobre cómo los niños aprenden inglés y lo que hace falta para ayudarles.

Si tienes dudas sobre como enfrentarte a la tarea de enseñar inglés a tu hijo y cómo ayudarle para que el aprendizaje sea ameno y efectivo...

¡No te lo pierdas!

How to teach BEHIND and IN FRONT OF to pre-school kids

Teaching preschoolers is challenging. They can't read or write and their attention spam is directly connected to the interest they feel for what you're trying to teach them.

This month I've been teaching prepositions of place. 

If, on the one hand, ON and UNDER have been assimilated quite quickly, because, I think, they're just one-word prepositions, on the other hand, it looked that BEHIND and IN FRONT OF were more difficult to be learnt.

Till I got inspired by a picture I saw in an English book for children. It was a pre-drawn wood with monkeys hiding behind trees or placed in front of them.

What I did to make it more interesting was to paint trees on a piece of paper and use some stickers, colorful cats, to repeat the exercise.

The kids had to place whole cats IN FRONT OF the trees and cut those cats that they wanted to place behind the trees, to give the impression that they were hiding.

You can see the result in the picture. 

Lovely, isn't it?

Then I asked them to count how many cats were hiding and how many cats weren't, just to review numbers.

Of course, you can draw a different landscape according to the stickers you have at home.

Have fun!

Quieres leer esta entrada en español? Aquí la tienes!

Lesson Plan: Halloween songs, games and fun activities for children

I've been surfing the internet looking for Halloween games, songs and worksheets, over the past few days and this is what I came across.

For preschoolers:

Here's a list of catchy songs to learn or to use as a soundtrack during other activities:

Pumpkin Halloween Dance

The skeleton dance 1

The Skeleton Dance 2

--> Note that the Skeleton Dance will be perfect for learning body parts too.

Then I found these two games:

1) Circle game: Pass the Pumpkin

Form a circle and have the children sit on the floor.  Play Halloween music and pass a small pumpkin around the circle.  When the music stops, whoever is left holding the pumpkin receives a small prize or treat. (This game is from the book 52 Programs for Preschoolers).

I can imagine that smart children will fight for keeping the pumpkin, once they've discovered the trick. So I'm thinking that maybe it will be better to organize a half circle race without a prize.

Something like this, for example:

Have your students sit in a circle.

Choose two children at one point of the circle and give them, respectively, a picture of a pumpkin and a picture of a ghost, for example. The pumpkin will be passed by the first child to the next child on his right,  while the ghost will be passed by the other child to the next child on his left, and so on.

They must say the name of the card they are passing along. You should hear them saying "Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin" and "Ghost, ghost, ghost"

The cards must travel as fast as possible till they arrive to the opposite side of the circle (opposite the first two children who started the race).

The children belonging to the half of the circle that's completed first, will be the winners. 

We're going to do the same with the pictures of a cat and a bat.

2) Halloween Hunt

Prepare sets of cards with the same pictures on each, representing typical Halloween characters. Use some blue-tack to stick them on the walls or on low surfaces in your classroom. Call out one of the pictures and the children have to find and touch the right one.

If you prefer something quieter, divide your students into small groups. 

Give each group the 4/5 different cards and then call out the one they have to show. This way they can do the activity sitting on their chairs instead of running around.

Next I'll give them a coloring page  representing one or more characters we saw during the games.

Finally, they'll learn about going trick or treating, 'cause I bought an enormous bag of Halloween candies!!!

ihihihhihhiih!!!

For older students I found these ideas: 

1) Introducing Halloween Vocabulary

2) Black Cat Hunt to practice prepositions of place

3) A Word Search

4) The Daily Routine of Monsters,  Zombies, Ghosts and Aliens

For Higher Levels:

The Murder Mystery

Happy spooky Halloween!!!

Lesson Plan: Teaching THE BODY to pre-schoolers

We accidentally started the new school year studying THE BODY.

It happened that I came across a really catchy action song connected to some parts of our body like arms, head, nose, hands, feet etc.

My students loved it and that's why I decided to make the most of their excitement  carrying on with the topic.

First, we made a little handicraft: I drew the head, the body, the arms and the legs of a puppet on different pieces of paper. They colored and cut them. Then, we connected all the parts with clips. You can appreciate the result in the picture!

They're still in my study but we'll hang them in class, as a decoration and also as a reminder.

Next we're going to play a circle game called 'Five in The Middle' to memorize these 4 parts: head, body, arms and legs.

You have to get the children to sit in a big circle. Give a flashcard to each of the children in the circle.

I prepared 4 cards for each body part, because I had 16 kids sitting in the circle. 

Five children have to sit in the middle of the circle without flashcards. 

The children sitting in the circle have to hold up their flashcards so that the children in the middle can see them. 

You call out one part of the body and the children in the middle have to run and touch the correct flashcard held by their classmates.

Children who touch the right cards swap places with the children that were holding them.

Then we'll sing the most famous song about body parts: Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

Once they've learned the words and the movement try to speed up:

the faster you sing it the more interesting and fun it will turn out.

Finally we're playing Simon Says using verbs like move, touch, raise, lower, open and close.

In addition I'll use some worksheets I prepared where they had to complete some pictures with the missing body parts.

I'm also thinking about using a Mr. Potato Head. Will it help?

I'll tell you as soon as I find out.

More about teaching pre-schoolers here and here

ANORAK - Summer Special

Still on vacation? Don't miss the latest issue of Anorak magazine!

This month it is 100% dedicated to games and free-time activities. 

Your children will be amazed and entertained by more than 30 pages full of typical summer puzzles such as: find the differences, crack the code, spot the missing objects, join the dots, mazes and many more games.

As always there are great illustrated stories, book reviews and interviews with real children!

And last, but not least, kids will find out how to create peculiar characters that will inhabit their own comic strips! 

Brilliant!  

This August we won't run into any bored little faces! For sure!


More about Anorak - The happy Mag for Kids

Summer Camp in Madrid - Un resumen de mi campamento de verano en Madrid

It has been a hot July here in Madrid this year, but I was able to enjoy every single day of it thanks to the shadowy garden where I was teaching English to 4 adorable nearly - 4-year- old children. 

numbers and stamps

2 boys and 2 girls. 

The old women around us were surprised by their good manners and the attention they were paying me. 

As I've already told you, it was a great experience!

First of all because I only had 4 students: thanks to that it' was much easier to do anything I wanted, from playing active games to fingerpainting, with calm, positive attitude and a smile constantly stuck on my face.

Being affectionate is definitely a fundamental aspect, if your aim is to convince a young Spanish child that he or she is going to put up with you, speaking a foreign language, for 2 and a half hours from Monday to Friday, for 4 weeks!

glittery bees and flowers shining in the sun

The second important point about teaching only 4 children is that you can really make anyone happy, presenting activities that will suit each member of the group. 

That's also really important if you don't want to frustrate them in their attempt to learn English according to their aptitudes!

Last year I had a bad experience with a Summer Camp. Small children where forced to learn by heart some English sketches just to show off, to their parents, that they had learnt something. 

But it was a real torture! For them, because repeating several times the same unpleasant things at those ages is everything but fun, and for their teachers, who had to put up with their intolerance towards the routine…

So this year, since I didn't have a boss to please, I fiercely tried to avoid all of that. 

It has meant a little bit more of work and time spent thinking about a larger variety of games and activities, but I can tell you that parents were equally satisfied, because they found their offspring singing, saying words and expressing themselves in English, at home, more than usual.

And I firmly think that this is really all we can ask those little heroes.

Finally, I can say I've learnt every week a little more about what children like. 

Here's my list:

the glittery hungry gorilla

1) Glitter!!! : Put some glitter glue on anything you want them to pay attention to and they will take part in any game you'll introduce.

5) Fingerpainting: Painting with their fingers allows them to have a better control on lines and edges.

They're always required to paint inside the edged area and this technique gives them great satisfaction!

3) Plasticine: They can't make much more than snakes, snails and balls by themselves, but you'll gain their admiration forever if you can organize their beloved giraffe's birthday party or a green grocer's store with it.

fruit and vegetables made of plasticine

4) Stamps and stencils! They love them because, since they can't really draw anything artistically valuable, they help them to produce nice pictures without struggling too much with crayons.

5) Gifts: Give them their works to take them home. They will decorate their room with them and consequently they'll be surrounded by English stuff, for at least 2 weeks. Having constant references around it's the best way to make sure that they will never forget what they've learnt.

I REALLY HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE!

More about the Camp: English in the Garden - Zoo Animals