HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THE WORD "TICK"?

I like the fact that some words in any language can´t have an accurate translation into other languages. That happens for example with the Galician word "enxebre"...
Something enxebre is ... traditional... ? well, yes, it is, but... it means something else ... you can´t get the inner meaning unless you are a native speaker or you can have a very good example of the word in a very specific context.

Other words are easier to translate but you would need more than one word to do it. As an example, " a tick" or " to tick". In English, when you listen to those words , you just do the action but when my students ask me what they mean I have to say: "to tick is to write this sign". And I draw it on the blackboard. You can´t use just one word to translate it. If you look it up in the dictionary it says: tick: marca... but... what kind of "marca"?

I have always liked this sign: "listen and tick", "tick the words you hear", "tick or cross"... That´s why I dedicate this post to one of my favourite English signs :)

WHY ARGUE WITH SOMEONE WHO´S ALWAYS RIGHT?

ENGLISH TRADITIONAL BREAKFAST

I am still wondering how English people can have all this food for breakfast... I love English traditions but I wouldn´t swap my toasts and white coffee for the traditional English breakfast!
It looks lovely though! If you want to try it, just click on the link below and shoulders to the wheel!
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-a-traditional-full-english-breakfast

THE GINGERBREAD MAN

This is a great story that everybody knows and nobody tells. If it's told well, it can make a BIG hit at a student storytelling assembly.

USEFUL LINKS:
http://www.starfall.com/n/holiday/gingerbread/load.htm?f&n=main
http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/gingerbread/index.htm
http://www.kidzone.ws/thematic/gingerbread/index.htm
http://cfschools.net/schools/ch/heazak/ginger/ginger.html
http://www.dltk-teach.com/minibooks/gingerbread-man/index.htm
http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/gingerbread/felt.htm
http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/gingerbread/sequencing.htm
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/stories/gingerbread.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/stories/colour/gingerbreadman.shtml?page9

GINGERBREAD

Gingerbread is a sweet that can take the form of a cake or a cookie in which the predominant flavors are ginger and raw sugar.

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-gingerbread-men-cookies

IT FINALLY HAPPENED...

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”— Proverb

WHAT´S THE TIME, MR. WOLF?

What's the time, Mr Wolf? is a form of tag played in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the English-speaking Caribbean. In the United States it may be called "What time is it, Mr Fox?" .
It bears some resemblance to Red light, green light and Dahrumasan ga koronda.

I've no idea why this game works, but it does - kids find it exciting and fun!

Click on the link below to see how to play this fun chasing game:

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-play-whats-the-time-mr-wolf

USEFUL LINKS:

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/party_games_and_activities.htm

http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/welsh/

http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-games-time.htm

SLIPPERY FISH / I AM A PIZZA

Thiese are cute rhymes and the kids love them. They are on the Charlotte Diamond CD " Ten Carrot Diamond".



USEFUL LINKS:
http://www.songsforteaching.com/charlottediamond/octopusslipperyfish.htm
http://www.charlottediamond.com/music/soylyrics.htm

GOT ANY GRAPES?

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS ANNOYING AND FUNNY DUCK? :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtN1YnoL46Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2nCsqujCsQ

WHAT TIME IS IT?

From my teaching experience I have noticed that children find difficult to learn how to tell the time in English.

I tried to do my best when explaining it but as soon as I corrected the exams, I realized that my way to teach it didn´t work as I expected to. I felt so dissappointed!

Next year, I will try this interesting website to practise telling the time with some online and printing games and all the stuff related to the time: the months of the year, the days of the week...

You can even print and make your own clock!

http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids-topics-time.htm

WHERE´S MY LITTLE JOE?

HAVE A NICE WEEKEND!!

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO THE USA

I hope my American friends don´t get mad at me! lol!

Click on the image :-)

EASY WORLD MAP FOR CHILDREN

Sometimes, we want to show our students where the facts we are talking about take place so I find colorful and easy maps very interesting to do that.
*Click on the map!

TEST YOURSELF!! :)
http://www.mapsofworld.com/games/world-quiz/

YURI´S NIGHT- A CELEBRATION OF HUMANS IN SPACE

Yuri’s Night is an international celebration. It takes place every year on 12th April.On this night, people celebrate space exploration. In particular, they remember a Russian man called Gagarin. He was the first man to travel into space. This historic event took place on 12th April 1961. Yuri was only 27 years old at the time. He travelled into space in a capsule called Vostok 1. He orbited around the Earth once. His historic voyage took 108 minutes. On Yuri´s Night, people also celebrate the launch of the first space shuttle into space. The first space shuttle travelled into space on 12th April 1981-exactly twenty years after Yuri´s historic voyage.
The space shuttle’s name was Columbia. It was much bigger than the capsule, Vostok 1. It contained a team of astronauts and lots of equipment. This time, the voyage into space lasted for two days.Twenty years after the launch of Columbia, people decided to organise an international party to celebrate these two historic space events. They called the celebration Yuri´s Night. The first Yuri´s Night celebrations took place on 12th April 2001. There were big parties in different countries around the world including The United States, Australia, England, Turkey, South Africa and Canada. The objective of Yuri´s Night is to create public interest in space exploration and inspire a new generation of explorers. Today, Yuri´s Night parties and associated events connect thousands of young people around the world who are passionate about space travel and exploration.
USEFUL LINKS:
Activities:
http://www.oxfordteachersupport.com/pdf/RTG_PRIM_04_09_1.pdf
The NASA Space Place:
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/games.shtm
Amazing Space:
http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/eds/
Kids Astronomy:
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/

HIPPO POWER!

We are already on holiday so please listen to this song and just chill out. Tomorrow is Tuesday... but... who cares? :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qC9WkJV_TI

ELEPHANTS...NA, NA, NA, NA, NAAAAA....!

I really love this song!

APRIL FISH!!

April Fool's Day or All Fool's Day occurs annually on April 1. The day is generally observed by playing a practical joke on a "victim" who soon becomes known as an April Fool. This custom is thought to have started in France during the 16th century but the British are credited with bringing it to the United States.

The commonly accepted origin of April Fool's Day involves changes in the calendar. At one time, the New Year celebration began on March 25 and ended on April 1. However, in 1582, King Charles IX adopted the Gregorian calendar and accepted the beginning of the new year as January 1. Those who refused to acknowledge the new date or simply forgot received foolish gifts and invitations to nonexistent parties. The butt of such a prank was known as a "poisson d'avril" or "April fish."