Learning English Is Fun!

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!