Saturday, March 2, 2013

Clothes Theme for Preschool ELL


Make the children interested in language, capture their attention. Make things easy to understand. Use lots of repetition through a variety of activities.

1.T shirt decorating.
Students can learn language through art, promoting creativity. In Ruppert’s study he found that, “certain forms of arts instruction enhance and complement basic reading skills, language development and writing skills.
Use my template and print out the t-shirt, that students will decorate using their imagination and surfacing their emotions.


Give them stickers, markers,etc.
Link: https://www.scribd.com/document/342588022/t-shirt-decorating

2. Cutouts are valuable because there are good motivators to teach, practice or review the vocabulary words in each unit. Use them to practice grammar structures or for speaking activities. Most book series bring their in their teacher´s set.If not make your own using clip art from the web and make your set.


Cutout activity1 :
Teacher: This is a shirt. (Showing  the cutout)
Students: This is a shirt.
Teacher: What color is the shirt ?
Students: blue.
Teacher: It´s a blue shirt.
Students: It´s a blue shirt

Cutout activity 2 :
Have students sort the clothing items by observing, comparing boys and girls clothes.This activity help to  create  awareness that is important for math learning in the future.



Cut out activity 3: Just display the doll poster and have students name each  clothing item as you put on the clothing item on the girl.



3. Clothesline: Hang the clothesline in class. Distribute the coloring cards to some students. Start by calling individual students to hang up their cutout in an established pattern.
Link: https://www.scribd.com/document/342587615/original-clothes-color



Patterning is a basic math skill but it can develop speaking skills as children “read” the patterns. I only use the easiest ones referred to as AB, such as dress, skirt, dress, skirt, or, purple dress, orange skirt, purple dress, orange skirt.
 These cards sets are from two of my favorite books for teaching.  Have students color the pictures using a different color for each picture or you can color them and use them as playing cards. Make sure to have two clothing items in the same color to make patterns.
Other games:
Game 1: hand out a coloring card to each student . Hold up a cutout. Ask all students to identify your cutout and the students who have that clothing card to hold it up and show it to the class.
Teacher: What´s this ? Students: It´s a dress,
Teacher: Show me a dress.



Game 2: Give out the coloring cards, make sure to have two or more of each, have students walk around and find another students or student that have the same clothing item and stand together. Do the same but with the same color clothing item.
The link for the cards: http://www.fileswap.com/dl/Z5SKdBOKOP/clothes_coloring_card.pdf.HTML

4. Symmetry: Fold symmetrically in half different clothing items, just like ones below. Ask children if they can recognize what they are, showing only one side of the item. You can do it with magazines.


Have the students notice that Symmetry can be found in everyday items, such as their clothes.

5. Fashion Catalog:  This group work will give learners the opportunity to learn to work together to reach a common goal, which is putting together their book.
 Divide your class into small groups and give them old magazine and a paper with the assigned clothing item. The children will look through the magazines that specific clothing item, cut out pictures and glue them onto their assigned paper.


 Then have the groups come up to the front of the class and show their pages and name the color and quantity.Put all the paper together and make a book.
Download it for free at Teachers pay teachers.com   
It has more than 1,081 Downloads in my TPT Store.
6. Math game: I don´t know where I got the file. It´s a fun game anyway. I have the file to share. Just write an email: ei98srl@gmail.com



7.Puzzles: I made these puzzle using old magazine pictures .This simple puzzle can  help teachers observe their children and assess their understanding of the vocabulary words. Hand out all the pieces of the puzzles to all the students. Have them walk around the class finding their partner to complete the puzzle, while you  monitor their speaking.


8.Paper dolls: try getting some paper dolls on the web and enlarge them  or make sets for each group of students. I made my own dolls, go to htp://www.makingfriends.com/f_Friends.htm. They have a huge selection of clothes for the dolls and you can choose the ones that adapt to your class needs.


9.Prepositions: Place a chair and an open box like mine in front of the class. Place some real clothing items in and on the chair and box. Start asking questions, as if you had lost something.
Teacher: Where are my socks?  OH! Here they are. The socks are on the chair.
Students: The socks are on the chair.
Teacher: Where is the skirt ?  OH! Here it is. The skirt is in the box.
Students: The socks are on the chair.

Grammar point: notice that when teaching this theme, introduce the plural for  socks, pants, shoes, saying They´re pants and contrast with This is  a dress.
10. Worksheets: here is one that I adapted. Children have to color the clothes, cut and paste the missing clothes to make the correct pattern.
Link:  https://www.scribd.com/document/342587394/clothes-sequence


11. I found this old file of a cap book that I made years ago. I made a little of better editing and here is the link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Color-the-Caps-Coloring-Book-3072710



Tuesday, February 26, 2013

St. Patrick´s Day

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th, so just be green!
Wear green to school on this day, decorate the classroom with anything green, it can be streamers or shamrocks, student´s pictures,etc.Make this Holiday an opportunity to teach students new vocabulary words.

It´s not easy to find book for our students, and more if we live in a country that the language is not spoken at all. But on the internet there are lots of printable books. This website, www.kidssoup.com has lots of printable that are suitable for EFL learners, but requires a paid subscription. I got this book from that site.

Try to make the habit of reading picture storybooks aloud to your students because:
a-     It helps increase their language development.
b-    It expands their vocabulary and teaches how to pronounce new words.
c-     Curiosity, creativity and imagination are developed while being read to.

In my country, pockets charts are not used in class, but I had been seeing them everywhere in blogland so I had to get one for myself. I used it this time for placing the vocabulary strips the came with the book, in the pockets and reconstruct the vocabulary in the book that I read aloud for the class. It provided the visual information that I needed for the vocabulary words . You can laminate the strips with clear contact paper for later use.

I love photo props which add interest to the class. Teach the vocabulary using them and take lots of pictures. I made mine with glittery fun foam.
Here´s the link for making the props: and they are free!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/St-Patricks-Day-Photo-Prop-1236333
Make a paper bag puppet, it is inexpensive and very simple to make, I got the templates at http://www.dltk-kids.com . I added buttons and wiggly eyes.
Use it as a teaching tool for communication. Have the children use it to say the new words.
 

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Birthday Theme Resources for ESL

             I created printable Birthday certificates to give to the Birthday child.  Just print and have them ready.
Printable Birthday certificates

 And make some birthday pencils and have them handy. I bought some black pencils for my set and got an old can to work as a vase.  Cut the slits with an exacto and push the pencil. It also makes a nice decoration for the class. 
I like to teach reading in the same way native speakers are taught to read, using these book that are available on the web. I lost the file for this book. I always make them big to read in class.
This cute activity is from www.makinglearningfun.com. I just made all the cake out of fun foam and painted the wood clothespin yellow to make the candles. 

As for Grammar, present the structure HOW OLD ARE YOU ? Make some  badges, necklaces  or blow some balloons with a number on each.  Have some children come up  and ask them their age, showing the number on the balloon. here´s the link , and print them on cardboard.
   
This is a good theme for reviewing the numbers from  1 to 10. Make the  numbers out of  fun foam.I made nine sets of numbers in different colors. 

Here are some games to play from the book Jigsaw  3
·         Show me game: hand out all the numbers to the students in a ramdom order. Say a number and have those students stand up and show it to the class.
·         Call out different numbers and the children hold up the corresponding numbers of fingers.

·         Draw numbers in the air, making sure you are facing the same direction as the children. Have children say that number aloud.

·         Place or write numbers on the board in ramdom order. two children come to the front of the class. Give both of them a fly swatter.Call out a number. The winner is the first child to hit the number with the fly 
swatter. ( My favorite game, the best gadget for the class)

·         Print the numbers from the template and place the numbers around the room. Call out a number. The winner is the first child to find the correct number. 
                 Teacher: Find number seven.
·         Write the  numbers backwards on the board, pointing to the numbers, starting with number 10, read them aloud.
·         Draw numbers on the board, but with your finger wet with water. Have them guess the number asking questions: What number is this ?

Birthdays mean a lot to children and it is a good idea to celebrate in a simple way each student’s birthday.

It´s easy to make a crown for the birthday child to take home.Use a store bought template like the one that I have here.

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Monday, February 4, 2013

Valentine´s Day 2013


For many children that live outside of an English speaking country, Valentine's Day is the first time that they experience the Holiday. Many teachers encourage kids to make valentines. Others just prepare  a class party.  I am sure that many of you have had  your own experiences of Valentine's Day , both the good and the bad, that you can share with the class.

It is nice to have children make their own cards to give to their parents to emphasize their love and have them show family love as part of Valentine´s Day, or maybe make some cards in class for their classmates, but be sure not to hurt anyone´s feelings.
A great teacher from Caracas, Miss Rodulfo, made these cards for Valentine, they turned out so cute.
Here´s a cute favor I made for my kid´s classmates. You can download the template at www.skiptomylou.comPrint it onto cardboard and follow the instructions on their site. if you can´t find it I can send it to you. (ei98srl@gmail.com)
And for the teacher a Hand Lotion Gift. I glued the hand template onto a cream. I have the free template available by request. (ei98srl@gmail.com)


I created the hand template, request the free template:ei98srl@gmail.com
Another cute idea I had to try, I made these for my children to give out as Valentines. I used lollipops. I made the moustache and the mouth out of fun foam. Request the template by mail (ei98srl@gmail.com)
Math activities help students link math to their everyday experiences. This gives them  the  opportunity  to build math vocabulary that will be useful later in life.
Just small hearts with a number on it, makes this game an easy one to pull off at any time.
Crafts:  I got the template fom this wonderful web site (http://www.kidssoup.com/) but you have to pay for membership.  If you want the pattern, please write (ei98srl@gmail.com) It´s done with construction paper and a CD shiny side up I glued the punched hearts. You can either user the text "You make my heart smile" or leave it blank. Use it as a wall picture or bulletin board decoration.
 I based this activity off all the photo booths I've been seeing on PInterest , it´s a huge trend, I thought it might be nice to have a little fun with the class.  I made these Valentine photobooth props.  For the heart I  printed  and  glued  the  foam pieces ,then  added a stick.  I also made a Heart frame, so the students could hold the frame  for taking the picture. 
Request the free templates: ei98srl@gmail.com

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Monday, November 12, 2012

Making Story Books by Sara

Dear Readers,
 Let me introduce our first guest blogger:

I'm Sara, or Teacher Sara .I'm originally from Lithuania but I am now living in Granada, Spain. I've been teaching English in preschool for five years now and I love it! There are so many resources for teaching English on the Internet, I just felt the need to select the ones I like and use, and organise them in some way, adding some materials of my own that I feel like sharing. So here's my blog:http://saraseflresources.blogspot.com.es/

You know how kids love stories? How their learning thrives in the process of creating something? Well, I took this into account when planning the end-of-the-year project for my 5-year-olds last year.
The idea is for them to make a STORY BOOK of their own using as much English vocabulary as possible. Your 4-year-olds would enjoy this as well, especially at the end of the school year.

First, you need to make up a story with simple sentence structure and lots of the words your kids have been learning over the year. Remember: a good story has a beginning, a problem, a solution and a happy ending.

Write the story down, think through the illustrations your kids would be able to draw, and make your own story book as an example. You’ll need:

-          several sheets of paper

-          crayons

-          a wooden ice cream stick

-          adhesive tape

-          stapler

Fold the sheets of paper in half and staple them in the middle (I used 2 staples). Draw a small picture of yourself on a small piece of paper, colour it in and cut it out. Stick it to the ice cream stick with adhesive tape. That’s your puppet! Now make a small cut on the cover of your book and insert the puppet. Write the title and finish decorating the cover. Proceed to drawing the illustrations for the story.

If you are working with 4 or 5-year-olds, you don’t need to write the story down in your book as they most surely don’t read or write in English yet. If you’re doing this with older kids, write it down by all means!
 
When your story is ready, tell it in class. Use the puppet throughout the pages as you’re telling it. Kids will love the fact that you are the main character. Don’t forget to use a different voice for each character. Now tell them they can make a story of their own! Give them the paper (preferably already stapled) and have them number the pages before they start. This way it will be easier for them to follow the story line without forgetting something.

You need to really plan this ahead as it will take some time. Remember that not only do they need to make the book, but also practise telling the story (by parts, telling it to/with the teacher, to the rest of the class, by pairs, assuming different roles, etc.). I dedicated part of every English lesson for this project and we had it finished in 6 lessons, doing about 2 pages per lesson. Keep in mind that you’ll probably have to help them make the puppet and the cut on the cover.
 
So here’s my story:
 

(Obviously, kids write their own names in the title. I had them copy the rest of the frase from the board.)
SARA AND THE MONSTER

HELLO! MY NAME IS SARA. THIS IS MY HOUSE. I’M PLAYING IN THE GARDEN. OH NO! IT’S RAINING! IT’S COLD! QUICK! GO IN THE HOUSE!

MOMMY, MOMMY, WHERE’S MY COAT?
-It’s in the closet.
THANK YOU MOMMY!
MOMMY, MOMMY, WHERE’S MY HAT?
-It’s on the table.
THANK YOU MOMMY!
MOMMY, MOMMY, WHERE ARE MY BOOTS?
-They are under the chair.
THANK YOU MOMMY!
MOMMY, MOMMY, WHERE’S MY SCARF?
-It’s on the sofa.
THANK YOU MOMMY!
(On this page I told the kids to choose the items of clothing they wanted to draw, it didn’t have to be the ones I used)
MOMMY, MOMMY, WHERE’S MY UMBRELLA?
-It’s under the bed.
(The puppet looks under the bed.)
NO UMBRELLA… EYES! ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR EYES! (I told them to draw as many eyes as they wanted, as long as they could count them in English)

ARE YOU A SNAKE?
-Nooo…
ARE YOU A TIGER?
-Nooo…
ARE YOU A BIRD?
-Nooo…
ARE YOU A CROCODILE?
-Nooo…
 (Once more, they could draw the animals they liked here)
-I’m a monster!

WOW! HELLO MONSTER! FOUR EYES! THREE ARMS! TWO MOUTHS! SIX LEGS! WOW! (again, they could draw the number of body parts they wanted, as long as they could count them in English)

THE MONSTER IS SAD. (if that’s how your story goes, make sure they draw sad mouths as they are used to doing happy faces)

WHAT’S THE MATTER MONSTER?

-I’m hungry!

LET’S GO TO THE KITCHEN!

OPEN THE FRIDGE!

I CAN SEE A CAKE!

-I don’t like cake!

I CAN SEE APPLES!

-I don’t like apples!

I CAN SEE JUICE!

-I don’t like juice!

I CAN SEE FISH!

-I don’t like fish!

(They could draw the food they liked here as well)




I CAN SEE SAUSAGES AND TOMATOES!
-I like sausages and tomatoes! Thank you! Yum yum yummy! (make eating sounds)
LOOK IT’S SUNNY AGAIN! LET’S PLAY IN THE GARDEN!

-Okay!

I’M HAPPY! THE MONSTER IS HAPPY! WHAT A HAPPY DAY!


THE END


As you can see, our topics that year had been: the weather, body parts, clothes, house, wild animals and food. None of the vocabulary used in the story was new to the children, so it was quite easy for them to learn the story. They were also eager to finish it so they could take it home and tell it to their parents. Their drawings were amazing, most of them draw better than me (which is not very hard though J ).

So the kids were happy, the parents loved it, and the teacher… Well, she was so excited she wanted to share it with you! Enjoy!
Please visit Sara at her blog. Thank you Sara, this is an excellent job. Hope to see you around soon.