ENGLISH INFANTS, ENGLISH PRIMARY, ENGLISH INFANTS&PRIMARY, SPECIAL NEEDS, PARENTS

Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta TEACHING ENGLISH&SPANISH. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta TEACHING ENGLISH&SPANISH. Mostrar todas las entradas

lunes, 8 de septiembre de 2014

BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL: COOPERATIVE GAMES

The beginning of the year is always a good time to carry out games or activities to ensure the cohesion of the groups. Although the majority of students already known each other, sometimes there are new students who needs to feel part of the group. Cooperative games would help these students to feel that they belong to a group in an active way without competing.


Some Spanish games

El lápiz colaborativo (a partir de los 4 años )


En grupos de 4 0 5 participantes, se ha de compartir un lápiz tensado con diferentes hilos; tantos hilos como jugadores haya en cada grupo. El objetivo es realizar un dibujo entre los participantes de cada grupo tensando y destensando los diferentes hilos. Para eso, será necesario decidir conjuntamente los movimientos que se requieran. Además de sincronizar las diferentes intervenciones y tener muy en cuenta las aportaciones de los compañeros. El resultado dependerá de la paciencia, las habilidades y el trabajo en equipo.


El infinito cuento o historia (a partir de los 3 años)

Hacer un cuento o historia como grupo-clase. Cada persona debe añadir una o dos frases  a partir de  donde la persona de delante se haya parado. El juego termina cuando todos los alumnos han participado. Incluso se pueden hacer varias intervenciones. Dependiendo de la edad de los alumnos, la maestra o los propios alumnos pueden reescribir su historia o cuento. 






Juego del paracaídas (a partir de los 3 años)

En el patio de la escuela, en el aula de pscimotricidad o gimnasio, se extendie un paracaídas y los alumnos deben cogerlo en sus extremos y tirar una pelota en el centro. Su objetivo es que la pelota no caiga en el agujero del paracaídas. Para aumentar su dificultad se pueden añadir más pelotas.



Do you know more cooperative games? Could  you share with all of us?

lunes, 18 de agosto de 2014

HEALTH AND BALANCED MEDIA USE DURING SUMMER HOLIDAYS



What's PTA?
Microsoft and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) have teamed up to encourage families to make a PACT- to decide on what types of media are appropriate for each child and where, when, how your child might use them.

The PACT from the National PTA may help families come up with good screen time compromises. 


SOME PARENTS GUIDES

1. Watching Movies With Your Children
    How to make watching movies a fulfilling family activity.

2. Proper TV Viewing Habits for Children
     Tips for improving your child's TV viewing habits.

3. Exergames: Fitness Through Video Games
     A look at interactive video games that can help keep children fit.

4. Video Game Safety Strategies
      Important tips for creating a safe video game playing environment for your children.

5. Reducing Kids' Screen Time
    Methods for getting kids involved in activities away from TV screens and monitors.


NATIONAL (PTA) WEBSITE

lunes, 11 de agosto de 2014

INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S DIGITAL LIBRARY


The International Children's Digital Library (ICDL) is an amazing online library which can be used in a wonderfully wide range of situations by children, parents, teachers, librarians; anyone who loves reading.  For further information visit this website. I highly recommend it!

For learning languages is ideal because many of the books in the ICDL are available in more than one language. Also if you aren't sure you understand the page completely, switch that page to the language you do know with the popup menu underneath the page.



HOW TO USE IT

- Read for pleasure: for free and and anonymously.

- Also you can create an account to keep a bookshelf of  the books  you like and set  various personal preferences.

You mainly have 3 options to look for books: 

1. From the home page, search books using Simple Search

WEBSITE( ICDL) - Simple Search

2. From the home page, search books using  Advanced Search

WEBSITE( ICDL) - Advanced Search
3. From the bottom of the Simple Search page you can find Location Search

WEBSITE( ICDL) - Location Search


lunes, 4 de agosto de 2014

APPS FOR SCHOOL HOLIDAYS II: DIC-DIC- DICTATION GAME



DIC-DIC is an educative and attractive game for children ( 3 to 12 years old) to practise spelling and vocabulary. It is suitable for practising their first language and for acquiring vocabulary and spelling knowledge in a foreign language.   
                            
Apple: 2,69 €.

    
BASIC FEATURES

  1. Spelling and audiovisual dictation game.
  2. Bonus game to reward good players.
  3. Read by native speakers of each language.
  4. Correction of incorrect responses to reinforce learning.
  5. Available in 6 languages:  English, American, Spanish, Russian, French and Catalan.
DIC-DIC GAME



THE BEST WAY TO LEARN SPELLING AND VOCABULARY IN MANY LANGUAGES IN A FUNNY WAY!

lunes, 28 de julio de 2014

APPS FOR SCHOOL HOLIDAYS I


Alice in Wordland for kids ( Alicia en el país de las palabras) is an original game special for kids (6-8 years old created by Ivanovich games set in the universe of Lewis Carrol. This funny game consists on playing with the words. 

Why is ideal for kids?
Alice in Wonderland for kids


- Simplest levels.
- No inApp purchases & No Advertisement.
- Good graphics.
Many levels to play with.
- Possibility to combine two languages ​​at once.

Features

- 200 free levels that offer a wide variety of missions gives you the opportunity to discover thousands of words.

- Available in 8 languages. Allow you to learn new words as you play: english, spanish, italian, french, russian, italy, germany, oortuguese and catalan.

-Universal: with progress synchronization through iCloud.

- Android version: free./ ¡Phone: 0,89 euros.





lunes, 21 de julio de 2014

APPS FOR SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

LE SON DES LETTRES MONTESSORI -
Phonics in English, Spanish, French & Italian

By Les Trois Elles Interactive


This new app is designed by iPhone and iPad for children between 3 to 6 years old. It cost  4,49 € . 

This unique application based on the Montessori method, Montessori Letter Sounds works in 4 steps:

1. From the age of 3: “I spy” to play sound games.
2. Around 4 years old: “Letter sounds” to memorize the letter sounds and shape.
3. Between 4 and 5: “Mix and match” to bring together the two first steps.
4. Around 4 1/2 years old: “Sound it out” to write their first words using a moveable              alphabet.


The aim of this application  is ensure progressive learning through the 4 steps. 

In each step, children will find a learning activity and a game to help them put their learning into practice. Self-correction is encouraged throughout the app to increase self-confidence. The system keeps track of marbles won by each player. Marbles are used to unlock games and levels and to stimulate learning. 



domingo, 8 de junio de 2014

WHY CHILDREN SHOULD LEARN LANGUAGES AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE?



I found this fascinating article which explain reasons why children should be introduced to languages as early as possible. If you are interested to read the entire article visit: Language Lizard Blog.

1. Accent: It has already been established that children who learn a language when they are very young have a much better chance of not having a “foreign” accent when speaking another language. When we get older it is harder to pick up additional languages with native-like pronunciation.

2. 10,000 hours: Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers argues that to learn something well, it takes at least 10,000 hours of time on task (based on a study by K. Anders Ericssonas well as the opportunity to learn the given task. Starting children early with language learning gives them this “leg up” that will help them succeed in mastering a language.





3. Enjoyment: Young children enjoy learning. They don’t care if an activity will improve their cognitive ability or motor skills.


4. Undaunted: The wonderful thing about young children is that they will give things a try without necessarily worrying if it is correct or not. They learn  without worrying about mistakes. 


5. Support network: Young children have the opportunity for exposure and input from many different influences: parents, teachers, companions, and extended family.Moreover, young children don’t have to deal with the difficulties of self-motivation that high school students or adults face when trying to learn a new language!


6.Unexceptional: Introducing children to languages when they are young helps them accept the fact that bilingualism and multilingualism are normal in our world.


Patricia Kuhl: The linguistic genius of babies

Patricia Kuhl shares astonishing findings about how babies learn one language over another by listening to the humans around them and "taking statistics" on the sounds they need to know. Clever lab experiments (and brain scans) show how 6-month-old babies use sophisticated reasoning to understand their world. (Filmed at TEDxRainier). You have the possibility to choose subtitles in 44 languages.



When did you learn a second language? Did you find it hard?

jueves, 29 de mayo de 2014

WHY ROUTINES ARE SO IMPORTANT IN TEACHING LANGUAGES?

My name is Tess and I would like to share my experience as a teacher. I have been teaching English for more than 30 years and I know that pupils feel more confident with some routines.

Why routines are so important in teaching languages in Early Years and Primary?  At the beginning of each class children ask me: What are we doing today? Children at any age like to know what will happen next. This reduces anxiety and nervousness in  the classroom. Secondly, it helps to maintain order in class because the teacher will be able to focus more on teaching and less on giving instructions to the class. Thirdly, it gives pupils the sense of security and predictability that will make them automatically feel more confident; knowing what will happen next.

My students at the end of the class, before leaving, they stand in line and they must answer some questions individually. These questions are related to what they have been learning during the class: vocabulary, grammar, spelling etc.

What is the aim of doing that? Pupils are aware that they have learnt something new and this is very rewarding! 





miércoles, 28 de mayo de 2014

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT TWIDUCATE?



Twiducate is a social networking for Schools designed by educators for educators. Twiducate is a free social network platform for school educators to create private networks for posting assignments, sending messages etc. with other educators either outside or inside the classroom. It allows educators to communicate with their students and their students families using familiar technology that is safe and appropriate for classroom use. 

What is Twiducate?



Twiducate  is a website that can be used with young children. Twiducate is fun and easy to use!Follow these simple steps to get started: 

Twiducate website


While signing up, it will ask for your role, which can be either a student or a teacher. While signing up as a teacher, Twiducate will ask for classroom name and code so that particular students can join a desired class. Teachers can add names of their fellow teachers and students by using +Teachers and +Students tab, after which the platform generates a password for each of the newly added student and teacher. Along with this, teachers and students have the access to change their password. For collaboration, users can use ‘post to class’ where they can add images, hyperlinks, bullet points, with formatted text. There’s also a chat room where everyone can chat online at a time. Educators can also include bookmarks to important websites and add important dates. With class code, educators can create their own class with any number of people for more effective and better collaboration. 

For more information visit: EdTechReview. 

Why use Twiducate?

martes, 27 de mayo de 2014

HOW TO PROMOTE CREATIVITY IN YOUR CLASSROOM?


Prasanna Bharti is a blogger by profession, and loves to write about education technology. Her write-ups intend to provide a deep insight about enormous resources and ideas available to make learning better and effective with the use of technology. 

For further information visit: EdTeachReview website

Every child is born with the potential of being creative. Creativity is a crucial aspect of any personality. It helps to analyze things in diverse and uncommon way. Creativity does not just happen; it needs to be cultivated, and the cultivation of creativity in every kid starts from the classroom.

Creativity can be promoted or cultivated and here is the list of 5 strategies that can help teachers to promote or cultivate creativity in the classroom.
1Emotional Connection
Many researches show that creativity can be cultivated best through emotional contacts. For instance, if teachers give project to the students related to community problems like domestic violence. It can help in sprouting creativity because of the human touch and hence emotional connection in it. 
2. Classroom Environment
Classroom environment plays a crucial role in cultivating creativity and confidence in students. Teachers can make classroom environment where each student’s voice matters a lot. Getting involved with the students in the community is the best way to give push to their creativity. Here how teachers can make classroom environment more effective for their students.
  •    Permit frequent discussion and interaction amid students in the classroom.
  •    Make time for informal class opportunity for the students.
  •    Memorize each student’s name meanwhile ensure every student knows everyone’s name.
3. Use Of Different Models
You can use various models to promote creativity in the students. A perfect model can help in:
  • Establishing connection amid the students' real lives and classroom.
  • Inspire innovation and create chances to resolve novel issues.
  • Lookout ways to spread learning prospects at classroom and home.
4- Risk-Taking
Risk-taking thinking or ability automatically prompts creativity. Therefore, teachers must encourage risk-taking approach in the students. Here some of the strategies that teacher can follow to enhance risk-taking ability in their students.
  • Offer safe environment that permits risk-taking
  • Arouse willingness in the students to try new ideas.
  • Accept the mistakes made by students while trying new things.
  • Talk to other teachers and discuss what worked and what not.
5. Active Learning
Active learning includes use of creative stuffs like games, concepts, maps and study materials. Active learning can only be encouraged when student enjoys the learning environment. Here are some ideas through which teachers can cultivate creative thought through active learning.
  • Create interactions that provide students a lot problem-solving opportunity.
  • Give them a lot of opportunities for hands-on field work.
  • Organize round-table discussion time to time on interesting topics.
  • Permit students to create some of the question for their upcoming exam.

Nowadays, we have access of many tools that develop creativity in the students. Here is a collection free web technology accessible for everyone.
Web Blogs: Blogs are the great platform to enhance creative writing, reading and thinking in the students. Teachers can encourage their students to use blogs to demonstrate their opinion about a particular topic or lesson.
Brainstorming and Mapping tools: Nowadays, a lot of tools and apps available over the web for brainstorming and mapping. Help your students to get the access of mindmaps, puzzles, visual graphs and much more.
Infographics: Infographics are the best way to give wings to your student’s imagination and creativity. Using various tools available on the web, students can showcase their creativity using graphs.
Online Games: Online games endorse teamwork, creativity and cooperation among students.  Some of the online games are specifically meant to education students to learn a specific lesson with fun.

 Here is a list of apps that support and foster creativity in the kids.
Encourage observation
Develop Questioning Skills
Brainstorming
Visualization Skills

lunes, 19 de mayo de 2014

SENSORY PLAY AND SCIENCE WITH CORNFLOUR AND WATER

During my work placement in a Pre-School in the South of England I saw how with only cornflower and water and a bit of some paint or food coloring kids have lots of fun! It is very easy and quick to made. I totally guarantee that they will really enjoy! Give it a go and let me know what you think!

What you will need:
  • Plastic or metallic recipient or box
  • Cornflower(the one I used is from Lidl but you can use others)
  • Water
  • Paint or food coloring  (looks more colourful and attractive for children)
How to make it:


Goop is one of the easiest play recipes to make at home or in the school. All you need is cornflour  and water. There are some recipes that suggest mixing one part cornflour  with two parts of water. In the Pre-School and I don’t measure the ingredients at all when we make this. Simply pour a recipient or box the  cornflour and then adding the water very gradually until it all mixes together into a soup-like consistency.  It will go hard when you try to stir it, but go runny when you stop putting it under pressure.  until it all mixes together into a soup-like consistency. We also added a little liquid food colouring but that’s optional.

IMPORTANT:  You  want to make sure that your cornflour is actually derived from corn. That may sound like a weird thing to say but some manufacturers will label a box as cornflour or cornstarch but in fact the flour is derived from wheat. If you use wheat based flour your mixture won’t have the same properties as goop.




lunes, 5 de mayo de 2014

MUSIC TO HELP CHILDREN A NEW LANGUAGE: 10 MINUTES AT TIME

I found this interesting article in Pinterest "Music to help children a new language: 10 minutes at time" which I would like to share with all of you. It is written by Franck & Cristina. Frank is from France and Cristina is from Spain. If you would like to read the entire article visit this website: multilingualliving.com

Music plays an important role in learning a second language. Similar areas of the brain are activated when listening to or playing music and speaking or processing language. Language and music are both associated with emotions, the combination makes it a powerful way to learn a second language.
Why is music so helpful to learn a second language?
  • Songs are fun
    We know that children, especially small children, really like music. They relate to it as entertainment and find learning vocabulary through songs amusing. Songs associated with hand and arm gestures are even more powerful in engaging children.
  • Songs increase retention
    Most of us are able to remember several children’s songs we learned as kids. Music helps us retain words and expressions much more effectively. The rhythm of the music helps with memorization, as do the repetitive patterns within the song.
  • Songs place vocabulary in context
    A song is also a little story. Children learn new words and expressions in the context of a story within the song. This will more easily captivate the attention of kids learning a new language. Words make sense faster when you learn them in the context of the lyrics in the song than when you learn them by themselves.
Below are 7 tips to help children learn another language with music, 10 minutes at a time:
  • Tip #1: Sing while nursing/giving the bottle
  • Tip #2: Finish the bedtime story with a song
  • Tip #3: Play tag with a song
  • Tip #4: Role play with a song
  • Tip #5: Dance and learn
  • Tip #6: Sing together in the car
  • Tip #7: Family karaoke
What other ways do you use music to teach your kids a second language? Please share your thoughts!