Comments of the activities to work on ‘writing’ (last hand-out)

A great variety of activities can be found in this hand-out to work on ‘writing’, either it be prose or verse. Some of these activities are:

·         Make a poem from a shopping list.

·         Guided writing of a murder mystery plan.

·         Write and interview to a witch. (Guided writing).

·         Create a personal assistant. (Guided writing).

·         Guess the genre (Join genres with some blurbs, also write your own blurb and see if your   partner can guess the type of book).

·         Create an information poster.

·         Ask students to write poems following a model.

We think all these activities are suitable enough to work with primary school students, either it be in a first or second language. However, the activities we like most and attract our attention are:

·         Guided writing of a murder mystery plan.

·         Create a personal assistant.

These two activities are guided-writing examples. We have chosen them because they are well designed. In addition, they follow a logic structure and they can be attractive and motivating to students.

Among the activities to create a poem, the following one attracts our attention for its originality:

·         Make a poem from a shopping list. 

It is a really original and amusing way to create a poem, something that is usually difficult to get.

With regard to the rest of activities, we must point out that it is good that they follow a progression in guided-writing (some of them are more guided than others), thus we will be able to make the task easier to our students.

Made by: Cristina Muñoz and Pablo Pérez

DRAMA PLAY

Why use drama activities?

Using drama and drama activities has clear advantages for language learning. It encourages children to speak and gives them the chance to communicate, even with limited language, using non-verbal communication, such as body movements and facial expressions. There are also a number of other factors which make a drama a very powerful tool in the language classroom. Try thinking about the ways in which reading a dialogue aloud from a textbook is different from acting out that same dialogue. You will find that the list is a long one. This is because drama involves children at many levels, through their bodies, minds, emotions, language, and social interaction.

            Source: PHILLIPS, S. Drama with children, Oxford.

Motivation

Dramatizing a text is very motivating and it is fun. In addition, the same activity can be done at different levels at the same time, which means that all the children can do it successfully. The end product, the performance, is clear and so children feel safe, and have a goal to work towards. Children are motivated if they know that one or two groups will be asked to show what they have done, or if they are being videoed or putting on a public performance.

            Source: PHILLIPS, S. Drama with children, Oxford.

The Enormous Turnip

The Enormous Turnip is a super simple story for children learning English as a second language.

Instead of using a book to read, we prefer flashcards where teachers or parents are free to adapt the language used according to the skills of children.

THE IMPORTANCE OF NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Researcher Albert Mehrabian split in percentajes the impact of a message,  according to his study: 7% verbal, 38% vocal (tone, nuances and other characteristics) and a 55% non verbal language (signs and gestures).

We must be aware that the verbal component is used to communicate information and the non verbal component to communicate personal state and attitudes. This researcher states that in a face to face conversation, the verbal component is a 35% and over 60% is non verbal communication.

We think that it is really important to make students aware of the importance of non verbal communication when trying to communicate each other. Therefore, we will try to show them, by means of the video ‘The Potter’, how  we can understand characters through gestures when they do not speak. Just by observing their gestures, we can understand how they feel. Even though there is no conversation in the video, characters help us understand perfectly the story and their feelings through gestures and expressions.

Here is an example:

The boy looks surprised at his master making magic. The surprise of the child is reflected in his raised eyebrows and slightly open mouth. Moreover, we can see the old monster with wrinkles, aging skin and drooping eyelids. We can guess a look of wisdom

  

In this picture we can see how the teacher shows the child the ability to do magic. By observing the child’s face, we can guess how emotions come together: joy, excitement, curiosity and nervousness. The old man looks at the humble child enjoying his happiness and thinking "that sweetie”.

  

The teacher explains to the child before using the magic  that first, he will have to learn how to work ceramics.

The child refuses to do it because he thinks it is boring, but the teacher insists on it. The child’s face reflects boredom and heaviness for what he is asked to do.

Once he has achieved his goal, the child looks happy because he has managed to do it thanks to his efforts. It can be guessed by his widely opened eyes looking at the pot that he is fully satisfied.  

These four images represent only a small part of the great variety of images that we could use to work on the importance of non verbal communication among students.

To deal with it in class, we can do many activities, as for example, mime, non verbal theatre,  students telling a story  to classmates by means of gestures, etc..

Made by: Cristina Muñoz and Pablo Pérez.

READER:

HAIKU

All poems have shape or form, but there are some which are made up of a specific number of lines and syllables.

What is a haiku?

A haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that has only three short lines. In the three lines there are usually only 17 syllables.

Haiku have a fixed form; it must consist of three lines. Usually the first line has five syllables, the second seven and the third five again.

Haikus are normally about some aspect of nature, and generally follow the principles of minimalism and immediacy. Minimalism means a simple and clear style, and immediacy means a direct, instant impact.

Source: www.teachit.co.uk

Task 3: Pick an aspect of nature and try to write your own Haiku.

ANIMALS

The cat is running.

The mouse is sad and hidden.

The cat is eating.

PLANTS

Sunflower is big

Sunflower is moving now

I´m eating its seeds.

WATER

Water is freedom

Water is transparency

Be water my friend

Made by: Cristina Muñoz and Pablo Pérez.

ACTIVITY 1: WORKING WITH A SONG

After working in class activities from the book ‘Singing Grammar’ we thought it would be an interesting challenge to work on the specific vocabulary of a song created by ourselves. After thinking about it, we decided to make a song about Halloween.

We remained satisfied with the result, so we decided to include it here below.  This song is thought to be worked in class using the rhythm of the song  ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson.

AIMS:

·         Language: Teaching English through music.

·         Other: Vocabulary about Halloween and pronunciation.

MATERIALS:

·         Photocopies of lyrics for each student.

TIMING: 25 Minutes.

PREPARATION:

·         Find or create a song.

PROCEDURE:

1.      In this session, students will work starting from this song:

2.      The teacher will hand out photocopies of the song lyrics. Students will listen to the song several times. They will read the lyrics while listening to the song. Each time the song ends, the teacher will give some explanations on the meaning of the words that students haven’t understood with the correct pronunciation.

SONG LYRICS:

I am a skeleton, skeleton.

I have a lot of bones.

And I am dancing on Halloween.

I am a monster, monster.

I have an ugly face

And I am dancing on Halloween.

I am a Frankenstein, Frankenstein

I have a very big head

And I am dancing on Halloween.

We are the monsters of Halloween

Today, we have a party

Because today is Halloween.

Source: Own elaboration.

3. Once students have listened to this song several times, students and teacher will dance this song wearing masks.

We are aware that by starting from this song, a great variety of activities could be designed. However, that wasn’t our idea, so we are just going to propose the song.  

Made by: Cristina Muñoz, Pablo Pérez.

Once upon a time, there was a family whose father was blind. In spite of his blindness, he loved doing crafts and he designed beautiful objects made out of wood, stone and iron.

Christmas time was approaching and this blind craftsman thought about creating an original object to give to his 6-year-old son. He thought that he could make a kaleidoscope. He made it out of glass, mirrors, metals and stones that he had previously grinded up. The result was a beautiful kaleidoscope a child could ever dream.

When the son received the gift, he liked it so much that he took it to school to show it off to his classmates. One of the students, somewhat older, asked him where he had bought that beautiful object. Then, the boy answered that it was his father who had made it.

‘Your father?’, the older boy asked in surprise.

‘Your father is blind ….’

The 6-year-old child stared at him and after a while, he smiled and said: ‘Yes, my father is blind but only his eyes are blind ….. only his eyes. 

I´VE BEEN WAITING

BEFORE LISTENING:

Exercise 1: The teacher will give students the following list of words: Gir, raining, call,  love, wait, telephone, happy. Looking at the words and images below, students will have to guess what is happening in the song.

   

Exercise 2: How do you think the fourth picture will be?

AFTER LISTENING:

Exercise 3: Listen and check your predictions.

Exercise 4: Put the following lines in order, then listen and check.

•       The boy is waiting happily.
•      The boy tries to call her.
•      The boy is sad, very sad.
•       He has been waiting for two hours. He is standing alone.
•       Now the only thing to do is going back home.

Exercise 5: Students have to write the answer to the following question: Why do you think she didn´t go?

Exercise 6: Students have to invent and write the end they like the most.

Exercise 7: Working in pairs. Imagine that you are the boy and a few days later, you see her again. What would you do? Write a short dialogue.

Exercise 8 Working in groups.  Play a Role – Play your dialog: This song can also be played as a Drama. Students working in groups will invent a script. It will be a dialogue between a girl and a boy and another possible character if they want. Then, they will be able to do the role play in class.

Homework:

1º) Write the Diary of this boy after the date. How do you feel? What do you think about her? Do you think that she has really stood you up? Etc.

Made by: Cristina Muñoz, Pablo Pérez.

JOHNNY IS PLAYING FOOTBALL

From our point of view, the activities proposed by the book to work the song are not suitable enough, since some of them are not useful and they don’t have a clear objective, as for example Question B – ‘Draw lines between the words’. This isn’t the right way to work grammar.

Exercise 1: Look at the pictures and try to guess what is happening.

     

Exercise 2: Answer these questions:

-          What is Johnny doing?

-          What kind of clothes is he wearing?

-          What do you think the problem is? 

-          What is Mary doing?

-          What do you think the problem is?

Exercise 3: Complete the following sentences:

-          In the first picture Johnny is_______________________.

-          Johnny is wearing his____________________________.

-          Johnny is ___________ football. (X 2).

-          He ________________ all his school clothes and he ____________ very dirty.

-          Johnny! Your mother __________________!

-          Johnny! Your mother __________________!

-          In the second picture, Mary is______________.

-          Mary______________ chocolate.

-          Mary______________ chocolate.

-          She_______________  a lot of chocolate and now she isn´t hungry.

-          Mary! Your dinner_____________ ready!

-          Mary! Your dinner_____________ ready!

-          The kids_________________ pictures.

-          The kids_________________ pictures.

-          They aren´t_________ the exercise they_____ just_________ pictures.

-          Kids! The teacher__________________.

Exercise 4: Listen to the song and complete your answer.

Exercise 5: Check the answers all together.

Made by: Cristina Muñoz, Pablo Pérez.

“El verbo leer no soporta el imperativo”.

                                                             D. Pennac

´The verb to read can´t stand the imperative form´.

                                                                             D. Pennac

READING ACTIVITIES

MICE

TEXT:

Pygmy mouse:

The pygmy mouse is the smallest mouse. It lives for one year. It lives everywhere in the world except Antartica. It weighs six grams and is four and a half centimetres long and has a tail three centimetres long.

Jumping mouse:

The jumping mouse has long back feet. The Woodland jumping mouse can jump three metres. Jumping mice sleep for six to nine months in the year. They eat seeds, worms and beetles.

House mouse:

The house mouse lives with people. It eats anything it can find. It can eat soap and glue and electricity cables. They are popular pets.

Harvest mouse:

The harvest mouse can climb very well. It climbs grass and corn and holds on with its tail. It makes its nest at the top of stalks of grass and corn.

Dormouse:

Small dormice are six centimetres long and weigh fifteen grams, and big ones are nineteen centimetres long and weigh two hundred grams. They sleep for seven months every year. They live for about three years.

Dormice can hear very well and can make a lot of noises. They eat fruit, nuts, seeds, insects, spiders, worms and eggs. The Romans liked to eat dormice.

                                                                                              Storytelling with Children. 

Andrew Wright.

Pre - Reading activities:

• Children have to answer the following questions:

          1.   Do you know what a mouse is?

          2.   Have you ever seen a mouse?

          3.   Do you know anything about mice?

          4.   Do you remember any famous mouse that appears in cartoons, movies, etc.?         

          5.   What is a dormouse?

          6.    Do you know what a pigmy mouse is?

•  Label the pictures with these words.

1º) Jumping mouse. 2º) Dormouse. 3º) Harvest mouse. 4º) House mouse. 5º) Pigmy mouse.

                       

                          

• Students have to draw a mouse and label the different parts of the mouse.

After reading activities:

• Children have to answer the following questions.

        - Which is the smallest mouse?

        - What are the measurements of the pygmy mouse’s tail?

        - How long does the dormouse sleep for?

        - How far can the jumping mouse jump?

       - Where does the harvest mouse make its nest?

       - What does the house mouse eat?

• True or false:

-The harvest mouse is a popular pet.

-The house mouse lives with people.

-The pygmy mouse lives for six months.

•  Copy the sentences in your notebooks, fill in the gaps:

The pygmy mouse is the ______________ mouse. It weighs ___________ __________ and is four and a half centimetres long and has a tail three centimetres long.

The harvest mouse ______________ climb very well. It ______________ grass and corn and holds on with its tail. It makes its nest at the top of stalks of grass and corn.

•        Make a list of words to describe the mices. You can use these words to make their description. If you want, you can also cut and glue them on another page.

SMALL	LIVE
LONG	FEET
TAIL	PET
EAT	CLIMB
SLEEP	BIG
WEIGH	JUMP

Made By: Cristina Muñoz, Pablo Pérez.