Learning English Is Fun!

The students were split into groups and given the lyrics of a song ("Waiting for Love" by Avicii). The lyrics were written on different pieces of paper. The students received the lines mixed up. They had to properly order the lyrics. Then, the students listened to the song, and they all discussed certain expressions and vocabulary issues. The activity was meant to engage all the students in the process of speaking English. Furthermore, all students enjoyed the song and confirmed that it was a very successful activity.

Humour in the classroom can be reflected by the usage of jokes, which can help teachers reinforce aspects of grammar and vocabulary. There are many ways of using jokes in class: - conditional jokes: where students can be divided into groups to match the sentences in order to find a joke. Here you can find a link that provides this kind of jokes: https://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-4485.php - Present Perfect jokes: - homophones jokes:   - phrasal verbs jokes:   - short jokes: here, students can be offered short jokes, which you have previously split into two parts. They need to read the part they were given and then find someone in the class who has the other half of the joke so that they can all read the whole joke. The activity can also be played in groups: each group of students has to find another group who has the other half of the joke. Here you can find lots of short jokes to use: http://iteslj.org/c/jokes-short.html

Jigsaw Reading - a very interesting way of approaching texts. A description of this procedure can be found here: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/jigsaw-reading

Video based activities represent a good way of reinforcing verbal tenses and lots of other language points. There are many kinds of such activities. I will describe five video based activities: 1. Retelling  - you can use Mr. Bean's videos. First, you need one short scene with plenty of visual activity. Show the clip and tell the Sts to write down exactly what happened in the right order. Lower level students can be given sentences to put in the correct order. Play the video again for students to check. You can reinforce Past Simple, Past Perfect. 2. Running Commentary - I find this one very funny especially because it is meant to trigger interest. You can also use Mr. Bean videos, played with no sound. Ask the students to work in pairs. One student is watching the video, and the other is facing away from the screen. The students facing the video give their partners a running commentary on what is happening. Then, they swap roles half way through. You can reinforce Present

Let's make texts more appealing and raise students' interest through short stories. But first get the students predict! Write 2-3 key words on the board: e.g. unicorn, roses, psychiatrist. Then, ask Sts to ask Qs to find out what the story is about. Then, start telling the story and stop at certain points and ask the students what they think is going to happen next. E.g. Once upon a time a man was sitting eating his breakfast and looking at the garden when he saw... what did he see? Sts might answer: a unicorn. Yes, a unicorn and what was the unicorn doing? It was eating roses... eventually, the students themselves tell a part of the story. Then, the teacher gives/reads the text. If the story was narrated in a video, the teacher can also show the students the video. This way, students will feel more motivated to read. In order to demonstrate, I will use the short story The Unicorn in the Garden by James Thurber (my trainer, Valerie Zammit, used it to show us this activity).

Access the link here: http://lessonstream.org/2012/05/06/the-scream/

Access this for more information: Wild Dictation This activity is very interesting and funny! The teacher asks the students to write the words for the following categorisation: 1. star/celebrity: __________ 2. adjective for food: _____________ 3. verb of movement: _____________ 4. kind of animal: ______________ 5. favourite food: _______________ 6. favourite drink: ________________ Then, the teacher dictates the following text: A car drove up to the zoo and stopped suddenly. _________ got out. He/She looked really _________. He/She started to __________ towards the ___________ cage. Since it was hungry and thirsty, it was given ___________ and ____________. The students have to fill in the gaps with the  previously written words. For example, if I choose Bon Jovi as my celebrity, then the text can become really funny. The method can be used to reinforce grammar, vocabulary, listening skills, spelling.

  I think I was always misunderstood People just didn't seem to like me I think I annoyed them I got on their nerves I don't know why That's just the way it was Maybe I was too intense Maybe I came on too strong I don't know - I really can't say Yeah, it was lonely, really lonely But you get used to it after a while And then one day, everything changed Somebody finally accepted me for what I am Since I got this job, life has been completely different I finally feel useful - good at something   

I Want to Change the World!