Category Archives: curriculum

Earth Day today!

Let’s celebrate!

Earth Day, which was established in 1970 in the US, is celebrated on 22nd April each year. It is a day to think about our planet and what we can do to keep it special; to think about saving water and energy, reducing pollution, recycling, protecting our animals, trees and plants, and generally getting kids interested in protecting their environment.

“Treat the Earth well. It was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.
Kenyan proverb

Earth Day activities for kids

Here are some quick ideas for celebrating Earth Day with your children:

  • Plant a tree
  • Go for a bike ride or a long walk (leave the car behind)
  • Hold a nature “scavenger hunt” (send the kids out into the garden or park in teams to collect – or spot – various items on a list you provide – we have some scavenger hunt printables you can use here!)
  • Print out some of our posters and place in strategic positions around the house. Talk about saving water when brushing teeth and saving energy by turning off the lights when you leave a room
  • Bake your favourite cookie or biscuit recipe and let the kids decorate with icing to look like the planet earth
  • Gather family and friends together and combine a picnic or other excursion with a litter clean-up
  • Set up a recycling centre in your home or school
  • Look through your shelves and find some books to give away via your local charity shop or library
  • Delve into your craft cupboard and tackle a recycling craft for fun!

Source: https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/earth-day?awt_a=8YG5&awt_l=5S26Y&awt_m=IpVSHZyq2VDtG5

The origins of English

The story of the English language began in the fifth century when Germanic tribes invaded Celtic-speaking Britain and brought their languages with them. Later, Scandinavian Vikings invaded and settled with their languages too. In 1066 William I, from modern-day France, became king, and Norman-French became the language of the courts and official activity. People couldn’t understand each other at first, because the lower classes continued to use English while the upper classes spoke French, but gradually French began to influence English. An estimated 45 per cent of all English words have a French origin. By Shakespeare’s time, Modern English had developed, printing had been invented and people had to start to agree on ‘correct’ spelling and vocabulary.

Source: http://www.un.org/en/events/englishlanguageday/

Task 1: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/general-english/magazine-zone/english-language-day?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=english-adults-leweb-global-global-2022-04-le-newsletter#

Task 2 : https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/general-english/magazine-zone/english-language-day?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=english-adults-leweb-global-global-2022-04-le-newsletter#

Nursery Rhymes

Rhymes can be used to teach new vocabulary and to enhance early reading skills in lots of ways.

Each rhyme is really a miniature story that children can act out, sing or retell from memory.

The students gain confidence in retelling each story to friends, parentes or in class.

When the children act out these short rhymes they are speaking, listening and moving.

Because they are short stories it is easy to memorize, take turns and participate.

Here are some pictures of the characters from a variety of rhymes that could be used in many ways. As necklaces, finger puppets or stapled onto headbands or popsicle sticks.

So, let´s have fun and learn some nursery rhymes!

Humpty

Lamb

Hubbard

Muffet

JackJill

Shoe 

Hickory 

Hey Diddle 2

Boy Blue

Boy Blue 2

Nimble

Children can manipulate these figures as they retell the rhyme.

IMG_0542 

Here is a summary of the stories.

Mary Lamb sequence

Little boy blue seq

Humpty Dumpty Sequence

 

Humpty rebus 

Mother Hubbard rebus 

Nursery Rhymes provide great practice with concepts in early reading.

Because the children sing and memorize these rhymes most of them are successful “reading” them.

 

IMG_0539 

IMG_0541 

A Message to ESL Teachers.


Learning in a second language can be challenging, but you as a language-aware teacher can make a big difference. Here’s a summary of the main ideas:

  • Language is more than vocabulary, grammar and spelling. It is shaped by discourses, genre conventions and context.
  • Students need control of both the everyday interpersonal register and the more formal academic register to succeed in school.
  • Language learners will come from a variety of circumstances with a variety of resources, so don’t make assumptions about their needs.
  • Don’t leave it to osmosis – plan for language learning as well as curriculum learning.
  • Keep the focus on making meaning, not on correctness.
  • Encourage repetition, recycling and redundancy.
  • Use visuals and gestures to support language learners.
  • In your talk and classroom resources, aim for ‘comprehensibility plus’.
  • Welcome your students’ first languages into the classroom.
  • Plan different spaces and activities for different types of talk.
  • Give language learners a bit more wait time.
  • Understand the particular language demands of your curriculum area.
  • Build the genre cycle into your lesson planning.
  • Let students into the secrets of genre conventions.
  • Use feedback on students’ work as an opportunity for language learning.
  • Observe how your language learners are progressing, and plan for the next stage.

© University of Glasgow

Devemos traduzir para o aluno?

Estudos comprovam que o uso na 1ª língua ajuda aos alunos a compreender melhor o significado das palavras na 2ª língua. Esse processo chama-se Translinguagem!

In English

Recently, there has been a growing recognition that our language learners’ educational outcome may in fact be improved if they are given support in their own first language alongside their English language development. Despite this, some teachers and parents still fear that by supporting bilingual pupils’ first language their development of English will suffer. Evidence suggests that this is not the case. Rather, acknowledging and incorporating the use of our language learners’ first language in the classroom as a learning resource offers a positive move towards building a more supportive learning environment. This is called translanguaging.

Source: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/tesol-strategies/4/steps/600471

Why is it important for a child to feel happy and safe in order to learn?

How can we provide a proper environment for children to develop?

Here are a few examples:

  • Provide optimal conditions for rich play: space, time, flexible resources, choice, control, warm and supportive relationships.
  • Make materials easily accessible at child height, to ensure everybody can make choices.
  • Provide experiences and activities that are challenging but achievable.
  • Provide activities that require give and take or sharing for things to be fair.
  • Plan first-hand experiences and challenges appropriate to the development of the children.
  • Convey to each child that you appreciate them and their efforts.
  • Ensure children have uninterrupted time to play and explore.
  • Incorporate recognisable and predictable routines to help children to predict and make connections in their experiences.
  • Use puppets and other props to encourage listening and responding when singing a familiar song or reading from a story book.
  • When you use songs and nursery rhymes, help children understand the words by using actions as well.
  • Help children to predict and order events coherently, by providing props and materials that encourage children to re-enact, using talk and action.
  • Set up displays that remind children of what they have experienced, using objects, artefacts, photographs and books.
  • Display pictures and photographs showing familiar events, objects and activities and talk about them with the children.
  • Provide activities which help children to learn to distinguish differences in sounds, word patterns and rhythms.
  • Encourage correct use of language by telling repetitive stories, and playing games which involve repetition of words or phrases.
  • Follow young children’s lead and have fun together while developing vocabulary, e.g. saying ‘We’re jumping up’, ‘crouching down low’.
  • Talk through and comment on some activities to highlight specific vocabulary or language structures, e.g. “You’ve got a blue ball. I’ve got a green ball. Hannah’s got a red ball”.
  • Provide collections of interesting things for children to sort, order, count and label in their play.
  • Provide different sizes and shapes of containers in water play, so that children can experiment with quantities and measures.
  • Offer a range of puzzles with large pieces and knobs or handles to support success in fitting shapes into spaces.
  • Provide a wide range of materials, resources and sensory experiences to enable children to explore colour, texture and space.
  • Provide space and time for movement and dance both indoors and outdoors.
  • Lead imaginative movement sessions based on children’s current interests such as space travel, zoo animals or shadows.
  • Provide a place where work in progress can be kept safely.

© Adapted from: Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). London: Early Education, 2012.

Preparando seu CV em inglês.

Ter um bom currículo é muito importante e fundamental em um processo seletivo. Por isso precisamos saber bem quais técnicas usar para dar o devido destaque às habilidades e competências.

Um currículo com erros de gramática, concordância ou ortografia pode dificultar o seu processo.

Segue um link com 1 áudio e 3 atividades para ajudar a vocês nessa difícil tarefa.

Espero que gostem.

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/podcasts-professionals/advice-writing-cvs?utm_source=LearnEnglish+newsletter+-+September+2018&utm_campaign=LE+newsletter+September+2018&utm_medium=email

Seven Habits for Effective Behaviour Management:

Disciplina é um dos grandes problemas dentro de sala de aula. Leia a seguir sobre 7 efetivos hábitos para gerenciar melhor a disciplina.
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1 – Meet and greet at the door – the best early intervention in behaviour management is at the door.
 
2 – Catch students doing the right thing – nobody wants insincere praise and it can be easy to catch children doing the wrong thing so develop the ability to catch those more challenging students doing the right thing.
 
3 – Deal with poor behaviour privately and calmly – avoid as much as possible the public humiliation or public sanctioning of students
 
4 – Relentlessly build mutual trust – the relationship you have with students sustains you and carries on into the future.
 
5 – Directly teach the behaviours and learning attitudes you want to see – have a plan so that you know the behaviours you are trying to teach and the students know what behaviours they are trying to learn.
 
6 – Talk about values – never talk about behaviours in isolation – always relate them back to the culture you are trying to build and the values and truths you have as a class and as a teacher.
 
7 – Follow up follow up follow up – teachers who follow up are the ones the children decide to behave differently for. Write it down if you have a difficult incident with a student, then you have the control back – you can decide when and how to follow up.
 
© Pivotal Education