online resources

I have been searching for quite some time now for short stories/plays. http://www.scribd.com/ has full texts of a wide variety of literary pieces in an easy to email/print format. Also, classicreaders.com is another good resource.

besos, kt

Collective Storytelling

This is a great activity to fill up 10 minutes at the end of class if your lesson ends ahead of schedule.

1. The teacher starts off the story and sets the mood. "On a dark and stormy night, Mark set off into the night..."
2. Next, the teacher either throws a paper ball at or uses a hand guesture to signal to another student. This student then must continue the story before passing the storyteller role to another student and so on and so forth.
3. When time is up, the teacher should tell which ever student is selected next to make up an ending to the story.

Notes:
1. You can practice the concept of this by doing a modified written version of the activity before trying the oral version. Write down an opening phrase on a piece of paper and fold it down so that only that line is showing. Pass this around during class having each student add to the story based on only the line written by the previous student. At the end of class, collectively read the story.
2. Emphasize that the students should just add whatever comes to mind. There should be no, or few, "uhhh.. ahhh... I don't know!!" pauses. This activity practices spontaneous language. When a student runs out of something to say, he or she should pass to the next student.

Another Great Icebreaker

Another fun icebreaker...

1. Explain the term icebreaker (and the expression "to break the ice")

2. Have everyone write down 3 facts (could be modified to 1 to save time) about themselves. Give examples: "I am left-handed." "I speak three languages." "I had a pet ferret growing up."

3. Collect all the pieces of paper and redistribute them.

4. Choose a random student and have him or her read (in a loud, clear voice) what is written on his or her paper. This student then has to guess who the paper belongs to.

5. The person who wrote it will identify him or herself and explain one (the most interesting) fact. You can stimulate discussion by asking questions (ex: wow? three languages, huh? which ones? why those languages? etc.). This person then continues the game by reading what is on his or her paper.

This icebreaker works well both on the first day and later on in the semester once students already know one another. It can be shortened (by using one fact) to fill in the last 10-15 minutes of a class.

The Giving tree

Here's a lesson that I did with my third year students. Or...I think they're third years but I don't really have a clear idea. We read "The Giving Tree" in class and tried to listen to the following audio (spoken in very slow english, ideal for our students) but technology doesn't like me. Maybe it will work better for you: http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/archive/2008-01/2008-01-06-voa1.cfm. VOA, in general, is an awesome source for audio clips and the likes. Here are some of the questions I asked:
Giving/taking
• Did the tree give too much? Is the boy happy in the end of the story? The text always says the tree was happy except for when the boy moved far away. Do you believe that she really was happy? Can the Tree be happy in such a diminished state? How would you explain the tree’s happiness? Is this how you would define happiness? Who are we to judge someone else’s happiness?

• Describe the codependent relationship between the Tree and the boy.


• How would you characterize the boy’s love for the Tree?

The stages of the boy’s life
• Describe the boy’s relationship with the Tree. How does it change over time? Consider what he takes from the tree as he ages. Does he ever give back? Why is this significant?

• Compare and contrast the life stages of the boy with those of the Tree. What does this signify?


Parental relationships
• The tree, unlike most parents, never faces the moment in which the boy asks for something that she cannot provide. Is this a realistic portrayal of parenthood or is this relationship a mixture of the human and divine? Should parents aim to be like The Giving Tree, giving, bending, breaking themselves down until they no longer are physically there? Did the Tree spoil the boy? Has she failed as a mother? Or is this a beautiful story of the ultimate parenthood? Do you aspire to be like the tree, to have nothing left but a stump in old age?

• Why does the boy keep coming back to the tree? Is it because he is greedy or because he truly loves her? Clearly, the tree loves the boy, and it is this love that allows him to come and go so many times.


• Is the tree victorious in the end? The boy stays with her, but can she enjoy his presence?

Language of the story:
• What is the significance of the ellipses?
o “And the tree was happy/…but not really”
o “Then you can/Sail away…/And be happy.”
o “I wish I could give you something…/But I have nothing left to give/I am just an old stump/I am sorry…”

• The Boy never grows up, and the reader never knows his name. Why?

The lesson went well because it's a very simple story (linguistically speaking) with a lot of interesting themes/issues to discuss afterwards.

My Favorite Icebreaker

Hi all,

Here's my favorite icebreaker.  It takes no prep time and no material.  It's good for most levels... actually, pretty much any level can do this.  It's also good for all ages. It's perfect for the first day, but it also works for a group that's been together for a while.  It's called 2 Truths and a Lie.  It goes like this:

1.) Have each student introduce themselves, and maybe give another random fact if it's the first day (i.e. their favorite musical group in English). This is good for the first day or when you're still learning names, and you can covertly take attendance all the while ;)

2.) Then have them say 2 true things about themselves and one lie, but without telling the class which is the lie.  Then, the rest of the class guesses.  

Sometimes it's fun if you have a hacky-sack or a soft ball so that each student that goes picks the next one by throwing the ball at them.  Also, the teacher should start do they get the idea.  For example, I usually saw "My name is Kristal, and my favorite group in English is Midnite.  (Holding up one finger) I hate to cook, (holding up 2 fingers) I have a pet frog in the US, (holding up 3 fingers) I have 8 brothers and sisters.  Which is the lie?"  Also, if your students are shy, it's good to guess which are their lies first.  This can be tricky when the game is good.  One said "I have 1 girlfriend, I have 2 girlfriends, I'm gay"  and didn't get that there should only be 1 lie... Funny things happen!  It's a good game!!! 

*Kristal

Class blog

Hello Fulbrighteros,

Kristal and I actually made a blog like this one for our advanced English discussion sections at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Here´s a link to our blog. We announce our extracurricular activities there and we encourage our students to post comments. One of our students submitted an awesome short stories website.

I´m looking forward to hearing your ideas and sharing lesson plans - what are your students like? Same age as you? Very young? Our students come from all over Argentina. The advanced students are on average the same age as us (and have beautiful British diction - muy capos).

Best of luck!
Saludos desde La Plata,
Charly

Class Mystery

This lesson is based on the classic "5-Minute Mystery" stories. If you want a copy of the handout I used, e-mail me.

Suggested Lesson Plan:

1. Find a short mystery story and identify any possible vocabulary words. 

**www.mysterynet.com publishes monthly whodunnits that are great for classroom use. I recommend the relatively "solve-it" stories (www.mysterynet.com/solveit).

2. Create a handout with the story, a short list of vocab words, and the mystery questions (Who did it? How do you know?). *Note: the "solve-it" stories on mysterynet.com have questions already prepared.

3. In class:

1. Hand out story
   
2. Pre-teach any necessary vocabulary
   
3. Read the story as a class out loud. Encourage your students to act it out/read dramatically. It often helps their pronunciation.
   
4. Spot check for comprehension.
   
5. Have a student read the "who did it?" and "how do you know" questions.
   
6. Brainstorm possible answers. Encourage discussion and have students explain their answers. If your class is large enough (4 or more), split students into pairs or small groups and have them discuss together and then present their "crime theories" to the class. Let students try to convince other groups of their opinion.
   
7.  Finally, if everyone is stumped or only partially correct, read them the correct answer.
   

Level: Intermediate to Advanced. 

Goals: Practice speaking skills and explaining an opinion. Also increase vocabulary.

Time: 40-60 minutes depending on the size of the group and how long you allow for discussion.

Welcome to the Argentina ETA Blog

Welcome. The general idea of this blog is to share successful teaching tips/lesson plans with other ESL teachers. If you have a lesson to share, e-mail us at ArgentinaETA08@gmail.com.