In the Fridge…There is Food!!!

You have already taught a lot of food vocabulary and now the moment to use it in some sentences has arrived.

Here's a simple but practical craft to improve your students' speaking skills.

Cut out the mock fridge from a cardboard. You can prepare a big one, visible to all your students or make them build their own.

They can draw food items or choose them from supermarket ads; cut them out and stick them inside the fridge. 

If you have a class of less than 10 students, they can, one by one, tell what there is/are in the fridge. 

If your class is bigger you can call out 3 or 4 students everyday to tell in front of the others what there is/ are in the fridge. 

Or make them stick things in the fridge as you call them out. 

The number of possibilities is as big as your imagination. 

Just make sure that everyone has his own scissors, glue and crayons.

VOCABULARY YOU CAN USE:

- There is / There are

- There isn't / There aren't

- Some / Any

- Much / Many / A Lot of / Lots of

- Slices / Pieces / Loaf - Loaves

- Bowls / Jars /  Packs / Bottles / Tupperware / Ice-cubeTrays / Cups / etc.

- Tins / Cans

More Activities:
Gingerbread People
Pot Labels
Action Comecoco

To Be or....To Be

This activity is dedicated to those teachers who are dealing with children that can write, but not that fast. I'm referring to first grade primary school kids.
You want them to learn the basics, but they find that writing the verb 'to be' is not so exciting… And they don't remember it very well because is not interesting. So at the end they find it difficult and start not to pay attention to it, challenging your patience.

Try this worksheet based on three easy steps.
First: (Visual memory + craft activity) cut out the verb and shuffle it.
Second: (Visual identification + craft activity) paste the pieces of the 'puzzle' in the right order.
Third: (Writing + challenging activity) write the verb 'to be' faster than your classmates.

Take the time and give them a little reward… They deserve it!

WORKSHEETS TO BE and HAVE GOT

Find more grammar games here: IRREGULAR DOMINONOES

Winter / Christmas Board Game + Cards

It's not Christmas any more, but… Have you seen the snow out there?

Temperatures have just crashed down so why don't print up an ESL board game 
http://bogglesworldesl.com/christmasboardgame.htm

to spend an hour sipping hot chocolate with your children and finding out about winter vocabulary? 

My PDF cards' file is available on the same page:
http://bogglesworldesl.com/files10/WinterQuizFromLucy.pdf

You can print the cards with the questions and multiple choice answers.  

Cut them out and enjoy your learning!

Tiny garden - Pot labels

Do you have a little garden in your school?

So why don't allow your pupils to grow flowers and vegetables in it?

Even if you don't have space, and the only area you can use is the windowsill, few pots and a selection of seeds might improve the enthusiasm of those young learners.

Plants like radishes and lettuce grow very fast. Your students will be able to collect them after few weeks, with great satisfaction. 

Slower plants like charts, strawberries or tomatoes, otherwise, can teach them that there is the right time for everything. 

Decorate the pots with labels to remember which plant is in it and how to take care of its life. It could be a craft activity to teach them new vocabulary.

You can also teach 'responsibility' handing tasks out to each one (or to each group if they are very young).

Tiny Garden - Pot Labels

An example of simple labels that your kids can easily make. 

Cover them with a plastic film so you can avoid that water damages the drawings and the paper.

GARDEN SCRAPBOOK

This activity is suitable both if your school or house has a garden or even a little park in front of them. It consists of drawing or taking pictures of a part of the green area during the different seasons to observe how they change depending on the weather. 

Your kids can put leaves and flowers in it. You can provide them a seed catalogue, so that they can cut out pictures of the plants their seeds are going to grow into. 

They can draw, cut out and label every kind of wildlife they see. It will make the work even more exciting!

Here, an example!

These activities, apart from keeping the task of learning a little bit more participatory, also raise their awareness about the environment all around. That's the first very important step towards growing up to be sensitive human beings.

More 'green' stuff: THE LORAX by Dr Seuss
TINY GARDEN AND THE ERBARIUM

HERBARIUM

Introduce your pupils to the magical world of plants!

As we already well know they will enjoy doing some crafts, more than a boring explanation, so why don't make them start by exploring their gardens and taking notes on what they can see?

The first activity could be making a book, called an Herbarium, used in Botany to classify plants. They can pick flowers, dry them and stick them in this book made of sheets of heavy cardstock.

I personally prefer to leave plants where they are and take pictures of them, and so will some of your students, while others will enjoy a direct contact with the plants best.  

Here there is an example of my Herbarium made of pictures and drawings that your students can also do. 

It's a good exercise to improve their ability to pay attention!!!  

If they have a good level of English, they could find interesting a little research on the plant and write a summary of its most important characteristics. 

Here http://www.education.com/activity/article/Herbarium_Sheets/

is a page where you can find out how to make a traditional one.

Action Comecoco!!!

'Paper origami fortune teller'
Teach your students and play one of their favorite games
at the same time!

The Beatles

The Beatles

Beatles songs are very useful to teach English.
They are easy to listen to, to remember, and to dance too!!!
Kids will enjoy the entire learning process.

I brought the lyrics to my class, one photocopy for each student, and the CD with the song. The first 3 times I explained the song and I sang with them. Then I let them mix freely in the classroom with the text...
It was really fun, they started marching to the sound of "we all live in a yellow submarine..." and ended with a conga line.
After 2 months I heard someone of them singing it.

You can propose a second activity to go into the lyric in depth.
Take a Beatles song, divide it in verses and write them with a pencil
on different sheets, possibly one for each student, underlining words they could represent with drawings.
Then pass out the papers and:
1st let them go over the words again with a coloured marker
2nd hand out pieces of coloured papers where they will draw the underlined items.

you can find a specific CD entitled ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE - BEATLES SONGS FOR KIDS
(produced by Music For Little People - www.mflp.com) if you want to save time on searching for the most appropriate songs.
I bought it on eBay for 10 euros more or less.

Rules

I found some nice songs to introduce rules to your class:

I am in school to learn.

I will follow the directions of my teachers.
I will not say unkind things to others.

I will report problems to the teachers.
I will try my very best.
I am in school to learn.

We raise our hands to speak.
We work quietly at our seats.
We use voices soft and sweet.

We keeps our places tidy and neat.

We are helpful, friendly, and fair.

We take turns and willingly share.

I make mistakes so I can learn.
I learn so I can succeed.

I succeed so I can help others.

I pledge to show my respect
by listening to others,
using my hands for helping,
caring about others feelings,
and being responsible for what I say and do.

My Promise
Each day I'll do my best,
And I won't do any less.
My work will always please me,
And I won't accept a mess.
I'll colour very carefully,
My writing will be neat.
And I simply won't be happy
'Til my papers are complete.
I'll always do my homework,
And I'll try on evey test.
And I won't forget my promise --
To do my very best!A Circle of Friends
We've joined together as classmates
as the new year begins...

A year full of learning
while we become friends.

We'll share and be kind
as we work and play.

And our friendship will grow
with each passing day.

I am wonderful.
I am good at learning.

And I like to learn.

Class Promise
Today is a new day!
I will act in a safe and healthy way.

I will respect the rights of others.
I will treat all property with respect.
I will take responsibility for my learning.

Today I will be the best me I can be!

My School Pledge
I pledge today to do my best
in reading math and all the rest.
I promise to obey the rules,
in my class and in our school.
I'll respect myself and others too,
I'll expect the best in all I do,
I am hear to learn all I can,
To try my best and be all I am.

Important Rules
(to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle")
Here are some rules for you and me,
See how important they can be.

Always be honest, be kind and fair,

Always be good and willing to share.

These are rules we all should know,

We follow these rules wherever we go.

Personally I chose 5 simple sentences, so they could easily understand them.

I made a booklet of 5 sheets, one rule for each paper and then I introduced it to them saying it was a contract. We all signed it on the cover.

When they start behaving bad I take the booklet out. 

They usually recognized it and turn quiet, if not the bad kids loose points.

Kids with the lower score have to prepare the snack for the class and bring it the last day of the current month.


Think about our class as a little society: the one who misbehaves is really negatively influencing the development of it. Therefore he will have to do something positive for the whole little community.


A video:
CHILDREN SEE, CHILDREN DO

Numbers and balls

This morning my students had a review of numbers.

I brought a yellow ball in class, I moved all the desks to create a space where they could stay in a circle and I threw the ball to one of them shouting 3!!!

The first part of the game was quite simple, they have to throw the ball to a classmate shouting the numbers in ascending order.

When they got bored I complicated the game in many different ways:

Tell the numbers in a descending order

or

Add 2 (or 3, 4, 5...) to the number you've just said trowing the ball

or

Subtract 2 (or 3, 4, 5...)

or

Don't say the numbers that contain 3 or 4 or 5 etc...

The game is quite useful because apart from using numbers, they'll improve their knowledge of multiplication table and mathematical calculations as well.

Where is the playground?!?©

Where is the Playground?!?!?©

Ok, I discovered that my 8 year old spanish pupils have a problem with left and right.

So, today, I started the class making them raise their left hands than the rights.

Finally I told them to fold their left sleeves (to have a visual reference).

The second step was explaining them how to turn left or right (it's not obvious for them).

Finally we played Simon Says with this (now easy) 4 commands:

Go down 1st (or 2nd...) street

Turn right

Turn left

Go on

Stop

Where is the Playground?!?!?©

This is a game to experiment street directions, let your pupils interact to acquire language skills and practice useful English.

Use the space between the lines of desks as streets (1st Street, 2nd Street, etc...) and write on the blackboard some easy street directions:

- Go down 1st Street, 2nd...
- Go on
- At the 1st, 2nd desk..
- Turn left
- Turn right
- Go straight on

Call on one of them and start asking him where one of his classmate 'lives' and..

Start the game!!!

P.S. Call first one of your best students:

the fact he'll be right will encourage the others on taking part in the performance.

More Activities:

In the Fridge and Tiny Garden

Shapes+Material!!!©

Subject Areas:
Clothes, Furniture,
Materials, Seasons, Rooms.
Language Items:
What is your belt made of?
It’s made of leather/ fabric/ etc.
What are the shoes made of?
They are made of ...
What is the table made of?
It’s made of wood/ plastic/ etc.
What are the curtains made of?
They are made of...

“Is your cap made of silver?”
“Yes, it is”
“No, it isn’t”
N.B. Combinations Material-Furniture/Clothes
made by kids could be really bizarre.

'When do you usually wear a scarf?'
'In which room of your house can you find a sofa?'
'What is it made of?'

Functions:
A visual (and tactile) experience of different materials their world is made of, and talk about it.

Combine seasons with clothes and materials,
Furniture with rooms and materials.

Answer yes or no questions.

More Activities:

In the Fridge and Tiny Garden