tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65563644694103886512024-03-13T15:18:53.915+01:00ESL ActivitiesSearch, Think & SHARE!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger660125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-70897278480621032552014-09-05T10:03:00.001+02:002014-09-05T10:10:46.831+02:00Things to do with photos<ol style="background-color: white; clear: none !important; color: #575757; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px; list-style: none !important; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<li style="border-bottom-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: arial; list-style: disc inside; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="stepnum" style="color: #409eff; float: left; font-family: FyraNumericCircleClosed, Georgia; font-size: 46px; letter-spacing: -14px; line-height: normal; margin: 1px 30px 0px 0px; max-width: 50px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
1</div>
<h3 style="color: #333333; font-family: Bitter, serif; font-size: 24.5px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 35px; margin: 25px 5px 6px 35px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
Gimme 20!</h3>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; margin: 20px 5px 30px 55px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">For this activity (and for the others), you’ll need to find the right photo first.</strong> There are countless websites offering stock images and digital photos, but I recommend using the<a href="http://search.creativecommons.org/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #2a55ff; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Creative Commons search tool</a>. With this tool, you can search for images on Flickr, Google Images or Wikimedia Commons, use them in your ESL classroom, and rest assured you won’t be violating any copyright laws. Search for an image that conveys feelings or a mood you wish to explore. I found <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/16210667@N02/6822806964" rel="nofollow" style="color: #2a55ff; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">this one</a> on Flickr. Show this image to your class and ask them to brainstorm and come up with 20 words related to this image. When they’re done brainstorming, they must place these words into categories, for example, “feelings”, “colors”, “nature”, etc.... Finally, give them a writing assignment to complete in class or for homework, like a story based on the photo, in which they must use the words.</div>
</li>
<li style="border-bottom-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: arial; list-style: disc inside; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="stepnum" style="color: #409eff; float: left; font-family: FyraNumericCircleClosed, Georgia; font-size: 46px; letter-spacing: -14px; line-height: normal; margin: 1px 30px 0px 0px; max-width: 50px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
2</div>
<h3 style="color: #333333; font-family: Bitter, serif; font-size: 24.5px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 35px; margin: 25px 5px 6px 35px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
What’s He Thinking?</h3>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; margin: 20px 5px 30px 55px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Have you ever looked at a photo and tried to guess what the person in it is thinking?</strong>Well, now your students can put those thoughts to good use. With a tool like <a href="http://www.pimpampum.net/bubblr/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #2a55ff; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Bubblr</a>, they can add speech and thought bubbles to images available from Flickr and even make their own comic strip.</div>
</li>
<li style="border-bottom-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: arial; list-style: disc inside; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="stepnum" style="color: #409eff; float: left; font-family: FyraNumericCircleClosed, Georgia; font-size: 46px; letter-spacing: -14px; line-height: normal; margin: 1px 30px 0px 0px; max-width: 50px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
3</div>
<h3 style="color: #333333; font-family: Bitter, serif; font-size: 24.5px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 35px; margin: 25px 5px 6px 35px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
Can You Find…?</h3>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; margin: 20px 5px 30px 55px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">This is a great way to practice prepositions of place.</strong> Find a photo with lots of objects in it like a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/74994385@N00/70250083" rel="nofollow" style="color: #2a55ff; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">messy office</a>. Ask your class: <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Can you find the water bottle?</em> Students raise their hands as soon as they have the answer. Call on a student to answer the question with the correct preposition.</div>
</li>
<li style="border-bottom-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: arial; list-style: disc inside; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="stepnum" style="color: #409eff; float: left; font-family: FyraNumericCircleClosed, Georgia; font-size: 46px; letter-spacing: -14px; line-height: normal; margin: 1px 30px 0px 0px; max-width: 50px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
4</div>
<h3 style="color: #333333; font-family: Bitter, serif; font-size: 24.5px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 35px; margin: 25px 5px 6px 35px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
Making Comparisons</h3>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; margin: 20px 5px 30px 55px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Find two images you want your class to compare, for example, our previous </strong><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/74994385@N00/70250083" rel="nofollow" style="color: #2a55ff; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">messy office</a><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> and a much </strong><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/31300715@N06/3370238964/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #2a55ff; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">tidier one</a><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">.</strong> Students use comparatives to describe the two.</div>
</li>
<li style="border-bottom-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: arial; list-style: disc inside; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="stepnum" style="color: #409eff; float: left; font-family: FyraNumericCircleClosed, Georgia; font-size: 46px; letter-spacing: -14px; line-height: normal; margin: 1px 30px 0px 0px; max-width: 50px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
5</div>
<h3 style="color: #333333; font-family: Bitter, serif; font-size: 24.5px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 35px; margin: 25px 5px 6px 35px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
Flickr Story</h3>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; margin: 20px 5px 30px 55px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">This is a really fun tool, great for writing practice!</strong> Have your ESL students play a hand of <a href="http://5card.cogdogblog.com/play.php" rel="nofollow" style="color: #2a55ff; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Five Card Flickr</a>. Students are given a set of randomly presented photos, and they have to choose one. Then they’re given a second set from which to pick one. Once they have picked five photos from five different sets, the real fun begins. They are prompted to create a title for their story and a comment or explanation, which of course they can flesh out into a short story. Because the photos are so random, this is a real challenge and a great creative writing activity.</div>
</li>
<li style="border-bottom-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: arial; list-style: disc inside; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="stepnum" style="color: #409eff; float: left; font-family: FyraNumericCircleClosed, Georgia; font-size: 46px; letter-spacing: -14px; line-height: normal; margin: 1px 30px 0px 0px; max-width: 50px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
6</div>
<h3 style="color: #333333; font-family: Bitter, serif; font-size: 24.5px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 35px; margin: 25px 5px 6px 35px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
Picture Writing</h3>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; margin: 20px 5px 30px 55px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Images are great prompts for writing, and </strong><a href="http://piclits.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #2a55ff; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">PicLits</a><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> is another wonderful online tool that lets your ESL students add messages, thoughts or captions to an image.</strong>Students have the option of dragging and dropping nouns, verbs, articles and adjectives from a list. Words are categorized into different parts of speech, so students may wish to try different adjectives or verbs. They also have the option to simply write what they wish to express – freestyle. Their work is saved and a link to it is provided, so they can email their creations to family or friends.</div>
</li>
<li style="border-bottom-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: arial; list-style: disc inside; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="stepnum" style="color: #409eff; float: left; font-family: FyraNumericCircleClosed, Georgia; font-size: 46px; letter-spacing: -14px; line-height: normal; margin: 1px 30px 0px 0px; max-width: 50px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
7</div>
<h3 style="color: #333333; font-family: Bitter, serif; font-size: 24.5px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 35px; margin: 25px 5px 6px 35px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
Photos that Babble</h3>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; margin: 20px 5px 30px 55px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="http://www.fotobabble.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #2a55ff; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">PhotoBabble</a><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> is an awesome tool for speaking practice! Upload a photo you’ve previously selected and record students taking about them.</strong> You may have them speak freely and spontaneously, or you may choose to give them time to prepare what they want to say. This works exceptionally well with photos of cartoon characters, comic book heroes or celebrities – your students can give a voice to a wide range of characters and practice their speaking skills at the same time.</div>
</li>
<li style="border-bottom-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: arial; list-style: disc inside; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="stepnum" style="color: #409eff; float: left; font-family: FyraNumericCircleClosed, Georgia; font-size: 46px; letter-spacing: -14px; line-height: normal; margin: 1px 30px 0px 0px; max-width: 50px; padding: 0px; width: auto;">
8</div>
<h3 style="color: #333333; font-family: Bitter, serif; font-size: 24.5px; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 35px; margin: 25px 5px 6px 35px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: auto;">
Create a Mural</h3>
<div style="font-family: sans-serif; margin: 20px 5px 30px 55px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Why simply ask students to talk about what they did over the holidays or how they celebrated Christmas, when they can show you with a mural?</strong> <a href="https://mural.ly/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #2a55ff; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Mural.ly</a> is the perfect tool for this. Students can create their own murals with their vacation photos and not only that; they can also add notes, comments and text all around for great writing practice. The beauty of this tool is that students can work on their murals at home and simply add you as a collaborator so you can see their work any day, any time.</div>
</li>
</ol>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-9098127165779470462014-09-04T10:25:00.004+02:002014-09-04T10:25:57.257+02:00Adverbs<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode75/index.shtml" target="_blank">Good activity about adverbs</a>. (BBC)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-80749675423815156652014-09-04T10:11:00.001+02:002014-09-04T10:11:19.484+02:00Boomwriter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yOYIKezYAGw/VAgelVQe8QI/AAAAAAAABXs/i5hHRhj_0Rs/s1600/Sin%2Bt%C3%ADtulo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yOYIKezYAGw/VAgelVQe8QI/AAAAAAAABXs/i5hHRhj_0Rs/s1600/Sin%2Bt%C3%ADtulo.jpg" height="183" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.boomwriter.com/wordwriter" style="color: #2779d6; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">WordWriter</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;"> assignments offer a good way to have students practice using new vocabulary words in context. Through the assignments you can have students demonstrate their understanding a word's meaning. You could also use WordWriter assignments to assess a student's ability to use the correct form of a verb.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-42050560119423582772013-09-08T22:17:00.001+02:002013-09-08T22:17:44.070+02:00Academy IslandPractise your English with <a href="http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/prepare-and-practise/games-social/academy-island/" target="_blank">Academy Island Game</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">An unknown alien life form lands on earth and has to learn English to get by in a range of social situations. Players of Academy Island have to progress through different difficulty levels by helping the alien use English in a range of situations such as shopping in a bakery and visiting places such as an art gallery and library. Our game is designed to help learners improve their English language ability, in a fun way.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-30168170473566155342013-04-16T22:40:00.002+02:002013-04-16T22:40:26.653+02:00Verb Machine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PIBSunEpUSs/UW23Dy9Dd0I/AAAAAAAAA_Q/s8hQujUFe1E/s1600/verbmachine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PIBSunEpUSs/UW23Dy9Dd0I/AAAAAAAAA_Q/s8hQujUFe1E/s1600/verbmachine.JPG" height="288" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/word-games/verb-machine" target="_blank">HERE</a> is a machine that will help you form any tense.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-8825739149858293752013-04-15T15:26:00.000+02:002013-04-15T15:26:11.088+02:00Woices<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vIjb1oeZo94/UWv_7DT5b8I/AAAAAAAAA_A/v8tvwOt4um8/s1600/woices.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vIjb1oeZo94/UWv_7DT5b8I/AAAAAAAAA_A/v8tvwOt4um8/s320/woices.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Enter <a href="http://woices.com/" target="_blank">WOICES</a> to create audioguides. It is a good resource for your students to comment on their city or town.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-78407252347277632302013-03-21T13:29:00.001+01:002013-03-21T13:29:29.250+01:00Cube Creator<a href="http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/cube_creator/" target="_blank">This resource</a> will help you with your writing. <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">There are templates for writing biographies, mysteries, short stories, and a blank template that you can customize. Students enter the required information into the online template. When the template is completed, it can be printed with lines for cutting and folding to create an actual cube.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-42607228550234220192013-03-17T23:43:00.002+01:002013-03-17T23:43:42.180+01:007 Great Sites for Listening Material<a href="http://www.esl-lab.com/" target="_blank">ESL Cyber Listening Lab</a><div>
<a href="http://www.newsy.com/" target="_blank">Newsy</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://learningenglish.voanews.com/" target="_blank">Voice of America</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.talkenglish.com/Listening/listen.aspx" target="_blank">Talk English</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.eslfast.com/" target="_blank">ESL Fast</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.rong-chang.com/easykids/" target="_blank">English Listening for Kids</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.elllo.org/" target="_blank">Elllo</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-77307006748597409352013-03-12T16:13:00.003+01:002013-03-12T16:13:55.507+01:00Free Practice TestsIn <a href="http://www.examenglish.com/PET/index.php" target="_blank">Exam English</a> you will find English exams to practice.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-34167586339401013162013-03-12T15:40:00.001+01:002013-03-12T15:40:27.041+01:00Short Stories<a href="http://www.eslfast.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a> you can find a lot of short stories. Very useful for extra readings and reading comprehensions.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-2561153484935336072013-03-06T17:41:00.002+01:002013-03-06T17:41:22.799+01:00B1 Level ActivitiesIn the <a href="http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/level/b1-cefr/term" target="_blank">British Council</a> website you can find activities graded by level.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-36171998149555290832013-02-24T23:31:00.003+01:002013-02-24T23:31:21.309+01:00PET Practice<a href="http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/preliminaryenglish/index.htm" target="_blank">PET Practice</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-59362215432503782172013-02-01T15:50:00.003+01:002013-02-01T15:50:21.717+01:00Writing Prompts<a href="http://busyteacher.org/creative_writing_prompts_part_one.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> you can find some really interesting Writing Prompts.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-39117818873576445022012-11-22T16:48:00.002+01:002012-11-22T16:48:31.064+01:00AuctionAuction is a game where the sold goods is sentences. You will need a
list of sentences for it and your strong voice. In the list some
sentences should be correct and some wrong. Examples of such lists are
uploaded here. The selection of the grammar in sentences depends on the
level of your students. So the game is suitable for ALL levels as well
as for VARIOUS grammar points. You can even use students´ own sentences
with mistakes. Students work in pairs. They should get a chance to look
at the sentences and decide which they want. The aim of the game is to
buy more correct sentences than the others and to save the most money at
the same time. When they are ready, auction the sentences. It is quite
"your-voice-demanding" and you will speak most of the time but it often
leads to competitions among pairs and fun. At the end of the auction,
when the best buyer is known, ask students to explain the mistakes to
those who did not find them.<br />
<br />
Idea taken from BUSY TEACHER.<br />
<a href="http://busyteacher.org/12334-auction.html" target="_blank">DOWNLOAD THE ACTIVITY HERE</a> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-23498012235016975552012-10-29T16:00:00.000+01:002012-10-29T16:00:56.077+01:00The Zimmer Twins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-20SRIZWSIiQ/UI6XWtQuk0I/AAAAAAAAA60/VrsuezMUSVY/s1600/Dibujo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-20SRIZWSIiQ/UI6XWtQuk0I/AAAAAAAAA60/VrsuezMUSVY/s320/Dibujo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
In <a href="http://www.zimmertwins.com/" target="_blank">The Zimmer Twins</a> you can create films. Try it. It is a good way to learn vocabulary.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-10344946541606509552012-10-28T23:08:00.000+01:002012-10-28T23:08:01.664+01:00BBC News in Pictures<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in_pictures/" target="_blank">HERE </a>you will see the news in picturesUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-72441958777204671412012-10-28T22:55:00.003+01:002012-10-28T22:55:41.964+01:00Cambridge Exams Practice<a href="http://www.blackcatreaders.com/quizzes" target="_blank">HERE </a>you can practice for your Cambridge Exams.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-80672338746161989052012-10-28T22:46:00.001+01:002012-10-28T22:46:39.503+01:00Find the gap - increasing speaking in class<a href="http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/find-gap-increasing-speaking-class?utm_source=facebook-teachingenglish&utm_mediu%C2%ADm=wallpost&utm_campaign=bc-teachingenglish-facebook">Find the gap - increasing speaking in class</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-21721769842526719222012-10-28T22:44:00.001+01:002012-10-28T22:44:08.967+01:00I couldn't believe my eyes<a href="http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/activities/i-couldnt-believe-my-eyes?utm_source=facebook-teachingenglish&utm_mediu%C2%ADm=wallpost&utm_campaign=bc-teachingenglish-facebook">I couldn't believe my eyes</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-34472465869200228042012-10-02T20:59:00.000+02:002012-10-02T20:59:41.039+02:00Good video for superlatives<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="374" id="ep_300" width="416"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="movie" value="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&contentId=education/2012/09/16/sn-0917.cnn" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><embed src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed&contentId=education/2012/09/16/sn-0917.cnn" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="416" wmode="transparent" height="374"></embed></object><br />
<br />
MARLEN ESPARZA, OLYMPIC BOXER: Hi, I`m Marlen Esparza, U.S. boxing
Olympian, and we`re celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, and you`re
watching CNN STUDENT NEWS.<br /> <br />(END VIDEO CLIP)<br /> <br />CARL AZUZ,
CNN ANCHOR: You sure are. Hi, everyone, I`m Carl Azuz. We`re going to
have more from Marlen Esparza coming up, but we`re starting today with
some global headlines.<br /> <br />First up, we`re heading to Afghanistan.
The U.S.-led coalition is gradually transferring control to Afghan
authorities, but the war is not over, and there are still tens of
thousands of American forces there. On Sunday, four U.S. troops were
killed by Afghan police. These attacks are sometimes called green on
blue violence, when coalition troops are fired on by their supposed
Afghan allies. Two other Americans were killed on Friday when a group
of 15 insurgents raided this military base. Six jets were destroyed in
that attack as well. 14 of the raiders were killed. The other was
wounded and captured.<br /> <br />Next, we`re moving toward the Korean
peninsula and Japan. Over in this part of the world, hurricanes are
called typhoons, and the 16th one this year barreled through over the
weekend. It`s called Typhoon Sanba. Forecasters said the storm was
heading towards South Korea yesterday. It made landfall on the Japanese
island of Okinawa Sunday morning. The storm`s eye was nearly half the
length of the island, but there were no immediate reports of damage.
Okinawa is built to handle powerful typhoons since it`s in an area where
they happen so often. <br /> <br />Finally, we`re heading to the U.S. city
of Chicago. The country`s third largest school district was not in
class last week because the teachers union was on strike. Union
officials and teacher representatives met to discuss the latest contract
proposal. The teacher reps had the power to either stop the strike or
to keep it going. The meeting was still under way as we were producing
this show yesterday evening, but you can get the latest details at
cnnstudentnews.com.<br /> <br />In 50 days, Americans will head to the polls
to vote for president. The two main candidates represent the country`s
two main political parties, but how did these groups get started?
Tomorrow we`re going to take a look at the Democrats. Today, Tom
Foreman explores the origins of the modern Republican Party.<br /> <br />(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)<br /> <br />TOM
FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The modern Republican Party absolutely
owes its origin to the fight over slavery. In the mid-1800s, in that
tumultuous time right before the Civil War, many political activists
were worried about slavery spreading into the Western territories, and
they didn`t think the other parties would do much about it. The
Democrats or the Whigs. So they said, let`s form our own party, and
we`ll call it the Republicans, as a salute to former American leaders
long ago who`d called themselves Republicans. In fact, at one point,
almost every politician in this country called themselves a type of
Republican, but that was the old Republicans. Now we`re talking about
the new Republicans.<br /> <br />By 1861, they had their first president,
Abraham Lincoln. Slavery soon fell, as we all know. The Whigs soon
disbanded, and the Republicans began this long, steady march into power.
Even back then, they talked about issues like immigration and religion
and basic values and having a strong business climate. That`s why one
newspaper back then that liked them said we will call this the Grand Old
Party, the GOP. We still hear that to these days.<br /> <br />Their voting
base was largely in rural areas and the West. That`s still partially
true. And those people proved really adept at using the Electoral
College system to produce presidents. Even sometimes when they couldn`t
get the popular vote. Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, many more.
They produced a lot of presidents, but then along comes World War I,
and the party has these deep policy divisions over what to do. Herbert
Hoover shows up, ushers in the Great Depression, and the Republicans go
scurrying off into retreat. And that`s where they stay for quite some
time. It`s 20 years until Dwight Eisenhower can finally get the White
House back for them again.<br /> <br />However, since 1969, they`ve been
pretty much back to their winning ways. During that period of time,
Republicans have held the Oval Office almost twice as many years as the
Democrats.<br /> <br />(END VIDEOTAPE)<br /> <br />UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s
time for the Shoutout. Which U.S. state was the first to ratify the
Constitution? If you think you know it, then shout it out. Was it
Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey or Georgia? You`ve got 3 seconds,
go. <br /> <br />Delaware led the way, ratifying the Constitution on December 7, 1787. That`s your answer and that`s your Shoutout.<br /> <br />AZUZ:
But before Delaware and the rest of the states could ratify it, the
document had to be approved by a majority of the Constitutional
Convention, and that happened on September 17, exactly 225 years ago.
That`s why today is Constitution Day. Originally, the Constitutional
Convention got together to revise the Articles of Confederation, but
instead, the delegates decided to write a whole new document. They held
secret meetings and posted guards outside the door. And when they
signed it on September 17, they had come up with a Constitution that set
up America`s new system of government and laid out the ultimate law of
the land. <br /> <br />Today also marks the celebration of Rosh Hashanah,
the Jewish new year. Actually, the holiday begins Sunday night at
sunset. Rosh Hashanah means "beginning of the year" in Hebrew. It`s
also known sometimes as the day of repentance. Rosh Hashanah is the
beginning of the Jewish high holy days. Those end 10 days later on Yom
Kippur. <br /> <br />One of the most significant rituals during the holiday
involves the shofar. It`s a ram`s horn that is blown kind of like a
trumpet. During the high holy days, the shofar is used as a call to
prayer. Another popular practice is to eat apples dipped in honey,
which represents hope for a good year.<br /> <br />UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is
this legit? Hispanic Heritage Month originally started out as Hispanic
Heritage Week. It`s true! The week-long event started in 1968 and was
expanded to a full month 20 years later.<br /> <br />AZUZ: Month-long
celebration started on Saturday. Marlen Esparza mentioned Hispanic
Heritage Month when she kicked off today`s show for us. This woman is a
trailblazer, and here`s why. She`s the first American woman to qualify
for the Olympics in boxing. In these photos, you get a glimpse of
Marlen in action during this year`s summer Olympics in London. Yes, she
brought home some hardware too -- a bronze medal. But her passion goes
far beyond the ring. Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the culture of
Hispanic Americans. Marlen told us why her heritage is so important to
her.<br /> <br />(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)<br /> <br />ESPARZA: I think it symbolizes
kind of part of your soul, in a sense, of the direction that your mind
takes you and your heart takes you, and it`s something that can`t be
replaced or something that can`t be removed from you. And I think it`s
actually a really beautiful thing to embrace where you`re from and who
you are.<br /> <br />(END VIDEO CLIP)<br /> <br />AZUZ: Here`s how you can get
on CNN STUDENT NEWS. Couple of quick things. One, you have to be at
least 13 years old, and two, we don`t want to hear any music in the
background. We just want to hear you. So you shoot your video, that`s
how you start. We did this on a cell phone, simple as that. Then go to
ireport.com/cnnstudentnews, and where it says "introduce CNN STUDENT
NEWS," just click "share your story." You fill out your info, you
upload your video, and if it`s chosen, you will hear from us in an email
about the last step. Good luck.<br /> <br />And next up today, we`re going
to check out some highlights from a high school football game in
Portland, Oregon. The guy tearing through the defense is Aloha senior
running back Thomas Tyner. This is something that the other team just
had to get used to, because Thomas had a pretty good game on Friday. He
scored 10 touchdowns and racked up more than 640 yards. Yes, both of
those are state records. His team won, obviously, and here is the best
part. Thomas did all of this on his 18th birthday.<br /> <br />(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)<br /> <br />THOMAS TYNER: Oh, I`m exhausted, I can`t wait to go to sleep. I can`t wait to go to sleep.<br /> <br />UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could you have gotten yourself a better birthday present?<br /> <br />TYNER: No. It was all I wanted.<br /> <br />(END VIDEO CLIP)<br /> <br />AZUZ:
And some world records for you before we go today. Like the tallest
Mohawk. Sounds like a hair-raising situation. Then there`s the world`s
tallest dog. The world`s biggest biceps. And the world`s heaviest
bike. I`ve heard of big wheels, but this guy is going overboard. <br /> <br />The parrot who dunk the most basketballs is up right here. That record`s for the birds. <br /> <br />We`ve
got the largest collection of hello, Kitty, and the biggest Barbie
collection. These winners probably got all dolled up for their photos.<br /> <br />This
is the world`s largest drum set right here, 340 pieces. If he wanted a
record, he sure found a record to drum up attention. And the world`s
smallest bull. Don`t make jokes, he`s kind of sensitive about it.<br /> <br />It`s time for us to moo-ve on out of here. I don`t know cow we cud top that, but we`ll give it a shot tomorrow. See you then.<br /> <br />END Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-34228427401154297872012-09-25T23:18:00.001+02:002012-10-02T20:58:27.379+02:00Trying Out: The Line Game - Practicing Present Perfect<a href="http://tryingoutweb24ed.blogspot.com/2012/06/line-game-practicing-present-perfect.html?spref=bl">Trying Out: The Line Game - Practicing Present Perfect</a>: Stand in Line Here is a nice game-like acticity to practice or contextualize present perfect and present perfect continuou...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-84179654090981159372012-09-25T23:04:00.000+02:002012-09-25T23:04:28.897+02:00Creaza<a href="http://www.creazaeducation.com/">Creaza</a> is a website that allows you to create videos, comics, mindmaps and edit audios. I think it still can be improved but it is not bad at all.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-53143281920236186992012-06-18T10:10:00.004+02:002012-06-18T10:10:49.000+02:00Practice Test for the PET Exam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x8EWOWERqEU/T97iYRYAX0I/AAAAAAAAA28/TSFv_m51xuA/s1600/pet3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x8EWOWERqEU/T97iYRYAX0I/AAAAAAAAA28/TSFv_m51xuA/s320/pet3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.english-online.org.uk/petfolder/petmore.php?name=More%20about%20PET" target="_blank">HERE </a>you can practice for the PET exam (not the oral part)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-69378881627031281452012-06-18T09:48:00.003+02:002012-06-18T09:48:46.268+02:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PelMf1_4F54/T97dJggIJvI/AAAAAAAAA2s/XCmN_ubRf2E/s1600/pet2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PelMf1_4F54/T97dJggIJvI/AAAAAAAAA2s/XCmN_ubRf2E/s320/pet2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/preliminaryenglish/index.htm" target="_blank">Here</a> you can practice for the PET exams.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6556364469410388651.post-10758056015761250502012-06-18T09:30:00.002+02:002012-06-18T09:30:48.359+02:00PET Speaking Practice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-24Rhr_eGvo8/T97YLxAfb5I/AAAAAAAAA2g/p9T3CU3phnM/s1600/pet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-24Rhr_eGvo8/T97YLxAfb5I/AAAAAAAAA2g/p9T3CU3phnM/s320/pet.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
In <a href="http://studentweb.usq.edu.au/home/D1222041/html/visuals_for_speaking.htm" target="_blank">PET Speaking Practice</a> you have examples to practice the oral part or the PET exam with your students. It tells you to use Audacity software but you can use <a href="http://voicethread.com/" target="_blank">Voicethread</a> or <a href="http://www.voxopop.com/" target="_blank">Voxopop</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0