Teacher's Day

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For all you underpaid, overworked teachers in the Iberian Peninsula.!!!!!!  (Only the ones that love the job)

Vocabulary for hobbies topic for KET

HOBBIES AND PASTIMES

Hi Year 5 (Nearly year 6)

KET is organised by topics so when you finish clothes you can start on hobbies

 Try this great listening activity where you have to choose presents for the children. You can listen, or listen and read.

listening Whose present?


 This next one is a memory game, using toy vocabulary. Hiow many tries can you do it in? I did it in 23!!!! I'm sure you can all beat m

Toy memory game

 In this game you can practise the name of the equipment you use for different sports.
Sports equipment game

Sports equipment

 In this next game you have to read the clues and guess what sport it is. It's like hangman - but you squash the monkey!!
Sports Hangman


OH:NO!!! You've been on holiday for 10 days and very few visits!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What makes a great teacher ?

The 12 qualities great teachers share         

                                                                                              

                                                                By Chris Lehmann

What makes a great teacher?

Sort of an important question, right?
I’ve seen teachers who worked for hours on their lessons, who were scholars in the field fail miserably, and I’ve seen teachers who, if you give them five minutes before they walked in to glance over their material, they could run a class for an hour on any topic under the sun.
In the end, what makes a great teacher? I wish I had a magic eight-ball that allowed me to figure this one out, but it’s something I’ve really given a lot of thought to... and I think what follows are at least some interesting ways to think about the profession.
So what makes a great teacher?

1) Passion for teaching. This can manifest itself so many ways. I’m the “jump around the room” kind of teacher, and sure, that comes from a lot of passion, but some of the best teachers I’ve known have had a passion that students had to be quiet to catch onto.
This is so true in this job if you don't love it it can really drive you mad.
2) Love of kids. You laugh, but it’s true! I’ve seen people come in and talk about teaching and talk about how much they love their subject and know about their subject, but they never mention the kids. Worse, we had an interview once where the teacher clearly knew his stuff, but he basically admitted that his classroom management style was fear and intimidation. Not who I want teaching kids I care about.
I know some teachers who really don't seem to like kids at all.
3) Love of their subject. Again... pretty important. I spent four years dropping by Mike Thayer’s classroom because to watch him explain physics or calculus was, for me, to understand how you could have a passion for something that was always a mystery for me. Great teachers not only love their subject, but they love to share that joy with students.
 I hate English greammar that's why I try to get the kids to do it at home so I can do other things
4) Understanding of the role of a school in a child’s life. High school is more than the sum of the classes the kids take. It’s a time to grow, explore, try on identities, find joys that might just last a lifetime. Sometimes the best teaching we do happens on basketball courts, in the halls after a class, at a local coffee shop or in a drama studio. The best teachers know that they are teachers for much more than the time they are in the physical classroom.
I'm going to set up a drama club next term it'sa much more fun and its what they will remember.
5) A willingness to change. This one gets overlooked sometimes, I think. I’ve written about this before, but it bears repeating. We talk about how schools should be transformative for kids, but I think they can be just as transformative for teachers. If you expect kids to be changed by their interaction with you, it’s got to be a two-way street.
I  feel that the changes I see seem to be going backwards so I try to resist:

6) A work ethic that doesn’t quit. It’s a hard, draining job that will demand all that you can give sometimes. You’ve got to be able to have some balance in your life, but there are very few teachers who can be effective by cramming everything they need to do into the hours allocated by the average teacher’s contract. (And for the record, the overwhelming majority of the teachers I’ve met put in hours well above and beyond the contract.)

I take a lot of stuff home and this blog takses time up too but it's worth it.

7) A willingness to reflect. You’ve got to be able to ask why things went the way they did... both on the good and the bad days. And you have to be able to admit when the reasons it went bad were because of what you did, not what the students did. (Equally important is the understanding that often things go right because of what the kids brought to the table, not because your lesson plan should be bronzed.) Teaching requires a willingness to cast a critical eye on your practice, your pedagogy and your self. And it can be brutal.
Hardly anyone does this in Spanish schools there's this thing called"Libertad de cátedra·" which basically means teachers can do or say what they want without much reflection.

8) Organization. My personal Achilles heel, and one of the things I’m always working to improve. My Palm Pilot helped, really. But I hate paperwork and official looking documents, and it kills me. I am amazed at the people like Dale Lally who seem to get his papers handed back before the kids hand them in or seems to be able to put his hands on every unit he’s ever taught within a moment’s notice. Kids know what to expect, they know he’s going to be organized and have a structure to his class... and he’s still creative and spontaneous and interesting. I can only imagine how much better of a teacher I’d be if the structure of everything I did was just a little more organized.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Definately my Achilies heel too.  Thank God for Julia this year.  I love you Partner!!!!!!

9) Understanding that being a “great teacher” is a constant struggle to always improve. I think I’ve had some moments of great teaching in my career, but I also still see all the holes in my teaching -- sadly, often times mirroring holes in my self -- and I still want to get better... because I think I’ve got a long way to go to be a great teacher every day. And even if I get better at everything I see as weaknesses now, I can only imagine what new challenges will face me on that day.
I see people usong the same notes and presentations from ten years ago and oh my god the topic units. I have to work on question forming.
10) Enough ego to survive the hard days. The tough days will leave you curled up under a desk, convinced that you can’t teach or the world is too hard for these kids or the work is too much or whatever the problem was that day... you have to have enough sense of self to survive those days.
I have lots of this
 Enough humility to remember it’s not about you. It’s about the kids. If your ego rules your classroom, if the class turns into “me vs. them” or if you can’t understand that a sixteen year old might be able to tell you something you don’t know, then don’t teach. Or at least, don’t teach high school.
I think I have a lot of this too.  Although I don't like getting trod on.  But it's definately about the kids.
12) A willingness to work collaboratively. Sure, there are some great teachers who close the door to their classroom and do what they want, but I think you send a strange message to the kids that way sometimes. Teachers are part of a school community, and even where that community can be flawed (and lots of schools are), a great teacher should be willing to work to make the community a better place.
-If my colleauges are willing I am too.  This year was great in year 5 with Julia

Assessment for learning

This summer I'm going to be training teachers on a course run by the Spanish Ministry of Education.

The basis of which is all about Assessment for learning.

 

 

This means looking at how we learn and how important it is to get children involved in the learning process.

This is a completely different direction from the one chosen by main stream education here in Spain where kids more and more have to face external exams which only test memory and not understanding

The idea is that teachers always share the learning objective with the students in every session so they know what they are supposed to be learning we calll this WALT(What I'm learning today).

Then we also have WILF which means what I'm looking for or in other words the teachers expectations of the kids during the class or what we want them to do things like only speak in English talk in pairs, listen to the explanation.

  Try this out it's amzing how kids react.

Another of the pilars of AFl is to ask the kids what they want to learn during a science topic.

Work from their previous knowledge  so brainstorm ideas at the beginning of a topic  and ask what they would like to learn,  then at the end check that they have reached their personal goals and write or tell  what they have learned.

At all costs avoid ticks, red or, green or any marking on their work. 

Use plenary sessions or discussions at the end of each session to reflect on their learning and your teaching.  Did the kids enjoy the class?

I know we think we're great but somtimes the kids come up with great ideas to improve our teaching practise.

A father's love.....

I just heard a lovely thing on the radio I want to share with you.  After seeing all those worried faces of Mums and Dads coming to get the report cards today.

A father's love is higher than a mountain and a mother's love is deeper than an ocean......

I think it just shows how much you all worry about your kids and want them to do well,  and they will.....

                         

Great talk about how kids learn

 

learn without a teacher

Arthur.C:Clark once said

If a teacher can be replaced by a machine he or she should be...

There are places on Earth, in every country where for various reasons good schools cannot be built and good teachers cannot or do not want to go.   So listen to Sugata Mitra explaining his experiments 

     

 

 

 

Summer Holiday Cliff Richard lyrics

MUMS AND DADS.  THEY ARE ALL YOURS FOR NINE INCREDIBLE WEEKS.

enjoyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

GREAT WEBSITES FOR LEARNING English

Best ESL Websites for Kids

Kids ESL: Best Websites for Teaching Children

ESL Kids and Technology

Teaching ESL to kids can be tiring. Kids don’t usually want to study grammar– they want to play games and draw pictures! A good ESL teacher knows how to analyze each child’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests to find a learning style that works for them. Games and pictures can (and should) be used, but only when they are used the right way– as a learning tool. 
The following kids ESL websites are each very good quality for teaching ESL to kids. Some have printable materials, while others offer ideas and advice for interacting with kids.

Best ESL Kids Resources

 

• Jolly phonics  A great system for teaching phonics (Jolly Phonics) available for purchase or free videos on youtube

• PEPA PIG A great cartoon for kids learning English, this is the site but videos can be found on youtube.
• Teach Children ESL: Worksheets, flashcards, games & songs– no registration!
• Educima: (In Spanish) A great site full of printable pictures to color or use as speaking materials!
• ESL Kids: Flashcards, worksheets, songs & games– you can create your own worksheets with their tool!
• We Give Books: Amazing site to read childrens’ books online! Different levels, perfect for smartboards, new titles & easy to use!
• Super Simple Songs: Excellent & fun songs for kids made by ESL teachers. Available for purchase but also free on youtube.
• Cookie: Awesome & creative site with online games, stories, and activities for children (not printables).
• Chateau Meddybemps: Creative games and stories to play with children online (not printables).
• ESL Galaxy: Hard to navigate, but almost 2,500 free printable worksheets!
• ESL Kids World: Worksheets, songs, powerpoints, online games, flashcards and more– all free!
• English 4 Kids: Difficult to navigate (lots of ads) but some decent free ESL worksheets.
• Bogglesworld ESL: Excellent site with lots of free ESL lesson plans and worksheets.
• Anglomaniacy: Excellent site full of free ESL materials, ESL printables, and online ESL games.
• Stickyball: A site with lots of free materials and the option to purchase their ESL books.
• Mes English: Free ESL printables and activities for kids.
• ESL HQ: Hard to navigate but lots of good materials uploaded by other ESL teachers!
• Learning Chocolate: A really cool, interactive site to learn vocabulary.
• Grammarman Comic: Teaching ESL with fun comics!
• Nick Jr: We often forget to look at non ESL materials! Nick Jr. has some great printables and fun games for kids.
•    bbc.co.uk       Excellent  interactive website for young learners

Good summer websites FOR INFANTS 5 YEAR OLDS

This is a good BBC website to work on during the summer

Activities for five year olds


Good website for English


Stories

 Dora Activities


MORE STORIES

jolly learning
A great system for teaching phonics (Jolly Phonics)

Pepa Pig A great cartoon for kids learning English.

Super simple songs 

Sign up for the British Council website Year 5 SUMMER WORK

During the summer you should work on the vocabulary games and grammar activities on this website too.

.Vocabulary Activities

SPELLING AND GRAMMAR

Educachef presentation of prizes

These are the winners getting their prizes from Educachef and the cheque for 400 euros

Good KET activities online for the summer

 

Clothes Vocabulary games

Try the games to revise 'clothes' vocabulary

Clothes Vocabulary game

clothes hangman


 Can you spell the names of the clothes and burst the balloons before they disappear?

clothes balloon burst

 Put the words into the correct order to make a sentence about summer clothes!

Summer clothes order the words.

Match the picture of the clothes and their words. It's a MEMORY game.

Match pictures and words

Grammar Activities

Grammar quiz

Clothes vocabulary for summer work KET

Hi everyone try this test of your vocabulary related to clothes

clothes

Elizeth Cardoso - Prece ao Vento (1957)

A lovely song to get ready for the summer.  Today it's 35º here in Madrid so drink lots of water and keep in the shade

La Caza Swedish film

I went to see this film  on Wednesday called La Caza or in English  The Hunt literally translated.
For everyone in teaching it was a real insight. and should not be missed..
It's about a pre school teacher who is accused of touching a  five year old girl.  (Completely untrue)
It shows just how vulnerable teachers (particularly male ones) are to accusations by kids and the horrifying consequences.
The famous sentence came up in the film   that I've heard at least four times from parents this year.

"My kid doesn't lie!!!!!"

God help us all if society keeps going this way!!!!

65 Festival de Cannes 2012

La caza (2012) 

Thomas Vinterberg

Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Alexandra Rapaport, Anne Louise Hassing, Lars Ranthe, Lasse Fogelstrøm, Susse Wold, Ole Dupont, Sebastian Bull Sarning

Ket practise for the summer

KET AND PET PRACTISE
Here is another great website to work on during the summer

Full Ket reading and writing

So this is the first full exam that I'm posting for summer work.  Take it easy but during the 12 weeks you're not at school try to work  a little each day.

Ket writing

Horrible publicity Educachef Prize

YUK,   how do  I get rid of all these horrible ads that keep appearing on my lovely blog?

Well congratulations to the winners of the educachef competition and to all the participants too.. Thankyou so much for all your hard work.

Well the term is nearly over and I'm happy to say that everyone did a good job of the KET test so this is great news for next year.
 I will be posting lots of links for listening and reading that you can have a look at during the summer.

Only one little kitten left so if anyone is interested let me know.  He's a boy.

We're in the finals of educachef

Have you seen the link ???  We're in the finals.

We're in the finals

The educachef woman Mar told me you hve recieved more than a thousand visits so you have a good chance of winning one of the three prizes.

So let's see what happens this week........................................