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23 Sept 2013

ESO2: Treasure Map

http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/short-stories/the-treasure-map

16 Sept 2013

ALL: Back to school! First day starters for the year. Games and assessment criteria.


Ice-breakers for our first day at school!
Activities to start using and improving your English in a fun way.

ESO1 and 2:
  • PASS THE BALL and introduce yourself. IN PAIRS: You can ask several questions to your classmate and then talk about him or her to the class.
  • MYSELF CARD. Draw yourself and fill in the gaps completing the sentences: My name is... I'm ... years old. I'm from ... I live in...  You can expand your information: My favourite animal/singer/subject is... I can speak... I like/I don't like... 
  • GAME: End up with a game: stand up and form a circle, and each student say a word related to a topic (e.g. SUMMER). When a student says a word that does not fit or remains silent, sits down and gets eliminated. The last one standing up is the winner.
  • An extra activity could be to intorudce basic instructions in English and hang a poster withe them, e.g.: How do you say ... in English?

ESO3 and 4:

  • ASK ATTACK: Draw a big question mark and let students ask you questions. Write them down to ellicit error correction (sentence structure)-, other students can help in the right word order/grammatical correction.
  • LIE DETECTOR: You say three sentences about yourself, two are true, one is false. The class have to guess which one is the lie. The more surprising your true sentences are, the better! If you have proof of it, show them! E.g.:
  1. I have been to Greece, Iceland and India this summer. 
  2. I have learnt Nepalese language.
  3. I have been parachuting.
  • GUESS WHO: in this case, your teacher asks you to write an anecdote about your (e.g. this summer) or a hobby you have, and collects them from you. Then, they are read loud and the class have to guess who is the person who wrote it.
NOTE FOR TEACHERS: It is important to set the assessment criteria in the first day, too. Make it in a clear and concise way, but make all the information available. They can be asked to be the markers of a particular text (written or oral) to experience the way the teacher is going to mark compositions or oral skills.

Exemplify compositions with a good layout and a really bad one to exaggerate the contrasts and make clear what is the model to follow. For the oral skills, we can try with this video about the trending topic speech by Ana Botella at the Olympic Games candidate cities final presentation (this is a parody with the transcription of the way it sounds in 'her' Spanglish speech).  We can invite students to reflect about pronunciation in a fun way. What would they correct about pronunciation?


ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
40% Procedures (what you do: compositions, speaking, listening, reading, grammar, vocabulary)
30% Concepts (what you know: written tests, oral tests)
30% Habits (how you do it: homework, dossiers/portfolio, punctuality)

Written compositions:           Speaking:                        Reading:
Pr. Presentation 20%                Pronunciation 25%             2nd ESO Short stories
Acc. Accuracy 20%                  Accuracy 25%                   3rd ESO Short stories
Fl. Fluency 20%                        Fluency 25%                     4th ESO Romeo and Juliet
Str. Structure 20%                    Acting 25%                        + Voluntary reading
Or. Originality 20%


27 Jun 2013

ESO1, 3 and 4: Summer Homework



Dear students,


You have already got your summer homework dossier. 

ESO1
Dossier for ESO1 is pretty easy to follow and review the contents we have seen during the year. Remember you can find different games and fun activities here: http://spoonful.com/summer. Try at least one of them and you can comment it on when you come back! It's a webpage from the USA so you can learn more about the 4th of July as well (Independence Day).

ESO3 (and ESO4 if you sit September exams)

For year 3 and 4 you have a dossier with the following contents:

a) Vocabulary exercises (two pages)
b) Grammar exercises (two pages)
c) A song

For a) and b) write your answers in pen on the dossier and write on a separate sheet the exercises that don't fit on the page. In the b) section in the Listening exercise just translate the expression, and we will do the Speaking in class.

For the song, fill in the gaps while listening the song on Youtube, and complete the fact file. IMPORTANT: You have to look for another song you like and do a similar page:

1) Look for a song and the lyrics (look at http://www.azlyrics.com) and remove five or seven words (pùt the in a box)
2) Include a picture of the singer
3) Research his/her biography and make an exercise like the FACT FILE.
4) Translate the song.
PRINT YOUR WORK and BE CREATIVE! :)

I hope you enjoy the activity AND MAKE YOUR BEST THIS SUMMER!
Best wishes,
Humberto

8 Jun 2013

ALL: Outputs 2012-2013

Here we have some outputs of our outstanding work during this year. Thank you for your effort and do always your best!!

Get to know Catalunya Project (Projecte Conèixer Catalunya): video in la Vall de Núria (nature vocabulary).

 


1st ESO: Introducing myself (portraits), family trees research, fashion show, Halloween masks, Christmas decorations, Sant Jordi calligrams, comparing schools, free time and sports competitions, healthy food and our Dream Houses!

Foto: 1st ESO Dream houses

3rd ESO: Euro-scola campaigns: promotion of 112 service, European health card, volunteering and the right use of videogames. Reading Polynesia. Sant Jordi's poems, comparing family and friends, your bedroom, your future wish list. And the collaboration with the music department for the European Hymn concert.


http://swaggersbdn.blogspot.com.es/2013_05_01_archive.html
http://simplepeoplebdn.blogspot.com.es/2013/05/promotion-112.html
http://skinnersbdn.blogspot.com.es/2013/05/blog-post.html
http://2getherwearemore.blogspot.com.es/2013/05/our-video.html
http://sesbadalona.blogspot.com.es/2013/05/concurs-euro-scola-3r-eso.html

4th ESO: Polynesia-Melanesia-Micronesia powerpoint presentations, Aboriginal Australian culture, reading Polynesia, formal CVs versus Original CVs.

Foto: 4th ESO Formal and original CVs
Foto: Creative resumés

I will not forget all the role plays and games throughout the year:

1st ESO: where are you from?, what's your phone number?, the Silence King, the music count down, elephant's memory game, body rap and dance, the division line, pictionary and hangman, or the lists!

3rd ESO: going shopping, what do you like?, giving directions, giving advice, and our cultural challenges (Malta, the UK, Scotland, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, Australia and Africa)
4th ESO: external assesment (in Hawaii), transform your classroom in a food court/restaurant; going to a doctor (...your teacher); and the cultural challenges (Cyprus, London, Ireland, the Pacific Islands, Canada, the USA and Asia). And films such as "Rabbit Proof Fence", "Ae Fond Kiss" and "Slumdog Millionaire".



And the visit to the Official Languages School in Badalona and the extraordinary Zero Lessons in German and French and the Advanced lesson for those who are learning French already.

I hope you have learnt a lot during this year. Now, don't be shy, use your English and keep improving it!



4 Jun 2013

ESO1: Music!

MUSIC!
1. Let's start with a contest. Every couple has to make a list with as many music styles as they can. The one with more music styles will be the winners! If you guess my two favourite styles you'll get double he points :) (Clue. C____ M______ and Ch____ O___ ).
2. Can you organize these intruments in different families? A. STRING  B) WIND C) PERCUSSION. Add some more instruments!
3. Let's listen to these instruments, can you identify them? Then we will watch the video and check the answers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKdFirIBLwo
EXTRA: What's your favourite style? What instruments are usually played in that style? Talk about your favourite group and song.
Finally, pick a song of your choice and try to make a fill in the gaps exercise remving 7 words from the lyrics.

27 May 2013

ESO3: Comparisons-Extra practice

Today we are revising for the exam. Can you compare Homer Simpson with Alice in Wonderland? And Spongebob with Garfield? Remember the rules and let's compare!

http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=2065#a



Who is the strongest? Who is the laziest? Who is the funniest? Who is the most intelligent? And the less?

Try to define them with the personality adjectives of the unit!

17 May 2013

ALL: The history of music in 5 minutes.

Look what I found on the internet... and listen! These five youngsters are fantastic with their voices and at beatbox, and they synthesize the history of music in just five minutes! Can you believe it? Just have a look :)

Can you identify any of these songs? And the singers?


8 May 2013

ESO3: Euro-scola projects and 9th May-Europe's Day

OK guys, I am very glad of your work. The four teams have been working really hard on their campaigns for the promotion of the European Union. They have focused on aspects that caught their attention and thought of a creative way to reach their goals. The process has been long but fun: reading comics and watching videos about the EU origin, values and services; deciding on a project; brainstorming ideas; being creative; working together; sharing their work... and now seeing the results!
Check all the groups and their different projects through their blogs (click on their names). They are spreading the word of their cause so if you like it, link their project and make others aware of it:
During Europe's Day, taking into account the values abovementioned, all groups will join forces to celebrate the event and they are already working on three activities:
  • a. Common display with posters about the EU, institutions and official campaigns.
  • b. Football match as a re-enactment of a European countries mini-league during the break.
  • c. Music concert of our 3rd ESO students playing the anthem of the EU with their recorders, xylophones and the keyboard under an exceptional conductor: Sílvia Ríos.
We hope you enjoy this great day with us!

Blogs: 

12 Apr 2013

ALL: Sant Jordi Competition at SI BADALONA 2013.

Sant Jordi Competition at SI BADALONA 2013.
Get ready for this years's literary competition at SI BADALONA. Get inspired and start writing... and drawing!

Ideas for 1st and 2nd ESO students: calligrams. Do you like animals? Why don't you create a calligram with your favourite animal? You can also describe it!



Ideas for 3rd and 4th ESO students: Love, Friendship, Springtime... there are many different opics you can cover in your poem or composition so, don't be shy and start creating! Remember that songs are a good  source of literary devices, rhythm and rhyme.

27 Feb 2013

ESO3: EUROSCOLA 2013 STARTS!



This is the second year we are going to participate in the Euroscola contest, in which you will be competing with students from other schools to learn about the European Union and win fantastic prizes! This year's main topic is Citizenship. Are you up for the challenge? Last year we were finalists so... let's go for it!
http://www.euro-scola.com/index.php

13 Feb 2013

ESO4: External assessment


Here you have some extra links to practise your skills before the test!

LISTENING:
http://free-english-study.com/listening/pre-intermediate.html

READING:
http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading/2r1-the-party.php

http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading/2r2-confused-letter.php

WRITING:
1. Follow the example of the last reading exercise and write a letter to a friend explaining your traveling plans for this summer.
2. Introduce yourself to the family that will host you in New Zealand for one month: talk about your likes and dislikes, food matters, hobbies, family and expectations.
3. Advertise your town in a brochure for people of your age: talk about interesting sites, monuments, leisure activities, weather and typical festivities.

1 Feb 2013

ESO4: Being human... and animal!

Here you have a picture with external parts of the body to learn:

http://www.learnenglish.de/vocabulary/body.htm ... and here you'll find other organs:


Try to draw the body and the different body parts and leran vocabulary ths way. Read sources in English to expand your vocabulary!

Here you'll find extra exercises:
http://www.learnenglish.de/Games/SeekAWord/wordsearch10.htm
http://www.learnenglish.de/crosswords/humanbody.htm

Have a look and become a surgeon!: http://www.edheads.org/activities/knee/

ESO1: What's the time?

Hello! Here you will find up to FIFTEEN games to tell the time in English...can you spot on the right time?
http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/measures.htm 
If you need to revise how to tell the time try this link: http://www.wmnet.org.uk/wmnet/custom/files_uploaded/uploaded_resources/503/clock.swf

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/maths/telling_the_time/play/popup.shtml
http://resources.oswego.org/games/BangOnTime/clockwordres.html

25 Jan 2013

ESO3: Crime vocabulary: Cybercrime!

We start Unit 3 travelling to one of my favoiurite countries: New Zealand! But is is so far away that we need to do a stop-over in San Francisco. After  learning about Al Capone and the Alcatraz prison we will become familiar to some vocabulary related to crime and justice. Do you remember the case of that student accused of hacking? Beware... safety on the Internet is extremely important!

Rosa Saló is an English teacher in Girona who has engaged in an excellent project with interesting materials to work the contents of this unit. Visit for more info: https://sites.google.com/a/xtec.cat/private-detectives/fbi---kids-safety Here you have an example of what "detectives" of your age can do!

LISTENING: Watch this Phineas and Ferb's video and copy the cyberules on your notebook. Then translate them. What do you think about it?


SPEAKING: Let's discuss about cyberbulling... What is it? What types of cyberbulling are there? How can you avoid it or what can you do to fight it? How would you help a friend who is experiencing it? As in Rosa's web we can elaborate a list of DO's and DON'Ts from the following webpage and discuss http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids-safety

READING:  Here you can read about the daily routine of an FBI agent... if there is such a thing for an agent! http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids-day
WRITING: Write a story in groups of two or three with random words from this unit. It has to be a mystery/crime story soi try to keep the guilty person until the end!
It's like playing CLUEDO! You need a scene, a victim, a murderer, and at least two suspects! http://www.cyberbee.com/whodunnit/crimescene.html


For high level talents don't miss this out! http://www.creative-writing-now.com/how-to-write-a-mystery.html


GAMES: Play different games from the FBI webpage to get familiar to this new vocabulary.
http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids-games


 EXTRA VOCABULARY: http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids-investigate

15 Jan 2013

ESO3: Revision of shopping vocabulary and directions.

Getting ready for the exam? Here you have extra practice for shops and directions!
  • Task 1 and 2 for revision. 
  • Task 3 for advancing in your knowledge!
  • Task 4 with listening activities!
 http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=1434