Christmas tree decorations:

Materials:


Small balloon (water balloon)
White Glue
Yarn (green and red)
Glitter 


What You Do:



Blow up a small balloon for each child. Dip yarn pieces into a mixture of glue and water. Then have children put the yarn over the balloon until it is mostly covered. Finally, pour glitter over the balloon and let dry.
When it is dry you can pop the balloon and remove it.
These are fabulous tree decorations.

Teaching songs and rhymes

Music is one of the prefered activities of preschool students. A wide selection of songs and rhymes increases concentration, attracting students' attention and improving memory. Tracks are a fun and effective way of exposing children to new lexical sets and language structures as well as of reviewing them. To teach songs and rhymems, play the track for exposure. Then model the words with the actions without the music and have students repeat chorally. Then repeat the track and have students join in.

MI activities / preschool

The MI activities (Multiple Intelligence activities) are designed to help students develop their different intelligences as well as to cater to students with different learning styles. Choose the activities that best suit your students' interests and needs.
Tips:
- Prepare material ahead of time and make sure there is enough for everyone to complete the task successfully.
- To extend language practice, talk students through the activity while demonstrating what you are saying.
- Warn students not to swallow paint, glue, ink or any other substance.
- Make sure there is enough room for physical activities such as jumping or running.
- Demonstrate the activity in front of the class. Have all material ready in advance and use simple but clear language as you guide students through the activity.
- Exhibit and praise students' work equally, without making comparisons.

Teaching Tip / Preschool

Since children have diverse learning styles, classes are more effective when material is presented through a variety of media. For example, manual activities appeal both to visual and kinesthetic learners. By using story books with CD, you can engage both auditory and visual learners. TPR activities simultaneously benefit children's kinesthetic, auditory and visual skills. Remember to include a variety of activity types in each lesson to keep all students motivated.

I went to the Zoo

Have students sit in a circle. Choose a student to begin. This student will say, "I went to the zoo and I saw a lion." The next student will then say, "I went to the zoo and I saw a lion and a cheetah." Game continues, with each student recalling all previously mentioned animals and adding another zoo animal. If a student misses an animal or cannot think of one to add, start all over again. Challenge students to remember all of the animals presented in the class.
You can use most of the vocabulary you introduce in class to play this game.

Teaching Tip / Preschool

Students respond well to daily routines. If they know your expectations, they will stay more focused. Using a favorite song is a great way to get students' attention instead of raising your voice.
Children need regular review of the vocabulary they have learned. There are many activities to consolidate vocabulary. Play games, such as Bingo or Hide-and-seek with cutouts. Reintroduce previous posters either with the same cutouts or a mix of cutouts from different units. Also, you can reread favorite Big Book stories and repeat familiar songs and rhymes. In this way, children will benefit from and enjoy repetition.

Teaching Tip

Try this strategy for promoting good classroom conduct: Divide the class into three groups and give each group a transparent jar. Every time students from a particular group display positive behavior (such as following directions, working quietly, taking care of their materials), place a jellybean in their jar. When a jar is full, students from that group divide the jellybeans up and eat them. Watch as students try their best, both individually and cooperatively to fill their jars with jellybeans!

We're All a Part of the Puzzle in Grade ______

Post the title "WE'RE ALL A PART OF THE PUZZLE IN GRADE____" on the door or outside bulletin board. Then draw a large number to represent the grade you're teaching. Divide the number into pieces (enough for each child to have a piece) then distribute materials for each child to decorate his/her piece with his/her name.

Quack, Quack Welcome Back!

This is a cute beginning of year bulletin board: "Quack, Quack Welcome Back!" Cover the board with white paper on the top and light blue paper on the bottom. Try to make the blue part wavy like water in a pond. At the top of the board add the title Quack, Quack Welcome Back! Then make two big white ducks (and add a wiggly eyes and beak) in which to write the teacher's names. Next, make smaller yellow duclings with each of th kids names, 1 per child. Put the teacher ducks at the beginning and then line the ducklings behind them. This arrangement can be done any way though. Then, just to make it cuter I add a sun, clouds, etc. to the board!

Give a Big Hand To Our Class

Make lage hand cutout by tracing your hand on an overhead transparency, then projecting the image onto colored posterboard. Trace the handprint on the poster, cut it out, and add the caption: "Give a BIG Hand to Our Class." The students' names are on smaller handprint cutouts. During the first weel, students can make these by tracing their own hands on different colors of paper.

Blasting Off Into Learning Bulletin Board

Materials:

Dark blue fabric (enough to cover your bulletin board)

Different size stars shapes

A large quarter circle (decorated to look like the earth)

A large rocket cut out made of brown construction paper with your name on it

Small rocket shapes (one per child)



Cover te bulletin board with the dark blue fabric and place the stars on it to make it look like outer space. In the corner of the board place the quarter circle (earth). On an angle pointing away from the "Earth" put the large rocket cut out. Give one small rocket shape to each child to decorate with their names, then have children place their shapes around your rocket to look like they had also blasted off behind you. The bulletin board caption reads "Mrs. _______ class is blasting off into learning!"

(Elisa Marquez, 4th. grade)

Listen and draw / Listen and write

Listen and draw

1. Read out a short text while the students follow the instructions, e.g. Draw a big table. There is a book on the table and a pencil under the table. To the left of the table there is a chair. An old man is sitting on the chair. Now color your picture.
2. Award a point for each key word. In this case there would be eleven marks in all for the exercise.

Listen and wirte

1. Write out a short text with words missing or with a  choise of two words in key points.
2. Give a copy of the text to each student.
3. Read out the completed text while the students write the missing word or underline the correct one, e.g. Bobby and Jane are in the (kitchen/sitting room). They are (watching/looking at) TV. Bobby is wearing (jeans/shorts) and Jane is wearing a (blue/red) dress...
4. Award a point for each key word.

Making an assessment plan

When preparing your assessment plan you should bear in mind the following.

• Your assessment should be made up of four basic testing areas: - continuous assessment of classwork and any homework - oral tests - written tests - general attitude and effort.
• You should always take into account individual abilities. If you only use written tests, it is difficult to take into account the different abilities in your class. One of the advantages of using a mixed assessment atrategy is that you can encourage the students who have difficulties in English by rewarding good general work done in the classroom.
• Assessment should be often and in small quantities. Don't forget the age of your students: they learn quickly but they also forget quickly! It is a good idea to test again and again throughout the year. Give small mini-tests on specific language areas as you finish teaching them.

Evaluation Techniques

Assesment of your students' progress is essential for your preparation and programming. At primary level we are not concernd with our students learning a lot in terms of quantity of vocabulary and numbers of structures. Rather, we aim to provide them with small quantities of material that they will gradually build on and learn to use in a varety of situations. It is important to remember that we are concentrating primarily on developing the students' listening and speaking skills. For this reason, traditional tests consisting of gap-filling exercises or conjugating verbs are of little use to us.

Sort and draw

Materials: Colored pencils, paper clips, paper, pictures of musical instruments: Violin, trumpet, piano, drum, maracas.
Preparation: Draw five columns on a sheet of paper for each student.

Distribute paper to students. Have them label each column with the words: eye, ear, nose, hand, and tongue. Have students identify each cutout and say which sense(s) we can use to know what it is. Move the cutout to the different columns on the poster to show students how we use different senses at the same time to find out about what something is. Then ask students to draw the picture of the object in the corresponding column(s) on their paper.

The surprise object

Explain to students that people use their five senses to learn about the world around them. Ask students if they can name the five senses. Then put the teddy bear inside of the bag and close it. Pass the bag around for students to touch, shake, smell, etc. The only rule is that they cannot look inside to see what it is. Tell them to guess what the object is. After everyone has had a turn, open the bag to see what is inside. Discuss how students made their decisions.

Family tree mobile

Materials: Paper, crayons, string, hole punch, coat hangers (1 per student).
Preparation: Cut paper into 8 cm squares and punch a hole at one end (approximately 6 per student). Cut string into different lengths.
Directions: Distribute paper squares and crayons. Have students draw a picture of an immediate family member on each square.
Then help them tie string to each square and then to the hanger.
Finally, help students hold up their mobiles and describe their families e.g. This is my mom. This is my sister. I have two brothers, etc.

Sort the objects

Materials: 6 boxes or containers, a large bag, classroom realia: crayons, pencils, scissors, glue, books (5 of each).
Preparation: Attach the crayon, pencil, scissors, glue, book and paper cutouts one to each box. Display the boxes at the front of the classroom.
Directions: Put all the realia in a large bag in front of students. Have the puppet help you carry the bag. Walk a little with the puppet, then drop the bag by accident, spilling out all of the school objects.
Have students help the puppet put all the objects in the corresponding boxes. Call up individual students to pick up one of the objects and put it in the correct box. Encourage the class to give instructions for putting the objects in the box. e.g. (name), come here. Pick up a crayon. Put it in the box.

Roll the ball

Materials: Different-sized soft balls, sheets of cardboard, large boxes (4 of each).
Preparation: If possible, take students outside. If not, make a large space in the classroom.
Directions: Have all the students sit on one side of the room. Give balls to four students and stand five meters away. Have stusdents roll the balls to you one by one.
Then have four students sit next to you. Give the four balls to different students. Repeat the procedure until all the students have had a turn.
Next, have students sit in a horseshoe shape. Lean one of the sheets of cardboard against a box in the moddle. Take one of the balls and allow it to roll down the slope of cardboard and across the floor. Stand in the spot where it rests. Invite some students to do the same.
Divide the class into four groups. Have groups set up their own slopes and tell students to take turns rolling.
Finally, have students sit in a circle and roll the balls to each other.

Storytelling and Pre-Schoolers

 We start with the story

• Identify the child's interest.
• If you know them well, great; if not, think about that age group.
• Animals
• Stories where children their age are heroes
• Stories about things children like to do: getting dirty, playing with an adult around, trying something new for the first time, etc. 

 Where do you find good stories?

• Stories from your head (remembered, made up)
• Picture books (especially if trying to excite reading)
• Your school library 
• Family stories (but don't discover yourself on other people's time!)

In, on and under game

Materials: tables, chairs, a large box, toys or stick puppets.
Preparation: If possible, take students to work in a large space outside the classroom. If not, clear a place in the middle of your classroom.
Directions: Place a table, a chair and the box in the middle of your workspace. Have students sit in a circle around the objects.
Hold up the toys or puppets and put them in, on and under the objects, describing where are they.
T: She is in the chair. She is in the box. She is under the table.
Give instructions to individual students to place themselves in different places.
T: Sit under the table. Sit on the chair. Sit in the box.
Have some students give instructions to others.
Then seat students in the middle of the workspace. Arrange several tables, chairs and the box around students to make an obstacle course. Direct students one by one to go through the obstacle course.
T: In the box. Under the table. On the chair.
After each instruction, make sure students go correctly through the obstacle course. Finally, if it is safe to do so, divide the class into teams, set up enough obstacle courses with tables, chairs and boxes and have students race.

Sentence chains

Start off a sentence chain with the conditional: If I study hard, I'll pass my English test. A student continues the chain: If I pass my English test, I'll visit New York in the summer. Continue until a student either cannot think of a sentence or makes a mistake. Then start the chain again with a different sentence.

The weather forecast

Hand out maps. Students draw symbols on the map to make a weather forecast for their region for tomorrow. Call on five volunteers to attach their weather maps to the board. Tell the volunteers to imagine that they are meteorologists on TV. They should explain the forecast for tomorrow and tell the viewers what they should wear.

My trip

Students choose a country they like. Write the following cues on the board: Country, City, Language, Important buildings/sights/monuments/museums, food, how many people, interesting facts.
Students look for information about their chosen country in reference books or on the Internet. Then they write a short text about the place they chose. Call on volunteers to read their texts out loud.

Find Someone Who

Write the heading Find Someone Who... and some characteristics on the board: plays the drums, visits museums once a month, drinks orange juice every day, and so on. Have students stand up with their notebook and a pencil. Tell them to walk around the room to find a classmate who has the characteristics listed and to write the person's name on the corresponding lines: Do you play the drums? - Sonia. Have students go back to their seats when they have finished. The first student to complete the list wins the game. Check as a class.

Die Game

Material: A die.
Assign a category to each die number and write the categories on the board: 1. adjective 2. person 3. verb 4. number 5. place 6. object.
Divide the class into small groups. Roll the die and say what the number is. Have teams make a sentence using a word in the corresponding category: 1. My sister is intelligent. If necessary, ask students to clarify their answers: Intelligent is an adjective. Award a point to the group that finishes the sentence first. Repeat the procedure several times. The team with the most points wins the game.

Correcting mistakes

Write some sentences on the board that have deliberate mistakes in them. Divide the class into small groups. Tell them to correct the sentences. The winner is the team that correct the sentences first. Ask volunteers to correct the sentences on the board.

Category Dictation

Ask students to draw four columns in their notebooks, and give them a category for each. Then dictate a series of words that have to sort into categories. Example: Literary genres / Places / MAterials / Colors - purple, theater, myth, museum, library, wood, white, fable, plastic, horror.
The student who finishes first get to dictate more words.

Body Spelling

Divide the class into two or three teams. Display a flashcard or show an object. Have students use their bodies to spell the word. Award a point to the team that correctly spells the word. Repeat with other words.

Bingo!!

On the board, write 10 to 15 vocabulary words that you would like to review. Tell students to choose five of them and write them down. Read aloud the definitions of the words, in any order. Explain to students that any time you read the definition of a word that a student has written down, they can cross off that word. When they have crossed off all their words, they shout BINGO!! Keep a record of what you say to check that students really have heard all their words.
Variation: Students draw pictures that represent the words, instead or writing them.

Back Writing

Divide the class into pairs and assign roles A and B. Have students A stand up facing the board and student B, stand up behind them, facing the other way. Display a flashcard on the board and tell students A to read it, then turn around and use their finger to write the name of the flashcard on their classmate's back. Students B write down the word. Exchange roles several times. Students get a point for every word that is correctly spelled. The student with the most points wins the wame.

Associations

Divide the class into small groups. Write a word on the board. Get students to say a word that is related to the last word said and so on: pig-pink-flower-garden-house-bedroom.
Optional: Students write a story using the words they mentioned.

Silly Outfits

Materials: Foam sheets (various colors), glue, scissors, yarn, markers.
Preparacion: Body shapes: Cut body shapes from pink foam (1per student). Clothing: Cut out different types of clothing from different-colored foam (enough for all students). Hair: Cut yarn into small hair-size pieces.
Directions: Distribute Body shapes and hair. Have students draw on faces with markers and glue on the hair. Distribute clothes and have students glue them onto the bodies. Encourage students to choose different colors for the different clothes.
Invite different students to come up and describe the outfits on their foam bodies.

Buttons, Buttons, Buttons!

Materials: Large collection of old buttons.
Directions: Divide the class into groups of four of five. Place a pile of buttons in the middle of the desk. Give groups commands for sorting the buttons according to their size, their color or the number of holes.
T: Find all the blue buttons. Find all the big buttons.
Then have students make patterns according to their size, color or number of holes.
T: Find a big button. Find a small button. Make a pattern: big, small, big, small.

Weather Dance

Materials:
Different types of music (slow, fast, quiet, loud), Weather Symbols cutouts.
Directions: Play different types of music and hold up different Weather Symbols cutouts. Encourage students to perform actions that reflect the corresponding weather and music.

Clothing Poster

Clothing Poster
Materials: Scissors, crayons, paper, glue, old fashion magazines or clothing catalogs, construction paper (1 per group).
Preparation: Divide the contruction paper into three columns. Draw a sun at the top of the first column, a snowman at the top of the middle column and a cloud with rain at the top of the third column.
Directions: Divide the class into groups of four or five and give each group a sheet of construction paper. Have students identify the weather symbols at the top of each column. Distribute crayons, paper and magazines or catalogs. Have students cut out and glue or draw pictures of clothing in the columns that correspond to the type of weather. Then have groups bring up their posters one at a time and talk about the clothing.
T: What are these?
SR: They're blue sandals.
T: Are they for hot, cold or rainy weather?
SR: Hot.
Display the posters around the classroom.

Making Clouds

Materials: Large glass jar, hot water, small cloth, ice water.
Directions: Soak the cloth in ice water. Fill the jar halfway with hot water. Wring out the cloth and place it over the mouth of the jar so that part of the cloth falls into the jar. As the warm air rises and cools, little clouds will form near the cloth. Explain to students that this is how rain is made.

Snowball Toss

Materials: 2 pairs of white socks, 2 waste paper baskets, masking tape.
Preparation: Roll the socks into "snowballs." Place two lines of masking tape on the floor one meter away from the waste paper baskets.
Directions: Divide the class into two teams. Have teams line up in single file behind each line of masking tape. Make sure the waste paper baskets are at equal distances from the lines. Have the first member of each team come up and try to toss the "snowball" into the basket. Repeat the procedure until all the students have had a turn. Every time a student tosses a snowball in the basket he or she wins a point for his or her team. The team with the most points at the end wins.

Controlled practice game

If students need more controlled practice of a structure try this. Divide the class into groups. One student says two sentences about another student in the group; e.g., Manuela has blue eyes. She doesn't have black hair. The next student repeats the sentences and adds two more of his own. The next student repeats all the sentences so far, and adds another two. If a student forgets or makes a mistake, students go back to the beginning.

Making project work meaningful

The display stage is very important in project work. If nobody looks at projects once they are finished, they lose their value. Once projects are finished, display them on the bulletin board and schedule time for students to look at each other's work. Give them task; e.g., Which project do you like the most? Why? If possible, invite other classes, other teachers, or even the school principal to look at the projects while the students are there. With this kind of attention, students will soon strat trying to do their best.

Open and closed pairs

An open pair is when a student asks a question and another student answers while the rest of the class listens. Use open pairs to check that students can produce the language correctly. A closed pair is when the class is divided into pairs and all the students ask and answer with their partner at the same time. Use closed pairs to give intensive practice, once you are sure that students are clear about the language.

Vocabulary notebooks

This is a good opportunity to tell students how you expect them to record vocabulary. Tell them if you want them to keep a special section in their notebooks or to buy a separate notebook for vocabulary. Go over some ways of recording vocabulary (word spiders, labelled pictures, word + translation etc.) and let students use the one that they find most useful. And whatever system you use, don't forget to collect student notebooks regularly and check that they are keeping them up to date!

Class review

One way of using class time for review is to get students to teach each other. Try this:
_ Divide the class into pairs or groups of three students per group.
_ Each group decides on an area they want to teach: make sure that each group is teaching a different thing.
_ Groups prepare a poster of the point they are teaching. The poster should contain marker sentences and grammar rules clearly laid out. If they can, groups can also include recommendations for how to remember the point (e.g., similarities with their own language, tricks for memorizing vocabulary, etc.)
_ Give groups about five minutes to present their poster.
_Display posters around the walls of the classroom.

Do you really?

Pairs write ten sentences about things they think, like or dislike. Three of the sentences should be false.
Pairs form groups of four.
One student in each pair says each sentence aloud; the other student from the same pair responds with "So do I, I don't, etc". Three of the responses should be false.
The pair who has been listening says which of the statements and responses are false.

Visual/spatial intelligence

Some students find directions and maps extremely difficult. This may be because they have difficulty with left and right and/or they have difficulty with spatial awareness. Do different activities in class to help students develop an understanding of maps and directions. These activities should involve a mixture of positional references (Where is A with respect to B?) and directions (How do I get from A to B?). Where is the pet store with respect to the shoe store? The pet store is opposite the shoe store. Where is the pet store with respect to the gym and the restaurant? How do I get from the pet store to the gas station? etc.

Stimulating memory

Memory plays an extremely important role in language learning. Some students will inevitably have better memory skills than others, but you can help stimulate your students' memories. Try the following activities:

• Remembering sequences: Give students list of things to remember, like times, places, adjectives, etc. Students should try to memorize and produce the lists in order. For example: These are the stores on Main Street: toy store, shoe store, bookstore, pet store, flower store and the supermarket.Recite the list several times.Students listen and then reproduce the list orally or in written form.
• Remembering details in a picture: Choose a picture that has a reasonable amount of detail. Students look carefully at the picture for a minute. Ask cuestions about the details in the picture.
• Organizing information: Organizing and ordering information improves memory. Imagine, for example, how difficult it would be to remember a random list of 46 letters. On the other hand, it would not be difficult to memorize the first sentence in a pharagraph. Help students connect and organize the information they learn in class. By organizing and adding meaning to material prior to learning it, students will learn it better and recall it easier. For example, organizing material on paper, such as making an outline or mind map, can facilitate this process.

Moral and civic education

If a student has arrived late to this class, ask Why were you late today?
Ask Why is it important to arrive on time? Ask students to speculate about what happens when someone arrives late to class: the class activity is interrupted, the teacher has to explain the activity again, etc.
Explain that people who always arrive late are being incosiderate to their fellow students and to their teacher.

Health education

Some students may be worried about their weight. They may be tempted to skip meals, especially breakfast. Explain that we need breakfast for energy. If we don't eat a good breakfast, we feel tired and cannot work well in class.
Remaind students that they should eat three meals a day. On the board, write Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Divide the class into three groups. Assign one meal to each group. Students make a list of suitable foods for their meal.
Discuss the results. Explain that there is some food that we like but really don't need, such as candy, cake, ice cream and sodas. It's healthier to eat fruit and drink water or juice.
Explain that if we want to lose some weight, we should eat slightly less in each meal, choose food carefully and do exercise.

I could...

Students stand in a circle.
Say a sentence about yourself using could: When I was five, I could swim. Toss a ball to a student. The student says a sentence about him/herself using could and tosses the ball to another student, who in turns, says another sentence, and so on.
When a student drops the ball or cannot say a sentence, the game starts over again. Play the game a second time, but have students make sentences with couldn't.

More Wh questions!

Write question words on the board: What / Where / Who / How / When
Divide the class into pairs.
Students write five questions about their classmate.
Students ask each other their questions.
Students write a short story about their classmate, and share it with the class.

Review Ideas

Tic-Tac-Toe Review
Draw a tic-tac-toe grid on the board or overhead projector. Divide the students into two teams, One has X's, the other has O's. Prepare drill cards in advance-sight words, basic math facts, concentration, etc. Show a card to the first person on the first team. If his response is correct, he can place an X anywhere on the board for his team. An incorrect response results in a loss of turn.
Now the other team must answer correctly in order to place an O on the board. Play continues with teams taking turns until one team is able to get three in a row. Note: Prepare 30 to 40 drill cards so that more than one game can be played. Some other skills that can be reviewed are abbreviations, states and their capitals, equivalent fractions, synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, spelling words, letter or number sequence, Roman numerals, colors, shapes, compound words, and plurals.

Activities that Inspire Learning

What Should I Do Now? Mobile
Teachers often hear that famous question "What should I do now?" from students. It may bother some teachers who go through agonizing efforts to make centers, enrichment activities, games, etc., interesting. The students still do not know what to do when they rush through the assignment.
This mobile is a simple way to let the students know exactly what to do without having to come to the teacher. It frees teachers up to help those who need it, and most importantly, it gives the students a sense of independence.
At the top of the mobile, write the question, "What should I do now?" Hang below it all the different activities in which the teacher would like them to practice. The teacher can hang it from the ceiling and write an activity on both sides so it can be viewed from any perspective. Or, hang it against a wall and turn over only those activities the teacher feels are appropriate for that time of day. For example, the teacher may only want the computer game option showing when the computer is free.

Activities that Inspire Learning

READ-O
A fun way to encourage students to read various genres of books is to play READ-O. READ-O is similar to Bingo in that each child has a game board and needs to get five in a row to win. The squares on the READ-O board represent different genres: Mystery, nonfiction, science fiction, biography, and historical fiction. When a student finishes reading one of the READ-O genres, he or she fills out a book log and conferences with the teacher about the book. The conference is a brief discussion about the book to ensure the student understood what was read. After the conference, the student can put a sticker or stamp on one of the squares of the game board that corresponds to the genre he or she has completed. Once five stckers in a row have been placed on the READ-O board, the student receives a prize. The prize may vary. If the teacher does monthly book order from various book clubs, one suggestion is to allow the child to pick a free book from that month's book order. Another suggestion for prize might be extra time at the library. Tip: It is a good idea to keep the READ-O game going for at least two terms to allow enough time for students to do the reading. If time is limited and conferencing is not an option, simply filling out the book log will be sufficient. Hanging the READ-O boards in the classroom or hallways is an easy way to keep track of students' progress.

Vocabulary Activities

Vocabulary learning can be viewed as boring to some students. Try some of these activities to spice up and make learning vocabulary memorable.

Vocabulary Bingo

Play Vocabulary Bingo. Students randomly write down all the vocabulary words from that unit, one per square. (Note: The words can be written on the board so eveyone has the same words.)

Read the definition of each word. Students then cover the matching word on the Bingo sheet with a small square of paper, dried beans, or other marker. Once they get a consecutive row, they yell "Bingo" or another word you chose. Pick a word that relates to the unit the class is studying.

Action Vocabulary

Give a set of partners one word from the unit or novel being read. They are to learn the definition and then come up with a simple charade-type action associated with the word. The action should be a clue to the meaning of the word. Once practiced, students share their word, definition, and the action with the class. Encourage students to keep the actions simple, only one or two movements. Too detailed or too lengthy actions will be forgotten. The class then repeats the action. After every two words, go back and review actions and definitions of the previously learned words. The action will help secure the meaning in their minds. If desired, students can also choose their own words to perform from the unit.

Review Ideas

Division Raceway
After learning any multi-step problem (long division, two-digit numbers times two-digit numebr, etc.), the class will be ready for a high-paced race and challenge. Follow the instructions below.

1. Split your class into teams of about five.
2. The first person on each team writes down the math problem the teacher says.
3. On the teacher's cue, he or she passes the paper to the next teammate who does the first step to the problem.
4. He or she then passes it to the next person who does the second step, and so on until the problem is completed. In most cases, students will receive the math problem more than once depending on the team size and the steps to the problem.
5. The  team that finishes first and has the correct answer wins the round.

It is very important that each person does only one step. The teacher will need to monitor by walking around and assisting where needed. If a child notices a mistake, he or she can fix it and then do his or her step.

Spelling Activities

Story Writing
Have students use their spelling words in a story. You decide how many words they are to use; the number may vary according to individual student ability.
Illustrations
Draw a picture representing five of the spelling words. (This can be much harder than it sounds; check over your list before you give this assignment.)
Word Sentences
Use as many words from the spelling list as you can to make sentences with each letter in the word forming the first letter of a word in the sentence. For example, the word "paint" could be used as a base for writing "Paula ate ice cream nine times. " You may wish to let them work with partners at first if they have difficulty with this assignment.
Small Words
Students are to find the small words in their spelling words. Making it into a contest is the most fun, and many reluctant students will amaze you with all the words they can find. (If it is an unusul word, they must copy down the meaning.) Use the following rules:

• Use no foreing words or proper nouns.
• Words must be two or more letters.
• Each word counts as one point.
• If a student uses a nonexistent word, two points are taken off.
• The person with the most points wins.

Funny face flip books

Materials: Photocopies of a face outline (1 per student), markers and crayons.
Preparation: On a piece of white paper, draw the outline of a face, divided horizontally by two lines. Make one copy for each student.
Directions: Give each student a copy of the face. Divide the class into groups of 8-10 students. Tell students that they are going to draw individual faces and together with their group, they will make a funny face flip book. On the top third of the paper, students draw and color eyes, ears and hair. On the middle secction, students draw and color the nose (a moustache is optional). On the bottom third of the paper, students draw and color the mouth (a beard is optional). Once the have completed their faces, collect the papers from each group and staple them together along the left margin. Then have one student in each group carefully cut each page of the booklet horizontally across the lines, taking care not to cut through the margin.
Students in the group take turns flipping different pages, making funny faces and describing them: He has blue eyes, red hair, big ears and a brown beard. Display the Funny Face Booklets in the classroom.

Who are you?

Materials: 2 large sheets of construction paper, several sheets of colered paper, white letter-zise paper, glue, crayons.
Preparation: Cut 6 x 6 cm squares from the colored paper. Make a large drawing of a boy and of a girl on each sheet of construction paper and cut them out. Draw them so that they can hold hands. Draw a smaller outline of the same picture on letter-size paper and make photocopies, one for each student.
Directions: Divide students into groups of four or five and give each student a photocopy. Have students color their picture wirh crayons. Display pictures around the classroom. Have groups take turns gluing the colored paper squares onto the large drawings. Put the large drawings in the bulletin board.

Group Dynamics

These are the most useful dynamics that you can try in your lessons.
1. Teacher to the whole group
Useful for presentation activities where the focus is on the teacher and the students are usually quiet. Advantage: easy discipline. Disadvantage: students' participation is limited to choral response or individually answering a direct question from the teacher.
2. Small groups
Useful for communication activities, acting and project work. Walk around the classroom intervening occasionally in the groupwork. Advantages: increased co-operation between students; more student autonomy. Disadvantage: increased noise levels; you may need to exercise your authority to settle disputes between students.
3. Pairwork
Useful for guided dialogues and roleplay. Set the task and then walk around checking and correcting. If it is difficult to walk around the classroom, arrange the pairs in such a way that you can supervise them from two or three points. Advantage: all students get the opportunity to speak in class. Disadvantage: not possible to check and correct all the mistakes.
4. Individual work
Useful for writing exercises in the activity book where each student works alone. It should be preceded by some form of presentation to the whole class. Walk around correcting the students' work as they progress through the exercise. Advantages: allows some quiet thinking time; changes pace and calms children down. Disadvantages: more of a possibility that students might do a whole exercise incorrecrly. Supervise the first part of the exercise quickly to avoid this. Students will not all work at the same pace. Always have some activities ready for the students who finish first.

Using Flannelboards to Teach Basic Skills

Use flannelboards to teach the alphabeth, colors, and shapes, numbers, patterning, measurament, classifying, one-to-one correspondence, and other basic skills. When young children interact with a flannelboard, their learning comes alive! These simple ideas will help you create cutouts and flannelboards.
Fabric cutouts
Make cutouts from felt, flannel, or other fabric using cardboard shapes. Choose the color of fabric for each patter. Secure the pattern on top of the fabric piece by pinning or taping the pattern to the fabric. Cut around the outer edge of the solid outline to create the shape. Or trace around the pattern using a black felt-tip marker to create a bold outline, and then cut out the shape. You can buy fabric that has a holiday oriented pattern and make cutouts out of the fabric pictures.
Paper Cutouts
Trace stencils to make cutouts of letters, numbers, and shapes to use with a flannelboard. Use colorful calendar cutouts or cut out illustrations from coloring books and old workbooks! Just glue a piece of felt, sandpaper, or the "hooks" portion of self-sticking Velcro to the back of each cutout. Before cutting the patterns apart, laminate the pages, cover them in clear contact paper.
Making Flannelboards
You can purchase a manufactured flannelboard or try one of these ideas to create your own!
Flat Carpet Flanneboard
Cut out a large circle or rectangle of felt or flannel. When you're doing a flannelboard activity, lay the fabric on your classroom carpet and have the children sit around.
Flat Box Flannelboard
Open and lay out a flat large cardboard box. Spray adhesive on the front. Place a large piece of felt or flannel on the front and smooth out the fabric from the center to the edges. (Attaching a thing layer of foam under the flannel works even better).

The 3 Multiple Intelligences Visions

1. Teaching with Intelligences
Just as students are smart in different ways, they learn in different ways. If we only lecture, we inadvertently advantage our verbal/linguistic students at the expense of our other students. By extending our teaching repertoire to encompass all the intelligences, we make the content accessible to all of our students and give all students an equal opportunity to excel.
2. Developing the intelligences
As a pluralistic society, we value the capabilities, products and end-states of each intelligence. Why, then, have we chosen to elevate the status of certain intelligences in the classroom while disregarding others? By broadening our curriculum in the classroom to include the development of all the intelligences, we help every student be all they can be.
3. Celebrating Uniqueness and Diversity
If we have but one ruler to measure intelligence, each student is smarter than some and dumber than others. When we break the ruler into eight separate rulers, each student is not smarter or dumber, but has a unique pattern of intelligences to be celebrated. By teaching our students about their uniqueness and valuing diverse intelligences, we validate all students, Students enjoy a sense of self-worth, and more readily respect the uniqueness of others.

10 Tips for using Word Banks

Word Banks are suggested in most language series. Use the following list for strategies to make Word Banks work for you and your students. You may wish to combine some of the ideas to form completely new strategies tailored especially for your students.
1. Have students create their personal Word Bank in the form of a notebook, designating each alphabet letter to an individual page. Students can then add words along with their definitions into their Word Bank, ultimately forming a personal dictionary.
2. Allow students to create a Word Bank file in a file card box or other appropriately shaped container. They can write their word on one side of file cards or trimmed tag board, and illustrate or define their word on the other. Students should keep their cards in alphabetical order.
3. At frequent intervals, encourage students to create sentences, paragraphs, or simple stories using as many or their Word Bank words as possible.
4. Help students take frequent advantage of a classroom dictionary to check the accuracy of either the student's personal definition of the word, or the sentence usage of the word.
5. Ask students to keep a personal journal of words to form their Word Bank. In addition to entering the word, they should indicate where they found the word (such as a trade book, the Internet, or from a lesson), what they think the word means, what a dictionary says it mean, and create a sentence using the word.
6. Give students an opportunity to find a new word from a trade book or other lesson extension. Then have students take turns showing their word to other students, asking their classmates to contribute possible definitions and use the word in sentences.
7. Students can keep daily words on a key ring (or large paper clip). Have students write each word on a stiff piece of paper or index card (with a hole punched in it) as they encounter it during the day. After they complete writing the word, they should immediately add it to their key ring.
8. At the end of the day, have students share their Word Bank words with the group, creating sentences for each. You may wish students to take Word Banks home with at the end of the day so that they can practice using the words and share them with other family members.
9. You may wish to have students share their Word Bank words by creating a poster with a partner. The poster should include words from each student's Word Bank along with an illustration or definition of the word. The poster should indicate which student contributed each word.
10. Your entire group can create a class Word Bank, either by contributing words individually, or agreeing to enter them into the class Word Bank as they are encountered in group instruction. Keep your class Word Bank on chart paper or separate pieces of tag board, and add to it frequently, creating a complete "Word Wall"

Classroom management (young students)

• Noise

Do not expect primary school students to work in silence. It is normal for children to laugh and talk to each other while they are doing an activity.They want to know what their partner has done and, especially, who has finished first!

Rather than trying to prevent them from communicating normally with each other, prompt them to speak in English. Provide them with the language they need for this communication, e.g. Have you finished? Look at my picture! Oh! That's pretty! What's that? You can best do this by using this language yourself.

• Movement

Children need to move around. The school day is long and we cannot reasonably expect them to sit at desks all day. Try to include at least one moving activity in each lesson. Let them stand up or clap and act songs and rhymes.

• Flexibility

Be prepared to change the order of your activities in your lesson plan to take into account the mood of your students. If they seem unruly at the beginning of the lesson, start off with a physical activity. If they get restless halfway through the lesson, stop what you are doing and get them moving.

• Consistency

Be consistent. If your students know what you expect of them it will be easier for them to behave appropriately. This can be hard because as teachers we also have our good days and bad days! Do not expect students to be good always. Those of us have children of our own know that their behaviour varies from day to day.

• Fairness

Do not label children as "difficult" just because they, or their brothers and sisters, have a history of disruptive behaviour. Try to show them that you have no preconceived ideas about them. If you allow children to think that you expect them to be naughty, you will, almost certainly, not be disappointed!

• Positive reinforcement

Always emphasise and reinforce the good things that students do. Children love public encouragement, so make sure that the other students hear you praising and appreciating someone's work or conduct. Remember that all students need this praise, even the ones who do not always demand your approval. Never humiliate or use your advantages of age and experience to belittle a student no matter what they have done. Serious violations of the rules should always be dealt with privately.

How to use your instant puppets

Introduce the idea

Make an example before the lesson. Take the puppet character into the classroom, introduce the children to it, then encourage them to talk directly to the puppet, Elicit language by asking questions, e.g. Say Hello, What's my name?

Adaptation for a story called "Witchy and Itchy"

• Make a forgetful witch with a yoghurt pot, black card and material.
• Make up a story first, e.g. about what Witchy puts in her magic pot to make a new spell. The children should remember what she puts in her magic pot.
• Tell the chinldren Witchy needs help in collecting special ingredients for her magic spell, which she has forgotten how to make.
• Using the puppet, ask the children What must she put in the magic pot? They will ask her questions or disagree with her.
• Demonstrate how to make the puppets for Witchy and for Itchy, the cat.
• The children can make their own witches or cats.
• In pairs they can act out what Witchy is going to put in her spell and what Itchy replies.

For practice using Wh-questions or yes/no questions

• Present an exchange at the beginning of the lesson using two finger puppets.
• puppet A: Why are you writing?
• puppet B: I'm writing to my friend.
• puppet A: What are you writing?
• puppet B: I'm writing a letter.
• Negatives can be made in the exchanges as one puppet contradicts another.
• puppet A: You're writing.
• puppet B: No, I'm not writing, I'm reading.
• Children can draw a face on the first finger of their left hand.
• Divide the class into pairs. They can repeat this exercise and the dialogue can be extended if necessary.

More instant puppets

• Hand puppets

Draw a face on your clenched fist. By moving the thumb up and down you have a mouth to speak.

• Plastic cup puppets

Use a clean plastic cup. Turn it upside down and draw the face on the pot. 

Attach it to a ruler or a stick and add hair if necessary.

• Sock puppets

Put a sock on your left hand so that the fingers are in the toe area and the thumb is in the hell of the sock. This forms the mouth of the puppet.

Draw eyes and a nose with the felt-tip marker or glue buttons on for eyes. Stick cardboard ears to the back of the sock. They can be in the form of dog with long ears or a cat with small pointed ears and whiskers. A green sock can be used to make a crocodile.

• Finger puppets

Draw a face on a piece of card and stick it on your finger or draw around a shape and add pieces of material to make features.

Making instant puppets

Why are puppets useful in the primary EFL classroom?
Puppets can be used in stories, songs, chants, roleplay and pairwork. There are several pedagogical and linguistic aims behind using puppets.

• For motivation. It is fun so the children will try to speak or listen without inhibition.
• For meaning. The children will try to understand what is happening so they listen with a purpose.
• For fluency. In the desire to communicate with the puppets, the children will build up a flow of language and learn new words.
• For communication. Puppets make even the shyest child become involved, as the child is participating "out of character", e.g. using a different character from their own, or communicating with "someone" outside the normal class enviroment.
• For cross-curricular activities. Puppets can be used in most topic areas of the curriculum.
• To teach vocabulary used in a story or roleplay; parts of the face: eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair, whiskers, etc.
• To teach language for making puppets, e.g. verbs: to color, to draw, to glue, to put, etc.

How to make INSTANT PUPPETS

Materials needed: cardboard, scissors, felt-tip markers, glue, scraps of fabric, ribbon and wool.

Time needed: 15-20 minutes per puppet.

The most important thing to remember when making a puppet for language teaching  is the fact that the features of the character play an important part in bringing out the person behind the puppet. You might consider make a puppet in advance to show the students what sort of puppet they will make.

1. Wooden spoon puppets

• Use a wooden spoon and draw a face on the back with felt-tip markers.
• Decorate the head of the puppet with strips of wool for hair. Use scraps of material to wrap around the handle for a cloak, etc.

2. Paper bag puppets

• Draw a face to show an expression on a paper bag and tie it around the wrist with help.

3. Toilet roll puppets (plastic cups)

• Attach a ruler or a stick to the inside af a toilet roll.
• Draw the eyes, nose and mouth with felt-tip markers and add hair if necessary.

The describing game

One of the best fluency games, this practices the vital language skills of defining and paraphrase when you don't know a word in English, e.g.
It's a place where...          It's an adjective...          It's a thing you use to...
You find it in the ...           It's an animal...              It's a person who...
You can use it to practice any vocabulary group or for general vocabulary revision.

• Put students into pairs, A and B. Students A turn round so they can't see the board. The Bs see the board.
• Write seven words on the board, e.g.

banana        Madonna        sugar        blue        twelve        a pilot       passport

• B has to describe the first word to A without using the word, and speaking only in English, e.g. It's a fruit. It's long and yellow. It comes from Africa. She's a singer. She's American. She's very rich and famous.
• A listens and guesses the word he/she thinks it is. If the guess is correct, B then defines the second word, B has to try to give a clearer definition.
• If they find it hard at first, teach them to give the first letter as a clue, e.g. It beggings with B.
• When all the pairs have finihed, the students swap roles. Write seven new words on the board and continue.

Twenty questions

This is a more advanced guessing game. Students have to guess the identity of a mystery person, practicing question formation, nationalities, jobs and adjectives.

• Play the game in groups or a class. Write the names of famous people on cards. One student draws a card and assumes that person's identity. The others have up to 20 questions to find out who it is.
• The student with the card can only answer Yes, (I am) / No, (I'm not) or I don't know. If they don´t know the question doesn't count.
• Elicit and splash on the board examples of the kind of questions students have to ask.
• The student who guesses correctly draws the next famous name, an so on.

This is also good for guessing a job, e.g. Do you work indoors/with your hands? Do you have to drive/wear a uniform? Again, practice some of the questions first.

Categories

Aims of the game:
This is a game that is good for revising lexical sets.
Playing the game.
Basic procedure:

• Choose five categories of lexix that you would like to practice with the children and then show the children how to play the game.
• Either draw a grid on the board and ask the children to copy it into their exercise books, or give the children a photocopied grid.
• Give an example of what they have to do. Elicit from the class one word for each of the categories, and write them in.
• animal    food    family    color    sport
• fish         bread  mum      red      tennis
• Then give the children three minutes (or however long you think the children need) to fill in as many words as they can. Allow them to use their coursebooks or dictionaries to help.
• Let the children compare their answers with a friend, and fill in any gaps they may have. Check the answers with the whole class and see how many words they found for each category.

Adapting for older children.

• Older children might like to play the game in teams. Divide the class into pairs or teams of four. Give each team a grid to complete.

Adapting for higher levels.

• Higher-level students might like to play the game using sequential letters of the alphabeth or even words with 2, 3, 4, etc. letters in them. Let the children use plural forms, but if you play the game this way, tell the children that not all letters have appropriate words.

Play I'd like a...

Choose a few students to come to the front of the class. Explain the game very quietly so that the rest of the class cannot hear. Students are going to say what they would like. They can choose any word they like, but it must begin with the first letter of their name. For example, Carmen can say "I'd like a coconut", but she can't say "I'd like a tomato".
Start the game: Say "I'd like a (choose a word starting with the first letter of your name)". Point to a student and ask "What would you like? Prompt them to say I'd like a...
Each time a students chooses a word incorrectly, say Oh, no (Pedro), you can't have a (coconut) but you can have a (pencil).
Give clues: Alicia would like an appple and Ernesto would like an elephant.
When students work out the trick, they shouldn't say anything but just continue playing.
Ask the students who know the trick to explain it to the rest of the class.

Run, run, run! ... Stop!

This is an excellent way to teach action verbs, adverbs and lexical sets, and to work on sound discrimination. You can use it for five minutes every day, right from the start, and develop it. Use it when a class needs livening up or as part of the class routine.
Playing the game
1. Basic procedure

• Take the children somewhere where they can have some space and simply give out orders which the children have to follow.
• Shout Run, run, run! to get them started.
• Do each action with them and use voice inflection.
• When they seem to recognise each oder (after a few lessons), only use voice inflection and finally, only give the order.
• At the beginning, say each verb three times; eventually, say it only once to train your pupils to listen and recognise the different verbs.
• After each new order, say Stop! and clap your hands (this is to save your voice). The children have to stop suddenly and stand completely still in whatever position they are in. Then give the next order. Walk, walk, walk!... Stop!... Jump, jump, jump!... Stop! etc.
• Useful verbs to teach: run, walk, jump, play (a sport), play (an instrument), ride a bike, watch TV, eat, swing, fight, shout, drink, throw a ball, catch a ball, kick, climb, dance, sing, swim, fly, skate, push.

What's missing?

This is a game that is good for revising lexical sets and vocabulary. It can be extended to practice reading and writing skills.
Playing the game:

• Collect together between five and ten picture flashcards illustrating words that you want to revise or consolidate with the children.
• Line up the flashcards at the front of the class. Ask the children to identify each of the items. Then give them one minute to memorise the words.
• Tell the children to close their eyes. Remove one of the flashcards. Then tell the children to open their eyes and to see if they can spot which one has disappeared.
• Repeat this process until all the words have gone.

Older children might like to take the role of teacher and to lead this game.

Discipline

Discipline with Dignity
All students need to be treated with dignity. Even when a student is being disciplined, he or she needs to retain dignity. Private remainders and conferences with the child will preserve his or her dignity and yours.
One of the best things to remember concerning disciplining students is that they win whenever they get you to "lose your cool". Take your time when students "push your buttons" and decide carefully on your response. In this way, you will not behave in a way that you will regret later.
Teach Students Responsibility
Students need to be taught that they are responsible for their own behavior. If a student does not follow the rules it is best for natural or determined consequences to take their course whenever possible. When parents and others intervene, they take the responsibility for student's behavior away from the student.
Exercise Break
One of the best favors you can do for your students and yourself when students get wiggly and cannot seem to concentrate is to take an excercise break. One good time for break like this is about 45 minutes before lunch. Take your students outside for 5-7 minutes of exercise led first by yourself, and then, after they know the exercises, the students. This is not to replace physical education, but it is a quick chance to do some specific physical activity when the students need it most.

A Classroom Chores Planner

Divide the class into groups of five, if it is possible. Assign a name to each group. Display a monthly planner on the board. Label each week in the month: week 1, week 2, etc. Ask "Which group is going to do the classroom chores for (week 1)?"
Students choose a group. Ask students to come to the board and write the names of the people responsible for keeping the classroom tidy in week 1.
Continue with the rest of the month. If the class is large, you may need to use two monthly planners so that all the groups are assigned a week. Once all the assignments have been made, ask students questions. Point to one of the weeks and ask Who's going to (tidy the classroom) on Monday? Students respond.

Storage (cont.)

Clotheslines
Use large eye screws and attach a line from one side of your room to the other. Use clothespins to display student work.
Gutter Rails
Attach PVC rain guttering to empty wall sections to store and display reading materials. The guttering comes in several colors and can be attached at several heights. If the walls are concrete or plaster board, you may need special screws.
Drying Racks
Clothes drying racks work well for storage Big Books. Use pants hangers or strong clothespins on dress hangers and then hang on the storage racks. This also protects the Big Books. If you are lucky enough to have a multiple copies of the little books to go with the Big Books, they can be stored in reclosable plastic bags and attached to the same hanger.

Storage (cont.)

"Slap" It On
To display and manipulate items like word cards, small picture cards, or name cards, tape long strips of masking tape (sticky side out) on the chalkboard or other surface. They can be removed, rearranged, and re-stuck to graph, alphabetize, categorize, etc.
Big Book Storage
A quick and easy way to store big books is in a laundry basket. Be sure that you purchase one that is very sturdy and rectangular in shape. This ensures that your big books will stand up straight and be kept in good condition. Label the basket and keep it in the same place.
Stotage Boxes
Purchase flat carboard or plastic boxes that are designed to fit under the bed for versatile storage boxes in your classroom. They are the perfect size for storage of your sentence strip stories and other pocket lessons. These boxes also stack nicely, making them great for storage of month-specific items or art projects.

Storage

One of the biggest challenges for a teacher is finding enough places to store everything in the classroom. When visitors enter your classroom, one of the things that speaks the loudest is the neatness of the room. We're not talking about the student desks at this time, but rather the overhead shelves, ledges, and table tops. If there are materials that look unorganized and spread everywhere, visitors to your classroom can not help but react. Take a moment and look around your room on a regular basis and see what needs to be cleaned up from a visitor's point of view. Students can help you with this task. Good organization may star with an organized room.

Another common problem, whether you have been teaching for two months or twenty years, seems to be the universal inability to throw things away. Almost everything can be used in some new and creative way in the future, but if you can't find it, you can't use it. Try to keep only the things you will really use and then organize them somewhere that you will be able to find them. Using inexpensive, labeled storage boxes is one solution to the storage problem...

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Anytime Bulletin Board Ideas

Reading Is a Blast

Have a "Reading Is a Blast" Bulleting board. In the center of the board, have a picture of a rocket. After students have completed books, they may write their names and the titles of the books on precut planets, stars, or astronauts and attach them to the board.

Magazine Resources

Display magazine or newspaper pictures when you find a spread is appropriate for a subject you are studying. Mount pictures on construction paper, write captions or titles on contrasting construction paper strips, and arrange all on a colorful background. Hint: Buy two copies so you can display both sides. Be sure to store the pictures and captions for use another year.

Coming Soon

Pique students curiosity and anticipation in your classroom with a "Coming Soon" bulletin board. In the center, prepare a marquis in a frame that features the new topic or event and presents interesting information about the upcoming unit. Surround the frame with relevant objects, pictures, etc. Place a manila envelope in a corner of the bulleting board of leave a shoebox near it for students to deposit cards containing questions that they may wish to ask or learn about the topic. When you are ready to begin the unit, you students will be prepared and eager as well.

End of the year
Have students color their own popcorn while you draw a popcorn box then arrange the popcorns with the names of the students as if they were inside the box and also some out. Write on the box Popping into ___ grade.

Bulletin Board Hints

Backgrounds
Butcher paper is the traditional background for a bulletin board. Consider investing in fadeless butcher paper if you do not want to invest the time to change the background paper throughout the school year. Or consider some of these other creative alternatives to bulletin board backgrounds.
Use contact paper, wrapping paper, or wallpaper for patterned backgrounds.
Cover your bulletin board with other types of paper such as newspaper, maps, a patchwork pattern of construction paper, old pages from calendars, and printed paper.
Sheets and fabric can cover a background, as well. Make a patchwork board by gluing sections with different patterns and materials.
Attach chicken wire to the bulletin board. Items can be hooked on rather than pinned.
Art tissue, colored cellophane, construction paper, butcher paper, or sand paper can be coverings for a bulleting board background.
Hang netting across the bulletin board. Clip items to the net with clasp clothespins.

Bulletin Board Hints

It is a good idea to have interesting bulletin boards and displays around your room. These can satisfy a variety of needs, including the presentation of student work, the imparting of important information, and the reinforcement of key elements in the curriculum.
Get creative and really express yourself! Hints in this section give ideas for various methods of making letters, materials for covering backgrounds and borders, and props that can be used to spice up any bulletin board.

Lettering
Print block letters onto construction paper with wide-line black markers. Then draw dots on the ends of the letters.
Type a bulletin board title. Enlarge it on a photocopying machine. Attach the title to the bulletin board.
Put two straight pins on each letter (use ready made ones that can be cut out from stencils). Push T-pins into the bulleting board background and pull the letters up against the head of the pins.
If you want a level line for your title, the easiest way to put up letters is to measure down at the right side of your board and again at the left. Put in pins and strech a string between. This will make your letters straight enough for the toughest critic! If you want your letters to be centered, find the middle of both the board and the caption and work your way out to the ends.

Classroom discipline

It is important to establish your classroom rules at the very beginning of the school year.

Keep the rules simple and clear, for example:

• Raise your hand if you want to ask a question.
• Always ask if you don't understand.
• Don't shout or talk over your classmates.
• Listen to your classmates' opinions.
• Take turns when playing games.
• Help your classmates if they find something difficult.
• Always ask if you want to borrow something.

If you want behavior to be counted in the final grade, it is better to reserve some points from the total rather than adjusting grades for objective assessments (tests, exams, homework). For example, if you are grading out of 100, you can reserve 10 points for behavior. Students who get a perfect score on an exam but whose conduct has not been very good would obtain a maximun of 90 points. Students who have been cooperative and well-behaved but who are not especially bright or good at exams have the possibility of obtaining 10 extra points for conduct.

Game: Ball dictation

Throw a ball to a student. The student with the ball dictates a word or short phrase to the rest of the class. Students write down the word or phrase in their notebooks.
The student with the ball throws it to another student, who dictates a new word or phrase. Continue until 10 students have participated.
Ask students to dictate the words or phrses back to you and write them on the board.
Students correct their work.

Social studies: Who does the chores?

Materials:
Paper, string, stapler.
Preparation:
Cut paper into strips (several per student).
Directions:
Review family members and chores vocabulary.Point out that all the members of the family do the chores at home, not just the women.
Ask students if their moms work harder at home than any other member of the family.
Have students make a list of the chores that they and other members of their family could do to share the chores more equally.
Students write sentences explaining how they can help at home: I can make my bed. My dad can take out the garbage.
Staple all the pieces of paper to a string to make a banner.
Hang the banner across the classroom.

Science: Making a compass

Materials:

Per pair of students: a magnet, a cup of water, a cork, a needle.

Directions:

Write the following instructions on the board:

1. Rub a magnet 50 times across a needle, always in the same direction.

2. Cut a piece of cork, so you can have a small circle.

3. Push the needle through the cork, from one end of the circle to the other. Label the cork N, S, E and W (the needle should go from S to N)

4. Put the cork and needle in a cup of water.

5. Place the compass on the table and watch what happens!

(The needle should move and point to the nearest magnetic pole-either north or south.)

Divide the class into pairs and distribute materials.

Read the instructions with the class. Demonstrate each step. Students follow the instructions and make the compass.

Pairs write a route in their notebooks to follow: Walk five steps north and then 20 steps east.

Two pairs exchange routes and use their compasses to follow them.

Chain games

Chain games are good for consolidating sintax patterns, lexical sets and vocabulary. It is easy to adapt the games to the grammar structure and the vocabulary taught in the lesson.
Basic procedure.
. Show the students how to play the game using, for example, animal lexis. Choose two confident students to help you.
. Say "I have a dog". Ask student A to repeat what you said and to say another animal, e.g. "I have a dog and a cat".
. Ask student B to repeat what student A said and to add another animal, "I have a dog, a cat and a mouse:"
. Check that students have understood what they have to do, then play the game with the whole class.See how many words the students can remember. When the chain breaks down, because somebody cannot remember the sentence, the whole class count to five and the chain starts again.

Preparing class materials.

For each lesson, students are expected to have the following materials: scissors, colored pencils, a glue stick, a pencil, an eraser and a notebook.
Preparing and storing student cutouts
At the beginning of the school year, collect students' cutouts and keep each set in a separate folder with the student's name. When cutouts are required for an activity, distribute folders. Make sure students return all unused cutouts to the folders upon completing the activity.
Info-gap cutouts
Some student cutouts are to be used for info-gap activities. In these type of activities, students should work in pairs. One student has the information that the other needs to complete the activity. Remind students that they cannot show each other their cutouts and encourage them to use English throughout the activity. Explain that it does not matter at this stage if they make mistakes, that the objective is to communicate in English.
While students are working, walk around the classroom monitoring the activity.