Cooperative Learning: Kagan Structures for English Language Learners.

The teacher no longer is the “sage on the stage” but rather a model and facilitator of learning

Why use this method of teaching?
The 21st century learning skills* require students to build reading, writing, problem-solving and application competencies. The teacher is supposed to teach less content and more skills. Cooperative learning is the perfect teaching methodology to teach students strategies and skills. It also a great model to show students how to apply those skills to study content.

*The 21st century learning skills are often called the 4 C’s: critical thinking, creative thinking, communicating, and collaborating. These skills help students learn, and so they are vital to success in school and beyond.

If you teach your students skills, they will become proficient, adaptable and life-long learners. And this works for ALL SUBJECTS. No matter the content, students who are skilled learners can study any subject, at any time and at any place. Cooperative learning also fosters a student’s ability to work in a team and to regularly reflect on his/her learning.

Groupings
The teacher* assigns students in groups with specific roles and jobs. After team members are organized into these small groups, usually of four people, and receive instruction from their teacher, students within the team cooperate with one another and work through the assignment until each team member successfully understands and completes it. Ultimately the shared goals are accomplished individually by each team member, and collectively by the group as a whole.
Teacher-selected groups have been proven time and again to be the best method of forming teams because it ensures a good mix and avoids friends from working together, which neglects to achieve the goal of improvement of social interactions among students who do not know each other as well.

Team members.

Team members are responsible for their own individual learning as well as for their teammates learning. Members benefit from the contributions of the individual team members. Groups are heterogeneous are made up of high, medium and low academic achieving students. Team members acquire new skills and knowledge. Rewards are oriented towards individual and group.
Classroom Management
If cooperative learning is not accompanied with an effective classroom management system, serious problems are likely to occur. (Spencer Kagan)

Teachers usually provide verbal information along with worksheets, outlines and study guides during a cooperative learning lesson.
Students who are unfamiliar with the cooperative learning model will need to be taught about the model and be clear on their roles as well as the teacher’s expectations during this type of lesson
Reflection (group processing) is an essential part of the cooperative learning process. By clarifying and describing which actions and decisions were helpful and unhelpful the group continues the learning process and improves each members effectiveness when contributing to a collaborative group.
Researchers
The leading researchers of cooperative learning include Robert Slavin, Roger & David Johnson and Spencer Kagan, all of whom have slightly different approaches and emphases

The research of David and Roger Johnson, provides the foundation for how cooperative learning is structured in most of today’s classrooms. Their research shows that merely because students work in small groups does not mean they are cooperating to ensure their own learning and the learning of all others in the group.
Dr. Slavin suggests that cooperative learning is doubtlessly a great tool for handicapped and disabled students. Cooperative learning encourages these students and molds them to work in a professional environment. Cooperative learning of disabled and normal students is another great way of encourage disabled students. According to Slavin, when disabled and handicapped students work in mainstream and heterogeneous environments, they learn in a more productive and skillful manner.

Spencer Kagan has developed more than 100 structures to incorporate the basic principles of cooperative learning. “We are very clear with teachers that they should make cooperative learning part of any lesson,” Kagan says. “Ours is an integrated approach rather than a replacement approach.”

Kagan Structures
Kagan Structures are easy-to-learn and easy-to-use instructional strategies, ideal for promoting second language learning. In classrooms in which the Kagan Structures are used regularly, students for whom English is a second language learn both English and academic content far more quickly and far more thoroughly than when traditional instructional strategies are used. The Kagan Structures also promote language and content learning far more than does group work.

All of the Kagan Structures are very carefully designed. They are carefully structured to implement four basic principles of cooperative learning, PIES

P  = Positive Interdependence
I  = Individual Accountability
E  = Equal Participation
S  = Simultaneous Interaction

For example, Kagan instructs teachers to use a “Timed Pair Share” structure. In this exercise, the teacher divides the class into pairs of students and poses a question. Within each pair, Student A talks about his or her answer for one minute, then Student B does the same.

The following examples illustrate a few of these instructional methods used:

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“Which Kagan Structures should I learn and use first?”, and “Where do I begin?”

• Inside-Outside Circle: In concentric circles, students rotate to face new partners and then answer or discuss teacher questions.
• Rally Table: In pairs, students alternate generating written responses or solving problems.
• One Stray: On each team, one teammate “strays” from his or her team to a new team to share information.
• Rally Robin: In pairs, students alternate generating oral responses.
• Rally Coach: Partners take turns, one solving a problem while the other coaches.
• Showdown: One teammate reads a question or problem aloud. Students work independently to solve the problem, then show their answers when a teammate calls, “Showdown!” They then celebrate the correct answer or coach to get the correct answer (Kagan 1994).

For more details about Cooperative Learning

On Kagan Institutes, workshops and conferences go to www.T2TUK.co.uk and www.Kaganonline.com

The “Round robin” technique

What is cooperative learning? SlideShare

Cooperative Learning Lessons Starter Kit

The Essential 5: A Starting Point for Kagan Cooperative Learning

FIVE COOPERATIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES TO DO ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Kagan Structures for English Language Learners

Lost In Translation: Every language has its ready-made expressions

When an idiom, saying, proverb or ready-made expression is translated into another language and, because of differences of the languages, some of the original meaning is lost. Due to the original meaning can not be perfectly translated into the other language. So you have to rephrase or say what you mean in a totally different way.

The common and very familiar Spanish expression “contigo pan y cebolla” is used in Spain in a humoristic way to let your partner know “how deep is your love” but means literally “with you bread and onions“. The fact that a couple may not have a lot of money is not an obstacle for them to get married and live a happy life as long as they love each other. The idea of “contigo pan y cebolla” may be expressed in English with expressions like: with you through thick and thin, against all odds; If I am with you I do not need anything else; I’ll forbear any burden in life being with you. Although not any of those has the accurate meaning of the Spanish expression.

By and large we express what we mean with the help of proverbs, sayings or ready-made phrases, We often have the tendency to translate them word-for-word in the middle of the conversation with a foreign friend and without us being actually aware of it. That, instead of clarify the meaning, has an opposite effect. People who do that “no tiene dos dedos de frente” (literally: Not having two fingers of forehead, but it is used as: He/She is not smart) because you can make a big mistake or make a tactless remark: “meter la pata” (you can make a bit of a blunder).

Normally these remarks are innocent and never intentional, but can nevertheless lead to embarrassing and tense situations, and sometimes may even have some unpleasant consequences. More often than not, however, these type of mistakes and inappropriate comments have no major consequences and with time become funny anecdotes. Conversely, your interlocutor may think that you “estas como una cabra”. This is another commonly used Spanish idiom for when somebody is doing something bizarre or a little out of the ordinary. The literal translation is “to be like a goat” and the English equivalent is saying someone is a little nuts or crazy. So if you translate to a foreign friend Spanish expressions literally, you might say: “tu estás como una cabra.” (you are a little crazy.) Or They might think you are “corto de luces” literally, “short of lights,” in English “not the brightest bulb on the tree.” In this site you can find 100 ways to say “not the brightest bulb on the tree.”

Those phrases, idioms or ready-made expressions, which, taken out of their original context, or to the ears of a foreigner, sound so very bizarre. When you think carefully about the words that make up these idioms, you realize there is a major leap from the literal meaning to the figurative meaning, and that’s where it gets funny.

On the other hand, people use them on a daily basis, but often don’t know about their origins. They may not stop to reflect on some of the expressions that come out of their mouth, but to other people, some of these idioms can be truly shocking. For instance “Estar en Babia” (to be in Babia) means “to be distracted or inattentive”, but where this expression comes from back in the Middle Ages, when León was a kingdom, the royal family lived in their palace in the city of León, but they used to come to Babia to hunt and fish. And when people requested an audience with the king, the chamberlain used to say he was in Babia, he was away of the bustle and noise of the city, he was absent, missing ….In Spain “to be in Babia” means having your mind in one place and your body in another.

But to learn a language is better “no tener pelos en la lengua” “not to have hairs on your tongue”, meaning that someone is a straight shooter and will always speak their mind. And don’t “Tomar el pelo” (to take the hair) to your teacher, used when someone is tricking or making fun of someone else, but in a good-natured way: to pull your teacher’s leg.

Resources for Learning Spanish Idioms

15 Common Spanish Idioms

To be healthier than a pear: Funny Spanish idioms: Nice collection of funny Spanish idioms here, with many new ones.

Catalog of Spanish Expression Proverbs

Why do the Spanish “shit in the sea”?

Spanish Phrases That Literally Make No Sense

9 ridiculously useful Spanish expressions: Great post that also includes embedded sound files.

Practical Precepts: Proverbs

Every culture has a collection of wise sayings that offer advice about how to live your life. These sayings are called “proverbs” (practical precepts). Very often these pieces of advice, precepts or principles of one culture are precepts or principles of another, for they are an outgrowth of common experiences.

Each language has its own proverbs. Although the phrasing is unique and contributes to the color of the language, many proverbs convey similar meanings in different forms. For example, the Spanish proverb “Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando” (“A bird in the hand is worth more than a hundred flying”) finds an equivalent in the English proverb: “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”, in the Dutch proverb: “better one bird in the hand than ten in the air” and in the German proverb: “Lieber den Spatz in der Hand als die Taube auf dem Dach” (Better the sparrow in the hand than the pigeon on the roof).

“A rolling stone gathers no moss”

Interpreting proverbs is often complex, moreover, interpreting proverbs from other cultures is much more difficult than interpreting proverbs in ones own culture.
Even within English-speaking cultures, there is difference of opinion on how to interpret the proverb “A rolling stone gathers no moss”. Some see it as condemning a person that keeps moving, seeing moss as a positive thing, such as profit; others see it the proverb as praising people that keep moving and developing, seeing moss as a negative thing, such as negative habits. Bob Dylan’s 1965 song “Like a Rolling Stone” may refer to the original proverb.

Not all those who wander are lost

Some authors have created proverbs in their writings, such a J.R.R. Tolkien, and some of these proverbs have made their way into broader society, such as the bumper sticker pictured here:

 

“Not all those who wander are lost”, a line from the poem “All That is Gold Does Not Glitter” (some things are not as valuable as they appear to be) written by J. R. R. Tolkien for his fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. The poem reads:

“All That is Gold Does Not Glitter”

Proverbs are used by speakers for a variety of purposes. Sometimes they are used as a way of saying something gently, in a veiled way:
“Two’s Company, but Three’s a Crowd” (couples often enjoy their privacy and dislike having a third person around). This is a proverb, a saying which expresses a general truth. It is not at all impolite, rude, or obscene when used to express a general truth. However, you make it impolite when you use it as a sort of weapon in conversation, a way of suggesting that someone else is in the way and ought to leave.

“Two’s Company, but Three’s a Crowd”

Other times, they are used to carry more weight in a discussion, to support his position, or even to argue:“Actions Speak Louder Than Words” (people’s actions are more convincing than their words are)

Proverbs can also be used to simply make a conversation or discussion more lively. In many parts of the world, the use of proverbs is a mark of being a good orator:

 

There are often proverbs that contradict each other, such as “Look before you leap” (consider all aspects of a situation before you take any action) and “He who hesitates is lost.” (a person who doesn’t act decisively is unlikely to succeed) These have been labelled “counter proverbs”. “Counter proverbs” are not the same as a “paradoxical proverb”, a proverb that contains a seeming paradox: “The pen is mightier than sword” (the written word is more powerful than physical force) but “Actions speak louder than words”

 

The Book of Proverbs is a collection of moral and religious teachings in the form of sayings and proverbs. From The Book of Proverbs of the Hebrew Bible we can conclude with this one:

“A fool can use a proverb about as well as a crippled man can use his legs” (Proverbs 26:7)

 

LTTLA: Language Teaching, Testing and Learning Acronyms

You might be confused by the all the abbreviations you see connected with teaching English. To start off with here are the most common abbreviations that you will surely already know about Studing English:

E is for English and L Language

but we can have three acronyms if you study them:

EFL-English as a Foreign Language. Used when a non-native English speaker is studying English in a non-English speaking country.

ESL-English as a Second Language. Used when a non-native-English speaker is studying English in an English-speaking country.

ESOL-English for Speakers of Other Languages. This term is more recent and is intended to be a more inclusive term (includes ESL and EFL).

T is for Teaching

If we add T + EFL: TEFL is the teaching of English as a foreign language; note that this sort of instruction can take place in any country, although TESL (teaching English as a second language) are often confused. The difference is, theoretically, that TEFL (or EFL) is teaching English outside of the English-speaking world, while TESL (or ESL) is teaching English to non-English speakers within an English-speaking country.

TESOL is a more inclusive term for teaching  ESL and EFL.

T is for TEST

TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language – the most common English proficiency exam for North American universities and colleges, also accepted by some British universities and employers as proof of English proficiency.

TOEIC – The TOEIC (pronounced “toe-ick”) is a Test of English for International Communication.

Trinity College London ESOL offers the Integrated Skills in English (ISE) series of 5 exams which assesses reading, writing, speaking and listening and is accepted by academic institutions in the UK.

Cambridge English Language Assessment offers a suite of eighteen globally available examinations including General English: Key English Test (KET), Preliminary English Test(PET), First Certificate in English (FCE), Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) and Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). Cambridge English Test

IELTS – International English Language Testing System

London Tests of English from Pearson Language Tests, a series of six exams each mapped to a level from the Common European Framework (CEFR) – see below.

Common European Framework (CEFR) .

Here are some more important abbreviations related to teaching, teaching certificates, and English exams:

BC – British Council

BEC – Business English Certificate – Cambridge business English exam certificate BrE – British English

CELTA – Certificate in English language teaching to adults (Cambridge/RSA Teaching Certificate also known as C-TEFLA)

DELTA – Diploma in English language teaching (Cambridge/RSA Language Teaching Scheme)

K12 – Kindergarten – 12th grade.

KET – Key English Test – The most elementary of Cambridge’s series of exams

L1 – Language 1 – native language  L2 – Language 2 – the language you are learning

MT – Mother Tongue

RP – Received Pronunciation – ‘standard’ British pronunciation

YLE – Young Learners English Tests – Cambridge Examinations for young learners

Related Articles

• ESL/EFL Job Possibilities
• ESL / EFL Back to School Special for Teachers of English as a Second Langua…
• Learning Grammar – English for Advanced – Grammar Exercises for ESL EFL Adv…
• ESL Acronyms
• Cultural Differences – Teaching English as a Second Language

Ready for learning English ?

Are you ready for learning english? Here you are some resources for learning English from little learners to adults:

Infantil (de 0 a 6 años)

• Lil’ Fingers: Historias mágicas para los más pequeños, ilustrado con imágenes con movimiento para hacer más entendedor el cuento.
• Educa nave: Recopilación de recursos digitales clasificados por temas, ideal para aprender vocabulario con los más pequeños. El espacio web representa un mapa del tesoro ¿A quién no le gusta encontrar tesoros?
• English for little children: Un nuevo sistema para aprender vocabulario básico, clasificado por temas y muy didáctico. La voz del personaje está interpretado por un niño por lo tanto los alumnos se sienten como en casa.
• Sesame street: Recurso con una gran cantidad de canciones animadas, videosinfantiles y juegos divertidos para los más pequeños. Ideal para llamar su atención.
• Learning english kids: Recurso educativo pensado para mejorar las habilidades lectoras, comunicativas y creativas mediante juegos interactivos, cuentos y actividades gramaticales. También es útil para Educación Primaria.
• Appu Series: Videos animados clasificados por: cuentos de hadas, canciones para que los más pequeños cojan el ritmo, videos para aprender lengua, matemáticas, arte y manualidades. Puedes usarlo tanto en Infantil como en Primaria.

Primaria (de 6 a 12 años)

• Maya y Miguel: Juegos divertidos relacionados con recetas para aprender vocabulario, fichas para imprimir y videos educativos para aprender inglés.
• Eduland: ¿Quieres que tus alumnos aprendan el vocabulario de las escuela? Ahora tienes la oportunidad de ofrecerles una actividad interactiva para que conozcan todos los elementos de la escuela en inglés.
• Professor Garfield: Actividades interactivas con sonido sobre matemáticas, diálogos, ciencias, libros online y diccionario. ¡Hay mucho para escoger!
• Uptoten: Un lugar seguro para niños menores de 10 años donde aprenden jugando,ideal para utilizarlo en casa.
• The place for fun learning: Aprender y practicar la gramática de manera interactiva y divertida. Muchas actividades diferentes para adaptarse al niño.
• Fun english games for kids: Multitud de juegos divertidos y recursos para los docentes, por ejemplo: fichas para imprimir, actividades de todos tipos desde pictionary a varias pruebas (Quizzes).
• Starfall: El mejor espacio interactivo para aprender a leer en inglés. Gran cantidad de actividades y juegos para que los niños disfruten leyendo.

Secundaria (de 12 a 18 años)

• Channel 4 learning: Recurso para practicar las habilidades de inglés, también ofrece la opción de conocer algunos autores y sus libros, y saber todo sobre literatura en la lengua inglesa.
• English for everyone: Variedad de fichas para imprimir (edades de 11 a 14 años), donde podrás escoger lo más conveniente para tu clase.
• English area: Practicar la gramática de forma interactiva con este recurso es posible. Los alumnos podrán practicar, comprobar su nivel a través de pruebas y jugar con las formas verbales.
• BBC secondary ages: Listado de páginas interactivas para alumnos de 11 a 14 años donde encontrarás actividades de todas clases. Ideal para trabajar en casa y en clase.

Para todas las edades

• ABC teach: Recurso para todas las edades donde podrás encontrar material para imprimir, generar tus propias fichas y de este modo organizar tu clase a tu manera.
• Children’s storybooks online: Cuentos online para niños y adultos con increíbles ilustraciones y una gran variedad de historias para escoger.
• Mes english: Un recurso que no puedes perderte ya que puedes crear tus propios juegos y fichas adecuándolos a tus alumnos. Puedes construir cosas increíbles, desde dados, memories, dóminos personalizados.

¿Preparado para transformar las clases en un espacio diferente? Con tanta variedad de recursos educativos no tienes excusa para no innovar y aprender con las nuevas tecnologias 😉

“¿Por qué somos torpes con el inglés y lo hablamos tan mal?” o “Per què som maldestres amb l’anglès i en parlem tan malament?”

He llegit un article a la xarxa i he estat reflexionant tota la setmana sobre ell, l’expose:

L’article és: “Por qué somos torpes con el inglés y lo hablamos tan mal” amb el subtítol de ”LA CULPA NO ES NUESTRA, ES DE LA TELE” podeu trobar-lo clicant ací: http://www.elconfidencial.com/alma-corazon-vida/2013/02/14/por-que-somos-torpes-con-el-ingles-y-lo-hablamos-tan-mal-114883/

Este article es fonamenta en un estudi: “En el Estudio Europeo de Competencia Lingüística (EECL)” ,

Diu així…..

“Els espanyols vivim estigmatitzats amb el nostre deficient control de la llengua anglesa, però no és tan greu com sembla, sinó que un conjunt de factors ens han “impedit” aprendre-la de debò”.

En els últims anys comptem amb multitud de recursos per integrar, la llengua “estrangera” con la denominàvem abans, en la nostra societat plurilingüe a la que aspirem. I li diguem “estrangera” perquè no la teníem a casa … La cosa canvia gràcies a les Noves Tecnologies, que ens obri la porta a llocs i cultures que abans eren quasi inabastables .

A veure, anem a analitzar la situació i la raó que ens ha portat a la situació de  “complexe amb el nostre deficient control de la llengua anglesa”:

• “El doblatge es va entendre en el Franquisme com una forma de censura i de enaltiment de la nació espanyola…”. El resultat és que ens hem acostumat al doblatge durant generacions. .. Heu sentit la veu de Homer Simpson, Will Smith o Angelina Jolie?  per exemple, o la veu dels seus “dobladors castellans”? Encara que ja podem conèixer la veu del Bill Gates, del Barack Obama o de l’Oscar Pistorius, en els informatius nacionals la sentim només que a l’inici, ja que després la tradueixen per sobre ….  Conclusió: “no entenem anglès perquè sempre hem escoltat la televisió doblada a l’espanyol”. Ara ja no tenim eixa excusa, ja tenim un botonet en el nostre comandament que ens lleva el doblatge i ens col·loca la versió original, fins i tot amb subtítols. Per cert, este botonet deuria de ser més gran i accessible, junt al de volum de veu i  canvi de canal. A propòsit, “si es té un nivell baix d’anglès és millor començar amb subtítols en espanyol, però com s’aprèn de veritat és amb els subtítols en anglès”.

• El sistema educatiu i l’aprenentatge de llengües …. Els espanyols érem els que més sabíem de gramàtica d’Europa inclús més que molts britànics, però no és el cas de l’ús de la llengua, el qui la parla és el qui la domina, i parlava més ací un adolescent que treballava en l’hostaleria en un estiu en Dènia, Xàbia o Benidorm que durant les classes de “lengua y literatura extrajera” en tota l’etapa de secundaria, per aquell temps: el BUP i COU . Deuríem dedicar-li un Blog sencer a este tema, però no és el moment. Les noves metodologies en el tractament i en l’aprenentatge de llengües, l’ús vehicular de la llengua “estrangera” en àrees no lingüístiques i el tractament integrat de llengua i contingut han desterrat la didàctica desfasada de les llengües que tractaven d’ensenyar un idioma utilitzant de manera vehicular un altre: ensenyar el valencià parlant castellà, per exemple.  Ara s’ensenya i aprèn l’anglès com un llenguatge més juntament amb el castellà o el valencià. Entre estos mètodes està l’anomenat CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) que tracta d’aplicar un aprenentatge més natural de l’idioma, integrant al mateix temps la seva llengua materna a través dels continguts. Els resultats es veuran d’ací a uns anys.

Per a saber més sobre el tractament de llengües,  vos recomane el llibre del nostre amic i pobletà (de la Pobla Llarga)  Vicent Pasqual i Granell “El tractament de les llengües en un model d’educació plurilingüe per al sistema educatiu valencià”. 

•  Un altre aspecte social que afegir a la nostra carència: “fins ara els espanyols no hem gaudit de grans referents que parlen anglès”: els nostres polítics no dominen idiomes (es dediquen a retallar, a tirar-se les culpes, al tu més i al “sobre” que acaba en les divises a Suïssa), ni els esportistes (heu vist la felicitació nadalenca de Sergio Ramos?) i els nostres pares tampoc …Les noves generacions canviaran tot el panorama lingüístic, social i espere que també el polític, falta ens fa ja …..

•  Les TIC: Internet permet accedir a gairebé tot: hi ha accés a la premsa estrangera, a escoltar música, a veure videoclips, a realitzar cursos fins i tot gratuïts, a jugar en anglès, a xatejar, a traduir, a llegir, a escriure (aquest blog és una prova..)   … Els canals TDT deixen posar el so en la versió original i afegir subtítols, de vegades fins i tot en anglès. Ràdio Vaughan emet 24h en anglès a diversos nivells des de l’inicial fins avançat. En les capitals ja hi ha “pubs” on s’aprèn l’anglès parlant amb els anglòfils, o els estudiants d’anglès (que som tots), que hi assisteixen a estos llocs no sols per a fer-se un cafè, sinó amb l’objectiu de posar en pràctica l’expressió i comprensió oral.

• És a dir, que hui en dia ja gaire bé no cap l’excusa que “no ensenyaven bé a l’institut”, o “a la meua època no es sentia l’anglès”. Per descomptat no serà el cas del nostres fills que, “si amb la que esta caient i si no para de caure, i els brots verds no es transformen prompte en fruits” deuran d’eixir a “l’estranger” com els nostres pares i avis, però a diferencia d’ells eixiran formats i sense complexes a l’hora d’utilitzar l’anglès com qualsevol ciutadà  europeu educat i ben format.

“The best way to become acquainted with a subject is to write a book about it”

Frank Tudela 2013

Ya llega la Navidad!

Ya llega la Navidad! Y con ella, las vacaciones: una excelente oportunidad para practicar inglés con los/as más pequeños/as de la casa. Aquí tenéis algunos consejos y sugerencias:

1. ¡Siempre en positivo! Vuestra actitud positiva hacía el inglés se verá reflejada en vuestros/as hijos/as, lo que provocará una mayor predisposición al aprendizaje.

2. Los inicios suelen ser difíciles. Es fundamental ayudar y animar  a los/as peques en sus primeros intentos para hablar en inglés. El refuerzo positivo potenciará su perseverancia.

3. ¿Repetimos película? Vale, pero esta vez ponemos el DVD en versión original.

4. ¡Música maestro! Podéis encontrar canciones en el CD del libro de clase, en la red… Da igual si son originales o adaptadas. Lo importante es que atraigan la atención del/de la niño/a.

5. Aprovechamos el paseo. Da lo mismo ir por la calle o por un centro comercial, si ya sabe leer, es ideal que identifique todas las palabras que pueda en inglés.

6. ¡Pero que listo/a eres! Recordad el vocabulario que ha estado aprendiendo en la clase de inglés. Por ejemplo, preguntadle por el color de un objeto. Da gusto ver sus caritas cuando les decís: “Very good!” o “Well done!”.

7. Os recomendamos algunas webs en inglés para que podáis practicar juntos:

The Color

Imágenes relacionadas con la Navidad para colorear online. También existe la opción de imprimir. http://www.thecolor.com/Category/Coloring/Christmas.aspx

Colorear Santa Online

http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/christmas/games/santa-online-coloring/

Canciones para repasar vocabulario básico

Everybody Up: Canción con letra fácil y ‘bailecito’.

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

Otra canción fácil para practicar los números:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3zaC5onBvM

Canción con la letra en pantalla para practicar los días de la semana- ideal para una divertida sesión de karaoke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gskPnAdnIUs&list=UUJg43fASYmwa-pLlMQITVnw&index=3&feature=plcp

Canciones y Cuentos en Inglés

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1513DAEC94A8350A&feature=plcp

BBC para niños/as

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/ (videos, juegos, canciones y cuentos)

Imágenes de Navidad

Selección de imágenes relacionadas con la Navidad para imprimir y colorear. Es ideal para practicar los colores o los números en inglés. Por ejemplo: ¿Cuántos regalos hay debajo del árbol?http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/christmas/color.htm

Oxford Owl

http://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/

Es una página completamente en inglés, que trabaja la lectoescritura y las matemáticas. Incluye también e-books gratis con el audio de las actividades. Todo el site está ideado para facilitar la labor de los/as padres/madres a la hora de practicar el inglés con los/as pequeños/as en estas materias. Ver el post dedicado a Oxfordowl.

Y sobretodo los Ejercicios personalizados para cada alumno/a de las clases de Inglés del del Colegio Santa Ana:

English Exercises 

Tan sólo nos queda deciros una cosa más:

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Un saludo,

Frank Tudela

Santa Ana’s English Teacher

Help your child’s reading.

Reading is happening all the time in a classroom and in school. It is taught in specific literacy lessons, but children are practising and using their ‘reading’ constantly. They are reading instructions, maths language, music language, information books, topics and signs, displays, registers, charts, games and the list goes on. They’re reading on computer, TV and interactive whiteboard screens too.

A child’s ‘reading journey’ begins with ‘learning to read’ and moves on into ‘reading to learn’. This advice will help you to make sense of the different terminology and understand how reading is taught and developed.

I found this website surfing and I think it’s worth it enter and see. This is a free website built to help you with your child’s learning. Recommended by 100% of teachers and full of great support for reading, and Maths.

Oxford Owl has over 250 FREE eBooks! With linked activities.

La lectura ocorre tot el temps a l’aula i a l’escola. S’ensenya a les classes de literatura específiques, però els nens estan practicant i utilitzant la seva “lectura” constantment. Llegeixen  les instruccions, llenguatge matemàtic, música, llibres d’informació, temes i senyals, pantalles, registres, cartes, jocs i la llista continua. Estan llegint en les pantalles d’ordinador, televisió i pissarra interactiva també.

“L’aventura de la lectura” comença amb” aprendre a llegir “i passa a” llegir per aprendre “. Aquest consell l’ajudarà a donar sentit a la diferent terminologia i entendre com la lectura s’ensenya i es desenvolupa.

Vaig trobar aquesta web navegant i crec que val la pena entrar i veure. Aquest és un lloc web gratuït dissenyat per ajudar amb l’aprenentatge del seu fill. Recomanat pel 100% pels mestres i ple de grans recursos per a la lectura, i les matemàtiques.

Oxford Owl té més de 250 llibres electrònics gratuïts! Amb activitats vinculades. Oxford Owl

Help your child’s reading with free tips & free ebooks | Oxford Owl.

Is there a future for the paper dictionary? …

Macmillan Dictionaries will no longer appear as physical books. The final copies are rolling off the presses at this very moment, and from next year, Macmillan Dictionary will be available only online.

 Is there a future for the paper dictionary or, like the encyclopedia, will it soon become a 20th century relic? Beyond this, will dictionaries in any form survive, as digital natives increasingly use the Web as their primary source of lexical information?

What is your answer? …. (clue: look what happened to encyclopedias)

The CD-ROM dictionary was first produced about twenty years ago, followed by other handheld devices. But the Web has now taken a more central role, generating significant ‘external’ effects and creating a completely new, and still emerging, paradigm.

Liberated from space constraints and taking advantage of multimedia and hyperlinking, the electronic dictionary’s range is infinite, affording the possibility of a multilayered approach to defining words that demonstrates to the user the many ways in which it can be encoded. Online dictionaries, replete with pronunciation aids, sound effects and games, have the capacity to offer the user a far more holistic experience than their paper counterparts. Furthermore, online dictionaries can be effortlessly current, staying really up to date (not once in 5 years o more)

What do we lose? …..

• Users
  Dictionary as ‘authority.
• Too much information? Needs careful management.

The future is already here … but is it for everybody?

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/top-stories/macmillan-phase-out-printed-dictionaries

www.macmillandictionaryblog.com

“Who needs dictionaries?” 

 

El 63% del alumnado español no comprende el inglés oral al finalizar la ESO.

El 63% del alumnado español no comprende el inglés oral al finalizar la Enseñanza Secundaria Obligatoria, según el Estudio Europeo de Competencia Lingüística (EECL), en el que han participado 14 países europeos. En España han realizado la prueba 7.651 alumnos de 4º ESO de 359 centros -Andalucía, Navarra y Canarias han ampliado la muestra para obtener resultados propios-.

El trabajo, presentados por el director general Evaluación y Cooperación Territorial, Alfonso González, y el director del Instituto Nacional de Evaluación Educativa, Isamael Sanz, sitúa a España en el puesto noveno, junto a Polonia, Portugal, y por delante de Francia e Inglaterra, pues esta última tiene como primer idioma el francés.

Los resultados del estudio se han dado como porcentajes de alumnos que alcanzan cada uno de los niveles del Marco Común Europeo de Referencia de las Lenguas. Así, en comprensión lectora, el 31% no alcanza el nivel A1, es decir, que no entiende un lenguaje sencillo, ni siquiera con ayuda; el 33%, sí llega a ese nivel; y el 13% sólo entiende expresiones sencillas para comunicarse sobre temas cotidianos (A2).

Por el contrario, alcanzan un nivel alto en comprensión oral el 24% de los estudiantes, la mitad puede manejarse con temas que le son familiares o en los que tiene un interés personal (B1) y la otra mitad lo hace de forma clara y eficaz en temas concretos y abstractos (B2).

En cuanto a la comprensión lectora, los alumnos españoles obtienen mejores resultados, aunque siguen siendo insuficientes, ya que más de la mitad, es decir, un 58%, no entiende lo que lee en inglés (Pre A1 y A1), el 12% sólo un lenguaje sencillo (A2). El 30% de alumnos restante alcanza los niveles B1 y B2 en este ámbito, con el 12% y el 18%, respectivamente.

En expresión escrita, el 14% no sabe usar un lenguaje muy sencillo (PreA1); el 31% puede usarlo, pero siempre con ayuda (A1); el 26% escribe utilizando un lenguaje sencillo para manejarse sobre temas cotidianos (A2); el 20% ya lo hace sobre asuntos que para él tienen un interés o le resultan familiares (B1); y sólo el 9% escribe de forma clara (B2).

Inglés y francés

España presenta unos datos poco entusiastas en el dominio del inglés ya que sólo un 27% de los jóvenes encuestados es competente. No ocurre lo mismo con el francés, donde el porcentaje sube al 28%.

Internet

Uno de los cambios más llamativos desde 2005 es que internet ha ampliado las competencias ‘pasivas’ de comprensión oral y lectora. El número que utiliza regularmente lenguas extranjeras en internet, gracias a las redes sociales, ha pasado del 26% al 36%.

EXTRACT FROM “EL MUNDO“