This is a blog by one of the teachers in this group work, María Toledo. It is full of interesting resources and ideas about creative writing for Primary students.
Click on the image
jueves, 24 de marzo de 2022
Creative activities made by Juan Enrique Labajos for his Secondary students
I have made this Quizziz about Ireland with my students and to tell the truth they are always eager to participate from the youngest to the oldest. Besides, a Liveworsheets for a Listening activity did well.
Here are both links:
https://quizizz.com/join/quiz/5ff454bf1f450d001b163270/start?studentShare=true
https://es.liveworksheets.com/1-rd550322dm
Also during the lockdown in 2020, I assigned this challenging speaking activity to my 2 Bachillerato students:
Hi guys!!!
Here is the task you will be doing each FRIDAY during the English Class ( 15th, 22nd, 29th May ) The lessons in 2 Bachillerato will finish on 4th June 2020.
Record a Monologue about You.
It's a (reading), listening, writing and above all SPEAKING activity, I know there is no oral exam in 2 Bachillerato, but as I have always told you the most prominent aspect in learning a foreign language is how to speak it ,so I will appreciate if you take it seriously.
The video I attach you. "A conversation with my 12-year-old self" may be useful to get some ideas.
You need to reflect on your life: your PAST, your PRESENT and your FUTURE.
. PAST MEMORIES: Focus on the positive ones and moments that were a turning point or just special for you in your biography.
. PRESENT: your school life, your friends, hobbies, extracurricular activities...
. FUTURE: Expectations: What do you think your life will be like in 10 years' time? What are your plans for your future?
Requirements:
1. The video must be 4-7 minutes long ( format MP4 or AVI).
2. You must write the script. You can send me a written draft of your speech previously and I will help you with the grammar, vocabulary and expression and make sure both pronunciation and intonation are OK.
3. When you record the video you may read the text( BETTER IF YOU DON'T), but you will need to rehearse quite a few times before the recording, reading it in front of a mirror so that it will sound and look natural
4. " Ready, Set, Action" !
Send me the video. GOOD LUCK!!!
"A conversation with my 12-year-old self" video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFGAQrEUaeU
Story Maker
By Yolanda Martínez
This is a link from the British Council web page to make a fairy story, a science fiction story or a horror story.
It can be very useful to do story writing. Also, you can print it out.
You can make a video showing clips of your students telling sentences or words of the story depending on the level of your students.
Pupils really enjoy watching videos of themselves!
Story Place: the children's digital learning library
By María del Prado Sobrino.
STORY PLACE is a web which has many digital stories to encourage our youngest students to read in their free time.
It is full of great activities for them to explore. Choose a theme ad start reading and having fun!
CREATE STORIES MAKING COMICS
By María del Prado Sobrino.
This is a useful resource for students to create stories
Click on the image
Here you have a tutorial:
viernes, 18 de marzo de 2022
TripAdvisor in class
By Esperanza Oraa
Last month we were working on the topic Nature Parks and advertisements, with my students of 6th grade.
I told them about TripAdvisor, and after visiting some of their posts we decided to create our own advert by using information from this website. They had to include information about the activities you can do at a place they chose, the accommodation, a map to arrive there and finally to invent an slogan. The result was something like this.
Climate activity
By Natividad Crespo
I want to share a creative activity that I use with my students. At the beginning, I show 11 definitions then children have to write the hidden word:
a) The gaseous envelope that surrounds the Earth. (ATMOSPHERE)
b) A measure of the percentage of radiation reflected by a surface. (ALBEDO)
c) Height relative to sea level. (ALTITUDE)
d) Instrument for measuring wind velocity. (ANOMOMETER)
e) A large mass of snow that flows down the side of a mountain. (AVALANCHE)
f) Action in which the ground is worn down by moving water, glaciers, wind, or waves (EROSION)
g) The outermost layer of the Earth's atmosphere. (EXOSPHERE)
h) A covering of ice crystals on a cold object (FROST)
i) The amount of water vapor contained in the air. (HUMIDITY)
j) Monsoon: A seasonal wind that causes heavy rains in tropical and subtropical regions. (MONSOON)
k) Low clouds that form layers. They often produce drizzle. (STRATUS)
I am going to use the app
https://www.edu-games.org/word-games/crosswords/communicative-crossword.php
This task is very usefull in my class. It gives me a lot of tecnics for listening, speaking and to know new grammar with students.
Our drawings can talk!
By Verónica González
Name of the activity: Our drawings can talk!
subject: English
Level: 3°EP
Topic:food
Number of students:8
Steps to follow:
1. learn food vocabulary and structures needed to write a recipe step by step.
2. write your recipe in a template
3. draw yourself as a Chef (some examples below)
4. Rehearsal with your classmates and your teacher
5. take a photo and record your voice to make your drawing talk using the app CHATTERPIX
I share with you my recording.
Click on the image
Multimedia-english
By Natividad Crespo
I share with you this link
Click on the image
Ángel Castaño is a fantastic english teacher and this web has a lot of creative resources for English learning/teaching.
I hope it helps you!!
jueves, 17 de marzo de 2022
SAINT PATRICK'S DAY
By Inmaculada Pérez
Here are some links with activities for St. Patrick's Day.
https://en.islcollective.com/video-lessons/the-origin-of-saint-patricks-day
https://en.islcollective.com/video-lessons/st-patricks-day-celebration
https://www.tefllemon.com/snakes-and-ladders
By Mario Muñoz
This is not exactly an activity, but a question. Do you have any fun and creative activity to celebrate this Thursday St. Patrick's Day in class?
I have selected some short videos from YouTube to use in my classes of Vocational Training and do some speaking (there are pints and beer, but they are adults, so there will be no problem. I think they may be used also in upper stages of Secondary Education). I share with you the links so that you can use them if you like them or if you think they could be useful:
St. Patrick's Day: Bet You Didn't Know | History: (short video on the history of St. Patrick's day)
Why we wear green on St. Patrick’s Day and other Irish traditions: (different traditions of this day)
St.Patrick's Day in Dublin Ireland - Ireland Travel Video: (travel vlog of the celebration of St. Patrick's day in Dublin)
By Arantzazu Fernández
I share some activities for different levels,I hope you find them useful.
For kids.
Kids and young adults
Secondary students:
By María Elena García
Underwater fireworks (oil and water + food coloring)
10 easy rainbow science activities
Windsocks:
Kindergarten dance holding hands
Leprechaun hat blowers
Cool fizzy rainbow (freezer needed)
I see a rainbow book
Cool, simple dance for kindergarten:
General ideas for activities:
Quite a lot of videos, online activities...:
PE game:
Leprechaun footsteps craft:
I'm a little leprechaun song
St patrick's day facts for kids
Shamrok beat
Irish jig instructions:
Magic paper towel art:
5 ways to make a rainbow (flashlight, bottle...)
THE FAIRY DOOR
By Laura Benito
This piece of wood is the Fairies door. It helps you to keep in touch with the fairies whenever you are worried because you have a problem... put the hand on it. The hand is red...
But fairies make your problems dissapear and the hand will become green! :D
This "tool" is also used in the Cornwall school I've mentioned before and it is a super idea!! I'm sure students will be fascinated.
I love it! What do you think about it?
You may also find it on Amazon (CLICK HERE)
THE WORRY MONSTER
By Laura Benito
I'm so excited about this amazing idea that I knew yesterday thanks to a colleague of CFP Idiomas who is in a school in Cornwall in Observa_acción Project.
It is called "The Worry Monster".
It eats all the worries that children (and also teenagers and adults, why not?) give to it written on a piece of paper. There is one of these monsters in each class and children use it whenever they need.
You can buy this monster in Amazon (although maybe other online shops sell it). CLICK HERE
This is also another type of Worry Monster: (CLICK HERE)
miércoles, 16 de marzo de 2022
Finish the story
By Mario Muñoz
Subject: English.
Number of students: the whole class.
Level: Secondary Education.
Topic: Narrative.
I show a short funny video in class from YouTube which has a surprising ending. I pause the video just before the end and give the students some minutes to write what they think it is going to happen. Then we read aloud some of the endings and watch the end of the video and check if any of them has written the same.
It is a very funny and motivating activity to practise writing skills in a different way.
By Laura Benito
For Primary children and lower Secondary levels, you may use Pixar shorts. Students love it. You have some of them in this image.
Create you own city
By Blanca Serrano
This is a creative activity for 3rd-4th ESO.
Students design their own city: name, location, mayor, inhabitants, landmarks, flag, festivals, traditions, typical meals, social problems….
You can find details here:
Then, they create a presentation (canva, powerpoint, genially…) which helps them in an oral presentation of around 5 minutes in which they describe their city to the rest of the class. It’s important that these digital presentations are schematic, not including much text, just a visual help for both speakers and listeners. Details should be provided orally.
It can be done in groups or individually (last year and this year each student is creating his own city due to COVID)
In order to encourage students to pay attention to all partners, when all the presentations have been done, the teacher can create a Kahoot or other type of quiz with details about the presentations.
Project: The London Travel Agency
By Jara María Fernández
Brainstorming:
Write London on the board. Ask students to tell you what they know about this city(mind map, brainstorm the concept of living in London) . Have they been to London? Do they know any famous places in London? Explain that you are going to say the first part of a famous place in London and that they have to complete the name.
Put the students into teams, ask for hands up to complete the names, and give a point for each correct answer. Use these places: Big Ben, London Eye, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, Oxford Street, Madame Tussauds. Give help if necessary e.g., ‘Is it Big Bob or Big Ben?’
Hand out the worksheets and tell the students they are going to listen to a guided tour preview in London.
Students fill in the gaps of the worksheet and imagine they want to ask questions to the tour guide. They write 4 questions. They need to find the answers at home as homework.
In groups of 3 or 4, they will start a business, a travel agency in London. Therefore, they will need to design a business plan. They must decide what tours they want to offer and they will have to differ from the conventional ones. They will design a tematic tour which will be authentic and original. This tour will include 2-3 different tourist attractions, stories and anecdotes related to them. Due to this, coherence plays an imoprtant. They will have to plan a route using the tube or the bus and they will plan what order they will visit the landmarks, how long they will stay in each one, how much it will cost, etc. Students will get original information on the internet. Then, they will write their plan and add the essential information and present a poster with this activity. In another lesson they will carry out an oral presentation in teams with the aim of selling their torus to their peers. This project will be co-evaluated through a rubric and evaluated by the teacher. Besides, students will vote for the best Travel agency.
The final product is the design of a marketing campaign of an imaginary Travel Agency in London, which includes an oral presentation, a poser and a brochure of the tour.
Sports as a gamification system
By Adolfo García
Hello mates!
I'm going to show a gamification model based on the topic "Olympic Games". To be honest, I haven't used it yet, but I bear it in mind for the future.
It mainly consists in a big poster displayed in the classroom with mascots, the chart model above and another reward chart.
In order to develop the different didactic units of our planning, we will follow this gamification system based on sports, which mainly consists on an Olympic stadium in a big cardboard in which students, in groups, will advance in a race (represented by a mascot of the last Olympic Games) as they finish their tasks and projects, as well as their daily behaviour and participation, getting rewards for their progress.
Here are some materials I will use:
Athletics track:
London 212 mascots:
Chart model:
March Madness
By Óscar Javier Capilla
Every year the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament takes place during the month of March. Students who follow NBA know that most draftees come from the sweet-sixteen teams. I take advantage of this to make a pool with my class as to what team we think is going to win.
I used this as an cultural element of the English-speaking world so very marked by competition and sports. At the same time they get to know some of the most important US universities where...who knows??? they might even study in the future.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T8oel9xOOl2fKU8nVkB7HkD1yLzjtS1q/view?usp=sharing
martes, 15 de marzo de 2022
QR Code generator
By César Martín
Here you are a webpage where you can generate QR codes to show everything you want/need in class.
Learning through flashcards and play battleship to learn
By Esperanza Oraa
I usually use simple flashcards and a couple of battleship board games to review vocabulary, spelling, grammar, etc.
Ex. In pairs, students have to take one flashcard from a pile and spell it properly. If it is correct, they can fire shots to attempt to hit the opponent’s enemy ships.
I add a simple template of the game.
lunes, 14 de marzo de 2022
A letter to your future self
By Beatriz González and Blanca Serrano
The activities realated to writing to yourself of 5 years ago or writing to your future self, I believe it's a great exercise for writing and also at an emotional level. This is an exersice to improve English but also to make students reflect about their past and future in a creative way!
This is a great tool for this activity: https://www.futureme.org/
Story cubes
By Jara María Fernández, Arantzazu Fernández, Alba Paredes and Laura Benito.
I have just bought a box of story dices to practice past tenses. I have never used them before. I'm afraid some low-grade students could have some serious difficulties when trying to tell a story based on the cube's pictures on one hand, and some other students might experience a lack of imagination on the other. However, I will give a try.
In my case, as I´m a secondary school I think is a great idea to make them think and make up a story,maybe one day in which you do not want to use the book because they are tired.
It could be done as a speaking but afther that thet could write it or even make a comic.
I´ll get them!.
I usually use them in my Speaking classes. In advanced groups, they are told to write a story on their own and in low-level groups, I let them work in pairs.
Story cubes are very useful materials for encouraging students to talk or write stories.
And you can also make them. Here you have some webpages where you can print them for free:
By Yolanda Martínez.
You may also have story cubes online using this genially:
https://view.genial.ly/5bba214002bce40c952422a2/interactive-content-story-cubes
By Miriam Díaz
I share you some other Genial.ly in Spanish with dices, some of them you can edit and yo write in English.
https://view.genial.ly/617080ab6965ec0dc53ac150/interactive-content-genially-stories-with-story-cubes
I hope you like them
Answer buzzers
By Jara María Fernández
From time to time, I bring answer buzzers to my English classes. These buzzers, along with flahcards, which might be created by the teacher or even by students based on vocabulary and grammar issues are a perfect tool to play a game in teams of 4 students.
Solar kitchen
By Alejandro Gil
I perform this activity when the energy theme arrives. It works very well with the groups of the first years of ESO.
It consists of making a solar kitchen (or solar oven) with recycled materials: one or two cardboard boxes, sheets of newspaper for thermal insulation, some aluminum foil and some plastic film to let the sun's rays go through.
We dedicate two or three classes to make them and one for them to make a report with the materials used and the steps they have followed.
Finally we use them! When recess is over they put in a pizza or a sandwich and I prepare some fruit sticks with melted chocolate... delicious!!!
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