we +o Se Sa dene Ls : Activities at Findergarten ; ANA Priwary School students | sem a ; — —t—‘“‘i‘CS;S~S~«~*r ae _—— NUMBERS IN THE KINDERGARTEN 9 Very Youn | How many dots? Look at the number, and draw the spots. Then, colour the ladybugs. 2 : SB e= Sa Gee SS 6 HVB) Trace the numbers. A) Count and colour. C) Count and colour. op Wee SH 3 ii == =mmeee "i t kiQk. Sap At Com stot Ry oo =e ttverything that is known about dinosaurs is RID thanks to the study of palacontologists. Kids [iy 2" always been fascinated by dinosaurs. sey Why not taking advantage of this interest to D excourage them to speak English and learn vocabulary related to the topic? First of all, ask children to bring information about from encyclopaedias, images from the Internet, drawing magazines, toy dinosaurs, etc. Share all the information, describe the pictures and read aloud any interesting paragraph. ‘Then, say the names of the dinosaurs, compare them and their parts of the body. While doing this warming up activity encourage children to recycle vocabulary already learnt; for instance, parts of the body, adjectives and colours. Ask them to repeat after you some key vocabulary you want to introduce, for example: bones, teeth, vegetarian, carnivorous. Finally, ‘organize the information and display it on a special board. ‘After sticking the images, itis important for children to reflect fon the fact that they are all illustrations, Explain that there are no photographs of dinosaurs because they became extinct long before man evolved. Most we know about dinosaurs is thanks to the study of palaeontologists. Moreover, sometimes skeletons in museums are reconstructions made by them. Focus on the work of palaeontologists and their tools. Show photocopiable activity on page 17, which has images of tools required for this job together with some others which are not. Ask children to say which of those tools are needed (or not) by a palaeontologist, and explain why (not). The necessary tools are: magnifier, shovel, pick, torch, pencil, notebook, brush, map. Children will paint them, and cross the ‘odd ones out (bucket, umbrella, ball, cards) ‘There is another photocopiable page in which you will find a puzzle. It is a palaeontologist in action. Encourage students to describe the picture, and then, reinforce the new vocabulary related to the tools by using ple questions like: Can you see a. magnifier? ot Where is the ra 6 irae = el shovel? Let students colour the image, and then (maybe with your help) cut carefully along the dotted lines. Before sticking the pieces on a coloured page, make sure your students put them in the right place. To round up this project, plan an expedition and gather the necessary tools: shovels, picks, brushes, magnifiers, pencils and notebooks, Students will put into practice the excavation of a dummy site (preferably in an open area, or in a big bucket full of sand). You will explain that they may find different archaeological remains, for instance: coins, ceramic remains, bones (maybe from a chicken or lamb), glass. Then, ask them to pretend they are palaeontologists digging up the "fossils" very carefully. They should take notes of their findings. As a closing activity, make a circle, and give each student the possibility to show and say what they have found, explain how they dug up, which tools they used, etehe following exercises intend to bring the ‘subject of palaeontology into the young learner classroom at a beginner or elementary level. Even though it might seem a scientific issue with certain difficult concepts, it is not impossible for students to tackle these activities. A good way to introduce children into this subject is the use of images of dinosaurs and extinct animals, which are sometimes appealing to them. They can also help them to work on a basic description later. They might draw their own conclusions by paying attention to the explanations of the teacher or the suggestions of other classmates, You can adapt some of the activities to different levels and/or ages. Palaeontology is the scientific study of all living forms from the beginning of life on planet Earth up to 12,000 years ago (the start of the Holocene). Its task is to gather information and draw conclusions about the evolution of life in a period of time of about 3,800 million years, Palaeontology studies fossils and bones, and thanks to the advances in chemistry and technology, it can investigate events that happened millions of years ago. Although most people associate it with the study of dinosaurs, it also studies the evolution of unicellular and multicellular organisms that lived much earlier than them. A key concept in palaeontology is evolution, that isto say, the idea that some organisms descend from others through mutations and adaptations. In palacontology, comparison and description are fundamental for the understanding of evolution. Many species that coexisted had clear differences that allowed them to live under difficult conditions, and other species survived through time thanks to their change of characteristics and habits. Another common aspect in palaeontology is the metaphor of the jigsaw puzzle”. Palaeontologists almost never work with complete data. They might find one bone, a number of bones or an incomplete fossil. That is why, it is usual to compare the work of a palaeontologist to a puzzler, trying to complete an image, trying to Imagine the missing pieces and guess which piece fills ‘which gap. In some cases, traces of insects can be found, Usually they are trapped inside drops of amber (fossilised tree resin) that can remain intact for millions of years.Task 1 Bring up the subject of palaeontology, and ask students if they know the ‘meaning of the word. According to their answers, complete the idea with the information provided in the introduction, mentioning why the jigsaw puzzle is a good metaphor to explain the work of palaeontologists. It is important for students to understand that the world we know nowadays was very different millions of years ago. Task 2 Using the images of palaeontological skeletons split in 4 or 5 pieces each, students play a game in which they pretend to be palaeontologists, and assemble the jigsaw puzzle of each animal, according to the features of the drawing and how the pieces match. Then, students will have to guess which skeleton matches each animal. Task 3 ‘Ask students to bring pictures and information about dinosaurs and prehistoric animals. Using the following char, students write down some physical characteristics of every animal. This activity can be done orally, with the students describing the animals and the teacher writing on the board the physical characteristis. Finally, with all the information, encourage them to describe the animal using simple and short sentences, For example, The PRex has short weak forearms, The pterosaur has long wings, etc. According to their level, more complex sentences can be formed. For example, The basitosaunis uses the flippers to swim, The meganisoptera uses the wings to fly etc. It is advisable to make a short revision of vocabulary before starting this exercise. Some adjectives that can be used are: short, long, strong, weak, big, small, sharp, pointy, fat, thin. Colours can also be revised and used for body description. Actions verbs such as to eat, 1 fly, to swim, to fight, to jump, to run, to walk can also be used abrito Ie Flippers : Neck Body size :rehaeologists study ancient civilizations, and their way of life and customs. These scientists research, excavate and draw ‘conclusions throughout the discovery of ‘artifacts, remains of buildings and cultural landscapes inhabited by multiple cultures in the past, Their main goal is to collect as much data as possible to analyse human history in depth. This unit is aimed at beginner level students. By a series of activities combining essential lexical and grammatical contents, your students will experience an amusing approach to the world of archaeologists, objectives ‘¢ To introduce the topic of archaeologists. ‘© To read communicative texts and develop reading skills. To complete activites relating to personal information. ‘© ‘To answer questions and exchange information. ‘© ‘To promote writing skill. To create a character. ‘To learn specific vocabulary. ‘To play a game, Lexical and grammatical contents © Verb to Be. ‘© Wh-questions ‘¢ Personal pronouns. '* Vocabulary on archaeology (Trowel, rock hammer,compass, etc.) '* Yes/No questions. Activities 1) Introduce the topic by telling your students that they will meet people who love making discoveries about humans to learn how they lived in the past. Then, say the word ‘archaeologist at a slow pace. Ask students if the word sounds familiar to them. Encourage them to repeat it after you. You can clap hands while pronouncing the syllables of the word. 22 _, 44 2) Show students photocopiable activity A on page 23 , and ask them s Z ° to look at the character. Point and say: [ This is an archaeologist, Read the text aloud for the class. Then, ask students to repeat the text to promote accurate pronunciation. Some words may be 4ifficult to produce, so you can clap hands together with the students to help them. After reading the text, focus on reading comprehension. Ask students to complete the quiz individually, and check answers with the whole class. As there are three possible answers listed in alphabetical order, you can also profit from them by reminding students of the alphabet letters. Explain the meaning of new words, if necessary, 3) Tell students that Billy has workmates, and that they are in photocopiable activity B, Ask students to complete the exercise together answering aloud. Then, repeat the right answer to each sentence to avoid confusion. Once they have finished, tell them to imagine an archaeologist and draw him/her. Finally, students give their new character a name, a surname and a nationality 4) In photocopiable activity C, students answer the questions in pairs. Tell them that they will be reporters. They can pretend to be holding a microphone to interview his/her partner. Once the student playing the role of reporter has made all the ‘questions, the other classmate takes his/her turn 5) Archaeologists need many personal items when they go on an expedition, Show students Billy's bag, and explain that drawings and words are distributed at random, Your role in this activity is to mime the use of these items as you name. them. After students have guessed all the words, they can use 2 pencil or colour pencils to match the drawings to the equipment labels, Marcela Catreat Ferrer Sources and References herpy/vnmwdayofarchaeolagy com/a-dayin-an-archaeological-tool-kit/ httpy/awewhistarchillinois.eduiNP/tools html hetpu/anthropology.uedavis edu/undecgraduatelfel schooVequipment.doc/vieve hetp:/Awmwrdigitup.comau/content/12-archaeology-studentsja aa Sasa aes is eae ee } Level: Beginner ‘Age: Young Lea ARCHAEOLOGISTS Hit Mg nawe Ts Villy Hartin Tm from England. Tw an archaedlogist. T love ancient civilizations. I work Th vatural places with other scientists. We are a team! ! 1) Quiz: Choose the correct option. 1) Billys. 2) Billy studies... 3) Billy works... 4) Billy works .. an archaeologist, Plants and flowers. Dlat school. Chwith his family Dla doctor. Dold civilizations. Hina factory. Catone. Dan ecologist. Danimals in danger. outdoors, Clwith other archaeologists. B) Billy's Team: Complete, draw and write. HEY ee OQ. Boskovich. To nnnane mnmnene Poland. Tm an ae ‘too. Martinez. I... entina. Tw an slaanic. too. I love my jobtLevel: Beginner ‘Age! Young Learners ARCHAEOLOGISTS ‘)Reporter. 1) Ask your partner about Billy, Franco, Olga and his/her archaeologist. a) What's your name? Pico iye b) What's your surname? cl Where are you from? ) What's your job? b) What's your surname? cl Where are you from? @) What's your job? D) Look at Billy's bag. Match. © towel a hat A a) What's your name? Olga. b) What's your surname? ©) Where are you from? d) What's your job? a) What's your name? bI What's your surname? 1c) Where are you from? first aid kitBackground ‘The International Day of Peace is observed worldwide on 2ist September. The United Nations General Assembly has declared this day to strengthen the ideals of peace, respect and mutual understanding among people and nations. The UN calls for the cessation of hostilities during the observance and to commemorate the occasion raising awareness on issues related to peace. What do people do? On this day, people take part in different activities and organize events centred around peace. Events range from concerts to private gathers. Some of the activities include: toasts for peace, peace prayers, ee planting, lighting candles, art exhibitions, among others, symbol ‘The dove is a symbol associated with the Intemational Day of, Peace. Teaching sequences for children: Talk to students about the International Day of Peace. Brainstorm words associated with peace such as “respect”, “kindness”, “cooperation”. ‘ell students that doves are a symbol of peace. Encourage them to say why. Join © Clubepwwa and help Tell them to trace peace doves on cardboard sheets. Also, have them write peace words inside them, Teaching sequences for Teenagers/Adults: Tell students that the International Day of Peace is ‘observed on September 2st Have them watch a gaa short video about this observance at https://wwwyoutube.com/watchtv=Osi1 write down the quotes they liked best ‘Tell them to surf the net at home and find other inspirational quotes related to peace. If possible, have students come up with their own inspirational quotes, yMvay, Tell them to Display the inspirational quotes on the school wall Yesice Extra Reading for Teachers httpy/vrwuutimeanddate.com/holidays/URy international-peace-day us enrich our members educational work. © secetockcomveubedioa & wvitercom/dubedba pinterest.com/clubediba ) youtube.com/editorialedibasr!RE Y ie = S=S8e 8 © Hy | Note:The activities are graded. | RED HORSE by Eadweard Muybridge | A) Watch one of the first films ever made at { itepss/www youtuibe.com/watch?v=lEqcePhsqgA B) Choose the correct option: 1) The protagonists are.. 2) The horse is. a) ahorse and a woman.) a) funninglgcng b)adog and aman.L] b) eating. ahorseanda man.) walking. 1) the first films / was one of / "Red Horse"/ ever 2)made by / Eadweard Muybridge / It was ! 3) shot / It / in / 1878 / was ARRIVAL OF A TRAIN by the Lumiére brothers B) Answer the questions. | 1) Are people travelling? 2) What means of transport can you see? 3) Are people wearing formal or casual clothes? 4) Does anyone look at the camera? ©) Auction time. Play in groups. Each group will receive a certain ‘amount of. money’, and they have to“buy" the sentences they consider, RIGHT. The teacher will tell you the answers The group that collects more RIGHT sentences wins. A) Watch this very old film at hxps//www youtube com/watch?v=bsPpp5902¥o. 3)The short films... a) the repetition of a scene. L] bya story aboutan animal. L] Oalove story. C)To find out more about the film, put the sentences in order. 1) Arrival ofa train was released in 1896. 2) There are other earliest films which are more famous than this one, 3)The audience was surprised by the train arriving, and ran. away screaming. 4) The Lumiere brothers knew that the motion of the train would attract viewers 5) The film was shot at Provence bus station.Level: Elementary Age: Teenagers. THE EVOLUTION OF CINEMA - FIRST FILMS IN THE LION’S CAGE by Charles Chaplin ‘A) Watch Chaplin's film at hxspsy/sywnyoutubercom/watch’v=79i84VelZl. B) Decide if the statements are TRUE or FALSE. Then, check your answers with the teacher. 1) This video isa scene from the film The Circus. 2) He did around 400 takes with area lion. 3) The film isa silent comedy. 5) The scene took place in a park. 4) twas shot in 1828, 6) Chaplin wrote, directed, and produced this film... ) Put the sequence of events in order. '5) He runs out of the cage and climbs a pole.) 6) He tries to escape, but he can't.) 1) The lion is sleeping, but it moves its tail. ] 7) She opens the door to let him out.) 2) He gets trapped in a lion's cage.L] 8) He tries going to the next cage, but there isa tiger there. 3) The protagonist is running. 9) He plays dumb, and the lion wakes up.C] 4) A dog barks at the man.C) 10) A woman sees him and faints.) ONE WEEK by Edward Cline and Buster Keaton A) Watch this film at hsps/archive-oro/detalls/OneWeeks B) Complete the following sentences. ADU think this Film i...ecsesseesssssesssv (State your general opinion.) 2)The husbands... and he's, (Describe his personality and physical appearance) 3) The wife is . and sheis (Describe her personality and physical appearance.) ©) Complete the summary of the plot with the verbs from the box. ‘The protagonists 1). martied at the beginning of the film, As a wedding present, they 2) nnn @ Dl ‘yourself house. A person who was rejected by the woman 3).. the numbers in the boxes, The husband 4) the house in a week. There 5) ‘ome problems withthe building. The house is notin the right place, so they 6) seit BUit is stuck On the ra-road tracks and it 7) w...snnn destroyed by a train. The husband and wife put a “For Sale” sigh anid 8) enn AWAY. D) Fiction or reality? Decide if these statements are fictional or real. 1) The house is spinning during the storm... 2) The train crashes the house, me 3) The house is on a turntable 4) The actor Keaton hurt himself when he fell two stories down, Some information was taken from: https//en.wikipedia.org/wiki (One_Week 86281920_flmss29 BeSS +28 BS 6 HV ww eye Rel Horse: 8) 1) 2) 3) 8) 1)"Red 4) RIGHT, 5) WRONG Uk was shot at Provence'vain is sleeping. butt moves ts tail6) Adog barks at Hore" wasone of thefirstfilmsever2)Rwes station). the man, 7) A woman sees him and faints, 8) She ‘madeby Eecnesrd Muybridge 3) twas shot in Inthe Lions Cage: 8) 1) Tue, 2) False (He id ‘pens the door to let him out 9} He pls dumb, 378. ‘round 200 takes witha fai on), 3) Tie, 4) False andthe ion wakes up 10) He nuns out ofthe cage [Arrival ofa Train) 1) Yes, theyare,2) can seea_[Iewasshotin 1928), 5) false (Tescene takes. andcimbs a pole. {tan 3) They are wearing formal clothes (Actually, _placein acrcus),6)Tive;C)1)The protagonistis One Week: C) 1) get.2recele, 3) changes, 4) they arethe typical clothes ofthose times) 4)¥es, running, 2)e gets appedinalienscage,3)He assembles, 8) ae-6) move. 7) 8) walk D) 1) Real, Some people o;€)1) AGHT,2]WBONG This's.” les to escape but hecant 4) He vies going to 2) Rel 3)Real, Real (Thisis to prove that there Gre the mostfamovseatestims), 3)RIGHT, the nextcage but theresa gerthere,5)helion were not many speci effec, asthere are now) fypenis (ternatives eA Tart 4 Le earning is like a journey. Occasionally, we stop to take wonderful, or not so wonderful, photos, but a lot of what happened in the ‘journey is not recorded in our photo album. Sometimes a similar scenario occurs in our classrooms. Occasionally, we stop to take tests and see where our students are, how much they have learnt and how much they can do with what we have been teaching. However, like the photos in our trip, these are just snapshots of a very valuable process which is demeaned. On the one hand, our students go through the language learning, process at different paces; they develop skills in different ways, approach language and difficulty differently and display diferent needs. On the other hand, most of our assessment is standardised We evaluate the whole class with identical pen-and-paper tests, we give them the same amount of time, and expect them to achieve equally satisfactory results in different activities. The irony is obvious, but it does not mean testing should be abolished and. banned from the classroom. Like the photos of our trip, testing is still necessary, but being aware of the way students approach learning calls for the implementation of alterative kinds of assessment to complement our task, especially when young and very young learners are involved. Why do we assess? Im all academic settings, assessment is needed for a number of reasons and demanded by the actors involved. Institutions, parents, teachers, and even children want to know about students performance. Based on numbers and proficiency levels, Institutions need to determine the success of their policies and ‘curricula. Parents need to know how their children are doing in relation to the goals of the schools and family, and how their children got the grades they got. Teachers need to assess to plan for further instruction, and students need to know what they have accomplished and what requires more work (Law & Eckes, 2007). “ain ‘Summative vs. Alternat Until recently, most assessment that took place in the classroom ‘was dominated by summative evaluations, which focus on Janguage points and linguistic accuracy (Shaaban, 2005). It is a formal type of testing which most likely occurs at the end of the period, of atthe end of a chapter or unit. The result are then used to determine what students know and do not know. Summative assessment includes written or oral productions such as dictations, uizzes, shor tests, term or final exams. Though still needed for accountability reasons, summative assessment tools have met strong criticism especially since the advent of communicative language teaching (Law & Eckes, 2007). They tend to rank students from the highest to the lowest achievers. They are one-shot deals in which students either get them right when they sit down to do them or they do not, which increases anxiety and conditions performance. They tend to fragment skills and be decontextualized, which may lead to cultural and linguistic misunderstandings, Test questions can be poorly written or misread by students. And last but not least, they lack predictive value in that they cannot tell how a student will, Perform in a real-life communicative situation. tthe other end of the spectrum and not without their own shortcomings, there are alternative tools for assessment. They were born in an attempt to rebel against the arbitrariness of| traditional testing and scoring, and to give a more dynamic, broader picture of students’ development. ‘Alternatives in assessment: * Require students to perform, create, or produce something; * Use real-world contexts or simulations; ‘* Enhance day-to-day classroom activities by providing assessing opportunities within those activities; * Focus on processes as well as products; * Tap into higher level thinking and problem-solving skills; * Provide information about both the strengths and weaknesses of the students; * Ave likely to build intrinsic motivation (Brown, 2010).Non-verbal responses Especially at early stages of instructions when students do not yet produce long strings of speech, physical performance responses and pictorial products are a great idea for assessment (Shaaban, 2005). They are hands-on tasks based! on simple directions. For example, pointing to certain colours or sketching an animal with given characteristics. | Presentations Regular presentations provide us with valuable input on students’ | ‘written and oral abilities as well as on their interests and organizational skils. Presentations come in different formats (Gramatisations, interviews, lectures, ole plays, ete.), and they are | very motivating for students since they can be accompanied with a | ‘wide range of multimedia resources such as Powerpoint | presentations, videos, photos, etc. | rules For presentation ideas in the ESL classroot hitp//es! fs edu/teachers/support/agis7_pihtm Self-assessment Although politically incorrect in a teacher-centred classroom, sel- assessinent is a powerful tool to develop intrinsic motivation and student autonomy. The results rendered by a self-evaluation might not be as objective as desired, since students might be too harsh or {oo flattering with their own performance. However, studies have proved that, if students are properly guided and are aware of the teria used for assessment, they will become very accurate in their judgment of and responsible for their work, Selfassessment can be directed at a number of aspects of the learning proce class participation, activity performance, functions performance, lesson objectives, multiple intelligences, etc. Below there are three ‘examples of self-assessment guides, each assessing different aspects of the learning process. Date: Activity: What | learned: Problems?: Solutions?: Not so well | + Read the menu estitr | “Goingtothe | "OK restaurant Quite _well_| _well_| Really well + Ask for a meal Make a complaint | + Ask for the bill like the teacher explaining everything to me \ prefer to work alone 1 Like acting like listening to songs in English ike reading | prefer to discover grammar In the next issue, we will continue explaining other alternatives in assessment. Diana Bauducco Sources and References Brown, D., (2010), Language Assessment. Principles and Classroom Practices. UK, Longman. Law, B. & Eckes, M., (2007), Assessment and ESL. An Alternative Approach. Winnipeg, Potage and Main Press. Shaaban, K., (2005), Assessment of Young Leamers. in English Teaching Forum, Vol. 43 Mekay, P., (2008), Assessing Young Language Learners, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.a. Intermediate ‘Age! Teenagers/Aduls PUILOSORAPTOR Level A) Read the following text. ‘The Philosoraptor is a mixture of two different kinds of things: a philosopher and a Velociraptor. A philosopher is a person who wants fo know everything about everything. And how do they ry todo tha? Simply: by asking alt of questions. "Who am I? Where do we come from? How do we think?" are just some of the questions a philosopher asks to himself and to ‘the world. A Velociraptor is a kind of dinosaur that lived about 75 million years ago. it was a carnivore with enormous claws ieach oot, which heusedto hunt and eat salbo ane of Ue most fella dngsaurs to us he se nthe Jurassic Park films. So what does a philosopher have to do with a velociraptor? Well, Philosoraptor is a Meme. According to. ‘Wikipedia, a meme lan tea, behavior, ors that spreads rom person to person witina culture Each of them haa unique feature: people use them to make jokes. Philosoraptor’s feature is to ask funny, crazy and interesting questions: about life, people, love or anything anyone can think of. Here are some examples: COALS EEE cen someone wants to makea UE EIT Joke ortoaska question they may use this meme: the Philosoraptor. (Source: www.99ag.com) Rit, URS 2 SPs BS 6 =P . anne CETTE narra om 8) Do the following activities: 2) Match each word with its meaning. ‘ 1) Find the words in bold type : i Tes tema plese 2) Philosopher T An animal that eats meat, i b) Questions 2) An idea, concept or character that |! EOUWLYYEBKRCTEM spreads through the Internet, i ONIEKFE TLEDZAEJHGH D ec canoe 3) A person who asks a lot of questions. NIUMTTDPOAMNSMQ = acaw 4) A quality that something or someone YUIUIHOUKYFISVM can have. FGRCFSWALCSVZID ) Meme 5) A sharp curved part on the toe of ZEHQOITVSFZOXNA = mae NLUBKLETN = : Wolvitdenwocnya | treat 61 An interrogative sentence. i UHAIAHSS i : : 3) It was said that philosophers ask many questions. Here are some me We i . E h N examples. Complete them with a suitable wh-word. DCWBZZYXQOSBDIP phrases this‘cogito ergo sum? cm | CHARACTERSNXISR 4) isthe purpose ofife? [0 Gsoqwrscrozswon = 5 did isto ive? | d). was Socrates sentenced to death? Key:8)1) 21a)3,b16.0)1.0)5.012.94 3)a) What Whose, b) Which <) Where/When, 4) Why/When/Were. > wTaaa OUT Na) RAC eae THIS MONTH MAGAZINE + CD nD 10 songs TO PLAY, SING AND LEARN ‘A FUN WAY TO LEARN AND PRACTISE English * eer aOR i a)- You wanted it, you have it! Now you can have access to all our educational resources from your PC thanks to (®) EDIBA Player : . . % oY Magazines @ Multimedia resources ~~ Previous and latest editions EE rctviesand projects -: 4 and the most popular Ed ttre . EB erst avis Bon . foes Be Eee sprees | > e : EDIBA Player is a free application. Download it from www.player.ediba.com